Pete Rose coming to CEP

The Wild Things announced Tuesday that baseball's all-time hit king Pete Rose is coming to Consol Energy Park in June to sell his autograph.

My first reaction when I heard the news was this:

Why?

Well, the reason obviously is Rose is hitting the independent leagues this summer to make some money and drum up sympathy, er, uh, support, from the general public for his banishment from baseball to be overturned. Rose's representatives formally filed paperwork last month with new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred requesting reinstatement.

For $40, fans can purchase an autograph ticket for Rose to sign June 30 during the Wild Things' game against Lake Erie. For $100, you can purchase a VIP package that includes a 100-minute meet and greet with Rose.

And remember, apparently because he is banned from baseball, Rose will only sign Wild Things merchandise. No Cincinnati Reds or MLB gear will be autographed, so make sure you get to the CEP merchandise store early.

Hey, if you want to pay outrageous prices to see a legend up close, then go for it. I have no problem with that. Heck, I just paid a lot more than $100 to see the Rolling Stones from 50 yards away, so I can't criticize anybody for wanting to see a person who had more hits -- the baseball kind, not the rock and roll variety -- than anybody in history.

What did cause me to wonder why Wild Things ownership decided to bring Rose to Washington has nothing to do with Charlie Hustle's betting on baseball, his banishment from the game, his wanting to be in the Hall of Fame or the high price of becoming one of at least a million people across the country to own a Pete Rose autograph. Instead, it had everything to do with Rose being the guy Pittsburgh Pirates fans loved to hate during his playing days. That's why my first reaction to the Rose-to-CEP news was this:

Pete Rose? What, was Francisco Cabrera busy that day? Or Barry Bonds? Or Ken Stabler? Or Bobby Clarke? Or Aroldis Chapman? Or Ray Lewis? Or Alexander Ovechkin? These are the players Pittsburgh sports fans have despised.

This is like having Franco Harris sign autographs in Cleveland. Or Sidney Crosby signing in Philadelphia. Or Goliath signing autographs in David's back yard. There's just something wrong about crossing enemy lines, even after all these years.

Maybe I'm wrong about the dislike for Rose. Maybe I can't get over the fact I grew up in Pirates territory during the Lumber Company and Big Red Machine days but my best friend was -- and still is -- a diehard Reds fans. So Rose's success was always a thorn in my side. Perhaps it's because I am a child of the '70s that this seems so odd. People younger than I probably find nothing wrong with Pete Rose being in Washington.

I can't say anything bad about the way Rose played the game. He played the right way. He played hard, he played to win, he didn't miss games with injuries and the guy could roll out of bed during a winter blizzard and go 2-for-5. What he did on the field, I can totally respect.

I just think there are better options -- many of them current or former Pirates and Steelers -- than Rose to bring to Washington to sign autographs.

If you can't make it CEP June 30, don't feel badly. You can always wait for Bill Belichick Day at the ballpark next year.

3 caught in a draft

The Wild Things made three selections Tuesday in the Frontier League draft that concluded a two-day open tryout in Avon, Ohio.

Washington chose right-handed pitcher Joe Iorio of Venice, Fla., with the 10th pick in the first round, then made two picks in the second round. With the 17th selection – the third pick of the second round – the Wild Things chose right-handed pitcher Ernesto Zaragoza of Fontana, Calif. Five picks later, Washington selected catcher John Fidanza of Zachary, La.

Iorio played at two colleges, beginning his career at North Florida before transferring to Barry (Fla.) for the final two seasons. He was 3-5 with 3.30 ERA for Barry in 2014, his senior year.

Zaragoza was drafted in the 25th round by the Seattle Mariners in 2010 out of high school. He pitched in 10 games at the rookie level over two seasons before being released. Zaragoza pitched for White Sands of the independent Pecos League in 2013 and had a 2-3 record and 5.10 ERA.

Fidanza played college baseball at four different schools. He began his career at Coastal Carolina and ended it last spring at Georgia Gwinnett. Fadanza batted .281 and threw out 52 percent (17 of 33) of potential basestealers at Georgia Gwinnett and helped the Grizzlies to the NAIA World Series.

The Normal CornBelters chose pitcher Robert Stock with the No. 1 overall pick. Stock, who played college baseball at Southern California, is a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals and spent six years in their minor-league system.

By my count, the Wild Things have 36 players under contract for spring training that begins Thursday. Of the 36 players, 21 are pitchers. Fidanza, however, is the only catcher signed so far. That's 21 pitchers and one catcher. Here's thinking the Wild Things will be announcing the signing of two or three catchers in the next two days. Either that or Fidanza's knees will be giving out by the weekend.

Trying times

The Frontier League's annual open tryout will begin today at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio, and run through Tuesday when it concludes with a player draft. Each team is required to draft at least two players.

The Frontier League tryout is like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get. One year you'll be lucky to find five players who are capable of making any kind of contribution at this level of baseball. Then, sometimes you'll be surprised by who shows up, like in 2012 -- the last time the tryout was held in Washington -- when Mike Lee walked in. Lee was a pitcher who was drafted in the ninth round by Boston four years earlier but had been released from the Red Sox's Double-A team a week before the FL tryout. He hopped in his car and drove to Washington, where he was drafted No. 1 overall by Rockford. Lee was signed away from Rockford by the Atlanta Braves and is still in affiliated ball, pitching this year in Class AA for the Toronto Blue Jays. Lee has even pitched a little in Class AAA.

A look back at recent drafts shows that the Schaumburg Boomers have done the best job of finding talent at the tryout. Washington's recent drafts have yielded little in the way of players who have made an impact, let alone a regular in the lineup.

The last drafted player to spend at least parts of multiple seasons for the Wild Things was infielder Rene Quintanna back in 2007 and '08. Only one player has been drafted by Washington and gone on to play in affiliated ball. That was right-handed pitcher Michael Hepple, the Wild Things' first-round pick in 2013. He pitched in only six games with Washington before being released, then played for two other Frontier League teams that season. Hepple was signed by the New York Mets last year and is currently playing at St. Lucie in the high-Class A Florida State League. He is a player I failed to mentioned when I listed former Wild Things who are currently in affiliated ball.

Below is a list of all players drafted by the Wild Things with the year, round, position and number of games played with Washington. As you'll see, 2012 was the worst draft in franchise history.


2014
1. P - Joey Perrotta
2. P - Devin Malone (9 games)
3. C - Vinny DeMelo

2013
2. P - Michael Hepple (6)
3. C - Michael Perez

2012
1. OF - Mike Miller
1. C - Juan Reyes Viruet
3. C - Eric Curtis
4. 1B - David Jensen
4. P - Ryan Thomas
5. P - David Jensen
6.C - Doc Nieman

2011
2. - SS Gerardo Caceres
3. C - Stephen Hermann
4. P - Keith Fenner

2010
1. P - David Trivett
2. P - Quinn Bright (8)

2009
1. OF - Chris Demons (28)
1. C - Jon Leber

2008
1. P - Dan Horvath (38)
1. P - Kyle Dempsey (12)

2007
1. INF - Rene Quintana (87)
1. C - Ryan Price
2. P - Shawn Kerek

2006
1. 2B - Kyle Werman (83)
1. P - Justin Mattison (34)
3. P - Richard Riley

2005
1. 2B - Bruce Baldwin (52)
1. 1B - T.J. Graves (70)

2004
1. CF - Jack Headley (83)
3. 1B - Mike Rapacioli

2003
1. 2B - Todd Weaver
2. P - Mike Abdalla

2002
2. C - Tony Taylor (37)
3. OF - Dan Hyott

Infielder added

The Wild Things signed one player over the weekend, a shortstop named Matt Ford. I believe this is a player from Hofstra University -- the same school that produced Danny Poma -- who played last season as an undrafted rookie with the Tamp Bay Rays' affiliate in the rookie level-Gulf Coast League.

Ford was a two-time (2012 and 2014) Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year playing both second base and shortstop. He was a career .314 hitter at Hofstra but batted only .218 in 48 games in affiliated ball. One thing Ford has going for him is he's classified as a Rookie-2.

Playing powerball in California

Former Wild Things outfielder Stewart Ijames is leading the Class A California League in home runs with six. He's also in the top five in the league in batting average at .362. An amazing statistic is though Ijames has six home runs in 13 games, he has only eight RBI.

Below is a link to a clip of Iajmes hitting a home run earlier this week off major leaguer Jarrod Parker, a former first-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks who was on a injury rehab assignment. Parker is currently with the Oakland Athletics.

Stewart Ijames home run off Jarrod Parker

Add 2, subtract 1

Edinson Rincon

The Wild Things continue to build a roster for spring training as they signed two players this week and put the their biggest offseason acquisition on the suspended list.

Washington signed left-handed pitcher Kyle Helisik and outfielder Edinson Rincon, but they suspended shortstop Jeudy Valdez.

Kyle Helisik

Helisik (6-0, 170) is the second former WPIAL player signed by Washington this offseason. He played high school ball at Seneca Valley and college baseball in the Big East at Villanova. Helisik played on Seneca Valley's 2007 team that won the PIAA Class AAAA championship and he had a 13-1 record over his final two seasons in the WPIAL.

Drafted in the 30th round by the St. Louis in 2012, Helisik spent three seasons in the Cardinals system as a starting pitcher and compiled an 18-16 record. He advanced to the high-Class A Florida State League last summer and had a 5-6 record and 3.80 ERA.

Rincon (6-1, 215), a native of the Dominican Republic, is a veteran of eight minor-league seasons, playing in the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals systems. Only 24 years old, Rincon has played both third base and left field in the minors. The vast majority of the games were at third base, though he is listed as an outfielder on the Frontier League transactions page.

Rincon has plenty of Class AA experience, playing in 216 games. His best seasons were 2010 and 2012. He hit 35 doubles and 13 home runs for Class A Fort Wayne in 2010, then had 30 doubles and 10 homers for Class AA San Antonio in 2012.

In 2010, Rincon was rated by Baseball America as the Padres' No. 9 prospect.

Looking at Rincon's career statistics, especially the fielding numbers, makes me think he will be a designated hitter or left fielder. I'd be shocked if he played third base unless if was absolutely necessary. In 323 career games at third base, Rincon has committed a whopping 129 errors. His fielding percentage at the hot corner is only .844. Some numbers for comparison: Carter Bell, the Wild Things' third baseman last year, committed 33 errors in 234 career games at third base, and the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez has a fielding percentage of .933 at third base while in the majors.

Valdez was the Wild Things most impressive offseason sign. He played in the prestigious Arizona Fall League and has more than 1,000 career at-bats at the Class AA level. He was on the Padres' 40-man roster as recently as 2013 and would have been a middle of the lineup guy. Valdez's fielding numbers at shortstop do leave something to be desired.

The departure of Valdez -- the Wild Things do retain his rights for a year -- leaves Ryan Kresky as the leader in the clubhouse for the shortstop job. It also leaves only three players who are second basemen, shortstops or third baseman and signed for 2015. And the second baseman is a true rookie who was a college outfielder.

Spring training roster almost complete

Tanner Mathis

With the Frontier League's annual open tryout and draft only one week away, the Wild Things' spring training roster is almost complete.

On the Frontier League website, under the league and transactions tabs, recently listed were several roster moves made by the Wild Things. Another player from last year's team, pitcher Aaron Newcomb, was placed on the suspended list and left-handed relief pitcher Chris O'Hare was given his outright release.

Washington has signed right-handed pitchers John Bengard, Ben Carlson, Tim Giel, Kyle Vazquez, Tyler Wilson, third baseman Sam Mende and outfielders Chris Knott and Tanner Mathis. The club, however, has announced only the signings of Bengard, Carlson, Knott and Mathis. Here is a quick capsule rundown of the eight newcomers:

Bengard - Bengard was a very good pitcher at California Baptist -- that's the school California University recently beat to win the NCAA Division II women's basketball national championship -- then was drafted by the Chicago White in the 30th round in 2013 and spent two years in affiliated ball. Was used strictly as a reliever by the White Sox. He was 2-0 and saved eight games in rookie ball last year.

Carlson - Played at Furman University and was a 40th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels. Pitched better than what you would expected from a 40th rounder. He was 7-3 with 24 saves in two seasons, including 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 14 saves for Burlington of the Class A Midwest League. Those are numbers that usually keep you in affiliated ball.

Giel - The only WPIAL product of the group. Played at Shady Side Academy and then in the Ivy League at Columbia University. He is the second Columbia grad to be signed by the Wild Things. The first was Matt Buckmiller in 2003 (I'll have to revisit Buckmiller's brief stay in Washington because it provided my favorite story of all the people who played for the Wild Things). Giel is from Gibsonia and was a nondrafted free agent by the New York Yankees in 2013. He played two years in the organization, including last year at Staten Island, where his manager was former Wild Things catcher Mario Garza. Played summer ball in the Cape Cod League. Was a standout athlete in three sports at Shady Side Academy.

Vazquez - Is the player the Wild Things received from Sioux Falls of the American Association in the trade that sent Shawn Blackwell to the Canaries. An older guy by Frontier League standards, Vazquez will turn 27 in June. He was a teammate the last two years of new Wild Things pitching coach Ben Moore. Played at Franklin Pierce, a Division II powerhouse in New Hampshire and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2012. Was both a starter and reliever in the Giants' system and had nine saves in 2009 but was released after the season. Pitched the last two years in independent ball and was only 8-14 with an ERA of more than 5.00 both seasons. The teams he played on, however, were lousy, finishing a combined 50 games under .500.

Wilson - With the Wild Things not announcing this signing and the player having a somewhat common name, I'm guessing about which this Tyler Wilson is. I'm thinking he's a pitcher who played college ball at Tennessee Wesleyan, the same school that produced Al Yevoli. Wilson had some walk issues last year at Tennessee Wesleyan but was drafted in the 20th round by San Diego. In rookie ball, he pitched only 8 1/3 innings but struck out 17 and walked only three batters.

Mende - The only player Washington has signed for 2015 that was listed as a third baseman, so you have to think it's his job to lose entering camp. Mende was drafted twice, including in the 31st round by the Colorado Rockies in 2011 out of South Florida. Mende actually got an at-bat last year in a major league spring training game with the Rockies and had a hit. A look at Mende's statistics shows that he probably hasn't played regularly at one position since 2012, when he played third base for Asheville in Class A. Has been playing multiple infield positions and right field in affiliated ball. Played in the Cape Cod League.

Knott - Played college ball at East Stroudsburg and was named the PSAC's East Division Player of the year last season. Drafted in the 34th round by Tampa Bay last year and hit .248 in rookie ball. Was the Warriors' first all-region selection since 1991 after leading the PSAC in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, RBI and runs. He set seven school records at East Stroudsburg.

Mathis - This is the player on this list that I find most interesting. Mathis comes to Washington after playing two seasons in the Houston Astros' system and four years in the SEC at Mississippi. What Mathis does best is get on base. His on-base percentage at two levels in the Houston organization was .390. In four seasons at Ole Miss, his OBP was .422 including .466 as a junior. Was signed as a nondrafted free agent by Houston.

By my count, Washington has 31 players under contract. None of the 31 are catchers. The Wild Things still hold the options on catcher Maxx Garrett, second baseman Austin Wobrock and pitcher Matt Sergey from last year's team and pitcher Matt Phillips who missed all of last season with an injury.

Flurry of roster moves

Scott Dunn had a 38-15 career record in the Frontier League.

Six players from last year’s Wild Things team that made the Frontier League playoffs won’t be returning for the 2015 season. Another will be starting the season on the disabled list.

Washington has put catcher Jim Vahalik, third baseman Carter Bell, utility infielder Garrett Rau, outfielder Andrew Heck and pitchers Zac Fuesser and Scott Dunn on the suspended list. The Wild Things do retain the Frontier League rights to these players for one year, if they opt to return to baseball.

Fuesser was Washington’s top starting pitcher last season with a 9-2 record and 2.25 ERA. The latter was the second-best mark in the league. Fuesser also pitched Washington to a 4-2 victory over Evansville in a wild-card playoff game last September. Fuesser pitched 8 2/3 innings in that game.

Dunn, a former South Side Beaver High School and Slippery Rock University player, spent one season in Washington and four with Traverse City. He had an 8-5 record with the Wild Things and was 38-15 in his Frontier League career.

Vahalik, who was acquired in a July trade with the London Rippers in 2012, had been the Wild Things starting catcher for 2½ seasons. Bell and Rau each played one year with Washington. Bell was the starting third baseman and Rau played in 93 games and started at all four infield positions. Heck, who is the baseball coach at Sewickley Academy, has played for the Wild Things each of the last three years.

The Wild Things also placed pitcher Zach LeBarron on the 60-day disabled list, and put pitchers Hamilton Bennett and Andy Noga on the suspended list. Bennett and Noga were acquired from Kansas City of the American Association in exchange for closer Jonathan Kountis.

The Wild Things still hold the options on four players from last year's team: pitchers Aaron Newcomb and Matt Sergey, catcher Maxx Garrett and second baseman Aaron Wobrock, They also picked up the option on pitcher Matt Phillips, who had a very good 2013 season for Washington but missed all of last year with an injury. The Wild Things have not announced yet if these players are returning.

Two position players returning

Danny Poma (26) and Ryan Kresky, right, are the first position players to re-sign with the Wild Things for 2015.

The Wild Things have re-signed two key players, center fielder Danny Poma and shortstop Ryan Kresky, from last year’s Frontier League playoff team.
Poma was one of the top outfielders in the league. In his first season in Washington after playing in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system, Poma batted a team-high .308 with 22 doubles. Poma also finished second in the league in stolen bases with 30.
Kresky was slowed by a wrist injury that landed him on the disabled list in the middle of the year, but he had 17 extra-base hits among his 45 hits and stole seven bases. Kresky, who was acquired in a trade with Evansville prior to the 2014 season, played in 63 games and committed only six errors.

Competition to the south

Monongalia County Ballpark

If you're a fan of the Wild Things or just minor league baseball in general and you live south of Washington, say in Waynesburg or Carmichaels or Uniontown, you have a interesting decision to make this summer. Do you continue to go to Consol Energy Park and watch the Wild Things or do you travel 30 minutes south and check out the West Virginia Black Bears, the Pittsburgh Pirates' affiliate that will be making its debut this year in the New York-Penn League? The Black Bears will play in the new Monongalia County Ballpark that opens tonight when West Virginia University hosts Butler.

The 3,500-seat ballpark is an an easy location to get to, just off I-79 at the Star City exit.

The idea of having the Pirates' New York-Penn League team share a ballpark with a local college team is not a new idea. The original plan, which was discussed about 15 years ago, was for the Pirates to place a team in the league and have it play in a new ballpark in Washington, which became Falconi Field/Consol Energy Park. The plan really wasn't as simple as that as it involved switching ownership and affiliations of some teams. When Cam Bonifay was fired as general manager of the Pirates during the 2001 season, the plan for a New York-Penn League team in Washington was put on the backburner for a decade. Thus, the Wild Things were born to replace the New York-Penn League that never came to Washington.

Here are two videos of Monongalia County Ballpark. You'll notice that it's still a work in process.

http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=Sports&item=Video-Tour-of-the-Monongalia-County-Ballpark-22406

http://www.wvusports.com/blogs.cfm?blog=baseballBlog&story=27829

Former Wild Things in affiliated ball

C.J. Beatty

The minor league baseball season started Thursday night in the full-season leagues and there are were (at least) six former Wild Things players and ex-manager on opening day rosters, along with two Washington County natives and a guy with a famous name who played his college baseball at Consol Energy Park.

Here is what a few roster searches found:

Class AAA
Vidal Nuno - Reno - The only Wild Things player to go on and play in a major league game, Nuno was the Aces' opening night starter last night. It was his first opening day start since 2011, when he pitched for the Wild Things at Joliet. Nuno was the winning pitcher in Reno's 8-2 victory over Albuquerque. He pitched five innings, gave up two runs (one earned), did not walk a batter and struck out six.

Class AA
Quincy Latimore - Bowie - Former Wild Things outfielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect spent last year in the Eastern League with Harrisburg and batted .277 in 108 games. Latimore signed with the Baltimore Orioles and is back in the eastern League with the Bowie Baysox. Latimore went 2-for-6 in Bowie's 3-2 loss to Richmond in 14 innings.

Darin Everson - New Britain - Former Wild Things manager (2009-10) is the manager of the Colorado Rockies' affiliate in the Eastern League, the New Britain Rock Cats. Everson was the hitting coach last year for the Rockies' Class AA affiliate in Tulsa. The Rockies switched affiliates this year with the Los Angeles Dodgers moving into Tulsa. New Britain's season opener was rained out.

High Class A
C. J. Beatty - Winston-Salem - Beatty was signed away from the Wild Things by the Chicago White Sox late last season and assigned to his hometown Winston-Salem Dash. Beatty is returning to Winston-Salem of the Carolina League. Beatty was not in the lineup for the Dash's 13-0 win over Frederick.

Robbie Garvey - Rancho Cucamonga - An outfielder on the Wild Things' 2012 team until he left the team before he could be traded to the Road Warriors, Garvey is in his second season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Los Angeles' Dodgers' affiliate in California League. Garvey batted .229 for the Quakes last year but had 32 extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases. Garvey also had two at-bats with the Dodgers' major-league team in a spring training game March 21 against Colorado. Garvey went 1-for-4 in the Quakes' 3-2 season-opening win over Bakersfield.

Stewart Ijames - Visalia - Outfielder for the Wild Things the last two years was signed by Arizona shortly after the all-star break last season. He is currently with the Visalia Rawhide of the California League. Ijames was 2-for-3 with two run-scoring doubles and a walk as Visalia led 10-4 with two outs in the top of the ninth when the stadium lights went out, causing a late-night delay.

Low-Class A
Scott Kalamar - Like Ijames, a two-year veteran of the Wild Things. Kalamar was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2014 Frontier League season. He has been assigned to the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League. He was not in the lineup for the Cougars' season opener.

Spring training was not good for three former Wild Things who were released from affiliated ball. Pitcher Steve Messner was released after one season in the San Francisco Giants system but he has re-signed with the Wild Things. Pitcher Al Yevoli, who pitched two seasons for Washington, was released by Arizona and has since signed with the Wichita Wingnuts of the independent American Association. Pitcher Chris Smith, who was 9-6 with a 2.92 ERA for the Wild Things in 2012, has been pitching in the New York Yankees' system since leaving Washington. He was on the roster of the Class AA Trenton Thunder as recently as Sunday morning but was released later in the day.

Two former Washington players who I could find no current information on are Mark Williams, a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers system, and Troy Marks, a starting pitcher from last year's Wild Things team. Williams was suspended for 50 games last August, so he might still be in the Brewers' system but serving the end of the suspension. I have no idea what has happened to Marks. He might be in extended spring training. I just don't know. If you know what happened to Marks since he signed with Arizona in the offseason, then let me know.

Two Washington County products continue to move up in the affiliated ranks. Pitcher Jordan Jankowski (Peters Township) has been promoted to Class AAA and is pitching in relief for the Fresno Grizzlies in the Houston Astros system. Matt Pierpont (Canon-McMillan) is with the Colorado Rockies' Modesto Nuts of the Class A California League.

Another tie to Washington County and the California League is Kyle Petty, a former California University standout. Petty is playing for the Bakersfield Blaze, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Examining the roster

The Wild Things will be playing games that count in only 36 days, so it's time we examined the team's roster to see if we can spot any trends, strengths and what positions still need to be addressed.

With the signing of former Washington pitcher Steve Messner on Wednesday, the Wild Things have 22 players under contract for spring training, including 14 pitchers. They also have three first basemen, an outfielder who they are converting to second base, a shortstop, two outfielders and a player who has pro experience at first base and the outfield.

The early trend -- and this can be said about several of the Frontier teams, which is a good sign for the league -- is that there is an increase in the number of players signed who have significant Class AA experience.

The most eye-popping signing of the offseason for Washington has been shortstop Jeudy Valdez, a former San Diego Padres prospect who spent three seasons and 311 games at Class AA. He also played in the prestigious Arizona Fall League in 2012 and was on the Padres' 40-man roster as late as 2013. The question with Valdez is, what happened to his hitting stroke last year? He batted only .197 in the hitter-friendly Class A California League and then .225 in 58 Double-A games. Valdez's best season was 2011 with Lake Elsinore of the California League. He batted .295 with 37 doubles and 15 home runs. He also hit .251 with 29 doubles and 10 home runs in Class AA in 2013.

Among the new signees at pitcher are Richie Mirowski, Kevin Brandt and Ryan Bores. Mirowski was a low draft pick of the Washington Nationals who moved up in the system and pitched in 23 games at Double-A Harrisburg and played in the Arizona Fall League in 2013. Brandt pitched in six games in Class AA last year for a team with one of the most interesting nicknames in baseball, the Montgomery Biscuits. A lefty, Brandt pitched in 36 games at high-Class A and made 14 starts. Bores is a former Kent State pitcher who pitched in 16 games last year for the Texas Rangers' Class AA team.

Another new pitcher to keep an eye on is Luke Wilkins, a 25-year-old native Australian who has pitched for five seasons in the Australian Baseball League.

Five pitchers will be returning to Washington, including three of last year's relievers. Pat Butler is back for his third season with the Wild Things, Matt Purnell returns after a very good rookie season and late-season pickup Chris O'Hare is back. Also returning is Tim Flight, a lefty who made the starting rotation at the beginning of last year but suffered a season-ending injury when he was struck on the wrist by a line drive in a game at Rockford. As mentioned above, Messner will be back with Washington. If you don't remember him, that's because he wasn't here very long the first time, pitching in eight late-season games in 2013 and then signing with San Francisco. He was 7-5, 4.17 at Class A last season.

The two holes in the roster are catcher and third base. No players with experience at those positions have been signed.

Casey Roche is a former Pitt outfielder who hit .300-plus in each of his first three seasons with the Panthers before dipping to .272 as a senior last spring. He has a chance to make the club.

Lee Orr is another player with Double-A experience, having played 96 games at that level in the Padres' system at outfielder and first base. He has a track record of being a clout-or-out guy, ala Jacob Dempsey. In the last two years, Orr had 552 at-bats with 52 extra-base hits. He also struck out 215 times.

With 22 players signed, that leaves roughly a dozen roster spots that can be filled before spring training. At least two of those will go to players drafted at the Frontier League tryout later this month. The Wild Things still hold the rights to 16 players from last year's team plus pitcher Kyle Vazquez, who was acquired from Sioux Falls of the American Association in the trade for Shawn Blackwell, and pitchers Hamilton Bennett and Andy Noga, who were acquired in a trade for Jonathan Kountis.

I mentioned the signing of players with Class AA experience seems to be on the rise this year in the Frontier League. Among the signings that fall into this category are outfielder Teodoro Martinez (two-time all-star in the Class AA Texas League) by Rockford and first baseman Jon Griffin (15 home runs in Double-A last year) by the Greys. Griffin gained some recognition last year by hitting five home runs in five consecutive at-bats for Class AA Mobile. He is only the second player in the long history of the Southern League to hit four home runs in a game.

Among the other signings that caught my attention: Evansville bringing back Shayne Houck, who was last year's MVP and Southern Illinois getting pitcher Adam Lopez, who struck out 129 in 99 1/3 innings during a Class A season.

Nuno to Triple-A

Vidal Nuno

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced Saturday that former Wild Things pitcher Vidal Nuno will begin the season at Class AAA Reno.

Nuno had been competing for a spot in the Diamondbacks' bullpen. He was scheduled to start Saturday’s spring training game against the Chicago Cubs but was scratched. Nuno had an 8.20 ERA in four spring appearances.

Bart back in ball

Bart Zeller - Ozarks, Mo.-bound.

Former Wild Things manager Bart Zeller is back in baseball.

According to the website for the Ozarks Professional Baseball League,Zeller has signed a contract to manage the league's Ozark, Mo., franchise.

The Ozarks Professional Baseball League is a new independent league that, according to its website, will start play in June with 10 teams. The league says it will have teams based in the midwest and its ballpark in Ozark -- the former home to the Frontier League's Springfield-Ozark Ducks -- will be the league's base. No franchise locations have been announced, so I'm assuming that the league will play all games at one field, Price Cutter Park, but I don't know for sure. Judging only by the website and a quick Google search, I'd say its 50-50 at best that this league plays a game this year.

Zeller was the manager of the Wild Things for 1 1/2 seasons before he abruptly and unexpectedly resigned last year just before the all-star break with Washington in first place in the East Division.