Minor League Update

Some random updates....

Miller Gets The Finger

Right-hander Adam Miller has been sidelined in camp for a few days because of a blister to the middle finger of his throwing hand. This is the same middle finger that pretty much was the culprit of all his physical problems last year that saw him sidelined for three to four months. He played catch at 120 feet yesterday, will throw a bullpen session today, and then most likely will throw batting practice on Tuesday.

Miller would have made his major league debut last May or June had the finger injury not cropped up. The Indians were on the verge of sending Jeremy Sowers to Buffalo and calling up Miller when he injured the finger, and saw his season derailed. He came back from the injury in July, but then came up with inflammation in his elbow and was sidelined again until late August. He went to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) in the fall to get some work in and log more innings, and in his final start in the AFL he re-aggravated the finger injury.

Aside from the blister, Miller is reportedly healthy. The blister is only a minor setback, but it is time to start being a little more concerned about his finger issue. According to Dr. Tom Graham, who is the hand specialist the Indians are using to routinely evaluate Miller, while the finger issue is rare Miller is more susceptible to this type of injury because of his big hands, longer fingers and how hard he throws. Miller is ticketed for a return trip to Buffalo to continue to get more work in and prove he is healthy before he could be an option the Indians consider sometime later this year.

Minor League Coverage On STO

The Indians cable network SportsTime Ohio has some cool things in store as far as minor league coverage goes in 2008. On the show "All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan", there will be segments dedicated every Tuesday and Friday to minor league coverage. They will have representatives for each team in studio or on the phone to talk about their team and what is happening with the players, as well as player personnel people like Farm Director Ross Atkins once a month. Here is the proposed schedule of appearances on "All Bets Are Off" in April:

Friday April 4th: Kinston manager Chris Tremie
Tuesday April 8th: Lake County manager Aaron Holbert and Play-By-Play voice/Media Relations Director Craig Deas (both will be in studio)
Friday April 11th: Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh
Tuesday April 15th: Buffalo manager Torey Luvullo
Friday April 18th: Lake County manager Aaron Holbert
Tuesday April 22nd: Kinston manager Chris Tremie
Friday April 25th: Buffalo manager Torey Luvullo
Tuesday April 29th: Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh

It should be noted that the schedule is subject to change, and also that Ross Atkins has not committed to a date yet, but should appear on one show sometime in April. So, as you can see, if you want some more minor league news, you should be able to catch it every Tuesday and Friday on "All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan". Big props to STO for this addition.

Slocum Back In The Mix

Right-hander Brian Slocum is looking to re-establish himself as a depth alternative for the Indians starting rotation or bullpen this spring. After he had a good year in 2006 in Buffalo and Cleveland, he came into 2007 as one of the Indians primary depth starting options. However, Slocum encountered hamstring issues right from the start of spring training last year and while trying to pitch through it he hurt his elbow in the process. While he opened the year with Buffalo, a month into the season he was put on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow and never returned. Slocum also had surgery in September to have a deviated septum repaired. Slocum was cleared to participate in the Florida Instructional League, and then went out and made a few starts in winter ball in the Venezuela Winter League. He is in camp healthy, and ready to pitch for a major league job sometime this year.

On The Mend

Here is the status of some of the Indians who are coming off offseason surgeries or were hurt last season:

Adam Miller: His blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand has slowed him down some, but other than that he looks like he will be good to go when camp breaks and head to Buffalo.

Eddie Mujica: Mujica actually had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in September, and is healthy and ready to compete for a bullpen spot in camp this spring. He has also lost some weight.

Tony Sipp: Sipp is progressing well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery last July. He is throwing off the mound and threw 60 pitches the other day. When camp breaks, Sipp will stay behind in spring training to continue his rehab. The plan is to send him on a rehab assignment in early May - likely to Lake County - and be ready for normal action by late June or early July.

Michael Aubrey: Aubrey has been hampered by various injuries throughout his career, but is coming into camp as healthy as he has ever been and ready to hopefully have a big year at Buffalo this year.

Shin-Soo Choo: Choo had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow back in September, and is playing catch at about 90 feet and taking soft toss in the batting cages. He likely will be limited to designated hitter duties early on in spring training, but he could get some time in the outfield late in camp. He will stay in extended spring training to continue his rehab when the Indians start the regular season, and the plan is to send him on a rehab assignment to Buffalo sometime in May.

Jordan Brown: Brown had a arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason and is about to resume normal activities. He is about a week behind other players.

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A Brief Weekend Update

Still not much going on in the minor leaguer world as players are enjoying their last fews days of relaxation before the pressure of baseball kicks back into full gear this coming weekend when players start to report to minor league camp.

That said, I wanted to pass along two news items. First, in addition to this blog and writing on TheClevelandFan.com as I always have and will continue to do, it looks like I will also be doing some writing for MLN Sports Zone which is a monthyl minor league magazine dedicated to the minors (www.minorleaguenews.com). There is also a possibility I may start doing some freelance work for other minor league publications, so we will see.

Also, the Indians cable network SportsTime Ohio has some cool things in store as far as minor league coverage goes in 2008. On the show "All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan", there will be segments dedicated every Tuesday and Friday on minor league coverage. They will have representatives for each team in studio or on the phone to talk about their team and what is happening with the players, as well as player personnel people like Farm Director Ross Atikins once a month. Here is the propose schedule of appearances on "All Bets Are Off" in April:

Friday April 4th: Kinston manager Chris Tremie
Tuesday April 8th: Lake County manager Aaron Holbert and Play-By-Play voice/Media Relations Director Craig Deas (both will be in studio)
Friday April 11th: Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh
Tuesday April 15th: Buffalo manager Torey Luvullo
Friday April 18th: Lake County manager Aaron Holbert
Tuesday April 22nd: Kinston manager Chris Tremie
Friday April 25th: Buffalo manager Torey Luvullo
Tuesday April 29th: Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh

It should be noted that the schedule is subject to change, and also that Ross Atkins has not committed to a date yet, but should appear on one show sometime in April. So, as you can see, if you want some more minor league news, you should be able to catch it every Tuesday and Friday on "All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan". Big props to STO for this addition.

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2008 Indians Preview: The Starters

This is the first of a four part installment previewing the 2008 Cleveland Indians. Today, we take a look at the Indians starting rotation for 2008.

Flashback: By the Numbers

The Indians return all seven of their starters from a starting staff that last year led the AL in several categories. In fact, going back three years, it is easy to see the most consistent and biggest strength of the team has been the starting pitching.

Last year, the Indians had the best starting staff ERA-wise in the AL, and the peripheral numbers across the board backed up that lofty ERA ranking. In fact, the only areas the starting pitching has struggled the past three years has been in batting average against (BAA) and strikeouts per nine innings (K/9). Of course, this should be of no surprise as the rotation has been filled with groundball pitchers like Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook and Aaron Laffey, and pitch to contact pitchers like Paul Byrd and Jeremy Sowers.

Here is a break down of the team pitching stats for the last three seasons, with AL ranks in parentheses:

	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
2007	4.19 (1st)	1021.1 (1st)	.274 (7th)	.738 (3rd)	1.31 (3rd)	2.58 (2nd)	5.69 (11th)
2006	4.31 (3rd)	1000.2 (2nd)	.285 (12th)	.763 (4th)	1.40 (7th)	2.28 (4th)	5.40 (13th)
2005	3.96 (5th)	1006.2 (4th)	.257 (3rd)	.711 (2nd)	1.26 (4th)	2.50 (3rd)	6.19 (3rd)
3-YR AVG**	4.15 (3rd)	1009.5 (2nd)	.272 (7th)	.737 (3rd)	1.32 (5th)	2.45 (3rd)	5.76 (9th)

** - Average rank in ( )

The 2008 Starting Rotation

When you look at the 2008 Indians, once again the rock of the team is the starting rotation. All seven of the main starters used in 2007 are set to return, and even the minor league depth beyond those seven is the same with Adam Miller still in the mix. Last season was the first time the Indians showed some wear in the rotation, as Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee both missed considerably time due to injury. But, aside from that, the Indians still have had great success in keeping the rotation intact and healthy the last three years.

With two CY Young caliber pitchers at the front of the rotation, and followed by several good pitchers to round out the rotation, there is no question why the Indians have one of the top three starting staffs in baseball. What truly sets this starting rotation apart from any other team is the depth the Indians have from one to seven. Very few teams have three to four good starters, the Indians have seven. There are a lot of teams out there that would love to have any of the losers from this spring's fifth starter battle between Cliff Lee, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers and use them as their #4 or #5 starter, heck for some teams they could be a #2 or #3 starter.

Instead, as it looks now, the Indians will have two major league caliber pitchers with Sowers and Laffey opening the season in Buffalo, and a third in Miller who is close to being major league ready. That is considerable depth, and an advantage the Indians have that is a separator over every other team. As we saw last season, starters get hurt (Westbrook and Lee) or they perform poorly (Sowers and Lee), and when this happens a team typically struggles. With the depth at this important position on the team, the Indians can withstand the injury bug and performance issues a lot more than most teams.

Here is the Indians starting rotation with a profile of each below:

#1 Starter: C.C. Sabathia LHP
#2 Starter: Fausto Carmona RHP
#3 Starter: Jake Westbrook RHP
#4 Starter: Paul Byrd RHP
#5 Starter: Cliff Lee LHP

#1 Starter: C.C. Sabathia, LHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	19-7	3.21	241	0.259	0.682	1.14	7.81	5.65	3.09	143

Sabathia had a great season last year, winning the AL CY Young Award and cementing himself as an ace, as well as setting himself up for a big payday after the 2008 season when he becomes a free agent. Since the second half of the 2005 season, Sabathia has been one of the best pitchers in the game. The key to his success has clearly been the ability to throw strikes on a more consistent basis. He jumped from a 2.60 K/BB in 2005 to 3.91 K/BB in 2006 to an unbelievable 5.65 K/BB in 2007. He is an innings eater, and a workhorse in that he has made 30 or more starts in all seven of his major league seasons except one (28 starts in 2006).

One thing to pay close attention to this year is how he responds to the heavy workload from last season. Last year was only the second time in his seven year career he has thrown for more than 200 innings in a season, and the first time in five years since he first did it in 2002. It remains to be seen if there is any carryover effect from the heavy workload his arm endured last year where between the regular season and playoffs (15.1 IP) he totaled 256.1 innings pitched. This total was a whopping 62 more innings than his career average coming into last season where he pitched an average of 194.1 innings per year from 2001-2006.

Believe it or not, Sabathia was arguably as good or better in 2006. Sure, he won 19 games in 2008, and only 12 in 2006, but wins are more a team stat that involves so many more intangibles (run support, bullpen effectiveness, etc). In 2006, he had a 3.20 ERA (3.21 ERA in 2007), a 1.17 WHIP (1.14 WHIP), an 8.04 K/9 (7.81 K/9), a .247 BAA (.257 BAA), and a .654 OPS against (.682 OPS). His numbers across the board in 2006 were better except for the win total and his K/BB (3.91 in 2006).

#2 Starter: Fausto Carmona, RHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	19-8	3.06	215.0	.248	.660	1.21	5.74	2.25	3.92	151

Along with Adam Miller, Carmona was the talk of camp last year as ESPN baseball guru Peter Gammons forecasted Carmona as a player ready to have a big year. Boy was he ever right. The amazing thing about Carmona's season last year, is if not for TWO injuries to the starting staff, we probably never see his sensational breakout campaign. Carmona was destined to start the season in Buffalo as the sixth starter, but when Cliff Lee went down with an oblique injury midway through camp it paved the way for him to open the season as the #5 starter. He pitched very well for a month and a half, but when Lee came back, Carmona was amazingly optioned to Buffalo. But, in an odd twist of fate, Jake Westbrook came up lame and had to go on the disabled list. Carmona had barely packed his bags for Buffalo, and had to unpack them. For good.

Carmona throws in the mid-to-upper 90s and gets incredible movement on his sinker, but he still has a hard time missing bats. This is nothing new, as he has always had this problem in the minors, and it was one reason why his stock fell some as he moved up the minor league ladder. Still, his bread and butter is getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground (3.48 G/F ratio in 2007) and also limiting the damage of the big hit by opposing hitters (16 HR in 215 IP, .660 OPS).

Carmona went from the #6 starter at the start of spring training, to the #5 starter at the end of spring training, to the #2 starter by mid-season. Talk about a big leap all in a few months. Carmona's emergence was probably the most important development of the Indians' season last year, as without him to come in and help Sabathia anchor the staff while Westbrook, Lee and Jeremy Sowers struggled with injuries and performance issues, the Indians probably do not make the playoffs. If Carmona can build on last season and put up numbers close to those from 2007, he may be an ace in waiting and help lessen the blow of a potential loss of current ace C.C. Sabathia.

#3 Starter: Jake Westbrook, RHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	6-9	4.32	152.0	.276	.726	1.41	5.51	1.69	4.22	107

As a middle of the rotation starter, Westbrook is as reliable as they come. Prior to last season, Westbrook had pitched in over 200 innings, made 30 or more starts, and won at least 14 games for three straight seasons from 2004-2006. He won't blow anyone away, but he has a penchant for keeping his defense on its toes by working fast and pitching to contact where opposing hitters pound the ball into the ground (2.68 G/F career ratio). Like Sabathia and Carmona, Westbrook eats innings and gives the Indians a front three in their rotation that is tough to match in a series by just about any other team.

Because of his consistency, Westbrook was signed to a three year $33 million extension early in the season last year. The contract extension proved to be a kiss of death, as no sooner was the ink dry on the deal, Westbrook went on the disabled list two weeks later with the dreaded oblique strain. Westbrook essentially missed all of May and June, but even though he missed almost two months, he still managed to rack up over 152 innings.

It took Westbrook awhile to find himself the first half of the season, as the injury and poor April start lead to just nine pre-All Star starts where he went 1-4 with a 6.28 ERA. After the All Star break, he was the Jake of old going 5-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 16 starts and helped the Indians surge past the Detroit Tigers in August going 4-1 with a 1.90 ERA in six starts for the month. While his overall numbers look disappointing, they were actually an improvement over 2006 when he went 15-10 with a 4.17 ERA. In 2006, Westbrook had a .296 BAA (.276 in 2007), .742 (.726), 1.43 WHIP (1.41), 4.64 K/9 (5.51), and 1.98 K/BB (1.69). So, while he was only 6-9 last year as compared to 15-10 in 2006, he actually pitched as good or better in 2007.

#4 Starter: Paul Byrd, RHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	15-8	4.59	192.1	.301	.800	1.39	4.12	3.14	4.50	100

Byrd is one of those pitchers who when you watch pitch you wonder how he has lasted so long in the majors. He throws in the low-to-mid 80s and his secondary stuff is very average. He makes a living off pitching with guts and guile, but the key to his success is that he throws strikes at a ridiculous rate (career 2.16 BB/9) and pitches to contact. He gets hammered for a lot of hits (BAA of over .300 and OPS against over .800 the last two seasons), but by not walking hitters it makes up for all the hits he gives up. His performance against the Red Sox and Yankees in the postseason was masterful, as he dodged and weaved through trouble and the Indians ended up picking up wins in both his starts.

During Byrd's time with the Indians, he has benefited from a large amount of run support as in 2006 and 2007 he received an average of six runs or more a game. He was ranked in the top ten in the American League in run support the last two seasons, and this contributed greatly to his favorable win/loss record the past two seasons. While his win/loss percentage was better last year than in 2006 when he was 10-9, Byrd actually was only a little better overall across the board last season as his peripherals improved only slightly. His BAA went from .308 in 2006 to .301 last year, OPS against went from .823 to .800, WHIP went from 1.50 to 1.39, and ERA went from 4.88 to 4.59.

Byrd has admitted to using HGH in the past, and even though he proclaims he used it under the care of a doctor, it remains to be seen if there are any repercussions with a suspension or fine as a result of his announcement. This is also an even numbered year for Byrd, which if you look at his career he always seems to struggle more for whatever reason in even numbered years. At $8 million a year and in his free agent year, Byrd most likely has priced himself out of Cleveland. For what he gives, and with Sabathia commanding a lot more money this offseason, the Indians are likely to let Byrd go after the season. Although, it is possible because of the good relationship Byrd and the Indians have, that if Sabathia bolts in free agency that the Indians could keep Byrd provided he remains healthy and productive in 2008.

#5 Starter: Cliff Lee, LHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	5-8	6.29	97.1	.284	.838	1.52	6.10	1.83	5.20	73

Like Westbrook, for the three years (2004-2006) leading up to last season Cliff Lee was a reliable middle of the rotation starter going a combined 46-24 with a 4.50 ERA during that timeframe. He had also pitched over 200 innings for two straight seasons from 2005-2006, and had never missed a start in his major league career. That all came to an end when Lee was sidelined halfway through spring training with an oblique strain that ended up having him start the season on the disabled list. He was shutdown for almost six weeks, went on a throwing program, and then returned to Cleveland in late May.

That oblique injury may have been one of the big reasons for Lee's struggles throughout the season last year. When Lee returned at the end of May, he was just not the same pitcher and he looked lost and lacking confidence on the mound. He was unable to properly locate his pitches, and this led to many mistakes where he gave up a lot of walks and extra base hits (.838 OPS), which was against the norm as he has a career .764 OPS against (and that includes last year's inflated number). Since he lost the momentum of pitching and getting ready for the season in spring training, he had to play catch up all year when he came back. Plus, he never seemed comfortable, and if I did not know any better he looked like he was never 100% all year. Whether or not this was the case or not, the injury certainly sidetracked Lee and this is why if he is healthy this year he could be in line for a good comeback season.

Lee is the odds on favorite to be the Indians #5 starter when camp breaks. While Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey should prove to be great competition, it could be what is best for Lee and brings out the best in him. If Lee is not the #5 starter, he will have to be traded as sending him to Buffalo would pretty much destroy not only what little trade value he currently has left, but also could cause a rift between him and the organization. He is on record as saying he signed his extension in late-2006 because he believed that he was wanted here, and has made roundabout comments that he would not be happy with such an assignment to Buffalo. He accepted it last year, but I don't see him being as willing this year if it were to happen. Plus, he will make $4 million this year, and there is no way the cost-conscience Indians pay someone in Buffalo that sum of money. Bottom line, the Indians need to see him through this year because of his past success, especially with Sabathia and Byrd likely gone after the season. The Indians can ill afford to give up any pitching when they will need several options to turn to next year.

Reserve Starter: Jeremy Sowers, LHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	1-6	6.42	67.1	.308	.858	1.56	3.21	1.14	5.36	72

Last season was a season to forget for Sowers. After a sensational second half of the 2006 season where he went 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA and .246 BAA, he went into spring training last year as the unquestioned fifth starter. Sowers just never got it going last year, and a lot of his troubles were the result of just not getting into good counts and locating well where hitters were teeing off on him (.689 OPS against in 2006, .858 OPS against in 2007). Sowers was sent to Buffalo in June to work on his command and get him to trust his stuff again, and after initially struggling in Buffalo for over a month he heated up in August and finished the year very strong. If Sowers' confidence has returned, it will make for an excellent battle for the fifth starter's spot this spring. Even if he does not make the team out of spring training, he will be very good starting depth on-call waiting in Buffalo.

Reserve Starter: Aaron Laffey, LHP

	W/L	ERA	IP	BAA	OPS	WHIP	K/9	K/BB	DIPS	ERA+
2007	4-2	4.56	49.1	.287	.726	1.34	4.56	2.08	3.79	101

Laffey soared through the system last year, and was a player most fans never really heard about until he started getting some pub around the All Star break because of his sensational season at Akron and Buffalo up to that point. Combined at Akron, Buffalo and Cleveland, Laffey went 17-6 with a 3.34 ERA and has established himself as one of the top young starters in the Indians system. What will make Laffey so valuable this year is he can start or pitch in relief, so if a need arises he could pitch in either role. In his small sample size or starts last year in Cleveland, Laffey displayed the moxie and ability to go right after hitters, and he consistently threw strikes (2.09 BB/9 combined last year) and got hitters to pound the ball into the ground (2.81 G/F ratio in 2007). Barring a trade of Cliff Lee, Laffey looks destined to start the year in Buffalo, but he will be seen in Cleveland at some point this season.

Next Wednesday: The Bullpen

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Inside The Prospect Book

I received the first shipment this past Thursday of The Little Red Indians Prospect Book, otherwise known as the 2008 Cleveland Indians Top 50 Prospects & More. I have received a lot of requests for the book, and for those that have already placed orders I will be shipping out all requests on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (post office not open Monday, Prez Day).

Seeing how things are quiet on the minor league front until players report the first week of March, I figured I would provide (yet) another updated of my prospect book. As part of this real quick update, I thought I would take a few quick shots of the book to give an idea of what it looks like on the inside and outside. Here is one of the boxes filled with copies of the book:



Here is the front and back, as I posted images of this last week, as well as the inside cover page:



Here are a couple shots of some of the pages showing the player scouting reports:



And, here are some shots of some of the appendix material at the end of the book which should serve as good reference matieral:



Just thought I would provide a quick glance at the book. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy, e-mail me at tlastoria@gmail.com with questions or to place an order.

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The Prospect Book Is Here!

Good news! My Indians prospect book has been printed, and a couple hundred copies are in transit to me as I write this. I should have them by Friday or Saturday.

What this means, is anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the book, you can now officially put in an order for it. I think the final version came out well as the proof looked great, although we will see when I see the actual book in a few days. I also added some last minute goodies to sort of make it a Bible for the upcoming Indians minor league season. Outside of having to check daily stats for 2008 as the players play through the season, everything you need to know about the top prospects in the system and the organization as a whole should be in this book.

Again, in this book you will find:

- Full scouting reports on the Indians Top 50 ranked prospects.
- An additional 25 scouting reports for players from the 2007 Draft, Latin America, the Rule 5 Draft, and more.
- 2007 season and career stats for all players, as well as photos for over 60 players.
- A complete listing of the 2007 draft picks and who signed.
- The complete 2008 player development and coaching staff listing for the upcoming season.
- Complete affiliate listing with basic information for each team.
- Projected 2008 minor league opening day rosters.
- Full minor league spring training game schedule and a complete regular season schedule grid showing the schedules for all six affiliates side by side.

It came out to 92 pages, so will be a nice small "handbook" so to speak for easy reference for the upcoming season and beyond.

TO ORDER: If you are interested, place an order by emailing me at tlastoria@gmail.com with your request. Also, to better route it and for organizational purposes, please type "Prospects Book Order" in the subject line. If you want more than one copy, please be sure to clearly state how many you want.

PRICE: $13.95 plus shipping and handling (about $20 total with shipping and handling).

PAYMENT: People can pay by sending a check by mail, or can pay with Paypal (www.paypal.com) which I actually prefer. My e-mail address is the account you would send payment to. When you email to order, we can discuss this further. Also, I will be requesting payment in full before I send anything. I hope those that have gotten to know me, and those who have read my stuff for the past few years trust me enough and deem me as credible. It is the only way to do this though, as I don't want to get burned and also have to put up all these shipping costs upfront which will be a few hundred dollars due to the large amount of shipments I will be sending at first. I hope people are fine with that. Like I said, when you email we can discuss further.

SHIPPING: Shipping should be about $4.60 (US Priority), and I will be adding a delivery confirmation number which is about $.65-.75…..so figure in about $5.50 for shipping for one book. Those requesting multiple copies, this total may change a little. International people? It will be expensive, but I think those of you already know this. I think it is like $12-20 US dollars to ship overseas (depending on the destination).

By the way, make sure you support another Indians author from the my homesite TheClevelandFan.com and get Steve Buffum's B-List book. Details are at the link below:

http://www.theclevelandfan.com/article_detail.php?blgId=2853

I look forward to your replies, and again, thanks for the support and interest. Go Tribe!

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Prospects That Can Help in 2008

As the Indians embark on their 60th attempt to win a World Series since their last title in 1948, they enter the 2008 season as strong as ever to make a run at a that elusive championship. While the Indians are involved in another pennant chase this year there will be times when the Indians will need to turn to their farm system. Just about every major league team's depth is tested over the course of a grueling 162-game schedule, and the praised depth the Indians supposedly have will certainly come into play during the season.

Last year, the Indians had some bouts with the injury bug. Pitchers like Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, and Aaron Fultz all missed considerable time early in the year due to injury. Position players Trot Nixon and David Dellucci missed a lot of time due to injury as well. On top of all that, others like Roberto Hernandez, Josh Barfield, Andy Marte and Jason Davis did not perform up to expectations.

The Indians filled the holes that these injuries and performance issues created by calling from their rich talent pool in the farm system with the likes of Fausto Carmona, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, and Aaron Laffey. All of those players made a considerable impact on the Indians' season last year, and it is safe to say without their contributions the Indians would not have made the playoffs last year and had another disappointing season much like 2006.

The likelihood of the Indians getting such a lift from the farm system for a second year in a row is an arduous task and a tough act to follow for the prospects in the Indians system. The system has been thinned out some with the graduation of so many prospects the last few years, and most of the prospects that will help this year will be ones who helped last year. That said, there still are some new players in the system who could help make an impact in 2008 like those in 2007 did. A few of the players we saw last year, while others may be seen for the first time.

The hope is that the Indians will not need to turn to their farm system for help, but injuries and performance issues always crop up during a season for every team. Knowing that, the Indians need depth alternatives to turn to in Buffalo and Akron for short-term help when a regular is nicked up, or for long-term help in the unfortunate case where a regular is lost for a majority of the season.

This is not a list of the Top 10 Prospects in the system, as we covered that with the recent Top 50 Prospects+ series a month back. This list is more focused on the prospects that are likely to see action in Cleveland sometime this year AND make some type of impact. Seeing that the Indians two biggest holes are in left field and the bullpen, most of the opportunities afforded to young players will likely be in these two areas. Here they are from most likely (#1) to least likely (#10):

(For a more in depth scouting report on each player, click on their linked name)

1. Jensen Lewis, RHP - Lewis is an aggressive reliever who consistently gets his fastball up there around 93-94 MPH, and he compliments it with a devastating changeup. He is an intelligent pitcher, has excellent command, and great composure on the mound. This is really a no-brainer having Lewis at #1. While he spent two months plus the entire postseason with the Indians last year, he still qualifies as a rookie and as a prospect because he has not passed the 50 innings pitched threshold. He was dominant in his short stint with the Indians last year, posting a 2.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3.40 BB/9 and 10.35 K/9 in 29.1 regular season innings. He was the final piece of the puzzle needed to round out the backend of the bullpen, and if he can avoid a sophomore slump like Fernando Cabrera had after a breakthrough late-season performance in 2005, having Lewis around in the bullpen for all of 2008 will mean big things for the Indians this year. Lewis is the one sure prospect - barring injury - that will open with the Indians this year.

2. Aaron Laffey, LHP - Laffey is one of the most confident pitchers in the system, as he trusts his stuff and goes right after hitters. His 87-88 MPH fastball is not overpowering, but it he has excellent command of it and it has excellent movement with good sink, and he throws a good slurvy breaking ball and changeup. Laffey is another no-brainer, as he looks to be in line for considerable time this season in the starting rotation. Like Lewis, Laffey is still considered a rookie and prospect because he has not pitched 50 innings (just missed the cut at 49.1 IP). Laffey is in the mix to be the Indians fifth starter when the season starts, and even if he does not break camp as the fifth starter he figures to get plenty of action throughout the season. Laffey pitched well in his Indians debut last year going 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts, and was very impressive in his one appearance in the postseason (4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K) when he shut down a Boston Red Sox offense that no one else on the pitching staff seemed capable of shutting down.

3. Ben Francisco, OF - Francisco will be in a holding pattern in Buffalo, going there for the fourth straight season, and will await an opportunity with the major league club. He hits for average (two minor league batting titles) and he has very good extra base hit ability. He is a versatile defender who can play all three outfield positions, and he has good speed that is helped by his very good instincts in the field and on the basepaths. Like Lewis and Laffey, Francisco is another big contributor in 2007 that the Indians will turn to again in the minors when a need arises this year. Francisco will likely be the first outfielder called upon in the event an injury befalls any of the four outfielders in Cleveland, and he has proven he can more than hold his own when called upon (.274 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .803 OPS in 62 AB in Cleveland last year). A good case could be made that he should be on the team already as the fourth outfielder, but the presence of Jason Michaels denies him of this role at least to start the season.

4. Adam Miller, RHP - Miller has been the Indians top prospect in what seems like forever. He is extremely confident, attacks hitters, and throws a blazing four-seam fastball that consistently clocks around 97 MPH and tops out at 100 MPH. He compliments his four-seamer with a good two-seam fastball, a nasty wipeout slider, and a changeup which has come a long way. Miller is the first-timer who is likely to debut and impact this team the most this season. While Miller will not break camp with the Indians in the bullpen or as a starter, if he maintains his health he could be in line for a callup by June. If the Indians continue to have issues with the fifth starter spot he could be called to fill that role, but it is more likely he will break in as a reliever sometime this season. The Indians are open to the idea of using him in the short-team out of the bullpen as a meaningful reliever (i.e. not collecting dust as the long man) this season to get him to the big leagues, and his blazing fastball, command and toughness could dominate in such a role.

5. Jeff Stevens, RHP - Stevens had a breakthrough year last season in the minors, and in 61 combined games between High-A Kinston, Double-A Akron, the Arizona Fall League and Team USA, Stevens went 6-3 with 5 saves and a 2.45 ERA, and in 95.1 innings allowed only 63 hits and walked 26 while striking out 113. Formerly known as "the nobody that the Indians got for Brandon Phillips", Stevens moved to the bullpen last year and has carved his way through the Indians system where he is now on the verge of a major league opportunity sometime this season. He throws four quality pitches and commands them well, fronted by a Rafael Betancourt-like fastball that sits around 93 MPH and tops out at 95, and shows life and gets in on batters. Stevens is the pure reliever in the minors who looks to have the best shot at making the club at some point this year, and could be another Jensen Lewis who moves through the system quickly after moving to the bullpen.

6. Trevor Crowe, OF - Crowe has the ability to hit for average with some occasional pop, and he can play any outfield position and runs well. His biggest strength is his excellent plate discipline and pitch recognition skills. Even after a disappointing season last year where he hit .259 with 5 HR, 50 RBI, 28 SB and a .694 OPS in 133 at Double-A Akron, he still is in line for a potential spot in the Indians outfield sometime this year. His outstanding second half of the season last year (.310 AVG, .838 OPS) along with a very good showing in the Arizona Fall League (.286 AVG, .864 OPS) have many believing he is over the problems that plagued him mentally the first half of last season when he hit .212 up until July 1^st. He is still earmarked for the left field job in 2009, and it is likely that the Indians will want to get an extended look at him in Cleveland sometime late this year, especially if his second half showing last year carries over into the start of this season. Crowe would bring some much needed speed and athleticism to the Indians lineup, and he also handles the bat well which is the perfect medicine for a strikeout prone lineup.

7. Jordan Brown, 1B/OF - Brown might be the most consistent offensive performer in the Indians system. He will not wow you with eye-popping numbers from game to game, but he fills a stat sheet and is very productive at the plate. He is arguably the best player in the system as far as bat-to-ball ability goes and he makes consistent, hard contact. He doesn't strikeout (56 K in 483 AB last year), and he has good power, especially to the gaps where he piles up doubles. Like Crowe, Brown is a prospect who is currently not on the 40-man roster but because of his hitting ability is someone who can be an impact player for the Indians this season. Brown is a professional hitter who can play left field or first base, and can help balance the Indians lineup which is full of hackers. He won't hit a ton of home runs, but he could be a valuable addition to the team if Ryan Garko or Travis Hafner are hurt for an extended period of time, or if the Indians platoon in left field of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels fails again. Brown is arguably ready to hit at the major league level right now, he just needs an opportunity.

8. Reid Santos, LHP - Santos is a good left-handed relief prospect who does not overpower anyone with his low 90s fastball, but he commands it well and compliments it with a good assortment of secondary pitches with a slider, curveball and changeup. He is extremely durable, and is a strike-thrower who displays very good mound presence. Out of all the prospects on this list looking to make their major league debut this season, Santos probably has the chance to debut first because of his experience pitching as a long man and his durability. He is also not a big time prospect the Indians will handle with kid gloves, which means if the Indians have a need for a long reliever at some point this season, Santos may get the first call since (barring injury) the other six spots in the bullpen are virtually locked up. Santos is an excellent swing option as he can start or pitch in relief at a moments notice, and he can handle almost any role in the bullpen. The bonus is he is left-handed, and he looks to be an option to replace Aaron Fultz's role as the second left-hander in the bullpen by the start of 2009.

9. Wyatt Toregas, C - Toregas can be an adequate hitter in the major leagues, and has shown potential to have some good occasional pop in his bat. But, what really makes him exciting is his abilities behind the plate. He is a prototype backup catcher in that he is excellent defensively, is a leader, gives maximum effort, and holds his own offensively. He shuts down a running game, moves well behind the plate, handles a pitching staff well, and calls a good game. With Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach firmly planted as the catching duo in Cleveland, the only way Toregas will make his debut this year is if an injury to Martinez or Shoppach crops up, or when he is called up in September when rosters expand. Either way, he will be in Cleveland at some point this season. There have been rumors this offseason that Shoppach could be dealt, so if Shoppach is dealt at some point this season it would possibly open the door for Toregas to be the backup to Martinez.

10. Randy Newsom, RHP - Newsom is a side-arm/submarine-style pitcher who is a command-control guy. Newsom does not throw very hard as his fastball sits in the 81-83 MPH range, but this is required so he gets more sink on his pitches. He is a groundball pitcher (3.05 G/F in 2007), very intelligent, a hard-worker, and has a lot of confidence in his secondary pitches (slider and changeup). Add Newsom to the list of potential relievers to make an impact with the Indians this year, and if he continues to pitch like he has since joining the Indians in 2006, he has a good shot to make the club at some point this season. It remains to be seen if Newsom's involvement with his Real Sports Investments (RSI) project becomes a distraction or not this year. For a pitcher who can ill afford to lose any focus, it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Still, his unique arm slot where he throws submarine could give the Indians bullpen a much different look compared to the power arms of the other relievers in the backend of the pen.

Honorable mention: Scott Lewis (LHP), Brian Slocum (RHP), Eddie Mujica (RHP), Sean Smith (RHP)

Photos courtesy of Carl Kline

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Minor League Spring Training Game Schedule

Each full-season Indians minor league affiliate will play 12 games in spring training, with the opponents being the Detroit, Houston and Atlanta farm teams. The Triple-A and Double-A teams (Buffalo and Akron) will travel together, and the Single-A teams (Kinston and Lake County) will as well. The two groups will always be at opposite sites, so for example if Buffalo/Akron are in Winter Haven, then Kinston/Lake County will be on the road.

The makeup of each team should be an early indication of who is slated to go where when the season starts, although a lot of players who will play in short-season leagues with Mahoning Valley and the GCL will still be a part of the Single-A teams. A camp day is a regular workout day with all teams/players in Winter Haven.

Game times are at 1:00 p.m., although the start time and schedule is always subject to change.

March 14
Buffalo vs Round Rock in Winter Haven
Akron vs. Corpus Christi in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Salem at Kissimmee
Lake County @ Lexington at Kissimmee

March 15
Buffalo vs Toledo in Winter Haven
Akron vs. Erie in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Lakeland at Lakeland
Lake County @ West Michigan at Lakeland

March 16
CAMP DAY in Winter Haven

March 17
Buffalo vs Richmond in Winter Haven
Akron vs. Mississippi in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Myrtle Beach at Disney World
Lake County @ Rome at Disney World

March 18
Buffalo @ Round Rock at Kissimmee
Akron @ Corpus Christi at Kissimmee
Kinston vs Salem in Winter Haven
Lake County vs Lexington in Winter Haven

March 19
CAMP DAY in Winter Haven

March 20
Buffalo @ Toledo at Lakeland
Akron @ Erie at Lakeland
Kinston vs Lakeland in Winter Haven
Lake County vs West Michigan in Winter Haven

March 21
Buffalo vs Round Rock in Winter Haven
Akron vs Corpus Christi in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Salem at Kissimmee
Lake County @ Lexington at Kissimmee

March 22
Buffalo vs Toledo in Winter Haven
Akron vs Erie in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Lakeland at Lakeland
Lake County @ West Michigan at Lakeland

March 23
CAMP DAY in Winter Haven

March 24
Buffalo @ Toledo at Lakeland
Akron @ Erie at Lakeland
Kinston vs Lakeland in Winter Haven
Lake County vs West Michigan in Winter Haven

March 25
Buffalo @ Richmond at Disney World
Akron @ Mississippi at Disney World
Kinston vs Myrtle Beach in Winter Haven
Lake County vs Rome in Winter Haven

March 26
CAMP DAY in Winter Haven

March 27
Buffalo @ Richmond at Disney World
Akron @ Mississippi at Disney World
Kinston vs Myrtle Beach in Winter Haven
Lake County vs Rome in Winter Haven

March 28
Buffalo vs Toledo in Winter Haven
Akron vs Erie in Winter Haven
Kinston @ Lakeland at Lakeland
Lake County @ West Michigan at Lakeland

March 29
Buffalo @ Toledo at Lakeland
Akron @ Erie at Lakeland
Kinston vs Lakeland in Winter Haven
Lake County vs West Michigan in Winter Haven

	Buffalo	Akron	Kinston	Lake County
March 14th	vs Round Rock in Winter Haven	vs Corpus Christi in Winter Haven	vs Salem @ Kissimmee	vs. Lexington @ Kissimmee
March 15th	vs Toledo in Winter Haven	vs Erie in Winter Haven	vs Lakeland @ Lakeland	vs West Michigan @ Lakeland
March 16th	Camp Day, all teams in Winter Haven
March 17th	vs Richmond in Winter Haven	vs Mississippi in Winter Haven	vs Myrtle Beach @ Disney World	vs Rome @ Disney World
March 18th	vs Round Rock @ Kissimmee	vs Corpus Christi @ Kissimmee	vs Salem in Winter Haven	vs. Lexington in Winter Haven
March 19th	Camp Day, all teams in Winter Haven
March 20th	vs Toledo @ Lakeland	vs Erie @ Lakeland	vs Lakeland in Winter Haven	vs West Michigan in Winter Haven
March 21st	vs Round Rock in Winter Haven	vs Corpus Christi in Winter Haven	vs Salem @ Kissimmee	vs. Lexington @ Kissimmee
March 22nd	vs Toledo in Winter Haven	vs Erie in Winter Haven	vs Lakeland @ Lakeland	vs West Michigan @ Lakeland
March 23rd	Camp Day, all teams in Winter Haven
March 24th	vs Toledo @ Lakeland	vs Erie @ Lakeland	vs Lakeland in Winter Haven	vs West Michigan in Winter Haven
March 25th	vs Richmond @ Disney World	vs Mississippi @ Disney World	vs Myrtle Beach in Winter Haven	vs Rome in Winter Haven
March 26th	Camp Day, all teams in Winter Haven
March 27th	vs Richmond @ Disney World	vs Mississippi @ Disney World	vs Myrtle Beach in Winter Haven	vs Rome in Winter Haven
March 28th	vs Toledo in Winter Haven	vs Erie in Winter Haven	vs Lakeland @ Lakeland	vs West Michigan @ Lakeland
March 29th	vs Toledo @ Lakeland	vs Erie @ Lakeland	vs Lakeland in Winter Haven	vs West Michigan in Winter Haven

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Weekend Update 2/10

I have some unconfirmed dates in regard to when minor leaguers report to spring training:

March 2nd: Pitchers and catchers report
March 3rd: Physicals for pitchers and catchers
March 4th: First workout for pitchers and catchers
March 4th: Position players report
March 5th: Physicals for position players
March 6th: First full workout

This should be right, but if anyone in the know has something different, feel free to e-mail me at tlastoria@theclevelandfan.com and let me know.

Buffalo's spring training schedule was released this past week. The Bisons will play all their home games in Winter Haven and all games will be played at 1:00 p.m. with the exception of camp day intrasquad games, which will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Date Opponent Location
March 14 v Round Rock Winter Haven
March 15 v Toledo Winter Haven
March 16 CAMP DAY Winter Haven
March 17 v Richmond Winter Haven
March 18 @ Round Rock Kissimmee
March 19 CAMP DAY Winter Haven
March 20 @ Toledo Lakeland
March 21 v Round Rock Winter Haven
March 22 v Toledo Winter Haven
March 23 CAMP DAY Winter Haven
March 24 @ Toledo Lakeland
March 25 @ Richmond Kissimmee
March 26 CAMP DAY Winter Haven
March 27 @ Richmond Kissimmee
March 28 v Toledo Winter Haven
March 29 @ Toledo Lakeland
(schedule subject to change)

Congrats to Baseball America's Chris Kline for landing a gig as a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kline was an excellent contributor to the publication, and he knew the Indians farm system inside and out. I've known Kline for about three to four years and talked somewhat frequently with him, and for awhile now his dream had been to be a major league scout. It was nice to see his dream realized, and I wish him the best of luck.

The Indians are not commenting on a proposed move of their Triple-A franchise to Columbus in 2009. With their Buffalo contract due to expire at season's end and Columbus with a vacant brand new state of the art stadium opening in 2009, there has been rampant speculation that the Indians will move their Triple-A operations to Columbus. While the Indians have a great relationship with Buffalo, and there really is only maybe an extra hour of driving time to Buffalo compared to Columbus for most Clevelanders, a move to Columbus makes sense on a lot of levels. To bring the Triple-A affiliate to the state capital of the team's home state would be huge, and also help pull from the Columbus market for the major league team as well as for the Indians new cable network. This will be an interesting story all season, but rumor has it this is pretty much a done deal that the Indians move to Columbus. We shall see.

Brendan Donnelly was signed to a minor league deal this week. This is yet another Shapiro reclamation project, and Donnelly likely won't pitch in Cleveland this year. There is a possibility he could pitch at the tail end of the season, but this looks more like a signing where the Indians hope to build some goodwill with Donnelly so if he remains healthy they can keep him fr next year. In an interesting twist, if he does not request his release on August 6th, the Indians could keep him the rest of the year and because he only has 4+ years of major league service time going into this season, he won't be eligible for free agent next offseason. He will only be arbitration eligible and under the Indians control, which means if he progresses well by the end of the season, Donnelly may be looked at as a bullpen option for 2009.

Oh yeah, Scott Elarton was signed to a minor league deal this week. Yawn.

One last thing, my prospect book is ready for printing and I will likely send in an order for it on Monday or Tuesday this week. I will have details in the next few days on how to place an order and how to get your payment to me.

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Book Update!

Looks like this is becoming a reality.



I hope to send a final document today or tomorrow to get this thing proofed and ready to print. Will be about 85 pages, and include the following:

• Full scouting reports on the Indians top 50 ranked prospects.
• An additional 25 scouting reports for players from the 2007 Draft, Latin America, the Rule 5 Draft, and more.
• 2007 season and career stats for all players, as well as photos for over 60 players.
• A complete listing of the 2007 draft picks and who signed
• The complete 2008 player development and coaching staff listing for the upcoming season.
• Complete affiliate listing with basic information for each team.
• Projected 2008 minor league opening day rosters

Big ups to Chris (christribem) for the help with the cover design. He did a great job and really helped a ton with this. Note, the actual PDF cover is 100 times better in quality, as these cover shots of the front and back are of much lesser quality so I can post here.

I'll have an update when this thing goes to print hopefully in the next 7-10 days. It will be delayed as the publisher will need to do a deeper review of the book to make sure it is all original work and other legal issues since I have decided to get an ISBN for it to make it available online and at book stores everywhere.

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Barfield And Marte Two Keys To Indians Future

Boy, how quickly things can change.

The Indians completed a traded with the Boston Red Sox at the end of January 2006 which brought them what they thought was their third baseman for at least the next half decade. The same thing was thought just ten months later when the Indians completed another trade in November 2006, this time with the San Diego Padres, where they thought they had acquired their second baseman for the next half decade as well.

But, in the two years since Marte was acquired and the 14 months since Barfield took up residence in Cleveland, both players have gone from a bright future with the Indians to having their future with the Indians in doubt. Poor performance and not living up to expectations will do that. Yet, if the Indians learned anything from the Brandon Phillips debacle, you do not give up on young talent until you have exhausted every alternative and given them every opportunity you can give them.

The Indians appear willing to do that this year with Marte, as he has been all but assured a spot on the team as one of the bench players. Since he is out of options, Marte would have to clear waivers at the end of spring training to be sent to the minors. He most definitely would be claimed, so the Indians will likely give him the first two to three months of the season as a final chance for him to prove himself. He will start the year on the bench and continue to get a lot of instruction from coaches, and when he has opportunities to play the Indians want to see him perform well enough where it forces them to give him more playing time. He will have to earn his at bats and extended playing time this season.

With Casey Blake at third base, the Indians can afford to bring Marte along slowly this year. Also, with Blake's versatility, it will allow the Indians to keep a non-versatile player like Marte on the bench. Blake is essentially a starting bench player as he can play any of first base, third base, and the outfield. He can move to any of several other positions when Marte needs to play, or if Marte starts to demand more playing time.

There is no doubt Marte has the tools and ability to be an above average defensive third baseman with some good pop. The question is if he has the drive to work hard at getting himself out of the funk he has been in since he came to the Indians. Prior to joining the Indians, he was an elite prospect. Marte was voted the top defensive third baseman in the league he played in the four seasons before coming to Cleveland. He also had just put up a very good season as a 21-year old in Triple-A in 2005, when he hit .275 with 20 HR, 74 RBI and an .878 OPS in just 389 at bats. He was the next big thing at third base.

However, since coming to the Indians he has been a big disappointment in putting up a so-so year in Buffalo in 2006 when he hit .261 with 15 HR, 46 RBI and a .773 OPS in 357 at bats. While he showed some promise at times when he was called up to Cleveland the second half of that season, he was mostly bad as he hit .226 with 5 HR, 23 RBI and a .708 OPS in 164 at bats. Marte looked good last year in spring training, and only had a chance to play a handful of games the first month of the season (.193, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .549 OPS in 57 AB) before a hamstring injury derailed him. He was never the same after that, and the last five months of the season in Buffalo he seemed to go through the motions and hit .267 with 16 HR, 60 RBI and a .766 OPS in 352 at bats. To complete the trifecta, Marte even had an awful showing this offseason in winter ball hitting .198 with 0 HR, 12 RBI and a .573 OPS in 96 at bats in the Dominican Winter League.

It remains to be seen what kind of attitude Marte brings to camp this year, and how focused he will be. But, it should be reminded he still just turned 24 years old, just like Brandon Phillips was in his last spring training with the Indians in 2006. And just like Phillips, Marte has endured a few seasons of poor performance where he now looks to be on the outs with the organization as spring training gets set to open.

When all is said and done, the Indians need to exhaust every opportunity to find out if Marte can turn the corner as a major league player, and they need to give him at least two to three months this season to find out before casting him aside. Which is what they thankfully appear willing to do. With Casey Blake all but certain to be gone after this season (he has now become too expensive to keep), the Indians need to find a viable replacement for him in 2009 and beyond and Marte is their best (and only) option at this time. Top prospects Beau Mills and Wes Hodges are still a few years away from helping at the position, although like with any prospect there is no guarantee they will pan out as hoped.

It is to the Indians benefit to have Marte get off to a good start and establish himself early. He is a better defender than Blake, and he still boasts a potent bat that could hit 30 home runs at the major league level. The problem with Marte, is how often can he make contact and can he develop more discipline at the plate. The Indians can't afford another player hacking away in the lineup, as they have enough of these players as it is.

This brings us to Barfield.

With the Indians needing to give Marte one last shot this year at third base, a proposed move of Jhonny Peralta from shortstop to third base has been put on hold. While Peralta will be the starting shortstop in 2008, if the Marte experiment at third base is a disaster this year, we could finally see this move take place starting in 2009. By moving Peralta to third base it would allow Asdrubal Cabrera to move to his more natural position at shortstop and create a spot for Barfield at second base. The Indians defense up the middle would be strengthened considerably, and Peralta would be adequate at third base where the switch could allow him to concentrate much more on his offense and allow him to get bigger.

The Indians can afford to be patient with Barfield this year. He has options left, so they can send him to Buffalo all year if they wish to have him work on finding the stroke that had him so highly coveted just over a year ago. In his five year minor league career, Barfield hit .300 with 61 HR, 404 RBI, and a .796 OPS in 611 games. He was considered an up-and-coming dynamic offensive second baseman who had excellent bat speed and could eventually hit 20-25 HR in the big leagues. But, Barfield's power for whatever reason evaporated last season (.324 SLG), which was over a 100 points less than he had the previous year in San Diego as an untested rookie and hitting in the offensive graveyard that is Petco Park. Also, the Indians rarely saw him hit to his strengths, which driving the ball the other way to right-center and also using the whole field.

Barfield will most likely start the season in Buffalo to try and re-discover his lost hitting stroke. Taking a step back may actually benefit him as it gives him some time to reassess himself and make the adjustments necessary to get back to Cleveland as soon as possible. It remains to be seen, though, whether or not Barfield accepts the demotion. Thankfully, Barfield has excellent makeup, and while he will not be happy with a demotion to Buffalo to start the year, as a young player he knows he has to rekindle his game and do what it takes to get back to the majors or he risks a freefall of a once promising career.

It could be another Brandon Phillips situation (minus the attitude) where Barfield has the label of a former #1 prospect, but he has to go back to the minors and sort of start over. Phillips swallowed his pride when he was sent back to the minors for all of 2004, and responded with a very good year by hitting over .300, being an All Star, and showing a renewed attitude. Hopefully the same happens for Barfield, and more importantly hopefully the Indians learned from their miscue in the way they handled Phillips after that 2004 season.

Some fans are already deadest on kicking Barfield to the curb and trading him, which to me is insane. It would be a mistake to trade Barfield or let Marte go at this point, especially considering that there is absolutely nothing in the upper levels of the Indians system in the middle infield or third base remotely ready for extended time with the Indians in 2009. Cabrera is still unproven, and second base options in free agency are very overpriced, so the smart play is to stick with Barfield and see if he can bounce back.

While Barfield had a disappointing year last season (.243, 3 HR, 50 RBI, .594 OPS), it should be noted he was adjusting to a new league and team. The Indians need to hedge their bets and avoid another Brand Phillips mistake, and at least give Barfield a look this whole season in Buffalo and Cleveland to see if his power returns and his offensive upside shows again.

In any case, if Barfield can step back and catch his breath this year and find what was lost, it will go a long way at helping what looks like a big hole in the Indians infield in 2009. As mentioned, with Blake pricing himself out of Cleveland, third base is a huge question mark in 2009 and beyond. If Marte cannot hold down the position and the Indians are forced to move Peralta there, Barfield will be called upon to fill the second base void left with Cabrera moving to shortstop. Having Barfield (or Marte) bounce back this year will go a long way at helping the Indians in their plans for the 2009 offseason.

The Indians have a great window of opportunity the next three years, and in addition to the Sabathia Conundrum, the situation at third base and second base is something the Indians need to iron out in the next year. Both Marte and Barfield have the distinction of being former mega-prospects who were ranked #1 in their respective systems at one time, but have seen their star power fade in the last few years. If both or even one of these players can perform up to expectations, it undoubtedly would help remove a question mark or two about the team's future and also give the Indians a big advantage as they are both young, cheap and under the teams control for several more years.

As the Indians go into the 2008 season, Peralta, Blake and Cabrera will be the starters at shortstop, third base and second base. But, with the hopeful return to form of Marte and Barfield, that could change some this season. More importantly, a return to excellence for Marte and Barfield bodes well for the Indians in 2009 and beyond and would allow them to focus their efforts in other places to improve the team (left field) or maintaining it (resigning Sabathia). That is why the turnaround of these once promising prospects could be a big key to the Indians future.

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Groundhog Day Update

Happy Groundhog's Day everyone. Hopefully Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow so winter soon ends......who cares though, as baseball gets started again in less than two weeks!

Anyway, lots of updates and news today. With all the work I have been doing the last week in formatting and getting the prospect book ready to (hopefully) go to print, I have slacked off on some of the news from the past week. Here is a rundown of pretty much everything that has happened in the Tribe minor league world the past 5-7 days:

Several prospect lists were released recently. John Sickels actually released his Indians Top 20 list a few weeks ago, and Kevin Goldstein just released his Top 100 list of all the players in the minors, and the Indians Adam Miller (#52) and Wes Hodges (#78) were the only ones to place in the listing. Goldstein’s Indians Top 11 list actually posted back in November. Also, I got the heads up on another listing that ranks the Indians top 20 prospects at HardballScouts.com.

Keith Law also just released his Top Five Prospect listing for each organization. His Indians top five prospects are: 1. Adam Miller, 2. Nick Weglarz, 3. Chuck Lofgren, 4. Beau Mills, 5. Wes Hodges. He also released his Top 100 list of all the players in the minors, with Adam Miller (#29) and Nick Weglarz (#62) making the list. To view the writeups for the players, these are premium articles on ESPN so you will need a subscription when you click on either of the two links.

Randy Newsom’s venture into the investment world has been put on hold. According to a story in the New York Times on Friday, Newsom has tabled his idea for the short term while he works with Major League Baseball, The Player’s Union, and the Securities and Exchange Commission on something they all approve and support. Newsom had sold 1800 shares of his future earnings (one share was .002% of his future earnings) at $20 apiece, and has returned all the money totaling $36,000 to the investors. According to a quote from Farm Director Ross Atkins in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, ”Newsom is a very educated individual, and obviously very creative." This is one of the wildest stories in the offseason, and is something that looks to just beginning to catch on and take shape. More on this as things develop, and it will be interesting to see how this carries into the season and whether or not it distracts Newsom.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer did a piece on Trevor Crowe this past Monday. Nothing new really, but more comments from Crowe on how he put too much pressure on himself last year in what he thought was the year he would make his major league debut. If you read my stuff over the last year, it is well documented how much Trevor struggled the first half of last season, but also how well he turned it around the second half of the year. Trevor is a hard worker, and would fit right in with the players currently on the Indians roster. If you are looking for a prospect who can make an impact with the Indians in 2008, Trevor is the guy. It will be interesting to see if he can finally put it all together this year and be consistent from start to finish.

Just to recap, here are the Indians minor league signings from the offseason: Brandon Chaves (SS), Matt Ginter (RHP), Rafael Vera (2B), Aaron Herr (3B), Jeff Harris (RHP), Angel Gonzalez (SS), Anthony Medrano (SS), Danny Sandoval (SS). It should be noted that Medrano is now the hitting coach at Mahoning Valley.

In my Weglarz writeup, I had video that I had shot where he wiffed at the plate this time and also this time. Not exactly what you want to show for a prospect, but that was the one game I videoed him and he happened to strikeout all four times at the plate, so he did not help me much there (heh). I got a video from someone who shall remain anonymous that is a great video of him. It is from the TV feed at one of the Captains games this year, and he hits a booming home run. I updated it in his writeup, and the strikeout video has been banished. I think a home run video is much better to see than one of a guy flailing away at the plate, don’t you?:-)

Last, I’ll have an update sometime this week on the prospect book for those of you who were interested in a copy. I am about done with the formatting, with the only potential roadblock being the design of a front cover. I have a few people working on one, but may also instead just go with the publisher’s fee of a $100 to get one they help design. We’ll see. In any case, my goal is to have this thing ready to go to print by Valentine’s Day, and to have it in hand to ship out to people by the end of the month, as well as also have copies to take with me to spring training in March to hand out to people. If interested in a copy, e-mail me at tlastoria@theclevelandfan.com . I'll have more details soon.

I'll be updating the reference material on this site this week as well, so keep an eye out for that. Thanks again for the interest and support, and I look forward to seeing some of you in spring training.

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