VAL MAJEWSKI FINALLY GETS A MAJOR LEAGUE AT BAT AS DOES BEN COPELAND. BOTH GET HITS, TOO

It may not seem like much since Val Majewski perennially is one of the Atlantic League's best hitters. Still, it had to feel pretty good when the 31-year-old outfielder got what we believe was his first major league spring training at-bat since he appeared in 22 games for Baltimore in 2006-07.

He got a hit, of course, for the Texas Rangers against the Los Angeles Angels.

Majewski, whose only regular season major league duty was for nine games with Baltimore way back in 2004, has been in a pattern the last four seasons. Start in the Atlantic League (Newark in '08, Camden the next year and York each of the last two seasons), then a major league organization comes along because of his career .331average in Independent Baseball and gives him a look in its minor league system for the rest of the season.

The Rangers at least kept the former Rutgers University product this winter, which is somewhat encouraging that they feel he might help the American League team at some juncture.

LANCASTER'S BEN COPELAND APPEARS WITH CLEVELAND

Another of the bevy of players taken off the Lancaster roster during the 2011 season got into a Cactus League exhibition with Cleveland Thursday. Outfielder Ben Copeland singled in his only time at bat in a 5-4 loss to Arizona.

The most prominent of the Barnstormers who went to major league organizations is veteran pitcher Jerome Williams, who finally appears back on track in his bid to lock up the No. 5 starter job with the Los Angeles Angels, as we reported in Thursday's subscriber-only Independent Baseball Insider column. He had been sidelined about three and a half weeks with a hamstring strain. Williams, 6-0 at Lancaster before being plucked away by the Angels, is due for another start Saturday.

MIKE RIVERA RELEASED BY BREWERS

Catcher Mike Rivera, who got some big league time with Milwaukee most every year for the last several seasons, has been released by the Brew Crew. Rivera played his Independent Baseball in Atlantic City.

ALMONTE GOT LITTLE CHANCE

Who can forget the brilliant spring Erick Almonte had with Milwaukee one year ago which earned the onetime Atlantic League infielder (Long Island) a spot on the opening day roster? The veteran Triple-A utilityman never really got a chance to repeat the showing this spring. Almonte was only used in three spring training games, going 1-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

OH, THOSE RELEASES

This is the time of spring training when major league organizations trim a lot of players who do not seem to fit. Those cut out of minor league camps in recent days include two southpaws, York's Chris Cody by Atlanta and Bridgeport's Brad Furnish by the Chicago White Sox.

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