CURT SMITH, MATES REINFORCE INDEPENDENT IMPACT IN AFFILIATED LEAGUES

 

I had it reinforced one more time the depth of impact Independent Baseball players make on virtually any major league-affiliated game when I took my three grandsons to an Eastern League game this week.

We did not single out this game in order to see former Independent players; it so happens the New Britain (CT) Rock Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, are the closest to us. It turned into an 11-inning dandy, too, on a sunny day for this 10:35 a.m. school day game. No less than four former Indy stars took part, three of them as starters. Perhaps the most surprising part was that all are position players since pitchers seem to be in the spotlight most often.

I was especially excited to see New Britain first baseman Curt Smith, who had played in both the American Association (Lincoln, NE) and Atlantic League (Lancaster, PA) and was signed by the Twins shortly after his dominant bat played a major role in getting The Netherlands to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic. I had written about him more than once in this space as well as in my weekly Independent Baseball Insider column.

Smith turned in a very professional game with two singles, one driving in the Rock Cats’ first run in a two-run bottom of the ninth that sent the game into extra innings, playing a solid first base and exhibiting great hustle. I could see the latter in the way he went after foul balls down the line even if he could not get to them. He is making an impact, hitting .343 after eight games with three doubles, a homer and five runs batted in.

Antoan Richardson (Schaumburg, IL, Northern League) was the leadoff hitter and centerfielder and Reynaldo Rodriguez (Yuma, AZ, Golden League) entered as a pinch runner in the eighth and stayed in to play left. For New Hampshire, Toronto’s No. 2 farm club, Amadeo Zazueta played very solid shortstop and had a hit. Like Smith, he had played at Lincoln and the switch-hitter was with Sugar Land, TX in the Atlantic League part of last season before his contract was sold to the Blue Jays.

What a nice day for all of us.

 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER FOR 2013. 40 issues for only $48 through December, 2013; Scouts: $32

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER
Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

ANGELS BRING UP INDEPENDENT VET DANE DE LA ROSA AS SEVERAL OTHERS MOVE ON

Dane DeLaRosa, the well-traveled former Independent hurler who spent most of spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays, finds himself back in the major leagues today, taking the Los Angeles Angels' roster spot that opened up when Jered Weaver was disabled after being hit on the elbow of his non-pitching hand.

DeLaRosa, a 6-foot-7 right-hander who got in a dozen major league appearances with the Rays the last two seasons, was traded to the Angels late in spring training and started the season with Salt Lake City. He has played in three Independent leagues, the Atlantic with Southern Maryland, the American Association with El Paso, TX and with four different teams when the Golden League was operating (Victoria, BC, Orange County and Long Beach in California and Yuma, AZ).

Twenty onetime Independent players are now with major league teams although four of them are on disabled lists.

SOME RELEASED PLAYERS QUICKLY GOBBLED UP

Several more players from the non-major-league-affiliated teams have been released in recent days as organizations set their Opening Day rosters. Those losing out included onetime Can-Am League standout infielder Nick Giarraputo (New Jersey Jackals and Sussex) from the Chicago White Sox, St. Paul, MN (American Association) infielder Dan Kaczrowski from Arizona, left-handed pitcher Eric Niesen (Long Island, NY, Atlantic League) from Seattle, third baseman Marquez Smith (Camden, NJ, Atlantic) from Texas, American Association (Fargo, ND) outfielder Buddy Sosnoskie and shortstop Chris Wade (Windy City, Frontier League) from Baltimore.

Versatile infielder-outfielder Gabe Suarez, who was with Team Spain in the World Baseball Classic, was let go by Texas, but quickly signed with the Long Island Ducks, one of his former teams. He has played for four Atlantic League teams in all plus Kansas City, KS of the American Association, Florence, KY of the Frontier League and Lincoln, NE when the Saltdogs (American Association) still were in the Northern League.

Kaczrowski has already re-signed with St. Paul and Sosnoskie has re-joined Fargo.
 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER FOR 2013. 40 issues for only $48 through December, 2013; Scouts: $32

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER
Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

INDEPENDENT PLAYERS MAKE BIG JUMP OVER ONE YEAR AGO ON OPENING DAY ROSTERS

With 16 of its former players on Opening Day major league rosters, Independent Baseball made a huge jump over one year ago.  The list would be even more impressive if not for the fact five near certain roster candidates are one disabled lists.  We will have the full list, including salaries, when our weekly Independent Baseball Insider column goes out to subscribers on Thursday.

One who did not make it to opening day was Nelson Figueroa (Long Island, NY, Atlantic League),  a standout for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.  The 38-year-old right-hander was in spring training with Arizona.

RICE GETS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE OUTING BEHIND HIM

Terry Collins played it perfectly with Scott Rice, getting the 14-year minor leaguer into his first major league game in a non-pressurized situation.
With the New York Mets leading San Diego 11-2 on Opening Day at Citi Field, Collins brought the southpaw reliever in for the ninth inning.  The Atlantic League veteran (York, PA, Long Island, Newark, NJ) struck out the first two batters he faced (Nick Hundley and Cameron Maybin), then got a routine grounder to second to finish the game.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER FOR 2013. 40 issues for only $48 through December, 2013; Scouts: $32

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

IN 15TH SEASON, SCOTT RICE IS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES; BURKE LIKELY WITH METS, TOO

 

The New York Mets don't often get to be part of major celebrations these days, but one of their players--and his legion of family and friends--should be making a toast this Friday night.

While we have not seen it officially just yet, multiple sources say 31-year-old Scott Rice, a first-round draft choice way back in 1989 (Baltimore, selection number 44), will be putting on a major league uniform for the first time in his 15 professional seasons when the Mets host San Diego in a National League opener Monday afternoon.

The left-hander, who has been in six organizations and played for three Atlantic League teams, was notified Friday that he had made the 25-man Opening Day roster. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone at his age make it for the first time out of spring (training),” reported the Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond. “Real excitement here,” his tweet added. (Note: Another Independent product, catcher Chris Coste, debuted with Philadelphia at the age of 33 a few years ago.) Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com also reported Rice’s addition to the 40-man roster, and ESPNNewYork reported another former Independent pitcher, Greg Burke, also has made the Mets’ bullpen staff.

While several Indy players have received the disappointing news that they would not be in the majors on Opening Day despite outstanding spring training campaigns, as we reported in yesterday’s subscriber-only Independent Baseball Insider column, the additions of Rice and Burke help make up for it.

Rice was the final cut in spring training by the Los Angeles Dodgers one year ago, but he made a big impression on Mets Manager Terry Collins this spring. “He has a sinking fastball and he induced a lot of ground balls over the course of camp,” analyzed Baron. The Simi Valley, CA native, who pitched in the Atlantic League in 2008, 2009 and 2011, added a scoreless inning in New York’s 7-2 victory over St. Louis Friday afternoon.

During his long grind in the minor leagues, working exclusively in relief since 2005, Rice was in seven games (mostly ineffectively) with the Long Island (NY) Ducks in his first Atlantic League stint, did a little better with Newark, NJ a year later then helped York, PA to a league title two years ago when he had a 2.45 earned run average (1-0, one save) in 15 appearances.

Burke, who started his professional career with Atlantic City, NJ in the Atlantic League, later made it up to San Diego in ’09 for a time before injuries took a toll. He was in the Baltimore minor league system last year.

 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER FOR 2013. 40 issues for only $48 through December, 2013; Scouts: $32

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER
Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

BASEBALL'S VERSION OF MARCH MADNESS ALSO HITS A PEAK IN NEXT FEW DAYS

March Madness will mean more than the NCAA basketball tournaments this week.  Baseball players in major league camps will be nervously awaiting news whether they have made the 25-man Opening Day roster or where they will be playing this summer.  A few may get outright releases although most will go back to minor league teams.  For players already in minor league camps, a heavy number of them will be handed pink slips while others will be assigned to a full season team or held back for extended spring training.

 

Several former Independent players have already been released out of minor league camps, which means they could return to the non-affiliated ranks.  Arizona has already cut four such players, including veteran RHP Mike DeMark, who started his pro career at Florence, KY, in the Frontier League.  He later played for the York (PA) Revolution in the Atlantic League.  Also let go by the Diamondbacks were Quebec (Can-Am League) righty Chris Cox, York corner infielder Chris Nowak and southpaw Matt Way, who pitched for Laredo, TX in the American Association and Long Island, NY, in the Atlantic League.  RHP Donovan Drake (Windy City, Frontier) was released by Atlanta.  Cox and Drake also played their first pro games in Independent leagues.

 

CHRISTIAN, DE LA ROSA OUT OF MAJOR LEAGUE CAMPS

 

The most recent that we have seen Independent players sent back to farm systems out of major league camps were outfielder Justin Christian, who saw a lot of time with the St. Louis Cardinals this spring, and Tampa Bay right-hander Dane DeLaRosa.  Christian is one of the players with some major league time after starting in Indy baseball.  He played for River City in the Frontier League and later for Southern Maryland in the Atlantic League.  DeLaRosa, who has brief major league time, also played at Southern Maryland as well as for El Paso, TX in the American Association and for four Golden League teams.  We had a longer list of players sent back to the minors from major league camps in last week's lengthy Independent Baseball Insider, which subscribers receive via email every Thursday.

 

MARK PRIOR'S FUTURE

 

It looked like former major league standout Mark Prior might be through after his time at Pawtucket, RI, Boston's top farm club, last season, but Cincinnati gave the right-hander a minor league contract recently and he has pitched a scoreless inning for the parent Reds.  Prior's Independent comeback time was at Orange County (Fullerton, CA) when it was in the Golden League

 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER FOR 2013. 40 issues for only $48 through December, 2013; Scouts: $32

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER
Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions