Famous Aussie MLB debuts

Another Australian baseballer has made it to the big show, after Josh Spence successfully debuted for the San Diego Padres yesterday.

It was an impressive start.

Spence faced three quality hitters in Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones and Brian MacCann, and retired them in order. It was an uplifting and energising event, and Spence clearly received a lot of support from the crowd - which included a contingent of travelling Aussies, the team, and of course his Yoda backpack.

Josh Spence's 'rookie backpack'

Spence's exciting appearance got me thinking. Out of the other 28 Aussie major leaguers, who had great first games, and who had not so great. I thought it might be interesting to take a stroll through the history books and find out.

Turns out there are quite a few success stories - including Luke Hughes, who famously homered in his first major league at bat, and Ryan Rowland-Smith, who struck out Ken Griffey Jr. Like anything though, there are also a few shockers...


The winners

Luke Hughes
Luke Hughes has probably the most famous major league debut among Aussies. He first appeared for the Twins on 28 April 2010 against the Detroit Tigers. In his first at bat - which was a split affair courtesy of Delmon Young being caught stealing third base in the second inning - he picked up a home run off Max Scherzer in the third inning. It was a fantastic start to a career that is showing some real promise, although on the day it was not enough, the Twins lost 11-6.

Craig Shipley

Shipley is the first Australian of the modern era to crack the big leagues. While he spent the majority of his career with the Padres, Shipley debuted with their NL West rivals, the Dodgers, on  22 June 1986. The Dodgers met the Padres in front of more than 42,000 fans at Dodger Stadium, with Shipley batting eighth and playing shortstop.

Shipley picked up an RBI in his first at bat in the second inning, when he drove home Alex Trevino from third base on a fielder's choice. In the third inning he picked up his first major league hit - a single. He ended the game 1-for-4, with one RBI, and the Dodgers lost 5-4. 

The remainder of the 1986 season was a bit of a struggle for Shipley - he finished up after 12 games with just three hits from 27 at bats (.111), and it wasn't really until he signed with the Padres in 1991 that he really started to hit his straps.

Travis Blackley
Travis Blackley first pitched for the Seattle Mariners on 1 July 2004 against the Texas Rangers in front of a healthy crowd of 35,000 at Safeco Field.

Blackley struck out the first hitter he faced, and retired the first eight hitters in a row. On top of this, he got plenty of run support from Mariners hitters - who put on seven runs over the first three innings. Blackley did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, when Mike Young picked up a double. After a couple of walks, Mark Teixeira then drove Young in on a fielder's choice - taking the score to 7-1 Mariners. 

Travis then got through the fifth inning without trouble, but couldn't stretch it through the sixth. He retired the first two hitters, but then hits to Teixeira and Hank Blalock set the table for Kevin Mench, he left the game with a 7-4 lead in place, and took the win, with the Mariners eventually winning 8-4.  It was to be Blackley's best performance, and only win, of his rookie season, and he finished 2004 with an ERA over 10.

Dave Nilsson

Still Australia's most successful positional player, Dave Nilsson made his debut for the Milwaukee Brewers - with whom he spent his entire career - on  18 May 1992. While Craig Shipley had enjoyed a rousing 42,000 home crowd at Dodger Stadium, Nilsson met an away crowd of just 9680 at Tiger Stadium. 

Nilsson had an impressive debut, hitting a three-run double in the eighth inning to cement the Brewers 9-1 victory. It took him almost a week to pick up his second hit, but he made it count, hitting two singles and a home run, with three RBI in a game against the Yankees.

Trent Oeltjen
Trent Oeltjen had a whopper of a debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks on 6 August 2009. They met the Pirates on the road, and came away with an 11-6 victory, and Trent racked up six at bats. He singled in his first major league at bat and promptly stole second base. Flash forward to the eighth inning, with the Diamondbacks trailing 6-5, and Trent led off with a home run to tie it at six a piece. On top of that, he picked up an outfield assist, throwing out Delwyn Young at second base.

The game eventually went 12 innings, with the Diamondbacks picking up five runs in the 12th to win it.

Trent kept his form hot, including going 4-for-4 on 11 August, just a homerun short of hitting the cycle. After five starts he was hitting .500, with two doubles, a triple and three home runs.

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Ryan Rowland-Smith had a somewhat interesting debut. He first pitched for the Mariners on 22 June 2007 against the Cincinatti Reds. He started in the bullpen, and was called on in the sixth inning. The Reds had just smacked two home runs, and plated a total of six runs, and the scoreboard was standing at 16-0. Standing at the plate awaiting the rookie was seasoned slugger, and ex-Seattle hero, Ken Griffey.

Not daunted by the occasion, Rowland-Smith went to work, and promptly struck out Griffey. He returned for the seventh inning, and allowed just one hit. He also struck out Josh Hamilton. While the game outcome was pretty deflating (a 16-1 loss), it was definitely a memorable introduction for Ryan.


Rich Thompson
Thompson faced off against the Texas Rangers on 1 September 2007, and worked very effectively. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, allowed a double to Ian Kinsler, and then retired Ramon Vazquez to end the inning.

Mark Hutton

The first Australian to play for the famous New York Yankees, Mark Hutton played his first game on 23 July 1993 at Yankee Stadium, in front of 25,000 fans. He started the game nervously, as he walked the first hitter he faced - Luis Polonia - and it continued to be a little shaky as Polonia stole second base, and then third base! Polonia went on to score on a Damion Easley sacrifice fly, but Hutton escaped the first inning allowing just the one run. 

In the second inning he picked up his first major league strikeout, Chili Davis, and retired the side in order. The Yankees picked up a run in the second inning, and Hutton settled into his work with the game tied at one a piece. Hutton travelled well through the third, fourth and fifth innings, and he started the sixth inning by walking Gary DiSarcina. Di Sarcina then reached second base on a fielder's choice, before Luis Polonia singled, moving him to third. An error on a pickoff play then allowed DiSarcina to score, and after the top of the sixth, the Angels led the Yankees 2-1.

The Yankees' bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth, with Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill all picking up hits, scoring three runs and taking a 4-2 lead. Hutton returned to the mound for the seventh and eighth innings, and got it done without any further trouble. He picked up the win, and his final line on the day was an impressive 8IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 5SO, 4BB.

It was easily Hutton's best outing of the year. In the remaining six games he played in 1993 he was unable to go as deep into games as he did on debut. Later in the year he also spent some time in the bullpen too. He finished the year with 22 innings pitched over seven appearances, an ERA of 5.73, 12 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Micheal Nakamura

Nakamura is the only Australian major leaguer to pick up a save in his first major league appearance. Debuting on 7 June 2003 pitching for the Minnesota Twins against the San Diego Padres, Nakamura struck out the first hitter he faced, and pitched a clean 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, and picking up the save, as the Twins won 6-2.

Grant Balfour
Balfour made his first major league appearance on 22 July 2001 for the Twins, as they hosted the Seattle Mariners in front of more than 44,000 people at the Metrodome. Balfour relieved Kyle Lohse in the fifth inning with one out and runners at the corners. He struck out the first hitter he faced - Mike Cameron - and then escaped the inning with no damage. He returned for the sixth inning, and allowed one run, after walking Stan Javier, and giving up a single to Ichiro Suzuki. His final line for the day was 1.2 innings pitched, 1 hit, 1 run, two walks, two strikeouts. The Twins lost 6-3.

Peter Moylan
Crafty side-armer Peter Moylan began tormenting hitters on 12 April 2006, and who better to start his career against than divisional rivals the Phillies. Moylan pitched the eighth inning, when the Phillies had a 7-3 lead. His first opponent was Ryan Howard, who was fresh off a Rookie of the Year season, and who would go on to be 2006 MVP. Moylan retired him, and then allowed a double to David Bell before retiring the next two hitters. The Braves staged an eighth inning fightback, but were unable to get up, and lost 7-5, but it was a successful entry for Moylan.


Mark  Ettles

Western Australia's Mark Ettles was similar to Josh Spence in some ways. He enjoyed a number of years of minor league success - largely as a reliever in the Padres organisation - and he made his debut courtesy of a June call up (5 June 1993). And, like Spence, Ettles struck out the first hitter he faced the Marlins outfielder Jeff Conine. He went on to have a 1-2-3 inning, and ended his major league career after 14 appearances through 1993.

The shockers
Brad Thomas
Current major leaguer, Brad Thomas, began his career with the Minnesota Twins on 26 May 2001, facing off against the Oakland Athletics at the Metrodome. Thomas got through the first inning without much fanfare - he allowed two walks, but no runs or hits. He did run into trouble in the second inning though.

Thomas allowed a single to Eric Chavez, who then scored on a double from Omeldo Saenz. Thomas gave up another two walks, before a wild pitch allowed another run. A single to Jason Giambi then allowed a fourth run to cross the plate. After 1.2 innings, three hits, four walks and four runs, Thomas was done for the day. He was relieved by none other than Johan Santana, and the Twins went on to win the game 7-6 in the 10th inning courtesy of a walk-off single to Torii Hunter.


Damian Moss
Damian Moss, big left handed reliever, made his debut with the Atlanta Braves on 26 April 2001. The Braves faced off against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, and got off to a good start, plating three runs in the first. However, Arizona hit back quickly, and took a 4-3 lead in the second. The Braves fought back again though, scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning, to lead 6-4. Braves' starter Greg Maddux was chased out of the game in the sixth inning by the D-Backs hitters, who plated four runs, taking an 8-6 lead.

Matt Whiteside opened the eighth inning on the mound for the Braves, and promptly gave up back to back homeruns to the first two Diamondbacks hitters. He then gave up a single to Steve Finley, and walked Jay Bell before being replaced by Moss. At the plate stood Luis Gonzalez, who then slugged a three-run homerun to welcome Moss to the big leagues. Moss went on to retire the next two hitters, but the Braves lost 13-6.

John Stephens
John Stephens is a right hander from NSW, who played 12 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2002. It was a somewhat rude welcome that met him when he took the mound against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on 30 July 2002. The Devil Rays were a terrible team that year - losing 106 games, however they were on song at Tropicana Field on 30 July.

The Orioles were retired in order in the top of the first, and Stephens took the mound to face the Rays in his first appearance. By the end of that inning, he had allowed three singles, two doubles, a grand slam home run, and six earned runs. Mercifully the inning ended when Carl Crawford was caught stealing second base. Stephens gave up home runs again in the second and third inning, and left the game after three innings staring down a 9-0 deficit.

Chris Oxspring

On 2 September 2005, the Milwaukee Brewers smashed the San Diego Padres 12-2. After the Padres' starter Brian Lawrence was hit for three runs in the first two innings, and was unable to close out the second, they called on Chris Oxspring to make his debut. Oxspring entered the game with two outs and runners on first and second. He walked the first hitter he faced - Carlos Lee - and then allowed a grand slam homerun to Geoff Jenkins, taking the score to 7-0. He allowed another home run, this time a two-run shot to Lee, in the fourth inning, and allowed another two runs in the fifth, taking the score to 11-0 to the Brewers.

Oxspring then found his groove, and retired the last six hitters he faced in order, however it was too little too late. The Padres lost 12-2, and Oxspring had the unflattering figures of 5.1 innings pitched, six hits, six runs, and three walks - although he also picked up seven strikeouts.

The first game in the big leagues can certainly be a tough one - but that's baseball. With seven Aussies already in Major League Baseball this year, we are sure to see at least a few great performances. Who will be the next Aussie to make their debut, and how will they go? We look forward to finding out...

OzMLBPlayers 2010 ABL All Star Team: Part One - Starting Pitchers

Now that the regular season of the inaugural ABL season has been completed, its time to look back and pick the All Star team. Over the next week or two, I will be picking what I think represents the best team that could be picked across the ABL. Today, we start with pitchers.


Starting pitchers

1. David Welch
From day one of the ABL, it was clear that the Sydney Blue Sox had a particularly strong pitching rotation. The rotation was spearheaded by Chris Oxspring, who was the obvious leader and number one starter. While Oxspring won the early recognition and started the season with a bang (he went 2-0 through the first month, including a seven inning one-hitter against Brisbane ), David Welch quietly put together very solid numbers. He led the league in ERA (1.44) and WHIP (0.93), was second to Oxspring in strikeouts (59 to Oxspring's 71), and had the very solid record of 5-0, which included two complete games. Also quite remarkable is the fact that he walked just nine hitters, which gives him a strikeout-walk ratio of 6.55.

Welch is a good pitcher to watch, he works quickly and throws with plenty of power and aggression, but also works some great offspeed pitches. He had some reasonable success through 2008 and 2009 playing in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system. In 2010 he played a short AAA season in Mexico, and then moved to a AA Independent League with the Sioux City Explorers.  He had 17 starts with the Explorers, and went 8-6, with a 3.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 94 strikeouts and 31 walks. At the age of 27, and playing in an independent league, it is probably unlikely that Welch will find himself on a major league roster any time soon, but if he is able to continue his ABL form into his time in the States this year, he may find some opportunities arise for him.  Until then, he is sure to make a solid contribution for the Blue Sox in the finals series.

2. Chris Oxspring

It would not be understating things to say that Chris Oxspring personifies the success of the inaugural ABL season. He represents all the good things about the League and the opportunities it presents. He is an Aussie who has tasted some success at the major league level, but probably didn't quite make it as far as he would have liked. He is returning from a serious injury, and still has some legitimate potential to pitch at the top level. The League has given him the opportunity to fine tune his arm and get some genuine game time. And on top of all that, taking on the role of pitching coach enabled Oxspring to give back to the game by passing on his knowledge and experience to some of the young Sox pitchers.

Oxspring's overall numbers on the season are not quite as dominant as Welch's, but they are still strong. He went 4-2 for the season, with an ERA of 2.23. He struck out 71 and walked 14. Oxspring appears to have recovered well from his elbow surgery, and has demonstrated very effective command and control throughout the season. Undoubtedly, the opportunities provided through the ABL have enabled Oxspring to showcase his abilities, and with nearly all the MLB teams sending scouts to Australia, doors were opened for Oxspring at the Detroit Tigers.

3. Brandon Maurer
Brandon Maurer is a 20 year old US import from Costa Mesa, CA who once pitched a perfect game in a Little League All Star game. Maurer has played a few seasons in the Seattle Mariners system and has improved his numbers over time. Like a few other MLB clubs, the Mariners chose to send some players to the ABL, and Maurer was sent him to the Adelaide Bite, where he has pitched well. He has pitched in nine games, with a 5-1 record, and an ERA of 3.00, with 51 strikeouts and 12 walks. At the age of just 20, he already clocks more than 90mph on his fastball, and presumably he still has a bit of improving in him. Maurer has been an important asset in the Bite bullpen, and his season concluded with an important shutout win over the Brisbane Bandits last week, in which he allowed just one hit over seven innings, while striking out 8. It will be interesting to see how Maurer develops over the next season, and to see whether he can become a genuine major league prospect.

4. Daniel Schmidt
The Perth Heat have not boasted a particularly strong starting pitching rotation this year, and they have relied on some of their relievers to get the job done. One pitcher who has been consistently good is Daniel Schmidt, who went 6-3 over 10 starts. He struck out 47, while walking 11.

5. Myung-Ho Jin
At first glance, Myung-Ho Jin's numbers do not jump out as an outstanding season. In his nine games for the Canberra Cavalry, he posted a record of 0-2. But, take a deeper look at the numbers, and you see that Jin was a strong pitcher - undoubtedly the weak offense of Canberra did him no favours. Through 31 innings, he held opposing hitters to an average of .189, while compiling an ERA of just 1.74. He struck out 29 hitters and walked 16. Taking a look at his two losses - on 20 November, the Cavalry lost 3-1 to the Aces, and on 9 December he gave up three runs to the Heat in a 7-0 loss. With a little more run support, he could easily have racked up a few more Wins.

Weekend news

There's been a few pieces of Aussie baseball news about the place this weekend. There's been a few interesting performances in the ABL - with Canberra getting up over the Heat, and Sydney and Adelaide playing out a close series so far. Elswhere:

• Travis Blackley has reportedly been released from his minor league contract with the Oakland A's to play in the Korean League
• The Sydney Morning Herald has a good feature on Chris Oxspring, who talks about his major league debut back in 2005, in which he gave up a grand slam, recovering from his injury, and what it will be like to return to the US as an older player. It is nice to see a decent sized, informed and well written piece by the mainstream media!
• Still no word on where Grant Balfour will end up in 2011. Many other right handed relievers are getting three year deals on good money (Jesse Crain: White Sox, $12 million, Scott Downs: Angels, $15 million, Matt Guerrier: Dodgers, $12 million). There is some talk around that the Rockies could be interested in him. Jeff Passan from Yahoo Sports has penned quite a scathing article criticising GMs for offering up such generous deals to relief pitchers. It's worth a read. As for Balfour, it's hard to know what is likely to happen. It definitely seems to be a seller's market at the moment, and there is a bit of cash flying around, so at this point it seems Balfour's decision to decline arbitration with the Rays could pay dividends. 

Chris Oxspring talks about success with the Blue Sox, his coaching role, and his contract with the Detroit Tigers

Last week, Sydney Blue Sox starting pitcher Chris Oxspring secured a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, with a chance to make the big league squad at Spring Training. This follows some superb form in the Australian Baseball League, with Oxspring leading the league in most measures, including ERA (0.67) and strikeouts (44). With the Blue Sox still licking their wounds after Sunday's mauling by the Aces, Oxspring was kind enough to talk with OzMLBPlayers.com about his journey back to the States, the success of the Blue Sox, and the Blue Sox plans to bounce back from the weekend's series.

Signing with the Tigers comes as a bit of a second wind for Oxspring. He played a handful of games for the Padres in 2005, before his contract was sold to a Japanese team, the Hanshin Tigers. Since then, he spent a little more time in the States with a Brewers affiliate, and a couple of years in Korea. Oxspring said that he was 'extremely happy playing in Korea', but noted that for him - like most baseballers - the dream is really to play in America. 'Growing up you always want to play at the top level, and that's it,' he said.

Following his time in the Korean league, Oxspring suffered a severe arm injury, requiring Tommy John surgery. This is a significant injury for any pitcher to overcome, and it is always a risk that they will not return to pre-injury performance levels. However, Oxspring's form in the ABL so far suggests that his arm is doing alright. Oxpsring admitted that he was not sure how he was going to go after the surgery, and that his form 'has been a bit of a surprise'. He said 'you never know how it will go after Tommy John surgery, and you don't really know how successful it [the operation] has been until you start throwing'.

Oxspring certainly has started throwing, and has seen some great success, putting up a number of dominant performances for the Blue Sox so far. 'It feels as good as, if not better, than it did before the injury' he said

The Detroit Tigers interest and acquisition of Oxspring is a bit of a coup for the ABL. It demonstrates that Australian baseball can [still] provide a legitimate pathway to the majors. Oxspring said that the work he has been doing, and his performances on the field 'definitely' matter to US teams. He said his contract offer can be attributed a lot to the numbers he has put up in the ABL and that having some of his fellow Blue Sox hold links to the Tigers organisation has also helped. Andy Graham, who regularly forms the other half of the battery with Oxspring, has served the Tigers in the minor leagues for a number of years, and recently signed up to coach their short season A-ball affiliate. Also, Blue Sox manager Glenn Williams has been helping the Tigers scout the ABL on the east coast.

When asked about the reasons for the Sox success this season, Oxspring naturally talks pitching. 'We've been throwing the ball really well and good pitching always beats good hitting,' he said. 'We've had to pitch well, because we are not a side that is gonna score a boatload of runs, usually its only three or four a game. But so far all our pitchers have generally been going great'.

While they started the season very strong, the Blue Sox have just been knocked down a few pegs at the hands of a Melbourne side who has - so far - been starved of runs. The Aces piled on 30 runs in two shortened games on Sunday. Young Sydney pitchers Aaron Sookee and Todd Van Steensel bore the brunt of Melbourne's relentless attack. Sookee gave up 7 runs off 7 hits in 0.2 innings of work on Sunday, which followed up Friday night, when he gave up 4 runs off 4 hits in 0.2 innings. Van Steensel also gave up 3 runs in his one inning of work. 'We were inconsistent with our pitching,' said Oxspring when asked of the reasons for the heavy loss. 'We did make some quality pitches, but we made too many mistakes and [Melbourne] were good enough to get to us'.

As one of the veteran pitchers in the Blue Sox lineup, Oxspring has also taken on the role of pitching coach. It seems to be something that he has enjoyed. 'I am learning a lot about myself, both handling it all on the field, and off the field, and trying to get the balance right' he said. He now has the tough gig of helping the young arms pick themselves up off the canvas and get dusted off for the upcoming series. He says that while you can always find little things that went wrong in games like these, for the youngsters it is more important that they just focus on trying to learn from the experience. 'You've just got to try and learn something. You get given your medicine, you have to take it, and you have to become better for it. Some days you are gonna get beaten. They [Sookee, Van Steensel and co] just have to keep their chin up and keep working'.

The Blue Sox are heading out to Adelaide to take on the Bite this weekend. They will be looking to bounce back from last weekend's debacle. They meet a side who started the ABLOxspring of the Blue Sox plans for the series. 'We will go in like every week, do some preparation, and talk about what to expect'.

One of the danger-men awaiting Oxspring and his fellow Sydney pitchers is Quincy Latimore. Oxspring is aware of the threat he poses. 'If you look at the year he's had, right back to the Florida State League, he has had an outstanding season, and he has continued it over here', Oxspring observed. In terms of how the Sox will approach the Bite, Oxspring said that they want to make sure they don't make mistakes to guys like Latimore, and try to get after some of the hitters who aren't doing so well.

Regarding his plans for the rest of the season, Oxspring said he plans to keep on pitching through the rest of the schedule, but he is also keen to ensure he is right for Spring Training. 'If I get tired, I might tone it down a bit', he said. Entirely understandable!

The trip to the majors is always a long one for Aussie baseballers, and Oxspring's journey has involved a taste of the Show back in 2005, followed by some detours through Asia, and AAA-ball, before an injury setback. Heading back at 33, he will be one of the older guys trying to make a roster spot. His tenacity and perseverance are admirable, as is his realistic outlook and approach. 'It will be very tough battle [to earn a spot on the Tigers' major league roster', he said. 'It will take a lot of luck, and some good performances on the field'. While he would love to make the roster as a starting pitcher, Oxspring said that 'more than anything I think they'd look at me as a long reliever or a spot starter'. he says that either way, he would be happy to get the chance.

'You can't bank on anything in baseball', Oxspring opines. 'There are always injuries and challenges and guys who don't perform as well as expected, so there are lots of chances to make it. I just need to take them'.

Chris Oxspring is heading back to the US for the start of Spring Training in mid-February. Stay tuned to OZMLBPLAYERS.COM for all the latest ABL and Aussie baseball news. We wish Chris all the best for his trip, and will be following his progress closely.

A few articles, Rowland-Smith, Oxspring, Balfour

Some Tuesday morning reading for you:

• Roy Shelton at Net Dugout brings some analysis to the Astros decision to sign Ryan Rowland-Smith, in an interesting piece he sees quite a lot of value in the acquisition by the Astros
• The Queensland Times has a chat with Chris Oxspring about his deal with the Tigers. Good to see a regional newspaper showing the big players how to do it and going beyond the standard newswire fare being peddled elsewhere. [Check back later today for details of my discussion with Oxspring yesterday]
• Still no word on a Grant Balfour deal, but MLB Trade Rumours has some more contextual information.

Sunday Reading: Rowland-Smith, Oxspring deals; Trent Oeltjen, Liam Hendriks, Grant Balfour news

There was plenty of news coming out of the US this week regarding Aussie baseballers. Both Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Oxspring secured contracts, Trent Oeltjen signed again with the Dodgers, and Grant Balfour remains without a club. Here is a round-up of some of the reports:

• After parting ways with the Seattle Mariners, Ryan-Rowland Smith has signed a one-year, $725,000 deal with the Houston Astros. This generated a little media interest in Australia, including this article from Fox Sports. They must have trawled deep in the archives for that photo.
• It looks like Rowland-Smith will be vying for the 5th position in the Astros' rotation. Houston has a strong first three: Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez and recently-signed Brett Myers. There are a few young guys battling it out for the 4th and 5th spot. For more info, check out Astros County.
• Some Astros fans are feeling cyncial about the acquisition, checkout Crawfish Boxes to see their views.
• Chris Oxspring has signed with the Detroit Tigers, with a minor league contract but with an invite to Spring Training. This story was picked up by SBS, as well as NineMSN. Oxspring was quoted as saying "I go over with a Major League invite so I will be at spring training with the Major League team and if I throw the ball well enough then I will stay longer and they will take a longer look...If I don't then I will start in Triple A (minor leagues) and give it all I've got".
• Like Oxspring, Trent Oeltjen has signed a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the Dodgers.
• In some other news this week, Perth Heat pitcher, Liam Hendriks has been getting some attention as one of the Minnesota Twins top pitching prospects. Baseball America has rated Hendriks as having the 'Best Control' in the Twins' minor league system, and has predicted that he will crack the Twins' big league squad in 2014 as their third starting pitcher [I don't quite know how they can be so precise about their predictions, but there you go]. Twins Blog Twinkie Town has named Hendriks as the Twins' number two prospect.
• Grant Balfour has not yet signed a contract, following his decision to decline arbitration at the Rays. So far it seems the Orioles are the best chance of picking him up, or he could well end up staying in Tampa. While you wait to hear more, check out this interview courtesy of ESPN back in early 2010:

Chris Oxspring signs with the Tigers

Sydney Blue Sox starting pitcher, 33-year old Chris Oxspring has signed a minor-league deal with the Detroit Tigers. Oxspring, who was born in Ipswich, has previously played a handful of games with the Padres back in 2005. He has also spent a lot of time pitching in the Korean and Japanese leagues at the LG Twins and the Hanshin Tigers. He is currently the pitching coach and number one starter for the Sydney Blue Sox in the new Australian Baseball League, and has had a dominant start to the season.

His stat line in the season so far is nothing short of impressive. He has 5 starts, with a record of 3-0, his ERA is only 0.79 over 34 innings, and he has struck out 36. Admittedly, he is a very experienced guy pitching against a lot of younger, less experienced players, but having watched him live, it is clear his command and control has been very sharp.

Commenting on the acquisition, the Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski [somewhat amusingly] said:

“We grew our operation [in the South Pacific] over the last few years...We added (international operations director) Tom Moore and added the right people. We are definitely signing more players from the Far East".

I don't know that we are quite in the Far East! Leaving that aside, it is a great achievement by Oxspring and perhaps an endorsement that the ABL is a valid US-winter league that can generate interest and attention in Major League Baseball.

We will be sure to follow Chris's journey to the States and his performance at Spring Training and keep you informed here!