What's been happening

Now that the basketball season has basically ended for area teams, I've finally had some time to dedicate to this blog. Here's what's been happening around the Frontier League in recent weeks:

(insert sound of crickets chirping).

Though this is generally the quiet time in the Frontier League -- the calm before the signings flurry in April -- but there have been a couple of things going on that have not been mentioned on this blog:

* The Rockford franchise has changed its name to the Rockford Aviators. I liked the Riverhawks nickname so my reaction to Aviators was .... ehhh. You probably can't do much marketing with the nickname Aviators. And what do you have for a mascot?

I guess Aviators could be worse. They could have renamed the team the London Rippers.

It appears that Rockford's uniforms will include some orange. Here's an idea: Rockford's players should wear orange hats. That way, the team can have Lowell Mather Night and bring in Thomas Haden Church to throw out the first pitch (I know, cheap "Wings" reference.).

At least Rockford didn't change the team colors to red & black, which seems to be the official color scheme of all Frontier League teams, expect the Wild Things, who should be wearing red & black. I never understood why there is an oversized red & black "Wild Things" logo behind home plate at Consol Energy Park but the team is wearing blue hats and socks.

* The Greys, the Frontier League's travel team that will play in the East Division, will hold spring training in Chillicothe, Ohio.

* Because of the league adding the Greys and losing the Rippers, the number of miles teams will be logging on the bus this year will be down significantly. This will be the subject of a future blog post.

* Former Wild Things first baseman Ernie Banks has been released by Normal.

* Though still listed as a minor league free agent by Baseball America, former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran has re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Cochran was was 9-5 with a 3.96 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) with Class AAA Lehigh Valley last year.

Where are they now?

Monday was the day most minor league teams announced their rosters. Four former Wild Things pitchers will begin seasons in affiliated ball this week. Here's where they were assigned:

Tom Cochran - Will be in the starting rotation for Lehigh Valley, the Philadelphia Phillies' Class AAA affiliate.

Alan Williams - After moving from the Frontier League to rookie ball and then to low-Class A last year, Williams has been assigned to the Brevard County Manatees, the Milwaukee Brewers' high-Class A affiliate. The pitching coach at Brevard County? Former Wild Things coach Mark Dewey.

Vidal Nuno - Last year's opening day starter for the Wild Things will open this season with the Tampa Yankees, New York's high-Class A club.

Mark Williams - Has been assigned to the low-Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Milwaukee Brewers' system. It appears that Williams will be a starting pitcher. The Timber Rattlers' home field is the same one on which Williams and Marietta College won an NCAA Division III national championship.

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.

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

Alumni report

Here's a check of the three former Wild Things, including two off this year's club, who are playing in affiliated ball:

Alan Williams - The lefty reliever, who was the first Frontier League player picked up by a major league organization this year, has been assigned to the Helena (Mont.) Brewers of the rookie-level Pioneer League. Helena has played five games and Williams has pitched in three of those, posting a 1-0 record, two saves and 0.00 ERA. The 20-year-old Williams has pitched four innings, allowed one hit and one walk, and struck out seven.

Vidal Nuno - The Wild Things' opening day starter this year, Nuno has been assigned to the Staten Island Yankees of the short-season Class A New York Penn League. Staten island has played seven games and Nuno has pitched in one of those, getting a win with 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief. This is a league that is probably below where Nuno should be slotted. He pitched in the NYP two years ago and had a 5-0 record, then spent last season as a starter in low-Class A.

Tom Cochran - (Have you noticed that all three of these guys are left-handed pitchers?) Cochran continues to pitch well for Louisville, the Cincinnati Reds' Class AAA affiliate. He has a 6-1 record and 3.83 ERA in 12 games, including eight starts.

From Washington to the major leagues for Cochran

It took exactly 10 years, but the Wild Things have sent a player to the major leagues.
On the 10th anniversary of Washington's first game in the Frontier League, former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran was promoted from Triple-A to the major leagues by the Cincinnati Reds.

Cochran is the first former Wild Thing to get called to "The Show." The Cincinnati Reds added Cochran to their 40-man roster early Sunday and then added him to the 25-man major-league roster prior to playing Sunday night at Atlanta.

Cochran spent two seasons (2006 and '07) as a starting pitcher with Washington, posting records of 8-5 and 6-8. He played in the 2007 Frontier League All-Star game.

One of Cochran’s best outings came in Game 2 of the 2007 championship series at Windy City when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a Washington victory. He also threw a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts during a 2006 game at Kalamazoo.

Cochran moved his way up through the Reds’ system since being signed in 2009. He began this year at Class AAA Louisville and won his first five decisions. Cochran had a 5-1 record in eight games (four starts) for the Bats at the time of his call-up.

One thing I recall about Cochran during his days in Washington was that he was friends with former Pirates pitcher Ian Snell. The two had apparently played on the same team, either in high school or during a summer league (don't recall which). At the time, it had to seem like Cochran and Snell were worlds apart. One in the majors, one in the Frontier League. Now, Cochran is in the majors and Snell, who retired earlier this year only to change his mind, is pitching in Triple-A.

UPDATE: Prior to the Reds' game Tuesday in Milwaukee, Cincinnati optioned Cochran back to Louisville. He was active for two games but did not play in either contest.

Another 'W' for Cochran

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran improved his record to 4-0 Saturday with six shutout innings in the Louisville Bats' 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Bisons.

Louisville is the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A affiliate.

Cochran gave up three hits and three walks. He struck our four and lowered his ERA to a 1.15.

In only his second start of the year, Cochran took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Alright, raise you hand if you thought you'd ever see a former Wild Things pitcher with a 4-0 record in Triple-A.

I don't see any hands.

UPDATE: Cochran continued his stellar start to the season by picking up his fifth win Thursday when Luouisville defeated Rochester 5-2. Cochran pitched six strong innings to improve his record to 5-0. He gave up only three hits and two runs. Cochran had his scorless streak end at 16 innings, but his ERA is only 1.66.

Ex-Wild Thing starting in Class AAA

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran will begin the season tonight playing for the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds' Class AAA affiliate.

Cochran, who played two seasons (2006-07) with Washington and three overall in the Frontier League, will be a starting pitcher for the Bats. Among the other pitchers in Louisville's starting rotation is former National League Cy Young Award winner Dontrelle Willis.

The last two years, Cochran pitched the majority of the season with Cincinnati's Class AA affiliate -- compiling a 12-11 record -- before being promoted late in each season to Triple-A. Cochran, who is not on the Reds' 40-man roster, started one playoff game for Louisville last season.

Cochran is one of two players who have reached Class AAA after playing for the Wild Things. Pitcher Patrick Stanley appeared in one game (getting the win) for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2009.

Cochran back in Triple-A

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, pictured, has been promoted to Class AAA Louisville in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Cochran was recently named the top left-handed pitcher in the Class AA Southern League after posting a 2.67 ERA for the Carolina Mudcats.

Cochran has made one start for Louisville but received a no-decision. It's the second year in a row that Cochran has played in Triple-A.

Cochran a hit

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran had a big night Monday, leading the Carolina Mudcats (Reds) to a 3-2 victory over the Jacksonville Suns (Marlins) in the Class AA Southern League.

Cochran pitched five shutout innings, allowing only two hits, and improving his record to 8-5. The eight wins are the team high.

The most impressive part of Cochran's night was that he had as many hits as a batter as he allowed as a pitcher. Cochran's single up the middle in the second inning drove in a run. He later led off the fourth inning with a double and scored.

Because the Frontier League uses the designated hitter, Cochran batted only one time in his two seasons with Washington. Last year, he was 1-for-21 in the Reds' system. This year, he's hitting .138.

It's worth noting that both of Cochran's hits Monday came off former major leaguer Andrew Miller, who was the Detroit Tigers' first-round draft pick (sixth overall) in 2006. Miller has 16 wins in the major leagues and was part of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida to Detroit. Miller's star has dimmed as his record is 1-8 with Jacksonville.

UPDATE: Miller, despite his struggles, was called up to the majors Thursday by the Marlins. Here's hoping he doesn't have to pitch to Tom Cochran.

Cochran an all-star

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran (pictured), who is playing for the Carolina Mudcats, the Cincinnati Reds' Class AA affiliate, has been named to the Southern League All-Star Game, which will be played July 12 in Huntsville, Ala.

Cochran has a 5-3 record and 2.32 ERA in 15 starts for the Mudcats. The league is batting only .226 against him.

In his last start, Wednesday against Jacksonville, Cochran pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits.

Cochran is the second former Wild Things player to be selected for a Southern League All-Star Game. Pitcher Dave Bradley was chosen for the 2004 game (I think that was the year).

This, that and some other things

After a week of much-needed vacation, it's time to get back to this blog. Here are a few thoughts and notes about the blog, the Wild Things and the Frontier League:

* While on vacation, I checked this blog using both my wife's laptop and my son's laptop. I knew Blogger had problems with the word verification system and was supposed to be working on a fix, still I was surprised to notice that word verification wasn't working when using each laptop. My guess is the word verification problem is related to Windows 7, which each laptop was using. I've never had a problem with the word verification when using Windows Vista at home or a Mac.

As a result of this, I decided to disarm the word verification for the time being. If we get hit with spam, I'll have to turn it back on.

* Pete Rose Jr., who was a finalist for the Wild Things' managerial job (he was brought to Washington for an interview and had some strong recommendations) last offseason was hired last week as the Florence Freedom's hitting coach.

* The winner of Cheap Publicity Stunt of the Week is the Lake Erie Crushers, who announced they they will offer two-time NBA MVP LeBron James a contract worth $1,600 a month, which is the maximum player contract in the Frontier League.

The Crushers also are offering James a host family to “eliminate the stress of a potential commute from the Akron area to Avon.” James also could get a luxury suite where he and other NBA free agents could hold a summit.

It’s all part of Keep LBJ in the C-L-E night during the Crushers game Wednesday. The team will wear special Cavs-themed jersey and with the number 6, which is the same number LeBron plans to switch to. Those jerseys will be auctioned off and, if LeBron comes to the game, the money will be given to the LeBron James Family Foundation.

* The Wild Things made two roster moves last week, putting pitcher Zach Groh on the disabled list and signing right-handed pitcher Matt Lackner (6-4, 210). I don't know if Groh is on the 7-day or 14-day DL because the transaction is not listed on the Frontier League website.

Lackner had a 5-4 record this spring at Park University, an NAIA school in Parkville, Mo. If you look at Lackner's statistics, one thing stands out: He threw three shutouts this season yet had an ERA of 5.00. That's hard to do.

As a junior, Lackner had a 9-1 record with one shutout and a 3.41 ERA.

Lackner made his Wild Things debut Saturday night and it was a rocky one. he entered in the ninth inning of a win over Windy City and faced five batters, giving up four hits, a wild pitch and three runs.

* Which is more surprising: The Southern Illinois Miners leading the West Division with a 31-4 record and 19-game winning streak or the Oakland County Cruisers being in first place in the East Division while playing only six home games, none of which were played in Oakland County, Mich.?

* One player who I thought had a good chance of ending up in a Wild Things uniform was former Seton Hill University catcher Pat Trettel. An NCAA Division II All-American, Trettel played at North Allegheny High School, where Wild Things coach Bob Bozutto is the athletic director. After going undrafted this month, Trettel signed last week with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association.

Note to self: Find out when the Wild Things plan to make a decision on which turf company will install the new playing surface at Consol Energy Park.

* Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran has performed well for the Carolina Mudcats, the Cincinnati Reds' affiliate in the Class AA Southern league. Cochran has a 4-3 record, 2.53 ERA and seven no-decisions in 14 starts. The league is hitting only .235 against Cochran, who finished last season in Class AAA.

Southern man

Washington's favorite umpire Mario Seneca, pictured, -- a former Frontier League umpire -- has been promoted to the Class AA Southern League this year. If my memoriry serves me correctly, Seneca called games in the Class A Florida State League last year.

Seneca is one of two connections to Washington in the Southern League. Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran plays for the Carolina Mudcats. Cochran has a 2-1 record and 2.72 ERA with five no-decisions in eight starts.

Lefty off to fast start

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, pictured, is off a good start with the Carolina Mudcats, the Cincinnati Reds' Class AA affiliate in the Southern League.

Cochran won his second game in as many starts Friday night, throwing six shutout innings in Carolina's 8-0 victory over Montgomery (Tampa Bay). Cochran allowed only two hits and one walk, and struck out eight.

Cochran has a 2-0 record and 0.75 ERA. He has 15 strikeouts and only three walks in 12 innings.

Cochran starts at Double-A

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran, pictured, who last year went from the independent ranks to Class AAA in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, will start the 2010 season with the Carolina Mudcats in the Double-A Southern League.

Cochran had a 5-6 record between Double-A and Triple-A last year after being signed by the Reds from Lancaster of the independent Atlantic League. During spring training, Cochran was pitching with Triple-A Louisville and threw four hitless innings in a start March 29. He was on Louisville's roster until Wednesday. Louisville had 18 pitchers Tuesday, and still has 14 (seven lefties) as of this writing.

Carolina opens its season Thursday against the Birmingham Barons, which is an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Birmingham's starting first baseman is likely to be former Peters Township High School standout Jim Gallagher. Though not on the 40-man roster, Gallagher started a couple of spring training games with the major-league team and had about a dozen at-bats.

Cochran promoted to Triple-A

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran has been promoted by the Cincinnati Reds to their Class AAA affiliate in Louisville. Cochran is the second ex-Wild Things pitcher to make it to Triple-A. Patrick Stanley pitched in one game for Toledo in the Detroit system earlier this year.

Cochran began the year playing in the independent Atlantic League with the Lancaster Barnstormers and was signed by Cincinnati in May. Assigned to the Carolina Mudcats in the Class AA Southern League, the left-handed throwing Cochran was used primary as a starting pitcher, compiling a 4-6 record with one save and a 3.18 ERA. Cochran gave up two earned runs or less in 10 of his 15 starts including the last four.

Cochran made his Triple-A debut Friday night, starting a game for Louisville against Columbus. Cochran lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and three runs.

Stanley was placed on the disabled list last week by Class AA Erie. He complained of right shoulder soreness while warming up for a game against Trenton. Stanley has a 6-4 record and 4.57 ERA in 15 starts for the Seawolves. In stops with three teams in the Tigers' system this year, Stanley has an 8-4 record.

UPDATE: Cochran got his first win in Triple-A on Wednesday (Sept. 2) by allowing one earned run over 5 1/3 innings in Louisville's 10-6 win over Columbus.

Cincy calls Cochran

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds organization Friday. The left-hander was playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League and had a 3-2 record and 4.67 ERA. Cochran, who played in Washington in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, has been assigned to the Carolina Mudcats, the Reds' Class AA affiliate in the Southern League.

Barnstormin'

Two former Wild Things pitchers, Tom Cochran and Joe D'Alessandro, are trying to land jobs this season with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic league.

D'Alessandro, who played for Washington last year and, at last check, had a standing offer to return to the Wild Things this year, was invited to the Barnstormers' spring training after attending three tryout camps, including one in Florida.

Cochran, pictured, spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons in Washington. He was released from the Cincinnati Reds' minor-league camp this year and was invited to Lancaster.

The Lancaster New Era did a newspaper story on D'Alessandro and a blog story about Cochran on consecutive days. You can read both stories here:

Joe D'Alessandro.

Tom Cochran.

UPDATE: Both Cochran and D'Alessandro have made the Barnstormers' roster for opening day, which is Thursday, April 23.

T.C. to Cincy

It was announced Thursday that former Wild Things left-hander Tom Cochran had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.

Cochran spent two years with the Wild Things and three seasons in the Frontier League. Last year, Cochran had a standout season with the Worcester Royals of the Can-Am League, earning a spot on the postseason all-star team. Cochran was 11-0 in his first 11 starts for Worcester and set a Tornadoes record for most wins (13) in a season. His 13 victories tied for first in the league and his 2.79 was fifth-best.

Cochran had a 14-13 record with the Wild Things.

This will be Cochran's second try in affiliated ball. He spent two seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, going 2-7 in 46 relief appearances in Class A.