Tribe Happenings: Talbot may still be in the Indians plans

Talbot's time with the Indians may not be

up just yet (Photo: AP).

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

Talbot could still be in the picture

In case you did not know, right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot is still property of the Cleveland Indians. While he was designated for assignment at the end of July, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus. As a first time removal from the 40-man roster and outright to the minors he could not refuse the assignment and had to report to Columbus.

Talbot has battled through some injury issues all season, and when healthy he was ineffective in Cleveland this year as in 11 starts he went 2-6 with a 6.33 ERA and opposing players hit .338 off of him. But instead of sulking because of a demotion to the minors, he has actually gone out and rekindled his value with the Indians.

When Talbot reported to Columbus in early August he initially worked out of the bullpen, but a starting pitching need eventually forced him into the Columbus rotation near the end of August. Since then he has taken off. In five starts – including two postseason starts – he went 5-0 with a 2.06 ERA, and in 35.0 innings allowed 33 hits, five walks, and had 35 strikeouts.

Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla is a big reason for Talbot’s rekindled success. His delivery was not very good this year, so Niebla made some major mechanical adjustments to Talbot’s delivery and also worked with him some on the mental part of pitching. Talbot got into a bad habit of nibbling and getting too opposite arm side with his fastball, so Niebla challenged him to go after hitters more and the results of late speak for themselves.

The Indians still think highly of Talbot because they feel he has good stuff, and he is intriguing to them as a potential bullpen option down the road. The thought is that by maybe limiting his exposure to innings it will control some of the injury issues he has had as when he is healthy he is effective. The initial plan to experiment with him in the bullpen was nixed because of the need for starting pitching in Columbus, but the Indians may still look to bring him back next season as a depth starter or as a long man in the bullpen.

Talbot is no longer on the 40-man roster, so if he is not added shortly after the conclusion of the season he can leave as a minor league free agent and sign with another team. Considering the Indians lost right-hander Carlos Carrasco to Tommy John for all of next season and they need starting pitching depth, there is a good chance that they may choose to add Talbot back to the 40-man roster soon.

Talbot will not even have two years of Major League service time after this season, so if he is on the 40-man roster he will only cost the league minimum of just over $400,000 next year. Considering their opinion of him and their need for starting pitching depth next season, it seems like an obvious move to roster him and to keep him around at least to start the 2012 season.

Repeat champions

It may not be a World Series championship, but the Cleveland Indians Triple-A affiliate the Columbus Clippers wrapped up their second straight International League title on Friday night. They won the league’s Governor’s Cup by winning their best-of-five series three games to one.

This is the second year in a row Columbus has won their league title, and they will now move on to play the champion of the Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A National Championship game this coming Tuesday September 20th. The game will be played in Albuquerque, NM and will air on national TV at 8:00 p.m. ET on the Versus (Vs) network.

It was once again another outstanding job by manager Mike Sarbaugh who navigated through a lot of roster moves between Columbus and Cleveland this year. He has now has won five championships in the minors including one in each of the last three years. He won a championship in his first season as a manager in 2004 with short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley, then in 2006 with High-A Kinston, 2009 with Double-A Akron, and the last two years with Columbus.

That is five championships in eight years as a manager for Sarbaugh. In the other three years as a manager in which he did not win a championship his teams lost in the championship series once (Akron 2008), lost in the first round of the playoffs (Kinston 2007), and finished 72-66 but missed the playoffs (Low-A Lake County 2005).

For the Clippers it is their ninth championship in league history, which is the most in the league since Columbus joined the International League in 1977. It is the third time they have repeated as champions as they previously did it with a three-peat from 1979-1981 and were repeat champions in 1991-1992.

Winning in the minor leagues does not necessarily translate over to the big leagues, but hopefully some of the success the Indians’ farm teams have had of late in the upper levels starts to really affect the win-loss column starting next season. Also, hopefully Sarbaugh gets a big league coaching job next season as he is more than deserving.

Chisenhall showing flashes

Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall has struggled with consistency since being called up in late June, nothing of which was unexpected since he is a young 22-year old rookie breaking into the big leagues for the first time. He has struggled at times in the field and mostly at the plate, but of late he has shown some flashes of the potential he has as a hitter.

In his first 47 games from June 27th to September 6th he hit .223 with 3 HR, 8 RBI and a .618 OPS, but in his last ten games he is hitting .317 with 4 HR, 10 RBI, and a .951 OPS. More impressively is his recent hot streak has mostly come against left-handed pitching, which is good to see since his biggest weakness is his ability to hit southpaws.

Chisenhall is laying the foundation this season for what is hoped will be a permanent home he will build at third base for the next half decade or so. He is finishing the season on a good note, which should give the Indians a lot of confidence going into next season to have him as the favorite to be the opening day starter at third base next April. Jack Hannahan will also be in the mix at third base next year, but if Chisenhall is healthy and shows he is ready next spring it is his job to lose.

Crowe returns

With players going down left and right of late with season ending injuries, the Indians had some good news for a change as outfielder Trevor Crowe recently returned from a season long absence. He had shoulder surgery earlier this spring and returned to the lineup for the first time this season on September 7th. In seven games he is 5-for-19 at the plate with 2 RBI.

Crowe, 27, offers the Indians some versatility and depth in the outfield. While the expectations were at one time a lot higher for him as a former first round pick in 2005, he is still viewed as a Major League contributor. He has good speed, plays solid defense, can play all three outfield positions, and with his switch-hitting ability he complements the Indians all left-handed hitting outfield well.

Crowe will probably never be an everyday player and instead just be a role player off the bench, but those guys have value too. Spring training is five months away, but one of the most highly contested battles next spring may be who wins the fourth outfield job between Crowe and Ezequiel Carrera.

Infirmary report

Right-handed pitcher Josh Tomlin is currently in the middle of a throwing program to get him back and able to pitch in one of the games in the Indians’ doubleheader on Saturday September 24. He hasn’t pitched in a few weeks because of inflammation in his throwing elbow.

Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo re-aggravated his left oblique injury on Thursday and is now officially done for the season. It was definitely a disappointing year for him and the Indians as he managed to play in just 85 games and hit .259 with eight homers, 36 RBI, and a .733 OPS.

Third baseman Jack Hannahan is expected to work his way back into the lineup this week from his strained left calf, likely in one of the games in the doubleheader with the White Sox on Tuesday.

Right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco had reconstructive right elbow surgery earlier in the week in New York City. The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek, and the recovery time is expected to last for 12-18 months.

Parting shots

Catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana now has 25 homers on the season, which ties him with Victor Martinez (2007) for most homers in a season by a switch hitter. … Former prized Indians prospect left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz made his Major League debut last Sunday and pitched well. He got the win and threw just 63 pitches in five shutout innings. He followed that up with another solid outing last night going 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits, two walks, and had five strikeouts. … Former right-handed pitcher Alex White has now made five starts for the Colorado Rockies and is 2-1 with an 8.46 ERA. He has gone at least five innings in all five starts, but has allowed four runs or more in every start including a whopping 11 home runs.

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: Alex White,Carlos Carrasco,Carlos Santana,Columbus,Drew Pomeranz,Jack Hannahan,Josh Tomlin,Lonnie Chisenhall,Mike Sarbaugh,Mitch Talbot,Shin-Soo Choo,Trevor Crowe