Immigration to the U.S. has never been easy, baseball prospect or no.

Looks like the art of smuggling baseball players has finally drawn the long arm of the federales. Peter Gammons is reporting that Major League Baseball is working with the FBI to get to the bottom of a litany of problems originally brought about by issues within the Nationals and White Sox organizations.

Former Nats GM Jim Bowden was recently forced to resign over accusations that he was skimming bonus money from contracts offered to Latin American players, and the White Sox have been accused of falsifying birth records to speed up the immigration process  for their prospects.

So far, over 70 players have been detained. It seems like much of the investigation at this point is clerical; just making sure every player is in fact who he says he is. But who knows how far the investigation can run up the chain.

Smuggling players out of Cuba has been a cottage industry for quite some time, as Michael Lewis wrote in “Commie Ball.” Much of what Lewis discovered was shady as all get-out, but due to Cuba’s diplomatic status with the U.S., Cuban players have the luxury of asking for political asylum before going on to make millions in the Majors.

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Joe Blancato espn, immigration, jim bowden, nationals, peter gammons, smuggling, white sox

Former president George W. Bush was invited earlier this month to throw out the Rangers’ ceremonial first pitch by owner Tom Hicks, and MLB.com is reporting that he’s accepted.

Now, we mentioned previously that Bush’s most recent first pitch went over like a lead zeppelin, but it’s doubtful he’ll receive the same poor reception in Arlington. He’s also got a bit of a four-seamer on him. His throws routinely cross the plate, much of the time for a strike - at least from a generous umpire. Most ceremonial first pitches either bounce twice before getting near the batter’s box, or rainbow like a Johnny Damon throw home, so I guess that’s something. Credit where it’s due.

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Joe Blancato george bush, rangers

Secreast ... out.

Over on the Baltimore Sun, Joe Angel, half of the duo that was accused of faking a rainout to get out of work early has issued a statement, which we’ve partially reproduced here:

To ALL Orioles  Fans…..Fred [Manfra] And I had nothing to do with the decision to
discontinue the broadcast on Sunday March 29th. It was completely out of
our hands.  We normally fill during a rain delay for about 15
minutes….and then return the broadcast to the network which enables
affiliates to continue with local programming.  We then WAIT OUT THE RAIN
DELAY…until the game resumes. On Sunday,….we filled for about 40
minutes and then we were told to discontinue the broadcast and simply sign
off.  The engineer left, the equipment went  with him.  Fred And I did NOT
make that decision……we are not in a position to make that decision.

This after an unnamed Orioles rep who said they had no clue why the broadcast stopped. This actually does sound more like a misunderstanding than anything else. The idea that two established announcers would just walk off a set without a frothing tirade is too bizarre to really entertain. Unless they’re both heroin users or something.

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Joe Blancato announcing, baltimore sun, fred manfra, joe angel, orioles

Ron Burgundy would be ashamed of these guys!

Who ever heard of the dog days of spring getting you down? Bart Hubbuch at the NYPost Mets Blog is reporting that Joe Angel and Fred Manfra, the Orioles radio announcing duo, ditched their post during a rain delay. They told their boss the game was canceled, which was news to everyone else.

An O’s rep told Hubbuch, “Yes, the rest of the game was not on the air back home and we don’t know why. We looked over during the game and they weren’t there.”

Stay classy, guys.

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Joe Blancato announcing, bart hubbuch, fred manfra, joe angel, orioles

Zumaya will start the season on the 15-day DL.

As Spring Training winds down, early-season injuries seem to be ramping up. MLB.com today broke the story that Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya will start the season on the 15-day DL with shoulder problems.

Zumaya hasn’t been healthy since his rookie year in 2006, when he threw 83.3 innings and showcased a fastball that routinely hit the triple digits. And in the ‘06 post season, Zumaya went down with wrist soreness attributed to playing too much Guitar Hero, making that injury quite possibly the funniest of 2006. Since ‘07, Zumaya has only thrown 57 innings and has posted a combined WHIP of 1.58.

Zumaya told MLB.com reporter Jason Beck, “It’s a tough day. They’re packing everything up. My stuff’s not packed up. It really stinks. [But] I don’t want to go up there, pitch a couple innings and then [realize] my shoulder’s achy. Right now, it’s tough, man.”

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Joe Blancato injuries, joel zumaya, mlb.com, tigers

McCann left today's Spring Training game with, as Al Michaels would say, "a hand."

MLB.com just broke the news that Braves all-star catcher Brian McCann left today’s Spring Training game with an injury after taking a Mark Teixeira foul ball off his hand. It’s likely a precautionary move, but even if it’s not a major injury, the all-star catcher will more than likely miss the rest of Spring Training.

Teixeira was McCann’s teammate in 2007 and 2008. You think you know a guy!

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Update: AJC.com is reporting that McCann’s injury ’tis but a flesh wound:

“Braves Nation could breath a collective sigh of relief Saturday after Brian McCann’s finger injury was diagnosed as a mere bruise.

“The All-Star catcher was struck in the right ring finger by a foul tip off the bat of former teammate Mark Teixeira in the first inning of Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees.”

Bobby Cox told AJC the team “caught a break.” No foolin’, especially since McCann’s backup is David Ross, whose OPS+ over the past three years has been 130, 68 and 88 (that’s actually pretty great for a backup catcher), whereas McCann’s has been 143, 100 and 104.

Joe Blancato bobby cox, braves, brian mccann, david ross, injury, mark teixeira, mlb.com

McCutchen was also a final candidate for the lead in The Terminator.

John Perrotto at PiratesReport.com posted a game recap of the Pirates’ exhibition match against the Phillies today. The star of the game, and soon to be star of a few NL-only fantasy leagues, was Pirates prospected Andrew McCutchen, who went 5-for-5 with three doubles and a home run. Damn, son.

McCutchen’s performance capped off a good day for the Bucs, who beat the Phillies 10-4.

And just in case it hasn’t already been coined, McCutchen’s new nickname around these here parts is McClutchen. Feeder League has spoken.

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Joe Blancato andrew mccutchen, john perrotto, phillies, pirates, piratesreport

Fiction can be fun! But I find the reference section far more stimulating.

Bart Given’s Inside the Majors is quickly turning into a favorite here at Feeder League. Given draws upon his expertise as a former assistant GM for the Blue Jays to explain how the Rule 5 Draft return process works.

Of all the MLB drafts, Rule 5 is the least draft-like, as it deals with players who are already in Major League organizations and have spent time there for a while. Really, it’s more of a forced waiver transaction. If a player was over 19 when he was signed and has spent three years in the minors, he’s eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft. (If he was 18 or younger and has spent four years in the minors, he’s also eligible.) If the player is selected by another team, he’s automatically placed on the new team’s 40-man roster, but if he doesn’t wind up on the new team’s 25-man roster for the entirety of the next season, he has to be offered back to the original team.

Given spends some time getting into the heads of players who ultimately don’t make the 25-man roster on the new team. “In [the player's] mind,” he says, “the original team didn’t think he was a good enough prospect to protect on the 40-man roster, conversely the team selecting him valued his skill enough to pay $50,000 to acquire him and reserve him on the 40-man roster.  Typically, the claiming organization’s management and coaching staff have been talking glowingly about him since he arrived.  The local media in all likelihood has written articles about his talent and opportunity, probably hinting about how his former organization made a mistake leaving him unprotected.  The Rule 5 Draft has made him somewhat of a celebrity, now he is returning to anonymity.  Emotional roller coaster for sure.”

Expect to hear a good deal more about Rule 5 as Spring Training runs down. The more you know!

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Joe Blancato bart given, draft, inside the majors, rule 5

Ron Washington: The real-life, baseball version of Morgan Freeman.

MLB.com has a Q&A with Rangers skipper Ron Washington. Most of what they cover is nuts and bolts stuff, but toward the end they get into Washington’s philosophy and how he’s dealing with a young team experiencing a lot of growing pains.

“It was tough from the fact that we put some young players in some tough situations as far as being able to succeed,” he said. “But the rest of it, I’m a teacher. I believe I’m a teacher. That was the situation I was put in, and I believe in my ability to teach. Everybody wants to be put in the perfect situation, but it doesn’t always happen in life. I trust the message I send is correct. It’s what’s put in front of you every morning, but it’s no tougher than anything else I’ve ever experienced in this game.”

They also talk about the future of the catchers corps, and Washington sings the praises of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Washington also looks like he was created by God to look exactly how an old baseball player should look.

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Joe Blancato jarrod saltalamacchia, mlb.com, q&a, rangers, ron washington

Jack Taschner: The newest Phillie

WholeCamels over at The Good Phight has analyzed the Phillies-Giants trade that sent Ronny Paulino briefly to the Giants (he’s now with the Marlins) and brought Jack Taschner to the Phils. While the trade itself isn’t groundbreaking - Paulino is a backup catcher having a horrible spring, and Taschner is a lefty specialist - the analysis itself is interesting from an armchair GM standpoint.

He had this to say about the trade:

1. Chris Coste will definitely be the backup catcher, at least at the start of the season.  The Phillies also probably see him as a valuable right-handed bench bat, even if that bat is overrated.

2.  The path is clear for Lou Marson.  If there’s one place the Phillies have depth in the minor leagues, it’s the catching position.  Paulino was only going to be a barrier to Marson’s development.  If either Ruiz or Coste succumb to injury, it’s Marson’s time.

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Joe Blancato giants, jack taschner, marlins, phillies, ronny paulino, the good phight, trade