Friday, January 27, 2012

AN HONOR, SIGNINGS, MAJOR LEAGUE INVITATIONS AND THE RUMOR MILL

Honors continue to pile up for the Joliet (IL) Slammers, who won both a divisional title and the Frontier League championship in their initial season (2011) of play.

President Bill Waliewski will receive the Minor League Executive of the Year award at the star-studded Pitch and Hit Club's 66th annual banquet in Chicago Sunday night. The selection of Waliewski also gives nice recognition to Independent Baseball in a major league-dominated setting.

Among others to be honored are Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, major league general managers Dave Dombrowski and Doug Melvin, longtime Chicago-area baseball hero Minnie Minoso and New York Yankees centerfielder Curtis Granderson, a product of the area.

CORY ALDRIDGE BACK IN USA; TWO MORE NON-ROSTER INVITES

Among recent player signings, Baltimore has inked outfielder Cory Aldridge, who played in Korea last year. It would not be a shock to see the 32-year-old Aldridge get some time in the Birds' major league camp even though he was placed on the Double-A Bowie, MD roster. The lefty hitter spent most of 2008 with Newark, NJ before the Bears moved from the Atlantic League to the Can-Am League, and two years later he won a brief promotion to the Los Angeles Angels, playing in five games. Aldridge had made a big impression when he hit .395 (15-for-38) in 26 spring training games for the Angels.

Lefty James Paxton, who some feel could jump to the parent Seattle Mariners roster this season, has officially been invited to the team's major league spring training camp in Arizona. Paxton broke into the professional ranks with Grand Prairie, TX in the American Association, and recently was placed at No. 77 on a list of best major league prospects.

Cody Clark, who caught for San Diego in the Golden League's infancy and a longtime Kansas City farmhand, has once again been given a spring training invitation from the Royals.

The non-roster count for onetime Independent players is up to 32.

ODDS 'N ENDS

Onetime Northeast League president and Indy investor Jeff Kunion was recently named president of the upstate New York-based Perfect Game collegiate league...It was disappointing to learn that longtime major league first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward was handed a 50-game suspension for use of banned amphetamines. Now 36, Ward played at Newark in 2009-10-11. He also was in the White Sox and Arizona farm systems last year. Ward is a free agent, but would have to sit out 50 games if he signs with a major league organization...The rumor mill is mentioning former Newark and Long Island, NY (Atlantic League) outfielder Jay Gibbons, a free agent, as a possible candidate to get a look from the New York Mets. Gibbons hit .255 in 55 at-bats for the Los Angeles Dodgers early last season.

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Monday, January 23, 2012

NOAH HALL ENTERS THE COACHING RANKS WITH RED SOX WHILE FOUR MORE GET NON-ROSTER INVITATIONS

Anyone who follows this writer's work with the Independent Baseball Insider column or my blogs knows how much I like to see those who spend time in Independent Baseball get opportunities to work their way through major league organizations.

So I was delighted when I learned that Noah Hall will be coaching with the Boston Red Sox's team in the Gulf Coast League this summer. Hall played for 16 seasons, including 116 games last season with Camden, NJ in the Atlantic League, where he sneaked above his career batting average of .281 to .285 along with 15 homers and 64 runs batted in.

But at 34 and with only 74 games higher than Double-A even though he played in seven different organizations, the hand-writing was getting pretty solid he would not likely go any higher. Surprisingly, this California product never played in the Boston organization. His first Indy season was with St. Paul, MN when the Saints still were in the Northern League in 2001. He also has had three stints at Somerset, NJ, including 124 games in 2010.

NON-ROSTER COUNT CLIMBS TO 30

With still one more invitation--six in all--to players who were in Independent leagues only last season, the overall count of former Indy players with non-roster invitations to major league spring training camps has climbed to 30 with nearly a month before all 30 teams get going.

The latest addition from the 2011 Independent ranks is onetime prime Minnesota third base prospect Terry Tiffee, who will be in spring training with the Miami Marlins. The switch-hitting 32-year-old swatted 13 home runs in only 52 games with Butch Hobson's Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers in the Atlantic League last season. Tiffee hit .293 and drove in 46 runs and also hit .345 in 110 at-bats with the New York Yankees' top farm club in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. He has 97 major league games to his credit with Minnesota and briefly in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mitch Lively, a 26-year-old who turned his career around in a month with the San Angelo (TX) Colts in the United League in 2008 (18 strikeouts without a walk in 12.2 innings during 11 appearances) will get a look from the San Francisco Giants after continuing his strikeout-an-inning performance last summer. The right-hander is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds.

Two veteran right-handers also have new invitations. Scott Richmond (Edmonton, Northern League) and Nelson Figueroa (Long Island, NY, Atlantic League) both will be with Toronto. Richmond has been with the Blue Jays, but it is a new team for Figueroa.

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Monday, January 16, 2012

MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS KEEP ON SIGNING INDY TALENT

Major league organizations reached into the Independent ranks for still more signings last week, with our count (which could be slightly behind) at 21 since the end of last season. These are new signings and do not include players who already were in one of the 30 farm systems or the total would be much higher.

Miami continues to be active in grabbing both players and coaches, the latter which will be one of our features in this week's Independent Baseball Insider column. The Marlins' recent signees include power-hitting Ryan Patterson, whose late-season acquisition nearly propelled St. Paul, MN to the American Association title.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who was singled out for the Pointstreak Star of Stars Award for producing the best statistical season in the league, banged 20 homers, drove in 90 runs and hit .325 in 99 combined games with Wichita, KS, Fort Worth, TX and finally the Saints. He was among the league leaders in most every offensive category, and even stole 16 bases. Patterson drove in 13 runs in only 11 games with St. Paul to help get the Saints into the playoffs, then drove in nine more runs in 10postseason games.

The Kansas City (KS) T-Bones, who already have seen recent hurlers Erik Hamren and Justin James reach the major leagues with San Diego and Oakland, respectively, hope lefty Kris Johnson could be next. Pittsburgh signed the 27-year-old after he went 6-3 with a 3.23 earned run average in 16 starts for the American Association team. He was originally a first-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox when he came out of Wichita State in 2006.

Baltimore has gotten into the act, according the media reports. The Orioles are said to have signed second baseman-outfielder Peter Fatse, a Milwaukee draftee in 2009, after he hit .279 with five homers, 41 RBI and 17 steals for Pittsfield, MA in the Can-Am League last season. Fatse's contract was bought from Newark, NJ only weeks after the Bears took him in the dispersal draft of Pittsfield players.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION PLAYER OF YEAR GETS MAJOR LEAGUE INVITATION, INCREASING TO FIVE THOSE IN INDY BASEBALL LAST SEASON

The story just keeps getting better.

I can now identify five players who were in Independent leagues as recently as last summer and will be in major league spring training camps next month.

Think about it; this is quite a jump. And don't think for a minute that all of these players are coming off injuries or getting a new start in Indy leagues. Three of the five do not have a single game of regular-season major league baseball experience on their resume.

The most interesting case may be that of American Association Player of the Year Lee Cruz.

The 28-year-old outfielder was a 10th round draft choice of the Chicago White Sox in 2006, but he never advanced beyond Class AA in four seasons. He tore the cover off the baseball while playing 17 games in the Golden League (Yuma, AZ) in 2010, which got him some additional affiliated time.

Cruz, a right-handed hitter, was back in Independent Baseball last season, hitting 38doubles, 18 home runs and driving in 94 runs while playing in every one of the 100 games for Amarillo, TX of the American Association. Baltimore signed the native Floridian recently, and has Cruz among only a handful of non-roster invitees identified by the media so far.

The other four 2011 Indy players all came out of the Atlantic League. Jerome Williams was at Lancaster, PA and could be in the rotation for the Los Angeles Angels
this season. Williams also played at Long Beach, CA of the Golden League earlier in his career. He and Logan Kensing are the two with previous major league experience. Kensing, coming off elbow problems, started last year with the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, and will battle for a job with Pittsburgh.

Lefty Scott Rice and right-hander Mike DeMark both spent part of '11 with eventual Atlantic League champion York, PA. Rice, who also has pitched in the league for Long Island, NY, and Newark, NJ, will be with the Los Angeles Dodgers. DeMark will go to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Our total count of onetime Indy players with non-roster invitations to major league camps has jumped from the 13 we reported in last week's Independent Baseball Insidercolumn to 22. Another 17, including Williams, are on 40-man rosters.

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Monday, January 09, 2012

SIX MORE SIGN WITH MLB ORGANIZATIONS, BUT OUR UNSIGNED LIST IS MUCH LONGER

Granted, it is not even mid-January, but a ton of talented former Independent players who finished last season with one of the 30 major league organizations are unsigned for 2012.

Our list shows 62 such players although a few will no doubt call it quits and some others almost certainly will return to play Indy baseball once more.

The only fulltime major leaguer unsigned is outfielder J. D. Drew, who came out of the Northern League (St. Paul, MN) and most recently had a huge contract with Boston. Five others got some action in the majors last season.

The list had six more names a few days ago, but that group has now signed. 3B Corey Smith (Newark, NJ, then in the Atlantic League) moved from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization to the Chicago White Sox, OF Leonard Davis (New Jersey Jackals, Can-Am League) switched from Washington to Colorado and LHP Derrick Loop (Camden, NJ, Atlantic, and Chico, CA, Golden League) transferred from Philadelphia to the Dodgers.

Another trio stayed with their 2011 organization, 1B-3B Mike Cervenak (Chillicothe, OH, Frontier League) with Miami, SS Anthony Contreras (Lincoln, NE, American Association) with San Diego and INF Argenis Reyes (Jackals) with Cleveland.

Those unsigned, by our records, with players who saw major league action last season denoted with an #:

PITCHERS (34): Ronald Bay, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Nick Bierbrodt, Vince Bongiovanni, Nate Bump, #Greg Burke, Alex Caldera, Tom Cochran, Gabe DeHoyos, #Mark DiFelice, Lenny DiNardo, Justin Dowdy, Joe Esposito, #Nelson Figueroa, Justin Hampson, T.J. Hose, Justin James, Eric Junge, Randy Keisler, Logan Kensing, B.J. LaMura, Chris Mobley, Sam Narron, Tommy Palica, Paul Phillips, Mark Prior, Matt Rusch, Robby Scott, Brian Stokes, Brian Sweeney, Andy Van Hekken, Les Walrond, #Randy Williams, Clay Zavada.
CATCHERS (6): Andy Bouchie, #Robinson Cancel, Jeff Howell, Shawn Riggans, Travis Scott, James Skelton.
INFIELDERS (14): SS Angel Berroa, 1B Tagg Bozied, 3B Eric Campbell, Ozzie Chavez, Matt Cusick, 3B Pedro Feliz, SS Andy Gonzalez, 1B (also OF) Cyle Hankerd, 3B Jorge Jimenez, 1B-3B Mike Lamb, 1B John Lindsey, Anderson Machado, Raul Padron, SS Ed Rogers.
OUTFIELDERS (8): Brent Clevlen, #J.D. Drew, Jose Duarte, #Joey Gathright, #Jay Gibbons, Chris Lubanski, Drew Macias, Jon Mark Owings.

I encourage anyone who knows of signings (or retirements) that we have not noticed to email RWirz@aol.com.

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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

FORMER KANSAS CITY T-BONES PITCHING CONVERT SCHLICHTING AMONG THOSE WITH NEW MAJOR LEAGUE OPPORTUNITIES

It continues to surprise me how winter league opportunities have improved in recent years for both current and former Independent players. It used to be almost a rarity for an Indy player to get significant playing time in the Caribbean or Mexico. Now, these players often rank among the league leaders.

One such player is right-hander Travis Schlichting, who has gone from a struggling reliever in Triple-A for the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer (5-3, four saves, 7.10 ERA in 51 games) to the earned run average leader in Puerto Rico (2-0, 0.92) and from a free agent to a new signee with Oakland that includes an invitation to the major league spring training camp.

Schlichting, now 27, started out as an infielder taken in the fourth round of the '03draft by Tampa Bay, and did not fully convert to pitching until he spent 2007 with the Kansas City (KS) T-Bones now in the American Association but a Northern League team at the time. The Round Rock, TX high school product was only 1-2, 5.29 with the T-Bones, but he fanned 47 hitters in 51 innings and was just getting the feel of pitching.

By 2009-10, the 6-foot-4 hurler got into 16 games with the parent Dodgers (1-0, 3.55). Now, he has a chance to rebound with the rebuilding Athletics.

We will feature several more of the outstanding winter league performances by Indy players past and perhaps future in Thursday's subscriber-only Independent Baseball Insider column. Several of them are free agents at present.

SHERRILL, COELLO ALSO HAVE NEW DEALS

It was hardly a surprise that George Sherrill, almost certainly the best pitcher to throw his first professional pitch from an Independent mound (Evansville, IN, Frontier League), got a new major league contract, but it was interesting to see the lefty specialist return to Seattle, where he got his first big-league time.

Sherrill initially joined the Mariners after stints in two current American Association cities (Sioux Falls, SD and Winnipeg, Canada) when both were in the Northern League. He was with the Atlanta Braves last season.

Robert Coello, who was in the Chicago Cubs farm system last summer, is another recent signee (Toronto) who now has an invitation to major league spring training. This righty, who toiled for the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Calgary when they were in the Golden League (Edmonton now is in the North American), got his first major league time (six games) with Boston in 2010.

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