Indy Baseball Chatter: September 2020

Friday, September 25, 2020

AT LEAST 9 ONETIME INDEPENDENT LEAGUE PLAYERS APPEAR HEADED TO THE POSTSEASON

This is truly a moving target because several teams are on the edge toward earning major league baseball postseason berths and roster changes are still being made daily. But as of late Friday, IndyBaseballChatteris tabbing nine former Independent Baseball players as likely eligibles for next week's first round of the 16-team playoffs. Here are those most likely participants by team with the Independent connections in parenthesis:

ATLANTA--RHP Chris Martin (Grand Prairie, American Association) and LHP Tyler Matzek (Texas, American Association). Note: Matzek was in the American Association last season.

MIAMI--RHPs Brandon Kintzler (St. Paul, American Association, and Winnipeg, when it was in the Northern League) and James Hoyt (Yuma and Edinburg, North American League, and Wichita, American Association. RHP Brett Eibner was designated for assignment earlier this week.

MINNESOTA--LHP Rich Hill (Long Island, Atlantic League) and Caleb Thielbar (St. Paul). RHP Randy Dobnak (Utica, United Shore League) has been a starter most of the season, but currently is in the alternate training site.

TAMPA BAY--RHP Nick Anderson (Frontier Greys and Rockford, Frontier League). RHP Trevor Richards (Gateway, Frontier League) has been shuttling between the Rays and their alternate training site, where he is at present. RHP Chaz Roe is on the disabled list.

CHICAGO-NL--1B Jose Martinez (Rockford). INF Ildemaro Vargas is on the injured list, but could return.

TORONTO--RHP Tanner Roark (Southern Illinois, Frontier League). RHP Wilmer Font was designated for assignment earlier this week.

Other Possibilities--RHP Chase DeLong (Sugar Land, Atlantic League, and Team Skeeters, Constellation Energy League, was returned to Houston's alternate training site recently. If Milwaukee slips into the playoffs, it should bring RHPs Eric Yardley (Trinidad and Taos, Pecos League) and Justin Topa (Rockland, Can-Am League) into action.

The Chicago White Sox designated LHP Ross Detwiler for assignment this week after being with the team all season. Another lefty, James Paxton, is on the New York Yankees' 60-day injured list.

Anderson, Hoyt, Martin, Paxton, Roark, Richards and Yardley all started their professional career in Indy leagues.

Among the nine most likely postseason eligibles five played in the American Association and three in the Frontier League.

Bob Wirz

Former chief spokesman for Major League Baseball Commissioners Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth. Six years as publicity director for the Kansas City Royals, and a background in newspaper, radio and television. Started Wirz & Associates, a sports PR and consulting firm, in 1985. Has written extensively on Independent Baseball since 2003.

About 'My Nebraska'

It seems almost universally accepted that Nebraskans are friendly, hard-working people.

A native son, who eventually transitioned to the East Coast because it was the best avenue to follow his passion of continuing to work in major league baseball, has published a book to share a lifetime of memories of growing up in the Cornhusker state.

You may have guessed it when you saw the title: My Nebraska. Yes, Bob Wirz, now a youthful 85, is sharing his "rich memories of growing up in rural Nebraska" in the 1940s and 1950s in a delightful 136 pages in the book produced by Dorrance Publishing in Pittsburgh, PA.

Wirz, who got to live his passion of working at the highest levels of baseball and later developing his own sports public relations and marketing company, lovingly empties out his memories of everything from counting millions of tiny trees to playing grass-roots baseball where the age of teammates might run from the early teens to the 50s.

The colorful cover of My Nebraska, which features two paintings from Dunning, NE rancher/artist Laron McGinn that depict the beautiful landscape of rural Nebraska and the ranching lifestyle, sets the tone for the 5 x 8 book also filled with meaningful pictures.

It is "a wistful and endearing love letter to Nebraska filled with memories shared by generations raised in small towns throughout the Midwest", praises Shari Veil, who heads up the journalism and mass communications department at the University of Nebraska.

My Nebraska, a 5x8 paperback, is priced at $19.95 plus $4.00 for handling and shipping. Autographed copies may be ordered at www.WirzandAssociates.com