Minor League Update

Some random updates....Miller Gets The FingerRight-hander Adam Miller has been sidelined in camp for a few days because of a blister to the middle finger of his throwing hand. This is the same middle finger that pretty much was the culprit of all his physical problems last year that saw him sidelined for three to four months. He played catch at 120 feet yesterday, will throw a bullpen session today, and then most likely will throw batting practice on Tuesday.Miller would have made his major league debut last May or June had the finger injury...

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A Brief Weekend Update

Still not much going on in the minor leaguer world as players are enjoying their last fews days of relaxation before the pressure of baseball kicks back into full gear this coming weekend when players start to report to minor league camp.That said, I wanted to pass along two news items. First, in addition to this blog and writing on TheClevelandFan.com as I always have and will continue to do, it looks like I will also be doing some writing for MLN Sports Zone which is a monthyl minor league magazine dedicated to the minors (www.minorleaguenews.com)....

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2008 Indians Preview: The Starters

This is the first of a four part installment previewing the 2008 Cleveland Indians. Today, we take a look at the Indians starting rotation for 2008.Flashback: By the NumbersThe Indians return all seven of their starters from a starting staff that last year led the AL in several categories. In fact, going back three years, it is easy to see the most consistent and biggest strength of the team has been the starting pitching.Last year, the Indians had the best starting staff...

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Inside The Prospect Book

I received the first shipment this past Thursday of The Little Red Indians Prospect Book, otherwise known as the 2008 Cleveland Indians Top 50 Prospects & More. I have received a lot of requests for the book, and for those that have already placed orders I will be shipping out all requests on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (post office not open Monday, Prez Day).Seeing how things are quiet on the minor league front until players report the first week of March, I figured...

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The Prospect Book Is Here!

Good news! My Indians prospect book has been printed, and a couple hundred copies are in transit to me as I write this. I should have them by Friday or Saturday.What this means, is anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the book, you can now officially put in an order for it. I think the final version came out well as the proof looked great, although we will see when I see the actual book in a few days. I also added some last minute goodies to sort of make it a Bible for...

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Prospects That Can Help in 2008

As the Indians embark on their 60th attempt to win a World Series since their last title in 1948, they enter the 2008 season as strong as ever to make a run at a that elusive championship. While the Indians are involved in another pennant chase this year there will be times when the Indians will need to turn to their farm system. Just about every major league team's depth is tested over the course of a grueling 162-game schedule, and the praised depth the Indians supposedly...

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Minor League Spring Training Game Schedule

Each full-season Indians minor league affiliate will play 12 games in spring training, with the opponents being the Detroit, Houston and Atlanta farm teams. The Triple-A and Double-A teams (Buffalo and Akron) will travel together, and the Single-A teams (Kinston and Lake County) will as well. The two groups will always be at opposite sites, so for example if Buffalo/Akron are in Winter Haven, then Kinston/Lake County will be on the road.The makeup of each team should be an early indication of who is slated to go where when the season starts, although...

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Weekend Update 2/10

I have some unconfirmed dates in regard to when minor leaguers report to spring training:March 2nd: Pitchers and catchers reportMarch 3rd: Physicals for pitchers and catchersMarch 4th: First workout for pitchers and catchersMarch 4th: Position players reportMarch 5th: Physicals for position playersMarch 6th: First full workoutThis should be right, but if anyone in the know has something different, feel free to e-mail me at tlastoria@theclevelandfan.com and let me know.Buffalo's spring training schedule was released this past week. The Bisons will...

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Book Update!

Looks like this is becoming a reality.I hope to send a final document today or tomorrow to get this thing proofed and ready to print. Will be about 85 pages, and include the following:• Full scouting reports on the Indians top 50 ranked prospects.• An additional 25 scouting reports for players from the 2007 Draft, Latin America, the Rule 5 Draft, and more.• 2007 season and career stats for all players, as well as photos for over 60 players.• A complete listing of the 2007...

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Barfield And Marte Two Keys To Indians Future

Boy, how quickly things can change.The Indians completed a traded with the Boston Red Sox at the end of January 2006 which brought them what they thought was their third baseman for at least the next half decade. The same thing was thought just ten months later when the Indians completed another trade in November 2006, this time with the San Diego Padres, where they thought they had acquired their second baseman for the next half decade as well.But, in the two years since...

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Groundhog Day Update

Happy Groundhog's Day everyone. Hopefully Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow so winter soon ends......who cares though, as baseball gets started again in less than two weeks!Anyway, lots of updates and news today. With all the work I have been doing the last week in formatting and getting the prospect book ready to (hopefully) go to print, I have slacked off on some of the news from the past week. Here is a rundown of pretty much everything that has happened in the Tribe minor league world the past 5-7 days:Several prospect lists were released...

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