Just four teams and 11 players were involved in transactions last week, including four former big leaguers. It’s the least amount of teams and players involved in transactions in a one-week span all season. Before we get to the roster moves, though, here are some newsworthy items:

Pitcher of Month: Former Skeeters’ pitcher Michael Nix has been named the Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month for the month of May. Nix was recently picked up by the Chicago White Sox. During the month, Nix went 5-0 in five starts while holding opponents scoreless in 30.1 innings of work and accumulating 28 strikeouts to just six walks for the Skeeters.

Player of the Month: Somerset Patriots’ corner infielder Corey Smith was selected as the Atlantic League Player of the Month for the month of May. During the month he hit .333 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 27 games.

Player of the Week: Lancaster pitcher Horacio Ramirez was named the Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16. Ramirez won both of his starts last week, striking out out 17 to just one walk while holding opponents to four earned runs in 12.2 innings of work.

Now on to the transactions….

 

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS: Signed LHP Rusy Jones and UTL Dionys Cesar

Jones, 29,was released by the Long Island Ducks in May despite posting a 2.45 ERA – which was third-best on the team – in eight relief appearances, allowing two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and seven walks in 7.1 innings of work. Jones has spent his entire eight-year pro career in independent ball. Entering the 2013 season, the lefty reliever had a career 15-16 record and 5.06 ERA. A Kansas native, Jones went 4-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 32 appearances last season with Edinburg (North American League).

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 1993 by the Oakland Athletics, Cesar made his professional debut in 1995. The 36-year-old switch-hitter made his Atlantic League debut in 2007 with the Long Island Ducks and Lancaster Barnstormers before switching to international baseball in 2008 with teams like Laguna, Reynosa and Chunichi in the Japanese League. In the 43 combined games played with Long Island and Lancaster in 2007, Cesar batted .337 with a homer, 13 RBIs, 19 runs scored and four stolen bases. In 36 games with Sugar Land last season, Cesar posted a .267 average with three homers, 10 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

 

LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS: Signed OF Jerry Owens, RHP Brodie Downs and INF Matt Spencer, released RHP Alan Johnson

Owens returns to the ‘Stormers after leaving for the Mexican League earlier this year. In 35 games with the Barnstormers, Owens posted a .304 average with three doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and 17 runs scored. He also stole 10 bases. A former big leaguer, Owens retired from the game after the 2009 season but returned to the game this season when he became the first player to sign with the Barnstormers for the 2013 season back in February. In seven games with the Campeche Pirates in the Mexican League, Owens batted a team-low .194.

Downs, 33, last pitched in 2009 in the Seattle Mariners’ organization. The right-handed reliever has a career 6.20 ERA in 27 appearances at the Class AAA level and 4.57 ERA in 55 games (12 starts) at the Class AA level.

Spencer comes to Lancaster less than two weeks since being released by Bridgeport, where he batted .235 with no homers, 10 doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 32 games. A third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007, Spencer spent the first four years of his pro career in the minors as an outfielder. In 2011, he split time between pitching and playing the outfield. In 2012, he was strictly a pitcher. As an outfielder, he reached Class AAA Iowa in the Chicago Cubs’ system. As a pitcher, he reached Class High A Daytona (Cubs) in 2012. This season is his first in the Atlantic League.

In 10 games (seven starts) for Lancaster, Johnson posted a 1-3 record and 8.02 ERA, walking 21 and striking out 20 in 33.2 innings of work. It’s a drop-off from the 14-6 record and 4.56 ERA the right-hander had for the ‘Stormers in 2012.

Lancaster now has 30 players under contract for the 2013 season (I’m guessing one more corresponding roster move has to be made to reach the 25-man limit since only two players are inactive – catcher Francisco Hernandez – while two others are on the disabled list – outfielder Ryan Harvey and right-hander Robert Hinton), including nine players with major-league experience.

SOMERSET PATRIOTS: Signed RHP Erik Arnesen, released OF Josh Kroeger and LHP Alex Hinshaw

Arnesen returns to the Pats’ just a month after being picked up by the Oakland Athletics and assigned to Class AA Midland, where he posted an 0-1 record and 10.03 in three games (two starts), striking out seven and walking six in 11.2 innings pitched. Arnesen, 29, spent his first seven years as a pro in the Washington Nationals’ organization before coming to Somerset. He has a career 3.76 ERA in 57 games at the Class AAA level. In five starts for the Patriots earlier this season, Arnesen went 2-1 with 4.10 ERA with 27 strikeouts and one walk in 30.2 innings of work. He reported to Oakland’s Class AA Midland (Tex.) affiliate.

In his first season in the Atlantic League, Kroeger held a .254 batting average with four doubles, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 32 games for Somerset. Kroeger, 30, played in 22 games at the major league level with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005. He also has nine seasons of experience at the Class AAA level, played in the farm systems’ of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. He last played at the Class AAA level in 2007 with the Cubs.

A former big leaguer, Hinshaw leaves the Patriots after signing with them just two weeks ago. In his Atlantic League debut, Hinshaw allowed a run on a hit with four walks and two strikeouts in two relief appearances (one total inning) for Somerset. Hinshaw, 30, came to the Patriots after going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 games at Class AAA Buffalo (Toronto Blue Jays) earlier this season. Hinshaw has appeared in 90 big league games in his nine-year pro career, posting a career 3-2 big league record and 5.11 ERA. He’s less than a year removed from last pitching in the majors with San Diego and the Chicago Cubs last season.

Somerset now has 29 players under contract (infielder Anderson Hernandez and pitchers Graham Taylor, Brad Thompson and Ryan Zamorsky are inactive while outfielder Joe Holden is on the disabled list).

Sugar Land Skeeters: Los Angeles Angels signed LHP Dustin Richardson, Skeeters signed C Jeff Allen

Richardson became the fifth Skeeters’ player to be picked up by a big league organization this season (tops in the Atlantic League for most players signed by major league franchises this year). The left-hander posted a 1.03 ERA in five relief appearances and one start this year for the Skeeters, striking out five and walking two in 8.2 innings of work. A fifth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2005, Richardson last pitched in the majors in 2010 with the Red Sox, compiling a 4.15 ERA in 26 games. The 6-foot, 5-inch Texas Tech product split the 2011 season between Class AAA Gwinnett (Braves) and Class AAA nEW Orleans (Marlins), combining for a 4.79 ERA in 46 games. In his Atlantic League debt with the Skeeters in 2012, Richardson went 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA in 17 games (two starts), striking out 31 and walking 14 in 31 total innings.

Ramos played in one game for the Skeeters last season but didn’t see a plate appearance.

The Skeeters now have 28 players under contract (first baseman Josh Pressley, outfielders Steve Moss and Fernando Perez and pitcher Gilbert De La Vara are on the disabled list while infielder Anthony Granato is inactive).

Previous Atlantic League news, transactions:

June 3-9

May 27-June 2

May 20-26

May 13-19

May 6-12

April 29-May 5

April 22-28

April 15-21

April 8-14

April 1-7

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Credit the Atlantic League for not being afraid to take risks.

After all, sometimes the best way to succeed at something is to try to succeed, rather than not try at all.

The league hit home runs in recent experiments by adding an expansion franchise in Sugar Land (Texas) in the 2012 season and implementing new pace-of-game rules this season to speed up the completion of games.

The Skeeters drew an average crowd of 6,650 fans a game last year, which was tops in the league. And through 47 games for the York Revolution this season, more than half (25 games) have been completed in under three hours.

Those experiments have proven to be successful. But another recent experiment has had opposite results.

The league opted to start the 2013 schedule a week earlier — and end it a week earlier — than normal this season. The decision played a large role in attendance being down across the board through the end of May.

“There are pros and cons,” league president Peter Kirk said last week. “All of the clubs do a lot of school programs. York does. It seems that the schools and teachers would appreciate bringing the kids out to the ballpark at the end of the term when not a lot is going on in school, as opposed to the beginning (of the school year).”

York averaged 3,659 fans in 26 openings through the end of May, click here to continue reading.

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Every team but Long Island made transactions last week, with a total of 18 players involved, including six former big leaguers. But first, here are some newsworthy items from this past week related to the Atlantic League:

Speeding up the game: As they have done throughout the year, the new rules being implemented in the Atlantic League this season to speed up the completion of games caught some national attention. In particular, the rules were detailed in an article in the New York Times and written about on FoxSports.com by MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal in his column at FoxSports.com.

Boulton to introduce developmental league: Frank Boulton, founder and CEO of the Atlantic League and owner of the Long Island Ducks, told the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram that he will likely announce sometime this month plans on a new developmental baseball league. The league will apparently be completely separate from the Atlantic League.Now on to the transactions…

 

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH: Signed OF Stantrel Smith and LHP Miguel Martinez, released INF Karl DeBacher and INF Sam Greenberg

Smith, who was released by the Camden Riversharks two weeks ago despite batting .276 in 10 games.

Martinez, 30, is an indy-ball veteran who comes back to the Atlantic League for the third time in his now 10-year pro career. He previously pitched for the league’s Road Warriors club in 2006 and 2011, posting a combined

Derbacher, who signed with Bridgeport just last week, had just two hits in 16 plate appearances (.125) with a walk, three strikeouts and two runs scored.

The ‘Fish had signed Greenberg, 23, in the second week of May to provide some depth to the infield while short stop Brandon Chaves recovered from a concussion. Chaves returned to the active roster last week, and Greenberg was cut as a result. Greenberg was hitless in five plate appearances over seven games for Bridgeport. The younger brother of Adam Greenberg, Sam is a Southern Connecticut State University product who made his pro debut with Bridgeport.

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS: Signed RHP Andrew Johnston and OF Billy Rice

I missed these signings at some point recently. Nevertheless, Johnson, 29, is a former Colorado Rockies’ prospect who spent all of last season in the independent American Association with Gary SouthShore, where he went 0-3 with a 5.25 ERA in nine games (five starts). Rice, 24, returns to Camden for the second-straight season. Rice played in 12 games earlier this season with the Chicago White Sox Class High A Winston Salem affiliate, where he batted .171 with three doubles, a triple, one RBI, four runs scored and four stolen bases in 41 plate appearances before being released in late April.

With the additions, Camden now has 13 players who are new to the league compared to 14 who have Atlantic League experience (two players are inactive, although I’m not exactly sure which two).

LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS: OF Jerry Owens signed by Campeche (Mexican League), Barnstormers signed INF Austin Gallagher

In 35 games with the Barnstormers, Owens posted a .304 average with three doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and 17 runs scored. He also stole 10 bases. A former big leaguer, Owens retired from the game after the 2009 season but returned to the game this season when he became the first player to sign with the Barnstormers for the 2013 season back in February. The native of Hollywood, CA spent time in Chicago from 2006-09 and was a regular in the White Sox outfield in 2007. That season he batted .267 in 93 games while stealing 32 bases. He hit his only home run of his big league career July 28 of that season off two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, driving in both runs in a 2-0 Chicago win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Owens is the second Atlantic League player to sign with a Mexican League club this season.

Gallagher is a former star of Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County who went pro out of high school when the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the third round in 2007. Gallagher, 24, played six seasons in the Dodgers’ organization as a corner infielder. A left-handed batter, Gallagher has put up consistent numbers in the Class A+ California League in his four seasons there, batting between .283 and .293 each of those years. Last season, he batted .283 with 15 home runs, 27 doubles and 74 RBI for Rancho Cucamonga. He was in spring training camp with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the year.

With the loss of Owens, the Barnstormers now have nine players under contract with major league experience. Gallagher is one of 13 Lancaster players who are in their first year in the Atlantic League.

SOMERSET PATRIOTS: Atlanta Braves signed RHP Mitch Atkins, Patriots signed LHP Alex Hinshaw

Atkins, a former big leaguer, posted a 3-2 record and 3.97 ERA in seven starts for Somerset, striking out 39 and walking 13 in 43 innings pitched. The right-hander joins the Atlanta Braves’ organization for the first time in his now 10-year pro career. He has seen big league time with the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles from 2009 to 2011, compiling a 6.65 ERA in 10 games (three starts). Atkins, 27, reported to Class AA Mississippi.

Hinshaw, 30, is a former big leaguer who is making his Atlantic League debut with Somerset. He comes to the Patriots after going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 games at Class AAA Buffalo (Toronto Blue Jays) earlier this season before being released May 10. Hinshaw has appeared in 90 big league games in his nine-year pro career, posting a career 3-2 big league record and 5.11 ERA. He’s less than a year removed from last pitching in the majors with San Diego and the Chicago Cubs last season.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND BLUE CRABS: Traded INF Brandon Jones to Amarillo (American Association) for future considerations, LHP Jeremy Sowers retired

Jones batted .229 with three homers, four doubles, 13 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 27 games for the Blue Crabs.

Sowers, 30, attempted a comeback this season with Southern Maryland after last pitching in 2010. The former big leaguer went 1-3 with a 4.29 ERA in eight starts for the Crabs. The left-hander retires with a career 18-30 record and 5.19 ERA in 72 major league games (71 starts), all with the Cleveland Indians from 2006 to 2009.

 

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS: Kansas City Royals signed 2B Chase Lambin, Skeeters released RHP Bobby Livingston

Lambin, 33, has yet to reach the majors despite playing in more than 600 games at the Class AAA level. A late-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2002, Lambin spent the last three seasons at Class AAA level with three different major league organizations. This will mark his first time in Lambin’s now 12-year pro career that he’ll play in the Royals’ organization. The switch-hitter played 24 games with Sugar Land this year, hitting at a .305 clip with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Despite a brief stint on the disabled list in May, he assisted in leading the Skeeters to a 30-9 record to start 2013 and posting one of the highest winning percentages in professional baseball. Lambin is the third Skeeters player to be signed by a big league club this season, joining pitcher Sean Gallagher (Colorado Rockies) and outfielder Dustin Martin (Arizona Diamondbacks). Twelve total players have been signed by major league organizations out of the Atlantic League this season. Click here for that full list.

Livingston went 3-3 with a 7.10 ERA in seven starts for Sugar Land, which is a drop-off from the 9-2 record and 4.37 he had last year in 16 starts for the Skeeters.

The Skeeters now have 25 players under contract, however two of those (outfielder Fernando Perez and left-hander Gilbert De La Vara are on the disabled list while infielder Anthony Granato is inactive).

YORK REVOLUTION: Philadelphia Phillies signed SS Andy Gonzalez, Revolution signed OF Dallas McPherson, LHP Rick Zagone, released OF Mike Coles, Dallas McPherson retires

Andy Gonzalez last played in a game for York on May 12 before abruptly leaving the team to return home to his native Puerto Rico to deal with what the team called “personal reasons.” In 21 games for York, Gonzalez posted a .273 batting average with three doubles, seven RBIs, eight runs scored, seven walks and nine strikeouts in 77 plate appearances. The former big leaguer reported to the Phillies’ Class AA Reading affiliate.

Zagone, 26, is just five years removed from playing college ball at Missouri. He was drafted in the eighth round by the Baltimore in 2008 and spent all five of his pro seasons with the Orioles’ organizaton before coming to York. He spent the majority of his first five pro seasons at Class High A Frederick and Class AA Bowie before reaching Class AAA Norfolk last year. In four games (two starts) for Norfolk, Zagone was scoreless in 20.1 innings of work, striking out 16 and walking seven while giving up nine hits.

A North Carolina native, McPherson was drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft by the Los Angeles Angels. He made his big league debut with the Angels in 2004 and went on to play in 139 major league games with the Angels, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox. He last played in the majors in 2011. For his career, McPherson owns a career .241 batting average in the big leagues with 18 homers, 45 RBIs and 54 runs scored in 386 plate appearances. The Citadel product split last season between two different Class AAA affiliates. He held a .299 average in 20 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates Class AAA Indianapolis affiliate and a .253 average in 61 games with the White Sox Class AAA Charlotte affiliate. He holds a career .276 average in 530 games at the Class AAA level. McPherson played in just three games for the Revs before deciding to retire last Friday night.

Coles leaves the team after batting a team-low .083 (1-for-12) with two runs scored, three walks and four strikeouts in five games. The Indiana native was signed by the Revs on May 18 to make his Atlantic League debut in York. He first made his pro debut in 2006 and has spent his entire seven-year pro career playing indy ball in Northern League, Frontier League and American Association.

The Revs now have 27 players under contract (starting pitcher Brett Tomko and outfielder James Shanks are inactive), including 10 who are in their first season in the Atlantic League.

PREVIOUS ATLANTIC LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS:

May 20-26

May 13-19

May 6-12

April 29-May 5

April 22-28

April 15-21

April 8-14

April 1-7

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Atlantic League players signed by major league clubs in 2013:

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH:

RHP Mike Colla (Tampa Bay Rays, Class AA Montgomery)

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS:

INF Marquez Smith (Cincinnati Reds, Class High A Bakersfield)

3B Tommy Mendonca (Philadelphia Phillies, Class AA Reading)

INF Paddy Matera (Cleveland Indians, Class High A Carolina)

LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS:

RHP Tim Dillard (Milwaukee Brewers, Class AAA Nashville)

OF Joe Mather (Cincinnati Reds, Class AA Pensacola)

SOMERSET PATRIOTS:

RHP Erik Arnesen (Oakland Athletics, Class AA Midland)

OF Mike Wilson (San Diego Padres, Class AAA Tucson)

RHP Mitch Atkins (Atlanta Braves, Class AA Mississippi)

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS:

RHP Sean Gallagher (Colorado Rockies, Class AA Tulsa)

OF Dustin Martin (Arizona Diamondbacks, Class AA Mobile)

2B Chase Lambin (Kansas City Royals, Class AAA Omaha)

RHP Michael Nix (Chicago White Sox, Class AAA Charlotte)

LHP Dustin Richardson (Los Angeles Angels, Class AAA Salt Lake)

YORK REVOLUTION:

RHP Josh Judy (Los Angeles Angels, Class AA Arkansas)

1B/OF Johan Limonta (San Diego Padres, Class AA San Antonio)

RHP Matt Fox (New York Mets, Class AAA Las Vegas)

SS Andy Gonzalez (Philadelphia Phillies, Class AA Reading)

 

Atlantic League players signed by foreign leagues

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH:

RHP Ty’Relle Harris (Chinese Professional Baseball League, Taiwan)

SOMERSET PATRIOTS:

INF Yunesky Sanchez (Mexican League, Oaxaca)

LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS:

OF Jerry Owens (Mexican League, Campeche)

YORK REVOLUTION:

1B Brian Burgamy (Mexican League, Campeche)

RHP Nick Green (Mexican League, Yucatan)

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First off, my apologies on not having regular updates lately. This week has been a little busy with local York County teams in various district playoffs.

Anyway, this is more of a Q&A I had before Sunday’s game with former Revs’ reliever Jason Richardson, who is back from Tommy John surgery pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers this season.

Before we get to that, though, just wanted to recommend checking out the game story from the Revs’ 6-5 loss to Sugar Land on Tuesday, when York outfielder James Shanks made history by setting the club’s new all-time hits record.

Also, here’s the game story from York’s 7-6 loss to Sugar Land on Wednesday night. It ended up being Brett Tomko’s worst start of the year as Sugar Land improved to 27-5 and York fell to 17-16 overall and 3-10 in one-run games.

 

Former Revs’ reliever Jason Richardson spent all of last season in York rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. After a year off, Richardson is back in baseball with the Lancaster Barnstormers. In five appearances through Wednesday, Richardson has held opponents scoreless over 4.1 innings of work, striking out three with no walks.

Richardson, who played a big part in York’s championship clubs in 2010 and 2011, was holding out hope he could return to the game this season with the Revs.

“I was originally holding out to come back to York. I wanted to come back here. They took care of me last year and let me work and getting healthy,” he said. “We never could work anything out. I think they may have been a little bit timid about the elbow. (Lancaster manager) Butch (Hobson) brought me in on a tryout about a week before (spring training). I’ve been up here (in Lancaster) since. They (the Barnstormers) have so many quality arms. We had a couple guys get picked up (by major league teams) in  (Joe) Mather and (Tim) Dillard and that opened up a spot for me.”

Richardson, 32, said he was healthy enough to come back near the end of last season, but York didn’t want to take a chance on the right-hander at that point.

“I got cleared (to pitch) right around 11 months. The doctor over here cleared me (in late August),” he said. “I got cleared then and I had been throwing well. I understand why (York didn’t take a chance on me). I thought I had a shot to come back. I was thinking more along the lines of I wanted to come back and pitch. I can understand why they didn’t want to bring me back that early on. From a business standpoint they had three weeks to a month left before the playoffs start. They would’ve had to keep an eye on me. I wouldn’t have been able to go out there in a close game with a team that’s trying to make a playoff run they don’t want to trust a guy who’s just coming off surgery.”

Richardson said his only other serious injury of his now 14-year pro career came in 2001 when he had to get bone spurs taken out of his throwing elbow. In his comeback this season, Richardson first pitched for the Long Island Storm, a team comprised of current and former Atlantic League players that scrimmages teams down in Florida during Major League Baseball’s spring training. He said his fastball was topping out at 92 mph in spring training, but has been clocked at 95 mph at Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium.

“I feel like the velocity is as good, if not better, than it was before surgery,” he said. “I think that first outing (in spring training) I was 92 or 93. As far as being this early in the year for me normally my velocity doesn’t peak until June. So if I can add another couple miles an hour it could be fun.”

Richardson spent the off-season getting healthy and working as a substitute teacher for the second year in a row in his native Florida. He’s also two classes away from obtaining a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Phoenix.

“My wife teaches middle school. I like the idea that when I’m done playing having the summers off with her,” he said. “She’s been able to come up and stay with me for months during the summer. I like that idea but I want to get into coaching high school baseball and things like that.”

But Richardson, who has never played in the majors and has only played one season at the Class AAA level in 2006, said his teaching career won’t start for at least another couple years.

“We’ll play this year and next year and see what happens…as long as I feel good,” he said “I’d love to get an affiliated deal. What’s the chances at my age honestly (at getting signed my a major league team)? If I didn’t get picked up at 27 or 28 (years-old) what’s the chances I could get picked up at 32? I feel like I can be one of the better pitchers coming out of the bullpen in this league. And I know this is a good league. So if I can be a guy to come in and have a job here, why not?”

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Every team but Southern Maryland made roster moves this past week. A total of 19 players, including four former big leaguers, were involved in transactions. Three trades were also made. Before we get to the transactions, however, here are some newsworthy items…

Players of the Month: I can’t find any press releases on this, so thanks to Bridgeport and reporter Ryan Dunleavy on pointing this out. Bluefish starting pitcher Mike Parisi took home Pitcher of the Month honors for the month of April while Somerset’s Yunesky Sanchez was named the Atlantic League Player of the Month. Sanchez led the league with a .381 batting average, 16 hits, five home runs, and 15 RBI in 10 games during the month before signing to play for Oaxaca of the Mexican League. Parisi went 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in three starts in the month of April for Bridgeport, striking out 13 and walking five while allowing 13 hits in 15 innings of work.

College team saves child: In case you haven’t heard about this yet, members of the Millersville University baseball team helped save the life of a 1-year-old boy last week. OK, not exactly Atlantic League-related news. But if I may go seven-degrees-of-Kevin Bacon, the first player ever signed by the Lancaster Barnstormers was pitcher Matt Scheuing, who played at Penn Manor High School and Millersville, both located in Lancaster County (Scheuing, who went to school with my older brother, is now teaching social studies at Penn Manor High School). Plus, this story of the child getting saved is pretty cool. The story made national headlines as well.

Fans make the call: Again, not an Atlantic League-related news item, but here’s to hoping an Atlantic League team experiments with this in an exhibition game next year. The St. Paul Saints, of the independent American Association, allowed fans to make the call on just about everything in an exhibition game last week, from strikes to balls to outs and fair or foul calls. Here’s the full story from the New York Times.

Zambrano won’t play in Atlantic League after all: The Philadelphia Phillies officially signed pitcher Carlos Zambrano to a minor-league deal last week. The signing brought an end to speculation that Zambrano could possibly pitch in the Atlantic League for the Long Island Ducks. Days before he signed with the Phillies, cbssports.com reported Zambrano had only agreed to terms with the Ducks but had not signed a contract with them. Various reports surfaced a couple weeks ago insinuating Zambrano had indeed signed with the Ducks, who never actually made any kind of announcement on Zambrano.

Vlad Guerrero’s status: Former big league slugger Vladimir Guerrero is still listed on the Long Island Ducks’ inactive roster and has yet to see any playing time this season as he’s still dealing with what the team is still calling a “family matter” in his native Dominican Republic. A tweet from clnsradio.com reporter Chris Cotillo last week stated “Source close to the situation doesn’t expect Vlad Guerrero to report to the @LIDucks “Doesn’t seem interested in playing”. Here’s to hoping that changes so we can see Guerrero blast some homers in the Atlantic League this season.

Now on to the transactions…

 

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH: Acquired LHP Mickey Jannis from Lake Erie (Frontier League) in exchange for a player to be named later, signed INF Sam Greenberg and INF Russ Mitchell, released INF Daniel Barbero

Jannis, 25, will make his Atlantic League debut with Bridgeport after posting a 2.53 ERA in 34 games (three starts) last season with Lake Erie. The California native is just three years removed from playing college ball at Cal State Bakersfield. He spent the first two years of his pro career in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, reaching Class High A Charlotte in 2011.

Mitchell, 28, is a former big leaguer who will make his Atlantic League debut with ‘Fish. The Georgia native spent his first nine years as a pro in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, reaching the majors in 2010. He played in 40 combined big league games with the Dodgers in 2010 and 2011, batting .151. He split last season between the Miami Marlins’ Class AA Jacksonville affiliate and the San Francisco Giants’ Class AA Richmond affiliate. He has a career .302 average at the Class AAA level.

Greenberg, 23, is a Southern Connecticut State University product who is making his pro debut with Bridgeport.

Barbero batted .200 with a double in 11 games (25 plate appearances) for Bridgeport.

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS: Acquired RHP Jake Hale and LHP Corey Young from New Jersey Jackals (Can-Am League) in exchange for players to be named later, released OF Stantrel Smith, INF Erik Lis and C Shea Harris

Hale, 27, comes to the Atlantic League for the first time in his fourth year as a pro. The right-hander has spent the last two seasons in the independent Can-Am League, where he posted a 2.67 ERA in 70 combined games. The Ohio State University product was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 27th round in 2009 and later reached Class High A Visalia in 2010.

Young, 26, is a New Jersey native who played college ball at Seton Hall University before being drafted in the 12th round in 2008 by the Texas Rangers. The lefty has spent the last two seasons at Class AA Frisco, where he has a career 5.93 ERA in 73 combined relief appearances over four years. He’ll make his Atlantic League debut with Camden.

Smith held a .275 batting average with a double and an RBI in 10 games (29 plate appearances) for the ‘Sharks. Harris played in just two games for Camden, going 1-for-5 (.200) at the plate with a walk and two strikeouts. Lis carried a .176 average in 14 games (34 plate appearances) with two doubles and three RBIs.

LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS: Signed OF Stephen Holdren, traded C Charlie Neil to Trois-Rivieres (Can-Am League)

Holdren, 30, is an indy league veteran who has batted above .300 in four separate seasons. Last year with Lincoln (American Association), the left-handed batter posted a .279 average with nine homers, 19 doubles a triple and 71 RBIs.

It’s unclear what the ‘Stormers are getting into return for Neil, who batted .261 with a double and two RBIs in nine games (23 plate appearances) for Lancaster.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Signed 1B Murray Watts, acquired UTL P.J. Phillips from New Jersey Jackals (Can-Am League) in exchange for player to be named later, released LHP Rusty Jones

Watts, 25, makes his Atlantic League debut with the Ducks after playing in 16 games earlier this season with the Kansas City Royals Class High A Wilmington affiliate, where he posted a .172 batting average with three doubles, a triple and an RBI in 16 games. An Arkansas native, Watts is just three years removed from playing college ball at Arkansas State University, where he batted .319 in three seasons before being drafted by the Royals in the 28th round in 2010.

Phillips, 26, also makes his Atlantic League debut in Long Island less than a year removed from playing at the Class AAA Louisville (Cincinnati Reds), where he had a .143 average in just four games. Originally a Los Angeles Angels’ prospect, Phillips reached Class AA Pensacola in the Reds’ organization last season. He played in 68 games for Pensacola, batting .198.

The release of Jones is somewhat surprising considering his 2.45 ERA was third-best on the team. The left-hander two earned runs on six hits in eight relief appearances, with six strikeouts and seven walks.

SOMERSET PATRIOTS: OF Oakland Athletics signed RHP Erik Arnesen, San Diego Padres signed Mike Wilson; Patriots signed Anderson Hernandez, traded LHP Ryan Zamorsky to Evansville (Frontier League) in exchange for a player to be named later

Arnesen, 29, spent his first seven years as a pro in the Washington Nationals’ organization before coming to Somerset. He has a career 3.76 ERA in 57 games at the Class AAA level. In five starts for the Patriots, Arnesen went 2-1 with 4.10 ERA with 27 strikeouts and one walk in 30.2 innings of work. He reported to Oakland’s Class AA Midland (Tex.) affiliate.

Wilson, 29, posted a .325 batting average, three homers, five doubles and a triple in 23 games for Somerset. The former big leaguer will play in the San Diego Padres’ organization for the first time in his 12-year pro career. A second-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2001, Wilson made his major league debut with the Mariners in 2011. He spent all of last season at Class AAA Tacoma, where he batted just .239 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs in 71 games. He’ll report to Class AAA Tucson.

Hernandez, 30, has 240 games of big league experience but won’t play yet for Somerset since he signed with a Mexican League club less than 24 hours after reaching a deal with the Patriots, according to Courier News’ Somerset beat reporter Ryan Dunleavy. The Pats’ put Hernandez on the inactive list, so there’s always a chance Hernandez could play for Somerset later this season if things don’t go as planned in the Mexican League.

Zamorsky had two scoreless relief appearances for the Pats’, striking out one and walking none.

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS: RHP Sean Gallagher signed by Colorado Rockies; Skeeters signed INF Kevin Rios

Gallagher, 27, made four starts with Sugar Land this year, going 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA (5ER/22IP) and 10 strikeouts. His 22.0 innings pitched rank second-most on the team, while he assisted in leading the Skeeters to a 21-3 record to start 2013. The former big leaguer came to Sugar Land after spending all of last season with the Reds’ Class AAA Louisville affiliate, where he went 10-9 with a 4.92 ERA in 26 starts. Gallagher has 91 games (23 starts) of big league experience with four different teams from 2007 to 2010. He reported to the Rockies’ Class AA Tulsa (Okla.) affiliate.

I missed Rios’s signing last week. The 31-year-old California native is back for his second season in the Atlantic League after playing for Southern Maryland last season. A former New York Mets’ prospect, Rios batted just .241 in 71 games for the Crabs last year.

 

YORK REVOLUTION: RHP Matt Fox signed by New York Mets; Revolution sign LHP Edward Paredes and OF Mike Coles, place INF Andy Gonzalez on suspended list, announce retirement of OF Jason Repko

Fox made four starts for York, posting a 1-0 record and 1.58 ERA in 17 total innings. The 6-foot, 3-inch right-hander struck out 18 batters and walked three. The University of Central Florida alum reached the majors in 2010 with both Boston and Minnesota, making one big league start for the Twins, the organization that drafted him in the first round of the 2004 draft out of UCF. After going to the Red Sox, he made three appearances out of their bullpen in 2010. Fox missed much of last season battling inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He had eight combined starts for three different affiliates in the Seattle Mariners’ organization. Fox becomes the third York player to get picked up by a major league organization this season, which matches the total amount of Revs that were signed by big league teams last year. He reported to the Mets’ Class AAA Las Vegas affiliate.

He made his pro debut in 2006 and has spent his entire seven-year pro career playing indy ball in Northern League, Frontier League and American Association. He’ll make his debut in the Atlantic League with York. Coles, 30, has batted above .300 in four of those seasons. A 6-foot, right-handed batter, Coles split last year between American Association clubs Gary Southshore and Winnipeg. He had a .211 average in 27 games with Winnipeg but hit .300 in 72 games at Gary Soutshore.

Repko, 32, retires with 360 games of big league experience. A first-round draft pick out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999, Repko played in the majors for the Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Rex Sox. For his career, he has a .224 average, 16 homers and 67 RBIs in the majors. Repko started out this season batting just .159 in his first 10 games with York before going 19-for-63 (.302) at the plate in his last 12 games to bump his average up to .253. To read the full story on Repko’s retirement, including quotes from Repko on why he decided to retire, click here.

York placed Gonzalez on the suspended list while he returns to his native Puerto Rico to deal with what the team is calling personal issues. Gonzalez, a former big leaguer, held a .273 batting average with no homers, seven RBIs and eight runs scored in 21 games for York.

A prospect of the Seattle Mariners his first five years as a pro, Paredes sat out all of last season before playing winter ball in the Dominican for Estrellas, where he went 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Paredes’s best season came in 2010 at Class AA West Tennessee (Mariners), where he posted a 3.63 ERA in 26 relief appearances. He has a career 7.34 ERA at the Class AAA level. He has a career record of 28-30 with seven saves. The left-hander comes to York after pitching for the Cleveland Indians’ Class AA Akron affiliate, where he went scoreless in his first three relief appearances before giving up a combined six runs over his last three appearances, which led to his release on April 18.

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