Independent Baseball Ties Its Record With 40 in Majors After John Holzkom’s Meteoric Climb in 10 Weeks

Nearly 200 players have made their way to the major leagues after playing Independent Baseball although very few debuts have carried the significance of John Holdzkom’s first appearance, which came this week with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The fact the giant Californian struck out all three St. Louis Cardinals hitters he faced in the eighth inning only added icing to an already tasty cake.  The real message was that a player only 10 weeks removed from an Indy league, in this case the American Association, could step onto a major league diamond and help a team in its feverish chase to reach the major league postseason.

It was the second time this season a player made a quick trip from his Independent league to the major league-sponsored minor leagues then kept going to a big-league team.  Another right-hander, Julio DePaula, made the jump from York, PA of the Atlantic League to the Baltimore Orioles although he did not get into a game before being sent back to the minors.  Holdzkom’s, last Independent appearance was for Amarillo, TX on June 19, little more than 10 weeks ago.

Holdzkom’s promotion to the major leagues along with those of pitcher Chaz Roe (Laredo, TX, American Association) and outfielder Antoan Richardson (Schaumburg, IL, now in the Frontier League),  both to the New York Yankees give the Independent game a record-tying 40 major leaguers in a single season, according to records maintained exclusively by this Independent Baseball Insider. 

Reliever Luis Garcia (Can-Am League) made it back to the majors in the last few days although he also was with Philadelphia earlier this season.

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Bridger Hunt Knows the Best and Worst of the Game

The ups and downs of playing professional baseball were never explained with more evidence than what I heard from Bridger Hunt when I caught up with the new Sugar Land, TX infielder-outfielder earlier this week.

“I hated the game” earlier this year, the 29-year-old explained.  “I decided to retire.”  He had played baseball since he was four, but he asked for his release because of sporadic play with Class AA San Antonio, TX in the San Diego farm system despite leading the entire organization in hitting during spring training.  Then he talked to his family, Sugar Land Manager Gary Gaetti called, and he is now trying to help the Skeeters get to the Atlantic League playoffs, playing every day and carrying a .282 average with 12 RBI in 24 games since joining the team.

The opposite end of the spectrum came last season when he set the Can-Am League record by hitting .402 (no one else hit above .319) with 107 hits in only 69 games for Newark, NJ before the Padres purchased his contract.

“I was unconscious,” the onetime Los Angeles Dodgers draftee said.  “(Manager) Garry Templeton) and I worked on a lot of things in the spring.  I was barreling everything up.”

Wearing Yankees Uniform Gives Osborn Pride

“I loved it.  The only thing I missed was the competitive aspect, but putting on that New York Yankee uniform every day made up for it.”

These enthusiastic comments came from former Atlantic League star and (Southern Maryland) Manager Patrick Osborn this week, the latest person I have interviewed who misses competing to win every day in Independent Baseball as opposed to concentrating on development of players in affiliated leagues.  He was fresh from leading one of the Yankees’ two rookie Gulf Coast League teams to a divisional championship and heading to the Florida Instructional League for the next few weeks.

“It was different (as a manager in the Atlantic League),” Osborn commented.  “You’ve got to be much more hand’s on”, because the roster was made up of primarily 18 to 21-year-old players, many on his team from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball.  Thirty-six columns are planned during 2014.  Fans may subscribe for as little as $6.99 at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy added stories on the blog 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.)