2008 Choice Newark Bears, Tim Sweeney

#23 Tim Sweeney

Yesterday, I posted four Choice minor league cards that were given to me by another blogger. Today, I have one more. This one is from Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff fame. He sent this to me a few years ago with some other goodies.

Tim had a really short professional career. He was drafted by the Expos in the 20th round of the 2002 draft and he was out of baseball after the 2003 season after just playing 105 games and hitting .201. He then emerged with the Aiken Foxhounds of the South Coast League in 2007 before joining the Atlantic League's Newark Bears in 2008. How he managed to not play for three seasons before coming back to a league that I had never heard of and then playing a season in the Atlantic League is beyond me.

The Atlantic League is the cream of the crop of independent baseball with many former Major Leaguers playing in it. In fact, MLB just signed an agreement with the league to try out possible new rule changes there before implementing them at the Major League level. The funny thing is that this guy, that hit .201 in lower A ball, did well in the Atlantic League. Though he played in just 37 games, Tim managed to hit .273 with 12 RBI. He even pitched a scoreless inning.

Tim hung up the cleats for good after that one season with Newark. But, we have this cool card of him to commemorate his last season playing professional ball.

2007 Topps '52, Jose Ascanio

#188 Jose Ascanio

Here is a card that was given to me by Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff. I have no idea where he got it signed, but I do know that he had quite a few of them signed. At one point, I believe that I had three of these cards that were signed and they all came from Paul in different trade packs. I figured that Paul got them signed at an Atlantic League game at some point, but Jose never played in the Atlantic League. He never played in the Eastern League either, so my best guess is that Paul got this card signed through the mail.

Jose played in the Majors for parts of four seasons with three different teams- the Braves, Cubs, and Pirates. He was used exclusively out of the bullpen and went 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA over 43 games that spanned 46 innings. He struck out 41 and walked 21. His best season was with the Cubs in 2009. That year, he pitched 15.1 innings and posted a 3.52 ERA while striking out 18. At the trade deadline that season, he was shipped to Pittsburgh with Josh Harrison and Kevin Hart for Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow. Even though he did not have much success with the Pirates, I think the team fared well in that trade.

Jose pitched last season in Mexico.

Like yesterday's post of Edwin Bellorin, it appears that this card is the only one that Jose ever got from his time in the Major Leagues.

2006 Bazooka, Charlton Jimerson

#209 Charlton Jimerson

Here is a card that Paul, from Paul's Random Baseball Stuff, got signed for me in 2009. That year, Paul had 'graphed so many Atlantic League games that he had autographs from about everyone that he needed. Being the gracious blogger that he is, he offered to get stuff signed for other people over the course of the remainder of the season. So, I sent some cards out to Paul and he did a great job of getting most of them signed for me.

Charlton has an interesting career stat line. He appeared in thirty-one games over a four year span with the Astros and Mariners. He must have been used mostly as a defensive replacement because he only had nine at-bats in those thirty-one games. But, in those nine ABs, Charlton had four hits and two of them were for home runs. That is not a bad career stat line. Four out of nine is good for .444 career average. But, if Charlton hadn't got that one at-bat with the M's in 2008, he would be a .500 hitter. I don't care if it is only eight at-bats, but four for eight would be something to brag about. Heck, I'd even brag about .444, but that is just me.

In Paul's Thanksgiving post today, he mentioned this blog as one of the things he was thankful for. Obviously, this is a two way street here and I am thankful for all the cards and autographs Paul has thrown my way.

While I am giving thanks, I also want to thank Ryan, Brian, Greg, Rod, Marck, and all of the other bloggers that help make this community what it is. I don't post as much as I would like any more. But, without you all, I probably wouldn't be blogging at all. Thanks, guys!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2005 Topps, Matt Rogelstad

#320 Matt Rogelstad

Here is a card that Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff, got signed for me at an Atlantic League game in 2009. Matt was playing for the York Revolution that summer and Paul was nice enough to get the card signed at a Newark Bears game in the second half of the season.

Matt was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Mariners in 2003. He had quite a whirlwind season that year. Though he only played in 45 games that summer, he had stops in Rookie ball, low A, high A, and AAA. That doesn't happen all too often. He came back to reality after that season, though, as he spent the next two and a half seasons playing in the California League. In 2005, he got his first taste of AA and he hit only .185 in 23 games. The Mariners let him go after that season.

Matt was picked up by the Nationals after that and he spent a majority of his time with them (two seasons) on their Carolina League team. He then played in the Atlantic League in 2009 and the Golden Baseball League last year. I have no idea if Matt has found a team for this season.

Matt is Canadian and he was a member of their 2008 Olympic baseball team.

Matt's signature is unique. You can easily make out "Matt" and the first letter of his last name. After that though, it looks like he is tallying how many autographs he has signed that day.

2005 Donruss, Ken Harvey

#215 Ken Harvey

Here is a card that Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff fame, got signed for me at an Atlantic League game two years ago. Ken was playing for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at the time.

Ken's Major League career lasted just parts of four seasons. But in that short time span (271 games), Ken did two things that I will never forget. The first is that he made the American League All Star team in 2004. Carlos Beltran should have been the Royals representative that year, but he was traded to the Astros shortly before the All Star break. Since the Royals had to have an All Star, Ken got the nod based off of his .330 batting average.

The second, and more memorable, memory that I have of Ken is his walk off home run at Kauffman Stadium in 2003. The Royals were in the midst of their great 16-3 start that would pad their division lead through the All Star break. On April 18, the Tigers visited the Royals for the second home stand of the year. The Royals were 11-3 at that point and 38,937 fans showed up for the game. It was a tightly contested game that was tied 3-3 after nine innings of play. The game dragged on into the 11th inning with neither team looking like they were going to end it anytime soon. But, Ken led off the bottom half of the inning and hit an 0-2 pitch for a home run to win the game. There were still at least 30,000 people at the game and the house was rocking. To this day, that is still the best Royals game that I have ever been to.

Here is my lasting memory of Ken Harvey.



Unfortunately for me, I was more into tailgating at that time than getting autographs. So, this is the only signature from Ken that I have. Thanks Paul!

2004 Topps, Reggie Taylor

#142 Reggie Taylor

Here is the final card before I start into my 2005 cards. When I finished up with the 2004 cards, I thought I would be on to the '05s in three weeks or less. That was on January 9th, so I obviously did not meet my deadline. A couple of autograph packages, Royals Fanfest, and a job promotion turned my three week timetable into about eleven weeks. But, I made it through and I will start on the '05s tomorrow or Saturday.

Speaking of autograph packages, that is where I got this card. It was included in the last package that was sent to me by Paul's Random Stuff.

Reggie played in the big leagues with the Phillies, Reds, and Devil Rays. He only got into a handful of games with Philly and Tampa Bay, but he saw some decent playing time with the Reds in 2002 and 2003. In '02, he played in 135 games and he hit .254 with 9 home runs and 38 RBI. That was his best season at the Major League level.

Even though Reggie hasn't played in the Majors since 2005, it looks like he is still playing. Since 2005, Reggie has played in the Atlantic League, Mexican League, International League, and American Association. Last season was split between Mexico and the Atlantic League.

2003 Topps Total, Luke Allen

#9 Luke Allen

Here is another card from the recent package from Paul. This one features the former Rocky and Dodger, Luke Allen.

Luke was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent after graduating high school in 1997. In 2002, he had his first taste of the AAA level, a level that he would get to know really well in the coming years. Luke only played in five games at that level in 2002. That is kind of surprising since he played in six Major League games that September where he went 1-7 with a double and two runs scored.

That off-season, Luke was traded to the Rockies and he would play in two games for them in the Majors. The rest of the year was spent at AAA. Luke went on to play for four more AAA teams over the next three seasons before splitting time in 2007 between the Mexican League, the Atlantic League, and the Dodgers AA team. 2008 was then split between the Mexico and the Can-Am League. That was Luke's final season playing.

For his Major League career, Luke was 1-9.

I believe that this is the second time that this card has been posted on a blog. This looks like the card that Paul posted on Auto-Matic for the People in December of 2009. As Paul noted on that post, Luke certainly has a unique signature. It has changed quite a bit from the one that is posted on his Baseball Almanac page (the link up top).

I'm getting ready to go to my first game of the year today. The Kansas State Wildcats are hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers and one of the coaches for the Huskers just happens to be Darin Erstad. I'm hoping to have a card of him to post on here in a couple of days.

2003 Topps, Clint Nagoette

#T139 Clint Nagoette

Here is another card from the most recent package that was sent my way by Paul's Random Stuff. This one features the former Mariners prospect, Clint Nagoette.

Clint was drafted by the M's in the fifth round of the 1999 draft. He moved steadily up the farm system ladder and by June of 2004, he got his first taste of big league action. In his Major League debut, Clint entered the game in relief in the third inning and he gave up four runs in four innings of work, while striking out one and walking four. He also took the loss that day.

Speaking of that loss, Clint got a decision in each of his first seven appearances. He lost his initial relief appearance, won his first start, lost his next three starts, and then lost his next two relief outings. He started his career 1-6 in seven games and never got another decision ever again. Clint got into twelve games with the M's in 2004, three in 2005, and one in 2006. That was the last time he pitched in the Major Leagues.

Clint pitched in the Mariners organization through 2006 before joining the Mets AAA squad in '07. That gig lasted just one season and Clint pitched in the Atlantic League in '08 and '09. He spent last season pitching for Edmonton of the Golden Baseball League.

While this is the first signed Clint Nagoette card that I have obtained, I did get Clint's signature once before. Clint was a 2003 Texas League All Star and I was able to get him to sign my program at the All Star game in Wichita that year. But, it is always cooler (for me at least) to have the signature on a card.

2003 Fleer Platinum, Andy Van Hekken

#234 Andy Van Hekken

Here is a card that Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff, sent me last month. It features Andy Van Hekken, a career minor leaguer that does have five Major League starts under his belt. One of those starts, his very first in fact, was pretty awesome.

Andy made his Major League debut on September 3rd, 2002. He faced the Cleveland Indians in Detroit and, even though he gave up eight hits and walked two, none of the Indians crossed that plate that night as Andy went on to pitch a complete game shutout. While there was really nothing spectacular about his performance (he only recorded one strikeout), it is hard to top a complete game shutout in a Major League debut.

Unfortunately, the rest of his September wasn't as spectacular as the beginning, as he lost three of his next four starts and his ERA jumped to 3.00. But, if Andy never reaches the Majors again, at least he has a respectable career line of 1-3 with a 3.00 ERA and a shutout.

Since his big league time, Andy has been pitching all over the minor leagues. He had spent time in the Reds, Braves, and Royals organizations before heading to the Atlantic League for parts of three seasons. He is currently in the Astros organization after pitching all of last season with their AAA squad.

In case you thought that Andy has a very Dutch sounding name, it could be because he is from Holland (Michigan).

2001 Royal Rookies, Ememencio Pacheco

#27 Ememencio Pacheco

Here is another autograph from the latest package that was sent to me by Paul's Random Stuff. The one features Ememencio (not Ememencia as listed on the card) Pacheco. If this guy did not acquire the nickname of Eminem during his playing days, then his teammates just were not trying.

Pacheco was signed by the Rockies out of the Domincan and he made his professional debut in the Arizona League in 1998. He played in the Rockies system until the 2002 season when he made his way to the White Sox organization. He stayed with the Sox into 2005, reaching as high as AAA, before he wound up in the Atlantic League later that season.

Pacheco has a career minor league record of 51-40 with a 4.34 ERA. His best season came at the AA level in 2003 when he posted career bests in wins (12) and ERA (2.56). His 2.56 ERA was the only sub-3.00 ERA he had posted at any level.

For some reason, this card got a little crooked when I scanned it. Rather than rescan it, I just did a bit of cropping of the card. That is why it looks like that.

2000 Bowman, Bryan Edwards

#108 Bryan Edwards

Here is a card that I got in the mail about a week ago from Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff fame. Paul had sent me a package out of the blue and it included a healthy stack of Royals cards, a Nolan Ryan manu-pacth card from the 1973 All Star game in Kansas City (which was really cool), and a handful of autographs. Here is the first autograph from the bunch to be posted.

This one is of the former Red, Padre, and Mets farmhand, Bryan Edwards. Just by looking at Bryan's stats, it is hard to tell what kind of minor league career he really had. The reason for that is because Bryan did three separate stints in an independent league. He was drafted by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2000 draft and he pitched in 13 minor league games for them that season. The strange part is that he also pitched for Newark, of the Atlantic League, for 6 games that season.

He then spent 2001 with the Reds Midwest League team in Dayton before ending up in the now defunct independent Western League for all of 2002. He was back in affiliated ball in '02 with the Padres, but that gig lasted just one season. He then moved over to the Mets and he spent three seasons with them while spending a majority of the time at the AA level. His last season there was 2006 and he had 4-8 record with a 4.72 ERA.

After that, it was back to the Atlantic League and Bryan played for three different teams during the 2007 season. That appears to be that last year that he played.

It kind of makes me wonder if Bryan had some behavioral problems or if he just rubbed his coaches the wrong way. You just don't see guys that young bouncing back and forth from the affiliated leagues to the independent leagues.

2004 Topps Total, Vito Chiaravalloti

#875 Vito Chiaravalloti

Here is the final 2004 Topps Total card and it is of a player that quite possibly has the coolest name in my autograph collection- Vito Chiaravalloti. I have no clue how to pronounce that last name. But, when you have a last name that stretches from armpit to armpit on the back of your jersey, you have a great name. Throw in Vito to go along with the last name and you are set.

Vito was a 15th round draft choice by the Blue Jays in the 2003 draft. He played rookie ball that summer for the Auburn Doubledays and he hit good enough there (.351 average with 12 homers in 68 games) to be named the Short Season A Player of the Year. He moved up to high-A the following year and his average dropped to .266 while he had 14 home runs in 122 games. He started out 2005 at AA, but after hitting just .236 in 45 games, he was bumped back down to high-A where he posted a .212 average in 42 games. He started off 2006 in AA again. But after hitting .190 through 42 games, the Blue Jays released him. He was picked up by the Orioles, but after hitting .075 for their high-A team, they released him as well.

After that, it was on to the Atlantic League. He played his first season there with the Road Warriors and he hit .296 with 19 home runs. That seems pretty good for a guy that did not play a single home game that season. He must have impressed someone because in 2008, Vito got to play half of his games at home as a member of the Somerset Patriots. His average dipped to .234 with them and he moved on to the Camden Riversharks in 2009. That was the season that I got this card signed. And me getting it signed consisted of me putting this card in an envelope and sending it to New Jersey where Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff fame, was nice enough to get it signed for me. With Camden, Vito raised his average back up to .272.

For the 2010 season, Vito only played in a handful of games with the Patriots and Riversharks. By a handful, I mean twenty. He hit .233 in his seventeen games with Camden and then went 1-7 in three games with Somerset. So, unless he got injured, it appears that Vito Chiaravalloti's career might be done. [Edit: Turns out the Vito had pretty much retired to become a school teacher, but he came back for a few games when the teams were short on help. Here's the article. Thanks Paul!]

There are still some free packs of football and wrestling/racing cards up for grabs in my previous post. Free free to snag them.

2004 Topps Total, Carl Loadenthal

#838 Carl Loadenthal

Unlike the last four "first year" cards that I posted on here, Carl never made it to the Major Leagues. He was picked up by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent in 2003 after playing college ball at Rider University. He moved steadily up the ranks and by the end of 2006, he had reached AA. He stayed in AA for all of '07 and he started out '08 there as well before getting promoted to AAA. At the AAA level, Carl hit .278 in 240 at-bats. That was not good enough for the Braves and they released him after the season. The Mets gave him a shot in '09, but he hit just .239 in 59 games at AA before he got released.

After that, it was on to the Atlantic League and that is where this card got signed, courtesy of Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff. Carl played for Newark and York that season and I have no idea who he was playing for when Paul got the card signed. Carl hit .200 with York and .317 with Newark, but it wasn't enough to keep him in the Atlantic League. In 2010, he played for the Sussex Skyhawks of the CanAm League and he hit .315 there. It will be interesting to see where he plays in 2011.

Personally, I think Carl should take Warner Madrigal's route and become a pitcher. He made his pitching debut in college in 2001 and in two game and one inning of work, he allowed nine hits and seven earned runs. He next pitched in 2004 in the Appalachian League and he gave up six hits and five earned runs in two innings of work. He made his next mound appearance in 2006 in the Carolina League and he pitched his first scoreless inning. Sure, he gave up two hits and two walks, but none of them scored. Now, if that isn't improvement, than I don't know what is.

Happy New Year!

2004 Topps Total, Adam Greenberg

#789 Adam Greenberg

If you have never heard of Adam Greenberg, than you are in for a treat. Adam has the distinction of being one of the two players in the history of the game to be hit by a pitch in their only Major League plate appearance without ever taking the field. The other player was the Phillies Fred Van Dusen in 1955 and I do not know what ever happened to him. But, I do know what happened to Adam and it isn't a pretty story.

Adam's Major League hit by pitch was a 92 mile an hour fastball to the back of the head. It occurred in July of 2005 and it gave him a mild concussion. While he no longer suffers any symptoms of the beaning, he still has a hard time digging in at the plate and getting ready to hit (according to his manager this past season via this ESPN article). But the good news is that Adam is still playing ball and looking for another shot at the Major Leagues.

Prior to his Major League plate appearance, Adam was a prospect for the Cubs that had been called up from AA. By the following season, Adam had been released by the Cubs after hitting under .180 in just over a hundred at-bats at AA and AAA. He was picked up by the Dodgers and he spent the remainder of the season playing for their AA team and he ending up hitting .228 for them. He moved on to the Royals AA team in 2007 and he hit .266 in 132 games. The Royals released him after the season and he played for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League to start the 2008 season. He did good enough there to be picked up by the Angels and assigned to their AA squad. He finished the '09 campaign with them batting .271.

Unfortunately, that was Adam's last season playing affiliated ball. Since then, he has spent the past two seasons playing for the Bluefish. He only hit .245 in his first season there, but he was able to raise his average to .258 this past season.

The good news is that Adam is still playing ball and is trying to get another shot at the Majors. He will be thirty when this next season starts, so his window is starting to close. But, I wish him the best of luck.

I was fortunate to get this card signed for me by Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, at an Atlantic League game in 2009.

I got to see Adam play a couple of times as a member of the Wichita Wranglers in 2007. At the time, I knew that I had seen a card of him (this one), but I had no idea of the story he had. Too bad I hadn't got back into autographs a year earlier.

Also, I like the sleeveless Cubs jersey on this card. It's just too bad that the team didn't wear them. Like Alberto Callaspo from a couple of days ago, this is probably just a photo-shopped minor league picture.

2004 Topps Total, Brad Ausmus

#663 Brad Ausmus

Here is a quick little Christmas Eve post. This is another card of Brad Ausmus and this one came from the same person that sent me the first one I posted just over a month ago- Paul, from Paul's Random Stuff. The cards did not come in the same package, though this one was in the same Christmas package as yesterdays Scott Hairston autograph. Again, I would assume that Paul got this one signed through the mail, but I have been wrong before (like yesterday, for instance).

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and if I get bored tomorrow, I may post another card. If not, I'll be back on Sunday.

2004 Topps Total, Scott Hairston

#659 Scott Hairston

Here is a card that I got in a random package about fifty weeks ago. The package was from Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, and in it included about twenty new autographs for my collection, as well as a few Royals cards.

Scott is the brother of Jerry, Jr. and they are the sons of former big leaguer, Jerry Hairston, Sr. For some reason, though, I can never remember which brother is which. And to make things more complicated for myself, both of them were members of the Padres last season.

Scott had a rough season this past summer. He played in 104 games for them, but hit a measly .210 in 295 at-bats. He only had 10 home runs after hitting 17 each in the previous two seasons. Scott hasn't reached free agency yet, but I believe that he is arbitration eligible. After this past season, he should just take whatever the Padres offer him.

I do not know how Paul got this card signed, but I would be willing to bet that he got signed through the mail. This is the second Scott Hairston card that has been given me by fellow bloggers. It may be another year before I get to posting the first one.

2004 Fleer Tradition, Brad Ausmus

#79 Brad Ausmus

Here is a card of the recently retired Brad Ausmus. Brad played in the Majors for eighteen years and he spent the first seventeen of them without ever spending a day on the disabled list. That all changed this past season. After starting just one game at the beginning of the season, Brad was put on the DL because of back pain. The back pain eventually led to surgery, which some thought would be the end of Brad's career. But, he fought back and was back with the team by the end of July. It was after that first game back that Brad announced that this would be his final season.

Brad played for the Padres, Tigers, Astros, and Dodgers in his career, spending a majority of the time in Houston. He won three Gold Gloves in his career and was named an All Star once. He finished his career in seventh place among catchers in games caught and in third place for putouts by a catcher. What happens next in Brad's career is anyones guess, but I would be terribly surprised if he did not end up coaching or managing (either Majors or Minors) soon.

This card was given to me last year by Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff. I would assume that Paul got this card signed TTM, but you know what happens when you assume.

2003 Upper Deck Vintage, Brandon Larson

#315 Brandon Larson

Here is the last card from 2003 for now.

This card was given to be by Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, last December. Paul sent me about twenty autographed cards in that package and a healthy stack of Royals cards. But, out of all of the cool cards he sent me, this one was probably my favorite.

The reason for that is because I was a big Brandon Larson fan when he was in college. He only played in the NCAA for one season, but it was quite a season. It was 1997 and Brandon played for LSU. That year, he and Rice's Lance Berkman had a Sosa/McGwire-esque season, with the two of them going toe to toe to see who was going to lead the nation in home runs.

And to make matters better, I went to my first College World Series game that spring and guess who was playing. It was Rice and LSU. LSU was the favorite as that was Rice's first ever appearance in the CWS (it seems that they are there every year now).

Well, to make a long story short, I got to see both Larson and Berkman go yard that game as LSU defeated Rice and their number one draft pick, Matt Anderson, 3-1. It was quite a game and probably my most memorable college game I ever saw. Even though Lance played in fewer games than Brandon, he still came out on top in home runs 41 to 40. The NCAA would go on to change their rules for aluminium bats after that season and because of those changes, only three collegiate players have hit over 30 home runs in the past decade.

Unfortunately, Brandon's success in college did not transfer over to the Major Leagues. He did real well in the minors, but not in the Majors. He played in 109 games with the Reds over four seasons and he is a career .179 hitter with just 8 home runs and 37 RBI.

I am guessing that Paul got this card signed while Brandon was playing for the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League.

I'll be starting my recap tomorrow and I have got some cards from the '60s popping up for the rest of the week.

2003 Topps Total, Matt DeMarco

#958 Matt DeMarco

Here is the final 2003 Topps Total card that I have to show for now. This one features former Marlins and Cardinals farmhand, Matt DeMarco. This card was given to me by Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff.

Matt was drafted by the Marlins out of high school in the eleventh round of the 1998 draft. He made his professional debut the following year with the GCL Marlins and he hit .218 in 46 games. He must have got injured during the season or during the off-season because he only played in 30 games in 2000.

But, he came back healthy in 2001 and he spent the season playing A ball before getting moved up to high A for the '02 and '03 seasons. Finally, after 18 games of high A ball in '04, Matt finally made it up to AA. He hit .273 at the AA level that season, but it wasn't meant to be. The following season, Matt played with four different teams in three leagues with two different organizations.

In 2006, it was off to the Atlantic League and the Camden Riversharks. He spent two seasons with them, and hit a career high .317 in 2007, before calling it quits.

With the Riversharks in 2006, Matt was part of he longest game in Atlantic League history. The game lasted eighteen innings and six hours and twenty minutes. Matt was one of three Camden fielders to pitch in the game that they eventually won.

2003 Topps Total, Mike Crudale

#276 Mike Crudale

Here is a card that was sent to me by Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, last December. It features former Cardinal and Brewer, Mike Crudale.

Mike pitched in the big leagues for parts of two seasons in 2002 and 2003. In that brief time-span, he threw 73.1 innings and posted an ERA of 2.09. I know that ERA isn't exactly the best reference point of how well a pitcher does, especially a reliever. But, it is what it is and I would think that there were some teams out there that would want a guy in their pen with a 2.09 career ERA.

That was not the case for Mike. In 2004, Mike pitched in the Giants and Pirates systems and spent a majority of the time at AA. In 2005, he was off to the Atlantic League and he would spend three years there before calling it quits. It's a crazy game these guys play.