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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A total of six teams and 23 players were involved in transactions last week, including six former major leaguers. It marked the most players involved in transactions in a one-week span this season since April 15-21, when a season-high 44 players were involved in roster moves. Three Atlantic League players got picked up by big league organizations, and three others had their contracts purchased by teams in foreign leagues. Two trades were made as well. Before we get to the transactions, here are some newsworthy items related to the Atlantic League…

 

Loudon groundbreaking: Developers held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for what they hope will soon be the home of the Loudon Hounds. The name of the ballpark was also revealed. The Hounds are still conditionally approved by the Atlantic League, but league president Peter Kirk said during a phone conversation last week that the Hounds submitted paperwork recently to become an official league member. Kirk said a decision could be made on the Hounds potential membership into the league in the comings weeks. The Hounds are aiming to be ready to go for the 2014 season.

All-Star voting begins: Voting for the 2013 Atlantic League All-Star game in Southern Maryland has begun. Click here to vote for your favorite Freedom Division and Liberty Division players.

Roger Clemens visits York, Somerset: Former Cy Young award winner and former Sugar Land Skeeters’ pitcher Roger Clemens visited the east coast last week to watch his son, Koby, and the Skeeters play in York and Somerset. In case you missed it, here’s a story featured in The York Dispatch on Clemens’s visit and another story on Clemens from Courier News’ Somerset beat reporter Ryan Dunleavy.

Attendance down across Atlantic League: In case you missed it, here’s a column featured in Monday’s York Dispatch newspaper about the decline in attendance seen in the Atlantic League so far this season. Several reasons are discussed about how this has happened and what can be done to improve things going forward.

Now on to the transactions…

 

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH: Tampa Bay Rays sign RHP Mike Colla, RHP Ty’Relle Harris picked up CPBL (Taiwan), Bridgeport signed OF James Simmons, OF Victor Diaz and LHP Kelvin Villa, released INF Russ Mitchell, Matt Spencer, traded LHP Mickey Jannis to Lake Erie (Frontier League)

In his first season in the Atlantic League, Colla went 2-4 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts, striking out 47 and walking 17 in 51.2 innings of work. Colla, 26, is just five years removed from playing college ball at the University of Arizona. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Colla, a California native, the 14th round in 2008. Colla spent the entire 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Pirates’ Class AA Altoona affiliate, where he has a career 3.65 ERA in 79 games (33 starts). Colla reported to Class AA Montgomery.  He is the first Bridgeport player signed by a major league club this season.

Harris, 26, made his Park City and Atlantic League debut during his fifth season of professional baseball. Just four years removed from playing college ball at the University of Tennessee, the righty was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2009 and spent 36 games with the Braves’ organization before getting traded to the Cubs in the 2010 season for Derrek Lee. Harris’s best year came in 2011 while with Class AA Tennessee, where the reliever had a 1-0 record with a 2.10 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched. Harris posted a 2.76 ERA in 10 relief appearances for Bridgeport, striking out 38 and walking 11 in 29.1 innings. Harris is the fifth Atlantic League player this season to get his contract purchased by a team from a foreign league.

Simmons returns to Bridgeport after hitting .289 with 13 homers, 45 RBIs, 47 runs scored and 12 stolen bases in 93 games for the ‘Fish last year.

Diaz is a former big leaguer who started the 2013 campaign splitting time with Mexico City and Laguna of the Mexican League. In 26 combined games in the Mexican League, he batted .304 with four homeruns, five doubles, 17 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. An Dominican Republic native who went to school in Illinois, Diaz makes his Atlantic League debut with Bridgeport after spending the 2012 season overseas in Japan. Diaz, 31, has 147 games of big league experience, last playing there in 2007 with the Texas Rangers. He is a career .277 hitter in 725 games at the Class AAA level.

Villa, 27, also began his 2013 campaign in the Mexican League with Laguna. In eight starts there, he went 2-2 with a 4.47 ERA in 44.1 innings pitched. His 2012 season was spent with Sugar Land, where the the lefty had a 4-8 record and 5.54 ERA in 28 games  (11 starts). A former prospect of the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals, Villa will play in the Atlantic League for the fourth-straight season in his now 10-year pro career..

Jannis, 25, made 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. In 10 relief appearances for Bridgeport, Jannis went 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA, striking out six and walking six in 16.2 innings of work. It’s unclear what Bridgeport acquired in the trade, but the Bluefish had acquired Jannis earlier this season from Lake Erie for a player to exchanged later, so maybe this current deal completes the old deal involving Jannis.

Mitchell played in just 16 games for Bridgeport, going 7-for-43 (.163) at the plate with no extra-base hits or RBIs and two runs scored. Spencer batted .235 with no homers, 10 doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 32 games for Bridgeport.

The ‘Fish now have 29 players under contract (outfielder Brian Anderson and pitchers Wardell Starling and Jordan Roberts are inactive and pitchers Keith Bilodeau and Adam Carr and outfielder Adam Greenberg are on the disabled list), including 13 former big leaguers and 13 players who are in their first seasons in the Atlantic League.

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS: Cleveland Indians sign INF Paddy Matera, Camden signed INF D’Angelo Jimenez

Matera, 25, earned his first affiliated contract by getting signed by the Indians. Now in just his fourth pro season, Matera had played independent ball in the American Association, Can-Am Association and Atlantic League since coming out of Lynn University in 2009. A New Jersey native, Matera led the ‘Sharks in batting average (.304), home runs (six), runs scored (31) and doubles (13) and was second in hits (48) and plate appearances (158). The middle infielder also had 18 RBIs and 10 walks. He reported to Class High A Carolina. Matera is the third Camden player signed by a big league organization this year.

Jimenez, 35, is a former big leaguer who comes back to the Atlantic League for the second time in his now 19-year pro career. The Dominican Republic native has 641 games of big league experience split between seven teams from 1999 to 2007. He is a career .292 hitter in 848 games at the Class AAA level. The switch-hitter makes his Camden debut after playing in in 14 games earlier this season for Newark (Can-Am Association), where he batted .281 with a homer and 10 RBIs in 57 plate appearances. He last played in the Atlantic League when the Newark Bears were a member of the Atlantic League in 2009.

The ‘Sharks now have 27 players under contract (pitchers Mike Antonini and Mike McGuire are on the disabled list), including six former big leaguers.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Signed INF Bill Hall and RHP Bob Zimmerman, released INF Gabe Suarez and LHP Royce Ring, traded INF Murray Watts to El Paso (American Association)

Hall, 33, is a former big leaguer who begins his first season on Long Island and in the Atlantic League. He is a veteran of 11 seasons at the Major League level, spending time with six teams (Brewers, Mariners, Red Sox, Astros, Giants and Orioles). His best season came in 2006 with the Brewers when he batted .270 with 35 home runs, 85 RBI, 101 runs and 39 doubles in 148 games. The Mississippi native began the 2013 season with Salt Lake (AAA, Angels) of the Pacific Coast league and compiled one homer, seven RBI and four runs in 21 games while batting just .164 before being released May 19.

Zimmermann, 31, returns for his third season in a Ducks uniform after making a team-high 27 starts in 2012 and posting a 4.32 ERA. He finished second in the league in strikeouts with 126 and fourth in the league with 179 innings pitched. The right-hander also made two starts in the playoffs and struck out 10 batters in eight and one-third innings pitched.

Watts, 25, mades 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. Watts went 16-for-63 (.254) at the plate in 16 games with Long Island.

Suarez held a .221 average in 86 plate appearances (29 games) for the Ducks. Ring, who signed with the Ducks two weeks ago, gave up three earned runs on nine hits over 3.1 innings (8.10 ERA, four relief appearances).

The Ducks now have 31 players under contract (infielder Ryan Strieby, outfielders Vladimir Guerrero, Ray Navarrette and Matt Fleishman and pitchers Matt Way and Josh Lansford are inactive), including 11 with major league experience.

SOMERSET PATRIOTS: Signed LHP Ben Kozlowski and OF Cory Aldridge

Kozlowski, 32, is returning to the game after last playing professionally in 2009. A Florida native, Kozlowski saw two games in the majors in 2002 with the Texas Rangers but hasn’t been back since. His last full season came in 2008, when he posted a 4.74 ERA in 26 games (four starts) over in Japan for Hiroshima.

Aldridge spent time at the big league level with the Atlanta Braves in 2001 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2010. He comes to the Atlantic League for the first time in his now 16-year pro career after seeing action in the Mexican League earlier this season with Quintana Roo and Monclova, batting a combined .228 with three homers and 14 RBIs.

The Pats’ now have 30 players under contract (infielder Anderson Hernandez, outfielder Jeff Baisley and pitchers David Harden, Brad Thompson and Ryan Zamorsky are inactive while outfielder Joe Holden is on the disabled list), including 11 with experience at the big league level.

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS: Chicago White Sox signed RHP Michael Nix, Skeeters signed INF Jeff Dominguez, OF Reid Gorecki, INF Russ Mitchell and RHP Clint Everts

The right-hander went 4-10 with a 5.00 ERA in 31 games (16 starts) for a struggling Skeeters club in 2012 before enjoying a stellar 2013 season with the Sugar Land, which held a 33-13 record at the time of Nix’s departure. This year, Nix held opponents to three combined runs in his first seven games before giving up six runs on just four hits in six innings pitched in his last start Sunday against Somerset to take his first loss of the year. In eight total games (seven starts) for Sugar Land this season, Nix posted a 5-1 record and 1.81 ERA, striking out 40 and walking 15 in 44.2 innings. A former prospect of the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies, Nix will report to the White Sox Class AAA Charlotte affiliate. He is the fourth Skeeters player to get picked up by a major league team this season, which is tied with York for the most players signed by a big-league organization out of the Atlantic League.

Dominguez, 26, comes to the Atlantic League for the first time in his now 10-year pro career. A former prospect of the Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins, Dominguez has 70 games of experience at the Class AAA level, where he owns a career .215 batting average. A native of Puerto Rico, Dominguez split last season between the Marlins’ Class AA Jacksonville and Class AAA New Orleans affiliates, hitting a combined .237 in 107 games.

Gorecki, 32, is a former major leaguer who comes back to the Atlantic League for the second-straight season, his first in Sugar Land. A New York native, Gorecki’s only time in the majors came in 31 games in 2009 with the Atlanta Braves. Last season, Gorecki hit .230 in 19 games with Camden and .281 in 85 games with Long Island.

Mitchell joins Sugar Land in the same week he was released by Bridgeport after playing in 16 games for the Bluefish, going 7-for-43 (.163) at the plate with no extra-base hits or RBIs and two runs scored. Mitchell saw 40 combined games of action at the major league level with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and 2011.

Everts, 28, is a Houston native who has 63 relief appearances at the Class AAA level, where he has a career 5-4 record 4.07 ERA. A fifth overall draft choice of the Montreal Expos in 2002, the right-hander makes his Atlantic League debut after splitting time earlier this season between the Toronto Blue Jays’ Class AA New Hampshire and Class AAA Buffalo affiliates, combining for a 8.05 ERA in 15 appearances before getting released May 18.

The Skeeters now have 28 players under contract (infielder Anthony Granato is inactive while outfielders Steve Moss and Fernando Perez and pitcher Gilbert De La Vara are on the disabled list), including 13 with time in the majors and 10 who are in their first seasons in the Atlantic League.

YORK REVOLUTION: 1B Brian Burgamy signed by Campeche (Mexican League), RHP Nick Green signed by Yucatan (Mexican League)

Burgamy left the Revs with the team lead in batting average (.345) home runs (nine), runs scored (38), total bases (98), walks (32) and triples (three). He was also second on the team in hits (57) behind Andres Perez. Burgamy spent all of his first six years as a pro in the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system before first coming to the Atlantic League in 2008, a season in which he also spent time in the New York Mets’ organization. He then played four straight seasons in Camden before joining York this year.

Green left the team after going 3-0 with a 3.79 ERA in nine starts, striking out 34 and walking 18. A Georgia native, Green was first drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 35th round in 2004. He later reached the Angels’ Class AAA Salt Lake affiliate in 2008 and posted an 8-8 record and 5.32 ERA in 28 starts there. He then spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization before coming to the Atlantic League in 2011. Green went 19-16 with a 3.81 ERA in 53 games (51 starts) for Southern Maryland in 2011 and 2012.

Burgamy and Green make up a total of five Atlantic League players this season who have been signed by teams from foreign leagues. The Revs now have 25 players under contract, including 10 with big league experience.

Previous Atlantic League news, transactions:

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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Former Revs’ pitcher Michael Nix was signed by the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Nix, 30, helped the Revs win back-to-back Atlantic League titles as a reliever in 2010 and 2011.

He then went to the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters in that club’s inaugural season in 2012. With the Skeeters,
he attempted to be a starting pitcher for the first time in his eight years as a pro.

The right-hander went 4-10 with a 5.00 ERA in 31 games (16 starts) for a struggling Skeeters club in 2012 before enjoying a stellar 2013 season with the Sugar Land, which currently owns the league’s best record at 33-13.

“Last year I knew Michael was like a set-up/closer kind of guy,” Skeeters’ manager Gary Gaetti said Tuesday following Sugar Land’s 5-4 win at York. “He had some stuff going on with his delivery. He’s always had a good arm. I couldn’t get him in situations to really succeed whether it was setting up or closing. I didn’t know how long to keep him in or take him out. The changes he went through last year I said we need some guys to get us through the fifth or sixth inning. He made the change and it’s been tremendous for him.”

This year, Nix held opponents to three combined runs in his first seven games before giving up six runs on just four hits in six innings pitched in his last start Sunday against Somerset to take his first loss of the year. In eight total games (seven starts) for Sugar Land this season, Nix posted a 5-1 record and 1.81 ERA, striking out 40 and walking 15 in 44.2 innings.

“(Sunday) was the worst start of the season for him,” Gaetti said of Nix. “He only gave up four hits and he gave up six runs but everything came with two strikes and two outs. And yet he grinded and got into the sixth inning and was around 100 pitches and went back out there. He pitched better in the sixth (inning)  than he did in the first and second.”

A former prospect of the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies, Nix will report to the White Sox Class AAA Charlotte affiliate. He is the fourth Skeeters player to get picked up by a major league team this season, which is tied with York for the most players signed by a big-league organization out of the Atlantic League.

A total of 17 players have been signed by a major-league club out of the Atlantic League this year.

“He’s one guys that I would like to lose for the right reasons,” Gaetti said of Nix earlier this week. “He’s pitched that well. He’s young enough. I think he deserves another shot (in affiliated ball). He’s got a good arm. I love having him around. He’s a horse. He really is.”

Colla signed by Rays: The Tampa Bays signed Bridgeport Bluefish right-hander Mike Colla on Thursday, according to a report from mlbdailydish.com reporter Chris Cotillo. In his first season in the Atlantic League, Colla went 2-4 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts, striking out 47 and walking 17 in 51.2 innings of work.

Colla, 26, is just five years removed from playing college ball at the University of Arizona. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Colla, a California native, the 14th round in 2008. Colla spent the entire 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Pirates’ Class AA Altoona affiliate, where he has a career 3.65 ERA in 79 games (33 starts).

Colla will report to Class AA Montgomery, according to Cotillo’s report. He is the first Bridgeport player signed by a major league club this season.

All-Star voting begins: Voting for the 2013 Atlantic League All-Star game in Southern Maryland has begun. Click here to vote for your favorite Freedom Division and Liberty Division players.

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Roger Clemens found himself back in York again Tuesday night for the first time in nine months.

Unlike last year, however, the former Cy Young award winner wasn’t tossing any pitches off the mound before a game at Sovereign Bank Stadium like he did in front of thousands of fans last September.

Instead, Clemens stayed behind the scenes, sitting by himself in a small room in the press box working on a number of things while watching his son, Koby, behind the plate for the Sugar Land Skeeters against the York Revolution.

“I’ve been able to get to a few games in Sugar Land,” Roger Clemens said. “May is huge for us. We (the Clemens family) have three birthdays in May. I’ve been watching Koby and then we have two kids in high school. We have a sign in the kitchen at home that says ‘We interrupt this family for baseball season.’”

Clemens says he is officially retired and won’t be doing anything like last year, when he made two starts down in Sugar Land in the Skeeters’ inaugural season.

But he said he’s still busy as ever. He made the trip up to York from Virginia, where he participated in a charity golf event early Tuesday.

“We got through five holes and got rained out today so we’ll go finish the round here in York (tomorrow),” he said.

A six handicap in golf, Clemens said he’s unsure which course he’ll be playing at Wednesday. And he’s not sure how long he’s gonna stick around in York.

Astros: The Houston resident has also been staying busy helping the Astros through his personal service contract with the big league club. In particular, he’s trying to help Astros’ owner Jim Crane find a location near Houston to add a minor league affiliate.

“I’m looking at the Woodlands but not only for an independent team but helping Mr. Crane put a triple-A team with the Astros there,” Clemens said.
The 50-year-old right-hander is still keeping his arm loose, too.

“I went out and threw batting practice to them (the Skeeters) one day. I might come out and do that tomorrow (in York),” he said. “The arm feels good. So far it’s been pretty good. Batting practice is just 50 feet (from home plate) so I don’t have to do too much.”

Clemens declined comment on his Hall of Fame snub last year.

Skeeters: Despite a .212 batting average, Koby Clemens is enjoying a good season calling games behind the plate for a Sugar Land club that owns the best ERA (2.76) in the Atlantic League. A former Astros’ and Toronto Blue Jays’ prospect, Clemens went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored in Sugar Land’s 5-4 win over York on Tuesday night to help the Skeeters improve their league-leading record to 33-12.

“We’re kidding everybody that the hottest team going in Houston for a number of years is the (Houston) Dynamo, the (Major League) Soccer team,” Roger Clemens said. “Sugar Land has blown them out of the water. We’ve cooled off a little bit. They had a couple guys plucked off the team (by major league clubs). And there’s been an injury here and there, which everybody has. But they’re still at the top.”

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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.

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