A Duel For Batting Title Heading Into Final Weekend

It's been almost a foregone conclusion for some time that a Bridgewater Maller or a Rowdy Roddy Piper will go home with the 2012 batting title. For the last few weeks, the top three batters in the league hail from those two squads, as well as four of the top five and six of the top 10.

Bridgewater DH/catcher Victor Martinez holds the edge at the moment, batting .333 (160-480, .333333) followed by veteran Michael Young of Rowdy, hitting .331 (220-664, .331325). Each have two games to play after yesterday's off day. Martinez has started 49 games at catcher and 67 at DH while Young has started 159 (of Rowdy's 160 games) at third base.

Assuming Young gets 8 at-bats in the final two games versus St. Louis, 4 hits would push him into an even tie with Martinez at .333333 -- if Martinez were to not get any at-bats, that is. A sizzling 5 hits over two games (assuming the 8 ABs) would mean a .334821 batting average for Young and time for Martinez to start looking over his shoulder. Anything less than three hits in 8 ABs (which would lift his average to .331845) and Young will have to hope for Martinez to swing and miss regularly.

Martinez tends to sit against lefties, though he's hit them well in only 78 at-bats (.372/.424/.500). Tonight's scheduled starter for Philly is Travis Wood, potentially leaving just one start for Martinez, or 4 at-bats out of the cleanup spot. Should he go hitless, he would finish at .331 (.330578), a 1-for-4 night would leave him at .333 (.332644), while 3-for-4 would essentially put the crown out of reach for Young at .336776. Of course, if V-Mart comes off the bench, there's always the pinch-hit opportunity, which would mean an additional at-bat, maybe two.

It's Young who's likely to finish as the league leader in overall hits, now sitting on 220, leading Bridgewater's Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano of Hopatcong, both at 206.

Young broke in with Vancouver in 2003 as a part-time player, secured a full-time gig in 2005 and went on to play three consecutive 162-game seasons. He hit a career-high .331 with 237 hits in 2006. Though he's never hit above .300 or gotten 200 hits otherwise (198 in '05), Young has been a model of consistency, entering this season with a career .286 average. He joined Carolina (now Rowdy) last year where he started 162 games. He's started no fewer than 140 (2010 with Hoboken) since those early days in Vancouver.

Another longtime Iron Fister, Martinez spent his first five seasons in Vancouver (2005-2009). He hit for a career-high .306 in 2006, eclipsed .300 again in 2009 (.301), and like Young also entered 2012 with a .286 average.

As for other batting categories, Kevin Mitchell Award contender Prince Fielder of Rowdy has overtaken the league lead in the RBI race in the past two weeks, with 131, ahead of Hopatcong's Joey Votto (138), who enjoyed an 8-RBI night last week. Fielder also passed Jose Bautista of Hoboken in the home run race, holding a 51-49 advantage.

Showdown for the Kruk Division

Don't look now but there's another race to watch in the remaining days of the 2012 season.

After four straight wins -- including Tuesday night's no-hitter -- Hopatcong has tied Amityville for the third playoff seed. The Ant Slayers clinched the Drabek Division the other night. Coupled with Newark's loss on Wednesday, the Floating Fish go into tonight's season-ending series versus the Sugar Bears with a two-game lead in the Kruk Division.

After Wednesday's results, if the playoffs started today:
#1 Marietta*, 106-53
#2 Vancouver*, 92-68
#3 Amityville*, 88-71
#4 Hopatcong, 88-71
#5 Newark, 86-73
#6 Rowdy, 86-74
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Hoboken, 85-74 -- 1/2 game back of No. 6 seed
Bridgewater, 85-75 -- 1 1/2 back
Hillsborough, 83-76 -- 2 1/2 back

In an amazing coincidence, every team in the Kruk and Van Slyke divisions won Tuesday night as every team in the Drabek and Fisk divisions lost, leaving the playoff race essentially intact, other than the official elimination of Sardine City.

Should Hopatcong and Amityville remain tied for the No. 3 seed at the end of 162 games, the tiebreaker is head-to-heard record, which would go to -- no one! The two teams split 10 games this season! Both teams also are 21-18 within their respective divisions as they face off against division foes this weekend. If the tiebreaker gets that far, Hopatcong currently has a run differential of +114 while Amityville has a margin of +96.

Of course, those tiebreakers all get thrown out the window if Newark sneaks away with the Kruk Division, the only division still undecided. (FYI, Sugar Bears are 4-6 versus Amityville). With a two-game lead, Hopatcong needs just one win in their head-to-head matchup versus the Sugar Bears this weekend to clinch it. Head-to-head this season, Hopatcong holds a 7-4 advantage against Newark. Scheduled starters for both clubs look like this:

NWK @ HPG
Harrison (6-8, 3.91) v. Peavy (0-0, 0.00)
Baker (12-11, 3.47) v. Cain (13-8, 3.44)
Lohse (14-8, 3.37) v. Luebke (13-8, 3.70)

In a surprise move, Hopatcong opted to give Jake Peavy his first start of the season in Game No. 160 over Tim Stauffer, who's struggled much of the year, going 5-17 with a 6.41 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

Whether Newark wins the Kruk or not, the Sugar Bears still have work to do. They hold just a 1/2-game lead on Rowdy for the 5th seed and other squads are hot on their heels. The Roddy Pippers, who are off today, are just 1/2 game up on Hoboken and 1 game ahead of Bridgewater for that final playoff seed.

Rowdy will finish the season with two games at St. Louis and Bridgewater is also off today before a two-game set at Philly tomorrow. Starting tonight, Hoboken hosts three games against Marietta, which already has clinched the No. 1 seed.

Still hanging on to a sliver of hope is Hillsborough, which sent ace Justin Verlander to the mound yesterday for his final start of the season, and sits 2 1/2 games back of Rowdy for the final seed. The Hit Men will be rooting for Philly, Marietta, St. Louis and Hopatcong to win this weekend while they aim for a sweep in Amityville, who they're 7-4 against this season. The probable starter matchups:

HIL @ AMI
Hernandez (15-9, 3.81) v. Lester (16-6, 4.66)
Haren (12-9, 3.49) v. Weaver (14-11, 4.65)
Scherzer (6-16, 6.36) v. Hamels (14-10, 4.16)

Tomlin Tosses No-Hitter For Hopatcong

In a year of many firsts for the Hopatcong franchise, Josh Tomlin threw the first no-hitter in Floating Fish history Tuesday night, downing Livingston 5-0 in the midst of a heated pennant race. It was the second no-hitter in the league this season and the 11th in league history. Just last month, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Motte combined to fire Sardine City's first no-hitter.

The Floating Fish gave Tomlin some breathing room with single runs in each of the first three innings and Tomlin ended up facing the minimum 27 batters. He walked Jimmy Rollins leading off the fourth but B.J. Upton promptly grounded to second for a double play. Tomlin's only other blemish, another leadoff walk, this time to Danny Espinosa in the 6th, also was erased via the twin killing, when Justin Smoak grounded to second to end the inning, after Jonathan LuCroy reached on a fielder's choice. Smoak later flied out to left to end the game.

Adding to the excitement, Brett Gardner pulled off a rare steal of home in the 6th inning, with Chase Headley taking second base, and the Floating Fish faithful packing The Mud Hole were on their feet the rest of the way. While Hopatcong improved to a franchise-record 87-71, remaining a game ahead of Newark in the Kruk Division, the first-year Livingston Last Place dropped to 47-111, long ago clinching the most balls in the draft lottery.

Tomlin struck out 5 and walked 2, improving to 16-7 and lowered his ERA to an even 3.00, and WHIP to 1.04 (both categories are second in the league trailing only Justin Verlander). He's been among the Floating Fish's most consistent pitchers all season, leading the squad with 16 wins and 5 complete games, including 2 shutouts. Perhaps it was the all-star snub that fueled Tomlin's fire all season. Despite a 9-3 and a 2.80 ERA at the break, as well as being among the league leaders in QS%, R/9 and OPS, Tomlin wasn't selected though he did receive votes.

The 27-year-old righthander was taken by Hopatcong with the 3rd pick of the 5th rounder (67th overall) this year. Last season, he made 28 starts for Newark, after the Sugar Bears used a supplemental 7th round pick (77th overall) on him. He finished 2011 with a respectable 1.14 WHIP and 4.08 ERA but a not-so-respectable 6-15 record for a Newark team that lost a franchise-record 113 games.

Playoff Race Tightens With Little Decided

Some critical matchups over the weekend did little to quell the uncertainty of the playoff race as the 2012 regular season heads in the final week.

Rowdy (84-73) will begin play today in a tie with Hoboken (84-73) for the 6th and final playoff spot as they prepare for a three-game series at Hillsborough. After reeling off five straight wins, the Hit Men (82-74) now sit just 1 1/2 games back of a wild card but also 5 games behind Drabek division leader Amityville (87-69), whom they face in a season finale series this weekend. The Ant Slayers, with a magic number of 2 to clinch the division, host St. Louis (72-85) for a three-game series starting tonight.

Scheduled starters for Rowdy include two pitchers acquired before the trade deadline while Hillsborough counters with its ace in the third game:

RWD @ HIL
Lee (4-3, 5.31/10-8, 4.38) v. Scherzer (6-15, 6.27) 
Colon (4-3, 4.34/7-9, 3.55) v. Neimann (0-2, 6.12)
Gallardo (8-11, 5.80) v. Verlander (18-8, 2.67)

Meanwhile, a three-game set in Bridgewater looks like it could be a play-in game of sorts between the Mallers and Straphangers. Bridgewater (83-74) is just a game out of a wildcard and Sardine City (81-76) continues to cling to hope, 2 games back of the Mallers and 3 games out of the playoffs -- with 5 to play. Bridgewater lost two out of three to Hopatcong over the weekend in a critical series while Sardine City has won 4 of its last 5, including a sweep of Philly.

Neither Doug Fister nor Javier Vazquez, two starters the teams swapped earlier this year, figure to be among the probable starters in this showdown:

SAR @ BRI
Bailey (7-9, 4.56) v. Beckett (10-9, 3.61) 
Morrow (10-14, 4.67) v. Ogando (12-11, 4.62)
Detweiler (3-4, 6.75) v. Beachy (16-6, 4.75)

If the season ended today, playoff seedings would look like this:
No. 1 Marietta*
No. 2 Vancouver*
No. 3 Amityville
No. 4 Hopatcong
No. 5 Newark
No. 6 Rowdy/Hoboken
* Clinched playoffs

In this scenario, Hoboken and Rowdy would play a one-game playoff to determine the final seed, with the winner facing Amityville while Kruk division rivals Newark (84-72) and Hopatcong (85-71) would duel in the other first-round series. The two appear headed for a potential division title-deciding three-game series to end the regular season, with the runner-up hoping to be in the mix for a wild card. Marietta (103-53) and Vancouver (91-66) would earn first-round byes.

***

In other news over the weekend, Marietta's R.A. Dickey took the loss versus St. Louis, dropping to 18-5, and with just one start remaining, has lost his chance to be the league's only 20-game winner in 2012. Dickey had a respectable 8-inning, 6-hit, 4-run performance against the Farrakhans, but St. Louis prevailed, 6-2. Newark's James Shields and Hillsborough ace Justin Verlander have matched Dickey for the league lead with 18 wins. All three figure to be in the mix for the Ben McDonald Award.

And Down The Stretch They Come!

Fewer than a dozen games remain in the 2012 DMBL season for most teams and while there's some uncertainty left as to seeding, the real drama looks like who will clinch the final few playoff spots.

The Marietta juggernaut (100-52) wrapped up its division last week and will secure the top seed. With their divisions safely in hand, Vancouver (87-66, with a magic number of 1) and Amityville (85-67/4) could battle for seeding in the final week. The difference between a No. 2 and No. 3 seed is a first-round bye.

The only division that seems to be left up for grabs is the Kruk, which also looks like it'll play a major role in determining the wild cards; it's conceivable that three of the four teams could be in the postseason. Newark, Hopatcong and Bridgewater have traded wins and losses for a few weeks, staying with a few games of one another.

Entering Thursday's action, the Sugar Bears held the division lead by just 1/2 game over the Floating Fish, who were only a 1/2 game ahead of the Mallers for the 6th and final playoff seed. After Thursday's games, it was Hopatcong (82-70) leading the division by a 1/2 game over Newark (82-71) and Bridgewater (82-71)!

Hopatcong will make the trip down 280 to Newark for a season-ending three-game series that potentially could crown the division champion -- or maybe the division's lone playoff representative. But before that, the Floating Fish have to go down 287 to Bridgewater this weekend in a three-game set that could provide some separation. Probable starters in the series line up like this:

HPG - Collmenter (12-12, 4.54) v. BRI - Beachy (16-5, 4.52)
Stauffer (5-16, 6.15) v. Lincecum (6-1, 2.93 w/ BRI; 13-6, 3.28)
Cain (12-8, 3.53) v. Vazquez (1-6, 5.67 w/ BRI; 8-10, 3.43)

As for the wild cards, current Van Slyke runner-up Rowdy (83-70) enters Friday's games with a slim one-game lead on Newark and Bridgewater, with division rival Hoboken (81-72) just two games behind. That scenario sets up a playoff-like atmosphere at Rowdy this weekend where the Cutters come in for three games. The pitching matchups in Rowdy appear to be:

HBK - Jurrjens (14-13, 4.34) v. RWD - Gallardo (8-11, 5.65)
Kuroda (5-10, 5.67) v. Sabathia (13-10, 4.91)
Kershaw (13-5, 3.57) v. Wilson (12-8, 4.01)

Until this week, Hillsborough (78-74) and Sardine City (79-75) were still in the thick of the hunt and while there's been some separation in the past few days, these two just won't go away - both still stand within 3 1/2 games of the final seed after winning Thursday night with 10 and 9 games to go, respectively. Hillsborough faced among the most daunting final two weeks, with eight of its final 14 games against playoff contenders. Rowdy has nine of its final 13 against contending squads.

Dickey The First To 18 Wins

R.A. Dickey of Marietta became the first 18-game winner in the league, and with two potential starts on the schedule, is the only starter left still with a shot at a 20-win season. The 18 wins also matched a career high he achieved last year with Hillsborough.

Dickey went 8 innings Tuesday night in a 9-5 win over Sardine City at PETCO Park, his 19th quality start of the season. His next scheduled start looks like it'll be at home versus St. Louis in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. If he wins that one, Dickey would take the mound looking for win No. 20 in the second game of the season finale series at Hoboken.

In addition to leading the league in wins, Dickey is tops in winning percentage at .818 (18-4) and likely to hold on to that lead regardless. It helps that his Mighty Men teammates give him an average 6.2 runs per game, bested only by the 6.5 per game for Bridgewater's Brandon Beachy.

Dickey may not finish the year as the league leader in wins, as Newark's James Shields (17-10) and Hillsborough's Justin Verlander (17-8) are hot on his tail. With two more potential starts, Beachy (16-5) and Jon Lester of Amityville (16-6) could still match Dickey.

In 30 starts this year, Dickey sports a 3.29 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, with three complete games and shutout.

The 37-year-old knuckleballer was taken 8th in the 6th round (88th overall) of this year's draft, after being left unprotected by Hillsborough in the offseason. Dickey went 18-9 for the Hit Men last year, with a 3.42 ERA in 30 starts, including four complete games.

A Big Sunday For Halladay & Howard

Ryan Howard belted his 300th career home run on Sunday afternoon, becoming the 22nd player in league history to get to 300. He's the second player to reach 300 during this season, with a few more possibly still to come in 2012. Rowdy's Lance Berkman pelted No. 300 earlier this year and sitting on the cusp of 300, going into Wednesday's matchups, are Hoboken's David Ortiz at 298 and Bridgewater's Carlos Beltran at 297.

Howard has hit 14 home runs in 54 games (after Tuesday's win) since coming to Vancouver from Philly in exchange for a first-round pick. Used mainly as a DH, with some time at 1B, Howard has a line of .250/.311/.515 during his time in Vancouver after hitting just 12 home runs in 77 games with Philly, including .226/.315/.412.

In game one of Sunday's doubleheader, Howard launched a solo home run after teammate John Mayberry's solo home run, chasing Marietta starter David Price in the fourth inning for this 300th. The Fisters ultimately fell, 9-7, to the Mighty Men.

Roy Halladay pitched a complete game shutout Sunday afternoon, breaking a tie with Kevin Brown for fourth place all-time in complete games. The righthander now has 71 complete games, trailing only future Hall of Famers Roger Clemens (84), Curt Schilling (87) and Greg Maddux (104). It also was his 22nd career shutout, putting him within two of Brown for second and within 10 of Maddux, the all-time leader with 32 shutouts.

Halladay went the distance in Hoboken's 11-0 thrashing of Sardine City on Sunday, limiting the Straphangers to four hits while striking out five and walking two. It was his first shutout and second complete as a Cutter, improving to 5-4 in 11 starts with a 4.62 ERA since being shipped from Philly, along with a 6th rounder, in exchange for Giancarlo Stanton. Combined, Halladay is now 14-8 with a 3.24 ERA, including seven complete games (second only to James Shields of Newark with nine) and three shutouts.

Six Hits For Coghlan Without a Run, RBI To Show For It

Going 6-for-7 from the leadoff spot, you'd think Chris Coghlan would have played a big part in Hoboken's 7-5 win over Sardine City in 13 innings Saturday night. After all, the rest of the team only managed 7 hits combined.

Amazingly, despite tying the league record for hits in a game (now shared by a dozen players), the Cutters centerfielder managed to not collect a single RBI or a score one measly run.

Coghlan led off the game with a double before getting stranded at third. He grounded out to second for his only out, after J.J. Hardy led off the third inning with a home run. In the fourth, he singled after another Hardy homer, this time a three-run shot off starter Ubaldo Jimenez, only to have Ian Kinsler end the inning one at-bat later.

Coghlan greeted reliever Octavio Dotel with a single to lead off the seventh before Kinsler grounded to short, forcing Coghlan at second. Kinsler got as far as second before the Cutters ended the inning.

In the ninth, Coghlan singled off Daniel Bard with one out, and the Cutters, again, quietly went away, leaving him on first.

Coghlan found himself leading off an inning again, this time the 12th, and doubling again. Jose Bautista advanced him to third with a groundout to second, but after David Ortiz was intentionally walked, Miguel Cabrera struck out to end the inning.

In the 13th, Matt Joyce broke the tie with a two-run home run to give the Cutters the lead. Coghlan then came to bat with two outs, doubling deep to left center. Kinsler followed up with a groundout to second, ending the inning. Totaling up the night, Coghlan had six hits in all -- three doubles and three singles, for nine total bases. But zero RBIs and zero runs scored!

Coghlan was selected with the 14th pick in the 4th round (62nd overall) of this year's draft. He was Hoboken's opening day center-fielder before losing his job to free agent Nate McLouth and getting sent down for part of the season. He's seen some action in left and right field but has made 81 starts in center for the Cutters. After scuffling around .220 most of the season, he's now hitting .263 for the year.

Coghlan had what now looks like a career year during his rookie campaign with Arkansas in 2010, hitting .314 with 30 doubles in 151 games. He was selected 6th overall in that year's draft, sandwiched between two Hillsborough picks: after Carlos Gonzalez and before Gordon Beckham. He tied with Homer Bailey of Philly for 4th in the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year balloting with 3 points (one second-place vote and a third-place vote), ahead of Vancouver's Ron Belisario (1 point). Kendry Morales won the award that year.

The Moonlight Graham of Pitchers!

Last week we told you about the Moonlight Grahams of DMBL batters. In response, we were bombarded with emails, faxes, and even a few notes wrapped around bricks from fans demanding equal treatment for the shortest careers by pitchers!

That's actually a somewhat easier assignment. We don't have games played data or plate appearances for the early years of the DMBL, so it's tough to compare eras. But it's easy with pitchers -- we have appearances and innings for every year of the DMBL. So we truly know who has had the shortest career.

Three pitchers in DMBL history have careers that lasted less than an inning... but two of them appeared in games this year, so they're off the list!

Until this year, the Moonlight Graham of DMBL pitchers was Derek Holland. Prior to 2012, the left-handed starter pitched in just one DMBL game -- and didn't record a single out. As a member of the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2011, Holland was lifted after walking the only batter he faced in a relief appearance. This year, however, Holland more than made up for lost time as he's appeared in 28 games and pitched 183.1 innings. He's been pretty effective, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.281 WHIP. However, because of that one walk without recording an out in 2011, his career WHIP soars all the way to... 1.287.

We also have to forget Jake Arrieta. Prior to this season, Arrieta's entire DMBL career consisted of the single batter he faced for the Newark Sugar Bears in 2011. Arrieta got the out and therefore went into the record books with a perfect 0.00 ERA and WHIP. That is, until this year. Arrieta has been thoroughly bombed as a member of Livingston Last Place, going 3-12 with a 5.39 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

So we have to go the third man on the list, Takashi Kashiwada, to find the pitcher with the shortest DMBL career. A 26-year-old lefthanded reliever with the New York Mets in 1997, Kashiwada was drafted in the 13th Round by the Phoenix Dragons in the 1998 draft. He pitched in just one game for the Dragons, giving up one walk while recording two outs (one by strikeout), but no hits or runs. He was released in June and never threw another pitch in the DMBL. After the 1997 season with the Mets, Kashiwada returned to Japan, pitching until 2004 with the Yomiuri Giants.

The next 10 shortest careers in DMBL history, by innings pitched:

Renyel Pinto, a left-handed reliever, was bombed in his only appearance with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2008 (4 ER, 3 H, 3 BB in 1.3 IP) and was never seen again. Pinto has the highest ERA (27.00) and WHIP (4.50) in DMBL history.

Tied with Pinto is Dan Smith, who also lasted 1.3 innings in his only DMBL appearance. Amazingly, Smith, an 8th Round pick (#109 overall) in the 2003 draft, was on the Hillsborough Destroyers for the entire season -- but only pitched in that one game. He didn't allow a hit or a run, though he did walk two, and struck out a batter. He was not protected and never returned to the DMBL.

Also tied with Pinto and Smith is Ben Rivera, who has the dubious honor of the shortest career -- and also the highest ERA and WHIP -- by a starting pitcher. A member of the 1993 Columbia Crusaders, Rivera was slapped around pretty good in his only start, giving up 3 earned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in 1.3 innings pitched, giving him a career 20.25 ERA and 3.75 WHIP.

Geraldo Guzman pitched just 1 2/3rds innings in his career... and it took him two games to do it! A member of the 2001 Phoenix Dragons, Guzman was pounded for 3 earned runs on 3 hits and a walk in his two appearances.

The aptly named Scott Dohmann was left with a career 11.60 ERA after giving up 3 earned runs (4 H, 1 BB) in his only 2.3 innings over three appearances in the DMBL. Dohmann did his damage with the 2005 Las Vegas Rat Pack. D'oh!

Another guy with a fitting name, Luther Hackman, also had more appearances (3) than innings (2.7). He was torched for 5 ER (3 H, 2 BB) in his brief taste of glory with the Tijuana Banditos in 2002.

Seth McClung's career lasted just one game as he was pounded for 5 ER on 6 H and 4 BB in 2.7 innings with the Amityville Ant-Slayers in 2009. On the plus side, he did strike out 4 batters.

Steve "Make It" Rain lasted just 3 innings (over three appearances) as a member fo the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2001. Rain was lucky to give up just 2 earned runs -- he allowed 4 hits and 4 walks!

Tom Edens also lasted 3 innings spread over three appearances as a member of the 1993 Columbia Crusaders, and like Rain, was fortunate to escape with just 1 earned run after allowing 5 hits and a walk.

And finally, there's Ryan Wagner, another member of the "one and done" club. Wagner lasted just one appearance, but it wasn't so bad -- he gave up just 1 earned run and 1 hit over three innings (but also 4 walks) as a member of the 2005 Hillsborough Hired Hitmen. The hard-throwing right-hander was drafted in the 1st round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003; he was called up to the show after just 9 games in the minors, at age 20, and struck out 25 batters in 21.2 innings. But the usual issues -- a lack of control and injuries -- ended his big league career at the age of 24.

The DMBL's Moonlight Graham

Whenever I'm stopped by fans on the street, they always ask me one question: Who is the DMBL version of Moonlight Graham, the player who appeared in just one MLB game, but was made famous by the movie Field of Dreams?

Well, the long-awaited answer is here!

The DMBL's version of Moonlight Graham is Jose Castillo -- the only player I could find who played in a DMBL game, but didn't have an official at-bat. Castillo's entire DMBL career consists of one game with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2006. That year, the second baseman was signed May 31 as a free agent, and would remain on the team for almost a month (he'd be released on June 25, making way for Zack Greinke). During his 26 days in the show, Castillo would appear in just one game, and get only one plate appearance. And guess what? Castillo delivered with a sac fly, driving in a run! He was never seen in the DMBL again; the 31-year-old infielder is currently playing for Veracruz in the Mexican League.


But he's not the only player who had a brief DMBL career.
  
Two players had just one official at-bat: Peter Bergeron and Manny Lee. Bergeron played in one game for the Kentucky Hillbillies in 2001, and in his only plate appearance, he singled and then scored. He thus retired with a 1.000 batting average. Lee's single appearance came in 1993 with the Columbia Crusaders, going 0-for-1 in his only at-bat.

The following players had 10 at-bats or less in the entirety of their DMBL careers:

Jermaine Allensworth played in just 3 games, all in 1998 with the Phoenix Dragons. He got five at-bats and went 0-for-5, including a strikeout.

Alfredo Amezaga is unusual in that he played two DMBL seasons -- and has just two at-bats. He appeared in four DMBL games, one in 2008 and three in 2009, all with Sardine City. He had one at-bat in 2008 and another in 2009, and didn't get a hit either time, although in '09 he did reach via walk and scored. The 34-year-old utilityman won't be back in the DMBL any time soon; he hasn't been eligible in three years, and spent all of this season in Triple-A.

Bruce Aven appeared in three games, all with Phoenix in 2000, and got 10 at-bats. He had just one hit -- but it was a home run. He also had two walks.

Rafael Bournigal played in nine DMBL games, all in 1997 for the Jerusalem Rabbis, mostly as a defensive replacement. He did come up four times and had two hits.

Wes Chamberlain played for the Scranton Sparrows in 1992. Games played data isn't available, but we do know he had just 5 at-bats, going 1 for 5.

Jerald Clark played for the Austin Outlaws in 1994; again, we don't know how many games he played in, but he had only 3 at-bats. He didn't get a hit, but he did have a walk.

He had a 20-year career in MLB, but Brian Downing played just two games in the DMBL, both with the Columbia Crusaders in 1993. He went 2-for-8 at the plate (both hits were doubles), with one RBI.

Chris Duffy had five games with Las Vegas in '07, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI.

Dan Gladden went 1-for-5 (with an RBI) in his only DMBL season -- 1994 with the Charleston Chiefs. Games played data not available.

Rene Gonzales played in one DMBL game, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout as a member of the '93 Arkansas Golden Falcons.

A member of the 1994 Sacramento Seahawks, David Hulse went 0-for-3 (with a walk) in his only DMBL action. Games played data isn't available.

Matt LaPorta has played in just 10 games despite playing for two teams. LaPorta had four games with Carolina in 2011, and then six with Vancouver that same year. Between the two teams he went 2-for-9 with two walks and a run. LaPorta is eligible for 2012, but no one signed him; he won't be eligible next year.

Mitch Maier played in one game with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2010. He went 1-for-3, and the one was a double. He's still in the bigs, but he wasn't eligible this year and won't be next year.

Catcher Eric "No Relation" Munson went 2-for-6 in his only DMBL action, including a home run. He played in seven games with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2004.

Laynce Nix played in two games with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2005. He went 0-for-2. There's no danger in adding to his career total -- he wasn't eligible last year and won't be next year, either. Coincidentally, his brother, Jayson Nix, just missed the cutoff -- he had 12 at-bats, getting a hit, but also 5 Ks, in 2010. He played in three games with Hillsborough and four with Philadelphia.

Charlie O'Brien played in 3 games with Vancouver in 1998 and went 2-for-7 with a double and a walk.

Mark Parent was one of the best hitters in DMBL history... if you don't require a minimum number of at-bats. Parent, playing for the 1996 Toledo Mutthens, went 4-for-5 with a double and two home runs, giving him a career .800 batting average (and 2.200 slugging average), for a 3.000 OPS.

Long-heralded prospect Felix Pie finally got his big break for the Iron Fist in 2010. He played in 12 games, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch runner; at the plate, he got 9 at-bats and had one hit, plus two walks. Pie is still just 27, but hasn't appeared in the bigs this year.

So Taguchi got into 6 games with the Phoenix Dragons in 2006; he went 3-for-10 with a home run.

Willie Wilson played in just two games in his DMBL career, both with the Cheyenne Warhawks in 1993. The 36-year-old outfielder went 3-for-8 with 4 RBIs.

Another small sample size superstar, Daryle Ward got into 10 games with the Las Vegas Rat Pack in 2005. In 10 at-bats, Ward went 4-for-10 with a triple and a home run, plus a walk, giving him a career line of .400/.455/.900.

Honorable mention: Kirk Gibson didn't make it to the DMBL until he was a 36-year-old designated hitter and a shadow of his former self. He had just 11 at-bats, all in 1994 with the Charleston Chiefs, picking up two hits.