Independent ball refugee Corcino continues making most of opportunity

CEDAR RAPIDS – He could be bitter, but he's not. Edgar Corcino admitted he didn't do enough to stay in the Detroit Tigers organization.

It's a results business, and he didn't provide enough of them.

'It was a great experience, actually. I learned a lot of things over there,” the Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder said, graciously, after his walk-off single beat Quad Cities, 4-3, Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. 'I didn't do that well, I know that. But I never give up, you know? I keep playing.”

Corcino was a 26th-round draft pick of the Tigers in 2009 out of a high school in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. He was released in 2012 after four seasons as a Tigers minor leaguer.

Two seasons of independent ball in El Paso, Texas, and Rockford, Ill., got him a contract offer from the Minnesota Twins this past offseason. The 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder joined the Kernels from extended spring training May 30 and finds himself the club's leadoff hitter.

He went 3-for-5 Thursday, a bunt single important in a three-run eighth inning. With two outs in the ninth, he pulled a Jorge Perez changeup into right field to score pinch runner Tanner English with the winning run.

This was the second-half opener for both teams.

'I was thinking maybe going middle or away, but he gave me a hanging changeup, and I just pulled it and got a hit,” Corcino said.

'He has brought a positive energy,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. 'He has really flied around in the outfield, solidified our outfield defense in right. And he does a nice job in center when he gets a chance. His at-bats have been real good. He's a guy who signed as a young man with Detroit. The way it looks, Detroit kind of gave up on him too early. which is good for us.”

Cedar Rapids (42-29 overall) did nothing offensively until late. The highlight of the night until the eighth inning was left fielder Zack Larson reaching over the fence in left field to steal a home run away from QC's Jacob Nottingham.

Larson's two-run single past third base gave the Kernels a 3-2 lead heading to the ninth, but Quad Cities tied it in the top of the ninth against reliever Luke Bard (5-0). He came in to replace Brandon Bixler, who threw two shutout relief innings in his 2015 Kernels debut.

Bixler pitched all of last season in Cedar Rapids, but was diagnosed with a broken right wrist one day before spring training began in March. The bitter part about that was Bixler is left handed.

'Definitely didn't feel good to find that out,” he said. 'Anytime you get hurt, you miss out on opportunities. In the minor leagues, everyone is trying to take your spot. There's a lot of competition.”

The teams play the second game of their three-game series Friday night at 6:35. As always, click on the 'BOX” icon at the top right of the page to view a copy of the official game boxscore.

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