New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
State’s minor-leaguers staying ready, just in case
When Thomas Milone didn’t get an invitation to the New York Yankees’ “Summer Camp” (e.g., Spring Trianing 2.0) a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t a surprise. Then again, it sort of was surprising.
Cracking an outfield spot on a roster that includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier, along with a couple of top prospects, seemed extremely unlikely for a guy who’s never played above the Double-A level.
However, Milone, the former Masuk High star, was impressive in big-league camp during spring training, hitting .304 in 12 games.
He’s also the type of player that other teams have placed in their respective 60-player pools: A veteran minor-leaguer who could provide added depth if injuries arise.
Make no mistake, the Yankees noticed what Milone, 25, did back in spring training. A high-ranking member of the team’s front office called him a couple of weeks ago, after the 60-man player pools were announced, and told him so.
“They just let me know what was going on, and be ready in case and we’ll see what happens,” Milone said. “All you can do is take it day-by-day.”
Milford’s Joe Zanghi is in a similar situation, only as a pitcher. Zanghi, 25, has only thrown about 10 innings above the Double-A level during his four seasons in the Mets’ organization. But the right-handed reliever pitched well last season at Double-A Binghamton (2.70 ERA) and again this spring in big-league camp, and was hoping for an invite to Summer Camp that never came.
“I was definitely frustrated, because I figured I was one of those fringe guys who probably deserved an opportunity,” Zanghi said. “But, it is what it is.”
He, too, got an encouraging phone call from the Mets a couple of weeks ago.
“They’re saying just stay
ready,” Zanghi reported. “They called me and said, if somebody goes down, then you’re gonna be next up.”
And so, Milone and Zanghi are staying ready together. Joined by Trumbull’s Simon Whiteman, Stamford’s Montana Semmel and a few other minorleaguers from the area, they get together a few times a week at The Clubhouse, a baseball facility in Fairfield, or at Masuk High for live batting practice.
It’s all they can do at this point, with the minorleague baseball season canceled and, as of now, without a spot on their respective organizations’ 60-man player pool, which teams can carry throughout this truncated major-league season.
For Zanghi, that means about 30-40 pitches every three or four days, totaling about 4-6 innings per week — about what he’d be throwing if he were in the bullpen at Binghamton or Triple-A Syracuse right now.
“I feel great,” he said. Except, perhaps, when he’s throwing to Milone — who apparently hasn’t cooled off since spring training was curtailed in mid-March.
“He is ‘on’ right now,” Zanghi said of the Monroe product.
They’re not the only local minor-leaguers finding ways to stay sharp. Shelton’s Mat Batten, 25, who hit .299 with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso last season, has been facing live pitching from his fellow Quinnipiac product, Thomas Jankins.
Whiteman, a ninthround pick of San Francisco in 2019, is coming off a solid first year in pro ball, hitting .274 between Class A short-season SalemKeizer and Class A Augusta. A spot in the Giants’ 60-man pool seems unlikely for the Yale grad, but he’s been hitting with a group of 15-or-so local players put together by Seymour’s
Jake Walkinshaw while also coaching youth baseball at The Clubhouse five or six days a week.
“It’s just a bunch of guys doing the best we can with the hand we were dealt,” said Whiteman.
He added: “We don’t have a lot of direction right now. As the days go by, motivation is hard to come by for a lot of people. Realistically, unless I hear otherwise, the most probable scenario for most guys sounds like we’re not gonna be playing organized baseball until next February, when spring training rolls around. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
There has been talk that the Arizona Fall League may expand this year. Instead of teams in the league being comprised by groups of four or five prospects from different organizations, they may instead be made up entirely of prospects from one organization. But that’s strictly a rumor at this point.
At least Whiteman, Milone, Zanghi and other local minor-leaguers haven’t been cut. Thousands of minor-leaguers have been released by their organizations over the past month. Many have decided to call it a career, especially since numerous minor-league clubs are expected to get axed.
Not so for Whiteman. “I believe I’m in a very good situation, both in my life as a whole, as well as with my specific organization,” said Whiteman, 23. “I think they have really good development plans set out for me. I haven’t been in the system for an extended period of time. I haven’t really settled in, so to speak. There’s still a lot unknown for me. I’m definitely in a position to stick around the game.”
Zanghi isn’t about to give up on his baseball dreams, either.
“Until somebody forces the ball out of my hand,” he said, “I’m playing.”