At the start: York’s infield at the start of the year had Chris Nowak at first base, Andres Perez at second, Danny Gonzalez at short stop and Ramon Castro at third with depth coming from back-ups in utlity man Joe Spiers and player-coach Liu Rodriguez.

With so many infielders, York soon shipped Spiers to Lincoln (American Association) on May 21 for a player to be named later – opting to give him an opportunity to play more often with the Salt Dogs instead of sitting on the bench in York. Spiers, who York acquired from Lancaster in an off-season trade for a player to be named later,  played in just three games for the Revs, batting 2-for-7 at the plate (.286) with a double, RBI and one run scored. He went on to bat a collective .305 with two homers, 29 RBIs 53 runs scored and 33 stolen bases in 86 games split between Lincoln St. Paul (American Association).

In the middle: York took a big blow to its lineup when Nowak got picked up June 22 by the Mexican League’s Mexico City club. Outfielder Michael Hernandez would end up playing first during Nowak’s brief absence. The Revs also signed Kyle Haines to provide some depth in the infield. However, Nowak soon returned July 2 after being cut by Mexico City – the team apparently needed to trim its roster for the playoffs and decided between Nowak and Johan Limonta (more on him later).

York released Haines a couple weeks later. He held a .217 average with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored in the eight games he played for the Revs. Haines soon found work with Lancaster and finished the year batting .239 with a homer, eight RBIs and 12 runs scored 42 games for the Barnstormers. He also had two at-bats in the Freedom Division Championship Series against York.

Anyway, the Revs ended up making a huge upgrade at short stop (and no, I’m not talking about the size of the players involved) by signing Joe Thurston and trading away Danny Gonzalez to Lancaster.

Gonzalez hit a disappointing .249 in 75 games for York. For what it’s worth, he also had three homers, 20 RBIs  and 39 runs scored. He didn’t have a great glove, either. Perhaps that’s why Thurston looked so good at short. Or perhaps it’s because he’s arguably the best short stop York has had at the position. Outside of four games at Class AA Reading in 2007, Thurston hasn’t played below the Class AAA level since 2001. The former big leaguer – mainly with the St. Louis Cardinals -  owns a career .291 average in more than 1,100 games at the Class AAA level. He went on to collect a .314 average, eight homers, 28 RBIs and 46 runs scored in 58 games for the Revs. In addition, consider that he put up those numbers after sitting out the previous couple months since the Minnesota Twins released him from Class AAA Rochester in mid-May.

The Revs also added infielder Johan Limonta (remember him?) in early August. He came up from the Mexican League’s Mexico City ballclub, where he batted an astounding .384 in 27 games. The Cuban defector wound up .277 with one homer and 15 RBIs in 39 games for the Revs.

Saying goodbye: Ramon Castro entered the 2012 season on thin ice with Andy Etchebarren. Sure, the infielder had put up good numbers since coming to York in 2010 and helping the ball club win back-to-back league titles. But at times during those two seasons, Etch’ would have appreciated a little more hustle from Castro. So, Castro was already on a short leash when he did something Etch’ didn’t approve of during a game Aug. 29 at Southern Maryland. Etch’ soon suspended Castro for what he called an “on-the-field incident.” The team would cut release him just a few days later. There could have been other factors into his release as well, like his 10 errors at third base or his .288 average in 105 games (a good average, but off from the .323 average he had in 2011 and .339 average he had in 2010).

In the end: By the of the end of the year, York’s infield consisted of Thurston at short stop and Perez at second base. With the departure of Castro, Limonta moved to first base while Nowak moved from first to third.

Nowak and Perez clearly had the the best seasons of any Revs players in 2012. Nowak became the club’s all-time leader in homers (59) and set York’s single-season home run mark with  34 dingers, which led the league. A clear candidate for the league’s MVP honor, Nowak was also the league’s highest home run total since 2005. His 107 RBIs were also tops in the league and the most since 2005. Twenty-one of his 34 homers came at Sovereign Bank Stadium, which set a club record for homers hit by a Revs’ player at home in a single season. He also holds the all-time stadium record (30). Though Nowak fnished with a .285 average, he did bat an impressive .320 in the final 67 games.

Perez, meanwhile, just had career-highs in homers (23) and RBIs (85). He ranked fourth in the league in homers and fifth in RBIs. He scored 86 times. In addition, Perez made quite an improvement moving from the outfield, a position he had played most of his career, to second base. Player-coach Liu Rodriguez can be credited with a nice job teaching Perez the tricks of the trade at second base.

Who should stay/go: I guess I should always preface this by saying if the team can afford the player then he should return. It’s recommended Atlantic League clubs pay out a maximum to a player of $3,000 a month. And after the years Nowak and Perez had, one can imagine they’ll be asking for raises.

With that being said, Nowak and Perez should be brought back. As should Thurston.  Nowak and Perez and still young enough to draw interest from major league clubs in the future (remember, that’s what the Atlantic League is here for, to send guys to the bigs). I hesitated on Thurston a little bit considering his age (32). I get the fact that he’s put up good numbers and consistently made dazzling plays at short. But there comes a point when Atlantic League clubs should cut ties with a player when he becomes older and not just keep him around because he puts up good numbers while scouts have very little interest of him because of his age. However, Thurston was last in the majors in 2011 at the age of 31. And he’s put up good numbers everywhere he’s been. So, I imagine there are still some scouts out there who are still interested in his services.

Limonta, meanwhile, is a different story. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy. He seemed like he is good for the clubhouse and he was always respectful with the media. This is moreso because of the defense. Should Nowak return, I’d rather see him back at his normal position at first base. As much as Nowak improved through the season at third, he did end the year with a team-high 18 errors, which  tied for seventh in the league. So, put Nowak at first and find a solid defender at third who can match or do better than Limonta’s .277 average.

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Walking off the mound after the top of the second inning Thursday night, Ryan Feierabend toweled off in the York Revolution dugout and looked out over the field as rain came down.
The veteran left-hander wanted to keep pitching. But given what he’s been through the last six days, he felt it was only fitting that the umpires decided to call the game.

The Revs announced the signing of Feierabend just hours before the game against Lancaster. After being released by the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Feierabend made the drive from his home in Ohio on Wednesday night with plans to start Thursday.

“They asked me to leave at Cincinnati and then I come here. This (the rainout) sort of puts the cherry on top,” Feierabend said afterwards.

Despite his frustration with not getting a full start in, the lefty is glad to be back in a familiar place.

Feierabend went 3-2 with a 3.24 ERA in seven starts earlier this season for York before the Cincinati Reds picked him up and assigned him to Class AAA Louisville. He struggled with Louisville, though, going 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts before Cincinnati cut ties with him on Saturday.

Roster moves: The Revs made two other roster moves on Thursday, releasing left-hander Victor Garate and sending shortstop Danny Gonzalez to Lancaster to complete an earlier trade in the off-season.

Gonzalez batted just .249 in 75 games for the Revs. In his only appearance for York, Garate surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits in 1 2/3 innings Monday at Bridgeport.

The Revs have now made 11 roster moves since July 16, when Revs’ skipper Andy Etchebarren expressed concern with his starting rotation. With the most recent addition in Feierabend, however, Etchebarren said Thursday “this is probably the best the rotation has been one through five since the year started.”

Feierabend: Feierabend said he felt fine in the two innings he worked Thursday. He gave up a double and an infield RBI single in the first inning and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning.

Lancaster’s Adam Godwin lined out to the warning track in right field for the final out in the top of the second inning when the rain started coming down hard.

Nearly 30 York Revolution officials had trouble covering the entire field with the tarp and after ten minutes in pouring rain they gave up and decided to leave the area around the third base bag and the entire third base line exposed. All stats from the game will be wiped out and the contest will be made up on Saturday as part of a double-header with two seven-inning games beginning at 5 p.m.

Louisville: Often times, the game of baseball can be more of a mental battle than physical. And for some reason, Feierabend said he had troubles with the former at Louisville.

“I got over there and I thought I had to do more when really I needed to do less,” he said. “Here (the Atlantic League) it’s the same competition as it is there. I think I just put them (opponents at Class AAA) higher up than the guys here. In my opinion, it’s the same caliber hitters as double-a and triple-a players. There are some more big league hitters here, and there are some triple-a big league hitters there. For me, it was that and I never really got comfortable with the team.”

A good sign for the Ohio native is that he’s felt completely healthy throughout this season. The former big leaguer made eight starts for the Seattle Mariners in the second half of the 2008 season but missed all of the 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.

“I’ve been healthy ever since I came back in 2010. I’ve never been on the DL (disabled list) ever since. It’s just a matter of finding my groove and getting back. I had 20-some years on my arm before surgery and now it’s three years old basically so I’m trying to re-work my mechanics,” Feierabend said.

In his comeback from surgery in 2010, Feierabend went 4-7 with a 5.30 ERA in 17 starts for the Mariners’ Class AAA Tacoma team. In 2011, Feierabend went 10-8 with a 5.39 ERA for the Phillies’ Class AAA Lehigh Valley team.

A former third-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2003, Feierabend understands it may take some time for him to work his way back to the majors. And he looks to former teammate Brett Tomko as a good example. Tomko is a right-hander who has more than 200 games of big league experience, but has gone through numerous sugeries throughout his now 18-year pro career.

“He had it (Tommy John surgery) twice in 14 years in the big leagues. He’s gone through shoulder surgeries and everything. He had been released four different times until he finally stuck with a team. Hopefully one of these times I can get picked up and I’ll stick next time.”
Now back with York, Feierabend is just looking to do what he did earlier this season.

Now back with York, Feierabend is just looking to do what he did earlier this season.

“Maybe there’s a team on their way to the playoffs in the minor leagues and will see something they like and I can help them out,” he said. “Or even help this team (York) out going back to the playoffs.”

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At the end of the 2011 season, Revs manager Andy Etchebarren said he sat down with management and front office personnel and figured out who the team wanted to pursue on the Road Warriors’ end-of-season roster.

Etch’ chose three players.

“I wanted Javier, Thomas and Gonzalez,” Etchebarren said Monday.

Javier is right-hander Omar Javier, who is projected as the team’s No. 5 starter to begin the season after posting a 5.65 ERA in eight starts and three relief appearances for the Road Warrios last year. Thomas is Adam Thomas, the Revs’ set-up man who collected 17 saves and put together a 1.73 ERA a year ago for the Road Warriors.

And, finally, Gonzalez is infielder Danny Gonzalez, who returned to the Atlantic League last season after a two-year hiatus. He will be York’s everyday starting short stop to begin the year.

A former Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs prospect, Gonzalez put up good numbers in the Atlantic League with the Lancaster Barnstormers from 2005 through 2008. In his final year with Lancaster in 2008, Gonzalez batted .299 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. After not hearing interest from any affiliated clubs following the 2008 season, Gonzalez wanted to try something new. So, he opted to play in the Mexican League, where he could continue to play the sport he loved while also making more money than he would if he returned to the Atlantic League.

“I did good here (in the Atlantic League) and nothing happened so I decided to go for the experience and it was fun,” Gonzalez said Monday.

The veteran infielder spent the 2010 season playing in Italy. He felt the itch to return to the Atlantic League in 2011, so he joined the Road Warriors. Compared to what he did with Lancaster in 2008, Gonzalez’s numbers in 2011 weren’t outstanding (.289 batting average, four homers, 37 RBIs). But they were impressive considering Gonzalez said he played with a separated left shoulder for nearly the entire season. He said he injured the shoulder when benches cleared in a game at Long Island early in the 2011 season.

“We got into a fight against Long Island and somebody grabbed me from behind and threw me into the the ground,” Gonzalez said.

As a result, the switch-hitter was forced to bat from the right side of the plate until he felt fully healed in the final week of the season.

Gonzalez, 30, said he played winter ball this year in Panama and his native Dominican Republic, where he helped his Escogido squad capture the Carribean Series championship in February.

Gonzalez, who arrived in York over the weekend, said he’s spent the last couple months playing in a league in Puerto Rico, so he’s ready to go for the Revs (he’ll bat eighth in the lineup on Thursday). He’s also looking forward to seeing what kind of numbers he can produce in a full healthy season.

“Last year I had dislocated my left shoulder and I still hit near .290,” he said. “Now that I’m healthy, hopefully I can get back to where I used to be.”

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The York Revolution added two more players to the 2012 roster this week with catcher Travis Scott and long-time Atlantic League short stop Danny Gonzalez.

Both are pretty good additions to the club.

Catcher: Scott, who turns 27 in late April, will likely compete with Salvador Paniagua for the starting gig at catcher. Paniagua, 28, hit .254 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 57 games last season for York. After backing up Octavio Martinez for most of last season, Paniagua edged out Martinez in the final month or so of the season. Paniagua went on to provide a pair of clutch hits in a Game 2 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Freedom Division Series, including a seventh-inning tiebreaking homer.

Talking about Paniagua in January, Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren said he liked what he saw last season out of Paniagua, but stopped short of naming him the everyday catcher.

“He has to do some certain things behind the plate during spring training (to earn the starting spot),” Etchebarren had said.

Scott’s best seasons were from 2007 to 2009, when he hit at least .270 or better at the Mariners’ Class High-A team High Desert. He started 2010 with Rockford, of the independent Northern League, by hitting .300 with five homers and 29 RBIs before being picked up by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Before even playing for the Angels, though, the Pirates selected Scott in the Rule 5 draft that season.

Revs’ baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said earlier this week that Paniagua and Scott will likely battle for the starting catcher spot.

“We really looked at it as if we need two number-one catchers. I think from the beginning we’ll see them split time fifty-fifty,” Ball said. “Then whatever guy plays better will get the job.”

Short stop: This season will mark Gonzalez’s sixth in the Atlantic League. He has a career .294 batting average in the Atlantic League in a combined 484 games. Playing for the Atlantic League’s Road Warriors last season, Gonzalez batted .289 with four homers and 37 RBIs in 95 games for the Road Warriors.

Gonzalez , 30, will likely start at short stop for York, Ball said.Etchebarren has previously stated that infielder Ramon Castro will likely move from short stop, where he spent most of last year for York, back to third base, where he played for York in 2010. Vince Harrison, York’s thirdbaseman in 2011, has retired and is now coaching in the Pirates minor league system.

“I think right now that’s definitely how we view Danny: as a starting short stop,” Ball said. “And he gives us a little more range up the middle than Castro did,” Ball said.

Scott, who is a left-handed hitter, and Gonzalez, who is a swtich-hitter, will also help York’s lineup.

“It gives us some flexibility. We’re pretty right-handed hitting team right now. So having a left-handed guy and a switch-hitter will help,” Ball said.

More former Atlantic League players sign affiliated deals:
—Right-handed pitchers Josh Banks and Fernando Hernandez, who both played in the Atlantic League last season, have signed minor league deals with affiliated clubs. The Baltimore Orioles signed Banks, who went 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts for the Long Island last season. The expansion Sugar Land Skeeters had selected the rights to Banks, 29, in the their expansion draft in January. Banks has played in 27 games at the major league level with Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros from 2007 to 2010. Hernandez, 27, was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Camden Riversharks last season. He appeared in the big leagues in 2008, allowing six earned runs on four hits over three appearances with the Oakland Athletics.

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