Independent Baseball Find Pete Parise on Rapid Climb With Cardinals; Millar Also Among 18 Invitees

With the start of spring training only two weeks away, the gap has narrowed somewhat between one year ago and 2010 in the number of former Independent players invited to major league camps as non-roster players.

Eight Independent Managers Busy In Arizona Winter League

What do Independent Baseball managers do in the offseason?

Batting Averages Seem Miniscule When Compared to a Serious Vehicle Crash

Cory Snyder knows a lot about the ups and downs in the life of a baseball player from his nine-year (1986-94) major league career and his current managerial days, but the Snyder family is dealing with an issue right now that is so much bigger than a batting slump.

Indy Vet Vince Perkins Well Positioned With Cubs While Pickoff Artist Derrick Loop Joins Padres

It isn’t that position players cannot work their way through a farm system and reach the major leagues, but Independent Baseball pitchers succeed with much greater frequency. Among the newer faces this typist has come across who seem to be intriguing candidates for major leaguers to give a long look at some time in 2010 […]

Northern League Vet’s Newest Opportunity is With Pirates

Brian Myrow never seems to have a clear path to a major league job despite his 11-year .307 minor league batting average with decent power (115 homers in 3,181 at-bats). We can mark down 2010 as more of the same, though there seems to be some wiggle room for the 33-year-old, whose first two and […]

Independent Baseball Provides Many Opportunities Beyond Those for Players

While we often track players who have their contracts purchased by a major league organization, Independent Baseball also is a stepping stone to many an affiliated managing, coaching, scouting or front office position.  This offseason has seemed especially busy with hirings and promotions.

Maui’s Golden League Plans Unfolding While American Association Eyes Expansion to Fort Smith, Arkansas

Happy New Year to my loyal readers. May 2010 be a very good one, both on the baseball diamond and in every other way.

Nice Christmas Gifts

We can mark Cody Clark, John Lindsey and Mark DiFelice down as already receiving nice holiday gifts, even a few days ahead of December 25.

Dodgers’ New Scouting Boss Not Likely to Forget His Only Home Run

It should be a well-above-average trivia question. Name the three Tampa pitchers who came from the same high school (Hillsborough), played together on two youth teams in national championships (Little League World Series and Senior League World Series) and made it to the major leagues?

Dodgers Likely Candidate to Acquire More Independent Talent Because of Vance Lovelace’s Affection for the Game

While they would not have been anywhere near the top of my list of major league organizations likely to be signing Independent Baseball players in the recent past, the Los Angeles Dodgers could well be prime candidates for the future.

Saluting the Northern and Golden All-Star Game and the Rejuvenated Brockton Rox

The spotlight has been especially focused on the major leagues during this week of the winter meetings, but at least two cheery developments have emerged for the Independent leagues which should add to holiday joy in several segments of the country as well as Western Canada.

Coste Headed Back to Majors With Mets Although a Regular Season Job is Not a Certainty

Indy favorite Chris Coste is headed back to a major league uniform although his work still seems to be cut out before he makes an opening-day, 25-man roster.

Stints in Atlantic and Northern Leagues Lead to New Affiliated Opportunities for Halama and West

Until a few days ago, the pace of Independent Baseball players getting either first or second opportunities with major league organizations had seemed unusually slow for several weeks. But at least four signings sandwiched around Thanksgiving—and others may be slow in getting announced—could have the trend going up once again.

Jakubauskas Moves to Pirates; Indy Free Agents Also Finding Homes

The dust is just beginning to settle as major league organizations do a shakedown of their minor league rosters, and I can tell you I have not seen any certain winners so far from within the ranks of players who either started in or have played in Independent leagues.

Joe Klein Has Not Missed Out on Much in Majors Or as Executive Director of Atlantic League

One of the nice things about this time of year in the Independent Baseball-writing business is we sometimes can sit back without the daily buzz of games and think about some of the factors—and the people—that make this business go.

What Happened To Those Who Debuted In Majors In 2008?

Anyone who follows my offerings in this space and in my more extensive subscription-only Independent Baseball Insider knows how much I believe in tracking players from the Independent leagues who make it all the way to the majors. It is even more enjoyable if the players started their career in an Indy league.

Influx of Indy Hurlers in Arizona Fall League Will Keep Baseball Fans Happy After World Series

If anyone is thinking that with the World Series behind us and most free agency chatter not really in the news 24/7 yet there might be a break from baseball. Never fear, baseball-holics. In fact, there are a plethora of interesting developments for Independent Baseball fans emerging already in the fall and winter leagues.

Independent Map Taking Shape for 2010; New Mexico Will Be Added Next

The shakedown to identify the exact makeup of various Independent leagues for 2010 is coming into the open now that most of the fall ownership meetings have taken place.

George Sherrill Feels Honored to Represent The Independent Game in Postseason

The question caught George Sherrill by surprise. And why not since the Los Angeles Dodgers’ talented eighth inning southpaw has nearly five years in the major leagues. He would not have normally been thinking about his Independent Baseball days, as significant as they were, only hours before another important National League pennant race game at […]

Brockton’s Return Seems Likely Though Can-Am League Searching for One More Team

A prime topic in many of my Independent Baseball calls these days seems to be “what is going on in the Can-Am League”?

Lincoln, Calgary, Fargo Win Independent Championships; Atlantic League Playoffs About to Start

Marty Scott has one of the best resumes in Independent Baseball, in part because he has been able to dance back and forth between front office and on-field roles and from affiliated jobs to those in the non-affiliated ranks. This resonated when he said this summer one primary reason he took on the task of […]

A Time of Celebration and Sadness

The pinnacle has been reached by three more Independent Baseball franchises as Fargo, ND has taken another Northern League title and Lincoln, NE (American Association) and Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Golden League) have earned their first championships in their current leagues. It is time to congratulate everyone involved because these feats are not easy targets.

Economic Woes Will Drop Independent Attendance Below Record, But Finish Will Push Eight Million

Considering the state of the economy, a three to four-percent drop would be somewhat acceptable in most any business. It may be even less shocking in sports, where spending is very discretionary.

A ‘Team Player’ to the End, Regrets Are Few As Andy Weimer Prepares to Step Off the Mound

It is most likely Andy Weimer will pitch in his final professional baseball game later this month. The same will be true for a lot of other players in Independent leagues, as it always is this time of year. What a great thing it would be if everyone could walk away with the same refreshing […]

Figueroa May Capitalize As Mets Struggle

Nelson Figueroa is not the typical Independent Baseball graduate because he neither started that way nor spent years working his way up through various leagues until a major league organization took notice. His only Indy time was for two starts with the Long Island (NY) Ducks (0-1, 2.79) early in the 2006 Atlantic League season.

Independent Count in Majors Could Jump As Rosters Begin to Expand

It is fascinating this time of year to project which Independent Baseball graduates may get called up to the major leagues when rosters expand starting September 1. The nail-biting must be something for those players who have never gotten that rush before, and feel they are deserving.

Strasburg Signs for $15.1 Million While Indy Hurlers Cost $45,000 and Have 44 Major League Wins in ‘09

Let me see if I have this right?  The Washington Nationals just signed Stephen Strasburg, the whiz kid who went 13-1 at San Diego State last spring but has not thrown a professional pitch, for $15.1 million.  He may turn out to be a bargain or a trivia question as “the phenom who set the […]

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