2011 Winter Ball Stats: Week 11

Felix Pie

Here are the up-to-date winter ball statistics for all Cleveland Indians players participating in fall/winter ball out in the Arizona Fall League, Colombia Winter League, Dominican Winter League, Panama Winter League, Venezuelan Winter League, Puerto Rico Winter League, and Australian Baseball League.

This listing includes the stats for right-handed pitchers Toru Murata, Steven Wright, and Danny Salazar who pitched in Panama, and also third baseman Giovanny Urshela who is playing in Colombia.

Stats are updated as of 12/31/2011.

BATTERS	LGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	E
Aguilar, Jesus	AFL	16	59	15	20	7	0	3	9	11	18	0	.339	.458	.610	1.069	1
Aguilar, Jesus	VWL	22	69	8	19	5	0	3	14	10	16	0	.275	.358	.478	.836	1
Aguilar, Jesus	TOT	38	128	23	39	12	0	6	23	21	34	0	.305	.405	.539	.944	1
Battaglia, Ryan	ABL	3	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	.000	.200	.000	.200	0
Cabrera, Asdrubal	VWL	17	57	9	14	3	0	2	10	10	11	1	.246	.368	.404	.771	3
Campbell, Andrew	ABL	11	33	5	6	1	1	0	3	5	3	2	.182	.289	.273	.562	0
Carrera, Ezequiel	VWL	39	152	23	41	3	6	2	13	18	21	11	.270	.349	.408	.756	4
Diaz, Juan	DWL	12	30	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	5	0	.133	.212	.133	.345	1
Fedroff, Tim	AFL	3	11	4	4	2	0	0	2	2	1	1	.364	.462	.545	1.007	0
Huffman, Chad	AFL	17	70	6	15	6	0	1	11	10	13	0	.214	.313	.343	.655	1
Lopez, Jose	VWL	43	168	24	52	12	0	5	24	11	15	1	.310	.350	.470	.820	2
Moncrief, Carlos	AFL	8	23	4	4	1	0	0	0	5	8	0	.174	.367	.217	.584	2
Montero, Moises	DWL	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Nilsson, Mitch	ABL	9	30	3	6	2	0	1	4	4	7	0	.200	.294	.367	.661	1
Perez, Roberto	AFL	16	53	13	12	1	0	4	11	13	10	0	.226	.382	.472	.854	0
Perez, Roberto	PWL	5	11	2	2	1	0	0	0	5	4	0	.182	.438	.273	.710	0
Perez, Roberto	TOT	21	64	15	14	2	0	4	11	18	14	0	.219	.393	.438	.830	0
Pie, Felix	DWL	42	161	21	44	9	2	4	21	9	29	5	.273	.322	.429	.750	3
Rodriguez, Ronny	DWL	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Urshela, Giovanny	COL	22	74	9	15	5	1	0	3	9	9	0	.203	.289	.297	.586	2
PITCHERS	LGE	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	WHIP	AVG
Berger, Eric	VWL	1	1	2.84	10	0	0	6.1	9	2	2	0	2	7	2.67	1.74	.310
Bryson, Rob	VWL	0	2	2.77	19	0	1	13.0	14	9	4	2	10	8	0.64	1.85	.280
Carmona, Fausto	DWL	0	0	2.25	1	1	0	4.0	3	1	1	0	0	2	1.00	0.75	.214
Colon, Joseph	PWL	0	1	16.71	8	0	0	7.0	16	14	13	1	7	4	2.20	3.29	.432
De La Cruz, Kelvin	DWL	0	0	16.20	6	0	0	1.2	3	3	3	0	4	4	0.00	4.20	.429
Espino, Paolo	VWL	2	2	7.71	7	6	0	23.1	31	20	20	4	5	17	2.15	1.54	.323
Guilmet, Preston	AFL	0	0	6.43	10	0	0	14.0	18	12	10	0	8	12	1.30	1.86	.327
Jimenez, Ubaldo	DWL	0	1	11.57	1	1	0	2.1	3	3	3	0	2	4	2.00	2.14	.300
McFarland, T.J.	AFL	3	0	3.18	8	7	0	28.1	30	12	10	1	13	22	2.24	1.52	.280
Murata, Toru	PAN	2	1	2.72	8	8	0	46.1	37	14	14	2	9	31	NA	0.99	.222
Rondon, Hector	VWL	1	0	5.19	5	0	0	8.2	6	5	5	0	7	6	3.50	1.50	.194
Salazar, Danny	PAN	3	1	1.74	8	8	0	41.1	38	9	8	0	9	29	NA	1.14	.252
Soto, Giovanni	PWL	1	2	3.95	13	0	0	13.2	8	8	6	0	12	12	4.40	1.46	.182
Sturdevant, Tyler	AFL	0	0	3.00	10	0	0	12.0	11	4	4	1	4	13	1.11	1.25	.239
Wright, Steven	PAN	3	0	1.40	8	8	0	32.1	20	5	5	1	12	14	NA	0.99	.182

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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Around the Farm: December 30

Eric Berger

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Caribbean Leagues.  The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday.

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 2-for-5, RBI, K. A rare multi-hit night for Urshela, but he continues to stay busy in the field with another 2 putouts, 2 assists, and 2 double plays.

Puerto Rico Winter League

• Joseph Colon (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR. After a solid outing in relief on Thursday night, Colon was back to his old ways on Friday night allowing 2 runs in just 0.1 innings. His totals in 8 games this offseason are not pretty: 7.0 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 14 R (13 ER).

Venezuela Winter League

• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-3, BB. Aguilar breaks out of his mini two game 0-for-8 funk by getting on base twice in four plate appearances. The power has certainly been of interest this offseason, but of bigger note continues to be his improved walk rate with 21 walks in 128 at bats (1 BB per 6 AB). He had 46 walks in 462 regular season at bats (1 BB per 10 AB).
• Eric Berger (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Berger polished off a solid offseason showing with a shutout inning of relief. He is on his way home just in time for New Year’s and has to be excited about the promise of 2012 after a nice 2011 where he rebounded and had a nice 2011 regular season and offseason.
• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 1-for-5, RBI. Lopez now has a 6-game hitting streak though is just 9-for-26 (.346) during the stretch. He continues to be the everyday third baseman for this Lara team.

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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2012 Scouting Videos: Volume 9

Chen-Chang Lee

Today we continue along with the ninth batch of Cleveland Indians 2012 scouting videos. Here are the the previously posted volumes:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8

I shot tons of video of over a 100 players this past season, and Michael Taylor edited down the collection of video for each player to make their 2012 videos for their upcoming 2012 scouting reports. From now until the beginning of January I will be posting a volume of ten videos on Indians' prospects at the end of each week.

Thanks again to Michael for the excellent work in condensing down all the video and putting it together for each player for one comprehensive video.





















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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Around the Farm: December 29

Asdrubal Cabrera

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Caribbean Leagues.  The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday.

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 1-for-4, 2B, K. Without looking at his game-by-game numbers, Urshela has maybe had just 2 or 3 multi-hit games so far this offseason as every game he either gets no hits or 1 hit.

Puerto Rico Winter League

• Joseph Colon (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. A much needed strong effort for Colon who came into the game having allowed 12 runs, 15 hits and 6 walks in just 5.2 innings over 6 appearances.

Venezuela Winter League

• Rob Bryson (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K. Just the second time in his last 6 games where Bryson has pitched a full inning. He is bending but not breaking as he has allowed 14 hits and 10 walks in 13.0 innings yet has a 2.77 ERA.
• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 1-for-5. Lopez has a modest 5-game hitting streak going and is hitting .385 with a 1.006 OPS in his last 10 games, though his home run and RBI production have stalled of late as he has no homers and just 2 RBI in his last 8 games.
• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones del Caracas): 0-for-1. Anytime you see a guy leave a game after just one at bat it usually is not a good sign. No word on whether or not Cabrera got hurt, but Cabrera was removed at the top of the 4^th inning after being involved in a rundown for the final out of the bottom of the 3^rd inning.
• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 0-for-4, 2 K. Aguilar is scuffling of late hitting just .250 with a .708 OPS in his last 10 games with just one multi-hit game.  In his last 2 games he is now 0-for-8 with 3 strikeouts.

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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2011 Columbus Clippers transactions

We finish the year end transaction recaps for each of the Indians' six stateside affiliates today with Triple-A Columbus. This transaction listing will also be housed for reference in the "Transactions" tab below the site header. Thanks again to Arthur K. for compiling these all season and for keeping them up-to-date.

April 7

RHP Hector Ambriz placed on 7-day DL
RHP Anthony Reyes placed on 7-day DL
RHP Hector Rondon placed on 7-day DL
IF Nick Johnson placed on 7-day DL
OF Nick Weglarz placed on 7-day DL
RHP Yohan Pino assigned to Akron Aeros

April 14

IF Jason Donald transferred from Akron Aeros on Major League Rehab Assignment
OF Grady Sizemore transferred from Akron Aeros on Major League Rehab Assignment
RHP Frank Herrmann optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on active roster)

April 16

RHP Frank Herrmann added to active roster
RHP Paolo Espino assigned to Akron Aeros

April 17

OF Grady Sizemore recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

April 19

RHP Jeanmar Gomez recalled to Cleveland Indians
LHP Scott Barnes assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Travis Buck optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on acive roster)

April 21

OF Bubba Bell assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)
OF Travis Buck added to active roster

April 25

IF Jason Donald transferred to Akron Aeros on Major League Rehab Assignment

April 28

RHP Frank Herrmann recalled to Cleveland Indians

April 29

IF Jason Donald optioned from Cleveland Indians (after activation from MLB 15-Day DL - nto yet on active roster)
IF Josh Rodriguez returned from Pittsburgh Pirates (Rule 5 Returnee - not yet on active roster)

April 30

IF Jason Donald added to active roster
RHP Frank Herrmann optioned from Cleveland Indians
LHP Eric Berger assigned from Akron Aeros
RHP Alex White selected (contract pruchased) by Cleveland Indians
RHP Jess Todd designated for assignment

May 2

OF Jordan Brown traded to Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations
IF Josh Rodriguez added to active roster

May 9

RHP Jeanmar Gomez optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on active roster)

May 10

RHP Frank Herrmann recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Jeanmar Gomez added to active roster

May 11

RHP Frank Herrmann optioned from Cleveland Indians
IF Jason Donald placed on 7-day DL

May 13

OF Bubba Bell traded to New York Mets for cash considerations (was on Mahoning Valley Scrappers roster as a paper move)

May 14

RHP Mitch Talbot received on Major League Rehab Assignment

May 16

OF Travis Buck recalled to Cleveland Indians

May 19

IF Luis Valbuena recalled to Cleveland Indians
IF Kyle Smith assigned from Lake County Captains

May 20

LHP Nick Hagadone assigned from Akron Aeros
LHP Eric Berger assigned to Akron Aeros
IF Luis Valbuena optioned from Cleveland Indians
OF Ezequiel Carrera recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Frank Herrmann recalled to Cleveland Indians

May 21

RHP Josh Judy recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Steven Wright assigned from Lake County Captains


May 23

RHP Marty Popham assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers (was traveling with Akron Aeros)
RHP Matt Langwell assigned from Akron Aeros
RHP Steven Wright assigned to Lake County Captains

May 24

RHP Matt Langwell assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Justin Germano outrighted from Cleveland Indians

May 25

RHP Mitch Talbot recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment
RHP Josh Judy optioned from Cleveland Indians

May 26

OF Ezequiel Carrera optioned from Cleveland Indians
RHP Marty Popham assigned to Akron Aeros

May 28

IF Jared Goedert transferred from Akron Aeros on Major League Rehab Assignment

May 30

IF Jared Goedert optioned from Cleveland Indians (activated from 60-day DL)
OF Josh Rodriguez placed on 7-day DL retroactive to May 27

June 3

IF Nick Johnson assigned to Akron Aeros (active roster) from 7-day DL

June 5

OF Donnie Webb assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Nick Weglarz assigned to Akron Aeros (active roster) from 7-day DL
IF Kyle Smith assigned to Lake County Captains

June 7

IF Nick Johnson assigned from Akron Aeros
IF Wes Hodges released

June 8

IF Cord Phelps selected (contract purchased) by Cleveland Indians
OF Shelley Duncan optioned from Cleveland Indians

June 11

OF Donnie Webb placed on 7-day DL
OF Josh Rodriguez activated from 7-day DL

June 14

IF Jason Donald assigned to Akron Aeros (active roster) from 7-day DL

June 17

IF Lonnie Chisenhall placed on 7-day DL
OF Travis Buck optioned from Cleveland Indians

June 18

OF Travis Buck recalled to Cleveland Indians
OF Donnie Webb activated from 7-day DL

June 20

OF Donnie Webb assigned to Akron Aeros
IF Jason Donald assigned from Akron Aeros

June 21

IF Josh Rodriguez traded to Pittsburgh Pirated for cash considerations

June 22

IF Lonnie Chisenhall activated from 7-day DL

June 23

OF Travis Buck optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on active roster)

June 24

OF Shelley Duncan recalled to Cleveland Indians
OF Travis Buck added to active roster
C Luke Carlin placed on 7-day DL
RHP Jensen Lewis released
C Dwight Childs assigned from Lake County Captains
RHP CC Lee assigned from Akron Aeros

June 25

OF Travis Buck recalled to Cleveland Indians

June 27

OF Tim Fedroff assigned from Akron Aeros
IF Lonnie Chisenhall selected (contract purchased) by Cleveland Indians

June 28

C Dwight Childs placed on 7-day DL
IF Matt McBride assigned from Akron Aeros

July 1

RHP Josh Judy recalled to Cleveland Indians

July 4

OF Donnie Webb assigned from Akron Aeros

July 6

RHP Josh Judy optioned from Cleveland Indians

July 7

RHP Zach McAliister recalled to Cleveland Indians
IF Nick Johnson placed on 7-day DL
IF Cord Phelps optioned from Cleveland Indians
C Luke Carlin activated from 7-day DL

July 8

RHP Zach McAllister optioned from Cleveland Indians
IF Luis Valbuena recalled to Cleveland Indians

July 13

RHP Jeanmar Gomez assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers

July 14

OF Ezequiel Carrera recalled to Cleveland Indians
C Michel Hernandez assigned from Akron Aeros

July 15

LHP Scott Barnes placed on 7-day DL
C Luke Carlin placed on 7-day DL
IF Nick Johnson activated from 7-day DL
RHP Paolo Espino assigned from Akron Aeros

July 17

OF Shelley Duncan optioned from Cleveland Indians

July 18

LHP David Huff recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Jeanmar Gomez optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on active roster)

July 19

RHP Mitch Talbot received on Major League Rehab Assignment
RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned from Akron Aeros

July 20

RHP Tyler Styrdevant assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Jeanmar Gomez added to active roster

July 21

IF Luis Valbuena optioned from Cleveland Indians
IF Jared Goedert designated for assignmentt

July 22

IF Jason Kipnis selected (contract purchased) by Cleveland Indians
IF Beau Mills assigned from Akron Aeros
IF Matt McBride assigned to Akron Aeros
IF Cristo Arnal assigned from Akron Aeros

July 25

IF Jared Goedert outrighted from Cleveland Indians
OF Donnie Webb assigned to Akron Aeros

July 26

IF Cristo Arnal assigned to Akron Aeros

July 28

RHP Carlton Smith traded to Chicago Cubs (Fukudome Trade)

July 30

C Luke Carlin activated from 7-day DL

July 31

OF Thomas Neal traded from San Francisco Giants (O. Cabrera trade) and placed on 7-day DL
IF Jason Donald recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Mitch Talbot recalled from ajnor League Rehab Assignment (Designated for Assignment)
C Michel Hernandez assigned to Akron Aeros

August 1

IF Argenis Reyes signed as Minor League Free Agent
RHP Matt Langwell assigned from Akron Aeros

August 3

RHP Paolo Espino assigned to Akron Aeros
LHP David Huff optioned from Cleveland Indians
OF Travis Buck outrighted from Cleveland Indians

August 5

RHP Mitch Talbot outrighted from Cleveland Indians
OF Shelley Duncan recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Justin Germano released

August 6

OF Thomas Neal activated from 7-day DL

August 7

RHP C.C. Lee placed on Temporarily Inactive List

August 12

RHP Brett Brach assigned from Kinston Indians

August 13

RHP C.C. Lee activated from Temporarily Inactive List
RHP Brett Brach assigned to Akron Aeros

August 14

LHP David Huff recalled to Cleveland Indians
OF Shelley Duncan optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet pn active roster)
RHP Paolo Espino assigned from Akron Aeros

August 16

OF Tim Fedroff assigned to Akron Aeros

August 17

OF Tim Fedroff assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Thomas Neal placed on 7-day DL

August 19

OF Shelley Duncan recalled to Cleveland Indians
IF Luis Valbuena recalled to Cleveland Indians
OF Ezequiel Carrera optioned from Cleveland Indians

August 20

OF Ezequiel Carrera recalled to Cleveland Indians
LHP Eric Berger assigned from Akron Aeros

August 22

RHP Josh Judy recalled to Cleveland Indians

August 23

IF Luis Valbuena optioned from Cleveland Indians
RHP Josh Judy optioned from Cleveland Indians
RHP Zach McAllister recalled to Cleveland Indians

August 24

IF Cord Phelps recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Zach McAllister optioned from Cleveland Indians

August 26

LHP Nick Hagadone recalled to Cleveland Indians

August 28

OF Jerad Head selected (contract purchased) by Cleveland Indians
LHP Nick Hagadone optioned from Cleveland Indians
OF Ben Copeland assigned from Akron Aeros

August 30

IF Matt LaPorta optioned from Cleveland Indians
RHP Jeanmar Gomez recalled to Cleveland Indians
OF Trevor Crowe received on Major League Rehab Assignment

September 1

LHP Nick Hagadone recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Corey Kluber recalled to Cleveland Indians

September 2

RHP Josh Judy recalled to Cleveland Indians
RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Thomas Neal activated from 7-day DL

September 3

OF Grady Sizemore received on Major League Rehab Assignment
RHP Corey Kluber optioned from Cleveland Indians (not yet on active roster)

September 4

LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned from Lake County Captains
IF Matt LaPorta placed on Temporarily Inactive List

September 5

LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned to Lake County Captains
RHP Corey Kluber added to active roster

September 6 - Before Division Series

IF Luis Valbuena recalled to Cleveland Indians
C Dwight Childs assigned to Kinston Indians Temporarily Inactive List from 7-day DL

September 7 - Before Division Series

LHP Kelvin De La Cruz assigned from Akron Aeros
RHP Cory Burns assigned from Akron Aeros
RHP Jason Rice assigned
IF Juan Diaz assigned from Akron Aeros
IF Cristo Arnal assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Thomas Neal placed on Reserve List
LHP Eric Berger placed on Reserve List
OF Trevor Crowe recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

September 9 - Before Game 3 of Division Series

OF Jerad Head outrighted from Cleveland Indians
IF Matt LaPorta recalled to Cleveland Indians from Temporarily Inactive List
RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned to Akron Aeros

September 13 - Before League Championship Series

LHP Eric Berger activated from Reserve List
LHP Matt Packer assigned from Akron Aeros
RHP Zach Putnam selected (contract purchased) by Cleveland Indians
RHP Jason Rice designated for assignment

September 19 - Before AAA National Championship Game

RHP Jason Rice outrighted from Cleveland Indians
RHP Zach McAllister recalled to Cleveland Indians

September 20 - Before AAA National Championship Game

RHP Corey Kluber recalled to Cleveland Indians

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.

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Around the Farm: December 28

Fausto Carmona

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Caribbean Leagues.  The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday.

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 1-for-4. Another typical night for Urshela with just one hit and no extra base hits, but he was quite busy in the field at third base as he had 1 putout, 6 assists, and was involved in 1 double play.

Dominican Republic Winter League

• Fausto Carmona (RP, Aguilas Cibaenas): 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR. Not nearly as good an outing as Carmona had in his first one back on December 20^th (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K), but a quality one nonetheless.  That said, he was walking on the edge all night and was lucky to have only given up 2 runs considered he allowed 7 baserunners and had 2 wild pitches in 4.0 innings.

Venezuela Winter League

• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones del Caracas): 2-for-4, 2B, K. Cabrera is starting to heat up. After a rough stretch following a 3-for-4 opener where he was just 3-for-29 the next 9 games. Since then he is now 8-for-23 (.348) in his last 6 games, which is not blazing hot but considering where he was is much better.
• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 0-for-4, K. Aguilar proves he is human with an 0-fer. The hitless night dropped his batting average under .300 to .290 in Venezuela, but he still has a nice .370 on-base percentage and .516 slugging percentage.

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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Offseason Spotlight: Bo Greenwell

Bo Greenwell (Photo: IPI)

As a new year quickly approaches, one player in the Cleveland Indians minor league system is glad to see 2011 come to an end.

Outfielder Bo Greenwell had a season to forget with two major injuries, and is now ready to turn the page on the calendar in the hope that 2012 is much better both on the field with his performance and most importantly his health.

“Obviously it was disappointing to have an off year in an important year,” Greenwell said in a recent interview for the IPI. “I hit the ball well but I just seemed to hit the ball at people, and then I got hurt on top of that. That’s just baseball sometimes and something you have to accept.”

Greenwell had a good spring training and came into camp much bigger and stronger. He looked to be on his way to a good season and opened with High-A Kinston and up until June 12th was hitting .261 with 3 HR, 19 RBI and .688 OPS in 57 games.

But Greenwell’s whole season flipped upside down on June 12th when in his first at bat against Myrtle Beach a fastball came too far inside and clipped him on his left hand. The ball destroyed the bone in his left little (pinky) finger and required reconstructive surgery where he had to have a plate and screws inserted to keep it together.

“I broke my pinky finger in half, and the top part was mangled because it got caught between the handle and the ball,” Greenwell said. “They tried to set it and it would not set right so I had to have surgery. I have a plate that runs along the top of the finger and four screws. It is strong, but it will never look straight.”

Greenwell hits left-handed and the ball managed to come in and only hit him on his left little finger. Being that it was his top hand and the little finger is tucked on top of the right hand, how a ball made its way to that specific area without breaking or damaging anything else is amazing.

“It was a freak thing,” Greenwell said. “The only thing I can think of is it was a cutter and I knew he was coming in and I got my hands sped up and all I could do was try to get out of the way. It happened so fast. It sounds funny because it is a broken pinky. I don’t feel it when I throw and when it comes to hitting it has not given me any problems.”

When the injury occurred the Indians sent Greenwell home to Fort Myers, Florida for about two weeks while he waited for the stitches to heal and could take them out. After flying him back to Cleveland to check him out they sent him out to Goodyear, Arizona to begin a long eight to nine week rehab.

It was a long, tedious process where Greenwell would rehab daily from 6am to noon. The first few weeks were spent getting the motion back in his hand and also getting his finger straightened out and able to bend again. After that he spent about another three weeks doing strengthening exercises before he could even resume baseball activities.

While doing all of this Greenwell was stuck in the lonely confines of Goodyear while the minor league baseball season raged on. As each day passed the end of the season grew even closer which meant less time for him to get back on the field.

“That was the hardest part is sitting around and thinking, ‘hmmm, I wonder how the K-Tribe is doing’ and checking up on the stats and everything,” Greenwell said. “You just try to keep yourself as busy as possible and find something to do every day just to take your mind off of it. I did as much as I could do exercise-wise that they would let me do each day.”

Indians’ personnel had already planned to have Greenwell return to regular game action in the fall during Instructional League. But to Greenwell’s credit he worked hard to get back before the end of the season and ended up shaving off about three weeks from his rehab.

Rehab Coordinator Dr. James Quinlan and the Indians front office saw Greenwell was much further along than expected so they activated him on August 24th. They had him start playing some games at rookie level Arizona to get him back into the swing of things and he responded well by hitting .692 with a 1.964 OPS in four games (9-for-13, 4 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI). After such a good showing the Indians wasted no time in sending him off to rejoin his Kinston teammates for the last week of the season and playoffs.

“When it happened they told me I was done for the season, but I worked hard to get back before the season ended,” Greenwell said. “James Quinlan and I were on the phone with [Director of Player Development] Ross [Atkins] constantly. In my opinion James is the best at what he does and it was his call. The good thing about me being in the organization as long as I have is he knows me and I know him. It was just a relationship thing and we were able to push it as quickly as possible without having any setbacks. I was fortunate enough to get back and get to play in the postseason.”

Once the season ended Greenwell immediately went out to Instructional League in mid-September to play a lot of games in order to make up some lost at bats from the season.

“I had to make up innings, so I went to the Parallel League and Instructs to do double duty,” Greenwell said. “They put me in both so that way on the days I was off in the Parallel League I would go to Instructs and get innings.”

But in Greenwell’s fourth game in the Parallel League during the last week of September he went down with another injury as he tore the ACL in his left knee while stealing second base. It was actually the second time he injured the ACL in his left knee as he originally tore it and had surgery to repair it five years ago during his senior year in high school.

“It’s been a tough year all around,” Greenwell said. “The surgery went well and rehab is going great. It's a long, tedious process, but the good news is that I did this when I did it so I'm not missing any playing time. I have started light jogging [by doing] limited weight-baring running using the pool. As long as everything is where the doctor wants it to be I begin baseball activity with throwing and light hitting in late January.”

Greenwell is expected to be ready for the season when minor league camp opens this coming March, though the Indians will probably take it easy with him during spring training and not push him too much. There is a good chance he could open the season in extended spring training and then once he is cleared to play without restriction he could join High-A Carolina or even Double-A Akron a month or two into the season.

It was certainly a frustrating year for Greenwell having to deal with two very significant injuries. Injuries have such a big effect on a baseball career, but they are also part of the game. He knows this and just wants to move on so he can show that he can be the player he knows he can be.

“I was unable to put a full season under my belt this year with all the things I have learned,” Greenwell said. “That is the frustrating part. I have always been a guy who has people that have doubts about me, and the next season I prove everybody wrong. I fell short with the at bats. All I can do is take every at bat one at a time and hopefully it will all pan out.”

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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Around the Farm: December 27

Roberto Perez

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Caribbean Leagues.  The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday.

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 0-for-1. Urshela sat for the first time in a long time and was a late game replacement.

Puerto Rico Winter League

• Roberto Perez (C, Indios de Mayaguez): 0-for-0, BB.  The playing time has been very limited for Perez out in Puerto Rico as he has played in just 5 games even though he has been with the team for about 5 weeks. He is only 2-for-11 in those 5 games, but surprise, surprise….he has 5 walks.

Venezuela Winter League

• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 2-for-4. Lopez racked up his 3^rd multi-hit game in his last 4 games, and is now hitting .385 with 2 HR, 10 RBI and 1.006 OPS in his last 10 games. In 41 games this offseason he is hitting .316 with a .848 OPS.

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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2011 Akron Aeros transactions

We continue the year end transaction recaps for each of the Indians' six stateside affiliates today with Double-A Akron. This transaction listing will also be housed for reference in the "Transactions" tab below the site header. Thanks again to Arthur K. for compiling these all season and for keeping them up-to-date.

April 6

RHP Joe Smith received on Major League Rehab Assignment
OF Grady Sizemore received on Major League Rehab Assignment

April 7

RHP Yohan Pino assigned from Columbus Clippers
IF Kyle Bellows assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move to get roster to 24)

April 10

IF Jason Donald received on Major League Rehab Assignment
IF Dan DeGeorge assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move to keep roster at 24)
IF Kyle Bellows assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

April 14

IF Jason Donald transferred to Columbus Clippers on Major League Rehab Assignment
OF Grady Sizemore transferred to Columbus Clippers on Major League Rehab Assignment
RHP Joe Smith recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

April 16

RHP Paolo Espino assigned from Columbus Clippers (not yet on active roster)

April 18

RHP Yohan Pino traded to Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations
RHP Paolo Espino added to active roster

April 19

LHP Scott Barnes assigned to Columbus Clippers
RHP Brett Brach assigned from Kinston Indians
LHP T.J. McFarland assigned from Kinston Indians (not yet on active roster)

April 20

RHP Brett Brach assigned to Kinston Indians
LHP T.J. McFarland added to active roster

April 25

IF Jason Donald transferred from Columbus Clippers on Major League Rehab Assignment

April 27

RHP Bryan Price placed on 7-day DL
RHP Kyle Landis assigned from Lake County Captains

April 29

IF Jason Donald recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

April 30

LHP Eric Berger assigned to Columbus Clippers
RHP Marty Popham assigned from Kinston Indians

May 6

RHP Carlos Carrasco received on Major League Rehab Assignment

May 10

IF Jared Goedert received on Major League Rehab Assignment

May 11

RHP Carlos Carrasco recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

May 18

OF John Drennen placed on Restricted List (suspended 50 games on 5/17 for PEDs)
IF Beau Mills assigned from Extended Spring Training

May 20

LHP Nick Hagadone assigned to Columbus Clippers
LHP Eric Berger assigned from Columbus Clippers
RHP Bryan Price activated from 7-day DL
RHP Marty Popham assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)

May 23

RHP Matt Langwell assigned to Columbus Clippers

May 24

RHP Matt Langwell assigned from Columbus Clippers

RHP Marty Popham assigned from Columbus Clippers
RHP Paolo Espino assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)

May 27

RHP Adam Miller assigned from Kinston Indians
RHP Kyle Landis assigned to Kinston Indians

May 28

IF Jared Goedert transferred to Columbus Clippers on Major League Rehab Assignment

June 1

RHP Marty Popham assigned to Kinston Indians
RHP Paolo Espino assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

June 3

IF Nick Johnson assigned (active roster) from Columbus Clippers 7-day DL
IF Matt Lawson placed on 7-day DL

June 5

OF Donnie Webb assigned to Columbus Clippers
OF Nick Weglarz assigned (active roster) from Columbus Clippers 7-day DL
RHP Rob Bryson assigned to Lake County Captains (active roster) from 7-day DL)

June 7

IF Nick Johnson assigned to Columbus Clippers

June 8

IF Matt Lawson activated from 7-day DL

June 10

LHP Matt Packer placed on 7-day DL
RHP Steven Wright assigned from Lake County Captains

June 14

DH Travis Hafner received on Major League Rehab Assignment
IF Jason Donald assigned (active roster) from Columbus Clippers 7-day DL
IF Matt Lawson voluntarily retired

June 16

LHP Matt Packer activated from 7-day DL
RHP Steven Wright assigned to Kinston Indians

June 17

DH Travis Hafner recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

June 20

OF Donnie Webb assigned from Columbus Clippers
IF Jason Donald assigned to Columbus Clippers

June 24

RHP CC Lee assigned to Columbus Clippers
RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned from Kinston Indians

June 27

OF Tim Fedroff assigned to Columbus Clippers
OF Ben Copeland signed as Minor League Free Agent

June 28

IF Matt McBride assigned to Columbus Clippers
C Raul Padron signed as a Minor League Free Agent

June 30

C Juan Apodaca placed on 7-day DL
C Michel Hernandez signed as Minor League Free Agent

July 4

OF Donnie Webb assigned to Columbus Clippers

July 5

IF Tyler Cannon assigned from Kinston Indians

July 8

OF John Drennen activated from Restricted List (50-game PED suspension expired)
IF Kyle Bellows placed on 7-day DL

July 13

LHP Drew Pomeranz assigned from Kinston Indians (not yet on active roster)

July 14

C Michel Hernandez assigned to Columbus Clippers
IF Kyle Bellows activated from the 7-day DL
IF Tyler Cannon assigned to Kinston Indians
LHP Drew Pomeranz added to active roster

July 15

RHP Paolo Espino assigned to Columbus Clippers

July 18

RHP Rob Bryson assigned from Kinston Indians

July 19

RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned to Columbus Clippers

July 20

RHP Tyler Sturdevany assigned from Columbus Clippers

July 21

RHP Bryan Price placed on 7-day disabled list
RHP Bryce Stowell assigned from Lake County Captains

July 22

IF Beau Mills assigned to Columbus Clippers
IF Matt McBride assigned from Columbus Clippers
IF Cristo Arnal assigned to Columbus Clippers
IF Kevin Fontanez assigned from Lake County Captains

July 25

OF Donnie Webb assigned from Columbus Clippers
LHP Kelvin De La Cruz placed on 7-day DL

July 26

IF Cristo Arnal assigned from Columbus Clippers
IF Kevin Fontanez assigned to Lake County Captains

July 30

RHP Alex White received on Major League Rehab Assignment
LHP Drew Pomeranz traded to Colorado Rockies (Jimenez trade)
RHP Joe Gardner traded to Colorado Rockies (Jimenez trade)
IF Matt McBride traded to Colorado Rockies (Jimenez trade)
RHP Alex White recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment (traded to Colorado Rockies - Jimenez trade)

July 31

C Michel Hernandez assigned from Columbus Clippers
OF Nick Weglarz placed on 7-day DL

August 1

RHP Matt Langwell assigned to Columbus Clippers

August 2

RHP Bryan Price activated from 7-day DL

August 3

RHP Paolo Espino assigned from Columbus Clippers

August 4

OF Nick Weglarz activated from 7-day DL

August 6

RHP Steven Wright assigned from Kinston Indians Temporarily Inactive List

August 13

RHP Brett Brach assigned from Columbus Clippers (not on active roster)

August 14

RHP Paolo Espino assigned to Columbus Clippers

August 15

RHP Brett Brach assigned to Kinston Indians (was never on active roster)

August 16

OF Tim Fedroff assigned from Columbus Clippers

August 17

OF Tim Fedroff assigned to Columbus Clippers

August 20

LHP Erio Berger assigned to Columbus Clippers
OF Nick Weglarz placed on 7-day DL
LHP Kelvin De La Cruz activated from 7-day DL
RHP Brett Brach assigned from Kinston Indians

August 24

C Juan Apodaca activated from the 7-day DL

August 28

OF Ben Copeland assigned to Columbus Clippers

August 30

OF Anthony Gallas assigned from Kinston Indians

August 31

RHP Adam Miller placed on Temporarily Inactive List
RHP Austin Adams placed on Temporarily Inactive List
RHP Cody Allen assigned from Lake County Captains
RHP Dale Dickerson assigned from Lake County Captains
OF Grady Sizemore received on Major League Rehab Assignment

September 2

RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned to Columbus Clippers
LHP Kyle Petter assigned from Lake County Captains

September 3

OF Grady Sizemore recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

September 5

RHP Cody Allen assigned to Kinston Indians
IF Justin Toole assigned from Kinston Indians

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.

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Around the Farm: December 26

Eric Berger

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Caribbean Leagues.  The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday.

Venezuela Winter League

• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 2-for-4, R. Another good game from Lopez this offseason, and since the Indians showed interest in signing him and becoming “more aggressive” in signing him he is hitting .368 with 2 HR, 10 RBI and .994 OPS in his last 10 games.
• Eric Berger (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 0 K.  For the 4^th straight game Berger is brought into the game in a matchup situation and promptly allows a hit to the first batter he has faced. In his last 4 outings he has faced just 5 batters and recorded one out (K) while allowing 4 hits and 1 walk.
• Rob Bryson (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Bryson only recorded one out and faced one hitter, but he recorded the save. He was brought into the game with 2 outs and a runner on 1^st base with 3 runs already in, but slammed the door on a 12-11 victory.

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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Tribe Happenings: Beltran interest shows Indians are working

The Indians missed out on Beltran, but

it shows they are working. (Photo: AP)

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

Indians looking for the right fit

News came out on Thursday that the Indians were hot and heavy for free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran. Reports indicated it was down to the Indians and Cardinals before he agreed to sign with the Cardinals for two years and $26 million.

While the Indians finished second, it showed their willingness to go the extra mile to sign a player when their value aligned with what they are looking for and can afford. While Beltran would have made about $13 million a season, the Indians would have found a way to fit him into their limited payroll by clearing some payroll elsewhere on the roster. Most importantly, it was his availability on a two year contract that spiked the Indians interest as they are looking to sign free agents to one or maybe two year deals this offseason.

The Indians final offer was reportedly very “aggressive” and “close” to what Beltran got from the Cardinals. In a way he and his agent probably used the Indians to raise the ante the Cardinals needed to pay to sign him. It should not be viewed that the Indians simply came up short once again, but that he just ultimately chose to go where he wanted to go all along. Remember, this is a player who declined to waive his no trade clause to come to Cleveland last July, so he was a long shot to sign with the Indians anyway.

The Indians have been in talks this offseason with every free agent hitter not named Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. They have also been burning up the phones talking to other teams to explore trade opportunities. The lack of names floating around on who they are interested in should not be a sign of inactivity by the team. The Indians have a policy where they simply do not leak or discuss potential free agent signings or trades, and good or bad, that is how they do it.

It remains to be seen what their plan is and how the rest of this offseason will unfold. The way the Indians roster currently sets up they have a window open for the next two years before they probably have to retool the team after 2013; however, how much they have to retool the team post-2013 depends on what happens the next two seasons.

This is why they are limiting contract acquisitions at the moment to two years or less. They do not know what will happen between now and the next two years, so they are allowing flexibility with the roster so if they do have to rebuild they are not saddled with payroll. They are also allowing flexibility with the payroll in the event they can keep the window open and want to extend a lot of soon-to-be free agents such as Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Grady Sizemore, Fausto Carmona, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Chris Perez.

While the Indians did not sign or acquire a player to put under the Christmas tree of Indians fans everywhere, they are working hard and a move or two is still expected before the start of the season.

Not so fast

There is a segment of the Indians fan base that believe first baseman/outfielder Shelley Duncan should be given an opportunity to be the everyday first baseman for the Indians next year. He had a solid year this past season hitting .260 with 11 homers, 47 RBI and .808 OPS in 76 games for the Indians. He also had an awesome September where given a chance to play every day he hit .265 with 7 homers, 23 RBI, and .942 OPS, and his 23 RBI ranked him 3rd in the American League for the month.

But before anyone gets all caught up in 83 at bats in September and thinks Duncan is a suitable every day option, let’s be honest: he is not. He is a good role player who performed well when given the opportunity to play more, but it is not like the proverbial light suddenly went on for him at age 32. He simply got hot for a month and had a few big swings go over the fence. He still struck out at an alarming rate (21 strikeouts in 83 at bats) and his batting average was still only .265; he just managed to make the most of his 22 hits by having 14 of them go for extra bases.

But in no way should the Indians be considering Duncan for an everyday role. Not yet at least. Lest we forget Karim Garcia from nine years ago? Remember him? The guy who had an awesome August and September in 2002 where he hit .299 with 16 homers, 51 RBI and .901 OPS in 51 games to end that season? The Indians went with him as a regular in 2003 and he bombed hitting .194 with a .603 OPS in 24 games before being put on waivers and being claimed by the Yankees in June of that year.

Duncan absolutely should be a part of the Indians plans in 2012 because he is great in the clubhouse, accepts his role as a bench player, is a solid right-handed bat of the bench, and is a good backup option to use as an everyday guy in the event the regular first baseman or left fielder gets hurt. But let’s leave him in that bench role.

Winter ball roundup

The winter ball season wraps up next weekend. Already several leagues like the Arizona Fall League and Panama Winter League have finished their seasons, and by this time next week regular season action will have finished in the two most popular winter leagues in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Here is a quick snapshot of how some notable players are doing out in winter ball.

The most popular day of winter ball this offseason occurred on Tuesday when Fausto Carmona and Ubaldo Jimenez squared off in the Dominican Republic. It was the first action for both of them this offseason, and while Carmona looked good (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K) Jimenez was his usual inconsistent self (2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K). It is hard to take anything away from one appearance in winter ball, but it goes without saying that Carmona and Jimenez are arguably the two most important pitchers the Indians need to get straightened out in order to have more success next season.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been playing regularly out in Venezuela for about three weeks now and in 15 games is hitting .231 with 2 homers, 10 RBI, and .750 OPS. Slugging first baseman Jesus Aguilar continues to impress this offseason hitting .325 with 6 homers, 23 RBI and 1.007 OPS in 35 combined games between the Arizona Fall League and Venezuela. Outfielder Ezequiel Carrera has gotten some much needed extended playing time in Venezuela where in 39 games he is hitting .270 with 2 homers, 13 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and .756 OPS, though has not played in a week because of an injury sustained last weekend that forced him to be removed from the game.

Recent signings infielder Jose Lopez and outfielder Felix Pie have also played well. Lopez has played 39 games out in Venezuela, almost exclusively at third base, and is hitting .307 with 5 homers, 23 RBI and .841 OPS. Pie has played in 42 games out in the Dominican Republic and is hitting .273 with 4 homers, 21 RBI, and .750 OPS.

LaRoche signed

On Wednesday the Indians announced the signing of infielder Andy LaRoche to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League spring training.

LaRoche, 28, has played in 403 career games at the Major League level and owns a .226 batting average with 22 homers, 113 RBI and .642 OPS. Last year in 40 games with the Athletics he hit .247 with 0 homers, 5 RBI and .654 OPS, and also played 54 games at Triple-A Sacramento where he hit .254 with 4 homers, 27 RBI and .710 OPS. His brother Adam has enjoyed an eight year Major League career and currently plays for Washington. His father, Dave, appeared in 647 games over 14 seasons from 1970-83 and pitched for the Indians from 1975-77, leading the club in appearances and saves in both 1975 and 1976.

Though LaRoche has spent most of his career at third base he has played games both at the Major and minor league level at many other positions. Last year he appeared in games at all four infield positions and has some experience in the minors playing left field. He is yet more depth the Indians have signed to back up some of their role players like Jack Hannahan and Jason Donald. Donald and Hannahan are expected to make the opening day roster as bench players.

Judy turns Red

The Indians lost right-handed pitcher Josh Judy on waivers to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. He had been designated for assignment on December 16th when the Indians needed to clear space on the 40-man after acquiring outfielder Aaron Cunningham from the Padres in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Cory Burns.

I’m not sure if the Indians expected to lose Judy or not on waivers, but the move to acquire Cunningham resulted in them losing two of their relief pitching depth options, one at the big league level and one at the Triple-A level. The value of such players in a trade is not very high, but by the same token neither is a fourth outfielder like Cunningham.

It remains to be seen what happens with Cunningham, but since he is out of options it would be a shame if he is lost on waivers at the end of spring training and the Indians have nothing to show for losing Judy and Burns. Good luck to Judy as while I am sad to see him go, I am also at the same time excited to see him remain on a Major League roster and get to continue his dream.

Parting shots

The Indians voided the contract of 36th round pick left-handed pitcher Abel Guerrero back in August. He had signed with the team and made two appearances at rookie level Arizona, but he had some pre-existing medical issues that they found after he signed. He is a free agent and has not yet signed with another team. … Former Indians hitting coach Jon Nunnally is back coaching again as he has been hired by the Toronto Blue Jays to be their hitting coach at Double-A New Hampshire. … Did you know that Latin players participating in the Dominican Summer League can only play there a maximum of three years before they have to be brought stateside or be released? … And finally, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy this special time of the season.

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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