TALKING ABOUT ANDY MARTE, VIDAL NUNO AND LEW FORD

Working on the theory one can never be too early, this corner projects corner infielder Andy Marte as a possibility to get a solid major league look from the Los Angeles Angels next spring.

Marte, 29, started this season by driving in 74 runs and hitting .301 (19 homers) for the York (PA) Revolution of the Atlantic League. He never let up once the Angels purchased his contract, hitting .362 (how does that make Atlantic League pitching look?) with six homers and 18 RBI in 26 regular-season games for Salt Lake City, then taking the hot bat into the Pacific Coast League playoffs before a separated shoulder took him out of a possible call to the American League team.

Marte, who has 302 major league games, mostly with Cleveland and all from 2005-10, had a heroic second game in the first round of the playoffs against Las Vegas (Mets) when he went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and two runs, and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth only to suffer the injury on that play. Marte’s injury seriously hampered the Bees’ offense, and they lost to Omaha (Royals) in the championship round.

The Dominican native hit only .218 in his six years in the majors, but seems to have come more into his own since that time.

FIRST INDEPENDENT INVITATION TO ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

The first 2013 invitation to a player with Independent experience to play in the prospect-dominated Arizona Fall League has gone to left-hander Vidal Nuno, who had some memorable moments in spot opportunities pitching for the pitching-shallow New York Yankees early this season. Nuno is on the 60-man disabled list right now allowing the Yankees to add another player for the stretch run, but the former Frontier Leaguer (Washington, PA) obviously is expected to be healthy for the AFL.

Four Indy players were in the league last fall.

LEW FORD’S HOT BAT AT LONG ISLAND

Veteran major league outfielder Lew Ford (Minnesota and Baltimore) has wasted no time at all getting back into an offensive groove since being released by the Orioles and rejoining defending Atlantic League champion Long Island on August 28.

He has hit safely in 18 of 19 games he has played and had his third three-hit game Thursday to help the Ducks take a 2-0 lead over Southern Maryland in a best-of-five first-round playoff matchup. The game actually was decided by a wild pitch in the 10th inning.

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