Two Atlantic Leaguers May Be Vying for Same Job In Los Angeles Angels’ Outfield

If we allow ourselves to dream once in a while why not conjure up a scenario where two former Independent Baseball players are competing for the same job in the major leagues.

I cannot say that is the case because it is not possible to get all the way into Mike Scioscia’shead.  But this interesting setting could be developing for Scioscia’s Los Angeles Angels of Anaheimas spring training heads into its last couple of weeks.

We talked in this space last week how Scioscia was praising Michael Ryan,the former Minnesota Twinsoutfielder who played in the Atlantic Leaguefor Sparky Lyle’s Somerset (NJ) Patriotsin 2008.  The 32-year-old Ryan is continuing to compete nicely for a major league job (7-for-18, .389, one homer, share of team lead with seven RBI), but along comes Cory Aldridge, who was with Newark , NJ in the same league in that ‘08 season.

Aldridge, two years younger, has only had five major league at-bats in his 13 professional seasons and they came with Atlanta way back in 2001.  A left-handed hitter just like Ryan, Aldridge has gone deep twice this spring, and is hitting .316 (6-for-19) while getting into 11 games (Ryan has played in eight).  Both players have on-base percentages topping .400.

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D-Backs Give Bridgeport Shortstop Playing Time

Another Independent position player, who has had only sparse major league playing time in his career, is now getting into a number of spring training contests.  He is shortstop Ed Rogers,who was the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish’sshortstop for 32 games just last summer.  Rogers, 31, has been used in 10 of Arizona’s Cactus Leaguecontests so far, meaning he is getting a nice look.  The Dominicangloveman, whose 30 major league games came between 2002 and 2006 for Baltimore,has gone 2-for-12 (.167) with three runs scored.

The Diamondbacks’regular shortstop is Stephen Drew, who started his pro career in the Atlantic League (Camden, NJ).

Umpire Calling Major League Spring Games

Players are not the only “uniformed” Independent leaguers reaching all the way to the major leagues.  Umpire Lance Barrett, who started in the All-American Association, is in his second season of working spring training games.  He is regularly assigned to the Triple-A International League.

Kevin Winn,who supervises umpires in both the American Associationand Can-Am League, also takes pride in the fact two of his graduates, Shaylor Smithand Thomas Newsom,are working affiliated minor league contests.  They are assigned to Lakeland , FLwhere they work with crew chief Art Thigpen, who once was in the Northeast League.

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and 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.)