Bianco released by Diamondbacks
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| Justin Bianco in his Peters Township days |
Bianco, who was committed to playing college ball at Pitt, was signed by Arizona to a reported $369,00 signing bonus.
After three seasons in rookie ball, Bianco has been released by the Diamondbacks.
The 21-year-old played in 144 career games in affiliated ball, including 97 with the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League. He did get a three-game stint last year with Hillsboro of the Class A Northwest League.
Bianco had a .222 batting average. In 518 at-bats, he hit 27 doubles and five home runs with 65 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He had a .295 on-base percentage.
So what does a 21-year-old with three years of pro experience do? If Bianco wants to continue his baseball career, the Frontier League seems to be a viable option.
Most FL clubs typically wouldn't be quick to call a player with a .222 batting average in rookie ball, but Bianco does have one thing going for him -- his age. Bianco qualifies for Rookie status in the Frontier League because of the league's "21-year-old exemption." If a player is 21 or younger on Jan. 1, 2014, then he is classified as a Rookie instead of Experienced, regardless of how much pro experience has accumulated. Players who have Experience status are typically ones with multiple years of independent experience or have played several seasons in Class A or higher.
A Rookie with three years of pro experience is a desirable player in the Frontier League.
Should the Wild Things be interested in Bianco? They currently have only five outfielders on the roster. Stewart Ijames is coming off an all-star rookie season and is a lock to get one of the roster spots. Scott Kalamar, who struggled at the plate in his rookie campaign last year, apparently has not signed a contract for 2014. Jordan Keur is a rookie out of Michigan State and is considered to have much potential.
The other outfielders are Marinio Guzman, a Dominican who has no pro experience, though he's 23 year old, and Danny Poma, a speedster and former Diamondbacks minor leaguer who was a teammate of Bianco's in Missoula for a few games last season.
Bianco has more pro experienced than any outfielder on the Wild Things' roster. And, hey, he wouldn't require a host family.
posted by Chris Dugan at
7:33 PM
9 Comments:
So now you want the WT to sign yet another reject that has shown that he isn't really as good as cracked up to be?
Never did say they should sign him.
I'll go over this again:
His combination of age and experience make him somewhat attractive to FL teams. Had he been born 10 months earlier, then he'd have a hard time attracting interest because of roster/age rules.
By the way, aren't all players in independent baseball rejected? They've either been released by an affiliated team or not drafted.
I've read a long list of comments (the above one included) on this blog from people complaining about who the Wild Things sign or might sign. I've yet to read one comment about who they SHOULD sign. How about some suggestions? Anybody out there know anything about college or minor league baseball to make an educated suggestion?
Probably just trying to boost another player because he is a local.
The WT should sign him. He's a local player with affiliated experience. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets offers from other teams in the FL or Can-Am league.
In 2002, there were a handful of indy leagues and they each had their niche. The WT facility was new and one of the best ballparks in the FL. However, now the landscape of indy ball has changed. The WT are the most eastern FL team geographically, which means scouts don't come here. The scouts stay in the midwest where there is a crossover of American Association teams and FL teams. Players know that so the players everyone wants opt to go to those teams. Their ballparks are also better than the WT. Their travel is better, less bus time over the course of the season. The classification changes in the FL have put them in a position to compete with the American Association where they pay more money and have better overall competition.
So at the end of the day, the WT are competing against American Association teams and the teams in the midwest in the FL. Where do you think the stronger rosters are going to be?
Time to respond to above comment:
"The WT are the most eastern FL team geographically, which means scouts don't come here."
Uh, in case you haven't noticed, there are baseball scouts everywhere. You can even find them in good old Western Pennsylvania. They don't all congregate in the midwest. Their job is to find players and sign the good ones before the next scout does, no matter where they have to go. You'll find them at CEP just like you'll find them in O'Fallon, Mo., or Montclair, N.J., or Altoona, Pa., or Missoula, Mont., or Lansing, Mich., or Laredo, Texas.
"The scouts stay in the midwest where there is a crossover of American Association teams and FL teams. Players know that so the players everyone wants opt to go to those teams."
One thing players who are in affiliated ball or even college ball DO NOT do is analyze what cities have franchises in independent leagues. They don't pay attention to independent leagues. The guys in affiliated ball are focused on getting to the next level and the college guys want to get to affiliated ball. Most players don't even know what indy ball is.
From talking to more indy players than I can count about how they landed in Washington or any other town, I've found that about 80 percent of the time the answer is: "The (fill in the team's nickname) were the first team to call me and offer me a contract."
The remainder usually sign because they've been traded, the team is located close to home or they know somebody on the team.
Ballplayers who are unemployed and facing the probability of playing indy ball or getting a job that requires them to ask "do you want fries with that?" aren't asking questions like how many miles do you travel on the bus in a season?
"the WT are competing against American Association teams and the teams in the midwest in the FL. Where do you think the stronger rosters are going to be?"
If you're thinking that having many teams clumped together within a two-hour drive of one another is an advantage, I'll tell you about a conversation I had with former Gateway manager Danny Cox. He was complaining that Washington had an unfair advantage because of its location. He said he always had to build his roster well ahead of Washington's time frame because, if there was good player in Illinois or Missouri or anywhere in that area, then he had to hurry and sign the kid because he knew River City and the American Association teams would be all over the guy. Cox said that because of the Wild Things' location, they could pick and choose the best guys from places like Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, etc., because there was no competition.
But that's where you're wrong Chris, the BEST available players do ask those questions. The FL has been around for 22 years, Atlantic League 17 yrs, American Association 12 or more, you get my point. Indy ball isn't sneaking up on players anymore. Players are much more educated about indy ball now than they have ever been before. Even players who have never played indy ball know players who have. Whether it's a non drafted college player or a career affiliated player. Salary, facility, attendance, travel, opportunity to get signed based on the team history of getting players signed, playing time, scouts in attendance, buyout price, housing arrangements, length of contracts are all commonly asked questions. How many championships you've won is NOT a common question asked by players because that's not at the top of their priority list. Danny Cox hasn't been in the FL for at least 4-5 seasons or more. This stuff changes yearly so his comments may have been applicable at the time but getting out in front of ALL your competition to be the first call to a player, etc. have always been and will always be extremely important no matter where you're located in the country.
I think the fact described that in 2002 Washington had the best or at least one of the best parks in the FL.
Now with new cities and new parks, Washington is now like Chillicothe and Richmond (less glameros parks)comparable when they first entered the league.
This may not help recruiting players, but it helps to fill the stadium. A prime example is new parks have the concession stands and rest rooms facing the field so you do not miss a play while standing in line or before and after attending to your personal needs.
Sign em all! Let Steve Z and Stewey Williams sort them out. Bet they will cut all the good ones loose and keep the ones that need directions to find their nose!
As I wrote previously, "what players who are in affiliated ball or even college ball DO NOT do is analyze what cities have franchises in independent leagues. They don't pay attention to independent leagues. The guys in affiliated ball are focused on getting to the next level and the college guys want to get to affiliated ball."
Ask a guy who was drafted and signed by a major league organization last year what teams are in the American Association or the United League or the Frontier League and you'll, most likely, get a blank stare. But he'll be able to tell you some of the cities in the South Atlantic League or the Carolina League.
"Ballplayers who are unemployed and facing the probability of playing indy ball or getting a job that requires them to ask 'do you want fries with that?' aren't asking questions like how many miles do you travel on the bus in a season?"
But, I agree 100 percent about your comment "getting out in front of ALL your competition to be the first call to a player, etc. (has) always been and will always be extremely important no matter where you're located in the country."
Putting a roster together in the Frontier League is, and always will be, more like college baseball recruiting than professional scouting. It's who you know, how fast you act and how well you sell your team and an opportunity.
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