Armando Benitez and 10 Former All-Stars Who Played Independent Ball

With yesterday's news that former All-Star closer Armando Benitez has signed with the Long Island Ducks (first reported by Evan Korn of Newsday), two things immediately popped into my head.

First, could Benitez have picked a more unwelcoming place to pitch than Long Island? Neither Mets fans or Yankees fans can hear his name without cringing, becoming nauseous or breaking something.

Second, and more interesting, was how many major league players have spent time in the independent leagues, whether it be the Atlantic League, the Frontier League or any of the others scattered across North America and around the world.

We're talking hundreds of players—players that run the gamut from mediocre role players to All-Stars to future Hall of Fame members.

Some, like Kevin Millar, were discovered playing for an independent team.

Others, like Benitez, went in search of one more chance to latch on with a major league team.

Let's take a look at some of the more surprising players to wind up playing in some unlikely places.

Edgardo Alfonzo: Bridgeport Bluefish, Long Island Ducks, Newark Bears

MLB Stats: .298/.389/.459, 186 HR, 1023 RBI

An All-Star with the New York Mets in 2000 and a 12-year major league veteran, Edgardo Alfonzo found himself out of baseball following the 2005 season at the age of 31.

He would play with the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League to start the 2006 season, which led to time spent with the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and a return to the Mets, though he remained in the minors.

Alfonzo called Long Island home for 2007 and part of 2008, when he headed to Mexico. After spending 2009 in Japan, Alfonzo returned to the Atlantic League in 2010 with the Newark Bears, hitting .154 over 26 games before finally retiring.

Carlos Baerga: Long Island Ducks

MLB Stats: .291/.332/.423, 134 HR, 774 RBI

A three-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians, second baseman Carlos Baerga spent 14 years in the major leagues with six teams.

His knees began to become a detriment to his play, and he found himself out of baseball by the time the 2001 season rolled around. He would sign with the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks where he hit .315/.383/.522 with nine home runs and 44 RBI, enough of a performance to get back on major league teams' radar.

Baerga would return to the majors in 2002 with the Boston Red Sox and play through the 2005 season, which he spent with the Washington Nationals.

Armando Benitez: Long Island Ducks

MLB Stats: 40-47, 3.13 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 289 SV

A 15-year career that saw him play for seven different teams (not including his Triple-A stints with the Houston Astros in 2009 and Florida Marlins in 2010), 41-year-old Armando Benitez heads to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League to try and revive a career that most believe ended years ago.

While he led the National League with 47 saves for the Marlins in 2004 and made two All-Star teams, with the Mets in 2003 and Marlins the following season, Benitez developed a reputation for choking in big spots, including the 2000 World Series.

Dante Bichette: Nashua Pride

MLB Stats: 299/.336/.499, 274 HR, 1171 RBI

A 15-year major league veteran with five different teams, Dante Bichette became a four-time All-Star as a member of the Colorado Rockies. After spending 2001 with the Boston Red Sox, the 37-year-old Bichette found himself out of the game.

He would return in 2004 as a first baseman and pitcher (yes, pitcher) for the Nashua Pride of the Atlantic League. He would hit .312/.370/.653 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI in 49 games.

On the mound, he wasn't nearly as effective, going 0-1 with an ERA of 12 and a WHIP of 2.50, though he did strike out five batters in six innings of work.

Carl Everett: Long Island Ducks, Newark Bears

MLB Stats: .271/.341/.462, 202 HR, 797 RBI

One of the more outspoken players in recent history, Carl Everett was a two-time All-Star over a 14-year career that saw him play with eight different teams, none for more than three years.

After being released by the Seattle Mariners midway through the 2006 season, Everett's career appeared to be over.

He would return to professional baseball in 2007 with the Long Island Ducks, playing there through 2008 when he switched teams and joined the Newark Bears, with whom he'd play through the 2010 season.

Juan Gonzalez: Long Island Ducks

MLB Stats: .295/.343/.561, 434 HR, 1404 RBI

A two-time American League MVP, three-time All-Star and one of the biggest sluggers of the 1990s, Juan Gonzalez spent 17 seasons in the major leagues with four different teams, primarily the Texas Rangers.

When his career appeared to be over after a failed stint with the Cleveland Indians in 2005, a 36-year-old Gonzalez re-emerged with the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks in 2006, hitting .323/.377/.515 with six home runs and 23 RBI over 36 games before finally retiring.

Implicated by Jose Canseco in his book Juiced as a steroid abuser, Gonzalez steadfastly denied the allegations in an interview with Alfredo R. Berrios of ESPNDeportes.com in 2010.

Rickey Henderson: Newark Bears, San Diego Surf Dawgs

MLB Stats: .298/.389/.459, 186 HR, 1023 RBI, 1406 SB

The greatest leadoff hitter to ever play the game and the stolen base king, Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson made 10 All-Star teams and excited major league fans for more than 20 years.

After spending 2002 as a reserve with the Boston Red Sox, Henderson headed to the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League in 2003, playing well enough to be picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers midseason.

Henderson would return to Newark in 2004, and after playing for the Golden Baseball League's San Diego Surf Dawgs in 2005, he finally hung up his spikes, allowing the clock for his Hall of Fame enshrinement to officially start ticking.

Minnie Minoso: St. Paul Saints

MLB Stats: .298/.389/.459, 186 HR, 1023 RBI

A seven-time All-Star, Minnie Minoso spent parts of 17 seasons in the major leagues, primarily with the Chicago White Sox.

I say parts because after retiring in 1964 at the age of 38, Minoso returned to Chicago in 1976 at the age of 50, appearing in three games and again in 1980 at the age of 54, appearing in two games.

But that wasn't the end for Minoso.

He would play for the St. Paul Saints in the Northern League on two different occasions, in 1993 as a 67-year-old and again in 2003 as a 77-year-old. Both stints consisted of one at-bat each, making Minoso the only player in history to play professional baseball for seven consecutive decades.

Jack Morris: St. Paul Saints

MLB Stats: 254-186, 3.90 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

One of the more hotly contested candidates for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jack Morris was one of the most successful pitchers in baseball during the 1980s.

A five-time All-Star, Morris had a reputation for being a "big game" pitcher, never more evident than in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Morris pitched a 10-inning complete game against the Atlanta Braves, scattering seven hits while walking two and striking out eight.

Following the strike-shortened 1994 season, the 39-year-old's 18-year major league career seemed to be over.

Morris, hoping to latch on with one more team, headed to the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League in 1996, where the then 41-year-old posted a 5-1 record with a 2.61 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 72.1 innings pitched.

Tim Raines: Somerset Patriots

MLB Stats: .294/.385/.425, 170 HR, 980 RBI, 808 SB

A seven-time All-Star and one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs to date, Tim Raines had an outstanding 23-year career in the majors with six different teams, most notably the Montreal Expos.

One of the great leadoff hitters in baseball history, Raines struggled through the 1999 season with the Oakland A's and appeared to be headed for the hills.

Instead, he made a left turn and headed for Somerset, New Jersey, where he hooked up with the Atlantic League's Somerset Patriots, hitting .346 in seven games and making his way back to the Montreal Expos.

He would eventually retire following a failed stint with the Florida Marlins in 2002.

Mitch Williams: Atlantic City Surf

MLB Stats: 45-58, 3.65 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 192 SV

An All-Star with the Chicago Cubs in 1989, Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams is probably best remembered for allowing Joe Carter's World Series winning home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.

Williams fizzled out after that, saving only six games over the next four seasons in short stints with the Houston Astros, California Angels and Kansas City Royals, with whom he last played in the majors with in 1997.

The Atlantic League's Atlantic City Surf enticed him out of retirement in 2000, and he spent the next year and a half pitching for the Surf. He would also be named the Surf's pitching coach in 2001, but by 2003 Williams found himself once again out of professional baseball.