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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