Roster set ... or is it?

The Wild Things trimmed their roster to under the Frontier League limit of 24 active players Wednesday in preparation for their season opener Friday at Evansville.

Washington released right-handed pitchers Gary Lee and Andy Wells, left-handed pitcher Ryan McCarney, outfielder Rashad Taylor and infielder Nick Spears. The Wild Things also placed infielder Nick Lockwood on the 14-day disabled list.

The moves leave Washington with 23 active players, plus Lockwood and outfielder Trevor Pippin on the DL. The Wild Things are one player under the league limit of 24. They can add a player before opening day.

Lee was part of Washington's starting rotation last year, when he was 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA in 16 outings (13 starts). Lee had played for new Wild Things manager Chris Bando in 2007 with the Aiken Foxhounds in the now-defunct independent South Coast League.

McCarney, who is an assistant coach at San Diego Christian College where Bando is the head coach, had an arm injury early in spring training and had been on the disabled list.

The roster:
Pitchers:
Casey Barnes
Mickey Cassidy
Nick Cico
Alan gatz
Ross Gusky
Justin Hall
Jhonny Montoya
Chris Smith
Shawn Smith
Ryan Thomas
Kyle Wahl

Catchers:
Chris Anderson
Brandon Fowler

Infielders
Mike Bando
Nick Lockwood (DL)
Matt McConnell
Michael Mooney
Shain Stoner
Doug Thennis

Outfielders
Allan Boyer
Mitch Dening
Michael Miller
Trevor Pippin (DL)
Luis Rivera
James Simmons

Who are these guys?

In case you haven't noticed, new Wild Things manager Chris Bando has been busy signing players at a rapid pace. According to the Frontier League's website, Washington has signed 12 players since Nov. 8. I even found a 13th player mentioned on a different website.

If they continue at the current pace, the Wild Things will have more than 50 players in spring training.

So who are these new guys?

Not all the signings have been released by the Wild Things, so finding information about several players was difficult, but here's what we know about the 12 or 13:

The majority of the players are rookies with no pro experience. Only three are classified as Experienced by the FL's guidelines. Many of the 12/13 played small- college baseball, mainly at the NAIA level. Seven of the players are from California.

Here's a quick background for each player:

* INF Nick Spears: From Santee, Calif. Played at Southern Nazarene, an NAIA school in Oklahoma. Senior year was 2010. Put up big numbers in college. Drafted out of high school but did not sign. Played 11 games for St. George of the independent Golden League in 2010 but the team folded. Did not play in a pro league last summer.

* OF Trevor Bloom: From Palmdale, Calif. Played at four different colleges, including San Diego Christian College, where Bando is the athletic director and baseball coach. Did not play pro ball in 2011.

* OF Rashad Taylor: From San Francisco, Calif. Played at Point Loma Nazarene, an NAIA school in California. Was drafted twice but did not sign. Senior season was 2011 and was not drafted. Was a standout high school football player who reportedly had several Division I offers but decided to go the baseball route. In a press release, Bando was quoted as saying "I look for Rashad to catch everything in the outfield, steal bases and drive in runs. It is not often you see a 6-4 frame that athletic on a baseball field." In another story, Bando said "Rashad Taylor will be one of the most exciting players players in the league ... He might be one of the league leaders in stolen bases. ... He'll be one of the more exciting players in the league, if he lives up to his potential."

* RHP Mickey Jannis: From Sparks, Nev. Has the best background of any player on this list. Spent two years in the Tampa Bay Rays' system, reaching high-Class A. Had a 7-4 record, 5 saves and 3.00 in the minors.

* C Rob Herrmann: From Trumansburg, N.Y. Played at Fredonia State in New York. Signed last summer with Las Cruces of the independent Pecos League.

* RHP Ryan McCarney: From Acton, Calif. Coached last season at San Diego Christian College. Did not play professionally in 2011. Played his junior season of college at Cal State-Northridge in 2009 before transferring to San Diego Christian. Drafted twice but did not sign.

* LHP Matt Kretchmer: From Carmel, Calif. Played last spring for Cal State San Marcos, an NAIA school. Played one year at New Mexico State.

* INF Matt McConnell: From Mesa, Ariz. Spent two years in the Philadelphia Phillies' system. Apparently, he did not play in 2011. Played at Metro State, an NCAA Division II school in Denver. His younger brother, Mickey McConnell, was a starting guard for the St. Mary's (Calif.) basketball team that made a run to the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA basketball tournament, upsetting Villanova along the way.

* LHP Shawn Smith: From Saugus, Ariz. Was a 9th-round draft pick out of high school by Tampa Bay. Never advanced out of rookie ball. Did not pitch in 2010 (injured?). Though he has three seasons of pro experience, Smith will be classified as a Rookie because of his age (21).

* RHP Mickey Cassidy: We believe this is a player from Toledo, Ohio, who has three years of independent experience. Played last summer for Rio Grande Valley of the North American Baseball League.

* 3B Wes Kartch: From Irvine, Calif. Played at Point Loma Nazarene. Senior year was 2011. Was not drafted last June.

* RHP Ryan Turner: From North Richland Hills, Texas. Has been drafted four times, including three times by Tampa Bay. Played last spring at Tarleton State in Texas. Was then drafted by Rays and posted 1-1 record and 6.35 ERA in rookie ball. Was released this fall. Though given a quick release by Tampa Bay, his solid college numbers and the fact he was drafted four times makes me think he has a chance to stick on the roster.

* INF Mike Bando: Played at San Diego Christian College. Wild Things have not announced his signing and he's not listed on the FL website as having signed a contract. On the SDCC baseball website, there is a story that says Bando, Bloom and McCarney signed with Washington.

Wild Things sign first 2

The Wild Things and new manager Chris Bando have signed their first two players for 2012. They are shortstop Nick Spears and outfielder Trevor Bloom. Neither player has professional experience.

Spears played at Southern Nazarene University, located in Bethany, Okla., and was a first team NAIA All-American in 2010 and named the Sooner Athletic Conference’s top shortstop after batting .442 batting.

"He has great make up, a powerful bat and arm and is a sure fire ML prospect,” Bando said. “His athleticism will enable us to play Nick at multiple positions.”

Bloom spent a year each at New Mexico State, College of the Canyons, Sacramento State and San Diego Christian College. The latter is where Bando is the head coach. At College of the Canyons, Bloom was named to the Southern California All-American team as an outfielder, and also was the Player of the Year for the Western State-South Conference in 2009.

“He is the ultimate 'gamer.' He plays the game hard, is a consummate team player and was one of the best hitters in college baseball last season,” Bando said. “He can play infield, outfield and pitch. He is a winner and will play everywhere for us this year. He hits everything hard.”