More roster moves

The Wild Things announced Monday that seven players -- outfielders Gus Benusa (pictured) and Darian Sandford, shortstop A.J. Nunziato, second baseman Shain Stoner, right-handed pitcher Gary Lee and left-handed pitchers Shawn Smith and Anthony Collazo -- have signed contract extensions for 2013, and that two pitchers have been added to the roster.

Lee (7-5, 2.89), who finished last season as a player/pitching coach, will be a Veteran, according to Frontier League roster rules. A Vet is the one player on the roster who can exceed the FL's 27-year-old age limit.

The newcomers are right-handed pitcher Cole Brand and lefty Matt Phillips.

Brand spent three seasons at the rookie-league level in the St. Louis Cardinals system. Last summer, he had a 2.97 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. I've written before that you shouldn't put much stock in rookie-league statistics because they don't transfer well to a player's potential in the Frontier League. However, what I like about Brand's numbers is that in 78 innings of pro ball he has issued only 16 walks and allowed just two home runs. Another plus is he has pro experience and is only 20 years old, which means he's still a Rookie by roster standards. Brand was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school in the 42nd round in 2010.

"Cole showed a lot of promise in his time with the Cardinals organization and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do in Washington," Wild Things assistant general manager Steve Zavacky said in a press release.

Phillips was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an undrafted player out of Cal State-Dominguez Hills in 2010. He played rookie ball that year and went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in 12 games, but missed all of the 2011 seasons because of an injury. Last year, he was signed by Abilene of the independent North American Baseball League and pitched in one unforgettable game. He went 2/3 of an inning and allowed four hits and four walks.

"(Phillips) comes highly recommended from the Red Sox organization and has been a strikeout pitcher in both college and his year in the Gulf Coast Rookie League," said Wild Things bench coach Bart Zeller.

The Wild Things also announced today that infielder Brad Agustin has been placed on the retired list. Agustin was one of the players acquired at midseason in a trade with London.

After reading the Wild Things' statements on these roster moves, one thing comes to mind: Why hasn't manager Chris Bando been quoted in any of the press releases?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The revolving door on the Wild Things' clubhouse has been in full swing the last two days.

As manager Chris Bando said over the weekend, he's a patient man, but not that patient. He saw enough of the Wild Things' struggling offense (league-low .191 team batting average) during the six-game homestand and made several roster moves leading up to tonight's series opener at Windy City.

Gone is catcher Chris Anderson, who was off to an 0-for-13 start, and veteran outfielder Luis Rivera, who was batting .227. Rivera's average is fourth-best on the team. Third baseman/catcher Davis Page (1-for-5) was traded back to San Angelo of the North American League to complete an earlier trade. Page apparently was traded for himself. Washington acquired him five days ago from San Angelo.

Re-signed was catcher David Peters, who joined Washington in the offseason from the Florida Marlins system and then was dealt to the Pecos League before spring training. Peters has played in two games in the Pecos.

Also signed was outfielder Jeriel Waller, who was drafted in the 47th round last year by the Marlins. I can found no evidence that Waller played in any games in the Marlins' system after being drafted out of Grossmont College, a JC in California. On Waller's Facebook page, it says he attended San Diego Christian College.

Waller is the son of Reggie Waller, a former San Diego Padres scoring director, and nephew of Tye Waller, the Oakland A's first-base coach.

Left-handed relief pitcher Shawn Smith was put on the suspended list, apparently to make room for Steve Grife, who can be activated from the same list Friday. Washington also could activate pitcher Gary Lee, who has been serving as the bullpen coach.

Washington still has one open roster spot (assuming Grife or Lee fill one) and has room for an Experienced player.

The biggest surprise for the Wild Things this season is the trouble at the catcher position, especially when you consider Bando is a former major-league catcher. Washington has played four different catchers in nine games, and has had eight catchers on the roster since the start of spring training.

UPDATE: Shawn Smith was placed on the 7-day injured list and Gary Lee was activated for tonight's game.

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.