Monday, December 22, 2014

ALBERS RETURNS FROM KOREA, GETS MAJOR LEAGUE BID FROM TORONTO

With left-handed pitching always at a premium, Andrew Albers is back from a one-year stay in Korea to try and regain a major league job, this time with Toronto. Albers got his feet on the ground professionally during a strong season in the bullpen for the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League in 2010 (3-0, 17 saves, 1.40 in 40 appearances), then signed with Minnesota and less than three years later got a nice 10-game starting trial with the Twins (2-5, 4.05) before going abroad for a sizeable payday.

The Blue Jays not only signed the 29-year-old former University of Kentucky hurler but invited him to their major league spring training camp.

ONE YEAR AFTER AMERICAN ASSOCIATION, A MAJOR LEAGUE OPPORTUNITY

American Association grad Mark Hamburger also has a major league invitation. The righty is only one year removed from starting for the St. Paul (MN) Saints (6-8, 3.26), and Minnesota obviously liked what it saw in the 27-year-old during his one season, mostly in the bullpen, for their top two farm clubs to earn the major league opportunity. He did have five appearances with Texas in ’11.

TWO QUICK MOVES FOR SUGAR LAND’S BRODERICK

An Independent stint also seems to be paying off for right-hander Brian Broderick, who put up a strong 2.31 earned run average for 62.1 innings in the Atlantic League (Sugar Land, TX) last season.

The Los Angeles Angels had only recently signed Broderick, 28, after seeing him in the Mexican League this fall, and now they have traded him to Kansas City in order to pick up second baseman Johnny Giavotelli, who has major league time in four seasons. There has not been any word whether Broderick may get an opportunity in the Royals’ major league camp.

‘FAMILY’ TRADES HIM AWAY

Matt Robertson will have a story to tell his grandchildren years from now.

He can build up a great tale how his own family traded him. The youngest of the four Robertson brothers who run the Wichita (KS) Wingnuts, Matt did not get much chance as a starting pitcher while in the American Association last season. This was the role where he had been successful at Emporia (KS) State. So, the team dealt him to the Frontier League (Florence, KY), where he supposedly will return to starting.

I am guessing the Robertsons will have some fun talking about the trade at the Christmas dinner table.


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Saturday, December 13, 2014

FORMER ATLANTIC LEAGUERS JAKE FOX AND SCOTT RICE HAVE MAJOR LEAGUE CAMP INVITATIONS

The Atlantic League should be beaming over a couple of recent signings, both of which have resulted in major league spring training invitations.

Jake Fox, the 2013 Player of the Year, has signed with Toronto, where power always seems to be revered, and lefty reliever Scott Rice will be back in camp with the New York Mets.

Fox hit 38 home runs between the Mexican League and Philadelphia’s Double-A farm club in Reading, PA this past summer, but the Phillies did not choose to bring him up in September. Right-handed hitter has not been in the big leagues since 2011 (Baltimore) so he will be out to break that drought. Now 32, the University of Michigan product, who can play most any position including catcher, has had three stints at Somerset, NJ, including nearly the full season in ’13 when he banged 25 homers, drove in 82 and hit .310 as the Atlantic League’s top player. The Phils let him go at the end of this past season so he could help the Patriots try to reclaim the Atlantic League championship.

Rice was a popular–and busy–reliever in 2013 when he finally broke through to the majors, ending a 14-year effort to get there. He appeared in 73 games as a 31-year-old rookie with the Mets, compiling a 3.71 ERA, and started ’14 with New York (5.93 in 32 outings) in ’14 before undergoing surgery in July to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. He is expected to be fully healthy when spring training starts. Rice has pitched for Long Island, NY, York, PA, and Newark, NJ in various Atlantic League stints.

FROM JETER GAME HEROICS TO TEXAS RANGERS

Fleet outfielder Antoan Richardson (Schaumburg, IL, now a Frontier League city), who made the most of a September call-up to the New York Yankees, including scoring the winning run on Derek Jeter’s single in the star shortstop’s career finale at Yankee Stadium, has signed with the Texas Rangers and been invited to major league camp.


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Friday, December 05, 2014

GREG BURKE GETS A MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING INVITE

Catching up with a few meaningful transactions in this interim period before next week’s Winter Meetings and next Thursday’s Independent Baseball Insider column…

**Right-hander Greg Burke, who started his professional career with the Atlantic City (NJ) Surf (Atlantic League), has another major league opportunity within reach. Colorado re-signed Burke and has invited him to the Rockies’ major league spring training camp in Arizona.

**Two other righties, Kenn Kasparek and Logan Kensing, have been signed as free agents with new organizations. Kasparek, who once played for Fargo, ND (American Association), has a Double-A deal with Baltimore. Kensing (Bridgeport, CT, Atlantic) is a notch higher in Triple-A with the Chicago White Sox.

**First baseman Marquez Smith (Camden, NJ, Atlantic) has a new contract with Cincinnati and is on the Triple-A Louisville, KY roster.

**Outfielder Javier Herrera (Yuma, AZ, Golden League, and Southern Illinois and Rockford, IL, both Frontier League) and right-hander Nick Sarianides (Trois-Rivieres, Can-Am League, and Rockford) have new deals with the old organizations. Herrera is the San Francisco, Sarianides with Arizona.


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