Alumni update: 2 added to Arizona's 40-man roster
Right-handed relief pitcher Daniel Stange and left-handed pitcher Jordan Norberto have both been added to the 40-man roster, pushing the total number of former Osprey on Arizona's protected list to 11 players.
Major League Baseball teams had until November 20 to fill out their 40-man rosters, with those players not being subject to selection in December's Rule V Draft. Any player who is not on a 40-man roster is eligible to be selected by another team in the draft. The Rule V Draft is usually the final event during the Winter Meetings, which will be held next month in Indianapolis.
Stange, who missed part of the 2007 and 2008 seasons following Tommy John elbow surgery, was 0-4 with 10 saves and a 4.88 ERA in 39 games for Mobile. The 23-year-old has 41 saves and a 3.93 ERA in 131 relief appearances since being selected in the seventh round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Norberto was 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA and four saves in 48 games for Class A Visalia and Mobile this year. The 22-year-old began his career as a starter, but moved to the bullpen in 2008. In six years with the D-backs organization, Norberto has a 4.20 ERA.
White traded to Cubs for Heilman
In another move involving a player with Missoula ties, former Osprey first baseman Ryne White was involved in the trade that brought right-handed reliever Aaron Heilman from the Chicago Cubs to the D-Backs.
White, who hails from the Chicago area, was the D-Backs' 4th-round selection out of Purdue University. The left-hander hit .274 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs while with Missoula in 2008, before a promotion in August to South Bend. With the SilverHawks, White hit .358 with 13 RBIs and helped South Bend reach the Midwest League Championship Series.
This season, White hit .266 for Class A Advanced Visalia, with six home runs and 52 RBIs. In two seasons of professional baseball, White has a career .275 batting average, 13 home runs and 103 RBIs.
White is likely to start the 2009 season with the Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League.