Minor Happenings: Wetmore is a promising lefty

Kirk Wetmore (Photo: Ken Carr)

"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.

Lots of information to get out today in Minor Happenings with some comments recently by Farm Director Ross Atkins on some players who appear to be eyeing a callup to the big leagues. Also, lots of injury updates on players in the system.

In case you missed it I did a piece on Triple-A second baseman Jason Kipnis yesterday and short season Single-A Mahoning Valley outfielder Bryson Myles on Wednesday, so be sure to check them out. I have several other player features and coming over the next several weeks, such as right-handed pitcher Michael Goodnight, right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister, catcher Jake Lowery, outfielder Aaron Siliga, shortstop Tony Wolters, and more.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and be safe! If any of you happen to be in Erie on Sunday, be sure to come to the Akron-Erie game and say hi as I will be attending.

Onto the Happenings...

IPI Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from June 23rd through June 29th)

Kirk Wetmore (Left-handed Pitcher - Mahoning Valley)
1-1, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 K, .171 BAA

Kirk Wetmore

The prospects all up and down the Indians system are on fire of late as there never seems to be a shortage of good hitting performances week to week. With offense down in the big leagues but players in the Indians system performing well offensively this is good to see. Especially since in past years when doing this weekly award the pickings would often be very slim.

In the midst of all the offense was a very good pitching performance by short season Single-A Mahoning Valley left-hander Kirk Wetmore. He had a fantastic week, and if not for his defense letting him down in his second start of the week on Wednesday night to the tune of four errors, he may have been even better and a perfect 2-0. With short season ball starting up just two weeks ago, he has made just three starts, but he has looked very good going 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA (3 unearned runs), and in 15.0 innings has allowed 8 hits, 3 walks, and has 15 strikeouts.

Wetmore, 22, was the Indians 11th round pick in the 2009 Draft out of Bellevue Community College in Washington. He pitched in Mahoning Valley last year and struggled going 2-7 with a 6.26 ERA (54.2 IP, 60 H, 31 BB, 44 K) in 15 games. The key to his turnaround in the early going so far this year has been improved command of his fastball where he is more consistently hitting his spots and has really cut his walk rate. The Indians have really challenged him to throw strikes this year develop his secondary offerings, and so far he has answered the call.

Wetmore threw a fastball, changeup and curveball last year, but another big key in his good performance to date is the reintegration of a slider back into his arsenal that he threw in college but had dropped when he initially turned pro. He has done a good job of keeping hitters off balance with all of his pitches, and the command of his offspeed stuff has been much improved.

Wetmore has yet to make it to a full season team, but with the strides he has made this year and if he keeps up this performance it looks very likely that he will finish the year and pitch a meaningful amount of innings at Low-A Lake County or even High-A Kinston.

Honorable Mentions:

Jason Kipnis (2B - COL): .407 (11-27), 10 R, 1 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K, 1.299 OPS
Luis Valbuena (INF - COL): .400 (10-25), 5 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.304 OPS
Beau Mills (1B - AKR): .333 (8-24), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K, .975 OPS
Jesus Aguilar (1B - LC): .375 (9-24), 9 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 1.359 OPS
Alex Monsalve (C - LC): .375 (9-24), 5 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.131 OPS
LeVon Washington (OF - LC): .346 (9-26), 5 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, .991 OPS
Bryson Myles (OF - MV): .455 (10-22), 5 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 3 SB, 1.227 OPS
Jake Lowery (C - MV): .320 (8-25), 5 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.090 OPS
Robel Garcia (OF - AZL): .467 (7-15), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.263 OPS
Juan Romero (OF - AZL): .350 (7-20), 2 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 BB, 9 K, 1.183 OPS
T.J. McFarland (LHP - AKR): 2-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 13.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, .111 BAA
Jeanmar Gomez (RHP - COL): 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 2 G, 13.1 IP, 14 H, 3 R/ER, 6 BB, 13 K, .292 BAA

Previous Winners:

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 Farm Director Ross Atkins had some comments this week about a few farmhands in the system:

Drew Pomeranz

On Drew Pomeranz: “With Drew we don’t see Double-A or Triple-A as the things he needs to check off the list as much as the acclimation to professional baseball. Where that happens is not quite as important as checking the other things off his list like controlling the running game, incorporating his changeup at a higher percentage, and most importantly solidifying a delivery that he can call his and he can fall back on when things get tough. With a player of his caliber the things we are thinking of are making sure we maximize player development and make sure we maximize his time in the minor leagues to make sure he doesn’t come back again. We don’t want Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona stories and him having to come back to the minor leagues again. Now we will take the end result of Cliff Lee, but we don’t want Drew to come back to the minor leagues at some point because he doesn’t have that foundation to go to [where he knows] this is what makes me good and what I need to stick to. We are trying to solidify that. He is with [Kinston pitching coach] Mickey Callaway and they have a great relationship. They are actually from the same home town and have very similar track records with similar amateur careers and have a lot in common and have established a good rapport. Having said all that, I believe Drew is very close to being ready for the next challenge and seeing an upper level hitter and potentially even Triple-A hitters soon.”

On Jason Kipnis: “He really is a threat in Triple-A by all means. Right now he is the best bat in that lineup. He is really performing well taking advantage of hitter’s counts and having great at bats against tough left-handed pitching and great at bats against really all of the pitching he is facing right now. Jason is a very well rounded player and he plays with incredible instincts as he has ten stolen bases and no caught stealings. He has made himself into an average second baseman. Having said that, he has only been there for a year and a half. It is incredible what he is doing at this point, but there is certainly work to be done at second base.”

Jerad Head

On Jerad Head: “He has continued to make himself a better player every year and does so every day. He is probably the toughest kid we have in the organization as he will run into a wall and stay in the game. That’s not a story as he actually did it. He is a very hardnosed player with a lot of feel for the bat with developing discipline. That is the limitation for him as he is an early count swinger and someone who really needs to address that limitation to be a Major League threat. But he will play in the Major Leagues because of his toughness, bat to ball, and his defensive versatility. He is much like Josh Tomlin was in the minor leagues as he is every manager’s and every player development person’s favorite. He is a guy to pull for.”

On Louis Valbuena: “Luis has been great. The most interesting thing with him is how well he has handled some of the younger players going up over him. That can very easily get frustrating for someone with his experience and Major League time and he has not let that get to him and he has remained a professional and performed. The power numbers are there. We’d like to see the discipline numbers be a little bit better and his approach improve. His defense is certainly not a limitation as he can play second base at an average clip, he can go to third for you, and he can stand at shortstop if need be. He is a really good piece to have in Triple-A as depth.”

On Low-A Lake County: “This is an interesting team. We are high on prospects and potential and not so high on performance. There is a lot of youth, athleticism and ability to watch here in Ronnie Rodriguez at shortstop, LeVon Washington in center field, Carlos Moncrief who has made himself a position player prospect, Alex Monsalve is a very interesting player behind the plate, and Giovanny Urshela is one of our best defenders at third base. There are a lot of pieces and players with abilities, now it is just figuring out which one is going to be ale to be a good defender, a good offensive player, a good base runner, and handle the rigors of professional baseball. The tools and abilities are there and now it is really up to player development to help them become complete players and let that translate into performance.”

Infirmary Report

Here are some updates on some of the walking wounded around the system:

Hector Rondon

Right-handed pitchers Hector Rondon, Alexander Perez, and Danny Salazar are all rehabbing well in Arizona from Tommy John surgery last year. Salazar is up to 60 pitch bullpen sessions, Rondon 45-pitch bullpen sessions, and Perez 30-pitch bullpen sessions. Provided there are no setbacks, Salazar will be the first to get into game action in the Arizona Summer League sometime in early August and Rondon should be right behind him. Perez may not be built up enough to get him into Arizona games, so he may not pitch in games until Instructional League in the fall.

Left-hander Robbie Aviles is progressing well in his rehab from Tommy John surgery last July, and is currently throwing two inning sim games in Arizona. He should be pitching in games in the Arizona Summer League probably in the next week to ten days.

Right-handed pitcher Anthony Reyes had another setback with right forearm inflammation and some finger weakness. He recently consulted doctors and will resume a throwing program in about the next ten days.

Right-handed pitcher Connor Graham is recovering well from his shoulder injury and is actually currently already at Double-A Akron but not on the roster. He is continuing his rehab and expected to be activated in the next week or two.

Giovanni Soto

High-A Kinston left-hander Giovanni Soto is still sidelined by a left elbow neuritis and there is no damage to his UCL. He was getting a tingling sensation in his fingers a few weeks ago while pitching in Kinston so was shut down as a precaution so doctors could check him out. He is currently out in Arizona rehabbing, and will be starting a throwing program in a couple days and should be back on a couple of weeks.

Double-A Akron catcher Chun Chen went down recently because of a back spasm and is expected to be back in a week or two or even any day.

Triple-A catcher Dwight Childs broke his right hand last weekend when he took a foul tip off his hand in his first career Triple-A start. He will be out for awhile, maybe even the rest of the season.

Triple-A catcher Luke Carlin was recently put on the disabled list because of a sore right elbow. He is supposedly close to being activated and resuming normal catching duties with the team.

Double-A Akron catcher Juan Apodaca has a broken left toe and will be out for awhile. There is no ETA on when he will be back, but it probably will be several weeks. The Indians signed free agent catcher Michael Hernandez to fill his spot on the Akron roster.

Barnes and Noble

Scott Barnes

Triple-A left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes has really come into his own as a high level pitching prospect for the Indians this season. In his last eight starts for Columbus he is 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA (48.0 IP, 35 H, 16 BB, 55 K), and overall this season in 15 combined appearances between Double-A Akron and Columbus he is 7-2 with a 3.36 ERA (80.1 IP, 68 H, 32 BB, 94 K).

Barnes, 23, has really developed a great understanding of what his delivery does and the command of all of his pitches has taken a step up this year. He has an unorthodox delivery where he turns his back to the batter and really hides the ball well, which creates some deception and makes him tough on left-handers. His success and the strides he has made this year center around his improved velocity where he has been up to 96 MPH, all three of his pitches having good action, and his overall improved maturity as a pitcher.

Barnes may not be a big league option this year, but he is up for roster protection in the offseason and surely will be added to the 40-man roster in November. He is big league starting pitching depth in 2012 and beyond, and if he continues to make strides and perform as he has through the remainder of the season there is no doubt he will be a unanimous Top 10 ranked prospect for the Indians in all sorts of publications next year.

Award Winners

Mike Rayl

The hardware has been handed out to a lot of players of late in the Indians minor league system as three players have recently won Player/Pitcher of the Week honors.

Low-A Lake County left-handed pitcher Mike Rayl was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 20-26. The 22-year old made one start and threw six scoreless innings allowing only one hit and striking out eight batters. On the season he is 5-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts, and in 58.0 innings has allowed 38 hits, 10 walks, and has 63 strikeouts. In 11 of his 12 starts he has allowed two earned runs or less and has allowed a run or less in nine of those games.

High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher T.J. House was recently named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week from June 13-19. In two starts he went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, which included a one-hit shutout in the first game of a doubleheader against visiting Salem on June 13th. Over the seven innings, he walked four and struck out six, and the only hit was a sixth-inning bunt single. He was dominant again in his next start on the 18th allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four over six more scoreless frames against the Hillcats in Lynchburg. On the season he is 5-6 with a 4.16 ERA in 14 starts, and in 75.2 innings has allowed 64 hits, 36 walks, and has 53 strikeouts.

Lonnie Chisenhall

Triple-A Columbus third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall was named the International League Player of the Week for the week of June 20-26. In five games he hit .429 (9-for-21) with 2 HR and a league-best 14 RBI. On the season he is hitting .265 with 7 HR, 44 RBI, and a .779 OPS in Columbus, and in two games with the Indians is 3-for-8 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI.

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley catcher Jake Lowery was awarded the Jhonny Bench Award on Thursday night in Wichita, Kansas. He left the team to attend the ceremony and receive the award which is given to the best collegiate catcher. In 12 games with Mahoning Valley he is hitting .313 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and a .951 OPS.

All Stars

On Thursday Double-A Akron had three players selected to the Eastern League All Star game on Wednesday, July 13 in Manchester, NH. Right-handed pitcher Austin Adams, catcher Chun Chen, and shortstop Juan Diaz will represent Akron on the Western Division’s all-star roster. Adams currently ranks 6th in the Eastern League in strikeouts (78), tied for 5th in wins (5), and tied for 2nd in games started (15). Chen is currently tied for 8th in the Eastern League for home runs (8), and his 37 RBI puts him in the top 15 in the league in that category. Diaz is tied for 5th in the Eastern League with 3 triples, and currently leads the Aeros in hits (76), runs (38), and total bases (110).

Also on Thursday, Triple-A Columbus had four players selected to the Triple-A All Star game pitting the International League against the Pacific Coast League on Wednesday July 13 in Salt Lake City, UT. Second baseman Jason Kipnis, infielder Luis Valbuena, right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister, and right-handed pitcher Jeanmar Gomez were all selected to the International League team. The game will be broadcast on MLB Network live at 7:00 p.m. ET.

“Short-Season” Notes

Jerrud Sabourin

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley right-handed pitcher Cody Allen has been impressive in the early going where in four appearances he is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 10 K). Even though it is still early in the season, he has shown an ability to work ahead of hitters and pitch in tight spots.

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley first baseman Jerrud Sabourin is hitting .140 with 0 HR, 5 RBI and a .415 OPS in his first 12 games as a pro. He is an undrafted free agent signing who has always sort of taken the underdog role as he did not receive a scholarship offer from anyone out of high school and walked on at Indiana University and ended up having a good four-year career there.

Rookie level Arizona outfielder Juan Romero is doing well in his conversion from third base to the outfield, and is making sort of the same switch that Abner Abreu made early in his career. In fact, both are looking like the same player at the rookie stage of their career’s as Romero shows a ton of power and athleticism but has plate discipline issues. In seven games he is hitting .280 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, and a .966 OPS. Five of his seven hits have gone for extra bases, but he has also struck out in 11 of his 25 at bats.

Rookie level Arizona right-handed pitcher Josh McKeon is off to a solid start where in three games he has gone 6.1 scoreless innings and allowed only 2 hits, 2 walks, and has 6 strikeouts. He has a unique background as he was a catcher early on in college, but recently made the switch to the pitching mound and has just two years experience as a pitcher. He shows some arm strength as he consistently gets his fastball into the low 90s.

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: Alexander Perez,Danny Salazar,Drew Pomeranz,Hector Rondon,Jason Kipnis,Jerad Head,Jerrud Sabourin,Josh McKeon,Juan Romero,Kirk Wetmore,Luis Valbuena,Robbie Aviles,Scott Barnes