17 Notable MLB Players Currently Playing Independent Baseball

17 Former MLB Stars Currently Playing Indy Ball

Chris Colabello, Sugar Land Skeeters

Like Cardullo, Chris Colabello spent a long time in indy ball before getting a crack at the big leagues. Colabello is the extreme, though, as he played seven years (2005-11) in indy ball before playing for an affiliated team. Finally, in 2013, he made his MLB debut with Minnesota and wound up playing 225 games across four seasons (’13-16) before a positive PED test derailed his career.

MLB Highlight:  A year before he was suspended, Colabello enjoyed a great season with Toronto. In 101 games, he hit .321 with 15 home runs and a .886 OPS. 

Indy Ball: After taking a year off from baseball in the states, Colabello joined the Skeeters in early May, making him one of several former MLB stars on the team. He’s struggled so far, though, hitting just .176 in five games.

Willy Taveras, Sugar Land Skeeters

Taveras is one of the most accomplished guys on our list, having nearly won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2005 (he finished No. 2 in voting behind Ryan Howard) and spending several seasons as an everyday starter. His last MLB action came locally in 2010 when he played 27 games for the Washington Nationals.

MLB Highlight: Back in 2008, Tavares earned himself a stolen base crown, leading the NL with 68 steals in 133 games.

Indy Ball: Tavares is no stranger to indy ball, having played for Sugar Land in 2015, but he took 2018 off and just recently came back. Per Baseball Reference, he’s only played five games so far this year, notching four hits in 16 at-bats.

Jean Machi, Sugar Land Skeeters

Like I said, Sugar Land has several former MLB stars and Jean Machi is one of them. Machi made 194 appearances over a six-year stretch (2012-17), including 163 with San Francisco, while maintaining a 3.38 ERA.

MLB Highlight: Not many guys in the Atlantic League have a World Series ring but Machi is one of the few. He was a huge part of the Giants’ 2014 World Series run, appearing in 71 regular season games (2.58 ERA) and seven postseason games (including three World Series games).

Indy Ball: The big righty is no stranger to indy ball, having dominated for Sugar Land last season (0.84 ERA in 22 appearances), but this year he’s off to a rough start. In 10 appearances, he has a 2-1 record but his ERA is over 8.00.

Mitch Talbot, Sugar Land Skeeters

Another big former MLB arm on the Sugar Land roster belongs to Mitch Talbot, a guy with a lot of experience starting games at the MLB level. Between 2008-11, Talbot started 41 big league games but he had a tendency to start hot and fade as the season progressed. For instance, his career numbers in six March/April starts (4-1, 1.86 ERA) are extremely solid but in his 35 starts between May-October, he was 8-18 with a 5.98 ERA. 

MLB Highlight: Once upon a time, Talbot was a 10-game winner for the Cleveland Indians. More importantly, his ERA was respectable at 4.41 in 28 starts.

Indy Ball: At 35-years old, Talbot’s chances to return to the big leagues are getting slim but just last year he earned a Triple-A gig after starting hot for the Skeeters (1.93 ERA in five starts). And when he got to Cleveland’s Triple-A club, he was dominant, starting 17 games and posting a 2.52 ERA. This year, he’s hoping for something similar with Sugar Land, and his numbers are solid yet again through six starts  (3.18 ERA).

Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Dogs

Let me start by saying that Big Z is the first guy on our list that’s a former MLB All-Star (ahem…three-time MLB All-Star). And he’s also the first guy on our list that’s not in the Atlantic League, the gold standard of indy ball. Instead, Zambrano is playing in the American Association, a league that has some former MLB players but not nearly as many as the Atlantic League. 

That said, Big Z’s return to baseball is awesome. He didn’t play any pro ball at all for three years (2015-17) and it’s been five years since he played in the states. And to top it off, he’s returned to play in the city that made him famous, Chicago.

MLB Highlight: Big Z has lots of highlights, including three Silver Slugger awards and the three aforementioned MLB All-Star appearances, but his no-hitter is something very few have on their resumes. Plus, the event was unique; Zambrano, then with the Cubs, no-hit Houston on September 14th, 2008 in a game played at…Miller Park?!? Yeah, Big Z threw a no-no at a ballpark that neither his team or their opponent called home. Crazy stuff. The game, it should be noted, was moved due to weather.

Indy Ball: I don’t think Zambrano is itching to get back to the bigs or anything, this season is simply about his love for baseball. He was perfect in his debut, getting four consecutive outs in relief, and since then he’s made a few more appearances. Overall, he has a 4.15 ERA in 4.1 innings pitched and he’s also getting some cuts in as a batter. Always a great hitting pitcher (165 career MLB hits, 24 career MLB home runs), Zambrano has one hit in four at-bats for the Dogs.

Pedro Ciriaco, Sussex County Miners

Like Zambrano, Ciriaco isn’t in the Atlantic League. He’s in the Can-Am League, a respectable group of East Coast teams that draw about 4,000 fans per game. It’s good baseball but some teams in the Atlantic League have more former MLB players than the entire Can-Am League. Nevertheless, that’s where Ciriaco, who has 272 MLB games under his belt, finds himself.

MLB Highlight: This is an easy one because Ciriaco had one killer season and five spotty forgettable ones. In 2012, the infielder hit .293 in 272 plate appearances for the Boston Red Sox, in addition to 16 stolen bases and 15 doubles. 

Indy Ball: Ciriaco last played affiliated ball in 2016 with Miami’s Triple-A club. Since then, he’s mostly been in the Mexican League. But in the offseason, he signed with Sussex County to play alongside his brother, Audy Ciriaco. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played yet and is currently on the DL, according to the official Can-Am League website.