Catcher sold to Rays

There were two roster moves Friday in the Frontier League and each had at least some connection to the Wild Things.

Washington catcher Adrian Bravo-Carmona had his contract purchased by the Tampa Bay Rays. Bravo-Carmona was signed a few months ago out of Mid-American Christian University in Oklahoma, an NAIA school. The move leaves Washington with three catchers on the roster and none with any significant pro experience. You have to think the Wild Things will sign a catcher with at least Class A experience or 300 at-bats in independent ball before the season begins next month.

The other move was a trade between the Lake Erie Crushers and Abilene of the North American League. You might recall that in February the Wild Things shipped relief pitcher Mickey Jannis to Abilene in exchange for catcher Michael Surina. Jannis was the most experienced player the Wild Things signed during the offseason, having reached high-Class A in the Rays' system.

Now, Jannis is back in the Frontier League and playing for Lake Erie. The Crushers acquired Jannis in a trade with Abilene, but Lake Erie gave up a lot, dealing starting pitcher Thomas Campbell. Campbell was one of the top true rookie pitchers in the Frontier League last year. He was 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 10 starts.

Another catcher signed

According to the Frontier League website, the Wild Things have signed catcher Adrian Bravo-Carmona.

A quick Internet search shows that Bravo-Carmona follows the familiar script of signees for new Washington manager Chris Bando. Bravo-Carmona is from California (Riverside) and played at an NAIA school the last two years, Mid-American Christian University in Oklahoma. He also played at San Bernandino Valley College.

Bravo-Carmona batted .366 last year as a senior with 12 home runs and 38 RBI. As a junior, he hit .421 with 14 home runs and 31 RBI.

The most interesting thing I could find on Carmona-Bravo is that he was listed on Mid-American Christian's roster as being 5-8 and 220 pounds as a junior and 5-10, 205 as a senior. There wasn't much information available.

The signing brings the number of catchers under contract for spring training to four. Each is classified as a rookie by Frontier League roster rules.

Note to self: Research how small college position players with no prior pro experience have fared with the Wild Things. I can quickly think of two (Chris Sidick and Jay Coakley) who made significant contributions.