Weekend Update: Goleski Gonzo

Taking a quick break from the prospect rankings (two players will post later today), here is a rundown of the week that was in the farm system for the Indians:

The Indians recently released outfielder Ryan Goleski. He finishes his six-year Indians career a .267 AVG, 102 HR, 425 RBI and an .800 OPS in 674 games. Most will recall he was taken in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by the Oakland A's, but ended up being returned to the Indians when he did not make their opening day roster out of spring training in 2007. Goleski's poor seasons since may then have been a byproduct of the disappointment from not making the Oakland A's opening day roster and returning to the Indians where he was essentially being buried in a system deep with outfielders. He was pretty vocal about his displeasure of having to come back to the Indians, and according to sources who watched Goleski a lot since then, he showed a lack of passion that seemed to carry over into his performance on the field and at the plate.

To be fair to Goleski, it is only human nature to be disappointed in not seeing your major league dream realized and instead having to go back to the daily grind in the minors. On top of that, he also had injured his wrist during that offseason and it was not 100% healthy when the 2007 season started. The wrist injury would help explain the evaporation of his power in the early part of the 2007 season, but where his power went the second half of 2007 and all of 2008 remains a mystery. Most of this is probably due to the development of some bad habits since recovering from the wrist injury, and the Indians worked with him to try and correct them.

He also likely was putting too much pressure on himself to try and impress the organization or other teams by trying to hit more home runs, which resulted in his swing getting long. Some people I know well even went as far as to say that Goleski mailed it the last two seasons because he was still steaming over being returned to the Indians. The Indians did not even have to release him now, but they felt his at bats and spot was better served going to someone who wanted to be here and would be fine with filling an outfield role in Double-A where they desparately need players. Obviously, Goleski would not have been happy returning to Akron for a fourth season, so the Indians probably felt it best to part ways. The sad thing is that if indeed Goleski did mail it in as mentioned above, this is sad that a player would take things to such extremes that they in effect ruin their career.

Now a free agent where he can play with whoever he chooses and will have him, if he can ever get past his issues, he is a prototypical right-fielder in that he brings power to the plate and has a cannon for an arm. His biggest problem is consistency as he put up great numbers in 2004 and 2006, but has tapered off considerably the last two seasons. He needs to overcome the bad habits that have plagued him since 2007, and if his power returns and his two strike approach gets back to where it was in 2006, he could put himself back on the prospect map in a new organization.

**********

Most of these names I made mention of unofficially last weekend, but here is the official list of players the Indians have participating in the two week Winter Development Program:

Michael Brantley (OF/1B)
Jordan Brown (1B/OF)
Jose Constanza (OF)
Ryan Edell (LHP)
Chris Gimenez (C)
Stephen Head (1B/OF)
Frank Herrmann (RHP)
Wes Hodges (3B)
David Huff (LHP)
Matt LaPorta (OF/1B)
Jon Meloan (RHP)
Beau Mills (1B)
Josh Rodriguez (SS/2B)
Hector Rondon (RHP)
Rich Rundles (LHP)
Carlos Santana (C)
Erik Stiller (RHP)
Luis Valbuena (2B)
Neil Wagner (RHP)
Steven Wright (RHP)

**********

The Indians this week invited eight non-roster players from their player development system to big league camp this spring: Ryan Edell (LHP), David Huff (LHP), Jordan Brown (1B), Stephen Head (1B/OF), Wes Hodges (3B), Beau Mills (1B), Michael Brantley (OF), and Matt LaPorta (OF). Others like Trevor Crowe, Chris Gimenez, Hector Rondon, and Carlos Santana will also be in big league camp because they are already on the 40-man roster.

So how do they go about picking who goes to big league camp and who does not? Well, in some cases it can be quite a bit of drama behind the scenes as obviously some players will feel slighted when they are not selected, but hopefully they don't let it affect them. Basically, these guys are invited either because it is written into their contract that says they have to be invited or because the Indians deem them as potential major league options sometime this season. A lot of the high round draft picks - particularly the first rounders or those who slid and commanded a large signing bonus - have it written into their contracts that they attened big league spring training. This is why high profile draft pick signings like Mills, Hodges, Miller, LaPorta, etc usually are at big league camp right from the start, while others like an undrafted Frank Herrmann really are not invited.

The Indians really only take what they are obligated to and what they want to get a closer look at in spring training as they prefer that as many players as possible work out in minor league camp to stay in their routine and continue to work with the coordinators and all the coaches down there who can give them lots of time and know them well. At big league camp these players get to enjoy the experience, for sure, but they don't get that one-on-one attention or regular work like they would get (and need) in minor league camp. So, really, the ones who get invited to big league camp are the players who are close to finished products and are viable options they may turn to in the upcoming season that Wedge, Shapiro, and their staff want a closer look at in practice and in a few Cactus League games.

**********

A 60-foot baseball sculpture created by world-renowned artist Donald Lipski was installed at the spring training complex on Friday. The 6,000-pound fiberglass sculpture is located at the main entrance of Goodyear’s 10,000-seat baseball stadium. It will serve as a focal point and meeting place for fans visiting the ballpark. The sculpture is 60 feet, 6 inches high – the distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound. The $450,000 art work was inspired by the world-renowned Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and incorporates the themes of baseball and flight. Here are a few pictures of the sculpture on its way to Goodyear:






















**********

This past Thursday, Terry Pluto from The Plain Dealer joined our show Smoke Signals. Pluto is a legendary figure as far as Cleveland sports journalism goes, so it was a great treat to be able to have him on the show. We ended up talking to him for about 40 minutes, covering everything from the starting rotation, the bullpen, the outfield and infield. Terry made a lot of great points as usual and offered some very good insight into what the 2009 season may hold for Indians fans. Thanks again to Terry for coming on.

Next week, right-hander Frank Herrmann will be our guest on our January 22nd show. In some of the other upcoming shows, players like Matt McBride, Vinnie Pestano, Stephen Head, and Nick Weglarz should be on.

**********

Right-hander Adam Miller got a glowing report in a recent subscription article at Baseball America. As reported on this site a few weeks back, Miller's slider and velocity are all the way back and he was very dominating. This of course is a good sign, and if he can stay healthy, he is going to be a huge addition to the Indians bullpen at some point this season.

**********

In a Baseball America chat this week they sort of let the cat out of the bag and let it be known that the Indians will be a Top 5-7 ranked system in baseball when their rankings come out soon. No surprise there after the talent the Indians acquired in the Blake, Sabathia and Gutierrez trades, as well as what is looking like a superb 2008 Draft at least at this point. The Indians really restocked the system well the past 7 months between the draft and those trades.

**********

Earlier in the week, the Indians acquired outfielder Mickey Hall from the Boston Red Sox as the player to be named later in the Paul Byrd trade. This was a surprise announcement as it was believed that the Byrd trade ended up being a cash deal and that they would not be getting back a player. In any case, this is sort of a homecoming for Brantley who is from Ohio and around the Cleveland area. And, he immediately takes the place of Ryan Goleski and will slide right into a starting outfield spot in Akron.

**********

Last but not least, the Indians signed the following players to minor league deals this week: Matt Herges (RHP), Vinnie Chulk (RHP), Kirk Saarloos (RHP), and Jack Cassell (RHP). Not sure what all these depth signings are for all of a sudden, especially considering how crowded Triple-A Columbus is with prospects. Unless, of course, a trade is looming and these are players they may use to backfill at Columbus.

Posted in: Adam Miller,Mickey Hall,Ryan Goleski