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Spring Training has begun for American Association clubs as the league begins its ninth season. The 100-game regular season begins on Thursday, May 15, with the Gary SouthShore RailCats looking to defend their league crown. In addition, exhibition games begin on Sunday, May 4 as St. Paul faces Fargo-Moorhead, and Winnipeg and Wichita take on...Read More

Independent Baseball Chatter – by Bob Wirz (Vol. 12, No. 9 – May 1, 2014) This week’s tip to Independent Baseball players hoping to attract a major league organization:  Reach out to the first Arizona Diamondbacks scout you can find. While all 30 major league organizations have at least one player who has been in...Read More

Independent Baseball Insider – Vol. 12, No. 8,   April 24, 2014 By Bob Wirz            Every baseball manager is naturally eager for a new season to start, but I cannot imagine anyone more excited than first-time skipper Steve Montgomery, who has the task of getting Sioux City into the playoffs for...Read More

Independent Baseball Insider – Vol. 12, No. 7,   April 17, 2014 By Bob Wirz While we cannot help but wonder who will be the next Independent player to get the thrilling call to the major leagues, it is encouraging to see recently-elevated players continuing to do well. Entering play Thursday, major league rookie Ian Thomas,...Read More

By Andrew Astleford / Fox Sports Florida For the complete article, visit Fox Sports Florida. Still, Wichita has become part of the fabric of this Rays season. The label is a nod to Kansas’ largest city, with a population of about 382,000 people. It’s known as the “Air Capital of the World” because of its...Read More

Of the 23 alumni of independent leagues who began the season in Major League Baseball, ten came from American Association clubs, while another three formerly played in the Can-Am League, the AA’s sister league. American Association Players Aaron Crow, Kansas City (Fort Worth 2008-09) Dane De La Rosa, L.A. Angels (El Paso 2009) Luke Hochevar,...Read More

Independent Baseball Insider – Vol. 12, No. 5,   April 3, 2014 By Bob Wirz Seeing two former players (Ian Thomas and Brandon Kintzler) in the major leagues would make any manager feel pretty good, but Winnipeg Goldeyes skipper Rick Forney is very happy for other reasons, in addition to watching his four children grow. “I...Read More

By Scott Taylor, Winnipeg Goldeyes Former Winnipeg Goldeyes lefthander Ian Thomas has been named to the Atlanta Braves’ 25-man roster. He becomes the ninth former Goldeyes player to reach the Major Leagues. It is an incredible feat for the 26-year-old graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, who showed up at Braves spring training in February as...Read More

Arlington, Texas – On Wednesday, the Texas Rangers announced that RHP Tanner Scheppers will be the team’s opening-day starter on Monday, March 31, when the club takes on the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Park. After a standout college career at Fresno State, Scheppers pitched for the American Association’s St. Paul Saints in 2009, going...Read More

Independent Baseball Insider,  Vol. 12, No. 4,  March 27, 2014 – by Bob Wirz “I’ve got Day 1 and Day 2”. Those were the words of a happy Arizona Diamondbacks righthander Bo Schultz this week.  It seems many more will follow for the 28-year-old, who is quite certain he would never have gotten any major...Read More