What's been happening
Here's a rundown of some news from the Wild Things and around the Frontier League:
* Washington has announced that Bob Bozzuto will return to the coaching staff and former major league catcher Bob Didier will be the Wild Things' new hitting coach.
Didier, 64, spent six seasons as a player and five years as a coach in the major leagues. He also managed in the minor leagues, including several stints at the Class AAA level.
Didier was a fourth-round draft pick in 1967 and broke into the majors as a 20-year-old, playing 117 games with the Atlanta Braves. He spent four seasons with the Braves before joining the Detroit Tigers in 1973 and Boston Red Sox in 1974. Didier played in 247 career games in the majors.
After his playing career ended because of a series of injuries, Didier entered the coaching ranks. He was on the Oakland Athletics’ major-league coaching staff (1984-86) and was the third-base coach of the Seattle Mariners (1989-90). He also managed at Class AAA for Atlanta, Houston and Toronto.
Most recently, Didier was a manager in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system.
"We are really excited about the addition of Bob Didier to our staff," Wild Things manager Bart Zeller said. "Bob will work with the hitters and has a very successful history of working with hitters at all levels. He comes to us with a high level of energy and I’m sure our players will enjoy working with him."
* Washington released three players Wednesday: outfielders Tim Williams and Tyler Hall and first baseman Nick Boggan. All three players were acquired last August. Williams and Boggan were signed as free agents and Hall was acquired from Southern Illinois Miners in exchange for a player to be named. Williams batted .370 in 12 games before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Hall batted .200 in nine games before being put on the suspended list. Boggan batted .228 in 21 games.
Washington also placed pitcher Matt Phillips on the 60-day disabled list and re-signed catcher Jim Vahalik.
* Former Wild Things manager Jeff Isom has left the Lake Erie Crushers after one season and was named manager of the Joliet Slammers. Isom had a one-year contract in Lake Erie. Isom returns to the city where he managed the Joliet JackHammers in the now-defunct Northern League. You might recall that Isom left the Wild Things for the JackHammers job.
* Isom was replaced in Lake Erie by Frontier League veteran Chris Mongiardo, who was the Crushers' pitching coach last season.
Mongiardo was a coach with Richmond during the Wild Things' early days in the Frontier League and managed the Roosters for three seasons (2003-05) before the franchise relocated to Traverse City.
* Former Wild Things pitcher Casey Barnes has been traded by the River City Rascals to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.
* Former Wild Things pitcher Anthony Collazo has been signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The lefty spent parts of two seasons in Washington, compiling an 0-2 record in 23 outings (4 starts). He was traded by Washington last August in exchange for a player to be named.
* Washington also signed Nick Ratajczak, a rookie second baseman out of the University of Louisville.
* Washington has announced that Bob Bozzuto will return to the coaching staff and former major league catcher Bob Didier will be the Wild Things' new hitting coach.Didier, 64, spent six seasons as a player and five years as a coach in the major leagues. He also managed in the minor leagues, including several stints at the Class AAA level.
Didier was a fourth-round draft pick in 1967 and broke into the majors as a 20-year-old, playing 117 games with the Atlanta Braves. He spent four seasons with the Braves before joining the Detroit Tigers in 1973 and Boston Red Sox in 1974. Didier played in 247 career games in the majors.
After his playing career ended because of a series of injuries, Didier entered the coaching ranks. He was on the Oakland Athletics’ major-league coaching staff (1984-86) and was the third-base coach of the Seattle Mariners (1989-90). He also managed at Class AAA for Atlanta, Houston and Toronto.
Most recently, Didier was a manager in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system.
"We are really excited about the addition of Bob Didier to our staff," Wild Things manager Bart Zeller said. "Bob will work with the hitters and has a very successful history of working with hitters at all levels. He comes to us with a high level of energy and I’m sure our players will enjoy working with him."
* Washington released three players Wednesday: outfielders Tim Williams and Tyler Hall and first baseman Nick Boggan. All three players were acquired last August. Williams and Boggan were signed as free agents and Hall was acquired from Southern Illinois Miners in exchange for a player to be named. Williams batted .370 in 12 games before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Hall batted .200 in nine games before being put on the suspended list. Boggan batted .228 in 21 games.
Washington also placed pitcher Matt Phillips on the 60-day disabled list and re-signed catcher Jim Vahalik.
* Former Wild Things manager Jeff Isom has left the Lake Erie Crushers after one season and was named manager of the Joliet Slammers. Isom had a one-year contract in Lake Erie. Isom returns to the city where he managed the Joliet JackHammers in the now-defunct Northern League. You might recall that Isom left the Wild Things for the JackHammers job.
* Isom was replaced in Lake Erie by Frontier League veteran Chris Mongiardo, who was the Crushers' pitching coach last season.
Mongiardo was a coach with Richmond during the Wild Things' early days in the Frontier League and managed the Roosters for three seasons (2003-05) before the franchise relocated to Traverse City.
* Former Wild Things pitcher Casey Barnes has been traded by the River City Rascals to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.
* Former Wild Things pitcher Anthony Collazo has been signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The lefty spent parts of two seasons in Washington, compiling an 0-2 record in 23 outings (4 starts). He was traded by Washington last August in exchange for a player to be named.
* Washington also signed Nick Ratajczak, a rookie second baseman out of the University of Louisville.
posted by Chris Dugan at
3:14 PM
10 Comments:
Good thing they traded Barnes. That guy was awful.
I mean the weak soulless individual that traded him. Not the actual player. He's a good guy.
Come buy your tickets for the Washington Dumpster Fires. Good seats always available.
By the way, Chris, is Tony Bucilli still prancing around the Wild Things like he's the only one who knows how to point a radar gun? Only asking because we all know he's almost as useless as putting a former Coke salesman in charge of player personnel for a professional baseball team.
But that would never happen.
Apparently "roving minor league catching instructor" and "Triple-A manager" gets you World Series rings?
How did he get three World Series rings with the Yankees (if that even happened), when he worked for them in 1997 (Marlins won), 98 (Yankees), 99 (Yankees), and 2001 (Diamondbacks).
An illustrious career? He only played in 247 games. That's NOT EVEN TWO FULL SEASONS OF GAMES!
Nice press release.
Can Stu maybe not get involved with the writing propaganda anymore? Is that too much to ask? Call a spade a spade. You don't need to dwell on losses and errors, but at least keep accurate stats and recaps.
Boo Stu
Sorry to see Tim Williams go - a nice young man, I wish him well.
" Former Wild Things pitcher Anthony Collazo has been signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks".
Well, sort of. He was signed to play for one of their very minor league teams. I just love the way these press releases try to make it look as though a player has made it to 'the show'. Could not be farther from the truth. I just laugh it when I hear some brain dead Wild Things fan say, WOW, so and so is going to be playing for the Diamondbacks!. What a bunch of dunderheads.
I know of nobody who thinks a player who signs out of high school, college or the independent leagues is going straight to "the show." I also know of no press release that has said as much.
Anybody who can't understand what "Former Wild Things pitcher Anthony Collazo has been signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks" means shouldn't be reading a baseball blog and must be a dunderhead.
CEP is just loaded with dunderheads starting with the WT front office crew and the old people that buy season tickets. Yes, these seniors are so brain dead that they really do think these guys are now in the big leagues. I actually heard one of these geezers say he could not tell the difference between the Frontier League and Major League Baseball. I laughed in this face. What a shame that so many old people are even allowed out of the home to spend their money at CEP.
No, they don't think these guys are now in the big leagues. C'mon! Only a true dunderhead would anonymously post a comment for all to see and say that Wild Things fans think a player goes from the Frontier League to the big leagues. They don't. That you would actually make a statement like that if laughable. Seriously, if you're going to write something as stupid as that, then at least attach your name or Google ID to it.
Fantastic use of the word dunderhead. That is Frontier League Writer of the Year material.
Washington Dumpster Fires, dunderheads, and geezers.
My o my the idiots/trailerpark residents in Washington are in mid-season form. really, the only thing that will help the Washington Dumpster Fires is a dumpster fire. Burn that entire ballpark and city to the ground. It might be a total loss. Cause $35 in damage. What's left of the ecomony might go to pot (no pun intended) because the drug dealers will be out of business for awhile.
The reason Washington is a joke in the Frontier league is nobody wants to play there because its in the middle of nowhere, there is nothing to do there, there are no fans in the ballpark and ..... the Wild Things always lose. Now the baseball team will be playing second fiddle to a bunch of girly softball players. What baseball player would ever want to play in Washington under these conditions.
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