Yesterday, Baseball America’s latest transactions post brought the news that the following minor-leaguers have been released:
• LHP Sean Adler (GCL)
• RHP Daniel Butler (Auburn)
• OF D.K. Carey (Potomac)
• 3B Andres Martinez (Auburn)
• 2B Joshual Ramirez (Auburn)
• C/1B Chance Shepard (Auburn)
• LHP Hector Silvestre (Potomac)
• OF Edwin Ventura (GCL)
• C Luis Vilorio (Auburn)
These are just from March 16-22, but there are no other names on the MiLB.com transaction pages (not these were there; they weren’t).
I’d say Chance Shepard was a surprise, but as feared (predicted), he became this year’s Connor Simonetti – but about three months sooner. The rest are really not, as they either failed to impress, got hurt, or aged out.
And the semi-annual reminder that this is, for most of these guys, the end of their professional careers – especially now that the Save America’s Pastime Act will make it harder for some independent leagues to operate. Not that they should be exempt, but it’s specious—if now downright intellectually dishonest—to assert that this is “unexpected collateral damage.” There are 1,320,000 reasons to believe otherwise.