INDEPENDENT LEAGUES WELL REPRESENTED IN OLYMPICS

Travel anywhere that baseball is played at a high level, and the Independent leagues will be represented.

This includes the resumption of the sport in the Japan Olympics starting this week.  Our list most likely is incomplete, yet 11 Indy vets, some from this season, have been identified on Olympic rosters.  Israel and the Dominican Republic have the heaviest representation.  The United States and Mexico also have former Independent players.  Japan and Korean rosters have not been reviewed.

Israel has three infielders and an outfielder who played in non-affiliated leagues this season.  The outfielder is Blake Gailen, who started his extensive minor league career at Anderson in the South Coast League in 2007.  He was in 47 games for Lancaster of the Atlantic League this season (.273-9-47) before joining his Olympic teammates.  Gailen hit a robust .406 in 69 American Association games (Lincoln) in 2011 after also being at Chico of the former Golden League the two previous years.  He is well known in Lancaster, also playing there at least part of every season from '12-'18.

Israel's infielders include Mitch Glasser of Sioux Falls, who hit .345 while playing five different positions in 39 games in the American Association this campaign; Zach Penprase (.254-1-15, 14 stolen bases in 21 contests for New York of the Frontier League and major league veteran Danny Valencia, who went 3-for-18 in six games for Long Island of the Atlantic League.  Glasser's other Indy stops have included Joplin '15-'16, Cleburne '17, Gary '18, Sioux Falls '18-'19 all in the American Association and Joliet of the City of Champions Cup one year ago.  Penprase was a fixture at Fargo-Moorhead of the American Association for eight years ('08-'15).  Israel's Jeremy Bleich pitched in the Atlantic League (Somerset) in both '16 and '17.

The Dominican team includes catcher Charlie Valerio, who hit .263 in 11 games at Sioux Falls this season.  A career minor leaguer, Valerio also played at Fargo-Moorhead from '15-'18 and at Southern Maryland of the Atlantic League two years ago.  Infielder-outfielder Emilio Bonifacio, a longtime major leaguer, hit .348 in 70 games at Long Island in '18.  Southpaw Raul Valdes, now 43, won nine of 13 decisions combined between Nashua and New Jersey of the Can-Am League back in 2006. 

Mexico is represented by outfielder Jonathan Jones, who played in the American Association (Gary) in 2015 and the Atlantic League (New Britain) one year later.

The United States players with Independent time are veteran major league pitchers Scott Kazmir and David Robertson.  Kazmir, who was in three games with San Francisco this year, was at Sugar Land (Atlantic League) in '12 and spent some time with Eastern of the Constellation Energy League last season.

Newest Major Leaguers

Lefty Zac Rosscup, who was with the Lighning of the CEL for a time last season, is the newest name among Indy players to don a major league uniform.  He is with Colorado.

Outfielder Dillon Thomas (Texas, American Association) is enjoying a second stint of his rookie major league career with Seattle while hurlers Chris Mazza (Southern Maryland and San Rafael, Pacific Association) and Robert Stock (New Jersey, Can-Am, and Normal, Frontier League) are back up with Tampa Bay and the New York Mets, respectively.

     

Seven make majors after indy time, led by Cubs' Tommy Nance

Major league roster changes are made at such a furious pace these days if one blinks someone else is in the news.

One thing is certain, especially in these times when the big-league guys have trimmed their farm systems:  The majors need the Independent Leagues more than ever as proven by the fact more than 100 players have been purchased--many at escalated prices--already in 2021.  It also appears more of these onetime non-affiliated players are getting opportunities at baseball's highest level.

No less than seven Independent grads have made their major league debut already in 2021, only two below the final count in 2019, baseball's last full season.

The biggest story probably belongs to right-handed pitcher Tommy Nance even though the Chicago Cubs have sent the 30-year-old back to Triple-A Iowa for the time being.  Nance began his professional career in the Frontier League in 2015.  Ironically, it was at Windy City in Crestwood, IL which is not far from Wrigley Field.

The Santa Clara University product was exceptional for the major league Cubs when he appeared out of the bullpen 13 times without being charged with an earned run.  Nance had a 40-day stint with the Northsiders, then a brief recall and has a season log for 20 games of one victory, 23 strikeouts in 21.1 innings and a 5.06 earned run average which would be much lower except for a five-run outburst against him in only 1.2 innings at Milwaukee.

It seems likely he will be back.

THE OTHER SIX

Joining Tommy Nance with their major league debut this season are pitchers Anthony Bender (Sioux City and Milwaukee, American Association) with Miami, Mickey Jannis (Long Island, Southern Maryland and Bridgeport of the Atlantic League and Lake Erie in the Frontier) and Konner Wade (Sugar Land, Atlantic) with Baltimore, Vinny Nittoli (St. Paul, American Association) with Seattle, and Jack Cousins (Schaumburg, Frontier, and Chicago, American Association) with Milwaukee plus outfielder Dillon Thomas (Texas, American Association) with the Mariners.

Bender and Cousins still are in the majors.

PAIR OF PIRATES

Some of the best new opportunities this season for former Indy players belong to pitcher Chase DeJong and first baseman John Nogowski.

Nogowski is making the most of his new opportunity since St. Louis sent him to Pittsburgh days ago.  After facing a backlog at first base with the Cardinals, the onetime Sioux City (American Association) slugger has gone 7-for-12 (.583) with an RBI and three runs scored in his first three games for the Bucs.  He had one four-hit game.

DeJong (Sugar Land, Atlantic League, and Team Skeeters, Constellation Energy League) is taking a regular turn in the Pittsburgh rotation with a 1-3 record and 5.08 ERA for seven starts.

15 IN MAJORS PLUS 7 ON INJURED LIST

Other recent additions to major league rosters are hurlers D. J. Johnson (Traverse City, Frontier) with Cleveland and Ian Krol (Nerds Herd, City of Champions Cup League) with Detroit.  Righty Trevor Richards (Gateway, Frontier) has changed uniforms, going from Tampa Bay to Toronto.

Thirty-one former Independent players have had time in the majors or on injured lists this season with 15 active heading into the weekend before the All-Star Game and another seven out with injuries.