boys of winter

Life goes on in the Venezuelan Winter League, even after the recent kidnapping incident involving Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos. Former Alcorn State standout Corey Wimberly recently joined the Caracas club. The versatile Wimberly, who spent last season in Triple-A in the Pittsburgh system, is playing outfield and is 2-for-9 in his two games. He is still seeking his first big league call-up. … Also in the VWL, ex-Ole Miss star Justin Henry is hitting .293 for Zulia. Henry, a second baseman, has spent the last two seasons bouncing between Double-A and Triple-A in the Detroit organization. … Ernesto Mejia, who set the Mississippi Braves’ home run and RBI records this season, is a teammate of Henry’s on the Zulia club and is batting .298 with four homers and 21 RBIs. … Another ex-M-Braves first baseman, Barbaro Canizares, has blasted 11 homers in 34 games in the Mexican Pacific League. Canizares, no longer under contract with a major league organization, spent the 2011 season in the Triple-A Mexican League. … Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton, a rising prospect with Cincinnati, leads the Puerto Rican Winter League with six stolen bases in 10 games but is batting just .194. … Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run bomb and Joey Terdoslavich went 2-for-4 in a losing cause for Surprise, which fell to Salt River 9-3 in Saturday’s Arizona Fall League championship game. Bethancourt and Terdoslavich likely will be playing for the M-Braves in 2012.