Thursday, April 26, 2012

OPENING DAY PARTNERS HAS QUITE A WEEK EVEN BEFORE OPENING AT SUGAR LAND

Today's Independent Baseball Insider column will treat subscribers to the emerging long range planning of the Atlantic League, which ushers in the Independent season tonight.

Opening Day Partners (ODP), which already has Atlantic League teams in Lancaster, York and Southern Maryland, is officially opening its news showpiece in Sugar Land, TX tonight (Thursday), but that is only one point in showing how this organization is being steered far into the future by Peter Kirk and his large group of experienced staffers.

Kirk talked extensively about Atlantic League expansion thoughts that extend well into the future in our subscriber publication, the Independent Baseball Insider column, which also comes out today. Kirk and the league are thinking very big.

ODP also announced the hiring of 50-year plus baseball executive Tal Smith for a key role, as will be discussed in the Insider, as well as Lisa Riggs as the new president of the Lancaster Barnstormers. I do not know Ms. Riggs, who lives in East Hempfield Township with her husband and two children, but she has been running something called James Street Improvement District, which is Lancaster's community and economic development organization. That normally signifies the person in that role (President) is among a community's most important movers and shakers. Her involvement with the Barnstormers goes back nearly a decade when JSID played a key role in the development of Clipper Magazine Stadium.

UPSHAW LIKES BRIDGEPORT'S PITCHING

It is always difficult getting a good reading on the teams in the Atlantic League because of the short spring training, but I can tell you veteran Bridgeport Manager Willie Upshaw is high on the pitching staff he and General Manager Bob Goughan have assembled for the Bluefish.

"I love our pitching staff", Upshaw exuded during a media conference Wednesday. "I believe our bullpen will be really really good".

The Bluefish do not expect to have as much power as in the past, but "we've got some speed", the manager continued. He also said "not a lot of balls will drop out there" in an outfield anchored by veteran major leaguer Joey Gathright.

BRAVES DROP OZZIE CHAVEZ

While major league teams have spirited away at least four Atlantic League players before the first pitch of the regular season (two each from Bridgeport and Long Island) infielder Ozzie Chavez is the latest player from last season to lose his affiliated job. Atlanta released Chavez, who had 114 at-bats at Lancaster last year. He hit only .175 for the Barnstormers.

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Friday, April 20, 2012

WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO BE ON OPENING NIGHT?

Some odds and ends on the day after this week's Independent Baseball Insider... Nelson Figueroa is getting another opportunity after barely taking the mound and eventually getting released out of the Toronto Blue Jays' major league camp this spring. He signed with the New York Yankees and is going to work for the time being at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. The right-hander, who once threw two games for the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks and turns 38 next month, has made his way into 145 major league games through the years (20-35 record) while pitching for six teams (Philadelphia twice). ORIOLES LET JOSH JOHNSON GO, DUCKS STEP IN Catcher Josh Johnson, with the league's traveling Road Warriors last season, was released after a brief time in the Baltimore organization, but it did not take much time for him to find a new job. With two catchers signed away by major league organizations, Long Island stepped forward and inked him. WHERE TO GO ON OPENING NIGHT It is time, thankfully, to greet another season starting Thursday (April 26). The major attention likely will be on Sugar Land, TX since the new Skeeters will inaugurate their fancy stadium against two-time defending champion York, but fans also should be thinking about these matchups: Long Island at Somerset, Camden at Bridgeport and Lancaster at Southern Maryland. All four games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. local time, with Sugar Land in the central time zone.

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Monday, April 16, 2012

TALKING FREE AGENTS AND FEELING FOR DANE DE LA ROSA

Even without any of the players released during spring training, we come up with a list of 13 onetime Atlantic Leaguers who were in a major league organization at the end of last season who have not signed with anyone for 2012. The group includes two (identified by a #) who got some major league time last season.

We would welcome any corrections to this list be sent to RWirz@aol.com.

The free agents, some of whom may have decided to call it a career:

PITCHERS (9): Nick Bierbrodt, #Mark DiFelice, Lenny DiNardo, Justin Hampson, B.J. LaMura, Chris Mobley, Sam Narron, Brian Stokes, Andy Van Hekken.
CATCHER (1): #Robinson Cancel.
INFIELDERS (3): 3B Pedro Feliz, 1B-3B Mike Lamb, Anderson Machado.
OUTFIELDERS (0)

DANE DE LA ROSA BACK IN MAJORS FOR A DAY

Well-traveled Independent veteran Dane DeLaRosa came out of spring training with a pretty good feeling even though he did not open the season with the parent Tampa Bay Rays for whom he got into his first seven major league games in two separate call-ups last season.

The Rays summoned the 6-foot-7 right-hander to the majors late Friday after their bullpen took a beating from the Boston Red Sox. Joe Maddon put the 29-year-old into the Saturday game, but he surrendered five runs in an inning of relief, and promptly was sent back to Triple-A Durham, NC. One can hope there will be another opportunity for this baseball-dedicated hurler who got his chance with the Rays after a brilliant run for Southern Maryland in 2009. DeLaRosa, 29, allowed only three earned runs in spread over 18 relief appearances with the Blue Crabs. He had a 1.11 earned run average, split his two decisions, picked up three saves and struck out 32 hitters in 24.1 innings of work.


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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

WHO HAS BEEN RELEASED AND WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WE HAVE SOME OF THE DETAILS

While the start of another Atlantic League season (April 26) always brings excitement for both players and fans, getting to that point can be very difficult for a great many players. They have tried to make major league rosters (only two did this season and both are on the disabled list), stick with an affiliated minor league team or find a renewed opportunity in the AL.

Among those who had to give up major league or affiliated jobs during the offseason and turn to the Atlantic League are outfielder Joey Gathright at Bridgeport, infielder Raul Padron with Camden, catcher Travis Scott with York, and pitchers Paul Phillips with Somerset and Les Walrond with Lancaster.

Then there was another group that started spring training with a major league organization only to get a pink slip and need to find a new opportunity if they want to continue their career. The list that follows includes the major league organization the players were with this spring and those with an asterisk (*) played in some major league exhibitions:

Pitchers Nate Bump (Philadelphia), *Alberto Castillo (Los Angeles Angels), *Nelson Figueroa (Toronto), Emerson Frostad (Houston), Brad Furnish (Chicago White Sox) and John VanBenschoten (San Diego), catchers Salomon Manriquez (Los Angeles Dodgers) and *Mike Rivera (Milwaukee), infielders Yunesky Sanchez (Pittsburgh) and *Terry Tiffee (Miami) and outfielders *Cory Aldridge (Baltimore), *Jay Gibbons (Milwaukee), Sean Henry (Atlanta) and Drew Macias (Los Angeles Angels).

It is almost a certainty some of this group will end up back in the Atlantic League.

BOULTON RECEIVES TOP VILLANOVA ALUMNI AWARD

What a nice day Thursday will be for Atlantic League Founder Frank Boulton.

He will receive the 2012 St. Thomas of Villanova Alumni Medal, the highest annual award handed out by the Villanova University Alumni Association. Boulton is to be honored at an awards dinner Thursday night.

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