SUGAR LAND, Texas — As a familiar face poked through his office door, Pete Incaviglia’s eyes beamed. The former big-leaguer leaped — barrel- and bare-chested, wearing only athletic shorts, black-rimmed glasses and a horseshoe mustache — to engulf Diamondbacks scout Chris Carminucci in a bear hug. (Bare hug?)



“Hardest-working man in baseball,” Incaviglia said.



“I get to see all of you,” Carminucci replied.



This was 29 years of combined independent baseball league experience, some of it overlapping, coming together in that embrace. Incaviglia had been managing in indy ball since 2007 when Carminucci hired him to lead the brand-new Grand Prairie AirHogs of the American Association. Back then, Carminucci was something of an indy ball startup guru — if you wanted to start an independent league team, you called him.



Twelve years later, they were standing in Incaviglia’s office at Constellation...