Brad Grant Promoted, Mirabelli Gets Extended Role

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2007

INDIANS PROMOTE BRAD GRANT TO DIRECTOR OF AMATEUR SCOUTING

Assistant GM John Mirabelli to Assume Expanded Role in Player Procurement

CLEVELAND, OH --- The Cleveland Indians & Executive Vice President and General Manager MARK SHAPIRO today announced the promotion of BRAD GRANT to Director of Amateur Scouting.

Grant, who spent the last eight (8) seasons as the club’s Assistant Director of Scouting, will direct all elements of the First-Year Player Draft – providing evaluations and overseeing the club’s seventeen (17) Area Scouts and four (4) Regional Supervisors around the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada in advance of the June draft. Brad joined the Indians organization in 1994 and was hired full-time into the Scouting Department in 1996. He graduated from Miami (OH) University in 1994. He will continue to report to Assistant General Manager, Scouting Operations JOHN MIRABELLI.

Mirabelli will take on an expanded role in the procurement of amateur and professional talent, both in the United States and abroad, as the club continues to operate heavily in Latin America and has recently dipped into the global player pool in the acquisition of Japan’s Masa Kobayashi after signing Sung-Wei Tseng (Taiwan) and Jason Smit (Australia) in 2006. John will directly oversee and manage the scouting and acquisition efforts in the domestic and international markets for the club.

“Brad Grant has been an integral member of our Amateur Scouting Department over a long period of time and is both extremely capable and very deserving of this new opportunity,” said Cleveland Indians Executive Vice President and General Manager MARK SHAPIRO. “In addition, this shift in alignment will allow John Mirabelli to expand his focus and influence in the acquisition of amateur talent in both the domestic and international markets.”

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Indians Lose Mariano Gomez

Per a report by Yahoo, the Minnesota Twins signed former Indians farmhand Mariano Gomez (LHP) to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Gomez was a once promising left-handed pitcher in the system who had trouble overcoming a partially torn tendon on the middle finger of his pitching hand in 2003 which sidetracked him and he was never the same after that. At 6'6" and 190 pounds, he was an intriguing prospect as a left-handed pitcher because of his size, quick arm action, and the way he whipped the ball to the plate. He finishes his eight year minor league career (he signed at 16-years old) with the Indians at 28-30 with a 4.15 ERA in 195 games (74 starts).

Also, not mentioned previously, the Indians re-signed right-handed pitcher Jeff Harris to a minor league deal two weeks ago.

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Indians Lose Three Free Agents

On Wednesday, the Indians lost three minor league free agents that were signed by the Washington Nationals:

Jason Stanford (LHP)
Bobby Brownlie (RHP)
Jim Ed Warden (RHP)

Stanford could use a change of scenery, and really had no spot for him in Buffalo with the likes of Chuck Lofgren and Scott Lewis moving up to Buffalo this year into the starting staff and joining holdovers like Brian Slocum, Adam Miller, Sean Smith, and the loser of the Aaron Laffey/Jeremy Sowers spring training battle.

Stanford leaves the Indians organization as the all-time leader in strikeouts for the Buffalo franchise. In 72 games over seven seasons with Buffalo, Stanford was 25-12 with a 3.54 ERA. He pitched 381.0 innings, which is third most in the Buffalo Modern Era, and his 25 wins rank fifth all time. He made his first appearance with Buffalo in a spot start on September 1, 2001, throwing a complete game shutout with ten strikeouts. After going 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA in six games in 2002, he was the Bisons Pitcher of the Year in 2003 going 10-4 with a 3.43 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 20 starts. Stanford was injured for most of the 2004 and 2005 seasons, but did make brief appearances in Buffalo. In 2006, Stanford was 6-6 with a 4.01 ERA in 22 starts, and this past season he finished 5-1 with a 4.11ERA in 18 games.

Warden pitched seven years in the Indians organization, going 28-31 with 34 saves and a 4.12 ERA. He struggled with walks for most of his career, but still projects as a middle reliever at the major league level. The Indians just ran out of time with Warden, and also having so much bullpen depth in the upper levels probably made it easy for them to let him go and for him to say good-bye. Warden was selected in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by Philadelphia, but was returned to the Indians this past spring when he did not make the Phillies opening day roster.

Brownlie was a mid-season pickup last year, and picked up mostly to fill a spot in the Akron rotation because various injuries had decimated the pitching staff. With no options to turn to at Akron because of injuries to several starters, and other starters piling up innings, they had to go outside the organization for a player to eat some starts for the last two months of the season.

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Indians Minor League Awards Announced

INDIANS ANNOUNCE 2007 MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER & PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

ASDRUBAL CABRERA combined to hit .303 in 2007
AARON LAFFEY was 17-6 w/a 3.34 ERA

CLEVELAND, OH—The Cleveland Indians today announced the recipients of the organization’s 2007 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year awards.

INF ASDRUBAL CABRERA has been named the 2007 winner of the Lou Boudreau Award as the top minor league position player in the Indians player development system. Additionally, LHP AARON LAFFEY has been selected as the Bob Feller Award winner for 2007 as the organization’s top minor league pitcher.

Cabrera, 22, combined to hit .303 (171-585) with 114 runs scored, 35 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs and 79 RBI in 150 games between AA Akron, AAA Buffalo and Cleveland. Following the season, he was named the USA Today Indians Minor League Player of the Year.

He began his season at AA Akron where he hit .310 (114-368) with 78 runs scored, 23 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR and 54 RBI in 96 games before being promoted to AAA Buffalo on July 30th. While with the Aeros, Cabrera was selected to both the Eastern League Midseason and Postseason All-Star Teams. He finished 5th in the Eastern League in batting and prior to his promotion to Buffalo he was leading the Eastern League in runs scored. Cabrera appeared in just 9 games at Buffalo batting .316 (12-38) with 6 runs scored, 3 doubles and 3 RBI before his contract was purchased by Cleveland on August 7th.

Cabrera made his Major League debut on August 8th at Chicago and made 40 starts at second base and 6 starts at shortstop as he hit .283 (45-159) with 30 runs scored, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs and 22 RBI in 45 games for the Central Division Champion Indians. Cleveland was 28-12 (.700) when he started at second base and Cabrera made just 1 error in 220 chances in the field.

Laffey, 22, combined to go 17-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 31 games/30 starts (180.2IP, 172H, 75R/67ER, 42BB, 124K) between AA Akron, AAA Buffalo and Cleveland. He started the season at AA Akron going 4-1 w/a 2.31 ERA (35.0IP, 29H, 13R/9ER, 7BB, 24K) in 6 starts before earning a promotion to Buffalo on May 17th.

At Buffalo, Laffey was 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA (96.1IP, 89H, 36R/33ER, 23BB, 75K) in 16 games/15 starts with the Herd. He was unbeaten (9-0) over his last 12 starts/13 games with the Bisons and led the Herd in ERA (3.08) while being tied for the team lead in wins (9). Overall at the Minor League level he was 13-4 with a 2.88 ERA (131.1IP, 118H, 42ER, 30BB, 99K) in 22 games/22 starts. He led all Indians minor leaguers in wins (13), while finishing 2nd in ERA (2.88).

Laffey was promoted to Cleveland on August 4th where he made his Major League debut against the Twins, becoming the youngest Indians starter (22y, 111d) to debut since C.C. Sabathia (20y, 261d) in April of 2001. He ended the year as the Indians 5th starter, going 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA (49.1IP, 54H, 26R/25ER, 12BB, 25K) in 9 starts as he tossed at least 5.0 innings in 8 of the 9 starts.

BOB FELLER WINNERS LOU BOUDREAU WINNERS
1990- Charles Nagy 1990- Jim Thome
1991- Mike Soper 1991- Manny Ramirez
1992- Chad Ogea 1992- Ken Ramos
1993- John Carter 1993- Jim Thome
1994- Steve Kline 1994- David Bell
1995- Danny Graves 1995- Richie Sexson
1996- Danny Graves 1996- Russell Branyan
1997- Marc Deschenes 1997- Sean Casey
1998- David Riske 1998- Alex Ramirez
1999- Robert Pugmire 1999- Scott Morgan
2000- Jason Stanford 2000- Billy Munoz
2001- Mike Bacsik 2001- Victor Martinez
2002- Billy Traber 2002- Victor Martinez
2003- Fasuto Carmona 2003- Grady Sizemore
2004- Adam Miller 2004- Ryan Garko
2005- Jeremy Sowers 2005- Ryan Mulhern
2006- Adam Miller 2006- Kevin Kouzmanoff
2007- Aaron Laffey 2007- Asdrubal Cabrera

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Winter League Update

Here is an update how various prospects in the system are doing in the winter leagues:

Dominican Winter League:

Argenis Tavarez (C, Gigantes del Cibao): .000 AVG (0-1), .000 OPS
Chris De La Cruz (IF, Aguilas Cibaenas): .259 AVG (7-27), 2 2B , 2 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, .609 OPS
Andy Marte (IF, Azucareros del Este): .262 AVG (17-65), 6 2B, 11 RBI, 10 BB, 17 K, .722 OPS
Jose Constanza (OF, Azucareros del Este): .333 AVG (17-51), 3 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K, 3 SB, .726 OPS
Jason Cooper (OF, Azucareros del Este): .203 AVG (14-69), 5 2B, 8 RBI, 11 BB, 25 K, 3 SB, .596 OPS
Juan Lara (LHP, Estrellas Orientales): 0-0, 5.68 ERA, 6 games, 6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 7 K, .348 BAA
Joanniel Montero (RHP, Leones del Escogido): Has not played
Argenis Reyes (IF, Leones del Escogido): .303 AVG (30-99), 2 2B, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 12 K, 1 SB, .657 OPS

Venezuelan Winter League:

Armando Camacaro (C, Caribes): .111 AVG (1-9), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, .495 OPS
Asdrubal Carbrera (SS, Cardinales): .254 AVG (29-114), 7 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K, 4 SB
Mariano Gomez (LHP, Augilas): 1-3, 4.32 ERA, 10 game, 33.1 IP, 38 H, 10 BB, 11 K, .284 BAA

Mexican Winter League:

Roman Pena (OF, Aguilas): .234 AVG (22-94), 4 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 9 BB, 27 K, 1 SB, .705 OPS

Nicaraguan Winter League:

Luis Perdomo (RHP, Leon): 1-1, 1.42 ERA, 2 saves, 10 games, 12.2 IP, 9 H, 6 BB, 10 K
Jerad Head (C, Leon): .136 (6-44), 2 2B, 5 RBI, 9 BB, 13 K, 2 SB, .300 OBP
JD Martin (RHP, Leon): 1-1, 2.31 ERA, 4 games, 20.1 IP, 14 H, 2 BB, 12 K

Also, I just want to give my thoughts and prayers out to pitcher Juan Lara and his family and hope for a full and speedy recovery.

For those that missed it, Lara was involved in a tragic car accident on Saturday night after a winter league game in the Dominican Republic. He was stopped at a stop sign when a motorcycle slammed into the driver side of the utility vehicle he was driving. The two people on the motorcycle died instantly, and Lara is in critical condition. He reportedly may have to be transported to the U.S. for surgery, and according to ESPN the injuries are life-threatening as he is breathing with the help from a ventilator, has two fractured ribs, has a perforated lung, and has a blood clot from a head injury.

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Roster & Rule 5 Draft Thoughts

Now that the Indians have decided on who they would add to the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 Draft, I just wanted to break down quickly why they added who they did and what players they left unprotected who are now in danger of being selected.

The fact they protected Adam Miller, Reid Santos, Scott Lewis, Tony Sipp and Wyatt Toregas is not much of a surprise to me. I even nailed it with a prediction last week on our site message boards (my post is near the bottom dated Nov 15th at 1:05pm). Miller is a no brained, and while Sipp is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery they could not leave him unprotected because the acquiring team could essentially put him on the disabled list at will the next year or two while he recovers. Santos and Lewis are good left-handed pitching prospects with Lewis still considered a starter and Santos destined for a swing role or as a lefty in the bullpen. Some may say Toregas is a surprise, but not to me. He is an excellent defensive catcher with promise still as a hitter. The Indians need catching depth, as remember, when Victor got hurt in the “Snow Opener” last year, Mike Rose (??) was about to be summoned from Buffalo while Victor was heading to the disabled list.

The Rule 5 Draft is always tough to predict. Typically, versatile infielders that can play multiple positions, 4th outfielders, defensive catchers, lefty bullpen specialists, power arms, or guys with speed tend to get taken in the Rule 5 Draft. With that in mind, I posted the Indians Rule 5 eligibles awhile back, and here are the players I think could be selected:

Barton, Brian (OF): The Indians are very top heavy in the system in the outfield with the likes of Trevor Crowe, Brad Snyder, Ryan Goleski, Ben Francisco, and possibly even Jordan Brown battling Barton for time in the Buffalo outfield in 2008. Barton can run and play all three outfield positions, although his defense and plate discipline are still a work in progress. He looks like he could be selected, but the strikeouts to me may be a turnoff to teams. I think it is 50/50 he is not selected.

Constanza, Jose (OF): Constanza has yet to play a game at Double-A, but his speed and versatility could be attractive to a team looking for a Dave Roberts-like player off the bench. While he is not as far along in the system as Barton, his better bat control and plate discipline to go with plus speed may make him a more likely pick in the draft than Barton.

Gimenez, Chris (UT): This is the one player that I think we have the most chance of losing that will be a real loss. Gimenez can play any corner position in the infield and outfield, and can even play catcher. He has a potent bat with a lot of pop to go along with that versatility. Down the road, he could make an excellent super utility player, and he could get that shot next spring if he is selected.

Goleski, Ryan (OF): Goleski was the big loss last year after his outstanding 2006 campaign, but he struggled in spring with Oakland and ended up being returned. Goleski was never the same after that, and seemed to be ruined somewhat by being taken in the draft. He is eligible again, and while it does not look like he will be picked, if he is selected it may be best to part ways with the Indians.

Mulhern, Ryan (1B): It seems like Mulhern is a slam dunk to be selected. Some small market team with a void at first base likely will select Mulhern and make him their everyday first baseman in 2008 and live and die with him. Non-contending teams can do that. Mulhern is ready for a big league job, but with Ryan Garko, Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez manning first base in Cleveland, and Michael Aubrey and Jordan Brown crowding him out in Buffalo, Mulhern’s days in the Indians organization are all but numbered.

Newsom, Randy (RHP): Newsom is a great young man, and it would please me very much to see him get selected and fulfill his dream of making it to the majors. Newsom is a gimmick pitcher as he is a submarine pitcher, which is the type of pitcher you often see taken in the Rule 5 Draft. The Indians could use him down the road, but like Mulhern, Newsom may be the second most likely to be selected.

Perdomo, Luis (RHP): Perdomo has yet to pitch above Single-A, but his mid to upper 90s power fastball could entice someone to take him. Still, he is very green, so it would be a big surprise to see someone take him.

Smith, Sean (RHP): Smith is another likely draft selection, and would fill in adequately as a fifth starter for a non-contending team. Smith is probably at best a fifth starter or swing-4A guy, so even if the Indians lose him there should be no worries, especially considering the pitching depth in the organization.

Whitney, Matthew (1B): Whit had an unbelievable season last year, but he still has not played a single game t Double-A, still has plate discipline issues, is not a versatile player, and still needs to prove last year was not a fluke and that he can stay healthy. With all this said, Whitney should go undrafted. It would come as a complete surprise to me if he were selected.

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Five Players Added to 40-man Roster

The Indians added the following players to their 40-man roster today:

Adam Miller (RHP)
Scott Lewis (LHP)
Reid Santos (LHP)
Tony Sipp (LHP)
Wyatt Toregas (C)

The 40-man roster is now at 39 players.

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Winter League Update

Right-handed relief prospect Jeff Stevens continues to make his name noticed, and is primed for a potential bullpen role in Cleveland sometime in 2008 if he continues to pitch as well as he has in 2007 and this offseason. Team USA just won the World Cup, and Stevens was a big contributor in the bullpen throwing six shutout innings and only giving up three hits while striking out five.

Stevens pitched briefly in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) and also pitched for Team USA against teams in the AFL in a tune up for the World Cup. Combined with his World Cup performance, this offseason Stevens has thrown: 12 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K. He also chipped in with three saves, and his fastball continues to gain life as it is not sitting around 95 MPH. Keep an eye on this guy, as he could move fast in 2008. I will also have a full, detailed scouting report on him when my Top 50 list is released in January.

In addition to Stevens, here is a quick listing of how Indians players from all levels of the organization are doing in winter ball. This list is unofficial as I am trying to verify if I have accounted for all the Indians players, but here is who I have so far:

Dominican Winter League:

Argenis Tavarez (C, Gigantes del Cibao): .000 AVG (0-1), .000 OBP
Chris De La Cruz (IF, Aguilas Cibaenas): .375 AVG (3-8), 1 2B , 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, .375 OBP
Andy Marte (IF, Azucareros del Este): .289 AVG (13-45), 3 2B, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 12 K, .373 OBP
Jose Constanza (OF, Azucareros del Este): .321 AVG (9-28), 3 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 SB, .406 OBP
Jason Cooper (OF, Azucareros del Este): .221 AVG (15-68), 5 2B, 9 RBI, 11 BB, 24 K, 3 SB, .333 OBP
Juan Lara (LHP, Estrellas Orientales): 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5 games, 5 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 7 K, .235 BAA
Joanniel Montero (RHP, Leones del Escogido): Has not played
Argenis Reyes (IF, Leones del Escogido): .343 AVG (24-70), 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 SB, .365 OBP

Venezuelan Winter League:

Armando Camacaro (C, Caribes): .111 AVG (1-9), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, .273 OBP
Asdrubal Carbrera (SS, Cardinales): .254 AVG (29-114), 7 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K, 4 SB
Mariano Gomez (LHP, Augilas): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 game, 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0.00 BAA

Mexican Winter League:

Roman Pena (OF, Aguilas): .210 AVG (13-62), 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K, 1 SB, .306 OBP

Nicaraguan Winter League:

Luis Perdomo (RHP, Leon): 1-1, 1.86 ERA, 1 save, 8 games, 9.2 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Jerad Head (C, Leon): .136 (6-44), 2 2B, 5 RBI, 9 BB, 13 K, 2 SB, .300 OBP
JD Marton (RHP, Leon): 1-1, 2.31 ERA, 4 games, 20.1 IP, 14 H, 2 BB, 12 K

It should be noted that there are other payers peppered around in all of these leagues, but they have not played yet (i.e. Joanniel Montero, Lucas Montero, Eddie Mujica, etc).

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Arizona Fall League Wrapup

Baseball America just released their Arizona Fall League Top 20 Prospect ranking for the recently concluded Arizona Fall League (AFL) season in 2007. The Indians had two players make the list: right-hander Adam Miller (#5) and left-hander David Huff (#20). Here is what Baseball America had to say about the two pitchers in the rankings piece:

5. Adam Miller, rhp, Surprise (Indians): After battling finger and elbow woes over the course of the regular season at Triple-A Buffalo, Miller went to instructional league to face more live hitters before reporting to the AFL in mid-October. Though his velocity hadn't returned to the 93-95 mph Miller showed when he's fully healthy, his secondary pitches showed exceptional life. His 84-87 mph slider has devastating late movement and he added a two-seamer last year to combat against lefthanded hitters. His two-seam fastball has splitter-like action, diving down in the zone, producing weak contact. Miller also made strides with his changeup, which at least an average pitch right now.

20. David Huff, lhp, Surprise (Indians): A supplemental first-rounder in 2006, Huff was impressive early during the regular season at high Class A Kinston before being shut down at the end of May with elbow soreness. The Tribe sent him to Arizona to get more work in against more advanced hitters and the 23-year-old didn't disappoint. Though he endured two bad outings which helped balloon his ERA over 6.00, scouts were impressed with his ability to command the zone with four pitches and he struck out 15 in 16 innings of work. Huff's fastball sits anywhere from 87-91 mph, but creates good deception. His changeup is arguably his best pitch and showed the ability to locate to both sides of the plate. Huff's slider is just average, and his curveball needs more work. He'll get under it at times as he rushes through his delivery with his lower half. He'll likely begin the 2008 season in the Double-A Akron rotation.

The rest of the Top 20 can be viewed by going to the pay article on Baseball America’s site.

Also, in a chat about the AFL Top 20, Baseball America national writer Chris Kline offered some insight on some of the Indians prospects. Here are the relevant Indians excerpts from the chat:

Q: Gregg from Willow Spring, NC asks:
How close was Aubrey to making the list, based on his late season production? Do you think he is still a viable prospect if he can stay healthy, and what kind of numbers could you project for him if he does make it to the majors?

A: Chris Kline: Willow Spring Represent! He was in the mix, as a lot of guys were in this prospect-laden league, but there are still too many questions about his long term health. During instructional league this year, Aubrey couldn't play every day, which was the same story during the tail end of the regular season at Double-A Akron. There is no question the tools are there. That's never been the issue. I think it's still too premature to predict numbers in the big leagues based on the recent track record. But he's got all kinds of power and can shorten his stroke to use the whole field. Very smart player who knows his limitations in terms of his injury history. If Aubrey doesn't wind up making it, it has nothing to do with the size of his heart.

Q: Mark from Massachusetts asks:
Will we see Adam Miller stretched out during the fall league, or is he likely to stay in the bullpen, where he finished this past season? Will that have any bearing on what the Indians plan to do in '08?

A: Chris Kline: I think Miller comes into 2008 working out of the Tribe's pen in the big leagues. From there, they can move him to the rotation, but right now his velocity's better in short spurts and he has the ability to attack with all his pitches to either side of the plate.

Q: Robert Goldberg from Lyndhurst, NJ asks:
I noticed that there's no mention of 2 outfielders, both of whom were well thought of in the 2005 Draft - Trevor Crowe & Nolan Reimold. Did either of them get any consideration for the top 20?

A: Chris Kline: Guys were considerably down on Crowe this year, and it's tough to see what he'll be in the big leagues. He's not going to play center field, at least in Cleveland, he doesn't hit for power and he had an inconsistent 2007 season. As far as Reimold, I'm still a believer. He's still got some holes and his swing can get long, but the power is real. Both got consideration based on the body of work, but missed out in the end.

Here are the final stats for the Indians prospects who played in the AFL this year:

Michael Finocchi (RHP): 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 games, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 1.06 WHIP
David Huff (LHP): 1-1, 6.06 ERA, 7 games, 16.1 IP, 16 H, 3 BB, 15 K, 1.16 WHIP
Adam Miller (RHP): 0-2, 9.00 ERA, 5 games, 13.0 IP, 18 H, 3 BB, 11 K, 1.62 WHIP
Randy Newsom (RHP): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 games, 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1.29 WHIP
Rich Rundles (LHP): 0-0, 1.04 ERA, 8 games, 8.2 IP, 2 H, 6 BB, 5 K, 0.92 WHIP
T.J. Burton (RHP): 0-1, 14.73 ERA, 4 games, 3.2 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 3.00 WHIP
Jeff Stevens (RHP): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 games, 3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.67 WHIP
Chris Gimenez (C): .239 AVG (11-46), 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 11 K, .762 OPS
Michael Aubrey (1B): .275 AVG (25-91), 6 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 10 BB, 10 K, .858 OPS
Brad Snyder (OF): .250 AVG (7-28), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, .657 OPS
Trevor Crowe (OF): .289 AVG (11-38), 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, 3 SB, .864 OPS

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Minor League FAQ

This is the beginning of an Indians minor league FAQ I am putting together. This FAQ will be updated a lot this offseason as I add more things like team records as well as many other things I come across that will be added. This will also be linked in the Minor League Reference section.

1. Player salaries

Major League Baseball handles all Minor League Baseball player contracts. In addition to the bonus they receive when they sign, here is the monthly pay they get at each level:

First contract season: $850/month maximum. After that, open to negotiation
Alien Salary Rates: Different for aliens on visas--mandated by INS (Immigration).
Class AAA (First year): $2,150/month, after first year no less than $2,150/month
Class AA (First year): $1,500/month, after first year no less than $1,500/month
Class A full-season (First year): $1,050/month, after first year no less than $1,050/month
Class A short-season (First year): $850/month, after first year no less than $850/month
Dominican & Venezuelan Summer Leagues: No lower than $300/month

After this, all contracts are open to negotiation. On the road all players at all levels get $20 a day for meal money and coaches get $30. When they are home, the club provides food for them at the stadium before and after games.

2. Columbus Clippers Info and Records

League: International League
Class: AAA
Location: Columbus, OH
Stadium: Huntington Park
Roster Limit: 24
Website: www.clippersbaseball.com

Retired numbers:
Team Records: Coming Soon

3. Akron Aeros Info and Records

League: Eastern League
Class: AA
Location: Akron, OH
Stadium: Canal Park
Roster Limit: 24
Website: www.akronaeros.com

Team Records: Coming Soon

4. Kinston Indians Info and Stats

League: Carolina League
Class: A (Advanced)
Location: Kinston, NC
Stadium: Grainger Stadium
Roster Limit: 25
Website: www.kinstonindians.com

Team Records: Coming Soon

5. Lake County Captains Info and Records

League: South Atlantic League
Class: A (Intermediate)
Location: Eastlake, OH
Stadium: Classic Park
Roster Limit: 25
Website: www.captainsbaseball.com

Team Records: Coming Soon

6. Mahoning Valley Scrappers Info and Records

League: NY-Penn League
Class: A (Short Season)
Location: Niles, OH
Stadium: Eastwood Field
Roster Limit: 30
Website: www.mvscrappers.com

Team Records: Coming Soon

7. GCL Indians Info

League: Gulf Coast League
Class: Rookie
Location: Winter Haven, FL
Roster Limit: 35
Website: www.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t1231

8. DSL Indians Info

League: Dominican Summer League
Class: Rookie (International)
Location: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic (Las Americas Baseball Academy)
Roster Limit: 35
Website: www.dominicansummerleague.com

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Adam Miller injury not serious

There was some cause for serious concern this afternoon in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) when Indians top prospect Adam Miller had to leave his start in the first inning due to an undisclosed injury. Early reports mentioned he had left the game with an apparent hand injury, and many fans feared the worst.

The Indians organization and fans can catch their breath as it turns out he had to leave the game because of a blister on his throwing hand. Miller only logged a third of an inning and had given up three runs on three hits and a walk before having to leave the game in the first innings because of the blister issue.

The game today was the regular season finale in the AFL, but the Indians prospects have one game left as Suprise will play Phoenix in the championship game on Saturday at 12:35 p.m.

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Nick Weglarz and some site updates

I am in the process of completely a detailed FAQ for the site. Included in this FAQ will be items like what minor league players make, roster limits, team and league websites, stadium info, team records for each affiliate and more. This should be completed soon, and will be linked under the Minor League Reference section.

Today I added the player development staff as well as the coaching staff for each affiliate. These are located under the Minor League Reference section, but here are the direct links:

Player Development Staff
Coaching Staffs

I’ll also be adding a scouting department listing soon as well.

Also, real quick, Indians outfield prospect Nick Weglarz is playing for Team Canada in the World Cup which is currently underway in Tawain. Weglarz is the youngest player (19) on the Canadian roster and one of the youngest in the World Cup tournament. Yesterday, he went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and triple, RBI, and two runs scored. The other night he had a pinch hit RBI single in the 8th inning, and then again today he had a pinch hit single for an RBI in the 9th inning. Canada is now out of the tourney, but Weglarz hit well over .400 in limited playing time.

It has been a fantastic year for Weglarz. A year ago at this time he was coming off a hand injury which cost him basically all of his 2006 season, and therefore he was somewhat forgotten about by the fans going into the 2007 season. He had a great year at Lake County last year, raced up the rankings, and caught the attention of baseball executives and scouts in Cleveland and everywhere else because of his power and approach at the plate.

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