5 Wild Things among top 20 indy prospects

Two Wild Things players have been ranked among the top 10 prospects -- and five are in the top 20 -- in independent baseball by Baseball America.

Switch-hitting shortstop A.J. Nunziato (pictured) is ranked the No. 4 prospect, and left-handed relief pitcher Alfonso Yevoli is ranked No. 5.

Outfielder Andrew Heck is ranked the No. 12 prospect catcher-first baseman Rick Devereaux is No. 16 and right-handed pitcher Chris Smith is No. 17.

The Frontier League produced four of the top 10 with Lake Erie relief pitcher Jonathan Kountis the highest-rated player at the No. 3 spot.

A rookie out of NCAA Division II Lander University, Nunziato batted only .238, but he hit six home runs and had 32 RBI. Nunziato proved to be a reliable fielder as committed only three errors in 51 games after joining the Wild Things in early July.

Here is what baseball America said about Nunziato:

It's much tougher to get signed out of independent ball as a position player than as a pitcher, in part because scouts are generally skeptical about the athleticism and defensive ability of independent league players. But Nunziato is a shortstop who should be able to stick in the middle infield if he makes the jump to affiliated ball.

A four-year starter at Division II Lander (S.C.), Nunziato is a switch-hitter who shows pop from both sides. He showed solid-average range while showcasing an average arm that is extremely accurate, and he had a .985 fielding percentage in the Frontier League.

Nunziato hit .391 as a college sophomore despite a back injury that forced him to take a redshirt year in 2009 as he recovered from surgery to fix a herniated disc. He has shown no ill effects as a pro. He is an average runner who needs to improve his pitch.

Yevoli, a hard-throwing lefty, had a 1-2 record and 2.62 ERA in 28 games. He struck out 34 in 34 1/3 innings. Yevoli, a rookie out of NAIA Tennessee Wesleyan, got steadily better as the season progressed. He allowed a run in only one of his last 17 appearances. During that late-season stretch, Yevoli struck out 24 batters and walked only two.

Here is what Baseball Amerrica said about Yevoli:

Yevoli pitched for three years at High Point, then transferred as a senior to Tennessee Wesleyan, helping the Bulldogs win the NAIA title this year. The move didn't improve his draft stock, however, so after his name didn't get called he signed on with the Wild Things.

Yevoli has quality stuff, sitting at 92-94 mph consistently and piling up a strikeout an inning with Washington. He generates good angle and his fastball has late life, although that sometimes affects his command. His slider is a hard breaking pitch, but he also struggles to throw it for strikes at times.

A look back

Every baseball season is memorable for multiple reasons. Wins or losses. Comebacks. Players. Plays. Games. The following are a few of the things that would make it on a Wild Things 2012 Highlights/Lowlights video:

* Starting with the most recent ... Andrew Heck becomes only second player in Wild Things history to play all nine positions in a game, doing so in the regular-season finale against Schaumburg. Heck does not commit an error and pitches two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run (unearned) with a strikeout.

* The Wild Things' bus broke down near Columbus, Ohio, during a trip from Lake Erie to Florence, Ky. It ended up being a 7-hour delay until a new bus arrived.

* Washington released outfielder James Simmons, who was signed in the offseason and had Class AAA experience, only five games into the season. Simmons later signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, where he is hitting .284 with 11 home runs and had Bridgeport's only hit off Roger Clemens during the future Hall of Famer's comeback game.

* There was the night the lights went out in Washington. During a July 17 game against Evansville, the majority of the lights at Consol Energy Park are knocked out and the game is suspended because of insufficient illumination. It was completed the next morning.

* During a series at Windy City, and following a game against the ThunderBolts, the Wild Things' bus does not go directly back to the hotel, instead going to the airport to allow the team to pick up a new player. This is a first in franchise history, and it had to leave more than one player who was already on the bus wondering if he was about to be released to make room for the new guy. An uncomfortable situation to say the least.

* In Washington's first 10 seasons, only once did a player steal four bases in a game. After being acquired Aug. 1 in a trade with South Illinois, outfielder Darian Sandford stole four bases in a game twice for Washington. In 30 games with the Wild Things, Sandford stole 26 bases, but also was thrown out 16 times. Sandford led the Frontier League with 71 stolen bases.

* Prior to a game against Rockford in early July, pitching coach Tim Ferguson "resigns." It's the second time in 11 seasons that Washington's pitching coach resigned before the season reached the all-star break.

* The most bizarre event of the year happened after a July 24 home game against the London Rippers. Earlier in the evening, the Frontier League announced the Rippers would be suspending operations at 12:01 a.m. that night. The league did not prevent London from making trades. After the game, Washington manager Chris Bando and hitting coach Jim Tatum, along with two front office representatives, stood outside the Rippers' clubhouse and tried to broker trades for London players. They managed to get four players to agree to join the Wild Things in exchange for four players who would be assigned to the traveling Road Warriors.

* During an August series at West Division champion Gateway, the Wild Things went 14 consecutive innings without a hit.

* After having four players signed by affiliated teams last year, the Wild Things had only one this season, relief pitcher Nate Striz, who had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox. Striz ended the year as the closer for Boston's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

* In a series at Southern Illinois, Washington starts a game with pitcher Orlando Santos as the designated hitter. And he doesn't bat in the No. 9 spot.He bats cleanup.

* Washington signed two players, infielder Anthony Long and catcher Cody Coffman, had them on the active roster for three games, did not put them in a game and then released them. The Wild Things also drafted outfielder Michael Miller in the first round at the league tryout. Miller made the regular-season roster but was traded after five games and not getting an at-bat.

* The Wild Things had a fixation with the independent Pecos League. They either signed or drafted eight players from the Pecos. There were three pitchers, and only one made the team. He was released after appearing in only eight games. Of the five hitters signed, only two were on the team in the regular season, one did not register an at-bat and the other went 4-for-29 before being released.

* Washington tied the record for its longest game, playing a 17-inning contest at home Aug. 4 against Lake Erie. The Wild Things overcame 23 strikeouts by Lake Erie pitchers to win 2-1.

Another roster move

The Wild Things made another roster move Friday, releasing catcher Joel Carranza and signing catcher Andrew Heck (pictured).

Carranza was acquired in the season's first week from a team in the independent Pecos League. He struggled offensively, hitting only .138 (4-for-29) though half of his hits went for home runs, including a grand slam against Gateway. After hitting the grand slam and driving in five runs in the that game, Carranza went into an 0-for-20 slump.

Heck is a local player, from North Hills High School. He played college ball at Duquesne before the school dropped the program following his junior season in 2010. Heck led the Dukes in nine offensive categories when he hit .408 with 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases as a junior. He set the school's single-season record for hits (91) and doubles (25).

Heck transferred to Oklahoma State for his senior season but played in only 15 games (eight starts) and batted .214 with no home runs.

At Duquesne, Heck was a teammate of the Wild Things' other catcher, Rick Devereaux, who transferred to Pitt when the Dukes quit playing baseball.

The interesting thing about the signing of Heck is he's listed as a catcher. I don't know how much he played the position at Oklahoma State or Duquesne, but judging by the fielding statistics it doesn't appear to be very often. At Duquesne, Heck also was a pitcher, so you know he didn't spend much time at catcher.

I think Heck even had a tryout with Southern Illinois, but as an outfielder. At Oklahoma State, Heck was listed on the roster as an outfielder and pitcher. At Duquesne, he was listed as a pitcher/infielder.

The addition of Heck might turn out to be a good one. Only time will tell. But with all the problems the Wild Things have had at catcher -- this is the sixth catcher they've had since the season started and they lead the league with nine passed balls -- you would think Washington would try to sign a backstop who has significant experience at the position in affiliated ball. The best catchers the Wild Things have had, guys like Randy McGarvey, Shaun Argento, Pat O'Brien, Mario Graza and Kris Rochelle, were catchers who were drafted.

This signing reminds me of something a former Wild Things player mentioned after Washington signed a catcher/third baseman out of the college ranks (the guy never made it to Washington). "The best catchers I played with or against were catchers-only," he said. "I never saw a good catcher who played behind the plate one day and then at third base the next. The good ones play catcher and that's it."

The moves continue the Wild Things' run of transactions that is at a record pace. Teams in the league are permitted only 25 transactions (not every move is considered a transaction) per season and Washington already is well past the halfway point -- and we still have a month left before we get to the all-star break.