Onetime American Association standout Curt Smith, who has signed to play for Lancaster, PA in the Atlantic League this season, has struck the first blow for Independent Baseball in the initial day of the World Baseball Classic.
The first baseman, who hit .335 with the Lincoln (NE) Saltdogs in the American Association in 2011 and was in the Miami Marlins farm system last season, drove in a run (1-for-2) in The Netherlands' 5-0 win over Korea in one of the two games played so far. Smith was the only one of the three Indy players with The Netherlands to get into the contest.
Meanwhile, three additional Independent players--all Atlantic Leaguers--have been identified as being on WBC rosters. Onetime Lancaster right-hander Ching Lung Lo is with Chinese Taipei, Somerset, NJ infielder Justin Huber with Australia and Sugar Land, TX infielder Luis Figueroa with Puerto Rico.
COLABELLO, ALBERS, THIELBAR, PIE STAR IN MLB GAMES
Longtime Can-Am (Worcester, MA) first baseman Chris Colabello continues to have a solid spring training with the Minnesota Twins before leaving shortly to join Italy in the WBC. Colabello had a single and double and drove in his third run in his initial major league opportunity Friday, lifting his average to .357. He has been in six of the Twins' seven games.
Another former Can-Am player, Triple-A lefty Andrew Albers (Quebec), took advantage of a brief visit to the Twins' major league camp by hurling a scoreless inning against Philadelphia in which he struck out two and allowed one hit. Teammate Caleb Thielbar, a fellow southpaw who once pitched for St. Paul, MN in the American Association and is on 40-man roster, closed out the 12-5 victory by collecting three strikeouts in a hitless ninth inning. It was the first major league game for both pitchers.
Outfielder Felix Pie, a non-roster invitee trying to get back to the major leagues after a season in the Atlantic League (Camden, NJ), has to be making his presence known to Pittsburgh officials since he leads the Pirates in runs batted in with five in as many Grapefruit League appearances. Pie has a double, triple and home run among his five hits (12 at-bats) for a lofty .417 average.
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Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions
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