AS WINTER MEETINGS CLOSE, CAMDEN'S SAM NARRON HAS A NEW CONTRACT AND JOE KLEIN IS IN THE LIMELIGHT

The Winter Meetings are virtually all about the major leagues and the affiliated minors, but there are a couple of nuggets worth sharing with Atlantic League fans before I leave a slowly warming Orlando.

Southpaw Sam Narron has gotten a new Triple-A contract from Milwaukee. The 29-year-old is finishing up what has been a 15-win season by working in the Venezuelan Winter League, and Brewers brass obviously are happy. Narron was 4-2(1.61) in seven starts for Camden early in the season, with consecutive nine-inning shutouts at the end before his contract was sold about June 1. Then he went 9-7, 4.14 for Nashville, and has won two of three decisions for Caracas (3.82) although he has not pitched since November 19. That is a long season.

JOE KLEIN ACTIVE

Executive Director Joe Klein always brings attention to the Atlantic League during the winter meetings, and this year was no exception. As one of five members of the Scout of the Year Advisory Board, Klein is part of the impressive dais for the annual Scout of the Year reception, which was held Wednesday evening.

This is an ideal post for Klein since the scouts work the Atlantic League all season for players. The room also was filled with major league scouting directors.

NO ONE WAS DRAFTED

The annual Rule 5 draft was conducted Thursday morning, but not a single Atlantic Leaguer was taken. Independent Baseball did have five of its graduates chosen at the Triple-A level. (Note: They are featured on another of this typist's sites, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com.)

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BLUE CRABS GET A SECOND HURLER TO A MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING CAMP

If Southern Maryland needs any added recruiting tools for new Manager Pat Osborn, the Blue Crabs can point to the fact a second member of their 2009 pitching staff will be in a major league spring training camp come February.

Not only did Dane DeLaRosa (1-1, 3 saves, 1.11 ERA, in 18 games) recently learn he had been promoted to Tampa Bay's 40-man roster, but the New York Mets have given lefty Mike O'Connor a new minor league contract and an invitation to their major league camp. O'Connor spent '09 with five different minor league teams, including Southern Maryland, where he won his only two decisions and posted a 3.13 ERA in four starts.

The 30-year-old seems to be setting himself up nicely with a strong winter baseball showing, which we will go into in more depth in this week's Independent Baseball Insider column, which subscribers receive later today.

DUCKS SALES IMPRESSIVE

One reason the Long Island Ducks are the envy of most everyone in the Independent Baseball game showed up again Wednesday. The team reports more than 65,000 group tickets were sold in the first six hours of availability. How impressive is that?

DE RENNE HOPES TO RETURN TO PHILLIES

Popular York infielder Keoni DeRenne, a mainstay for the Revolution in 2007-08-09, told The York Daily Record he hopes to get another chance next season in the Philadelphia organization. He had the distinction of playing--and sometimes coaching--with the Phils' top four minor league teams this summer. "I was also in extended spring (training), so it's almost like I was playing for five teams", DeRenne told Jim Seip.

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FORMER SOUTHERN MARYLAND HURLER PROMOTED TO 40-MAN ROSTER BY TAMPA BAY

Another former Atlantic League pitcher has made his way onto a 40-man major league roster which means he is certain to get a decent look during spring training.

Tampa Bay is giving Dane DeLaRosa the 40-man treatment. This hulking righty (6-foot-7, 245 pounds) had turned in mixed results in various Independent leagues before he got to Southern Maryland in 2009. Even though the competition was tougher, the now 27-year-old had a nifty 1.11 earned run average in 18 appearances for Butch Hobson's Blue Crabs.

DeLaRosa struck out 32 hitters, walked only seven and gave up just 16 hits in 24.1 innings while splitting a pair of decisions and picking up three saves. He truly traveled the Independent landscape, working in three different seasons in the Golden League (Orange County, which is in Fullerton, CA plus Long Beach, CA and Yuma, AZ) and was in the American Association (El Paso, TX).

In 2010, the right-hander went 9-3 with four saves and a 1.97 earned run average for Class AA Montgomery, AL. He continued the strikeout-an-inning pace (75 in 73 innings) covering 47 appearances, and it obviously made an impact on Tampa Bay officials.

SCOTT PATTERSON, JON HUBER GET NEW CONTRACTS

The signing of recently-released players is continuing. Reliever Scott Patterson, who started his pro career in the Independent ranks, is getting another opportunity with Seattle's top farm club in Tacoma, WA. His Indy time was in Sauget, IL (Gateway Grizzlies) in the Frontier League and with Lancaster in the Atlantic League. He became a closer while with the Barnstormers.

Another Lancaster right-hander, Jon Huber, has re-signed in the Los Angeles Dodgers chain despite recent struggles in Venezuala. He saved 18 games along with a 3-3 record and a 2.23 ERA in the Class AA Southern League (Chattanooga, TN), and is now on the Triple-A Albuquerque, NM roster.

Southpaw Edwin Walker has gone up a level in the Houston organization, now residing on the Double-A Corpus Christi, TX roster. Walker once was ticketed for York although he did not appear in any games before signing with the Astros.

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ATLANTIC LEAGUE COULD GET SECOND LONG ISLAND TEAM

(The following story is an excerpt from our regular Independent Baseball Insider column, which subscribers receive on the first and third Thursday of each offseason month and weekly throughout the summer.)

While we have nothing new to report on the Atlantic League’s desire to have a four-team division in the southwest a year from now because of the new stadium planned for Sugar Land, TX, it appears the league is closer to adding a second franchise on heavily populated Long Island. It already has the highly popular Long Island Ducks, who annually sell out and lead Independent Baseball in attendance.

Nassau County hopes to break ground no later than 2012 for a ballpark, with Long Island’s leading newspaper, Newsday, reporting stadium funding would be guaranteed by the county and payments would be made by a team.

“It’s been percolating for years,” Atlantic League Founder Frank Boulton told Newsday, “and now it seems to have some support from the county executive and his staff, and we’re excited.” County Executive Edward Mangano told the newspaper “it’s very real”. The Atlantic League, which will have a travel team as its eighth playing partner in 2011 since Newark has moved to the Can-Am League, also expects to have a new franchise in Loudoun County, VA in 2012.

DUCKS PROMOTE FROM WITHIN

Kevin Baez became the second rookie manager for the 2011 Atlantic League season when Long Island promoted its three-time all-star and longtime coach to replace Dave LaPoint. He joins Pat Osborn, who was named earlier to lead Southern Maryland.

"Kevin has earned his shot," praised General Manager Michael Pfaff. Baez, who played in 63 major league games with the New York Mets, became a fulltime coach in 2005. Ironically, his first major league games were played for Bud Harrelson, now Senior VP of Baseball Operations for the Ducks.

GRUBE ALSO WINS PROMOTION

When we noted recently that former Blue Crabs hurler Jarrett Grube had been signed to a new contract in the Seattle organization, we did not realize he also was placed on the roster of Triple-A Tacoma.

Grube, 29, was 5-5, 3.23 in 15 starts for Double-A West Tenn after leaving Southern Maryland, and made two appearances with Tacoma. The right-hander is having a strong winter league season, winning four of five decisions in six starts for Lara in Venezuela. The seven-year pro has allowed only two walks in 33.1 innings, and has given up more than two earned runs only once. This type of work could earn him a non-roster invitation to the major league spring training camp.

Prominent Atlantic League grads released of late by major league organizations include lefty Sam Narron (Camden) by Milwaukee, right-hander Ryan Houston by the Los Angeles Angels and southpaw Andy Van Hekken by Houston. Both Houston and Van Hekken were Somerset Patriots.

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AXE FALLS ON SOME, BUT LA MURA, PASCUCCI, GRUBE GET NEW AFFILIATED CONTRACTS

The axe, sharpened by the usual bevy six-year free agents, has seen a lot of former Atlantic League players cut loose from major league organizations recently. Some of them will benefit from a fresh start in some other farm system while others will call it quits or come back to the Atlantic once more, realizing that any of the 30 teams could take an interest.

The news already is good for several players who have signed new minor league contracts with their major league organizations. This group, some of whom may get major league spring training invitations, includes RHP B. J. LaMura (Long Island) with Toronto, OF Valentino Pascucci (Camden) with the New York Mets and RHP Jarrett Grube (Southern Maryland) with Seattle. Pascucci and Grube started '10 in the Atlantic League.

Cory Aldridge, the Newark outfielder who spent some time with the parent Los Angeles Angels, elected free agency after the Halos took him off their 40-man roster. Others getting released include OF Justin Christian (Southern Maryland) from the New York Yankees, OF Matt Watson (Lancaster) from Oakland, RHP Greg Burke (Atlantic City) and 1B Wily Mo Pena (Bridgeport) from San Diego, RHP Scott Patterson (Lancaster) from Seattle and LHP R. J. Swindle (Newark) from Tampa Bay. All of this group have some major league experience although only Watson played in the majors this season.

Watson had climbed from the Barnstormers to the American League before an appendectomy put him on the shelf for a time. He finished the year in Triple-A.

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GIBBONS HAS A NEW DODGERS CONTRACT WHILE OTHER ATLANTIC LEAGUERS DOING WELL IN WINTER BASEBALL

Jay Gibbons must be enjoying this offseason.

The Los Angeles Dodgers gave the onetime Long Island and Newark outfielder a new contract, renewing their faith the 33-year-old can help the major league team. That's exactly what he did after his August 8 promotion from Albuquerque as he had the second best slugging percentage (.502), tied for third in home runs (five) and was fifth in RBI (17) for the rest of the National League season. Overall, Gibbons hit .280 in 37 games after going .347-19-83 in 95 games Triple-A.

The lefty-hitting Gibbons is one of four Atlantic League grads currently on major league 40-man rosters.

BUSY WINTER LEAGUE PLAY

It was not long ago when Independent league players had a difficult time finding Winter League opportunities, but that is not the case any longer.

The best winter league pitching marks belong to southpaw Alberto Castillo, who shuttled between the Baltimore bullpen and Triple-A all summer. He has five victories (in as many decisions) already to lead the Mexican Pacific League. Castillo ranks third with a 2.25 ERA after five starts. He has been a frequent Atlantic League player in Newark and Camden plus the traveling Road Warriors.

Jarrett Grube, whose contract was purchased by Seattle from Southern Maryland early in the Atlantic League season, is 3-1, 2.28 after five starts in Venezuela. Andy Van Hekken, a Houston farmhand and former Somerset hurler, has not figured in any decisions and has a 3.48 earned run average in the Dominican Republic.

Among hitters, the Mexican League batting leader is New York Yankees minor league outfielder Justin Christian (Southern Maryland) at .411, with Sandy Madera (Newark, NJ) sixth at .352. Christian has 12 extra base hits, including four homers, in 90 at-bats. Madera's 23 RBI in 91 at-bats rank No. 2 in the league, and the first baseman-DH has seven home runs.

Outfielder Michael Ryan (Somerset)is hitting .330 in Venezuela. A free agent after playing in the Los Angeles Angels system, including some time with the parent club, Ryan has three home runs and 16 RBI.

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CAMDEN, LONG ISLAND GRADS GET NEW MINOR LEAGUE DEALS

This is a time when many a minor leaguer is holding his breath his organization will want him back. Two former Atlantic Leaguers can quit worrying.

Cincinnati re-signed third baseman Mike Costanzo (Camden) and kept him on the Triple-A Louisville roster and the Brewers did the same with infielder Erick Almonte (Long Island), who is at Nashville.

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