York Revolution Max Out Every Indy Team’s Goal With a Title and Five Players in the Major Leagues

Various Independent Baseball leagues have different objectives in that they may cater to the more youthful professionals with time on their side to develop or to the more experienced players, but every team  is in agreement that it has two objectives every season.  One is to win a championship and the other is to get their players signed by major league organizations.

The York (PA) Revolution not only are the standard bearers within the Atlantic League these days, they also grade out the highest regardless of league affiliation.  Manager Mark Mason and the Opening Day Partners organization earned a first-half Atlantic League division title, and have seen five of their players put on a major league uniform already this season, four of whom have played for York in the last three summers.  That is quite a feat.

The first-half title was earned despite the fact starting pitchers Anthony Lerew and Mike McClendon had their contracts purchased by big-league organizations and a third, Chris Cody, went abroad.

Four of the five major leaguers are pitchers, which should not be a huge surprise since Mason has had the reputation as a pitching guru for some time, although the more stunning factor is that he has used 10 starters in the team’s 97 games (55-42, .567) and the Revolution’s season-long earned run average of 3.25 is nearly three-quarters of an earned run per game below the team record of 3.99 set three years ago, when he still was pitching coach under the now-retired Andy Etchebarren.

The newest York major leaguer is third baseman Andy Marte of Arizona, who has made his way back after a three-year absence by hitting .301-19-74 for the Revs last season and .330-13-62 in 102 games this year for Reno, NV.  The 30-year-old had 301 previous major league games with Atlanta and Cleveland, but none since 2010.

York’s four pitchers in the majors at some point this season were Julio DePaula (York in ’13-14), Ian Thomas and Ryan Feierabend (both 2012) and Scott Rice (’08-09).

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D-Backs Have Another Hot Indy Hitter

It is no secret the Arizona Diamondbacks, with former manager Chris Carminucci as their chief Independent scout, have been the most aggressive of all major league organizations scouring the non-affiliated leagues the last couple of years.  They have signed nearly two dozen Indy stars, with outfielder David Peralta (Amarillo, TX and Wichita, KS, American Association, and Rio Grande Valley, then in the North American League) as their leading proof of finding new talent in this manner so far.

Peralta, converted from the mound after various injuries and now playing most every day, is hitting .315 with four homers and 23 runs batted in after 53 games.

While the Hillsboro (OR) Hops of the Northwest League are a long way off from the majors, Carminucci and the D-Backs are getting major production from another rescued player.  Steve Nyisztor started off as a utility infielder, but his bat has the lanky 23-year-old getting attention as an outfielder because he is hitting .320 for 25 games, with six hits and six RBI in his last two appearances.

Nyisztor was considered a possible first-round draft choice earlier in his young life, especially after earning freshman all-America honors at Rutgers.  But that was before he became academically ineligible, dropped out and was a non-drafted player after a quiet season with Louisburg (NC) College.  Carminucci signed him out of Rockland County (Pamona, NY) of the Can-Am League, where he hit .257 for 60 games last season and stepped it up to .341 for 40 contests this season.

Jake Fox Enjoying Best Power Season Yet

Ryan Howard is a stumbling block for anyone trying to take the first base job away from him in Philadelphia although 2013 Atlantic League Player of the Year Jake Fox would be an interesting challenger after somewhat quietly putting together his best power season ever.

Fox, 32, hit 25 home runs for the powerful Somerset (NJ) Patriots last season, and he has already topped that count by “going yard” 16 times in the Mexican League earlier this season and duplicating that total since joining the Phillies’ Class AA Reading, PA farm club.  Fox is hitting .332 and has 55 RBI in only 53 games in the Eastern League.

The career-best for the 12-year professional came in 2008 when he hit 31 round-trippers combined for two Chicago Cubs minor league clubs.  Fox was last in the majors when he played 27 games for Baltimore three years ago hitting two of his 20 homers at that level.

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball.  Thirty-six columns are planned during 2014.  Fans may subscribe at newly-reduced rates at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy added stories on the blog www.IndyBaseballChatter.com, or comment to RWirz@aol.com.  The authorhas 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)