Mark Maloney on sports

The Houston Astros have invited three former Lexington Legends to Major League spring training camp: Chris Johnson, Bud Norris and Lou Santangelo. Also invited Tuesday was the team’s top draft pick last year, Jason Castro.

Johnson, an infielder, hit .259 with eight homers and 44 RBI for the Legends in 2007, playing 64 games before a mid-season promotion to High-A Salem. Last year, he posted a .324 average with 12 homers and 58 RBI over 84 games for Double-A Corpus Christi. A Texas League all-star, he was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock. More recently, he hit .296 with two homers and 19 RBI over 19 games for the Arizona Fall League’s Scottsdale Scorpions.

Norris, a right-hander, was 2-8 with a 4.75 ERA on a very bad 2007 Legends team. Over 22 starts and 96.2 innings, he struck out 117 and walked 41, earning a promotion to Salem. Last year, Norris went 3-8, 4.05, 84 strikeouts, 31 walks, 80 innings over 19 starts for Corpus Christi. With the Scorpions, he game up four earned runs over 12 games and 19 innings, with a 1.89 ERA, and was named an Arizona Fall League Rising Star.

Santangelo, a catcher, spent 2005 with the Legens, playing 70 games. He hit .268 with 14 homers and 39 RBI for Lexington. Last season, in 96 games with Corpus Christi, he hit .241 with eight homers and 39 RBI, and also spent time with Round Rock. Santangelo was Defensive Player of the Month for Corpus Christi in May.

Fellow catcher Castro, out of the University of Miami, made his pro debut with Tri-City of the New York-Penn League. In 39 games, he hit .275 with two homers and 12 RBI, and was the ValleyCats’ Defensive Player of the Month in August. Over the winter, Castro earned Hawaii Winter Baseball all-star honores, hitting .333 with two homers and 13 RBI over 23 games with North Shore Honshsu.

Sapp continues recovery in Florida

Houston Astros catching prospect Max Sapp, a member of the Lexington Legends the past two seasons, continues to recover in Florida from viral meningitis, pneumonia and chronic sinus conditions that nearly cost him his life.

Alyson Footer, who covers the Astros for MLB.com, has all the details:

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090106&content_id=3734120&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Best wishes to Sapp for a continued and speedy recovery.

Notes from Thursday’s (e-)mailbag.

* From Keith Elkins of the Lexington Legends ….

Alan Stein, president and CEO of the Legends and Omaha Royals, is the first recipient of the Presidential Citation from Minor League Baseball for outstanding service. MiLB President Pat O’Conner presented the award during the recent baseball winter meetings in Las Vegas.

Stein has served since 2006 as the South Atlantic League’s elected representative on Minor League Baseball’s board of trustees, elected vice chairman in 2007. O’Connor said Stein’s overall service was worthy of recognition, but noted in particular Stein’s role in this year’s agreement between MiLB and Major League Baseball Advanced Media on the bundled internet rights program. The Baseball Internet Rights Company, formed as a result of the agreement, bundles internet content of all clubs, with the purpose of significantly increasing the volume and availability of information about MiLB to an international audience.

* From Michael Clark at Eastern Kentucky University …

Senior place-kicker Taylor Long of Hopkinsville has been named second-team all-American by The Associated Press. Taylor finished his career with the Colonels as the program’s all-time leader in kick points, 285. Included were 20 field goals this season. He had a 13-for-13 stretch this season, including an overtime game-winner against Austin Peay, and booted a career-best 50-yarder against Eastern Illinois. Overall, he was 20-for-27 this season, averaging 7.3 points a game.

His 49 career field goals ties the EKU record set by Dale Dawson (1983-86), and his 138 PAT points are a school record.

* From Julie Bartell at USA Softball …

Crystl Bustos, the top power hitter in the game, has been named by the Amateur Softball Association as USA Softball Player of the Year.

Bustos came through in the clutch, blasting a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to give the U.S. a 4-1 victory over Japan and a spot in the gold-medal game at the Beijing Olympics. Although Japan won the gold-medal game, Bustos provided the only American run with a home run before drawing her third intentional walk of the Games.

Overall, Bustos hit .500 (11-for-22) at Beijing, with six homers, 10 RBI and 12 runs before retiring. The six homers and 1.318 slugging percentage broke her own Olympic records of five homers and .923 slugging at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The 10 RBI tie her Olympic record set at Athens. She finishes with the career home run Olympic record, 14, over three Olympics.

The Lexington Legends aren’t alone among South Atlantic League teams in changing managers (Tom Lawless in, Gregg Langbehn out).

Other new bosses in 2009 include Matt LeCroy (Hagerstown), Dusty Wathan (Lakewood), Ernie Young (Kannapolis) and Aaron Holbert (Lake County). West Virginia, switching affiliations from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh, also will have a new manager.

Young, part of the 2000 Olympic gold-medal team, will work on occasion with a man familiar to Reds fans. Ron Oester is the roving infield instructor in the White Sox organization.

Ex files

Off-season moves by the Astros include the release of right-handers Raymar Diaz, Jake Leonhardt and Luis Pardo, catcher Kevin Carceek, second baseman Greg Buchanan, shortstops Bryan Brown and Tim Torres and outfielder Cesar Quintero. All are ex-Legends.

Pitchers Doug Arguello, Chance Douglass, Paul Estrada, Mark McLemore became free agents, as did shorstops Osvaldo Fernando and Roberto Mena, and outfielder-turned-hitting-coach Todd Self. Arguello has since re-signed with the Astros.

* More on ex-Legends: catcher Danny Fatheree signed with the Cubs, and left-hander Phil Barzilla with the Padres. Catcher Hector Gimenez was granted free-agency by Tampa Bay, right-hander Cory Doyne by Baltimore.

* Two former Kentucky Wildcats have come or gone with New York teams. Second baseman Andy Green, out of Lexington Christian Academy, signed with the Mets. Shortstop Ryan Wilkes was released by the Yankees.

Young Wildcats rank high

We recently went over Kentucky’s fall signing class, which projects for the 2010 season. Of course, there’s always the danger (likelihood?) of losing committments to the Major League draft.

So what of the 2007 fall class — the first-year players who actually made it on to campus and are eligible to play for the Wildcats this season?

The class of 11 players, which includes five high school all-Americans, is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. That’s the best ranking ever for a UK class – and not a bad way for former pitching coach Gary Henderson to start out his first season as head coach. Four of the top five teams and six of the top 11 are from the Southeastern Conference. Louisville is No. 20.

“We are very excited about our new group,” Henderson said in a UK press release. “These young men are very gifted physically, but even more impressive as people and competitors. Despite losing some signees to the 2008 MLB Draft in June, we are ecstatic about this group and we expect several of them to contribute in SEC play immediately.”

The high school all-Americans in the class are right-handers Alex Meyer and Braden Kapteyn, catcher Michael Williams, middle infielder Andy Burns and outfielder Cory Farris. According to Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, the 6-foot-7 Meyer is “the (Southeastern) conference’s best recruit.”

Five recruits are from Kentucky – Farris (Boone County), outfielder Chad Wright (Heath) and three right-handers: Chase Greene (West Jessamine), Sean Bouthilette (Elizabethtown) submarining junior-college transfer Nick Kennedy (Paducah). Wright is the brother of Cats outfielder Brock Wright.

Two more Cats are JUCO transfers: Gunner Glad and Will Campbell.

Only three recruits from the fall 2007 signing period didn’t make it to Lexington — pitchers Robbie Ross and Seth Lintz signed as second-round draft picks and Daniel Webb landed in junior college.

The rankings and the players are listed below. 

Baseball America’s Top-25 Recruiting Classes (SEC team in bold)

1. Arizona State; 2. Vanderbilt; 3. Georgia ; 4. KENTUCKY; 5. Florida; 6. Texas A&M ; 7. UCLA; 8. Arkansas; 9. Texas Christian; 10. Oregon; 11. Mississippi; 12. Texas; 13. Clemson; 14. Virginia; 15. Cal State Fullerton; 16. Wichita State; 17. Fresno State; 18. Stanford; 19. Oklahoma State; 20. LOUISVILLE; 21. Pepperdine; 22. Southern California; 23. North Carolina State; 24. Florida State; 25. Duke. 

2009 UK Baseball Newcomers

Name, POS.        B/T          Ht./Wt.          Cl.           Hometown/School

Michael Williams , C             R/R          6-2 /210          FR           Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut HS

Andy Burns, IF             R/R          6-2/185          FR           Ft. Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain HS

Nick Kennedy, RHP        R/R          6-1/170          R-SO       Los Angeles/East Los Angeles

Alex Meyer, RHP        R/R          6-8/205          FR           Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg HS

Sean Bouthilette, RHP        R/R          6-2/195          FR           Elizabethtown, Ky./E-town HS

Gunner Glad , IF/RHP    R/R          6-0/190          R-JR        Tulsa, Okla./Tulsa Union/E. Okla.

Chad Wright , OF           L/R          5-10/180          FR           Paducah, Ky./Heath HS

Chase Greene, RHP/IF    R/R          6-1/180          FR           Nicholasville, Ky./W.Jessamine HS

Braden Kapteyn, IF/RHP    R/R          6-4 /205          FR           Lansing, Ill./Illiana Christian

Will Campbell, 1B/OF      R/R          6-5/265          JR            Seattle/Bellevue CC

Cory Farris, C/OF       L/R          6-1/195          FR           Florence, Ky./Boone County HS

Tidings that should make us all glad — the Lexington Legends announced 2008 donations of $774,000 to non-profit organizations serving Central Kentucky. The Ivy Walls Charitable Giving Foundation at Bluegrass Community Foundation, in cooperation with the Legends and business sponsors, presented checks to organization representatives Friday at Applebee’s Park.

According to a Legends press release, the organization has donated more than $7 million to the region over its eight-year history. A tip of the hat to Keith Elkins, the team’s director of broadcasting and media relations, for providing the details.

Receiving funds Friday:

The Makenna Foundation — established in 2001 in memory of Makenna David, who died of a rare lung disease in 1998. The foundation has raised more than $800,000 for the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. The Legends’ Charity Ball Toss generated funds. (Sponsor: Copy Express.)

Markey Cancer Center — The Legends’ campaign to “strike out breast cancer” provides $5 per strikeout by Lexington pitchers during home games. Additional funds come from the Legends’ Breast Cancer Brunch and the sale of pink game jerseys. (Sponsor: ADI.)

St. Joseph Hospital Nursing Scholarship Program – Sale of Legends game jerseys support the program, which provides one- and two-year scholarships to nursing students at area colleges.

Boy Scouts of America Bluegrass Council — Every home-game stolen base by a Legend generates a $25 donation. (Sponsor: Windstream.)

Warrior Foundation — Helps military personnel with a variety of needs, from clothing, magazines, pillows and other personal items to air fare for families traveling to be with wounded relatives upon return to the United States. The Legends sold fatigue jerseys on Military Appreciation Night.

Kentucky Children’s Hospital and Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass — The annual “Guns ‘n’ Hoses” (police vs. firefighters) provides general support to both groups. (Sponsor: Gall’s.)

PBI Bank Community Organization of the Night program — Donations were made to 70 non-profit organizations during the season.

In-kind donations — United Way of the Bluegrass donors receive two free box-seat tickets from the Legends, almost 50,000 seats last season.

Since October 20007, the Legends have donated tickets, memorabilia or use of a luxury suite, with a combined worth of more than $30,000  and used primarily as silent-auction items, to more than 150 non-profit organizations.

A partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Dance Blue, a dance marathon to support the fight against cancer in children, helped raise funds and provided Legends tickets to each participant.

Other in-kind projects were associated with Big Brother/Big Sisters, Special Olympics, the walk to defeat ALS, Kentucky Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery’s Smokeless Tobacco Education program and Hit the Books, a joint effort between the Legends and Chick-Fil-A to encourage Central Kentucky students to read.

Jordan Parraz, a standout outfielder on a very bad 2007 Lexington Legends team, was traded Thursday by the Astros to the Kansas City Royals as the ”player to be named” in a deal that brought left-handed pitcher Tyler Lumsden to Houston on Nov. 24.

Parraz, a third-round draft pick in 2004, hit .281 with 14 homers, 76 RBI and 33 stolen bases during his time as a Legend. The coaching staff named him the team MVP, and Baseball America picked him as the Astros prospect with the Best Outfield Arm.

Last season, with High-A Salem, Parraz totaled .289, six homers, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases, playing right field (mostly) and center.

Parraz, 24, has been assigned to the Royals Double-A affiliate, Northwest Arkansas.

Lumsden, 25, was 3-13 with a 7.21 ERA with Triple-A Omaha this year. He appeared in 28 games, including 18 starts.

A Chicago White Sox ”sandwich pick” between the first two rounds of the 2004 draft, Lumsden was traded to Kansas City during the 2006 season.

His 95-game minor-league totals include a 26-25 record and 4.89 ERA.

The Lexington Legends introduced their new director of broadcasting and media relations Thursday, Keith Elkins.

Elkins replaces Rob Gidel, who left to take a broadcasting position with the University of Akron. The only other full-time play-by-play voice in the Legends’ eight seasons belongs to Larry Glover, who called games from 2001 through 2007.

The Legends also announced the addition of five other front-office employees: Ty Cobb, director of creative services; Chris Wohlgamuth and Maura Kennedy, group sales; Paul Scanlon, corporate sales; and Justina Wright, staff accountant.

Cobb was named after and born on the same day as Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.

Elkins, who filled in for Gidel several times last season, is a former Lexington television sports reporter and anchor and public relations officer at the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University. In addition to play-by-play duties, he will serve as the South Atlantic League team’s primary media contact. Legends games are heard on flagship station WLXG in Lexington and 34 affiliates across the Commonwealth, making up the largest radio network in minor league baseball.

A trio of former Lexington Legends had their contracts purchased and were added to the Houston Astros’ 40-man roster Wednesday. The promotions were announced by General Manager Ed Wade in a press release.

And the Legends will name their new play-by-play announcer on Thursday.

Lexington fans will easily recall infielders Tommy Manzella and Drew Sutton, but may have to pause when considering outfielder Brian Bogusevic.

Bogusevic, a 2005 first-round draft pick, was a left-handed pitcher during his Lexington days. He began last season as a pitcher but by July he wound up in the outfield. He hit .371 (46-for-124), with three homers and 20 RBI over 42 games for Double-A Corpus Christi. Playing for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League, Bogusevic is hitting .329 (23-for-70) with 12 RBI through 12 games.

Manzella, a 2005 third-round draft pick, is a slick-fielding shortstop. He split the 2008 season between Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock, hitting a combined .259 (117-for-452). He earned Texas League All-Star honors with the Hooks, and was named Defensive Player of the Month in April for Corpus and in August for the Express.

Sutton, a 2004 15th-round draft pick, hit .317 (165-for-520), with 20 homers and 69 RBI for Corpus Christi, where he was the team’s MVP and a Texas League mid-season and post-season all-star. He led all Astros minor-leaguers in batting average, hits, runs (102), walks (76), doubles (39) and extra-base hits (63). Also with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League, he is hitting .327 (34-for-104), with seven home runs and 24 RBI over 29 games.

Thursday’s announcement by the Legends (Applebee’s Park, 10 a.m.) will reveal the new director of broadcasting and media relations, as well as other staff additions. General Manager Andy Shea said in a press release that the staff has been increased by about 15 percent.

The Legends have the largest radio network in the minors with flagship WLXG-AM and 34 affiliates.

“We are excited to have a longtime Lexington resident, who is already connected with our fans, represent out team on the air,” Alan Stein, team president and CEO, said in the press release.

Larry Glover handled play-by-play for the Legends’ first seven seasons. Rob Gidel took over in 2008, but recently left to take a broadcasting post with the University of Akron. His duties there include several “coach shows” and Zips women’s basketball play-by-play.

The Legends will open their ninth season in the South Atlantic League on April 9, visiting the West Virginia Power at Charleston. Lexington’s home opener, against the Kannapolis Intimidators, is set for Monday, April 13.

A pair of onetime Lexington Legends essentially traded places Friday.

The Houston Astros purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Polin Trinidad (2007 Legends) from Double-A Corpus Christi.

Right-hander Paul Estrada (2005 Legends) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Corpus Christi, removing him from the Astros’ 40-man roster.

Trinidad, with seven years of minor-league service time, would have become a minor-league free agent Monday. Friday’s move ensures that the Astros keep him.

Now it’s Estrada who will become a minor-league free agent on Monday. Estrada, 26, was 2-0 with a 7.88 ERA in nine relief appearances for Corpus Christi last season. For nine minor-league seasons, Estrada is 28-25 with a 4.55 ERA over 243 games (20 starts).

Trinidad, 24, was 6-5 with a 3.61 ERA over 18 starts for Corpus Christi. He began the season at High-A Salem, where he was 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA over 10 starts.