{"id":12076,"date":"2011-02-17T16:13:06","date_gmt":"2011-02-17T23:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seamheads.com\/?p=12076"},"modified":"2011-02-17T16:13:06","modified_gmt":"2011-02-17T23:13:06","slug":"if-only-all-48-indy-players-could-catch-this-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/17\/if-only-all-48-indy-players-could-catch-this-break\/","title":{"rendered":"If Only All 48 Indy Players Could Catch This Break"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Robert Coello <\/strong>has only been pitching for four years after starting his professional career as a respected catching prospect, but the 6-foot-5, 250-pound right-hander no doubt is the envy of many of the other products of the Independent Baseball leagues who have their nameplates posted on a dressing cubicle in a major league clubhouse during these early days of spring training.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Coello may not have felt like being envied a few days ago when the Boston Red Sox<\/strong>, for whom he made his major league debut last September, designated him for assignment.\u00c2\u00a0 That all changed earlier this week when the Red Sox swapped the 26-year-old to the Chicago Cubs<\/strong> because he moved from obviously not being in overly high regard with talent-rich Boston to the organization with the second poorest relief earned run average (4.72) among all 30 teams one year ago.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Golden League <\/strong>graduate, whose pitching talents started developing during 32 appearances with the Alberta Province <\/strong>teams in Calgary <\/strong>and Edmonton <\/strong>in 2008, still must prove his strikeout credentials, garnered primarily via a 90-plus heavy fastball, are real in order to stick in the Wrigley Field <\/strong>crowd\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bullpen.\u00c2\u00a0 But the change of uniforms would appear to give him a welcome start, which is what all of the 48 Indy grads we can account for in the major league camps would wish to have happen to them.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Twenty-one of the 48 who make up the biggest Independent class in spring training since 2009 are on the coveted 40-man roster, which makes them prime targets for major league jobs now or in the near future.\u00c2\u00a0 The other 27 are non-roster invitees, most of whom know they will need exceptional springs to even get considered for the glorious 25-man Opening Day player introductions.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Exactly one-third (16) of the players in major league training camps got their start in an Independent league.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com<\/a> ADDED TO www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

FOR ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT BASEBALL COVERAGE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Atlantic League Tops With 15 in Camps<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Atlantic League,<\/strong> which caters much more extensively to players with more professional experience, has 15 of its former stars in major league camps, while the Northern League<\/strong>, which ended an 18-year run after last season with most of its teams joining the American Association <\/strong>or the new North American League<\/strong>, is second with 11 graduates, including seven who are on 40-man rosters.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stars and Fans Both Swarm in for New Atlantic League Team<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Loudoun (VA) Hounds<\/strong>, who plan to start play in the Atlantic League<\/strong> just outside of Washington, DC <\/strong>in another year, did it up right with a FanFest event this week by bringing in an all-star lineup of former major leaguers that included Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Bobby Richardson, Tommy John<\/strong> and Cecil Fielder<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Nearly 10,000 fans turned out.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0A Way to Help Cash-Strapped Schools<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 It has become the norm in many ballparks for groups to be offered fund-raisers whereby half the proceeds from ticket sales go right back to the organization.\u00c2\u00a0 The Rockford (IL) RiverHawks <\/strong>put a fresh spin on it to emphasize what it could mean to the funding-challenged local school system if the North American League <\/strong>community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 29,000 students each sold just 10 infield-box tickets at the $10 face value.\u00c2\u00a0 A cool $1.45 million could be returned to the schools, which surely would save some programs facing extinction.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.\u00c2\u00a0 Fans may subscribe at <\/em><\/a>www.WirzandAssociates.com<\/em><\/a>, enjoy his blogs, <\/em>www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/em><\/a>, or comment to <\/em>RWirz@aol.com<\/em><\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 The author <\/strong>has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Robert Coello has only been pitching for four years after starting his professional career as a respected catching prospect, but the 6-foot-5, 250-pound right-hander no doubt is the envy of many of the other products of the Independent Baseball leagues who have their nameplates posted on a dressing cubicle in a major league clubhouse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4746,78],"tags":[7842,589,506,13213,621,11318,13212,512,13215,6540,1954,13214,800,13210,13211,13208,85,339,13209,747],"class_list":["post-12076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-indy-baseball-insider","category-minors","tag-6-foot-5","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-coello","tag-fastball","tag-independent-baseball-leagues","tag-independent-class","tag-independent-league","tag-invitees","tag-league-clubhouse","tag-league-debut","tag-nameplates","tag-no-doubt","tag-player-introductions","tag-prime-targets","tag-rich-boston","tag-spring-training","tag-strikeout","tag-welcome-start","tag-wrigley-field"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t