I Know That Guy

A look at some former big league players trying to ressurrect their careers in independent baseball.

Over the last weekend, me and a few buddies of mine drove down to Fargo, ND to watch a pair of games between the hometown RedHawks and the Gary Southshore Railcats. Both teams are members of the Northern League, one of the more successful independent minor baseball leagues in recent history. While flipping through the program, we found two names we recognized: Randall Simon and Yurendell DeCaster.

Simon had his time in the major leagues, spending eight seasons with six different clubs. His best year was in 2002 with Detroit, when he batted .301 with 19 home runs. However, Simon’s lasting image in the majors will be from the incident that occurred on July 9 ^th , 2003 at Milwaukee’s Miller Park when Simon hit one of the runners in the Brewers ‘Sausage Race’ with his bat. Meanwhile, DeCaster’s major league career lasted a whole two at-bats with Pittsburgh in 2006. Both players were members of this year’s WBC underdog Netherlands team and in Fargo, they have joined forces to give RedHawk manager Doug Simunic a solid 4-5 punch in the batting lineup. The ex-major leaguers did not disappoint while we watched: Simon slugged two home runs while DeCaster put one out himself.

Simon and DeCaster aren’t the only former big leaguers playing this season in the independent leagues. Every year, many ex-major league players or burnt-out prospects try to give their careers another jump start in the many independent leagues across North America. In this article, I’ll show you some of the more recognizable former big league players suiting up this season in the Indys, trying to put their careers back in the spotlight for one more crack at the big show.

Two other notable names suiting up in the Northern League this year both play for last season’s champion Kansas City T-Bones. Just five years ago, Ken Harvey represented the Kansas City Royals at the major league all-star game but now, the big first baseman is in his second season as a member of the T-Bones. This season, Harvey is joined in Kansas City by former Tampa Bay infielder Damian Rolls, who played 266 games over 5 seasons for Tampa. The Schaumburg Flyers employ 44-year old outfielder Felix Jose, who is entering his 26 ^th year in professional baseball. He hit 54 home runs over his 11 year major league career, which included one all star appearance with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991.

The Atlantic League is plentiful of former big league players. Established in 1998, the league currently has eight teams. Among them is the Newark Bears, who house fifteen players who have reached the major league level in their clubhouse. That includes all five of the outfielders on roster, a group that has the names of Carl Everett, Michael Tucker, and Jay Gibbons. Newark’s bullpen is anchored by former World Series winner Keith Foulke and the team also features Shawn Chacon, out of work after choking his general manager last year, in its rotation.

The Long Island Ducks always have a handful of former big leaguers, with its previous players ranging from John Rocker to Juan Gonzalez to Jose Offerman, and this year is no different. Lew Ford and Preston Wilson man the outfield with 221 major league home runs between them. The Atlantic League also has stock of pitchers with major league experience with Esteban Yan, Gary Knotts, and Dan Reichart (Bridgeport); Dewon Brazelton, Ryan Drese, Nathan Bump and Felix Rodriguez (Camden); and Dan Miceli (Long Island).

The Golden Baseball League was established in 2004 and over its existence, it has featured a few big names in Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco. The league also has its share of former major league hurlers. Hideki Irabu, out of baseball since 2004, is attempting to make a comeback in professional baseball with the Long Beach Armada. Joining Irabu is Long Beach is former 20-game winner Jose Lima, returning to the USA after spending a year playing in Korea.

Mac Suzuki, who spent eight years in the bigs primarily with Seattle and Kansas City, has resigned with the GBL’s Calgary Vipers. Suzuki signed with the Vipers towards the end of last season and pitched in five key games down the stretch, helping Calgary reach the GBL finals. Two other names of note, Damian Jackson (eleven years as a utility player, .243 lifetime average) and Robert Fick (ten seasons, 2002 AL all-star), have both signed on to play the 2009 season with last year’s champion Orange County Flyers. The Flyers are managed by former San Diego Padre all-star Phil Nevin.

Although its history has been short, the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball has become one of the top indy leagues in pro ball. Founded in 2006, the league is already up to 10 teams and sent the likes of Chris Jakubauskas, Max Scherzer and Luke Hochevar to the major leagues. The St. Paul Saints currently roster former big league first baseman Craig Brazzell and longtime Braves reliever Kerry Ligtenberg. Also on the pitching staff is Tanner Scheppers; he is expected to go in the first round of this year’s MLB draft.

Other players featured on AA rosters include Walter Young, Dustin Mohr, and Rober Mejia. Currently with Sioux City, Young played only fifteen games with Baltimore in 2005 and the 322-lb first baseman is entering his third year in the independent system, with Sioux City being his third different team. Mohr spent seven major league seasons on various clubs as a reserve outfielder and now he is manning the cleanup spot in the batting order for the Wichita Wingnuts. Mejia, a former member of the Colorado Rockies, now plays for the El Paso Diablos.

Other independent leagues also house a few ex-big leaguers. The Can-Am League is the new home for former backup catcher Pete LaForest and pitcher Juan Padilla. South Louisiana of the Continental League has Carlos Castillo, Felix Martinez, and Lester Contreras on their roster. The Frontier and United Leagues don’t have any former major leaguers of note on their clubs roster.

While the independent leagues might seem like they’re at the bottom of professional baseball’s totem pole, the Indys have given many second chances to careers. The guys on the list above sure hope that second chance in the bigs comes to them.