LANCASTER SETS NEW ATLANTIC LEAGUE RECORD FOR WINS; INDY WELL REPRESENTED IN WBC

When Lancaster, PA outlasted Bridgeport, CT 11-9 in nearly four hours Thursday night, the Barnstormers gave themselves a huge present and dealt the Bluefish a major blow to their playoff hopes.

Butch Hobson's Barnstormers now own the Atlantic League's single-season wins record with 87, eclipsing the mark set by Somerset, NJ three years ago. As for Bridgeport, it now needs a sweep at Somerset this weekend and a Lancaster sweep at Southern Maryland (Waldorf) to give Willie Upshaw's troops any hopes of overtaking the Blue Crabs and getting into the postseason. It looks like second-year skipper Patrick Osborn will get to match up against first-half champion Long Island, NY in one playoff series while Lancaster and two-time defending champion York, PA will square off in the other series.

WBC UPDATE

We got into some news regarding the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insidercolumn (subscriptions available via www.WirzandAssociates.com), and added research today has our count of current and former Independent players on the rosters of the 16 countries vying to get into next spring's competition up to 33. There mostly likely are even more.

Spain, which blanked France 8-0 Thursday night, accounts for at least 11 players itself, including seven who were in Indy leagues this summer. First baseman Barbaro Canizares of American Association champion Winnipeg had a home run among his two hits in the Spaniard's opener. He drove in two runs.

Infielder Paco Figueroa (Southern Maryland) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs while shortstop Yunesky Sanchez of Laredo, TX (American Association) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Nick Schumacher of Sioux City, IA (American Association) got the win when he allowed only four hits in 6.1 innings.

The other 2012 Indy players with Spain are hurlers Eddie Morlan of Southern Maryland and Richard Salazar of Sioux City, outfielder Yasser Gomez of McAllen, TX (United/NAL).
Infielders Rene Leveret of Quebec (Can-Am League) and Carlos Hereaud of Edinburg, TX (United/NAL) had two of the five hits for France.

At least eight of the countries have players with an Independent background.

INDY LEAGUERS BOTH WIN AND LOSE

I wonder how many fans noticed the American League game last weekend when Craig Breslow got a victory for Boston and Steve Delabar took the loss for Toronto. It was a rare event in that both played in Independent Baseball, Breslow with the New Jersey Jackals when they still were in the Northeast League and Delabar with Brockton, MA of the Can-Am League. Delabar also has experience with Florence, KY of the Frontier League.

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FIGUEROA, PAXTON SHINE IN PLAYOFFS AND SAINTS TO GET A NEW HOME

Nelson Figueroa added one more neat line to his lengthy baseball resume Thursday night when the 38-year-old right-hander lifted Pawtucket, RI (Red Sox farm club) to the International League championship with a strong six-inning start in a 4-1 triumph that ousted Charlotte, NC (Chicago White Sox).

Figueroa, who pitched briefly in the Atlantic League (Long Island, NY) in 2006 and has major league time with Arizona, Philadelphia (twice), Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the New York Mets and Houston, allowed seven hits and a run. He had to work out of a first and third, no-out situation in the sixth with the strikeout of Seth Loman (St. George, UT, Golden League) the first out.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION'S PAXTON ALSO SHARP

Another strong playoff performance we did not get into yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column was James Paxton's 7.1 innings of work in leading Jackson, TN to an 8-1 Game 1 triumph over Mobile, AL (Arizona) in the Class AA Southern League Championship Series.

Paxton, the Grand Prairie, TX (American Association) prospect, struck out 10 and was touched for only an unearned run. "James pitched great this whole postseason...the second half of the season," Manager Jim Pankovits told The Jackson Sun.

The highly-regarded Seattle prospect is due to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, and no doubt will be in the Mariners' spring training camp in February.

MAUI SPLITS IN JAPAN

I am not certain what to make of it, but the North American League's Na Koa Ikaika Maui split two games in Japan with a semi-pro team known as the Ishikawa Million Stars. The more important aspect seems to be continuing discussions about creating what has been called a World Independent Baseball League. It may be an outlet for the two teams the NAL has in Hawaii if there is sufficient backing to make a new league work. We are told the entire trip was being captured on video, and the games were broadcast back to home fans in Maui.

SAINTS TO HAVE A NEW STADIUM

After years of planning and lobbying, it appears the American Association's St. Paul (MN) Saints finally will get a new stadium. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed off on a $25 million state bond project to make it happen.

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INDY GRADS SHOW UP EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING KEY ROLES IN INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

It seems just about anywhere I look there is a reminder of how much former Independent players are making an impact.

The latest example popped up today when I saw that Charlotte had advanced to the International League playoff championship. The Knights just eliminated Indianapolis.

I had just seen where the parent Chicago White Sox had promoted four players to Charlotte, their top farm club. Sure enough, one of them played a major role in the deciding game. That was first baseman Seth Loman, who once played in the Golden League (St. George, UT). Loman not only hit cleanup, he drove in two runs in the series finale, won by Charlotte, 6-4. He had a double and sacrifice fly, and it gave him six runs batted in for the four-game series.

Righty Brandon Kloess (Windy City, Frontier League) worked in relief although he was touched for two hits and a run without retiring anyone. Dan Remenowsky, also out of Windy City, which is located in Crestwood, IL, and Ryan Kussmaul (Southern Illinois, Frontier) also were promoted shortly before the playoffs.

The neatest part of this story, to me, is that all three of the pitchers, now one step from the major leagues, got their professional start in Independent Baseball. Chances are they would not be in the game today without the Indy opportunity.

On the losing side, lefty Kris Johnson (Kansas City, KS, American Association), started the game for Indianapolis, but gave up three runs in 1.2 innings. Logan Kensing (Bridgeport, CT, Atlantic League) hurled 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.

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CATCHING UP WITH SOME LATE INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENTS, INCLUDING FALL LEAGUE ASSIGNMENTS

The transaction wire has been quiet so far on this last day of August, but some of the major league roster additions will start coming through soon with the September 1 expansion at hand. Unless the players are extremely urgent for postseason-contending teams, most of those called up will not be announced until most of the higher affiliated leagues close things out on Monday. Even then, some of the players may be involved in playoffs. We have no reason to back off of the suggestions we made of Indy players deserving of a big-league chance in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column.

CAN-AM LEAGUE STILL WANTS A TEAM IN WORCESTER

It has to be reasurring to fans in Worcester that the Can-Am League still wants to have a team in that Massachusetts community if it can find suitable ownership. The Can-Am pulled the membership from Streamlined Sports, Inc. Friday, where charges of unpaid bills have become much greater in recent days. The Tornadoes will finish the season as scheduled Saturday-Monday in Newark, NJ.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE NEXT FOR THIS TRIO

Three former American Association players are included in rosters announced so far for the Arizona Fall League, where a very solid ranking is vital before a major league team will commit a roster spot.

James Paxton (Grand Prairie, TX), who we still believe could pitch for the parent Seattle Mariners in September, will be on the pitching staff of the Peoria Javelinas along with fellow southpaw Caleb Thielbar (St. Paul, MN). Thielbar is in Triple-A for Minnesota while Paxton has been working in Class AA. Right-hander Kevin Johnson, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels while he was at Pensacola, FL, will be with the Scottsdale Scorpions. Johnson has been working in Double-A.

Both Paxton and Johnson got their professional start in the American Association.

ERIC JUNGE GETS A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Onetime Lancaster (PA) Barnstormer and Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish pitcher Eric Junge, who was in the Atlanta farm system until recently, has now been signed by Colorado and is with the Rockies' top farm club in Colorado Springs.

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WHILE PREDICTION IS COMING ON POSSIBLE SEPTEMBER RECALLS, FIRST TEAM CHAMP HAS BEEN CROWNED

The first end-of-season champion has been crowned with the first-year San Rafael (CA) Pacifics taking two-of-three from Maui to win the North American League's North Division title.

Edinburg, TX has all but wrapped up the South Division (or United League) title with a four and one half-game advantage over Rio Grande Valley (Harlingen, TX). Fort Worth is another one-half game behind with the season ending this week.

TRACKING SOME ELITE INDY GRADUATES

It may be a long shot in most of the cases to follow with regard to a major league call-up, but we wanted to track how the season has gone for several players who have major league time or have been on the brink and are playing in Triple-A.

1B-3B Mike Cervenak is having another outstanding season with the bat for Miami's New Orleans club (we hope it stays reasonably dry this hurricane week), hitting .345 with 13 homers and 55 RBI. Not a youngster anymore, Cervenak has only a few major league games (Philadelphia) for his otherwise distinguished career that started at Chillicothe, OH in the Frontier League in 1999 and 2000.

RHP Brian Sweeney, who started at Lafayette, IN in the Heartland League way back in '96 and has some major league time with the Padres and Mariners, is 6-3 with a save and a 4.57 ERA for the M's Tacoma farm club. Sweeney has 54 strikeouts in 88.2 innings.

INF Michael Hollimon (Grand Prairie, TX, American Association), who toiled with the Minnesota Twins to the very end of spring training, has been bothered by injuries at Rochester, NY and has but a .213 average with five homers and 13 batted in for his 155 at-bats.

C Rene Rivera (Camden, NJ, Atlantic League), who spent much of the '11 season with the parent Twins and is better known for his defense, has a .215-8-29 season in 265 at-bats for Rochester.

RHP Eric Hamren (Joliet, IL and Kansas City, KS when both were in the Northern League) logged quite a bit of time with San Diego one year ago, and this season he has nine saves, a 2-5 record and a 3.88 ERA with Triple-A Tucson. Hamren has fanned 54 in only 46.1 innings.

LHP Mike O'Connor (Southern Maryland, Atlantic) went to spring training hoping to be one of the portside options in the Yankees' bullpen. He has logged a lot of innings (100) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA and has a 3-6 record and 3.78 ERA.

FORECAST COMING ON SOLID CANDIDATES FOR SEPTEMBER IN MAJORS

We plan to devote a portion of Thursday's Independent Baseball Insider to predicting for subscribers the former Independent players we believe deserve an opportunity in the major leagues before the season ends. We feel several players could be in the mix based on their history, season performance and their team's needs.

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