More pitchers signed

The Wild Things signed three more pitchers Friday, including one who is a former ninth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Signed are right-handers Steve MacFarland, Eryk McConnell and Javier Gomez.

MacFarland (6-2, 215) was a ninth-round pick of the Pirates in 2006 out of Lamar University in Texas. He lasted only two seasons with the Pirates, compiling a 4-4 record and walking 67 batters in 89 innings in Class A. After spending part of a season in the San Francisco Giants' system, MacFarland played the last two years in the independent American Association with Grand Prairie and had an 0-5 record.

MacFarland has L1 roster status.

"We look forward to bringing Steve’s experience to our staff," Wild Things manager Darin Everson said. "He is coming off a solid spring training in the Atlantic League and we hope to have him reach his potential with us this summer.”

McConnell (6-1, 185) made 40 relief appearances in the Philadelphia Phillies' system over the last two seasons before being released at the end of spring training this year. He had a 2-3 record and walked only 11 batters with 62 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.

“We feel Eryk has an opportunity to be an impact arm out of our bullpen,” Everson said.

While MacFarland had trouble throwing strikes during his days with the Pirates, Gomez (6-4, 195) had no such problems as a college pitcher at Freed-Hardeman, an NAIA school in Henderson, Tenn. In two seasons, Gomez pitched 114 2/3 innings, issuing only 15 walks while striking out 103. He had a 15-7 record and three saves.

“We are excited to bring in a quality rookie pitcher like Javy,” Everson said. “He performed impressively as he put up some of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the nation during his final two seasons in college. We hope he can be a solid contributor on our staff.”

Washington has 35 players (17 pitchers) on its roster and will add at least two more before the start of spring training next week – it is required to make at least two selections in the Frontier League draft Tuesday.

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Rosenbaums! Get your Rosenbaums

The Wild Things will start the season leading the Frontier League in one category: most players named Rosenbaum.

Washington signed three players Wednesday, including catcher Chris Rosenbaum, who played in the Los Angeles Angels' organization. Also signed were former James Madison University pitcher Kurt Houck and ex-Lock Haven University infielder Matt Palko.

Rosenbaum, from Albany, N.Y., is the only one of the three with pro experience. All three are rookies by Frontier League standards.

Rosenbaum spent three seasons in the Angels' system, advancing to high-Class A Rancho Cucamongo, where he batted .319 last year but played in only 31 games. Rosenbaum played at the University of Tampa and was signed as a non-drafted free agent.

“Chris is coming off the best offensive year of his career," Washington manager Darin Everson said. "Throughout Chris' three-year career with the Angels, he has been known as a solid defensive catcher.”

Earlier this month, the Wild Things signed pitcher Zach Rosenbaum – apparently, no relation to the catcher.

Houck (6-6, 210) was a 2004 draft pick of the Atlanta Braves but did not sign, opting instead to attend James Madison. He had a solid career at JMU before missing the 2009 season because of an injury. He won 13 games for James Madison and posted a 7-2 record in 2008.

“Kurt is coming to us following a good stint in spring training in the Atlantic League,” Everson said. “We look forward to him reaching his potential as a reliable, hard-throwing reliever. We hope he can be an impact rookie."

Palko earned All-PSAC honors in 2009 after leading Lock Haven in home runs (11), triples (4), on-base percentage (.381) and walks (24). He batted .291 for the Bald eagles and played in the California Winter League.

“Matt comes highly recommended from many people who ran the California Winter League where he showed a solid bat and was very good defensively,” Everson said. “We look forward to having Matt be a solid option for us at third base and hope he can become an impact rookie for us this season.”

The Wild Things also dropped one player from the roster, former California University pitcher Rob Hedrick.

Two dropped

The Wild Things released two players from the roster Tuesday. Gone are right-handed pitcher Andy Schindling and catcher Kyle Obal.

Schindling was a solid starting pitcher last season before wearing down late in the year. He had a 4-3 record and 4.80 ERA. Obal was signed late last season and had only 11 at-bats. With Obal released, there are only two catchers (Alan Robbins and Billy O'Conner) on the roster. The Wild Things will likely be looking to sign at least one catcher either Saturday at their open tryout or next week at the Frontier League tryout and draft.

L2 added

The Wild Things filled one of the holes in their roster Friday by signing outfielder Luis Rivera, a former fifth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angeles.

Rivera, 23, has played five years of pro ball after being drafted in 2004 out of high school in his native Puerto Rico. An L2 by Frontier League roster standards, Rivera spent three years in rookie ball before being released by the Angels and sitting out the 2007 season. He then spent two years in the short-season New York-Penn League, one with Toronto and last year with the New York Mets' affiliate in Brooklyn. Rivera batted .297 for the Brooklyn Cyclones last year with 14 doubles and 13 stolen bases in 66 games. He does have a high strikeout rate -- more than a quarter of his career at-bats have ended in strikeouts.

Rivera was the 143rd pick in the 2004 draft and was selected nine rounds before the Angels drafted the late Nick Adenhart.

Also signed by Washington was catcher Billy O'Conner, who was a college teammate of former Wild Things pitcher Michael Lucas. O'Conner played rookie ball last summer for the Texas Rangers' affiliate in Arizona league and batted .304. He also appeared in three games with Class A Spokane.

One month to opening day

The clock must seem as if it's ticking at warp speed these days for the Wild Things' coaching staff and front office. Time is running out as they put the finishing touches on the roster, the ballpark and an operational plan for the season.

Washington announced the signing of four players Wednesday, but two of those didn't come as a surprise. Pitcher Justin Edwards will be back for his second season after tying the team record by pitching in 43 games a year ago. Edwards had a 4-5 record and 5.40 ERA but struck out 70 in 60 innings. Edwards' was at the team's media luncheon earlier this month, so we knew he was returning.

Also signed is pitcher Ryne Nelson, who was acquired last month from Laredo of the independent United League in the trade for Michael Lucas.

The other two signings are left-handed pitchers, Sean Grieve and Spencer Hylander. Grieve is from Flourtown, Pa., and a graduate of Germantown Academy. He played at William & Mary and spent two seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies' system.

“We look for Sean to be an important part of our bullpen this summer. I was able to see him pitch in 2008, and feel he's has the potential to be a guy we can rely on to get big outs as he's averaged a strikeout per inning in his first pro seasons,” said Wild Things manager Darin Everson.

Hylander played at Oklahoma Baptist University and was drafted in the last round (50th) in 2009 by the Houston Astros.

“He comes to us with great reports and we look forward to have him compete for one of our spots in the starting rotation," Everson said. "With the Astros, he showed very good command and deception as displayed in his impressive opponent batting average (.237).”

I was told there will be two or three more signings announced Thursday. There are still several huge holes in the roster – open Veteran and L2 spots along with no shortstop with significant pro experience.

The Wild Things open the season at home May 21 against the Oakland County Cruisers. By the way, the Cruisers have yet to start construction on their new ballpark, which is scheduled for a July 16 opening against Washington. If you believe that will happen, then I have some swamp land in Florida I'd like to sell you.

Mascot fail

Many a summer night I've wondered how a person dressed in a furry costume with oversized floppy feet/shoes can dance on a wet dugout roof and not slide off and break his/her back.

Seeing out of one of those big mascot heads isn't easy, let alone trying to dance while watching for where the dugout ends and a killer of a first step begins.

During a recent exhibition game between the University of Nevada and the Class AAA Reno Aces, the school's mascot "Wolfie" had a Wile E. Coyote moment.

Your not-so-normal Normal ballpark

The ballpark for the Frontier League's newest team, the Normal CornBelters, located in Normal, Ill., is almost complete. Installation of the artificial turf playing surface is starting today and the seats will be delivered Tuesday. Among the unique features of the ballpark, which is dubbed "The Corn Crib," are a drive-in movie screen and something described as the "world's greatest women's restroom."

Here is the link to a video about the ballpark's status:

Watch the video here.

Changing the blueprint?

The Wild Things announced the signing of seven players to contracts during a two-day period last week. Nothing surprising about that. Mid-to-late April is the busy period for Frontier League transactions. Plus, first-year manager Darin Everson said he wants to bring 32 players to spring training, and he was more than a dozen short of his goal.

Several things, however, stand out about the signings of pitchers Matt Vieira, Jeff Sonnenberg, Kevin Hammons, Matt Lyons and Ben Rodewald, ultilty player Joel Hartman and infielder Devin Murphy. One is that six of the seven are rookies (Hartman is an L1), according to Frontier League standards. Washington still has open L2 and Veteran roster spots. The second noteworthy thing is where the new players come from. Only two of the seven have experience in affiliated ball, which often seemed to be a requirement for players on past Wild Things teams.

Of the seven newcomers, Vieira and Hammons played in the Florida Marlins' system, in which Everson did his coaching the past four years. Hammons, however, last played in affiliated ball in 2007, when he played for Everson in the New York-Penn League. Hammons posted an 0-2 record with Gateway of the Frontier League in 2008, his last year in pro ball.

“I saw some improvement on Kevin’s delivery from our time together in the past, and he seems very focused and determined to become an impact left-hander on the mound for us,” Everson said.

Hartman spent the last two years playing in independent ball in Texas, and his numbers were quite good last season (.290 with 40 stolen bases in 55 games).

This is what we know about the other four guys:

- Rodewald: Drafted out of high school but did not sign. Played at Central Michigan University but his last season there was 2007.

- Lyons: Played the last two years in a sandlot league.

- Sonneberg: Played winter ball in Australia.

- Murphy: Also has no pro experience, having last played in college in 2008.

Those aren't your typical Wild Things backgrounds. That doesn't mean these guys can't play. What it does tell me is either there were fewer cuts than normal by affiliated teams this spring or Everson is thinking outside the box – working without Washington's previous blueprint. In past years, the Wild Things were heavy on players who had affiliated experience, were natives of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey and/or were released by the Pirates, Phillies, Mets and Astros. You could almost correctly guess who they were trying or not trying to sign.

Who knows if any of these guys will make it to opening day. Vieira, however, looks lock a lock to make the team while Hartman and Sonnenberg – who was dominant pitcher for a very good NAIA school – seem to have a solid chance to stick around this summer. We do know that the Wild Things aren't rejecting players because they live outside the Eastern time zone or have no experience in affiliated ball.

Lefty off to fast start

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, pictured, is off a good start with the Carolina Mudcats, the Cincinnati Reds' Class AA affiliate in the Southern League.

Cochran won his second game in as many starts Friday night, throwing six shutout innings in Carolina's 8-0 victory over Montgomery (Tampa Bay). Cochran allowed only two hits and one walk, and struck out eight.

Cochran has a 2-0 record and 0.75 ERA. He has 15 strikeouts and only three walks in 12 innings.

Sidick back for 6th season

The Wild Things announced today that center fielder Chris Sidick, pictured, has been re-signed for the 2010 season, which will be his sixth in the Frontier League.

A Cecil Township native, Sidick holds several league records, including career games (430), hits (460), at-bats (1,625), triples (44) and walks (256). He also holds nearly all of the Wild Things' career hitting records. Two that he does not hold are doubles and RBI.

A career .283 hitter, Sidick batted .240 last year with 61 runs, 81 hits, nine doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 38 RBI. Sidick had a 16-game hitting streak and 24-game on-base streak last season. In 2008, he batted .311 with a career high in doubles (16) and RBI (45) and a league-leading nine triples.

“Chris has accomplished so much in his career with the Wild Things. We are proud of his contributions both to the team and to the local community," said Todd Marlin, managing director of the Wild Things.

According to Tim Perry, the Frontier League's unofficial historian, Fran Riordan, John Tavares and Phil Warren each played six years in the FL. Among pitchers, Matt Schweitzer and ex-Wild Things standout Aaron Ledbetter played six seasons. Schweitzer, a left-hander, is the only player in league history to play six seasons with a single team (Richmond 2000-05).

Two pitchers signed

The Wild Things have added two more pitchers for spring training, signing a pair of right-handers who were recently released by the New York Mets after spending two years in the organization. Joining the Wild Things are Zach Rosenbaum and Tim Smith. Both are considered rookies by Frontier League standards.

Rosenbaum and Smith spent the bulk of their affiliated careers in rookie ball. Smith did pitch in nine games (0-0, 5.87) last year for Savannah in the Class A South Atlantic League.

Smith (5-11, 195) had an outstanding career at NCAA Division II Catawba, posting a 31-13 record with 239 strikeouts and was the South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year. He even had a win over Florida Southern, which was ranked No. 1 in Division II at the time.

"We are planning to put Tim back into the starting rotation, where he had so much success in college,” Wild Things manager Darin Everson said. "He can build on his two years of professional experience with the Mets organization and solidify one our starting positions.”

Rosenbaum (6-4, 190) had a 3-7 record in 28 games in rookie ball. He was a teammate of former Wild Things catcher Kris Rochelle at UNC-Charlotte, where he went 9-1 in 2007. Rosenbaum was a 19th-round pick of the Mets in 2008.

“We look for Zach to be an important part of our pitching staff’s success this year,” Everson said. “He brings two solid years of experience with the Mets to Washington.”

Meeting the manager

New manager Darin Everson, pictured, was in town Thursday and Friday for the Wild Things' media luncheon and an invitation-only tryout camp.

My first impression of the new manager? The guy likes to talk. That's good news for the players, fans and media. It's probably not so good for the Frontier League's umpires.

Among some of the items Everson talked about Thursday:

* Though the Wild Things have not announced the contract signings, Everson mentioned outfielder Chris Sidick, second baseman Michael Parker, catcher Alan Robbins and pitcher Justin Edwards will be back with the team. Sidick will fill one of the three Veteran roster spots, while Parker and Robbins are two of the three L2 players.

Washington has one Vet spot and one L2 to fill. The decision to re-sign Robbins is an interesting one because his .234 batting average last year was a career-high in four pro seasons. You usually don't see an L2 hitter with a .215 career batting average. Robbins is more valuable as a defensive catcher. He threw out 23 percent of opposing base stealers last year (the league average was 25.8 percent).

* Everson already has contracts out to "seven to 10 guys" who were cut from minor league spring training.

"I'm looking for pitchers who pound the strike zone," Everson said. "Independent baseball leagues are generally known as offensive leagues. Washington had a .263 batting average last year – which is good – but was in the middle of the pack in the Frontier League. You know the offense is going to be there. If you have pitchers who pound the zone with strikes, then you have a chance to be special."

Washington led the league in walks allowed for most of last season and finished with 427. Only Gateway (428) issued more. It was no surprise that Washington finished 15 games out of first place in the East and Gateway was 16 out in the West.

* Everson likes his coaching staff of Wild Things holdover Bob Bozzuto, pitching coach Mark Dewey and hitting coach Dana Williams. Dewey, who spent part of his major league career with the Pittsbugh Pirates, has been a coach in the New York Mets' system and Williams spent 12 years coaching in the Seattle Mariners' system.

"I think our coaching staff, in terms of experience, rivals that of any coaching staff in minor-league baseball," Everson said.

Cochran starts at Double-A

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, pictured, who last year went from the independent ranks to Class AAA in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, will start the 2010 season with the Carolina Mudcats in the Double-A Southern League.

Cochran had a 5-6 record between Double-A and Triple-A last year after being signed by the Reds from Lancaster of the independent Atlantic League. During spring training, Cochran was pitching with Triple-A Louisville and threw four hitless innings in a start March 29. He was on Louisville's roster until Wednesday. Louisville had 18 pitchers Tuesday, and still has 14 (seven lefties) as of this writing.

Carolina opens its season Thursday against the Birmingham Barons, which is an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Birmingham's starting first baseman is likely to be former Peters Township High School standout Jim Gallagher. Though not on the 40-man roster, Gallagher started a couple of spring training games with the major-league team and had about a dozen at-bats.

Busy, busy, busy

This will be the busiest week of the offseason for new Wild Things manager Darin Everson. Affiliated minor-league teams made their final cuts either over last weekend or early this week, so it's now a feeding frenzy for the independent league managers, who are sifting through the releases to find players who fit their league and team.

Everson and his coaching staff will be in Washington on Thursday and Friday – just in time for the rain and cold front. The Wild Things will host a media luncheon Thursday, and a tryout camp for released pro players on Friday (weather permitting).

Pitching will likely attract much of Everson's attention. Washington has announced the signing of only three pitchers: right-handers Zach Groh, Andy Schindling and Rob Hedrick.