Montoya to Fargo

Jhonny Montoya

The Wild Things announced Thursday that they have traded relief pitcher Jhonny Montoya to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association for a player to be named later.

Montoya was in his fourth year with the Wild Things. He had pitched in 71 games as both a starter and reliever, compiling a 10-13 record with six saves. Montoya appeared in three games out of the bullpen this season. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list last weekend.

Montoya was Washington's one player classified as Veteran that the Frontier League allows each team. It's obvious that Montoya was the victim of a numbers game as the Wild Things had too many Experienced and Veteran players and was using the DL as a way to hide a player or two until a trade could be made.

Montoya has some knowledge of the American Association as he pitched in 10 games for the Kansas City T-Bones last year, getting a win and seven saves before being traded back to the Wild Things.

It's always tough to see a player go, especially one who has spent four years in Washington. Montoya is one of the nicest players I've encountered in my time covering the Wild Things. He always made a point to say hello when we passed in the clubhouse hallway and seemed to be a jovial guy who enjoyed interacting with fans after games.

Series win

The Wild Things picked up two wins Wednesday night in different ways. They hung on -- well, maybe cruised is a better description because the game never reached nail-biter status -- to win the completion of Tuesday's suspended game against Joliet, then put together a dramatic last-inning comeback to win the seven-inning game.

Washington led 6-1 in the fourth inning when play was suspended Tuesday. The Wild Things' offense didn't do much after the game was resumed, but the pitching of Zac Fuesser, Al Yevoli and Pat Butler secured a 6-2 victory.

In the nightcap, Washington trailed 2-0 entering the top of the seventh. At that point, the Wild Things' offense had generated no runs and a mere three hits in the 11 innings that were played Wednesday. But Washington rallied for a 3-2 win, getting a bases-loaded walk from William Beckwith and a game-winning two-run single from Danny Poma.

That was probably the kind of game that recent Washington teams would have lost and gone back to the motel happy with a split.

The best part of the late-game heroics is they assured a series win ... on the road. That is something that hasn't happened in almost a year. Entering last night, the Wild Things had lost 14 of their last 16 road games, and 25 of 30, dating back to last year. The last time Washington won a road series was June 11-13 last year when it took two of three from Normal.

The Wild Things will play for a series sweep tonight, which begs the question: When was the last time Washington swept a series on the road. That would be almost one year to the day and in the same ballpark. Washington swept a three-game series over two days from Joliet May 29-30 last year.

One news item that WJPA Radio's Randy Gore passed along last night was that starting pitcher Zach LeBarron, who is eligible to come off the 14-day disabled list today, was in a walking boot after injuring a foot/ankle during a simulated game. He will be re-evaluated Friday, when the team returns to Washington .

Roster shuffle

The Wild Things played musical chairs with the roster Saturday to avoid making any significant changes because of a surplus of Experienced and Veteran players.

Washington activated pitcher Alex Kaminsky from the 7-day disabled to start tonight's game against the Rockford Aviators. To make room on the roster for Kaminsky, and to get down to the Frontier league limit of 13 Experienced + Veteran players, the Wild Things placed relief pitcher Jhonny Montoya on the 7-day DL.

Montoya, the one allowable Veteran on the roster, has appeared in three games, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings and giving up two hits and one walk. He has two strikeouts. Montoya pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with one strikeout Friday night in the Wild Things' 7-2 win over Rockford.

Decision Day nearing

Alex Kaminsky

Remember when it was mentioned on this blog that the Wild Things would have some difficult roster decisions to make for opening day because of the Frontier League's limit per team on the number of players classified as Experienced or Veteran?

Washington was able to delay releasing any such player by using the 7-day disabled list and suspended list. Pitcher Alex Kaminsky was placed on the 7-day DL and pitcher Julio Perez was put on the suspended list for at least 14 days. Both Kaminsky and Perez are classified as Experienced.

Kaminsky was put on the DL because, with Washington's schedule including consecutive off days in the first week of the season, there was no need for five starting pitchers on the active roster. Kaminsky, however, is scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Rockford Aviators, which means the Wild Things have a roster move to make. They must release, DL or trade an Experienced/Vet player to make room on the active roster for Kaminsky.

Wild Things on YouTube

In case you didn't know, the Wild Things are posting short videos on YouTube this year as part of their "Touching Home" reality series that is supposed to show the baseball team and Pennsylvania Rebellion's ups and downs and behind-the-scenes stuff from their first year together. You can go to YouTube and type "Touching Home Washington Wild Things" to get the first few videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asbW-4ZR-tw

Bando in World Series

Former Wild Things manager Chris Bando will be participating in a World Series this weekend.

As head coach of San Diego Christian College, Bando has guided the Hawks to a 42-18 record and the school's first berth in the NAIA World Series, which begins Friday in Lewiston, Idaho. SDCC's season has been quite remarkable because the Hawks are only three years removed from an 8-40 campaign. The Hawks will play Cumberland (Tenn.) in the first round of the 10-team double-elimination tournament.

Two games played, one record tied

The Wild Things will take an 0-2 record into the series finale this evening at Florence. While two games is far too little of a sample size to draw any conclusions about this year's team -- remember, the 2002 Washington team that went 56-28 started the season 1-5 -- one record was tied with a 6-2 loss Friday night to the Freedom.

Dating back to last season, Washington has lost nine games in a row, which matches the franchise record for most consecutive losses. The Wild Things closed last season with seven straight defeats, losing one game at Traverse City, then six consecutive home games, including a three-game series to the Frontier League Greys.

The other nine-game losing streak in franchise history also crossed two seasons. The Wild Things lost the final eight games of the 2010 season (two at Windy City, three at Lake Erie and three at Traverse City to close the 2010 season, then the 2011 opener at Joliet).

One other note heading into tonight's series finale: Washington has lost 9 of its last 11 at Florence, and 17 of its last 21 overall against the Freedom.

Frontier League scouting report

Though the Wild Things and Florence Freedom opened the season last night -- a tough 6-5 walk-off loss for Washington -- the other 12 teams in the league begin tonight, so here's a preview of each club and a rundown on the league's biggest change for 2014, the playoff format:

The league
New playof format: The number of playoff teams have been increased from four to six. The teams that will qualify for the playoffs are the two division winners and the four remaining teams with the best records, regardless of division. The teams will be seeded 1 through 6 based on the regular-season records. The division winners will be the #1 and #2 seeds. The #3 seed will host the #6 seed and the #4 seed will host the #5 seed in a single-game playoff, with the winners advancing to a best-of-three Divisional Series. The highest-seeded division champion will host the lowest remaining seed while the other division champion will host the highest-remaining seed. The division champions will host Games 2 and 3. The championship series will be a best-of-five format. The highest remaining seed will have home-field advantage

East Division
Evansville Otters
Last year: 51-45, 4th in East
Manager: Andy McCauley
Familiar faces: First baseman Nick Schwaner hit .301 with 13 home runs for the Otters last year. He was recently traded back to Evansville from the Atlantic League. Former Wild Things relief pitchers Orlando Santos and Anthony Collazo (DL) are part of the pitching staff.
Impact newcomers: Left-handed pitcher Chad James was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 draft, taken by the Marlins one pick before the St. Louis Cardinals chose Shelby Miller. Third baseman Shayne Houck was a standout player in the PSAC with Kutztown before spending a couple of years in the San Francisco Giants system.

Florence Freedom
Last year: 53-43, 3rd in East
Manager: Fran Riordan
Familiar faces: Jacob Tanis, a former 13th round draft pick of the Oaland Athletics, was the Frontier League's MVP last year after hitting 17 home runs with 72 RBI. Closer Jorge Marban had 27 saves and struck out 61 in 44 innings. Riordan is the league's all-time winningest manager and will hit the 600-victory mark early this season.
Impact newcomers: Catcher Joe Staley is a former 8th round pick of the Giants. Pitcher Brad Allen was 3-0 in four starts for Class A South Bend of the Class A Midwest League this year before he was surprisingly released by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Outfielder Buddy Sosnoskie, signed earlier this week, could be steal. He once hit 13 home runs in a season at Virginia Tech and hit .339 in half a season in the indepdent American Association two years ago.

Frontier League Greys
Last year: 33-62, 7th in East
Manager: Kyle Haines
Familiar faces: Left-handed pitcher Devon Pearson is in his second season with the league's travel team. Now there's a guy who really loves baseball.
Impact newcomers: Pitcher Justin Jackson has a 12-3 career record in affiliated ball and pitcher Cameron Lamb is in his 8th season as a pro. Corner infielders Logan Pierce and Jon Minucci are one year removed from highly successful college careers. Pierce was the best player at Troy University for two seasons and was drafted by Philadelphia in the 15th round.

Lake Erie Crushers
Last year: 56-40, 1st in East, lost to Schaumburg in finals
Manager: Chris Mongiardo
Familiar faces: Joe Charboneau, the 1980 American League Rookie of the Year and the Wild Things' original hitting coach (2002-03) is back in the league coaching the Crushers' hitters. Third baseman Andrew Davis (DL), who has made a habit of killing the Wild Things, is back for his sixth season with the Crushers.
What's new: Mongiardo moves into the manager's role after being the Crushers' pitching coach last season.

Southern Illinois Miners
Last year: 50-46, 5th in East
Manager: Mike Pinto
Familiar faces: Pinto, who is in his seven seasons as manager of the Miners, has never had a losing season.
What's new? Almost the entire team. Only five players are listed as returnees.
Impact newcomers: Outfielder Jay Austin was the 2nd round pick of the Houston Astros in 2008. Infielder Ryab Cavan had three consecutive seasons in the Giants' system with double-digit home runs.

Traverse City Beach Bums
Last year: 55-41, 2nd in East
Manager: Dan Rohn
Familiar faces: Third baseman Jovan Rosa was acquired in an offseason trade with the Wild Things. Drew Rossi, who had a 20-game stint with Washington in 2011 as a backup infielder, is with the Bums. Infielder Jose Vargas returns after hitting 12 home runs and driving in 57 runs last year, though those numbers were a big drop from 2012 (29 HRs, 100 RBI). Former major league pitcher Greg Cadaret is in his first season as the Bums' pitching coach.
What's new? It's Rohn, who replaces highly successful Gregg Langbehn. Rohn is no stranger to success, having been named Manager of the Year four times, three times in Class AAA and once in Class AA.

Washington Wild Things
Last year: 41-55, 6th in East
Manager: Bart Zeller
What's new? It's the uniform colors, and they're not exactly new. Washington is going back to its original red-and-black color scheme after four years of wearing royal blue. Finally, that huge logo behind home plate at Consol Energy Park will be the same colors as the home team's uniforms.
Impact newcomers: Rigth-hander Scott Dunn was acquired in the offseason after going 15-1 with Traverse City and being named the league's Pitcher of the Year. Center fielder Danny Poma once hit .430 in college and stole 38 bases in the Prospect League, a college summer league. He was a 10th round pick of Arizona. First baseman William Beckwith is two years removed from hitting 15 home runs in Class A ball in the Atlanta Braves' system.

West Division
Gateway Grzzlies
Last year: 53-43, 2nd in West
Manager: Phil Warren
Familiar faces: Pitcher JaVaun West went 8-3, 3.01 last year, when the Grizzlies missed the playoffs by a half game, in large part because they were swept in a late-August series at Washington.
Impact newcomer: 1B Ben Waldrip. The 6-6 lefty hitter is a former 10th round draft pick of Colorado. He can take advantage of the short porch (301 feet) in right field at GCS Ballpark.

Joliet Slammers
Last year: 38-57, 6th in West
Manager: Jeff Isom
What's new? It's the manager. Isom, who was the Wild Things' original manager (2002-03), moves over from Lake Erie after leading the Crushers to the East Division title and a spot in the championship series last year. Isom has managed five full seasons in the Frontier League and his teams have made the playoffs four times. Outfielder Darian Sandford, who played parts of the last two seasons with the Wild Things, gives the Slammers the league's most dangerous basestealer.
Impact newcomers: Pitcher Santo Manzanillo pitched in 26 games in Double-A last season. Infielder Russell Moldenhauer hit 14 home runs for Lake Erie last year and followed Isom to Joliet.

Normal CornBelters
Last year: 46-50, 5th in West
Manager: Brooks Carey
Familiar name: Infielder Ozney Guillen is the son of former major league manager Ozzie Guillen.
Familiar faces: Shortstop Pat McKenna hit 18 home runs last year but will start the season on the DL.
Impact newcomer: Corner infielder Richard Lucas was a 4th-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2007 and played in 99 games in Double-A last year.

River City Rascals
Last year: 50-46, 4th in West
Manager: Steve Brook
Familiar faces: Half the team. The Rascals bring back 12 players from a year ago. Pitcher Craig Goodman had a 7-3 record and closer Gabriel Shaw is back after saving 27 games.
Impact newcomer: Pitcher Eric Cendejas has pitched in 142 games in affiliated ball, including two starts last year for the Los Angeles Angels' Class AAA team.

Rockford Riverhawks
Last year: 36-60, 7th in West
Manager: James Frisbie
Familiar faces: Nick Cicio was a relief pitcher with the 2012 Wild Things. He had four wins and 11 saves for Rockford last year. Cicio will start the opener tonight. Outfielder Jeff Kremer was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal 2013 season, hitting .357
Impact newcomers: Pitcher Josh Smoker was a first round (31st overall) draft pick of the Washington Nationals in 2007. Outfielder Jose Martinez will be one of the most experienced players in the league, having played in 595 professional games including 290 at Class AA.
Best name: Utility player Kalaika Kahoohalahala. Can't wait to hear Bill DiFabio try to pronounce that one.

Schaumburg Boomers
Last year: 59-37, 1st in West, beat Lake Erie in finals
Manager: Jamie Bennett
Familiar faces: Boomers return 12 players from last year's championship team, including outfielder/pitcher Sean Mahley, who was the MVP of the 2013 all-star game held at Consol Energy Park. Pitcher Dexter Price was 6-1 with 16 saves.
Impact Newcomer: Pitcher Charle Rosario averaged more than one strikeout per inning in eight games at Class AA in 2012.

Windy City Thunderbolts
Last year: 50-46, 3rd in West
Manager: Ron Biga
Familiar faces: Pitcher Danile Cropper (8 wins) was a big reason why the T-Bolts went 27-13 after the all-star break last year. Six of the team's top eight run producers also return.
Familiar name: Catcher Matt Scioscia is the son of Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia.
Impact newcomer: Pitcher Victor Larez has eight years of prod experience and made 24 starts (winning nine) last year for Erie, the Detroit Tigers' Class AA affiliate.

Difficult decisions ahead

I wouldn't want to be Bart Zeller.

No, that statement doesn't have anything to with the working relationship I have with Zeller. And I didn't write that first sentence simply because I wouldn't want to be 72 years old, though most days I do feel like I am 72 and then some.

That first sentence was written because, if I were Bart Zeller, I'd have to cut the Wild Things' current active roster from 28 players to 24 by opening day and drop a minimum of two players with at least two years of pro experience.

That's not a job I would want because this year it appears putting together the Wild Things' opening day roster will be more difficult than ever. That's probably a good sign. There were more than 24, and even 28, players in camp who are capable of playing for some team in the Frontier League. That's the result of having more Experienced players in spring training than ever before, and having some quality rookies.

Typically, a Frontier League team will go to camp with 13 or 14 Experienced players. The limit during the season is 13. Washington had 17 Experienced players and 1 Veteran (Jhonny Montoya) in camp as recently as Friday.

The Wild Things trimmed their roster to 28 players with three releases Friday (catcher Michael Pair, utility player Andrew Heck and pitcher Zach Fleshman) and five roster moves Sunday. Released were pitchers Jordan Elliott, Andy Smithmyer and Joey Perrotta, and outfielder Jordan Keur. Infielder Yuery Tejada was placed on the 14-day disabled list. Tejada played in the exhibition games Friday and again (according to the Pointstreak box score) Saturday at Lake Erie, so I don't know if Tejada is actually injured or not. What the DL move does is bring Washington to only two Experienced players over the limit.

Of the Sunday cuts, the one that surprised me most was Elliott. I thought being an R2 with some affiliated experience would work in his favor. Smithmyer also was a surprise because he was still only an R2, but I'm sure blowing a save Saturday hurt his case for a roster spot. Keur, a rookie out of Michigan State, was an interesting prospect but he was injured during camp and was injured during his senior year in college.

Washington currently has 15 pitchers and 13 position players in camp. The roster breaks down this way:

Veteran - P Johnny Montoya

Experienced - Pitchers Shawn Blackwell, Scott Dunn, Tim Flight, Zac Fuesser, Alex Kaminsky, Jonathan Kountis, Zach LeBarron and Al Yevoli. catcher Jim Vahalik, infielders William Beckwith, Carter Bell and Garrett Rau. Outfielders C.J. Beatty and Danny Poma.

The R1 and R2 players (at least 11 must be kept on the active roster) include: Pitchers Pat Butler, Tyler Elrod, Julio Perez, Chris Phelan, Devin Malone and Matt Purnell. Catchers Michael Allen and Maxx Garrett. Infielders Ryan Kresky and Nick Ratajczak. Outfielders Stewart Ijames, Scott Kalamar and Marinio Guzman.

One thing I am sure of: Washington won't start the season with the 24 best players from camp on its roster. That's because teams can keep only 13 Experienced or Vet players. And the R1 and R2 players, especially the pitchers, are competing for roster spots against one another. Being an R1 might work in a guy's favor because he won't be classified as Experienced until 2016.

Those final four roster moves are sure to be difficult and interesting.

Nuno beats Angels

Vidal Nuno

Former Wild Things pitcher Vidal Nuno earned his first win of the season last night when the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 9-2.

Nuno (1-0) allowed a run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out three and retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. It was the second major league victory for the Wild Things' opening day starter in 2011.

Alright, who among us predicted back in 2011, when Nuno was pitching at Consol Energy Park against Southern Illinois, Windy City and Traverse City (2-0 in those 3 home starts) that one day Albert Pujols and Mike Trout would combine to go 0-for-6 with a strikeout against him? Of course, who knew about Mike Trout back then?

Life in baseball's basement

Two years ago, when Chris Bando was manager of the Wild Things and Tim Ferguson was the pitching coach, Washington traded players with teams in the independent Pecos League with the regularity of two boys swapping baseball cards. It seemed like there was a regular shuttle running from New Mexico to Washington.

So what level of play is the Pecos League? It's widely considered the bottom rung of indy ball, which makes it the basement of baseball. This year, you can get a feel for the Pecos League and compare it to the Frontier League simply by watching television.

Beginning Tuesday, Fox Sports1 will run a series about the 2013 Trinidad Triggers, a team in the Pecos League. They are half-hour episodes.

During a quick scan of the Trinidad roster from last year, I didn't recognize any players as former Wild Things. The Triggers did have Sam DiMatteo, who is a former standout player at California University. DiMatteo was a starting outfielder for the Triggers, so he should get some air time in the series.

Here is the trailer for the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8ZoVBByy6A