Offseason Spotlight: Carlos Moncrief

Carlos Moncrief (Photo: IPI)

There were several players in the Indians’ system that were non-established prospects when the 2011 season started but by the end of the season had put themselves on the map. One of those players was outfielder Carlos Moncrief.

Coming into last season Moncrief was a low level prospect that had spent his first two seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization trying to make it as a pitcher. After a switch to the outfield in 2010 that had a lot of ups and downs, he came into the 2011 season with very low expectations as a prospect.

Moncrief, 23, went to Low-A Lake County last season and had a very good season as he hit .233 with 16 HR, 53 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and .768 OPS. He also racked almost 50 extra base hits (49), 76 walks and had 158 strikeouts.

People will look at the low batting average and immediately disregard Moncrief as a prospect, but when you consider how raw he is and what he showed with the power, patience, and the running ability last season there is hope that the bat-to-ball will come as he gets more comfortable at the plate and gains more experiences as a hitter. In addition to the skills offensively he is also a good defender with a cannon for an arm.

“I feel pretty good about my year,” Moncrief said in a recent interview for the IPI. “I feel like I settled in as a position player. At the beginning of the year I was still learning some different things like learning how to [properly] load when I am hitting. I know I had some ups and downs all season, but I feel pretty good about what I learned [last] season and will be able to go into next season with a better mental approach.”

There is a lot more to hitting than just see ball and hit ball. A lot of it is the approach a player takes into every at bat and the mental toughness that is required to handle the game on a daily basis.

“I think my mental approach improved with being able to play every day,” Moncrief noted. “Just coming out and having fun and not thinking about how tired I am or that I don’t want to play. You have to want to come out every day, want to get better, and want to have fun playing this game.”

Moncrief was a stat stuffer last season at Lake County scoring runs, driving in runs, piling up extra base hits, drawing walks, stealing bases, and also striking out a ton. He knows the strikeouts are a big concern and it is a major area of focus for him this coming season. He tends to be over aggressive at the plate, so getting him to relax more will help.

“I just go out and play and at the end of the season you go look at the stats and you are like ‘whoah, I did not realize I did all that’,” Moncrief said. “I know I strike out a lot too, so I guess I really do a little bit of everything (laughs). A lot of times before I even get two strikes I get too tense and want to hit the ball too hard. I swing so hard and don’t sit back and recognize the pitch before I take my swing, so that is what I need to work on.”

Lake County hitting coach Jim Rickon agrees.

“For a guy who has not hit in professional baseball very long, is a converted pitcher, and it [was] his first year in full season ball, all-in-all he got better and improved his approach," Rickon said. "For him I think it is just his approach, especially with two stikes, and putting together at bats where he is not just swinging at everything he sees. He is getting a lot better pitches to hit, and when he puts those balls in play he does well. The main thing for him was just accumulating at bats at this level so he could learn how to put together that kind of approach.”

While Moncrief’s future as a hitter may be in question, there is no denying his ability as a defender. He is one of the best defensive outfielders in the entire Indians’ system where he covers a lot of ground at either corner outfield position, can handle center field, and has an arm that used to crank it up to 97 MPH when he was a pitcher. He still needs work on coming in on balls and his pre-pitch setup, but there is no doubt that his defense is ahead of his offense at this point and is his best attribute.

“I know you can’t come out and be a great hitter every day,” Moncrief said. “You can have your stretches when you are on a good streak. But I think my defense and arm are my best qualities because you can control your defense every single day and what you do out there.”

Moncrief is another example of how talent can often come from the most obscure places. He is from a small town in Mississippi and was drafted out of high school in the 20th round of the 2007 Draft by the Phillies. He did not sign and with limited options for college he ended up going to Chipola Junior College in Florida, which is one of the best junior college programs in the nation.

Considering Chipola College is in Florida and Moncrief is from Mississippi, he was surprised when they came calling with an offer to go to school there.

“It is hard to get seen in Mississippi, I won’t lie,” Moncrief said. “I don’t know if Chipola heard about me or what, but they didn’t come out and watch me play. They called me one day and told me to look them up on the Internet and they said they were the number one junior college in the nation. My dad and I went down there for a visit and I went on the field and I did some hitting in my jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes, they liked me, and I ended up going to Chipola.”

Moncrief spent one season at Chipola before the Indians selected him in the 14th round of the 2008 Draft and signed him. Since then he has had his ups and downs as a prospect, but after his very good 2011 season he has a lot of people excited about what he does in 2012 for an encore.

“I wanted to get better [last season],” Moncrief said. “Not necessarily to show people I could play a position, but that I could last a long season and make progress. That is the main goal when you are playing minor league baseball and that is what I am trying to do.”

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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2011 Arizona Fall League Recap

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) wrapped up play over a week ago. I had planned to post this recap last Wednesday, but with the details of the new CBA that came forth early last week along with the holiday I decided to hold off on this recap until today. Better late than never.

Here are a few quick thoughts on each player that participated in the AFL this fall:

Tim Fedroff (OF): Fedroff was out in Arizona for the first week-plus of the AFL season, but once first baseman/outfielder Chad Huffman joined the club about a week and a half into it he was deactivated. He also incurred a minor injury which the Indians felt was best to just shut him down and not have him continue playing in the AFL instead of having him go back out later in the AFL season when he would have been able to be activated again. He only played in three games and went just 2-for-11 at the plate with 2 2B, 2 BB, and 2 RBI. His inability to remain on the field was a blow to him as he was unable to showcase his talents to a lot of the top scouts for other clubs. There is no doubt the book was already written on him after scouts evaluated him this season, but considering he is Rule 5 Draft eligible it may have provided him a slim opportunity to improve how he is viewed and get him drafted, but now there is almost no chance. He should open next season as one of the starting outfielders at Triple-A Columbus.

Jesus Aguilar (1B): The most impressive performance by any Indians’ player this fall in any offseason league has come from Aguilar. With no experience above the Single-A level and just 31 games at the High-A level, the inexperienced 21-year old has more than held his own against pitching that is of Double-A and Triple-A caliber. In 16 games in the AFL he hit .339 with 3 HR, 9 RBI and 1.069 OPS, and so far in five games out in Venezuela is hitting .273 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1.166 OPS. His walk-strikeout ratio this offseason has been much better than it was in the regular season when he had 46 walks and 126 strikeouts. He is still striking out a lot this offseason with 20 strikeouts in 70 at bats, but he is also drawing a good amount of walks (17). He still has his problems with breaking balls low and away and is something pitchers will expose a lot more as he moves up the minor league ladder, and he also has a long way to go with his defense at first base to be a Major League option there. Those are the two things he will continue to work on this offseason and into the start of next season. Due to the strides he has made this offseason he may open the season at Double-A Akron, but a return to High-A Carolina is not out of the question.

Roberto Perez (C): Perez had a nice return to the desert where he hit .226 with 4 HR, 11 RBI, and .854 OPS. At first glance his performance at the plate was not very good as the .226 batting average is awful, but looking deeper into the numbers he actually played well. He continued to play above average defense behind the plate, and at the plate he had more walks (13) than strikeouts (10). With his walks he had a very good .382 on-base percentage, which is amazing considering how low of a batting average he had. He also showed some pop blasting four homers that helped spike him to a .474 slugging percentage. He could probably hold his own in the big leagues right now as a defender, but the bat still has a ways to go even to have him around as just a backup catcher. The discipline is there, but he needs to start showing more consistent results when he puts the ball in play. He is Rule 5 Draft eligible, and assuming he is not drafted he will likely open next season as the starting catcher at Double-A Akron.

Chad Huffman (OF/1B): Huffman’s regular season struggles carried over into the AFL as he hit just .214 with 1 HR, 11 RBI and .655 OPS in 17 games. For as experienced a Triple-A player as he is much more was expected of him at the plate. His overall combined showing at Triple-A Columbus and the AFL this year is going to make it hard for him to remain with the club in 2012 considering at Columbus they have Beau Mills slotted as the regular first baseman and several other options at their disposal to play the outfield next year. He played some first base this fall to give him more experience at the position and some versatility so the Indians could use him either as an outfielder or first baseman next season. Reviews of his first base performance were mixed, but the overall view is he is at best a below average defender there. Another concern is how out of shape he looked and how he really softened up this season. He will need to train hard this offseason to get in better shape and with a clean slate at the plate it may help him get his performance up to expected levels. If he sticks with the Indians next year – and I still think he will – he will open the 2012 season at Triple-A Columbus rotating between the outfield, first base and designated hitter.

Carlos Moncrief (OF): Moncrief was a late season addition to the AFL roster because Fedroff was unable to return due to a minor injury. In eight games he hit .174 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, and .584 OPS. His performance at the plate is not surprising considering he has only reached Low-A and was facing much more advanced pitching that exposed him at the plate. He did draw 5 walks, but he also had 8 strikeouts in 23 at bats. He is a very raw, inexperienced player who had a nice season at Low-A Lake County this year hitting .233 with 16 HR, 53 RBI, and .768 OPS in 122 games. The batting average and high strikeout total (158) is a concern, but he shows a ton of athleticism and a good power/speed combo that makes him exciting. He is also given a pass for some of his performance at the plate because he has only been an outfielder in the system for the last two years as he transitioned there from the mound in spring training last year. He exhibits a good plan at the plate and is patient, but now he needs to work on improving the discipline and get better at making more consistent contact. He was a busy man this offseason playing in the Instructional League, Parallel League, and Arizona Fall League, so the hope is the extra games and instruction have helped give him a foundation to make the needed improvements next season where he will likely play at High-A Carolina and take off as a hitter.

T.J. McFarland (SP): McFarland had a very nice showing out in the AFL as he made eight starts going 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA (28.1 IP, 30 H, 1 HR, 13 BB, 22 K). He is a second level prospect for the Indians as you will not see him ranked in many Top 20-25 lists, but he has been a consistent performer so far in his minor league career and has the talent to pitch in the big leagues someday. The Indians love his ability to put the ball on the ground as in four minor league seasons he has yet to have a groundball-flyball ratio below 2.17, and in over 455 career innings has allowed just 30 home runs. While the Indians love his sinker, he needs to continue to work on his secondary offerings to make them average Major league pitches. There is no doubt that he is probably disappointed that he was not rostered this offseason. He is now eligible to be picked up in the Rule 5 Draft, but considering teams rarely take soft tossing back of the rotation starters in Rule 5 he will likely return to the Indians next season. The question is where he will pitch next year as he had a good season this past year at Double-A Akron going 9-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 25 starts that is worthy of promotion, but with so much starting pitching depth at the moment at Triple-A Columbus and other good pitchers on the Akron staff deserving of a callup, it looks like he will return to Akron to start the 2012 season.

Preston Guilmet (RP): Guilmet went 0-0 with a 6.43 ERA (14.0 IP, 18 H, 0 HR, 8 BB, 12 K) in ten appearances this fall. The numbers were not pretty nor what people had grown to be accustomed to after his stellar showing at High-A Kinston this year (2.16 ERA, .202 BAA, 35 saves), but he had a much better showing in the AFL than his numbers suggest. His numbers were inflated by two poor back-to-back performances where he allowed 8 runs and 9 hits in 3.0 total innings, and while you can’t pick and choose which stats to include sometimes when there is such a small sample size of data there are some poor outings that just need to be thrown out. Everyone has a bad game of two over the course of a season, but the problem is in an offseason league you do not have the benefit to pitch a lot more games and make up for a poor outing since the opportunities are limited. He showed average stuff and is still considered a fringe Major League prospect at best, but he continues to be effective and should open next season at Double-A Akron where he will have a great opportunity to continue to prove himself and raise his stock as a prospect.

Cory Burns (RP): Coming off a great season at Double-A Akron where he put up a 2.11 ERA and had 35 saves which garnered him Double-A Reliever of the Year honors, Burns went out to the AFL and continued to pitch well going 2-1 with 1 save and a 4.50 ERA (14.0 IP, 18 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 12 K). He doesn’t overpower hitters with a big fastball nor does he have any plus Major League pitch, but he continues to get hitters out and dominate them because of the deception from his funky tornado-like delivery and his ability to throw all of his pitches for strikes. Like with Guilmet, he had a tough two-game stretch where he allowed 6 runs and 9 hits over 2.0 innings, so his numbers and performance were actually much better than they appear. Over his last six outings he was every bit the pitcher he was during the regular season as he threw 7.0 shutout innings allowing 6 hits, 1 walk and had 9 strikeouts. His standing in the organization is good though his view as a prospect is limited, so he will need to continue to pitch well and prove people wrong. He will probably open the 2012 season as the closer at Triple-A Columbus.

Tyler Sturdevant (RP): If there was one pitcher that elevated his stock the most this fall it is Sturdevant. In ten appearances in the AFL he went 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (12.0 IP, 11 H, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K) and was really consistent out there from the beginning to the end. He has been an unheralded reliever in the system the past few years mostly because of his age and his draft standing, but he has elevated himself to one of the best relief pitching prospects in the system. Not just because his performance the last two years, but also because of Major League stuff that has the Indians excited about his potential as a middle reliever (or more) at the big league level in the near future. He was consistently up to 98 MPH this fall and he even touched 100 MPH once though it may have been a hot gun. When you combine that powerful fastball with an above average cutter, he is a very intriguing relief option down the road for the Indians and is a guy Indians fans are going to start to hear a lot more about next year. That should start in the spring as I would be very surprised if he is not a spring training invite to big league camp. No matter what happens he will likely open the season at Triple-A Columbus and if he continues to progress like he has he could be an option in Cleveland later in the year and definitely appears to be in line for at least a September callup.

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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2011 Indians 40-man review: Who is added?

Scott Barnes (Photo: IPI)

The November roster deadline looms this weekend for all teams in Major League Baseball.

Teams have already begun to set their 40-man rosters by designating a few players for assignment and clearing out the 60-day disabled lists. All that is left to do is to add important players from their minor league player development systems that are eligible for roster protection from the Rule 5 Draft this December. (For more information on what makes a player eligible for roster protection or what the Rule 5 Draft you can view the FAQ.)

The offseason 40-man roster process does not get a lot of attention from a majority of fans or the media. This is mostly because the names being added to the roster are unknowns to a lot of people and the names coming off are players who underwhelmed with performance or had injury issues and the fans are ready to move on to other options.

But the offseason roster process is very important to follow as it is one of the first steps teams take to finalize their roster for the upcoming season. It is also a huge deal for the players coming off the roster because their big league dreams take a serious hit and they find themselves having to quickly reassess things and figure out what they need to do to get back onto a Major League roster. For the players coming onto the roster it is a big moment for them as it is their biggest step to date in their quest to make the big leagues and get an opportunity in the future.

For those players up for roster protection it is a very stressful time filled with a lot of hope and anxiety. It’s not just for the bump in pay and a legit big league chance maybe coming their way in the near future, but also for a feeling of accomplishment for what they have done in the minor leagues and that they have value and have been noticed. Since only about 10% of any drafted player ever reaches the big leagues, getting rostered means everything because so few ever get that chance.

The Indians recently completed some roster moves to clear space on the 40-man roster in advance of the roster deadline.

Outfielder Grady Sizemore’s 2012 club option was declined which removed him from the roster and made him a free agent. Also in the past few weeks the Indians have designated outfielder Trevor Crowe, outfielder Jerad Head, and right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot for assignment. The Indians also had three free agents in outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, designated hitter Jim Thome, and right-handed pitcher Chad Durbin come off the roster.

With the removal of those seven players above along with some players that were on the 60-day disabled list being added back to the 40-man roster, the Indians current 40-man roster stands at 38 players.

There are certainly some players still on the 40-man roster that could still be removed, but most of the housecleaning has already been done on the roster and it does not appear any more players will be designated for assignment in advance of the roster deadline this weekend. Some of the players who survive the roster cut this weekend will still be the first options to remove if the Indians need roster space when they acquire players this offseason via free agency or trade.

With all this in mind, let's take a look at the players in the Indians minor league system that are eligible for roster protection and the likelihood any are added.

Pitchers: Elvis Araujo, Scott Barnes, Eric Berger, Rob Bryson, Paolo Espino, Francisco Jimenez, Kyle Landis, Matt Langwell, Joey Mahalic, T.J. McFarland, Oswel Munoz, Alexander Perez, Marty Popham, Bryan Price, Danny Salazar, Bryce Stowell, Steven Wright

Catchers: Doug Pickens, Roberto Perez

Infielders: Adam Abraham, Juan Diaz, Jared Goedert, Argenis Martinez, Beau Mills, Karexon Sanchez, Jeremie Tice

Outfielders: Delvi Cid, Ben Copeland, Tim Fedroff, Bo Greenwell, Chad Huffman, Carlos Moncrief, Donnie Webb

Locks

Scott Barnes: Left-handed starting pitcher
2011 stats: 8-4, 3.45 ERA, 18 G, 99.0 IP, 85 H, 12 HR, 36 BB, 107 K, 1.00 GO/AO, .230 BAA

The only absolute lock to be added to the 40-man roster is Barnes. Even though he tore the ACL in his knee back in July he is still too valuable to leave unprotected as he is already considered to be a Major League quality pitcher. He was consistently pitching at 93 MPH last year and has some good secondary stuff to where he has the potential to be a solid middle of the rotation big league starter. He really broke through this past season as a prospect and is no doubt one of the Indians top five prospects going into 2012. He will serve as rotation depth next season, though his chances of pitching in the big leagues are remote because he is coming off of injury and he has several other pitchers in the pecking order ahead of him, so he will need to wait his turn. The wait will serve him good as he still needs to work on his fastball command and get more consistent with his delivery, two things that he can do in the early parts of the season at Triple-A Columbus next year.

In Consideration

Elvis Araujo: Left-handed starting pitcher
2011 stats: 9-1, 3.36 ERA, 15 G, 69.2 IP, 65 H, 2 HR, 25 BB, 63 K, 1.36 GO/AO, .245 BAA

Araujo puts the Indians in an interesting conundrum. He is a top ten prospect and arguably the best left-handed pitching prospect in the system as he can get his fastball in the mid-90s and has a nice power breaking ball. But by the same token he has yet to pitch a single inning for a full season Single-A team and has pitched just 6.2 innings above the rookie ball level. Considering that he would be an extremely green pitcher to roster that is still at least two or three years away from sniffing the big leagues. If you roster him now he likely will blow all of his option years in the minors developing and the Indians may run out of time with him later and have to cut him earlier than they want because he was rostered so soon and ran out of options. The Indians are in this position because he missed the entire 2009 and 2010 seasons because of an elbow injury in spring training back in March of 2009 that required Tommy John surgery. After the time away he did not make his return to the mound until this past summer for rookie level Arizona. I think it is very doubtful that he is rostered, but the Indians may feel he is too valuable to expose and just decide to roster him on talent alone.

Rob Bryson: Right-handed reliever
2011 stats: 2-1, 2.29 ERA, 30 G, 39.1 IP, 28 H, 3 HR, 16 BB, 48 K, 0.61 GO/AO, .292 BAA

It is amazing how things can change from one year to the next. At this time last year Bryson would have had a great shot to be rostered, but because of a clause with him being part of the final draft and follow class of 2007 it prevented him from being eligible for roster protection last year. This ultimately hurt him as it is now very questionable whether or not he will be added this offseason. He missed the first two months of the season because of a broken foot and even though he pitched well when he returned he still only managed to finish the season at Double-A Akron. Had he been rostered and healthy all year he probably would have made it up to Triple-A Columbus at some point and pitched meaningful innings there. He is one of the Indians’ top relief pitching prospects and he has extra value to the organization as one of the players acquired in the C.C. Sabathia trade from the Brewers in July of 2009, so this will help his chances of being rostered. But he does not have the momentum this year that he had last year going into the offseason, and it does not look like it will happen unless the Indians clear more roster space.

Tim Fedroff: Outfielder
2011 stats: .308 AVG, 71 R, 28 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 63 RBI, 62 BB, 74 K, 10 SB, .793 OPS

Fedroff had a very good bounce back season after a subpar 2010 campaign at Double-A Akron (.274 AVG, .715 OPS). He is a steady defender who is tough and has shown an ability to draw walks and steal a few bases. I think it is very unlikely the Indians roster Fedroff, but he is a higher profile player and there is a possibility he could be rostered so it is why he is listed here. I just find it hard to believe that the Indians would remove Trevor Crowe from the 40-man roster so they could add Fedroff, a player who in some ways is like Crowe. But Fedroff has never been regarded as a prospect anywhere near what Crowe was, and Crowe is already a Major League option with experience. So barring something very surprising, Fedroff will not be added. He is definitely Major League depth for the Indians next year, but if he is rostered the chances are more likely it comes during the season next year and not now.

T.J. McFarland: Left-handed starting pitcher
2011 stats: 9-10, 3.74 ERA, 27 G, 149.1 IP, 149 H, 11 HR, 51 BB, 115 K, 2.49 GO/AO, .259 BAA

McFarland is about as close to a lock as you can get, but he is not a slam dunk to be rostered so it is why he is listed here. He has the potential to pitch in the big leagues someday as a starter or reliever, and the Indians have been very high on him for awhile. The Indians continue to rave about his ability to eat innings and be a groundball machine, two things that fit right into their current organizational philosophy with starting pitchers. He is currently pitching out in the Arizona Fall League and has pitched well there going 2-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 7 games (6 starts). He has had three straight good to very good years in the minors and though he will probably start next season at Double-A Akron he should pitch a meaningful amount of games at Triple-A Columbus. Unless the Indians only roster one player (Barnes), McFarland will likely be added to the roster.

Beau Mills: First baseman
2011 stats: .289 AVG, 50 R, 22 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 32 BB, 59 K, .860 OPS

It was the year of the comeback for a few Tribe players as not only did Tim Fedroff come back this year to have a good season, but Beau Mills arguably had his best pro season and put himself back on the big league radar. Unfortunately for him he hits left-handed, something the Indians have a lot of on their big league roster already. He also plays first base, which is a position they are looking to upgrade this offseason via free agency or trade, and they already have in house options as good or better than Mills to fill the position such as Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan, and Carlos Santana. First basemen generally are avoided in the Rule 5 Draft because of a lack of versatility, and even if Mills did in fact put it all together last year his prospect status with a lot of organizations is probably a ship that has already sailed. He should open next season at Triple-A Columbus and be Major League depth in the event the first base option the Indians do acquire this offseason gets hurt, and then maybe if he is playing well he gets rostered during the season. But he most likely will not be added now.

Carlos Moncrief: Outfielder
2011 stats: .233 AVG, 73 R, 26 2B, 7 3B, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 76 BB, 158 K, 20 SB, .768 OPS

This is an extreme long shot, but Moncrief is included as part of the discussion (like Araujo) because of his talent alone. The batting average and strikeouts last year were not very good, but he may be one of the most complete position players in the entire Indians’ system and is one of their better prospects overall. He has had a busy year playing all season for Low-A Lake County and then in Instructional League and now the Arizona Fall League. Every day he showcases his athleticism in the outfield as a very good defender with a howitzer for an arm, and at the plate has a nice power-speed combo and has shown an ability to be patient and draw walks. He is only in Low-A because he spent the first two years of his pro career as a pitcher and in 2010 he was converted to a position player. He provides a lot of raw ability for the Indians to work with, and while the odds are he will never become anything, he by every definition is a valuable prospect because of his potential. Another club may view him just as highly as the Indians – if not even more – and the Indians may decide that is too big of a gamble to risk losing him. That having been said, I’d put the odds of him being rostered as extremely remote.

Bryce Stowell: Right-handed reliever
2011 stats: 1-1, 2.09 ERA, 38.2 IP, 21 H, 1 HR, 21 BB, 57 K, 0.72 GO/AO, .159 BAA

The year Stowell had was one of the most peculiar of any player in the Indians’ system in some time. After finishing the 2010 season at Triple-A Columbus he looked locked and loaded for a big league opportunity in 2011 because of his prospect standing and 100 MPH fastball. But in spring training he was a mess mechanically as he could not throw strikes and when camp broke he mysteriously was left off any full season team roster. He reappeared in mid-June all the way down at Low-A Lake County, and when asked where he had been or why he was in Lake County the Indians simply said that Stowell had some personal issues he was dealing with and was being built back up. That may have been the case, but there may have also been an injury that neither he nor the Indians wanted to disclose (they do not have to disclose injuries). In any case he spent most of the season on the shelf or in Single-A before finally going to Double-A Akron in late July. He did not get a late season promotion to Triple-A Columbus – even for the playoffs – which is interesting for a pitcher or his caliber and standing, so something else was definitely in play here. The fact that Stowell had such an odd season and teams may not fully understand why the Indians handled him the way they did may be a big red flag and result in them just passing on him for any consideration as a Rule 5 pick. Yes, he has a blazing 100 MPH fastball, but that fastball also comes with some sizable control issues. You combine that with a questionable health status and teams may decide to look elsewhere. I believe the Indians will gamble and not roster him as there appears no way he can stick on a Major League roster all season because of those command issues. But if the Indians do add a third player to the roster, it should be him or Bryson.

Out of the Picture

As for the rest of the players up for roster protection, they pretty much have no shot to be rostered. The reasons as to why this is the case varies, but the main reasons are talent, value, performance and skill set.

A player like Paolo Espino continues to pump out great stats in the minors, but he is one of those undervalued guys in the minors that a lot of teams see little if any Major League future in and even if he does make it the outlook for his success is limited. He is the kind of player that the Indians can take the gamble on not protecting and if he is taken in the Rule 5 Draft they have more than enough right-handed starting pitching and relief depth in the upper levels of the minors to fill in for his loss.

Matt Langwell has put up great numbers out of the bullpen in his minor league career, but because of so much right-handed relief pitching depth he probably will not be rostered especially considering some higher profile right-handed relievers like Rob Bryson and Bryce Stowell are up for roster protection as well. The same thing is the case for a guy like Eric Berger who has some potential Major League value someday, but is still too inconsistent and the Indians have some left-handed pitching depth already on the 40-man roster.

Also, for as solid a season as Jared Goedert had this past season, he has almost no chance to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason. He was removed during the past season and all 29 other MLB teams had a chance to claim him off of waivers but passed. Considering they passed before it is unlikely they will pick him up in the Rule 5 Draft and have that Rule 5 roster stipulation over their head when they could have just added him to their roster a few months ago when he was available on waivers.

Conclusion

With only two spots open on the 40-man roster, the opportunities are definitely limited as to whom the Indians add to the roster before the deadline this weekend. Thankfully, there are not a lot of high level prospects they need to add as most of the players who were up for roster protection were already added during the season. Players such as second baseman Jason Kipnis, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Cord Phelps, and right-handed pitcher Zach Putnam.

There is no slotting system the Indians use to put together their 40-man roster as they will simply just add the best eligible players. Whether or not they are roster heavy with pitchers or outfielders does not matter as they will always add the talent first and then figure out the position surplus later.

So at the moment – barring a trade or a player or two being designated for assignment in the next few days - it looks like the Indians are going to roster just two players. The two players I predict they will add are Scott Barnes and T.J. McFarland.

As noted above, Barnes is an absolute lock. McFarland is a pretty strong possibility as well, and it appears the only way he is not added is if they choose to just roster one player. There is a small chance the Indians could roster Bryson or Stowell over McFarland, but considering McFarland’s value as a groundball specialist who can start it just outweighs the value of any relief pitcher, especially considering the Indians have so much relief pitching depth in the system.

With Barnes and McFarland looking like the two guys the Indians roster, the only drama that remains is whether or not the Indians make a move to clear another spot on the roster to add a third player. If they do then it should come down to one of Bryson or Stowell and the decision there could really go either way. But that appears remote as in the end I will still predict just two players get rostered.

And there could always be a surprise as in the past there have been some like Wes Hodges and Carlos Rivero who were rostered in 2009.

In any case, in the next few days we will find out for certain who has been rostered.

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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Minor Happenings: Year end discussion with Ross Atkins

Ross Atkins (Photo: IPI)

The Major League Baseball season officially came to an end with a wild finish last night, but the minor league baseball season has been done for some time now.

Earlier this week I had a chance to sit down and talk to Indians Vice President of Player Development Ross Atkins about the 2011 season, what happens next for him and his staff, and about several players in the system. I did not focus on the typical names or top prospects when talking about the players as those players were talked about all year. Instead, I mostly focused on players that may have been overlooked all season and maybe not talked about as much.

As a quick note, starting tomorrow I will begin to close the book on the 2011 season with my annual Tony Awards. The first award will go to the Rookie of the Year.

Q: Congrats on another good season developing players and getting them to the big leagues. With the offseason now here and offseason leagues in full force, what happens for you and your staff between now and spring training?

Ross Atkins (RA): “We have all the offseason plans and we have meetings to determine those plans with 2012 and beyond in mind. Then we also have Instructional League that is full steam ahead, and then we will have winter ball, the Arizona Fall League, and the Winter Development Program to plan for. Throughout that there are staffing issues to handle whether or not we lose employees or have to hire new employees. This is an exceptionally busy time of the year.”

Q: You guys suffered a tough loss losing right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco late in the year to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. By the same token, you have several pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery last year, one of them being right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon. How is he doing?

RA: “He pitched in Mahoning Valley at the end of the year and is pitching in Instructs, and he is going to pitch winter ball too. He has been great and is back to 100%. He has had a relatively seamless process in his return, so we are excited to see how he does this offseason. [As far as restrictions go next year], that’s a good question and is something we are still working through. A lot of it will depend on his success and progress this offseason.”

Q: Triple-A outfielder Tim Fedroff is heading out to the Arizona Fall League. He had a really nice bounce back season this year at Double-A Akron before finishing the year in Columbus. What was the biggest change for him this year?

RA: “He made a subtle adjustment that I think helped him with the wood bat and his professional approach. It was really just getting comfortable and finding what worked for him because he really is an advanced hitter and always has been. It is going to be tough for him. He is going to have to really make some progress as a defender and really make some progress as a complete offensive player. He can go to center but he is not going to separate himself out there. To be one of the best in the world at what he does if you play a corner outfield position you have to be an offensive player. So it is not going to be easy for him, but it was a very positive year for him.”

Q: Double-A Akron catcher Chun Chen had a solid year this year both behind and at the plate, though the drop in his walk rate and increase in his strikeout rate is concerning. What does he need to do going forward?

RA: “The bat is there. He has enough bat to be considered a solid Major League prospect. I think the biggest thing for him is the progress he can make as a defender that separates him and really what gets him over the hump. He obviously has had to handle a lot thus far considering that he is in Double-A as young as he is and has had as much success and handled the pitching staff well there. It bodes well for his future, but there is still work to be done just as there was for Carlos Santana or for any young catcher. It is such a challenging developmental position.”

Q: You guys really like the defense that Double-A Akron third baseman Kyle Bellows plays. His bat is interesting as he has some pop and he does not strikeout a lot, but what can be done to get him more consistent at the plate?

RA: “It is clearly what he needs to work through. He needs to be a much better player offensively for him to be in the Major League mix. His defense is there, and I think his defense will even be better if he is performing on the offensive side of the game. He has some work to do on the offensive side.”

Q: Double-A right-handed pitcher Bryce Stowell probably did not have the year he nor you envisioned with him missing time to start the year and then finishing up in Akron. What can he take away from this year?

RA: “He had some off the field issues he had to work through and he has gotten through them and finished strong. I think anytime you have someone in your system who throws 100 MPH and has already been in Triple-A and strikes guys out you are excited about them. We will learn from this year and make sure there is progress going forward.”

Q: High-A Kinston outfielder Bo Greenwell had another solid season, but had it interrupted with a finger injury for most of the second half of the season. He is playing some first base in Instructional League….is that an option you are exploring?

RA: “Not necessarily. He needs to develop as an outfielder. It is more about getting at bats and helping the team where they need his positional versatility. He will benefit from it, but his focus needs to be on outfield play.”

Q: Low-A Lake County outfielder Luigi Rodriguez had a breakout season as a prospect. Obviously going into the season you guys were already high on him, but his year put him on the map to the rest of the baseball community. What do you think about his year?

RA: “He is a bat for sure. He has a natural ability to make consistent, hard contact and that is clear to see when you watch him play. He is a developing defender with tons of ability out there. There is a lot of upside with him and he is a very, very interesting player for us.”

Q: Low-A Lake County shortstop Ronny Rodriguez is another player who broke through this year with a very good professional debut. What did you think of his year and what does he need to focus on going forward?

RA: “We like his athleticism and his tools. He has all of the athleticism to be in the middle of the diamond and he has all of the tools to be an All Star potential type player. Now there is a lot that has to occur, but there is not much limiting him other than just consistency and helping him with that. That’s the hardest part. You talk about tools and then you talk about performance, and he has not performed. He has not been a disciplined hitter and there have been errors and there has been inconsistency. The tools are there and it will be up to us and him to realize his potential.”

Q: Speaking along the lines of developing plate discipline for some of the younger, raw players like Ronny Rodriguez and others, how exactly do you approach that?

RA: “It is no different than any other player. Whether or not it is a Latin American player, high school player, or college player, some guys are just more advanced with their approach. We are careful with it as you have to make sure you don’t take the bat out of their hands and alter their aggressiveness too heavily. But helping them to define their strike zone is really what it comes down to and define what pitches they can drive. It takes time. The biggest variable is what has been ingrained into their success and their aptitude.”

Q: Low-A Lake County outfielder Carlos Moncrief showed some great, raw tools this year with the raw power with his arm in the outfield and his bat at the plate. The plate discipline obviously needs a lot of work going forward, but his transition back to the outfield has been very good so far, yes?

RA: “It is similar to the consistency to Ronny Rodriguez. He has a lot of ability. Maybe not as much natural bat as Rodriguez, but a ton of athleticism and strength. It is about expediting his baseball experience, which will be tough to do. You only have so much time and so many opportunities that you can give to any given player, but he has the athleticism that we will be patient with.”

Q: Low-A Lake County right-handed pitchers Kyle Blair and Cole Cook had up and down years in their pro debuts. Both pitched well in the second half of the season, and both suffered through a significant injury this year as well. Thoughts on their season?

RA: “It was good. We try not to put too much stock into those first full seasons. It is such a significant transition. It is definitely information, but we really would like to see how they recover from this season, what they have learned from this season, and what adjustments they make going into next season because both of them have plenty of potential to be Major League contributors. I think both of them made positive strides, though we did not see that in the performance as much as we would have liked to. One is dealing with an injury and one is coming off a significant procedure, so that is information as well. I think we will have a lot more information about the future of both of those pitchers at the end of next year.”

Q: Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley right-handed pitcher Tony Dischler opened the year in Lake County but really struggled and eventually finished the season in Mahoning Valley. What happened to him this year?

RA: “I think like anything sometimes a tough start or a bad stretch can turn into a very tough year. I think that is what happened with him. He has the ability and he will get another opportunity. It is very competitive and very much a grind in that first full season to transition into professional baseball. I think that he dug himself into a hole that was tough to dig himself out of and he dealt with some aches and pains that had an impact as well.”

Q: Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley catcher Alex Lavisky had a frustrating year at the plate in his first full season. He is still just a year removed from high school and has tons of ability behind the plate and has unbelievable makeup. What do you think about his year?

RA: “He is a high school player from Ohio. You think about the amount of at bats and reps that he had compared to a kid from Florida, Texas or California, for the bulk of his amateur career he was playing half as much as those other players. So that is a lot to ask of a guy to go right into the Midwest League and the NY-Penn League and he handled that well. It did not affect him mentally and he made progress, so I think we are going to see a much better player in 2012.”

Q: Rookie level Arizona left-handed pitcher Elvis Araujo had a nice comeback season after a two year hiatus in his return from Tommy John surgery. What does he need to do going forward?

RA: “He has got to stay healthy. He has to work his tail off in the offseason and during the season to make sure he is maximizing his power and getting the most out of his durability. Then he has to command his fastball. His breaking ball is a very good pitch, but we have him focused on just fastball and changeup right now as we want to make sure he can get those two pitches down in the zone and consistently over the plate.”

Q: Rookie level Arizona infielder Robel Garcia had a very nice second season there this year. He was overlooked some by Baseball America in their recent league Top 20 rankings, but what do you think of his season?

RA: “He has a chance to be an offensive player and we have to make sure he can be a complete player. He has impressive strength and athleticism to his swing, so there are a lot of good signs for his future.”

Q: Rookie level Arizona’s Hunter Jones was drafted as a third baseman but transitioned to the outfield this year and was in and out of the lineup all season. What about him?

RA: “We will see if we can just let him get a little further away from the ball and focus on his offensive game. With his pedigree and with his strength there is potential there. He is going to be a fun project for Player Development. The guys are excited about his potential and where he has been in his baseball career, so he will certainly get an opportunity.”

Q: Rookie level Arizona right-handed pitcher Robbie Aviles made a successful return to the mound from Tommy John surgery late this year. How is he doing in his recovery?

RA: “He recovered 100% and is pitching right now in Instructional League and doing great. All very positive signs and he is over the hump from Tommy John. That has been good for him as he has been through an incredible process already before he started his career that will really help him understand the value of taking care of everything that he can control.”’

Q: Rookie level Arizona infielder Jose Ramirez had a very nice season in his pro debut. Not a lot is known about him. What kind of player is he?

RA: “[He is versatile, with speed, and puts the bat on the ball]. That is him. He performed and was productive. I think the recent influx from Latin America has been very positive. On top of that the Arizona staff has done a great job with those guys in helping their transition and helping them have success. That staff there, we can’t say enough about it.”

Q: What about the year as a whole? What do you take away from it and how do you feel about it?

RA: “Ultimately we evaluate ourselves on how we contributed to the Major League team, what strides did we make internally with our better players, and who are some of the guys that overachieved. As we are evaluating those things we have to evaluate where our failures were too. We always have each one of those pieces to evaluate. There are things we could have done better, there definitely has been progress, and there have definitely been contributions at the Major League level. I think all in all we had a productive year. Guys were put in positions to have success and put in positions to contribute at the Major League level. We still have to figure out how we can do that better, and that is what we will spend a lot of time on this offseason.”

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). Use discount code 2Z6F362B to receive 40% off the book through the site store!

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Minor Happenings: Wolters impresses in The Valley

Tony Wolters (Photo: IPI)

"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.

This report was absent last week as I was on vacation, and with the Indians heavily involved in trade deadline discussions most of my attention has been there this week. With new information and news coming in seemingly every moment on a potential Indians trades, it is time to get this report out today before it never gets out!

Once the dust settles with the trade deadline this weekend, things will be back to normal on the minor league front….that is until about August 10th when the draft signings will probably start to come fast and furious leading up to the August 15th deadline. I must say, from a reporting perspective with a focus on the draft, minor leagues, and big leagues that the period from June to mid-August is easily the busiest with the draft, trading deadline, All Star games, promotions, and all the signings!

As a reminder, I have lots in the pipeline with features on players like Beau Mills, Nick Weglarz, Michael Goodnight, Kyle Petter, Aaron Siliga and lots more. Also have lots of quotes from Farm Director Ross Atkins which I will post soon.

Also, I wanted to wish much luck to the departed Abner Abreu and Carlton Smith as they move onto their next baseball chapter with the Cubs. As this weekend gets into motion I have the feeling we will be saying goodbye to a handful of other minor league players in the Indians system. This is always the tough part, at least for me.

Onto the Happenings…

IPI Indians Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from July 21st through July 27th)

Tony Wolters (Shortstop – Mahoning Valley)
.526 (10-for-19), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 SB, 1.188 OPS

Tony Wolters

There were some nice performances this past week like that of Low-A Lake County outfielder Carlos Moncrief, Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, and Double-A Akron left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland, but the performance by short season Single-A Mahoning Valley shortstop Tony Wolters stole the show.

Wolters, who just turned 19-years old last month, is doing it all by not only hitting for average, but also drawing walks and driving the ball around the ballpark. On the season in 37 games he is hitting a very healthy .313 with a .407 on-base percentage, and is showing good plate discipline with a 18-22 walk to strikeout ratio and 22 strikeouts in 147 at bats. On top of that he has 13 stolen bases, and he has a good but not great .429 slugging percentage. All this from a kid a year removed from high school and going up mostly against 21-22 year old college pitchers.

The only thing to nitpick with Wolters at this point is he only has a .914 fielding percentage because he has 14 errors in 162 total chances. The 14 errors have been evenly split between throwing and fielding errors. This is not a big concern at the moment as his fielding is considered to be very good, and he has a strong arm. He just sometimes tries to do too much and does not stay within himself as a defender, which is something the Indians feel is correctable.

At the moment Wolters is lining himself up to be the next player after the Indians “Big 4” of prospects in left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz, right-handed pitcher Alex White, second baseman Jason Kipnis, and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall. With Kipnis and Chisenhall likely to lose rookie status by the end of the season, it is very possible Wolters could find himself in the Indians Top 5 ranking next year, maybe even Top 3.

Honorable Mentions:

Jeanmar Gomez (RHP – COL): 1-1, 1.93 ERA, 2 G, 14.0 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 11 K, .240 BAA
T.J. McFarland (LHP – AKR): 1-1, 2.08 ERA, 2 G, 13.0 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 13 K, .255 BAA
Rob Nixon (RHP – MV): 2-0, 2.45 ERA, 2 G, 11.0 IP, 13 H, 1 BB, 9 K, .283 BAA
Charlie Valerio (C – AZL): .381 (8-21), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, .887 OPS
Robel Garcia (OF – AZL): .348 (8-23), 7 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1.160 OPS
Jesus Aguilar (1B - LC): .389 (7-18), 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.121 OPS
Carlos Moncrief (OF – LC): .348 (8-23), 8 R, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K, 1.249 OPS
Tyler Cannon (INF – KIN): .381 (8-21), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.036 OPS
Abner Abreu (OF – KIN): .375 (9-24), 6 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K, 1.083 OPS

Previous Winners:

07/14 to 07/20: Beau Mills (1B – Akron)
07/07 to 07/13: Luigi Rodriguez (OF – AZL Indians)
06/30 to 07/06: Elvis Araujo (LHP – AZL Indians)
06/23 to 06/29: Kirk Wetmore (LHP – Mahoning Valley)
06/16 to 06/22: Zach McAllister (RHP - Columbus)
06/09 to 06/15: Scott Barnes (LHP – Columbus)
06/02 to 06/08: Beau Mills (1B - Akron)
05/26 to 06/01: Anthony Gallas (OF - Lake County)
05/19 to 05/25: Tim Fedroff (OF – Akron)
05/12 to 05/18: Steven Wright (RHP – Lake County)
05/05 to 05/11: Cord Phelps (INF – Columbus)
04/28 to 05/04: Chun Chen (C – Akron)
04/21 to 04/27: Chad Huffman (OF – Columbus)
04/14 to 04/20: Alex White (RHP – Columbus)
04/07 to 04/13: Drew Pomeranz (LHP – Kinston)

IPI Indians Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from July 14th through July 20th)

Beau Mills (First baseman – Akron)
.444 (12-for-27), 7 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1.426 OPS

Beau Mills

I’m a week late on this because I was away on vacation last week, but in any case first baseman Beau Mills had quite a send off at Double-A Akron. After hitting .300 with 11 HR, 49 RBI and a .880 OPS in 61 games at Akron, the Indians promoted him to Triple-A Columbus late last week.

Mills, 24, is enjoying a revival season where he is showing there is still some prospect power left in his tank. Left for dead by many fans after two sub par seasons in 2009 and 2010 at Akron, he is showing that sometimes players take longer to figure things out and that you can never truly give up on a former top rated talent.

The interesting thing is that being sidelined with an Achilles injury the first month-plus of the season and on the disabled list for really the first time as a professional it allowed Mills to take a step back and make some adjustments. He has always been praised for his unique awareness as a player and his professionalism, but he now appears to be making the adjustments at the plate that are allowing him to have more success and once again consistently drive the ball and be a run producer.

In five games with Columbus he is just 3-for-16 at the plate with a solo home run. The Indians plan to have him split time at first base and designated hitter along with veterans Shelley Duncan and Nick Johnson. If he has a solid finish in his first exposure at Triple-A, then he will definitely be back on the map for the Indians as an option at first base as soon as next year. He may also fetch some interest in a trade between now and the August 31st trade (with waivers) deadline.

Honorable Mentions:

Jason Donald (INF – COL): .500 (10-20), 8 R, 4 2B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 2 SB, 1.343 OPS
Tim Fedroff (OF – COL): .360 (9-25), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 7 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, .900 OPS
Ben Copeland (OF – AKR): .391 (9-23), 3 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.070 OPS
Abner Abreu (OF – KIN): .333 (7-21), 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1.159 OPS
Brian Heere (OF – LC): .409 (9-22), 3 R, 0 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1.004 OPS
Jordan Smith (3B – MV): .407 (11-27), 4 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.002 OPS
Luigi Rodriguez (OF – AZL): .407 (11-27), 4 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 4 SB, .930 OPS
Leonardo Castillo (3B – AZL): .333 (7-21), 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.010 OPS
Felix Sterling (RHP – AZL): 0-1, 2.38 ERA, 2 G, 11.1 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 17 K, .158 BAA
Matt Packer (LHP – AKR): 1-1, 1.17 ERA, 2 G, 15.1 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 15 K, .154 BAA
Drew Pomeranz (LHP – AKR): 0-1, 1.86 ERA, 2 G, 9.2 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 11 K, .182 BAA

Previous Winners:

07/07 to 07/13: Luigi Rodriguez (OF – AZL Indians)
06/30 to 07/06: Elvis Araujo (LHP – AZL Indians)
06/23 to 06/29: Kirk Wetmore (LHP – Mahoning Valley)
06/16 to 06/22: Zach McAllister (RHP - Columbus)
06/09 to 06/15: Scott Barnes (LHP – Columbus)
06/02 to 06/08: Beau Mills (1B - Akron)
05/26 to 06/01: Anthony Gallas (OF - Lake County)
05/19 to 05/25: Tim Fedroff (OF – Akron)
05/12 to 05/18: Steven Wright (RHP – Lake County)
05/05 to 05/11: Cord Phelps (INF – Columbus)
04/28 to 05/04: Chun Chen (C – Akron)
04/21 to 04/27: Chad Huffman (OF – Columbus)
04/14 to 04/20: Alex White (RHP – Columbus)
04/07 to 04/13: Drew Pomeranz (LHP – Kinston)

Infirmary Report

Here is an update on some of the walking wounded in the Indians minor league system:

Nick Weglarz

Double-A outfielder Nick Weglarz is not on the disabled list, but he has not played since July 19th because of a minor eye injury. According to a team official he was hit in the eye-nose area by a bat a player was exercising with. His eye is sore and he has been held out as a precaution as he showed some signs of a concussion. Since he is not on the disabled list, he is day to day. In 33 games he is hitting .168 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and a .659 OPS.

Double-A Akron left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz was put on the disabled list earlier this week with left shoulder inflammation. He has not pitched since July 5th and was recently replaced in the starting rotation by lefty Drew Pomeranz. It is not known when he will return, but there is a chance that with just five weeks left in the season that his season may be over. In 17 starts this year he is 5-6 with a 4.56 ERA, and in 79.0 innings has allowed 68 hits, 53 walks, and has 84 strikeouts.

Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Bryan Price has been placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder sprain. He has not pitched since July 15th. It is unknown when he will return, but given the crowded bullpen situation at Akron he may be out awhile. In 20 appearances with Akron this year is 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA, and in 36.2 innings has allowed 41 hits, 14 walks, and has 27 strikeouts.

High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto is still on the disabled list with left elbow neuritis. He is close to returning as he has recently been throwing at 120 feet out in Goodyear, Arizona and after a game or two in the Arizona League should probably be cleared to return to Kinston in the next week or two. In 11 starts he is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA, and in 56.2 innings has allowed 49 hits, 18 walks, and has 58 strikeouts.

Roberto Perez

High-A Kinston catcher Roberto Perez was recently placed on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He left his last game on July 18th with pain in his side after his first at bat and is expected to be out another week or two. In 67 games he is hitting .236 with 1 HR, 19 RBI, and a .705 OPS. His .375 on-base percentage is 2nd in the Carolina League only to Kinston outfielder Tyler Holt (.379).

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Owen Dew has been on the disabled list since May with a right elbow sprain. He has not pitched since May 10th and is rehabbing in Arizona. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment by pitching for the Arizona Summer League team any day. In 8 appearances this year he is 1-4 with a 5.79 ERA, and in 18.2 innings has allowed 22 hits, 6 walks, and has 17 strikeouts.

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley outfielder Bryson Myles has been limited since July 8th because of a hamstring pull. He came back and played on July 17th after a nine day absence but was removed from the game after two at bats and has not played since. In 20 games he is hitting .305 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and a .819 OPS.

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley outfielder Aaron Siliga rolled his ankle recently, but has not missed any time. In 29 games he is hitting .204 with 2 HR, 8 RBI and a .663 OPS.

Rookie level Arizona League infielder Logan Thompson has not played this year because of a fractured right ankle. No timetable on his return is available, but he may see time at short season Mahoning Valley if he does return sometime in August.

Pomeranz makes Double-A debut

Drew Pomeranz

Since making his Double-A debut with Akron on July 15th, left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz has gone 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts. In 14.0 innings he has allowed 10 hits, 6 walks, and has 17 strikeouts. He left High-A Kinston earlier this month and finished his time there going 3-2 with a 1.87 ERA, and in 77.0 innings allowed 56 hits, 32 walks, and had 95 strikeouts.

So far Pomeranz is having the same success in Akron that he had in Kinston. He is still limited with his 85-pitch count to pitch deep in games because he is still not efficient with his pitches, gets a lot of strikeouts, and walks some batters. He often does not make it to the sixth inning as 15 of his 18 starts have gone less than six innings.

Pomeranz’s fastball continues to show consistent velocity up to 95 MPH and his command is improving. His curveball is still a weapon, but he barely throws it in favor of developing his circle changeup. The changeup remains his main focus this season as the organization wants him to develop it into an average Major League offering. With two Major League weapons in his fastball and curveball, if he can harness his changeup as a quality, consistent change-of-pace pitch it will make him a more complete pitcher and just about ready to pitch in the big leagues.

In addition to developing his changeup, Pomeranz also still needs to work on his fastball command and becoming more efficient with his pitches so he can pitch deeper into games. This is not a huge concern as former Tribe lefty C.C. Sabathia also had this problem early in his career. As Pomeranz gets stronger, refines his mechanics and command, and matures, with his stuff he has the potential to be a workhorse at the top of the Indians rotation for years to come.

Award winners

Marty Popham

To catch up on some recent award winners, the Eastern League announced last Monday that first baseman Beau Mills was their Player of the Week for the period from July 11th to July 17th. During the five game stretch he hit .632 (12-for-19) with 4 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 runs scored, 3 walks, and had a 1.316 slugging percentage. He had three hits in three of the five games, scored at least one run in all five games, and drove in multiple runs three times.

The Carolina League announced last Monday that High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Marty Popham was their Pitcher of the Week for the period from July 11th to July 17th. In a start on July 17th he struck out a season high 11 batters and only three hits and one run in 5.2 innings of work. In 16 appearances (10 starts) for Kinston he is 4-1 with a 3.74 ERA, and in 67.1 innings he has allowed 66 hits, 8 walks, and has 66 strikeouts.

This week the Carolina League announced on Monday that High-A Kinston outfielder Abner Abreu was their Player of the Week for the period from July 18th to July 24th. It was the departed Abreu’s second Player of the Week honor for the month of July, his second in three weeks. For the week he hit .522/.560/1.087 (12-for-23) in six games and had 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R, 2 BB, and 7 K. He had at least one extra base hit in five of his six games, and was propelled by a big weekend on Friday and Saturday where he went 7-for-8 with 2 HR, 1 3B, and 7 RBI.

Random “Lower Level” Notes

Michael Goodnight

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Michael Goodnight has been the workhorse of the rotation in Lake County all season. In 20 starts he is 5-9 with a 4.22 ERA, and in 96.0 IP he has allowed 81 hits, 44 walks, and has 84 strikeouts. He has had a solid first full season, but it appears the rigors of a full six month season are starting to wear on him and he looks like a tired pitcher. In April he went 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA, in May he went 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA, and in June he went 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA. The wheels have come off for him in July where in five starts he is 0-3 with a 8.41 ERA (20.1 IP, 25 H, 16 BB, 16 K). His struggles stem from a loss of fastball command as each month his walk and hit rate have increased. In July he has 16 walks in 20.1 innings and batters are hitting .321 off of him. He has lots of upside, is a competitor, holds himself accountable for mistakes, and has a good feel for pitching, but two of his top offseason goals will be to get stronger and be a more consistent pitcher.

Low-A Lake County outfielder Carlos Moncrief is coming on strong of late. In 90 games he is hitting .243 with 13 HR, 45 RBI, 16 stolen bases, and a .802 OPS. His raw tools have really been on display of late as in July he is hitting .287 with 5 HR, 12 RBI, and a .867 OPS. One of his recent home runs went 425 feet and hit the scoreboard in center field, only the second time a player has done that in Lake County. He has reached base in 20 of his last 21 games and with his strong month he appears to be coming around. With his tools and him still being so raw, he is a prospect on the rise and one to watch going forward.

Right-handed pitcher Will Roberts, who was the Indians’ 5th round pick in the 2011 Draft out of the University of Virginia, has recently made his pro debut with short season Single-A Mahoning Valley. He has made three starts and is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA, and in 9.2 innings has allowed 14 hits, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts. His pitch count has been limited since he had not thrown for awhile prior to signing and is still being built back up.

Jordan Smith

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley third baseman/outfielder Jordan Smith is having one heck of a pro debut. So far the 6’4 205-pounder is hitting .341 with 0 HR, 30 RBI, and a .885 OPS in 35 games. Indians coaches have raved about his approach and consistency as he just puts together quality at bats night in and night out. While he has not yet hit a home run, they should come as he has been a doubles machine with 15 of his 47 hits going for doubles. As he adjusts to wood, matures, and refines his swing the home runs should come. He has split time at third base and outfield in Mahoning Valley, but the Indians focus for him in the future is expected to be at third base. He reportedly has been promoted to Lake County today, though this is unconfirmed.

Short season Single-A Mahoning Valley left-hander Harold Guerrero has been okay so far where in 9 appearances (6 starts) he is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA (34.0 IP, 30 H, 16 BB, 24 K). As with so many pitchers at his level he is working through fastball command issues, something which has really shown in his five outings (16.1 IP, 14 BB). He is not afraid to be aggressive and go right after hitters, gets his fastball up to 93 MPH, and with his height he gets good downhill plane on his pitches, so he can be a tough lefty to hit.

Short season Single-A infielder KC Serna has already shown his versatility where just 25 games into his pro career he has played 7 games at second base, 7 games at third base, 5 games at shortstop, and 1 game in the outfield (5 games as DH). Being that he is not a higher level prospect, his versatility and the ability to perform will be a key for him going forward in creating value to the organization. He has been a reliable bat so far for Mahoning Valley where in 25 games he is hitting .264 with 0 HR, 7 RBI and a .668 OPS.

Rookie level Arizona outfielder Luigi Rodriguez was promoted to Low-A Lake County today. The 18-year old outfielder leaves Arizona hitting .383 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a .995 OPS in 24 games. His plate discipline still needs work (4 BB, 19 K), but the Indians feel he is ready for a challenge at a much higher level in Low-A. Coming into the season he was my top Latin prospect making his stateside debut, and so far he has not disappointed.

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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Moncrief Working On Position Switch

Carlos Moncrief is a guy almost every Cleveland Indians fan probably has never heard of.  He was the Indians 14^th round selection in the 2008 Draft out of Chipola College in Florida, and spent his first two professional seasons prior to this year out in the island that is rookie league ball in the Gulf Coast League in Florida in 2008 and in the Arizona League in 2009.

This year the 21-year old Moncrief is finally getting a chance to show his raw talents to the Cleveland faithful playing for short-season Mahoning Valley.  In 29 games for the Scrappers he is only hitting .206 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, and a .622 OPS, though has started to show signs of turning things around of late as in his last five games he is hitting .316 (6-for-19) with both of his home runs coming during that span.

Moncrief’s poor start offensively is not much of a surprise as he is still trying to find his swing again.  He was initially scouted as both a pitcher and outfielder, and upon signing with the Indians he was converted to a pitcher full time.  As a result, he had not hit for almost two years before finally picking up a bat again this past offseason.

Moncrief came to realize that pitching was just not in the cards for him and that his best chance to get to the big leagues would have to come from his bat instead of his arm.  He had a powerful fastball that sat 93-95 MPH and touched 96 MPH as well as a promising slider, but his mechanics still needed a lot of work and did not show much progress in developing his fastball command.

After taking some swings in the offseason in the cages and toying with the idea of moving back to the outfield, Moncrief approached the Indians about moving back to the outfield full time.  The Indians were receptive to the idea decided to take a tentative look at him in spring training in the outfield.  After evaluating him they quickly settled on the idea to move him back to the outfield.

“It was really more of a lot of throwing and my arm was really not in pitching shape,” explained Moncrief about his request to move from the mound to the outfield.  “When I first signed I had to get in pitching shape as I only threw five innings my first season.  So when the offseason [between 2008 and 2009] came I threw a lot and I got in shape, but at the end of last season I had shoulder tightness.  My range of motion was [not good] from what the doctor told me.  I ended up asking [the Indians] if I could hit, and they said they would take a look at me [in spring training] and see if they liked it and it worked out well.”

Now that Moncrief’s pitching career looks to be a thing of the past, his focus now is getting his swing back and showing what he can do.  He no doubt has the power arm, decent speed and athleticism to be a prototype right fielder as far as defense goes.  But the most important ingredient is his bat, one where he was thought to have some good power potential coming out of the draft.  Bottom line, if he is to ever be taken seriously as a prospect, he is going to have to hit.

“I really got settled in at the end of spring training and in extended spring training,” said Moncrief.  “I hit about .290-.300 in extended spring training before I got [to Mahoning Valley].  I can hit some home runs, and I can also hit for some contact as I am more a line drive gap-to-gap type hitter. I can also run pretty well.  Everything is working out for the good, and I almost have my swing back.”

Moving from the mound to the outfield can be a tough adjustment to make in just one season, but Moncrief is happy to be back in the outfield.

“To be honest, I like the outfield better,” said Moncrief.  “I struck out the first ten guys I faced [last year], but I got tired.  If I am 100% I can pitch at 93-95 MPH easily, but if I get tired and with me not knowing how to pitch to the fullest like I should I [was] throwing 89-92 MPH and getting hit.  I just thought pitching was a faster road to the big leagues, but there was more to learn about pitching.  I knew a pretty good bit about hitting, so I felt [like I] could make it [there] too.”

Moncrief said he was once clocked at 97 MPH in college, so giving up on that kind of powerful arm as a pitcher was probably tough for the Indians, but they also had to realize that while he has some potentially dominating stuff, it just was not translating to the mound as initially thought two years ago when they drafted him.

“I knew I was going to ask the front office in the offseason, so I just began getting myself into a position player shape,” said Moncrief.  “Just because I could throw the ball pretty hard, I had a little bit of an advantage pitching.  But my arm just wouldn’t take me there.”

Now Moncrief will only have to air it out with his arm two to three times a game in the outfield.  And hopefully the bat comes along too.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @tlastoria.  His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.

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Goodyear Notebook: 3/18

Putnam Has Big League Aspirations

The Indians are going to go through a lot of arms this year as they look to build a reliable big league rotation and bullpen by the end of the season.  With that in mind, it will be a lot of trial and error all season long as they find out who sticks and who doesn’t.

One of those pitchers who hopes to stick is right-hander Zach Putnam.  He was a non-roster invite to big league spring training and was up there for about three weeks before being sent down to minor league camp earlier this week, but the opportunity and experience to pitch with the big league club and in front of the big league coaching staff was invaluable for him.

“It was unbelievable and a dream come true,” said Putnam after practice on Tuesday.  “I kind of had to pinch myself everyday and it was just one of those kinds of things that give you more motivation to get there because once you taste it a little you really want to go back.”

Even though Putnam was only there for three weeks, he was able to soak up and learn a lot of different things, mostly on how to be a big leaguer.  Two of the big league veterans who helped him a lot were right-handers Kerry Wood and Jake Westbrook.

“I think the biggest thing was being around veteran guys like Jake and Woody and just kind of seeing how those guys carry themselves,” said Putnam about what he learned most in big league camp.  “Just kind of acting like a big leaguer.  I was only up there for three weeks but I think in that time span I learned so much on how to handle myself.

There are a lot of significant differences between being in big league camp and minor league camp, and beside the money and meals the biggest difference to Putnam is the amenities.

“I guess it is by design that it is more comfortable up there,” said Putnam.  “If you need this or that, it is there for you.  If you need a bag of seeds to go out to the field with, you got them.  If you need a bottle of water to do some cardio, you got it.  After a little while you kind of take it for granted.  I know the first day back here I didn’t have that bottle of water when I got on the bike.”

At the moment, Putnam is slated to return to Double-A Akron and pitch in the starting rotation.  As the season progresses he may be moved into the bullpen depending on the needs in Cleveland, though they have not ruled him out as a possible starter at the big league level.  The Indians sent him down to minor league camp to get him jumpstarted on his return to the starting rotation and start building up his workload so he can go five innings once the season starts in three weeks.

The key to his development as a starter will be the development of his breaking ball.  He has two plus pitches in his arsenal with his mid-90s fastball and devastating splitter and also throws a changeup that has shown a lot of improvement.  The development of an effective breaking ball will only help his other pitches as it will give hitters something with a different look other than everything always being down and in.

“I went out to the fall league in October and I was pretty single-minded to work on my breaking ball,” said Putnam.  “I feel like I made some progress there, but just when I was really starting to figure it out the season ended and I had three months off.  So I am trying to get back where I was and continuing to develop that pitch and it is a big thing for me right now.  I feel like I rely heavily on my splitter as an out pitch, so I would like to have something with a little different look to it rather than just always hard and down.”

Putnam has also been working hard on developing his changeup, so much that in his last outing on Sunday he threw only fastballs and changeups the entire time.

“I have been working on my changeup a lot,” said Putnam.  “In my last outing [on Sunday] I only threw my fastball and changeup and had some pretty good success with that.  I feel like right now I have three pretty solid pitches, but there are not very many pitchers out there who don’t have a breaking ball so I need to have something I can rely on and throw strikes with it.  I think there is a big difference from four pitches to three, and the breaking ball can make all the difference in the world.”

As for that big league opportunity, Putnam looks forward to it.  He will continue to work on developing his secondary stuff in the upper minors this year and await a chance in the bigs.  Whether that opportunity happens this year or not remains to be seen, but either way he appears to be on the big league doorstep and if all goes well should be up there in the next year or two.

“I’d like to believe I do [have a chance],” said Putnam about his big league chances.  “Obviously a guy has to have dreams. I am an optimistic guy and I would like to think I have a chance and I am just going to continue doing everything I can do to give myself the best chance I can possibly have.  Things change month to month here so I am just going to keep on my toes and working hard.”

Abreu Working On Discipline

Outfielder Abner Abreu is back to full activity this spring after a long offseason of rehab following shoulder surgery last June.  He is playing without restrictions and is ready to start the season 100% healthy and is ready to go, it is just a matter of whether he returns to Low-A Lake County to start the season or is bumped up to High-A Kinston.

“I feel perfect,” said Abreu when asked how he feels.  “I had the surgery and I did a lot of exercises to make [my shoulder] stronger.”

Abreu got his first taste of playing in the cold weather last year at Low-A Lake County, and it showed as he had a dreadful month of April where he hit .208 with a .532 OPS in 17 games, but once the weather started to heat up and he settled in he began to trust in his abilities once again and followed up the poor April with two very impressive months in May (.348 AVG, .982 OPS) and June (.339 AVG, .930 OPS).

“It was terrible,” said Abreu about his April last year.  “I was a little affected by the weather, and as I started to fail in a lot of my at bats I started to lose my confidence.  After [Minor League Hitting Coordinator] Bruce [Fields] talked to me, he told me I can do it and I gotta be confident in myself.  After April I took advantage of the better weather and gained my confidence again.  It was my first time ever playing in the cold (laughs).”

One thing that could delay Abreu’s debut at High-A Kinston is he is still only 20 years old and he played only about a third of a season in Low-A last year before he suffered the shoulder injury.  While he is a gold glove caliber defender in right field and has some impressive raw power, there are some concerns in regard to his plate discipline because not only does he strikeout a lot but he also draws so few walks.  He is an aggressive hitter, but the Indians have worked with him on becoming a little more selective and working counts a little more.

“I am working on my plate discipline, and I am trying to focus on breaking pitches and developing my two strike approach,” said Abreu.  “With curveballs I often swing at those kinds of pitches, so I am working on my discipline with those pitches and swinging only at strikes.  It is like a process.  Before I used to go to the plate to hit a ball that I could catch with the bat, and now I am focused only on the pitches that are in a good zone to hit.”

Coaches Corner: Greg Hibbard

I had a chance to sit down and talk with Double-A Akron Pitching Coach Greg Hibbard about some of the arms in camp, and this is what he had to say:

On Kelvin De La Cruz:  “I haven’t seen him pitch since he has come down from big league camp, but I saw him in an inter-squad one day which for me right now he looks healthy and the ball is coming out of his hand pretty well.  He is still trying to feel his way through the setback he had last year as far as attacking hitters and getting a feel for his stuff again.”
On Rob Bryson:  “He has thrown a couple of bullpens, and I think he has another bullpen [Thursday] and then he will take a couple of days off and then throw in a game.  It is good to see him get back on a mound and back into game action.”

On Eric Berger:  “With the late callup to Akron last year more than likely he will probably start the year there as a starter.  He is just solidifying his delivery.  His tempo in his windup gets a little out of whack and he starts jumping to the plate a little bit and his command suffers.  When he works out of the stretch he competes well, and he has always pitched well with runners on base.  He is much more of a competitor in game situations than he is on work days.”

On Connor Graham:  “I saw him throw a live batting practice the other day.  His fastball has some good life to it and he has a really good feel for a slider.  He is just working on some self-composure type stuff he is working through to be able to compose himself in tight situations when things don’t go his way.  The way his arm works on the backside is what it is, and we probably won’t work with that a whole lot.  We are just trying to get him to have a little bit better tempo over the rubber and just trying to repeat an effort level where he can work at an efficient rate.”

On Bryce Stowell:  “I haven’t worked with him this spring, but last year I had him a lot.  He has made strides from last year as far as the time we had him where we solidified his delivery and his arm slot.  So hopefully this year will be a good year for him."

On Scott Barnes:  “His breaking ball seems a little bit better than last year.  Last year it was a little more slurvish, but this year I have seen a little better finish to it.  It is a pitch that he can hopefully solidify.  He is another one who competes and is kind of a grinder who goes after it.  He is not afraid to go after guys with his fastball, which was the first thing I noticed about him last year was the way he liked to use his fastball.”

On Nick Hagadone:  “He has looked really good.  I have seen him throw a couple of live days.  Yesterday he looked really strong as during live BP he was throwing low to mid 90s and he had a better feel for a slider and a good changeup.  I know he has really been working on his changeup and trying to develop that pitch.  It is just development for him as he just needs mound time.”

Notebook

Knapp Progress Report:  Right-hander Jason Knapp is continuing his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.  The Indians are being overly cautious with his return to full time pitching duties and he is not throwing on a mound yet this spring.  Yesterday he made 20 throws from 75 feet and felt good and did not experience any setbacks.  It was his first time at 75 feet and he will throw at that distance two more times and then move back another 15 feet to a new distance of 90 feet.  He will continue moving back 15 feet every three sessions until he reaches 120 feet and complete that three times.  If all is good after that, he will begin a return to throw program and begin throwing off a mound.  He is currently slated for a return sometime in June or July.

Breakout Alert:  One player who has been impressive in the early going of minor league camp is third baseman Giovanny Urshela.  The Indians are very high on him, and consider him the best defensive corner infielder in the system who has an excellent throwing arm and gold glove caliber defensive ability at the hot corner.  His bat also has some potential.  He is still very young, but he played well in the Arizona League last year and he should see some time at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley or Low-A Lake County later in the season.  Keep an eye out on this kid.

Talbot Impresses:  According to an Indians official, left-hander Mitch Talbot has had a very impressive camp so far with the Indians.  Not only have his outings and numbers been impressive, but the Indians are cautiously optimistic that they may have picked up a quality pitcher in the Kelly Shoppach trade.  He is all but certain to win the #5 spot in the rotation once camp breaks, or if they go another route in the rotation he will at worst be put in the big league bullpen.

Pitching Role Updates:  Left-hander Nick Hagadone is still being developed as a starter and should open the season either at High-A Kinston or Double-A Akron.  Even if he opens in Kinston, he likely will still spend a majority of the year in Akron.  On the other hand, right-hander Bryan Price has been moved to the bullpen.  He should open the year at Double-A Akron and pitch in a high priority bullpen role going two to three innings an outing.

Role Change:  I speculated yesterday that Carlos Moncrief had been moved to the outfield.  I was able to confirm that this indeed is the case as he has been moved from the mound to the outfield.  It just did not work out for him on the mound as while he had powerful stuff he had trouble consistently throwing strikes.  He actually first gained national attention from scouts as an outfielder because of his impact power potential to go along with his average speed and excellent throwing arm, so this by no means is a desperate move by the Indians.

Utility Change:  The Indians picked up infielder Anderson Hernandez off of waivers from the New York Mets, which is a move that looks like was made to fill their utility need.  Last year in 123 combined games with the Nationals and Mets he hit .251 (92-366) with 3 HR, and 37 RBI.  To make room on the 40-man roster for Hernandez the Indians designated infielder Brian Bixler for assignment.

Minor Pickup:  On Thursday the Indians signed right-handed pitcher Justin Germano to a minor league contract, and he will report to camp next week on March 27^th.  The 27-year old spent last season pitching in Japan and before that pitched in the big leagues from 2005-2008 with the Padres and Reds and owns a career Major League record of 8-16 with a 5.27 ERA (205.0 IP, 226 H, 70 BB, 119 K).

De La Cruz-ing:  Left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz is 100% recovered from the elbow injury which wrecked his 2009 season.  He is pitching with few if any restrictions in camp, and should be good to go when the season starts.  He should open the season at Double-A Akron.

Aguilar Reports:  Right-hander Omar Aguilar, the pitcher the Indians received from the Brewers in exchange for Chuck Lofgren on Tuesday, was in camp on Wednesday.  He had a light workout and threw some flat ground in the morning.  One Indians official who had not seen him in a few years commented to how much weight he had lost since he came out of college.

Gardner Ready:  For anyone wondering, right-hander Joe Gardner is good to go in camp and is no longer bothered by the oblique issue which sidelined him after signing with the Indians last year.  He pitched in Instructional League last fall and should open the season in the starting rotation at either Low-A Lake County or High-A Kinston.  Considering he is kind of raw as a prospect and has yet to pitch a professional inning that counts yet, he likely will open in Lake County.

Videos:  With the help of Michael Taylor who has done a fabulous job editing these on short notice, here are the next set of videos from spring training:  Francisco Jimenez, Josh Judy, Takafumi Nakamura, Scott Barnes, Preston Guilmet, Jose Flores, Joseph Colon, Jose Campos, Joey Mahalic, Alexander Perez, Jason Donald, Heath Taylor, Eddie Burns, Guido Fonseca, Clayton Cook, Connor Graham, Chris Jones, Chris Gimenez, and Alexander Morales.

Inter-squad Action:  Today the minor leaguers finally get some game action in as two seven inning inter-squad games will be played on Field 3 and 4 in the early afternoon.  The following pitchers are scheduled to pitch in the two games on Thursday:  Scott Barnes, Alex White, Connor Graham, Ryan Miller, Erik Stiller, Jonathan Holt, Gary Campfield, Travis Turek, Sung-Wei Tseng, Mike McGuire, T.J. House, Austin Adams, Danny Salazar, Eddie Burns, T.J. McFarland, Guido Fonseca, Matt Packer and Preston Guilmet.  Judging by some of the names scheduled to pitch, it looks like it could be a final look at some guys on the roster bubble before the first round of cuts come soon.

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