Smoke Signals 2/28: Say Goodbye to February Edition

Paul Cousineau and I are back on the cyberwaves tonight for some Cleveland Indians baseball talk in another edition of "Smoke Signals" from 11:00 - 11:30 p.m. EST.  Tonight we will discuss some of the happenings from the past week with Chad Durbin being signing, Trevor Crowe and Anthony Reyes suffering setbacks, and the start of spring games on Sunday. Feel free to call us at 1-949-203-4752 or email us at smokesignals@indiansprospectinsider.com...

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2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #20 Chun-Hsiu Chen

Chun-Hsiu Chen - Catcher Born: 11/01/1988 – Height: 6’1” – Weight: 200 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right (Photo: Tony Lastoria) History: Chen was signed by the Indians as an undrafted minor league free agent in September of 2007 out of Taiwan. He was a third baseman and pitcher in Taiwan, but was converted to a catcher when he joined the organization. The Indians planned to have him play in the Arizona Fall League last year, but he ended up playing for Taiwan in the Asian...

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Tribe Happenings: Who's on third?

Jason Donald is in the mix at third base(Photo: AP) Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook… Third base is question #1 There are a lot of spots on the opening day 25-man roster for the Cleveland Indians that are up in the air this spring. While most of the competition is for the final few spots in the bullpen and who rounds out the bench, the one starting spot this spring which will be interesting to see sort itself out is third base. If baseball lines...

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A Major League Sequel to the 1990s?

(Photo: Paramount Pictures) The Cleveland Indians are the talk of the national media.  It seems the buzz is there and a comeback is at hand.  Our lovable losers are about to shed the failures of the past several years and return to prominence. OK, so the buzz is actually about another sequel to the 1989 movie Major League.  But considering the turnaround the real Indians experienced just a few short years after the original film debuted, isn’t it kind of...

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2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #21 Zach Putnam

Zach Putnam – Right-handed Pitcher Born: 07/03/1987 – Height: 6’2” – Weight: 225 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right (Photo: Tony Lastoria) History: Putnam was selected by the Indians in the 5th round of the 2008 Draft out of the University of Michigan. He played some third base and was a very good college hitter who actually projected well professionally as an outfielder with an excellent arm for right field, raw power to all fields, and very good bat speed. He pitched in...

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2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #22 Abner Abreu

Abner Abreu – Outfielder Born: 10/24/1989 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 170 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right (Photo: Tony Lastoria) History: Abreu was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent in October 2006 out of the Dominican Republic for $75,000. As a 17-year old in the Dominican Summer League in 2007 he piled up 24 extra base hits in 228 at bats, and in 2008 with the rookie level Gulf Coast League team finished with 31 extra base hits and led the league in doubles...

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2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #23 Giovanny Urshela

Giovanny Urshela – Third Baseman Born: 10/11/1991 – Height: 6’0” – Weight: 185 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right (Photo: Tony Lastoria) History: Urshela was signed by the Indians as an undrafted minor league free agent in July of 2008 out of Columbia. He struggled in the first half last year at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley hitting just .248/.285/.274 in his first 29 games, but in his remaining 29 games from July 21st on he hit .333/.370/.463 and was one of the best...

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2011 Minor League Spring Training Game Schedule

Here is the spring training schedule for the minor leaguers this spring. There are only a total of ten spring games against other teams, though there will be a few inter-squad scrimmages leading up to the start of the spring games.  As I have in the past, I plan to post the spring game box scores for each game (or whatever games I am able to acquire). Early camp for the minor leagues opens on March 1st, and then pitchers and catchers are slated to report on March 7th.  The position players are expected to officially report...

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2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #24 Matt Packer

Matt Packer - Left-handed Pitcher Born: 08/28/1987 - Height: 6'0" - Weight: 200 - Bats: Left - Throws: Left (Photo: Ken Carr) History: Packer was selected by the Indians in the 32nd round of the 2009 Draft out of the University of Virginia. His sophomore season in 2008 he led all of college baseball in ERA (1.14), but had velocity issues and a disappointing 2009 year which saw his draft stock plummet. After being drafted, he was a summer follow by Indians area scout Bob...

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2011 Indians Prospect book now available!

The 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects and More book is now available.  I received my first rush shipment over the weekend, and pre-orders have started to go out today. The book came out very well this year with a much improved layout and look on the interior and a nice sleek cover.  Those who have purchased this book in the past will immediately notice the improved overall quality of the book! The book runs $20.95 (plus shipping/handling)...

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