1999 Season
Season Record:  24-21
League Record: 14-14 (4GB)

1999 Roster | Dan Cowgill • Mike Rooney • Steve Rousey | Jason Aspito • Jason Berni • David Bush • Brooks Conrad • Bobby Crosby • Jeff Cruz • Erik Frei • Andy Helmer • David Jensen • Jonah Martin • Todd Meldahl • Charles Merricks • Pete Montrenes • Jordan Olson • Ryan Olsen • Daniel Rich • Telly Robideaux • Russ Rohlicek • Greg Sain • Scott Siemon • Sean Timmons • Arik VanZandt • J.D. Willcox • Chris Wright • Scott Youngbauer • Chris Zachgo   | All-Time Roster • All-Time Lineups

Season Wrap-up

The 1999 Goldpanner club finished at 24-21 over-all and in third place in the Alaska League at 14-14.   The 45 games played in the Fairbanks team's 40th season was the lowest total since the 1962 schedule.

David Bush was an easy choice as the Most Valuable Pitcher on the 1999 team. He appeared in 21 games, compiling a 4-1 win/loss record, and a fine 2.17 ERA.   He displayed good control, racking up 32 strikeouts to just 9 walks.  He was picked up at the end of the season by the Anchorage Bucs for their NBC Tournament run.   Since entering professional ball, David has dominated play, and is currently a starting pitcher for the Brewers (06 season). Not as easy to choose was the Most Valuable Player.  The honor went to catcher Erik Frei, a junior out of Purdue University.   Frei was pushed into catching the second half of the season without help as Greg Sain suffered a broken bone in his arm.  The other backup catcher was none other than Mr. Bush, who unfortunately could not pitch to himself. Frei did yeoman work throughout the season and his eight doubles led the light-hitting team.  He also tied for the team lead in triples with three and he drew 26 walks to lead the team in that category.  He struck out just 14 times and added 9 stolen bases while hitting .271.

David Jensen, a freshman first baseman from Brigham Young, wound up the leading hitter on the team at .316 but only after going 10 for 13 in the final five games of the year to raise his average dramatically from .275.

Sain, a freshman third baseman/catcher from the University of San Diego, was well on his way to leading the club in power output when he was put out of commission 24 games into the campaign .  Sain had 4 doubles and 3 home runs with 19 RBIs, which was still good for a third-place tie on the team.

Another frosh, second baseman Brooks Conrad of Arizona State, had a steady offensive year but suffered extreme peaks and valleys on the defensive end.  Conrad played in all 45 games and hit .274 with a team high 21 RBIs and a league high 37 runs scored.   He had 7 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs and also led the club in stolen bases with 14.

Other pitching performances of note included a 5-3 season as the #1 starter for Todd Meldahl of Washington State ; a fast-closing starting job by freshman lefty Ryan Olsen of Nevada Las Vegas ; the starting job done by Stanford freshman Daniel Rich ; and the work of Fairbanks product Sean Timmons as both a starter and reliever.

Meldahl started all 10 games in which he appeared and went 5-3, working 59 innings and posting a 3.36 ERA.  Olsen started six times among 13 appearances and went 3-1 with 2 saves and a fine 2.44 earned-run-average. 

Daniel Rich delivered a 2-2 record with a fancy 1:53 ERA in 35.33 innings. Sean Timmons, who is rapidly becoming one of the most successful Fairbanks products to play with the team, went 2-2 with 1 save and had a 3.38 ERA over 40 innings of work.  He started 3 games and appeared in 11.