Minor Happenings: Pomeranz's days numbered in Kinston

Drew Pomeranz (Photo: MiLB.com)

"Minor Happenings" is a weekly column which recaps the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.

Okay, time for take three of Minor Happenings this week. Be sure to check take one which was a catchup version posted on Wednesday and then take two yesterday which was the first half of this week's normal posting.  There are lots of updates in both pieces, so be to check out all three parts of this week's Happenings trilogy.

Things should get back to normal next week with one installment of Minor Happenings now that the draft is over and a lot of the early signing news has sub-sided. More players should be signed in the coming days, which I will continue to update and post in the 2011 Draft Signing posting.  You can also go to the 2011 Draft listing which is also linked to the right of the page to keep track of all the 2011 Draft picks signing status and view their individual capsules.

Onto the Happenings....

Pomeranz likely on the move

Drew Pomeranz

With the first half coming to a close on Sunday for the Single-A teams, do not be surprised if this coming week that High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz is promoted to Double-A Akron. Last night in Kinston he made what was probably his final start for the K-Tribe where he put up his longest and arguably best outing of the year going 7.0 innings and allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk and had 7 strikeouts. In 12 starts this year he is 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA, and in 60.2 innings has allowed 44 hits, 23 walks, and has 77 strikeouts.

Pomeranz, 22, has come back well after being shut down for around two weeks because of a lingering hamstring issue and tweaking his mechanics and working on polishing his curveball and changeup in bullpen sessions while he was temporarily shut down. He has a lot of confidence in his fastball and is his go to pitch, but his secondary stuff at times - particularly his changeup - have been inconsistent.

The performance both subjectively and objectively for Pomeranz so far this year has been outstanding. The challenges the organization has made for him to improve his changeup and control the running game have been met, now it is time to see what he can do at the next level. Getting him to Akron where he likely will finish out the season would be a good way to test him for half of a season and force him to use his offspeed pitches more and continue developing his changeup.

Miller continues to pitch well

Adam Miller

It’s been a few weeks, so time for another obligatory Adam Miller update. Sometimes no news is good news, and that is exactly the case for the Texan right-hander these days. He has been pitching in games now since March and has had no setbacks of any kind with his finger, and since being promoted to Double-A Akron a few weeks back is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA in 6 appearances with Akron. Overall this season in 14 combined appearances between High-A Kinston and Akron he is 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA (19.1 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 19 K). As the peripheral numbers show he has been much better than the ERA suggests, which is ballooned as of the result of one or two bad outings.

The magnitude of Miller’s miraculous comeback is not only being appreciated and praised by Indians fans, but by everyone in the organization as well as the players. When Kinston manager Aaron Holbert announced to the team that he was being called up to Akron a few weeks back his Kinston teammates lined up at his locker while he packed to each individually congratulate him on reaching the next step in his quest to make it to the big leagues.

Miller is still working on the consistency of his stuff as most of the time it is there, but every so often it can disappear an outing here and there. The velocity has probably peaked at 95 MPH, which is still very good, and the slider is coming along although it still has a ways to go with him becoming comfortable with the deeper grip in his hand. He just needs more reps to build up arm strength since he has barely pitched in three years. He also needs to continue to work on getting more consistent with the slider and will eventually need to prove he is durable enough to pitch every other night and then on back-to-back nights.

There have been absolutely no setbacks, not even minor pain with the finger, and as a result Miller rarely even thinks about it anymore. Since he is on an expedited track there is a good chance he could soon move up to Triple-A Columbus, and while he may not be a big league option this year in Cleveland, do not be surprised if he is healthy and performing well that he is a September callup when rosters expand from 25 players to 40 players. It would be a perfect time to add him back to the big league roster as an option for 2012, but to also put the finishing touches on a great comeback and to reach the big leagues this year. What a payoff, and amazing night that would be if it happens.

Forward Head-ing?

Jerad Head

One of the better developments this season has been the continued good play of do-everything player Jerad Head at Triple-A Columbus. He can play any position on the field and has over his career, but has only played outfield in Columbus this year. He has always proven his worth as an organizational player and for an undrafted player he has already achieved more than anyone ever thought he would. All that having been said, he is continually improving at the plate and it may eventually pay off for him with a cup of coffee in the big leagues some day.

Head, 28, is not really considered much of a prospect in the industry because of his age, but as players in the past like Casey Blake have shown, sometimes players get better with age and blossom in the twilight of their prospect years. In 53 games this year for Columbus he is hitting .309 with 8 HR, 29 RBI, and a .875 OPS, which is coming off a very good season last year where he hit .299 with 17 HR, 66 RBI and a .906 OPS in 86 combined games between Double-A Akron and Columbus.

Head has never been a priority player for the Indians and may still not be, but that doesn’t seem to bother him as he just keeps going out and producing all while being unsure what position he may play on any given night. He is a hard working player who is an overachiever and gives everything he has night in and night out, and those kinds of players have value to an organization even if they are not considered big time prospects.

This was put on display earlier in the year on May 6th against Lehigh Valley when Head ran into the outfield wall in left field to try and catch the ball and ended up popping out his shoulder. He simply got up, popped it back in, and stayed in the game and collected two hits and a sacrifice fly the rest of the way. That’s a guy fans will have no problem rallying behind and learning to love if he ever gets a chance to play in Cleveland.

Forgotten Man

Matt McBride

Double-A Akron first baseman and outfielder Matt McBride has been sort of struck in neutral this year. He is playing well as in 67 games he is hitting .273 with 12 HR, 40 RBI and a .838 OPS, but he is playing down a level at Akron when he should probably be at Triple-A Columbus. This is not because of some personal vendetta that the organization has against him; it is just because there is nowhere to play him in Columbus because of a deep mix of outfielders and first basemen there.

McBride, 26, should see time at Columbus this year, the only question is when. With Nick Johnson and Jared Goedert getting most of the time at first base and designated hitter, and then Jerad Head and Chad Huffman getting the time in left and right field as well as Nick Weglarz likely to be in the mix there soon, there just is no spot for him. This will likely change in the next two to three weeks as the Indians make roster decisions which could involve promoting any or all of Goedert, Huffman, Head and Johnson. When and if that happens, then McBride’s opportunity in Columbus should arrive.

Through it all McBride has remained positive and been the consummate professional even though if he were in almost any other organization he would probably at least be playing at the Triple-A level. He has continued to work on his swing, and after a slow start in April where he hit .237 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and a .662 OPS, he has bounced back where since May 1st he is hitting .290 with 11 HR, 36 RBI and a .917 OPS in 44 games.

Popham ready for another challenge

Marty Popham

I think it is safe to say that High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Marty Popham needs a better challenge at the Double-A level. He has been up to Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus for a handful of spot starts, but has yet to settle in at either level. Meanwhile, in 9 appearances this year (3 starts) at Kinston he is 1-0 with a 2.59 ERA. The impressive part for him are the peripherals as in 31.1 innings he has allowed just 22 hits and no walks while striking out 30 batters.

The problem for Popham and so many other pitchers in the system is that the Indians are deep with pitching, so while in past years Popham would surely already be in Akron, that is not the case for him and his pitching brethren this year as many are stuck at a level lower than they should be at. The Indians made a lot of moves in the system yesterday, and with the first half coming to a close this weekend for Kinston and Low-A Lake County along with short season leagues starting up, some pitching moves will surely still be made in the coming days.

Popham, 23, has a Major League quality fastball-changeup combination. He has good velocity and gets swing and miss with the fastball because it has a lot of life in the zone, and the changeup is a solid-average pitch. Also, with his 6’6” size he really leverages the ball well. But the key to him separating himself and becoming a true big league option will be the development of his slider, which is something the organization has challenged him this year to improve.

Iron Man

Roberto Perez

There is a super hero on the loose at High-A Kinston and his name is Roberto Perez. The K-Tribe defensive stalwart behind the plate showed off some incredible durability and strength this week where he caught an unheard of 46 innings in three days from Saturday through Monday. On Sunday and Monday he caught all 37 innings alone because of the 23-inning marathon on Sunday and the double-header on Monday.

Had Perez been an animal, some animal rights activist would surely have called PETA for cruel and unusual punishment, but Perez was up to the challenge. The Kinston coaching staff left it up to Perez if he felt good enough to play in the second game of the double-header on Monday and he said he felt strong and good to go so they let him play both games. He has been swinging a hot bat of late, and with the team making a late push for the first half division title felt he was not being exposed to any risk of injury.

Perez has been red hot at the plate in June hitting .390 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, and a 1.148 OPS in 12 games, which has raised his batting average on the season from .177 to .257 since the start of play on May 30th. In 47 games this year he is hitting .257 with 1 HR, 15 RBI, and a .774 OPS.

Reichenbach to the rescue

J.D. Reichenbach

What an impressive performance by High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher J.D. Reichenbach on Tuesday. Called up on Monday from Low-A Lake County to fill in for a taxed pitching staff he actually pitched a third of an inning of relief in game two of Kinston’s doubleheader on Monday night. Then, the very next day on Tuesday he went out and made a spot start and pitched 5.2 innings of no-hit ball in his first career professional start. Wow.

The Indians were hoping Reichenbach would give them three, maybe four innings because he was on a 50 pitch count, but he was so efficient that he ended up giving them 5.2 innings while still making only the mandated 50 pitches. He did not allow a hit, and even though he walked two batters and hit another he still ended up facing the minimum over his 5.2 innings before he walked the last batter he faced thanks to three double plays. He threw first pitch strikes to 13 of 18 batters, and 13 of the batters saw three pitches or less. He was aided by a five-pitch third, seven-pitch fourth, and a seven-pitch fifth, a total of just 19 pitches to get nine outs in those three innings. That was just what the doctor ordered for the K-Tribe pitching staff which had pitched 37 innings the two previous days.

Reichenbach doesn’t throw hard, but he mixes up his three pitch mix of a fastball, changeup and slider well. He worked to his strength which is pitching to contact and keeping the ball down in the zone. His call to Kinston was only temporary as a few days later he was sent back to Lake County. In 18 combined appearances between Lake County and Kinston he is 4-1 with a 2.85 ERA (47.1 IP, 39 H, 13 BB, 36 ).

Remember us?

Jordan Brown

There are lots of former Tribe minor league players sprinkled all around the minors hanging onto the dream and playing for several other organizations or in independent ball. Here is a quick listing of some notable former Indians’ prospects with where they are and how they are doing:

First baseman Jordan Brown is in the Brewers organization and playing for their Triple-A Nashville affiliate, and in 34 games he is hitting .259 with 1 HR, 13 RBI and a .637 OPS. His once promising career as a hitter seems to be evaporating this year as injuries and other limitations may have caught up with him.

Left-handed pitcher Chuck Lofgren is pitching in the Giants organization for their Triple-A San Jose affiliate, and in 12 games is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA and in 14.2 innings has allowed 11 hits, 10 walks, and has 14 strikeouts. He missed all of April with an injury.

Outfielder Brad Snyder is in the Cubs organization and playing for their Triple-A Iowa affiliate, and in 38 games is hitting .342 with 7 HR, 29 RBI and a .943 OPS. He has also played in eight games in the big leagues this year going 1-for-9 at the plate. Last year he had an incredible year at Iowa hitting .308 with 25 HR, 108 RBI and a .949 OPS in 132 games, and made his Major League debut in September hitting .185 with 0 HR, 5 RBI and a .437 OPS in 12 games.

Stephen Head

Right-handed pitcher J.D. Martin is in the Nationals organization and playing for their Triple-A Syracuse affiliate, and in 14 games (6 starts) he is 1-4 with a 5.09 ERA and in 46.0 innings has allowed 48 hits, 9 walks, and has 27 strikeouts. He made his Major League debut for the Nationals last year making nine starts and going 1-5 with a 4.13 ERA (48.0 IP, 56 H, 11 BB, 31 K).

Former first baseman and outfielder Stephen Head is with the Rockies organization and apparently is making a comeback as a pitcher where they will start the experiment with their short season Single-A Tri-City team. For those that remember when the Indians selected Head in the 2nd round of the 2005 Draft, he was a highly touted pitcher and first baseman for Ole Miss, so it appears he is giving baseball one last try as a pitcher.

In the independent Atlantic League the league is littered with former prospects who were in the organization at some point in the past half decade. Right-handed pitcher Jake Dittler is on the disabled list and in 7 starts this year is 1-5 with a 8.70 ERA (30.0 IP, 44 H, 14 BB, 23 K). Right-handed pitcher Brian Slocum in 3 starts is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA (17.0 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 15 K). Right-handed pitcher Jim Ed Warden in 17 appearances is 0-0 with a 0.53 ERA with 13 saves (17.0 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 15 K). Infielder Brandon Pinckney is hitting .287 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 40 games. Outfielder Brian Barton is hitting .318 with 0 HR and 2 RBI in 7 games. Right-handed pitcher Bubbie Buzachero in 16 appearances is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 8 saves (16.0 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 11 K). First baseman Ryan Mulhern is hitting .348 with 10 HR and 34 RBI in 29 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).

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Indians lose Brad Snyder

Outfielder Brad Snyder was claimed today off outright waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

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Minor Happenings: De La Cruz-ing In Lake County

"Minor Happenings" covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.

For those that missed it, draft extraordinaire Dennis Nosco ran a live blog all day yesterday giving flash analysis on the Indians picks and on other things from Day 1 of the MLB Draft. Denny will be back again later today to provide another running live commentary of Day 2 of the draft.

One programming note: This coming Tuesday's edition of the Minor League Magazine on STO, Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins will wrap up the MLB Draft and talk about some of the top prospects. Left-hander David Huff will be featured, and a then and now segment on Indians manager Eric Wedge will be shown.

Also, this coming Tuesday I have a big piece coming that will recap a near 45-minute long conversation I had on the phone this past Sunday with a top major league scout. This is significant and was something I wanted to do to sort of balance the talk you get from me and the Indians personnel. We talked about a couple dozen prospects, some quickly, and some for 5-7 minutes. I'm looking forward to getting this piece out.

And, as always, I'll have some player features in the next week. Players like Roman Pena, Ryan Morris, Erik Stiller, Randy Newsom, Jeff Stevens and Jordan Brown will be featured soon. The piece on Brown likely will post on this Sunday or Monday.

Indians Minor League Player Of The Month
(for May)

Kelvin De La Cruz (Left-handed Pitcher - Lake County)
3-1, 0.80 ERA, 6 starts, 33.2 IP, 20 H, 3 R, 1 HR, 18 BB, 30 K, .183 BAA

Lake County left-handed starting pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz is really making a name for himself this season. Coming into the season, he was viewed as a promising young prospect who had big helium potential, and to date he has lived up to the billing. He has hit a speed bump here and there, had some trouble with walks, but overall he has been dominant. On the year he is 4-2 with a 1.40 ERA in 11 starts, and in all but one start he has allowed no more than one run.

"I feel really good," said De La Cruz in a recent interview at Classic Park in Eastlake. "[There are] just a couple things I need to work on, like my attitude. Sometimes something happens in the game, like an error, and I [let it bother me]. I have to control my emotions."

While De La Cruz returns home to the Dominican Republic for a month or two to play winter ball, he spends almost all year stateside. He has lived in New Jersey the last several years with his family where they have picked up their citizenship and also picked up on the English language. He signed with the Indians at just 16 years old in December 2004 as an undrafted free agent out of the La Vega in the Dominican Republic. His discovery was the product of all the hard work the scouts in Latin America have done in unearthing some good talent over the last several years.

"The Indians saw me one time," recalled De La Cruz. "I threw like 50 pitches. I was ready to sign and wanted to do it, but my mother said I didn't have to sign right then. I said 'you know what mom, I want to sign.' They gave me $150,000 and that was fine with me as I wanted to play baseball."

De La Cruz was hurt near the end of the 2006 season as he went through a bout of shoulder tendonitis, but he returned strong last year when he really first became noticed as a prospect. He dominated in just three starts in the Gulf Coast League (3-0, 0.50 ERA), and then went to Mahoning Valley and made 12 starts (2-4, 3.98 ERA). His nerves got the best of him in his first start at Mahoning Valley where he only lasted a third of an inning giving up six runs on one hit and five walks. He responded really well after that, and in his followup start to that disastrous debut De La Cruz went five no-hit innings and combined with two other pitchers to throw a no-hitter (July 12^th, 2007).

"You know, last year sometimes was difficult because I was thinking a lot about the year before having a bad season because I had a little bit of a hurt shoulder," recalled De La Cruz. "I just said, 'you know what I am good, I just have to do my work when I go out there.' I threw like 18 innings and three games, and then they called me up and the first game was real difficult for me in Mahoning. It was just so different. Then I came back and threw a combination no-hitter."

De La Cruz is often referred to as "The Carmona Lefty" because of his close resemblance to current Indian and former Lake County Captain Fausto Carmona. Not only does De La Cruz look just like him on the mound, but his skills, pitching repertoire, makeup and so on are near identical to what Carmona was in 2003 at Lake County. The only difference is that De La Cruz is left-handed, hence the moniker. He is also very good friends with Carmona and often asks him for insight into the professional game and lifestyle.

"I told him in spring training that I was playing my first full season and asked him how to stay strong," said De La Cruz. "He told me 'you have to eat a lot, rest and work hard.' So that is what I do now."

Honorable Mentions:

Randy Newsom (RHP - Akron): 2-0, 0.61 ERA, 11 SV, 15 games, 14.2 IP, 12 H, 9 BB, 8 K, .231 BAA
Wes Hodges (3B - Akron): .347 AVG, 7 2B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, .411 OBP, .860 OPS
Chris Gimenez (C - Akron): .329 AVG, 9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .484 OBP, 1.055 OPS
David Huff (LHP - Akron): 4-0, 1.08 ERA, 5 starts, 33.1 IP, 22 H, 4 BB, 29 K, .186 BAA
Carlton Smith (RHP- Kinston): 3-1, 1.04 ERA, 5 starts, 34.2 IP, 19 H, 7 BB, 14 K, .160 BAA
Jeremy Sowers (LHP - Buffalo): 3-1, 1.45 ERA, 5 starts, 31 IP, 29 H, 8 BB, 22 K, .250 BAA

Previous Winners:

April: Ryan Miller (LHP - Lake County)

Director's Cuts

This week, Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins provides some thoughts on a potpourri of players in Kinston and Buffalo, and also provides some insight into the thinking with all the minor league free agents they have been picking up:

On Kinston: "This year is a lot of fun to watch because there are some 19 and 20 year olds running around in the Carolina League, and they are playing for the Kinston Indians. When you put our starting nine and starting five pitchers and take those fourteen players and average them out, we are a year and a half younger than everybody else. That is a very good sign that they are competitive, we are near .500 and playing good baseball, and our prospects are having good years and doing things we are asking them to do. When you ask a younger player to make adjustments at a very competitive level and see not only their willingness to do it, but also their success in doing it, that is a very good sign. This is the first time these guys will not only see pitchers throw 95-96, but also the ability to command a breaking ball as well. Now guys who do those two things don't typically stay in the Carolina League long, but there are teams that have those type of arms on their team. This is the first time they are seeing strike-throwing ability, a three pitch mix with a power fastball, and these young hitters are having to make adjustments on the fly. They are walking back to the dugout at times wondering what just hit them, but it is good seeing them go through that and maybe make the adjustment and maybe next time get a hit off that guy. The other interesting thing about the league is there are only eight teams. That guy who is throwing 95 for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans will come back around. Baltimore probably has four first-rounders on their team, the Braves have a lot of first-rounders on their team. There is some good pitching in the league this year, so to see some of our younger hitters like Beau Mills, Carlos Rivero, and Jared Goedert have some success is nice. Nick Weglarz is a guy where with the things he is doing with his discipline and power against those type of arms is a very good sign. It is really hard to control our excitement about Nick Weglarz."

On Transactions: "This year has been the busiest of my two years and the busiest I can remember in my 7-8 years in the front office, especially the last couple weeks. It is just a byproduct of injuries and guys not performing to the level that we had hoped. It has been extremely reactive. We have had to react to injuries and fill in certain spots, sign independent ball pitchers and fill that Buffalo team. We are always trying to get better, whether it is incrementally improving on a right-handed bat for Triple-A or a depth bullpen arm for the major league team. We are constantly doing that, and when you add on injuries and unexpected poor performances then it just intensifies those needs and the work to be done on that front. It has been a crazy couple of weeks, and the draft is right in the middle of it."

On Jeremy Sowers: "He has been unbelievable. It is so funny how people talked about starting pitching depth and how much we had of it. How incredible the amount of starting pitching depth we had, and now we are looking for depth. It is amazing how valuable it is, someone who can pitch seven to eight innings and take you deep into a game. The fact that Jeremy Sowers is sitting in Triple-A for us, who really quite frankly a major league pitcher in Triple-A, is an incredible asset. He has been incredible. The up and down, and one start not knowing if he is going down right after and finding out right after that he is right back up. He had a little bit of bad luck with the timing of his first callup, and Laffey being right behind him and that he would be the odd man out. How he has handled all that, and handled the up and down and keeping his performance consistent, is really a tribute to his mental strengths and ability to focus."

On Rick Bauer: "He is a really interesting guy. A guy that we were very fortunate was available as a six year free agent. He has three years of major league service, mostly with Baltimore and some with Texas. A big right-handed power arm with some natural sink and life to his fastball, and has a power breaking ball. We challenged him to be more consistent in the strike zone recently, and he has done that. He has shown that he belongs in the major leagues for this challenge, and we are very interested to see how he does in the next few weeks [in Cleveland]."

Indians Minor league Player of the Week
(for games from May 29th to June 4th)

Steven Wright (Right-handed Pitcher - Kinston)
1-0, 2 starts, 0.00 ERA, 12.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 12 K

This award really came down to Wright and Akron left-hander Ryan Edell, and Wright got the nod by a nose. Wright was sensational last Thursday as he threw a complete game shutout allowing two hits, two walks and struck out seven. Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller were there to witness Wright's dominance and liked what they saw. It was Wright's first career complete game shutout, and he is now ranked 1^st in the Carolina League in ERA.

Wright dominated the opposition with exceptional command of his fastball that he did a great job of keeping down in the zone. He pounded the zone with strikes, kept the ball on a downward plane, and worked his fastball in and out to hitters. By throwing strikes with his fastball, it made his secondary pitches much more effective. Wright has always had confidence in his slider, which is considered his best pitch, but he is starting to gain a lot more confidence in his curveball lately and he is starting to believe he can throw it in any count.

His dominant start over Frederick was an ironic twist, as while it was the best start of his two year career, Frederick is also responsible for the worst start of his career last August when they pounded him for 11 runs in 1.1 innings. Wright has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in a system loaded with excellent starting pitching this year. In 10 of his 11 starts he has allowed three earned runs or less, and in four of his starts he has not allowed a run. On the season he is 2-3 with a 2.17 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .193 BAA in 12 starts.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Edell, LHP, Akron (2-0, 0.63 ERA, 2 starts); Brad Snyder, OF, Buffalo (.421 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI); Cirilo Cumberbatch, OF, Kinston (.333 AVG, HR, 7 RBI); Alex Castillo, C, Kinston (.438 AVG, HR, 6 RBI); Roman Pena, OF, Lake County (.353 AVG, HR, 6 RBI)

Previous Winners:

5/22 to 5/28: Chris Archer (RHP - Lake County)
5/15 to 5/21: David Huff (LHP - Akron)
5/8 to 5/14: Steven Wright (RHP - Kinston)
5/1 to 5/7: Jeremy Sowers (LHP - Buffalo)
4/24 to 4/30: Jose Constanza (OF - Akron)
4/17 to 4/23: Hector Rondon (RHP - Kinston)
4/10 to 4/16: Wes Hodges (3B - Akron)
4/3 to 4/9: Kelvin De La Cruz (LHP - Lake County)

Off The "Snyde"

Outfielder Brad Snyder has been on a roll of late in Buffalo. In his last ten games he is hitting .444 (16-for-36) and in seven of his last eight games he has collected two or more hits in a game. During that period, Snyder had a stretch of five straight multi-hit games and in the last week he has raised his average 59 points from .203 to .262. His 20 extra base hits are second on the team only to second baseman Josh Barfield (21). On the season Snyder is hitting .262 with 4 HR, 24 RBI and a .761 OPS.

Snyder's recent success is a result of a shift in his approach at the plate where he has focused on being much more aggressive but selective at the same time in knowing what he wants to hit when he steps into the batters box. What this means is he has gone from going up there hacking to now having a better plan knowing what pitches he wants to aggressively attack.

Whatever good Snyder does this year might be too little too late for him in the Indians organization. With a surplus of like-outfielders already in Cleveland, and him being out of options after this year, it is very unlikely he sticks with the team at the end of spring training next year. Being out of options, if the Indians wanted to send him to Buffalo at the end of spring training he would first have to be removed from the 40-man roster and clear waivers before they could outright assign him to Buffalo. In fact, he may not even last in the organization that long as the Indians have several decisions looming on who to roster for protection in the Rule 5 Draft this December, and Snyder could be a roster casualty to protect someone they find more of a long term fit. Even still, given Snyder's struggles, it is very possible another team will not claim him (they would have to put him on their 40-man roster) and he sticks in Cleveland next year as a non-major league rostered player.

Indians Extend Agreement With Kinston

On Wednesday the Cleveland Indians announced that they have renewed their player development contract with Single-A affiliate Kinston. The new agreement carries the Indians affiliation with Kinston through the 2010 season, which currently the two have an unprecedented 22nd year affiliation. "Our relationship with the Kinston Indians is outstanding" said Ross Atkins, Cleveland's Director of Player Development. "We are as happy as we could be. This relationship is one I see continuing for a long time."

The affiliation between Kinston and the Cleveland Indians has enjoyed unprecedented success both on and off the diamond. Over the last fifteen complete seasons, Kinston has the highest winning percentage of any team in Minor League Baseball. Since the first year of affiliation in 1987 (21 complete seasons), the K-Tribe qualified for the Carolina League playoffs 16 times, never missing the playoffs in back to back seasons. Currently, Kinston has made the Carolina League playoffs seven straight years, the longest streak in Carolina League history. Kinston has won five Carolina League Championships and 11 Carolina League Southern Division Titles as a Cleveland affiliate.

Over the last four complete seasons the K-Tribe has won 336 games, the most in all of Minor League Baseball. "The managers, coaches and players we deal with every year are some of the best people in baseball," said Shari Massengill, Kinston General Manager. "It has been a strong relationship spanning three decades and we are pleased to continue it into a fourth."

Wild Wednesday

It was a wild Wednesday night down on the Indians' Farm. While Lake County's game for first place in the division with Delmarva was postponed, there was some history and near-history made in Buffalo and Akron.

In Buffalo, the Bisons did absolutely nothing for eight innings as they were shutout and held to four singles and had only one runner get past first base all night. They were down 6-0 going into the bottom of the 9th inning, but then managed to put up an incredible rally scoring six runs on six hits in the 9th to tie the score at 6-6. In the top of the 10th they gave up a run to Rochester, but trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the 10th Buffalo stormed back for two runs. Outfielder Brad Snyder got the game winning RBI as he hit a no-out single with the bases loaded that one hopped the outfield wall. The six-run comeback is the second largest ninth-inning comeback in Buffalo's Modern Era, with the record-setter coming almost a year ago against Pawtucket on May 5, 2007 when they trailed Pawtucket 14-6 going into the bottom of the 9th inning and scored nine runs to win 15-14.

Three hours down I-90 and I-77 to Akron, left-hander Ryan Edell flirted with history. Edell carried a perfect game into the eighth inning, but after 22 consecutive outs and five outs away from the first perfect game in the Eastern League in 65 years, the bid came to an end. After a long battle at the plate where the count went full and the opposing hitter spoiled three good pitches with two-strikes, Edell finally missed high and away for a walk. The next batter hit a single to end the no-hit bid, and then the next batter hit a blooper down the left field line which broke up the shutout, and after that Edell was removed. Edell was sensational all night where he did not go to three balls on any hitter until the sixth inning, and he did not allow a ball to leave the infield until a fly out ended the fourth inning. He finished the night going 7.1 innings and allowed one run, two hits, one walk, and struck out five.

Carlton In Charge

Kinston right-hander Carlton Smith just completed a fabulous month of May where he went 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA, and if not for David Huff and Kelvin De La Cruz, Smith would have ran away with the Player of the Month Award for May. Smith has certainly come a long way this season, as in five April starts he did not allow less than three runs in any start and was 0-1 with a 7.61 ERA for the month. However, in his five May starts he went at least six innings in every start, and all but one he went at least seven innings. He allowed two runs in one start, and in all the rest gave up just one or no runs.

Smith is not exactly blowing away hitters, as he only had 30 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched this year. He is a sinker-baller and pitches to contact, so a lot of his success depends getting groundballs (2.06 G/F), the defense around him, and some luck. The 6'2" 205-pound Smith was a 21st-round draft pick out of Piscataway (N.J.) High School in 2004 and is quiet by nature and keeps to himself. He has an excellent work ethic that was instilled in him by his brother and father. His brother Corey Smith is a former Indians 1st-round pick in 1999, and his father played professionally in the Baltimore Orioles organization.

Huff To Buffalo

Congratulations to left-hander David Huff on his promotion to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday evening. Huff's ascent up the minor league ladder has been astonishing given the fact that he is now in Triple-A, yet he has only 26 career minor league starts and 133 career minor league innings pitched since being drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 Draft out of UCLA. His rapid climb is a testament to his ability, hard work, and shows just how major league ready he really was coming into the draft in 2006.

In his final start in Akron on Saturday, Huff was his usual dominant self as he retired the first 11 hitters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He finished the game going 6.2 innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven. Huff lowered his ERA to a league-leading 1.92 and capped off an outstanding May where in five starts he was 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA and did not allow more than two runs in any start.

While the move is unofficial (I reported it on my blog Tuesday night), it should become official sometime Friday as he is expected to make his Triple-A debut on the mound that night.

Tomlin Impresses In Spot Start

Kinston right-hander Josh Tomlin made a spot start at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday night and put forth a strong effort going seven innings and allowing three runs on six hits, one walk and struck out three. He pounded the zone throwing 50 of his 79 pitches for strikes, and he was very efficient (79 pitches, 7 IP). After the game Tomlin was sent back to Single-A Kinston, but he left a lasting impression with many of the coaches at Buffalo and Indians officials with how well he pitched under control jumping up two levels.

Tomlin made few mistakes, and the ones he did he paid for dearly. He learned you do not get away with many mistakes at the Triple-A level as he left two pitches over the plate that were hit for solo home runs. But, other than that, Tomlin was great and he had good command of his fastball to both sides of the plate. Tomlin is a guy you hear very little about because he does not have eye-popping stuff, but he wins (25-7 career record) and does a great job of hitting his spots and attacking the strike zone. While he was sent back to Kinston, it should only be temporary as he could be on the move to Double-A Akron very soon. With the Single-A teams about a week and a half from their All-Star breaks and the minor league season really at its midpoint, there should be a lot of roster movement up and down the system in the next two weeks. Tomlin certainly seems like someone who could be on the move to Akron.

Award Winners

The Indians had a couple players win league player of the week honors this past week. In Buffalo, left-hander Jeremy Sowers was the International League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 26 to June 1. Over that period, Sowers went 2-0 with a 0.69ERA in his two starts and on the year he is now 4-3 with a 2.08ERA. His ERA is the fourth-lowest in the league. On May 27th Sowers threw six shutout innings and allowed eight hits, one walk and had five strikeouts. On June 1st, Sowers allowed one run in seven innings.

In Akron, right-handed closer Randy Newsom was named the Bank of America Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 26 to June 1. Newsom appeared in five games and recorded three saves and two wins with a 1.80 ERA in five innings of work, and on the season is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 16 saves. Newsom now leads the Eastern League in saves and games pitched (25), and he also smashed the Akron saves record and now has 34 in his Akron career. Newsom should be on the move to Buffalo very soon.

Transactions Log

What a crazy week throughout the system with transactions. With players signing from the draft and being assigned to teams in the coming weeks, there should be a lot more movement this month. Here is a quick rundown of the transaction activity this past week:

On Friday, right-hander Joanniel Montero was sent from Akron to Lake County and outfielder Nathan Panther was activated from extended spring training and placed back on the Akron roster.

On Saturday, catcher Richard Martinez was added to the Lake County roster and outfielder Ramon Hernandez was reassigned to extended spring training.

On Sunday, Buffalo infielder Andy Gonzalez was put on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain and infielder Chris De La Cruz was promoted to Buffalo from Kinston.

On Monday, right-hander Jeff Stevens was promoted to Buffalo and left-hander Reid Santos was reassigned from Buffalo to Akron. Also, right-hander Josh Tomlin was promoted from Kinston to make a spot start at Buffalo and right-hander Jensen Lewis was called up to Cleveland. Also, right-handed pitcher J.D. Martin was promoted to Buffalo and right-handed pitcher T.J. Burton was activated from extended spring training to take Martin's spot on the Akron roster.

On Wednesday, first baseman Michael Aubrey was activated in Buffalo and right-hander Josh Tomlin was re-assigned to Kinston.

Affiliate Notebook

Buffalo Notes (28-33, 4th place, 9 GB): As mentioned last week, right-hander Adam Miller will be out until the end of July. If all goes well with his recovery, he could go on a return-to-throw program but word is that he would not go to Buffalo but instead go to Cleveland. He is rehabbing the injury under the close watch of the Indians medical staff in Cleveland. ... On Friday, the Indians signed right-hander Dan Reichert out of the Atlantic League (Independent). Reichert has pitched in 51 major league games from 1999-2003 with the Royals and Blue Jays (21-25, 5.55 ERA, 2 SV, 395.1 IP, 240 K). He last pitched in the minors in 2005 as he has been in Independent League ball the last three seasons. ... In two appearances, right-hander Jeff Stevens has pitched four innings and given up three runs on three hits, one walk and struck out six. ... First baseman Jordan Brown is hitting .272 with 0 HR, 12 RBI and a .713 OPS. ... First baseman Ryan Mulhern is hitting .252 with 4 HR, 20 RBI, and a .729 OPS. ... Catcher Wyatt Toregas is hitting .198 with 2 HR, 20 RBI, and a .571 OPS.

Akron Notes (30-26, 3rd place, 3.5 GB): Left-hander Chuck Lofgren has had an inconsistent season so far, but scouts still love his skills and tools and feel he has correctable flaws in his delivery that can get him straightened out. Lofgren and Akron pitching coach Tony Arnold have worked extensively on getting his fastball command under control and to keep it down in the zone. Lofgren took a step in the right direction on Sunday when he went five innings and allowed only one run. On the season he is 1-3 with a 5.54 ERA in 11 starts. ... First baseman Matt Whitney has gotten off to a slow start this year, hitting only .242 with 4 HR, 18 RBI and a .698 OPS. He has slowly started to pick things up at the plate, and one of the keys to his improved numbers is that he has been using the whole field and not being such a dead-pull hitter. ... On Friday, right-hander Kevin Dixon worked six strong innings and allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and tied his career-high with nine strikeouts. On the season, Dixon is 2-4 with a 4.37 ERA in 10 starts. ... Right-hander Frank Herrmann, fresh off his one-start stint in Kinston over Memorial Day weekend, returned to the Akron rotation last week and went a solid seven innings allowing one run on eight hits, two walks and struck out six. On the season, Herrmann is 5-3 with a 5.46 ERA in 11 starts. ... Akron entered May with a 10-14 record (5.5 games out of first) and were struggling at the plate (.247 AVG) and on the mound (4.70 ERA). Things changed in May as they went 18-10, warmed up at the plate (.267 AVG) and were much more stingy on the mound (3.74 ERA).

Kinston Notes (28-29, 2nd place, 10 GB): Last Thursday, shortstop Carlos Rivero rolled his ankle during pre-game activities. He has been out of the lineup since, although not put on the disabled list. He is still considered day-to-day with ankle soreness and the organization is being very careful with putting him back in the lineup. On the season Rivero is hitting .274 with 1 HR, 24 RBI and a .677 OPS. ... On Sunday, first baseman Beau Mills and infielder Jared Goedert saw their modest 10-game on-base streaks end. Mills is hitting .255 with 5 HR, 33 RBI and a .780 OPS, and Goedert is hitting .269 with 4 HR, 30 RBI and a .728 OPS. ... Left-handed reliever Dan Cevette earned his first career save on Friday night. The lefty has worked his way back from shoulder issues last year and this season and is now throwing pain free, and he even got it up to 94 MPH a few times this past week. On the season, Cevette is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 appearances, and more impressive is his 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched. ... Catcher Alex Castillo is quietly having a good season, hitting .254 with 4 HR, 26 RBI and a .761 OPS in just 130 at bats. ... Outfielder Nick Weglarz is hitting .270 with 5 HR, 21 RBI, and an .839 OPS. He also has 48 walks in 55 games. ... Right-handed closer Luis Perdomo is 2-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 12 saves in 23 appearances. In 32.1 innings he has 31 strikeouts and a 0.93 WHIP.

Lake County Notes (34-24, 1st place, 0.5 GU): The Captains have lost five games in a row, and with a half game lead with 12 games to go in the first half they are going to be in a dogfight to win the South Atlantic League's (SAL) Northern Division. ... The SAL All-Star game is on Tuesday June 17th in Greensboro, NC. Lake County manager Aaron Holbert will manage the North squad, and Lake County pitching coach Ruben Niebla and hitting coach Jim Rickon will join Holbert on the coaching staff. Five Lake County players were selected to the team: left-handed starters Ryan Miller, Kelvin De La Cruz, and Ryan Morris, right-handed closer Vinnie Pestano, and outfielder Roman Pena. ... It was not a good week for the Captains as left-handers Ryan Morris and Ryan Miller suffered their first losses of the season. On Saturday, Morris (6-1, 2.30 ERA) went five innings and gave up three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out five. On Tuesday, Miller (7-1, 1.41 ERA) went five innings and gave up two runs on five hits, one walk and struck out five. ... On Friday, Kelvin De La Cruz was sensational once again throwing six shutout one-hit innings and left the game with a 4-0 lead going into the 7th inning. The Lake County bullpen then imploded as right-handers Josh Judy and Joanniel Montero combined to pitch three innings and give up a whopping 13 runs and 15 hits. ... First baseman Dustin Realini continues to carry a hot bat and is now in the midst of a 23-game on-base streak. His 12-game hitting streak came to an end on Friday, and it is the longest hitting streak on the team this year. On the season, Realini is hitting .307 with 3 HR, 25 RBI, and a .854 OPS. ... On Thursday, first baseman Chris Nash was put on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. He is expected to be out for two to three weeks.

Photos courtesy of Ken Carr, Lake County Captains, Kinston Indians, Akron Aeros, and Buffalo Bisons.

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Weekend Update 3/2

Aubrey On Fire

So far so good. First baseman Michael Aubrey is through his first few games and week of camp healthy, and he is putting on an impressive display of what he can do if he is healthy. In the intrasquad game on Tuesday, Aubrey doubled and hit a three-run bomb deep into right field. He followed that up in the spring training opener on Thursday by going 2-for-3 with an RBI and then on Friday going 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. He did not play in Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

There is no question the man can hit. But, can he finally overcome his injury issues? From the day he signed with the Indians, he has made the Indians medical staff work overtime. He suffered a sprained quadriceps a mere three days after signing his contract with the Indians in June 2003, which delayed the start of his professional career for a month where he eventually debuted at Lake County in late July and hit .348 with 5 HR, 19 RBI and had a .960 OPS in 38 games. In 2004, he had a great year hitting a combined .310 with 15 HR and 82 RBI in 98 game at Kinston and Akron, but also missed five weeks with a strained hamstring in the middle of the season. In 2005, Aubrey was sidelined again in May of that year with a stress fracture in his back and only played in 28 games. In 2006, he only played in 14 games because he still was recovering from his back and he strained his right knee. In 2007, Aubrey started the year on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring, and only played in a combined 65 games for Kinston and Akron.

Aubrey often played through a lot of pain the second half of the season last year, and was regularly seen after each game in the trainer’s room wrapped from the waist down in ice packs. He finished the season strong, and carried it over into the Arizona Fall League where he put up a good showing and seemed to re-establish himself somewhat as a prospect. This coming season will take his minor league career average of .301 to Buffalo for the first time.

Three Kids To Watch

Here are a couple of names in big league camp who will open the season in Buffalo, but who could make an impact at at the major league level at some point this season:

Outfielder Trevor Crowe could put his stamp on the left field position at some point this season if given a chance this year, and he could be someone who helps impact the club late in the year. He has outstanding plate discipline and excellent bat to ball ability, which is a need in the Indians lineup which is loaded with hackers up and down the lineup. Many in the Indians organization and even outside the organization believe Crowe is poised for a great year and is on the cusp of making his major league debut. Crowe struggled the first half of last season and hit under .200, but bounced back with a great second half where he hit well over .300 and carried that into the Arizona Fall League where he played very well. He reportedly has shaken the mental issues that plagued him at the plate early last season, and looks primed for a big year.

Right-hander Jeff Stevens is a reliever on the rise in the system, and he had a breakthrough season last year going a combined 6-3 with a 2.81 ERA and striking out 102 batters in 83.1 innings last year Kinston and Akron. Stevens also impressed this offseason in the Arizona Fall League and World Cup throwing a combined six scoreless innings. The Indians believe that his fastball is a big weapon, and that if he can become a little more consistent with his command of it he is ready to attack major league hitters.

Left-hander Reid Santos went 8-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 39 appearances at Akron last season where he split time in the starting rotation and bullpen. What the Indians love about Santos is that he is never bothered by any situation he is put in, and is not intimidated by the competition he faces. He has good makeup and his ability to pitch in virtually any role in the bullpen could be an asset this season and down the road.

Sowers Looking Sweet

Left-hander Jeremy Sowers is in a three-way fight to win the fifth starter's job and open the season in the Indians starting rotation. After Sowers had an impressive debut in 2006 when he went 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 14 starts for the Indians, he came to camp last year assured of a spot in the rotation but did not live up to expectations.

The main reason Sowers struggled so much was because it was the first time he had ever encountered failure and adversity as a baseball player since he dominated in college and breezed through the Indians minor league system in 2005 and 2006. One of the byproducts of this was as things began to snowball on him last year, Sowers lost his confidence and began to doubt himself as he went from attacking and going right after hitters to being more defensive. Also, the Indians noticed his velocity was down a few ticks.

When Sowers was optioned out to Buffalo last June, the Indians sent him there to refine his delivery and to find his confidence again. Near the end of the season, Sowers appeared to find his confidence and command again, and he has carried that into spring training this year as he has come back this season with renewed confidence. Also, his velocity has returned back to normal, which is so important for him as his ability to effectively change speeds helps set up his other pitches.

Last Of The Mujica?

Right-hander reliever Eddie Mujica was pitcher who logged a lot of miles driving back and forth between Cleveland and Buffalo last season. On five separate occasions he was called up to Cleveland from May 7-22, June 20-24, June 27-July 8, July 27-August 25 and September 4 through the end of the season. Mujica had a great 2006 campaign where he combined to go 4-2 with 13 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 44 combined games at Akron, Buffalo and Cleveland, and had a string of 46.1 consecutive innings without giving up a run. But last year, Mujica never had trouble locating his pitches well and seemed to struggle with the constant back and forth from Buffalo to Cleveland and back to Buffalo. He went 2-1 with 14 saves and a 5.02 ERA in 34 appearances at Buffalo, and in the few chances he pitched in Cleveland he was 0-0 with an 8.31 ERA in 10 appearances.

Mujica is in the mix to win the final spot in the Indians bullpen, but is a longshot with the more proven Tom Mastny and Jorge Julio likely to duke it out all camp for the spot. Mujica is all but certain to start the year in Buffalo again and he will probably will be on the Buffalo Shuttle to and from Cleveland a lot this year as a need comes up in the bullpen for a fresh arm or injury replacement. Mujica certainly has the stuff, as he has a good four pitch mix where he throws a fastball, slider, split-finger, and a changeup he just recently dusted off and started throwing again. Mujica did not help matters in his spring debut on Friday, as he blew a save in the ninth inning and took the loss in giving up three hits and two runs to the five batters he faced.

Slocum Works His Way Back

Right-hander Brian Slocum is working his way back into the Indians plans as a depth alternative in the starting rotation or bullpen. Slocum is coming off a forgettable 2007 campaign where an elbow injury and hamstring strain saw him go on the Buffalo disabled list in May and never return. He also had surgery to repair a deviated nasal septum in September because he was getting bad sinus headaches that were the result of some small fractures in his nose.

The injury plagued 2007 season killed the momentum Slocum had built from a breakthrough 2006 season where he went 6-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 27 appearances at Buffalo and made a few late season impressive starts for the Indians. Slocum is in camp and in great shape, but has been limited some by back spasms. He is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut today (Sunday), and is expected to open the season in the Buffalo bullpen.

Infirmary Report

Right-hander Adam Miller came out of his bullpen session last Sunday cleared and ready to resume throwing activities; however, the blister on his middle finger re-opened and as a result he was shutdown for about a week to allow the blister sufficient time to heal. Since Miller is not a candidate for a big league job, this is not much of a setback and the Indians can afford to be overly cautious. As long as the blister heals and he can get back into action sometime this week, he should still be ready to go for the start of Buffalo’s season the first week of April. At worst, he may be limited in his first start or two to a 75 pitch count as he is ramped up to a normal 95-100 pitch count.

First baseman Jordan Brown has been given the green light to resume full activities. Brown has been slowed in camp from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery that he experienced some tendonitis in at the outset of camp.

Random Notes

Indians 2007 first round draft pick Beau Mills made his spring debut playing first base on Friday with the Indians, and reportedly will play exclusively at first base the entire spring. He was expected to mostly play third base this year, so no word on why this has changed unless the Indians want to use camp to get him more acclimated to the position so he can play both there and at third base this coming season to keep him more versatile. … Outfielder Brad Snyder knows this is a big year for him in the Indians organization. He is out of options after this year, and he needs to stay healthy and show improved plate discipline (595 strikeouts in 1934 career at bats). His main focus this year is hitting the ball to all fields and not being so pull conscious, and also to put up better at bats and work on making more consistent contact so he puts the ball in play more. … Outfielder Nick Weglarz is in Australia playing for Team Canada and starting in left field and hitting in the middle of their lineup. He reportedly is up to 250 pounds, but in great shape looking like an NFL linebacker. … Baseball America recently released their Top 100 prospect list, and three Indians made the listing: right-hander Adam Miller (29th), left-hander Chuck Lofgren (71st), and third baseman Beau Mills (87th).

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Brad Snyder

Brad Snyder - Outfielder
Age: 25 Height: 6'3" Weight: 200 Bats: Left Throws: Left

	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007 Buffalo	.263	86	259	41	68	12	3	10	35	36	91	12	.355	.448	.803
Career	.279	524	1934	343	540	104	27	72	295	249	595	78	.366	.473	.809

History: Snyder is a former first round pick of the Indians in the 2003 Draft out of Ball State University. At Ball State, Snyder was named the Mid American Conference Player of the Year in 2003 leading the league in doubles (25), walks (49), total bases (154), and slugging percentage (.770), and ranked second in runs (68), RBI (61), and on-base percentage (.522). In three seasons at Ball State, Snyder hit a combined .378 (211-558).

Strengths & Opportunities: Snyder's compact stroke generates excellent bat speed, and he has very good power to all fields. His swing is geared for pitches in the zone, and when he stays within himself he hits almost everything hard. Snyder has good speed, which plays up due to his very good instincts on the basepaths. Snyder has mostly played center-field during his time with the Indians, but his power bat and plus arm project him as a major league right-fielder. Snyder's athleticism is a big strength. His power/speed combination is salivating, and except for last season he has played well at each stop in the minors and is already at Triple-A. He has the potential to be a Jeromy Burnitz type player with more speed, or even an outfield version of Howard Johnson.

Snyder had eye surgery last offseason, and with some of the adjustments at the plate the Indians implemented, many (including me) felt that he could improve on his high strikeout rate in the minors. In 2006, Snyder set an Akron record with 158 strikeouts and struck out once every 3.3 at bats. But, last year in Buffalo his strikeout rate increased to once every 2.8 at bats. On top of that, his power and batting average slipped considerably. With his lack of discipline, he is still very susceptible to high and outside pitches and pitches in the dirt.

While there are always concerns when a player does not play up to par, the Indians are not overly concerned with Snyder. The Indians made some adjustments with Snyder's stance at the plate during the season last year and in the offseason to get him to stand over the ball more and get his head out over the plate. He has adapted well with the new approach and looked real good in the Fall Development Program (FDP) and looked 100% recovered from a broken right thumb that sidelined him the last month or so of the season.

Outlook: I have been one of the biggest supporters of Snyder the past few years as I love his all around game with power, defense, speed, athleticism, and hustle. But, Snyder's once promising professional career took a turn in the wrong direction in 2007 when he had a forgettable season at Buffalo. Still, it is a little too early to completely cast him aside, but his poor showing in 2007, strikeout rate, and erratic hitting is what caused him to tumble on this list so much from last year. The Indians expect him to have a big year in 2008 when he returns to Buffalo for another season, and it could be a make or break year for Snyder.

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Minor Happenings: Notes 11/5

A couple quick notes:

First, some may have been wondering why Trevor Crowe is no longer playing in the Arizona Fall League and why Brad Snyder replaced him on the roster. Well, per an e-mail I got over the weekend from the Indians, it looks like Crowe was sent home in Tucson with a non-baseball medical condition. He may or may not return to fall ball.

Also, the roster deadline is November 20th. This is the date the Indians must finalize their 40-man roster selections and who to add from the eligible list from the minors to protect in the Rule 5 Draft.

Last, looking at the depth chart for next year, the Indians are bursting at the seams in the outfield and at first base with players who should be in Buffalo next year. You have Shin-Soo Choo who is out of options and Ben Francisco who is ready for a major league role, but there appears to be no room for him at this moment. Then, you have Ryan Goleski, Brian Barton, Trevor Crowe, and Brad Snyder all vying for time in Buffalo, and that doesn't include minor league free agents Jason Cooper and John Van Every who may be brought back. On top of that, you have three first baseman slotted for time in Buffalo in Jordan Brown, Michael Aubrey and Ryan Mulhern.

A few of these outfielders are all but certain to be traded, waived, or picked up in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason or by the end of spring training. With Choo, Francisco, Snyder, Goleski, Barton, Crowe fighting for potentially one spot in Cleveland and three spots in Buffalo, it sure looks like one or two of them are gone by the start of next season.

And, at first base, with Brown, Aubrey and Mulhern there, one surely could be gone. Mulhern and Brown can play the outfield, but for now they are still staying at first base. Brown is going nowhere, and is arguably the top hitting prospect in the system, and will be the regular first baseman in Buffalo. The question remains who between Mulhern and Aubrey is the DH and plays some time at 1B to give Brown a day off?

If Mulhern is not protected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft (Dec 6th), he surely will be taken by another team. If Mulhern is added to the 40-man roster, it would seem that would mean Aubrey would be taken off and have to clear waivers (which he might).

It is going to be interesting to see how they handle the log jam in the outfield and first base in the upper levels of the system these next few weeks.

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Minor Happenings: The 2007 Tony Awards

Well, another minor league season has come and gone here at TheClevelandFan.com and SportsTimeOhio.com. With that, it is time to put the wraps on the season with the second annual Minor League Tony Awards. While this is the final edition of Minor Happenings for this season, look for intermittent editions between now and spring to recap all the developments and news over the course of the offseason.

Offensive Player of the Year

The Nominees: Ben Francisco (Buffalo), Jordan Brown (Akron), Asdrubal Cabrera (Akron/Buffalo), Matt Whitney (Lake County/Kinston), Nick Weglarz (Lake County)

The Skinny: Ben Francisco won the International League batting title and hit .318 with 12 HR, 51 RBI, 22 stolen bases and an .878 OPS. Jordan Brown won the Eastern League batting title and was also named Eastern League MVP hitting .333 with 11 HR, 76 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .906 OPS. Prior to being called up to Buffalo and then to Cleveland in August, Asdrubal Cabrera arguably was the Eastern League MVP and hit .310 with 8 HR, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases and an .828 OPS in combined time at Akron and Buffalo. Whitney enjoyed a renaissance this season, and splitting the season in Lake County and Kinston hit .299 with 32 HR, 113 RBI and a .909 OPS. Nick Weglarz established himself as a young up-and-coming legit power hitting prospect, hitting .274 with 24 HR, 83 RBI and an .891 OPS.

And the Tony Award goes to: Matt Whitney

While the batting title for Ben Francisco was impressive, he also spent roughly a third of the season in Cleveland, and the same goes for Asdrubal Cabrera. Weglarz had a great year as a 19-year old in his first full season by belting 24 home runs and drawing 83 walks (.393 OBP), and Jordan Brown won the Eastern League MVP and batting title. But, the clear winner here is Whitney. He just had an unbelievable season and led the entire Indians system in home runs and RBI, and also was in the top five in all the minors in home runs. Whitney was finally healthy this year, and his numbers were greatly helped by a strikeout rate that improved from one every 2.6 at bats last year to one every 4.2 at bats this year.

Pitcher of the Year

The Nominees: Aaron Laffey (Akron/Buffalo), Jim Deters (Kinston), Josh Tomlin (Lake County/Kinston), Reid Santos (Akron), Jensen Lewis (Akron/Buffalo)

The Skinny: Aaron Laffey pitched at Akron and Buffalo and combined to go 13-4 with a 2.88 ERA, 99 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP in 131.1 innings pitched. Jim Deters won the Carolina League ERA title, going 12-4 with a 2.24 ERA, 66 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP in 112.1 innings pitched. Josh Tomlin split time in Lake County and Kinston and went 11-4 with a 3.36 ERA, 109 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP in 131.1 innings pitched. Reid Santos split the season in the bullpen and starting rotation at Akron and Buffalo going 8-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 85 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP in 96 innings pitched. Jensen Lewis flew through the upper levels of the system, and went 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP in 52 innings pitched.

And the Tony Award goes to: Aaron Laffey

Overall, the pitching in the system - from a performance standpoint - was down this year. Top pitching prospects Adam Miller and Chuck Lofgren had very ordinary years and proved to be human. Even still, there were a few very good performances. Jensen Lewis had a fantastic season and adapted to the new bullpen role perfectly, and Reid Santos was a great swing guy for Akron. Deters and Tomlin also had impressive years from a numbers standpoint, but in the end, Laffey is the clear winner. Laffey just had an outstanding year, and after a rough first couple starts in Buffalo rattled off nine wins in a row. In six June starts, Laffey went 6-0 with a ridiculous 0.87 ERA, holding batters to a .199 batting average in the process and striking out 38 batters in 41.1 innings pitched. Laffey's success this season actually started last year where he went 12-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 29 combined games (23 starts) at Akron and Buffalo in 2006.

Comeback Player of the Year

The Nominees: Michael Aubrey (Kinston/Akron), Matt Whitney (Lake County/Kinston), Chris Gimenez (Kinston/Akron)

The Skinny: Michael Aubrey came back from a bad leg injury he suffered last year as well as numerous other injuries practically played the entire season at 75-80% and still hit .277 with 12 HR, 45 RBI and an .813 OPS. Coming into this season, Matt Whitney had been written off as a top prospect, but he rebounded this season to hit .299 with 32 HR, 113 RBI, and a .909 OPS. Chris Gimenez came back from a career threatening staff infection and thumb injury the past two seasons and hit .264 with 26 HR, 66 RBI, and an .899 OPS.

And the Tony Award goes to: Matt Whitney

Aubrey made a valiant effort playing through pain this season, so much so, that after every game his body from the ribs down was covered in ice packs. It also marked the first time since his professional debut in 2003 that he finished the season playing and not on the disabled list. Also, Chris Gimenez had a fantasic year, one which he never thought he would see two years ago when he was laid up in a hospital bed with a serious staff infection and seconds away from having his leg amputated (more on this in a feature on Gimenez this weekend). But, again, Whitney's resurgence this season as a top power prospect wins out. Whitney was once one of the top young players in the Indians system, but after a bad leg injury in spring 2003, his career had taken a serious detour the past four years where he only hit a combined .230 with 21 HR and 96 RBI in 225 games from 2003-2006.

Biggest Breakthrough

The Nominees: Jordan Brown (Akron), Chris Gimenez (Kinston/Akron), Josh Rodriguez (Kinston), Jared Goedert (Lake County/Kinston), Nick Weglarz (Lake County), Todd Martin (Mahoning Valley)

The Skinny: Jordan Brown jumped from good prospect status coming into the season to one of the more elite after he hit .333 with 11 HR, 76 RBI and a .906 OPS in his MVP-winning season this year at Akron. Chris Gimenez showed very good power potential and versatility this year, hitting .264 with 26 HR, 66 RBI, and an .899 OPS. Josh Rodriguez is now arguably the best middle infield prospect in the system, and hit .262 with 20 HR, 82 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and an .811 OPS. Jared Goedert was arguably the best hitter in minor league baseball in April and May, and on the year hit .317 with 20 HR, 74 RBI, and a 1.020 OPS. Nick Weglarz showed unbelievable raw power and plate discipline for a 19-year old kid in a full-season league, and hit .274 with 24 HR, 83 RBI, and an .891 OPS. Todd Martin showed he might be a late bloomer, hitting .360 with 8 HR, 40 RBI and a .956 OPS for short-season Mahoning Valley.

And the Tony Award goes to: Nick Weglarz

Jordan Brown cemented himself as probably the Indians best pure hitting prospect in the system, and he also validated his 2006 Carolina League MVP season from last year. Also, Chris Gimenez and Todd Martin showed versatility combined with power and an advanced approach at the plate. But, the three big breakthroughs this season belonged to Josh Rodriguez, Jared Goedert and Nick Weglarz. Rodriguez and Goedert now give the Indians some legit middle infield prospects, something which has really been lacking the past few years. Goedert was amazing in April and May, and if not for a shoulder injury that plagued him the last half of the season he might have run away with this award. Weglarz was consistent all year, and surprisingly in his first year in a full-season league and only being 19-years old he got stronger as the year went on as he hit .333 in August with nine home runs and had a .300+ average after the All-Star break. Also, Weglarz is a left-handed hitter but he hit left-handers better than right-handers where he hit .287 against lefties (33-115) with six home runs and a .907 OPS. Against righties, Weglarz hit .273 (89-326) with 18 home runs and an .892 OPS.

Biggest Disappointment

The Nominees: Trevor Crowe (Akron), Ryan Goleski (Akron), JD Martin (Akron), Brad Snyder (Buffalo), Steven Wright (Lake County/Kinston)

The Skinny: Trevor Crowe struggled the first half of the season, but caught fire in the second half and still only hit .259 with 5 HR, 50 RBI, 28 stolen bases, and a .694 OPS. Ryan Goleski followed up his awesome 2006 campaign (.306/27/106/.948) with a real clunker this year hitting only .257 with 9 HR, 73 RBI, and a .702 OPS. JD Martin was supposedly healthy and ready to reclaim his position as a top pitching prospect in the system, but was sidelined in June with an elbow injury (again) and finished the year 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA, 23 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP in only 42.1 innings pitched. Brad Snyder had a disappointing year in Buffalo and hit only .263 with 10 HR, 35 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and an .802 OPS. Steven Wright's professional career got off to a rocky start as he went 7-9 with a 5.67 ERA, 114 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP in 114.1 innings pitched.

And the Tony Award goes to: Brad Snyder

Trevor Crowe seemed all but certain to win this award at the season's midpoint when he was hitting .225 with a .624 OPS at the All-Star break, but a strong second half where he hit .314 with an .811 OPS saved him. Steven Wright struggled a lot this season, but his 114 strikeouts in 114.1 innings pitched show he may still have some value and a bullpen role in the future may better suit him. Also, it is tough to get down on JD Martin (and Tony Sipp for that matter) when his season was cut short due to injury. The two clear disappointments were Brad Snyder and Ryan Goleski. Goleski is very consistent, but in a bad way as every good season is followed up with a clunker. In 2004 at Lake County he hit .295 with 28 HR, 104 RBI and an .895 OPS, but followed that up in 2005 in Kinston to hit .212 with 17 HR, 67 RBI and a .658 OPS. After that season, in 2006 at Kinston and Akron he combined to hit .306 with 27 HR, 106 RBI and a .948 OPS, but this year only hit .257 with 9 HR, 73 RBI and a .702 OPS. Snyder just had a bad season in Buffalo and never seemed to be able to get it going. After stalling as a prospect and his valued 40-man roster spot likely needed for another player this offseason, Snyder's days with the Indians appear to be numbered. If I had to pick between Snyder and Goleski and keep only one, at this point it would be Goleski, which says a lot on how disappointing Snyder was this season since I have been a huge Snyder fan over the years and still was one coming into this season.

Team of the Year

The Nominees: Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A), Akron Aeros (Double-A), Kinston Indians (Advanced Single-A)

The Skinny: Buffalo finished the season 75-67 and missed the playoffs by one game. Akron finished the year 80-61 and made the Eastern League playoffs winning their first round series before losing in the Championship Series. Kinston finished the year 87-52 overall and won both the first and second half division titles, but were eliminated in the first round of the Carolina League playoffs.

And the Tony Award goes to: Akron Aeros

This is the first year in some time that at least one team in the Indians system did not win a league championship. Buffalo was in first place for most of the first half of the season, but despite a valiant late-season charge the final two weeks of the season, a tough stretch in July and August where they went 13-21 was their undoing and led to them missing the playoffs by one game. Most of the Indians best performers this year were in Akron and Kinston, and their record and success showed as a result. Kinston dominated the Carolina League all season, but in the playoffs fell in the opening round two games to one in a short three game series. Akron was somewhat shorthanded at the end of the season and in the playoffs, but still made it to the Eastern League Championship Series for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years. Akron also boasted some of the top prospects in the system in Jordan Brown, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brian Barton, Aaron Laffey, Jensen Lewis, Chuck Lofgren, and others for most of the year.

All-Minor League Indians

Note: This is not a top prospect listing by position, but a listing based on performance in 2007. A quick glance through, you can kind of see where the organization's strengths and weaknesses are as far as depth by position goes.

1st Team:

Catcher: Chris Gimenez (.264, 26 HR, 66 RBI, .899 OPS)
First Base: Matt Whitney (.299, 32 HR, 113 RBI, .909 OPS)
Second Base: Jared Goedert (.317, 20 HR, 74 RBI, 1.020 OPS)
Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera (.310, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases, .828 OPS)
Third Base: Wes Hodges (.288, 15 HR, 71 RBI, .840 OPS)
Left Field: Nick Weglarz (.274, 23 HR, 82 RBI, .892 OPS)
Center Field: Ben Francisco (.318, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 22 stolen bases, .878 OPS)
Right Field: John Van Every (.307, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 6 stolen bases, .916 OPS)
Left-handed Starter: Aaron Laffey (13-4, 2.88 ERA, 131.1 IP, 99 K, 1.13 WHIP)
Left-handed Reliever: Reid Santos (8-3, 2.72 ERA, 96 IP, 85 K, 1.15 WHIP)
Right-handed Starter: Jim Deters (12-4, 2.24 ERA, 112.1 IP, 66 K, 1.09 WHIP)
Right-handed Reliever: Jensen Lewis (3-0, 1.73 ERA, 52 IP, 61 K, 0.94 WHIP)

2nd Team:

Catcher: Matt McBride (.287, 8 HR, 66 RBI, .780 OPS)
First Base: Jordan Brown (.333, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 11 stolen bases, .906 OPS)
Second Base: Adam Davis (.266, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 22 stolen bases, .747 OPS)
Shortstop: Josh Rodriguez (.262, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 21 stolen bases, .811 OPS)
Third Base: Andy Marte (.267, 16 HR, 60 RBI, .766 OPS)
Left Field: Cirilo Cumberbatch (.299, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 5 stolen bases, .808 OPS)
Center Field: Brian Barton (.305, 10 HR, 66 RBI, 21 stolen bases, .822 OPS)
Right Field: Stephen Head (.256, 16 HR, 79 RBI, 6 stolen bases, .789 OPS)
Left-handed Starter: Scott Lewis (7-9, 3.68 ERA, 134.2 IP, 121 K, 1.25 WHIP)
Left-handed Reliever: Garrett Rieck (3-1, 2.00 ERA, 36 IP, 31 K, 1.17 WHIP)
Right-handed Starter: Josh Tomlin (11-4, 3.36 ERA, 131.1 IP, 109 K, 1.21 WHIP)
Right-hander Reliever: Jeff Stevens (6-3, 2.81 ERA, 83.1 IP, 102 K, 1.00 WHIP)

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Brad Snyder

Brad Snyder: Outfielder

Age: 24 Height: 6’3” Weight: 200 Bats: Left Throws: Left

Stats & Stuff: The Indians drafted Snyder in the 1st round (31st overall) of the 2003 Draft out of Ball State University. Although they dipped slightly, his 2006 numbers were pretty much a carbon copy of his 2005 numbers. In 2005, Snyder hit a combined .279/.354/.495 with 22 HRs and 82 RBIs combined at Kinston and Akron. Last year, Snyder hit .270/.351/.446 with 18 HRs and 72 RBIs in a return trip to Akron. Also, last year Snyder walked 62 times and struckout 158 times in 523 at bats, compared to walking 49 times and striking out 158 times in 513 at bats in 2005. The 158 strikeouts at Akron last year set a club record. Prior to being drafted, he was the 2003 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.

The Good: Snyder’s stock fell somewhat last year, but the power and physical abilities are there. He comes in ranked above John Drennen mainly because of his power bat as well as his superior defense and base-running. Snyder’s compact stroke generates excellent bat speed, and he has very good power to all fields. His swing is geared for pitches in the zone, and when he stays within himself he hits almost everything hard. Snyder has good speed, which plays up due to his very good instincts on the basepaths. Snyder has mostly played center-field during his time with the Indians, but his power bat and plus arm project him as a major league right-fielder.

With special attention placed on his two-strike approach last season, Snyder consistently hit balls hard the other way. He also was shortening up on his swing, and taking what he was being given and going with pitches, which is something he hardly ever had done in the past. Around mid-season last year, the Indians decided to move Snyder up in the lineup to the leadoff spot from his normal 3-4 spot in the order. The idea behind the move was to get him to see more fastballs and protect him for the time being from seeing multiple pitch types each at bat. The shift in the lineup helped Snyder with his two-strike approach, and the results after the shift were favorable. It was definitely a grind for Snyder last season to work and develop his two strike approach, but like a lot of things in baseball there were good things happening last year with Snyder beyond the numbers.

The Bad: The reason Snyder returned to Akron in 2006 was to work on his two-strike approach and plate discipline. While there were some positives mentioned above with the advancement of his two-strike approach, the progress shown was limited and the strikeout total is still a huge concern. With his lack of discipline, he is still very susceptible to high and outside pitches and pitches in the dirt. In addition to his two-strike approach, the Indians worked extensively with Snyder last year on controlling his front hip and shoulder since he has a habit of pulling it too soon, which results in an incorrect bat path.

The Outlook: When Dave Hudgens came on board as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator last year, he implemented an organization-wide philosophy of drawing walks 10 percent of the time. With the addition of this new hitting philosophy, the idea was for hitters to develop a more patient hitting approach and work counts. One of the players targeted with this new philosophy was Brad Snyder, and while he struggled at times last year he did show some improvement with his 62 walks. The last thing missing in Snyder’s game is the two-strike approach and plate discipline, and it is something he will continue to work on at Buffalo in 2007.

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