Site Staff

This site was founded by myself almost three years ago, and while I contribute most of the articles and information housed here on this site, something that has long been overdue in my book has been to acknowledge all of the other contributors here on the IPI. People that without their help and generousity this site wouldn't be near as complete with the content or have all the extra aesthetic features. It takes time to build "friends" when putting together a group of contributors for a site, and I feel I have been lucky to find this talented group of people to help keep this place active and provide very good commentary, analysis, and other features to complement the scouting reports, articles, and so on I put out.

Information about myself and the IPI can be found in the "About" link along the top, but this page is dedicated to the many contributors who have made this THE place to go for all of your Cleveland Indians minor league news and analysis, as well as the big league team.  This page will be linked along the top of the page for future reference, and I am posting this as a regular article today to bring attention to this page.

Without further ado, here is the information for the rest of the site staff:

Site Writers

Al Ciammaichella: Site Columnist

Al has been an Indians fan since birth, and has followed prospects since his dad took him to see Jim Thome play for the Canton-Akron Indians.  He grew up in Aurora Ohio, and walked on the football and baseball team at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA where he was one of the top scout team tight ends in the country and a solid bullpen catcher with an advanced approach.  Al currently makes his home in Fairfax, VA where he gets to see the Aeros and K-Tribe several times a year.  In addition to loving the Indians, he is a die-hard Browns, Buckeyes and Cavs fan.  Al can be reached at gotribe31@indiansprospectinsider.com with any questions, complaints or compliments about his articles.

Greg Dew: Site Columnist

Greg can still hear “lets go Candiotti” ringing in his years from the little league teammate sitting next to him. We were at old Municipal Stadium to see the Tribe take on the Oakland A’s and their larger than life “Bash Brothers.” Although history has not been kind to the reputations of Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire, the Indians history, after the late 80s, became a whole lot kinder. A Hollywood-like renessaince transformed Cleveland into an honest Major League town hooking Greg and a generation of baseball fans. He’s been transfixed ever since, with the rise and fall of the Indians, the comings of the prospects and the goings of the stars.

In his freetime away from baseball, Greg tries to eke out a living as a freelance writer, dabble in the arts world, and live and die with the Buckeyes and Browns. Through it all, he’s blessed with the love and support of his wife, Elise.

Jeff Ellis: Site Columnist

Jeff was born and raised in Akron until he fled to Columbus to get his degree from the Ohio State University. Jeff first started internet writing back then, mostly focusing on the NFL and specifically the NFL draft; for all he knows his old Tripod site might still exist out there some where.  A little over two years ago Jeff found this site by cruising John Sickel’s site and reading the comments. Once he found this site he never left, and a few months after that he was writing for the site and has been since then. A fan of all Cleveland Sports, Jeff admits there is a joy in prospects that you don’t find in most sports. A prospect always gives you a chance he might be the next great player, as they are like a lottery ticket that we all hope hits.  Jeff currently resides in New York City where he works with children with Autism, which doesn’t really in any way relate to the History degree he earned from Ohio State.  Jeff can be reached by email at jellis@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Alex Painter: Site Columnist

Alex was born a Cleveland Indians fan, and has been their self-proclaimed #1 fan in the Hoosier State. His grandfather Jack was once called "the Bob Feller of Lima, Ohio" in his competitive fast-pitch softball league in the late 1950's. As a youngster growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he revered players such as Albert Belle, Omar Vizquel, Eddie Murray, Charles Nagy and Kenny Lofton. His first dog was named "Rocky" ... as in Rocky Colavito of course.  Ever the optimist, Alex believes firmly every single season that the Tribe has the goods to take home a World Series title, no matter how far-flung the notion seems. He has a keen interest in the Indians' farm system, but admittedly the big league club is where the lion's share of his passion is. Alex graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 2010 with a major in history. He also played four seasons of college football there at defensive end. He currently lives in Richmond, Indiana with his fiancee Alicia.

Affiliate Writers

Charlie Adams: Columbus Clippers Columnist

Charlie Adams began following baseball after he went to his first ever baseball game at Cooper Stadium and remembers watching Bob Wickman pitch, goatee not included. At this point, he was hooked and watched dozens of games every year, in addition to playing the game until college.  Now that he needs money to go to games, he has decided to begin working in baseball and cut out the middle man. He will be attending the Fisher MBA program at Ohio State in the fall and continue to follow the Indians minor league system and baseball at large until he is quietly asked to leave by security.  Charlie can be reached by email at cadams@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Nino Colla: Akron Aeros Columnist

Nino is originally from Youngstown, Ohio, but now resides in Kent and attends The University of Akron full-time. He is double-majoring in Communications and minoring in Sports Management. Nino has been a Cleveland Indians fan all his life but grew to love the team during the down years after the Bartolo Colon trade, attending games in which no one else would and cheering on the likes of Alex Escobar and Jason Davis, despite being awful.

Nino has a strong love for former Indian Jody Gerut and much disdain for Jack Cust for no real reason. When he isn't working, going to school, or writing about the Tribe he is watching too much television, jogging and walking, or taking the dog outside to play.

Nino helps with the Akron Aeros coverage on Indians Prospect Insider, but also operates and writes for his own blog, The Tribe Daily, and can also be found on Twitter, @TheTribeDaily.  Nino can be reached by email at ncolla@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Jim Pete: Kinston Indians Columnist

Jim Pete was born and bred in the great city of Cleveland, and has lived on and off in the Forest City his whole life.  He is currently residing in Raleigh, NC, less than an hour away from the Kinston Indians. The Cleveland Indians just happen to be his sporting passion, coming in a close second to his wife, son and daughter, even though rooting for the Indians has been akin to walking on broken glass and hot coals at the same time.

Jim's first memories of the Tribe was as a five-year old watching Charlie Spikes, Andre "Thunder" Thornton, Duane Kuiper, Rick Manning and the great Buddy Bell in the massive and empty Municipal Stadium.  Over the past thirty years, after watching every Indians player of any consequence either walk away for free agency or get traded for prospects, he developed a keen interest in the Indians minor league system.  Moving away from Cleveland, and close to the only Indians affiliate outside of Ohio cemented that interest.

Jim has reported on the Indians in the past at The POJO Dojo, MVN's Tribe Report and Son's of Geronimo.  He currently writes about the Big League Indians at Bringing Back Boudreau, and covers the K-Tribe for IndiansProspectInsider.com.  He attends Historic Grainger Stadium regularly with his kids and wife in tow, and longs for the day when the High A prospects he's been watching for the past several years bring Cleveland the World Series championship we've all been waiting for.  Jim can be reached at jpete@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Lianna Holub: Lake County Captains Columnist, Photographer & Graphic Design

Lianna is a 2009 graduate of Notre Dame College, with a degree in Sports Management and a minor in Graphic Communications. She played four years of fast pitch softball for NDC from 2006 to 2009, and was the starting first baseman for the team that placed 5th at the National Tournament in 2009.

Lianna is currently an assistant softball coach at Ursuline College, as well as a photography intern with the Cleveland Indians. Lianna resides in Aurora, OH with her family.  Lianna can be reached by email at lholub@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Andrew Zajac: Mahoning Valley Scrappers Columnist

Andrew was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and currently resides in Struthers, Ohio. He is a secondary education major at Youngstown State University with a minor in political science. Andrew has been a life-long Cleveland Indians fan, growing up watching the double play duo of Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar. He considers Vizquel his second favorite player of all-time, next to Bob Feller.

In his free time, Andrew loves to watch movies and is often times critical of them. He also enjoys history, photography, politics, and vacationing. Andrew regularly attends Mahoning Valley, Akron Aeors, and Cleveland Indians games. You can follow him on Twitter @Andrew_IPI or he can be reached by e-mail at azajac@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Jason Eddy: AZL/DSL Indians Columnist, Depth Chart Mastermind

Jason Eddy, 31, resides in Carrollton, Ohio. A two time graduate of The Ohio State University (B.A. - History, M.Ed. - Social Studies), Jason is currently the Assistant Principal at Carrollton High School. During his career he taught government and economics for five years and he also coached baseball, basketball, and volleyball at various times. His wife, Michelle, is a Muskingum University graduate and she teaches first grade at Carrollton Elementary. They have a son, Turner (3), and a daughter, Emma (1). Jason enjoys following all Cleveland and Ohio State sports and is still waiting for that parade through the city of Cleveland in his lifetime. Jason has completed four marathons and he was the youngest mayor in the history of the Village of Carrollton when elected in November 2003 (24).  Jason can be reached by email at jeddy@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Video, Graphics, & More

Michael Taylor: Video Editing & Analysis

Michael has made his rounds through the Indians blogosphere before currently finding a home editing videos for the IPI. Initially spurred to action by the name change of what he still likes to call "Jacobs Field", Michael began voicing his knowledge of the game following the 2007 season. He has been a writer on several websites that include BleacherReport.com, Seamheads.com, MVN.com, BaseballDigest.com, HeaterMagazine.com and was even published as the Indians "Team Expert" in the 2009 publication of the Graphical Player by John Burnson.

Though Michael found success as a writer, his passion for technology and watching America's Pastime has led him on a new path, making player videos. He now gets to scout the future Indians while playing with cool technology gadgets at the same time. What could be better! Michael works as the Technology Coordinator for the Kenyon Athletic Center at Kenyon College and is also also the voice of the Lords baseball team during the spring. Michael is a member of SABR and resides with his wife, Julie, and son, Zachary, in Howard, Ohio. He can be reached by email at mtaylor@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Arthur Kinney: Transaction God

Arthur is a lifelong Clevelander, Indians fan, and statistics nut.  Arthur revels in the minutiae of sport that others may find dreary.  Stats, transactions, attempting to decipher an everyday lineup amidst the Tribe organization's plethora of platoons; Arthur is ready and willing to dive headfirst into it.  Besides numbers, Arthur also has an irrational obsession with the seemingly meaningless.  Fall Instructional League and Minor League Spring Training are among his favorite times of the year (he's still fuming over the non-availability of Extended Spring Training box scores).  Besides mining the deepest depths of minor league baseball for data, Arthur's other interests include history (B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace and M.A. from Cleveland State), the Pro Bowl, and Indy Car racing, but not chucking wood (The word "woodchuck" is an Anglicization of the Algonquin word "wuchak" and has nothing to do with chucking wood.).  Arthur can be reached by email at akinney@indiansprospectinsider.com.

Terry Evitts: Lake County Captains Columnist

Terry Evitts grew up in Willoughby, Ohio, just a few blocks from the Captains’ home at Classic Park.  Terry is a product of the Willoughby-Eastlake school system, graduating from Willoughby South High School.  As a kid, he watched Cleveland Indians’ games on television with his Dad, who taught him the game.  Terry fondly remembers going to his first baseball game at age 6, as his Dad took him and his older brother to see the Indians host the Baltimore Orioles.  Impressed with the beauty of the green field bathed in the bright lights, Terry became a life-long baseball fan.

Terry graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana with a degree in History.  While at Wabash, he joined a fraternity that boasted several other devoted baseball fans.  Terry went on to work towards a Master’s degree in American History at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  During these years in Indiana and Kentucky, Terry became a college basketball fan, as well if only for survival.  After graduate school, Terry returned to Cleveland and began a career in retail management, merchandising and wholesale distribution.  Later, Terry switched careers to become a management consultant, developing programs that help client companies improve operations and reduce costs.  While working on an assignment in Iowa, a fraternity brother suggested he go to a minor league game.  It was love at first sight.

Terry is single and lives in Mentor.  He also loves football, especially the Browns and the Wabash College Little Giants.  A compulsive explorer, Terry has travelled extensively in the United States and Canada, as well as trips to Europe, Australia and American Samoa.  He may be reached at tevitts@indiansprospectinsider.com.

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Clip & Dirty: 5/3

Josh Tomlin had a short, but good outing against the Syracuse Chiefs. He left in line for the win with the Clippers up 3-1 in the 6th. Handing things over to the Clippers bullpen has been a smart move for most of the season, but a combination of walks, an error followed by a singles parade in the 6th led to a 5-run outburst and a 6-3 lead that the Clippers couldn't overcome. They lost the 3rd game of the series 6-4 after taking the first two from the Chiefs.

Team Hitting: 8H, 3XBH, 1BB

The Clippers had one of those sleepy games at the plate that the Indians seem so fond of. Jason Donald stayed productive by knocking in a pair with an RBI double in the 3rd and Jose Constanza had a couple hits and a run scored. There's not much to write about offensively, save for the small fact that the Clippers only managed to get 5 balls in the air, which generally means very few XBH's and almost no chance at any HR's. The Clippers will bounce back as they have way too many good hitters to be kept down for long, but this wasn't their night.

Team Pitching: 6(5) R(ER), 7H, 4BB, 11K

Tomlin pitched well, but his leash remained short and he was pulled with 2 outs in the 6th after only 81 pitches. He threw 69% strikes and struck out six in his short outing. Carlton Smith came on and finished the inning but ran into some trouble in the 7th. After giving up a walk and a single, the freshly (and unfairly) demoted Joe Smith was inserted. He allowed Carlton's runners to score and added on 3 of his own with the help of a throwing error on an infield single and 3 additional hits allowed.

Jeremy Sowers gave the Clippers a chance to get back in the game by pitching 2 scoreless and only yielding a walk while striking out 2 and throwing 55% strikes.

The Clippers have an 11:35am start and Mike Gosling will get the spot start as he aims to get some consistency and win the 4 game series before heading off on an 8 game road trip.

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Game Recap 5/3: Indians Affiliates Drop All Four Games

Clippers lose lead late, fall 6-4

A good effort from the starting pitcher and some early offense has been the formula for many of the Clippers 16 victories in the first four weeks of the 2010 season, but not on Monday night at Huntington Park, as Syracuse came from behind for a 6-4 victory.

Jason Donald's two-RBI double put the Clippers on top in the third inning, and they expanded the lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Brian Buscher's groundout scored Jordan Brown.

The Chiefs, looking for their first win against Columbus after dropping the first two of the series, got on the board in the sixth inning when Seth Bynum hit a solo shot off of Clippers starter Josh Tomlin -- who pitched well in his third start of the season but didn't pick up a decision.

Syracuse then scored five in the seventh against the Columbus bullpen, aided by a pair of Clippers errors in the frame. The Clippers added a run their half of the seventh, courtesy of a Jose Constanza RBI-double, but got no closer and lost for the first time all season when leading after six innings.

The Clippers will close out their 10-game homestand against the Chiefs on Tuesday, with ace Carlos Carrasco getting the ball for an 11:35 a.m. first pitch.

Aeros Pounded 20-11

The Aeros came up short as the Aeros and Thunder recorded 34 hits combined in a 20-11 slugfest in front of 3,655 fans at Canal Park. Indians’ closer Kerry Wood made his first rehab appearance out of the Akron bullpen giving up four hits and six runs in two-thirds of an inning. Wood, who is expected to make his second rehab appearance on Wednesday, is scheduled for one inning of work.

The Thunder scored first with two-runs in the top of the first and four runs in the third inning, but the Aeros answered emphatically in the third. Beau Mills connected with his third home run of the season after three Aeros base hits making it 6-5 heading to the fourth inning. The Thunder continued to roll as they plated two more in the fourth and fifth inning making the score at that point 10-10. The Thunder erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning, six of which were charged to Kerry Wood before he was lifted from the game. The Aeros kept it interesting when they added five more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Nick Weglarz doubled to start off the inning and before the Thunder could bring in bullpen help the Aeros strung together a total of four hits and scored five runs.

Eric Berger (0-1) was dealt the loss after lasting only three innings in his second outing for Akron. He walked six, struck out one, struggling to find the strike zone. Pendleton (1-2), who pitched collegiately at Rice University, allowed eight runs and eight hits in four innings and took the no-decision. Mills led the way offensively, finishing 2-3 with three RBI on his home run in the third inning. Fedroff, Weglarz, Goedert also finished with two hits apiece.

The Aeros have three games remaining at home before departing for a week long road trip. Right-hander Zach Putnam (2-1, 6.04 ERA), who last pitched against the Altoona Curve, will go for Akron against Thunder right-hander D.J. Mitchell (2-2, 6.63 ERA).

Hillcats Scratch Kinston 4-1

The Lynchburg Hillcats handed the Kinston Indians a 4-1 defeat Monday night in Virginia.

The Hillcats got to Kinston starter T.J. House with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second inning. Back-to-back singles from Chris McMurray and Miguel Rojas started the two-out trouble. After a wild pitch advanced each runner one base, McMurray would score on a passed ball by K-Tribe catcher Richard Martinez. After back-to-back walks to Justin Reed and Josh Fellhauer loaded the bases, Cody Puckett hit a ground ball which bounced off of House’s glove and then banged off the second base bag to score Rojas with the infield hit.

Kinston had a chance to come right back in the top of the third inning which started with a Ronald Rivas single. After Lucas Montero hit into a double play, Kinston tried a two-out rally of their own when Jordan Henry (just off of the disabled list) singled and Karexon Sanchez hit a double to the wall. After a Jason Kipnis walk loaded the bases, Kipnis was picked off of first base on a throw by Lynchburg catcher Chris McMurray to end the inning.

Bats on both sides would remain silent, until Neftali Soto hit a solo home run off of Kinston reliever Bryce Stowell in the seventh inning. Lynchburg added a run off of reliever David Roberts in the eighth, thanks to two singles and an RBI ground out. Kinston would score their only run of the game on a Roman Pena home run in the top of the ninth. Kinston managed six hits on the night. It was the third straight game that Kinston scored just one run.

House (0-3) gets the loss for Kinston, giving up seven hits and two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, he walked five and struck out four. The K-Tribe has scored just two runs with House on the mound this season. Stowell struck out six batters in 2 2/3 innings, giving up an earned run and two hits. Boxberger (3-1) picked up the win for Lynchburg.

The K-Tribe returns to City Stadium on Tuesday for game two of the four game set, Alexander Perez will be on the mound for Kinston. Game time 6:05 pm.

Loons Take Three of Four From the Captains

The Great Lakes Loons scored eight runs for the third game in a row and defeated the Lake County Captains 8-3 on Monday. The Loons scored 31 runs in the four game series and trail the first place Captains by only a half a game Eastern Division of the Midwest League.

The Captains jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jeremie Tice hit a solo home run off of Loons starter Will Savage, his second homer of the year. The lead did not last long as the Loons scored four times in the top of the fifth inning, scoring all four runs after two men were out. Christian Lara reached on an infield single and went to second on single by Angelo Songco. Blake Smith doubled home both runners and then scored when Jerry Sands hit his tenth home run of the season and the Loons led 4-1. Sands has hit six home runs against the Captains in seven games. The Loons upped the lead to 6-1 as Rafael Ynoa doubled home two runs in the top of the sixth inning off of Captains reliever Antwonie Hubbard.

The Captains added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Delvi Cid double and went to third base on a ground out. Roberto Perez grounded out and Cid scored to make it 6-2. The Loons made it 8-2 in the top of the seventh inning when Yohan Garcia hit his first home run of the year, a two run shot, off of Nick Sarianides. In the bottom of the seventh inning Greg Folgia tripled and scored on a double by Jason Smit and it was 8-3. It became 8-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Tice doubled home Roberto Perez and then scored when Casey Frawley doubled.

Captains starter Clayton Cook (1-3) took the loss working 4.2 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out three. Hubbard relieved Cook and 1.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits while walking one. Sarianides came on in the seventh inning and went the final three innings allowing two runs on four hits.

Loons starter Will Savage (2-1) got the win going seven innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out three. Luis Vasquez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get his fifth save of the year.

The Captains welcome the Dayton Dragons to Classic Park for a three game series beginning on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. This is the first visit to Eastlake for the Cincinnati Reds affiliate. The Captains will have RHP Trey Haley (1-0, 4.68) on the mound to oppose the Dragons RHP Pedro Villarreal (0-2, 4.33).

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Herrmann Hoping For Big League Chance

Right-handed reliever Frank Herrmann has done what so few in professional baseball do, which is to go from being an undrafted free agent signing to becoming a legitimate big league pitching option.

Herrmann, who turns 26 years old later this month, was signed by the Indians after the 2005 Draft when after all 50 rounds no one had signed him.  He was on their radar, but because he pitched at Harvard University - a school much more notorious for academics than athletics - teams passed on him.  But the Indians used their good rapport between their scouting department and several Ivy League schools to find Herrmann who had slipped between the cracks.

As an undrafted free agent signing, Herrmann was initially viewed more as an organizational player, which is a depth option where like most other undrafted pickups or cheap late round draft signings he would plug gaps in the system where needed for the next few seasons.

But upon coming into the organization and exposing himself to the Indians for the first time, the Indians found out they had something more than just organizational filler and that they had a potential gem in the making.  Four years later after a 30-23 record and 3.81 ERA in 127 appearances at four levels in the organization from 2006-2009, coming into this season Herrmann is on the major league doorstep and hopeful for a big league chance.

"That's what Mark Shapiro told me [this spring] is that I am not at [big league spring training] because I graduated through the system; they think I am legitimate bullpen depth for them,” said Herrmann in a recent interview at Huntington Park in Columbus.  “So it was nice to hear and hopefully that is the case and I can go up there this year.  It has been fun, but I am not where I want to be yet by any means."

So far this season Herrmann is building a great case to be added to the Indians bullpen at some point this year.  In nine appearances for Triple-A Columbus he is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA, and in 12.0 innings has allowed 7 hits, 5 walks, and has 8 strikeouts.  He has not surrendered a home run and International League hitters are only batting .171 off of him almost four weeks into the season.

Based on Herrmann’s performance to date it appears he is really beginning to settle into his bullpen role, one which was new to him last year.  Around this time last season the Indians made the mid-season switch by converting him from a starter to a reliever.  They felt his power sinking fastball which comes in at 91-94 MPH along with his size (6’4, 220 LBS), durability, strength, athleticism and consistency would be a good fit in the bullpen role.

Herrmann has power stuff in his arsenal as he also throws a power slider, changeup and a split-finger which was added to his repertoire last year.  He doesn’t pile up the strikeouts by any means, but instead pitches more to contact and gets hitters to roll over on balls for a lot of groundball outs.  He is continuing to work on developing his split-finger, a pitch which could be what makes or breaks his chances to make the big leagues as it would give him a true strikeout pitch.

Though Herrmann fared well in the role last year at Columbus (2.96 ERA, 44 games), he never really got completely comfortable until now.

"I am just continuing to do what I am doing,” said Herrmann.  “I think last year was about getting used to the bullpen and see how that is and continuing to work on my slider, which I am still doing and I am still throwing the splitter.  I am trying to strike out a few more guys, but not at the cost of what I do well which is throwing strikes, getting groundballs, and going deeper giving the team some length if they need it."

While Herrmann is very happy pitching in the bullpen, he would never rule out going back to starting.

"I [like the bullpen] just because I have a pretty durable arm where I can throw a little bit more consistently,” said Herrmann.  “If you have that bad day you can go back out there a day or two later.  Starting is kind of like high school football because you wait until the weekend because that is your big day.  If you have a bad game you have to sit on it for a week and think about it.  I like getting out there a little more frequently and being able to work on things.  I would never rule out going back to starting if they said they need me to start.  I like that I can do both if they need that flexibility, and I can provide it."

As an undrafted free agent it is a harder road to hoe to get that big league opportunity, especially after the influx of so many high level pitching prospects into the farm system after all the trades last season.
Non-roster invites to big league spring training camp are not easy to come by for players from within the Indians’ farm system.  The Indians simply don’t hand them out to guys just because they will be in Double-A or Triple-A, they give them to the guys who they think can help them at the big league level at some point in the upcoming season.  By giving them the invite, it allows the big league coaching staff and front office to get a longer look at them, in some cases their first actual look at them.

"It was awesome and it was a great experience,” said Herrmann about his first big league spring training camp he attended this year.  “Especially after four minor league camps where you always see those guys doing their own stretch, so it was cool being on the other side and getting a taste.  I was telling guys how valuable it is too.  If I do get called up this year and get the opportunity, I would feel a lot less intimidated as I faced Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz already, I was in the locker room with Sizemore, Hafner and those guys, and I know Tony [Amato] and all the clubhouse staff.  Even though it was just spring training, it just wouldn't be like you are called up and all of a sudden I am saying ‘where am I?’  Like the Winter Development Program, it just eases you into the process when you get up there.  They know what they are doing and they have it down pat by now."

Even better for Herrmann as well as the other young players who participated at spring training this year was the big league team has a completely new coaching staff.  There are no preconceived opinions of players and new Indians Manager Manny Acta and his staff went out of their way to get to know a lot of the young players who would be stashed at Double-A and Triple-A this year that they know at some point will be key pieces to the big league team in the near future.

"It's cool to have some fresh eyes on you at the big league level,” said Herrmann.  “I have been here for four years and I didn't really know Eric Wedge, Carl Willis et al.  [Pitching Coaching Tim] Belcher is really good as if you want to talk about anything you can go and ask him a question as he has the experience as a former player and is a smart guy and done the advanced scouting.  So I was happy to see a change, as I thought I was doing well and I never really got an opportunity."

Being in Triple-A the approach of the games and the makeup of the clubhouse is very close to how things are in the big leagues.  No longer are relievers going out to get work in on a set schedule, they now go into every game with a legit opportunity to pitch.  Also, the roster is peppered with players who have former Major League experience, some of them many years of experience who are trying to hang onto their playing career.

"I was just talking to Steven Wright about that the other day,” said Herrmann.  “Last year he was new to the bullpen too as [at Double-A Akron] he would throw and then have two days off and then throw again so he always knew when he would throw.  But now [here at Columbus] we don't know who it will be as it depends on the game situation whether we are ahead, tied or down.  It could be anyone.  We like that because that is how it is in the major leagues too.”

Unlike the previous offseason where Herrmann spent a lot of time applying his degree from Harvard working on Wall Street, he spent the better part of this past offseason getting ready for what is a big season for him.  In the process he also got engaged to his fiancé Joanna and moved across country from New Jersey to California.

"I didn't work on Wall Street [last offseason],” said Herrmann.  “I got engaged and moved to Manhattan Beach in California.  My fiancé is in grad school at USC.  She talked daily [to Jeff Stevens’ girlfriend Christina], and Joanna went out there to visit Christina and loved it, so she went to USC which was great for her program.  It’s a big change for a guy from New Jersey, but it’s awesome.  I was walking my dog on the beach and asking myself 'what am I doing?' as back home I'd be in the snow (laughs).  Jeff Stevens and I threw at Loyola Marymount.  My fiancé and his longtime girlfriend are good friends, so it was cool as we had some friends out there.  Stevens and his girlfriend both went to LMU which is the next town over from Manhattan Beach.  There is a good little network of pro guys that workout and throw together there."

As many Indians fans will recall, Jeff Stevens was in the organization for three years from 2006-2008 before being traded to the Chicago Cubs in the Mark DeRosa deal on December 31, 2008.  Stevens and Herrmann played together at Single-A Lake County in 2006, High-A Kinston in 2007 and at Akron in 2008, so became good friends and still keep in contact with one another.  His connection with Stevens is what ultimately led to him meeting his fiancé.

"Joanna and Christina would sit in the stands together in 2006 and 2007 and part of 2008 when he was there [in Akron],” said Herrmann.  “So we played together for parts of three seasons after the trade.  The wives and girlfriends have a lot of time when we go to the field at 1:30 for a game, so they go shopping and do their thing and a lot of times they become friends.  Jeff and I are good friends, and we had always kept in touch texting and that stuff.”

Herrmann’s wedding will be sometime this November and back on the East Coast in Boston where both of their families will be able to more easily attend.  But for now those wedding plans have taken a backseat as the main focus for him at the moment is to go out this year and have a solid season and possibly make his Major league debut.

"I think that would have to be it,” said Herrmann about his goal this year being to reach the big leagues.  “That's what it should be.  I did what I wanted to last year as I had a sub-three ERA and was able to pitch 75 innings.  I’m just trying to get there.  Once step at a time."

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @tlastoria.  His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.

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Akron's Week That Was: 4/26 - 5/2

The Aeros have had their fair share of bad stretches in this young season, but last week was certainly a stretch that they would love to forget. They played just five games this past week due to a rainout and off day but they couldn't win any of those five as they now fall into last place of the Western Division. After a two-game sweep in Altoona, the Aeros returned home to be swept by Binghamton.

Here is everything you need to know about the Aeros for the week of April 26th to May 2nd.

Record: 8-15 (Last Week: 0-5)
Standings: 6th in Western Division (8.5 GB)
Teams Faced (Record Against): @ Altoona (0-2), Binghamton (0-3)
Upcoming Week: Trenton (4), @ Reading (3)
Transactions: Activated C Miguel Perez, Deactivated C Alex Castillo, Placed RHP Connor Graham on 7-Day Disabled List, Placed RHP Erik Stiller on 7-Day Disabled List, Activated LHP Eric Berger From 7-Day Disabled List, Received RHP Steven Wright from Triple-A Columbus
Awards: Akron didn't receive any awards the past week.

Pitcher of the Week: Paolo Espino, RHP
10.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (1 ER), 6 BB, 11 K

Espino did his part to keep the Aeros in their games this past week. He didn't start on Tuesday but he threw five shutout innings in relief of Eric Berger, who took his spot in the rotation, however an injury to Connor Graham put him right back into the mix. He battled control issues in Sunday's contest with six walks and two wild pitches, but he at least gave the Aeros something other starters couldn't this week, innings. He also manged to strike out 11 hitters in the process. He did get tagged with a loss from Sunday's game, but with no offense support and a few infielder miscues.

Season History
Week 1: Zach Putnam
Week 2: Erik Stiller

Hitter of the Week: Nick Weglarz, OF
6/18, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 4/3 BB/K

Nick Weglarz is currently doing all he can to get the Aeros offense going, but one man can only do so much. Weglarz was walked four more times this past week in addition to the six hits he collected. He only knocked in two runs and scored twice, but he was 3-6 with three walks and a hit by pitch with runners on base this past week. Flat out pitchers are avoiding Weglarz in run scoring situations, but when he has gotten the chance, he's come through.

Season History
Week 1: Cord Phelps
Week 2: Cord Phelps

Weekly Spotlight: Vinnie Pestano, RHP
Every week one player on the Akron roster will get a spotlight on their outlook for the 2010 season and where they are currently at.

The kid gloves may finally be off Vinnie Pestano as he proves he's back from an injury to his elbow that cut his great 2009 season short from completion. Pestano saved 24 games for the club in 2009, all before the All-Star break. Then he came down with soreness and he eventually had to be shutdown completely.

As 2010 got underway, Pestano made his return to Akron at 25 years old, riding the line of being "too old" for the level he's at and possible major league prospect. Does he have a shot? If he can continue to put up numbers at the Akron level as he did last year and has so far, it will be hard to tell him he doesn't.

Pestano has pitched in 10 games so far with a 2.89 ERA and he recorded his first save on April 24th. Not only did Pestano start the season from Akron's first game, he hasn't experienced any bumps in the road. If he keeps it up only time will tell if he will be able to push his way out of a crowded Aeros bullpen and into Columbus.

Who's Hot?
Jared Goedert: Last 12 Games - 15 H, 13 RBI

A hot spring training performance has carried over into the regular season for Jared Goedert who is a man without a position. Goedert has forced his way into the lineup, mostly as the Designated Hitter position due to his sizzling performance at the plate. This past week he collected six runs batted in off eight hits. Goedert has nine RBI in his last 10 games and is hitting .314 on the season. He currently leads the team in RBI with 17 and has knocked in 13 of them in his last 12 games played in.

Better Times Ahead
Carlos Rivero: 3/20, 1 RBI, 1/5 K/BB

After showing more plate discipline, shortstop Carlos Rivero fell into some old habits this past week. He garnered just one walk and struck out five times in 20 at-bats this past week.

Rivero still hasn't kicked it into high-gear this season, which is par for the course based off the past few seasons. He has only three extra base hits, which is as many as backup infielder Josh Rodriguez has in 49 less at-bats.

Infirmary Report
Recapping any and all of the injuries in the past week.

Right-handed starter Connor Graham was placed on the disabled list this past week with an injury to a finger on his pitching hand.

The Aeros also lost a piece to their bullpen after placing right-hander Erik Stiller on the disabled list with back tightness when they received Steven Wright from Triple-A Columbus.

Weekly Randoms
For all the other random information that got away.

The Aeros have finally decided to put veteran catcher Miguel Perez to use, activating him to their roster. He replaces Alex Castillo who had been hitting .063 in eight games played thus far.

As a team the Aeros pitching staff has accumulated a 5.63 ERA, bad enough to be the worst in the Eastern League. They've let up 26 more runs than the next closest team, Binghamton has in 23 games this season. They've also walked more hitters than any other team, but they do lead the EL in strikeouts.

The Aeros have stolen just four bases this season, three of them by leadoff hitter Tim Fedroff. However they simply don't run a lot as they've also only been caught only three times.

The double play tandem of Cord Phelps and Carlos Rivero have accounted for six of the 19 errors this season. Josh Rodriguez has played in just nine games, but he's committed three errors as well.

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Game Recap 5/2: White Dominates, Smith Blows Lead

White Deals, But Tribe falls to Salem 2-1

Alex White had his best outing of the season, but Salem came back late to walk off with a 2-1 win Sunday afternoon in Virginia. White went a season high seven innings, giving up just two hits (both singles) while walking one and striking out five. Just like his last outing, White had a no hitter going into the fifth inning.

Kinston would score their only run of the game when Jason Kipnis was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. After an error on Salem shortstop Ryan Dent allowed Doug Pickens to reach, Abner Abreu grounded into a double play. Kipnis would later score on an infield single up the third base line by Kyle Bellows. Kinston would manage just two other hits in the game, a Karexon Sanchez single in the third inning (extending his hit streak to 12 games) and a single by Abreu in the sixth.

After Matt Langwell delivered a perfect inning for Kinston in the bottom of the eighth, the Indians tried to protect a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth inning, closer Steve Smith walked both Mitch Dening and Peter Hissey to lead off the frame. After an RBI double by Oscar Tejeda drove in Dening and tied the game at one, Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked to load the bases. Salem’s Ryan Lavarnway then delivered his Carolina League leading 25th RBI on a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hissey and giving the Red Sox a 2-1 walk-off win. Smith (0-2) picked up his second loss and blown save of the season, walking three and giving up two earned runs.

The K-Tribe stays on the road for a four game set with the Lynchburg Hillcats, beginning Monday night at 6:05 pm in the hill city. T.J. House will get the start for Kinston.

Pino, Clippers double up Charlotte

Columbus didn't reach double-digits in the runs column Sunday afternoon, but thanks in large part to Yohan Pino, they didn't need it. The Clippers starter went six strong innings and the bullpen was stalwart again in a 6-3 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs.

Columbus started with early offense as Shelley Duncan and Brian Buscher each hit RBI singles in the 1st inning for a 2-0 lead that would be expanded upon in the 2nd frame. Jason Donald tripled home a pair of runs and then scored on a Carlos Santana double for a 5-0 lead that the Chiefs would never seriously threaten.

Pino allowed single runs to score in the 2nd, 4th and 6th innings and pitched his way out of a bit of trouble to finish six innings before handing the ball off to Frank Herrmann. Herrmann threw two perfect innings of relief to lower his season ERA to 0.75. Jess Todd pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save of the year.

Game three of the series will be a 6:35 first pitch Monday evening with Josh Tomlin throwing for Columbus against the Chiefs Shairon Martis.

Aeros Swept By B-Mets

The Akron Aeros were swept by the Binghamton Mets in their three-game series at Canal Park on Sunday. Aeros starting pitcher Paolo Espino started the game allowing only three hits through the first four innings. The Aeros offense recorded nine hits but was only able to send one player across the plate. The Aeros started the season against the B-Mets with a 3-1 record and now have a 3-4 record against them after being swept at Canal Park. The Aeros losing streak has now reached five games, which is now tied for the longest of the 2010 season.

The B-Mets got on the board first in the top of the first inning when Kirk Nieuwenhuis reached base on a throwing error by Carlos Rivero, his third error of the season. Nieuwenhuis stole second base off starter Paolo Espino before Luis Hernandez singled to centerfield scoring Nieuwenhuis from second base.

The B-Mets got back on the board in the second inning when Hector Pellot walked and moved around the bases on two wild pitches by Espino. The Aeros only time crossing the plate came in the fifth inning when OF Tim Fedroff connected with his first home run of the season, which sailed into the bleachers in right-field. The Mets were silenced until the eighth inning when they scored three more times, making the score 6-1.

Aeros starter Paolo Espino made it through five innings on Sunday afternoon against the Mets. Espino gave up four hits and three runs while walking six and striking out five. Espino is now 1-1 on the year with a 4.15 ERA through five games with Akron. Espino has given up 14 runs in 26 innings of work, while walking 15 and striking out 20.

The Aeros are back in action tomorrow night where they welcome in the Trenton Thunder for a four-game series at Canal Park and look to put a stop to their five game losing streak.

Captain Shutout By the Loons 8-0

Four home runs and terrific pitching by the Great Lakes Loons spelled doom for the Lake County Captains as the Loons shutout the Captains 8-0 on Sunday. The Captains lead in the Eastern Division of the Midwest League is now 1.5 games over Great Lakes.

The Loons grabbed an early lead for the third straight game when Angelo Songco hit a solo home run off of Captains starter Austin Adams in the top of the first. Two batters later Jerry Sands hit a two run homer, his fifth this season against the Captains, and it was 3-0. It became 6-0 when Christian Lara smashed a three run home run in the top of the second inning. The Loons added a run in the top of the fifth inning on a RBI single by Lara and it was 7-0. Lara added solo shot in the top of the eighth inning and it was 8-0. Lara ended up with five RBI’s.

Captains starter Austin Adams (0-2) took the loss working three innings and allowing six runs on six hits, walking six and striking out three. Captains reliever Matt Packer inherited a bases loaded situation in the top of the fourth inning and struck out the side in his one inning of work. Marty Popham came on in the fifth inning and threw five innings allowing two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two.

Loons starter Allen Webster (4-1) got the win going six scoreless innings allowing only three his while striking out seven. At one point, he retired 15 batters in a row. Matt Magill came on in the seventh inning and went three scoreless innings striking out five to pick up his second save of the year.

The Captains and Loons wrap up the four game series on Monday at 6:30 PM with the Captains sending RHP Clayton Cook (1-2, 3.79) to the mound against the Loons RHP Will Savage (1-1, 1.90).

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Looking Back at the Draft: 1994

The year is 1994.

Nancy Kerrigan is assaulted under orders from her figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Record cold temperatures hit the Midwest, including the lowest recorded temperature in Indiana state history (-36 degrees). President Bill Clinton delivers his first State of the Union Address, calling for health care reform, welfare reform, and a ban on assault weapons. Aldrich Ames and his wife are accused and convicted for spying for the Soviet Union. Bill Clinton withdraws all U.S. troops from Somalia. Schindler's List wins seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, kills himself with a shotgun blast to the head. The "Chunnel" opens after seven years of construction, allowing quick travel from England to France. Nelson Mandela is sworn in as President of South Africa. The O.J. Simpson saga begins with the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings lead police on a low-speed chase throughout Los Angeles. Four ceiling tiles fall from the roof of the Kingdome just prior to a Mariners game. Iraq announces its intentions to stop cooperating with UNSCOM inspectors and again deploys troops to its border with Kuwait. After the US deploys troops to Kuwait, Iraq is forced to back down. The Whitewater investigation into the Clintons' illegal land deals begins.

The Indians move to the newly established AL Central Division and the brand new Jacobs Field. They are able to clinch a playoff spot with a 66-47 record before the players strike puts a premature end to the season. Eight of the nine Indians starters hit 12 or more home runs, and a new era in Indians baseball begins.

Indians 1st round pick: With the 10th overall pick in the 1st round, the Indians selected pitcher Jaret Wright out of Katella High School in Anaheim, CA. Wright made his Indians debut in 1997 in the middle of a pennant race, and the 21-year old did not disappoint. He went 8-3 in 16 starts in the regular season, but saved the real fireworks for the playoffs. Named the Indians Game 2 starter in the ALDS against the hated Yankees, Wright gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning in the Bronx. He promptly settled down to throw 5 scoreless innings after that to get the win and even the series at 1-1. When Sandy Alomar's heroics forced a Game 5, Wright got the ball and threw 5/13 innings giving up 2 runs and striking out 5. He only pitched in one game in the ALCS against Baltimore (giving up 5 runs in 3 IP in a no-decision), but came back strong in the World Series against Florida. He won Game 4, and was on the line to be the winner in Game 7 before...well, if you're reading this you probably know what ended up happening in Game 7. Wright was the toast of the town despite the series loss, and the future seemed unlimited for the young righthander. The Indians refused to include him in a trade package for Expos righty Pedro Martinez, who eventually went to Boston. Unfortunately, Wright was never able to replicate his postseason success, and was really never more than a league-average pitcher. He had a low strikeout rate and allowed far too many baserunners. His career WHIP was 1.55 and struck out 694 batters in 972 2/3 innings. Wright wasn't a bust, but he sure was a tease.

Best 1st round pick: This was a tough call, but in the end for me at least, consistency and longevity won out over short-term success. So I'm going with current White Sox 1B Paul Konerko, selected 13th overall by the Dodgers as a catcher. Konerko has 337 career home runs and counting, and hit 20 or more in 10 out of the last 11 seasons. Konerko has always been an Indians killer, and currently is the league leader in home runs with 11 so he clearly isn't slowing down too much.

Honorable mention: Nomar Garciaparra was selected 12th overall, just one pick before Konerko. Nomar hit .313 for his career, including a high of .372 in 2000 and won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1997 when he went for a line of .306/30/98 with 22 steals...The 14th overall selection also ended up playing for the Red Sox, but catcher Jason Varitek was originally drafted by the Mariners. Varitek has had several solid years in Boston, including winning the Silver Slugger in 2005 despite having a lower batting average, OBP, fewer RBI's, doubles and walks than Victor Martinez. He did have 2 more home runs though...Not much in 1994's 1st round outside of picks 12-14, two of which went to Georgia Tech and ended up playing in Boston.

Indians best pick: In the 7th round, the Indians selected Russell "The Muscle" Branyan out of a Macon, GA high school. Branyan was one of the top power prospects in all of minor league baseball for several years, but had trouble breaking into the loaded Indians lineups in the mid-to late 1990's. He also had trouble making contact with the baseball when he did get into the lineup, posting some prodigious strikeout totals. But when he does make contact, the ball tends to travel a long, long way. Branyan is a career .234 hitter with 164 home runs, and his best season came last year in Seattle when he hit .251/31/76 in just 431 at bats. Branyan is limited with back issues, but if he can get healthy he can still hit home runs. And also strike out a lot.

Honorable mention: Not much else good to say about the 1994 draft. The Indians did pick up a solid reliever in the 4th round with their selection of the Vietnamese born Danny Graves. Graves didn't pitch much in Cleveland, and was packaged in a deal to Cincy for pitcher John Smiley in 1997. Graves finished his career with a 43-44 record, 182 saves and a 110 ERA+. He saved 27 or more games 4 seasons in a row before the Reds disastrously tried to make him a starter in 2003. He responded by going 4-15 with a 5.33 ERA. That experiment was over, and Graves came back and saved 41 games for the Reds in 2004.

Best early round picks: Third baseman Aaron Boone was selected in the 3rd round by the Reds...The Expos picked up pitcher Javier Vazquez in the 5th round...San Francisco picked up two solid relievers in the early rounds, taking Bobby Howry in the 5th and Keith Foulke in the 9th. Unfortunately for the Giants, both players would have the majority of their success outside of San Fran.

Best late round picks: The Astros plucked shortstop Julio Lugo out of the 43rd round...Speedy outfielder Dave Roberts was selected in the 28th round by the Tigers, and the Red Sox still might be "cursed" to this day if he hadn't stolen that base in the ALCS against the Yankees...Boston picked up starting pitcher Carl Pavano in the 13th round...Slick fielding Placido Palonco went to St. Louis in 19th round...Flamethrowing reliever Kyle Farnsworth was selected in the 47th round by the Cubs.

The ones that got away: The White Sox took Canadian closer Eric Gagne in the 30th round, but he didn't sign...Minnesota took outfielder David Dellucci in the 11th round, but they were unable to come to terms...Pitcher Tim Hudson was selected by the A's in the 35th round, but he didn't sign until the A's picked him again in 1997...San Diego took power hitting corner infielder Troy Glaus in the 2nd round, but they were unable to come to terms...Baltimore selected current Rangers 3B Michael Young in the 25th round, but didn't sign...Outfielder J.D. Drew was able to conduct the 1st of his 2 holdouts when he was chosen in the 20th round by the Giants.

Other interesting picks: Future Indians 5th starter Scott Elarton was chosen 25th overall by the Astros...The Brewers selected IF Ronnie Belliard in the 8th round...Future Browns 3rd string QB Josh Booty was selected 5th overall by the Marlins out of LSU. Booty wasn't much better as a baseball player than he was as a football player, and that's saying something.

Indians June 1994 draft:

1. Jaret Wright, RHP

3. Rick Jeiserman, RHP
4. Danny Graves, RHP
5. Pepe McNeal, C
6. Gonzalo Mojica, RHP
7. Russell Branyan, 3B
8. David Caldwell, LHP
9. Brad Tiller, SS
10. Jay Vaught, RHP
11. Blair Jensen, SS
12. Robert Oldham, RHP
13. Scott Kramer, RHP
14. Bryan Warner, OF
15. Quinn Murphy, SS
16. Julius Matos, SS
17. Thomas Bennett, RHP
18. Ronald Wallech, RHP
19. Darren Stumberger, 1B
20. Jim Betzsold, OF
21. Patrick Evans, C
22. Micah Stovall, LHP
23. Lenny Weber, RHP
24. Ted Warrecker, RHP
25. Jonathan Choate, OF
26. Arnold Santiago, 1B
27. Christian Parker, RHP
28. Ricky Gutierrez, 2B
29. Brian Duva, OF
30. Bruce Aven, OF
31. Heath Hayes, 3B
32. Scot Donovan, RHP
33. Brad O'Malley, RHP
34. Chris Granata, RHP
35. William Hill, 2B
36. Tony Dougherty, RHP
37. Chip Glass, OF
38. Todd Abbott, RHP
39. Danny Ardoin, C
40. Marty Heminger, RHP
41. Mike Skeeles, LHP
42. Matthew Culp, 1B
43. Nick De La Cruz, SS
44. Chan Perry, 1B
45. Walter Owens, OF
46. Mike Mastrullo, 2B
47. Denny Wagner, RHP
48. Zane Gamewell, RHP
49. Gary Anderson, RHP
50. Jimmy Jones, RHP
51. Steven Ortiz, LHP
52. James Lowry, LHP
53. Tyler Cheff, C
54. Jason Walker, LHP
55. Brian Wagner, C
56. Joel Gallimore, RHP
57. Brad Thomas, RHP
58. Jason Morones, LHP
59. Chris Enochs, RHP
60. Robert O'Brien, 1B
61. Randy Crane, RHP
62. Juan Mussenden, 1B
63. Brian Hincy, RHP
64. Sean Murphy, 3B
65. Jason Gooding, LHP

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The Sunday Drive With the K-Tribe: Offensive Explosion Fails to Bring Consistency

It's becoming quite evident that the Kinston Indians aren't going to be an easy team to figure out during the early part of the Carolina League season. When the season started, it was a known commodity that the K-Tribe's starting rotation was one of the best in all of baseball. Their offense was a bit of a question mark. Although anchored by top-ten products Abner Abreu and Jason Kipnis, the rest of the team is filled out without any other top prospects to speak of.

The season started off according to form, with the K-Tribe leading the league in nearly every major pitching category, while the offense was at the bottom of the league in most of the offensive categories. As the season has moved into May, the offense has slowly improved. This week, the team exploded for two games of 10+ runs, while the starters rolled out an ERA of nearly 5.00. It would explain the confounding pattern of winning, then losing. Kinston went 3-3 this week, without winning or losing two games in a row. At some point, you have to believe that the offense and pitching will find a way to both perform at the same time. If they don't, it's going to be a long season.

Now, as I watch the Cavs batter the old-as-dirt Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter of game one, let's get the party started for week four...

Week 4 Games:

April 25 v. Myrtle Beach, W 15-2 (WP: T. McFarland; LP: C. Rohrbough)
April 27 v. Lynchburg, L 2-4 (WP: B. Boxberger; LP: A. White; SV: J. Freeman)
April 28 v. Lynchburg, W 5-3 (WP: T. Turek; LP: A. Bowman; SV: S. Smith)
April 29 v. Lynchburg, L 6-7 (WP: M. Serrano; LP: A. Perez; SV: J. Freeman)
April 30 @ Salem, W 12-2 (WP: K. De La Cruz; LP: S. Pimentel)
April 1 @ Salem, L 1-5 (WP: B. Huntzinger; LP: N. Hagadone; SV: M. Lee)

Week 4 Offense:

The K-Tribe offense, although inconsistent overall, had their best week-to-date. They rolled in with a .291 average for the week even after being held to two hits to the Salem Red Sox on Saturday night. The 45-point jump in average over the past week helped improve their overall average to .246. The team had 23 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles and eight home runs. The most impressive stat of the week for this offense was their drop in strikeout totals. While they still lead the league overall, they managed to only strike out in 21% of their at bats this week, which is below the league average of 22%. Last week, the Indians were striking out at a 30% clip, which is an alarming rate. Overall, the K-Tribe struck out 42 times, while walking 36 times. The offense did remain a bit inconsistent, scoring 32 runs in three wins, and nine runs in three losses (four of those runs in a ninth-inning comeback that fell short against Lynchburg on Thursday night).

Jason Kipnis remains the offensive star, and continues to play solid defense in his move to the infield. He hit at a .529 clip, while scoring seven runs and stealing his first base of the season. Kipnis went 8-9 in the K-Tribe's three victories. Kipnis is currently fourth in the league in batting, at .365, while in the top ten in runs, hits, homers, OBP, slugging and OPS. With rumors surrounding Jason Donald and a potential move to the bigs from Columbus, it will be interesting to see what the Tribe does down the affiliate line. If Valbuena stays at the big league level, than it's likely that Cord Phelps and Jason Kipnis move up the line. I do believe Cleveland would move Valbuena down, and hold Phelps and Kipnis where they are for the time being, but a move could be imminent. If Kipnis goes, this offense gets a lot worse.

Karexon Sanchez continued to be the glue of the team. He started off the week with three starts at 2B, while Kipnis DH-ed. He then slid into the DH role for two games, exchanging with Kipnis. He ended the week at third base. Overall, Sanchez batted .391 for the week, with a home run and four RBI. He's third in the league in OBP, top ten in walks, and top 15 in the league in OPS and slugging. This kid is going to be a major utility player when he makes the bigs, which could be in quick form. Overall, Sanchez is batting .317.

Catcher Doug Pickens continued to have a solid season, going 4-13 with two homers and five RBI. His counterpart, Catcher Richard Martinez also batted .300 for the week in his three starts. In a system that is top-heavy in catching prospects, it's good to see production from Pickens and Martinez.

Abner Abreu went 6-24, hitting in four of the six games during the week. He scored five runs and drove in six batters, and does seem to be coming out of his early slump. Third baseman Kyle Bellows had another plus week, going 5-17, as did Nate Recknagel, who went 5-19, with four runs scored. Left Fielder Roman Pena led the team in RBI for the week, going 3-11 with eight RBI.

Week 4 Bullpen:

This week, the bullpen was clearly far superior than the starting pitchers. Overall, the relievers went 31 innings (eight more than the starters), giving up nine earned runs, while walking 10 and striking out 23 batters. The bullpen ERA was 2.61 on the week. The bullpen should remain fresh, as only three saw action in more than one game, while one of those aforementioned three is a glorified starter (T.J. McFarland). I'm not sure how this will play with regards to consistency as the season progresses, but at least the arms will stay healthy.

T.J. McFarland led the team in innings, going 12 1/3 as Nick Hagadone's piggy-back. In two games this week, McFarland gave up ten hits, two earned runs, two walks, while striking out seven, with a 3.00 ERA for the week. As soon as Hagadone finds a way to actually pitch like a starter, and make it past the fifth inning, McFarland will be starting for Kinston.

Travis Turek rebounded from a rough start by going four strong innings, giving up only one hit, one walk and one run, while striking out two and getting a win. Turek was struggling, but his big week should obviously help out his confidence on such a team with this many talented arms. David Roberts also had a nice week, going three innings with two hits, one walk, while striking out three. Brett Brach went two innings, giving up two hits while striking out one batter.

Bryce Stowell gave up his first earned run of the season on Friday night. He came out struggling, giving up back-to-back walks, followed by back-to-back singles to give up the run. He then settled down with a fly out, before mowing down eight in a row, striking out six of those batters.

Matt Langwell gave up his second run of the season in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Joey Mahalic struggled in his first relief appearance of the year. He's now the piggy-back to Alexander Perez, and didn't seem to like it much. In 3 2/3, Mahalic gave up three hits, three earned runs and three walks, while striking out three. Closer Steve Smith did get another save, his fifth of the season, while giving up one hit and one earned run. He seems to be falling into the typical Tribe closer role, of letting at least two guys on base, and one to score before getting the save.

Week 4 Starters:

The Kinston starters really struggled this week, going 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA for the week. It wasn't all bad, but Saturday night's start by Nick Hagadone really put an exclamation point on the worst week of the season for the K-Tribe starters. On the plus side, the starters struck out 28 batters and walked only 13 in only 22 innings pitched. There seems to be a big struggle getting people out with a minimal amount of pitches, which shows just how immature these arms are. There isn't a lot of pitching going on, just a lot of hard-throwing.

Kelvin De La Cruz and T.J. House were the beacons of light during this week's mess. De La Cruz continued his comeback, going five innings, giving up only two hits and a run, while walking three and striking out six in getting his second win of the season. There still seems to be some control issues, but they get better with each start. De La Cruz still may prove to be the best starter of the bunch. He doesn't have the best arm, but he does have the most mature repertoire, and knows how to locate his pitches.

House continued his big year, going five innings, giving up three hits, a run, two walks and six K's as well. House has had a spectacular year, and leads all starters with 23 K's. I'm not sure many folks would have predicted that he'd be ahead of Hagadone and White on the K-Meter, but there he stands. There was some head-scratching a couple of days ago when House was sent to Lake County, but it was only a move on paper, as he was called back up just a day later. The move was to activate Alexander Perez from the DL, and he won't be missing a start.

Nick Hagadone gave up his first run last Sunday, before getting shelled by the Red Sox on Saturday night. He went 2/3 of an inning, giving up three hits, three earned runs and three walks, while only striking out one batter before getting pulled for McFarland. There were no reports of any injuries, so obviously the Red Sox must have had a nice report on their former top prospect.

Alex White went 5 1/3, giving up seven hits and four earned runs. He walked only two, while striking out seven. On paper, it wasn't the best start, but he's still looking strong, and has overpowering stuff. He should continue to improve dramatically over the year.

Alexander Perez made his first start, just getting his feet wet with three innings of work. He gave up four hits, two runs and a walk, while striking out three. The big news is that he made it through without re-injuring anything, so his numbers should improve as he gets more innings under his belt.

Offensive player of the week: Jason Kipnis
Relief pitcher of the week: T.J. McFarland
Staring pitcher of the week: Kelvin De La Cruz

Player of the week: Jason Kipnis

This Week:

May 2--@ Salem
May 3--@ Lynchburg
May 4--@ Lynchburg
May 5--@ Lynchburg
May 6--@ Lynchburg
May 7--v. Potomac
May 8--v. Potomac

The Rearviewmirror: Perhaps we'll get lucky and the Celtics will be licking their wounds after getting swept by the Cavs. Watching Glen "Big Baby Fat" Davis whine and complain after a foul that draws blood is too much for me to take for very long without an aneurysm.

I'd also like to send a see-you-later to these inconsistent weeks. I'd love to see just one week that saw the pitching and hitting come together. When it does, it's going to be scary.

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Game Recap 5/1: Brown's 6 RBI Sparks Clippers

Clippers Crush Syracuse 13-2

The Clippers greeted the Syracuse Chiefs rudely to Huntington Park Saturday night with a 13-2 drubbing in the series opener. Jordan Brown drove in a career-high 6 runs and went 2-4 with his 1st double of the season.

Jeanmar Gomez' outing may have gotten lost in the offensive explosion for Columbus, but the Venezuelan righty twirled a very effective outing, going six innings and allowing just two runs on six hits. Jeremy Sowers, Joe Smith and Saul Rivera each tossed a shutout inning of relief.

The Clippers got on the board early with an RBI single from Wes Hodges and Jordan Brown's 1st RBI of the contest from a sacrifice fly. The Chiefs got a solo home run from Chris Duncan, brother of Clipper Shelley Duncan to make it 2-1 but that is as close as the game would get. Columbus poured on four runs in both the 5th and 6th innings and scored three more times in the 7th.

The win moves the Clippers to 15-9 and gives them a 2-game lead in the West Division over Toledo. Game two of the series takes place Sunday afternoon at 1:05 with Yohan Pino on the hill for Columbus taking on The Chief's Colin Balester.

Akron Continues Losing Woes, Fall 11-5

The Akron Aeros fell to the Binghamton Mets in game two of their seven-game home stand Saturday afternoon in front of 1,963 fans at Canal Park. Aeros starting pitcher Scott Barnes started the game on fire as he set down the first nine batters before Lucas Duda connected with his fifth home run of the season. Barnes lasted 5.1 innings, which is his longest outing of the 2010 season. The Aeros losing streak has now reached four games.

The Aeros got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when Tim Fedroff started the game off with a single and advanced to second base on a fielding error by Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Nick Weglarz singled to right-field which allowed Fedroff to score. Aeros 1B Beau Mills singled to right-field to allow Nick Weglarz to come around and cross the plate before Carlos Rivero flew out to Carlos Guzman to end the inning. The Aeros paced the Mets all game long before falling behind in the ninth inning.

Binghamton sealed the deal in the top of the ninth inning, as they were able to send five runners across the plate. Brahiam Maldonado and Carlos Guzman started the inning off with two straight singles before Kirk Nieuwenhuis sacrificed them to second and third. D.J. Wabick was brought into the game as a pinch hitter and was intentionally walked loading the bases. Lucas Duda singled to left field which allowed Maldonado to score. Zach Lutz then connects with a single up the middle allowing Guzman to score. Luis Hernandez came to the plate with bases loaded and connected with his second triple of the season allowing three more Mets to cross the plate leaving the Aeros down 11-5.

Aeros starter Scott Barnes made it through five innings on Saturday afternoon against the Mets. Edell gave up six hits and six runs while walking three and striking out four. Barnes is now 0-3 on the year with a 8.71 ERA through five starts with Akron. Barnes 20 runs in 20.2 innings of work this season.

The Aeros are back in action tomorrow afternoon where they look to put a stop to their four-game losing streak.

Salem Beats Kinston 5-1

A night after banging out 12 runs on a season high 19 hits; Salem stopped the Kinston bats in route to a 5-1 win Saturday night in Virginia. Great defense and timely pitching helped Salem limit Kinston to just two hits on the night.

Kinston starter Nick Hagadone was greeted rudely by his former teammates in the first inning. Hagadone, who was traded from the Boston Red Sox organization to Cleveland last year for Victor Martinez, walked three and gave up three singles in a three run frame. Hagadone (0-1) was taken out of the game with two outs in the bottom of the first. Hagadone gave up three earned runs, while striking out one batter. T.J. McFarland came in from the pen for the K-Tribe, settling things down with 6 1/3 innings of solid work. McFarland gave up six hits and just one earned run, on a home run by Salem’s Ryan Dent in the fifth inning. McFarland’s ERA is now just 0.92 through 19 plus innings of work this season. Travis Turek did not give up a hit, pitching the eighth inning for Kinston.

Kinston managed just two hits on the night, scoring in the third inning when Jason Kipnis drove home Adam Davis on a sacrifice fly. The K-Tribe’s only hit through the first eight innings came off the bat of Karexon Sanchez who extended his hit streak to eleven games. Doug Pickens added the only other hit, a single in the top of the ninth. The Indians had their share of base runners as Salem’s starter Brock Huntzinger (1-2) scattered five walks over five innings. Huntzinger gave up one hit and struck out two. Salem’s Michael Lee picked up the save, giving up just one hit over the final four innings. Lee walked just one batter and struck out four.

The two teams meet up for the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at 4:05 pm in Virginia. Greenville, NC native Alex White will get the start for the K-Tribe.

Captains Fall To Loons

Blake Smith cracked two home runs and drove in three runs to lead the Great Lakes Loons to an 8-6 victory over the Lake County Captains on Saturday. The Captains wiped out a four run deficit but could not hang on. The Captains are 2.5 games ahead of the second place Loons.

Once again the Captains found themselves down early as Blake Smith hit a solo home run off of Captains starter Danny Salazar with two outs in the top of the first inning to give the Loons a 1-0 lead. The Loons added a run in the top of the third inning when Rafael Ynoa doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. He scored on a wild pitch uncorked by Salazar and it was 2-0.

It became 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning when Salazar walked Austin Yount and he came around to score on a two run home run from Lenell McGee.

The Captains tied it up in the fourth inning loading the bases with no outs. Jeremie Tice and Chris Kersten knocked in runs with ground outs leaving a Casey Frawley at third base. Adam Abraham followed with a two run home run, his second homer of the year, and it was 4-4.

The Captains took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when with runners at second and third and two outs, Casey Frawley plated Argenis Martinez with the go ahead run with a RBI infield single and then Tice followed with a single to drive in Delvi Cid and the Captains led 6-4.

The Loons put up four runs in the top of the seventh inning off of Chris Jones highlighted by Smith’s second home run of the day, a two run shot, and the Loons regained the lead 8-6.

Captains starter Danny Salazar did not get a decision working four innings and allowing four runs on three hits, walking two and striking out one. Jones (2-2) replaced Salazar in the fifth inning and got the loss allowing four runs n five hits, walking one and striking out two. Loons starter Brett Wallach did not factor in the decision going five innings and allowing four runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. J.B. Paxson (1-0) came on in the sixth inning gave up the two runs but got the win. Luis Vasquez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to register his fourth save of the year.

The Captains and Loons play game three of the four game series on Sunday at 1:00PM with the Captains sending RHP Austin Adams (0-1, 2.20) to the mound against the Loons RHP Allen Webster (3-1, 2.20).

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Columbus Video Recap: April 2010

Here is a video recap of all the Triple-A Columbus Clippers videos I shot when out in Columbus two weeks ago. Thanks again to Michael Taylor for the assistance with editting these down and adding a nice professional touch to the videos with the graphics and such.

I will get more video of more players the next time I visit Columbus in a few weeks, but for now this grouping showcases the following players: Anderson Herandez, Brian Bixler, Brian Buscher, Brian Horwitz, Carlos Santana, Carlton Smith, Damaso Espino, Frank Herrmann, Jason Donald, Jeanmar Gomez, Jose Constanza, Russell Branyan, Shelley Duncan, Steven Wright, Trevor Crowe, Wes Hodges, and Yohan Pino. As you will see there is no discrimination as to who is a prospect or not, as the sole purpose is to try and represent as many players as possible playing in Columbus.

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Game Recap 4/30: Kipnis Has Another Big Night

Kinston Stops Sox 12-2

The K-Tribe banged out a season high 19 hits, beating Salem 12-2 Friday night in Virginia. Kinston put up a season high seven runs, on six hits in the top of the fourth inning, breaking the game open early.

Kinston started the scoring in the first inning when Jason Kipnis hit a home run to right field, his team leading third round tripper of the season. The Indians added a run in the top of the second inning when Abner Abreu scored on a passed ball. Kinston led 2-1 going into the big fourth inning.

With two-on and two-outs in the top of the fourth inning, Karexon Sanchez walked to load the bases. Donnie Webb, in his first action in a week, stepped to the plate and delivered a bases clearing double off of the wall, giving Kinston a 5-1 lead. Kipnis followed with a single. Webb would then score on a successful double steal attempt as Kipnis took second and Webb scampered home. Nate Recknagel then followed with an RBI single as Kinston took a 7-1 lead. After an Abner Abreu double, Kyle Bellows would drive Abreu and Recknagel home with a single. Bellows went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI in the fourth inning alone. The K-Tribe would continue the barrage, scoring three more two-out runs in the fifth inning. The runs came courtesy of a Webb RBI single and a two RBI double from Abreu.

The 19 hits were the most put up by a K-Tribe team since putting up 20 against Myrtle Beach in August of 2009. Kipnis went 4-for-4, with three runs scored. He was a triple shy of the cycle. Recknagel was 3-for-5 with a run scored; Bellows went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Webb went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI. Rivas and Abreu also added two hits a piece for Kinston.

The K-Tribe also got solid pitching, as Kelvin De La Cruz (2-2), picked up the win, giving up two hits and an earned run in five innings. De La Cruz walked three and struck out a season high six. Bryce Stowell gave up his first earned run of the season, but retired the final nine batters he faced, striking out a season high six in relief. David Roberts came in for a perfect final 1 1/3 innings, striking out one for Kinston. Stolmy Pimentel (2-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season for Salem.

Game two of the three game series continues Saturday night in Salem at 6:05 pm. Nick Hagadone will get the start on the mound for Kinston.

Clippers Lose Series Finale

The Columbus Clippers had to come from behind in all three wins against the Charlotte Knights in the series leading up to Friday night's contest, but there was no rally magic in the finale of the series as the Knights managed a 9-2 victory. Tyler Flowers was the big bat for Charlotte, going 3-4 with a home run and 5 RBIs.

Hector Rondon once again was a model of inconsistency, allowing three runs in the 1st inning, and then mowing down nine batters in a row before giving up three more runs in the 5th, which would be his final inning of work. Mike Gosling allowed one run on four hits over three innings of work. Steven Wright pitched the 9th, giving up two runs on 3 hits.

Jeff Marquez had pitched poorly in four previous starts, but found his groove against the Clippers, tossing six innings and allowing only 2 runs, both of which came in the bottom of the 3rd when Shelley Duncan and Wes Hodges both had RBI singles. Freddy Dolsi and Wes Whisler would keep the Clippers off the scoreboard for the rest of the night.

Columbus welcomes the Syracuse Chiefs into Huntington Park for a Saturday night game that will feature the first ever fireworks display at Huntington Park. Jeanmar Gomez will start for the Clippers against the Chief's J.D. Martin. 1st pitch is slated for 7:05pm.

Akron Falls 8-7 In Extras

The Akron Aeros fell to the Binghamton Mets in the opening game of the seven game home stand Friday night at Canal Park 8-7. Aeros starting pitcher Ryan Edell was given a five run cushion going into the second inning after the Aeros offense came alive. Edell lasted a little more than three innings on Friday night against the Mets before the bullpen was called into the game. Edell allowed seven runs on nine hits, allowing two walks and striking out six Binghamton Mets. The Aeros fall five games under .500 with a record of 8-13 on the season after Friday’s defeat to the Binghamton Mets.

The Aeros scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning, giving starting pitcher Ryan Edell a nice lead to work with during the game. The Mets scored one run in the first innings and another in the second inning before exploding for five runs in the top of the fourth inning, which gave them the lead 7-6. The Aeros answered back in the bottom of the fifth inning, making it a 7-7 ballgame. The Mets recorded a season high four triples in the game, all off starting pitcher Ryan Edell. The Aeros bullpen put together a solid outing not allowing a run until the top of the 10th inning when Aeros reliever Vinnie Pestano threw a wild pitch into the backstop allowing Kirk Nieuwenhuis to take first base. The Mets then scored when Lucas Duda reached on a fielding error by Nick Weglarz, allowing Nieuwenhuis to cross the plate putting the Mets up 8-7.

Aeros starter Ryan Edell made it through three innings on Friday night against the Mets. Edell gave up nine hits and seven runs while walking two and striking out six. Edell is 0-1 on the year with a 8.27 ERA through three starts with Akron. Edell has given up 16 runs in 16.1 innings of work this season. Chen Lee replaced Ryan Edell pitching 2.2 innings during Friday’s contest allowing no runs, no walks and striking out one batter. Omar Aguilar was the next Aeros reliever who made it through 1.2 innings, giving up one hit, striking out two and walking two more. Neil Wagner made his tenth appearance of the season giving up only one hit on Friday. Vinnie Pestano was the fifth and final Aero to pitch in the game allowing one run on his way to being charged with his first loss of the 2010 season.

The Aeros are back in action tomorrow afternoon where they look to put a stop to their three-game losing streak. Join us for day baseball at Canal Park where the first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. For the most up-to-date information, visit us on the web at http://www.akronaeros.com/.

Captains Overcome Six Run Deficit For Win

The Lake County Captains overcame a six run deficit and scored nine unanswered runs to defeat the Great Lakes Loons 10-7 on Friday. The Captains were aided by two bases loaded triples in back to back innings.

The Loons scored twice in the top of the second inning when with runners at first and second, J.T. Wise reached on an infield single but a throwing error by Captains starter Joe Gardner scored Blake Smith from third base. The next batter Austin Yount grounded into a double play that allowed Angelo Songco to score and the Loons led 2-0. The Loons added four more runs in the top of the third inning highlighted by a three run home run by Jerry Sands, his eighth homer of the year, and the lead was 6-0.

The Captains scored in the bottom of the fourth inning when Roberto Perez doubled and scored two batters later when Chris Kersten doubled to make it 6-1. The lead was increased to 7-1 in the top of the sixth inning as Johan Garcia singled home Wise. The Captains scored five times in the bottom of the sixth inning when a run scored on a RBI single from Jeremie Tice, another on a fielder’s choice RBI off the bat of Adam Abraham and a bases loaded triple by Kyle Smith and it was 7-6.

The Captains finished the comeback scoring four more times in the bottom of the seventh inning when Tice singled home another run and Greg Folgia tripled with the bases loaded and the Captains led 10-7. Captains pitching allowed only three base runners after the third inning.

Gardner got a no decision working four innings allowing six runs, three earned on six hits, walking three and striking out four. Francisco Jimenez followed Gardner and threw two innings and allowed a run on two hits while striking out two. Matt Packer (1-0) got his first professional win hurling two scoreless innings allowing a hit. Cory Burns pitched a scoreless ninth inning striking out two to pick up his seventh save. Loons starter Josh Wall did not get a decision either going five innings and allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and striking out four. Andy Suitor (0-2) took the loss allowing six runs, five earned in 1.1 innings of work.

The Captains and Loons play game two of the four game series on Saturday at 1:00PM. This is the final Saturday afternoon game of the year. The Captains will send RHP Danny Salazar (0-1, 5.93) to the hill to oppose the Loons RHP Brett Wallach (2-0, 1.74).

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