All-Indy All-Stars
An all-star team of major leaguers who began careers as independent leaguers
Although it's difficult for an independent league player to make it to the big leagues, it does happen. Here's an all-star team of big leaguers who either began their careers in the independent leagues or were spotted in indy ball after being released from Class A ball or below. Draftees who went the independent route like J.D. Drew and Luke Hochevar are not included, as this is an all-star team of players who likely would not have made the majors without an independent league stint first. What becomes clear is how difficult it is for up-the-middle players to make it out of indy ball, because those guys are usually snapped up by Organized Baseball. At the same time, teams should definitely spend time searching indy ball for potential relievers. (Thanks to Bob Wirz for help assembling this list.)
An all-star team of major leaguers who began careers as independent leaguers
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PrintAlthough it's difficult for an independent league player to make it to the big leagues, it does happen. Here's an all-star team of big leaguers who either began their careers in the independent leagues or were spotted in indy ball after being released from Class A ball or below. Draftees who went the independent route like J.D. Drew and Luke Hochevar are not included, as this is an all-star team of players who likely would not have made the majors without an independent league stint first. What becomes clear is how difficult it is for up-the-middle players to make it out of indy ball, because those guys are usually snapped up by Organized Baseball. At the same time, teams should definitely spend time searching indy ball for potential relievers. (Thanks to Bob Wirz for help assembling this list.)
| Pos. | Player | Independent Team | MLB Team |
| C | Chris Coste | Fargo-Moorhead (Northern) | Phillies |
| 1B | Bryan Myrow | Winnipeg (Northern) | Padres |
| 2B | No candidate | ||
| SS | Rey Ordonez | St. Paul (Northern) | Mets |
| 3B | Luis Lopez | St. Paul (Northern) | Blue Jays |
| OF | Kevin Millar | St. Paul (Northern) | Red Sox |
| OF | Jim Rushford | Duluth (Northern) | Brewers |
| OF | Morgan Burkhart | Richmond (Frontier) | Red Sox |
| SP | Brian Tollberg | Chillicothe (Frontier) | Padres |
| SP | Bobby Madritsch | Winnipeg (Northern) | Mariners |
| SP | Jason Simontacchi | Springfield (Frontier) | Cardinals |
| RP | Edwar Ramirez | Edinburg (United) | Yankees |
| RP | George Sherrill | Winnipeg (Northern) | Mariners |
| RP | Kerry Ligtenberg | Minneapolis (Prairie) | Braves |
| RP | Matt Miller | Greenville (Big South) | Indians |
| RP | Brendan Donnelly | Ohio Valley (Frontier) | Angels |
| RP | Ben Weber | Salinas (Western) | Angels |
| RP | Josh Kinney | River City (Frontier) | Cardinals |
| RP | Joe Thatcher | River City (Frontier) | Padres |
| RP | Jeff Zimmerman | Winnipeg (Northern) | Rangers |
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