Around the Farm: April 11 the No-Hit Edition

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday's performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday's game.

Congratulations to Trey Haley, Francisco Jimenez and Clayton Ehlert, for the first no hitter of the young professional season.

Trey Haley - SP, Lake County: 3 IP, 0 H, 1ER/R, 2 BB, 4 K. Wild thing, you make my heart sing. Haley is a former 2nd round pick out of high school, that can hit the gun in the mid-to-upper 90's. What he lacks in consistency, he more than makes up for it in absolute talent. Last night, Haley was a picture of brilliance for two innings, and a picture of that inconsistency for one more. He was perfect through two innings, then gave up a lead-off walk in the third. A wild pitch would put the runner on second, but Haley would settle down and strike out the batter, Jaren Matthews. The runner would steal third, and then Haley would walk the next batter. Haley again struck out the next batter to right the ship, before another wild pitch would bring home the runner without giving up a hit. A fly ball would end the inning, and his night. Haley has a strict 55-pitch limit. He showcased his boom-and-bust mentality thusfar, but perhaps he's slowly starting to figure things out.

Francisco Jimenez-RP, Lake County: 4 IP, 0 H, 0R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (1-0). Jimenez came in and immediately walked the leadoff batter. After a groundout and a passed ball, Jimenez found himself in a one-out, runner-on-third jam. The turning point of the game came on the next batter. Jimenez got David Vidal to fly out, and Carlos Moncrief then rifled a throw home, getting the runner tagging up, and ending the inning. Jimenez would then roll out three more innings of perfect baseball in getting the win.

Clayton Ehlert-Closer, Lake County: 2 IP, 0 H, 0R/ER, 0 BB, 0 K, S (2). While I'm not sure where Ehlert stands as a long-term prospect, today the Lake County closer was a standout. He not only got his second save of the season, but did it pitching two perfect innings to close out the Lake County no hitter.

• Jordan Henry - RF, Akron: 2-for-3, 2 R, SB. Henry is an on-base machine. The rightfielder has a career .400+ OBP since joining the Indians in 2009. He's continuing his under-the-radar brilliance in 2011, hitting .400, with a .400 OBP. He's batting ninth, but is a table-setter in the making.
• Grady Sizemore - CF, Akron: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI. There's something about this kid that rings a bell, almost as though he's been in the majors before. Call it intuition, or just plain brilliance on my part, but this Sizemore kid is ready to skip triple-A, and head right to the majors.
• Juan Diaz - SS, Akron: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI. Diaz is a big SS with a bunch of potential. He's never, ever had much pop in his bat, but his size (if not his swing) may predicate power in the future. Maybe tonight's homer is another step along the way for Diaz to make a splash in the system.
• Matt Packer - SP, Akron: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K. I'm sure this isn't how Packer wanted to open the season. Why the numbers aren't horrible, it's worth keeping an eye on the emerging starter. Packer skipped over Kinston completely, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his momentum
• Cory Burns - Closer, Akron: 1 IP, 1H, 0R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K, Save (3). , Burns is officially in a slump. After striking out the side in his first two appearances, he only struck out two in his third save chance, and gave up one hit to top it off. Sarcasm runs amok here at IPI, as Burns continues to prove that he may be the best closer in the system, not playing in the majors.
• Chun-Hsiu Chen - C, Akron: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI. Chen's loan hit was mighty important. Chen roped a two-run double in the seventh inning, scoring that Sizemore kid and Jason Donald, to give the Indians the win. The Chen-train steamrolls on.
• Giovanni Soto - SP, Kinston: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, Loss (0-1). Soto was making his first start for Kinston, and continues to impress. He's a wily pitcher with a deceptive delivery, and while he doesn't blow the ball past any hitters, his K/9 is near 9.00 for his career.
• Travis Turek - RP, Kinston: 2 IP, 1 H, 0R/ER, 0 BB, 3 K. When Turek's on, it's hard to imagine the roller coaster ride that he tends to ride as a player. If he levels out to these kind of performances, he'll be in the mix for a future cup of coffee in the bigs.
• Kinston Indians offense- 1 R, 3 H, 1 2B, 2 BB, 5 K. The lack of consistent offense continues at Kinston, as the K-Tribe drops to 1-3. It's not for a lack of starting pitching, as there has yet to be a bad start in their four games. T.J. House is next up.
• Tyler Cannon - 1B, Lake County: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K. Cannon was last seasons 12th-round pick. After struggling in his brief dip at Mahoning Valley in 2010, seems to be finding his swing. This was his first pro home run,and he's currently hitting .333 early in the season.
• Alex Monsalve - C, Lake County: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1BB. Monsalve continues to impress and develop at Lake County. The kid is getting his first dip in the system, and at 6'2" and 225 pounds, he's right up Sandy Alomar Jr.'s alley. He's getting on base with more regularity, and learning how to call a game. Could the Tribe have another blooming catcher on their hands?
• Jason Smit - RF, Lake County: 0-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 K. Smit did damage today without getting a hit. He's still hitting .525 on the season, and his OPS is at a near ridiculous 1.328.

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: Around the Farm,Clayton Ehlert,Francisco Jimenez,Trey Haley