Wednesday, November 30, 2011

IT IS PAYBACK TIME--PLEASANTLY SO--FOR SOMERSET PA MAN

Kevin MacConnell's long-term memory has paid off for a popular voice heard nightly when the Somerset Patriots are home.

Back in the late '70s, as MyCentralJersey.com tells the story, MacConnell was a neophyte broadcaster for women's basketball on the Rutgers student radio station. His partner, with some experience, was upperclassman Paul Spychala.

MacConnell has moved on to become the Scarlet Knights' deputy director of athletes, and when he was looking for a new public address announcer for this season's basketball games he reached out to Spychala, who has been Somerset's public address announcer ever since 1999.

"As a longtime Rutgers fans and a Rutgers grad, I couldn't ask for anything more," he told the website.

THIS LANCASTER PLAYER REMEMBERS A SPOTLIGHT MOMENT IN MAJORS

Standout minor league outfielder Jason Cooper, who had a stint trying to help Lancaster reach the playoffs late in 2009 and is moving to a front office opportunity with the Pittsburgh Pirates, only got into a few major league games and all of those were in exhibitions. But Cooper, who I will feature in Thursday's Independent Baseball Insider column, has one really good memory.

He traveled to Philadelphia with the Cleveland Indians for the very first game to be played at Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

It was a cool, rainy day, he remembers, but there was the predictable full house. The lefty swinging Cooper was on the bench until he was called on to lead off in the ninth inning, and who should the Phils bring in but southpaw flame-thrower Billy Wagner.

After fouling off some of Wagner's pitches, Cooper, then only 23 and less than two years removed from signing out of Stanford, was able to single to right field.

What a nice moment for any baseball player to experience.

ATLANTIC LEAGUE GRAD NOW A PITCHING COACH FOR PHILS

Aaron Fultz won 25 major league games, including seven with Philadelphia in 2005 and 2006. The southpaw had stints later on with Somerset (2008) and Newark (2009). Now 38, the Memphis, TN native, is back with Philadelphia, this time as a minor league pitching coach.


Subscription to the Insider only $48 from now through December, 2012.

REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE COPY OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Friday, November 18, 2011

FOUR ATLANTIC LEAGUERS GET PLAYER-COACH DEALS WITH PIRATES; PASCUCCI, SAVAGE BACK IN FOLD

I was able to confirm today that the four former Atlantic League players I identified in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column have indeed been signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as player-coaches, enabling them to begin transitioning from being fulltime players to coaching opportunities.

This would seem to represent nice career steps.

The four are standout York third baseman Vince Harrison, who hit .327 for the league champion Revolution this past season; outfielder Jason Cooper, who had a brief stint at Lancaster; popular former York infielder Keoni DeRenne, who already has some two-way experience in the Philadelphia farm system; and onetime Somerset outfielder Michael Ryan, who has considerable major league experience including 2010 with the Los Angeles Angels after leaving the Atlantic League. Ryan is the only one of the quartet who has played in the majors or has been in the Pittsburgh system (Indianapolis, 2007).

PASCUCCI, SAVAGE SIGN NEW PACTS

First baseman-outfielder-DH Valentino Pascucci (Camden) and right-hander Will Savage (Lancaster) have signed contracts to remain with their 2011 organizations.

Pascucci was primarily with the New York Mets' Triple-A club in Buffalo in '11 although he got 11 at-bats (three hits, one homer) with the parent club in September. The 6-foot-6 slugger had 29 doubles, 21 homers and 91 RBI while hitting
.264 at Buffalo. He turned 33 yesterday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Savage to Triple-A Albuquerque, which is one classification above Chattanooga, where he was a mid-season Southern League All-Star this season. The 27-year-old Savage was 12-6 with a 3.95 ERA in 25 games, including 23 starts. He was in two games with Lancaster (1-0) in 2009 although he spent most of that year in another Independent league, pitching for Wichita, KS in the American Association.

Subscription to the Insider only $48 from now through December, 2012.

REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE COPY OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Sunday, November 13, 2011

MICHEL HERNANDEZ GETS NEW CONTRACT; FIGUEROA, FELIZ, PATTERSON AMONG FREE AGENTS

My, how easy it is to fall behind when one takes a few days of vacation. But it will be back in gear this week with another Independent Baseball Insider column due for subscribers on Thursday.

This one is going to introduce a really novel undertaking for the Independent game, and stands to be a sizeable benefit for players and for major league organizations.

In the meantime, this is a very busy time of year for players who have left the Indy ranks and joined one of the 30 MLB systems. So many players are six-year free agents, as always happens this time of year, and there is the opportunity to try to sign with an organization where the path to the major leagues seems more promising. Of course, it also means the end of the major league dreams (at least for now) if players do not get picked up by their previous farm system or another one.

MICHEL HERNANDEZ GETS NEW DEAL

Catcher Michel Hernandez, whose last major league opportunity was with Tampa Bay, became a free agent for a short time this fall before returning to the Cleveland organization. The onetime Atlantic League backstop (Somerset) is on the Columbus, OH roster.

SIX-YEAR LIST IS LENGTHY

Onetime Chicago Cubs standout Mark Prior is, arguably, the best known of the group of players who became free agents by virtue of their lengthy playing history. The right-hander, who got back on the baseball map after lengthy sidesteps with injuries when he pitched for Orange County (Fullerton, CA) of the Golden League, was in the New York Yankees' farm system this summer.

Other prominent names with major league experience who now are free agents include third baseman Pedro Feliz (Camden) and pitchers Nelson Figueroa (Long Island) and Scott Patterson (Lancaster). The latter just finished a stint with Team USA.

Subscription to the Insider only $48 from now through December, 2012.

REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE COPY OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER