Minor Happenings: Fedroff is blazing hot in Akron

Tim Fedroff (Photo: Lianna Holub)

"Minor Happenings" is a weekly column which recaps the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.

A shorter version of Minor Happenings this week due to my daughter being sick this week and me down for the count the past 24 hours as well.  Maybe I am just sick from that disgusting game the Indians had with the Red Sox yesterday where they were embarrassed 14-2.  Or maybe not.  In any case, as always there is a lot going on down on the farm and I highlighted most of the important developments from the past week below.

By the way, I hope everyone is safe and sound with all the recent storms that have ripped their way through northeast Ohio and the rest of the country.  What a crazy year with the rain which has played havoc with not only getting baseball games in, but our yards as well.  Hopefully we have nice weather for this holiday weekend…..enjoy the unofficial start of summer!

Onto the Happenings… 

Indians Minor League Player of the Week

(for games from May 19^th to May 25^th)

Tim Fedroff (Outfielder – Akron)

.519 (14-27), 8 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 0 K, 2 SB, 1.334 OPS

Double-A Akron outfielder Tim Fedroff is hitting on all cylinders right now at the plate where in 41 games he is hitting .376 with 2 HR, 23 RBI, and a .938 OPS.  Not only did he hit over .500 last week to take home IPI Player of the Week honors, but he has been on an absolute tear all of May where in 20 games he is hitting .430 with 0 HR, 17 RBI, and a 1.047 OPS and looks to be a top candidate for Player of the Month honors for May.

Fedroff, 24, was also recently announced as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period ending May 16-22 where during that span he hit .583 (14-24) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 RBI.  He currently leads the Eastern League in hitting and is 2^nd in hits (56), 8^th in total bases (76), 2^nd in on-base percentage (.428), 6^th in slugging percentage (.510), and 4^th in OPS (.938).

Even though Fedroff will probably not be able to sustain his high batting average over the course of the rest of the season, there is no doubt the confidence is flowing right now for him.  After slipping off the radar some last year with an ordinary season at Akron when he hit .274 with 4 HR, 36 RBI and a .715 OPS at Akron, his performance to date has put him back on it.

On one hand the numbers are taken with a grain of salt because Fedroff is repeating at the same level this year, but on the other hand he has the pedigree and talent to do what he is doing and maybe is just a late bloomer.  The Indians paid a steep price to woo him out of college in 2008 when he signed for $725,000 out of North Carolina, so there is a lot financially invested in him.  To go along with that his average tools across the board and ability as a top of the lineup hitter make him a priority outfield prospect for the Indians.  If not for all the outfield depth at Triple-A Columbus, the Indians would have probably already promoted him.

Honorable Mentions:

Jason Kipnis (2B – COL): .391 (9-23), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, 1.249 OPS

Cord Phelps (INF – COL): .360 (9-25), 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, .920 OPS

Justin Toole (INF – KIN): .364 (8-22), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, .917 OPS

Casey Frawley (INF – KIN): .321 (9-28), 8 R, 1 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K, 1.066 OPS

Anthony Gallas (OF – LC): .385 (10-26), 2 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, .984 OPS

Clayton Cook (RHP – KIN): 2-0, 2.31 ERA, 2 G, 11.2 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 8 K

Previous Winners:

05/12 to 05/18: Steven Wright (RHP – Lake County)

05/05 to 05/11: Cord Phelps (INF – Columbus)

04/28 to 05/04: Chun Chen (C – Akron)

04/21 to 04/27: Chad Huffman (OF – Columbus)

04/14 to 04/20: Alex White (RHP – Columbus)

04/07 to 04/13: Drew Pomeranz (LHP – Kinston)

Miller on the move?

High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Adam Miller looks to be very close to moving up to Double-A Akron in the very near future.  In seven appearances with Kinston he is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA and in 10.0 innings has allowed 6 hits, 4 walks, and has 13 strikeouts.  After getting knocked around in his first appearance on April 30^th (1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) he has settled in over his last six outings and thrown 9.0 shutout innings allowing 2 hits, 3 walks, and has 12 strikeouts.

When Miller was assigned to Kinston the Indians mentioned that if he had about four to five good outings in a row they would likely look to push him up to the next level, and his performance his last six outings both objectively and subjectively has been excellent.  They may decide to have him stick around for another outing or two to continue to work on his slider, which is the big key in his return.

Miller’s stuff will never be where it once was with a fastball that used to touch 100 MPH and a wicked, wipeout slider.  His fastball is still effective as it sits in the low to mid 90s and tops out at 95 MPH, and as he continues to throw and come back from the injury there is some thought he may be able to add another MPH or two to the fastball.  He has dropped the changeup and is just a two pitch pitcher with the fastball-slider combination, but considering he is strictly a bullpen option going forward that should not be much of a problem.

Miller is still trying to work out some issues with his slider to get a proper grip on it since he cannot bend the last digit of his middle finger as it is remains permanently in a 45 degree angle and thus is unable to put any pressure on the ball with the tip of his finger.  Because he is unable to grip the slider effectively, he has had to take an unconventional approach of gripping the slider lower in his hand which makes the pitch much slower and loopy.  He has shown some improvement with the slider from outing to outing, and as long as he remains healthy the biggest obstacle for him now is going to be finding the feel for the slider and becoming consistent and effective with it.

Bullpen should be temporary for Haley

Low-A Lake County right-hander Trey Haley is stuck in a rut.  Now in his third season at Lake County, he has been unable to develop any consistency with his pitches and performance to merit a call up to High-A Kinston.  As a second round pick who received a seven figure bonus back in 2008, the Indians have a lot invested in him and will be patient with him not only because of the money involved but because of his talented right arm that may be the best in the organization.

Haley, 20, is still very young and maturing and developing as a pitcher.  He has made just five appearances this year for Lake County and is 0-0 with a 3.72 ERA.  In 9.2 innings he has allowed 3 hits, 5 walks, and has 13 strikeouts.  His small sample size of numbers is a microcosm for everything people love and hate about him as he is tough to hit, can blow the ball by hitters for strikeouts, but has trouble consistently commanding the zone.

Right now the Indians are pitching Haley in the bullpen at Lake County not as a permanent move, but more to get him settled in and on a roll.  The feeling is that maybe limiting him to a few innings a night out of the bullpen it will take some of the pressure off him with starting and let him just air it out each night.  So far that has worked as in his first three relief appearances since returning from the disabled list from a groin injury he has thrown 4.2 innings and allowed 1 run on 2 hits, no walks and has 7 strikeouts.  The three walkless outings are definitely a positive sign.

Once Haley settles in he is expected to move back into the rotation at some point.  When he does he will continue working on throwing his fastball for strikes to both sides of the plate and mixing in his curveball.  He also needs to continue to work on the mental component of pitching, which is something that people around the game believe is his biggest downfall as a pitcher.  He has to learn to maintain the same energy level when he pitches and not get too high or low, as when things unravel it has a tendency to snowball on him because he still lacks maturity on the mound.  He is also working on staying over the rubber, keeping his front side closed, and maintaining a good direction to the plate.

There is absolutely no doubt that Haley has the stuff as he can get it up to 97-98 MPH and has a very promising curveball.  It all comes down to him developing more consistency with his command and mechanics, and also becoming more mature as a pitcher.  With the temporary bullpen assignment it may give him the opportunity to experience some success, which may in turn give him the confidence he needs to improve in several areas of his game.

Soto transforming into big prospect

The trade the Indians made last July where they flipped infielder Johnny Peralta to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Low-A left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto is quickly starting to look like a steal of a deal.  Soto is now pitching for High-A Kinston this season, and so far this year in nine starts is 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA and in 45.2 innings has allowed 38 hits, 13 walks, and has 44 strikeouts.

Soto, who just turned 20 years old last Wednesday, probably had his best outing as a Cleveland Indians on May 14^th when he threw seven shutout innings allowing three hits, one walk, and had eight strikeouts.  He ranks 11^th in the Carolina League in ERA (2.76), 12^th in WHIP (1.12), and 9^th in strikeouts (44).  He has proven to be an outstanding performer in his three year career as in 2009 he went 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA in 13 games for the rookie level GCL Tigers, and then last year went 9-8 with a 2.93 ERA in 22 combined games between the Low-A teams for Detroit and Cleveland.

Soto has shown an ability in his career to pitch with a maturity well beyond his years.  His cutter is an outstanding pitch, but the Indians have challenged him this season to develop his other pitches that being his changeup, curveball and other variations of his fastball.  They also would like to see him refine his mechanics and get stronger, which they believe will result in a velocity boost.

Of late Soto has only been throwing a little over a half dozen cutters an outing, which is over half the amount he normally throws in a game.  His fastball command has improved this year and he has also been up to 92 MPH, which is up from the 90 MPH he had topped out at prior to this season.  With the development of his others pitches and some velocity gains, he is transforming himself from a middle tier prospect into an upper tier prospect that has the potential to be ranked as one of the Indians best prospects next year.

Gallas is making himself noticed

One of the best stories in the Indians’ farm system through the first quarter of the season has been the play of Low-A Lake County outfielder Anthony Gallas.  In 39 games for Lake County he is hitting a blistering .358 with 4 HR, 14 RBI and a .992 OPS.  He leads the Midwest League in hitting, is 2^nd in OPS, 1^st in hits (53), 1^st in doubles (19), and 3^rd in total bases (84).

Gallas, 23, has just been a hitting machine really since the start of spring training and has not stopped.  He is a local product out of Strongsville, OH and went to Kent State where he put up some impressive numbers in his four year career there where he hit .339 with 49 HR and 224 RBI in 233 games.  As a senior last year he hit .369 with 17 HR, 81 RBI and a 1.107 OPS in 64 games, was a 3^rd team All-American, and set a MAC record as the first player ever to have over 250 hits, 200 runs scored and 200 RBI.  Yet when the MLB Draft came around last June he went undrafted and eventually after some overtures from other teams signed a free agent contract with the Indians shortly after the draft.

There are still some concerns with Gallas’ experience as a college player and his advanced age that he is simply just taking advantage of a young league in the Midwest League where most players are 19-21 years old, but you still have to like the performance to date.  As to why he was never drafted, I posed that question to a few scouts around the league and no one could really give an answer other than the draft is unpredictable.  Teams often hold college seniors to a different level and expect them to perform since they have seen the same competition for four years, and sometimes players are just undervalued in the industry where they slip through the draft.

Gallas is a confident player who is very athletic as he was a two sport star in football and baseball in high school.  At the plate he consistently hits the ball hard and sprays it all over the field.  He is strong and plays solid defense with a good arm in the outfield.  As an undrafted free agent signing he came into the organization with a lot of things stacked against him as a low priority player, but with his performance to date he has turned some heads and has certainly jumped up the priority level in the organization.

Smit retires

Last Thursday High-A Kinston outfielder Jason Smit decided to call it a career as he informed the Indians staff he was retiring from baseball.  The sudden retirement came as a surprise to everyone involved in the organization, but was something he had been contemplating for awhile from what I have heard.  With all the injuries he has had to endure to go along with his family and friends in Australia being so far away, it began to wear on him.

What may have ultimately made the decision was Smit’s placement in Low-A Lake County to start this season.  It was a return trip to a team he played with all of last season where he hit .262 with 8 HR, 41 RBI, and a .710 OPS, and he probably should have opened in Kinston.  He got off to a great start in Lake County this year hitting .344 with 2 HR, 11 RBI and a .938 OPS in 26 games before being promoted to Kinston the first week of May.  But even after the hot start and promotion, he found himself as a bench player in Kinston and not playing everyday.  Seeing his low priority with his placement to start the season and his role when promoted pretty much sealed the deal to walk away from the game.

Random Notes

Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Carlton Smith was struck in the head Sunday by a foul ball off the bat of Wes Hodges that ricocheted off the dugout wall.  He was hit in the temple and while he is listed as day-to-day he has not pitched since.  In 16 appearances for Columbus he is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA, and in 20.2 innings has allowed 21 hits, 11 walks, and has 21 strikeouts.

Triple-A Columbus infielder/outfielder Josh Rodriguez left Monday’s game with a groin strain.  It is not considered to be serious and he is day-to-day, but he has not played since the injury occurred.  In 13 games for Columbus he is hitting .231 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, and a .696 OPS.

Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Chen-Chang Lee, or commonly known as C.C. Lee, is once again having another good season.  In 14 appearances he is 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA, and in 25.2 innings has allowed 21 hits, 6 walks, and has 35 strikeouts.  If not for the crowded bullpen situation in Columbus he would already have been promoted there, but that time appears to be coming soon.  After a slow start in April where in seven appearances he has a 4.26 ERA (12.2 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 14 K) he has really turned it up in May where in seven appearances he has a 2.08 ERA (13.0 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 21 K).  He has very good stuff to get right-handed hitters out and is working on more consistently getting left-handed hitters out.

Double-A Akron catcher Chun Chen is having a solid season at the plate hitting .278 with 6 HR, 23 RBI and a .788 OPS in 39 games.  He is showing some power, though his plate discipline this year has slipped where he has just 9 walks to 42 strikeouts in 144 at bats.  The offense has taken a backseat to his development as a catcher behind the plate as the Indians are working with him to become a much more consistent receiver.  He flashes the ability, but it is a matter of him putting it together night after night and learning the nuances of catching.  The language barrier is also something he is still trying to tackle and he needs to learn how to better control a game.  Former catching coordinator Chris Tremie is the manager in Akron, which is a perfect placement for him to work with the raw skills of Chen on a daily basis and could pay off by season’s end.

High-A Kinston outfielder Abner Abreu continues to be a big disappointment as in 43 games he is hitting .211 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, and a .558 OPS.  Much more has been expected of him at this point in his career, especially considering he is repeating at Kinston this season and is now 100% recovered from his shoulder surgery he had in 2009.  He has lots of tools with great athleticism, power, and a gifted arm, but the bat has not come along as hoped where he has 48 strikeouts (7 walks) in 161 at bats.  There is still a long way to go this season, but his prospect star is rapidly fading.

High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz had his scheduled start on Tuesday night skipped to monitor his innings.  There was some thought that because he did not make his start that he was on his way to Double-A Akron, but for now he is still in Kinston and expected to make his next start there on Saturday.  In eight starts he is 1-1 with a 2.09 ERA, and in 38.2 innings has allowed 27 hits, 15 walks, and has 54 strikeouts.  He is still working on controlling the running game, his changeup, and also being more consistent with his delivery as he has had a tendency to get rotational in his last few outings.

Low-A Lake County right-handed starter Michael Goodnight is taking a leap this year much like Joe Gardner did last year in Lake County.  In nine starts he is 3-3 with a 2.68 ERA, and in 47.0 innings has allowed 27 hits, 12 walks, and has 43 strikeouts.  He has proven to be a very professional pitcher who has some power to his pitches and has a lot of ability as a starting pitching prospect.  He has certainly raised his stock in how people view him inside and outside the organization.

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair of late has had a rough go of things.  On the season in nine starts he is 2-3 with a 6.53 ERA, and in 40.0 innings has allowed 42 hits, 20 walks, and has 34 strikeouts.  After a strong April where in five starts he went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA, the bottom has fallen out in May where in four starts he is 0-3 with a 12.38 ERA (16.0 IP, 22 H, 14 BB, 16 K).  The issues stem from a sudden loss of command as he is struggling to throw all of his pitches for strikes.  He is working on getting that command back and being more consistent with his performance outing to outing.

The Indians recently signed left-handed pitcher Luis Lugo out of Venezuela.  He is an interesting prospect to monitor going forward because of his age (17) and size (6’5” 200 lbs) as well as a fastball that already sits between 89-91 MPH.  He is in extended spring training and will probably pitch for the rookie league team in Arizona when play starts at the end of June.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Posted in: Abner Abreu,Adam Miller,Anthony Gallas,Carlton Smith,Chen-Chang Lee,Chun-Hsiu Chen,Drew Pomeranz,Giovanni Soto,Jason Smit,Josh Rodriguez,Michael Goodnight,Tim Fedroff,Trey Haley