Trade completed

The Wild Things today completed an earlier trade by sending right-handed pitcher Albert Ayala to Kansas City of the American Association. Washington had previously acquired catcher Pat Trettel for a player to be named later.

Ayala was one of the three players acquired by Washington in the deal that sent Casey Barnes and Michael Bando to River City. The Wild Things still owe the Rascals another player in that deal.

First offseason trade

The Wild Things have made their first offseason trade, sending starting pitcher Casey Barnes, first baseman Michael Bando and a player to be named later to the River City Rascals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Albert Ayala, first baseman Chris Andreas and left-handed pitcher Cory Caruso.

Barnes, pictured, spent two seasons with Washington, posting an 11-12 record and a 3.11 ERA in 32 starts. In 2011, Barnes was third in the league with a 2.34 ERA but didn't finish the year with Washington as he had his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies and spent a brief stint with their Williamsport affiliate in the New York-Penn League. Barnes had signed a contract extension with the Wild Things during the 2012 season.

Bando, the son of Washington manager Chris Bando, struggled at the plate in his only season with the Wild Things, batting .172 last year with one home run and eight doubles in 180 at-bats.

Ayala is a career independent leagues pitcher. He has spent six seasons in the Indy leagues, posting a 12-17 record with a 4.94 ERA and 17 saves in 155 games (20 starts). Last year, he played for River City and Southern Illinois, finishing with a 0-0 record, 9 saves and 2.95 ERA. He also played in the Frontier League in 2007 with River City and 2008 with the Midwest Sliders. Ayala turned 26 years old earlier this month.

Andreas is a 24-year-old first baseman who was a 39th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2011 out of Sam Houston State. He played one year of rookie ball in the Mariners' system and hit .336 but did not have a home run in 116 at-bats. With River City last season, Andreas batted .261 in 79 games with 6 home runs and 11 doubles.

Caruso was a 50th round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2011 out of Cal State-San Bernardino but did not sign. He returned to college and last spring had a 3-4 record and 3.19 ERA, but he struck out only 51 in 90.1 innings, which suggests he's not a power pitcher. He signed with River City and pitched in 29 games (one start), going 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA. He struck out 25 in 28.1 innings. Caruso still has Rookie status.

By Wild Things standards, this is early in the offseason to make a trade, but River City and Gateway generally build their rosters sooner than the league other teams in the league.

Washington also signed pitcher Dominick Ruscitti, a rookie out of Kutztown University.

First glances

Wild Things fans get their first glimpse of a Chris Bando-managed team tonight when Washington hosts Lake Erie in an exhibition game at Consol Energy Park. It's the first of four games in four days between the teams -- tonight and Friday in Washington, Saturday and Sunday in Avon, Ohio.

Between now and Wednesday, when opening day rosters must be set at no more than 24, the Wild Things must drop 16 players -- if nobody is added between now and the regular season. So there will be many players in Washington's dugout the next two nights who won't be here for the home opener May 22.

With a record number of players in camp, and no numbers on the back of the practice shirts, it was hard to tell who was doing what during the two days I spent at camp. There were, however, a few things I noticed:

* Outfielder James Simmons is big and fast. Make that very fast, especially going home-to-third or first-to-third. Most impressive position player in camp.

* The one player who appears to be a much better hitter than I expected is catcher Michael Surina. In two seasons of independent ball, Surina has a .214 career batting average. He doesn't have a .214 swing. The ball jumps off his bat and he could be an impact hitter in the middle of the lineup.

* Outfielder Luis Rivera has been bothered by a hamstring injury suffered early in camp. He sat out some intrasquad games but will play in the exhibition contests.

* Wish I could tell you more about the pitchers, but I only saw four of them throw, and two were Casey Barnes and Justin Hall.

Barnes is back

The Wild Things have re-signed another part of last season's starting rotation as Casey Barnes (pictured) will be returning to Washington.

Barnes was the Frontier League's Rookie of the Year last year when he was 5-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts before having his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies. The 2.34 ERA was third-best in the league.

Barnes was signed by Washington during spring training last year, after he was released by Traverse City. Barnes was a big reason why the Wild Things had the best ERA in the league and set the FL record for most quality starts.

Barnes was released last month by the Phillies.

Washington has re-signed four of its five primary starting pitchers from last year. Also back are Justin Hall (10-7, 3.22), Gary Lee (4-6, 4.18) and Jhonny Montoya (4-7, 3.77). That's a good starting point for new pitching coach Tim Ferguson.

In the last few days, the Wild Things have signed two other players who were released during minor league spring training. They also released one pitcher.

Signed were 6-5 left-handed pitcher Kevin Johnson and 21-year-old second baseman Nick Lockwood. Johnson spent two years in the Texas Rangers' system after playing at the University of Cincinnati. Lockwood was the Minnesota Twins' ninth-round draft pick in 2009. Johnson reached full-season Class A ball last year while Lockwood spent three years in rookie ball. Though he has played three pro seasons, Lockwood is a rookie by Frontier League standards because of his age.

Washington also acquired catcher Chris Anderson from New Jersey of the Can-Am League in exchange for a player to be named. Anderson, who has not yet been signed by the Wild Things, played at San Diego State and spent four years as an organizational filler catcher for the Atlanta Braves.

The Wild Things also released left-handed pitcher Dan Schmidt, who was signed in February and would have been the first Australian to play for Washington.

Barnes available

Former Wild Things pitcher Casey Barnes was included in the first round of cuts in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league camp. Barnes had been signed by the Phillies late last summer.

Barnes would be a good pickup for the Wild Things if they could re-sign the right-hander, not only because he finished second in the Frontier League with a 2.34 ERA last year, but also because he still holds rookie roster status.

Barnes had a 5-5 record with Washington.

If the Wild Things can re-sign Barnes, it would give them the four of the five primary starters off of last year's pitching staff. And we all know that starting pitching wasn't the Wild Things' problem. They set the league record for quality starts.

Alumni report

The Wild Things have five former players currently in minor league spring training, led by left-handed pitcher Tom Cochran (pictured).

Last year, Cochran became the first ex-Wild Thing to make it to the majors when he was with the Cincinnati Reds for two games. He did not, however, play in either game and was sent back to Class AAA Louisville, for whom he went 7-4 with a 3.55 ERA.

Cochran was a minor-league free agent after the 2011 season and has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. He'll try to earn a spot on the Phillies' Class AAA affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Also with the Phillies is right-handed pitcher Casey Barnes, who was second in the Frontier League in ERA last year.

Milwaukee has two former Wild Things relievers in left-hander Alan Williams and righty Mark Williams. Alan Williams had an impressive season last year split between rookie ball and Class A, going 2-2 with six saves and 49 strikeouts in 32.2 innings in affiliated ball.

Lefty pitcher Vidal Nuno, who was the Wild Things' opening day starter last year, is in the New York Yankees' minor-league camp.

Frontier League awards

The Frontier League announced their annual end-of-season awards Thursday and one went to a former Wild Things player.

Right-handed pitcher Casey Barnes was named the Jason Simontacchi Award winner as Rookie of the Year. Barnes (pictured), who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies last month, had a 5-5 record and 2.34 ERA (third in the Frontier League). At the time he was signed by the Phillies, Barnes was second in the Frontier League in ERA. He was the starting pitcher for the East Division in the 2011 All-Star Game.

It was quite a memorable stay in the Frontier League for Barnes. He began the season by being released in spring training by Traverse City and then was picked up by Washington before the regular season even began. He went from being the Wild Things' No. 5 starter to their ace.

Barnes is now pitching for Williamsport in the Class A New York-Penn League.

River City swept the top player and pitcher honors. Stephen Holdren (.333, 20 HR, 78 RBI) was voted the Morgan Burkhart Award winner as Most Valuable Player. Right-hander Josh Lowey (10-2, 2.53) won the Brian Tollberg Award as Pitcher of the Year. Joliet's Bart Zeller is the Manager of the Year.

WJPA Radio's Randy Gore won the Broadcaster of the Year Award. There's probably not another person in the league who goes to work each day more prepared to do his job than Randy Gore.

The Observer-Reporter also picked up some awards.

The All-Frontier League team and award winners:

1B – Logan Parker, River City Rascals
2B – Will Block, Southern Illinois Miners
3B – Chris Curley, Florence Freedom
SS – Andrew Davis, Lake Erie Crushers
OF – Stephen Holdren, River City Rascals
OF – J.T. Hall, Traverse City Beach Bums
OF – Alvaro Ramirez, Normal CornBelters
C – Landon Hernandez, Gateway Grizzlies
DH – Charlie Lisk, Gateway Grizzlies
SP – Josh Lowey, River City Rascals
RP – Ryan Quigley, Joliet Slammers

Morgan Burkhart Award (MVP) – Stephen Holdren, River City Rascals
Brian Tollberg Award (Pitcher of the Year) – Josh Lowey, River City Rascals
Jason Simontacchi Award (Rookie of the Year) – Casey Barnes, Washington Wild Things
Roger Hanners Award (Manager of the Year) – Bart Zeller, Joliet Slammers
Fran Riordan Award (Citizenship) – Danny Sawyer, River City Rascals

Coach of the Year – Mike Breyman, River City Rascals
Trainer of the Year – Matt Yonkof, Lake Erie Crushers
Groundskeeper of the Year – Lance Adler, Evansville Otters
Newspaper of the Year - The Observer-Reporter (Washington, Pennsylvania)
Writer of the Year – Chris Dugan, Observer-Reporter (Washington, Pennsylvania)
Broadcaster of the Year – Randy Gore, Washington Wild Things
Clubbie of the Year – Nate Six, Lake Erie Crushers
Executive of the Year – John Dittrich/Bill Waliewski, Joliet Slammers
Organization of the Year – Lake Erie Crushers
Umpire of the Year - Tony Maners

Voting for awards was done by general managers, coaching staffs, and local media in all 12 Frontier League markets.

Barnes is the 4th

There's not much for the Wild Things to play for these days. The playoffs are only a pipe dream and a winning season seems unlikely.

Personal goals, such as players getting a contract offer from a Major League Baseball organization, are about all that remain. For two pitchers, that goal has been reached during the current six-game road trip.

Washington starting pitcher Casey Barnes (pictured) signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies organization Sunday night, 48 hours after reliever Mark Williams was picked up by Milwaukee.

Barnes was second in the Frontier League with a 2.34 ERA. A right-hander out of Kansas Wesleyan University, Barnes had a 5-5 record in his rookie season. Released by Traverse City during spring training, Barnes was signed by the Wild Things prior to the start of the season and quickly became their most reliable starting pitcher.

"We’re thrilled with the success Casey has had with us, and we hope it continues with the Phillies,” Wild Things manager Darin Everson said in a press release.

If you know Barnes, you can't help but feel good for him. In 10 years of covering the Wild Things, I think Barnes is the most excitable and appreciative player I've met. He was genuinely thrilled to have a chance to pitch for the Wild Things and seemed to enjoy every moment of being a professional baseball player.

Barnes is the fourth Wild Things player (all pitchers) to have their contract purchased this season, which speaks volumes about the job pitching coach Mark Dewey has done. The Wild Things also lead the Frontier League with 40 quality starts (at least six innings pitched and no more than three earned runs allowed).

"It says a lot about Mark Dewey,” Barnes said. “Mark is a great guy, both as a coach and as a role model. ... I just hope I can find someone like him to work with in the Phillies organization.”

Barnes will join the Phillies' rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League.

Former Wild Things pitcher Vidal Nuno was recently promoted in the New York Yankees' system from the short-season New York-Penn League to low-Class A Charleston (S.C.). With Staten Island, Nuno was 5-0 with one save and an 0.72 ERA in eight games. He struck out 29 and walked only three in 25 innings.

Useless information

Cleaning out the notebook prior to the restart of the Frontier League season Friday night:

The topic of discussion in manager Darin Everson's office prior to the Wild Things-Gateway game Sunday was how many wins will it take for a team to secure a playoff berth from the East Division?

The Frontier League went to a 96-game schedule in 2004, and since then the playoff team with the worst record each season has averaged 52 wins. There was a low of 46 (Evansville in 2006) and it took 56 wins to make the postseason in 2009. It doesn't look like the East will have a team pull away from the pack, or one that finishes with less than 30 wins, so the magic number will likely be closer to 52 than 56.

What does that mean for the Wild Things? To get to 52 wins, they need to go 33-16 after the all-star break.

* In Wednesday night's Frontier League All-Star game in Avon, Ohio, Washington's Casey Barnes and Jhonny Montoya each pitched a scoreless and hitless inning. Justin Hall gave up one solo home run in his inning. Catcher Blake Ochoa went 1-for-2 with a walk, and second baseman Scott Lawson was 0-for-1 with a throwing error.

* Washington does not have a home run from the No. 4 spot in the batting order all season.

* Remember Joel Hartman, who was a utility player for the Wild Things last year before suffering a season-ending finger injury? He joined a team in the Pecos League, based in New Mexico, after being released in spring training by the Wild Things. Hartman suffered another season-ending injury recently. According to the Pecos League website, Hartman broke a leg during a play at home plate.

* In Ernie Banks' first 128 at-bats with the Wild Things in 2009, he hit 12 home runs. In 128 at-bats this year, Banks does not have a home run.

* Both Vidal Nuno and Alan Williams -- the two Wild Things pitchers signed this season by MLB organizations -- are off to strong starts with their new teams. Nuno is playing for Staten Island (Yankees) in the Class A New York-Penn League. In five relief appearances, Nuno is 4-0 with one save and a 0.98 ERA. He has 17 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings with only three walks. Williams is with Helena (Brewers) in the rookie-level Pioneer League and has a 1-1 record with three saves in seven outings. The lefty has pitched 11 innings and struck out 24 with only three walks.

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, who is in Class AAA with with Cincinnati, took the loss last Saturday in Louisville's 2-0 setback against Indianapolis, the Pirates' top affiliate. Cochran started the game and gave up only one run in five innings to drop his record to 6-2.

* Rockford, which is in fifth place in the East, made a key signing over the weekend, bringing back Jason James. The outfielder has one Frontier League batting title and finished second twice.

* In 46 games this season, Everson has used 45 different batting orders.

* Gateway manager Phil Warren on starting the season with three former West Virginia players and an ex-Pitt player on the Grizzlies' roster: "This is an area of the country that seems to get overlooked in the (major league) draft, for whatever reason."

* Despite losing Nuno, the opening day starter, Washington is tied for second in quality starts with 24. Florence also has 24. Windy City is tops with 28.

Wild Things Average Attendance
at the All-Star Break:
2002 - 2,942
2003 - 3,390
2004 - 3,242
2005 - 3,048
2006 - 3,133
2007 - 3,180
2008 - 2,899
2009 - 2,734
2010 - 2,373
2011 - 2,176

5 Wild Things named to All-Star Game

The Frontier League announced Monday the initial rosters for its all-star game and the Wild Things will have five representatives, including three pitchers.

Selected for the game as position players were second baseman Scott Lawson and catcher Blake Ochoa. Both will be backups for the East Division team that will play the West July 13 at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio.

Washington pitchers Casey Barnes, Justin Hall and Jhonny Montoya will be on the East's staff.

Lawson leads the Wild Things with a .319 batting average, and his .425 on-base percentage is fifth-best in the league.

Ochoa is batting only .198 but is second on the Wild Things with 21 walks and has thrown out 22 percent of opposing base stealers.

Barnes (2-3) is second in the league in ERA at 1.91. Hall (4-2, 3.27) is tied for the league lead with two shutouts and is tops on the Washington pitching staff in wins. Montoya (1-1, 2.20) is fourth in the league in ERA and second on the team in strikeouts with 32 in 49 innings.

The final three rosters spots for each team will be chosen by the game's managers Thursday.