Tribe Happenings: Chisenhall Making a Good Impression

Chisenhall is no doubt the future at third,

but not right now. (Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook…

Chisenhall impressive, but still needs work

Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall has made a lot of noise this spring, and his hype as the Indians number one prospect to go along with some good numbers at the plate so far (.478, 2 HR, 4 RBI) have caught the attention of Tribe fans.  Considering the Indians need at third base, a lot of fans are wondering why not just start him in Cleveland since he is clearly the best option at third.

It is a complex situation where it really is more than just performance that goes into determining who goes where each spring.  In the case of Chisenhall, he has yet to have an official at bat at the Triple-A level, so it is important to get him a month or two of at bats at that level to help him settle in and be ready once he does get that call to Cleveland as expected later this year.

Chisenhall’s situation is a lot like catcher Carlos Santana’s situation from last year where he was clearly the best catcher in spring training but the Indians opted to send him to Triple-A Columbus to fine tune his defense.  That’s exactly what Chisenhall will do this year as they look to finish off his development at third base and ease him into his big league career.

Another thing to keep in mind is while Chisenhall has a beautiful swing and has really performed well this spring, he is going to have a hard time living up to the hype surrounding him.  He’s a very good hitter and solid defender, but the one concern people who watch him have is how much power he will have at the big league level as an everyday third base option.

“I like Chisenhall, but I’m not sold that his power will ever really show up,” said an AL scout.  “He is gonna have to hit a whole bunch of doubles, which he might do, but he has way more of a line drive stroke than loft power. He is a sound defender from the little bit that I've seen.  The big league staff is really excited though.  I think if the front office would let them they'd break camp with him.”

Ah yes, roster management.  That’s another thing the scout brings up as to why Chisenhall will not open the season in Cleveland.

While the Indians will never say so publicly, by having Santana open the first two months of last season in Columbus and having Chisenhall do the same this year it is a cost controlling measure to avoid any Super 2 arbitration issues down the road and most importantly get an extra year of roster control.

For example, if Chisenhall were to open the season in Cleveland and remain at the big league level the next six years he would be a free agent at the end of the 2016 season.  But if he starts in Columbus and comes up to Cleveland in late April about three to four weeks into the season, he would not be a free agent until after the 2017 season.

While Chisenhall has been exciting and hopefully will fill a big need at third base in Cleveland for a very long time, there is no need to rush him.  As long as he stays healthy and plays well, he will be in Cleveland at some point this year.  For now, sit back and enjoy the nice show he is putting on this spring and then keep tabs on him in Columbus once the season starts as it won’t be long until he arrives in Cleveland, maybe in June or July if things go well.

Stowell struggles

There have been a lot of encouraging developments in Indians camp so far this spring training; however, one of the few disappointments to date has been the performance of right-handed pitcher Bryce Stowell.

Stowell was only a non-roster invitee and had little chance to make the big league club, but he has been a disappointment this spring because he did not make a good impression on the big league coaching staff as he was extremely erratic with his command.  He pitched in the game on Tuesday and in one inning allowed two runs on one hit, two walks, a home run and had a strikeout.

Stowell also has not shown anywhere near the arm strength this spring that he showed last year where he topped out at 100 MPH and raced up three levels and finished the year at Triple-A Columbus.  In his outing on Tuesday his velocity was down about 4-5 MPH from its usual 94-96 MPH range where he only averaged about 90 MPH and was topping out at 91 MPH on Tuesday.  When a pitcher has that much of a dip in their velocity you immediately wonder if they are hurt, but supposedly that is not the case as the Indians say he is healthy.  Apparently, he simply has dialed it down a lot in an attempt to more consistently find the zone, but that has not helped as he still continues to throw strikes and has too many big misses.

It has been what a few people have described as a “brutal” spring for Stowell.  His fastball command is clearly an issue, and it is something that will get high priority when he opens the season at Triple-A Columbus.  Even the assignment to Columbus may not be set in stone as there are some who believe he needs to take a step back and open at Double-A Akron since they believe he was rushed to Triple-A too soon last year.

Weglarz staying put

I often get questions asking when the Indians will move outfielder Nick Weglarz to first base.  Anything can happen in the future, but at the moment the Indians have no plans of moving him to first base and appear quite content with him as their potential left fielder of the future.

Weglarz, 23, owns one of the better impact caliber bats in the Indians’ system, and easily has the best power potential of any player in the upper levels of their system.  He’s a physical specimen at 6’3 and 250 pounds, and for his size he actually moves well and holds his own in the outfield.  With Sizemore’s future with the Indians in doubt after this season, the Indians may turn to Weglarz to fill a much needed void in left field.  There is no doubt he has the bat to do it, but the big concern is health as he has missed good chunks in each of the last two seasons because of injuries.

With all the focus on Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis and what kind of jolt they could give to the Indians big league lineup in the near future, Weglarz is often overlooked.  He is definitely a player to watch and is someone who could quickly factor into the big league mix as an every day player with impact potential with the bat.

Johnson signing official

The Indians made it official this week when they announced that they have signed free agent first baseman Nick Johnson to a minor league contract.

If Johnson, 32, is added to the 40-man roster this season he will make $750,000.  The deal also includes a club option for next year where if he is on the Indians 40-man roster they can choose to exercise that option and pay him $2.75 million in 2012 with an additional $1.75 million in incentives available based on plate appearances.  He has a July 1st out clause where if he is not on the Indians 40-man roster by then he can request his release and become a free agent.

In 794 career games Johnson is a .270 hitter but more impressively has a career .401 on-base percentage which is ranked ninth among active players.  The problem for him over his career has been injuries, most recently a nasty wrist issue which has resulted in three surgeries in less than a year.  The most recent surgery was performed this past February by Dr. Tom Graham at the Cleveland Clinic to remove a tendon in his wrist, so he will spend most of his time with the Indians in the early going rehabbing from the surgery at the Goodyear complex.

Johnson is not an option to make the Indians opening day roster, but could be someone who factors into the big league mix a few months into the season.  He probably will not swing a bat until the beginning of April, at which point the Indians will already be long gone and have started the season.  The Indians will monitor his rehab and if all goes well he could be assigned to Triple-A Columbus later in April or in May on a rehab assignment to make a decision on him before the July 1st roster deadline date.

First cuts

The Indians made their first cuts of the spring on Friday as they optioned right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber, right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon, and infielder Jared Goedert to Triple-A Columbus, and also optioned left-handed pitchers Kelvin De La Cruz and Nick Hagadone to Double-A Akron.  Left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz, right-handed pitcher Bryce Stowell, and catcher Chun Chen were reassigned to minor league camp.

For those who don’t know, players optioned to the minors are on the 40-man roster whereas players that are “reassigned” are not on the 40-man roster.

Book update

My new book titled 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects and More is now in the Goodyear team shop.  It is also available for purchase in the Single-A Lake County Captains team shop and should be available in the Single-A Kinston Indians team shop sometime this coming week.  While it will not be available in the Triple-A Columbus team shop, it may soon be available in the Double-A Akron Aeros team shop.

For those that do not wish to purchase the book in a team shop or through me directly here at my site, you can now purchase it on-line at Amazon.com.

Parting shots

The Indians still plan to develop left-hander Nick Hagadone as a starter.  He should open the season in the Double-A Akron rotation, likely in a piggyback role with another pitcher.  His long term role is still likely in the bullpen, but by continuing to start him it allows more development opportunities for his pitches and improving his command. … Right-hander Anthony Reyes threw a very nice bullpen on Friday, and then carried it over into a live batting practice session with outfielder Grady Sizemore.  He has been slowed in camp by a sore elbow, but he reported no issues after the session.  He is scheduled to throw another bullpen on Sunday, and if all goes well he will probably pitch in a game on Tuesday. … Speaking of Sizemore, he is expected to start running the bases on Sunday.  If all goes well there he could soon get some live action, perhaps by next weekend. … Infielder Jared Goedert has an oblique strain and will be out for about two to three weeks.

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).

Posted in: 2011 prospect book,Anthony Reyes,Bryce Stowell,Grady Sizemore,Jared Goedert,Lonnie Chisenhall,Nick Hagadone,Nick Johnson,Nick Weglarz