Independent Ball

Aussie in America (Part One) – Luke Wilkins

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After five seasons of baseball in the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Luke Wilkins is anything but a rookie to the sport. But according to Frontier League rules, that’s exactly where he finds himself.

Wilkins, who signed with the Washington Wild Things this past off season, is listed as a Rookie 1 (R1) by Frontier League standards.

“The Rookie 1 sub-classification will be for players who made their professional debut in the current season and therefore have no prior professional experience.”

…Or if you played in a league outside of the United States as in Wilkins’ case.

Even though Wilkins is making his first professional appearance in the USA this season, it is not his first time playing baseball in America.  After a successful youth baseball career in Australia, he earned a scholarship to Clarendon College in Texas where he pitched in 2009 and 2010.

After two years of college ball, the Sydney, Australia native began his professional baseball career in 2010 at the age of 20 for the Canberra Calvary during their inaugural season in the ABL.

Next year, Wilkins joined the Sydney Blue Sox and has been a fixture there ever since. For three seasons (2011-2013), he pitched solely in relief, except for one spot start in 2011.  During the 2012 ABL off season, Wilkins went to Europe to pitch for the Royal Greys in Belgium. The extra work helped immensely. His 2013 season was his best yet. He pitched in 21 games – striking out 27 and allowing only one earned run en route to an outstanding 0.28 ERA and pitcher of the year honors for the Blue Sox.

In 2014, Wilkins converted to a starter. He pitched in 11 games with a 5-3 record and had a 3.31 ERA while earning pitcher of the year honors for the second year in a row. He was also chosen to pitch for the Australian National Team, The Southern Thunder.

Wilkins is going to get a chance to help the Wild Things in two different roles this season. The team currently plans to use him out of the bullpen as long relief, and he will also be used in spot starts or at the back end of the rotation when necessary.

He wants to use this opportunity to show American scouts and fans what others in Australia have already known for years.

“In terms of what I want to get out of here… I’ve always been a more statistical guy. I’ve never been the guy with the size or the other attributes that would attract scouts. I think scouts respect putting up really good numbers in American leagues as opposed to international leagues. So now it’s about continuing to put up really good numbers and hopefully those will be taken more seriously here in America and give me a shot to move up in pro ball.”

His first appearance for the Wild Things was as a starter on May 21st.  The weather (rainy and cold) was something he never experienced while pitching in Australia, but that wasn’t a problem. Wilkins went five innings allowing five hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out two. He was in line for the win until the Wild Things lost the lead in the top of the 9th.

Follow along all season to the “Aussie in America” series to find out how Wilkins is doing, what his thoughts are on baseball in America compared to Australia, and more!

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Independent Ball

The East Coast Baseball League Ends Before Ever Playing a Game

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All winter there were questions surrounding a newly formed independent baseball league, the East Coast Baseball League (ECBL). Questions ranged from the obvious – where would the teams play and how would the league be funded – to hard hitting questions about the owner (and then commissioner), Colin Cummins.

Cummins was often seen as a poor business man, who has caused a lot of problems among indy ball employees, managers, and players. The winter league he ran in Myrtle Beach this past off season was unprofessional and did not live up to the expectations of the coaches or the players.

As spring training grew closer, there seemed to be more questions surrounding the league than answers. Advertising and marketing for the teams were practically nonexistent in each town. Rumors of Cummins not paying for the spring training facility started circling on social media.

When players showed up to spring training, they learned that all of the players would be competing for spots on the six different teams. Even though some guys were put onto a “protected list”, the original contracts specifically stating which team the player was to be on were not upheld. Many left on the first day after hearing this information. For the tryouts (spring training), players were split up into different teams and games were played over a couple days before a league-wide draft was to be held. Some players who felt as if they weren’t getting a fair shot even left in the middle of a game.

With so many problems and so much confusion surrounding the league, the Watertown Bucks (the only team not owned by the league) decided to pull out of the ECBL. As the only independently owned team, the Bucks and their owner, Bruce Zicari, are trying to bring other teams along with them to form a new league separate from Cummins and the ECBL.

According to the Watertown Daily Times, three additional teams have currently pulled out of the league as well – Newburgh, Old Orchard Beach, and a traveling team.

While most players were sent home and told to wait for more news and information, the Bucks’ manager and players are in Watertown practicing.  “The team is here and we have everything set, it’s just that we don’t have a league,” Zicari told the Daily Times.

The odds are against Watertown and the other three teams that pulled out of the ECBL. Chances are high that they will never play a game, let alone an entire season. With only one team individually owned, and the previous affiliation with the tainted ECBL, there is a long road ahead to get the financial and community support needed to create a new league in a matter of weeks. However, it does appear that they are going to give it a try as the North Country Baseball League.

The ECBL no longer exists as it did during the off season, but that hasn’t stopped Colin Cummins from holding out hope that he could still make it work. In an article from The Waterloo Region Record, Cummins says that he is still trying to make the season work, and that any reports of the league officially folding are false. Although, this is all news to the Waterloo GM, Andrew Hendriks, who has not been contacted by Cummins or any one else associated with the ECBL.

Writing and sharing stories about Independent Baseball.