Minor Happenings: Is Goedert back in the Indians plans?

Jared Goedert (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.

With less than a week left in the regular season, the minor league season is quickly coming to an end, and thus so is Minor Happenings for the 2011 season. However, as everyone knows, the season does not end with the conclusion of the regular season as there is always tons to talk about in the offseason with Instructional League, the Arizona Fall League, winter ball, the Rule 5 Draft, roster moves, and of course next year’s prospect rankings and scouting reports. So the fun never ends!

I will be venturing out to Woodbridge, VA this weekend to take in High-A Kinston’s final four regular season games from Saturday to Monday. If they miss the playoffs it may well be their final four games as the affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. It will be a bittersweet visit for me that’s for sure as the K-Tribe staff and team has always been first class and they will be missed. The hope here is they make the playoffs and make it to the Mills Cup Finals where they will play either Frederick or Potomac, a series I likely would attend either in Frederick or Potomac.

Onto the Happenings…

IPI Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from August 25th to August 31st)

Jared Goedert (Third baseman - Columbus)
.345 (10-for-29), 5 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1.049 OPS

Jared Goedert

Someone who has been forgotten about this season who is quietly putting together another good season is Triple-A Columbus third baseman Jared Goedert. In 83 combined games between rookie Arizona (where he rehabbed for eight games) and Columbus he is hitting .272 with 17 HR, 45 RBI, and a .857 OPS.

The extra base hit production is the most interesting as Goedert has 19 doubles and 17 homers in those 83 games, with almost half of his hits (81) going for extra bases (36). The most notable improvement this season though may be his approach as he is walking more and striking out much less. Last year he walked 53 times in 481 at bats (9.1 AB/BB) and this year has walked 37 times in 298 at bats (8.1 AB/BB). Last year he struck out 112 times in 481 at bats (4.3 AB/K) and this year he has struck out 62 times in 298 at bats (4.8 AB/K).

Goedert, 26, was an offseason addition to the 40-man roster last year and looked to be in line for a possible big league job at some point this season as a right-handed bat off the bench. A nasty oblique injury sidelined him in spring training and ruined his chances this year, and he ultimately was removed from the 40-man roster recently. His injury paved the way for a player like Jerad Head to get an opportunity, one which probably would have been his had he been healthy all year.

With Goedert now healthy and once again showing his power stroke, there would seem to be some interest to add him back to the roster. The Indians are desperate for right-handed bats, especially any with power and production ability. There is a chance he could be added back to the roster sometime in September to get a late season look at him, though that remains to be seen. He has split time this season between first base and third base, and also got a lot of work in last offseason and this spring in left field, so he could add some much needed versatility and right-handed power off the bench.

Honorable Mentions:

Tim Fedroff (OF – COL): .360 (9-25), 4 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, .888 OPS
John Drennen (OF – AKR): .368 (7-19), 3 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, .899 OPS
Casey Frawley (SS – KIN): .357 (5-14), 1 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 6 BB, 1 K, 1.050 OPS
Bo Greenwell (OF – AZL/KIN): .600 (7-17), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.293 OPS
Jose Ramirez (INF – AZL): .400 (6-15), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .904 OPS
Joey Mahalic (RHP- LC): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 6 BB, 0 K, 0.42 BAA
Cory Burns (RHP – LC): 0-1, 2 saves, 1.42 ERA, 4 G, 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 10 K, .227 BAA
Joe Martinez (RHP – COL): 0-1, 1.88 ERA, 2 G, 14.1 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 12 K, .222 BAA

Previous Winners:

08/18 to 08/24: Elvis Araujo (LHP – Arizona)
08/11 to 08/17: Francisco Jimenez (LHP – Kinston)
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 of Player Development Ross Atkins has been out getting in a lot of last minute looks at a lot of his players as the season winds down. Here are some comments he made recently this week on some players and other things:

Cord Phelps

On the Mike Sarbaugh and the Columbus Clippers: “The most important thing to note is that it is not easy to do [getting to the postseason]. A lot of people will tell you that winning a championship is getting hot in the playoffs and really the most significant threshold is winning your division and getting into a playoff format. With the contributions that that team has made to Cleveland this year and then maintaining a winning record with a very young prospect laden team is a great accomplishment that I hope [Mike Sarbaugh] is very proud of. It is significant for a couple of years to have winning records and to go into those playoff chases. It is great for those players for when they get those opportunities in the Major Leagues whether it is their first call or they are going to the playoffs that they have had incremental increases in their challenges and their competition levels, and this is just one more of those. On many fronts a great accomplishment and we are very proud of Mike Sarbaugh and the job he has done there.”

On the Cleveland bullpen: “We have been talking frequently about the accomplishments that Manny and Time Belcher and Scott Radinsky have had with their bullpen. It really has been remarkable in our eyes. We haven’t studied it to the extent that we could say that it is unprecedented, but it is significant to look back over the course of the year and think about how little movement there has been in the bullpen. It pretty much has been the same bullpen for the entire year except for when there have been workload issues. That is incredible. It has got to be one of the most difficult things to manage as a manager, pitching coach and a bullpen coach to keep those guys at the top of their game, performing well, and not overworked. What it does is it allows us to not rush guys and for them to get the most out of Triple-A.”

On Cord Phelps: “Cord has been consistent and hopefully when he comes back this time it won’t be as much of the potential pressure he felt as well as the anxiety of this being his day and his call. Hopefully that will be minimized or mitigated to some extent and he will be able to be the player that he is and not try to be more. Cord is such a driven, motivated, competitive person that we do not have to be hard on him and have to put challenges in front of him as he does it himself. I am hopeful and confident at the same time that he will handle this transition well. He has always put up good at bats and he did it the first time, and I think his defense will be more consistent this time. We are looking forward to him benefitting from all of the hard work that he has put in. Especially with a player of Cord’s intelligence and commitment, he really did benefit from that first call up and time back down to Triple-A to reflect upon what went well and what he could have done differently. Cord is the type of individual that can maximize that.

Nick Hagadone

On Nick Hagadone: “He has gotten much better over the course of the year, and he is finishing pitching as well as his entire time with us. He is 95-97 MPH every time out. His fastball command is improving and his slider is very much a Major League weapon. Hopefully we will see him [back] in the Major Leagues soon.”

On Chen-Chang Lee: “A year ago we did not know if he would really be a solid Major League option for us because of his inconsistency with his fastball command and the variability from outing to outing for him. He has really become a force, and probably is the most dominant reliever in that pen even above Nick Hagadone. The right-on-right is really, really impressive, and he has really improved his ability to get lefties out. He has tightened up his breaking ball. Fastball command is really what separates those younger players from Major League pitchers, and his fastball command has improved as well.”

On Matt Packer: “All year Matt has not walked guys and he has still gotten strikeouts, so we were encouraged that luck would be in his favor toward the end of the year. When I say luck, really it is just him being prepared for opportunity if he continued to go out there and put the ball over the plate that he would get better outcomes. That has really occurred recently and he has really dominated for the last month and been the best starter in that rotation in Akron and has solidified our thoughts that he is a Major League pitcher. He is a great feel to pitch left-hander that has some power and deception to his fastball and when he commands it he can pitch at any level. He will have to have elite command because the power and deception is not over the top. It is not the Justin Masterson-ilk and not that type of fastball, so he is going to have to do a better job of commanding it, but he is showing the ability to do that. We are pleased with the progress, and it is always nice when guys are finishing much stronger than they started.”

On Austin Adams: “We have talked about him and his name comes up a lot with everyone in our organization. I think it is a testament to his commitment and a testament to the Major League staff and Chris Antonetti allowing us to be patient with him and keeping him in that starting role because it would have been easy to envision him in a relief role throwing 100 MPH and helping a Major League team immediately. I think with the Major League bullpen being consistent and not needing someone to experiment with and then Austin’s commitment to making adjustments and making himself a more complete pitcher has solidified in our minds that he is going to be a Major League starter with above average weapons. There is work to be done, but we believe in the person and feel good about the process ahead of him and really feel good about what he has accomplished this year.”

Lindor debuts

Francisco Lindor

The Indians 2011 first round pick shortstop Francisco Lindor made his pro debut at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley on Sunday. In two games he is 1-for-6 at the plate and has scored two runs.

Lindor is still 17-years old and does not turn 18-years old until mid-November, and is the first ever 17-year old player to don a Mahoning Valley uniform. He has actually been working out with the team since August 17th, but due to his age and him not playing all summer the Indians have gradually ramped up his baseball activities. He worked out with the team for almost two weeks before getting into a game on Sunday, and in the two games he has played he did not play the whole game as he was removed after five innings both times. He also has not yet played in back-to-back games.

In team drills and in his first two games Lindor has shown lots of speed and athleticism on the field with good speed on the bases and incredible hands and quickness in the field. He is also a player who looks like he is having fun out there as he always has a smile on his face and is very welcoming as a person, but by the same token is very competitive and loves to win.

Lindor is a native of Puerto Rico, but he and his family moved stateside to Florida four years ago when he was 13-years old to sharpen his baseball skills and improve his English to provide him a better opportunity professionally. That decision by his family paid off as he became a highly sought after prospect this year for the draft and wound up passing on a full scholarship to play collegiately at Florida State when he signed with the Indians for $2.9 million just before the midnight signing deadline in August 15th.

Lindor’s experience in Mahoning Valley is more of an introduction to the minor league life with the daily routines, travel, and everything that goes into being a pro baseball player outside of the white lines. After the season finishes up this weekend he will go home for a short bit and then head out to Instructional League in Arizona which starts up on September 14th. He will get a lot of one-on-one instruction while out there and get some games in there as well before it wraps up on October 14th and everyone goes home for the winter.

Infirmary Report

Bo Greenwell

High-A Kinston outfielder Bo Greenwell returned to Kinston this week after rehabbing from surgery to repair a broken thumb he suffered back in June. Dr. Thomas Graham performed a procedure on him in June where he removed some loose tissue inside the finger and inserted a plate and four screws to stabilize the thumb. After two months of rehab he played in four games in Arizona last week and was assigned to Kinston on Monday. In 63 games this year he is hitting .282 with 4 HR, 26 RBI and a .757 OPS.

High-A right-handed pitcher Marty Popham left his start on Tuesday after the fourth inning when he was hit on his wrist by a line drive. Up until that point he had thrown four perfect innings and had four strikeouts. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time, but he is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.

Triple-A Columbus catcher Luke Carlin dislocated his left thumb on Sunday and had to leave the game. He returned and played on Tuesday night going 0-for-3 at the plate. In 61 games this year he is hitting .208 with 5 HR, 27 RBI and a .689 OPS.

Playoff outlook

It is pretty academic at this point with regards to the postseason chances for the Indians’ six stateside affiliates. Triple-A Columbus is the only team so far to clinch a playoff berth. Rookie level Arizona, short season Single-A Mahoning Valley and Low-A Lake County are all eliminated from the playoffs. The only two teams whose postseason fate is undecided right now are High-A Kinston and Double-A Akron.

Akron is 70-67 and is 3.0 games back of the wildcard with five games to go, so they will need a miracle to get in. The two teams ahead of them in the wildcard chase are Richmond and Bowie, and both would essentially have to tank while Akron would seemingly have to win all of their remaining five games for them to get in.

Kinston has a great shot to make the playoffs, and really they control their own destiny. They are 34-29 in the second half and are tied for first with Winston-Salem, though have one less loss and one less win because of two postponements that they have to make up. They have six scheduled games remaining, and one of the postponements from last weekend because of Hurricane Irene has yet to be rescheduled. It looks like that one will only be played – likely on Tuesday - if needed to decide the second half division title.

Random Notes

Paolo Espino

Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Paolo Espino has been sensational since being called up to Columbus in mid-August. He has made five appearances (four starts) and gone 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA (23.1 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 26 K). He has dominated in his last four appearances where he has thrown 17.1 shutout innings and allowed 9 hits and no walks while striking out 20 batters. He often gets glossed over for other more high profile players or pitchers with better stuff, but he just continues to perform. In 33 combined appearances between Double-A Akron and Columbus this year he is 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA (116.1 IP, 97 H, 25 BB, 115 K). He was also named the International League's Pitcher of the Week last week. He could be another Josh Tomlin-like pitcher in the system, though the question is whether or not he will get the chance.

Double-A right-handed pitcher Austin Adams had a very impressive year this season where in 26 starts he went 11-10 with a 3.77 ERA (136.0 IP, 147 H, 63 BB, 131 K). He was recently put on the temporary inactive list in Akron which may signal his season is done, not because he is hurt but because he may have reached his innings threshold of 135-140 innings this season. He has really developed himself into a starting pitching option for the Indians going forward. He has the very good upper 90s fastball and a good power curveball; it is just developing that fastball command and his changeup that will determine if he stays a starter down the road. He has a tendency at time to leave his pitches over the plate middle up, so getting him to more consistently work down in the zone and to both sides of the plate is key for him as well. There is no doubt he is at worst a Major League bullpen option.

Tyler Holt

High-A Kinston outfielder Tyler Holt is putting the finishing touches on his first full pro season. He has played well this year where in 119 games he is hitting .256 with 2 HR, 26 RBI, 34 stolen bases, and a .694 OPS. Those numbers may not look that impressive, but remember this is the Carolina League where offensive numbers suffer. Only one player in the entire league is hitting over .287, and his .256 average ranks 21st in the league. One of the things the Indians liked about him when they drafted him was his ability to get on base and impact a game on the bases, and he is doing that as he is 1st in the league in walks (76), 2nd in on-base percentage (.368), and 3rd in stolen bases (34).

Low-A Lake County right-handed reliever Cody Allen got a well deserved callup to Double-A Akron for the final week of the season. He has been lights out since being drafted this year and making his pro debut with short season Single-A Mahoning Valley. In 21 combined appearances between the two stops he is 5-1 with a 1.42 ERA and in 50.2 innings has allowed 31 hits, 14 walks, and has 70 strikeouts. He was his best at Lake County where he did not allow a run in seven appearances covering 17.1 innings. The call to Akron was more to help them as they lose players the final few days due to workload and promotions as he will likely open the 2012 season at High-A Kinston, but there is no doubt he has quickly opened some eyes and put himself on the radar as a bullpen option for the Indians down the road.

Jordan Smith

Short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley third baseman Jordan Smith continues to do well and in 63 games is hitting .306 with 0 HR, 44 RBI, and a .803 OPS. After a good June (.324/.405/.405) and blazing hot July (.347/.427/.485), he cooled considerably in August (.258/.388/.299). He has struggled of late where in his last 15 games he is hitting just .208 with a .616 OPS, which is probably him just tiring out at the tail end of the season after playing everyday for over two months straight for the first time ever in his career. He has certainly impressed this season with his good eye, approach, and developing power and size at the plate that it makes him an interesting prospect going forward as a corner infielder or outfielder.

Rookie level Arizona third baseman Robel Garcia had a nice season this year where he finished up hitting .284 with 6 HR, 24 RBI and a .915 OPS in 45 games. The 18-year old switch-hitter is still very raw and inexperienced as a player, but made some strides at the plate this season with his approach and showed a lot more power. Last year in Arizona he had a .286 slugging percentage but this year had a .544 slugging percentage. He can run a little bit, has a good arm, and has the tools and versatility to play almost anywhere in the infield, so he is a prospect to keep an eye on next year, and could open the season at Low-A Lake County.

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). Use discount code 2Z6F362B to receive 40% off the book through the site store!

Posted in: Austin Adams,Bo Greenwell,Chen-Chang Lee,Cody Allen,Cord Phelps,Francisco Lindor,Jared Goedert,Jordan Smith,Marty Popham,Matt Packer,Nick Hagadone,Paolo Espino,Robel Garcia,Tyler Holt