Weekend Rundown ~ Indians Prospect Insider

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Weekend Rundown

8:41 AM Tony No comments

Time for another Saturday rundown to recap all the happenings in the system from this past week as well as a few news items:

• I had left-hander Matt Meyer on my weekly radio show Smoke Signals this past Thursday. Thanks again to Matt for coming on and best of luck the rest of the way. This coming Thursday I’ll have right-hander Jeff Stevens on, and every week going forward a player should be on as a guest. Smoke Signals can be heard live every Thursday from 9:30-10:30pm ET, and is available to download at anytime.

• There is some concern among fans that after left-hander Chuck Lofgren struggled through a lost season in Akron this year (2-6, 5.99 ERA, 52 BB in 85.2 IP) and is getting shelled in the Arizona Fall League (5 games, 4.1 IP, 12 H, 17 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 3 K, 35.51 ERA) that he has slid completely off the prospect map. At 22 years of age, Lofgren is still very young and can rebound from what has been a disaster of a season for him on the field and an emotional rollercoaster off of it. He is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and even with the bad numbers has a small chance to get selected (he won’t be rostered by the Indians), but in any case he should be with the Indians next year and likely open in Akron again looking to rebound in a big way. Whether he remains a starting pitcher or is converted to a reliever remains to be seen, but it should be noted that he was sent by the Indians to Arizona to start but surprisingly has pitched out of the bullpen. I was able to speak to someone about Lofgren on Thursday, and contrary to other reports his fastball velocity is still around 88-92 MPH out in Arizona. There seems to be a misconception that he sits 94-95 MPH, which he doesn't. Yes, he occasionally tops out at 93, 94 or 95, but he usually sits low 90s. In any case, people have been asking what this “personal issue” is with Lofgren and what has been bothering him all season. Out of respect to Lofgren I have kept a lid on what he is going through and have waited to say something about it until he speaks out first on it himself. There is a good chance that will happen soon.

• First baseman Michael Aubrey looks like he may be sticking around awhile longer as he looks to be in line to get a fourth option year. Players get three option years once they are added to the 40-man roster, but a lot of people are not aware a fourth option year can be given for medical reasons. Any player who is entering his fourth or fifth season on a 40-man roster gets a fourth option year (without waivers) if he has missed one or more seasons to injury. Specifically, missing a season to injury means they accrued less than 90 days on an active roster. Aubrey was rostered back in November 2005, but proceeded to only play in 14 games in the 2006 season during his first option year and was active for just a few days that season. As a result, Aubrey should be in line to get this special exception for a 4th option year. This has been done in the past for the Indians, most recently with the likes of Brian Tallet, Jason Stanford, and Andrew Brown. Left-hander Tony Sipp should also get this special 4th option year when his third and final option year runs out (likely after the 2010 season).

• Right-hander Randy Newsom is blogging about his experiences pitching in Venezuela this winter. Check out his most recent entry, which is very deep and talks about some of the mental issues that can be a constant struggle to overcome off the field. Newsom is Rule 5 eligible and after the 2009 season will be a minor league free agent, so his life may just get a little crazier (and better) real soon.

• Catcher Chun-Hsiu Chen has a blog that has lots of pictures that capture his time from spring training through his season in the Gulf Coast League (GCL) this year. Chen is only 19 years old and is a free agent signing out of Taiwan last offseason. I saw him a few times in spring training and also in action with the GCL club this year and was impressed with the way the ball jumps off his bat. In 38 games he hit .261 with 3 HR, 15 RBI and had a .745 OPS, and could see time in Lake County next year.

• Baseball America reviewed the Indians 2008 Draft. This is premium content, but for the most part they really liked the Indians late signings of Trey Haley, T.J. House, Zach Putnam, Tim Fedroff and Bryce Stowell. Check out the discussion of this on the site message board.

• The Indians made two roster moves on Friday, as right-hander Brian Slocum cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus. He is now a minor league free agent, though there is a good chance he and the Indians reach a deal to where he can be one of those veteran depth guys on the pitching staff. Also, right-hander Brian Bullington was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. The removal of these two players from the 40-man roster is no surprise, and there could be another non-free agent player or two removed as the Indians get ready to start adding players from the minor league system in need of roster protection like a Trevor Crowe, Carlos Santana, Jordan Brown, Jeff Stevens, and more.

• In case you missed it, MiLB.com did a nice little 2008 review of the Indians farm system this past week.

• I have the Indians Rule 5 eligible list, but have one issue I am trying to clear up with it before posting. At the latest, it will go up on Monday. In addition to that, I will be posting the Indians future eligible list for 2009 through 2012 as well.

• Last, big ups to DSLewis and GoTribe31 for their help with providing several updates a week on how the Indians players are doing in the winter leagues.