Independent Thought

By John McMullen

(The Phanatic Magazine) - Independent leagues are the scourge of professional baseball.

They are not operated in conjunction with a major league team or an affiliated minor league.

And, being independent allows a team to be located close to a major league club without their consent, like the then-Northern League's St. Paul Saints, who still operate across the Mississippi River from the Minnesota Twins.

The current inception of the Saints was formed in 1993 and has been known for over-the-top promotions. The principal owner was Mike Veeck, the son of legendary big league owner Bill Veeck and comedian Bill Murray was brought in as a part owner.

On occasion in the mid-to-late '90s , the Saints would even outdraw the angling for contraction Twins despite playing in the antiquated and tiny Midway Stadium.

It was at this time, I had the opportunity to cover a few Saints games and I was always interested to see one particular player when the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks came to town.

A natural hitter, at least for the indy leagues, was always in the middle of the RedHawks order. A Division III All-American from tiny Concordia College in Minny -- Chis Coste.

Yep, it was the Northern League where Coste made his baseball bones. The Phillies catcher hit .314, .312, .328 and .335 during his years in Fargo but couldn't escape.

Baseball is a funny industry.

You have the new school guys (think Bill James, Billy Beane and Theo Epstein), who think you can scout without ever seeing a player, and the old-school (think Pat Gillick), who live and die by the assessment of their grizzled veteran scouts, who think the independent leagues are filled with garbage.

Only when you realize that can you understand how a hitter like Coste didn't arrive in the major leagues until he was 33.

A catcher will never have the on-base percentage or OPS numbers that double as wet dreams for an Epstein, while a veteran scout is never going to admit he or his brethren made a mistake by letting Coste fall through the cracks.

That's why Coste can come up in 2006, hit .328, and be earmarked to Ottawa the next season.

And that's why he can be a favorite of his pitchers, hitting .341 this season, and throwing out more runners than Carlos Ruiz but still be considered No. 2 in Philadelphia.

I mean everybody couldn't be wrong about Chris Coste...

Or could they?