Friday, January 27, 2012

IT IS TIME TO GO, BUT YORK'S STIDFOLE DOES IT WITH A GREAT ATTITUDE

It is so refreshing when a player decides to move on with his life outside of baseball, and leaves with a warm feeling about his playing days even though he did not quite make it to that universal goal of playing in the major leagues.

The latest example is reliever Sean Stidfole, only 27, who helped the York Revolution win back-to-back Atlantic League titles.

"I would play baseball until I die, I really would," Stidfole told Jim Seip in a story for the Revs' Inside Pitch. Stidfole knew he should not pass up an offer outside the game. "I got a pretty good job offer and I just figured it was about time," the 6-foot-3 right-hander said. "The last two years have been so great...and I want to remember (my career) like that."

After a 13-8 record with three consecutive under-4.00 earned run averages with Penn State, the Pennsylvania native spent five seasons in the Toronto farm system. Much of the last two of those years were in Triple-A, only one notch below the American League. He was one of the last cuts by the Blue Jays during spring training just two springs ago, then became a workhorse in the York bullpen where he got into 128 games in two seasons, every one of them in relief.

CORY ALDRIDGE BACK IN USA, SIGNS WITH ORIOLES

Baltimore has made an interesting signing, inking outfielder Cory Aldridge, who played in Korea last year.

It would not be a shock to see the 32-year-old Aldridge get some time in the Birds' major league camp even though he was placed on the Double-A Bowie, MD roster. The lefty hitter spent most of 2008 with Newark, and two years later he won a brief promotion to the Los Angeles Angels, playing in five games. Aldridge had made a big impression when he hit .395 (15-for-38) in 26 spring training games for the Angels. He also played a few major league games with Atlanta in 2001.

ODDS 'N ENDS

It was disappointing to learn that longtime major league first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward was handed a 50-game suspension for use of banned amphetamines. Now 36, Ward played at Newark in 2009-10-11. He also was in the White Sox and Arizona farm systems last year. Ward is a free agent, but would have to sit out 50 games if he signs with a major league organization...The rumor mill is mentioning former Newark and Long Island outfielder Jay Gibbons, a free agent, as a possible candidate to get a look from the New York Mets. Gibbons hit .255 in 55 at-bats for the Los Angeles Dodgers early last season after shaking off eye issues which cut into his spring training and may have cost him an opportunity to platoon in leftfield...The non-roster count for onetime Independent players is up to 32 with 15 of them having experience in the Atlantic League.


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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

TIFFEE, FIGUEROA ADD TO ATLANTIC LEAGUE CONTINGENT IN MAJOR LEAGUE CAMPS; NOAH HALL TURNS TO COACHING

York has chosen a nice way to start building its roster toward what the Revolution hope will be a third consecutive Atlantic League championship.

Ramon Castro, a .341 hitter for parts of five seasons in the league and a four-time All-Star (he did not have enough at-bats to qualify the other year), is returning. Manager Andy Etchebarren even indicates the versatile infielder will be on hand when the season starts April 26 against league newcomer Sugar Land, TX instead of coming on board after the Mexican League season, as has been his pattern.

It also appears the Revs may have added a nice piece to their mound staff by purchasing Triple-A-experienced reliever Santo Luis from Lincoln, NE of the American Association (0.83 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 21.2 innings).

NOAH HALL, FROM ATLANTIC AS PLAYER TO COACHING

Anyone who follows this writer's work with the Independent Baseball Insider column or my blogs knows how much I like to see those who spend time in Independent Baseball get opportunities to work their way through major league organizations.

So, I was delighted when I learned that Noah Hall will be coaching with the Boston Red Sox's team in the Gulf Coast League this summer. Hall played for 16 seasons, including 116 games last season with Camden, where he sneaked above his career batting average of .281 to .285 along with 15 homers and 64 runs batted in.

But at 34 and with only 74 games higher than Double-A even though he played in seven different organizations, the handwriting was getting pretty solid he would not likely go any higher. Surprisingly, this California product never played in the Boston organization. His first Indy season was with St. Paul, MN when the Saints still were in the Northern League in 2001. He also has had three stints at Somerset, including 124 games in 2010.

FIFTH PLAYER FROM LAST SUMMER GETS MAJOR LEAGUE INVITATION

With still one more invitation to major league spring training camps--five, in all--to players who were in the Atlantic League as recently as last season, founding fathers can pick up their level of bragging rights about producing major league-ready talen.

The latest addition from the 2011 ranks is onetime prime Minnesota third base prospect Terry Tiffee, who will be in spring training with the Miami Marlins. The switch-hitting 32-year-old swatted 13 home runs in only 52 games with Butch Hobson's Lancaster Barnstormers last season. Tiffee hit .293 and drove in 46 runs and also hit .345 in 110 at-bats with the New York Yankees' top farm club in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. He has 97 major league games to his credit with Minnesota and briefly in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A veteran right-hander also has a new minor league contract and a spring training invitation. Nelson Figueroa (Long Island), who has gotten a lot of major league time in recent years, will be with Toronto.


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Thursday, January 19, 2012

OH, YEA, PLAYER SIGNINGS HELP US GET THROUGH WINTER

The first signs of spring?

Okay, it will be a few weeks yet, but when we start getting Atlantic League player signings it gets my attention.

Perennial all-star Josh Pressley's departure from Somerset for the new Sugar Land Skeeters is interesting. His numbers may have slipped a little last year but .297-16-75 still are pretty good, and everyone has to remember that the Patriots were really suffering through a down year. Since Pressley wanted the trade because he has family in the Sugar Land area, it is easy to predict he will be putting everything he has in that big bat out there to make an impression.

WINTER BASEBALL PRODUCTION

Not only did former Long Island Ducks mound ace Mike Loree turn in a strong performance in the Puerto Rican League championship series, as we noted in today's
Independent Baseball Insider column (five innings with one run and seven hits), but that performance followed by a few days a strong showing by another who starred on Long Island.

Randy Keisler, still a free agent (to the best of our knowledge), gave up just one hit and struck out seven in seven shutout innings in the Mexican Pacific League playoffs. Keisler, who also has pitched for Southern Maryland, was bouncing back from an earlier start in which he did not get out of the first inning.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

29 FORMER ATLANTIC LEAGUERS STILL FREE AGENTS AFTER MACIAS AND BUMP SIGN

Strike two more onetime Atlantic Leaguers who have been minor league free agents.

Camden outfielder Drew Macias, who was in the San Diego organization last season and has some major league time, has signed with the Los Angeles Angels and been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake City. Right-handed pitcher Nate Bump, also a Camden product, has once again signed with Philadelphia and is on their Lehigh Valley (AAA) roster. It would not be a surprise to see either one get some major league exposure during spring training.

This still leaves 29 former Atlantic Leaguers, according to the records maintained by the Independent Baseball Insider , who played for major league organizations last season and are free agents. Some may retire while others still are likely to get major league organizational offers or return to the Atlantic League. The unsigned, with players who saw major league action last season denoted with an #:

PITCHERS (17): Nick Bierbrodt (Bridgeport, Somerset), #Greg Burke (Atlantic City), Tom Cochran (Lancaster), #Mark DiFelice (Somerset, Camden), Lenny DiNardo (Long Island), Joe Esposito (Long Island), #Nelson Figueroa (Long Island), Justin Hampson (York, Long Island), Eric Junge (Lancaster, Bridgeport), Randy Keisler (Long Island, Southern Maryland), B.J. LaMura (Long Island), Chris Mobley (Southern Maryland), Sam Narron (Camden), Brian Stokes (Camden), Brian Sweeney (Somerset), Andy Van Hekken (Somerset), Les Walrond (Lancaster).
CATCHERS (1): #Robinson Cancel (Long Island, Somerset, Road Warriors).
INFIELDERS (9): SS Angel Berroa (Bridgeport), Ozzie Chavez (Lancaster), Matt Cusick (Southern Maryland), 3B Pedro Feliz (Camden), SS Andy Gonzalez (York, DNP), 1B-3B Mike Lamb (Camden), Anderson Machado (Lancaster), Raul Padron (Camden), SS Ed Rogers (Bridgeport).
OUTFIELDERS (2): #Joey Gathright (Long Island), #Jay Gibbons (Newark, Long Island).

DNP: Indicates signed or trained with team but did not play in any games


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Monday, January 9, 2012

THIRD, FOURTH 2011 ATLANTIC LEAGUE HURLERS TO BE IN MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING CAMPS

How impressive is this?

Two more players who were in the Atlantic League this past season have been invited to major league spring training camps.

Southpaw Scott Rice will be in Arizona with the Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Logan Kensing will join Pittsburgh in Florida, both as non-roster invitees.

Kensing, who was with Washington for much of '09 then out for all of 2010 as he recovered from elbow surgery, signed as a free agent with the Pirates after splitting last summer with Bridgeport and the New York Yankees' Triple-A club in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. Kensing, 29, had worked in 134 major league games before the elbow issue with an 8-9 record and 5.81 earned run average with Florida and the Nationals. He struck out 16 Atlantic League hitters in 11.1 innings early last season while posting a 1.59 ERA in nine relief appearances for Bridgeport. The Bluefish sold his contract to the Yankees June 29. The Texas A&M product was 1-1 with four saves and a 4.28 ERA in 21 outings in the Yankees system.

Rice, 30, has not pitched in the major leagues during the regular season, but he had 15 appearances for York early last season (1-0, one save, 2.45), then joined the Dodgers' organization and went 4-4 (1 save) and a 1.95 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga. He was with Long Island for a time in '08 and with Newark part of '09.

Two other pitchers, Jerome Williams and Mike DeMark, also started last year in the Atlantic League. Williams, who was at Lancaster, is expected to bid for a starting job with the Los Angeles Angels this season. DeMark started at York and will be in camp with Arizona.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

SANDY MADERA SITS ATOP MEXICAN LEAGUE BATTING RACE

Sandy Madera obviously loves Mexican League pitching.

The 31-year-old catcher-first baseman-DH, who was with the Newark Bears when they still played in the Atlantic League in 2009-10, hit 18 homers while splitting time with two Mexican League teams one winter ago. He is the league's top hitter at .366 this season (213 at-bats) and has 13 homers and 44 runs batted in.

Madera, now on the roster of the New Jersey Jackals (Little Falls) of the Can-Am League where he played in '05, '07 and for a brief time last season, is one of a number of current or former Independent players doing well in winter leagues. We will trace more of those successes in our next Independent Baseball Insider
column which goes out to subscribers on Thursday.

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