Near the start of each month during the baseball season, this is a blog post dedicated to updating fans on what former York Revolution players are doing in the majors or affiliated ball.  With 12 former Revs falling into that category, it may be hard to keep track of everything that’s happening. So here’s a blog post to help make sense of it all (all stats are through June 4 unless otherwise noted):

LHP Scott Rice, New York Mets: In his first season in the majors in his 15th year as a pro, Rice has been solid for the New York Mets. Well, at least he was until his most recent outing at Miami on Monday night, when he blew a two-run sixth-inning lead for the Mets by walking the bases loaded before giving up a two-run, game-tying double to Marcell Ozuna followed by an RBI groundout from Chris Coghlan. Rice (3-4) took the loss in the Marlins’ 11-6 win. Overall on the season, the 6-foot-6 left-hander has a 4.00 ERA in 32 relief appearances, holding opponents scoreless in all but five of those games. He has struck out 22 and walked 18.

RHP Shawn Hill, Class AAA Toledo (Detroit Tigers): After throwing a complete game in his fourth start of the year May 5, the rest of the month of May wasn’t kind to Hill. In his next five starts, he gave up a combined 25 runs (23 earned) in 23.2 innings of work. In his last start June 4, Hill went just an inning after getting tagged for eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits. For the season, the former big leaguer has an 0-7 record and 6.38 ERA in 13 starts for Toledo, striking out 46 and walking 17.

LHP Ian Thomas, Class AA Mississippi (Atlanta Braves): In his first season at Class AA in his fifth season as a pro, the 26-year-old Thomas has been stellar for the Mississippi Braves. A 6-foot-4 left-hander, Thomas has posted a 3-2 record and 1.80 ERA in 22 relief appearances, striking out 47 and walking 10.

LHP Ryan Feierabend, Class AAA Round Rock (Texas Rangers): A former big leaguer, Feierabend has been a dependable starter for Round Rock, compiling a 3-1 record and 4.02 ERA in seven starts, striking out 30 and walking 16. He’s only gone beyond six innings in just one of those seven starts. Feierabend earned the call-up to triple-A after going 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts at Class AA Frisco earlier this season.

RHP Omar Javier, Class AA Richmond (San Francisco Giants): In his first season at Class AA in his six-year pro career, Javier is 4-0 with a 3.63 ERA in 16 games, including two starts, at Richmond. As a reliever, the right-hander is 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA. In his two starts, Javier has a 5.68 ERA. For the year, the Dominican Republic native has struck out a total of 26 and walked 18.

LHP Justin Hampson, Class AAA Las Vegas (New York Mets): With a scoreless third-of-an-inning on Tuesday, Hampson has now held opponents scoreless in his last six relief appearances to improve his ERA to 4.38. In 27 games for Las Vegas this season, the former big leaguer has a 2-0 record with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks.

OF Michael Hernandez, Class High A Lakeland (Detroit Tigers): After batting .289 in 11 games at Class A West Michigan earlier this season, Hernandez earned a promotion to Class High A Lakeland, where he is hitting .236 with four homers, 20 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 35 games. One of those homers came June 4 in a 2-for-4, four RBI, one run scored performance at the plate.

RHP Mike DeMark, Class AA Midland (Oakland Athletics): After beginning the year in extended spring training with the A’s, DeMark got a job at Midland, where he is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 relief appearances, striking out 15 and walking 11 in 16 innings pitched.

RHP Josh Judy, Class AA Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels): Since being plucked off the Revs’ roster last month by the Angels, Judy has done well at Arkansas, holding opponents scoreless in seven of nine relief appearances thus far. The right-hander owns a 1.80 ERA over 10 innings of work, striking out 12 and walking three.

1B/OF Johan Limonta, Class AA San Antonio (San Diego Padres): Limonta has picked right up where he left off in York after getting signed by the Padres last month. In 23 games so far at San Antonio, the Cuban defector is holds a .284 batting average, which is good enough for fourth on the team (through June 5). He has one homer with four doubles, five RBIs and 11 runs scored.

RHP Matt Fox, Class AAA Las Vegas (New York Mets): Fox has already made four starts since joining Las Vegas after pitching for York earlier this year. The right-hander has gone 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings of work to this point, striking out 13 and walking two. A former big leaguer, Fox gave up a combined six earned runs in 10 innings over his first two starts with Las Vegas for holding opponents to four combined runs over 12 innings in his last two starts.

SS Andy Gonzalez, Class AA Reading (Philadelphia Phillies): Gonzalez left York to return to his native Puerto Rico for personal reasons, but has already played in four games with Reading after being picked up by the Phillies on May 31. So far, the former major leaguer is 2-for-15 at the plate (.133 through Wednesday) with an RBI and a run scored.

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I’ve been meaning to get around to doing this for awhile, but I thought it would be good to do a monthly update on how former York Revolution players are doing in the minors and majors. With seven former Revs in affiliated minor league ball and one in the majors, it might be hard to keep track on what’s going on with each. Here’s the list with updates on each, listed by position, name and team he’s playing for:

LHP Scott Rice, New York Mets: Rice, 31, played for York in 2011, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 relief appearances. He earned a spot in the New York Mets’ bullpen to start the season, marking his big league debut after 14 seasons in the minors. In 17 relief appearances (through Saturday), Rice is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA.

RHP Shawn Hill, Class AAA Toledo (Detroit Tigers): Hill, 32, went 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA in seven games (five starts) for the Revs in 2012 before being picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays and assigned to Class AAA Las Vegas. He would make it back to the majors at the end of last season, pitching in one game for Toronto. So far at Toledo, the right-hander is 0-2 with a 3.99 ERA in six starts (through Saturday).

LHP Ian Thomas, Class AA Mississippi (Atlanta Braves): Thomas, 26, pitched for York to start the 2012 season, going 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA in seven relief appearances before being picked up by the Braves and assigned to Class A Rome. That would mark his first time pitching in affiliated ball in his career. Thomas has spent the entire 2013 season at Mississippi, posting a 3-1 record and 1.20 ERA in 10 relief appearances (through Saturday).

LHP Ryan Feierabend, Class AAA Round Rock (Texas Rangers): Feierabend, 27, went 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 17 starts for the Revs in 2012. The former big leaguer began the year with the Rangers’ Class AA Frisco club, where he posted a 3,86 ERA in five starts to earn a promotion to Round Rock. In his only start for Round Rock on Friday, Feierabend allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings of work, striking out six and walking two. The lefty is aiming to get back to the majors for the first time since 2008.

RHP Omar Javier, Class AA Richmond (San Francisco Giants): Javier, 25, had a 1-6 record and 5.67 ERA in 22 games (nine starts) for York in 2012. In nine appearances thus far for Richmond, the Dominican Republic native is 2-0 with a 5.51 ERA (through Saturday). The Class AA level is the highest Javier has reached in his now six-year pro career.

LHP Justin Hampson, Class AAA Las Vegas (New York Mets): Hampson, 32, played for the Revs in 2010, going 1-0 with a 4.96 ERA in 11 relief appearances. He made it back to the majors last season with the Mets, posting a 1.80 ERA in 13 games. In 14 appearances thus far at Las Vegas, Hampson has a 1-0 record and 5.40 ERA (through Saturday).

OF Michael Hernandez, Class High A Lakeland (Detroit Tigers): Hernandez, 29, batted .303 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 55 runs scored in 104 games for York last season. He began the 2013 season at Class A West Michigan, where he hit .289 with no homers, six RBIs and seven runs scored in 11 games to earn a call-up to Lakeland. In seven games (through Saturday) at Lakeland, Hernandez is batting .222 with a homer, five RBIs and three runs scored. Hernandez is still trying to reach the big leagues in his ninth year as a pro.

RHP Josh Judy, Class AA Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim): Judy made his first appearance out of the bullpen for Arkansas on Saturday and gave up a run on walk and a hit with one strikeout. The right-hander is just two years removed from making his big league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2011. The Angels picked up Judy on Thursday after he went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four relief appearances for the Revs.

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Perhaps the biggest name next to Roger Clemens to come to the Atlantic League, slugger Vladimir Guerrero will be bringing his talents to Long Island this season.

Guerrero, 38, has signed with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, according to a report Thursday night from Foxsports.com reporter Ken Rosenthal.The Ducks’ Twitter account confirmed the news Thursday night.

The Ducks had yet to announce the signing Thursday night and message left on the cell phone of Ducks’ manager Kevin Baez was not returned.

While York Revolution manager Mark Mason is happy about the news, he said the Revs might have just missed out on signing Guerrero after having discussions with him most of this off-season.

“We were basically trying to tell him a better opportunity afforded him here to get back to the big leagues,” Mason said. “As of yesterday the way it was left was that he would think about it and maybe give us an answer early next week and see what went on from there.

“I’m happy that he’s in the league. I think it’s great that he’s in the league. Am I disappointed that he didn’t sign with us? Obviously. He’s a borderline Hall of Famer.”

Guerrero, 38, last played in the big leagues in 2011 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Mostly a designated hitter, he batted .290 that season for the Orioles, with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 145 games. Guerrero is a career .318 hitter in 2,147 games in the majors, with 449 homers, 1,496 RBIs, 1,328 runs scored and 2,590 hits.

The Dominican Republic native played in just 12 total games last season split between the Toronto Blue Jays’ Class High A Dunedin and Class AAA Las Vegas clubs. This season, Guerrero was deciding between coming to the Atlantic League or going to the independent Can-Am League to play with the Quebec Capitals.

In a string of tweets from Rosenthal late Thursday night, Guerrero released the following statement on signing with Long Island:

“I loved playing in Canada and really wanted to play for Quebec and old friend Michel Laplante. I grew up with the Montreal Expos and played there for almost 10 years. The fans there are my friends. However, my ultimate goal is to make it back to the majors and reach 500 homers as soon as possible Quebec’s season starts about a month later than Long Island. I own a home on Long Island and am also very comfortable there. I am very grateful and excited for the opportunity.”

Revs’ third-base coach Enohel Polanco, formerly a resident of the Dominican Republic, had been working the phones from his New Jersey home over the off-season.

“Polo talked to him (Guerrero) for awhile (Wednesday) basically telling him that we would give him all the lee-way he wanted,” Mason said. “Three weeks ago he said he was gonna go to Quebec and play. A part of it was he had signed his first pro contract in Canada with Montreal.”

Mason said he would’ve given Guerrero the chance to go Quebec if he didn’t enjoy playing for York.

“I would give him an opportunity to come here, go through spring training and see what the league was about,” Mason said. “If he liked it, great. If it’s something he didn’t like to do and wanted to go to the Can-Am League, I would release him or send him up there in a trade.”

This isn’t the first time the Revs have had discussions with Guerrero, either.

“Originally we tried to talk to Vladimir about coming down here last season before he went to Toronto,” Revs’ baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said. “Polo knows Vlad’s brother. He also knows a guy who owns the facility where Vlad works out at. He’s been talking to the two of them. I know at least this past weekend he talked directly to Vladimir himself.

“I’m not surprised he signed with Long Island but I’m surprised he signed now because Polo just talked to him the other day and had no indication that he was going to sign anytime soon.”

Mason said the move makes sense.

“I just think maybe with the condition with the Yankees are in right now, playing in Long Island, it’s a little bit closer to New York,” Mason said. “If he can put up numbers right away he has a good shot at getting signed quickly.”

Mason said he was going to give Guerrero a chance to play left field in addition to being a designated hitter.

“I was gonna give him an opportunity to play in the field at least a couple times to show he can play out there, which would get interest from National League teams and not just the American League.”

Despite losing out on Guerrero, the Revs’ outfield is already stacked with former big leaguers Jeff Fiorentino, Tyler Graham and Jason Repko.

Plus, York fans might get a chance to see Guerrero play if he’s still a member of the Ducks when Long Island visits York for a three-game weekend series May 3-5.

“I’m happy that he’s in the league,” Mason said of Guerrero. “Would I like to have had him? Yes. It’s good for the league to have guys like him in here.”

From Polo: I caught with with Polanco by phone on Friday afternoon to get his take on the Guerrero discussions. Polo said he last talked to Guerrero on Wednesday.

“He said his agent was working on something,” Polanco said. “And then we just found out he signed with Long Island. He told me he had a home on Long Island. He thinks maybe because of the location of Long Island, it’s close to the Yankees and the Mets.”

Polanco said Guerrero is a nice, humble guy not wanting to make much noise. That makes sense considering how much Guerrero thought about going back to play in Canada, where he has spent most of his career.

“He’s a nice guy. He’s just glad to play the game,” Polanco said. “He’s not one on making noise. He doesn’t like to talk.”

Alumni updates: Former Revs’ pitchers Scott Rice and Shawn Hill had impressive outings Thursday night. In his first start for Class AAA Toledo, Hill went seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He gave up two home runs. Toledo lost to Louisville, 4-3.

In his second appearance for the New York Mets, Scott Rice pitched two-thirds of inning out of the bullpen, allowing two hits. The Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 2-1. Speaking of Rice, the left-hander was on the MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” on Tuesday. Click here to check out the York Revolution’s blog post about it, which includes the six-minute clip of Rice on the show.

DeMark: Former Revs reliever Mike DeMark, released by the Diadmondbacks last month, said in a text message Wednesday he is now in the minors of the Oakland Athletics’ organization.

Kazmir on DL: Former Sugar Land Skeeters’ pitcher Scott Kazmir will indeed miss his first scheduled start with the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. The Indians put the left-hander on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with what is being described as a right rib cage strain. The setback delays Kazmir’s return to the majors, where he last pitched in 2011 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

Tryouts: The York Revolution are set to hold open tryouts this Friday at Sovereign Bank Stadium. We already know one of the players scheduled to participate is 53-year-old Tony Phillips, an 18-year major league veteran who made his pro debut in 1978. Click here to read the full story from Revs’ media guru Paul Braverman on the Revolution’s blog.

Mason said Thursday night former Revs’ reliever Andy Wells might also participate. Wells, 24, is a free agent after being released by the Mets recently. Wells made just three appearances for York last season, allowing a total of 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and nine walks in 4.1 innings of work (16.62 ERA), before being released in June. He has been pitching indy ball his entire three-year pro career.

Ball said Thursday night Northern York High School graduate Nate Eppley could show up, too. Eppley is a 24-year-old right-handed reliever. A 29th-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2011, Eppley was released by the A’s last month. In 2012, the righty went 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 14 appearances at Class Low A Vermont and 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in seven games at Class A Burlington. If Nate’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because his older brother, Cody, also a Northern York grad, is a New York Yankees’ pitcher.

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Before we get to the Hounds news, it’s worth pointing out that Somerset Patriots’ beat writer Ryan Dunleavy, who writes for mycentraljersey.com, got to go Citi Field this week. Here’s an article he wrote about New York Mets’ reliever Scott Rice making his major league debut two years after pitching for the York Revolution.

Now back to the Hounds…The Loudon (Va) Hounds took a giant step towards actually becoming a reality on Wednesday night, when the Loudon County Board of Supervisors approved the request to build a privately-financed baseball and soccer facility.

It’s assumed the facility will be built with finances from VIP Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Hounds. There is still a lot of work ahead, though. According to a press release, VIP Sports & Entertainment will be announcing a number of upcoming events in the coming weeks, including a Ballpark Groundbreaking.

Although the plan is approved, there are several contingencies the Hounds must meet, including noise levels and limited firework dates, among other issues.

Plus, Loudoun still has to apply for membership in the Atlantic League. Here is what Peter Kirk, chairman of Opening Day Partners (owners of 5 of the 8 Atlantic League franchises) had said back in October:

“The league has given them a period of exclusivity to put a deal together. That’s all they have. The league doesn’t like to have the same people running around in the same market area putting a deal together. Loudoun has done a fantastic job with marketing and positioning of the team. They seem to have most of approvals for a stadium. They seem to have their financing together. They asked the league if they can move to another sight. We didn’t really care about that part. It’s up to them as far as the location they’d like to put a park. It’s a great market and it fits geographically with the league. I hope it works out.”

So, it’s good news for the Hounds and the Atlantic League that Loudon finally has a plan in place that has been approved for construction. It’s a step in the right direction for the Hounds. And it’s positive news for the Atlantic League in its quest to one day become a 12-team league.

Revolution giveaways: In an update to the York Revolution giveaway schedule mentioned in a previous post, click here to read an actual article from The York Dispatch on all the giveaways planned by the Revs in 2013.

Ducks sign some more, including a former Rev: A day after signing pitchers Jared Lansford and Eric Niesen, the Long Island Ducks announced Wednesday the signings of outfielder Danny Perales and left-handed reliever James Houser, a former Revolution pitcher.

Perales, 28, is a former prospect of the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. He spent last season with the Jays’ Class AAA Las Vegas club, batting .279 with six homers and 39 RBIs in 72 games.

Houser, 28, is still trying to make it back to the big leagues since he pitched in one game with the Florida Marlins at the end of the 2010 season. He sat out the entire 2011 season because of open-heart surgery to repair an enlarged aorta. He split last season between York and Camden. With the Revs, he posted a 2-1 record and 5.50 ERA in 33 games (two starts). He did make a memorable spot start for York on June 12 when he started against Southern Maryland in place of Shawn Hill. Houser lived up to the task by tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball, giving up four hits while striking out two and walking one. The Revs collected just enough runs and seven pitchers combined to hold the Blue Crabs to just two runs in a 3-2 victory. York later released Houser and he soon joined Camden, where he finished the year with a 3-0 record and 4.01 ERA in 25 relief appearances for the Riversharks.

With the additions, the Ducks now have 21 players under contract for the 2013 season – 13 pitchers and eight position players. Six players have big league experience and eight will be new to the Atlantic League. Houser also joins former Revs Bryant Nelson and Rian Kiniry in Long Island.

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In case you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s an earlier blog entry on former Rev Scott Rice making his MLB debut with the New York Mets on Monday. Rice threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two.

With MLB rosters set, I thought this would be a good time to give an update on where former Revolution players are (or aren’t in some cases) in affiliated ball.

We started off with a list of 12 former York ballplayers in minor league or major league camp: OF/corner infielder Chris Nowak (Diamondbacks), outfielder Mike Hernandez (Tigers) and pitchers Scott Rice (Mets), Justin Hampson (Mets) Andy Wells (Mets), Victor Garate (Dodgers), Mike Benacka (Blue Jays), Ryan Feierabend (Rangers), Shawn Hill (Tigers), Mike DeMark (Diamondbacks), Ian Thomas (Braves) and Omar Javier (Giants).

Of that group, Rice is the only one who began the 2013 season on a big league roster. As for the rest of them? Well, six will begin the season playing somewhere in the minors, four are currently free agents after being released by their respective clubs and one – Nowak – has retired after being released by the D’Backs last month.

In the minors: Of all former Revs players starting the 2013 season in affiliated ball, Hill has the best chance of making it to the big leagues this year. Hill, a former big leaguer, had a 4.50 ERA in three spring training starts and six total appearances with the Tigers’ big league club. In his final spring training start last week, the right-hander Hill allowed just two runs on six hits in five innings of work against the Atlanta Braves, striking out three and walking none. He’s expected to be in the starting rotation at Class AAA Toledo to start this season. Hill, 31, went 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA in seven games (five starts) for the Revs last season before being picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays and assigned to Class AAA Las Vegas, where he went 9-2 with a 4.52 ERA in 15 starts. The performance earned him a call-up to the Blue Jays’ big league roster at the end of the season, marking his first return to the majors since 2010.

Thomas, 25, earned a promotion to Class AA Mississippi (Braves), where he’ll begin the 2013 season. The 6-foot-4 lefty came to York just three years removed from playing college ball at Virginia Commonwealth. He spent his first three seasons of pro ball playing for independent club Winnipeg (formerly North American League, now American Association). He started the 2012 season in York, compiling a 1-0 record and 0.96 ERA in seven relief appearances before getting picked up by the Atlanta Braves and assigned to Class A Rome, where he went 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 26 games.

Javier, 25, hasn’t pitched above rookie ball in his affiliated career. He is listed on the roster of the Class AA Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants), which begins its season Thursday. The right-hander went 1-6 with a 5.67 ERA in 22 games (nine starts) for the Revs in 2012. After being released by the Revs in late July, Javier went on to pitch for Newark. He started six games for the Bears, posting a 2-2 record and a 3.74 ERA over 33.2 innings pitched. This past winter, he posted a 1-0 record and 2.27 ERA in 11 games (six starts) playing for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Republic (where he was teammates with former Revs’ pitcher Scott Rice along with pitchers Julio DePaula and Pedro Liriano, both of whom are on York’s current pre-season roster, along with a number of former Atlantic Leaguers).

Hernandez, 29, will begin the 2013 season where he first began his pro career in 2006, at Class A West Michigan (Tigers), according to this blog post. The post states that Hernandez helped “the team win the Midwest League Championship” in 2006, hitting “for the cycle twice that season, and set a record at the time with seven RBI’s in one game.” The move of playing for a single-a club might raise some eyebrows, but when you figure Hernandez has had good seasons in the Atlantic League each of the last four years but didn’t get picked up by a big league club, I don’t blame him for trying this route. Hernandez batted .303 with with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 104 games for the Revs in 2012.

Hampson will start the 2013 season at Class AAA Las Vegas 51s, the triple-a affiliate of the New York Mets. He got a call up to the Mets’ big league spring training club last week but got roughed up in the appearance, allowing a run on two doubles and a single in two innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hampson pitched for the Revs and the Long Island Ducks in 2010 and spent the majority of the last two years at the Mets’ Class AAA Buffalo affiliate. He earned a promotion to the major league club near the end of last season, returning to the big leagues for the first time since 2009. He posted a 1.30 ERA in 13 appearances.

Feierabend, 27, is still on a quest to make it back to the big leagues for the first time since 2008. He’ll continue that journey by starting out at Class AA Frisco (Rangers) this year, according to this press release. The 6-foot-4 lefty went 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 17 starts for York last season. He got picked up mid-season by the Cincinnati Reds and assigned to Class AAA Louisville, where he went 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts before being released and returning to the Revs.

DeMark, 29, signed with Oakland Athletics’ organization shortly after being released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in mid-March. The 6-foot right-hander began the 2011 season with York, posting a 2.61 ERA in 13 appearances before being picked up by the D’Backs that year. He spent all of the 2012 season pitching for D’Backs’ Class AAA Reno club, going 5-5 with a 4.19 ERA in 53 games.

Wells, 24, is a free agent after being released by the Mets last week. Wells made just three appearances for York last season, allowing a total of 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and nine walks in 4.1 innings of work (16.62 ERA), before being released in June. He has been pitching indy ball his entire three-year pro career.

Garate, 24, is a still a free agent since being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-March. The former big leaguer made one appearance with York in 2012, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. A Venezuela native, Garate pitched in four games with the Washington Nationals in 2009, posting a 22.50 ERA.

Benacka, 30, is still a free agent since being released by the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-March. The 6-foot-2 right-hander collected a 3.60 ERA in five appearances for York last season. York traded him back to American Association club Laredo in the off-season. As a result, Laredo owns his rights should Benacka opt to return to the indy scene.

Other Revs on the move: The Long Island Ducks announced Monday the return of infielder Bryant Nelson, who played for the Revs in 2011. Juan Martinez, younger brother of former Revs’ catcher Octavio, will make his return to the Atlantic League in 2013 with the Camden Riversharks. Martinez, 26, played in 12 games for York in 2011. He split last season between Camden and Newark (Can-Am League). According to the Can-Am League’s transactions page, Newark traded Martinez to Camden late last week.

Former Atlantic Leaguers are spring training releases: Slugger Ryan Garko and outfielder/pitcher Jason Lane, both former big leaguers and former Atlantic Leaguers, became free agents last week. Garko clubbed four homers, collected 16 RBIs and batted .450 in just 16 games for the Long Island Ducks to start last season before being picked up by the Tampa Bay Rays and assigned to Class AA Montgomery, where he hit .297 with eight homers and 40 RBIs in 61 games. He was released by the Colorado Rockies last week.

Lane, 36, began the 2012 season at Class AAA Reno, where he went 2-0 with a 7.59 ERA in 15 relief appearances on the mound and batted .167 in 10 games at the plate while also playing the outfield. He later joined the Sugar Land and posted a 9-5 record and 3.17 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) while batting .270 in 75 games. Called up to the Minnesota Twins big league spring training club last week, Lane got tagged with a blown save by allowing three runs on five hits in one inning of work in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins released him last week.

Former Bridgeport Bluefish outfielder Collin DeLome also became a free agent after the Atlanta Braves released him last week. Last season, DeLome batted .368 with five homers and 22 RBIs in just 23 games before being picked up by the Braves.

The Boston Red Sox released starting pitcher J.D. Durbin last week. Durbin, 31, is still trying to get back to the big leagues since last pitching there in 2007. The 6-foot right-hander had a combined 22-13 record and 4.68 ERA in 45 starts for the Lancaster Barnstormers the last two seasons.

Former Lancaster Barnstormers’ reliever Jeff Bennett was released by the Colorado Rockies last week. Bennett, 32, last pitched in the majors in 2009. He went 4-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 52 appearances for Lancaster last year.

The Washington Nationals released outfielder Delwyn Young last week. Young, 30, has 344 games of big league experience under his belt. He spent part of the 2012 season with the Camden Riversharks, batting .191 in 32 games.

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In his major league debut on Monday, left-hander Scott Rice threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the New York Mets in an 11-2 win over San Diego on Opening Day in front of a sold-out crowd of 41,053 fans at Citi Field. Rice got his first two batters he faced, Nick Hundley and Cameron Maybin, to go down swinging and the third, Will Venable, to ground out to second base for the final out.

It marked Rice’s major league debut after spending the last 14 seasons in the minors. The 6-foot, 6-inch lefty became the first York player to make his MLB debut after pitching for the Revs. Rice, 31, is the fourth former Revs’ player to make it to the big leagues after suiting up for York – joining Tike Redman, Shawn Hill and Justin Hampson.

He was upstaged a little bit by 26-year-old outfielder Colin Cowgill, who became the first Mets player to hit a grand slam in his debut with the franchise and the second ever to hit a grand slam for the Mets on Opening Day.

Rice pitched for the Revs in 2011, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 appearances before getting picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also pitched for Atlantic League club Long Island in 2008 and former Atlantic League franchise Newark in 2009.

 

 

 

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