Success From Last Year’s Class Bodes Well For Trio of Independent Hurlers in Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League still plays pretty much in anonymity for everyone operating outside of baseball’s talent evaluation offices, but players realize all too well that with an invitation to spend several weeks in the desert they are looked at as real candidates to break into the major leagues in the not-too-distant future.  They can safely send out their laundry, knowing the pink slip that very often signals the end for a minor league player is not likely in their locker.

For a vivid example, fans of the Independent game need only to look back to 12 months ago.  Four Independent pitchers, including three who got their first opportunity in an Independent league, were on display in the desert.  Southpaws Caleb Thielbar and James Paxton, who played in the majors for the first time in 2013 with Minnesota and Seattle, respectively, give every indication they may be there for a long time.  The other pair, righties Kevin Johnson and Chris Martin , had a solid campaign in the top two minor league levels.  All four had come out of the American Association although Thielbar had some previous time in the Milwaukee farm system.

While they should feel somewhat reserved instead of being giddy, the trio of Indy hurlers in the prestigious AFL right now can have reason to believe the major leagues are within reach.  Vidal Nuno got a small taste of success in the bigs this summer with the New York Yankees and Bo Schultz (Arizona) and Cody Satterwhite (New York Mets) are still working their way up.  Nuno prepped in the Frontier League (Washington, PA) while the others, again, came via the American Association.

Martin, Paxton and Schultz all spent their American Association days in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex at Grand Prairie while Thielbar was with St. Paul, MN, Satterwhite at Sioux City, IA and Johnson in the former league city of Pensacola, FL.

Schultz’s case is not the norm in that he started as a walk-on outfielder at Northwestern, is older (28) than most players at his level and made an unusual transformation from a submarine delivery to overhand at the urging of Grand Prairie Manager Ricky Van Asselberg in 2011 when the AirHogs won the league championship.  He was a solid 5-4, 2.86 mostly in starting roles at Double-A Mobile, AL this season and 0-2, 5.49 in relief when he went to Reno, NV although his strikeout rate picked up in Triple-A.

Satterwhite was dominant in the American Association early in ’13, posting a 0.65 earned run average while allowing only 14 hits and seven walks in 27.2 innings (19 appearances) and fanning 31.  Then Arizona picked up the 6-foot-4 hurler and he still had a strikeout an inning in 16 relief outings in the Florida State League , where his ERA was 2.78.

Nuno had the misfortune of missing out on the second half of this season and a possible recall to the struggling Yankees because of a groin injury, but some feel the 26-year-old lefty may still get a chance to pitch in the Bombers’ rotation or as a middle reliever next season.  He had a 2.25 ERA in three emergency starts for them, and has four pitches he can throw for strikes.

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Need an Opportunity: Call Your Dentist

In the strange but true department, a trip to the family dentist appears to have done as much for the career of first baseman-catcher Matt Chavez as winning the Triple Crown in the second-year Freedom League. 

The San Mateo (CA) Daily Journal enlightened us on the details of the San Francisco Giants inking  the onetime University of San Francisco player after he had hit .430, struck 18 homers and shared the runs batted in title with 49 in only 39 games for the Montezuma Federals , one of four teams in the league that plays in the Phoenix area.  It seems the 24-year-old’s mother had suggested he have his teeth cleaned and it turned out Dr. Ron Sarles was a friend of Giants Assistant General Manager Bobby Evans.   The dentist called Evans, the newspaper reports, and after two tryouts in Arizona Chavez was offered a contract by his favorite team.

Chavez is making the most of the opportunity, hitting .400 (8-for-20) although a double has been his only extra base hit.

                  (This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.  Forty columns are planned during 2013.  Fans may subscribe at reduced rates at www.WirzandAssociates.com , enjoy added stories on the blog www.IndyBaseballChatter.com , or comment to RWirz@aol.com .  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)