A PAIR OF BOOKS TRACK EARLY-DAY INDEPENDENT LEAGUES; MORE PLAYER MOVES

I am among those who cannot wait for Game 7 of this compelling World Series, but that is not all I want to get off my chest heading into the weekend.

I received a telephone call this week from Hank Utley (he really is Robert Utley but loved Hank Greenberg so much he now uses the name Hank), an 87-year-young former third baseman at North Carolina State and two-time author.

Knowing about my Independent Baseball Insidercolumn, Utley was reaching out my way because of two interesting sounding books he has co-authored. These are books about early-day Independent leagues and are entitled "The Independent Carolina Baseball League, 1936-38" and "Outlaw Ballplayers".

The Society for American Baseball Research(SABR) liked the first of these two McFarland Press publications so much that Hank Utley tells me the organization voted it one of the top baseball books of 1999.

Both books delve into the good, bad and ugly of the Indy world of those years, but it could not have all been bad news for the players since Crash Davis of "Bull Durham" fame emerged to reach the major leagues as did 10-year big-league pitcher Buck Ross and infielders Dick Culler and Grey (Noisy) Clarke.

I could not recall how much time Crash Davis actually got in the majors until I opened the Baseball Encyclopedia and researched his three seasons ('40-42) when the Philadelphia Athletics finished dead last in the American League. Lawrence (Crash) Davis launched his only two home runs for the '42 A's, who finished 55-99, and he got enough playing time to drive in 43 runs while hitting .230.

Historians--and anyone else intrigued by those times--should pay a visit to Utley's www.baseballoutlaws.com, where it also is possible to purchase the books.

MORE NEW CONTRACTS, MORE FREE AGENTS

Southpaw Scott Rice, who started this season by relieving in 15 games for York (1-0, one save, 2.46), and catcher Eddy Rodriguez are among the latest onetime Independent players to get both new affiliated contracts and promotions to Triple-A. The Dodgers elevated Rice to Albuquerque, NM, where he is only one step from the major leagues. He also has played for Long Island and Newark. Rodriguez is now on the Tucson, AZ roster for San Diego. He played for Bridgeport at one time.

Mike Parisi, purchased from Long Island this year, already was on the Albuquerque roster before inking his new contract. He is a right-handed pitcher.

Meanwhile, a pair of former Atlantic League players who have logged major league time have opted for free agency, presumably in an effort to find better deals. Pitcher Mark DiFelice (Somerset and Camden) quit Milwaukee. Catcher Rene Rivera (Camden) left the Minnesota Twins, with whom he spent a good chunk of this summer.

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VAN HEKKEN TOUGH LUCK LOSER IN USA FINALE IN PAN AM, STILL FINISHES WITH 0.96 ERA

Team USA dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to Canada in the gold medal game of the Pan American Games Tuesday night, but it was virtually a no-lose situation for Independent Baseball.

Both teams started pitchers who were signed by major league organizations out of Independent leagues in the last year and the closer for both was someone who not only emerged from an Indy circuit but got his first professional opportunity at that level.

The raw facts were that Canadian starter Andrew Albers (Quebec, Can-Am League) and closer Scott Richmond (Edmonton, then in the Northern League, now in the North American) shut down the USA on six hits. Albers, property of the Minnesota Twins, gave up a first inning run but also struck out eight (no walks) in 6.2 innings at Lagos de Moreno, Mexico. Richmond, a onetime starter for the Toronto Blue Jays and still in their organization, worked out of a first and third, two-out jam in the seventh and was perfect for the seven batters he faced, striking out three.

USA ace Andy Van Hekken allowed a two-run double in the sixth inning, but gave up only six hits in seven strong innings. The former Somerset hurler, soon to be a free agent after pitching in the Houston chain, finished the World Cup and Pan Am competition with a 0.96 earned run average for 28 innings and won three of his four decisions.

This was Canada's first-ever opportunity in the gold medal game of a major international tournament.

Catcher-first baseman Emerson Frostad, who was signed out of Lancaster of the Atlantic League during 2011, also was a member of Team Canada although he did not play in the title game. Frostad hit .280 with two homers in 15 games for the Barnstormers.

Scott Patterson, whose pro debut was with Gateway (Sauget, IL) in the Frontier League and later became a closer with Lancaster, was the Team USA closer. While he did not pitch in the finale, the right-hander had three saves in eight appearances (1.29 ERA) in the international competition.

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VAN HEKKEN STARRING FOR TEAM USA AND BRANDON SING STARTS STRONG IN MEXICO

We reported on the great success of former Atlantic League hurler Andy Van Hekken (Somerset) as the ace of Team USA in Thursday's Independent Baseball Insider, but he is certainly not the only former Independent player making news on the diamond these autumn days.

Brandon Sing, who annually hits at least 20 home runs, is the early-season leader in the Mexican Pacific League with four round-trippers in his first six games along with seven runs batted in and a .409 average (9-for-22). Sing played in all 100 games for Sioux Falls, SD of the American Association this season, hitting .303 with 24 dingers and 70 RBI. He also had an outstanding year for Bridgeport earlier.

A PAIR OF ATLANTIC LEAGUERS GET NEW AFFILIATED MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACTS

Left-handed pitcher Andrew Dobies has earned both a new contract in the Kansas City organization and a promotion to Triple-A Omaha. He was a reliever at Somerset last season and early this year until his contract was purchased by the Royals.

Another Atlantic Leaguer getting a new contract is catcher Dayton Buller with Milwaukee's Class AA club. He played at Camden.

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THIS TRIO OF FORMER ATLANTIC LEAGUERS REACHED MAJORS, BUT NOT FILES FOR FREE AGENCY

We can identify three former Atlantic League players who got some major league playing time this season before going back to the minors and now have opted for free agency where they hope for better opportunities:

C Robinson Cancel (Long Island, Somerset and Road Warriors) from Houston.
OF Jay Gibbons (Long Island and Newark) from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .300 with nine homers and 48 RBI at Albuquerque after starting the season with the parent Dodgers.
LHP Mike O'Connor (Southern Maryland) from the New York Mets even though he struck out 66 Triple-A hitters in 60.1 innings when not in the National League.

YORK'S MIKE DE MARK GETS NEW CONTRACT

Realizing that it will not be long until we see that long list of former Independent players (as well as those in the affiliated minors) who are six-year free agents hoping to land a new contract with their old organization or a new one, it was nice to learn right-hander Mike DeMark of York already has a new contract from Arizona.

HOW THEY FARED IN TRIPLE-A

We were curious how other players who spent some time in the majors this season fared as Class AAA players:

UTIL Erick Almonte (Long Island), who surprised most everyone by starting the year with the parent Milwaukee Brewers, hit .303 with six homers and 42 RBI in 244 at-bats.
RHP Mark DiFelice (Somerset and Camden) had a 2.17 ERA along with a 2-1 record and fanned 29 in 31 innings for the Brewers.
RHP Nelson Figueroa (Long Island) was 7-8, 6.05 in finishing at Indianapolis (Pittsburgh) after starting the year with Houston.

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NO, TV ANNOUNCERS, MILWAUKEE CLOSER DID NOT PITCH IN AN INDY LEAGUE

A comment during one of the telecasts of a National League Division Series game involving Milwaukee sent me scrambling to various sources. I take pride in being able to identify the former Atlantic League (or other Independent league) players who are anywhere on the major league landscape, as regular readers here or with my subscription-only Independent Baseball Insider column can attest.

The TV voice said Brewers closer John Axford had played in an Independent league. (I also get somewhat annoyed when commentators or writers say "Independent league" instead of saying Atlantic League--or identifying another specific league--but that is a different story.)

Alas, Axford did not pitch in one of the recognized Indy leagues. Back in 2006 before being drafted and signed by the New York Yankees, he pitched for a team called the Melville Millionaires of the Western Major Baseball League. This is a collegiate league in Canada.

The Atlantic League does not have any former players active for the first round of major league playoffs although southpaw reliever Alberto Castillo is on site with Arizona and is on standby for possible inclusion in the League Championship Series or World Series if the D-Backs advance.

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