COUNTING INDY NOSES WELL AHEAD OF MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING PLUS NEWS ON SEVERAL HIRES

Major league teams had until midnight Thursday to promote players to the 40-man roster which will protect them from next month’s Rule 5 draft. Only one former Independent player showed up this time, that being onetime Frontier League right-hander Brandon Cunniff (Southern Illinois and River City) to Atlanta’s roster, as we reported to subscribers in yesterday’s Independent Baseball Insider column.

It never is a shock to see a couple of Indy grads taken in the Rule 5 during the Winter Meetings, and players still have another avenue of non-roster invitations to train with the big guys come February and March. More than 50 onetime Independent standouts have been among the fortunate group in major league camps in recent seasons, and that number could even go higher this time given the fact that if we count prime free agents such as (alphabetically) Craig Breslow, Stephen Drew, Luke Hochevar, Max Scherzer and Joe Thatcher 33 of these players are already ticketed for the big-league camps.

BRIAN SWEENEY JOINS PHILLIES SYSTEM

I have had a soft spot for Brian Sweeney ever since this Independent original (Lafayette, IN, Heartland League, 1996) was one of the first players I interviewed early in the Insider days. The Yonkers, NY native had a nice way about him.

Sweeney, who turned 40 this summer, eventually got into 73 major league games (4-2, two saves, 3.41) during his 18-year playing career, playing with Seattle and San Diego. He also spent three seasons in Japan, and the right-hander started one game for the Somerset (NJ) Patriots (Atlantic League) in 2011 (a victory with seven innings of four-hit, two-run baseball) before the New York Mets signed him to play at Triple-A Buffalo, NY.

Sweeney has just been hired to be a pitching coach in the Philadelphia farm system.

ATLANTIC LEAGUE MANAGERIAL NEWS

Butch Hobson proved long ago that he is one of the best Independent managers, and Lancaster, PA has to feel good that he will be returning to help the Barnstormers defend their Atlantic League title. The league also got a new managerial face this week when Bridgeport, CT announced it had hired Ricky VanAsselberg, who already has four Independent championships on his resume.

“He certainly knows how to get players, including vets,” one longtime Independent league official told me this week.

VanAsselberg won two United League titles (Alexandria, LA) and two more in the American Association (Shreveport-Bossier, LA and Grand Prairie, TX), the last in 2011.

VALDES SHARP

Lefty Raul Valdes, a free agent after spending 2014 in the Toronto organization (briefly with the Blue Jays), is having another impressive winter league season in the Dominican Republic. The former Can-Am Leaguer (New Jersey Jackals and Nashua, NH) is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA, allowing only 12 hits and five walks in 26 innings covering four starts.

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NEARLY 80 FORMER INDEPENDENT STANDOUTS NOW FREE AGENTS

A few more onetime Independent players have received new minor league contracts from their major league organizations although a great many more have been declared free agents.

The most recent signings we have seen include right-handed pitcher Tim Dillard (Lancaster, PA, Atlantic League) with Milwaukee, first baseman Matt Fields (Southern Illinois, Frontier League) with Kansas City, and both first baseman Seth Loman (St. George, UT, Golden League) and catcher Jose Yepez (Pensacola, FL, American Association, and Gary, IN, Northern League) with Atlanta. Loman has a Double-A deal, the others received Triple-A contracts.

Max Scherzer (Fort Worth, TX, American Association) is easily the highest profile free agent among those who have played Independent Baseball, although the list compiled for the Independent Baseball Insider includes 76 other players. The list (those who were in the major leagues at any time during 2014 are in bold face):

RHP (31): Mitch Atkins, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Eric Brooks, Greg Burke, Robert Coello, Michael Colla, Dane DeLaRosa, Julio DePaula, Shane Dyer, Jarrett Grube, Erik Hamren, Tyler Herron, Shawn Hill, Josh Judy, Kenn Kasparek, Logan Kensing, Josh Kinney, Michael Lee, Anthony Lerew, Mitch Lively, Terance Marin, Mike McClendon, Kyler Newby, Michael Nix, Mark Pope, Scott Richmond, Mark Serrano, Daniel Stange, Brett Tomko, Virgil Vasquez, Zak Wasserman.

LHP (13): Kyle Anderson, Craig Breslow, Brian Burres, Tony Davis, Chad James, Kris Johnson, Zach Kroenke, Jason Lane, James Leverton, Efrain Nieves, Greg Smith, Joe Thatcher, Raul Valdes.

C (9): Craig Albernaz, (OF) Alex Burg, Mitch Canham, Jose Gil, Ralph Henriquez, Eddy Rodriguez, J.R. Towles, J.T. Wise, Zach Zaneski.

IF (14): (SS) Vance Albitz, (OF) Brian Burgamy, (3B) Mike Costanzo, Maikol Gonzalez, (SS) Daniel Mayora, (1B) Mark Minicozzi, (1B) Cody Overbeck, (SS) Jaime Pedroza, (1B-OF) Brock Peterson, Anthony Seratelli, (1B) Curt Smith, Marquez Smith, Nate Spears, (SS) Hainley Statia.

OF (9): Cory Aldridge, Brandon Boggs, Yusuf Carter, Justin Christian, Javier Herrera, Quincy Latimore, Dustin Martin, Antoan Richardson, Burt Reynolds.

ONETIME RELUCTANT INDY HURLER CHANGES HIS MIND

Brandon Cunniff feared his professional career might be at an end when the Marlins, who had drafted him, released him when he was only 21. He did not want to play Independent Baseball, at least initially.

“When I showed up to spring training (with River City at O’Fallon, MO, in 2011), talked to the guys and saw the talent that some of the guys had, I was like ‘wow, this is just like affiliated ball’. I really just didn’t know what to expect (until that time).” The right-handed hurler spent two plus seasons in the Frontier League (River City and Southern Illinois) when the Atlanta Braves came calling. He has had a year and a half in the Braves’ farm system now, including much of 2014 with Class AA Mississippi, and was rewarded this fall with an invitation that only major league prospects receive of going to the Arizona Fall League.

Still only 26, Cunniff has prospered in the AFL, too, taking a 2-0 record and two saves along with a 3.46 ERA over 10 appearances (13 innings) into the final days of the season.

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