One more update on a former Mason pitcher

The following is from a Seattle Mariners blog by Geoff Baker, the beat writer for the Seattle Times. It's an update on Chris Jakubauskas, the pitcher in the Mariners' organization who spent three seasons in the Frontier League including one with Ohio Valley, where his manager was Mark Mason. Jakubauskas, who spent three seasons in the Frontier League, is a non-roster invitee in the Mariners' camp and has been one of the feel-good stories of spring training. He started today for Seattle against Cleveland and gave up one run and four hits over five innings:

Jakubauskas, Branyan star in rout

There wasn't much more Chris Jakubauskas could do today as he tries to convince the Mariners to take him north. Jakubauskas gave up a lone run over five innings, needing just 61 pitches to get through the Cleveland Indians en route to a 12-4 win.

"We have a tough decision," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said moments ago.

I asked Wakamatsu what will play into that decision.

"I think you've got to look at history and what he's done in spring training," he said. "And then, make the right decision."

Jakubauskas spent four-and-a-half years in independent league baseball before the Mariners signed him in 2007. He's a former hitter, who, when his bat bottomed out in college, reverted to pitching again for the first time since high school. Now, he's one head-nod by Wakamatsu and company away from heading to the majors.

"I was thinking about that a couple of days ago and I didn't want to get my mind dwelling on how this was a huge start," Jakubauskas said. "Obviously, it was for me. My last one of the spring. I wanted to keep it the same as I kept it all spring. Going through the same routine and trying not to think about it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't a little bit, but I tried to get myself out of that real quick and just focus on throwing five strong innings again today."

Nine players signed

The Wild Things announced Monday the signing of nine players, including six who were with the team last season.

Returning are relief pitchers Rick Austin, Dan Horvath and Matt Maradeo and Josh Eachues, who was a catcher last year but is being converted to relief pitcher. Eachues was a briefly used as a reliever in the Philadelphia Phillies' system last spring.

Also back are outfielder Matt Sutton and catcher Kris Rochelle, pictured. Sutton is the most interesting of the nine signings. He was one of Washington's top players in 2007, when he batted .295 with 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He also had a big postseason that year as the Wild Things reached the Frontier League championship series. Last year, however, Sutton played only 33 games with the Wild Things before being suspended and eventually released. Sutton was free to sign with any team for 2009.

Rochelle had elbow surgery last September and will likely not be ready until mid-season.

Also signing contracts were infielder Joe Spiers, right-handed pitcher Sean Heimpel and left-handed pitcher Craig Snipp. Each player was acquired in trades during the offseason. Spiers played last season for Chillicothe. Heimpel and Snipp played last year in the independent Can-Am League. Heimpel pitched in five games for Nashua. Snipp spent two years in the Can-Am and had a 10-7 career record including an 8-5 mark with a 3.94 ERA for Sussex.

D'Alessandro on the tryout circuit

Here's a link to a story about the Somerset Patriots - a powerhouse in the independent Atlantic League and managed by former major-league pitcher Sparky Lyle - holding a tryout for nearly 100 pitchers. Among them were Brian Holliday, a lefty who was drafted by the Pirates in the 12th round in 2002 out of Moon High School, and Wild Things reliever Joe D'Alessandro, pictured.

According to mycentraljersey.com, Holliday and D'Alessandro are two of four pitchers the Patriots are considering bringing to spring training.

Apparently, D'Alessandro has a contract offer waiting from the Wild Things but is trying his hand at getting into the Atlantic League. D'Alessandro, who was 3-2 with 4 saves and a 2.52 ERA with the Wild Things, said he wasn't happy with his performance at the tryout.

Here is what Lyle said about D'Alessandro: "D'Alessandro, he just seemed to throw with reckless abandon. He threw so many balls in the dirt, they were either in the dirt or up."

Patriots tryout.

Do you want fries with that?

I admit to being one who enjoys a good burger at the ballgame, but what the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Class A Midwest League are offering this year is a bit much. The Whitecaps' gameday menu includes a 4-pound, $20 burger that features five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili, salsa and corn chips on an 8-inch bun. Talk about some major league cholesterol and calories.

According to the Whitecaps, anyone who eats the entire 4,800-calorie burger in one sitting will receive a special T-shirt. You also should get a defibrillator.

This one tops the Gateway Grizzlies, who a few years ago added a bacon cheeseburger served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme doughnut to their ballpark menu.

Update on Mason's former pitcher

Here's a story from mlb.com about Chris Jakubauskas, the pitcher in the Seattle Mariners' organization who spent three seasons in the Frontier League including one with Ohio Valley, where his manager was Mark Mason.

Jakubauskas, who has only 12 games of experience above Double-A, is still in the Mariners' major league camp. On Monday, Jakubauskas pitched five innings in a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants and allowed only three hits and one run. Jakubauskas remains a longshot to make the opening day roster, but it's still amazing that a guy with a 9-15 record in the Frontier League has made it this far into spring training.

Read the story here.

It wasn't good Monday for two other former Frontier Leaguers, including ex-West Allegheny High School pitcher Scott Patterson. The Padres sent Patterson and lefty pitcher Joe Thatcher to Class AAA Portland. Thatcher, who played for River City, holds the distinction of being the first guy to play a game at Consol Energy Park and go on to play in the major leagues.

T.R. Hughes Ballpark

March is the quiet season in the Frontier League, at least on the baseball end of the operations. Most teams are waiting for the minor-league cuts in spring training so they can fill out their rosters. The Wild Things will likely be looking to sign a veteran hitter and some L1 pitchers.

Until then, it will probably be all quiet on the FL front, unless the Wild Things get around to announcing which players will be returning from last year's team. So, to kill some time during the dead period, I've attached a link to a video of a ballpark that most Wild Things fans haven't been to: T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo., home of the River City Rascals. This was shot last year during a game against Rockford - I think Robbie Knapp is the Rockford batter at the plate at the 2:20 mark.

T.R. Hughes Ballpark has two unique features for the FL: the "Big Dog Wall" that towers over right field (only 299 feet down the line) and the bleachers in left field. This might be the only park in the FL that has bleacher seating beyond the outfield wall.

T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

T.C. to Cincy

It was announced Thursday that former Wild Things left-hander Tom Cochran had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.

Cochran spent two years with the Wild Things and three seasons in the Frontier League. Last year, Cochran had a standout season with the Worcester Royals of the Can-Am League, earning a spot on the postseason all-star team. Cochran was 11-0 in his first 11 starts for Worcester and set a Tornadoes record for most wins (13) in a season. His 13 victories tied for first in the league and his 2.79 was fifth-best.

Cochran had a 14-13 record with the Wild Things.

This will be Cochran's second try in affiliated ball. He spent two seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, going 2-7 in 46 relief appearances in Class A.

C-Side Sports Academy

What do minor-league baseball players do during the offseason? Many of them teach baseball. Included in that group is the Wild Things' Chris Sidick, who operates C-Side Sports Academy.

Here are two links, one is a 35-second video of Sidick talking about his sports academy and the other is a slideshow of the building's construction (you'll notice at least two former Wild Things in the slideshow).

C-Side video.

C-Side slideshow.

Coaching staff complete

Manager Mark Mason has completed his coaching staff for the 2009 season. Former Washington shortstop Jon Cahill, pictured, will return to the organization as the hitting coach and Larry Wayman will be back for his second season as pitching coach. Also returning is coach Bob Bozzuto.

This will be Bozzuto's fourth season with the Wild Things. He was the third-base coach last year under manager Greg Jelks.

Cahill spent the last two years as manager of the Frontier League's Traverse City Beach Bums. In 2005, Cahill was an assistant coach under Mason with the Ohio Valley Redcoats.

Cahill's return had been rumored for a long time. The return of Wayman, however, was somewhat of a surprise to me. I expected Mason to bring in someone outside the organization, especially after the Wild Things' pitching struggles last year. One reader of this blog mentioned that Wayman never seemed to connect with the pitchers last year, which got me thinking (I do that once every two weeks). He/she might be right. Not one pitcher mentioned the pitching coach during interviews all season, which was a first.

Mason must think Wayman is the right guy for the job, and with all the injuries and youth in the bullpen last year we'll surely get a better evaluation of the guy this year.

Trying times

Wannabe Frontier Legaue players will have three chances to try out for the Wild Things this year.

The first opportunity will be Saturday, April 4 at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York. The York Revolution of the Atlantic League will be running the open tryout but representatives of the Wild Things - I assume this means Mark Mason - and the Can-Am League's American Defenders of New Hampshire will be on hand to evaluate talent. The cost of that tryout is $45 and must be paid in cash only on the day of the tryout. York is managed by former major league catcher Chris Hoiles and the pitching coach is ex-big leaguer Tippy Martinez.

The Wild Things will hold their open tryout at Consol Energy Park on Saturday, May 2. The cost of that tryout is $35.

The Frontier League will hold its annual tryout and player draft at Consol Energy Park May 4-5. The cost of the league tryout is $60. This will be the third time the Frontier League has held its tryout in Washington.

Tryouts are a lot like, to quote Forrest Gump, a box of chocolates – you never know what you're going to get. Neither of the players signed from the Wild Things' open tryout last year made the opening day roster, but Washington did get productive guys like Brad Hensler and Matt Swope out of their tryout camp in previous years. Washington has been one of the better organizations, if not the best, at finding gems in the league tryout. That's where the Wild Things found Jack Headley, Kyle Werman, Stephen Spragg and Justin Mattison.

Pitching purge complete

The Wild Things made another roster move involving an L2 player. Starting pitcher Mike Schellinger was traded to the Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League in exchange for left-handed pitcher Craig Snipp.

Schellinger, pictured, tied for the team lead in wins last year as he posted a 9-6 record and 3.95 ERA. Opponents batted only .236 against Schellinger.

Snipp (6-1, 190) is a from Lexington, Ky., and played at the University of Kentucky. He spent the last two years in the Can-Am League. Snipp was with the Grays – the league's traveling team – in 2007 and last year played for Sussex. He was 8-5 last year (4-0 in his last five starts) with a 3.94 ERA and has a 10-7 career record.

Snipp doesn't seem to be much of a power pitcher as he struck out only 57 batters in 107.1 innings last year.

Snipp was 7-5 as a senior at Kentucky and walked only 25 batters in 106 innings. At Kentucky, he was a teammate of former Wild Things pitchers Cory Hahn and Adam Revelette.

Snipp is classfied as an L1 by Frontier League roster standards.

Losing Schellinger completes the Wild Things' purge of last year's starting rotation. Aaron Ledbetter aged out of the league, and Schellinger, Brooks Dunn, J.J. Hollenbeck and Zach Groh have been traded. The only puzzling thing about this is the starting rotation wasn't the Washington's problem - it was the bullpen.

The Wild Things will have five new starting pitchers – Snipp likely will be one of the five - come opening day.

As for the Wild Things' L2 dilemma, Washington now has the rights to only three L2s (one over the limit): Jon Lewis, who is signed for 2009, Jacob Dempsey and Nathan Messner. Washington also has one open Veteran spot.