Minor Happenings: Head continues to thrive in Columbus

Jerad Head (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.

It is time for another edition of Minor Happenings to get caught up on all the Happenings in the Indians’ farm system. In this edition I have lots and lots of updates on players throughout the system.

It was a crazy week last week for the Indians as they completed three trades that netted them two Major League players and a minor league player for one Major League player and six minor league players. The big losses were lefty Drew Pomeranz and righty Alex White, so a lot of people are wondering how strong the Indians farm system is after all the deals. The truth of the matter is there is very little left if at all from an impact perspective in the upper levels of their system after the trades and graduation of guys to Cleveland this year, but the lower levels are well stocked. What this means is their system value is going to take a huge hit next year, but with so much promise in so many players in the lower levels of the minors they could quickly ascend back to a Top 10 system in 2013. If they keep drafting well, they will be fine.

Anyway, I wanted to share that for those wondering how much the system was hit this past week after all the trade activity, though the system was going to take a serious hit anyway with the graduation of Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, etc.

Onto the Happenings….

IPI Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from July 28th through August 3rd)

Jerad Head (Outfielder - Columbus)
.370 (10-27), 6 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1.296 OPS

Jerad Head

Triple-A Columbus outfielder Jerad Head may be the Rodney Dangerfield of hitters in the Indians farm system. He just gets no respect.

Head, 28, is not really a prospect because of his age, but he is having a very good season for Columbus this year where in 94 games he is hitting .287 with 19 HR, 60 RBI, and a .861 OPS. He is not considered a very good Major League caliber defender, though he has the ability and experience to play any position on the field. Up the middle positions like shortstop, second base, center field and catcher are a stretch, but he can play there in a pinch.

With all that versatility and production from the right side you would think the Indians would have called Head up by now, right? Wrong. He is still in Columbus and Austin Kearns is still the right-handed bat to complement an all left-handed hitting outfield in Cleveland.

While this is maddening for a lot of people, there are flaws to Head that the industry feels will not translate well to the big leagues. For one, as a 28-year old never been prospect he doesn’t have pedigree on his side even though his numbers the last two seasons have been very good (2010: .299 AVG, 17 HR, 66 HR, .906 OPS). He is also considered a guess hitter which is something the Indians don’t need, as they need someone to put up professional at bats in their lineup.

Head doesn’t draw enough walks as he has never had more than 29 walks in a season, and he strikes out too much as he has 82 strikeouts this year in 342 at bats which is about a strikeout every four at bats. In fact, his walk and strikeout rates have gotten worse this year as in 311 at bats last year he had 23 walks (13.5 AB/BB) and 66 strikeouts (4.7 AB/K), but in those 342 at bat this year he has 24 walks (14.2 AB/BB) and 82 strikeouts (4.1 AB/K). That’s the main reason why he has not been called up, which is his lack of a consistency with his approach and poor discipline.

Head’s numbers have also been in decline all year. In April he hit .339 with a .913 OPS, in May he hit .323 with a .914 OPS, in June he hit .256 with a .802 OPS, and in July he hit .224 with a .750 OPS. After bottoming out in July he seems to have picked up his play of late where in his last five games he is 9-for-23 with 2 2B, 4 HR, and 11 RBI, including a four game consecutive home run streak from July 30th to August 2nd.

All of this is not meant to tear down Head, but instead show why the Indians probably have not called him up even when they have such a need for right-handed hitting, particularly in the outfield. Me personally, I would have called him up weeks ago. The Indians Player Development Department loves him, and he has been in serious consideration for a callup several times this season, but has not been.

Unfortunately for Head, it does not look very good at this point for a callup as by passing up on him all year it pretty much has sealed his fate. I don’t expect him to be called up this year, and considering he is a minor league free agent at the end of the year he probably signs elsewhere for a better opportunity. Here’s hoping he gets consideration for the big league roster sometime between now and the end of the season just to take a look. It can’t hurt.

Honorable Mentions:

Cord Phelps (2B – COL): .409 (9-22), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 1.071 OPS
Jared Goedert (INF – COL): .400 (6-15), 4 R, 0 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 8 BB, 0 K, 1.409 OPS
Luis Valbuena (SS – COL): .364 (8-22), 5 R, 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K, .940 OPS
Jordan Casas (OF – KIN): .389 (7-18), 2 R, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, .921 OPS
Jeremie Tice (1B – KIN): .353 (6-17), 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.156 OPS
Jerrud Sabourin (1B – MV): .471 (8-17), 2 R, 4 2B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.251 OPS
Todd Hankins (2B – MV): .391 (9-23), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1.049 OPS
Jordan Smith (3B – MV): .389 (7-18), 4 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, .950 OPS
Leonardo Castillo (INF – AZL): .421 (8-19), 2 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 1.292 OPS
Joseph Colon (RHP – MV): 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 2 G, 10.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, 6 BB, 10 K, .152 BAA
Matt Packer (LHP – AKR): 1-1, 1.08 ERA, 2 G, 16.2 IP, 15 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 15 K, .250 BAA

Previous Winners:

07/21 to 07/27: Tony Wolters (SS – Mahoning Valley)
07/14 to 07/20: Beau Mills (1B – Akron)
07/07 to 07/13: Luigi Rodriguez (OF – AZL Indians)
06/30 to 07/06: Elvis Araujo (LHP – AZL Indians)
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)

IPI Minor League Player of the Month
(for July)

Luigi Rodriguez (Outfielder – Arizona)
.396 (36-91), 19 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 4 BB, 14 K, 12 SB, 1.046 OPS

Luigi Rodriguez

This award would have gone to Abner Abreu had he not been traded as he hit .352 with 8 HR, 17 RBI and a 1.236 OPS in 21 July games for High-A Kinston. Also, Jordan Smith at Mahoning Valley had a great month as well. But the top performance in July goes to outfielder Luigi Rodriguez who is making a splash this season as one of the Indians top prospects in the lower levels of the minors.

Rodriguez, 18, is hitting a sizzling .373 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, 22 stolen bases and .972 OPS in 32 combined games between rookie level Arizona and Low-A Lake County. He is a switch-hitter who has all the tools to be a top of the lineup threat as he has great speed, some gap power, and some hand-eye ability with the bat. While he creates havoc with his speed, he is still learning how to be a better baserunner as he still relies on his raw speed to steal bases or motor around the basepaths.

Rodriguez had a hamate injury this spring which slowed him down some, but he has shown no affects from it. Though it has only been a week, the most impressive thing has been how well he has translated as a hitter at Lake County. The big thing he needs work on is his defense as he is an inexperienced outfielder, something which was on display earlier in the week when he had three errors in one game. He was signed two years ago as a second baseman and last season was converted to the outfield, so while he has taken to it well he still has a lot to learn. While out in Arizona this year the coaches there really worked on his route running and decision making on defense.

Honorable Mentions:

Chen Lee (RHP – COL): 2-0, 0.60 ERA, 9 G, 15.0 IP, 11 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 22 K, .216 BAA
Beau Mills (1B – AKR/COL): .292 (28-96), 16 R, 6 2B, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 11 BB, 19 K, .858 OPS
Matt Packer (LHP – AKR): 2-2, 2.28 ERA, 6 G, 43.1 IP, 36 H, 12 R (11ER), 9 BB, 33 K, .228 BAA
Jesus Aguilar (1B – LC/KIN): .293 (29-99), 15 R, 9 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 13 BB, 31 K, .882 OPS
Carlos Moncrief (OF – LC): .290 (31-107), 22 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 9 BB, 38 K, .876 OPS
Jordan Smith (3B – MV): .347 (35-101), 12 R, 12 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 22 RBI, 12 BB, 11 K, .912 OPS
Tony Wolters (SS – MV): .309 (34-110), 17 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 11 BB, 20 K, 11 SB, .774 OPS

Previous Winners:

June: Jesus Aguilar (First Baseman – Lake County)
May: Tim Fedroff (Outfielder – Akron)
April: Tyler Cannon (Infielder – Lake County)

Director’s Cuts

Here are some recent comments from Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins:

Matt Packer

On Matt Packer: “The most important numbers have remained consistent as he is still throwing the ball over the plate, he is still striking guys out and not walking them. That is the hardest part of being a pitcher and he has maintained that, he has just given up more hits and therefore he has given up a few more runs and his ERA is higher. But the most controllable factor for a pitcher is throwing the ball over the plate, and he has continued to do that and now we are seeing the benefit of throwing the ball over the plate more consistently.”

On Matt Langwell: “He is a great story as he had some success as an amateur at Rice and he went into a bullpen role for us a couple of years ago and has really performed well. He seems to be getting better and better each step of the way each week and month. His slider will be the separator for him as he has plenty of fastball and can locate it down and away, so now it is a matter of him developing that slider into a Major League weapon. He is absolutely someone who has turned himself into a prospect. Those are our favorite stories when a guy who was on the periphery has put himself on the forefront.”

C.C. Lee

On Chen Lee: “He really has been exceptional. A lot of his transition was really just dealing with a new country, a new level of play, a new style of baseball, different coaches, and a very different language and teaching method. That transition seems to be behind him. He is in the mid-90s with a fastball with a well above average breaking pitch. He has two above average Major League weapons, now it is just how consistent can he be with them. He has made huge strides with his commitment to strength and conditioning, not that it was a limitation but now it is a strength. He is a great piece in the mix and no question is someone who will pitch in the Major Leagues.”

On determining movement in the system: “What it comes down to in Player Development is you typically have about 20 position players and 20 pitchers – that’s a rough number – that stands out and are priority guys and you are going to make sure you have a clear path for. Then there are guys around them that certainly have a chance to become a Major Leaguers, but their path to the Major Leagues may not be as projected and they will have to perform to get there. Those guys we have identified as a priority we are going to move them when it is right for them to move, not when a hole is created or a Double-A or Triple-A need is there. There are other ways to fill those holes and needs. You are trying to put them in a position to have success while being challenged and ultimately work on their limitations to become a Major Leaguer.”

Infirmary Report

Here are some updates on the walking wounded in the Indians’ system:

Scott Barnes

Triple-A Columbus left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes tore his ACL in his knee and had surgery recently. Obviously he is out for the year, and the Indians have not set a timetable on when he will return. Looking at it logically, with the 8-9 month recovery time needed from the surgery he might miss the first month or two of next season before he is cleared for regular game action. In 18 starts between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this year he went 8-4 with a 3.45 ERA (99.0 IP, 85 H, 36 BB, 107 K).

Right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and may be back at some point this month. He is throwing long toss right now and then will progress to bullpens. If all goes well there is a chance he could pitch in a game or two out in Arizona, though he likely will not pitch until Instructional League or the Parallel League this fall.

Right-handed pitcher Alexander Perez is also recovering well from Tommy John surgery and has been throwing bullpens in Arizona. Unless he has a setback, he will probably get into a game in Arizona later this month. He will also pitch in Instructional League or the Parallel League this fall.

Nick Weglarz

Double-A Akron outfielder Nick Weglarz returned to game action last night. He had been on the disabled list and missed two weeks of action because of a freak eye injury and also elbow soreness from throwing. In 34 games with Akron he is hitting .180 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, and a .679 OPS.

Double-A Akron left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz was recently put on the disabled list because of shoulder soreness. The Indians are still very high on him and hope to have him back in about two weeks. In 17 starts for Akron this year he is 5-6 with a 4.56 ERA (79.0 IP, 68 H, 53 BB, 84 K).

Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Adam Miller is healthy and has not had any setbacks with his finger. His recent poor performance is not injury-related, it is more that he is not making quality pitches and may be wearing down late in the season. In 27 combined appearances between High-A Kinston and Akron he is 1-4 with a 6.45 ERA (37.2 IP, 45 H, 17 BB, 36 K).

The Indians continue to be cautious with High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto. He is rehabbing a left elbow injury, and because of his age they do not want to push him. He has not had any setbacks, and he is scheduled to throw a sim-game today so could be close to returning. In 11 starts for Kinston this year he is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA (56.2 IP, 49 H, 18 BB, 58 K).

High-A Kinston outfielder Bo Greenwell is still rehabbing from a broken thumb injury. Though there is the potential for him to get back in late August, he is not expected to return this year and probably will not play again until Instructional League or the Parallel League. In 57 games for Kinston this year he is hitting .261 with 3 HR, 19 RBI and a .688 OPS.

LeVon Washington

Low-A Lake County outfielder LeVon Washington has been on the disabled list for heat exhaustion. Because of his age and where he is at in his career the Indians are not pushing him and want to make sure he is 100% before sending him back out. They have been educating him on preparing his body for games, and he should be back soon. In 59 games for Lake County this year he is hitting .229 with 2 HR, 15 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and a .651 OPS.

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair is still rehabbing his knee in Arizona and is doing well. He will throw a sim-game in the next couple of days, though the Indians are not expected to push him as they want to make sure the knee is strong enough and he feels good about it since it was affecting him this year when he pitched. He could come back later this month. In 14 starts for Lake County he is 3-5 with a 5.98 ERA (61.2 IP, 65 H, 35 BB, 58 K).

Right-handed pitcher Antwonie Hubbard is in Arizona rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He had the surgery after he injured his elbow during spring training.

Random Notes

Nick Hagadone

Triple-A Columbus left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone has had a very good bounce back season as in 36 combined appearances between Double-A Akron and Columbus he is 6-2 with a 2.79 ERA, and in 58.0 innings has allowed 47 hits, 16 walks, and has 62 strikeouts. The most important development for him this year has been the return of his command he has made incredible strides with his walk rate dropping from 6.6 BB/9 last year to 2.5 BB/9 this year. That’s amazing, especially considering a mid-season promotion to a higher, new level where a slip up was to be expected. With the trade of lefty Drew Pomeranz and righty Alex White, some fans have wondered if the Indians will explore him as a starter again. That is very unlikely as while the Indians won’t rule it out in the future, they are really locked into him as a reliever as he is near term Major League depth and they are focused on developing him that way. He is a Top 10 prospect for sure next year.

Double-A left-handed pitcher Matt Packer is having another good season as in 21 starts he is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA, and in 127.1 innings has allowed 134 hits, 23 walks, and has 99 strikeouts. Since hitting a wall at the end of June, he has really come on strong since around the All Star break in July as he has pitched at least 7.0 innings in each of his last six starts and over that period is 3-2 with a 1.57 ERA (46.0 IP, 36 H, 9 ER (8 ER), 7 BB, 40 K). His change of fortune of late is tied to him getting back to a more consistent delivery like he was doing last year by using his lower half better, staying back, and finishing his pitches. His command and stuff have also been better lately and as a result he is getting some swing and miss. He’s another guy who will jump up in the prospect rankings next year, probably somewhere in the teens.

Austin Adams

Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Austin Adams is having a solid season on the mound where in 21 starts he is 8-8 with a 3.88 ERA, and in 104.1 innings has allowed 110 hits, 56 walks, and has 100 strikeouts. There is no doubt he needs to work on that 4.8 BB/9 rate, but he has some of the best stuff in the system with a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and a very good power curveball. He has even reached 100 MPH a few times this season, so there is no doubting the potential with his arm and the progress made this year. The Indians are committed to him as a starting pitcher and going toward he needs to work on developing his changeup, his consistency outing to outing, and his effort level. He is a pretty sure bet to be a Top 10 prospect in the Indians’ system next year.

Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Cory Burns is having another incredible season closing games where in 44 appearances with Akron he is 2-4 with a 2.54 ERA and has 30 saves. Even with a month left in the season, his 30 saves broke the Akron single season save record which was formerly held by right-hander Randy Newsom with 29 in 2008. He is a clear end of game option as along with his 30 saves he has 44 games finished which means he has been the final pitcher on the mound for Akron any time he has pitched. He is 30-for-32 in save opportunities this year, and is now 83-for-91 in his three year minor league career closing out games. Saves typically do not mean a lot in the minors, but his ability to finish games late and pitch in high leverage situations is very impressive and improves his stock as a relief prospect. He will jump up some next year in prospects lists.

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Felix Sterling has had a good season so far where in 9 appearances (7 starts) between rookie level Arizona and Lake County he is 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA, and in 42.2 innings has allowed 36 hits, 21 walks, and has 44 strikeouts. He is only 18-years old but has some good size (6’3” 200 lbs) and good stuff with a low 90s fastball and developing breaking ball and changeup. Even more impressive may be his personality and makeup, which the Indians rave about. They have been happy to get him into the tougher Lake County environment to see how he handles it at such a young age, his likely starting place next season. He is another pitcher who should rank in the teens next year and potentially in the Top 10.

Tony Wolters

Short-season Mahoning Valley shortstop Tony Wolters continues to impress in his first full season as he put up a 5-for-6 night at the plate on Wednesday and in 44 games is hitting .309 with 1 HR, 15 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and a .805 OPS. Indians personnel have been impressed with how in tune to the game he is as he just eats, breathes, and sleeps baseball and shows unbelievable excitement and passion on the field. He also understands how to be a professional, which is unheard of for his age. He has the potential to be the Indians’ #1 prospect next season, and surely will be in the top five.

Rookie level Arizona left-handed pitcher Elvis Araujo is having a good season where in 9 starts he is 5-1 with a 3.68 ERA, and in 44.0 innings has allowed 42 hits, 14 walks, and has 39 strikeouts. After missing all of the 2009 and 2010 seasons because of Tommy John surgery he was expected to be very rusty after not pitching, but the results to date have been very positive for the 6’6 215 pound lefty. The main goal for him this season was getting him out on the mound in a competitive environment, and he has done that while flashing great stuff. He is an exciting prospect who will surge up the Indians’ rankings next year.

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: Austin Adams,Chen-Chang Lee,Cory Burns,Elvis Araujo,Felix Sterling,Hector Rondon,Jerad Head,Luigi Rodriguez,Matt Langwell,Matt Packer,Nick Hagadone,Scott Barnes,Tony Wolters