 |
Could Colon be on his way back to the Indians? (Photo: AP) |
Will Colon look lead to signing?
The Indians have been very open the entire offseason of letting it be known they want to sign a veteran starter to add to their starting rotation mix. The pickings in free agency are slim not only because the availability of quality starting pitching is scarce, but also because the Indians are shopping with an extremely limited budget this offseason.
The Indians are looking for potential one year fits to help eat innings over the course of the season and ease the burden on what will be a very young and inexperienced pitching staff in 2011. Few options on the free agent market appear to be a fit, but of late the Indians have been connected to right-hander Bartolo Colon.
Colon, 37, pitched for the Indians for six seasons from 1997-2002 going 75-45 with a 3.92 ERA in 162 appearances. Over a nine year span from 1998-2005 he averaged over 200 innings pitched in a season and won 14 or more games eight times. Injuries and weight issues derailed his career in 2006, and after a couple rough years with his last two teams the Boston Red Sox in 2008 and Chicago White Sox in 2009 he was seemingly out of the game for good after no one signed him last offseason.
But apparently Colon is trying to make a comeback.
Colon is currently pitching out in the Dominican Winter League and in six starts there is 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA, and in 35.1 innings has allowed 33 hits, six walks, and has 27 strikeouts. According to league sources, he looks motivated and is in much better shape after losing close to 40 pounds. His fastball is at 90-94 MPH and showing good movement, and he is getting lots of groundballs and showing good strikeout ability.
It should be noted that the Indians scouting of Colon hardly means a signing is imminent. They as well as every other team scout every player at every level all year long. They like other teams have a scouting presence in the offseason winter leagues and are looking for potential fits for their club. Obviously they will scout certain players more heavily than others, but just because the Indians are reportedly scouting a guy don't mistake that as being "interest" in a guy.
If Colon impresses the Indians or another team enough to sign him, expect it to only be to a minor league deal.
Kearns re-signed
On Monday the Indians signed free agent outfielder Austin Kearns to a one year deal for $1.3 million. It is the first guaranteed major league contract the Indians have handed out this offseason, and may be the last.
Kearns, 30, returns to the Indians after spending a majority of the 2010 season with the club. He hit .272 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 84 games with the Indians last season before being traded to the New York Yankees on July 30th in exchange for right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister. In 36 games with the Yankees he hit .235 with two home runs and seven RBI.
Kearns' signing fills a need for the club in the outfield where they needed a right-handed bat to offset their all left-handed hitting starting outfield of Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and Michael Brantley. Last season with the Indians he made 63 starts in left field, 12 in right field and four in centerfield after making the club out of spring training as a non-roster invitee, so he will likely fill their fourth outfielder role and be used primarily against left-handed pitching. He also adds insurance as a stop gap starter in the event Grady Sizemore has a setback and is not ready to play at the start of the season.
To make room on the roster for Kearns the Indians outrighted right-handed pitcher Justin Germano to Triple-A Columbus. He has the option to accept the assignment or elect free agency, and as of this writing has not made a decision.
Indians sign Japanese hurler
Last weekend the Indians signed free agent Japanese right-handed pitcher Toru Murata to a minor league deal. He will not report to big league spring training, and instead should report to early minor league camp in late February.
Murata, 25, is a former number one pick of the Yomiuri Giants in 2007, but was recently released on December 2nd. He never made it to Japan's version of the major leagues, and instead spent three seasons in the minors where he went 2-10 with a 4.56 ERA in 43 appearances. He pitched a total of 96.2 innings and allowed 115 hits, 7 home runs, 42 walks, and had 64 strikeouts.
The Indians and other clubs got a look at Murata last fall when he pitched in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) in 2009. Pitching for Scottsdale he went 1-2 with a 5.73 ERA in nine games, and in 11.0 innings allowed ten hits, three homers, three walks, and had eight strikeouts.
"He is a high profile prospect who pitched in the AFL and showed ability to get future major league hitters out," Indians Director of Scouting John Mirabelli said. "He is still only 25 with upside and we feel our Player Development people can help him get back on track."
Murata is not a big pitcher as he only stands in at 6'0" and is 176 pounds. He throws a low 90s fastball with movement that has touched 92 MPH, and complements it with a slider, curveball, and changeup.
It is not known exactly what level Murata will be placed at to start the season, but it looks like he should open the 2011 season at Double-A Akron due to his age and three years of experience as a professional already under his belt; however, the Indians may initially opt to break him in slowly by having start at High-A Kinston but quickly move him up to Akron by May or June.
Indians earn a Buck
The Indians made another signing on Tuesday when they inked free agent outfielder Travis Buck to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training,
Buck, 27, missed a lot of games last season due to injuries and only played in 14 games at the big league level with Oakland hitting .167 with one home run, two RBI, and a .541 OPS. He also played for Triple-A Sacramento, but played just 32 games there hitting .298 with three homers, 17 RBI, and a .827 OPS.
When he is healthy Buck has proven to be a solid left-handed hitter as in his four year career with Oakland covering 170 games he hit .250 with 18 homers, 71 RBI, and had a .755 OPS. The problem has been keeping him healthy as he has had elbow surgery as well as shin splints, post-concussion syndrome, and shoulder and oblique injuries in the past few seasons.
Buck has little if any chance to make the big league club out of spring training. There is not even a guarantee that he goes to Triple-A Columbus when you consider all of the internal outfield options at the Indians' disposal, though it appears that if he is healthy the Indians will find a spot for him somewhere. If he makes the big league roster, he will make $625,000.
Minor signs
Several former Tribe minor leaguers inked deals with new teams this past week.
Outfielder Brian Barton has signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Last year he played independent ball in the Atlantic League and hit .346 with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. The Indians lost him in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft when he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals and they kept him on their 25-man roster the entire 2008 season.
First baseman Michael Aubrey signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. Last year in 102 games at Triple-A Norfolk (Orioles) he hit .235 with 22 homers, 68 RBI, and had a .805 OPS. He was a first round pick of the Indians in 2003 who has battled numerous injuries in his career and was traded to Baltimore in June of 2009 for cash.
Catcher Damaso Espino has signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last year in 85 combined games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus he hit .250 with two homers, 31 RBI and had a .613 OPS. The Indians had acquired him back in June of 2008 for cash from the Kansas City Royals.
Winter ball update
The end of the winter ball season is quickly approaching as the Venezuelan Winter League and Puerto Rico Winter League wrap up regular season play next week. A few Indians are still playing, such as shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, third baseman Jayson Nix, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, and infielder Luis Valbuena.
Last weekend Nix returned from a ten game absence after being hit in the head with a pitch. He is holding his own defensively out in Puerto Rico, but in 12 games played is just 7-for-42 (.167) at the plate.
Cabrera is playing shortstop everyday out in Venezuela to make up for some lost at bats during the 2010 season, and is hitting .280 with one homer, 15 RBI, and a .650 OPS in 24 games.
Valbuena has been a staple in the lineup for his team in Venezuela and has primarily played second base, and is hitting .222 with four homers, 21 RBI, and a .701 OPS in 51 games.
Carrera has been in and out of the lineup of late for his team in Venezuela, and in 41 games is hitting .261 with no homers, 12 RBI and a .681 OPS.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling stateside).
Everything on this site is free, but for those interested in making any monetary contributions to help support the stability and growth of this site please click on the "Donate" button below.
1 comments:
how do you eat your way out of the league?
Post a Comment