Quartet of Former Indy Players Back in Majors; Two Games Explode for 76 Runs

Any week we can report on players reaching the major leagues is a good one so two new promotions and two additional repeat selections during the early days of July represent the type of fireworks Independent Baseball should always celebrate.

The elevation of outfielder Matt Watson to the parent Oakland Athletics could be looked at as the highlight since he was at Lancaster, PA in the Atlantic League as recently as about five weeks ago (May 28).  That should buoy the spirits of most any Indy player since virtually everyone on any of the 64 teams will tell you his goal is to reach “The Show”.  Watson, who had not been in the majors since 2005, went 0-for-3 in his debut with the A’s Wednesday.

Almost as exciting as Watson’s promotion was the elevation of another lefty-hitting outfielder, Cory Aldridge, to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, since his only other major league opportunity was for 27 days and a measly five at-bats spread over eight appearances with Atlanta in 2001.  Aldridge played for Newark, NJ (Atlantic) in ’08.   His second start with the Angels came Thursday in a game in which Anaheim and the Chicago White Sox combined for only five hits. Unfortunately, Aldridge went 0-for-3 to drop his current hitless streak to 10 and his major league career total to 0-for-15.

Cuban refugee Raul Valdez, a southpaw reliever who played in the Can-Am League (Nashua, NH and New Jersey), debuted in the majors with the New York Mets earlier this season, and he rejoined the National League team as did Travis Schlichting with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Schlichting has been on a shuttle between LA and its Albuquerque, NM farm club in recent weeks.  The right-handed Schlichting pitched for Kansas City, KS in the Northern League in 2007.

76 Runs Scored in Just Two Games

The American Association had another form of fireworks the Fourth of July when El Paso and first-half South Division champion Shreveport-Bossier, LA combined to score 45 runs.  Sioux Falls, SD, which had won the North Division the previous day, and Sioux City, IA had a modest slugfest in which 31 runs were scored.  Yes, that is 76 runs in two games.

Shreveport-Bossier tied a league record with 28 hits and had four players register four-hit games although the Captains were on the losing side, 24-21.  The Sioux Falls victory, 24-7, which could not be completed until the next day because of the league curfew, saw the Pheasants tie the American Association record with seven home runs, including three each by Reggie Abercrombie and Trevor Lawhorn.  The duo drove in 13 runs, scored eight (Lawhorn tied another league mark with five runs) and went a combined 9-for-13.

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Cochran, Umpire Latest Can-Am Selections

While the Can-Am League will not play an All-Star Game, it has reason to be interested in three other contests since Tom Cochran, voted the top left-handed pitcher in the league in 2008, will play in Monday’s Class AA Southern League game.  First baseman John Lindsey (Albuquerque, Los Angeles Dodgers) will be in the Triple-A game and one of the league’s former umpires, Adam Hamari, will be behind the plate when the Major League Futures Game is staged in Anaheim, CA Sunday.

Cochran has won six of nine decisions with a 2.38 earned run average for Carolina (Zebulon, NC) of the Cincinnati farm system.  Hamari has been on a rapid climb ever since his contract was purchased out of the Can-Am League in June, 2006.  He has worked in the New York-Penn, Midwest and California Leagues and currently is a crew chief in the Eastern League.  Dixon Stureman, who has worked in four Independent leagues including the Northern and American Association, was expected to be part of the Futures one time in the past until he was promoted to his current job in the Pacific Coast League.

Chico Rules in Golden League

Add Chico, CA to the list of first-half champions.  Former major league shortstop Garry Templeton led the Outlaws to the Northern Division title.  The South remains up for grab.

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and www.IndyBaseballChatter.com, or comment to RWirz@aol.com.  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)