Indy Notebook: Fewer Players Making Jump To Affiliated Ball

By J.J. Cooper
July 15, 2005

In 2004, visa issues that kept many foreign players out of the U.S. made the independent leagues a one-stop shop for affiliated clubs needing a starting pitcher or a new shortstop.

This year, the fire sale is over.

Around the indy leagues, the number of players sold to affiliated clubs is down significantly from last year, when a record 112 players were sold. This year, a week after all but the Golden Baseball League had wrapped up their all-star games, only 45 players had been sold compared with 83 players at the same time a year ago.

"There have been a lot of inquiries from teams," said Dan Moushon, president of the Central League and vice president of operations for the Canadian-American League. "Are they asking? Yes. But are they pulling the trigger? No."

There are a multitude of explanations for why fewer players are making the jump from indy leagues to affiliated ball. The player shortage created by visa restrictions last year has lessened some in 2005 as teams learned how to adjust better to the new rules. And in signing 112 players last year, teams got a good look at much of the best talent in the independent leagues. Some stuck with teams and were moving up the organizational ladder, but many others were released in spring training. Having had another chance to prove themselves in the minors, a gaudy batting average this year was less likely to catch a scout's eye.

"If you look at our league from a stats perspective, the top position players are all veteran guys," Northern League chief operating officer John Blake said. "There are guys who have had two trials in affiliated ball. We don't seem to have the younger position player having the big year."

But another factor seemed to be that the talent level in the indy leagues might have taken a dip this year, especially in the quality of pitching. The addition of the Golden Baseball League and two expansion clubs in the Northern League has spread the pitching talent out among even more teams, but probably even more importantly, major league clubs seem more reticent about releasing pitchers, worried that they won't find quality arms to replace them.

"I hear from managers, they expected after the draft that there would be a lot of releases of pitchers," Blake said. "You didn't get that big wave. Managers keep telling me how hard it is to find (veteran) pitchers."

One Frontier League manager pointed out that he's seen fewer pitchers top 90 mph this year than in any year he can remember. A front office official who follows and scouts the indy leagues for a major league club agreed that pitching had taken a hit throughout indy ball.

That might serve as the best explanation for why signings are down. After all, teams are always looking for pitching: pitchers accounted for all seven of the Northern League's sales and seven of the 10 Golden League sales.

A Pitcher's Best Friend

When the Lancaster Barnstormers were designing their new stadium, they wanted a multi-purpose facility that could be used for football as well.

With just a couple of design tweaks, that wasn't a problem. That has ensured that the Barnstormers have one of the most distinctive parks in baseball.

While it is only 320 feet down the line to the left field wall, the wall quickly juts out to a 409-foot left-field power alley, one that turns most home runs into fly outs.

With a right-field power alley that is a much more inviting 363 feet, the Barnstormers actually rank in the middle of the league with 81 home runs. The Barnstormers tried to build the roster to take advantage of the park, although there was only so much that could be done: while the park helps lefthanded pitchers, it's not easy to find good lefthanders. But the club does have two lefthanders in its rotation, and has emphasized speed, trying to find guys who can get the ball into the hefty gaps in the power alleys.

"Unfortunately, it's a pitcher's park, but if you're a lefthanded hitter, it becomes a hitter's park," Barnstormers general manager Joe Pinto said. "It's 409 at its deepest point, so we've only seen a couple of people hit them out there."

INDEPENDENT'S DAY

• Joliet infielder Josh Loggins decided to retire in late July, leaving a difficult hole to fill in the middle of the Jackhammers lineup. The Indians released Loggins, an All-Independent League selection in 2003, at the end of spring training. He returned to Joliet, where he had hit .305-20-76 last season, for a final hurrah, but a call to the commissioner's office shortened his final season. When Loggins signed with the Padres as an 11th-round pick out of Kentucky in 1998, part of his deal included tuition to finish his college education. He found out in July that if he didn't activate that scholarship this season, it would disappear. "I was going to lose that scholarship. It's a pretty substantial amount of money and I have two semesters left, so I have to finish my degree," told the (Joliet) Herald-News.

• The all-star game between the Can-Am and Central League survived a bout of bad luck. A lightning strike knocked out a transformer not far from the stadium, forcing a three-hour delay that meant the game did not begin until 10 p.m. The Can-Am League all-stars won the seven-inning game 3-2, led by Carlos Adolfo's two-run home run.