Minor Happenings: Elvis has entered the building

Elvis Araujo (Photo: IPI)

"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.

The All Star break is fast approaching not only for the big league teams, but for the Triple-A and Double-A teams as well. The Single-A teams had their turn a few weeks back with their All Star break, and after this weekend all the teams from Double-A on up will get theirs. And not a moment too soon as a lot of players could use some time off to heal some nagging injuries, get some rest for some tired bodies, and also get away from the game for a few days to recharge the batteries for the stretch run.

With that there is a ton to share this week in Minor Happenings as I recently had a chance to sit down with Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins and talk about a myriad of players in the system as we reach the halfway point in the season. A lot of these players are guys who maybe do not always get a lot of press or are talked about, but who are having interesting seasons.

Also, be sure to read the affiliate reports every week to see how each team is doing as well as the players there. Each day of the week there is a new report as Kevin Dean does Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Nino Colla does Double-A Akron on Tuesday, Jim Pete does High-A Kinston on Wednesday, Lianna Holub does Low-A Lake County on Friday, and Andrew Zajac does short season Single-A Mahoning Valley on Saturday. Also Jason Eddy does the rookie level Arizona and Dominican teams as well.

Onto the Happenings…

IPI Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from june 30th to July 6th)

Elvis Araujo (Left-handed Pitcher – Arizona League Indians)
1-0, 0.90 ERA, 2 G, 10.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 5 BB, 12 K, .121 BAA

Elvis Araujo

It is another scorching hot summer out in the Arizona Summer League where temperatures are often well above 100 degrees, a league where the Indians’ rookie level affiliate (AZL Indians) plays. One player who may be hotter than the weather is Indians left-handed pitching prospect Elvis Araujo. In four starts he is now 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA, and in 18.0 innings pitched he has allowed 12 hits, 6 walks, and has 19 strikeouts.

Araujo is a big bodied left-handed pitcher who flashes some impressive power stuff. He features a three pitch mix of a fastball, curveball, and changeup, with the fastball consistently clocking in at 90-93 MPH and topping out at 96 MPH. He has arm strength and as his health returns and he matures he could see his average and top velocity both increase. The Indians really like his upside as a starting pitcher because of his potential for two plus pitches down the road with his fastball and curveball.

Araujo turns 20 years old late next week and was one of the Indians top, young International prospects a few years ago until he tore his left elbow and required Tommy John surgery. His recovery was slow and he suffered a few setbacks, which is why he is just now finally pitching in rookie ball. Health is the key for him. The goal this year is to get him through the rookie season healthy, and at the same time work on his mechanics and refine his delivery so he becomes a better strike thrower. Because of this the Indians will likely be cautious with him this year and then promote him to short season Single-A Mahoning Valley or Low-A Lake County the last week or two of their seasons.

Honorable Mentions:

Michael Hernandez (C – AKR): .500 (8-16), 3 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 1.204 OPS
Adam Abraham (3B – KIN): .389 (7-18), 3 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1.077 OPS
Jesus Aguilar (1B – LC): .375 (9-24), 5 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K, 1.214 OPS
Alex Monsalve (C – LC): .333 (8-24), 6 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, .991 OPS
Jordan Smith (3B – MV): .345 (10-29), 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, .855 OPS
Jorge Martinez (2B – AZL): .357 (5-14), 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.152 OPS
Rob Nixon (RHP – MV): 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 2 G, 13.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 8 K, .188 BAA
Drew Pomeranz (LHP – KIN): 1-0, 2.19 ERA, 2 G, 12.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R/ER, 5 BB, 14 K, .209 BAA

Previous Winners:

06/23 to 06/29: Kirk Wetmore (LHP – Mahoning Valley)
06/16 to 06/22: Zach McAllister (RHP - Columbus)
06/09 to 06/15: Scott Barnes (LHP – Columbus)
06/02 to 06/08: Beau Mills (1B - Akron)
05/26 to 06/01: Anthony Gallas (OF - Lake County)
05/19 to 05/25: Tim Fedroff (OF – Akron)
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)

Director’s Cuts

Indians Vice President and Director of Player Development Ross Atkins had a lot to share recently on some players in the Indians system:

Lonnie Chisenhall

On Lonnie Chisenhall: “He got off to what he would call a slow start. He faced a ton of left-handed pitching early, but I think he has made some very positive adjustments not only against left-handed pitching but his approach altogether. He had a minor health setback and he’s back to 100% and had an incredible week. I think most notably about Lonnie is the strides he has made defensively. He has made very few errors and really does not project to have any limitations at that position any longer.”

On Beau Mills: “Beau has been extremely frustrated over the last couple of years. He knows he is a better player than those performances have dictated. Now it is showing up a little bit with his strength and his competiveness. The thing about Beau we talk about all the time is even without the stellar performance he is still a leader in our organization. Older veteran players look to Beau for wisdom, guidance, and strength, and I think because of that there is a lot to be positive about in him recovering and becoming a Major League player.”

On Adam Miller: “I don’t think the starting rotation will be in his future, but he is flashing the 95-96s and the slider is flashing above average at times. It is finding the consistency with a different finger, which is pivotal in his pitching delivery as it is in the last place where the ball touches the hand. He is finding the feel and the ability to manipulate those pitches consistently. To do it consistently is the key. His stuff is not dominant enough that he can’t command his fastball and he can just flip his slider in there. Now it is just finding that consistency, but he is an incredible story already. Absolutely there is no question he is back on the [Major League] radar. Now it is just a matter if that consistency comes, and we’d like to see a little bit of dominance in Double-A before we put him into the fire in Triple-A. If that happens and there is consistency there with the stuff he is showing, he is already on the radar and now he becomes a much larger blip.”

Drew Pomeranz

On Drew Pomeranz: “He is dominating that level. He has been everything we have hoped from a scouting standpoint, and everything we had hoped from the performance and as a person. The power to his stuff and the dominance to his fastball has been what has really stood out. He hasn’t really needed his secondary weapons, and we have forced him to use them. There have been slight limitations we have been working on within the smaller aspects of the game. Controlling the running game and the pitch usage are things he did not have to do as an amateur. We want to force them to happen and make sure there is a foundation that he can fall back on. Now it is time to see the next challenge for him. We need to get him moving at some point.”

On Bryce Stowell and Rob Bryson: “We are so glad to have those guys back as they are Major League arms with upper 90s fastballs and high strikeout rates. Bryson had a ton of success in Double-A and Stowell a ton of success in Triple-A. We need to get those guys in the mix. Fortunately that is a very strong area for us as we have some good arms in our Triple-A and Double-A bullpen. We’ll challenge those guys at the upper levels soon.”

On Tim Fedroff: “Tim has always notoriously been a very good hitter as he has tremendous bat to ball. I think there was some acclimation to professional baseball and the wooden bat and he made subtle adjustments to his swing that he has benefitted from. His defense and base-running are steadily improving. We are excited by the progress he has made this year.”

On Kelvin De La Cruz: “It really comes down to fastball command for him with repeating his delivery and arm slot. If you take that a step back even further it is athleticism, core strength, and flexibility. He is still very young and as he grows into his body and really increases his awareness in his body and athleticism, we feel he will be more consistent with his delivery and arm slot.”

Jesus Aguilar

On Jesus Aguilar: “He has had a really encouraging year and has made really significant strides with his body, his strength, his power, and his nutrition. The athleticism at first base is exceptional as he is a very good defender at first especially for someone his age with his experience. He has great footwork, agility, and instincts around the bag on when to move and which direction and he is anticipating where base-runners will go. He projects to be an average to above average defender at first base. The power is obviously there. If discipline comes along with that power - and it seems to be improving - he will certainly make a push. He is already a Major League prospect, but the discipline is the area that needs to come for him. It really does start with how he takes care of his body and if he is maximizing that power and strength he has, then secondary would be his offensive approach which seems to be improving. [Hitting coach] Jim Rickon has done an incredible job with him as well as Juan Acevedo and our strength and conditioning staff.”

On Alex Monsalve: “He has been great. He is one of the most powerful athletes in our entire system. He is making progress as a receiver, a game caller, a blocker, a thrower, and his approach seems to be improving as well. There is a lot of raw ability to like about Alex and a lot of reason to believe he is making strides mentally and fundamentally.”

On LeVon Washington: “He is playing better. He has a good swing and a decent feel for the art of hitting. He certainly has confidence, but he has not played a ton of baseball. Even as an amateur he has not been exposed to advanced levels of baseball, so this is a challenge for him and he has handled that challenge well.”

On Clayton Cook: “He is 20-years old in Kinston which is a very good league and getting strikeouts, throws the ball over the plate, and has a four pitch mix. With the aggressiveness, his strike throwing ability along with the feel for pitching he has all the intangibles to be a Major League starter. He will have to get better every year, get stronger every year, and have to get tougher every year. He reminds us more like Jeanmar Gomez.”

Matt Langwell

On Matt Langwell: “You know what has really progressed with him are his secondary weapons. His slider is becoming more of a true Major League weapon, and he has performed exceptionally well in the bullpen. With an average to slightly above average fastball, if that slider becomes an average Major League weapon he will definitely pitch in the Major Leagues.”

On Kirk Wetmore: “I think the thing he has done best is controlling what he can control. He has a solid three pitch mix and has done a good job of not getting caught up in where he is pitching and who is where. With his slot, his athleticism, and his feel for pitching, he could really make himself into a solid prospect for us.”

On Kyle Petter: “He has been really encouraging. He has benefitted from some delivery adjustments that have helped create a little more leverage and power to pitches and he is off to a great start.”

On Matt McBride doing some catching: “We have always said to keep working at catching by catching bullpens time to time and when we have opportunities we will get him back there. It is also balancing not wanting to push him too much physically, but maintaining it as a skill set for him. His shoulder is fine, it is just a really tough position to handle. It is not something that really came naturally to Matt, and he has done a great job of making it one of his skill sets.”

Aaron Siliga

On Aaron Siliga: “He was just the most polished of that group [of high school hitters from the 2010 Draft]. We knew we could count on his defense, and we felt his swing would play at a more advanced level because it is a little bit shorter. He has a ton of ability.”

On Juan Romero moving to the outfield: “Really we just wanted to see if we felt good about keeping him in the infield, and we could have probably done it a little bit longer. We just wanted to see if the bat could play. It should be a little bit easier for him playing in the outfield.”

On Elvis Araujo: “He is doing great. With him it really comes down his preparation before he gets to the field and mound to allow for more consistency. He has as good as an arm as almost anyone we have in the system as he is in the mid-90s, left-handed, and obviously very strong and very physical. He has to do everything he can to make sure he is preparing for his outing to maximize them and keep himself healthy.”

Burns added to All Star team

Cory Burns

The Eastern League announced this past week that Double-A Akron right-handed reliever Cory Burns was added to the Western Division All Star roster to replace Bowie’s Pedro Viola who was promoted to the Baltimore Orioles. On the season he is 2-3 with a 2.29 ERA and 23 saves in 34 appearances, and in 35.1 innings has allowed 28 hits, 7 walks, and has 46 strikeouts.

Burns, 23, really should have been added to the All Star roster from the get go as he leads the league in saves and games finished (34), and his 34 appearances are second in the league. He is having another great season as a closer and putting up eye-popping numbers even without dominating stuff. He continues to be a strike throwing machine that uses deception with a unique windup and three solid pitches to consistently get results.

This is Burns’ third straight All Star selection as he was named to the NY-Penn League All Star team in 2009 while playing for short-season Mahoning Valley (3-2, 1.93 ERA, 11 saves) and was named to the Carolina League postseason All Star team last year at High-A Kinston (1-2, 1.96 ERA, 42 saves in Kinston and Low-A Lake County). In 110 career appearances over his three year pro career he has a whopping 76 saves (76-for-83). The Eastern League All Star game will be played on Wednesday July 13th in Manchester, NH.

Rayl, Blair going in opposite directions

Mike Rayl

Right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair and left-handed pitcher Mike Rayl have anchored the Low-A Lake County rotation all season. But while Blair came in as the higher profile player with the higher prospect standing, right now Rayl is making huge leaps up the prospect ladder while Blair has scuffled some in his first taste of pro ball.

Rayl, 22, has been one of the biggest bright spots in the Indians system this year as he has emerged into a legitimate Major League starting pitching prospect. In 14 starts with Lake County he is 5-2 with a 1.90 ERA, and in 66.1 innings has allowed 43 hits, 11 walks, and has 72 strikeouts. He doesn’t have a dominating fastball as it sits 87-90 MPH and has touched 92 MPH, but is a command and control specialist who throws strikes and knows how to pitch. He has very good mechanics and an aggressive demeanor where he just goes right after hitters. He has battled some stiffness in his shoulder this season which resulted in him missing two starts in early June, and he left his last start on Tuesday after just 1.2 innings. The Indians say it was pitch count related, but it may also have been due to some recurring stiffness in the shoulder. Provided he is healthy, his success of late could have him in line for a promotion here really soon to High-A Kinston, maybe even sometime in the next week if lefty Drew Pomeranz is promoted to Double-A Akron as expected.

Kyle Blair

Blair, 22, has had a rocky introduction to pro ball this year. In 14 starts he is 3-5 with a 5.98 ERA, and in 61.2 innings has allowed 65 hits, 35 walks, and has 58 strikeouts. The downturn in his performance is somewhat deceiving as he has not been throwing his slider – which is his best pitch - much this year so as to develop his other pitches. In his last three starts he totaled just 9.2 innings and allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 14 hits, 12 walks, and 11 strikeouts. His command has been off most of the season, but the bottoming out of if in his last three starts was a sign that something was wrong physically. Apparently he has a knee issue he is working through which is why he has been shut down and has been sent to Arizona to rehab and get healthy. There is no estimate at this time when he will return.

Kipnis will be busy

Jason Kipnis

Triple-A Columbus second baseman Jason Kipnis was named the International League’s Batter of the Week for the period from June 27th to July 3rd. For the week hit .500 (11-for-22) with 8 runs scored, 1 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, and a 1.532 OPS. On the season he is hitting .302 with 11 HR, 51 RBI and a .900 OPS in 82 games for Columbus.

Kipnis fouled a ball of his knee last Saturday that resulted in a contusion and some swelling so missed two games but has since returned to the lineup. He will once again be out of the lineup for Columbus on Saturday and Sunday as he will be participating in the All Star Futures Game on Sunday July 10th in Phoenix and will participate in the Triple-A All Star game on Wednesday July 13th in Salt Lake City.

McFarland shows progress

T.J. McFarland

Double-A Akron left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of June 27th through July 3rd. On June 29th he pitched 6.0 strong innings allowing an unearned run on 1 hit, 1 walk and had 5 strikeouts. For the week he led all Eastern League pitchers in WHIP (0.33) and batting average against (.048) and tied for first in ERA (0.00). On the season in 16 combined starts between High-A Kinston and Akron he is 5-5 with a 3.83 ERA, and in 82.1 innings has allowed 78 hits, 26 walks, and has 64 strikeouts.

McFarland has been a workhorse of late pitching at least 6.0 innings in eight of his last ten starts, and in his last three starts has pitched 20.0 innings and allowed 1 earned run (3 runs) on 9 hits, 5 walks, and has 15 strikeouts. His success of late stems from him becoming more aggressive on the mound with attacking hitters and trusting his stuff. His trust in his sinker that he can consistently throw it down in the zone and be efficient with lots of ground ball outs has been a big change for him. He is also getting better at mixing up his pitches and reading swings.

Random Notes

David Huff

Triple-A Columbus left-handed pitcher David Huff may have been passed over this week for the Indians short term need for a starter, but it was more due to the alignment of the rotation than with how he is pitching. He has been on a roll of late pitching at least 6.0 innings in his last six starts going 5-0 with a 2.66 ERA during that span (40.2 IP, 31 H, 7 BB, 31 K). He has been less predictable where he has been mixing all of his pitches well, and his fastball velocity has been much improved of late where he is sitting comfortably at 89-92 MPH and has even been up to 94 MPH. He is mixing in a cutter with his curveball, changeup and slider, and that ability to throw five pitches at any time rather than relying solely on his fastball-changeup combination has paid dividends of late. The consistency from outing to outing is great to see, and he is back on the map as an option for the Indians big league rotation or even as a trade option as other teams have some interest in him. Overall this season in 15 starts he is 8-2 with a 3.84 ERA, and in 91.1 innings has allowed 94 hits, 24 walks, and has 55 strikeouts.

Double-A Akron first baseman Beau Mills is having a solid season hitting .276 with 5 HR, 33 RBI and a .763 OPS in 49 games. While the numbers are not a drastic improvement over his previous two years in Akron, he has been more consistent and his approach has improved. He is doing a better job of staying behind the ball and working more to the middle of the field and staying gap to gap rather than trying to pull everything like he has in the past. Using the whole field is a challenge both he and the organization has set for him this season, and he has made some strides there.

Clayton Cook

High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Clayton Cook is having another very good season. In 15 starts he is 6-5 with a 3.38 ERA, and in 77.1 innings he has allowed 66 hits, 29 walks, and has 68 strikeouts. He has gotten stronger as the season has progressed where in his last ten starts he is 5-3 with a 2.65 ERA and has jumped his strikeout rate a little (51 K, 54.1 IP). His success to date is even more impressive when you consider he won’t be 21 years old until later this month. He had a setback in his last start on Sunday where he had to leave his start early because of forearm tightness and some soreness in his elbow, but after being evaluated the past few days he is okay. He is expected to make his next scheduled start on Monday.

Low-A Lake County catcher Moises Montero is settling into his backup role well. He is only 1-for-15 at the plate in five games so far, but his value is as a dependable receiver who has a very good throwing arm. He’s been limited the past few years because of injuries, most recently a hand injury last year when he was hit in his right hand by a pitch which resulted in him having six screws permanently inserted into his hand. The Indians have challenged him this year to improve his game calling and to improve his approach at the plate.

Robert Nixon

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley right-handed pitcher Robert Nixon is off to an impressive pro debut. In four starts he is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA, and in 21.2 innings has allowed 18 hits, 4 walks, and has 13 strikeouts. After a rough first outing back on June 20th where he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 3.2 innings he has really settled in of late allowing just 3 runs (3 earned) in his last three outings. His best outing to date is his last one on Tuesday night when he went 7.0 shutout innings and allowed 3 hits, no walks, and had 4 strikeouts. He is a power pitcher whose best pitch may be his splitter which is very effective when he has it going.

Rookie level Arizona has a lot of interesting Latin American young prospects on the roster to follow this year. Due to their youth and with how raw they are the plate discipline is obviously lacking as they do not draw very many walks and tend to strikeout a lot. That having been said, infielder Robel Garcia (.324 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .943 OPS), second baseman Jorge Martinez (.324, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .867 OPS), infielder Erik Gonzalez (.308, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .793 OPS), outfielder Luigi Rodriguez (.300, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .691 OPS), shortstop Jairo Kelly (.293, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .741 OPS), and outfielder Juan Romero (.257, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .871 OPS) are all guys to watch and have a lot of upside.

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: Adam Miller,Beau Mills,Clayton Cook,Cory Burns,David Huff,Drew Pomeranz,Elvis Araujo,Jason Kipnis,Jesus Aguilar,Kyle Blair,Mike Rayl,Moises Montero,Robert Nixon,T.J. McFarland