Matt Tone's dominance for Cortland has carried over to Rookie ball for the Elizabethton Twins. The only difference is he's now dominating out of the bullpen. Tone, a former D3baseball.com All-American starter, is 4-1 with a 1.31 earned run average in 16 games and 34.1 innings. The 21-year-old has allowed just 13 hits for a .119 average against. If that's not enough to prove his dominance, how about 83 right-handed batters have dinged the left-handed Tone for just six hits for a measly .072 average? That'll do. Want more? Over his last 10 games, Tone has tossed 23 innings and given up just one run (.39 ERA). Oh yeah, there was a stretch over the past 10 games when he tossed 15 hitless innings, although he walked 11 during that time. But yes, 15 consecutive hitless innings while going 2-0 with one save. That, by any measure, is dominant.
Relief pitcher Brett Holland (Texas Tyler) has made appearances at two levels this season -- Rookie and Short Season -- but is now back with the Rookie AZL Padres. For the year Holland, a former D3baseball.com All-American, is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 games and 14 innings. But take away one of his two outings in Short Season, the one in which he gave up four runs in one inning, and his overall ERA drops to 1.39. That's because at the Rookie level the 22-year-old righthander has a nifty 1.64 ERA, a .179 average against and nine strikeouts in 11 innings.
There was a promotion since the last update: relief pitcher Thomas Phelps (Whittier) is now with the Orioles Short Season club in Aberdeen after his start at the Rookie level. With his new team, Phelps is 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA in five innings and two appearances. Overall, the 21-year-old righthander is 2-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 18 games and 44.1 innings. Phelps has allowed a palindromic 41 hits and 14 walks while striking out 34 and picking up one save.
After playing about one-third of his season in the Low-A Midwest League, Frank Pfister (Emory) is now the everyday third baseman for the Reds Rookie club in Billings. Pfister hit .214 in 112 at-bats at Low-A and is batting .272 in 195 at-bats at the Rookie level. Pfister, 23, is batting .251 overall with 35 runs batted in, 25 runs, 17 doubles, one home run and two steals in 89 games. Pfister has gone 9-for-17 (two doubles, one home run) in his last four games and is batting .429 in September. Pfister is teammates of D3 alumni Bryan Gardner and Adian Kummet.
Former D3baseball.com All-American outfielder John Semel (Chapman) is batting .215 for the Kingsport Mets. Semel, 21, is 26-for-121 in 34 games with 15 runs, 15 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 20 walks against 18 strikeouts. Semel also has a .386 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position.
Former D3baseball.com All-American pitcher Adian Kummet (St. Scholastica) comes out of the 'pen for Billings, the Reds Rookie team. In 18 games and 29.1 innings, Kummet is 1-2 with a 4.60 ERA and 24 strikeouts. The 22-year-old righthander also has three saves and has not allowed a home run. Kummet's teammates in Billings include former D3 players Frank Pfister and Bryan Gardner.
Outfielder David Hissey (Emory) is batting .226 with five runs and two RBI for the GCL Phillies. In 22 games and 53 at-bats, the 23-year-old has a .344 on-base percentage and two steals.
Relief pitcher Bryan Gardner (Ithaca) is 1-0 with a 9.42 ERA for the Reds Rookie affiliate in Billings. Gardner, 22, has thrown 28.2 innings in 17 games. The lefty has struck out 26 but has walked 29 and
allowed 30 hits. However, Gardner has allowed just three hits to left-handed batters all season. Gardner is teammates with D3 alumni Adian Kummet and Frank Pfister.
David Iden (Cal Lutheran) is a backup second baseman for the Dodgers Rookie squad in Ogden. The 22-year-old is batting .232 with 10 runs, five RBI, five steals and two doubles in 29 games and 82 at-bats.
Harold Baines (McDaniel) is a backup outfielder for the Bristol White Sox. The 21-year-old is batting .147 with four runs and five RBI in 25 games and 75 at-bats.
Relief pitcher Chris Handke (Cornell) has made just two appearances for the AZL Dodgers. The righty has no record and a 13.50 ERA in 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and one walk without registering a strikeout. Handke, 21, last pitched on July
18.
Backup catcher Alex Herrnberger (Allegheny) is hitless in 10 at-bats for the Diamondbacks Rookie club in Missoula. Hernnberger, 23, has scored two runs and driven in two. The switch-hitter has appeared in seven games since signing in July.
The Nationals team at Short Season Vermont Lake is called the Monsters, and relief pitcher Evan Bronson has been just that -- a monster. The 22-year-old lefty from Trinity (Texas) has video game numbers is his first pro season. Bronson made the New York-Penn League all-star game with a .72 earned run average. He's since lowered that to .64 in 17 appearances spanning 42.1 innings. Bronson is 2-0 with four saves, a 31:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 26 hits allowed for a .171 average against. His current regular-season scoreless streak is at 18.1 innings dating to July 28. Bronson's teammates include fellow D3 players Ronnie Labrie and Jack Walker.
Want some more video game numbers? Check out Zach Foster from Pitt-Bradford. While at the Pirates Short Season club at State College, the 22-year-old is 2-0 with one save and a .84 ERA. It goes without saying that he joined fellow D3 player Evan Bronson at the New York-Penn all-star game, where it must be stated Foster (three) and Bronson (one) combined to give up all four runs and Foster got the loss. But enough with the bad news. In 21.1 innings Foster has allowed 10 hits for a .139 opponents' batting average. Left-handed batters have hit just .063 against the right-handed Foster. They're nearly all good, but two more stats from Foster -- he hasn't given up a regular-season run since July 24, and he's allowed three hits this month (8 innings).
Relief pitcher Ryan Flannery (FDU-Florham) has been an effective workhorse for the Yankees Short Season club at Staten Island. The big righthander leads the New York-Penn League with 29 appearances. Flannery, 23, has finished 16 of those games to go along with eight holds. His games finished rank ninth in the NYP. His holds are good for second. The reason for all of the work? Flannery is 3-2 with a 1.64 ERA and is holding batters to a .209 average. In 38.1 innings Flannery has struck out 36 and allowed 29 hits, none of which has left the yard. Flannery didn't have the same success in his six games at Single-A Charleston, where he had 10 strikeouts in 5.1 innings, but he also gave up six runs on 12 hits.
Shortstop/outfielder Dan Kaczrowski, a former D3baseball.com All-American from Hamline, is still producing while leading off for the Yakima Bears, the Diamondbacks Short Season affiliate. He is among the Northwest League leaders in stolen bases (13th), runs (13th), hits (10th), doubles (8th) and at-bats (5th). Kaczrowski, 22, is batting .273 (63-for-231) with one HR, 19 RBI, 35 runs, 15 doubles and 10 steals.
After a rocky start, relief pitcher Chez Angeloni (Johns Hopkins) was recently promoted from Rookie ball to Short Season in the Red Sox organization. At the Rookie level, Angeloni was 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA in 13 games and 26.1 innings. The 22-year-old righthander made his Short Season debut for Lowell on Aug. 23, going two innings with one walk, one hit and one earned run. Overall, Angeloni has tossed 28.1 innings, struck out 13, walked eight and allowed 25 hits for a .221 opponents' batting average. Angeloni is a teammate of D3 alums Jeremiah Bayer, Drew Hedman, Thomas Di Benedetto, Drew Dominguez and Sean Killeen.
Relief pitcher Jeremiah Bayer, the 2009 D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year from Trinity (Conn.), is back with the Red Sox Short Season affiliate in Lowell after spending time on the disabled list in early August. Bayer is 0-0 with one save and a 3.66 ERA. In 19.2 innings over 10 games, the 23-year-old righty has 22 strikeouts against four walks. His 15 hits allowed has led to a .211 average against. The lifelong Red Sox fan is teammates with fellow D3ers Drew Hedman, Sean Killeen, Thomas Di Benedetto, Drew Dominguez and Chez Angeloni.
Starting pitcher Robert Whitenack (Old Westbury) is 0-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) for the Cubs Short Season affiliate in Boise. After an up-and-down first pro season, Whitenack may have found his groove. The 21-year-old righty has given up one run over his past two starts and 11 innings. For the year Whitenack has thrown 44 innings with 27 strikeouts and a .277 average against. He has allowed 49 hits (one home run) and 14 walks. Whitenack was the first D3 player chosen (8th round) in the 2009 draft.
Jack Walker (Concordia-Illinois) is the everyday third baseman for the Nationals Short Season club at Vermont Lake. In 41 games and 117 at-bats, Walker is batting .222 with one HR, 16 RBI and 16 runs to go along with 30 walks, seven doubles and one stolen base. Walker's walks (I didn't have to, but I did) ups his modest average to a .387 on-base percentage. Walker's teammates include fellow D3 players Evan Bronson and Ronnie Labrie.
The 2009 D3baseball.com Player of the Year, first baseman Drew Hedman, has been driving in runs for the Red Sox Short Season club in Lowell since last week's all-star break. Hedman drove in nine in 28 games before the break but has seven RBI in five games since. Hedman, 23, is batting .252 on the year with 11 doubles and 12 runs in 33 games and 107 at-bats. Joining Hedman in Lowell are fellow D3ers Chez Angeloni, Jeremiah Bayer, Thomas Di Benedetto, Drew Dominguez and Sean Killeen.
Left-handed pitcher Aaron Dott (UW-Whitewater) has mostly started games for the Rays Short Season affiliate at Hudson Valley, making three relief appearances in 12 games. Dott, 21, is 1-4 with a 4.32 ERA. His overall numbers mask his recent performance, which includes 2.25 ERA over his last six games and 20 innings. In 41.2 innings overall, Dott has 28 strikeouts against 16 walks to go along with 52 hits allowed. Dott has yet to cede a home run.
Relief pitcher Daniel Sarisky (Oglethorpe) made the move up from Rookie ball to the Short Season level in the Astros organization. Now with Tri-City, Sarisky is a combined 2-1 with a 4.56 ERA for the season (13.1 innings at the Rookie level, 12.1 in Short Season). In his 25.2 innings, the 21-year-old righthander has 29 punchouts and a .269 average against.
Former D3baseball.com All-American catcher Sean Killeen is fighting for playing time for the Red Sox Short Season squad in Lowell. In 22 games and 73 at-bats, the 22-year-old Killeen is batting .247 with three RBI, seven runs and three doubles. Over his last 10 games, Killeen is hitting .324, dating to July 22. Killeen's teammates at Lowell include fellow D3 alums Jeremiah Bayer, Drew Hedman, Drew Dominguez, Chez Angeloni and Thomas Di Benedetto.
Relief pitcher Michael Johnson (Concordia-Texas) has not pitched for the Mets Short Season club in Brooklyn since July 26. Before his hiatus, the 21-year-old righthander tossed 8.1 innings over six games with a 6.48 ERA. He has allowed 11 hits and six walks while striking out seven. All of Johnson's runs came in two outings. Johnson is a teammate of fellow D3er Scott Grimes.
Third baseman Thomas Di Benedetto is batting .286 with one run RBI and two runs in 42 at-bats for the Red Sox Short Season squad in Lowell. The 23-year-old from Trinity (Conn.) has gone 4-for-6 since last week's all-star game. Di Benedetto is teammates with D3ers Jeremiah Bayer, Drew Hedman, Drew Dominguez, Chez Angeloni and Sean Killeen.
After 21 games in Single-A, first baseman Ronnie Labrie (Lynchburg) has now played 37 games with the Nationals Short Season club at Vermont Lake. In his two stops Labrie, 22, is batting .201 overall with one HR, 19 RBI, eight doubles and 22 runs. He also has eight triples, including a New York-Penn League leading six with Vermont Lake. Labrie is teammates with D3 alums Evan Bronson and Jack Walker.
After rehabbing for a couple weeks in Rookie ball, outfielder Scott Grimes (Keystone) is now with the Mets Short Season squad in Brooklyn. The 25-year-old Grimes has played 12 games apiece at the two levels and is batting .217 overall with two home runs and 11 runs batted in. Grimes also has three steals, two doubles, one triple and 11 runs. Grimes is a teammate of D3 alum Michael Johnson.
Left-handed relief pitcher Matt Vieira (East Bay) is on the 60-day disabled list for the Marlins Short Season team in Jamestown. Vieira, 24, has not pitched since July 17. Before his injury Vieira held a 2.29 ERA in eight games and 21.2 innings. He has notched 14 strikeouts, including six in a scoreless, three-inning outing on July 6.
Second baseman Drew Dominguez (Wesleyan) is 5-for-30 in his first pro season with the Red Sox Short Season club in Lowell. Dominguez, 22, also has one stolen base, one RBI and three runs. Dominguez's teammates include fellow D3 alums Drew Hedman, Sean Killeen, Thomas Di Benedetto, Chez Angeloni and Jeremiah Bayer.
Christopher Newport's Kenny Moreland continues his rise through the minors with a 9-2 record this season for two clubs.
Moreland, Yacko have a ball in A ball
D-III in the minor leagues
Over the last few weeks, D3baseball.com profiled former D-III players in MLB and Triple-A and in Double-A. Today, D3baseball.com looks at former D-III players in full season Class A.
By Ricky Nelson
Starting pitcher Kenny Moreland (Christopher Newport), the 2008 D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year, tore up low-A ball and was promoted to the Orioles high-A affiliate in Frederick. While at Hagerstown, Moreland was 6-1 with a 0.88 earned run average and a .178 average against in 51 innings over eight starts, including a 7-inning, one-hit shutout in July. At high-A the 23-year-old right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.96 ERA and a .220 average against in 25 innings over five starts. In his two stops, Moreland has given up just seven walks and 54 hits in 76 innings.
Relief pitcher Dan Remonowsky (Otterbein) has been blowing away hitters for the low-A White Sox club in Kannapolis. Remonowsky is 6-3 with a 2.29 ERA and 20 saves in 46 games. The big 23-year-old righty has held opponents to a .172 batting average, struck out 87 and allowed 31 hits in 51 innings. Remonowsky, who ranks third in the Southern League in saves and second in games finished, was selected to the Southern League all-star game, where he struck the two batters he faced.
Two-time D3baseball.com All-American Kurt Yacko is still striking out professionals like he did at Chapman. Yacko has punched out 63 in 56 innings over 45 relief appearances for the Rockies low-A affiliate in Ashville. For the year the soon-to-be 23-year-old is 2-1 with four saves and a 3.86 ERA. Yacko was lights out in May, when he held a .66 ERA and and .167 opponent's batting average with 15 K's in 13.2 innings.
Sometimes starter, sometimes reliever Shane Wolf (Ithaca), a former D3baseball All-American, earned the California League Pitcher of the Week award in mid-July. In three relief appearances during that week, Wolf was 1-0 with a .82 ERA and six hits allowed in 11 innings. While playing for the Astros high-A affiliate in Lancaster, the lefty is 4-5 with a 5.42 ERA in 24 games (13 starts) and 94.2 IP. The 22-year-old has 81 strikeouts against 25 walks. Fellow D3'ers Tip Fairchild and Chris Salamida are Wolf's teammates.
Pitcher Tim Stronach (Worcester State) picked up a Florida State League Pitcher of the Week Award in late July while pitching for the high-A St. Lucie Mets. Making his second start of the year, the righty tossed 8.1 innings of one-hit, shutout ball to earn his first win of the year and the first Pitcher of the Week award of his career. For the year Stronach, 23, is 2-4 with a 3.88 ERA. In 13 games (six starts) and 46.1 IP, Stronach has 30 K's and one homer allowed.
Reliever Cole Kimball (Centenary) is 4-5 with a 6.63 ERA and seven saves for the high-A Potomac Nationals. Kimball, a 24-year-old right-hander, has given up 36 hits in 36.2 innings for a .252 opponent's average, but he has also issued 24 walks against 42 strikeouts. Kimball has tossed 7.1 scoreless innings over his last five outings.
Another former D3baseball.com All-American, Jacob Kaase (Texas Lutheran), has split his season between Class A Hickory and his current team, high-A Bakersfield, a Rangers affiliate. In 86 total games and 325 at-bats, the 23-year-old shortstop is batting .255 with six HR, 35 RBI, 40 runs and six SB. The left-handed batting Kaase has hit .350 against lefties at Bakerfield and has struck out only 46 times all year.
Outfielder Mike Vass roams the outfield at Fox Cities Stadium, home of the Brewers' low-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the D-III World Series. No stranger to Appleton while playing for Chapman, Vass plays the spacious right field for the majority of T-Rats games. In 80 games Vass, 24, is batting .233 with six home runs and 31 RBI to go along with 31 runs and three steals.
Relief pitcher Chris Rivera (Virginia Wesleyan), after not playing in the affiliated minors in 2008, has spent time this season at high-A Potomac and Class A Hagerstown, where he currently plays in the Nationals organization. His combined stats for the two stops (16 games in high-A, nine in Class A) show an 0-2 record and one save with a 5.26 ERA. The right-handed Rivera, 25, has tossed 25.2 innings in 25 games with 18 K's and 25 hits (zero home runs) allowed for a .250 average against.
Former D3baseball.com All-American Nelson Gomez (Keystone) is batting .221 in 317 at-bats while playing first base for South Bend, the low-A Diamondbacks squad. In 93 games Gomez has 26 runs, two home runs, 31 runs batted in and 24 doubles, the latter of which ranks 16th in the Midwest League.
Lefthanded pitcher Chris Salamida (Oneonta) started the year in Double-A but is now with high-A Lancaster of the Astros organization. Salamida was 1-2 with a 7.80 ERA at Double-A and is 3-1 with a 6.89 ERA and one save at high-A. In 26 total games (three starts at high-A, the rest in relief) and 61.1 IP, the 25-year-old has 45 K's and 82 hits allowed, including 10 home runs. Salamida is teammates of fellow former D3 pitchers Tip Fairchild and Shane Wolf.
Starting pitcher Tip Fairchild (Southern Maine) wasn't signed until late in the year, leading to just four starts for the Astros high-A club in Lancaster. The 26-year-old right-hander first took the mound July 27 and since has made his regular turn. For the year he is 1-2 with 5.65 ERA. In 28.2 innings Fairchild has a 25:3 K:BB ratio. His last start, on Aug. 13, he went eight innings while giving up eight hits, one walk, two runs and striking out nine. Fairchild is teammates with fellow D3'ers Shane Wolf and Chris Salamida.
Former D-III Class A players who moved on to other schools before going pro: Saint Joseph's (Maine) P Charlie Furbush (also LSU), Lakeland Tigers; Trinity (Texas) P Chuck Huggins (also UC-Santa Barbara), Dunedin Blue Jays; Rochester C Chris Rosenbaum (also Tampa), Rancho Cucamonga (Angels); John Carroll OF Dom Duggan (also Coastal Carolina), Augusta (Giants); Gordon OF Matt Crawford (also Mercer), Cedar Rapids (Angels).
Tyler Hadzinsky is just the second Chapman student-athlete in the past 15 years - and the first male - to be named Academic All-District in multiple sports in the same academic year.
Photo by Larry Radloff, D3sports.com
Chapman's Tyler Hadzinsky has been named Male Student-Athlete of the Year by the Association of Division III Independents for the 2008-09 academic year. Only a sophomore, he was named to the All-Independents teams in both soccer (first team) and baseball (third team) last year, including being named Goalkeeper of the Year as the Panthers' starter.
Hadzinsky also became just the second student-athlete in Chapman history to be named to two different ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VIII teams in 2008-09 with a 3.9 grade-point average in business.
The sophomore's year got off to a great start in the fall as he helped lead the Panther soccer team to a 12-4-2 overall record. Hadzinsky made 49 saves and posted four shutouts with a 0.62 goals-against average - the lowest for any Chapman goalkeeper in 25 years.
From there, he moved to baseball and started all 49 games at second base. He batted .376 and led the team with 18 doubles, four triples and had 25 extra-base hits. Chapman won its fifth consecutive West Region title and placed third at the Division III championships with a record of 32-17.
Hadzinsky becomes the third Chapman student-athlete to earn annual top honors from the Association of Division III Independents since the organization began handing out awards in 2003. Chapman baseball player Alex Taylor (2003) and basketball player Josh Flynn-Brown (2007) have also been honored.
The Association of Division III Independents consists of 17 Division III independent institutions that have joined together to recognize student-athletes at independent institutions, and to provide exempted postseason championship competition in nine sports in 2008-09. The Association recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. The Association provides statistical services for its member is seven sports. For more information about the Association of Division III Independents is available at http://www.d3independents.org.
Ken Carlyle has resigned as Greensboro's baseball coach, announced Pride athletic director Jean Lojko.
Carlyle has accepted a position with the MBI Sports Agency in Greensboro. He will represent athletes with hopes of playing professional sports.
Greensboro will conduct an immediate national search for Carlyle's replacement. "We are confident with the level of success this program has enjoyed over the years that we will find a quality coach who can step in and maintain this momentum," said Lojko.
The school recently was forced to put up its entire campus as collateral on a bank loan and laid off athletic director Kim Strable.
Carlyle compiled a career record of 164-152 at GC in his eight years. In 2008, The Pride finished the year with a 26-15 record. Its win total was the second most in program history. Overall, it was GC's tenth 20-win season and the fifth straight under Carlyle's direction.
"I loved every minute of my time at Greensboro College," Carlyle said. "I will miss the staff and the many student-athletes we recruited over the years."
A potential merger proposed to join the men sports from the Great South Athletic Conference and the USA South Athletic Conference has been discontinued according to Ray Cleere, president of Piedmont. USA South Commissioner Rita Wiggs informed Cleere that the USA South presidents were concerned with the current and future financial conditions that confront their institutions and encouraged the leagues to continue their relationships on the playing venues. "This in no way should be seen as a reflection on the excellent relationships that exist among our institutions," stated Wiggs.
Kandis Schram, athletic director at Maryville (Tenn.), stated that the Great South will move forward and will look for ways to make our league even stronger. "As we enter into our 10th season as a charter member within the Great South, we feel we have an excellent nucleus of institutions that share a common vision that will allow us to grow and expand our vision of NCAA Division III athletics."
We've talked to recent college graduates pushing for one more at-bat, one more inning on the mound, and one more summer of zero responsibility. We've also talked to a catcher who hung up his spikes in favor of a wedding band. Just when we're led to believe that international baseball is a short-term gig, Gabe Bonfanti comes along and flips perception on its head.
Bonfanti, a 2005 Chapman graduate, currently plays for Senago Milano United in Italy. Senago is part of Serie A2, the second-highest level of Italian baseball. Bonfanti has been playing International ball since 2004, and yes, your math serves you right. He is one of the few D-III players to have played overseas before his NCAA eligibility expired. With six years of experience in Switzerland, Australia, and Italy, it's no stretch to say he's carved out a nice professional career.
Italian baseball is by far the most intense we've looked at this summer. While other leagues have felt like a summer fling, Italian teams are in for the long haul. Like all Italian sport, which includes Formula One racing and soccer, no baseball team has an actual owner but instead are operated by sponsors.
"With soccer there is no problem for the sponsors to pump millions of Euros into a club because it is a lucrative business," says Bonfanti. "With baseball, teams have bigger problems."
Baseball, as Bonfanti said, is not a profitable business but it hasn't always been this way. In the 1970s and '80s baseball was a money-generating machine. Made up of a majority of imported players swinging aluminum bats, every game provided fast paced entertainment for the thousands of A1 baseball fans. The lack of Italians on each team prompted an ill-conceived and irreversible change in the late 1980s.
The decision was made for the number of foreigners to be limited. There are now only four "Oriundo," or foreigners with passports, allowed on each team. This caused a drastic drop-off in level of play, which carried over to fan attendance and then sponsor investment. Add this to the lack of media coverage and baseball faded away into the twilight.
"Game highlights don't make the newspaper, A1 games are televised once a week at 10:00 p.m.," says Bonfanti. "[They are] produced badly and don't really generate much interest because of the time slot."
The rule tinkering has led to where the league stands today. There are four levels of baseball: A1, A2, B and C. The top level is A1 where eight teams compete and the lowest is B and C where about 70 teams reside. Each year, the winner of A2 switches with the last place team in A1 and the last four teams swap between levels A2, B, and C.
Confused yet? Here comes the easy part.
A1 teams play three times a week with specific roster restrictions for each game. Game 1, unless televised on Thursday, takes place on Friday and is the only game a foreign pitcher can pitch. Game 2 is an Oriundo pitching match-up and Game 3 is reserved for Italian pitchers. The number of runs scored rise each game as level of pitching decreases.
"[It] makes for better baseball so I think this rule will stay in effect again for next year," says Bonfanti.
In A2, things are a little different. One doubleheader is played weekly with Game 1 reserved for Italian pitchers and Game 2 for the one foreign pitcher allowed per team.
"For all the mental and physical errors I've seen," Bonfanti adds, "someone has to win and there are lots of one run ballgames."
When he first went to Switzerland in 2004, Bonfanti served as both pitching coach and pitcher for his team. In Italy, many of the teams hire Cuban coaches to coach and manage. The Cuban style of baseball is more refined than Italian baseball and the Cuban-coached teams tend to win the close games more often.
A2 teams draw 50-250 fans a game with playoffs drawing many more. Nettuano, which is the birthplace of Italian baseball as well as one of the more popular A1 teams, draws 2,000-4,000 fans a game.
The size of the venue as well as location has a huge impact on attendance. In Avigliana just outside of Torino, the team plays underneath an old castle set on a hill behind left field next to a section of the Alps. There's no option but the scenic route to those games.
"Lots of teams have scoreboards with Roman numerals signifying the innings," says Bonfanti.
Bonfanti is an Oriundo and has held this honor since 2006. Five seasons of International baseball give him a few insights to Italian culture.
"People here tend to focus more on quality of life rather than quantity of life," he says.
He also says that two-hour meals in the middle of the day, four weeks vacation time for every profession, and inability to form a line are common occurrences.
"I could see myself living outside the States but know that eventually I'll find my way home," says Bonfanti.
Bonfanti has been researching teams in Australia and Mexico for his next tour so it doesn't appear "eventually" means anytime soon. His Italian won't be any good in the Western hemisphere but he knows something that might help him cope.
"There are a lot of cultures and languages out there but in between the lines the language of baseball is universal."
Good thing Bonfanti is fluent.
Milano was recently eliminated from the playoffs. Check out the game summary from the final two games. The language used is, for lack of a better word, entertaining; especially for fans who read news releases often.
Reliever Mike DeMark (Marietta) made a recent appearance at Triple-A before a short stint on the disabled list and a trip back to the Padres Double-A affiliate in San Antonio. In Double-A DeMark is 1-3 with a 3.08 earned run average and 47 strikeouts in 49.2 innings and 47 games. He has surrendered just one home run while holding opponents to a .225 batting average, including .171 against left-handed batters. The 26-year-old righthander tossed four scoreless innings in three games at Triple-A near the end of July.
Catcher/first baseman Vinny Rottino (UW-La Crosse), who had a successful run with Italy at the World Baseball Classic, is swinging a hot bat for his newest team. Since the Brewers traded Rottino to the Dodgers for pitcher Claudio Vargas near the nonwaiver deadline, Rottino is hitting .444 with eight runs, six walks, four runs batted in and three stolen bases in nine games and 18 at-bats for Chattanooga. While with the Brewers Double-A club in Huntsville the 29-year-old hit .249 with 4 HR, 48 RBI, 46 R and nine SB in 341 AB spanning 98 games.
Starting pitcher Erik Arnesen (Grove City) has the best stats among the regular rotation for the Nationals squad in Harrisburg. He leads the starters with a 3.48 ERA and leads the team with 74 K's. Arnesen, 25, has a 6-5 record on the year in 17 games (16 starts) and 95.2 IP. He has not ceded a home run since June 26 (46 IP).
Outfielder Archie Gilbert (East Bay) has apparently read a little bestseller about his bosses called "Moneyball" because he is getting on base. However, when he's on base Gilbert is very un-"Moneyball" on the basepaths. Put another way, Gilbert has a .391 on-base percentage and 25 stolen bases for the A's affiliate in Midland. In 98 games and 379 at-bats, Gilbert is batting .288 with 67 R, 2 HR, 38 RBI, 52 BB and 42 K's. The 26-year-old ranks among the top 10 in the Texas League in several categories, including steals (4th), runs (5th), on-base percentage (7th) and walks (9th).
After struggling at Triple-A Indianapolis, relief pitcher Corey Hamman (Monclair State) has found a groove for the Pirates club in Altoona. At Triple-A Hamman was 1-0 with 18 K's in 16.2 IP, but it came with a 10.26 ERA and a .365 opponent's batting average. In his last nine innings at Altoona Hamman has given up two earned runs. In 28.1 IP over 28 games for Altoona, the 29-year-old lefty is 0-3 with a 2.54 ERA, 22 hits (one HR) and 19 K's while holding batters to a .222 average, including .163 against lefties.
Former D3baseball.com All-American starting pitcher Ryan Kulik (Rowan) added another honor when he was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week in early July. Over a two-start stretch the 23-year-old southpaw went 2-0, tossing 15 scoreless innings while giving up seven hits and two walks. The Cardinals promoted Kulik from high-A to Double-A early in the year. In 23 games and 116.1 innings pitched (four games and 12 IP at high-A) Kulik is 5-9 with a 5.03 ERA with 39 K's while giving up 144 hits, 31 BB and a .308 opponent's average.
Righthander Tim Kiely (Trinity, Conn.), another former D3baseball.com All-American starting pitcher, was also promoted to Double-A this year while having equal success with both Angels clubs. At high-A the soon-to-be 24-year-old was 5-5 with a 4.44 ERA in 73 innings over 12 starts, which included his tradmark control -- a 5.5:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Now with Double-A Arkansas, Kiely is 4-1 with a 4.58 ERA and a 3:1 K to BB ratio while limiting hitters to a .258 average. In perhaps his best start of the year, Kiely went eight innings, giving up five hits and two walks to earn a win on July 11.
Blake Maxwell (Methodist) has spent time in the rotation and the bullpen for the Red Sox club in Portland. Maxwell has appeared in 26 games (12 starts) with a 4-7 record and a 5.24 ERA. However, over his last four starts from July 22 through Aug. 7 Maxwell, 25, holds a 3-1 record with a .86 ERA in 21 innings while giving up just 13 hits and six walks. On the year the righthander has 41 K's in 80.2 IP while giving up 95 hits and 20 BB.
Relief pitcher Jeff Gogal (Montclair State) has spent the majority of 2009 on the disabled list with the Marlins team in Jacksonville. In his four appearances, the 27-year-old lefty has a 8.10 ERA and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Gogal allowed all three of his runs in one game. He has not made an appearance since April 18.
Catcher Korey Feiner (UW-Oshkosh) has been on the disabled list for about the past two weeks after signing with the Reds. The 27-year-old hasn't gotten the bat going this season, hitting 8-for-68 (.118) with seven walks, three runs and two RBI in 23 games with Carolina.
Health has limited pitcher Travis Beazley (Randolph-Macon) to one start this season. His only appearance (April 11) resulted in a loss after giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. It is unknown if the 26-year-old righty will pitch again this year.
Former D-III players who moved on to other schools before going pro: Hampden-Sydney C Jason Bour (also George Mason), Carolina (Reds); Linfield P Joe Paterson (also Oregon State), Connecticut (Giants); Plymouth State C Matt Tupman (also Mass-Lowell), Mobile (Diamondbacks).
Chapman alumnus John Alexander and his wife Emily found opportunities in Switzerland to extend their baseball and softball careers.
In our third installment on international baseball, D3baseball.com catches up with 2006 Chapman graduate John Alexander. Previously, D3baseball.com caught up with Gary Kahn in Sweden, and Todd Emr and Brian Hurld in Belgium.
By Travis Cross
Somewhere in 1999 Kevin Costner is chasing Kelly Preston in For the Love of the Game. In 2008, John Alexander played for his own love of the game both on and off of the diamond.
John and now wife Emily played baseball and softball in Switzerland in 2008. John played for the Therwill Flyers in Basel; first for a month in 2006 and then for a full season in 2008. John, a 2006 Chapman graduate, acted as both the starting catcher and coach on the Flyers.
The Switzerland Professional League isn't as competitive as other international leagues we've looked at which is directly related to the lack of baseball awareness in the country.
"Throwing and catching a ball does not come easily to Swiss," says Alexander.
A few bad apples don't ruin the harvest, though.
"I compare the top half of teams in Switzerland to above-average DIII teams and the bottom half to above-average high school teams," he adds.
Competition aside, the differences we've seen thus far this summer continue to be evident in Switzerland. The biggest of these is the way the pitching staffs are managed. In Japan, most pitchers routinely throw over 150 pitches a game, and that's on a lucky day when someone is kind enough to count. Switzerland, meet Japan but I think you already know each other.
The Flyers' ace would throw the first game of every weekend without a pitch count. Actually, they never even considered counting pitches. His preparation for the weekend start wasn't the light catch, bullpen, side work, weightlifting, and running routine that MLB players complete in between starts. His program consisted of one light 45-pitch bullpen.
"One bullpen a week and as many pitches as they could muster on game day," says Alexander. "He would frequently mock the fact that Americans count pitches."
One of the differences already mentioned is the player-coach aspect of the teams. Alexander would routinely give signs from the bases, that is, if he were fortunate enough to make it there. Another commonly forgotten responsibility that comes with coaching is arguing missed calls to umpires.
"With a convincing enough argument, umpires will frequently change their minds," says Alexander. "It's quite hilarious actually; during one argument there was French, Spanish, Swiss-German, and English being argued in."
Most of the playing surfaces are makeshift soccer fields with portable fences and a plug-in mound. This is in line with the cultural viewpoint on baseball, which Alexander found out firsthand.
"I'd get dirty looks when I carried my baseball bat on the trams. Later, I was told that most Swiss think it is a weapon," he says.
Whoops.
The salary is on par to most Independent teams in the states which ends up around $1500 a month plus rent and insurance. Even though the salary is enough to break even, it just isn't enough to warrant a career.
"Ultimately, you are just too far away from family and close friends," says Alexander.
Alexander developed a strong relationship with players from other teams and still checks on Mondays to see how they did in games that weekend. He keeps in touch with players who are still playing and his closer friends are considering a trip to the US to see John and his wife, who currently reside in Nevada.
Both John and Emily were offered contracts for the 2009 season but denied the offer to begin their professional careers.
"You have to be okay with a wacky style of baseball. You have to be okay with the cultural and language barriers. You have to be okay teaching the kids how to play the game," says Alexander.
Baseball is baseball, it doesn't matter what country it's in. Regardless of how it's said, an out is an out, a run is a run, and a pitch is (except in Switzerland) just another pitch.
"Without question I'd recommend it to people wanting to continue playing," he says. "Although my body was breaking apart, I thought it was a perfect way to retire."
In his first season, Jordan Zimmermann is 3-5 for the Washington Nationals, with a 4.63 ERA.
Photo by Larry Radloff for D3sports.com
MLB roundup
In the first of several stories catching up with former D-III players in MLB and minor league baseball, D3baseball.com looks at those players in MLB and Triple-A
By Ricky Nelson
Major League Baseball
Jarrod Washburn (UW-Oshkosh) has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts. After three years of losing records and an ERA well into the 4s, the soon-to-be 35-year-old is 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA through Aug. 1. Washburn was the Tigers' key deadline addition in their push for the playoffs. Included in Washburn's rebound year is a complete-game one-hit shutout vs. Baltimore on July 6. He is also in the top 10 among AL starters in WHIP (1st), hits/9 (1st), earned run average (2nd), shutouts (4th), home runs/9 (9th) and walks/9 (9th). The 34-year-old veteran was recently named the AL Pitcher of the Month for July with a 4-1 record and 1.44 ERA in 43 2/3 innings, the first monthly honor of his career.
A year after helping the Phillies to a World Series title, catcher Chris Coste (Concordia-Moorhead) has found a new home with the Astros, who claimed him off waivers. The author of the autobiography "The 33-Year-Old Rookie" is now getting regular playing time at first base and contributing toward Houston's surge in the NL Central standings while all-star Lance Berkman and Darin Erstad are on the disabled list.
Jordan Zimmermann, named by many as the No. 1 prospect in the Nationals organization, made his MLB debut this season. Zimmermann (UW-Stevens Point) won his first two starts in April and is 3-5 on the year with a 4.63 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 91.1 innings. Now on the disabled list with a sore right elbow, Zimmermann recently had a successful bullpen session, according to mlb.com. The Nationals do not have a timetable for his return, but Zimmermann is expected to pitch again this season.
Billy Wagner (Ferrum) has been on the disabled list the entire season but is reportedly nearing a return to the Mets bullpen and has been throwing off a mound since mid-April. Wagner had Tommy John surgery in September and is expected to pitch some time this summer. Wagner, who ranks sixth on the all-time saves list, would move to a setup role in front of Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Triple-A
Not many players have created more buzz this season than outfielder Chris Heisey (Messiah), who dominated the Double-A Southern League and earned a promotion to the Reds Triple-A affiliate in Louisville. Heisey's list of 2009 accolades include being selected for the Futures Game, two Hitter of the Week awards (one in the Southern League and one in the International League) and being named the Topps Southern League Player of the Month in May. Heisey is batting .276 with three home runs, 19 runs batted in, 15 runs and three steals in 31 games at Triple-A after batting .347 with 13 HR, 40 RBI, 54 R and 13 SB in Double-A.
Whenever a Mets starting pitcher has been injured or ineffective this season, the name Nelson Figueroa (Brandeis) is nearly always mentioned. In fact, he is scheduled to duel with Arizona ace Dan Haren tonight. Although Figueroa has only one start before tonight for the Mets this year -- a six-inning, three-earned-run loss -- the 35-year-old's numbers at Triple-A Buffalo merit the speculated call-ups. At Triple-A, Figueroa is 7-5 with a 2.25 ERA with 94 K's in 112 innings over 17 starts.
Joe Bateman (Massachusetts College) has the numbers of a September call-up. The 29-year-old Rays farmhand is 4-1 with a 3.56 ERA in 33 games and 43 innings to go along with a .183 average against. Perhaps as impressive is the right-handed reliever's zero home runs allowed and .176 average allowed vs. righties.
Relief pitcher Scott Chiasson has found success south of the border. Pitching for the Tigres in the Mexican League, Chiasson (Eastern Connecticut) leads the league with 34 saves, and left-handed batters have hit .120 against the 31-year-old righty. In 54 games Chiasson is 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 49 K's in 58.2 IP.
Catcher Erik Kratz cracked the game-winning, two-run home run in the International League all-star game last month. For the season Kratz (Eastern Mennonite) is batting .265 with six homers, 26 RBI and six steals for the Pirates affiliate in Indianapolis.
Greg Reinhard (UW-Whitewater) is one of the top strikeout pitchers in the Pacific Coast League. In 32 games for the Iowa Cubs, Reinhard has 67 K's in 57 innings, including 51 K's in 41.1 innings as a reliever. For the year the righthander is 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA, which includes eight earned runs over his last 6.1 innings.
Due to an overcrowded outfield in Oakland, Chris Denorfia (Wheaton Mass.) has played just four games for the A's in 2009 after his stint roaming the fields -- and possibly making the best catch of the tournament -- for upstart Italy in the World Baseball Classic. In 76 games at Sacramento, Denorfia is hitting .260 with four homers, 32 RBI, 39 runs scored and nine steals.
Starting pitcher Matt DeSalvo (Marietta) is having issues with his control for the Rays affiliate in Durham. DeSalvo has issued 39 walks against 35 strikeouts in 12 games (11 starts) and 56.1 innings. DeSalvo signed with the Mets during the offseason before hooking up with the Rays. On the year DeSalvo is 0-4 with a 6.55 ERA.
After he struggled with the Rockies affiliate in Colorado Springs, the Yankees traded for Jason Hirsh (Cal Lutheran) near the deadline. Hirsh made his Yankees debut for Scranton-Wilkes Barre a good one, going five innings with seven strikeouts to earn a win. For Colorado Springs Hirsh was 6-7 with a 6.66 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) and 101.1 innings.
Left-handed relief pitcher Jack Taschner (UW-Oshkosh) was traded to the Phillies in March after four seasons in San Francisco. Philadelphia optioned Taschner to Triple-A in early July shortly after fellow lefty J.C. Romero returned from suspension. Taschner then cleared waivers and resigned with Philadelphia. In the bigs, Taschner was 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA in 21 games and 27.2 innings that saw him yield 34 hits and 20 walks. Things have been smoother at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where Taschner is 0-2 with one save despite a 2.61 ERA in nine games and 10.1 innings.
Second baseman Jeff Natale (Trinity, Conn.) is seeing regular playing time of late for the Pawtucket Red Sox. For the year, which has included a stint on the disabled list, Natale is batting .265 with one homer, nine RBI and 13 runs in 132 at-bats over 44 games. He also has 22 walks against 21 strikeouts, leading to a .376 on-base percentage. While on the DL, Natale filled in for an ailing Pawtucket broadcaster by doing color commentary for two games.
