2011 Kinston Indians transactions

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

April 7

OF Delvi Cid placed on 7-day DL

April 16

IF Jeremie Tice placed on 7-day DL
IF Dan DeGeorge assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers (was traveling with Akron Aeros)

April 19

RHP Brett Brach assigned to Akron Aeros
LHP T.J. McFarland assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Toru Murata assigned from Extended Spring Training

April 20

RHP Brett Brach assigned from Akron Aeros

April 28

RHP Joey Mahalic assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)

April 29

RHP Adam Miller assigned from Extended Spring Training
IF Kyle Smith assigned from Lake County Captains
OF Greg Folgia assigned to Lake County Captains
IF Ron Rivas released
OF Delvi Cid activated from 7-day DL

April 30

RHP Marty Popham assigned to Akron Aeros
LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned from Lake County Captains

May 6

OF Delvi Cid placed on 7-day DL
OF Jason Smit assigned from Lake County Captains

May 12

OF Delvi Cid activated from 7-Day DL
IF Kyle Smith assigned to Lake County Captains
IF Dan DeGeorge released

May 13

IF Tyler Cannon assigned from Lake County Captains

May 20

OF Jason Smit voluntarily retired

May 21

IF Jeremie Tice activated from 7-day DL

May 26

RHP Travis Turek retired

May 27

RHP Adam Miller assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Kyle Landis assigned from Akron Aeros

June 1

RHP Marty Popham assigned from Akron Aeros

June 4

RHP Toru Murata placed on 7-day DL
RHP Joey Mahalic assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

June 13

OF Anthony Gallas assigned from Lake County Captains
LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned from Lake County Captains
OF Bo Greenwell placed on 7-day DL
LHP Giovanni Soto placed on 7-day DL

June 14

RHP Rob Bryson assigned from Lake County Captains
LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned to Lake County Captains (paper move, never reported to LC)

June 16

RHP Steven Wright assigned from Akron Aeros
LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned to Lake County Captains
RHP Joey Mahalic assigned to Lake County Captains

June 17

LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned from Lake County Captains (was never on LC roster)

June 24

RHP Tyler Sturdevant assigned to Akron Aeros

July 5

IF Tyler Cannon assigned to Akron Aeros
IF Argenis Martinez assigned from Lake County Captains

July 11

RHP Trey Haley assigned (active roster) from Lake County Captains 7-day DL

July 13

LHP Drew Pomeranz assigned to Akron Aeros

July 14

IF Tyler Cannon assigned from Akron Aeros

July 18

RHP Rob Bryson assigned to Akron Aeros

July 19

C Roberto Perez placed on 7-day DL

July 20

RHP Toru Murata activated from 7-day DL

July 28

OF Abner Abreu traded to Chicago Cubs (Fukudome trade)
RHP Steven Wright placed on Temporarily Inactive List
LHP Mike Rayl assigned from Lake County Captains
IF Jesus Aguilar assigned from Lake County Captains

July 29

OF Jordan Casas assigned from Lake County Captains
IF Chase Burnette assigned to Lake County Captains

August 3

C Roberto Perez activated from 7-day DL

August 6

RHP Steven Wright assigned to Akron Aeros from Temporarily Inactive List

August 11

RHP Nick Sarianides assigned from Lake County Captains (not yet on active roster)

August 12

RHP Brett Brach assigned to Columbus Clippers
RHP Nick Sarianides added to active roster

August 15

RHP Brett Brach assigned from Akron Aeros
OF Anthony Gallas placed on 7-day DL

August 20

RHP Brett Brach assigned to Akron Aeros

August 21

OF Anthony Gallas activated from 7-day DL

August 23

LHP Giovanni Soto activated from 7-day DL
RHP Jose Flores placed on 7-day DL

August 30

OF Anthony Gallas assigned to Akron Aeros
OF Bo Greenwell activated from 7-day DL

September 2

RHP Jose Flores activated from 7-day DL
RHP Marty Popham placed on 7-day DL

September 3

RHP Mike Goodnight assigned from Lake County Captains
LHP T.J. House placed on Bereavement Leave List

September 5

IF Justin Toole assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Cody Allen assigned from Akron Aeros

September 6 - Before Division Series

IF Justin Toole assigned to Temporarily Inactive List from Akron Aeros
C Doug Pickens placed on Temporarily Inactive List
RHP Jose Flores placed on Temporarily Inactive List
C Alex Monsalve assigned from Lake County Captains
C Dwight Childs assigned to Temporarily Inactive List from Columbus Clippers 7-day DL
IF Ronny Rodriguez assigned from Lake County Captains

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I can't believe Christmas is here again already. My how time flies.

Thanks for yet another year of support from all of you, whether you are a new or old reader to the site. You may disagree with some things I write at times, or dislike some things about the Indians organization, but the bottom line is you read this site and follow the Indians because they are YOUR team and you are fans. This site would not be possible without the dedication and support of any of you as well as the assistance and help the Cleveland Indians provide all year long.

So to all the fans, to all the players, to all the families of the players, and to all of the Indians coaches and front office personnel, I give a big thanks and wish all of you have a very Merry Christmas, or a Happy Christmas for you folks across the pond. And Happy Holidays to everyone else.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

2011 Lake County Captains transactions

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

April 7

RHP Trey Haley assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move to get roster to 25)

April 11

C Dwight Childs assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)
RHP Trey Haley assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

April 21

RHP Trey Haley assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move)
RHP Steven Wright assigned from Extended Spring Training

April 26

RHP Kyle Landis assigned from Extended Spring Training
RHP Anthony Dischler assigned to Extended Spring Training

April 27

RHP Kyle Landis assigned to Akron Aeros

April 28

RHP Jordan Cooper assigned from Extended Spring Training

April 29

IF Kyle Smith assigned to Kinston Indians
OF Greg Folgia sssigned from Kinston Indians (placed on Voluntarily Retired List)
C Dwight Childs assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

April 30

LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned to Kinston Indians

May 6

OF Jason Smit assigned to Kinston Indians
OF LeVon Washington assigned from Arizona League Indians

May 12

IF Kyle Smith assigned from Kinston Indians (not yet on active roster)
RHP Luis Encarnacion assigned from Extended Spring Training
RHP Trey Haley assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
RHP Owen Dew placed on 7-day DL

May 13

OF Carlos Moncrief assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (paper move) retroactive to May 12
IF Tyler Cannon assigned to Kinston Indians
IF Ronny Rodriguez assigned from Extended Spring Training
IF Kyle Smith added to active roster

May 19

IF Kyle Smith assigned to Columbus Clippers
OF Carlos Moncrief assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

May 21

RHP Steven Wright assigned to Columbus Clippers

May 23

RHP Steven Wright assigned from Columbus Clippers

June 4

C Dwight Childs placed on 7-day DL

June 5

IF Kyle Smith assigned from Columbus Clippers
RHP Rob Bryson assigned (active roster) from Akron Aeros 7-day DL
RHP Trey Haley placed on 7-day DL)

June 13

OF Anthony Gallas assigned to Kinston Indians
LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned to Kinston Indians

June 14

IF Kyle Smith voluntarily retired
IF Aaron Fields assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
OF Jordan Casas assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
RHP Bryce Stowell assigned from Extended Spring Training
RHP Rob Bryson assigned to Kinston Indians
LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned from Kinston Indians (paper move, never officially on roster)

June 15

C Dwight Childs activated from 7-day DL

June 16

LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned from Kinston Indians
RHP Joey Mahalic assigned from Kinston Indians
C Alex Lavisky assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (not a paper move, will be on Opening Day roster)

June 17

LHP Francisco Jimenez assigned to Kinston Indians (was never on active roster)

June 20

RHP Bryce Stowell assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers

June 24

C Dwight Childs assigned to Columbus Clippers
C Moises Montero assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
RHP Bryce Stowell assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

July 2

RHP Kyle Blair placed on 7-day DL
RHP Nate Striz assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers
LHP Kyle Petter assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
LHP Kirk Wetmore assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

July 5

Argenis Martinez assigned to Kinston Indians

July 9

IF Kevin Fontanez assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

July 11

RHP Trey Haley assigned to Kinston Indians (active roster) from 7-day DL

July 21

RHP Bryce Stowell assigned to Akron Aeros

July 22

IF Kevin Fontanez assigned to Akron Aeros
OF Henry Dunn assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
RHP Felix Sterling assigned from Arizona League Indians

July 26

IF Kevin Fontanez assigned from Akron Aeros (not yet on active roster)

July 27

IF Kevin Fontanez added to active roster
OF LeVon Washington placed on 7-day DL

July 28

LHP Mike Rayl assigned to Kinston Indians
IF Jesus Aguilar assigned to Kinston Indians

July 29

OF Jordan Casas assigned to Kinston Indians
IF Chase Burnette assigned from Kinston Indians
OF Luigi Rodriguez assigned from Arizona League Indians

August 4

RHP Cole Cook placed on 7-day DL retroactive to August 1

August 7

RHP Cody Allen assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

August 8

OF Shin-Soo Choo received on Major League Rehab Assignment

August 10

RHP Kyle Blair activated from 7-day DL
OF Shin-Soo Choo recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment

August 11

RHP Nick Sarianides assigned to Kinston Indians
OF LeVon Washington activated from 7-day DL

August 24

RHP Clay Ehlert placed on 7-day DL
RHP Danny Salazar activated from 7-day DL

August 25

C Alex Lavisky assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers (not yet on active roster)

August 31

RHP Cody Allen assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Dale Dickerson assigned to Akron Aeros
RHP Clay Ehlert activated from 7-day DL

September 1

RHP Drew Rucinski assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

September 2

LHP Kyle Petter assigned to Akron Aeros
LHP Harold Guerrero assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

September 3

RHP Mike Goodnight assigned to Kinston Indians
RHP Joe Colon assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers

September 4

LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned to Columbus Clippers

September 5

LHP J.D. Reichenbach assigned from Columbus Clippers

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

2011 Winter Ball Stats: Week 10

Toru Murata

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

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

Stats are updated as of 12/24/2011.

BATTERS	LGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	E
Aguilar, Jesus	VWL	19	58	8	18	5	0	3	14	9	13	0	.310	.391	.552	.943	1
Aguilar, Jesus	AFL	16	59	15	20	7	0	3	9	11	18	0	.339	.458	.610	1.069	1
Aguilar, Jesus	TOT	35	117	23	38	12	0	6	23	20	31	0	.325	.426	.581	1.007	1
Battaglia,Ryan	ABL	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Cabrera,Asdrubal	VWL	15	52	9	12	2	0	2	10	10	10	1	.231	.365	.385	.750	3
Campbell, Andrew	ABL	7	17	2	2	1	0	0	0	3	2	1	.118	.250	.176	.426	0
Carrera, Ezequiel	VWL	39	152	23	41	3	6	2	13	18	21	11	.270	.349	.408	.756	4
Diaz, Juan	DWL	12	30	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	5	0	.133	.212	.133	.345	1
Fedroff, Tim	AFL	3	11	4	4	2	0	0	2	2	1	1	.364	.462	.545	1.007	0
Huffman, Chad	AFL	17	70	6	15	6	0	1	11	10	13	0	.214	.313	.343	.655	1
Lopez, Jose	VWL	39	150	23	46	12	0	5	23	11	15	1	.307	.354	.487	.841	2
Moncrief, Carlos	AFL	8	23	4	4	1	0	0	0	5	8	0	.174	.367	.217	.584	2
Montero, Moises	DWL	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Nilsson, Mitch	ABL	6	19	3	3	1	0	1	3	3	5	0	.158	.273	.368	.641	0
Perez, Roberto	AFL	16	53	13	12	1	0	4	11	13	10	0	.226	.382	.472	.854	0
Perez, Roberto	PWL	4	11	2	2	1	0	0	0	4	4	0	.182	.400	.273	.673	0
Perez, Roberto	TOT	20	64	15	14	2	0	4	11	17	14	0	.219	.386	.438	.823	0
Pie, Felix	DWL	42	161	21	44	9	2	4	21	9	29	5	.273	.322	.429	.750	3
Rodriguez, Ronny	DWL	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Urshela, Giovanny	COL	19	68	9	13	4	1	0	3	9	8	0	.191	.286	.279	.565	2
PITCHERS	LGE	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	WHIP	AVG
Berger, Eric	VWL	1	1	1.69	8	0	0	5.1	7	1	1	0	2	7	3.00	1.69	.292
Bryson, Rob	VWL	0	2	3.09	17	0	0	11.2	14	9	4	2	9	8	0.54	1.97	.304
Carmona, Fausto	DWL	0	0	2.25	1	1	0	4.0	3	1	1	0	0	2	1.00	0.75	.214
Colon, Joseph	PWL	0	0	15.88	6	0	0	5.2	15	12	10	1	6	3	1.60	3.71	.469
De La Cruz, Kelvin	DWL	0	0	16.20	6	0	0	1.2	3	3	3	0	4	4	0.00	4.20	.429
Espino, Paolo	VWL	2	2	7.71	7	6	0	23.1	31	20	20	4	5	17	2.15	1.54	.323
Guilmet, Preston	AFL	0	0	6.43	10	0	0	14.0	18	12	10	0	8	12	1.30	1.86	.327
Jimenez, Ubaldo	DWL	0	1	11.57	1	1	0	2.1	3	3	3	0	2	4	2.00	2.14	.300
McFarland, T.J.	AFL	3	0	3.18	8	7	0	28.1	30	12	10	1	13	22	2.24	1.52	.280
Murata, Toru	PAN	2	1	2.72	8	8	0	46.1	37	14	14	2	9	31	NA	0.99	.222
Rondon, Hector	VWL	1	0	5.19	5	0	0	8.2	6	5	5	0	7	6	3.50	1.50	.194
Salazar, Danny	PAN	3	1	1.74	8	8	0	41.1	38	9	8	0	9	29	NA	1.14	.252
Soto, Giovanni	PWL	1	2	3.95	13	0	0	13.2	8	8	6	0	12	12	4.40	1.46	.182
Sturdevant, Tyler	AFL	0	0	3.00	10	0	0	12.0	11	4	4	1	4	13	1.11	1.25	.239
Wright, Steven	PAN	3	0	1.40	8	8	0	32.1	20	5	5	1	12	14	NA	0.99	.182

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: December 23

Joseph Colon

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

Here is the rundown of what Indians players in winter ball did yesterday. Just a quick note that there are no winter league games on December 24th and 25th in observance of Christmas, so there will be no "Around the Farm" on Sunday or Monday morning.

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 0-for-2, R, 2 BB. Urshela goes hitless again, but with 2 walks on the night that is now 5 walks for him in the last 3 games. He is hitting just .191 in 19 games, but he is now up to 9 walks.

Puerto Rico Winter League

• Joseph Colon (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 1 K. Colon continues to struggle in limited action this offseason. In 6 appearances he has now totaled 5.2 innings but allowed 15 hits, 12 runs (10 earned), 1 homer, 6 walks, and has 3 strikeouts.

Venezuela Winter League

• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 1-for-4. Lopez is hitting .307 with 5 HR, 23 RBI, and .841 OPS this offseason. Former Indian infielder Luis Valbuena is on his team, and Lopez is essentially replacing Valbuena in the Indians organization as Major League depth. Valbuena is hitting .279 with 4 HR, 28 RBI and .796 OPS this offseason.
• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones de Caracas): 0-for-3, 2 BB. Cabrera has now played in 15 games this offseason, and in 7 of them was held hitless and in 5 of them just 1 hit. He is only hitting .231 but thanks to 10 walks has a good .365 on-base percentage.
• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones de Caracas): 2-for-3, R, BB. Aguilar did not mash a homer or rip a double, but he had another good night reaching base in 3 of his 4 plate appearances. With the 2-hit night he now has his batting average up to .310 in Venezuela and sports a very good .391 on-base percentage and .552 slugging percentage.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

2012 Scouting Videos: Volume 8

Matt Langwell

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

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

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

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





















Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: December 22

Jesus Aguilar

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

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

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 0-for-4, R, K, 3 BB. Urshela played third base in both games of a doubleheader. He went hitless in four at bats, but he did walks 3 times and reached base in 3 of his 7 total plate appearances in the doubleheader.

Venezuela Winter League

• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 2-for-7, R, 2B, RBI. I know there are a few cautiously optimistic Tribe fans that think Lopez could end up a steal of a signing this offseason. At least he’s proving that so far in winter ball where in 38 games he is hitting .303 with 5 HR, 23 RBI and .850 OPS.
• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones del Caracas): 2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K. Easily Cabrera’s best game in a while, if not his entire time while out in Venezuela. He reached based in 4 of his 5 plate appearances and racked up an RBI in his 4^th straight game.
• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI. Big Jesus continues to hold his own this offseason and went his customary 1-for-4 with a 2B with an RBI or two. It seems like on most nights that he plays he gets one hit and that one hit is a double and then couples an RBI with it.  He now has 36 hits this offseason and 18 have gone for extra bases.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Indians need to give the fans reason to support them

Larry Dolan and the Indians need to restore

faith in a fan base that does not trust them.

(Photo: AP)

The clash between the Cleveland Indians and their fans appears to be at an all-time high these days.

As fans continue to grow more and more impatient as each day passes this offseason with no significant acquisition being made the anger continues to rise. We have already blown past the boiling over stage as we are reaching critical levels for a full nuclear meltdown.

It is no secret that there is a huge disconnect between Indians owner Larry Dolan and the fans. He is viewed by many fans as “cheap” and a “liar” and a lot of people simply refuse to get over his decisions to tear down the team not once, but twice during his tenure as owner. This town holds grudges and is not about handing out forgiveness so freely. Larry Dolan made his own bed, and once you make it in this town the way he has, it pretty much stays that way forever.

Beyond the fans’ contempt for Dolan, their frustration level as sports fans of all three major sports franchises in this town is at an all-time high. The 10-year anniversary of the Roberto Alomar trade recently passed and in the ten seasons since the Era of Champions ended in 2001 they have made the playoffs just once. Fans have grown impatient and expect results. They are tired of being a league doormat and essentially a farm club for bigger market Major League teams.

On top of this the Browns are a complete mess and since their return in 1999 have been one of the worst franchises not only in the NFL but in any major sports league. They are once again in the midst of another disappointing double digit loss season and may find themselves undergoing another reboot by this time next year.

And of course the sting from LeBron James decision to “take his talents to South Beach” still resonates. He left the Cavaliers franchise a mess and they ended last season as one of the worst teams in the NBA and may never again reach the heights it did when he was with the team.

The fans just want a reason to believe; a reason to believe that just one of their three sports franchises in Cleveland will win.

Believe it or not, the team with the best chance of winning anything right now is the Indians, and they need to find a way to play off that and get the fans to fall into their plan (again).

The Indians know that the fans will never come flocking back to Progressive Field. They pretty much understand that, but a lot of fans do not. There seems to be a belief in this town that if the Indians win again or they go gaga in free agency and spend on some big time free agents that the stands will fill up again. That is simply not happening.

It does not matter if the Indians were to win a World Series in 2012 or if they went crazy this offseason with spending on players along the lines of the Marlins and Angels. The days of this team fielding sellouts on a nightly basis are a thing of the past. A one hit wonder. The population is dwindling, corporations have been leaving the Cleveland area in herds over the past decade, and interest in the team is just not the same as it was in the 90s.

But what the team can do is generate enough interest to make people believe they are trying to win. Restore faith.

A lot of people felt the trade for Ubaldo Jimenez was a sign the Indians had changed their ways and that they were going to be very active this offseason with an “all-in” approach by going hard after some good free agents or picking up a notable player in a trade. But that has not been the case at all.

Of course, maybe people just incorrectly perceived the Jimenez trade as an “all-in” move rather than it being a move that the Indians simply aligned in value on a player. They talk trades with teams every day and most often things do not work out, but in some cases interest aligns between them and another team which is where the Jimenez trade maybe came into play.

There are (were) some solid to good players available in free agency this offseason, but there is not a realistic signing this offseason that causes much more than a ripple to attendance. Going out and signing Josh Willingham and paying him $7 million in 2012 is not going to net an additional 300,000 fans in the ballpark next year, which is essentially what it would cost in fan support to pay for his $7 million salary ($7 million divided by $20 average ticket).

With no disrespect to resigning Grady Sizemore and trading for Derek Lowe, the offseason has been relatively quiet as they have not made the splash many people have been hoping. It bears noting that there are still two months until the start of spring training, so the Indians offseason is still not over, and there is a feeling that they have a few things up their sleeve that they may get done in advance of the start of spring training.

But if the Indians truly want to make a big splash with the fans, the focus needs to be on stopping this endless cycle of the roster merry-go-round they have had over the past ten years. The best way to truly gain the support of fans – most importantly the faith and trust of them - is to start locking up and extending some of their better players nearing free agency.

People know the drill by now. Get all excited about some young prospects coming up. Watch as those young prospects succeed or fail in their first year or two in the bigs. And then for the few that grow into legit Major League players watch as they are traded for prospects three or four years later.

It is a vicious cycle which has taken its toll on the fan base and has had a major effect on attendance.

People will whine and complain about the lack of free agent signings, but if you gave any fan a choice between signing Michael Cuddyer and resigning Justin Masterson, they’d choose Masterson every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Or trading for Carlos Lee or resigning Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo…you get the picture. With finite dollars to spend, if given a choice between the two, in most cases the fans will choose to keep their own players.

The Indians need to build an identity and a product that appeal to the fans. There is no better way to do that than through the connection made between the fan and player, and the only way that can happen is over a run of several years. By constantly turning over the roster every three or five years it does not give an opportunity for fans to grow an attachment to players. Instead it creates apathy and people always waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop since they know at some point that player will leave in a trade or in free agency. In the end, not only does the roster get turned over, but the fans turnover as well.

We all know that players like Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Sandy Alomar, Omar Vizquel and others are long-time fan favorites. A lot of it had to do with the fact they were very good players on good teams during an exciting time in Indians’ lore, but a big part of why they are so popular is their longevity in the organization. They were Indians’ for so long and fans had an opportunity to grow an emotional attachment to them.

Quick, name a player on the current Indians roster you have a sincere emotional attachment to? Travis Hafner? Grady Sizemore? Those are the only two Indians’ players who have been here for longer than three or five full seasons. Beyond Grady’s Ladies, who has developed a real attachment to any of these players?

The Indians had a few young players emerge last season as stars or soon-to-be stars. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball, prior to last year Shin-Soo Choo was one of the best right-fielders in baseball, and Justin Masterson has established himself as one of the best young starting pitchers in the game. All of these players are nearing free agency in the next two to three years. On top of that the Indians also have young players several years from free agency like Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis on the verge of stardom.

This is where the Indians need to step outside of their comfort zone. The risk adverse approach they play in free agency and in trade acquisitions is fine and makes sense. You often do not know what you are buying until you buy it and use it, and you often overpay for it. Would you rather keep a used car you own that runs well and you know the history behind it? Or would you rather sell off your used car and go out and replace it with another used car that you have no idea how it was driven by the previous owner or what kind of shape it truly is in under the hood?

This is why going out and spending money on free agent contracts for mid-tier free agents like Josh Willingham and Michael Cuddyer is maybe not the best approach, and that it makes much more sense for them to make an effort to re-sign their own players. To step outside of their comfort zone in an effort to give long term deals for money that they may not be comfortable giving to players from within. Not from the outside.

Doing this would have a much greater impact with the fan base than throwing around a few million dollars at free agents because if they choose not to resign their own players then we are back to the same viscous cycle as noted above. And it means even more apathy by a fan base that already distrusts the team immensely.

Everyone always brings up Dolan’s comment from way back in 2002 when they blew the team up and how he promised to “spend when the time is right”. In time Dolan acknowledged that he misspoke, but there is some truth to that statement and the Indians have an opportunity to spend when the time is right. The right time is fast approaching as several core players are nearing free agency.

In fairness to the Indians, they tried it with Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner back in 2007 when they extended both of them prior to free agency. Hafner, Westbrook, and C.C. Sabathia were three core players up for free agency after the 2008 season. In the end they chose to extend Hafner and Westbrook because they could spread out the money over two players for less years than a deal for just Sabathia would have involved.

But the Hafner and Westbrook extensions ended up as disasters as both players got hurt almost after signing their new deals and were an albatross to the payroll. Some of that is their fault as it is still mindboggling they would give a DH a guaranteed four year deal. The Westbrook thing was just bad luck as he hurt his arm. It is something that can happen to any pitcher at any time. Even Sabathia.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but which option between signing Westbrook and Hafner or signing just Sabathia looks better now? Both options would have had the same effect on payroll for three or four years, it was the commitment to Sabathia beyond the third or fourth year that was the problem. But sometimes spreading out available money over two or three players does not always work as sometimes just giving that one player all of the money is a better decision. It was an opportunity back then the Indians had to step outside of their comfort zone to keep a star in Sabathia, but chose not to.

Thankfully the Indians do not have a Sabathia-like player on their current roster that is going to sign a contract in the near future that reaches the stratosphere. But they still need to seize the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and take a risk on signing some of their current soon-to-be free agents to long term deals even with the poor experience from the Westbrook and Hafner contracts.

It is certainly a risk they would have to take, but one that could help pay off and more importantly help rebuild the confidence in a fan base that has lost entire faith in them.

Success in the win-loss column is ultimately what matters, but if the Indians want to have any success at the turnstiles they need to play well and they need to have a team that creates a bond with the fans. Attendance would not creep up overnight, but in time as fans begin to trust the team more and that emotional attachment to players builds, it is probably the single biggest thing that could affect attendance.

Baseball is a team game, but it is also a game about relationships, which is something not common in other sports. It is a father-son game, but beyond that it is also a player-fan game where you attach yourself to certain players more than you do in other sports because you follow the team and those players every night for six months out of the year. When you are watching a team for that long and that often, you develop a fondness for certain players.

Playing off that appeal to the players and (hopefully) a winning team is the best chance the Indians have at creating a bond once again between the team and fans, and most importantly gaining their support.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: December 21

Asdrubal Cabrera

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

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

Colombia Winter League

• Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 0-for-3, K. Urshela continues to be the everyday third baseman for his Tigres deal despite a pretty poor showing so far. In 16 games he is hitting just .210 with a .306 slugging percentage.

Venezuela Winter League

• Rob Bryson (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Bryson allowed just his 4^th earned run in 17 outings this offseason, which is good news. The bad news is that while he is not giving up runs he is giving up a ton of hits and walks with 21 baserunners in his 10.2 innings.
• Eric Berger (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 0.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Berger came in and faced one batter and gave up a hit and was promptly removed. This was the second straight night he came in and gave up a hit to the first batter he faced and allowed a run.
• Paolo Espino (RP, Tiburones de La Guaira): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Now that’s more like it. Espino has been like Jeckyll and Hyde on the mound this offseason, though mostly Hyde. Maybe pitching out of the bullpen suits him better as he had his most dominating outing of the offseason
• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB. Cabrera was once again limited to one hit but made the most of it with 2 RBI. He is still only hitting .167 with a .602 OPS in his last 10 games.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Offseason Spotlight: Nick Hagadone

Photo: IPI

This is a key offseason for Cleveland Indians left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone.

Hagadone is a prime candidate to make the 2012 opening day bullpen in Cleveland, and if you project it out right now he is probably in it. With that in mind he has a lot to work on this offseason to ensure that he comes into spring training in mid-February ready to roll and win a spot in the Indians’ big league bullpen.

Hagadone, who turns 26-years old on New Year’s Day, had a fantastic season last year in the minors pitching out of the bullpen. He started the season at Double-A Akron and in 12 appearances went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA (22.2 IP, 14 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 24K). He was quickly moved up to Triple-A Columbus where he spent most of the rest of the season and in 34 appearances went 4-3 with a 3.35 ERA (48.1 IP, 42 H, 5 HR, 15 BB, 53 K). He even made his Major League debut late in the season and in 9 appearances in Cleveland went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA (11.0 IP, 4 H, 6 BB, 11 K).

“It feel like [the season went] well for the most part,” Hagadone said in a recent interview for the IPI. “I was able to stay consistent for the whole year and improve the things I needed to.”

The consistency in Hagadone’s performance was a big key as prior to last season he had been up and down with his performance. Some of it was related to the Tommy John surgery he had in 2008, but some of it was also mechanical related.

Hagadone struggled with his command in 2010 as he had a 6.6 BB/9, but last year he reduced that by more than 50% to a 2.8 BB/9. Being a year further away from Tommy John surgery helped as command is usually the last thing to return from such a surgery. He also made some tweaks to his mechanics that paid off for him and helped spike his command and control.

“I just made some mechanical improvements to make sure everything was sound,” Hagadone said. “It was little things that affected my fastball velocity, my slider, and everything. It was just a little fix with everything that made the difference. I put a lot of work in during the offseason as I made that my focus to work on my command. I worked on that non-stop and it paid off.”

Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla expounded on the adjustments.

“We broke him down a little,” Niebla said. “I noticed he would get on his tippy toes too much as he was descending downhill, so we started getting him to drive off his backside a little better. Eventually it calmed his front side down a little. By getting him to drive off his backside it kept his lead arm lower and head from going too much up and down and got him driving downhill. He picked up on it quickly and when he had misses he was able to fix it and make the adjustment.”

The much reduced walk rate to go along with Hagadone’s ability to get strikeouts from the left side (career 10.3 K/9) with his 93-96 MPH fastball that touches 98 MPH and good slider has him back on the radar as a top prospect and potential impact reliever. But even with the good season and promising career he is not resting on his laurels.

“I feel like I did well [last year], but there is always room for improvement,” Hagadone said. “I had a few games that did not go my way, so I am working to improve on those and make sure they don’t happen again. The whole focus is just to maintain my stuff the whole year and to maintain the good slider and good command. Everything I have done to get to this point I want to keep it going.”

Hagadone used to throw a changeup but that has been shelved and is only used in the rarest cases. He is now primarily a fastball-slider guy which is fine for one or two innings considering his power stuff.

Hagadone’s consistency from outing to outing is something he just needs to continue to work on. He made huge strides with it last year and the Indians were blown away with his hard work and determination. There is a strong belief throughout the organization that he has the potential to impact the backend of their bullpen for a long time, maybe even at the outset of this coming season.

“I think the biggest thing for me is consistency,” Hagadone said. “Bringing your best game to the field every single day you go to the mound. You may not have your best stuff every day, but you still have to compete and get the job done.”

Hagadone’s performance last season along with him being one of the top two bullpen prospects in the entire Indians’ organization has him in line for an extended Major League opportunity. Now he just needs to seize it.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: December 20

Fausto Carmona

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

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

Dominican Republic Winter League

• Fausto Carmona (SP, Aguilas Cibaenas): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K. A much better offseason outing for Carmona this year than last year as in his lone appearance last year on December 21, 2010 he went just 1.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 5 hits, 0 walks, and had 1 strikeout. Maybe his good performance on Tuesday night is a good omen for 2012? (I know I am reaching)
• Ubaldo Jimenez (SP, Tigres del Licey): 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K. It was a typical Jimenez outing as he struggled through 2.1 innings where he faced a total of 13 batters and allowed 6 baserunners. Manager Manny Acta said he was the recipient of some bad defense around him, but it is still hard to ignore the walks and his inability to limit damage in an outing. That said, it doesn’t matter if he is Justin Verlander or Kane “BP” Davis this offseason, it is all about getting him back into a routine and ironing out some of his mechanical issues.

Puerto Rico Winter League

• Giovanni Soto (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 0 K. After dominating in his first 11 appearances this fall/winter out in Puerto Rico, Soto has struggled in his last two outings and looks to have hit a wall. In his last two games he has now pitched a total of 1.1 innings but has allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 1 hit and 5 walks. He has also allowed 7 walks in his last 3 outings covering 2.1 innings, when in his first 10 outings he just 2 runs and 5 walks in 11.1 innings. Hopefully he is not hurt as when performance declines this sharply and this quickly it can be an indicator that there is an arm issue.

Venezuela Winter League

• Jose Lopez (3B, Cardenales de Lara): 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K. Lopez is having a nice showing this fall/winter where in 35 games he is hitting .311 with 5 HR, 21 RBI and .862 OPS. Granted, winter ball stats don’t mean a whole lot, but it is nice to see him performing well rather than not performing at all.
• Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI. Cabrera jacked his second homer of the offseason last night, but still has a poor slash line of .214/.313/.381 in 12 games.
• Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-4. Nothing much exciting for Aguilar in this game, but no strikeouts and another hit is good to see. He also has a modest 9-game hitting streak going and is hitting .313 with a .937 OPS in his last 10 games.
• Eric Berger (RP, Bravos de Margarita): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Berger faced just 2 batters but was saddled with a blown save because the first batter he faced knocked in both the tying run and also the game winning run.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

IPI Inbox: Will the Indians consider long term extensions?

The Indians look like they will just continue to

go year to year with players like Justin Masterson.

(Photo: AP)

It is time for another IPI Inbox to talk about some of the questions from the minors to the big leagues that Indians fans have asked of late. It has been awhile since I did one of these, so I felt with the holidays fast approaching that now would be a great time to clear out the IPI Inbox and answer some of the popular questions surrounding the Indians these days.

If you have a question on anything pertaining to the Cleveland Indians from the minors to the big leagues that you would like answered in a future inbox, feel free to contact me. I also pull from questions in the comments sections in articles, and also from Twitter, so you can post your questions there as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

To the IPI Inbox we go.....

Jeff N. wrote: The Tribe got burned on the last round of contract extensions to their core (Hafner, Westbrook, Grady, Peralta, Carmona). Do you think they'll try to extend this current crop of youngsters or flip them for parts rather than take the risk of injuries/underperformance that killed the '08 and '09 teams?

Me: I think the days of the long term pre-arbitration contracts for the Indians are a thing of the past. At one point it made sense for the Indians to sign their core young players to long term deals as it was very cost beneficial for the team, but with the rising cost of these long term deals and with how snake bitten they have been with long term contracts the last few years, they will continue to be rare going forward. You used to be able to lock up a young star for five to six years for $10-13 million total, but now it takes double or even triple that amount.

The Indians have not said so, but it really looks like the new plan of attack with players in their pre-free agency years is to just continue to go year to year with them. It is the only way to ensure that they are paid a correct amount on a yearly basis since what they did the previous year has a strong bearing on how much they make the next year. If a guy has his contract balloon in his arbitration years because he goes bananas with his numbers then so be it because at least he would be paid year to year what he is worth.

Now there will still probably be a few long term extensions doled out, likely to someone like Carlos Santana or a Jason Kipnis if both are healthy and perform the next season or two. Or even Justin Masterson this offseason. But the days of those contract extensions to try and buy out a free agent year or two appear to be gone because of so many contracts that have bombed on them of late. Thank guys like Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Grady Sizemore, and Travis Hafner for that. Those are four of their most recent contract extensions that were unfavorable because of either significant injuries or poor performance after the players signed their extensions.

Pete P. wrote: I read the Angels may potentially trade Mark Trumbo. Obviously, the Angels need a closer and there is a match there; however, I know Kendrys Morales is coming off an injury but he's a right handed bat and cheap. Thoughts?

Me: The Angels GM Jerry Dipoto keeps saying publicly that they are not trading either Trumbo or Morales, though this is probably just GM-speak in order to try and inflate both players’ values when both are in fact very available. If the Angels get a good Major League player or two offered to them in return for either Morales or Trumbo, they would probably jump at the opportunity.

Given Morales’ questionable health status, I see no way the Indians consider trading for him. There is talk that he will not even be ready for the start of the season, and with clubs not being able to scout him for almost two years or know his health situation, I find it unlikely anyone trades for him. I don’t see the Angels need to trade him at the moment as they will get pennies on the dollar for him right now and he is not a player they have to dump as he is very inexpensive. I believe they look to get him back playing again to re-establish his value and then potentially trade him around the July deadline, if they even need/want to trade him at that time.

Trumbo is a guy that I think could find a new home before the start of next season. DiPoto said he could maybe play third base or the outfield for them, but I am not sure they can really go with him in either role as a full time option. But if you can hit then teams will find a spot on the field to get you into the lineup, and with the power he displayed last season with 29 homers it should get him regular playing time once again in 2012 somewhere in the Angels’ lineup. Whoever acquires him will get a very inexpensive, cost-controlled player as he will make league minimum the next two seasons and is not free agent eligible until at least after the 2016 season.

If a team like the Indians considers trading for Trumbo they have to weigh how productive of a hitter he really could be for them. There is no doubt he has very good power as demonstrated by his minor league home run numbers and his 29 homers last year in his first full big league season. But beyond the home run power, would he really be that much of a lineup upgrade for the Indians or would he just be another free swinging strikeout prone hitter that will hit 30 homers but in his other 670 plate appearances be able to be pitched to? With just 25 walks and 120 strikeouts last year to go along with a poor .291 on-base percentage, the cost to acquire him at this point just would not be worth what production he could ultimately give the Indians. I say they should pass (for now).

Loran H. wrote: Give Matt LaPorta a chance. I don’t care who agrees with me, no ballplayer’s potential can be tapped into when he is benched every time he gets a couple of hits. Let him play 30 games without benching him and give him a little bit of consistency. I have a feeling if given a CHANCE with a little bit of coaching and patience LaPorta could surprise.

Me: I think the Indians are doing the right thing with LaPorta by not guaranteeing him an opening day roster spot next season. He got an extended look last season and played almost every day for most of the first half of the season, and while he showed flashes as a productive player he was just too inconsistent and as the plate appearances piled up his warts showed more and more.

LaPorta got off to a solid start in April with an .818 OPS for the month, but he followed that up with a .701 OPS in May, .641 OPS in June, .629 OPS in July, and .627 OPS in August before bouncing back with an .874 OPS in September. With such a long drought in performance for four months last season and with two inconsistent seasons in 2009 and 2010 before that, the Indians absolutely can no longer have a long leash with him as the focus is now on winning.

At the moment LaPorta is an unreliable player and he may just be what he is: a Shelley Duncan-typer role player with power off the bench. It will do him good to go into the season with no pressure as the everyday first baseman and with the knowledge that he is likely going to Triple-A Columbus to start the season. The Indians should give him two to three months in Columbus and see if any adjustments take hold and things improve, and most importantly if he can find some confidence again at the plate.

LaPorta is probably going to be needed at some point next season as injuries or poor performance by other players could occur, so he will get another opportunity and when he does he has to capitalize on it. Setting him up for success by letting him iron out some things in the minors may be the best solution.

Brian M. wrote: You have written about how we should be willing to trade Chris Perez, but we have talked about our other bullpen arms as if they are untouchable. Do you believe the front office would be willing to take a chance and part ways with some of our young, cost controlled bullpen arms if the result was a right-handed bat that we need to contend? What is your personal opinion on the matter, and how highly should we value a Pestano or a Sipp?

Me: I do not think any bullpen arm the Indians have is untouchable. Unless a guy is a top five setup man, left-on-left guy, or closer in the game, then he should be very available. Relievers are fungible and their performance from year to year is usually volatile except for those select few in the backend of a bullpen, so if the Indians get a good offer for any reliever in their bullpen they should strongly consider it.

The only bullpen arm that is a borderline untouchable should be right-handed setup man Vinnie Pestano. He established himself last season as one of the best setup men in baseball, is under control another five seasons, and has the goods and potential to be very good closer in the big leagues.

But beyond Pestano the Indians should no doubt consider dealing any of Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Frank Herrmann, and Tony Sipp from their Major League bullpen. This does not mean they should just look to dump them and get rid of them. It just means if an opportunity arises where one or a combination of them and another player can net them a Major League bat then they should seriously consider it, especially with the internal options they have waiting at Triple-A Columbus.

This also means the Indians should consider trading their top three bullpen prospects lefty Nick Hagadone and right-handers Zach Putnam and Chen-Chang Lee. But again, considering their potential and contract control, any of them should only be in a deal involving a significant upgrade to the big league roster.

Peter A. wrote: What are stars like Asdrubal Cabrera and Ubaldo Jimenez really trying to accomplish in winter ball other than conditioning? Is Cabrera working on some new batting techniques, things he might employ in the upcoming season? I assume Ubaldo may be working on some of the pitching advice given to him during the offseason. I ask because I assume we shouldn't be looking at our stars' statistics the same way we would during the regular Major League season.

Me: Great question. You are right in that the statistics in winter ball do not mean a whole lot. Teams do not put much stock into winter ball performance, and instead use it as a way to work on some things with some of their fringe Major League players or to seek out depth options for the upcoming season. In some cases players participate so they can get extra reps because they missed some time during the season for injury reasons or because the team wants to iron out some pitching or hitting issues.

In the case of Cabrera and Ubaldo, like a lot of Major League veterans who participate in the winter leagues, they simply just want to play a few weeks for their home country. The Latin players take a lot of pride in playing for their hometown teams and they are treated like gods.

For a guy like Cabrera he is simply just playing and not really working on anything, but for a guy like Jimenez – who actually pitches tonight - it is more about getting him on routine as he had always pitched in winter ball prior to last offseason when he did not. The Indians and Jimenez hope that by pitching him a few games in winter ball that it will get him back in sync. I’m sure some mechanical adjustments have already been implemented this offseason, so winter ball will also serve as an opportunity to see how those adjustments look in advance of spring training.

Aaron H. wrote: I don't know if anyone has suggested this name, but would the Indians be willing to acquire Mark Reynolds? He is in the last year of his three-year $14.5 million deal. He strikes out often, but as a right-handed power hitter, he's a perfect fit. I am sure he can play first base.

Me: I don't see it as a good fit. Like with Trumbo above the home runs are nice, but Reynolds just adds to what is already the Indians’ biggest problem with their lineup in that he can be pitched to as he has lots of holes in his swing, is very strikeout prone, and has poor bat to ball ability. He has averaged over 200 strikeouts a season the last four years and is a career .238 hitter, and while the 35 homers he has averaged the last four seasons is very intriguing, he just looks like a Russell Branyan-esque pickup (but better obviously) for the lineup.

Beggars can’t be choosers, so if Reynolds could be had for cheap and would be an option at first base, then the Indians should consider acquiring him. But I'd rather sign or trade for someone who maybe does not hit a lot of home runs but who can be a more consistent, productive hitter. I am of the belief that a big home run bat would be a nice addition to the Indians’ lineup, but I do not believe it is the biggest need in the lineup. They need to find a good hitter that can run into his fair share of homers but consistently puts the ball in play and can spray the gaps. That would be a bat that is an ideal fit, even if that player is left-handed.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More