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| Francisco Jimenez (Photo: IPI) |
For the first time in what feels like forever Minor Happenings is back in its normal Thursday slot today. Due to all the trade coverage, the draft, vacation, my health issues, etc the column has often posted on Friday’s this year….but at least for this week it is back in its rightful spot. Hooray!
I’ll be in Lake County this weekend to get a look at promising right-handed pitcher Felix Sterling on Saturday night, and at some point next week plan to go to Akron and Mahoning Valley. I will also be in Woodbridge, VA over Labor Day weekend to see the final three regular season games for Kinston and possible last games as the affiliate of the Cleveland Indians if they miss the playoffs.
In case you missed it, yesterday I wrote a recap of the draft signing deadline with loads of comments from Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant. I also have another post-draft piece in the works with comments from Indians Scouting Director John Mirabelli that I plan to post on Monday or Tuesday next week.
Onto the Happenings…
IPI Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from August 11th through August 17th)
Francisco Jimenez (Left-handed pitcher – Kinston)
0-0, 0.96 ERA, 2 G, 9.1 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 12 K, .188 BAA
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| Francisco Jimenez |
With the Kinston team short on starters Jimenez has stepped in and pitched well. He has made three starts in a row and four overall this season, and as a starter he is 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA (16.1 IP, 15 H, 8 BB, 23 K). With Brach back in Kinston and left-hander Giovanni Soto expected to be back soon, Jimenez will likely move back to his customary bullpen spot before his next scheduled start though there is still a chance he could make one more start.
In 29 combined appearances between Low-A Lake County and Kinston this year the 22-year old Jimenez is 5-2 with a 3.20 ERA, and in 70.1 innings has allowed 60 hits, 23 walks, and has 79 strikeouts. He has always been a performer as coming into this season in four minor league seasons he owned a 3.43 ERA, 2.2 BB/9, and 9.2 K/9.
Jimenez is a small framed lefty, which is why he has mostly pitched out of the bullpen. Along with his performance he also is a pretty talented southpaw in that while he is a soft-tosser who gets his fastball to 87-90 MPH and occasionally touches 92 MPH, he has very good command and an advanced feel for pitching. He is an aggressive, confident pitcher that uses his three pitch mix (curveball, changeup) well and creates some good deception with his delivery.
Like most relievers he does not rank well overall in the Indians system because premium position players and starting pitchers always get much higher consideration, but Jimenez is one of the Indians better relief prospects in Single-A and below. In a lot of ways he “looks” like Tony Sipp in size and build, though does not have the fastball and breaking ball of Sipp. He is definitely a reliever to keep an eye, especially with him being a lefty.
Honorable Mentions:
Tim Fedroff (OF – COL): .409 (9-22), 4 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 1.025 OPS
Jared Goedert (3B – COL): .375 (9-24), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.006 OPS
Jeremie Tice (1B – KIN): .333 (8-24), 6 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K, .948 OPS
Ronny Rodriguez (SS – LC): .318 (7-22), 1 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 SB, .991 OPS
Jordan Smith (3B – MV): .500 (6-12), 2 R, 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.147 OPS
Robel Garcia (INF – AZL): .438 (7-16), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2BB, 1 K, 2 SB, 1.550 OPS
Cody Allen (RHP – LC): 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, .167 BAA
Clayton Cook – (RHO – KIN): 1-0, 1.46 ERA, 2 G, 12.1 IP, 16 H, 2 BB, 12 K, .314 BAA
Jeanmar Gomez (RHP – COL): 0-2, 2.08 ERA, 2 G, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 6 BB, 7 K, .220 BAA
Previous Winners:
08/04 to 08/10: Paolo Espino (RHP – Akron)
07/28 to 08/03: Jerad Head (OF – Columbus)
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)
Director’s Cuts
Indians Vice President and Director of Player Development President Ross Atkins had some things to say recently on several of the Indians prospects in the system:
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| T.J. McFarland |
On Cory Burns: “Absolutely there is a chance for him to be a Major League pitcher. He is exceptionally competitive or he would not be so successful in that closer’s role. He has done a great job of finishing games and making sure that he is getting some of the bigger outs in games. He does it with a non-conventional delivery that there is some deception there and he has an above average feel for his offspeed pitches. The challenge or limitation for him will be fastball usage and command of that fastball and being aggressive with it. What happens in the Major Leagues is guys have more information as they are really able to digest what a pitcher is going to do, how they are going to be attacked, and what their arsenal is going to be in different situations much more so than in the minor leagues. He has really got to get better with his fastball. I think when taking a step back and looking at his numbers the saves are the last thing we look at. We do know how competitive he is and know that he is not going to be nervous which is a very good thing, but saves can be a very misleading stat. Often times you can get a save for a really close to easy inning as you start a clean inning and have a three run lead and only have to get three outs and you get a save. Now, it is a little bit awkward to do because you are the last guy standing, but in the grand scheme of things it sometimes is an over-inflated stat. Having said that, there is something to be said for guys who do not mind the pressure, and that is definitely Cory Burns as he does not mind the pressure.”
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| Tyler Sturdevant |
On Juan Diaz: “He has been better than his numbers present. He plays great defense, he switch hits, and he can run at an average level. He is the leader and the centerpiece of that team. You look up at the slightly below .700 OPS and maybe don’t get as excited, but the subjective comments about his defense, leadership, his at bats, and his big game at bats are really exciting and encouraging to hear. Especially for someone who was traded into the organization and is from the Dominican Republic and has gone in and is leading the majority of that team being college players. He is the go to person as far as Chris Tremie and the staff is concerned.”
Kluber is getting better
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| Corey Kluber |
Kluber, 25, has had what many would call a disappointing season from a statistical perspective. The hit-rate is acceptable and the strikeouts are great, but the ERA and overall performance has suffered mostly because of some poor command for most of the season. Of late, however, his command has been better and as a result his performance has improved where in his last ten starts he has a 4.72 ERA and more importantly has just 26 walks in 61.0 innings and has 65 strikeouts. He has been a workhorse of late throwing over a 100 pitches in four straight outings with a season high 113 pitches on Tuesday, and has eight games in total this season he has thrown 100 pitches or more.
Even with some sub par numbers this season the Indians are very happy with what Kluber has shown this year, especially considering this is his first year in Triple-A and he is a first year 40-man guy. They believe they have the time to continue to develop his strike throwing ability and polish him off and feel he has made strides this season in other areas of his game. He struggled at the outset of the season because he was hit in the head with a line drive, which sidelined him for a few weeks and as a result he spent the better part of the first half of the season catching up and getting back on track.
The Indians have made some adjustments to Kluber’s delivery since spring training to get him into a more comfortable position when he pitches. They believe the pitches are there and that he has some good stuff which is arguably as good as or better than any pitcher on the Columbus staff this season. He shows an ability to strikeout hitters with all three of his pitches and gets swing and miss with his fastball, slider and changeup. In July he started working on a cutter and added it to his pitch mix recently and has had great results with it where it is consistently hitting 88 MPH and showing good depth.
The command has been what has haunted Kluber this year as he has often times walked too many people or the inconsistency with his command has led to him being in a lot of deep counts and pitching from behind. He has also been the victim of the big inning, which is something the Indians feel is more mental and can be worked on. The command is improving of late and the Indians believe that ultimately he has made good strides this season and if he just focuses on the process he will be okay.
Oh Henry!
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| Jordan Henry |
Henry still gets on base at a good clip (.360 on-base%) and his plate discipline is still top notch as he is drawing walks (65) and limiting strikeouts (66), which is very similar to the walk-strikeout rate he had last year with 76 walks and 86 strikeouts. His stolen base numbers have also increased this year as he has 32 stolen bases this season compared to 29 last season. The biggest difference this year has been the significant drop in his batting average, which appears to be the result of some reduced luck as his batting average for balls in play (BABIP) last year at Akron was .377 and this year is only .305.
Henry has been incorporating the bunt into his game more of late as it is something he has worked a lot on before games. The Indians feel it adds a dynamic to his game that he has not shown much of in the past that could help put more pressure on the defense and maybe open up a few holes. By forcing the third baseman to come in some and respect the bunt it helps create a potential hole to get groundballs through the left side of the infield when he does not bunt.
Henry will probably never be an every day option in the big league because of his complete lack of power, but with his excellent speed and good defense to go along with very good on-base skills he still could be a 4th outfielder down the road in the big leagues.
Infirmary Report
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| Giovanni Soto |
High-A Kinston outfielder Tyler Holt has not played since Saturday because of a sore ankle. He is considered day-to-day and not expected to land on the disabled list. In 108 games he is hitting .259 with 2 HR, 25 RBI, 30 stolen bases and has a .703 OPS. He also has 69 walks and a .370 on-base percentage.
High-A Kinston outfielder Anthony Gallas was placed on the disabled list on Monday with a hand injury that resulted from being hit by a pitch on July 31st. He had not played since that game, but apparently the hand was not getting better and with Kinston needing the roster spot they officially shut him down for now. In 92 combined games between Low-A Lake County and Kinston he is hitting .272 with 8 HR, 42 RBI and a .798 OPS.
Playoff races
Triple-A Columbus: At 79-47 and in 1st place of the International League West Division by 14.0 games, it is only a matter of days until they clinch a playoff berth and look to repeat as league champs. Their magic number to clinch the division is five.
Double-A Akron: At 64-59 they are in 4th place of the Eastern League Western Division and sit 5.0 games out of first. While winning the division may be a tough task right now, they are only 3.0 games behind the second place team. The second place team in the division earns a playoff berth as a wildcard team.
High-A Kinston: With a 28-23 second half record they are in 2nd place in the Carolina League Southern Division but are only 0.5 games in back of first place. First half winner Myrtle Beach has already clinched a playoff berth, now it is really between Kinston and Winston-Salem for the other berth from the Southern Division. Kinston and Winston-Salem to no play each other anymore this season.
Low-A Lake County: With a 20-31 second half record and in last place of the Midwest League Eastern Division and 14.0 games out of first place, the Captains are simply playing out the string on their season.
Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley: With a 33-24 record they are in 2nd place in the NY-Penn League Pinckney Division and 1.0 game out of first place. With three divisions in the league, one wildcard berth is given to the team with the best record that did not win a division and currently they are tied with two other teams with the same record for that wildcard berth. Needless to say, they will be in a dogfight these last few weeks.
Rookie level Arizona: With a 23-23 record they are in 3rd place in the Arizona League Central Division and 5.0 games out of first place. They are also 4.0 games out of the race for the lone wildcard spot, and with only ten games remaining it looks like they are playing out the string.
Scrappers get 2012 All Star game
Congratulations to the Mahoning Valley team as this is the first time they will be hosting an All Star game. This is an event which should be a lot of fun next year considering a lot of the top draft picks from the 2011 and 2012 drafts will be there. Also, with the draft signing deadline expected to be moved up into mid-July a lot of the top, elite talent from the 2012 Draft will likely be a part of the game. For the past few years the All Star game lacked the punch of All Star games of the past because of the late signing deadline in August.
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).
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