MARTE STAYS HOT, MC GRADY'S DEBUT SET AND SOME DAZZLING NUMBERS FOR THE MANAGER'S DAUGHTER

How quickly things develop.

It was only last night when I finished my weekly Independent Baseball Insider column and sent it to subscribers (www.WirzandAssociates.com) that I said Andy Marte, who was still playing in the Atlantic League (York, PA) one year ago, had been on such a hot streak he could well be one of the next Indy players to get to the majors (Arizona). And, I had more praise for former NBA star Tracy McGrady although I said we still did not know when the Sugar Land (TX) Skeeters would take him off the inactive list for his Atlantic League debut.

Marte, who hit .301 with 19 homers and 74 RBI for the Revolution last season, had another big night Thursday for the D-Backs’ Triple-A Reno, NV farm club, driving in four runs with a homer and single in three at-bats and jumping his batting average 12 points to .309. He has gone 14 for his last 25 (.560) and now has three homers and 15 driven in for 29 games.

TRACY MC GRADY TO DEBUT SATURDAY

Sugar Land announced later Thursday that McGrady will make his much-anticipated professional baseball debut tomorrow (Saturday) night, starting for the Skeeters in the Houston suburb against rival Somerset, NJ.

The game starts at 7:05 EDT and will be seen on ESPN3 and the network’s digital platform.

What a showcase for the Atlantic League and all of Independent Baseball.

LUIS GARCIA REJOINS PHILLIES

It had been apparent for some time (Insider, April 24) Philadelphia had to be keeping its eye on former Can-Am League (Newark, NJ) reliever Luis Garcia, who to date has a perfect ERA plus two wins and six saves in 11 outings for their Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA) farm club.

The Phils gave Garcia his second call-up of the season Thursday. Unfortunately, the right-hander was charged with the final five runs (three earned) in a 12-6 loss to Toronto hours later. He allowed four hits and a walk in two innings (44 pitches).

UMPS, MANAGERS NEEDED

Pecos League Founder Andrew Dunn’s most important goal, he told us this week, in taking the four-year-old league that features recent college players to the next step in its development is to find 10 good managers (pay ranges from $5,000-$15,000 for the 70-game season) and 10 quality umpires.

HOW ABOUT THESE MOUND NUMBERS?

St. Paul (MN) Saints (American Association) Manager George Tsamis made it to the major leagues for part of one season as a lefty reliever for Minnesota. Now, he has a budding pitching star in his own family.

Daughter Casey, a senior at Bacon Academy in the family hometown of Colchester, CT who probably is headed to the University of Rhode Island, has struck out 35 batters and has not walked anyone so far in 29 innings this season while compiling a 5-0 record for the softball team.

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WALKS HAUNTED HERRERA WITH ANGELS

Yoslan Herrera seemed to be rolling along nicely out of the Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen when all of a sudden the right-hander, who was pitching in the Atlantic League (Lancaster, PA) last year, had a game against Cleveland in which he gave up two hits, a walk and two runs without retiring anyone and all of a sudden he was sent back to Salt Lake City.

Herrera’s earned run average bumped up from under 2.00 to 4.50 since he had only worked six innings in seven appearances. It probably was walks which cost him since he issued seven passes in those six innings.

COLABELLO COWBELLS

Chris Colabello, the second year sensation out of the Can-Am League, is to be honored at Target Field Friday night with a giveaway of cowbells. It may be a stretch to think cowbells because of the first baseman-outfielder’s name, but then again such attention only helps his overall buildup by the Minnesota Twins.

KEEPING UP WITH NAVA, GARCIA AND BROCK PETERSON

Daniel Nava had another 1-for-3 night (one strikeout) on Thursday for Pawtucket, RI, but the Boston outfielder, hoping to get back to Fenway Park soon, still is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a .400 on-base percentage since being farmed out six games ago.

Brock Peterson continues to drive in a decent amount of runs in Triple-A with his 11th in 26 games for Syracuse Thursday, but it is probably going to take one of his power shows before the parent Washington Nationals consider him. Peterson, who played his Independent baseball for Bridgeport, CT in the Atlantic League, still has not homered in 98 at-bats this season. The first baseman is hitting .235 with four extra base hits (three doubles, a triple) among his 23 hits.

Luis Garcia (Newark, NJ, Can-Am League) continues to excel for Philadelphia’s top farm club. He picked up his fourth save Thursday to go along with a 2-0 record and a perfect ERA for Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA). Garcia has allowed six hits spread over 11 innings in eight appearances.

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LEFTIES VALDES, COUSINS IN THE NEWS; TOUGH BREAK FOR INDY VET MINICOZZI

Left-handed pitchers always seem to generate interest, and today is no exception.

We had no more than mentioned in Thursday’s Independent Baseball Insider column that the veteran Raul Valdes (New Jersey Jackals and Nashua, NH, Can-Am League) was doing well at Triple-A Oklahoma City (1-0, 2.45, 4 games) when we found out the Astros were adding the 36-year-old to their major league roster. Houston is Valdes’s fifth major league team since 2010.

And, how about veteran major leaguer Scott Cousins, who was ticketed to play the outfield for the Camden (NJ) RiverSharks (Atlantic League) until he joined the Texas organization. It turns out Cousins, 29, is going to extended spring training to try converting into a southpaw pitcher. He last pitched in college at the University of San Francisco.

MINICOZZI OUT WITH SHOULDER SEPARATION

We did not realize it at the time we mentioned Mark Minicozzi, the well-traveled former Independent player, was hitting .444 but not seeing much playing time for San Francisco’s top farm club in Fresno, CA, that there is a reason for the limited action. It turns out he separated a shoulder sliding into second base, and is expected to be out for at least a month. It is very unfortunate for the versatile infielder-outfielder, who trained with the parent Giants this spring and was in position where he might get that long-awaited first major league opportunity.

Minicozzi, 31, spent a season in the American Association (Winnipeg and Kansas City, KS), two years in the Can-Am League (Worcester, MA) and appeared briefly with Camden.

He hit .309-10-66 in an all-star summer in the Eastern League (Richmond, VA) last year.

‘LIFE IS BETTER’ ON LONG ISLAND

It is difficult to find any argument with the Long Island (NY) Ducks’ new slogan “Life Is Better Here”. After all, Bethpage Ballpark is within a commute of New York City, and even more importantly the team has won the last two Atlantic League championships.

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CAMPS OPEN AS ATLANTIC LEAGUE SEASON NEARS; TWO MORE INDY HURLERS IN MAJORS

This was somewhat of a milestone day in Independent circles with most Atlantic League teams, including two-time champion Long Island, NY, opening training camp in preparation for the start of the regular season on March 24. Other leagues will get busy when the calendar first turns to May.

At the same time, two more former Independent players have donned major league uniforms, increasing that total to 25 for the young season, counting Kansas City’s Luke Hochevar (Fort Worth, TX, American Association), who likely will spend the entire season on the disabled list because of injury.

The Los Angeles Angels called up right-hander Yoslan Herrera, who spent all of last season in the Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers bullpen, working a team-leading 59 games with a 2-1 record, 11 saves and a 3.74 ERA. The Cuban native, who turns 33 later this month, also was in the majors for five starts with Pittsburgh (1-1, 9.82) in 2008. Reliever Dane DeLaRosa, who has experience in the Atlantic League (Southern Maryland), American Association (El Paso, TX) and the former Golden League, was optioned to Triple-A by the Angels.

PHILS CALL GARCIA

Philadelphia has added righty Luis Garcia, who got into nine games with Newark, NJ (Can-Am League) in 2012, to its bullpen although indications are the stay may be brief as another player comes off the disabled list. Garcia went 1-1 with a 3.73 ERA in 24 games with the Phillies last season. That was the first time the 27-year-old had been in the majors.

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HAS ANY INDEPENDENT PLAYER MATCHED COLABELLO'S SIX RUNS BATTED IN?

I cannot help but wonder today how many–if any–pure Independent Baseball players have had a six-RBI game in the major leagues as longtime Can-Am League star first baseman Chris Colabello did Thursday in helping Minnesota to a chilly, come-from-behind 10-9 victory against the Chicago White Sox in the Windy City.

How sweet it must have felt to the former Worcester (MA) Tornadoes star to see that he was batting cleanup (and the DH) for the Twins, then to come through with two big doubles and an RBI groundout. Colabello later told reporters an effort to cut down on his swing when he has two strikes is paying dividends, and typical of the 30-year-old’s approach to the game he told The Minneapolis Star Tribune “That was a character win.”

One must remember Colabello only drove in 17 runs in 55 games in his debut season in the majors (2013), which came in the second year after his seven-year stint in the Can-Am League.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION TOPS IN BIG LEAGUERS PRODUCED THIS TIME

As we reported in yesterday’s subscription-only Independent Baseball Insider column, a record 20 former Independent players were on Opening Day rosters in the major leagues with another three on the disabled list. Eight–plus two of the DL players–were in the American Association at one time, with half of the eight (plus one on the DL) playing their very first professional game in the league. The count of eight includes pitcher Bo Schultz of Arizona, who was active for the Diamondbacks’ first two games in Australia before going back to Triple-A Reno.

The Atlantic League accounts for five players plus one of those disabled while the Frontier League has four and the Can-Am League two. Three leagues no longer active also have players among the major leaguers.

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