Pitching in

It has been rather quiet lately in the Frontier League as teams await minor league cuts from spring training.

The Wild Things did make two significant signings last week when pitchers Justin Hall and Jhonny Montoya (pictured) agreed to contract extensions. Washington now has four starting pitchers -- Hall, Montoya, Gary Lee and Chris Smith -- back for 2012.

Smith and Lee were acquired during the 2011 season. Smith made only five starts late in the year, but Hall and Montoya were with Washington from start to finish. You could make a case that Hall (10-7, 3.22) was as good as any pitcher in the league over the second half of last year. Pitching for a team that provided almost no offensive support, Hall was 6-3 with a 2.40 ERA after the all-star break. In his final outing, on the season's last night, Hall pitched 11 innings to win at Windy City 6-2. Hall gave up only seven hits and one walk while striking out a team-record 14 batters.

The most impressive statistic from Hall's 2011 season had to be this one: only 22 walks in 145.1 innings.

We all know that in this league, if you consistently throw strikes and pitch ahead in the count, you'll be very successful.

Throwing strikes is what was a problem for Montoya (4-7, 3.77) last year. Though he was able to pitch in an out of trouble often enough to register 11 quality starts, Montoya too often left games early because of high pitch counts. He walked 51 batters in 117 innings. You have to expect that ratio will improve this year.

The Wild Things also continued to rebuild the Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions by signing Allen Boyer. An outfielder, Boyer played for Point Loma in 2010 and 2011. He batted .312 with three home runs and 14 RBI last year, but did hit .350 with 13 doubles, 19 home runs and 51 RBI as a junior. Keep in mind that there was a significant change made to the aluminum bats in the college game last year, making them play more like wood.

Boyer gives Washington three former Point Loma Nazarene position players currently on the roster. A fourth was signed this offseason but recently traded to another league.

By my count, the re-signing of Hall and Montoya, and the signing of Boyer, give the Wild Things 30 players under contract. There are a four others players -- Steve Grife, Ross Gusky, Chris Sidick and Luis Rivera -- whose contract options have been picked up but have not yet signed for 2012. If Washington re-signs all four, picks up at least two more (which is mandatory) from the league tryout, then they'll have 36 players and that's not counting those signed after minor league spring training.

It's going to be very crowded inside the Wild Things' refurbished clubhouse in early May.