Friday, September 13, 2013

ADD 42 SAVES TO THOSE 106 WINS FOR ONETIME INDY STARS NOW IN MLB

As a postscript to yesterday’s story in our Independent Baseball Insider column about former Independent Baseball hurlers having an incredible 106 victories (and 72 losses) in major league games this season, we add the fact another 42 contests have been saved by this same group.

Seattle’s Tom Wilhelmsen (Tucson, AZ, Golden League) is the leader with 24 saves even though he has lost the closer’s role for now. Brad Ziegler (Schaumburg, IL, Northern League) is closing for Arizona and has 10 saves at this point.

NICE ACCOLADE FOR CRAIG BRESLOW

Lefty Craig Breslow, who has one of the good arms in the Boston bullpen, will be honored one week from now (September 20) as BoSox Club Man of the Year. The BoSox Club has been the official booster club of the Red Sox since that magical year of 1967. Breslow has turned out to have a very solid major league career after being released by Milwaukee without graduating above Class A in 2004 and signing with the New Jersey Jackals in the Northeast League (Jackals now in the Can-Am) that same summer. He was in the majors with San Diego the very next season, and has been there most ever since, while now enjoying major success with Boston.

EXCELLENT NUMBERS POSTED BY THOSE SOLD TO MLB SYSTEMS THIS SUMMER

Corner infielder Andy Marte (York, PA, Atlantic League) hit .362 with six homers and 18 batted in in 26 games for the Angels’ top farm club in Salt Lake City, which one would think would give him a solid chance in 2014.

Bridger Hunt, who was tearing up the Can-Am League with his bat while with the Newark (NJ) Bears, has kept it going after having his contract purchased by San Diego. The infielder hit .337 (two homers, 13 RBI) in 20 games for Lake Elsinore, CA.

David Peralta, one of those who started out in an Independent league and eventually had his contract sold (Arizona), hit .346 with 42 RBI in only 51 games for Visalia, CA. The infielder had time with both Amarillo, TX and Wichita, KS in the American Association as well as with Rio Grande Valley of the United League.

On the mound, Eddie McKiernan was sold to Arizona this summer by Lincoln, NE of the American Association and he won eight of 11 decisions (3.51 ERA) as a starter at Visalia. Mark Serrano, sold by Laredo, TX (American Association), was another Arizona farmhand who excelled. He was a combined 6-2, 3.02 between Classes AA and AAA.

Atlantic League hurlers Mitch Atkins (Somerset, NJ) and Michael Colla (Bridgeport, CT) were 5-2 and 6-2, respectively, and had ERAs well under 4.00. Atkins is in the Atlanta system and Colla is a minor leaguer for Tampa Bay.

AFTER A DECADE, PAXTON DUE TO BAT AGAIN

James Paxton (Grand Prairie, TX, American Association) is due to make his second major league start for Seattle on Saturday, this one an inter-league clash at St. Louis. That means he will be expected to bat. “I haven’t hit since I was 13 or 14 years old”, the southpaw hurler says. “They stopped me hitting as soon as I started playing competitive high school baseball. So that will be interesting.” So much for baseball’s variations of rules between major leagues.


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