KEEP KRIS JOHNSON'S NAME IN MIND DURING SPRING TRAINING; CHRIS NOWAK, DANIELLE DRONET ALSO IN THE NEWS

Recent American Association lefty and Pittsburgh Pirates non-roster spring training invitee Kris Johnson continues to be one of the intriguing stories heading into the week-long Caribbean Series which starts Friday.

 

The 28-year-old has to have Pittsburgh's full attention because of his tremendous season in leading Escogido into the Caribbean Series as the Dominican Republic's representative.  He won two of three decisions, including the 4-0 clincher, in the Dominican Republic playoffs with a fancy 1.11 earned run average and 28 strikeouts in a similar number of innings for five postseason starts.  Johnson had a 0.67 ERA for 27 regular-season innings, and always seemed to be on the mound for the biggest games.

 

He was 6-3, 3.23 in 16 starts for the Kansas City (KS) T-Bones in '11, then went a combined 8-4 for the Pirates' top two farm clubs last summer.

 

Switch-hitting American Association All-Star outfielder Chris Roberson (Winnipeg) had a solid playoff run in the Mexican League although his Mexicali team did not advance.  Roberson, still on the Winnipeg roster, drove in 10 runs in 17 postseason games, hitting .239, and led all Mexican League players with eight stolen bases.

 

POWER SHOW GETS YORK'S CHRIS NOWAK A LOOK FROM D-BACKS

 

The 59 homers Chris Nowak blasted the last two seasons in the Atlantic League (York, PA), including a career-best 34 last season, has earned the first baseman-third baseman another affiliated opportunity, this one in the Arizona farm system which has been aggressive in signing Independent players this winter.

 

Nowak, the first Atlantic Leaguer to hit the 30-home run plateau since Jesse Hoorelbeke hit 33 for Bridgeport, CT back in '07, turns 30 in February (21st) and will be hoping his third major league organization will be the one to get him to the major leagues one day soon.  He does not have a major league spring training invitation.

 

CONGRATULATIONS

 

Newark Owner Danielle Dronet, trying to get the Bears back among the leaders in the Can-Am League, has been named one of New Jersey's Best 50 Women in Business by NJBIZ, a leading business publication in that state.  An independent panel of judges made the selections based on dedication to business growth, professional and personal accomplishments, community involvement and advocacy for women.

 

DE MARK, GARKO GET NEW DEALS

 

Veteran infielder Ryan Garko, signed out of Long Island, NY (Atlantic League) early last season, has changed major league organizations, moving from Tampa Bay to Colorado where he is on the Rockies' Triple-A Colorado Springs roster.

 

Right-hander Mike DeMark stayed put, re-signing with Arizona.  He started out in Independent Baseball with Florence, KY in the Frontier League and later joined York.  

 

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NOW 25, ADAM BUSCHINI STARS AT AMARILLO AND WINS TRIPLE CROWN IN AUSTRALIA

Here is the latest example of a player whose talent may be maturing after an initial stint in affiliated baseball.

 

Adam Buschini just won the Triple Crown in the Australian League with a .363 average plus league records in homers (15) and runs batted in (50).

 

The infielder, who will not turn 26 until May, came off a .422 junior campaign at Cal Poly in 2009, was drafted by the Phillies and hit .228 and .219 in two seasons (135 games total) in their farm system.  Buschini picked up the pieces with a .288 season for Chico, CA in the North American League, then exploded to .354-14-70 at Amarillo, TX this past summer.  The San Ramon, CA product's average was fourth best in the American Association.

 

Independent players set two other Australian records in the just-completed season.  Native Aussie Craig Anderson (Brockton, MA, Can-Am League) had eight wins and Zach Penprase of Fargo, ND (American Association) stole 16 bases.  It is key to remember the Australian League does not play a lengthy schedule.

 

REICHERT, SIMONTACCHI MOVE INTO THE COACHING RANKS

 

First the major leagues, then later seasons in Independent leagues and now coaching assignments for both Jason Simontacchi and Dan Reichert. 

 

Simontacchi, who played in Independent leagues near the start and end of his playing career, will now coach in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  He was an Indy leaguer at Springfield, IL (Frontier League) and in the Atlantic League (Bridgeport, CT, Lancaster, PA and Long Island, NY).

 

Reichert is now the pitching coach for Lincoln, NE in the American Association.  Reichert played for the Saltdogs in '07 and finished his lengthy career with Southern Maryland (Waldorf) of the Atlantic League last season.  His other Independent stops were at Calgary of the Northern League, Nashua, NH of the Can-Am and additional Atlantic League appearances in Atlantic City, NJ and Bridgeport, CT.

 

TWO MORE NON-ROSTER INVITEES

 

A pair of right-handers, Kevin Johnson and Robert Coello, are the most recent players who have been in Independent leagues to receive major league spring training invitations.  Both will be training with the Los Angeles Angels.

 

Johnson started his pro career with a brief time at Pensacola, FL when it was in the American Association in 2010.  Coello, who has been in six major league games with both Boston and Toronto, divided '08 between the Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton, at that time in the Golden League.

 

 

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NEW SIGNINGS PLUS NOTES ON THE INDEPENDENT PLAYERS IN WBC

The list of Independent players who are free agents after stints in major league organizations is slowly trimming down, but it still has more than 50 names.

 

Among those coming off the list recently are Independent original Brian Sweeney, the right-handed pitcher who went all the way to the majors after starting out in the long-departed Heartland League at Lafayette, IN.  Sweeney, who as we noted in the full list of Indy participants in the World Baseball Classic in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column will be pitching for Italy, has signed once more with the Seattle Mariners.  He always provides nice backup depth in Triply-A.  Sweeney also trained with Somerset, NJ at least once, then got an affiliated job before the Atlantic League season started. 

 

Lefty Rich Rundles (Lancaster, PA, Atlantic League) signed back with Baltimore and outfielder Todd Linden (Edmonton, North American League) did the same with San Francisco.  Austin Bibens-Dirkx, who got some exposure in the Washington Nationals spring training camp last year before moving to the Colorado Rockies farm system, has moved, this time to Toronto.  None of these players have received major league spring training invitations.

 

GREAT STATS FOR SOME ON WBC ROSTERS

 

Among the 28 current or former Indy players we cited as being on WBC rosters in yesterday's Insider, several players had unusually good seasons in Independent leagues last season.

 

John Mariotti, on the Italian roster, won 10 of 11 decisions in the Can-Am League (Quebec) and Canadian first baseman-third baseman Jonathan Malo drove in 63 runs and hit .288 on the same team. Third baseman Yurendell de Caster of Team Netherlands hit .327 with 10 homers and 68 RBI for Winnipeg of the American Association and Jimmy Van Ostrand, now on Washington's Triple-A roster and a likely regular for Canada, hit .368 in a 95 at-bat stint with Sugar Land, TX (Atlantic League).

 

The position-by-position breakdown of the 28 WBC players is such that those with Independent Baseball experience could very well make up one entire team.

 

AFTER YEAR OUT, SHAUN ELLIS JOINS REDS

 

I have not seen it reported, but we are told 26-year-old right-hander Shaun Ellis, who went 15-10 combined in the '09-11 Independent seasons despite some wildness, has been signed by Cincinnati.

 

Ellis was out last season after going 5-3, 4.12 primarily as a starter for the New Jersey Jackals (Can-Am League) in 2011.  He was 9-4, 4.61 for El Paso, TX (American Association) the previous season and started out with limited time in the Frontier League (Gateway, Sauget, IL) in '09.

 

 

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WBC PARTICIPANTS FROM INDEPENDENT RANKS SWELLS BY ANOTHER EIGHT

Eight additional names from the Independent ranks can be added to the World Baseball Classic after further examination of rosters by yours truly and others today. This includes Italy's head coach, Tom Trebelhorn. This San Francisco minor league field boss managed at Tri-City in the Western League way back in 1995.

Hoffman Wolff eagle-eyed that current Winnipeg (American Association) infielder Yurendell de Caster is on the Netherlands roster. He had played for Fargo, ND before the RedHawks moved from the Northern League to the American Association. First baseman Curt Smith (Lincoln, NE, American Association) is on that team and another infielder is Hainley Statia, from Milwaukee's Triple-A roster in Nashville. He was once ticketed for Lancaster, PA (Atlantic League), but did not actually play for the Barnstormers.

Spain Independent contingent has swelled to 11 players with the addition of catcher Salomon Manriquez, infielder Yunesky Sanchez and outfielder Rafael Alvarez to those we mentioned yesterday. (See previous post.) Manriquez has played all over the Independent map from York and Lancaster, PA and Newark, NJ, all of the Atlantic League, to Lincoln and Wichita, KS of the American Association. Sanchez has been with Laredo, TX in the Association and Alvarez with Lincoln plus earlier stops at Pensacola, FL and Elmira, NY, the latter in the Can-Am League.

We also had missed LHP Steven Kent with Australia. He has experience with Kansas City, KS of the American Association.

The total pool of players is up to 25 so far.

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18 INDEPENDENT PLAYERS SPOTTED SO FAR ON THIS SPRING'S WBC ROSTERS

I have not had sufficient time to examine all of the rosters closely since the provisional rosters were announced for the 16 World Baseball Classic teams today, but I have picked up 18 names so far, including several players who were in Independent leagues this past season. I expect to have considerably more to say in next week's Independent Baseball Insidercolumn and possibly in this space. The players identified so far, the team they will play for and their Independent affiliations of the past:

AUSTRALIA (1): LHP Chris Oxspring, Cook County, IL, Frontier League.

CANADA (5): LHP Andrew Albers, Quebec, Can-Am League; RHP Shawn Hill, York, PA, Atlantic League; RHP Scott Richmond, Edmonton, Northern League; INF Jonathan Malo, Quebec; INF Jimmy Van Ostrand, Sugar Land, TX, Atlantic.

ITALY (3): RHP John Mariotti, Quebec; RHP Brian Sweeney, Lafayette, IN, Heartland League, and Somerset, NJ, Atlantic (DNP); 1B Chris Colabello, Worcester, MA, and Nashua, NH, Can-Am.

PUERTO RICO (1): RHP Nelson Figueroa, Long Island, NY, Atlantic.

SPAIN (8): RHP Eddie Morlan, Southern Maryland, Atlantic; LHP Richard Salazar, Sioux City, IA, American Association; Nick Schumacher, Sioux City; INF Barbaro Canizares, Winnipeg, American Association; INF Paco Figueroa, Southern Maryland; OF Daniel Figueroa, Grand Prairie, TX, American Association; OF Yasser Gomez, McAllen, TX, North American/United League; OF Gabe Suarez, Newark, NJ, Long Island, NY, Camden, NJ, Road Warriors, all Atlantic, and Kansas City, KS, American Association, Florence, KY, Frontier and Lincoln, NE, American Association.

Oxspring, Hill, Richmond, Figueroa and Sweeney all played in the major leagues after being in an Independent league.

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FOUR INDY PLAYERS ON TEAM CANADA WITH MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS LATER THIS WEEK

It is our understanding preliminary rosters for the third World Baseball Classic will be revealed on Thursday, but news is already coming out on various teams.

We know that Canada will have at least four players with Independent experience, three of whom were in non-affiliated leagues last summer. It appears right-hander Shawn Hill (York, PA, Atlantic League) and southpaw Andrew Albers (Quebec, Can-Am League, 2010) are among the likely starting pitchers. Third baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand (Sugar Land, TX, Atlantic) and 2012 Quebec outfielder Jonathan Malo are among the position players. Hill is a spring training invitee of the Detroit Tigers while Albers is in the Minnesota farm system and Van Ostrand belongs to Washington. Stubby Clapp, a former member of the Canadian team as well as a Northern League infielder at Edmonton, is a coach for Canada. His regular job is as a minor league coach for Toronto.

We fully expect the Italy, Spain and Australian teams will have Independent players of past or present.

STU POMERANZ BACK WITH O'S; PAXTON, ROARK GET SPRING TRAINING INVITES

Stu Pomeranz, the onetime Can-Am League pitcher (New Jersey Jackals), is once again in the Baltimore organization with a new contract. We expect him to get some spring training innings whether he is an official invitee or not.

Meanwhile, add hot pitching prospect James Paxton (Grand Prairie, TX, American Association) and 26-year-old catcher Tanner Roark (Southern Illinois, Frontier League) to those now officially invited to major league camps. Paxton is rated the No. 4 Seattle prospect by Baseball America. Roark is with Washington.

YORK HURLER GETS ANOTHER AFFILIATED DEAL

Lefty Ryan Feierabend, who won eight of 13 decisions for the York Revolution in the Atlantic League last season before getting a look from Cincinnati's Triple-A Louisville, KY club (1-4, 6.75 in seven starts), has just signed with Texas. This former Seattle hurler will not turn 28 until August.

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NON-ROSTER COUNT CONTINUES TO CLIMB, AND FARGO KEEPS ON SELLING CONTRACTS

No sooner had we finished yesterday's Independent Baseball Insidercolumn, in which we discussed some of the recent major league non-roster invitees, when we learned of two more, bringing the impressive count to 26 with several teams still not making their full list public.

Veteran hurler Nelson Figueroa (Long Island, NY, Atlantic League) gets his newest chance of resuming a major league career with Arizona. The Golden League is gone, but first baseman Seth Loman will help keep the circuit in our mind. Loman played at St. George, UT, and will go to camp with the Chicago White Sox.

SIMUNIC KEEPS SELLING

Longtime Fargo, ND (American Association) Manager Doug Simunic has had quite a year--career, in fact--in moving players to affiliated baseball with the latest being young power-hitting catcher Ryan Delgado. The right-handed hitter had reason to celebrate his 25th birthday Friday when it was announced Oakland had purchased his contract after his monster 20 home run, 86 RBI, .312 campaign when he appeared in 93 of the RedHawks' 100 games.

Delgado got less than 80 games over two seasons to prove his value to the Atlanta Braves, who selected him in the 32nd round of the 2010 draft out of Azusa (CA) Pacific University.

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PAIR OF 2012 BRIDGEPORT HURLERS GET MAJOR LEAGUE INVITATIONS; JOHN LINDSEY REPORTEDLY JOINING TIGERS

A pair of pitchers with vastly different experiences for the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish of the Atlantic League last season are among the latest players from the Independent leagues to receive non-roster invitations to major league spring training camps.

Rommie Lewis, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound left-hander who has been pitching professionally since 2001 while tasting the major leagues for all of 20 appearances (Toronto), spent all season with the Bluefish, earning first-team Atlantic League honors. Now 30, Lewis had better than a four-to-one strikeout to walk ratio while posting a 2.01 earned run average in 48 relief outings (3-1, seven saves). He not only signed recently with Arizona, but also has been invited to the Diamondbacks' spring training camp.

Right-hander Daniel Stange was at Bridgeport only long enough to pitch four innings spread over three outings before San Diego picked up his contract. The 27-year-old spent seven years in the Arizona farm system, and now will have a chance to be seen by top Padres brass in their major league camp.

JOHN LINDSEY HEADED TO DETROIT CAMP

While we have not independently confirmed it, one solid source is reporting that onetime Can-Am League standout first baseman John Lindsey (New Jersey Jackals) will be in camp with the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

Lindsey spent half of last season pounding 15 home runs for the Tigers' top farm club in Toledo, OH.

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