Akron Air Raid: Miller Returns, Fedroff's Streak Ends

Photo Credit - MILB/Akron Aeros

The Aeros returned home for their longest home stand of the season. Eight games, against two teams, the Aeros played two four game sets against Harrisburg and Richmond, two teams they've yet to face this season. Harrisburg is the current Western Division leader in the Eastern League and Richmond is with Akron and Altoona in the middle cluster.

The series against Richmond proved to have no separation as the two teams split, while Harrisburg gained more ground with a series win.

Next up, the Aeros hit the road for three quick games against Reading before heading back home to face Binghampton to close out the week.

Latest Landings: Vs 

Harrisburgh (1-3), Vs Richmond (2-2)

Future Itinerary: @ Reading (3), Binghampton (3), @ New Britain (3), @ Harrisburg (3)

As it Stands: Akron is currently in third in the Eastern League Western Division and 5 games back of first place.

Scheduled Rotation: T.J. McFarland (TUE), Matt Packer (WED), Kelvin De La Cruz (THUR), Joe Gardner (FRI), Austin Adams (SAT), T.J. McFarland (SUN)

On the Mound

It was a busy week for the rotation, with four games against Harrisburg and four against Richmond, three starters got the chance to start twice in the two series at home. Austin Adams, Kelvin De La Cruz, and Joe Gardner each got a pair of starts, one against each team.

Adams' start against Harrisburg was cut short and he received, what was a rather undeserved loss after he went just an inning and one third. That was the game on Wednesday when the skies opened up and tornados ripped through the Akron/Cuyahoga Falls area. The game was resumed as a part of a double-header the next day, but Adams was obviously unavailable. Against Richmond, Adams tossed five innings, giving up just an unearned run and striking out five hitters. He did walk five however.

Great week for Kelvin De La Cruz, who went five innings in both starts, picked up a win, and struck out 10. He gave up five total runs off 10 hits and walked six. De La Cruz is now 3-3 on the season with a 3.50 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 46 innings. The problem thus far with DLC is his walk total as he is already up to 32. In previous years, he's walked 72 hitters in 26 starts and 62 hitters in 27 starts. Based off nine starts, if he were to average the number of walks he does now (3.5) and make 20 starts, he'd end up walking over 100 hitters.

Joe Gardner had the most interesting week. He took the loss against Harrisburg, not completing the fifth inning and giving up six earned runs, nine total off nine hits and a pair of walks. Obviously not his best effort, but also a defensive let-down. However Gardner bounced back like he did last time the defense let him down and he had a bad start and had a good game. He may have even had the best game for an Aero's starter this season. He definitely had the longest, going eight innings and giving up a run off six hits and a walk. He also struck out six hitters but took a no-decision.

Other starters this past week:

TJ McFarland

L, 7 IP, 7 H, 6 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 5 K

Matt Packer

W, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K

From the 'Pen

Welcome back Adam Miller! The former first round pick, high ranking prospect, and "future" of the Indians rotation has brought his comeback story to Akron, a team he is a familiar with and a fan base that is familiar with him. As a starter back in 2006, he was 15-6 with a 2.75 ERA in 24 starts. He struck out an incredible 157 hitters in 153 innings. Perhaps his most dominant stint in the minors as an Indian.

This is the new Adam Miller though. This is the humbled Miller who's undergone multiple surgeries to his finger. The Miller who is now a reliever, just looking for a chance to get to the stage he's never been to. And it was a great start in Akron after going 0-1 in Kinston with a save and a 4.91 ERA and 14 strikeouts. Miller picked up a win in his first appearance in which he went a scoreless inning. We'll see how long he pitches with Akron, but if he keeps throwing up zeros, his comeback will take him away from Akron.

Elsewhere, Eric Berger tossed four scoreless innings in two appearances, striking out six and walking one. Cory Burns notched a save, in rather shaky fashion, and also took a loss. For the week, he gave up a pair of runs in four innings off six hits and three walks.

Matt Langwell blew a game, but also came back to win one. Overall he tossed 5+ innings, giving up a pair of runs off five hits and no walks with five strikeouts.

Other relievers for this past week:

CC Lee

2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Marty Popham

1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Bryan Price

2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 (R) 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Swinging Sticks

Unfortunately the Eastern League's leader in hitting saw his 20-game hit streak come to an end. Tim Fedroff finally cooled off for one game to not notch a hit, but he's still swinging the stick with success. A day after he took an 0-4 against Richmond, Fedroff was back at it with three more hits and a day after that, walked twice and knocked in a run. 

The streak was the longest in the Eastern League and ended up being the third longest in Aeros history. He tied Ryan Mulhern, who hit in 20 consecutive games back in 2005. For the week, Fedroff was 10-26 with six RBI and six runs scored. He also stole a pair of bases on Monday against the Flying Squirrels.

Thankfully, Chun Chen is heating back up, or at least appears to be. Chen hit five doubles in the past eight games, knocking in four runs and scoring three times. He did strike out nine times, but Chen swinging the extra-base lumber is a good thing to see.

Matt McBride and Beau Mills continue to hit the ball as well. Each clubbed a home run over the past week and together they knocked in 10 runs and scored six. McBride has been great, striking out just once over the past eight games and Mills, although has struck out seven times, walked three.

The club has also gotten a nice boost from Karexon Sanchez, who hit a home run and has scored five times. 

Other Hitters this past week:

Kyle Bellows

3-25, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Juan Diaz

6-26, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, 8 K, 1 SB

Jordan Henry

2-24, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 1 R, 6 K, 1 SB

Donnie Webb

5-17, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 SB

Additional Notes

Matt Packer has gone at least six innings in his past six starts and has gone at least seven in three of those starts.

Tim Fedroff is hitting .368 with runners in scoring position, the best average on the team. He's knocked in 18 runs but has hit just one home run and one double in the situation.

The Aeros gave up a season high 11 runs to Harrisburg on Tuesday.

On Monday for Memorial Day, the Aeros set a all-time best home attendance record. The 9,328 fans at Canal Park was the largest crowd in history, beating a previous high set all the way back in 2001. 

My trip on Wednesday was obviously cut short due to the storms. But I came across Matt Packer and Kelvin De La Cruz charting pitches behind home plate. DLC is a big kid. Period. Adams had to throw a lot of pitches in the amount of time he was out there. He was getting strikeouts, but hitters hung in there against him, fouling a lot of pitches off.

Jared Goedert made up the one run before suspension. He ended up clubbing a ball to center field, the largest part of the ballpark a few pitches after he rocketed one foul down the third base line. He certainly does not get cheated up at the plate.

Transaction Report

May 24: RHP Matt Langwell received from Columbus

May 26: RHP Paolo Espino sent to Mahoning Valley

RHP Marty Popham received from Mahoning Valley

May 27: RHP Kyle Landis sent to Kinston

RHP Adam Miller received from Kinston

May 28: IF Jared Goedert sent to Columbus

-

Nino covers the Akron Aeros season-long here at the IPI. He has his own blog at The Tribe Daily and you can follow him on Twitter @TheTribeDaily.

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Smoke Signals 5/31: Holiday Hangover Edition

Weather, sickness, and the holidays resulted in Paul Cousineau and I cancelling "Smoke Signals" last week and delaying the show this week, but we 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 talk about the struggles of late for the Cleveland Indians where everything seems to be going bad at once, which is showing in their record the last six games (1-5).  The starting pitching has been bad, the offense has been horrific, the defense has been sloppy, and the fundamentals have been brutal.  We will talk about if this is a sign of a possible June swoon, or if it will just be a hiccup for the team and they get back to their winnings ways soon.  We will also discuss some holes on the team which are surfacing and what the team can do to fill them, and when some of the high profile prospects at Triple-A Columbus such as Cord Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall, Zach McAllister, and more may see time with the team this year.
These are fun times to be an Indians fan, so come join us and listen in!  Feel free to call us at 1-949-203-4752 or email us at smokesignals@indiansprospectinsider.com to talk about anything on your mind.

Thanks again for listening!  No matter how things go this year for the Indians we look forward to another fun year talking Tribe!

You can listen to the show live or download it and listen to it later here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smokesignals/2011/06/01/smoke-signals

You can also listen to the show live directly on this site via our radio page:

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2008/11/radio-interviews.html

Subscribing To iTunes

Once every show finishes it is automatically added to iTunes. To have the podcast of every show sent right to your desktop and to your MP3 player or iPod, do the following:

Open iTunes, click on "Advanced" along the top, and then click on "Subscribe to Podcast" and enter the following feed: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smokesignals/feed.  Once the feed is added all the shows will be added once they are finished.

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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Around the Farm: 5/30

(photo: Lake County) 

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.

Kyle Landis, RP, Akron: 3 IP, 4 K, S (1):


Kinston starter Clayton Cook and relief pitcher Kyle Landis combined to pitch a one-hitter yesterday.  While Cook was extremely good, Landis was perfect.  What's most impressive about his appearance is where he's come from.  Landis was a top 50 prospect for the Tribe after the 2009 season, but a back injury and a rare nerve injury put him on the shelf for the entire 2010 season.  Landis missed the first two months of 2009 with the back injury, and as he was getting ready to make his first appearance, his forearm mysteriously went numb.  He wasn't allowed to throw until the feeling came back, but he continued therapy, which made the arm grow stronger.  Now he's back, and seemingly, better than ever.

• Cord Phelps-2B, Columbus: 2-5, 1 K: Phelps continued his assault on International League hitting with another multi-hit game, raising his average to .319.  He's currently on a fourteen game hit streak, and has multi-hit games in three of his last four.  I would be shocked if Phelps wasn't called up to the big league club in the next couple of weeks.  He plays multi-positions, and can perhaps help re-energize an Indians club that is struggling.
• Lonnie Chisenhall-3B, Columbus: 0-4, 1 K: Chis continues his up and down season.  After catching fire last week with back-to-back-to-back-to-back two hit games, he's now stuck in a 1-15 slump.
• Jason Kipnis-DH, Columbus: 2-4: Kipnis is on a current 12-game hit streak, and while he's not pulling out the long-ball lumber, you almost get the impression that this is the calm before the storm.  Phelps clearly is the guy that goes first, but Chisenhall and Kipnis have more upside.  If Kipnis could put together a June that was similar to the way he ended the season in 2010, the Tribe would almost have to call him up at the break.
• Luis Valbuena-SS, Columbus: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI: Valbuena is on an eight-game hit streak (five of the eight games are multi-hit) in which he's hitting .438.  Valbuena and Phelps are on similar flight plans with regards to a utility role.  Who they choose to bring up when the time is right could show off the thinking of the Chris Antonetti and the Indians front office.  A Phelps call-up could signify the start of a prospect influx.  A Valbuena call-up could signify the brass wanting to continue with veteran players.
• Scott Barnes-SP, Columbus: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HR: Barnes has made six starts since May 2, and each start has improved slightly over the previous.  Hopefully, this start is a sign of things to come for one of the Tribe's top lefties.
• Justin Germano-RP, Columbus: 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB: Germano gets a hold here, but again, it shows you the stupidity of the stat to begin with.  Germano has made two appearances since the demotion, and has gotten lit up in both.
• Nick Hagadone-RP, Columbus: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, BS (1), L (1-1): Hagadone's shortest outing in Columbus so far turns out to be his worst.  A two-out walk led to a two-run homer.  Not what you want to see from the closest "sure-thing" big arm that isn't on the DL, resting, or missing.
• Tim Fedroff-LF, Akron: 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB: Fedroff's hit streak is over, but in the two games after the streak was stopped, he's 4-6.  Move him to Columbus!
• Beau Mills-DH, Akron: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 K: Mills is batting .239, and it appears as though the "bust" tag stays with him, for now.
• Chun-Hsiu Chen-C, Akron: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K: Chen's double in the bottom of the ninth inning broke a 2-2 tie, and was the game winner.  It gave the largest crowd in Canal Park history (9,328 fans).
• Karexon Sanchez-2B, Akron: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (5): Don't look now, but Sanchez has his average up to .212.  I know, it sounded better in my head.  Sanchez is on a modest eight-game hit streak in which seven of the eight games are of the one-hit variety.  He's not hitting the cover of the ball, but he's hitting...which is a big step up from the beginning of the year.
• Austin Adams-SP, Akron: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 5 K: Adams puts together another solid outing, aside from some control issues with the five walks.
• Matt Langwell-RP, Akron: 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 3 K, W (2-1): Langwell dominated Carolina League pitching for much of last season, before tailing off a bit at the end of the year.  He's slowly starting to shape back into that dominating reliever.
• Tyler Holt-CF, Kinston: 2-5, 2 R, 1 K, SB (11): Holt has his first real big offensive game in weeks.  Hopefully, Havoc is back.
• Casey Frawley-SS, Kinston: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K: Frawley's grand slam broke the game open for Kinston in a 9-1 blow out.  Frawley's only hitting .225 on the season, but has really showcased some interesting power for a shortstop recently.  His six homers and 29 RBI are both tops on the team.  The 29 RBI are tied for seventh in the league.  Certainly, if Frawley could improve his OBP from .313, he'd immediately become a player to watch.  You can't beat power from the shortstop position, right Asdrubal?
• Adam Abraham-3B, Kinston: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI: Abraham's only hitting .239, but I can't help but think that there is a big-time hitter in there somewhere.  His line over the past ten games is .235/.389/.559.  That .940 OPS certainly is interesting, considering his batting average.
• Roberto Perez-C, Kinston: 4-4, 1 R, 2 RBI: Perez had 17 hits coming into the game...
• Clayton Cook-SP, Kinston: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 4 BB, 5 K: Cook continues to impress.  His 3.42 ERA is reflective of one-bad start.  Other than that, he's been the top-50 prospect many see him as.
• Mike Rayl-SP, Lake County: 3 IP, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 2 K, L (4-1): Rayl wasn't bad, but one-run wasn't enough, as Lake County got three-hit.  Rayl's loss was his first of the season.  I'm not sure why he only went three innings, but it seems as though Indians' management are handling many of their pitchers with kid gloves.  Perhaps the Alex White injury has made them a bit timid.
• Anthony Gallas-LF/RF, Lake County: First Game: 1-3/Second Game 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB: Gallas upped his hit streak to 14 games with hits in both ends of the double-header.

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Game Recaps 5/30: Clayton Cooks Wilmington

Clayton Cook (photo: Tony Lastoria) 

Cook Keeps K-Tribe Hot

Kinston put it all together from the mound and the plate, beating Wilmington 9-1 Monday afternoon in Kinston. The K-Tribe (25-24) has now won 11 of their last 13 games and are just 4 ½ games behind first place Myrtle Beach.

Clayton Cook (5-3) had another great outing, carrying a no hitter into the sixth inning. Cook gave up just one hit and one run in six innings. He walked four and struck out five. Cook's no hit bid was broken up with two outs in the sixth inning, when Wilmington's Rey Navarro tripled. Alex McClure, who started the frame with a walk, scored on the play. K-Tribe reliever Kyle Landis would continue the pitching gem, throwing three perfect innings. He struck out four and picked up the save.

Kinston took an early lead with a couple of two-out, RBI hits in the second and third inning. Roberto Perez drove in Justin Toole with a single in the second frame. Adam Abraham knocked home Tyler Holt and Jeremie Tice with a two-out double in the third inning.

Kinston blew the game open with a six run, five hit fourth inning, highlighted by a Casey Frawley grand slam. Toole started the inning with a double and was driven home on a single by Perez. Perez ended up 4-for-4 on the night, joining Justin Toole as the only K-Triber to reach four hits in a game this season. Delvi Cid and Tyler Holt then both singled to load the bases. Frawley's slam put Kinston up 7-0. It was Frawley's fourth home run in a little over a week. He now leads the K-Tribe with six home runs and 29 RBI. The inning would continue with a sacrifice fly from Abner Abreu. Holt and Abraham each had two hits for Kinston. Wilmington starter Tim Melville (5-5) took the loss for the Blue Rocks (28-21).

The K-Tribe keeps the homestand going with a $2 Tuesday night game with Wilmington. 6:30 pm first pitch from Historic Grainger Stadium. Giovanni Soto, with the tenth best ERA in the Carolina League, will get the start for Kinston.

Hagadone takes loss after Germano blows lead

Columbus took a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning of their Monday afternoon game against the Durham Bulls behind starting pitcher Scott Barnes, but Justin Germano, Nick Hagadone and Jensen Lewis gave up a combined six runs to blow the game.

Kyle Smith and Ezequiel Carrera scored on an error and a wild pitch in the third inning, to give Columbus a 2-1 lead. Jared Goedert followed in the fourth inning with a solo shot. In the sixth inning, Luis Valbuena would double home Jerad Head for Columbus to give them a 4-1 lead.

Scott Barnes deserved more, giving up only four hits, one earned run and one walk, while striking out nine batters. Barnes gave up a solo shot in the second run for his only mistake of the game.

Barnes was replaced by Justin Germano in the sixth, and things got out of control quickly. Germano gave up a solo shot to his lead-off batter, and before the inning was over, another run crossed the plate. Germano would pitch into the seventh, but after a one-out single, in came Hagadone, who had been lights out in his previous three appearances.

Hagadone would get the second out on a fielder's choice, before walking the next batter. Hagadone would then give up a three-run homer to give Durhan a 6-4 lead.

Jensen Lewis would give up an eighth inning single and a triple for the final run of the game. Hagadone both blew the lead and took the loss. Columbus continues their four-game series in Durham tomorrow night at 7:05 PM.

Aeros set attendance record as Chen's double propels Akron over Squirrels

The Akron Aeros are pleased to announce that Monday’s crowd for the Aeros and Richmond Flying Squirrels game was the largest in Canal Park history. 9,328 fans crossed through the turnstiles Monday breaking the previous high of 9,137 set on July 20, 2001. Monday’s game also included the largest walk up of the 2011 season at 1,735.

Chun Chen broke a 2-2 tie in bottom of the eighth inning with an RBI double as the Akron Aeros went on to win the finale of a four-game series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2 Monday at Canal Park.

Righty Daniel Otero gave up the Chen RBI double and suffered the loss for the Squirrels pitching two innings, striking out one and walking none.

Right-handed pitcher Matt Langwell pitched an inning and a third of scoreless relief to record the win for the Aeros striking out three while walking none. Right-hander Cory Burns worked into and out of trouble in the top of the ninth inning to earn his 13th save of 2011.

The Aeros (25-27) got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Henry led off with a walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Justin Fitzgerald. Tim Fedroff singled Henry home to make it 1-0. With Matt McBride at the plate, Fedroff stole second base and then swiped third. Beau Mills brought him home on a sacrifice fly to give the Aeros a 2-0 lead.

The Squirrels (24-26) cut the lead in half in the top of the fifth inning when Sharlon Schoop scored on a Chen passed ball. Richmond scored another run in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game 2-2.

The Aeros retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning on the Chen RBI double scoring McBride. Akron took three of four in this series at Canal Park against Richmond.

The Aeros will head to Reading Tuesday to begin a three-game series with the Phillies. Left-hander T.J. McFarland will get the start for Akron. McFarland is 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 2011. He will face right-handed pitcher B.J. Rosenberg, who is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA this season. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. The game can be heard on Fox Sports 1350 AM or online at sportsradio1350.com. Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m.

Captains Spilt a Doubleheader with WhiteCaps

The Captains and WhiteCaps wrapped up there long weekend series on Monday afternoon with a doubleheader. West Michigan won the first game 5-0 as Lake County picked up a 4-3 win in the second game for the split.

In game one, the WhiteCaps shutout the Captains 5-0; it was only the second time this season the team has been blanked.

James Robbins doubled in the games first run with an RBI double to right field, to give West Michigan a 1-0 lead in the third.

In the fourth inning, Dixon Machado singled up the middle to score Billy Nowlin who reached on error making, 2-0 West Michigan.

The WhiteCaps added some insurance runs in the seventh with a couple of long balls. Robbins hit his ninth homerun of the season, a solo homerun for a 3-0 lead. After a Nowlin single, Ryan Hamme hit his second homerun of the season a two run blast pushing the lead to 5-0.

Josue Carreno (2-6) picked up the win tossing a complete game shutout, working seven innings allowing three hits, walking two and striking out six. Mike Rayl (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season allowing a run, on six hits in just three innings of working striking out two.

The Captains earned a spilt in the second game with a 4-3 win over the WhiteCaps.

West Michigan took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Nick Castellanos.

Lake County jumped in front with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Carlos Moncrief and Brian Heere lead the inning off with back to back walks. Anthony Gallas extended his hit streak to 14 straight games with an RBI double scoring Moncrief. Alex Monsalve drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right to make 2-0. Jesus Aguilar drove in his team high 32nd RBI with a single to score Gallas for a 3-0 lead.

The WhiteCaps tied the game at three, when Steven Moya hit a two run homerun in the in the fourth, his third of the season.

The Captains came right back in the bottom of the fourth, Jesus Aguilar lead the frame off with his second single of the game. Dwight Childs delivered an RBI double to score Aguilar giving Lake County a 4-3 lead.

Nick Sarianides (3-2) picked up his third win of the season working 2.2 scoreless innings in relief allowing just three hits, walking one and striking out two. Clayton Ehlert worked the ninth for his tenth save of the season. Michael Torreabla (2-2) took the loss, allowing a run on three hits, walking two and striking out one.

Lake County will welcome in Kane County from the Western Division on Tuesday night at Classic Park at 7:00PM. Getting the start for the Captains will be RHP Cole Cook (1-5) against Cougars' RHP Leonel Santiago (4-4). Catch all the action on AM1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com.

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The K-Tribe Chronicle: Winning with smoke and mirrors

(Photo: Kinston Indians)

From the Reservation:

The Kinston Indians are winning ballgames.  Sometimes, you just can't question the how, or the why baseball teams win, and this seems to be that kind of instance.

The Kinston offense, while finally starting to score runs, is still clearly one of the worst in the league.  The Kinston pitching, while better than their offensively challenged counterparts, aren't exactly blowing the league up with anything overpowering or dominating.

Their most talented starter, Drew Pomeranz, didn't make a start this past week, resting his arm.  Their most talented reliever, Adam Miller, not only gave up his first runs since his first game back, but then was promoted to Akron.  Their closer, Preston Guilmet, who hadn't given up any runs heading into this week's games, gave up his first runs of the season.

Still, the K-Tribe managed to overcome weak overall numbers to win five of six this week, and 10 of their past 12.  How are they doing it?

It's smoke and mirrors ladies and gentlemen.  Aaron Holbert clearly knows voodoo.  Of course, there are those clutch hits...

...but let's get driving, before I actually start talking baseball...

Where We Stand after week 7:

Overall Record: 24-24 (5-1 the past week, tied for second place in the Carolina League Southern with Salem, 5 1/2 games back of Myrtle Beach)

Week #7 Games:

23 @ Potomac, W 5-3 (WP: F. Jimenez; LP: C. Selik; SV: P. Guilmet)
24 @ Potomac, W 4-3 (WP: C. Cook; LP: D. Rosenbaum; SV: T. Sturdevant)
25 @ Potomac, W 13-7 (WP: G. Soto; LP: M. Clegg)
26 vs. Winston-Salem, W 9-8 (WP: B. Brach; LP: J. Serafin; SV: P. Guilmet)
27 vs. Winston-Salem, L 1-6 (WP: T. Doyle; LP: T. House)
28 vs. Winston-Salem, W 5-2 (WP: T. Sturdevant; LP: J. Collop; SV: P. Guilmet)

This Week's Transactions:

05/27/2011 Kyle Landis assigned to Kinston Indians from Akron Aeros.
05/27/2011 Adam Miller assigned to Akron Aeros from Kinston Indians.
05/26/2011 RHP Travis Turek retired.

The Offense:

There has been absolutely no improvement in the offense whatsoever in that overall, big picture view.  They are still last place in all the major categories, and truly will remain there for a bit of time, even if some of these guys manage to go off over the next few weeks.  Yes, that's how far behind they truly are.

However, there are glimmers of hope.  Casey Frawley came up with several big hits early in the week, and while he dived back into an oh-fer during the end of the week, the clutch hitting was noticed.

Jeremie Tice returned, and showed that he clearly knows how to hit the ball.  While he also tapered off as the week progressed, I'm sure that some of it has to do with the fact that he missed over a month of baseball.

Bo Greenwell started hitting the ball again, and while he really is a singles-hitter kind of guy, it's hard not to believe that when he plays well, this team plays well.

Even Abner Abreu hit a home run.  That's all I'm going to say about him, for now.

Still, overall, the team hit barely over .220 for the week, but they had games in which they scored 13 and nine runs.  Yeah, I know, it makes no sense.  So what's my suggestion?  Close your eyes, and enjoy the ride.  Hopefully, someone will come from somewhere, and start hitting something.  At least that way, it will start looking like they are doing it on purpose.

Three UP...

1. Whatever cold streak that Bo Greenwell had found himself in, he's out of it. Greenwell has always been the type of hitter that does whatever it takes to get on base.  He can spray the ball all over the field, and while he has no power to speak of, on occasion he can go long.  He's a smart hitter, and when he's focused (which he's been for most of his career), he gets on base as much as anyone in the organization.  This week, Greenwell hit in five-out-of-six games, going 8-25 for a .320 average. His overall average is sitting at .277, but when Greenwell gets hot, he tends to go crazy.  He had five runs, two doubles, a homer, four RBI, three walks, and three K's for the week.

2. You get the impression that Adam Abraham is still feeling his way around High A baseball. He shows glimpses of star quality on the offensive side of the ball, and really has games in which you think, "he's got good power, and can flat out hit the ball."  The problem so far has been consistency.  This week, he was much more consistent.  Abraham had hits in four of the five games that he played, and showcased good power.  He hit .263 for the week, but of his five hits, two were homers, and two were doubles.  He does strike out too much, but in that Jim Thome, "I walk as much as I strike out" sort of way.  Still, Abraham seems to be heading in the right direction.

3. Justin Toole is Mr. Consistency in this lineup. He's not really doing any one thing impressively, but he's been hitting the ball as well as anyone on the team, and is currently leading the K-Tribe with a .298 average.  This week, Toole went 5-17 (.294), with four runs, a double, two RBI and three walks.  He didn't strike out once this week, which shows his growing patience at the plate, and he can play all the positions in the infield and outfield.  If there's an anchor on the offense, it's Justin Toole.

and Three Down...

3. Tyler Holt is my favorite player on this team, but he's mired in a slump. Holt saw his on-base streak snapped this week, but the truth of the matter is that Holt hasn't been doing much OTHER than getting on base once or twice a game.  This week, Holt went 4-24, with five runs, an RBI, four walks, and six RBI.  I believe he has a high ceiling in this organization, so how he powers out of this slump could prove his worth to Tribe management.  The system is deep with major league ready outfielders above Kinston, so Holt needs to pick up the numbers and effectiveness, or he could get lost in the shuffle.

2. Tyler Cannon continues to be the K-Tribe version of a black hole for offense. He hasn't done a thing since being called up.  This week's version of nothing was a 1-14 week, with three RBI, a walk, and seven K's.  His one hit was a triple, so there's that...I suppose.  It's still early in Cannon's career, but if he keeps hitting around .100 (.128 for the K-Tribe overall), they may force his retirement.

1. I know many of you are going to be surprised, but Abner Abreu is back in the top spot of futility.  I don't even have the patience or the desire to discuss his pathetic bat, so I'll just leave you with the numbers.  Abreu stunk up the joint to the tune of 3-21 (.143), with a homer, three RBI, a walk and eight K's.  Abreu doesn't lead the league with most walks, but he is fifth.  Well done Abner, good to see you really reaching your promise.  I'll be honest, if he DOESN'T get cut if he keeps this up, I'll be surprised.

This team can't keep winning with an offense as anemic as this one...can they?  Wait, did I say that last week?

The Pitching:

There are standouts on this staff, but you really can't put your finger on many players in the rotation and the bullpen that are surefire major leaguers.  Of course, you have Drew Pomeranz in the rotation, but the rest of the starters on the staff are fringe prospects.

In the bullpen, the only player with an electric arm is Tyler Sturdevant.  There are other solid relievers, but each has questions about what they'll do past High A.

These week, three up is going to the relievers.  Aaron Holbert generally doesn't give three appearances in a week to anyone in the pen.  This week, because of promotions and retirement, three made the hat-trick, and all did well.


Three Up...

1. Tyler Sturdevant was a man on a mission this week.  Last week, the K-Tribe reliever got lit up in his second appearance of the week, and the curiosity was how he would rebound.  I would say he passed with flying colors.  While Sturdevant isn't the prototypical size of an overpowering reliever, he certainly has the stuff.  This week, he made three appearances to the tune of 6 1/3 innings.  He gave up only two hits, without giving up a run or a walk.  He also had eight strikeouts to put icing on the cake.  He had a perfect four-inning outing for a win in support of Toru Murata.  Sturdevant WILL pitch for the Indians, it's just a matter of when.


2. While there were several players that I could have put here, Jose Flores is getting the slot out of the pen.  Flores made three appearances and went 5 2/3 innings altogether.  He only gave up four hits and an earned run, while striking out four.  I'm not sure where Flores fits in the system yet, but he's growing on me.

3. Preston Guilmet didn't have the best numbers of the week, but that's exactly why he's here.  I know, you're probably scratching your head, as Guilmet's overall ERA this week was 6.00, which isn't exactly sparkling.  Those runs were the first he's given up all season.  Guilmet isn't overpower, so he will have rough outings on occasion as he goes through the system.  What was really interesting is how smooth he looked during, and after the bad outing.  Guilmet collected three more saves this week, giving up three hits, two runs, a walk and two homers, while striking out five.  His last outing gets him to #3 this week, as he gave up a hit, while striking out a batter.  The reason?  His cool demeanor after giving up two solo shots on the 26th.  Guilmet certainly has ice in his veins.

...and three down...

3. T.J. House made his weekly bad outing.  I'm beyond seeing his live arm as a starter at this point.  He got the only loss of the week for Kinston, going five innings and giving up seven hits, six earned runs, two walks and two homers, while striking out five.  The K-Tribe management has had far less patience with other players in the past, so it may be time for House to enter the bullpen.  Perhaps focusing on a couple of pitches can revive his career.

2. Giovanni Soto is a solid starter for the baby Indians, but this week wasn't his time to shine. Soto did get the win in his only appearance, but that was due to the offensive production behind him (no...really!).  Sota went 5 2/3, giving up 11 hits, five earned runs and two walks, while striking out two.  Soto has spoiled us this season with his consistency, but I have a feeling he's going to have starts like this on occasion as he develops.  I'll be watching closely to see how he rebounds.

1. Francisco Jimenez continues to struggle with Kinston.  This week, he made two appearances, and got lit up in both.  He did get a win, but that's really the only good number across his stat line.  He pitched in three innings, giving up five hits, four earned runs and three walks, while striking out five.  A 12.00 ERA for the week won't get it done, nor will his 7.27 overall ERA.

Week #7 Awards:

Offensive player of the week: Bo Greenwell

Pitcher of the week: Tyler Sturdevant
Player of the week: Tyler Sturdevant

Weekly Awards

Week 1: 3B-Adam Abraham
Week 2: CF-Tyler Holt
Week 3: SP/RP-Toru Murata
Week 4: SP-Clayton Cook
Week 5: SP-Giovanni Soto
Week 6: RP-Adam Miller
Week 7: RP-Tyler Sturdevant

Here comes week #8:

May 2011

30 vs. Wilmington, 4:30 PM
31 vs. Wilmington, 6:30 PM

June 2011

1 vs. Wilmington, 11:00 AM
2 vs. Wilmington, 6:30 PM
3 @ Winston-Salem, 7:00 PM
4 @ Winston-Salem, 7:00 PM
5 @ Winston-Salem, 2:00 PM

The Rearviewmirror:

Adam Miller, I never thought that you would show in Kinston again.  First, I thought you were too good.  Then, I thought you were too hurt.  Now, I get the same impression that I did back in 2005.

For those that don't know it yet, Adam Miller was promoted to Akron this week, which is a big deal considering many thought he would never pitch again after his 200 odd surgeries on his finger.  Miller returned with a bit of the blazing arm that many remember.  No, he never hit 100, but he certainly could roll out the mid-90's heat, which was more than enough to take care of High A.

Back in 2004 and 2005, Miller played for a short time in Kinston, and I never thought he'd be back.  Fast forwards six years, and I'm getting the same impression.  Miller's arm out of the pen seems to be more than good.  As he continues to build strength and regain the consistency, it's distinctly possible that Miller not only will be a major league contributer someday, but an above-average one at that.

While I'll never say never, and don't take offense to this Adam, but I hope I never see you in Kinston again.

Destination---------->Cleveland

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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50 Games: The Good, the Bad, the Future

Chris Perez and the Indians are off to a
screaming start. (Photo: AP)

Please welcome new site columnist Kevin Dean to the fold. He will be writing about the Cleveland Indians and other topics throughout the season.

The Indians are officially four games away from being a third of the way through the regular season (no worries about any more rain outs over that span - four straight dome games!), but 50 is a more practical number than 54, so let us take a look at what we have seen from the team, and what can be expected from them going forward.

The Good

When any Major League team starts a season 31-19, there are surely going to be a number of positives to take away from such a start. When a team that was expected to win about twice as many games as that for an entire baseball season is 31-19, there are more than you can imagine.

Asdrubal Cabrera's emergence: The team's undisputed Most Valuable Player through 50 games, we are seeing the culmination of Asdrubal's talent. He has already set a career-high with 10 home runs, along with 35 RBI, a .300 batting average and a near .900 OPS. Besides that, he has shown slick, seemingly effortless glove work at short, and stolen seven bases. Arguably the best all-around shortstop of 2011 so far, and a league MVP candidate.

Travis Hafner's reemergence: Indians fans have desperately been waiting for any glimpse of the old Travis Hafner, and they have gotten it. Although he has been battling injuries and will be out for at least a few more weeks, the healthy version of Pronk has hit .345 and driven in 22 runs in 32 games.

Grady Sizemore's presence: The face of the franchise returned with a bang after essentially two years on the shelf, hitting at almost a .400 clip, along with four home runs and nine batted in in his first 10 starts. His non-stop energy and effort cost him a little bit more time on the disabled list after an injury to his other knee, but just his name on the lineup card and his presence in center field was a driving force to the team's good play early on.

Michael Brantley's swagger: Sizemore, the team's best player and entrenched leadoff hitter has recently been batting fifth and sixth. Enter Michael Brantley. With a quiet confidence and an unflappable demeanor, he has not looked like a 24-year-old between the lines. Whether he has batted first, sixth, or seventh, he has had a disciplined approach far beyond his years, and a number of clutch hits, batting .414 with runners in scoring position. He has also shown somewhat surprising pull power, hitting four homers.

Jack Hannahan's defense: He may have gotten the starting job at third base by a little bit of chance, but he quickly proved his worth. Hannahan has played Gold Glove-caliber defense, solidifying the infield behind a barrage of groundball pitchers.

Justin Masterson's justification: July 31st, 2009 was a poignant day for the organization and its fans. Victor Martinez was yet another trade victim of a highly disappointing season, and the centerpiece of the return was not Clay Buchholz. Instead, it was Masterson, who many pegged as an eventual reliever, something he had mostly been in Boston, because of his inability to get left-handed hitters out. While he has still struggled to do that at times, the overall results can't be overlooked. He is 5-3 with an ERA just over 3.00, and has one of the best groundball-to-flyball rates in all of baseball.

Josh Tomlin's consistency: By now, we have all heard about Tomlin's career-long streak of 22 straight starts lasting at least five innings, but it is still no less impressive. He leads the team in wins, all but one of his starts have been quality starts, and boasts an incredible 0.90 WHIP. While he is never going to strike out a ton of guys, and is susceptible to the long ball, he has gone out every fifth day with no fear and a plan that has worked.

The bullpen's cohesion: They have given themselves a nickname (Bullpen Mafia), they have taken to Twitter together, and they are doing their jobs. Chris Perez is first in the American League in saves. Tony Sipp leads the American League in holds with 11, and Vinnie Pestano, Rafael Perez and Joe Smith have combined for 12 more. The pen as a unit has the third-best ERA in the American League, and the second-best batting average against. They have no doubt been the strongest, most consistent area of the team.

The bench's preparation: Shelley Duncan has been the best pinch-hitter in baseball so far this season, going 4-5 with 7 RBI. Lou Marson is a dramatically improved hitter at the plate, while still being a weapon behind it. Ezequiel Carrera walked up to a Major League batter's box for the first time, only to send the team to a walk-off victory by way of a drag bunt. When called upon, the reserves have generally held their own.

The team's flair for the dramatic: The team has won eight games in their final at-bat at home, including two gutsy squeeze plays and a Friday night grand slam that shook the city's streets. Progressive Field has become a stage for magic once again, and two months of baseball has brought back years of memories in Cleveland.

Manny Acta's belief: When manager Manny Acta told anyone that would listen that he expected his young ballclub to compete this year, everyone passed it off as professional coach-speak. Well, everyone except the rest of his coaching staff and his players. When the Indians were down 14-0 on Opening Day, it looked like they were off to an all too familiarly dubious start. But something special happened on that day, and that fight and never say die attitude instilled in them by Acta has carried on.

The Bad

Of course, all has not been perfect. While the Indians have seen more success than almost anyone could have imagined so far, there have been some negatives.

Shin-Soo Choo's slow start: .250, 5 home runs and 22 runs batted in. On the surface, that may look like a solid line through 50 games. But when you expect the kind of consistency that Choo has shown so far in his career, and see his .713 OPS, it has been a somewhat disappointing first two months. He has also been striking out at a higher percentage than usual, while walking at a lower one. And while he has thrown out seven baserunners from right field, his normally-sound defense has been shaky, as he has looked lost at times, even when making catches.

Carlos Santana's slump: Santana came into the spring ready to go after rookie season-ending knee surgery. Unfortunately, the start to his 2011 was not like that of 2010, and it is starting to worry some. He has seen a number of "mental" off-days, although the results aren't there yet. He does have 22 RBI, and due to his generally lengthy at-bats and ability to draw walks, an OBP that is 135 points higher than his .212 batting average, but it is clearly an internal struggle right now. His swing looks too busy, and he is trying too hard to get out of his slump with one at-bat. A recent drop in the order could help take some of the pressure off.

Early surprises coming back down: Hannahan and Orlando Cabrera were signed primarily for their infield defense, but the first few weeks of the season saw them contributing offensively just as much as anyone. It was a great and welcomed surprise, but we have seen regression from both of them for quite some time now. Hannahan has shown why he has never been an even mediocre hitter, and Cabrera should not be an everyday player at this point in his career.

Baserunning: To win 31 of your first 50 games, you are going to have to execute fundamentally. For the most part, the Tribe has. Recently, though, the team has made a number of inexcusable outs on the bases, including a number of flyout double plays that had no business happening, and even a runner being picked off of third base.

Injuries: Three of the seven different starting pitchers and arguably the two best hitters on the team have paid a visit to the disabled list. The Indians have managed to overcome those setbacks thus far, but it will be particularly concerning going forward if the injuries continue to mount. The lineup has been noticably struggling to score recently with Hafner and Sizemore out.

The Future

With 112 games still to come, there is little that can be predicted. Such is baseball. What is certain is that this team will continue to battle through injuries and criticism, and it should be a very enjoyable summer for the team and its fans.. Even though the rest of the Central Division has struggled, is there much doubt that there will almost certainly be a very interesting, competitive month of September to decide who advances to October? And of course, there will be several good up-and-coming prospects like Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis and Cord Phelps to also look forward to who could help provide some punch to the offense down the stretch.

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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Game Recaps 5/29: Blair a witch for Lake County

Kyle Blair (Photo: Lianna Holub)

Enoy your Memorial Day everyone, and be sure to pay homage to all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Blair Beats WhiteCaps 3-1

Kyle Blair tossed six scoreless innings and struck out a career high nine on Sunday afternoon at Classic Park for his third win of the season. Lake County defeated West Michigan 3-1 in front of 3,408 fans.

The Captains took the lead in the bottom half of the first inning, taking advantage or two WhiteCap errors. Alex Monsalve drove in the games first run with an infield single scoring Levon Washington. Anthony Gallas hit his league leading 21st double of the season to score Jesus Aguilar to make it 2-0, Lake County. Gallas extended his hit streak to a season twelve straight games.

Lake County added a huge insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring another unearned run. Monsalve hit into a fielder’s choice a throwing error allowed Washington to score from third to make it 3-0.

Steven Moya erased the shutout with a solo homerun to leftfield his second of the season making it 3-1.

Kyle Blair (3-3) turned around his rough month of May with a gem, tossing six scoreless innings allowing just five hits, walking two and striking out a career high nine. Clayton Ehlert pitched the ninth inning allowing a run on one hit for his ninth save of the season. Antonio Cruz (1-5) put together a solid outing but suffered the loss going six innings, allowing two runs, both unearned on five hits, walking one and striking out four.

Lake County and West Michigan will wrap up the long weekend series on Monday afternoon at Classic with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00PM. In game one, it will be LHP Mike Rayl (4-0) for the Captains against RHP Josue Carreno (1-6) for the WhiteCaps. In the second game, it will be TBA for both clubs.

Webb Eludes Tag, Helps Aeros Walk-off

Donnie Webb eluded a tag at the plate on a Chun Chen infield single in the bottom of the ninth inning to help the Akron Aeros beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1 in walk-off fashion Sunday at Canal Park.

Former first-round pick Adam Miller picked up the win for the Aeros pitching one scoreless inning of relief.

Right-hander Jason Stoffel allowed the run in the bottom of the ninth inning and suffered the loss for the Squirrels.

Righty Joe Gardner got the start for Akron and gave the Aeros eight quality innings allowing just one earned run on six hits and striking out six while walking one.

The Squirrels (24-25) scored a run in the top of the first inning on a Roger Kieschnick solo home run.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning. With one out, Jordan Henry reached on an error and Tim Fedroff moved him to second with a single. Matt McBride followed with an RBI single scoring Henry and tying the game 1-1.

The Aeros (24-27) won in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two out in the frame, Webb singled and Juan Diaz walked. Chun Chen followed with an infield single and Webb scored all the way from second to win the game.

The Aeros and Squirrels will play the final game of this four-game series Monday. Akron will turn to righty Austin Adams, who is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA this season. He will face fellow right-hander Justin Fitzgerald, who is 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 2011. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m.

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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Tribe Happenings: White injury should be cause for concern

Indians talented pitcher Alex White could be

out longer than expected. (Photo: AP)

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

Whiteout

The Indians suffered a big blow last weekend when right-handed pitcher Alex White sprained the middle finger of his pitching hand. He was immediately placed on the 15-day disabled list and is expected to miss up to six to eight weeks to recover from the injury. He will not throw a ball for four weeks and no surgery will be performed at this time as the Indians hope rest and rehab will get him back to 100%. Not only is his loss a big one to the starting rotation, but the injury is definitely a big concern.

While the Indians are downplaying the injury right now, there is certainly some concern that this could be the Adam Miller situation all over again. Miller had other complicating factors involved with his middle finger sprain he initially suffered back in May of 2007, but back then he was initially diagnosed with a “slight” sprain of his middle finger and not considered “serious” and expected to only be out for six to eight weeks.

To go back in time and recollect what Miller initially went through with his middle finger sprain in May of 2007, here is an excerpt from Miller’s scouting report from my 2008 Top 50 Prospects listing:

Miller was scratched from a scheduled start in May with a slight strain on the last digit of the middle finger on his pitching hand, an injury commonly found among rock climbers. The Indians put him on the disabled list and he was out of action for 45 days as a precautionary move. The Indians caught a big break in that the finger injury was not serious, and the Indians were extremely conservative with Miller's progression back and followed the recommendations and protocols of hand specialist Dr. Tom Graham. After returning to the rotation in late June from the finger injury, Miller was shutdown for a month because of inflammation in his pitching elbow.

Sound familiar?

The same thing is being said right now about White as the injury is similar to Miller’s in that it is uncommon in baseball and commonly found in rock climbers. Also that the Indians are cautiously optimistic he will be okay and that rest and rehab will get him back in six to eight weeks.

Miller certainly had some other complicating factors that were involved, but as we know his career took a turn for the worse as he had multiple surgeries and missed almost three full seasons before making his triumphant return this year. His case was an extreme one, but also one where with him and White sharing the same uncommon injury that White’s status for this season and beyond could be in jeopardy.

Lineup decisions

With the return of outfielder Grady Sizemore from the 15-day disabled list on Friday, manager Manny Acta unveiled a new lineup. Instead of inserting Sizemore back into his customary leadoff spot he has been placed in the sixth spot in the lineup, which is a testament to how well outfielder Michael Brantley has been playing and how comfortable the Indians are with him settling into the leadoff spot on a more permanent basis.

It also means that the Indians are trying to give the middle of the lineup a boost. With designated hitter Travis Hafner out a few more weeks, the Indians could really use some more thunder in the middle of the order and Sizemore is the best answer for that in the short term. Depending on the matchup it looks like Sizemore could hit either fifth or sixth in the lineup until Hafner returns or Carlos Santana gets things turned around.

Speaking of Santana, the Indians finally made the decision to slide him down in the order. The move should help take some of the pressure off of him hitting in the cleanup spot so that he can get things straightened out and most importantly gain his confidence back. He is still one of the most dangerous hitters in the lineup, but he is clearly over-swinging at a lot of pitches and pressing so the shift to the seventh spot in the lineup will do him some good.

With Santana out of the cleanup spot it does leave an interesting quandary of sorts for the Indians to work through. Right now they lack really any right-handed bat that should be hitting in the middle of the lineup. First baseman Matt LaPorta is an option, but he is not ready for the burden to hit fourth or fifth in the lineup. They have also tried reserve player Shelley Duncan in the fourth or fifth spot since he is a right-handed bat and can break up the lefties, but a player like him in that spot of the lineup simply will not cut it. Finding a run producing right-handed bat is clearly a need for the team if they wish to contend the rest of this season and do any damage in the playoffs if they make it there.

With the offense in a funk and some key players still struggling or hurt, the Indians really have their hands tied behind their back right now to put a lineup on the field that can consistently score runs and give the team a chance to win. That means some desperate measures will need to be taken in the short term with the lineup, which is what we are seeing this weekend in Tampa.

Santana’s struggles

Carlos Santana is struggling through the pains of his first full season in the big leagues. While he is technically no longer a rookie, he came into this season with just 46 career games in the big leagues under his belt so is pretty much in the rookie camp. Very few players hit on all cylinders out of the gates when they reach the big leagues, and with him we are likely seeing the adjustment period so many young players have to make when moving up from the minors to the big leagues.

In 45 games Santana is hitting .209 with six homers, 22 RBI, and a .716 OPS. He has shown flashes of the power and has drawn 33 walks and has a solid .344 on-base percentage. He ranks 5th in all of baseball in walks and he leads all of baseball in total pitches seen per at bat, so he is putting up good at bats. The problem is his swing is out of whack and needs to be simplified and toned down some so he can make more consistent, hard contact.

Victor Martinez went through a similar slump early in his career. After a very good first full season in the big leagues in 2004 where he hit .283 with 23 homers, 108 RBI and a .851 OPS, he struggled massively at the start of 2005 where up to the All Star break he hit just .236 with nine homers, 35 RBI and a .692 OPS. The light switch flipped on for him after the All Star break where he hit .380 with 11 homers, 45 RBI, and a 1.027 OPS in the second half, numbers that Santana himself is certainly capable of putting up to level out his performance this season.

There is no denying Santana’s talent as he has a gifted arm, a powerful bat, and is one of the best young hitters in the game. But right now he is simply just pressing and trying to do too much as he is struggling both at the plate with his hitting and behind it with his throwing. The Indians have given him a few days off recently as “mental health” days, something which is more useful for players than people think. That along with reducing his role in the lineup hopefully will spark him because over the course of the rest of the season the Indians are going to really need his bat.

Attendance concerns

While the Indians are seeing more people at Progressive Field of late, the attendance is still nowhere close to what should be expected from a team that is in first place and putting up some of the most memorable finishes on a nightly basis not seen in a long time. The Indians rank 27th in the league in attendance this season as they are averaging 18,574 fans a game. That average will continue to rise as we get into the hot summer months, especially if the team continues to play well.

It has been reported that the Indians cable TV network SportsTime Ohio has seen over a 100% increase in their ratings this year. This comes as no surprise and shows that people are interested in the team and watching, they just choose to spend their entertainment money elsewhere.

One thing that may be affecting the attendance is the proximity of so many minor league affiliates for the Indians. A little over ten years ago the only local affiliate in town was the Double-A Canton-Akron Indians. Since then, Canton-Akron moved to a new ballpark in Akron in 1997, the Indians short-season Single-A affiliate Mahoning Valley moved to Niles in 1999, their Low-A affiliate Lake County moved to Eastlake in 2003, and their Triple-A affiliate moved to Columbus in 2009. So in a little over ten years they went from one minor league affiliate in Ohio to now four affiliates all located in Ohio.

With fans looking to stretch their dollars during tough economic times, some may be opting for the less expensive and more kid friendly atmosphere of minor league baseball where they can still enjoy baseball and follow the Indians at a lower level.

June swoon?

The Indians have been exciting to watch all season and a fun ride for all of those who have jumped on board their bandwagon. But there are still many skeptics out there who wonder if they will be able to keep up their late inning heroics and great pitching all season.

With well over a 100 games still left in the season, anything can still happen. Thankfully for the Indians their strength lies in pitching and they have lots of it and it is the real deal. This alone will keep them competitive all season, even in the wake of a few significant injuries. Some national baseball pundits may not agree with my view on the Indians pitching quality, but there is no denying it when you consider the performance, youth, and impact the pitching has made so far not only in Cleveland but at Triple-A Columbus as well. To say otherwise is pure ignorance.

Right now it appears a lot of people are waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. With the team winning such a high percentage of one run games at home, winning so many games in their last at bat, and with the lineup struggling and looking to be a major issue going forward, the skeptics expect the Indians to regress and begin their nosedive in June and eventually out of playoff contention by late August or early September.

There may be some truth to this as the Indians look like they are in their first rough patch of the season, something every team goes through at some point in the season. The key will be finding a way to minimize the losses and not letting them mount up where all the work they put in to get where they are now goes out the window with a few five or six game losing streaks.

The team may be a year early as they were not expected to contend until next year, so with that they have not had time to get the lineup where they truly want it to be as several of their long term alternatives are still in Columbus. So it is possible they may ultimately not make the playoffs this year, or may struggle a lot in the second half.

But don’t worry about all of that. There is nothing like winning baseball on a daily basis throughout the summer and fall, so just enjoy the ride and whatever happens, happens.

Draft time!

The 2011 Major League Baseball Draft kicks off a week from Monday on June 6th at 7:00 p.m. EST with the first round. Rounds 2-30 will be held on Tuesday June 7th starting at 12:00 p.m. ET, and then rounds 31-50 will be held on Wednesday June 8th starting at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Indians have the eighth pick in each round.

As always, this stie will have up to the minute draft results as picks are made over the course of the three days of the draft. I along with a few other site contributors will provide immediate analysis, scouting reports, video, news and other information on all the Indians picks as they happen.

Also, at the conclusion of the draft I will be tracking all the news and rumors with regard to signings and so on. If you are into the MLB Draft or curious about it and want to see who the Indians pick up, there is no better place to follow it on-line than here at the IPI.

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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Around the Farm: May 28

T. Sturdevant

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.

Tyler Sturdevant-RP, Kinston: W (3), 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Sturdevant took over for Jones and ultimately kept the team in the game long enough for the offense to put up a three spot. He went four scoreless and was rewarded with an offensive comeback that earned him his third win of the season. Sturdevant has been excellent in relief this season and the four inning outing was probably the most Kinston has asked of him this season. Other than a blemish earlier this month in which he gave up three runs, Sturdevant has been excellent. He's gone 29+ innings and given up five earned runs. He's struck out 30 hitters and walked just six.

• Jeanmar Gomez-SP, Columbus: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K: Gomez must see what Zach McAllister is doing and realize he may no longer be the next in line to receive a call up to Cleveland as he's been on fire the past two starts. He did walk three, but Gomez went at least seven innings for the second straight game. 
• Jerad Head-RF, Columbus: 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB: Head had the best game for Columbus last night, not only getting on base three times, but knocked in their lone run scored. Head now has five two-hit games in his last seven. 
• Jared Goedert-DH, Columbus: 0-5, 2 K: Recently moved to Columbus in his rehab assignment, Goedert made his debut last night. It was a little rough. 
• Nick Hagadone-RP, Columbus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K: Just like in Akron, Nick Hagadone is off to a great start with the Clippers. Hagadone was great against Norfolk, collecting strikeouts as four of his six outs and walking just a hitter in two scoreless. 
• Jordan Henry-CF, Akron: 1-4, BB, SB: Jordan Henry stole his team-leading 16th base and was on two times last night. 
• Tim Fedroff-LF, Akron: 0-4, K: And the 20-game hit streak has come to an end for Tim Fedroff. It was a remarkable effort, but all streaks must come to an end. It was the longest in the Eastern League this year. 
• Kelvin De La Cruz-SP, Akron: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K: You have to wonder if DLC is having some control issues, as he's walked 32 hitters this year and it's only the end of May and he's made just nine starts. De La Cruz's effort was good enough to win, but he'll remain at 3-3 on the season. 
• C.C. Lee-RP, Akron: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K: The strikeout machine C.C. Lee continues to rack 'em up. Lee now has 40 in 28 innings of work. 
• Bo Greenwell-RF, Kinston: 2-4, R, 2B, RBI: Bo Greenwell powered the big three-run seventh inning that led the K-Tribe to a win. The team only had four hits on the evening, but Greenwell had two of them. 
• Adam Abraham-3B, Kinston: 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K: Adam Abraham's two-run home run in the second innings responded to a two-spot the Dash put up earlier in the frame. It was also his sixth of the season. 
• Delvi Cid-LF, Kinston: 0-2, R, 2 BB, SB: Cid was hitless, but got on base twice via the walk and stole a base and scored a run. Good to see Cid getting his wheels back. 
• Toru Murata-SP, Kinston: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K: Murata left his start after just two outs recorded with a arm injury. He gave way to Chris Jones, who gave up two runs. 
• Tyler Sturdevant-RP, Kinston: W (3), 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K: Sturdevant took over for Jones and ultimately kept the team in the game long enough for the offense to put up a three spot. He went four scoreless and was rewarded with an offensive comeback that earned him his third win of the season. 
• Preston Guilmet-RP, Kinston: S (11), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K: Guilmet came in and notched his 11th save of the season. 
• Alex Monsalve-C, Lake County: 2-3, R: Monsalve was mired in a 1-21 skid in his past few games. He broke out of that with a multi-game hit and a run scored. 
• Anthony Gallas-LF, Lake County: 2-3, K: Gallas continues to rake, boosting his average up to .354 and extended his hit-streak to 11-games. 
• Steven Wright-SP, Lake County: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K: Returning from his spot-stint in Columbus, Wright got the start and was the victim of some shoddy infield work. He gave up five runs, but just one turned out to be earned and it led to a early exit for the Knuckleballer and his first loss this season. 
• J.D. Reichenbach-RP, Lake County: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K: Reichenbach tried to save things, going three scoreless, but the Captains couldn't muster any runs. JD didn't walk a hitter and struck out one.

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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Game Recaps 5/28: Guilmet saves series win for K-Tribe

Guilmet (photo: Tony Lastoria) 

K-Tribe Takes Rubber Match With Dash

Kinston's bullpen pitched a beauty, as the K-Tribe took down Winston-Salem 5-2 Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. With the win the K-Tribe takes the three game series from Winston-Salem, the fourth straight series win for the Indians. Kinston (24-24) is 10-2 in their last 12 games and just ½ game behind Salem for second place in the Southern Division.

Kinston starter Toru Murata was taken out of the game with an apparent sore arm after retiring the first two Dash batters he faced. Chris Jones then took over from the K-Tribe bullpen. In the top of the second inning, Winston-Salem took the lead on a Nick Ciolli two-run home run. Kinston would retaliate in the bottom of the second inning, with an Adam Abraham two-run home run. It was Abraham's team leading sixth home run of the season.

Kinston's bullpen took over from there, as Jones allowed just one more hit after the home run, going 3 1/3 innings. Jones struck out four. Tyler Sturdevant continued the quality from the bullpen, throwing four hitless innings. Sturdevant struck out four and did not walk a batter. The only base runner allowed on Sturdevant's watch reached because of an error. Sturdevant (3-2) picked up the win as he and Jones combined to retire 15 straight Dash batters. Preston Guilmet picked up his Carolina League leading tenth save with a one-hit ninth inning. Guilmet (0.96 ERA) is a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities this season.

With the score tied at two in the bottom of the seventh inning, Delvi Cid led off with a walk. Tyler Holt followed with a walk. With one out in the inning, Bo Greenwell hit a ground rule double, driving in Cid and giving Kinston a 3-2 lead. Jeremie Tice followed sharply hit ball that was booted by Dash second baseman Jake Oester. The error allowed Holt and Greenwell to score, giving Kinston a 5-2 lead. Greenwell went 2-for-4 on the night.

The K-Tribe will have a scheduled off day on Sunday and return to action with a Memorial Day 4:30 pm game at Historic Grainger Stadium. Cleveland Indian's 2010 first round draft pick Drew Pomeranz is scheduled to make the start on the mound for Kinston.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Fedroff's streak snapped as Aeros fall in extras

Cory Burns allowed a run in the top of the 10th inning as the Akron Aeros lost game two of a four-game series to the Richmond Flying Squirrels in extra innings 3-2 Saturday at Canal Park.

Burns suffered the loss for the Aeros.

Right-hander Daniel Otero pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Richmond and picked up the win striking out two while walking none.

Tim Fedroff went 0-for-4 Saturday snapping his 20-game hitting streak. Fedroff's streak was the longest in the Eastern League this season and third longest in Aeros history. Fedroff is tied for third best in club history with Ryan Mulhern, who hit in 20 straight from July 22 - August 13, in 2005.

The Squirrels (24-24) got on the board in the top of the first inning. Justin Christian led off with a walk and Charlie Culberson doubled him to third. Nick Noonan followed with a two-RBI single that gave Richmond a 2-0 lead.

The Aeros (23-27) cut the Richmond lead in half in the bottom of the third inning. Juan Apodaca and Jordan Henry had back-to-back singles to open the frame. Fedroff advanced the runners on a sacrifice bunt. With the bases full, Apodaca came across to score when Beau Mills grounded into a force out to make it 2-1.

Akron evened things at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kyle Bellows scored on an Apodaca ground out.

The game stayed tied and went to extra innings. In the top of the 10th inning, the Squirrels got an RBI double from Nick Noonan to retake the lead and go on to the win.

The Aeros and Squirrels will play game three of this four-game series Sunday. Akron will turn to righty Joe Gardner, who is 3-3 with a 4.06 ERA this season. He will face left-hander Eric Surkamp, who is 3-2 with a 1.53 ERA in 2011. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. The game can be heard on Fox Sports 1350 AM or online at sportsradio1350.com. Coverage begins at 12:50 p.m.

Captains and WhiteCaps Split a Pair Saturday

Lake County and West Michigan were scheduled to play two on Saturday night. The Captains held on to win the suspended game 3-1 over the WhiteCaps. West Michigan took advantage of many Lake County mistakes for a 5-2 win in the second game.

The Captains and WhiteCaps picked up the suspended game from May14th on Saturday night leading 2-1.

In the bottom of the first inning, Jesus Aguilar drove in Ronny Rodriguez with an RBI double for a Lake County, 1-0 lead.

Alex Lavisky led off the bottom of the second inning with his fourth homerun of the season, a solo shot to leftfield to make it 2-0.

West Michigan got a run in the top of the fourth inning, when rain and fog pushed its way into Classic Park. Luis Castillo reached with a leadoff single, and scored on two Mike Rayl wild pitches.

The Captains added a huge insurance run in the seventh inning, Lavisky drove in his second run of the game with an RBI double to leftfield that scored Anthony Gallas who reached on error, to make it 3-1.

Mike Rayl started the game back on May 14th and tossed four innings allowing a run on three hits, striking out one. Jordan Cooper (1-1) picked up the win tossing three scoreless innings allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two. Trey Haley earned his first professional save pitching the final two frames, no runs, two hits, striking out three. Brennan Smith (1-2) pitched a complete game suffering his second loss of the season, tossing eight innings, three runs, two earned on eight hits, walking two and striking out four.

In game two, West Michigan scored five unearned runs in the top of the second inning to take 5-0 lead. Three Captain errors were key as the WhiteCaps batted around collecting just one hit.

Anthony Gallas doubled in the bottom of second inning, which forced a throwing error resulting in a run for Lake County as Alex Monsalve scored. Gallas extended his hit streak to eleven straight games.

LeVon Washington singled with one out in the third inning to reach base. Jesus Aguilar doubled to left center scoring Washington for his 31st RBI of year to make it 5-2.

Patrick Cooper (2-3) picked up the win tossing five innings allowing two runs, one earned and striking out six. Logan Hoch worked the final two innings to pick up the save, his first of the season. Steven Wright (1-1) suffered the loss working four innings allowing five runs all of them unearned, walking two and striking out three.

Lake County and West Michigan continue their weekend series from Classic Park on Sunday afternoon at 1:00PM. The Captains will hand the ball off to RHP Kyle Blair (2-3) against LHP Antonio Cruz (1-4) for the WhiteCaps. Catch all the action on AM 1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com.

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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Miller, Goedert promoted

The Indians have promoted High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Adam Miller to Double-A Akron.  In eight appearances with Kinston he went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA (11.0 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 14 K).  Infielder Jared Goedert moved on in his Major League rehab assignment as he was reassigned from Akron to Triple-A Columbus.  In eight games with Akron he hit .276 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, and a 1.044 OPS.

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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2011 Mock Draft: Take 3

Alex Meyer (Photo: AP)

We are just a little over a week until the draft, and this year seems to be the draft where no one wants to claim the top spot. It's been up in the air all year and no one seems to be cementing their hold. This will be my first complete mock draft this year.

For this mock I am sticking with projected picks, not who I think should go or who is the best player available.  I will get out one final mock the day of the draft, but until then enjoy this mock.

One last note on two sport athletes, two names this draft will feature prominently with this are Archie Bradley and Bubba Starling. The bonus these players receive is spread out over five years, which can make the big bonuses more palatable for many teams.

1. Pittsburgh - Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
Hultzen is one of the few players who has really risen this year. He has pitched very well, and is not just some soft tossing lefty. He has a legit four pitch mix, and while he might not be a dominator he should be an all star candidate for Pittsburgh within five years. Add in that he would be a nice change of pace to go with Tallion and Allie from last year. One final note a few years back the Pirates took a player with lesser demands, Tony Sanchez, then used the extra money to grab prospects later. In a draft this deep I think this approach could return.

2. Seattle - Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
I have harped on this point, but it still is relevant last year Rendon might have been the first pick. He has been hurt this year and people are really going out of their way to down grade him. I am pretty sure that Seattle is sitting there more than willing to draft him and watch him turn into an all star at third base.

3. Arizona - Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS
Arizona has two picks in the top 7 so this might mean they target more signable players, but they have been linked to having an interest in Bundy. Cole is also right there, but I think they have a legit interest in Bundy, and the upside of this pick is you can take a risk because you would get a comp pick next year. If the interest in Bundy is legit and it seems to be, then I expect to see him go here.

4. Baltimore - Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
Bauer is the other name on the rise, over the last month he has jumped up the board and now has teams seeing a Lincecum type pitcher. The fear is the heavy workload, as his college coaches have pitched him to death. The other problem is while his approach is Lincecum, there are concerns that it could lead to injury.  Even still rumors say he could be a legit candidate for the 1st or 2nd pick, so a team like Baltimore could take the risk. They have so many young arms, why not take the one who might be quick to help and has a high ceiling. In the end I think Baltimore would take Bauer at the cheaper price.

5. Kansas City - Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
Every mock and report I read says the Royals want to take a college pitcher who can quickly be ready to help their core which is just starting to hit the majors. This is also a team which has drafted quite a few high priced players and signed them. I think this is Cole's floor as while he has not been great of late the talent is still too good to pass on and the Royals do seem to love and draft other teams former first rounder's, Hochevar and Crow being recent examples.

6. Washington - Francisco Lindor, SS, Monverde Academy
Washington has shown a willingness to sign top talent. Last year they paid from not just Harper but also AJ Cole. So I looked at who is the top talent and to me it came down to Meyer, Starling, and Lindor. I put Lindor because of the fact he plays a premium position and plays it very well. He might be a bit costly but nowhere near the cost of a guy like Starling. Lindor has been all around mocks, but too many people like him for him not to fall in the top 10.

7. Arizona - Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
Arizona got this pick since they failed to sign their first rounder last year, which means if they don't sign this pick they lose it. Gray is undersized, so it is rare to see a guy with his size who dominates with a high velocity fastball. A few teams think he is destined to be closer, but is viewed as a Billy Wagner type potentially. He is signable and would not be an overdraft.

8. Cleveland - Alex Meyer, RHP, Kentucky
This pick came down to Barnes vs. Meyer.  Both are playing better and rising. Barnes has the advantage of being a cold weather arm which is something the Indians do love to target in the draft. The reason for Meyer is rather simple as he has better upside. Meyer is huge and has the potential to have multiple plus pitches. He has the highest ceiling of any college arm on the board, and the Indians haven't taken a high schooler in round one in over a decade. Three years ago Meyer was projected as the number one player in this draft then he could not stay healthy, so the talent is there but you do worry about the injury history.

9. Chicago Cubs - Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton
The Cubs seem to be targeting high school players. Starling is thought to be maybe the highest ceiling player in the entire draft, but there are two big issues. First, he is very far away from the majors and might be the last guy from the first round to make it. Secondy, he is rumored to have a huge signing bonus demand. The Cubs won't be fearful of the bonus and Starling would become the only player in their minor league system with star potential.

10. San Diego - Matt Barnes, RHP, UCONN
This is an unprotected pick, and Barnes should not only sign for slot but would make a lot of sense with the great close he is having to his year. He was once thought to be a top 5 pick and could go higher. He needs to develop a third pitch, but for a signable guy he is a great value at this point.

11. Houston - Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS
The past two years the Astros have gone with a prep player. The top player on the board is Bradley who has risen past Guerrieri on boards, and if you believe what Keith Law has posted from scouts there is no way Bradley gets past this pick. He has a heck of an arm, and could develop multiple plus pitches. Add in the bonus since he is a multisport athlete and his bonus won't be as painful to pay.

12. Milwaukee - Javier Baez, SS, Arlington Country day School
Milwaukee will take a risk on players that might be a little more costly or raw. Brett Lawrie was such a player and Baez will more than likely grow out of shortstop, but if you are drafting him it's because of his bat. He does need refinement, but there is plus power potential and the ability to be something special. He could end up being the best hitter in this draft. He has been linked as high as to Cleveland and could go earlier.

13. NY Mets - Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Texas
The Mets always stick to slot, so the player who makes the most sense at this point would be Jungmann. Add in their financial woes and this pick becomes even easier. Jungmann is a good pitcher and might be the first player from this draft to make the majors. The issue is he is a number three starter, and if you are fine with that and a guy who won't cost a ton then Jungmann makes sense. He seems like an ideal fit for the current mess that is the Mets.

14. Florida - Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley High School
The Marlins tend to draft high school players, and love to draft big arms. Guerrieri is both of these and the best player available. They would love to get Bradley, as they love to draft arms from Oklahoma more than any other place. Bradley will more than likely be gone, so the most likely prep player at this point strikes me as Guerrieri.

15. Milwaukee - Mikie Mahtook, OF, LSU
This is yet another compensation pick in this draft, which again means taking a sign able player. Mahtook has had a great year, in spite of the fact it has been a down year for hitters across college baseball. He is a plus runner, who profiles out as a centerfielder with power. He has a nonstop motor, and in a system that has been ravaged by trades would become the centerfielder of the future for the Brewers. He has done everything you can ask a hitter to do this year.

16. Los Angeles Dodgers - Cory Spangenberg, SS, Indian River State College
This pick will be slot, no doubt about it. Since Major League Baseball has taken control it seems very likely that they will take a college player who will sign for slot. Spangenberg is a name on the rise and who has been projected everywhere. He is one of the fastest players in this draft and could project as a heck of a defensive centerfielder. He has a good bat speed and should be a signable guy for the Dodgers.

17. Los Angeles Angels - Josh Bell, OF, Jesuit Prep HS
The Angels are a team that seems to prefer prep players, and of late have drafted a lot of prep bats. So this pick came down to Swihart or Bell. Bell struck me as the more toolsy player, and defiantly the one with more power. He has a nice stroke and should generate plus power. He is more than likely a left fielder, but the ability for him to be a great hitter is higher than for Swihart.

18. Oakland Athletics - George Springer, OF, UCON
The reason for the Springer slide is a lot of the teen picks are signable guys and while I don't think he will demand a huge bonus I think he might not be a cheap sign either. I think Oakland can sign him and take a risk on a big time talent whose skills have never quite turned into the player everyone thought. He is playing better of late and could go higher, it was just hard to find a slot for him.

19. Boston Red Sox - Blake Swihart, C, Cleveland High School
The Red Sox can afford to take risks in the draft and often do. Swihart could be a hard sign but his potential behind the plate would be hard to ignore. There is talk he could move to third, but either way on talent alone he could be a top ten pick. The rich continue to get richer.

20. Colorado Rockies - Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgia Tech
Bradley has not looked good of late. He is a lefty who can get it up in the mid 90's but has been hit around this year. He is talented and plays in a very tough conference. He might be a costly sign as he was earlier this year projected as a top 5 pick, but for a team like Colorado who has signed high priced picks a player like Bradley is an interesting player this late.

21. Toronto Blue Jays - Jose Fernandez, RHP, Alonso High School
Toronto has traded just about everyone they could and gone into full rebuild mode, so I expect them to draft BPA. Fernandez is a big flame thrower from the prep ranks. He has three nice pitches already, which should develop and keep him a starter down the road. He is another player who seems to be slowly rising right now.

22. St. Louis Cardinals - Levi Michael, SS, UNC
Michael is a 20 year old junior, so he still has plenty of room to grow. He is a solid shortstop defensively and should stay there. He has a good eye, nice swing, and solid wheels. He doesn't have a plus tool but does everything well. He should be a nice pick up and another college infielder for the Cardinals.

23. Washington Nationals - CJ Cron , 1B, Utah
Another rare player who played better this year with the new bats while most of his peers really slumped in the college game. Cron has 30 home run power and a good eye. His name has been rising, as any Indians fan could tell you, right handed power is not easy to find. In a draft known for the deep well of pitching, it would be interesting to see a team take two bats.

24. Tampa Bay Rays - Daniel Norris, LHP, Science Hill High School
Tampa has so many picks, I expect them to punt a few. I don't mean drafting guys they won't try to sign, but draft top talent and see if they can sign them. Norris would be a very hard and expensive sign at this point, but if you are Tampa you can take the risk. He is a very good prospect who didn't have a great senior year. He is the top pitcher on the board I would think, and if you lose him you get another pick next year and still have a ton of picks this year to risk. Plus, as a bonus every high upside pitcher who you draft the Yankees can't draft and over pay later.

25. San Diego Padres - Tyler Anderson, LHP, Oregon
It seems that the Padres are looking for pitching this late in the draft. Anderson is your typically lefty, and he put up big numbers in college. He is linked to the Padres by more than a few sources, and with proper development would be a middle of the rotation starter for the Padres.

26. Boston Red Sox - Josh Stilson, RHP, Texas A&M
Stilson has a big time arm which has hit 99 MPH. He is a reliever turned starter, which is something that Boston often does with relievers they draft as they hope they can be starters. If things don't work out as a starter at worst you got a Daniel Bard type talent.

27. Cincinnati Reds - Joe Osich, LHP, Oregon State
The Reds much like the Indians have targeted college players with their last few drafts. Osich is an interesting name because he was a potential top ten pick before he blew out his arm. He isn't all the way back yet, but has hit 98 this year. He sits more in the mid 90's but it is always interesting to see a lefty hit the high 90's. He might take a little longer, but the talent is enough to make a team like the Reds take a look.

28. Atlanta Braves - Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami Dade College
Goodwin is a 5 tool athlete who ended up at a junior college after academic issues at UNC. The Braves always tend to draft from the South East, so for this pick I looked at the top players that were left and looked who was from the South East. This left me with Goodwin, maybe not the most scientific approach but drafts rarely are.

29. San Francisco - Joe Ross, RHP, Bishop O'Dowd High School
His brother Tyson Ross pitches across the Bay for Oakland and most people think little brother should be better. He could be a front of the line starter and has three pitches which could develop. San Francisco has started to take risks on more high upside players the past few years and Ross would make a lot of sense this late.

30. Minnesota Twins - Anthony Meo, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Minnesota drafts a lot of college players, and often take guys that might seem a little off the board. Meo is such a player even though he is well thought of in many scouting circles. He needs to develop a third pitch but his fastball and slider could project as plus pitches. He is from a smaller school, but the talent is there and he is another pitcher who at worst is a very good reliever.

31. Tampa Bay Rays - Robert Stephenson Alhambra High School
Another example of taking the best player on the board. Tampa might be tempted to go with a more signable player, but the gap between the prep arms and the signable players is pretty large. I would assume they are going to take talent and just hope they can sign as many as possible.

32. Tampa Bay Rays - Andrew Chafin, LHP, Kent St.
Chafin gets a lot of the press for a very good Kent St. program. He is an intriguing player because he is a lefty with velocity, but the question is can he be a starter and will his pitches develop. If you are Tampa why not take the risk on an arm like his, you have the picks to make up for it. If he doesn't work out as a starter, then you lost Soriano and gained another reliever in Chafin so it's a wash.

33. Texas Rangers - Dillon Howard, RHP, Searcy High School
This is the pick for Cliff Lee, so it makes sense to grab a high upside arm. The Rangers drafted a high school arm two years ago in Purke, and though they failed to sign him I see no reason to not take a player with the potential of Howard. Law has him in his top 20 players, and there is a potential for a front of the line pitcher for Texas who needs desperately to start developing its own pitching.

There it is the first complete mock of the year, so I hope it was informative. I am very curious to hear who you think the Indians should and will take, so please comment and give me your reactions.

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