Monday, July 30, 2012

NEW MAJOR LEAGUE LIFE FOR LEW FORD AND NEW LIFE FOR JARRETT GRUBE

Can anyone imagine how Lew Ford must be feeling today?

After being out of the major leagues since 2007 and playing his first 19 games of this season in the Atlantic League, Ford, who turns 36 in two weeks (August 12), is not only back in the American League but he and his Baltimore Orioles teammates are starting a series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

That is only an hour or so from Citibank Park in Central Islip, NY where the Long Island Ducks play. The Ducks were Ford's team for those 19 early-season games as well as for parts of the '09 and '11 seasons--183 games in all.

Baltimore summoned the outfielder from Triple-A Norfolk, VA Sunday and played Ford in leftfield in their 6-1 triumph over Oakland. The right-handed hitter went 0-for-3 with a walk, but he earned national television highlight time by throwing out Yoenis Cespedes as the touted rookie tried to stretch a single into a double.

Ford brought a .331 average (80-for-242) with him from Triple-A, including 28 extra-base hits (11 homers) and 40 RBI plus a .390 on-base percentage for 62 games. He hit .272 in 494 games for Minnesota between 2003 and 2007, including 154 and 147 games in back-to-back seasons.

GRUBE GETS A NEW LIFE

Only days after being let go by the Seattle farm system, onetime Southern Maryland (Atlantic League) right-hander Jarrett Grube has been given a new deal in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He has been pitching in Triple-A.

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Friday, July 27, 2012

TRACKING ED NOTTLE AND SOME RECENT AFFILIATED MINOR LEAGUE OUTINGS

How nice it is to see Ed Nottle feeling sufficiently chipper after his various illnesses to be back in a baseball uniform.

Nottle is in familiar haunts, too, back in Brockton, MA, where he is a coach for the Futures Collegiate League's Brockton Rox. That name is very familiar, of course, since it is the same name used by the pro teams that played at Campanelli Stadium in the Northeast and Can-Am Leagues through last season.

Nottle managed the Rox from '02-05, including the '03 NEL championship season.

FRONTIER LEAGUE GRAD SHINES ON MOUND WHILE OPPOSING TOP DRAFTEE

Onetime Boston farmhand Michael Lee dazzled Frontier League hitters for a time this season as he struck out 59 hitters and allowed only 30 hits in 41 innings for Rockford, IL before his contract was purchased by the Atlanta Braves.

The 6-foot-7 right-hander gave Atlanta an early bonus this week when he out-pitched the Washington Nationals' top draft choice of 2011, Alex Meyer, to give the Class A Lynchburg (VA) Hillcats a 3-1 verdict over Potomac, VA. Lee allowed only four baserunners in eight innings to run his Lynchburg log to 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA for four appearances, two of them starts.

"It (Independent Baseball) helped me to get my confidence up and just go back to being me," the 25-year-old told The Lynchburg News & Advance.

BURKE, RETHERFORD GETTING CHANCES AT HIGHER LEVELS

Two players we hoped to salute in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insiderbefore running out of space were former major league pitcher Greg Burke and onetime American Association (Fargo, ND) infielder C. J. Retherford, both recently promoted.

Burke, who started his pro career in the Atlantic League (Atlantic City, NJ) and worked his way up to the San Diego Padres before shoulder surgery set him back, could be nearing the time where Baltimore gives him another major league opportunity. After saving 14 games and winning another (1-0) at Double-A Bowie, MD, the Birds promoted him to their top farm club in Norfolk, VA where he has a 2.70 ERA (one loss) and 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

Retherford is the No. 2 hitter in the California League (.343), tied for second in home runs (20) and has 72 RBI although he has been promoted to Double-A Chattanooga, TN, where he is hitting .243 for his first 37 at-bats (four RBI).

Lefty reliever Les Walrond has not been so fortunate. It was only a week after Toronto purchased his contract from Lancaster, PA (Atlantic League) that the Blue Jays released Walrond. He only worked four innings at Class AA New Hampshire (Manchester), giving up four runs (only one earned) along with four walks. Not much of an opportunity.

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Monday, July 23, 2012

WIN NO. 1,000 NEXT FOR SPARKY LYLE; TSAMIS GETS TO 500 WITH HIS CURRENT TEAM

This could be a major milestone night for longtime major league relief ace Sparky Lyle.

Not only are his Somerset (NJ) Patriots trying to challenge for a second half title in the Atlantic League, but the next victory will be No. 1,000 for the mustachioed lefty who has guided Somerset for every one of its 15 seasons.

Sparky got No. 999 Sunday--his 68th birthday--at Southern Maryland (Waldorf). The Patriots are home tonight, hosting Sugar Land, TX, which leads them by one and a half games in the second half of the Freedom Division race.

ST. PAUL SKIPPER GETS NO. 500

George Tsamis has not been managing quite as long as Lyle and he has always been in leagues known to play a short-season schedule--about 100 games compared to 140--but he collected his 500th win with the St. Paul (MN) Saints (American Association) over the weekend. Tsamis also has managed in Waterbury, CT and Little Falls, NJ (New Jersey Jackals) when both played in the Northeast League. The Jackals are now in the Can-Am League.

THE AXE FALLS

Jarrett Grube, Chris Pettit and Taylor Sinclair are the most recent former Independent players to get pink slips (releases) from major league organizations.

Grube pitched for Southern Maryland in the Atlantic League, and has been with Seattle's top farm club in Tacoma, WA. Sinclair started his pro career at Rockford, IL of the Frontier League and made it all the way to Arizona's Triple-A club in Reno, NV before losing out. Pettit, an outfielder, did not actually play Indy baseball, but he was set to do so at Bridgeport, CT (Atlantic League) before joining the Mariners. Like Grube, he was at Tacoma.

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

AXELROD ON TARGET AGAINST BOSOX AND A FEW OTHER INDY TIDBITS

Dylan Axelrod should have solidified his standing with the Chicago White Sox Monday even though Robin Ventura's crew walked out of Fenway Park on the short end of a 5-1 score.

The onetime Frontier League hurler (Windy City, Crestwood, IL)gave up only one run in 6.2 innings while matching his (brief) career high with eight strikeouts, including Boston's Cody Ross, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks twice apiece. Had it not been for a 33-pitch first inning in which the Red Sox tied the game at 1-1, it would have been considered a sensational outing.

"I just go into the game almost trying too hard," he told MLB.com. "I just tell myself that I need to relax and let it flow."

ROBERTSON STRUGGLES

The other hurler we showcased in this space Monday, recent Wichita (American Association) lefty Nate Robertson, struggled in his debut in the Toronto farm system. The Wingnuts investor and former major leaguer allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in two innings for Triple-A Las Vegas.

SIOUX FALLS PACKS THEM IN

Kudos to Sioux Falls, SD where the Pheasants sold out for the first time in nearly four years (August 23, 2008) Monday, even though the 4,862 fans watched Fargo, ND claim its 13th consecutive American Association victory, 3-1.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION UMP WAS IN FUTURES GAME

We almost missed the fact onetime American Association umpire Nick Bailey got to work the Futures game during All-Star festivities in Kansas City last week. Independent umpiring graduates are getting more plum opportunities, just like the players.

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Monday, July 16, 2012

Chisox's Axelrod in Monday Spotlight at Fenway While Wichita's Nate Robertson Debuts in Toronto System

This week should be a dandy if the Monday baseball offerings are any indication.

I am especially intrigued to follow two games tonight (Monday). They involve a pair of recent Independent Baseball pitchers, which should be no surprise.

First, Dylan Axelrod (Windy City, Frontier League) is starting for the Chicago White Sox, and this could be a juicy pairing in that his Chicago White Sox are visiting Fenway Park which means Kevin Youkilis will be back in his old haunts for the first time since the Red Sox sent him packing. Anyone who follows the game knows that (1) Youk has won a few games already for the Central Division-leading Chisox with his bat and (2) there is some hangover from his relationship with Boston skipper Bobby Valentine. Rest assured, the Boston media will try everything in its power to keep this "feud" brewing.

And Axelrod, who got his second major league victory in relief Friday night when Youkilis plated the winning run with a sacrifice fly in a 14-inning, 9-8 marathon against Kansas City, will almost certainly be the first moundsman to face Carl Crawford in a meaningful game this season. The Boston leftfielder is supposed to be activated for the first time all season.

The second hurler on my radar is former major leaguer Nate Robertson, who was signed by Toronto two days ago and has the lefty slated to start for Triple-A Las Vegas tonight against the Fresno Grizzlies.

The back story on Robertson, which we discussed in the Independent Baseball InsiderJune 21, is that he is part owner of the Wichita (KS) Wingnuts of the American Association where his brother Josh is president and general manager. Nate Robertson was a 13-game winner for Detroit in 2006 when he also started opposite Chris Carpenter of St. Louis in Game 3 of the World Series.

Injury-plagued Toronto, which picked up Indy vet Chris Jakubauskas last week, bought the 34-year-old Robertson after he had started three times for Wichita, working a total of eight innings without giving up a run and allowing only four hits and a walk. Robertson was 0-2 with an 8.10 earned run average in 14 relief outings for the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A farm club earlier this season. He was released May 30.

MICHEL HERNANDEZ GETS CREDIT IN NO-HITTER

Michel Hernandez has been considered a solid defensive catcher for a long time even though it has gotten him only 45 major league appearances (New York Yankees and Tampa Bay) in his 33 years of life, and his resume got even stronger Sunday when he helped Cleveland Double-A southpaw Giovanni Soto to a no-hit, 2-1 victory for Akron, OH against Pittsburgh's Altoona (PA) Curve.

"I thought about (the no-hitter) around the seventh innings," Soto told MLB.com. "I knew I had a catcher (Hernandez) with a lot of experience so I wasn't shaking him off." Hernandez, who played 25 games for Somerset, NJ (Atlantic League) in 2007, was the backup catcher down the stretch two years when the Rays won the American League title.

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Friday, July 13, 2012

REDS DROP GATHRIGHT, BRAVES SIGN TIFFEE

Most every day I pour over transactions to see what is happening with former Independent players in major league organizations (there are about 200 of them) as well as to see if there have been sales of more players to the 30 clubs. The worst part is finding the notation "released".

That happened only twice in this week's thorough report put out by major league baseball, and one seems to have a reasonably happy ending.

As reported in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column, Chris Jakubauskas, who we've watched and written about for years since he started his professional journey in an Indy league, was let go by Arizona, but the right-hander quickly signed with Toronto for the Blue Jays' Class AA franchise in New Hampshire.

The second release was of Joey Gathright by Cincinnati. The speedy outfielder, who spent last September with the parent Red Sox, had a commendable .299 (44-for-147) batting average in 40 games for Triple-A Louisville after starting the season with the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish in the Atlantic League. Gathright also had a very decent .346 on-base percentage, but one has to wonder if his speed game is slipping since he only had four thefts (in six tries) during his time in Louisville.

CHAMPION LANCASTER LOSES A BIG BAT

It is a good thing Lancaster, PA already has a spot in September's Atlantic League playoffs by virtue of winning a half-season title because the Barnstormers lost third baseman-first baseman Terry Tiffee to the Atlanta Braves Friday.

Tiffee, 33, reports to Triple-A Gwinnett, GA, and gets one more look by a major league organization. This one-time top prospect has only played 97 regular-season major league games, the last a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers in '08. He also got a lengthy look from Miami in the big-league camp this spring.

The switch-hitter played in all but one of Lancaster's 70 first-half games (45-25), hitting .297 with 11 homers and 46 runs batted in.



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Friday, July 06, 2012

LITTLE USED, BUT JUSTIN CHRISTIAN HAS BIG NIGHT FOR SAN FRANCISCO

Justin Christian had been given only two at-bats since June 22 by San Francisco, but Manager Bruce Bochy put the speedster in the leadoff role Thursday as the Giants tried to avert a sweep in Washington in a throwback game to 1924 when the Washington Senators and New York Giants were World Series oppoenents.

The Giants lost once again, 6-5, but Christian did more than his share to end the skid with two singles and a double in five times at-bats. The 32-year-old, an Independent original who broke into pro baseball at River City (O'Fallon, MO) in the Frontier League, scored three times and stole a base, and now is 4-for-11 (.308) in his seven major league appearances this season. Christian, who also played briefly for Southern Maryland (Waldorf) in the Atlantic League, improved his major league career batting average to .260 (26-for-100) in 49 games.

SHEA HILLENBRAND BACK IN THE GAME

He had been out of professional baseball altogether since 2008, but infielder Shea Hillenbrand is giving it another try, this time with the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish in the Atlantic League.

Turning 37 on July 27, Hillenbrand had such a good start in the majors when he was the regular third baseman for the Red Sox in 2001-02. He had a career-high 83 RBI in '02, and also had 80 RBI seasons with Arizona in '04 and Toronto the next summer. He also played for the Giants and both Los Angeles teams, but never with matching success, then bowed out even though he hit .340 and drove in 25 runs in 36 appearances at York, PA in the Atlantic League in '08.

PASCUCCI, RODRIGUEZ NEWEST ALL-STARS IN AFFILIATED LEAGUES

Power-hitting Valentino Pascucci will be in a popular position for the Triple-A All-Star Game in Buffalo next Wednesday since the first baseman-DH represents the host Bisons, the New York Mets' top farm club. He played his Indy baseball in the Atlantic League at Camden, NJ.

We had reported earlier in the Independent Baseball Insiderthat pitchers Dane DeLaRosa and Juan Cedeno are slated for the same game. DeLaRosa was well-traveled in Independent circles, playing at Southern Maryland, El Paso, TX of the American Association and in four Golden League cities while Cedeno was in the North American League (Rio Grande Valley, Harlingen, TX) just last summer. DeLaRosa is in the Tampa Bay farm system while Cedeno belongs to the New York Yankees.

First baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez (Yuma, AZ, Golden League) will represent Boston in the Eastern League All-Star tilt at Reading, PA on Wednesday.

NAL, FRONTIER HAVE TOP ERA HURLERS

Dan Blewett of Evansville, IN owns the best earned run average in any Independent league, posting a 1.06 with 51 strikeouts in 42.1 innings in the Frontier League. Somewhat surprisingly, the North Division of the North American League had four of the top seven ERAs and the NAL held down six of the top 10 positions. The Frontier League had the other four spots.

Matt Rusch of Winnipeg was No. 1 (through Wednesday) in the American Association at 2.29 while Quebec's Karl Gelinas paced the Can-Am League at 2.43 and John Halama of Lancaster, PA led the full-season Atlantic League at 2.62.

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