‘I’m Very Happy’

FRANKLIN, Wis. — Anthony Barone has been a lot of places and accomplished a lot of things during his baseball journey.

Earlier this week, the 1997 Jamestown High School graduate checked off another box when the Milwaukee Milkmen manager led the East Division to a 4-2 victory in the American Association All-Star game at the Milkmen’s home field, Franklin Field.

“We were in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday and the festivities started Monday after we got home at 4 in the morning,” Barone said prior to Milkmen’s batting practice Friday. “It was an unbelievable event. … We put on a good show, whether it was the Home Run Derby or the actual all-star game. The community here loved it.”

One of Barone’s Milkmen, Cam Balego, competed in the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

Balego played his collegiate baseball at Mercyhurst University. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School graduate is hitting .285 with 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs while driving in 40 runs and scoring 40.

“The recruiting aspect at any level and here in professional baseball is all networking. I got to know Cam back at Mercyhurst when we hosted a regional at Diethrick Park,” Barone said. “Our former general manager, Austin Alonge, and Cam were best friends and roommates in college. … Once I saw that he was released by the Cubs, he was a target of ours.”

Balego, an infielder/catcher, was one of eight Milwaukee players named to the East Division team. Milkmen starters included catcher Roy Morales and second baseman Bryan Torres, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player on Tuesday night. Infielder Gabriel Cancel was a reserve on the team. Pitchers Frankie Bartow, Gregori Vasquez, Ryan Zimmerman and Christian Young rounded out the Milwaukee contingent.

“Reserves and pitching staffs are selected by the all-star managers,” said Barone, who became the East Division’s manager after Milwaukee reached the league’s championship series last year. “I have a good idea of who teams have and what players are playing well. I’m always digging into what other teams are doing, so that helps the process a little bit.”

Young played for Barone with the Jamestown Jammers in the summers of 2017 and 2018, winning a league title in the latter. The Frontier High School graduate, who went on to pitch at Niagara County Community College, West Virginia University and Mercyhurst, is 6-3 this season with a 2.73 earned run average. He has 69 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings pitched.

“Christian’s work ethic and dedication to making it is unparalleled. We got to know each other during the Jamestown days,” Barone said. “We won a championship in 2018. Those are the type of guys I look for, guys who have talent and who are winners.

“We’re hoping he gets signed soon to affiliated ball,” Barone added. “He’s probably the top pitcher in the league right now.”

In addition to Balego and Young, the all-star game had a few other northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York connections.

Christ Conley, a 2018 Canisius College graduate, is an assistant general manager for Milwaukee. Conley played two summers for Barone in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League before following Barone to Milwaukee and playing four seasons with the Milkmen.

“Christ has been great. He went right from player into the office. The transition seemed pretty smooth,” Barone said. “He has a great understanding of what we do here from the baseball side. … I’ve known him for 10 years. We trust each other.”

A Derby native and Lake Shore High School graduate, Conley hit .296 in his career at Canisius with 29 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs while driving in 115 runs and scoring 102. He moved on to the Jamestown Jammers and won a 2017 PGCBL West Division championship as well as the league’s Most Valuable Player award as a catcher with Barone as his manager.

Another Canisius College graduate, Conor Panas, played for the West Division in the all-star game. In 47 games for the Lincoln Saltdogs this season, the Etobicoke, Ontario native is hitting .306 with nine doubles and 11 home runs while driving in 28 runs and scoring 40. Panas played professionally in the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres organizations.

“He was looking for a place to play after he was released by the Padres, but there were difficulties with his visa,” Barone said of Panas. “We talked about possibly bringing him here, but he’s landed in Lincoln and done a great job.”

Frank Jagoda Jr., a 2005 Dunkirk High School graduate who works in player development for the Tampa Bay Rays, scouted the all-star game.

“We talked about old memories and new memories. It was great to see Frank out here,” said Barone, who managed Jagoda at Jamestown CC and gave him his first coaching job with the Jayhawks. “We’ve always been close. … He’s doing a great job with Tampa right now.”

LG Castillo, a 2017 17th-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers who is a Lancaster High School graduate, was voted as the East Division’s “Last Man In” for the all-star game. In 59 games for the Gary SouthShore Railcats this season, Castillo is hitting .295 with 11 doubles, a triple and two home runs while driving in 33 runs and scoring 23.

Barone, a 1999 Jamestown CC graduate, is in his fourth season managing the Milkmen. First-place Milwaukee was 36-22 and winners of seven of its past 10 games as it entered play Friday night at home against the Winnipeg Goldeyes. The top four teams in each six-team division reach the postseason.

“We’ve moved our goals toward the second half. The focus is game to game and see where that takes us,” Barone said. “The goals start at making the playoffs and winning the division. … We’re in a good position right now, but baseball can be very fickle.”

After winning a championship in the shortened 2020 season with Barone at the helm, the Milkmen finished third in the division the following two seasons. In 2021, Milwaukee lost to Fargo-Moorhead in the wild-card round. Last summer, the Milkmen lost to the same Fargo-Moorhead team in the championship series.

“I signed a five-year extension in the offseason and I’m very happy here. I believe independent baseball is a great avenue,” Barone said about his future. “I had other offers last year after the season, but (owner) Mike Zimmerman and I talked and came to a five-year agreement. … I want to be here for the foreseeable future. It’s a very high level of baseball and you can really make a difference with a lot of guys’ careers.”