Indians preparing for another (successful) draft

(Photo: Dan Mendlik) We are just a little over two months from the 2011 First-Year Player Draft which commences on June 6th in Secaucus, NJ. While organizations are busy finalizing their 25-man rosters for the start of the regular season, area scouts for every team have been dispatched all across the country and are working behind the scenes to find talent for their teams.  The hope is to find talent that will allow teams to sustain success or to build for a brighter...

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Minor League Notebook: 3/29

(Photo: Tony Lastoria) Young Brown is gaining confidence  Indians minor league outfielder Mark Brown is still learning the ropes of professional ball.  Fresh out of high school as a 19th round pick last year out Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan, he is enjoying life in the Arizona sun during his first spring training and excited for the upcoming season. “Spring training is going well,” said Brown in a recent interview for IPI.  “There are...

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Minor League Notebook: 3/28

(Photo: Ken Carr) Harris ready to lead Lake County staff New Lake County Captains Pitching Coach Jeff Harris brings with him a lot of experience.  He played 14 years in the minor leagues and appeared in 430 games (85-53, 3.60 ERA) and even made it to the big leagues where he pitched in 14 games (2-5, 4.26 ERA). In addition to all of that experience and knowledge that he has learned playing on the minor league circuit from 1995-2008, Harris has also learned how to...

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Smoke Signals 3/28: Opening Day Edition

Paul Cousineau and I are back on the cyberwaves tonight for some Cleveland Indians baseball talk in another edition of "Smoke Signals" from 11:00 - 11:30 p.m. EST.  Tonight we will discuss the happenings in spring training as camp is in its final days and lots of last minute decisions are being made. Paul and I will go through all the decisions over the last three days with respects to the opening day roster, and there have probably been more decisions...

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Minor League Notebook: 3/27

(Photo: Tony Lastoria) Here are a few, quick notes from out of minor league camp... DSL gets ready: While the final week of spring training is in progress for the big league and minor league players, things will soon get underway in the Dominican Republic as players there will begin to get ready for their season which starts at the end of May. Spring training for players in the Dominican Summer League will start with a preseason camp on May 1st. A few players who came...

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Spring Update: 3/26

Here is a quick rundown of all the noteworthy action from the minor league games on Saturday March 26th: Columbus vs. Brewers Hitting: 2B Jason Kipnis (2-for-5, 2 R, K, 2 SB), 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (2-for-3, R, RBI), SS Ronald Rivas (2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI), 1B Wes Hodges (1-for-4, R, BB, 3 K). Pitching: RHP Joe Martinez (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K), RHP Zach Putnam (1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K), RHP Carlton Smith (2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Akron vs. Brewers Hitting: CF Bo Greenwell (2-for-5, 2 R), RF Abner Abreu (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI),...

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Tribe Happenings: Indians make roster decisions

Tomlin won a rotation spot with a strongshowing this spring. (Photo: Tony Lastoria) Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook… Tomlin wins rotation spot The Indians made several opening day roster decisions on Friday, and the big one was naming right-handed pitcher Josh Tomlin as the winner in the competition for the final spot in the rotation.  The other pitchers in the mix for the final spot were left-hander David Huff, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, and...

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Spring Update: 3/25

Here is a quick rundown of all the noteworthy action during intrasquad minor league games on Friday March 25th: Columbus vs. Akron Columbus Hitting: 3B Jerad Head (1-for-3, R, 2B, K), LF Matt McBride (1-for-1, 2B), LF Tim Fedroff (1-for-2, R), SS Juan Diaz (1-for-2, 2 CS). Columbus Pitching: LHP Eric Berger (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K), RHP C.C. Lee (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), RHP Bryan Price (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). Akron Hitting: RF Abner Abreu (2-for-2, 2 R, 3B, RBI), 3B Kyle Bellows (2-for-2, RBI, CS), C Juan Apodaca (1-for-2,...

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Lavisky has star potential

 (Photo: Tony Lastoria)  If you could look into a crystal ball and see the Cleveland Indians future, one player who may come into focus the most is catcher Alex Lavisky. Lavisky, 20, is part of the Indians’ hopeful future. He is a young baseball player with all the tools to be a great player, and all the intangibles to be a star. Of course the future is always unpredictable, especially when you are dealing with a young player who is on the verge of just his first full...

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