ALASKA BASEBALL ALUMNI HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023
Day Nine Inductee
ALASKA BASEBALL ALUMNI HALL OF FAME
2022 saw the first class of the AKGPA Hall of Fame inducted during the month of April. The inaugural group were drawn from players, executives, mascots, and personnel directly involved with baseball in Fairbanks, Alaska. Listed below is the first class in its entirety:
THE ’22 TWENTY: Dan Pastorini, Bill Lee, Dave Kingman, Morganna the Kissing Bandit, Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Bowie Kuhn, Andy Messersmith, Alvin Davis, Bob Boone, Sean Timmons, Allan Simpson, Bruce Robinson, Rod Dedeaux, H.A. (Red) Boucher, Hap Dumont, and Don Dennis.
2023 will see the induction of a new member into our Ball Hall every day during the month of April until the class is complete on the 20th.
Join us during the month of April for our second countdown of the Alaska Baseball Alumni Hall of Fame.
’23 TWENTY HALL OF FAME, DAY NINE INDUCTEE:
FLOYD BANNISTER
Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (1977–1978), Seattle Mariners (1979–1982), Chicago White Sox (1983–1987), Kansas City Royals (1988–1989), California Angels (1991), and Texas Rangers (1992).
Bannister also played for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), in 1990.
1974-75 ALASKA GOLDPANNERS
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1975 – Named All-American at ASU
1976 – Named All-American at ASU
1976 – Named The Sporting News College Player of the Year
1976 – Winner of the Lefty Gomez Plate as College Baseball MVP
1976 – Drafted Number One Overall by Houston
1977 – Made MLB debut on April 19
1977 – First MLB win on April 29
1982 – Named to AL All-Star Team
1982 – Led A.L. in strikeouts with 209
1984 – Led A.L. in victories with 20
NEWS CLIPPINGS:
– Wikipedia: Floyd Bannister (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Bannister)
– Baseball Reference (https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bannifl01.shtml)
– MLB: Floyd Bannister (https://www.mlb.com/player/floyd-bannister-110540)
– Trading Card Database (https://www.tcdb.com/Person.cfm/pid/281/col/1/yea/0/Floyd-Bannister?sTeam=&sCardNum=&sNote=&sSetName=&sBrand=)
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT PLAYLIST:
1975 Player Profile
The 1974 Goldpanner season ended on Labor Day in Kamloops, B.C., Canada, as the team needed three wins to climb out of the loser’s bracket to win the International Tournament. Floyd Bannister won all three games that day and was named the most valuable player of the tourney to cap a brilliant season.
In his first Goldpanner season Floyd was 11-3 and had a nifty 2.84 ERA. He also led the club in strikeouts with 98 in 95 innings.
This spring at Arizona State University Floyd became the nation’s strikeout leader and took a 14-3 record with 175 strikeouts in 125 innings into the College World Series.
The 6-01 left-hander enjoyed a sensational high school career at Kennedy in Seattle where he went 15-0 and did not allow an earned run in 112 innings as a senior.
Floyd also played on two championship Senior Babe Ruth League teams, Stoen-Kassuba of Seattle, which won the national tournament one year and finished third his other season. In the latter season Floyd was named the most valuable player.
French, Schuler, Bannister pace Panner mound staff
By Don Dennis
October 26, 1974
The Alaska Goldpanners launched their 1974 season on June 14 In Kenai with Dave Schuler the starting pitcher. The next night another lefthander, Floyd Bannister started. Nearly three months later when the Panners had salted away their third straight national championship and a second straight international title, the same two pitchers were right at the top of the Panner mound staff.
The two southpaws are joined by righthanded relief ace Marty French at the head of the ’71 final statistics.
Bannister, a freshman from Arizona State University, was the top winner with 11 while Schuler posted an 8-2 record and the best earned run average among the starters at 2.63. French finished 5-0 with five saves and the best ERA, a sparkling 1.93 ERA.
Bannister, who figures big in the Panners’ 1975 plans, drew many of the season’s tough assignments and finished with a flourish. He tossed a one-hitter over the final four innings to get a save in the national championship game in Wichita, Kan., and then won four games – three the final day-in the international tournament at Kamloops, B.C., Canada.
The hard-throwing lefty, who hails from Seattle, finished with an 11-3 record and excellent 2.84 ERA. He led the team in innings pitched with 95 and in strikeouts with 98.
Schuler, a senior this year at New Haven, Conn., College, was the winning pitcher in the national title game and was 8-2 on the year with two saves. Schuler’s ERA of 2.63 was tops among the starters. He exhibited the best control among the hurlers, walking just 21 batters in 82 innings of work. He struck out 74.
French, a second year player out of San Diego, was brilliant throughout the season, repeatedly coming out of the bullpen to get the job done. The big righthander had a 5-0 record with five saves to go along with his team-leading 1.93 ERA.
Four other hurlers also made outstanding contributions. A pair of University of Southern California righthanders, George Milke and Pete Redfern, had good seasons.
Redfern had the third best ERA at 2.72, however, posted only a 3-4 won-loss mark as the normally hard-hitting Panners always seemed to pick Pete’s starts to take the night off. He had to hurl shutouts to pick up two of his three wins.
Milke, in his second year, was 5-2 with two saves and a modest 3.40 ERA. Big George, however, was toughest in the clutch and was named the outstanding pitcher in the national tournament on the strength of three strong outings. Milke, a six-game winner for the Panners In ’73, tossed a one-hitter at Albuquerque, N.M., and a five-hitter at Wichita Coors – easily the team batting champion in the nationals. In addition, he shut down Liberal, Kan., in the fifth round over the final two innings after the Bee Jays had overcome a 10-4 deficit and pulled within a run at 10-9.
Ed Matta, a second year reliever, entered a record 30 games and finished with a 7-3 won-lost mark and a team record 11 saves. Matta, like Schuler, used control as his chief weapon as he walked only 18 and struck out 52 in 65 innings.
Tim Ryan, a left-handed from Santa Clara, compiled an 8-2 record, including a pair of masterful performances against the strong Anchorage Pilots. Ryan worked 92 innings, the second highest total on the staff.
As a team the Panner hurlers fashioned a 3.56 ERA with 682 strikeoouts in 678 Innings of work.
Opposing hurlers were lagged for a 6.90 ERA by Panner hitters and had just 368 strikeouts In 665 innings, Panner pitchers had just six shutouts among their wins.
The bullpen staff got credit for a team record 28 saves.
Check back tomorrow as we unveil the latest ’23 TWENTY inductee.