KRIS JOHNSON AND EDDY RODRIGUEZ AMONG LATEST WITH NEW AFFILIATED CONTRACTS

Several more former Independent players have gotten new contracts with major league organizations, including southpaw hopeful Kris Johnson (Kansas City, KS, American Association) who will be among those featured in this week's Independent Baseball Insiderwhich subscribers will receive on Thursday. Johnson is continuing in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Others with new deals include infielder Mark Minicozzi (Worcester, MA, Can-Am League; Camden, NJ, Atlantic League; Kansas City and Winnipeg, Northern League) with San Francisco, third baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand (Sugar Land, TX, Atlantic and Canadian World Baseball Classic star) with San Francisco, catcher Eddy Rodriguez (Sioux Falls, SD and El Paso, TX, American Association) with San Diego and infielder Amadeo Zazueta (Sugar Land) with Toronto.

Among those on the long list of minor league free agents, which we also will cover in the Insider, are veteran outfielder Justin Christian (River City, Frontier League, and Southern Maryland, Atlantic) and right-hander Chris Jakubauskas (Lincoln, NE, American Association; Orange County, Golden League; Ohio Valley and Florence, KY, Frontier). Christian spent a sizeable portion of 2012 with the World Champion San Francisco Giants while Jakubauskas's most recent affiliation was with Toronto.

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