Minor Happenings: The 2007 Tony Awards

Well, another minor league season has come and gone here at TheClevelandFan.com and SportsTimeOhio.com. With that, it is time to put the wraps on the season with the second annual Minor League Tony Awards. While this is the final edition of Minor Happenings for this season, look for intermittent editions between now and spring to recap all the developments and news over the course of the offseason.

Offensive Player of the Year

The Nominees: Ben Francisco (Buffalo), Jordan Brown (Akron), Asdrubal Cabrera (Akron/Buffalo), Matt Whitney (Lake County/Kinston), Nick Weglarz (Lake County)

The Skinny: Ben Francisco won the International League batting title and hit .318 with 12 HR, 51 RBI, 22 stolen bases and an .878 OPS. Jordan Brown won the Eastern League batting title and was also named Eastern League MVP hitting .333 with 11 HR, 76 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .906 OPS. Prior to being called up to Buffalo and then to Cleveland in August, Asdrubal Cabrera arguably was the Eastern League MVP and hit .310 with 8 HR, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases and an .828 OPS in combined time at Akron and Buffalo. Whitney enjoyed a renaissance this season, and splitting the season in Lake County and Kinston hit .299 with 32 HR, 113 RBI and a .909 OPS. Nick Weglarz established himself as a young up-and-coming legit power hitting prospect, hitting .274 with 24 HR, 83 RBI and an .891 OPS.

And the Tony Award goes to: Matt Whitney

While the batting title for Ben Francisco was impressive, he also spent roughly a third of the season in Cleveland, and the same goes for Asdrubal Cabrera. Weglarz had a great year as a 19-year old in his first full season by belting 24 home runs and drawing 83 walks (.393 OBP), and Jordan Brown won the Eastern League MVP and batting title. But, the clear winner here is Whitney. He just had an unbelievable season and led the entire Indians system in home runs and RBI, and also was in the top five in all the minors in home runs. Whitney was finally healthy this year, and his numbers were greatly helped by a strikeout rate that improved from one every 2.6 at bats last year to one every 4.2 at bats this year.

Pitcher of the Year

The Nominees: Aaron Laffey (Akron/Buffalo), Jim Deters (Kinston), Josh Tomlin (Lake County/Kinston), Reid Santos (Akron), Jensen Lewis (Akron/Buffalo)

The Skinny: Aaron Laffey pitched at Akron and Buffalo and combined to go 13-4 with a 2.88 ERA, 99 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP in 131.1 innings pitched. Jim Deters won the Carolina League ERA title, going 12-4 with a 2.24 ERA, 66 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP in 112.1 innings pitched. Josh Tomlin split time in Lake County and Kinston and went 11-4 with a 3.36 ERA, 109 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP in 131.1 innings pitched. Reid Santos split the season in the bullpen and starting rotation at Akron and Buffalo going 8-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 85 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP in 96 innings pitched. Jensen Lewis flew through the upper levels of the system, and went 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP in 52 innings pitched.

And the Tony Award goes to: Aaron Laffey

Overall, the pitching in the system - from a performance standpoint - was down this year. Top pitching prospects Adam Miller and Chuck Lofgren had very ordinary years and proved to be human. Even still, there were a few very good performances. Jensen Lewis had a fantastic season and adapted to the new bullpen role perfectly, and Reid Santos was a great swing guy for Akron. Deters and Tomlin also had impressive years from a numbers standpoint, but in the end, Laffey is the clear winner. Laffey just had an outstanding year, and after a rough first couple starts in Buffalo rattled off nine wins in a row. In six June starts, Laffey went 6-0 with a ridiculous 0.87 ERA, holding batters to a .199 batting average in the process and striking out 38 batters in 41.1 innings pitched. Laffey's success this season actually started last year where he went 12-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 29 combined games (23 starts) at Akron and Buffalo in 2006.

Comeback Player of the Year

The Nominees: Michael Aubrey (Kinston/Akron), Matt Whitney (Lake County/Kinston), Chris Gimenez (Kinston/Akron)

The Skinny: Michael Aubrey came back from a bad leg injury he suffered last year as well as numerous other injuries practically played the entire season at 75-80% and still hit .277 with 12 HR, 45 RBI and an .813 OPS. Coming into this season, Matt Whitney had been written off as a top prospect, but he rebounded this season to hit .299 with 32 HR, 113 RBI, and a .909 OPS. Chris Gimenez came back from a career threatening staff infection and thumb injury the past two seasons and hit .264 with 26 HR, 66 RBI, and an .899 OPS.

And the Tony Award goes to: Matt Whitney

Aubrey made a valiant effort playing through pain this season, so much so, that after every game his body from the ribs down was covered in ice packs. It also marked the first time since his professional debut in 2003 that he finished the season playing and not on the disabled list. Also, Chris Gimenez had a fantasic year, one which he never thought he would see two years ago when he was laid up in a hospital bed with a serious staff infection and seconds away from having his leg amputated (more on this in a feature on Gimenez this weekend). But, again, Whitney's resurgence this season as a top power prospect wins out. Whitney was once one of the top young players in the Indians system, but after a bad leg injury in spring 2003, his career had taken a serious detour the past four years where he only hit a combined .230 with 21 HR and 96 RBI in 225 games from 2003-2006.

Biggest Breakthrough

The Nominees: Jordan Brown (Akron), Chris Gimenez (Kinston/Akron), Josh Rodriguez (Kinston), Jared Goedert (Lake County/Kinston), Nick Weglarz (Lake County), Todd Martin (Mahoning Valley)

The Skinny: Jordan Brown jumped from good prospect status coming into the season to one of the more elite after he hit .333 with 11 HR, 76 RBI and a .906 OPS in his MVP-winning season this year at Akron. Chris Gimenez showed very good power potential and versatility this year, hitting .264 with 26 HR, 66 RBI, and an .899 OPS. Josh Rodriguez is now arguably the best middle infield prospect in the system, and hit .262 with 20 HR, 82 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and an .811 OPS. Jared Goedert was arguably the best hitter in minor league baseball in April and May, and on the year hit .317 with 20 HR, 74 RBI, and a 1.020 OPS. Nick Weglarz showed unbelievable raw power and plate discipline for a 19-year old kid in a full-season league, and hit .274 with 24 HR, 83 RBI, and an .891 OPS. Todd Martin showed he might be a late bloomer, hitting .360 with 8 HR, 40 RBI and a .956 OPS for short-season Mahoning Valley.

And the Tony Award goes to: Nick Weglarz

Jordan Brown cemented himself as probably the Indians best pure hitting prospect in the system, and he also validated his 2006 Carolina League MVP season from last year. Also, Chris Gimenez and Todd Martin showed versatility combined with power and an advanced approach at the plate. But, the three big breakthroughs this season belonged to Josh Rodriguez, Jared Goedert and Nick Weglarz. Rodriguez and Goedert now give the Indians some legit middle infield prospects, something which has really been lacking the past few years. Goedert was amazing in April and May, and if not for a shoulder injury that plagued him the last half of the season he might have run away with this award. Weglarz was consistent all year, and surprisingly in his first year in a full-season league and only being 19-years old he got stronger as the year went on as he hit .333 in August with nine home runs and had a .300+ average after the All-Star break. Also, Weglarz is a left-handed hitter but he hit left-handers better than right-handers where he hit .287 against lefties (33-115) with six home runs and a .907 OPS. Against righties, Weglarz hit .273 (89-326) with 18 home runs and an .892 OPS.

Biggest Disappointment

The Nominees: Trevor Crowe (Akron), Ryan Goleski (Akron), JD Martin (Akron), Brad Snyder (Buffalo), Steven Wright (Lake County/Kinston)

The Skinny: Trevor Crowe struggled the first half of the season, but caught fire in the second half and still only hit .259 with 5 HR, 50 RBI, 28 stolen bases, and a .694 OPS. Ryan Goleski followed up his awesome 2006 campaign (.306/27/106/.948) with a real clunker this year hitting only .257 with 9 HR, 73 RBI, and a .702 OPS. JD Martin was supposedly healthy and ready to reclaim his position as a top pitching prospect in the system, but was sidelined in June with an elbow injury (again) and finished the year 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA, 23 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP in only 42.1 innings pitched. Brad Snyder had a disappointing year in Buffalo and hit only .263 with 10 HR, 35 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and an .802 OPS. Steven Wright's professional career got off to a rocky start as he went 7-9 with a 5.67 ERA, 114 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP in 114.1 innings pitched.

And the Tony Award goes to: Brad Snyder

Trevor Crowe seemed all but certain to win this award at the season's midpoint when he was hitting .225 with a .624 OPS at the All-Star break, but a strong second half where he hit .314 with an .811 OPS saved him. Steven Wright struggled a lot this season, but his 114 strikeouts in 114.1 innings pitched show he may still have some value and a bullpen role in the future may better suit him. Also, it is tough to get down on JD Martin (and Tony Sipp for that matter) when his season was cut short due to injury. The two clear disappointments were Brad Snyder and Ryan Goleski. Goleski is very consistent, but in a bad way as every good season is followed up with a clunker. In 2004 at Lake County he hit .295 with 28 HR, 104 RBI and an .895 OPS, but followed that up in 2005 in Kinston to hit .212 with 17 HR, 67 RBI and a .658 OPS. After that season, in 2006 at Kinston and Akron he combined to hit .306 with 27 HR, 106 RBI and a .948 OPS, but this year only hit .257 with 9 HR, 73 RBI and a .702 OPS. Snyder just had a bad season in Buffalo and never seemed to be able to get it going. After stalling as a prospect and his valued 40-man roster spot likely needed for another player this offseason, Snyder's days with the Indians appear to be numbered. If I had to pick between Snyder and Goleski and keep only one, at this point it would be Goleski, which says a lot on how disappointing Snyder was this season since I have been a huge Snyder fan over the years and still was one coming into this season.

Team of the Year

The Nominees: Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A), Akron Aeros (Double-A), Kinston Indians (Advanced Single-A)

The Skinny: Buffalo finished the season 75-67 and missed the playoffs by one game. Akron finished the year 80-61 and made the Eastern League playoffs winning their first round series before losing in the Championship Series. Kinston finished the year 87-52 overall and won both the first and second half division titles, but were eliminated in the first round of the Carolina League playoffs.

And the Tony Award goes to: Akron Aeros

This is the first year in some time that at least one team in the Indians system did not win a league championship. Buffalo was in first place for most of the first half of the season, but despite a valiant late-season charge the final two weeks of the season, a tough stretch in July and August where they went 13-21 was their undoing and led to them missing the playoffs by one game. Most of the Indians best performers this year were in Akron and Kinston, and their record and success showed as a result. Kinston dominated the Carolina League all season, but in the playoffs fell in the opening round two games to one in a short three game series. Akron was somewhat shorthanded at the end of the season and in the playoffs, but still made it to the Eastern League Championship Series for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years. Akron also boasted some of the top prospects in the system in Jordan Brown, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brian Barton, Aaron Laffey, Jensen Lewis, Chuck Lofgren, and others for most of the year.

All-Minor League Indians

Note: This is not a top prospect listing by position, but a listing based on performance in 2007. A quick glance through, you can kind of see where the organization's strengths and weaknesses are as far as depth by position goes.

1st Team:

Catcher: Chris Gimenez (.264, 26 HR, 66 RBI, .899 OPS)
First Base: Matt Whitney (.299, 32 HR, 113 RBI, .909 OPS)
Second Base: Jared Goedert (.317, 20 HR, 74 RBI, 1.020 OPS)
Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera (.310, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases, .828 OPS)
Third Base: Wes Hodges (.288, 15 HR, 71 RBI, .840 OPS)
Left Field: Nick Weglarz (.274, 23 HR, 82 RBI, .892 OPS)
Center Field: Ben Francisco (.318, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 22 stolen bases, .878 OPS)
Right Field: John Van Every (.307, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 6 stolen bases, .916 OPS)
Left-handed Starter: Aaron Laffey (13-4, 2.88 ERA, 131.1 IP, 99 K, 1.13 WHIP)
Left-handed Reliever: Reid Santos (8-3, 2.72 ERA, 96 IP, 85 K, 1.15 WHIP)
Right-handed Starter: Jim Deters (12-4, 2.24 ERA, 112.1 IP, 66 K, 1.09 WHIP)
Right-handed Reliever: Jensen Lewis (3-0, 1.73 ERA, 52 IP, 61 K, 0.94 WHIP)

2nd Team:

Catcher: Matt McBride (.287, 8 HR, 66 RBI, .780 OPS)
First Base: Jordan Brown (.333, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 11 stolen bases, .906 OPS)
Second Base: Adam Davis (.266, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 22 stolen bases, .747 OPS)
Shortstop: Josh Rodriguez (.262, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 21 stolen bases, .811 OPS)
Third Base: Andy Marte (.267, 16 HR, 60 RBI, .766 OPS)
Left Field: Cirilo Cumberbatch (.299, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 5 stolen bases, .808 OPS)
Center Field: Brian Barton (.305, 10 HR, 66 RBI, 21 stolen bases, .822 OPS)
Right Field: Stephen Head (.256, 16 HR, 79 RBI, 6 stolen bases, .789 OPS)
Left-handed Starter: Scott Lewis (7-9, 3.68 ERA, 134.2 IP, 121 K, 1.25 WHIP)
Left-handed Reliever: Garrett Rieck (3-1, 2.00 ERA, 36 IP, 31 K, 1.17 WHIP)
Right-handed Starter: Josh Tomlin (11-4, 3.36 ERA, 131.1 IP, 109 K, 1.21 WHIP)
Right-hander Reliever: Jeff Stevens (6-3, 2.81 ERA, 83.1 IP, 102 K, 1.00 WHIP)

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Season Ending Conversation With Ross Atkins

Ross Atkins first year as the Director of Player Development just finished up, as he was named to the post in October 2006 after former director John Farrell left to join the Boston Red Sox organization as their pitching coach. The minor league season wrapped up a few weeks ago, but for Atkins the season lasts pretty much 365 days a year as he will be following the young prospects in his system over the course of the next several months while they play in the Instructional League and also in fall/winter leagues.

Atkins is a former pitcher in the Indians system, where he played for five seasons from 1995-1999. He reached as high as Double-A Akron, and in his five year minor league career was 37-32 with a 4.13 ERA in 141 games. When his playing career ended, he immediately began working in the Indians minor league system in 2000 as a pitching coach, and also served as a translator and English instructor for Danys Baez during his transition from Cuba to the United States during his first pro season.

After the 2000 season, Atkins was named as the Assistant Director of Player Development under former Director of Player Development John Farrell from 2001-2003. From there, Atkins spent three years from 2004-2006 as the Indians Director of Latin Operations where he oversaw all aspects of the Indians operations in Latin America.

Atkins recently returned from Florida where he was down in Winter Haven to get a firsthand look at the players currently participating in the Instructional League. For information on the Instructional League and what it is, our very own Dennis Nosco wrote about it earlier today and will be checking back in over the course of the next few months with information on the Instructional League and Rule 5 Draft.

With Atkins back in Cleveland, I had a chance to sit down and talk to him on the phone briefly about some of the things from a player development perspective that most fans, as well as I, are unsure about. Here is a short question and answer from the conversation:

Q: Do you side more on the scouting angle where you rely on the eyes of scouts, or do you use the currently en vogue computer analysis methods more? Mix? With the hiring of Keith Woolner (formerly of Baseball Prospectus) as "Manager of Baseball Research and Analysis" does this mean the organization is getting more serious about statistical analysis, especially as it relates to player development?

Ross Atkins (RA): Obviously, we use a mixture. You can't say that one is heavier than the other. Actually what you are doing is everything you can to gather all of the information and weight it appropriately depending on the situation. It is all circumstantial and situational. There are also medical factors and mental factors, so there is so much more than just scouting and objective data. You weight it all appropriately and try to make the best decision you can. The more consistent you make the decisions the same way, hopefully the better off you will be. With Woolner, it takes our objective analysis to another level.

Q: What type of guidelines are in place for how you decide a player should be moved up or down? Does a player need to play somewhere for a certain length of time or have a certain number of at bats before they are moved up even if they are performing very well?

RA: The guidelines are always based on what is best for the player, never what is good for a team. What is best for the player and his development, and is he currently being challenged. When he is no longer being challenged is when we feel it is appropriate for them to advance. Now, that is not a rule as there are always exceptions to that, but that is the guideline we use.

Q: Going into spring training each year, do you have an idea going in where most of the players will be assigned? Or, is this something that is actually sorted out during camp? What goes into deciding where a player is to be assigned when camp breaks?

RA: We have a very good idea before spring training starts where guys will be heading. The offseason can change that, and certainly games or strides they make in the offseason can change that. But spring training typically does not change that, other than injury. So performance in spring training does not change those things as far as prospects are concerned.

Q: What is the setup like out in Latin America? Is it just one actual complex players are grouped at somewhere centralized, or is it a collection of several different small academies in various spots throughout the country?

RA: We have an academy in the Dominican Republic and we have a presence in Venezuela. The Dominican Republic academy houses up to 60 players, and we typically keep about 35 depending on the time of the year. We are shuttling players in and out of there for tryouts. We do the same thing in Venezuela, but we don't have an affiliated team. We do not house that many players, as we can only house 35 total and we typically have 10-15. (Note: Atkins also commented that when he was the Director of Latin Operations he lived there at least one month all year, and the other time he lived in Miami, FL and would visit the academies as much as three times a month.)

Q: Former Farm Director John Farrell preached a pitch-to-contact philosophy, is this something you still mandate? Has it evolved at all, or have you taken it in a new direction or approach?

RA: Our pitching coordinator and hitting gurus have not changed. Our hitting coordinator is new, but our fielding coordinator was the hitting coordinator. So, our hitting and pitching philosophies have not changed at all with the transition from Farrell to myself.

Q: With the success of several young players with the major league club who started this year in the minor league system, does this give you a sense of fulfillment that you and your staff on the player development side of things did a good job this year?

RA: This is something more for someone like John Farrell to hang his hat on, as he was the farm director for the past five years. Nothing I came in and did made Asdrubal Cabrera, Aaron Laffey or Jensen Lewis' path any easier. I think it is the hardwork that has been in place over the past 15 years starting with Mark Shapiro, then Neil Huntington, and then John Farrell. I happen to have my name on the title right now, but I am benefiting from the last 15 years of hardwork. I do feel some fulfillment because I have been here for 12 years, but if it were to go to one person it can't.

Q: This year, the Lake County squad had a heavy influence of Latin players, which was much higher than previous years if I recall correctly. Is this a change in philosophy by you to push some of these young kids, or a byproduct of what you are comfortable with at the lower levels considering your experience with these players when you oversaw them as Director of Latin Operations?

RA: It is always based on who are the highest upside players with the ability to compete at that level, and who has the best chance to become a major leaguer. It depends every year based on the draft and what is coming out of Latin America and what was in Winter Haven and Mahoning Valley the year prior.

Q: Last, who are some of the players that have gained the attention of the organization this year that maybe were not on the radar screen before this season? In other words the dark horses, the come from nowhere guys, or guys who were expected to be good who are playing at an exceptional level now that we should start paying attention to?

RA: Some really promising years were from the guys in Cleveland. Obviously those guys had quicker paths than anticipated, and Aaron Laffey, Jensen Lewis, and Asdrubal Cabrera are the most exciting and forefront. Looking at the lower levels, a guy like Jared Goedert we did not expect that kind of production out of, and Jordan Brown was not out of nowhere by any chance. Matt Whitney would be one of those guys because of all the injuries and adversity he has been through. Matt Whitney, Jared Goedert, Hector Rondon, and Carlos Rivero had very encouraging years.

Atkins also mentioned that while the player development portion of the Indians new spring training complex is expected to be open in Summer 2008, the Indians will still have a Gulf Coast League (GCL) team in Winter Haven for the 2008 season, and in 2009 the GCL team will move to the Arizona complex where we will move to the Arizona League. Also, when asked if there was a shift in the way the organization handles giving young players opportunities at the major league level this year, Atkins maintains there has been no change although directed me to General Manager Mark Shapiro for more insight on the topic.

Thanks to Ross Atkins and his staff for all the help this year. The Indians minor league season will kick back up again next spring, and TheClevelandFan.com and SportstimeOhio.com will be all over it.

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Gimenez Back To Form After Serious Setback

Indians do-everything prospect Chris Gimenez may be one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Yes, just about any young man in the minors is great to talk to because they appreciate the attention, but when talking to some players their shyness or introverted personality can show at times.

Not Gimenez.

He is not only a nice guy, but an engaging personality who will talk your ear off (not that it is a bad thing).

In addition to having an incredible personality, Gimenez is also a physically imposing specimen. The guy is ripped and built like a linebacker in the NFL, and arguably may be the strongest player in the Indians system. In a lot of ways, his overall look and build is a lot like Cleveland Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner. That's how big and strong he looks.

Sometimes though, the bigger you are, the harder you fall. But, what knocked Gimenez down was not a string of poor performance, but a string of serious injuries in 2005 and 2006.

Gimenez was selected in the 19th round of the 2004 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Nevada. After being drafted, Gimenez debuted at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley that year and put up outstanding numbers and hit .300 with 10 HR, 38 RBI and a .946 OPS in 71 games. He also set several team records in the process, ranking in the top ten in several season categories and most notably second in home runs (10), first in on-base percentage (.419), and first in slugging percentage (.527).

After his brilliant season in Mahoning Valley, Gimenez made his full-season debut with Single-A Lake County in 2005. But, shortly into his campaign at Lake County, Gimenez's life and career took a dramatic turn when he suffered a rare type of staph infection. Gimenez made a slide into second base legging out a double, and scraped up his knee in the process which is not unusual for a player to do when sliding.

"Actually, it was really weird how it happened," said Gimenez about the staph infection. "I had hit a ball and was running to second base and slid into it. You get the normal raspberry on your knee, just like you have a thousand times before. I played the rest of the game and went home that night, and woke up the next morning which was a Sunday game at 12:30 and we had a 12:00 stretch, so we did not take batting practice or any of that stuff. So basically I went out and stretched, and I was warming up with one of my good buddies Brian Finegan, and I noticed that my knee was tight. I was like 'what the heck is going on' and it kept getting worse and worse and I was like 'what the heck did I do to me knee?' Well then it got to the point where I felt it was serious so I had to go find our trainer, and went and sat in the dugout and I happened to look down and my knee was a beach ball."

After the slide into second base, Gimenez threw dirt on the raspberry to stop the bleeding. While not the smartest thing to do, it is something he had done as a high school player to stop cuts and scrapes from bleeding since you can be removed from a game if you have blood on your jersey.

"Apparently there was something in the dirt that had gotten into my knee and was not cleaned out completely," said Gimenez. "I remember when I was in high school I have permanent marks [on my body] that are dirt stained because they wouldn't let you play if you had blood on your uniform. So I would slide headfirst and scrape my arms up and then I would just grab dirt and shove it in there so it wouldn't bleed anymore so I could play. For all the times I have done that on a high school field where God knows what kind of chemicals, spit and whatever is in there it just happened to happen that I slide in the wrong spot at the right time I guess."

When Gimenez and his trainer looked at his beach ball sized knee, they knew something was wrong. But the question was ... what?

"They didn't know what it was, as they thought it was a burst bursa sac at first," said Gimenez. "There is a fluid sac in there, and sometimes you will slide real hard and it will burst that sac and [leak the fluid], and it is fine as you just need to get it drained and you are good to go. That's what they originally thought it was. Well, I tried to play the game and I felt like peg-leg out there because it was so swollen that I couldn't even bend my knee. I hit a groundball and just walked straight to the dugout, I didn't even go to first base. Sarby (Mike Sarbaugh) our manager had taken me out, and then I went into the training room and they said it might be an infection."

Things got worse from there, and after his knee did not respond to ice treatment later that day they knew it was a staph infection.

"We iced it for 45 minutes, and this is something that I will never forget because after we iced it for 45 minutes we took the ice off and it was like it had been in a microwave," said Gimenez. "I guess that is what happens when you have staph infections, is they create heat. For ice being on your body for 45 minutes you would think it would be stone cold and it was like I had just gotten right out of a hot tub. So that is when the trainer knew I might have a staph infection. I had always heard of people getting staph infections and having things cut off, so it kind of freaked me out a little bit. He explained to me that we would go see a doctor when I got back [to Lake County]. The worst part is we had a ten hour bus trip back and a day off. [When we got back] I went to the hospital and they took some un-Godly amount of fluid that is not supposed to come out of my knee. They had it tested, and when they got the culture test back they said it was a rare type of staff infection so I needed to be admitted to the hospital quickly."

As Gimenez was laid up in Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland for almost two weeks, the infection got worse and worse where it eventually started spreading up his leg and into his groin area. When this happened, the situation became critical and life-threatening. If the infection spread to the groin area it would give it a clear path to the heart, and could result in death. So, the doctors gave Gimenez the news and informed him that if the infection did not start to subside overnight, that the next day he would have to have his leg amputated.

Thankfully, Gimenez's body started responding to the medicine that was being pumped into his body, and literally minutes before doctors were about to send him into surgery to remove his leg, the staph infection started to subside.

"When I was in the hospital, my infection had spread from my leg to my groin area," said Gimenez. "We did not know, actually, the severity of it until the red streaks started spreading to the groin area and that is when the doctors were like 'okay, this is a problem because if it goes there it goes straight to your heart and you are dead.' My doctor came in and said if the infection did not stop or go down in the next few hours there is a pretty good chance they would have to amputate the leg. So I am lying in bed all night and did not sleep a wink just thinking 'I'm not going to be able to walk again, I can't play golf or play baseball, my girlfriend is going to break up with me because I have one leg, my dad is going to have to buy one of those vans with the wheelchair coming out of it.' Just all these things were running around in my head. It was just kind of a huge mess, but thankfully I did not have to get it cut off."

After the two week ordeal that Gimenez went through emotionally and physically with the staph infection in 2005, the thumb injury he suffered in 2006 seems like nothing and pales in comparison.

Still, yet again a situation at second base resulted in Gimenez getting another freak injury that pretty much cost him another season of development. While sliding to breakup a double play, his thumb had gotten lodged under the second base bag as he slid through the base, and he ended up tearing all the ligaments in his thumb. He ended up being sidelined for almost half the season as a result, although he is now 100% recovered from the injury.

"They decided they wanted me to catch, so I went back to Lake County," recalled Gimenez. "About a month into the season, Fernando Pacheco had hit a groundball with me on first and a runner on third so I went to breakup the double-play. I slid into second base and I went to roll into the guy, and my thumb got caught underneath the bag. I kept going and my thumb stayed there and I tore just about every ligament in my thumb on my throwing hand. I'm just a pretty balls out guy, and if I get a chance to do something crazy, I'm all for taking guys out. Luckily I had one little strand of ligament left so they did not want to do surgery as there was a possibility it could heal. So we waited two weeks. I was in a cast, and we left it in a cast for a month with no surgery. I was out for over two months, and then came back from it and did really well. So, it was kind of a freak deal."

Fast forward to 2007, Gimenez finally made it through a season healthy, and his offensive abilities that he showed in Mahoning Valley in 2004 showed this year in Kinston and Akron. Without any setbacks this year, Gimenez sort of resurrected himself as a top hitting prospect in the system with excellent power potential, hitting .264 with 26 HR, 66 RBI and a .899 OPS in 113 combined games in Kinston and Akron. He was also a mid-season Carolina League All-Star after he hit .288 with 15 HR, 37 RBI and had a 1.031 OPS the first half of the season.

In addition to the hitting, however, Gimenez also has become very versatile as a player where he can play catcher, first base, third base, and the outfield. That sort of versatility will make Gimenez very valuable down the road when he looks to make the Indians roster as a bench player out of the minors. Hitting will always be the X-factor for him, but being able to play multiple positions is a plus.

"Actually, I really enjoy it," said Gimenez when asked about playing everywhere on the diamond. "That is the most exciting part, as it is kind a new challenge every day. You are not just stuck going to left field and taking 25 fly balls. It is kind of refreshing knowing that you are not always going out to the same patch of grass or dirt everyday. I need work everywhere, but at times I think catching and other times third base are my best positions. I played third base for a month this year and I thought I did very well considering the fact I had not played there in two years. I think if I was to stick to a position I can do well since you are getting all your reps there."

If Gimenez had a primary position at the moment, it would have to be catcher. That is the position he played the most this year, and is the position he was converted to back in 2005. It is still a work in progress for him as he never really played much catcher in high school or college, but he is coming along well with the transition to a new and very challenging position.

"I caught a little bit in high school," said Gimenez. "I caught my sophomore and junior year in high school, and didn't play my senior year because I was hurt. I learned the basics of it in high school, and I never really caught in college aside from catching bullpens as a freshman. I was an outfielder, and never really got back to catching until I got into pro ball. I worked with Armando Camacaro (veteran catcher in the Indians farm system), and he has helped with the mechanics and other things. And, when you are catching you are more into the game than you are in when you play, say, left field."

Earlier this year, after a very good showing the first few months of the season in Kinston, Gimenez was promoted to Double-A Akron on June 29th. Gimenez got off to a blistering start in Akron, homering and doubling in his first game and also winning the Eastern League Player of the Week Award for the week of 7/16. But, after that hot start, Gimenez cooled quickly. Gimenez ended up being sent back to Kinston on August 6th, and the fizzling performance his last few weeks in Akron was a result of him pressing and trying to do too much.

"Honestly, I think it was me trying to do too much and getting out of my gameplan a little bit," said Gimenez. "It is kind of like in Kinston where you play teams so many times, and they start to get the book on you. And you have to make adjustments, and I was just getting out of my gameplan. I would have probably walked a million times because they barely threw me any strikes, but I would just swing at them because I was struggling and pressing and trying to do a little more than I should have been doing. It kind of just snowballed on me, and hopefully next year I will get a chance to go back up there (Akron) and prove myself and turn things around."

According to Gimenez, one of the more noticeable differences in going from advanced Single-A to Double-A is obviously the pitching. Pitchers have better command of their pitches to where they really will throw almost anything in any count. Also, the game is just a bit quicker and the players much sharper.

"It really is different," noted Gimenez. "The game is still the same as it is still baseball, but it is definitely a little quicker. Guys are a little sharper in Double-A than they are in [Single-A]. Defensively, it seems like the [outfield] gaps shrink as you go up. The biggest difference for me is guys not throwing a straight fastball as everybody has a cutter or sinker where at Kinston you really only run into one or two guys who have that but really no one can control it. Up there [in Akron] they will throw you a 3-0 slider, and up there they can throw two pitches for strikes. That was the biggest thing for me, is in advantage counts you look for a fastball at Kinston where there you may have to sit offspeed because that is probably what you are going to get. The strike zone shrinks a little bit and guys tighten up their game."

Gimenez has taken note of how once you get to Double-A, anything can happen. With guys like Aaron Laffey, Jensen Lewis and Asdrubal Cabrera starting this year in Akron and now major components of the Cleveland Indians roster, a lot of players now view Akron as a springboard to the majors. While Triple-A Buffalo is the highest stop on the minor league ladder, it also is more of a holding ground for leftovers from the major league team. Double-A Akron is arguably the last true stop and major hurdle in the system for players to get past to get to the big show.

"That's the thing, you never know," said Gimenez. "In our organization you are really one step away when you get to Akron. They do mostly take guys from Buffalo, but Akron is always a very prospect oriented team. The best thing about it is you are facing a lot of guys with big league time or working their way back up.

"One of the players Gimenez had a chance to play with at Akron this year that found their way to Cleveland was shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. Gimenez was impressed with Cabrera's abilities in the field and at the plate, but even more so with Cabrera's confidence and the way he carried himself.

"It was amazing playing next to him," said Gimenez, who mostly played third base at Akron next to Cabrera. "He would say things to help me out. We'd play a fielding game everyday during batting practice, and if you made an error during batting practice you would lose because he is not going to make one. Honestly, that helped me out a ton just getting better working on groundballs with my footwork and making perfect throws. He is very intense when he does it, and has a good head on his shoulders."

Over the course of the season, Gimenez worked on many things at the plate to try and improve as a hitter. One of the things he worked on all year was trying to get himself to consistently swing down and through the ball to create backspin on the ball so it carries more.

"For me the biggest thing is I have a tendency to get the bat in the right position and then as soon as I get there I don't follow my swing path as I will cut it off and rotate my shoulders instead of staying down through the ball," said Gimenez. "So, I pull off on a lot of stuff because of it and I don't get that true backspin like I was getting at the beginning of the year. I was backspinning balls like crazy to right-center and left-center field. For me, that is where I need to stay as for me to be successful I need to stay in the middle of the field. I get a lot of topspin on my balls, so I need to get there and stay down through the ball as that is what creates that friction off the bat and backspin. Really, just working on throwing the barrel at the ball because I tend to use my shoulders more than my hands. As soon as I started using my hands balls just started jumping everywhere."

Gimenez credits a lot of his success this year and the improvements he has made as a hitter to Kinston Hitting Coach Jon Nunnally. As I mentioned in a previous article, the players in Kinston really respect Nunnally and the rapport he has with them is amazing, especially considering this is only his second year as a coach with the Indians. Nunnally's upfront style has certainly won the players over.

"Nunnally has done an amazing job," said Gimenez. "He is by far the best hitting coach I have ever had in my life, bar none. He says things that just sticks with you. Best part is he is honest where he won't let you get away with things where other guys will say 'yeah, that was a good swing', where he will say 'no, that was not a good swing' or 'you can do better than that.' He really keeps you on your toes, and to me you need that from a hitting coach because you don't need guys telling you it was a good swing when in reality it wasn't. Then you start training yourself thinking it was a good swing so you are going to swing like that every time when in reality you are doing it wrong. Learning what I have learned from him this year has helped me a ton."

With the season over, Gimenez is able to get some much needed rest before he gets started playing in the Arizona Fall League this October. Looking back on the season though, Gimenez knows he made some noise and will force the Indians to make a roster decision on him this offseason since he is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. With his versatility and power, a team may just take a shot at drafting him if the Indians leave him unprotected.

But, considering Gimenez's makeup, power and versatility, chances are he will be sticking in the Indians system for awhile.

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