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Jason Donald is in the mix at third base (Photo: AP) |
Third base is question #1
There are a lot of spots on the opening day 25-man roster for the Cleveland Indians that are up in the air this spring. While most of the competition is for the final few spots in the bullpen and who rounds out the bench, the one starting spot this spring which will be interesting to see sort itself out is third base.
If baseball lines were set on the competition, the best odds would be on one of Jason Donald, Jayson Nix, or Luis Valbuena to be the Indians opening day third baseman. Others like Jack Hannahan and Jared Goedert will be in the mix and get consideration, but they are not expected to be in the running for the everyday job to open the season.
While the odds heavily favor the trio of Donald, Nix, and Valbuena, the real mystery is trying to figure out which one of the three is favored over the others because at the moment there appears to be no frontrunner. Manager Manny Acta and GM Chris Antonetti have been very vague in their comments on the subject since the start of camp, and likely will continue to be until a winner is named late in the spring.
All three players certainly have their warts. Neither of the three has much if any experience at third base, all three are below average to maybe fringe average defensive options there, and all three are below average big league hitters.
Nix, 28, was picked up off of waivers last June and struggled in his short time at third base with the Indians in the second half of last season. He showed some thunder in his bat by pounding out 13 homers in 78 games with the Indians, but he also only hit .234 and had 75 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 282 at bats.
Valbuena, 25, had one of the worst seasons by a Tribe hitter in some time last year as he hit just .193 with two homers, 24 RBI and had a .531 OPS in 91 games. Not only was he a mess at the plate, but he also struggled in the field as he botched too many groundballs.
Donald, 26, had an uninspiring big league debut last year where he only hit .253 with four homers, 24 RBI, and had a .690 OPS in 88 games. He also left several people in the organization questioning whether he can be an everyday player because of his questionable defensive play.
At the outset, it looks like it is wide open and whoever proves to be the more reliable defender this spring will probably win the job. These things are fluid and can change at a moments notice with injuries, roster moves, and obviously their play this spring, but if I were handicapping the race it appears that Nix has the edge early on in camp.
A lot of this is due to the fact that Nix has remained on the roster the entire offseason when it looked like he was a goner several times. Sometimes the transactions the Indians make or don't make speak loud and clear, and since he has stuck around so long and been a survivor up to this point, it appears the Indians have him penciled in as the guy at third base unless he bombs this spring or one of Donald or Valbuena clearly play better.
Valbuena looks more like he will make the team as a utility option, and quite possibly could serve as the left-handed portion of a platoon at third base with whichever one of Nix and Donald is named the regular third baseman. Donald may have more upside than Nix, but there are some in the organization who believe Donald may be best suited if he started the season in Triple-A Columbus as the everyday shortstop to keep him as an option at shortstop this year and beyond.
No matter what happens, it is a decision that really only has short term ramifications. A month or two into the season Cord Phelps could be an option to replace any of the three if they are struggling and Phelps is playing well in Columbus. Also, if things go well with Lonnie Chisenhall in Columbus, he could be in Cleveland sometime around the All Star break and would be given every opportunity to nail the position down for most of the next decade.
Also, don’t rule out the Indians signing a free agent, making a trade or waiver claim at the end of camp to fill the void.
Sizemore move coming?
No one is really talking about it yet, but outfielder Grady Sizemore may at some point this season make a zip code change in the outfield from center field to left field.
The Indians have had discussions about it in the offseason and right up to the start of camp, but for now they appear content with keeping him in center field as they believe it is the best place for him to better ensure his health. Coming off microfracture surgery to his left knee, he has been limited by injuries the past two seasons so it is probably a good idea to have him stay in center field for now until he re-establishes himself and proves he is healthy.
“The wear and tear, going side-to-side, abrupt stopping, walls, etc all make it tougher on the knees to play corner outfield than center field according to the medical experts,” says a source close to the situation.
Currently, Sizemore is working his way back from his microfracture surgery and has already started taking live batting practice and is doing sprinting drills. He is expected to start playing in Cactus League games later in spring training, likely the middle of March.
While Sizemore's progress to date is encouraging he still has a long way to go. He is almost certain to open the season on the 15-day disabled list to allow him more time to rehab from his surgery and get back to 100%.
Sizemore will probably stick around in extended spring training for a week or so, and then go on a 20-day minor league rehab assignment before being re-activated. He will probably begin his rehab assignment at High-A Kinston as the warmer weather would help in preventing any setbacks or loss of games due to weather, and then move up to Triple-A Columbus at the tail end of it.
If Sizemore has no setbacks on his rehab assignment and all goes well, he could be back in Cleveland sometime in late April to early May.
Crowe hobbled
With Sizemore very likely to open the season on the disabled list it means Austin Kearns will get the lion’s share of playing time in left field and that Michael Brantley will be the everyday centerfielder. It also opens the door for one of Trevor Crowe or Ezequiel Carrera to make the team as the fourth outfielder.
Crowe, 27, looked to be the favorite there, but a rotator cuff strain may shelve him for the start of the season. To make matters worse, the injury setback hurts him as he is running out of time in the organization in that this season is his last option year.
Crowe has underwhelmed since being selected by the organization in the first round of the 2005 Draft out of the University of Arizona. He never really had a consistent season in the minors, and in 190 games the last two seasons in the big leagues with the Indians he has been a poor performer hitting just .246 with three homers, 53 RBI and a .627 OPS during that span.
There is no doubt that Crowe brings the pedigree as a former first round pick, and his speed, versatility, and switch-hitting ability are seen as assets. But his inconsistent performance and lack of any real value as a major league hitter will likely force the organization to make a decision on him at some point this year, be it during the season or early in the off-season.
With Crowe probably now out of the fourth outfielder mix, it means that Carrera and Travis Buck look like the frontrunners to win the spot. Shelley Duncan, Jared Goedert, Chad Huffman, and Jordan Brown are expected to battle for the fifth outfielder and backup first base role this spring.
Indians land four in Top 100
This week Baseball America released their 2011 Top 100 prospects in the minors. The Indians placed four players in the listing with third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall (No. 25), right-handed pitcher Alex White (No. 47), second baseman Jason Kipnis (No. 54), and left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz (No. 61). The Indians are one of just ten organizations in Major League Baseball to have at least four prospects in the Top 100 listing.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has also recently released his Top 100 listing, and the same four players appear in his listing just in a different order: Kipnis (No. 28), Chisenhall (No. 40), Pomeranz (No. 43), and White (No. 71).
International affairs
The Indians continue to sign players year round on the international front. This year they have seen a significant increase of around 25% in their international budget, and they are using that extra money to go out and try to unearth young, talented players in the Pacific Rim and in the Caribbean.
Their 2011 budget is somewhere between $2.5 million to $3.0 million, which is a significant change as just a few years ago they were spending less than $1.5 million internationally. The extra money in the budget is expected to allow them to be bigger players during the International Signing Period this year when it opens up on July 2nd. The Indians have a strong presence in Venezuela, so don't be surprised to see a July 2nd signing or two come out of there.
Goodyear and book
I’ll soon be heading out to Goodyear, Arizona on March 10th and will be out there for close to two weeks. I’ll be providing updates daily on my site at IndiansProspectInsider.com as well as at STOHD.com.
Also, my new 2011 Indians book is now already in its second print run. Thanks again to everyone for all the support. For those interested, you can order the book here on my site through the order form on the upper right side of the page, or you can e-mail me directly to place an order by mail.
The book will soon be available at several retail outlets and team shops. I can confirm that the Cleveland Indians team shop is already on board, and it will soon be at all their team shops including the Goodyear team shop.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).
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2 comments:
Nix has no real upside, too many K's not enough BB's poor average and defense. At least Donald is young enough and didn't get enough of a look at the MLB level to write him off. Valbuena has the potential too, but unless he hits his stride both offensively and defensively at 3B in ST I can't imagine the Indians using him as more than a utility role.
Is it possible that we see Phelps in Cleveland should our 3B by committee or Orlando Cabrera breaks down? What about Chisenhall? A lot of national writers seem to think he'll be up by August
I think if the Donald/Valbuena/Nix trio fails that you definitely could see Phelps up as a possible short term fill in at 3B. It remains to be seen if the Indians will do that with him, but I anticipate that he will get some reps this spring at 3B and continue to do so 2-3 days a week in Columbus. If Chisenhall plays well and is healthy, I see no reason why he is not called up at the end of June or sometime in July.
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