Weekend Update: Dixon Retires, Spring Games Start Wednesday

It is hard to believe that we are already almost two weeks into minor league camp, but even more hard to believe that three weekends from now all of these guys will know their fate and standing in the organization. At this time three weeks from now some guys will be enroute to their full season team they were assigned to, others will remain in Arizona to take part in extended spring training, and the rest will have been released.

Anyway, here is a recap of the week that was....

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As noted earlier in the week, infielder Dustin Realini and right-handed pitcher Kevin Dixon have retired. In Realini’s case, while I have not spoken to him about the decision, it does appear this was one of those decisions that he realized he was at a crossroads and that it was probably time to get out of the game. Dustin is about two months away from his 25th birthday, and with the prospects of playing another season in A-ball and as a non-starter, it was a painful decision many players hate but probably the right one.

As for Dixon, his retirement came as a surprise considering that he had a chance to at some point this year pitch meaningful innings at Triple-A Columbus. But, he just recently started a family, and it sounds like he had to make a personal decision on whether to continue toiling in the minor leagues or to go out and start to support that family. Some may ask how he could give up so soon on his dream, and what the reason behind it was. Well, in my interview with him at the end of the season last year he said the following:

Dixon is a pretty down to Earth person, and is really your typical average guy trying to make a living while living his dream to play professional baseball. He lives in Burnsville, MN and recently got married this past offseason. While any talks of extending the family with kids are on hold at the moment, Dixon and his wife are just trying to get by on the little he makes in the minors.

"Dealing with being a married man and living this lifestyle has kind of been the biggest thing working out the relationship with my wife," said Dixon. "It has probably been the biggest thing in my life right now, and it has given me perspective that there is more to life besides baseball. Figuring out how to make her happy is a big thing I am going through right now. The money we make with me living the minor league lifestyle is enough, but we will try to make some more money in the offseason. It's tough. Right now my wife is doing a great job. She is a nurse and working a whole bunch and it is really helping us out."

In any case, best of luck to Dixon and Realini in their future endeavors.

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Earlier this week I posted the makeup of the groups working out in minor league camp this spring, with the position player groups, the Akron pitching groups, and the rest of the pitching groups.

I have received many e-mails asking for clarification of some of the things I wrote about in these group listings. Yes, the groups are in fact the actual groups these guys are working out in at the moment. Aside from the actual group listing I provided, the rest is speculation on my part on who is targeted for the rotation, bullpen, or a “bubble” guy. I would like to think, though, that the speculation is an informed opinion and is based on how the organization values these guys, their projection as a player, and where they fit in the organization long term. The “bubble” guys are some players who I think are in that so-called Danger Zone of being released this spring. I hope not, as I want to see all of these guys stick in the organization, but this is unfortunately one of the cold realities of the game (more on this later this week).

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Right-hander Jonathan Holt was on our weekly show Smoke Signals this past Thursday. We talked for close to 30 minutes about minor league spring training, his development as a pitcher, and his experience in the organization since being drafted in June 2007.Holt was excellent and provided some great insight into what these guys are doing in the early days of spring camp, and most especially on the adjustment process over the course of a season. As has been stated before, a lot of times there are some things going on behind the scenes that do not show up in the statistics, and I thought his explanation of that was great. Things like before he goes out for an outing he is told to throw and work on throwing first pitch sliders, or doubling or tripling up on sliders, or throwing mostly changeups, or working on purpose balls inside on the first pitch to "move feet" so he can establish the outside part of the plate....stuff like that. Holt has unbelievable command, so it is hard for a guy like him to throw a purpose ball and it is something he is working on along with the changeup. Keep an eye on this guy going forward....not dominant, but smart and has great command/control of his fastball.

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To recap, here are some of the known position changes for this season:

- Lonnie Chisenhall has moved from shortstop to third base.
- Abner Abreu has moved from third base to the outfield.
- Jason Smit has been moved from the infield to the outfield.
- Adam Abraham has been moved from first base to catcher.

The only one confirmed in that grouping is Chisenhall, though the others are listed at those new positions on the spring rosters. Also, Matt McBride is working out at catcher still, though he is expected to make a permanent move to the outfield this year.

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Minor league spring games kick into action this Wednesday March 18th. To review the minor league spring game schedule, go here. I will likely have recaps of each of the spring games, so be on the lookout for those. I am supposed to have the box scores forwarded to me, and if this does happen, I will summarize the performances from each of the games everday.

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If anyone missed my post from earlier in the week, I posted the 35 minute video of my appearance on SportsTime Ohio a little over a week ago. The video is broken up into four parts, and we talk about many of the Indians prospects, mostly those in my top 10 list in my book.

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In case you have not noticed, we are now down to the final seven in the 2009 Indians Top 100 rankings on this site. By this time next week, the rest of those seven will have been revealed. Again, those interested in picking up a copy of the book please let me know.

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As a reminder, I head out for spring training on Thursday March 26th, and will be there for the final nine days of minor league camp. I look forward to seeing not only the players, but meeting up with family of the players and the fans as well. Please do say hi if you see me.

Posted in: Dustin Realini,Jonathan Holt,Kevin Dixon