Privacy Policy Statement: Indians Prospect Insider

Indians Prospect Insider knows that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy very seriously. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. By visiting our website, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy covers Indians Prospect Insider's treatment of personal information that Indians Prospect Insider gathers when you are on the Indians Prospect Insider website and when you use Indians Prospect Insider services. This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that Indians Prospect Insider does not own or control, or to individuals that Indians Prospect Insider does not employ or manage.

Information Collected by Indians Prospect Insider

We only collect personal information that is relevant to the purpose of our website. This information allows us to provide you with a customized and efficient experience. We do not process this information in a way that is incompatible with this objective. We collect the following types of information from our Indians Prospect Insider users:

1. Information You Provide to Us: We receive and store any information you enter on our website or provide to us in any other way. You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of many of our special features.

2. Automatic Information:

We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. Indians Prospect Insider and its authorized agents automatically receive and record certain "traffic data" on their server logs from your browser including your IP address, Indians Prospect Insider cookie information, and the page you requested. Indians Prospect Insider uses this traffic data to help diagnose problems with its servers, analyze trends and administer the website.

Indians Prospect Insider may collect and, on any page, display the total counts that page has been viewed.

Many companies offer programs that help you to visit websites anonymously. While Indians Prospect Insider will not be able to provide you with a personalized experience if we cannot recognize you, we want you to be aware that these programs are available.

E-mail Communications

Indians Prospect Insider is very concerned about your privacy and we will never provide your email address to a third party without your explicit permission, as detailed in the "Sharing Your Information" section below. Indians Prospect Insider may send out e-mails with Indians Prospect Insider-related news, products, offers, surveys or promotions.

Cookies

Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser to enable our systems to recognize your browser and tell us how and when pages in our website are visited and by how many people. Indians Prospect Insider cookies do not collect personal information, and we do not combine information collected through cookies with other personal information to tell us who you are or what your screen name or e-mail address is.

The "help" portion of the toolbar on the majority of browsers will direct you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to command the browser to tell you when you receive a new cookie, or how to fully disable cookies. We recommend that you leave the cookies activated because cookies allow you to use some of Indians Prospect Insider's coolest features.

Indians Prospect Insider's advertising partners may place a cookie on your browser that makes it possible to collect anonymous non-personally identifiable information that ad delivery systems use to present more relevant ads. If you would prefer to opt-out of this standard practice, please visit our advertising partner Platform-A's privacy policy and opt-out page.

Sharing Your Information

Rest assured that we neither rent nor sell your personal information to anyone and that we will share your personal information only as described below.

Indians Prospect Insider Personnel: Indians Prospect Insider personnel and authorized consultants and/or contractors may have access to user information if necessary in the normal course of Indians Prospect Insider business.

Business Transfers: In some cases, we may choose to buy or sell assets. In these types of transactions, user information is typically one of the business assets that is transferred. Moreover, if Indians Prospect Insider, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred.

Protection of Indians Prospect Insider and Others: We may release personal information when we believe in good faith that release is necessary to comply with a law; to enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other policies; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Indians Prospect Insider, our employees, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Syndication: Indians Prospect Insider allows for the RSS syndication of all of its public content within the Indians Prospect Insider website.

With Your Consent: Except as noted above, we will contact you when your personal information is shared with third parties or used for a purpose incompatible with the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected, and you will be able to opt out to prevent the sharing of this information.

Children Under 18 Years of Age

You must be 13 years and older to register to use the Indians Prospect Insider website. As a result, Indians Prospect Insider does not specifically collect information about children. If we learn that Indians Prospect Insider has collected information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. We recommend that minors between the ages of 13 and 18 ask and receive their parents' permission before using Indians Prospect Insider or sending information about themselves or anyone else over the Internet.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Indians Prospect Insider may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time, at its sole discretion. Use of information we collect now is subject to thePrivacy Policy in effect at the time such information is used. If we make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting an announcement on the Indians Prospect Insider website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any, it is disclosed.

Conditions of Use

If you decide to visit the Indians Prospect Insider website, your visit and any possible dispute over privacy is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations on damages, arbitration of disputes, and application of California state law.

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of 11/28/2011 and last updated 11/28/2011.

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2008 Coaching Staffs

Buffalo
Manager: Torey Lovullo
Pitching Coach: Scott Radinsky
Hitting Coach: Dave Myers

Akron
Manager: Mike Sarbaugh
Pitching Coach: Tony Arnold
Hitting Coach: Lee May Jr.

Kinston
Manager: Chris Tremie
Pitching Coach: Greg Hibbard
Hitting Coach: Jon Nunnally

Lake County
Manager: Aaron Holbert
Pitching Coach: Ruben Niebla
Hitting Coach: Jim Rickon

Mahoning Valley
Manager: Travis Fryman
Pitching Coach: Ken Rowe
Hitting Coach: Anthony Medrano

GCL Indians
Manager: Rouglas Odor
Pitching Coach: Steve Lyons
Hitting Coach: Phil Clark

DSL Indians
Manager: Jose Stela
Pitching Coach: Kevin Carcamo
Hitting Coach: Luis Chavez and Carlos Fermin

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2008 Player Development Staff

Director, Player Development: Ross Atkins
Director, Latin American Operations: Lino Diaz
Assistant, Player Development: Meka Asonye
Advisor, Player Development: Johnny Goryl
Cultural Development Coordinator: Julio Rangel
Field Coordinator: Dave Hudgens
Pitching Coordinator: Dave Miller
Hitting Coordinator: Bruce Fields
Defensive Coordinator: Ted Kubiak
Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator: Gary Thurman
Catching Coordinator: Tim Laker
Latin America Field Coordinator: Minnie Mendoza
Advisor, Dominican Republic: Winston Llenas
Director, Dominican Operations: Junior Betances
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator: Brendon Huttmann
Affiliate Strength and Conditioning Coaches: Juan Acevedo, Derek Millender, Nelson Perez, Nuremburg Rondon, Kris Schuler, Mike Winkler, Cesar Yepez
Mental Skills Coordinator: John Couture
Nutrition Consultant: Jackie Berning

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Jose Constanza

Jose Constanza: Outfielder

Age: 23 Height: 5’9” Weight: 150 Bats: Switch Throws: Left

Constanza had a breakout season in 2006, hitting .309/.410/.410 with 2 HRs, 36 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 120 games combined at Lake County and Kinston. Constanza has outstanding bat control and bat-to-ball ability, and very good baseball instincts. He put himself on the radar screen back in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2004 when he hit .444 and lead the league in just about every offensive category except home runs. The Indians were so impressed with Constanza’s showing in the DSL in 2004, that they started him in Lake County in 2005, which is unheard of for players in the Indians academy in the Dominican Republic to start with a full-season squad in their state-side debut. The last player to do so was Jhonny Peralta. Constanza projects as a left fielder because of his speed and defense and limited pop in his bat, and may eventually break in with the Indians as a 4th outfielder down the road. Because of the crowded outfield situation in Akron and Buffalo he will most likely return to Kinston in 2007, but at some point in the season he will be in Akron.

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Neil Wagner

Neil Wagner: Right-handed Pitcher

Age: 22 Height: 6’0” Weight: 195 Bats: Right Throws: Right

Wagner might be a sleeper, and someone to keep an eye on. Last year at Mahoning Valley, Wagner went 0-0 with 17 saves and posted a 1.39 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .143 average and struckout 50 hitters in 32 innings. Wagner closed in college, and at this point it appears the Indians intend to develop him as a closer. Outside of Adam Miller, Wagner arguably has the most explosive fastball in the system that touches 96-98MPH consistently. He controls his fastball well, but the key to him becoming a bonafide relief prospect will be the development of at least one secondary pitches, which he has struggled with. Wagner most likely will start the 2007 season as the closer at Lake County.

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Ben Francisco

Ben Francisco: Outfielder

Age: 25 Height: 6’1” Weight: 190 Bats: Right Throws: Right

Francisco had a very good year at Buffalo last year, hitting .278/.345/.454 with 17 HRs, 59 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. The Indians love his bat, and feel he would be further along if not for several trips to the disabled list over the past few years. Francisco's bat provides very good extra base hit production, and he is a versatile defender who can play all three outfield positions well. His speed is average, but he is an excellent base-runner as his instincts on the base-paths lead to many of his stolen bases. The Indians feel he is capable of a major league opportunity right now, and he may initially break in as a 4th outfielder. With Francisco now on the 40-man roster, he’ll join Franklin Gutierrez and Shin-Soo Choo in the battle for the 4th outfielder role with Cleveland in 2007. If he doesn’t win the job, he’ll return to Buffalo and anchor the lineup.

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Josh Rodriguez

Josh Rodriguez: Second-Baseman

Age: 21 Height: 6’0” Weight: 175 Bats: Right Throws: Right

The Indians took Rodriguez with their second of four picks in the second round of the 2006 Draft. In pre-season college draft prospect rankings, Rodriguez was considered the top shortstop available. Like Wes Hodges (more on him later), however, Rodriguez’s draft stock plummeted somewhat when an elbow injury limited him to DH duty at Rice University early in 2006 and he was eventually moved to third-base. Once signed, the Indians assigned him to Mahoning Valley where he hit .268/.337/.465 with 4 HRs and 24 RBIs in 45 games. Rodriguez is a patient hitter with gap power. While Rodriguez lacks speed he does have an excellent throwing arm, and is versatile enough to play third-base, shortstop or second-base. With the need in the lower minors for second-basemen, Rodriguez most likely could end up at that position full-time. He should start the 2007 season at Lake County.

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Joe Ness

Joe Ness: Right-handed Pitcher

Age: 23 Height: 6’5” Weight: 230 Bats: Right Throws: Right

The Indians took Ness in the 6th Round of the 2005 Draft out of Ball State University. In Ness’s first full season with the Indians last year, Ness went 9-6 with a 3.62 ERA in 26 starts at Kinston. At 6’5” and 230 lbs, Ness is a big, physical pitcher with a strong arm that gets his fastball in the low to mid 90s. Ness also throws a slider and changeup. While Ness is a strike-thrower, his pitches tend to lack variation in speed because his changeup is still a work in progress. If Ness is unable to change speeds, it could spell trouble down the road against more advanced hitters. The Indians feel Ness has the potential to be an innings eater because of his durability and strong mechanics, and he should start the 2007 campaign in Akron.

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Wes Hodges

Wes Hodges: Third-Baseman

Age: 22 Height: 6’2” Weight: 180 Bats: Right Throws: Right

Hodges has the potential to be the biggest impact player from the Indians 2006 Draft, and would have ranked in the Top 10 of this list if he didn’t have some injury concerns. Going into 2006, Hodges was ranked as a preseason Top 10 college draft prospect and sure fire 1st round pick, but that ranking took a hit when he came down with a stress fracture in his left leg. Hodges initially thought he had a calf strain when the pain surfaced in March, but because the pain continued to get worse as the season wore on he was evaluated further and the stress fracture was found. Hodges fell on draft day, and the Indians gambled and selected Hodges with their third of four second round picks. The Indians signed him for $1 million and to a 2007 contract to hold him out of action the rest of the season and give him more time to mend from the injury. Even though he basically played on one leg almost all of the season, Hodges still hit .329 with 11 HRs and 68 RBIs in 219 at bats at Georgia Tech. Hodges is a very disciplined hitter with great bat-to-ball ability, and has a nice line drive stroke with good power potential. As a defender, Hodges does it all with good hands, a strong arm and very good range at 3B. Hodges could start at Lake County in 2007.

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David Huff

David Huff: Left-handed Pitcher

Age: 22 Height: 6’2” Weight: 190 Bats: Switch Throws: Left

Huff was a supplemental 1st round pick and the first player the Indians selected in the 2006 Draft. After signing, Huff reported to Mahoning Valley, but since he logged so many innings at UCLA earlier in the year he only made four appearances going 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in 7.2 IP. At UCLA, Huff compiled a 7-4 record and a 2.98 ERA in 16 starts, while striking out 100 in 129.2 IP. Huff often is compared to Tom Glavine, Barry Zito and Jeremy Sowers. The comparisons to Zito not only come from his approach and repertoire, but Huff’s coach at UCLA (John Savage) was also Zito’s pitching coach at USC. Huff is a strike-thrower who has excellent command of his pitches. His fastball consistently clocks in at 87-90 MPH, and his changeup is a plus pitch and ranked one of the best in the country last year. The key to Huff’s future will be the development of an effective breaking ball as a third pitch to use against left-handers. He does throw a curveball, but it still needs a lot of work. The Indians feel Huff has a chance to advance through the farm system rapidly like Jeremy Sowers did, and is expected to start the year at Kinston in 2007.

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Eddie Mujica

Eddie Mujica: Right-handed Pitcher

Age: 22 Height: 6’2” Weight: 220 Bats: Right Throws: Right

In the spring of 2005, the Indians made a role change for Mujica that since then has jumpstarted his career. Mujica went from an unknown and struggling pitcher, to one of the best bullpen prospects in the Indians system in just over a year’s time. The decision to move him to a bullpen role worked out well, as in 2005 Mujica pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and racked up a combined 24 saves and 2.54 ERA at Kinston and Akron. Mujica followed that up in 2006 by going 4-1 with 13 saves and a 1.57 ERA in 34 combined appearances at Akron and Buffalo. Mujica features a mid 90s fastball and locates it well, and also has a good mid-to-high 80s slider. With the development of a nasty split-finger fastball last spring, he now has a pitch in his repertoire to consistently get out left-handed batters. Mujica has excellent physical and mental makeup, and outstanding durability to handle multiple appearances. The Indians love Mujica’s fearless approach, and his attitude and competitiveness thrive late in games. He believes there is not a player that is going to beat him, and when he gives up a hit he bears down and goes right after the next hitter. His confidence and short-memory, to go along with his fearless mentality and pitching abilities, make him a natural fit for a backend bullpen role. He will battle for a spot in the Indians bullpen this spring, and if he is optioned out he will be assigned to Buffalo.

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Matt McBride

Matt McBride: Catcher

Age: 21 Height: 6’2” Weight: 215 Bats: Right Throws: Right

The Indians selected McBride with the last of their four second round picks in the 2006 Draft. McBride signed quickly, and was assigned to Mahoning Valley where he showcased the talent that had scouts excited about him going into the draft. McBride finished the year hitting .272/.355/.402 with 4 HRs, 31 RBIs and 5 stolen bases in 52 games. McBride provides a rare combination of defense and offense at the catching position, and he was so impressive that Baseball America tabbed him the 3rd best prospect in the NY-Penn League last year. While he is a big and strong catcher, McBride is also athletic and runs very well for a catcher. His strengths as a player are his catch-and-throw skills, especially his plus arm. But, he also has a very cerebral approach behind the plate, and has shown good leadership qualities. McBride is a very patient hitter with good power potential, and has a very good eye and bat-to-ball ability. McBride’s potential as an offensive and defensive catcher lead many to believe he was the top catcher available in the 2006 Draft, and to date he has backed that up. With the sudden depth at catcher in the organization, McBride could start the season next year at Lake County.

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