2009 Coaching Staffs

Columbus Clippers (AAA):
Torey Lovullo, Manager
Scott Radinsky, Pitching Coach
Jon Nunnally, Hitting Coach
Jeff Desjardins, Athletic Trainer

Akron Aeros (AA):
Mike Sarbaugh, Manager
Ruben Niebla, Pitching Coach
Lee May Jr., Hitting Coach
Michael Salazar, Athletic Trainer

Kinston Indians (A):
Chris Tremie, Manager
Greg Hibbard, Pitching Coach
Rouglas Odor, Hitting Coach
Chad Wolfe, Athletic Trainer

Lake County Captains (A):
Aaron Holbert, Manager
Tony Arnold, Pitching Coach
Jim Rickon, Hitting Coach
Jeremy Heller, Athletic Trainer

Mahoning Valley Scrappers (A):
Travis Fryman, Manager
Ken Rowe, Pitching Coach
Phil Clark, Hitting Coach
Issei Kamada, Athletic Trainer

Arizona League Indians (Rookie):
Ted Kubiak, Manager
Jeff Harris, Pitching Coach
Dennis Malave, Coach
Anthony Medrano, Coach
Teddy Blackwell, Athletic Trainer

Dominican Summer League Indians (Rookie):
Wilfredo Tejada, Manager
Pascual Matos, Hitting Coach
Kevin Carcamo, Pitching Coach
Carlos Fermin, Infield Coach
Miguel Ledesma, Athletic Trainer

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2009 Player Development Staff

Player Development

Director, Player Development: Ross Atkins
Director, Latin American Operations: Lino Diaz
Assistant, Player Development: Meka Asonye
Advisor, Player Development: Johnny Goryl
Field Coordinator: Dave Hudgens
Pitching Coordinator: Dave Miller
Lower Level Pitching Coordinator: Steve Lyons
Hitting Coordinator: Bruce Fields
Defensive Coordinator: Ted Kubiak
Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator: Gary Thurman
Catching Coordinator: Tim Laker
Latin America Field Coordinator: Minnie Mendoza
Advisor, Dominican Republic: Winston Llenas
Director, Dominican Operations: Junior Betances
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator: Jake Beiting
Affiliate Strength and Conditioning Coaches: Juan Acevedo, James Gonzalez
Conditioning Coaches: Todd Kubacki, Nelson Perez, Nuremburg Rondon, Kris Shuler, Paul Synenkj, Brendan Verner, Cesar Yepez
Rehabilitation Coordinator: James Quinlan
Mental Skills Coordinator: Julio Rangel
Nutrition Consultant: Jackie Berning

Scouting
Crosscheckers:
Chuck Ricci (National Crosschecker)
Scott Barnsby (Lower Mid-West Crosschecker)
Paul Cogan (West Coast)
Scott Meaney (East Coast)
Derrick Ross (Upper Mid-West)

Major League Scouts:
Dave Malpass (Senior Major League League Scout)
Don Poplin (Senior Major League Scout)

Professional Scouts:
Tyrone Brooks (Professional Scout)
Doug Carpenter (Professional Scout)
Doug Harris (Professional Scout)
Pat Murtaugh (Professional Scout)
Bill Schudlich (Professional Scout)
Greg Smith (Professional Scout)

Part-Time Scouts:
Bob Malkmus (New Jersey)
Adam Stahl (Missouri)
Ken Tirpack (Ohio)
Jose Trujillo (Puerto Rico)

International Scouts:
Cesar Geronimo (Latin America Crosschecker)
Andres Garcia (Dominican Area Scout)
Omar Rogers (Dominican Area Scout)
Modesto Ulloa (Dominican Area Scout)
Jose Briceno (Venezuelan Area Scout)
Otilio Chourio (Venezuelan Area Scout)
Jesus Mendoza (Venezuelan Area Scout)
Estuar Ruiz (Venezuelan Area Scout)
Jose Stela (Venezuelan Area Scout)
Peter Gahan (Australia Scout)
Dave DeFreitas (Japan Scout)
Jason Lee (Pacific Rim Scout)
Eduardo Salinas (Panama Scout)
Henry Sandoval (Curacao and Aruba Scout)
Jose Quintero (Columbia Scout)
Roman Acumarez (Scouting Administrator, Puerto Rico)
Luis Morales (Scouting Administrator, Puerto Rico)

Area Scouts:
Steve Abney (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
Corteze Armstrong (Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, N. Dakota, S. Dakota)
Chuck Bartlett (Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Fla. Panhandle)
Kevin Cullen (N. Texas, Oklahoma, N. Louisiana)
Byron Ewing (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, El Paso, TX)
Don Lyle (N. California, N. Nevada, Hawaii)
Bob Mayer (W. Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia)
Junie Melendez (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Canada)
Les Pajarii (S. Texas, S. Louisiana)
Vince Sagisi (Central California)
Jason Smith (Southern California)
Mike Soper (South Florida, Puerto Rico)
Brad Tyner (Georgia, South Carolina, N. Florida)
Jack Uhey (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming)
Brent Urcheck (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, E. Pennyslvania)

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Winter League Sunday Round-up

Caribbean Winter Leagues

Player Updates (overall numbers - Italics indicate players season is over): -

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

RHP Randy Newsom - 4G, 2.2IP, 7H, 7R/ER, 3BB, 1K, 23.62ERA

OF Matt LaPorta - 17G, .164(11-for-67)/.250/.299/.549, 3 2B, 2HR, 12RBI

INF Asdrubal Cabrera - 6G, .368(7-for-19)/.500/.632/1.132, 2 2B, HR, 5RBI

OF Franklin Gutierrez - 10G, .281(9-for-32)/.429/.563/.991, 3HR, 7RBI

RHP Edward Mujica - 7G, 7.2IP, 12H, 7R/ER, BB, K, 8.22ERA

INF Nuiman Romero - 18G, .313(15-for-48)/.389/.313/.701, 6RBI

INF Karexon Sanchez - Has not yet played.

RHP Hector Rondon - Has not yet played.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez - Has not yet played.


DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

1B Jordan Brown - 9G, .241(7-for-29)/.324/.276/.599, 2B, 4RBI

C Chris Gimenez - 19G, .211(12-for-57)/.430/.456/.887, 2 2B, 4HR, 11RBI

RHP Adam Miller - 8G(5GS), 29IP, 28H, 16R, 14ER, 6BB, 27K, 4.34ERA

LHP Scott Lewis - 5G, 22IP, 25H, 14R, 13ER, 6BB, 26K, 5.32ERA

LHP Tony Sipp - Has not yet played.

RHP Fausto Carmona - 3G, 16IP, 12H, 3R/ER, 5BB, 12K, 1.69ERA

3B Andy Marte - 12G, .262(11-for-42)/.340/.286/.626, 2B, 4RBI

LHP Rafael Perez - Has not yet played.

C Carlos Santana - Has not yet played.

OF Jose Constanza - Has not yet played.

OF Lucas Montero - 27G, .228(13-for-57)/.397/.368/.766, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6RBI

C Alex Castillo - 5G, 22IP, 25H, 14R, 13ER, 6BB, 26K, 5.32ERA

RHP Joaniel Montero - Has not yet played.

INF Jhonny Peralta - 5G, .227(5-for-22)/.227/.409/.636, 2B, HR, 4RBI


MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

OF Roman Pena - 43G, .259(35-for-135)/.340/.437/.777, 10 2B, 3B, 4HR, 20RBI


PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE

SS Kevin Fontanez - Has not yet played.

OF Andy Gonzalez - 17G, .315(17-for-54)/.473/.463/.936, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 8RBI

RHP Edward Buzachero - 9G, 13.1IP, 9H, 1R/ER, 4BB, 10K, 0.68ERA

OF Jason Cooper - 15G, .327(17-for-52)/.470/.558/1.027, 7 2B, 3B, HR, 13RBI

I'll be back on Wednesday with the next Winter League Round-up.

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Weekend Update: 11/29

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and for those that ventured out on Black Friday you are still in one piece. Anyway, here is a quick roundup of the recent news in the Indians farm system this week:

• For those that missed our special Tuesday night edition of Smoke Signals this past week, you missed a great guest in first baseman Jordan Brown. Brown was very candid throughout the 25-minute interview which covered many things from his 2008 season, to not being put on the 40-man roster this offseason, his time in the Dominican Republic, his recent injuries, and what he is doing to prepare for 2009. You could hear the frustration pouring out of him in regard to the 40-man roster decisions the Indians made and him being left off. That said, while he is clearly frustrated he was professional about it and just being open and honest. He talked to the Indians and they explained their reasoning for him not being rostered, and while he understands it he still doesn't agree with it. He basically told all the doubters out there he is on a mission next year to prove them wrong, which is excellent to hear. Props to Jordan for coming on.

• Catcher Chris Gimenez will be on our show this Wednesday December 3^rd (9:30-10:30pm). Gimenez was just rostered by the Indians, so we should get the other side of the spectrum as far as thoughts on that goes. Also, we'll talk about his transition to catching, the changes he made to his approach this year to advance as a hitter, and what 2009 has in store for him. Right-hander Rob Bryson is also scheduled to appear on a future show December 18^th, and left-hander Ryan Morris will be on Monday December 29^th in another special holiday edition of Smoke Signals. Since Christmas and New Year's fall on a Thursday, after the show on December 18^th we will not air a show on December 25^th or January 1^st, but will return to our normal night and time on Thursday January 8^th. Between the December 18^th and January 8^th shows, we will air that special Monday December 29^th show to work around the holiday issue.

• Speaking of Bryson, he recently had surgery on his labrum a little over a month ago. The surgery went well and there were no surprises when the doctors went in to repair it. This is good news since sometimes an issue may not show on an MRI and the real damage is not known until you go in and repair it. Bryson is reportedly right on schedule for a return to pitching action this coming April, and actually may be slightly ahead of schedule. At this point the prognosis is that he should make a full recovery and the shoulder should be as strong as ever once he is finished with his rehab. That all said, the Indians will be very cautious with Bryson this year and take it very slow in ramping him back up into game action. Bryson is all but certain to open the year in extended spring training out in Arizona, and likely will be held out of game action until short-season leagues start in June where he should begin on a rehab assignment in the Arizona League.

• For those wondering, right-hander Adam Miller and outfielder Matt LaPorta recently returned to the states and are done playing winter ball. Indians officials are excited by what Miller showed his last few outings in the Dominican Republic where his velocity was all the way back and appeared to transition well to a bullpen role where he dominated. In three bullpen appearances, Miller was 1-0 with a save and a 2.84 ERA, and in 6.1 innings allowed six hits, no walks and had seven strikeouts.

• Baseball America has their Rule 5 Draft preview up. It is a premium piece, but as expected they focused on first baseman Jordan Brown who was the only Indians player mentioned in the piece. Former farmhand Luis Perdomo who the Indians traded for Anthony Reyes this past July is a pitcher they touched on who is Rule 5 eligible.

• The Indians signed right-handed pitcher Greg Aquino this past week (who?) to a minor league deal.

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Shapiro Needs To Believe In His Prospects

This story was originally written in January 2007; however, the general theme here still exists and I wanted to re-publish it to this blog for those that may have missed it the first time around on TheClevelandFan.com and SportsTimeOhio.com.

In an unexpected move last week, the Indians signed free agent outfielder Trot Nixon to a 1 year $3M deal that also included a total of up to $2M in incentives.* At this point, however, it is hard to get a true grasp of what purpose this signing serves. One thing is certain: Indians GM Mark Shapiro is antsy and had concerns with some of the youth on the roster.

After signing Nixon, Shapiro commented that he was indeed concerned with the youth of this team, and took advantage of the opportunity to get a player of Nixon’s ability and makeup. The idea to replace an unproven young player with a proven veteran that has a track record is good in theory, but this is a theory that Shapiro has subscribed to all too often the past few off-seasons. And, in just about every case, the decision to go with a stop-gap veteran proved to be the wrong decision.

Somewhere along the way, Shapiro has lost some of the confidence he once had with young, unproven players at the major league level. This most likely may stem from how the Brandon Phillips Debacle was handled - how Phillips performed as a rookie in 2003 and how he is now out of the organization because the organization lost confidence in him, and Phillips lost confidence in the organization. But, for whatever reason, Shapiro has been extremely gun-shy the last few years to give a highly regarded prospect chance to fill a role with the team right out of Spring Training. Only in the cases when a player is out of options do you really ever see him get a chance to make the club.

Ever since Phillips crashed and burned in 2003, the organization has gone to great measures to try and not break camp with young players when the season starts and instead start them in the minors and use veteran stop-gaps in their place. The notion to pick up a few veteran pieces parts at this stage of the off-season is somewhat inviting. While the pickings are slim, there are bargains to be had. Of which Shapiro is a renowned Bargain Hunter.

Enter Trot Nixon. Nixon is not a horrible signing because if he is healthy, not only will he help this club off the field in the locker room, but he is a pretty solid player. He can hit, play defense, and has a play-style that fans have learned to adore from Grady Sizemore. But, that said, what is the point? Shin-Soo Choo was very impressive in his brief stint with the club last year, and arguably provides just as much defense, hitting, hustle, and intestinal fortitude as Nixon does, and is much younger and healthier to boot. But, again, Shapiro seems a bit squeamish when it comes to giving the kids a chance to play. A veteran Choo is not, therefore, to Buffalo he goes.

We have seen this charade a few times recently under Shapiro. After the 2004 season, the pressure was on him and the team to start winning (“we will be contenders again by 2005”). Because of the pressure to win, and probably their failure in handling Phillips, it has affected some of Shapiro’s decision making, especially when it comes to trusting the farm system the Indians speak of so highly.

We have seen his judgment affected numerous times the last three years. We saw it in 2005 when he decided to sign free agent “bargain” Juan Gonzalez for $600K. Near the end of Spring Training, Gonzalez was tabbed as a starting outfielder and Sizemore was about to be shuttled to Buffalo before an injury derailed Gonzalez’s career once again. Sizemore ended up putting up incredible numbers in his first full season with the team, and immediately became a star.

Shapiro did the same thing last year with Fausto Carmona, Jeremy Sowers, Ryan Garko, and Phillips. Again, once free agency began to die down and bargains became available in January, Shapiro elected to go with “proven” stop-gap veterans Jason Johnson and Eduardo Perez instead of letting Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers duke it out in Spring Training for the #5 starter spot, and letting Ryan Garko be the right-handed hitting portion of the 1B platoon. They also chose to quickly resign Ramon Vazquez early in the off-season rather than go with Phillips in the utility role.

Again, Jason Johnson crashed and burned while Sowers was putting up Johan Santana-like numbers in Buffalo in April and May. When Sowers finally got the call, he quickly established himself as a core piece of the Indians starting rotation for the next several years. The decision to go with Perez as the right-handed hitting portion of the 1B platoon worked from a numbers standpoint, although the dip in production from Garko in Buffalo was a side-effect of that decision. Garko struggled with the decision to send him to Buffalo again, but when Garko was called up late in the year, he did nothing but hit, and performed at a level equal to or greater than Perez did.

So, here we are again. Once again, we have young players in Choo and Garko who when the off-season started looked to be the leading candidates to get a shot at the everyday gig at RF and 1B, or at least the lion’s share of playing time in some sort of platoon. And, as the off-season progressed, once again they both now appear destined to start the season in Buffalo (well, at least Choo) since “veterans” Nixon (RF) and Casey Blake (1B) will be the primary starters at those positions.

For those wondering, Choo does have one option remaining, so the Indians do have the flexibility to option him out to Buffalo in a reserve role where he most likely would be the first call-up if an outfielder were injured. At this point though, it is very unlikely the Indians would keep a 5th outfielder on the team, especially since Casey Blake is essentially the 5th outfielder on the team (and hits right-handed). Also, add in that this team is left-handed heavy in the outfield, and there is no way that Choo makes this team out of Spring Training unless an outfielder is injured or traded.

Garko may end up in Buffalo, but with so many left-handed hitters in the lineup, the Indians will need a capable right-handed hitter to use as a pinch-hitter off the bench. Also, it has yet to be determined who the starter at 1B will be against left-handers. With Casey Blake slated to start at 1B against right-handed starters (Nixon in RF), when a left-hander is on the mound Blake will replace Nixon and start in RF. Ryan Garko and Victor Martinez are the two main options to replace Blake at 1B against lefties, but the distribution of at bats is unknown. We know that Martinez will get at least some playing time at 1B this season against left-handed starters, but he probably won’t get all of the time or even most of it. This is why Garko probably will make the team as he will be the main starter at 1B against lefties and our first pinch hit option off the bench, all of which could get him around 300 at bats this season. He’ll make the team when they break camp, but in a reserve role instead of the starting role many thought he earned with his play last year.

Shapiro has done a very good job of filling holes this off-season and adding the pieces needed to this team so they can try to pick up where they left off after the 2005 season. But, before the Nixon signing, the Indians off-season was for all intents and purposes over, so the hope here is that Shapiro is not sitting in his Jacob’s Field office manically perusing the 40-man roster finding ways to mix in more “veterans” in lieu of youth the next 3-4 weeks before Spring Training starts. With the Nixon signing, you only hope he has not tinkered with the team too much.

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Q&A With Erik Stiller

I originally wrote this piece and conducted the Q&A with Stiller in August 2007. This is a re-post to this blog since it was written before this blog was started in October 2007. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be heading to Kinston, North Carolina this weekend to visit the Cleveland Indians advanced Single-A affiliate the Kinston Indians. While I plan on speaking with several of the players during my visit, I was treated to an advance e-mail interview this past week with right-handed pitcher Erik Stiller.

Stiller signed with the Indians as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton University last year, and is a raw talent with the size (6'5" 200 pounds) that can help him get on top of hitters. Princeton is not typically a hotbed for professional baseball talent in the draft, and Stiller's career record of 15-14 with a 3.60 ERA in 38 starts are not eye-popping numbers in college, but he got a big break in that several of the Indians front office personnel are former Princeton student-athlete alumni, namely General Manager Mark Shapiro and Director of Baseball Operations Mike Chernoff. Chernoff and Stiller actually have a history together, as Chernoff was a middle infielder and team captain his senior year at Princeton in 2003, which was Stiller's freshman season.

After signing in June 2006, Stiller made his debut with the Indians last year at rookie-level Burlington where he went 2-2 with a 6.45 ERA in four starts. The stay in Burlington was short, as he was moved up to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley where he went 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts).

This year, he did not make a full season club out of spring training, but eventually was activated and called up to advanced Single-A Kinston on May 27th. Stiller impressed early pitching out of the bullpen, and on the year is 3-3 with a 1.19 ERA in 19 relief appearances, and held opponents to a .225 batting average. He was recently moved into the starting rotation when left-hander Ryan Edell and right-hander Kevin Dixon were taken out of the rotation due to high workload, and in four starts he is 0-2 with a 5.19 ERA and opponents are hitting .257 off of him.

Q: What is your hometown? Were you an Indians fan growing up, and if not what was your favorite team? Favorite player?

Erik Stiller (ES): I grew up in Bryan, TX, which is about an hour and a half outside of Houston. I was a big Braves fan as a kid because I liked following Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine, but switched allegiances to the Astros once I was old enough to start traveling to Houston with friends to watch games.

Q: Growing up as a kid, was baseball your first love?

ES: Baseball was always my favorite sport, but I was a little too impatient as a kid to be able to say that it was my first love. When I was playing, I loved it, but I was often just as happy to be out with friends playing basketball, soccer, capture the flag, etc.

Q: As you moved into high school and college, was there a moment when you realized baseball could potentially be something you could do professionally? When did you realize it?

ES: I played on summer teams in high school with several guys that went on to be drafted after their senior year, so the idea of playing professionally was definitely on my radar screen, but I knew that if I was going to get that chance, it would only come after several years of (much needed) development in college, so I didn't give it too much thought. Once in college, there was never really a specific moment when I realized that it was a legitimate possibility - I suppose I just always anticipated and hoped that it would happen, and so I worked towards that end.

Q: You played college ball in Princeton. What was that like?

ES: Playing at Princeton was awesome. I had an incredible group of teammates each year, and coaches who were committed to helping us develop as players, but also allowed us the freedom to enjoy all the other great aspects of the college experience. Because Princeton is a non-scholarship program, it doesn't usually have the depth to match up well against the big D1 programs (though '03-'05 saw 2 second round, 1 fourth round, 1 seventh round, a few other top 20 round draft picks, so I think we were more competitive than most people would have expected), so our goal was always to win the Ivy League championship, get an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney, and go in as a 4-seed and give someone a run for their money. I was lucky enough to leave after four years having won three championships.

Q: Was there a defining moment when you took off and scouts began to notice you?

ES: I'm not sure that there was ever a defining moment when scouts began to notice me. I had a great junior year, and have pretty good size for a pitcher (6'5"), so maybe that got me on some radar screens, but to be honest, I never got a lot of attention from scouts, and only ever spoke with one or two during my college career. I think it's just hard to get scouts out to Ivy League games sometimes, so I had to rely on my coach to get my name out there by making phone calls to scouts and front office guys ( e.g. Mike Chernoff in the Indians front office who was the captain of our team at Princeton my freshman year) that he knew around the league.

Q: You graduated, correct? What was your degree if I may ask?

ES: I did graduate last summer with a degree in Economics a week before heading to Burlington to start playing ball.

Q: Now, going to an Ivy League school and all, I have to ask ... what is the lure of toiling around in the minors making peanuts when you have a good education and can potentially make much more money now?

ES: Money can give you the opportunity to do a lot of good things, but ask anyone of my friends who's out in the "real world" working an 8-5 (though plenty of them are also working 8-8 or more) and making a lot more money than me, and they'll tell you exactly why I'd rather be doing this. I get paid to hang out on a baseball field and throw a ball around every day. I'm not exactly padding my savings these days, but I love what I'm doing and feel extremely blessed for that. Plus, at the end of the day, if all goes well, there's a chance to get to the big leagues, which would make this whole minor league experience look like a pretty decent investment from a financial standpoint.

Q: You signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indians shortly after the June 2006 draft. Were you disappointed not being drafted, or did you expect that as a possibility going in?

ES: I was definitely disappointed to not be drafted. I had hoped for that day for such a long time, and really expected that it would happen (maybe not in the early rounds, but a 50 round draft made me feel like I had a good shot). BUT, as I told myself all along, all I was looking for was a chance - the chance to play, and the chance to improve towards whatever my full potential really is. Thankfully, about half way through the draft, Mike Chernoff (who I mentioned above) called me to say that, while the Indians weren't going to have room to draft me, they would be willing to offer me a contract after the draft if no other teams picked me because they were going to have an extra minor league team that year (the first year for the GCL team, and the last for Burlington). So the disappointment lasted about a day, and excitement took over from there.

Q: Did teams contact you in advance saying they were interested in you? Who were your biggest suitors going into the draft and after it?

ES: The Indians and the White Sox were really the only two teams that contacted me at all, and like I said, I only had one or two brief conversations with any scouts prior to the draft. I wasn't sure which, if any, other teams even had my name on their board, so I was relying on my coach and another Princeton alum who has done some work in baseball to get my name out there.

Q: What was the post-draft process like? Can you briefly explain what an undrafted free agent goes through when trying to latch onto a team since most fans have no idea how the process works?

ES: I'm not sure on this, but my situation might have been different from most non-drafted free agents, as I already knew before the draft was over that the Indians had a spot for me. The only real difference for someone like me (a college senior with no bargaining leverage) between being drafted or not is that I could have waited around to see if any other teams were interested. I had already committed to the Indians before any other teams even called though, so it was a pretty simple process. From there it was just a matter of signing the contract (a standard contract with non-negotiable terms), so I met with the scout for my area and shipped out a few days later.

Q: What made you sign with the Indians?

ES: Lack of options... kidding (sort of). But I was glad that the Indians were my only real option, as I had heard great things about the quality of the organization, and about their interest and skill in developing their own talent.

Q: You started off in Burlington last year, how was your experience there? That was the last season the Indians played in Burlington.

ES: I was only in Burlington for about a month, but had a great time there. That team had several guys that were in situations similar to mine - late round or non-drafted college senior-signs, all working to find some way to impress despite the odds working against us. It was a good first taste of professional baseball life. Thanks to one incredible innings in my second to last game there, my stats are pretty underwhelming, but I was lucky enough to get moved up for the rest of the season and get a fresh start.

Q: You finished in Mahoning Valley, what was it like there?

ES: Mahoning was great also. The facilities were much nicer, which made the games seem that much more exciting, and, again, I had a great group of teammates. Off the field, rather than living in an apartment as I had in Burlington, I lived with a host family, who was great to offer my roommate and me lots of food and help of any kind on top of a free place to stay.

Q: Have you made any friends in the organization? Are there guys you met last year or this year whom you keep in regular contact with that you may or may not be playing with presently?

ES: I've made a lot of friends over the past season and a half, from each of the three teams I've been on, that I hope to keep in touch with for a long time to come. Maybe it's just the nature of the job - playing, living, eating, and traveling with the same 25 guys day in and day out for extended periods of time - that forces everyone to find good friends, or maybe I've just been lucky.

Q: In the offseason, what were some of the things you personally worked on to get better at going into 2007? What were some of the things the organization challenged you to improve on in the offseason (and spring training)?

ES: I spent a lot of this offseason trying to improve my overall physical strength in order to add a little velocity to my fastball. I also made a few mechanical adjustments that I thought would help to that end without taking away from my command within the strikezone. The organization didn't really offer any personalized challenges for the offseason, but gave me the general encouragement to continue working on my fastball command and changeup. During Spring Training, though, they suggested that I work on establishing and being more aggressive with my fastball, noting that the pitchers that do well and advance in this organization are the ones who establish their fastball, however fast and with however much movement, and rely on it as their primary out pitch.

Q: Give a quick scouting report of yourself. What is your fastball velocity, what pitches do you throw, what is your best pitch, what are your biggest strengths and weaknesses and what are some of the things you are working on?

ES: My fastball velocity has improved some this year, but is still fairly typical for a right-handed pitcher. I have topped out at 94mph on the year (as opposed to 91 last year), but usually sit right around 90, with some variance depending on whether I'm throwing a 2-seam or 4-seam fastball. I also throw a cutter, a curve, and a changeup. My biggest strength throughout college was my changeup, and I think the same was true last season, but since moving to the bullpen for most of this season, I haven't used it as much, and have relied more on commanding my fastball and mixing in the other pitches to keep people off balance. I have some more mechanical adjustments that I'd like to work on this offseason in hopes of continuing to refine the command of all my pitches, but for now I'm just working on getting outs and finishing the season on a strong note.

Q: This year, you did not break camp with a full season team. Was that disappointing? How did you handle that? What do you do for the two and a half months from the beginning of April when big league camp and full season minor league teams break away and when short-season leagues finally start up in mid-June?

ES: I was definitely disappointed to not break camp with a team, but used the disappointment as motivation to work towards getting a shot to move onto one of the rosters. Thankfully I had several good friends who were in the same situation, so we were able to help each other stay positive and motivated. Extended Spring Training is basically just like Spring Training, minus the excitement. We wake up early, throw, lift, and do drills, and then play early afternoon games - either against each other or against other EST teams (Tigers, Astros, or Braves). There are no fans at the games, none of the stats go into any official records, and it's probably true that everyone there wishes they were somewhere else. BUT, it's still a chance to play, and they always say that as long as you have a jersey you have a chance. So we made the most of it, and I think it actually ended up being a good experience on the whole.

Q: What was it like to finally get going and get the call to Kinston back in June?

ES: Getting the call to Kinston was a breath of fresh air. I had been in EST for almost 7 weeks, and was really ready to get out of there. I had been pitching pretty well, and thought that if some spots opened up at Lake County I might be able to sneak into one of them, and so I was pretty surprised when they told me I'd be heading to North Carolina again. I'm not sure if the original plan was to have me stay here the whole season or just come to help out for a bit (we played 6 games in the first 4 days I was here) before heading down to Lake County, but I'm glad they gave me the chance to stay here. I consider myself pretty lucky to have gotten that chance at all, so I'm trying to make the most of it.

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Winter League Wednesday Round-up

As you know by now, the Leagues in Hawaii and Arizona are over for another season. However, feel free to check last Sundays round-up for a reminder on the Indians farmhands individual performances.


Caribbean Winter Leagues

There are a couple of adjustment to the Caribbean rosters this week. In Venezuela, Eddie Mujica has transferred from Caribes de Anzoategui to Navegantes del Magallanes and Asdrubal Cabrera has joined up with Cardenales de Lara.

Meanwhile, in the Dominican Jhonny Peralta is now playing for Aguilas Cibaenas and actually started his first two games for them at 3B.

Player Updates (overall numbers - Italics indicate players season is over): -

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

RHP Randy Newsom - 4G, 2.2IP, 7H, 7R/ER, 3BB, 1K, 23.62ERA - Newsom was suffering from an infected finger blister which brought and end to his season.

OF Matt LaPorta - 17G, .164(11-for-67)/.250/.299/.549, 3 2B, 2HR, 12RBI

INF Asdrubal Cabrera - 3G, .167(1-for-6)/.444/.333/.778, 2B

OF Franklin Gutierrez - 7G, .238(5-for-21)/.429/.381/.810, HR, 2RBI

RHP Edward Mujica - 5G, 5IP, 10H, 6R/ER, BB, K, 10.80ERA

INF Nuiman Romero - 15G, .341(14-for-41)/.400/.341/.741, 4RBI

INF Karexon Sanchez - Has not yet played.

RHP Hector Rondon - Has not yet played.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez - Has not yet played.


DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

1B Jordan Brown - 9G, .241(7-for-29)/.324/.276/.599, 2B, 4RBI

C Chris Gimenez - 18G, .214(12-for-56)/.429/.464/.893, 2 2B, 4HR, 11RBI

RHP Adam Miller - 8G(5GS), 29IP, 28H, 16R, 14ER, 6BB, 27K, 4.34ERA

LHP Scott Lewis - 5G, 22IP, 25H, 14R, 13ER, 6BB, 26K, 5.32ERA

LHP Tony Sipp - Has not yet played.

RHP Fausto Carmona - 3G, 16IP, 12H, 3R/ER, 5BB, 12K, 1.69ERA

3B Andy Marte - 9G, .258(8-for-31)/.361/.258/.619, 3RBI

LHP Rafael Perez - Has not yet played.

C Carlos Santana - Has not yet played.

OF Jose Constanza - Has not yet played.

OF Lucas Montero - 25G, .232(13-for-56)/.403/.375/.778, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6RBI

C Alex Castillo - 8G, .231(3-for-13)/.333/.308/.641, 2B

RHP Joaniel Montero - Has not yet played.

INF Jhonny Peralta - 2G, .222(2-for-9)/.222/.556/.778, HR, RBI

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

OF Roman Pena - 39G, .276(34-for-123)/.355/.463/.818, 9 2B, 3B, 4HR, 19RBI


PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE

SS Kevin Fontanez - Has not yet played.

OF Andy Gonzalez - 14G, .286(12-for-42)/.483/.452/.936, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 4RBI

RHP Edward Buzachero - 7G, 10.1IP, 8H, 1R/ER, 3BB, 8K, 0.87ERA

OF Jason Cooper - 12G, .333(15-for-45)/.444/.578/1.022, 6 2B, 3B, HR, 12RBI

I'll be back on Sunday with the next Winter League Round-up.

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Smoke Signals: Jordan Brown Is Tonight's Guest

With Thanksgiving on Thursday, our show has been moved up to a special day and time tonight, Tuesday November 25th at 8:00-9:00 pm EST. Paul and I will touch on several of the current topics with the Indians, and halfway through the show Jordan Brown will be calling in where we will spend the last half hour talking about things from his thoughts on not being rostered, the Rule 5 Draft, his 2008 season, and what he is doing to prepare for 2009.

Here is the link to listen live:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheClevelandFan/2008/11/26/Smoke-Signals

Call in number is 646-716-8012 if you want to call in before Brown comes on and ask a question or two. Also, if anyone has any suggestions for questions to ask Brown, please post in the comments section below or email me at tlastoria@indiansprospectinsider.com.

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The 4th Option Year

For those wondering about the fourth option year rule and how a player like Michael Aubrey will get one this year and how Tony Sipp will likely get one a few years from now (if needed) here is the explanation as offered by Baseball America a few years ago:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/columnists/askba05sept.html

In some circumstances, baseball rules allow for a fourth option. A player receives a fourth option if he has less than five seasons of pro experience. Draftees who immediately sign a major league contract will qualify unless they reach the majors quickly and stick there. Otherwise, they'll have their three options exhausted after their first three years in pro ball. Guthrie falls into this category.

A season is defined as any year in which the player spends 90 days on the active list. Short-season and Rookie leagues don't last 90 calendar days, so a player assigned to those leagues for an entire year won't accrue a season of pro experience. Also if a player has a long-term injury, he usually won't be credited for a season that year. (The exception is if he goes on the disabled list after spending 60 days on an active list, in which case the DL time counts as service time.)

Aubrey was drafted and signed in 2003, and he was active for less than 90 days in 2003 so it does not count as a season. 2004 is a season played, but he missed most of 2005 and 2006 and they do not count. 2007 and 2008 are his other two seasons, so he has only three seasons (2004, 2007, 2008) which is why he will get that fourth option this year.

Sipp was drafted and signed in 2004, but that season does not count as a played because he was in short-season ball which is less than 90-days long. 2005 and 2006 count as seasons, but he missed all of 2007 with Tommy John surgery and missed most of 2008 with the injury and was on a rehab assignment the rest of the year so it does not count as a season. 2008 was his first option year, so assuming he uses his two remaining options in 2009 and 2010 and is healthy, that would only be four seasons played (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010) so he would get the fourth year option if needed.

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SCRAPPERS TO UNVEIL NEW LOGOS

Niles, OH – The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are scheduled to unveil a new look on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Members of the media and fans are encouraged to attend the announcement that will be held at Center Court of the Eastwood Mall at 3:00 PM. The Scrappers will be releasing a new primary team logo along with new uniforms featuring new home and road caps. New Scrappers merchandise will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the event.

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McBride Full Of Talent And Hustle

This is a piece from August 2007 that ran before this blog started. Up until the New Year, I'll continue to re-post some past articles on players still in the system which were written before the conception of this blog. Also, McBride will be appearing on Smoke Signals sometime in Janaury to talk about his 2008 season, his transition to the outfield, and what is in store for him in 2009.

Fans of professional sports have a knack of gravitating to players who show good hustle and play hard. They respect a player who gives it his all and then some, even if the results are not always what they want. Here in Cleveland, the fans adore players such as Anderson Varejao on the Cavaliers, not because of his skill set, but because of the enthusiasm and hustle he shows on the court.

Lake County catcher Matt McBride is a lot like that, except he has a skill set which could make him a frontline catcher someday. You won't get any showboating from McBride. He is the Barry Sanders of baseball, where like Sanders used to gently give the football to the referee when he scored a touchdown, McBride immediately puts his head down and runs hard to first base even after he knows he connected for a home run.

This is McBride's second season in the organization as he was taken in the second round (75th overall) of the 2006 Draft out of Lehigh University. McBride signed quickly, and was assigned to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley where he showcased the talent that had scouts excited about him going into the draft as he finished the year hitting .272 with with 4 HRs, 31 RBIs, 5 stolen bases and a .757 OPS in 52 games. McBride provides a rare combination of defense and offense at the catching position, and he was so impressive that Baseball America tabbed him the third best prospect in the NY-Penn League last year.

This year, McBride is having a good season at Lake County as he is hitting .278 with 8 HR, 58 RBI and a .769 OPS in 94 games. He was selected as an All-Star this year, and recently was ranked by Baseball America as the fifth best catching prospect in all the minors. But, even with all the success he has enjoyed so far in just over a year in the Indians organization, he is still adjusting to the grind of playing every day.

"This is my first full professional season," said McBride. "Even though you play a lot in college, it is nothing like going through all of spring training and playing a 140 game minor league schedule. You definitely have to stay focused and go day by day."

One of the biggest things McBride is adjusting to is life as a professional catcher, which he states there is a considerable difference between college and the professional ranks. Unlike in college, he has the help of many former catchers on the Lake County coaching staff to assist him with his development.

"In college, I went to Lehigh University and I enjoyed it there, but we did not have a catching coach," said McBride. "I have definitely learned a lot here from our manager (Chris Tremie) who used to be a catcher and even our hitting coach is a catcher."

One of the biggest differences between catching in college and professional ball is that in the professional ranks game calling falls mostly on the shoulders of the catcher, whereas in college pitches are called from the dugout.

"That one is big, calling games," noted McBride. "You go out there in college and for the most part our pitching coach called games, so now it has been an adjustment to go out each day and call them. You try to pitch to the pitcher's biggest strengths, and you know each team. We play a bunch of these teams so much, so you get to know a lot of the hitter's tendencies and their strengths. As the year goes on it becomes easier because you know what to expect from the hitter and your pitcher because you know them better. I would have to say calling games has been the biggest adjustment, because in college I really did not have to do it that much and now it is one of the biggest things I am trying to work on. I'm sure you can get better at it, but I am still working at it hard."

Going into this season, the catching position was a strength in the Indians organization. Not only do the Indians have arguably the best tandem of catchers in the majors with Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach, but they also had four very good prospects in the minors in Wyatt Toregas (Akron), Max Ramirez (Kinston), McBride (Lake County), and Robbie Alcombrack (GCL).

With Ramirez being traded to the Rangers a few weeks back for Kenny Lofton, the door is open for McBride to potentially make a late season appearance in Kinston. If Lake County fails to make the playoffs, McBride could very well be added to the Kinston roster the last week of the season and play in the playoffs. And, almost certainly he will start in Kinston in 2008. But, McBride doesn't want to get ahead of himself.

"I hope to get to [Kinston]," said McBride. "Really though, I'm not focused on where they put me and I am just trying to finish off this year right now. We have a pretty good team here (Lake County), so hopefully we make the playoffs. I just keep playing each day and play hard and try to win. In the offseason I'll work hard, and see where I end up after spring training."

When camp broke this spring, the Indians decided to load up the Lake County pitching staff with youth. The staff's inexperience showed early in the year as the results were not pretty. But, in the second half of the season those young, inexperienced pitchers have settled in and started to perform well. Along with those young pitchers settling in, so has McBride.

"The first half some of the guys struggled," recalled McBride. "Some of the pitchers are a little younger, and I think now they have settled in more. Also, for me, this is the first time I am catching a full season and I am more settled in back there behind the plate. I think the whole team is more relaxed, and the pitching has been more consistent day by day."

While the starting pitching struggled for most of the first half, with the arrival of the second half the starting pitching has been much better. Two of the biggest highlights of the second half were no-hitters thrown by the Lake County staff on June 24th and July 3rd, something that was a completely new experience for McBride.

"I caught both of them," noted McBride. "It was a great experience, as I had never caught a no-hitter before. I was definitely very nervous there at the end of the game and I was like 'man, I really hope I don't overthink this.' It was just awesome to be a part of. And, in the second game I thought it would be a little easier, but I was just as nervous in the end. I noticed we had a no-hitter going in the 5th inning, but was not thinking about it or expecting it to happen. Then the 6th, 7th, 8th....then by the 9th ininng I was like 'wow, we have a really good shot at this.' I had some butterflies out there while I was catching."

Coming into the 2006 Draft, McBride's biggest strength was his catch-and-throw ability. His throws to second timed at 1.85 to second base, which is considered above average. But, for most of this season McBride struggled with throwing runners out, although that has improved considerably of late. McBride had some problems with his mechanics, and after some work, he appears to be getting better every week with his throwing.

"[Tremie] has really been working with me on my release to get rid of the ball quicker, and to forget about the throw down to second," said McBride. "It definitely has been improving. It is great to have our manager and hitting coach as former catchers. It is great to come in between innings and have them say 'hey, you rushed that one a little bit in warmups'. I thrown one down every inning, so if I have a question about something they can tell me whether I am rushing, or standing up when I throw. So, it is a big help having them here."

In addition to his throwing, McBride is also working on being more attentive on the basepaths. While he is big and strong (6'2" 215 pounds), McBride is also athletic and has above average speed for a catcher.

"I'm trying when I get on base to be smart and aware on the basepaths," said McBride. "That is really big. If I get a few stolen bases here and there, that is a plus. I'm really just trying to have quality at bats, get on base, and not do anything stupid on the basepaths."

Bottom line, being able to hit is what is going to punch his ticket to the major leagues. McBride is a very patient hitter with good power potential, and has a very good eye and bat-to-ball ability. He has performed well this year offensively, although he still thinks he has much room for improvement.

"I'm just trying to use the whole field more," says McBride. "I have a tendency to pull the ball and a lot of times I get out front and pull the ball foul. I'm just trying to have a little better approach each at bat and not getting myself in a hole by chasing some balls inside and pulling them foul. I need to try and take those balls and just have a little better quality at bat each time."

With the season about three weeks from wrapping up, McBride likes how things have gone his first full season as a professional, but he is not completely satisfied.

"Yeah. There are certain parts of the game I could do a little bit better at," said McBride. "I just try and go out each day and play the hardest I can."

This is just the type of player McBride is, and his hustle and talent is something fans will quickly catch onto as he moves up the Indians minor league ladder, and hopefully to the big leagues in a few years.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

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Winter League Sunday Round-up

Arizona Fall League

The Championship game between Mesa Solar Sox and Phoenix Desert Dogs took place yesterday (11/22) with the Desert Dogs winning 10-4 to claim the AFL title. The Desert Dogs rode out the first 5 innings against Atlanta Braves uber prospect Tommy Hanson (5IP, 3H, 1R, 8K) before exploding for 5 runs in the 6th inning and 4 runs in the 7th against the Sox bullpen.

With the Fall League now over, here's one final reminder of how the Indians prospects fared whilst playing for the Surprise Rafters.

LHP Chuck Lofgren - 10G, 0-3, 7IP, 19H, 40R, 25ER, 18BB, 6K, 32.14ERA

RHP Erik Stiller - 13G, 0-1, 16.1IP, 27H, 24R, 17ER, 4BB, 16K, 9.37ERA

RHP Josh Tomlin - 8G (7GS), 2-3, 28IP, 36H, 23R, 20ER, 3BB, 28K, 6.43ERA

RHP Neil Wagner - 13G, 19.1IP, 18H, 13R, 12ER, 12BB, 9K, 5.59ERA

3B Wes Hodges - 25G, .349(38-for-109)/.368/.587/.956, 8 2B, 6HR, 26RBI

1B Beau Mills - 18G, .239(16-for-67)/.338/.388/.726, 4 2B, 2HR, 10RBI

INF Josh Rodriguez - 23G, .169(13-for-77)/.286/.247/.532, 6 2B, 7RBI

OF Stephen Head - 10G, .250(7-for-28)/.463/.286/.749, 2B, RBI


Hawaii Winter League

As we mentioned on Wednesday, the Hawaii Winter League has been completed so, for one final time this off-season, let's run through the individual performances of Indians farmhands.

LHP Matt Meyer - 15G, 17.2IP, 20H, 14R, 11ER, 11BB, 22K, 5.60ERA

LHP Shawn Nottingham - 13G, 21IP, 21H, 14R, 11ER, 9BB, 26K, 4.71ERA

LHP Heath Taylor - 4G, 12.1IP, 14H, 4R, 3ER, 4BB, 9K, 2.19ERA

C Adam Davis - 20G, .093(5-for-54)/.286/.167/.452, 4 2B, RBI

3B Dustin Realini - 14G, .171(7-for-41)/.346/.220/.566, 2 2B, 3RBI

INF Ron Rivas - 16G, .216(11-for-51)/.259/.235/.495, 2B, 3RBI

OF Matt McBride - 33G, .285(37-for-130)/.364/.438/.803, 11 2B, 3HR, 22RBI

LHP Kaimi Mead - 15G, 19.2IP, 15H, 7R, 3ER, 8BB, 14K, 1.37ERA

Caribbean Winter Leagues

Player Updates (overall numbers - Italics indicate the players Winter season is over): -

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

RHP Randy Newsom - 4G, 2.2IP, 7H, 7R/ER, 3BB, 1K, 23.62ERA - Although there has been no published confirmation of Newsom leaving Venezuela, he is no longer listed on the roster for Leones del Caracas.

OF Matt LaPorta - 17G, .164(11-for-67)/.250/.299/.549, 3 2B, 2HR, 12RBI

INF Asdrubal Cabrera - Has not yet played.

OF Franklin Gutierrez - 6G, .222(4-for-18)/.391/.389/.780, HR, 2RBI

RHP Edward Mujica - 4G, 0-3, 4IP, 10H, 6R/ER, BB, K, 13.50ERA

INF Nuiman Romero - 15G, .341(14-for-41)/.400/.341/.741, 4RBI

INF Karexon Sanchez - Has not yet played.

RHP Hector Rondon - Has not yet played.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez - Has not yet played.


DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

1B Jordan Brown - 9G, .241(7-for-29)/.324/.276/.599, 2B, 4RBI

C Chris Gimenez - 18G, .214(12-for-56)/.429/.464/.893, 2 2B, 4HR, 11RBI

RHP Adam Miller - 8G (5GS), 29IP, 28H, 16R, 14ER, 6BB, 27K, 4.34ERA

LHP Scott Lewis - 5G, 22IP, 25H, 14R, 13ER, 6BB, 27K, 5.32ERA

LHP Tony Sipp - Has not yet played.

RHP Fausto Carmona - 2G, 1-0, 10IP, 8H, 2R/ER, 2BB, 9K, 1.80ERA

3B Andy Marte - 7G, .217(5-for-23)/.333/.217/.551

LHP Rafael Perez - Has not yet played.

C Carlos Santana - Has not yet played.

OF Jose Constanza - Has not yet played.

OF Lucas Montero - 23G, .226(12-for-53)/.406/.377/.783, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6RBI

C Alex Castillo - 9G, .235(4-for-17)/.316/.353/.669, 2 2B, 2RBI

RHP Joaniel Montero - Has not yet played.


MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

OF Roman Pena - 37G, .276(32-for-116)/.354/.466/.819, 8 2B, 3B, 4HR, 19RBI


PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE

SS Kevin Fontanez - Has not yet played.

OF Andy Gonzalez - 12G, .306(11-for-36)/.480/.472/.952, 2B, 3B, HR, 4RBI

RHP Edward Buzachero - 7G, 10.1IP, 8H, 1R/ER, 3BB, 8K, 0.87ERA

OF Jason Cooper - 11G, .325(13-for-40)/.438/.575/1.013, 5 2B, 3B, HR, 10RBI

I'll be back on Wednesday with the next Winter League Round-up.

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Weekend Update: Michigan Week

It is Ohio State vs. Michigan today (Go Bucks!), and time for another Saturday rundown to recap all the happenings in the Indians system from this past week:

• There has been a lot of talk the past few weeks about third baseman Wes Hodges defensive issues. The Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a story on him this week, and in Baseball America's Indians Top 10 rankings which came out this week they did not include Hodges in the listing because of his defense.
  
  In doing some of my final research for my upcoming Indians prospect rankings, I came cross a quote from a highly respected scout I spoke to about Hodges in June this year at Akron:
  
  "I think he is better this year than last year. His bat profiles at first or third base, but I think he will play enough to stay at third. His body is better this year and it appears he has firmed it up. In instructional League in 2006 he had just signed and I heard good things about him in college and had never seen him, and when I saw him I thought ‘oh gosh he is going to have to firm up the body a little bit and show a little more agility and mobility', and he has done that. He has done a lot better this year than last, and he is going to play third base. He has enough agility and he makes all the plays, and I think he stays there. If I had to make the decision, I would not move him."
  
  Now, this is not a glowing endorsement by any means about his defense, but it hardly tears him apart either like some of the recent reports have of late. There seems to be two sides in play here and it is split right down the middle. You have one side that thinks he is just an atrocious defender and will be a liability at third base and will have to move to first base where his bat won't play up enough there as it would at third base. Then you have the other side who think he will be adequate defensively and make the routine plays at third base, and that his bat is too important to move from the position (for the record, I am in this camp).
  
  Just trying to bring some balance to the discussion, and show things are not as bad as some people have made them out to be of late in regard to Hodges. Yes, Hodges has some things he needs to correct with his defense, but let's see where he goes with it next year at Triple-A Columbus after some offseason work and six weeks of instruction in spring training and what adjustments he makes before we count this guy out as the eventual heir to the third base throne in Cleveland.

• Left-hander Chuck Lofgren was on our radio program Smoke Signals this past Thursday. Big ups to Chuck for coming on in what is really a difficult time for him on and off the field. I have nothing but big respect for anyone who can be that open and upfront when things are not going as they may want them to.
  
  Next week first baseman Jordan Brown will be our guest. Due to Turkey Day on Thursday, the show will be moved up to a special time on Tuesday Nov 25th at 8:00-9:00pm. The timing of this interview couldn't be any better considering he was just left off the 40-man roster, so it will be interesting to get his thoughts on that, the Rule 5 Draft, his offseason, his 2008 season, and what he is doing to prepare for 2009.

• The Indians released their 2009 Player Development staff alignment for next season. There were no major changes as all the managers will return to the teams they were with in 2008. In fact just about everyone is returning in some role next year except for former Buffalo hitting coach Dave Meyer who left the organization a month ago.
  
  The notable moves are Jon Nunnally going from Kinston to Columbus to serve as the hitting coach, and Ruben Niebla from Lake County to Akron to serve as the pitching coach. These two are hot coaches in the system and well respected and deserving of the promotion. Niebla will once again get to work with the likes of Hector Rondon, Jeanmar Gomez, Carlton Smith, and others he had at Lake County in 2007, and at some point in the year could work with some guys who get promoted from Kinston to Akron that he worked with this past season.
  
  One note, former Buffalo right-handed pitcher Jeff Harris has retired and is now looking to carve out a career as a pitching coach where he will start next year as the pitching coach for the rookie level Arizona League team.

• Late Thursday night the Indians finalized what minor league players would be added to the 40-man roster. As expected, five players were rostered: Carlos Santana (C), Hector Rondon (RHP), Trevor Crowe (OF), Chris Gimenez (C/INF/OF), and Jeff Stevens (RHP). For my extended thoughts on who was and was not added, check out my update from yesterday.

• Best of luck to infielder Matt Whitney who signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Washington Nationals last weekend. Whitney had an up and down career in his six and a half seasons with the Indians, and if not for the injuries who knows how different his career with the Indians may have gone. In any case, with the Indians crowded first base situation in Cleveland, Columbus and Akron next year, he did what was best for him and signed where he has a good chance at a major league job or getting regular playing time at Triple-A. He is a class guy, and will be missed.

• Play in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) wrapped up on Thursday. Here are the final stats for the Indians players who played out there:
  
  Wes Hodges (3B): .349 (38-109), 8 2B, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 3 BB, 20 K, .956 OPS, 8 errors
  Stephen Head (OF): .250 (7-28), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K, .749 OPS, 0 errors
  Beau Mills (1B): .239 (16-67), 4 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB, 22 K, .726 OPS, 3 errors
  Josh Rodriguez (SS): .169 (13-77), 6 2B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 13 BB, 26 K, .532 OPS, 5 errors
  Josh Tomlin (RHP): 2-3, 6.43 ERA, 8 games, 28.0 IP, 36 H, 3 BB, 28 K, 1.39 WHIP
  Neil Wagner (RHP): 0-1, 5.59 ERA, 13 games, 19.1 IP, 18 H, 12 BB, 9 K, 1.55 WHIP
  Erik Stiller (RHP): 0-1, 9.37 ERA, 13 games, 16.1 IP, 27 H, 4 BB, 16 K, 1.90 WHIP
  Chuck Lofgren (LHP): 0-3, 32.14 ERA, 10 games, 7.0 IP, 19 H, 18 BB, 6 K, 5.29 WHIP

• Play in the Hawaii Winter League also wrapped up last weekend for Indians prospects out there. Here are their final stats:
  
  Matt McBride (OF): .278 (35-126), 10 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 14 BB, 19 K, .785 OPS, 0 errors
  Ron Rivas (SS): .234 (11-47), 1 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 13 K, .535 OPS, 1 error
  Dustin Realini (3B): .175 (7-40), 2 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 9 BB, 16 K, .565 OPS, 2 errors
  Adam Davis (C): .096 (5-52), 4 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 13 BB, 21 K, .461 OPS, 0 errors
  Shawn Nottingham (LHP): 1-1, 3.60 ERA, 12 games, 20.0 IP, 17 H, 9 BB, 26 K, 1.30 WHIP
  Matt Meyer (LHP): 3-2, 6.32 ERA, 14 games, 15.2 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 18 K, 1.91 WHIP
  Heath Taylor (LHP): 0-0, 2.19 ERA, 4 games, 12.1 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 9 K, 1.46 WHIP

• I have been receiving some e-mails from excited Tribe fans in the Columbus area itching to buy Columbus Clipper single game tickets and wanted to know when they will go on sale. According to a representative I spoke to at Columbus this week no date has been set for single game tickets to go on sale, but they expect them to go on sale in early December. Once the date is set it will be posted on their website at http://www.clippersbaseball.com/.

• Short-season Single-A affiliate Mahoning Valley released their 2009 schedule this week. In addition to that, a big announcement is planned on Wednesday December 3rd in the Eastwood Mall complex which is adjacent to the stadium. No word on what this big announcement is, but this is likely the unveiling of their new logo and team colors as mentioned here a few months ago.

• I have received a few questions asking when the new prospect list will be released and when the book will come out. I plan to start a daily prospect countdown on Monday December 1st, and hope to have a book ready for publishing by the middle of December. However, I am probably being overly optimistic there, and it may not be finished and ready for shipping until the first or second week of January. Again, the book will be much bigger and deeper this year. Last year there were 75-some prospects covered and this year I plan to do at least 100 and maybe as many as 125-150.

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Indians Announce 2009 Player Development Staff

CLEVELAND, OH-- The Cleveland Indians & Director of Player Development ROSS ATKINS today announced the player development staff assignments for the 2009 season. TOREY LOVULLO will manage the Columbus Clippers, the Indians newest Player Development affiliate, while MIKE SARBAUGH (Akron), CHRIS TREMIE (Kinston), AARON HOLBERT (Lake County) and TRAVIS FRYMAN (Mahoning Valley) will all return as managers of their respective 2008 club’s. TED KUBIAK will manage the AZL Indians as Cleveland shifts its rookie league team from the Gulf Coast League to the Arizona League.

The Indians also announced the field staff assignments for the 2009 season. DAVE HUDGENS (Field Coordinator), DAVE MILLER (Pitching Coordinator), BRUCE FIELDS (Hitting Coordinator), GARY THURMAN (Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator) and TIM LAKER Catching Coordinator) will all return to the same positions they held during the 2009 season. STEVE LYONS, who was the pitching coach of the GCL Indians last year, will serve as the Lower Level Pitching Coordinator and Professional Scout during the 2009 season.

Lovullo will begin his first season as the Manager of the Columbus Clippers and his fourth consecutive season as the Manager of the Indians Triple-A affiliate. He will again be joined by SCOTT RADINSKY who will serve as his pitching coach for the third straight season. Joining Lovullo’s staff this year will be JON NUNNALLY who last year served as a coach for the Kinston Indians.

Sarbaugh will return to Akron where he guided the Aeros to the Eastern League Championship series in 2008. RUBEN NIEBLA who was the pitching coach at Lake County last year, has been promoted Akron where he will serve as Sarbaugh’s pitching coach. LEE MAY Jr. also returns along with Sarbaugh to Akron as May will serve as a coach for the Aeros.

Tremie will again guide the Kinston Indians for the second consecutive season with GREG HIBBARD also returning as the club’s pitching coach. ROUGLAS ODOR who had managed the GCL Indians for each of the past two seasons will serve as a coach on Tremie’s staff.

Holbert will return to Lake County for his second campaign as the Manager of the Captains. TONY ARNOLD in what will be his 17th season as a coach in the Indians Player Development System will serve as Holbert’s pitching coach at Lake County. JIM RICKON also returns as a coach at Lake County for the third straight season.

Fryman, who last year made his managerial debut, will return to lead the Mahoning Vally Scrappers. KEN ROWE also returns as the club’s pitching coach. Joining Fryman’s staff this year as a coach will be PHIL CLARK, who spent the 2008 season as a coach with the GCL Indians last year.

Kubiak will manage the AZL Indians after spending the last five seasons as the Indians Player Development Defensive Coordinator. JEFF HARRIS will make his coaching debut as Kubiak’s pitching coach after a 14-year playing career. DENNIS MALAVE who served as the Indians bullpen catcher each of the past two seasons and ANTHONY MEDRANO, who was a coach on the CGL staff last year round out Kubiak’s staff.

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40-man Thoughts: The Day After

After a wild and hectic day yesterday with the 40-man roster, here are some quick thoughts on it and the selections the Indians made:

• Players were informed around 6pm EST (about 4 hours before the press release) they were being rostered. I know some people were wondering when they find out, so there you go. They are pretty much strung along just like everyone else and don't have an idea what is going on. I talked to five of the players last night who were either rostered or just missed and the common theme was that it was an extremely stressful day waiting impatiently "to get that phone call".
  
  
• I have no doubt that the Indians were talking deal late into the night be it either for one of their Rule 5 eligibles or for a player on their 40-man they wanted to remove in order to have a sixth spot so they could add all six of the players they really wanted to add.
  
  
• Another thing in play is the Indians may in fact have been waiting until the last possible minute to see what other teams were doing with their 40-man rosters. By tracking the additions of players to the 40-man for other teams, the Indians could maybe get a better idea of who they run less risk of exposing between a Jordan Brown, Chris Gimenez, Chuck Lofgren and Stephen Head.
  
  
• Trevor Crowe, Hector Rondon, Carlos Santana, and Jeff Stevens were locks the whole time. The only question was who would be the fifth guy between a list of verify good players and important prospects such as Gimenez, Brown, Head and Lofgren. Also, if they would put the roster at a full 40 by rostering six players.
  
  
• In the end, the Indians made the decision to roster Gimenez and leave a spot open on the 40-man roster since they plan to fill it before the Rule 5 Draft on December 11^th. It looks like they may have something near finalized with a player to do this, as last year they left the 40-man at 39 players on deadline day and then the next day signed Masa Kobayashi. So, maybe the Indians will announce a free agent signing very soon.
  
  
• The fact the Indians rostered both Gimenez and Santana to me SCREAMS that Kelly Shoppach is going to be dealt this offseason, or in a more minor move that Wyatt Toregas (or Gimenez) is traded. There is no way they open the season with five catchers on the 40-man roster. Someone is going, and I hope it is Shoppach to fill a need at third base, starter, or at the backend of the bullpen. It would make for a nice camp battle this spring between Toregas and Gimenez for the backup catching job in Cleveland.
  
  
• Jordan Brown was the odd man out, which was very unfortunate. While he was surprised and confused with the way things went down yesterday, and even in a state of shock to a degree, this may actually work more to his benefit as he now immediately becomes one of the top Rule 5 eligible players in the draft. If he were to be selected and can show enough with his new team to stick, he could be realizing his dream to be in the big leagues by April this year on Opening Day. Something he really has no chance of doing if he was rostered by the Indians. It is a longshot, but he may get that chance.
  
  
• So why wasn't Brown rostered? It is possible the Indians may feel that with his recent injuries that teams will shy away from him. Brown has had a lingering knee issue that he has pretty much battled through the past two seasons. On top of that, he hurt his foot just before going to the Dominican Republic about six weeks ago. Early reports are that it is not serious, but the Indians and Dominican Republic officials thought it serious enough to shut him down and send him home. This could possibly work to the Indians advantage (and Jordan's disadvantage).
  
  
• I got a tip over a week ago that Brown was set to be on the 40-man, but as I posted early yesterday was informed that was no longer the case. I think the foot injury above may have played into that.
  
  
• Ultimately, the fact that Michael Aubrey is set to get a special fourth option year (medical reasons) was the killer for Brown. It is hard to keep two like players in Brown and Aubrey on the 40-man who play the same position of first base.
  
  
• That said, it is inexcusable to expose Brown when you still have Andy Marte on the 40-man roster. They should have let that ship sail with Marte months ago, and now may lose Brown or Head because of it.
  
  
• By the way, what incredible timing this all is for our radio show Smoke Signals. Brown will be on our show next week to address all this stuff and more! With Thanksgiving on Thursday, Paul and I will be airing the show at a special time 8:00-9:00pm on Tuesday the 25th.
  
  
• Another player exposed who immediately has some value to other teams is left-hander Chuck Lofgren. I think it is 50/50 that Lofgren gets selected. He is a former top prospect, left-handed, throws in the low 90s, and has what scouts have told me as "correctable flaws" in his mechanics that could get him back on track.
  
  
• Personally, I think Lofgren is better off if he is not selected as he just needs a normal offseason and spring training whereas a Rule 5 selection and all the pressure he will add to himself trying to make a big league roster could be devastating to him during a very important and fragile spring training that looms for him. But either way, I wish him much luck no matter what happens.
  
  
• By the way, we had Lofgren on Smoke Signals last night, and the show can be listened to or downloaded here.
  
  
• In an upcoming Rule 5 Draft preview I will do, infielder/outfielder Stephen Head will certainly be one of the top five guys I think has a chance of being selected. He may in fact have the best chance because of his versatility to play both first base and the outfield exceptionally well. He is more athletic, healthy, has more pop, is more versatile, and plays better defense than Brown, which may make him a more attractive Rule 5 choice for teams. While Brown has a year of Triple-A under his belt and is a superior contact hitter, he doesn't offer the defense or versatility that teams like in a Rule 5 pick since the player will mostly be a bench player.

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Indians Add Five Players To 40-man

CLEVELAND, OH --- The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has added five (5) players on to the club’s 40-man roster. Today the Indians purchased the contracts of the following players from the Triple A Columbus roster: CA CARLOS SANTANA, OF TREVOR CROWE, CA CHRIS GIMENEZ and RHP JEFF STEVENS. The club also purchased the contract of RHP HECTOR RONDON from Class A Kinston.

Santana, 22, had arguably the finest season of any minor league player in 2008, batting .326 (151-463) with 39 2B, 5 3B, 21HR, 125 runs & 117 RBI in 130 games. He led all minor leaguers in runs and finished 2nd in RBI, T6th in walks (89), 8th in on-base % (.431) and T9th in extra base hits (65). He was acquired by the Indians on July 26 from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with RHP John Meloan for INF Casey Blake. At the time of the trade he was hitting .323 (113-350) w/a league best 88 runs scored, 34 doubles, 4 triples, 14HR and league-high 96 RBI in 99 games at Class A Inland Empire of the California League. He was eventually named California League MVP and #2 overall prospect in the California League (Baseball America).

Did not miss a beat in Class A Kinston, reaching base safely in 26 of 29 games, scoring 34 runs in those contests as he hit .352 (27-105) with 5 2B, 6HR & 19 RBI. He also played 2 games in AA Akron to conclude his season. On the year he reached safely via hit or walk in 119 of his 130 games and had a cumulative OPS of .999 (.568SLG/.431OB%). After the season he was named a High Class A All-Star and best defensive catcher in the California League by Baseball. He was also designated the best hitter in all of Class A baseball (High A) by MLB.com. He is the #1 overall prospect in the Indians organization entering 2009 according to Baseball America.

Crowe, who turned 25 on Monday, split the season between AA Akron and AAA Buffalo, hitting a combined .302 (104-344) with 28 2B, 4 3B, 9HR & 41 RBI in 84 games (.381OB/.485SLG/.866OPS). He also scored 70 runs and stole 18 bases in those 84 contests. Trevor was 3rd overall in batting average among Indians minor leaguers and 5th in steals. After an early season injury to his lower back, he hit .400 (42-105) w/32 runs, 10 2B, 4HR & 24 RBI in 25 June games and was named Eastern League Player of the Month.

He was promoted to AAA Buffalo on July 25 and hit .274 (40-146) at Triple A with 12 2B, 2 3B, 5HR & 13 RBI in 35 games. Combined from June 1 thru the end of the season at Akron and Buffalo Trevor hit .332 (95-286) w/61 runs, 25 2B, 3 3B, 9HR & 39 RBI in 69 games. The Portland, Oregon native was the club’s 1st round selection (14th overall) in the 2005 draft out of the University of Arizona.

Gimenez, 25, also split the season between AAA Buffalo and AA Akron, hitting a combined .304 (113-372) with 24 2B, 2 3B, 9HR & 45 RBI in 109 games. He also compiled an on-base % of .421 and scored 69 runs in 109 games (.452SLG/.873OPS). His .304 average was the 2nd highest of any Indians minor leaguer. Chris was the club’s 19th round selection (557th overall) in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Nevada-Reno. Chris began catching during the 2006 season after splitting his first few seasons in the organization between first base, third base and the outfield.

Stevens, 25, had an outstanding season between AA Akron and AAA Buffalo between his stint at the Beijing Olympics for Team USA. Jeff started the season at AA Akron and was 5-1 w/a save and a 2.51 ERA (28.2IP, 19H, 8R/ER, 11BB, 37K, 11.6K/9.0IP, .188AVG) in 17 relief appearances. He did not allow a run over his last 6 outings for Akron (10.0IP, 1H, 0R, 5BB, 16K) before being promoted to Triple A on June 1.

He pitched well at Buffalo, posting scoreless outings in 12 of 19 appearances and limited hitters to a .181 (19-105, 3HR) average against. Overall at AAA he was 0-3 w/5 saves and a 3.94 ERA in 19 games (29.2IP, 19H, 13ER, 16BB, 44K, 13.3K per 9.0IP). He appeared in 4 games in a primary set-up role for Team USA during their bronze-medal winning effort at the 2008 Summer Olympics in August. Combined on the year he went 5-4-6 w/a 3.24 ERA in 36 games (58.1IP, 38H, 21ER, 27BB, 81K, .184AVG), averaging 12.5 strikeouts per 9.0IP. Stevens was acquired in June of 2006 from the Cincinnati Reds.

Rondon, 20, spent the season at A Kinston where he went 11-6 w/a 3.60 ERA in 27 starts for the K-Tribe (145.0IP, 130H, 58ER, 42BB, 145K, .238AVG). He finished 4th in the Carolina League in wins, 2nd in strikeouts, 6th in innings pitched and 8th in ERA. Among Indians minor league pitchers he was 6th in ERA, tied for 5th in wins & led the entire organization in strikeouts. Hector was named a High Class A All-Star and the 9th overall prospect in the Carolina League by Baseball America and was also named as having the best Change-Up in the league by BA. He also tossed a scoreless inning for the World Team in the Futures Game. The 6’3” right-hander is a native of Guatire, Venezuela and was signed by Cleveland in August of 2004.

The Indians currently have 39 players on their organizational 40-man roster.

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Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm.....

Edit 9:19pm: Dodgers just added 10 players to their 40-man.

We'll talk about the developments with the Indians 40-man on our show which starts in ten minutes.
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Edit 9:08pm: The Rangers and Phillies completed a trade tonight that looks like a deal for 40-man purposes. Also, the Reds 40-man has been set. That leaves four teams, the Indians, Dodgers, Mets and Giants yet to finalize or publish their 40-man by the deadline.

Boy, this is strange. Nothing may happen, but it is clear to me the Indians are talking trade. Could be a minor trade to clear roster space, could be something a little bigger. May or may not go down, but I have to believe they are in serious talks on a trade.
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Most of the teams in MLB have submitted their 40-man rosters. Only a small handful have yet to post their final rosters, the Indians being one of them.

40's set: Angels, Astros, Braves, Brewers, A's, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees.

Not set: Indians, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Rangers, and Reds.

It may be nothing, but I wonder if there are some potential deals in the works here.

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Smoke Signals 11/20: Chuck Lofgren on tonight!

Paul and I will be talking about the roster decisions the Indians made today to add players from their minor league system to the 40-man roster. We will talk about what impact these players, if any, have on the 2009 season and also touch on any surprise decisions. In addition, time permitting we will talk about the slow start the Indians are off to this offseason and baseball in general and what to expect going forward.

As usual, our guest will be calling in around 10pm. Left-handed pitcher Chuck Lofgren is our guest this week, and with so much going on there is certainly a lot to talk about. If anyone has a question they may want to have asked to Chuck, please post in the comments section below or e-mail me at tlastoria@indiansprospectinsider.com and I'll see if we can get it asked.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheClevelandFan/2008/11/21/Smoke-Signals-The-Cleveland-Fan-Live

Show is on from 9:30-10:30pm and as always if you miss it live you can download the podcast and listen to it anytime you want.

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Indians name Minor Leaguers of the Year

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians today announced the recipients of the organization's 2008 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year awards.

INF Beau Mills has been named the 2008 winner of the Lou Boudreau Award as the top Minor League position player in the Indians player development system. Additionally, LHP David Huff has been selected as the Bob Feller Award winner for 2008 as the organization's top Minor League pitcher.

Mills, 22, batted .293 (141-482) with 78 runs scored, 34 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs and 90 RBI while also recording a .506 slugging percentage and a .880 OPS in 125 games with the Kinston Indians. Following the season, he was named the Carolina League Most Valuable Player.
Mills was named to both the mid-season and postseason Carolina League All-Star teams as he finished tied for first in the Carolina League in home runs (21), second in RBI (90) and total bases (244), third in slugging percentage (.506) and extra-base hits (58) and fourth in the league in hits (141). His 21 home runs also led the Indians player development system while his 90RBI were second most among organizational farmhands

A former first round selection (13th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Mills hit .332 with 10HR and 40RBI over the final 49 games of the season. Following the season he was ranked the fifth best prospect in the entire Carolina League by Baseball America while also being named as the league's best defensive first baseman by the publication. Recently he was named the fifth best prospect in the Indians organization entering the 2009 season according to Baseball America.
Huff, 24, combined to go 11-5 with a 2.52 ERA in 27 games/26 starts (146.1IP, 112H, 41ER, 29BB, 143K) between AA Akron and AAA Buffalo while holding opponents to a .210 average against. He started the season at AA Akron going 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA (65.2IP, 44H, 14ER, 14BB, 62K) in 11 games/10 starts before being promoted to Buffalo on June 11th.

At Buffalo, Huff was 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA (80.2IP, 68H, 27ER, 15BB, 81K) in 16 starts for the Bisons. Over his last nine starts at Buffalo he was 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA (42.2IP, 34H, 11ER). For the year he led all Indians Minor League pitchers in ERA (2.52), was second in innings pitched (146.1) and strikeouts (143) and T4th in wins (11). His combined .210 average against between Akron and Buffalo was the 11th lowest mark among all full season Minor League pitchers. Following the season he was named the sixth best prospect in the International League by Baseball America. He was the 39th overall pick (sandwich round between rounds 1/2) of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft by the Indians out of UCLA. Yesterday, Huff was named the eighth best prospect in the Indians organization entering 2009 according to Baseball America.

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Roster news

Nothing yet on who the Indians will be adding to the 40-man roster, but just got an email from the source on Jordan Brown. According to him there is now a chance Brown is NOT rostered. A week or so ago he was supposedly set to be rostered, but something changed.

I am speculating here, but is it possibly his foot injury that had him prematurely end his winter league season in the Dominican Republic? Dunno. In any case, it looks like if in fact only five players are rostered that it is coming down to Gimenez, Rondon, and Brown for the final two spots. I beg the Indians to make this easy and just roster all six and put the 40-man at a full 40.

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