Onto the Inbox...
Anthony S. wrote: Do you think the Tribe will not be as aggressive to sign Drew Pomeranz? We get the same slot next year and depending on who you ask next years draft is supposed to be much deeper.
I believe that at 11:59 p.m. EST on August 16th that Pomeranz will be signed and officially be an Indian. I understand that there is some anxiety and uncertainty because he is still unsigned and we are five days away from the signing deadline, but note that over half of the first round picks and almost all of the Top 15 are still unsigned.
From what I understand Pomeranz would like to sign and the feeling is mutual with the Indians in wanting to sign him, but what we are seeing right now is this ridiculous charade the whole signing process has become with a high majority of first round picks waiting it out until the deadline day. Also, a lot of overslot signings in all rounds are now being officially announced by teams, signings that would have been frowned upon by MLB if done shortly after the draft or even a month ago. This is why so many guys in the first five rounds have yet to be signed by a lot of teams, the most ever from what I have heard, and by far. Expect many move overslot announcements in the coming days for non-first rounders.
As for the thought of not signing Pomeranz and just taking the compensation pick next year and using it on a player in a supposedly deeper draft? First off, Pomeranz is projected as a Top 10 guy in next year’s draft, so I am unsure you really gain anything by not signing him. Secondly, and probably more importantly, is the Indians would be inclined to take a safer player with the compensation pick next year to ensure signability since there is no compensation the second time around. So, they would likely end up with a lesser talent anyway. Last, money saved this year that is not spent on the draft does not necessarily carry over to next year's budget. They will just reallocate it elsewhere, be it another player in this year’s draft or on the international front. So, bottom line, for me at least, I just sign Pomeranz and be done with it (which I am pretty sure is what will happen anyway). Same applies for the second rounder Levon Washington and third rounder Tony Wolters, two players we would also get a compensation pick for if unsigned.
Steve R. wrote: When is Hector Rondon coming back?
Rondon is expected to make his first rehab outing this coming Saturday August 14th in Arizona. All reports from the Indians and staff members out in Goodyear are very positive, so at the moment it appears they dodged a bullet with the elbow. The injury and rehab is very similar to that of Kelvin De La Cruz last year where he had a long shutdown and then pitched late in the year and in the fall. If Rondon does well in his rehab outings in Arizona then he is expected to be activated and pitch for a full season affiliate near the end of August, and would seem to be in line to pitch in the Arizona Fall League or Instructional League to help make up innings.
Joey wrote: I had a quick question, are the Indians making Nick Hagadone into a reliever?
Yes, Hagadone has officially been moved to the bullpen, which I will have a full story on in the next few days. This is a transition that was planned back in January and something Hagadone knew about all along where the plan this season would be to start the year in the rotation in a piggyback situation and then in the second half make the transition to the bullpen. He is now viewed as a bullpen option going forward and will be developed that way, so his starting days are all but over.
This should not come as too much of a surprise as Hagadone was a reliever in college at Washington and only initially started in the minors in order to help develop his pitches and expedite his exposure to as many game situations as possible and develop a routine. Ideally you would love to see an arm as talented as his in the rotation, and his prospect standing takes a hit as a reliever rather than a starter, but this move may help him by pitching in shorter spurts and being able to let it all air out and just exclusively using his outstanding fastball-breaking ball combination.
Chad wrote: With Hagadone being moved the bullpen, I was thinking about the future of our starting rotation. Is there anybody who can be an "ace" in Cleveland besides Knapp? White has had two bad starts recently, but does he have top of the rotation stuff?
If you ask me, predicting who ultimately becomes an ace in a big league rotation is almost impossible. I mean, Cliff Lee was never viewed in the minors as an ace in the making. It took him three to four minor league seasons and four big league seasons before it came together for him. Prior to that he was a solid middle of the rotation pitcher. There are just as many aces who were never thought to be one who become one as there are those who become one who were always believed to be one (does that make sense?). So, we will see.
Now, as for "potential" to be an ace? That's something based on stuff and makeup and other intangibles of course. I still say Carlos Carrasco has the stuff to be an ace, but the biggest thing is what is between the ears as the mental aspect is really the one thing holding him back. The same could apply to the guy already in the big league rotation, Fausto Carmona. Alex White has the stuff to be a Halladay-like ace with exceptional work ethic, makeup, discipline, and front-line stuff, but again, how does the mental part translate when he reaches the big leagues? Jason Knapp probably is the best ace candidate because of his unbelievable makeup, size and stuff, but he is a huge projection since he is still in Single-A. Heck, Joe Gardner could become an ace along the lines of Brandon Webb with that sinker. You just never know. I don't think any of these guys get to that level ace level, but who really knows. We’ll find out in time.
Llama said: Any word on how Hodges came back to the Tribe yet? As both a Rockies fan and an Indians fan I'm dying to know!
Sorry to disappoint, but it's really not too juicy of an account from what I have heard. As far as I know, there were no backroom deals between the Indians and Rockies to circumvent the waiver process so the Indians could keep Hodges. It looks like it was just basically a case of the Indians kind of lucking out that they could reclaim him. Basically, we waived him to create a 40-man roster spot and then the Rockies claimed him, and then the Rockies waived him to create a 40-man spot and then we were able to get him back. An odd coincidence indeed, but from what I understand that is exactly what it ended up being, a coincidence. Definitely a weird year with transactions between this one and the Jensen Lewis DFA that really wasn’t a DFA.
Dan wrote: What has happened to Wyatt Toregas this year? He's only hitting .227 and played in 38 games. Injuries? I thought I heard he had an encounter with the front office about his playing time in the big leagues? Any chance he is tanking it to get released?
Toregas struggled this year offensively and had been in and out of the lineup for various reasons. After not making the big league opening day roster he was sent to Double-A Akron where he struggled, so the Indians sent him to Goodyear, AZ in May to get in better playing shape. He was sent to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley in mid-June to get some work in and then was sent to Triple-A Columbus in mid-July where he had been playing until recently having his season come to an end after suffering a severe groin injury last week.
Yes, there are other issues which have affected Toregas this season, something of which was documented here on this site in mid-June. But he certainly was not tanking it this year as that would do him no good as at the moment he has very little interest from other teams in acquiring/signing him. The Indians had offered him up for trade back in April and May to every other club for no compensation and were unable to find takers, so it was important he played well considering he is a six-year minor league free agent this offseason. It will be interesting to see what happens to him this offseason, and I wish him nothing but the best of luck and hope he lands on his feet somewhere.
Robert wrote: Although Shane Lindsay has been wild and being hit thus far in Columbus, is the organization still intrigued by this guy despite his recent performance because of his overpowering fastball? I'm rooting for this guy because he reminds me of "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn (from the "Major League" movie series). If he improves his performance in AAA, will we attempt to hold onto him next year or is he a minor league free agent?
I think Lindsay is more pitching inventory at this point. The arm is intriguing, yes, but there are a lot more options available right now with much higher priority (Josh Judy, Bryce Stowell, Vinnie Pestano, Bryan Price, Zach Putnam, etc) now and more will be by next year. I am still unsure exactly why the Indians made a waiver claim on him in the first place other than to add some pitching depth for moves they expected down the road with trades/releases. In any case he has since been put on the disabled list and he is a six-year minor league free agent this offseason, so his time in the organization may be short anyway.
Tyler S. wrote: Last year, Michael Valadez was a catcher for the Lake County Captains. I was a big fan of him. About midseason, it was announced that he was being converted to a pitcher. I know that he was released in May. Do you know how far into the process he was?
Valadez was 100% into his transition from catching to pitching this spring as he was throwing in games in spring training, throwing bullpens, and everything else. It was a long shot and he was ultimately released in the spring. After being released he signed with an independent team in the Golden Baseball League to try and continue his playing career.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @tlastoria. His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.
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