Director's Cuts 4/7

Here are some comments from Farm Director Ross Atkins over the weekend:

On guys being sent down to Triple-A and responding well: “They have and that is always good to see. Ben Francisco had three hits last night. None of them are happy about it, and that is just how we want it. We don't want anyone to be happy about playing in Triple-A. We want every single one of them to want to be in the major leagues. There are guys in the game that can pout and sulk and be negative energy in a clubhouse, but ultimately if the guy is a true pro he recognizes where the money is made and he needs to get out of there. Guys as young as them typically don't pout too long because they realize ‘wow, if I am not performing then I am not going to get back to where I want to be’. But they have handled it professionally, and I think you can see in their performances that they have not pouted about it. It is never news they want to hear or that we want to deliver for that matter, but it is just the nature of having some depth.”

On Scott Elarton’s veteran presence: “He not only has the information for people to tap into, but has the confidence to deliver it when need be and let people know ‘hey, this isn't the appropriate behavior’ or ‘that is not the right way to handle this’ or just put someone in line so to speak. That is invaluable, as it is one thing to come from a staff member, but to come from a peer it is much more powerful. He has actually embraced [the bullpen role] and it is where he wants to be. He feels it is where he can have the most success.”

On Michael Aubrey: “He has been injury free for awhile now, from Arizona and throughout the majority of spring training and is off to a good start. He is as good as almost anybody we have with making hard contact, and that is the hardest thing to do in the game. So if he stays healthy we could certainly see him contributing to the Cleveland Indians at some point.”

On moving Aubrey up: “It all depends on what is happening around him and above him, but not what is happening below him. Also, with him not only sustaining health but sustaining success. There are a lot of variables in that, and I think the major league team is the first variable with the second variable being Jordan Brown in Triple-A. There are some pretty good assets [in Cleveland] when you talk about Ryan Garko, Victor Martinez, and Travis Hafner. And we even have Alex Gonzalez who can play first base, so there is not a need at this point.”

On Alex Gonzalez: “He is a good player. We are certainly glad to have him as a minor league free agent because he is definitely someone who can contribute at the major league level. He is very athletic and plays shortstop. Most big strong shortstops can do just about anything you ask them to do because they are typically the most athletic guys on the field.”

On Carlos Rivero: “He is a lot of fun to watch because of his youth and the athleticism and strength. He has above average ability defensively from a hands and arm standpoint. His range is not above average, but he has been a lot of fun to watch develop over the last couple years and now you can dream a little bit. You never want to put a ceiling on a guy and say he can't do this, but he is one of those guys you can dream on.”

On the comparison of Rivero to Jhonny Peralta: “They are very similar players. At this point in Carlos' career relative to where Jhonny Peralta was four to five years ago they are in very similar places in their career. They are slightly different in that Rivero may be a little more athletic at this point than Jhonny was, but Jhonny had better hands and they both have similar power. It just depends on how committed and how focused Rivero is over the next four or five years.”

On Rivero staying at shortstop: “He is definitely someone who can play shortstop. His power will dictate whether or not he can also be a third baseman depending on the makeup of your team. If you had an Omar Vizquel type then you might consider moving someone like Jhonny Peralta to third base. That could be Carlos Rivero. He is very young, and turns 20 this year at some point this season. He has a full season under his belt already, two half seasons in the Dominican and one in the Gulf Coast League.”

On their Kinston relationship: “It is a great place. We love being there, and it is all baseball. There are no distractions and it has an old time feel to it. It is much like the movie Bull Durham and is a lot of fun. It is a great experience for the players and the front office.”

Notes

- Lake County catcher Michael Valadez has a sprained thumb after a nasty collision at the plate on Saturday night. He is day to day, and at this time there is no word if a roster move will be made to put him on the disabled list and call a catcher from extended spring training (most likely Alcombrack).

Posted in: Carlos Rivero,Michael Aubrey,Michael Valadez