Around the Farm: July 18

Brian Heere
(photo: Lake County
Captains)

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.

Brian Heere: LF, Lake County: 5-7, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 K:

Heere was the Indians 41st round selection during the 2010 draft out of Kansas, and really hasn't done much since then. Well, he really made up for it last night. The left-fielder rolled out five hits, including the game-winning, walk-off, extra-inning single that drove in Carlos Moncrief for the win. Heere is a solid defender, which is where he butters his bread, but offensive numbers like this certainly add to his value.

• Jason Donald: 3B, Columbus: 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 K: While most of the e-mails and tweets I get pertain to a Jason Kipnis call-up, he's definitely not the next Clippers' infielder to get the call. Jason Donald is just absolutely on fire offensively. Donald has had multi-hit games in seven of his last ten. His stat line over that time period is a resounding .471/.591/.765. It's hard to ignore those numbers, especially when he was supposed to start the season in the bigs. Maybe it's time to ride the hot bat.
• Cord Phelps: SS, Columbus: 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K: Phelps has struggled a bit offensively since being demoted from Cleveland, but has gone 3-7 in his last two games, so perhaps he is starting to rebound.
• Shelley Duncan: DH, Columbus: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB: Duncan had a nice game after his demotion from Cleveland. In his two games back, he's gone 3-7, with two runs, a double, a homer and three RbI.
• Jerad Head: LF, Columbus: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI: Head hit a walk-off homer a night after hitting another game winner. I hate beating a dead-horse here, but he's a better short-term option than Austin Kearns.
• Zach McAllister: SP, Columbus: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR: McAllister had one of the strangest starts I've ever seen. He got the start, went two innings, then sat and watched a Thunderstorm delay the game for nearly two hours. Normally a starter would be done at that point, but not McAllister, who came back in and pitched three more innings.
• Chen Lee: RP, Columbus: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K: Lee continued his Triple A dominance, and may be at the top of the list as a long-term bullpen prospect at this point. He's 2-0 in 12 1/3 innings pitched, giving up only seven hits and three walks, while striking out 19. I know he still needs some seasoning, but sometimes numbers do have to dictate promotion.
• Nick Hagadone: RP, Columbus: 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R/2 ER, 2 K: This isn't the type of outing you want from a top prospect. He'd been pitching well of late, so hopefully this is just a blip on the radar.
•  Juan Diaz: SS, Akron: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB: Diaz's single in the ninth provided Akron with a walk-off win. Diaz continues to show the offensive potential that the Indians' brass loves.
• Beau Mills: DH, Akron: 1-4, 1 R, 2 K: Mills only had a single last night, but upped his hit streak to eight games.
• Chun Chen: C, Akron: 1-3, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 K: I do love seeing a catcher with a triple in the stat column, especially when that catcher has been suffering from back issues. It's a good sign that health is on its way.
• Austin Adams: SP, Akron: 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K: Adams didn't get the win last night after Matt Langwell blew the save in relief, but Adams did roll out his second consecutive solid start, and third in four games.
• Tyler Holt: CF, Kinston: 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB: When he's on, this is what Holt does. He got on base three times yesterday, and scored two runs. If he was consistent, the K-Tribe offense would improve by leaps and bounds.
• Justin Toole: 3B, Kinston: 2-4, 1 R: Toole returned from a long stint on the DL yesterday, but provided his first round of offense tonight. The kid can hit, so it's a welcome addition to a team that has a hard time hitting.
• Anthony Gallas: LF, Kinston: 3-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI: You see Anthony, THIS is what I'm talking about. Gallas' hit in the ninth tied the ballgame up for Kinston. Gallas is finally starting to hit the ball, with a modest four-game hit streak (7-14).
• Abner Abreu: RF, Kinston: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K: Abner has the average up to .233 with his current hot streak. He's far from being a relevant prospect as of now, but the tools are still there, and he's still only 21-years old. If only his season would start in June instead of April.
• Kyle Landis: RP, Kinston: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K: Landis has been nothing short of spectacular in Kinston. He hasn't given up a run in 13 innings, and has only given up two in his 16-game, 24 inning-sting with the Indians.
• Chris Jones: RP, Kinston: 2 IP, 1 BB, 4 K, W (5-1): Jones gets the win, and has really been a workhorse for the K-Tribe out of the pen. He leads Kinston relievers with 47 2/3 IP this season.
• Carlos Moncrief: CF, Lake County: 2-7, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 K: Moncrief is showing growth as a hitter with another multi-hit game. It's coming slowly for the light-hitting outfielder, but it is improving daily.
• Ronnie Rodriguez: SS, Lake County: 3-5, 1 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K: This kid's bat improves daily, and it's becoming fairly clear that Rodriguez may ultimately end up as a top ten prospect in this organization. He's currently on a nine-game hit streak in which he's hitting at a .342 clip. He turns 20 next April.
• Kyle Petter: RP, Lake County: 2 2/3 IP, 2 BB, 6 K: Petter did blow the save opportunity with a couple of walks, but you do have to take notice that he struck out six of his eight potential outs.
• Jake Lowery: DH, Mahoning Valley: 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI: Lowery continues to pound the ball in Mahoning Valley, hitting his fifth homer of the season.
• Jordan Smith: 3B, Mahoning Valley: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K: Smith is leading the team with a .350 batting average, and is fourth overall in the New York-Penn league. He hasn't hit a home run yet, which generally doesn't bode well for a corner infielder, but it's hard to overlook the gaudy offense. He is 6'4" and 205, so the power could still come. He's hit in 23 of his 26 2011 games so far.
• Alex Lavisky: C, Mahoning Valley: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI: Lavisky has hit safely in his last eight games, which is a massive improvement from a kid that seemed completely lost since the start of the season.

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

Posted in: Around the Farm,Brian Heere