Tribe Happenings: Indians make some coaching decisions

Radinsky is named Indians Pitching Coach,

a job he just missed out on two years ago.

(Photo: AP)

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

Indians finalize their 2012 coaching staff

On Friday the Indians announced the additions to their 2012 coaching staff. They promoted Scott Radinsky from bullpen coach to pitching coach and promoted Dave Miller from minor league pitching coordinator to bullpen coach. The promotions came about when pitching coach Tim Belcher stepped down at the conclusion of the season.

The Indians also announced that Tom Wiedenbauer was promoted from minor league field coordinator to first base coach. He fills the void on the big league coaching staff left when bench coach Tim Tolman stepped down at the conclusion of the season. Sandy Alomar Jr. had already been promoted from first base coach to bench coach shortly after the season.

Radinsky has been in the organization since 2004 and next season will be his third as a member of the big league staff. Miller has been in the organization since 1993 and had been the minor league pitching coordinator the past ten years. This will be his first Major League opportunity as a player or coach. Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla was also strongly considered for both pitching posts, but is expected to return to his same role next season.

The decisions on the pitching front are not very surprising considering the Indians as expected promoted from within. Two years ago when the Indians were looking for a pitching coach both Radinsky and Miller were considered favorites for the job, so both were expected to get strong consideration again. Many felt that Radinsky should have been named to the post two years ago, and after 19 years in the minors as a coach the time was right to give Miller a chance at a big league coaching gig.

The decision for the first base coach does raise a few eyebrows. It was felt that Triple-A manager Mike Sarbaugh was a strong favorite for the job and in some circles was an obvious choice. Minor league outfield and base-running coordinator Gary Thurman was another person considered for the job, but in the end manager Manny Acta chose Wiedenbauer. Acta has a history with Wiedenbauer going back to his days with the Astros and it looks like he preferred experience over the much younger and inexperienced Sarbaugh and Thurman.

While the big league staff is all set for 2012, now the Indians have several coach openings in the minors to fill. They started to fill some of those openings on Friday as well when they hired Alan Zinter as the new minor league hitting coordinator. He takes over for Bruce Fields who will return as the big league hitting coach next season.

But with the promotions of Miller and Wiedenbauer the Indians also have to find replacements for their former minor league pitching coordinator and minor league field coordinator roles. In addition to those two openings they now also have to find a minor league outfield and base-running coordinator as Gary Thurman has left to an unknown team, and there is also a vacancy for the High-A Carolina Mudcats post as manager Aaron Holbert has left the organization and joined the Atlanta Braves organization.

It remains to be seen if there will be any other departures from the Indians’ minor league coaching ranks. Whether or not Sarbaugh is one of them remains to be seen, but do not forget that after former Columbus manager Torey Lovullo was turned down for the Cleveland manager’s post two years ago and later spurned for a post on Acta’s big league staff that he left the organization. He ended up joining the Boston Red Sox organization and managed their Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate in 2010. A year later he joined manager John Farrell’s big league coaching staff in Toronto.

Donald in the outfield?

The Indians have a lot of decisions to make this offseason in the outfield. At the forefront of those decisions is what to do with Grady Sizemore’s option and what player they may target to acquire to fill a much needed right-handed power bat need.

On a smaller scale it looks like another decision they are pondering is if infielder Jason Donald could be an option in the outfield. They are experimented with him some in the outfield this fall in Instructional League games, and in fact had him play center field. On Wednesday he worked out in the outfield during morning practice and then played with the Parallel League team in the afternoon as the starting centerfielder. He did not bat as he only played the outfield (one of the liberties of Instructional League) and made a few nice plays going to his right and left.

It was but one game and one view of Donald’s play in the outfield, but he looked like a natural out there. He will not be looked at as an everyday option in the outfield, but if he can play there from time to time it would create more versatility for manager Manny Acta to get his productive bat into the lineup more often. With such a left-handed heavy lineup, especially in the outfield, getting his bat into the lineup from time to time in the outfield will only help the team and also help him get more playing time. A win-win for everyone.

It remains to be seen whether of not the Indians will go into spring training with Donald as an option in the outfield. He is not scheduled to play any winter ball, so it appears his play in Instructional League was just a quick look. If they decide to pursue him further as an option in the outfield he could return to Arizona later in the offseason to continue working out there. If he could play outfield it would add another position to his skill set as he would be an option at almost any position on the field for Acta and would be a true super-utility player.

Rondon is an option

If things continue to go well this offseason for right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon, he will enter spring training very much in the Indians’ plans next season. He is currently pitching fall ball in Instructional League and then next week will go home to Venezuela to pitch winter ball in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Rondon, 23, pitched in two games at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley at the end of the season (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K) and has been pitching this fall in Instructional League and the Parallel League out in Arizona. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery at the end of last August and looks just about all the way back.

Rondon’s fastball has that same pop and great late life that made him so effective prior to the injury. He has been back up to 93-95 MPH with the fastball and as he continues to regain his form he should be more consistent and potentially better with his velocity.

Even if Rondon is healthy he is all but certain to open next season at Triple-A Columbus. There is an outside shot he could make the big league opening day roster, but that appears to be an extreme long one as the Indians would probably prefer he gets a few innings under his belt in Columbus before considering him an option in the big leagues next year. That having been said, if he is healthy and pitching well he will be another arm for the Indians to turn to early on next season in the starting rotation or maybe even the bullpen.

Masterson has surgery

In an announcement that came completely out of nowhere, the Indians announced on Wednesday that right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson underwent arthroscopic surgery in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Craig Morgan repaired a posterior labral tear in Masterson’s left, non-dominant shoulder and is expected to pitch without restrictions when spring training opens next season.

The injury and subsequent surgery to Masterson is obviously not as severe given that it involves his non-throwing shoulder, but it still was interesting that he even had to undergo surgery to begin with. Apparently his left shoulder had been bothering him since his days with the Boston Red Sox, and it really only became an issue near the end of this past season. With the offseason here both Masterson and the Indians felt it best to take care of the issue now so his 2012 season is not affected.

Masterson had a banner year in his second full season in the Indians organization going 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 games. He is under team control for another three seasons before he can become a free agent after the 2014 season. He is up for arbitration this offseason, but there is a chance that the Indians may consider buying out his three arbitration years and sign him to a long term deal in order to control his cost and maybe add another year or two of club control past his arbitrations years.

Attendance surge

The Indians finished the 2011 season by bringing in 1,840,835 fans through the turnstiles in 81 home games. The total was an increase of close to 450,000 from 2010 when they drew 1,391,644 fans in 81 home games. Their attendance increase of 32.7% from 2010 to 2011 was the highest percentage attendance increase in all of Major League Baseball.

This is a nice sign, though it should be noted that there was only one way to go but up as they were dead last in attendance last year at 30th in the league and finished this year 24th in the league. There is still a long way to go there, especially considering the Indians were in contention for most of the season and for the first two months of the season were one of the best in baseball.

The attendance increase this year and a moderate projected increase next year should allow the Indians to increase payroll this coming season. While no figures have been mentioned publicly by the Indians, a good guess is that they will probably operate with a payroll somewhere in the low to upper $60 million range next season. It is not a lot to work with, but should allow the team to be creative in both trades and free agent signings this offseason to help improve the team.

Parting shots

Former Indians left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz was arrested very early Friday morning for disturbing the peace. As of this writing there is no word on what he did, but he was released from jail on a cash bond. … The Indians have resigned veteran minor league outfielder Ben Copeland. He was signed in the middle of this past season to fill an outfield need in the upper levels of their minor league system and hit .257 with six homers, 26 RBI and .739 OPS in 60 combined games at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. … The Indians recently signed Taiwanese free agent 17-year old right-handed pitcher Shao-Ching Chiang to a minor league contract.

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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Tribe Happenings: Indians 2011 season comes to a close

Manny Acta reflects on the Indians' 2011

season and looks ahead to 2012 (Photo: AP)

Some news, notes and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

Hope springs eternal

The Indians had a successful 2011 campaign. Yes, they did not win a World Series, make the playoffs, or finish with a winning record, but they showed they are ready to make a leap forward next year and contend.

They certainly still have lots of question marks, but they have built a strong foundation from which to build upon going forward. For the first time in awhile they go into an offseason with a positive vibe among the fans that they could contend next year. There is also a more positive feeling among the fans that the Indians will make some moves this offseason to improve the team.

Along with some expected moves this offseason in free agency or on the trade front there is excitement to see the growth of this young team and what it can do with better health next year. The Indians finished the season with the third youngest roster (27.5 years old) in the Major Leagues behind only the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros, and finished the season with eleven rookies on the Major League roster.

The Indians also used the disabled list 22 times in 2011 - second most in the American League to Minnesota’s 25 – and lost 826 player days to the disabled list. In contrast, they only used the disabled list 14 times in 2010 and lost 673 player days to the disabled list. This season their top four established hitters Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and Asdrubal Cabrera were only in the same lineup 17 times all year (they won ten of those games).

The Indians will not be in on mega free agents like Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this offseason, but they should be in on just about any other player available in free agency or trade. It is the combination of a growing, youthful roster, improved health, and some noteworthy offseason additions that make the possibilities with this team exciting for 2012 and beyond.

Coaching carousel

The Indians announced a flurry of coaching moves at the conclusion of the season with pitching coach Tim Belcher and bench coach Tim Tolman both stepping down. The news of both Belcher and Tolman leaving their roles was unexpected, but both will remain with the organization in a more limited capacity.

Belcher stepped down so he could spend more time with his family. He will go back into the role he had with the Indians as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations prior to being named pitching coach two years ago. Tolman stepped down for health reasons as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago. He will transition to another capacity within the organization that will be determined in the coming weeks.

With Tolman’s departure, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will become the bench coach in 2012. The move to bench coach does not limit Alomar’s pursuit for any manager openings. He is a top candidate for several openings, most notably the one with the White Sox after Ozzie Guillen was let go this week.

The Indians also announced that they have picked up the 2013 club option on manager Manny Acta. Acta led the Indians to a second place finish in the American League Central this year with a record of 80-82 (.494), an 11-game improvement in terms of wins over the previous season. He is now signed through the 2013 season and owns a two-year record of 149-175 as Indians manager.

Wanted: Coaches

The pick up of Acta’s option was but a formality, and is just a show of confidence in ownership and the front office that he is doing a good job. He now has to work on adding three new coaches to his staff as he has to fill the voids left at first base coach, pitching coach and hitting coach.

Jon Nunnally was fired as hitting coach back in June and Bruce Fields took over on an interim basis. It is not known whether he will continue in the role full time, but the Indians will surely look at all options to fill the role. Jim Thome returned to the Indians this year and may decide to retire, and if so he would surely be a leading candidate if he was open to it.

At the outset of the pitching coach search the three main candidates will likely come from within as Indians bullpen coach Scott Radinsky, Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller will all likely get first consideration for the job opening before looking outside the organization. Niebla is highly regarded for the work he did this year with his pitchers in Columbus and has done a great job in previous years. Radinsky has done a great job with the bullpen in Cleveland the last two years, so both seem to be the top candidates right now.

The first base coach could come down to any number of people in the organization. The top candidate would appear to be Triple-A Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh. He is very deserving of a Major League coaching opportunity and this would be a great way to add him to the mix, especially considering so many of the players on the roster played under him the past few years. Another possibility could be Minor League Fielding Coordinator Travis Fryman, but the unknown is whether or not he is ready to be more involved since his current role allows him more time with his family.

Mixed results for Pomeranz and White

Former Indians’ left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz and right-handed pitcher Alex White had mixed results in their final starts to finish what was a chaotic 2011 season for both of them.

Pomeranz had a solid Major League debut for the Rockies where in four starts he finished 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA (18.1 IP, 19 H, 5 BB, 13 K). After a sensational big league debut on September 11th where he threw five shutout innings he was very mediocre at best in his final three starts, but overall it was a very good foundation for him to build on for next year. At this point it looks very much like barring injury that he should open the 2012 season in the Rockies’ opening day starting rotation.

On the other hand, White’s future is not so certain. He was awful in his seven starts for the Rockies going 2-4 with an 8.42 ERA (36.1 IP, 48 H, 16 BB, 24 K). His numbers were horrific in that he put up a 1.76 WHIP and one-quarter of the hits he gave up were home runs (12). He averaged close to one home run allowed every three innings!

I said it at the time of the trade that White was not 100% healthy, and he certainly pitched like an unhealthy pitcher the rest of the season. It will be an interesting offseason to see if additional issues with his finger cropped up and if more surgery occurs to “correct” things. There definitely has to be some concern on the Rockies front about his future.

For those wondering, the other two players in that deal right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner and first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride both had mixed results as well while playing for the Rockies’ Double-A Tulsa affiliate. Gardner made six starts and went 3-3 with a 2.48 ERA (36.1 IP, 31 H, 8 BB, 22 K), and McBride struggled through injuries and played just six games and hit .235 with no homers, two RBI and a .513 OPS.

The Indians paid a pretty hefty bounty to acquire right-handed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies back on July 30th. Some may wonder why updates on Pomeranz and White are necessary since both are no longer in the organization, but considering the magnitude of that deal it is very relevant to provide the information on the performances going forward of all the players involved in that deal. Whether we admit it or not, we will all be keeping an eye on White and Pomeranz to see how their careers end up in relation to what impact Jimenez has for the Indians.

Indians get #15

With the regular season coming to a close the Indians draft slot for next year’s draft was finally determined. The draft slot is determined by taking the worst record in the league and awarding them the #1 pick and so on, and the Indians ended up with the #15 pick.

While controlling where a team selects in the draft is not a goal a team shoots for, there was a bit of drama on the final day as with the Indians loss and the Washington Nationals win the Indians “earned” that #15 pick. Had the Indians won or the Nationals lost the Indians would have finished with the #16 or later pick, a difference that has some significance.

By getting the #15 pick the Indians now have a protected first round pick. Picks at #16 or later in the first round are unprotected. What this means is for a team with an unprotected pick that signs a Type-A free agent they lose their first round pick as compensation to the team they signed the player away from. Teams that have a protected first round pick do not lose the first round pick when signing Type-A free agents and instead lose their second round pick.

Of course, the Indians will never really be big players in free agency for the marquee free agents; however, being designated a “Type-A” free agent does not always mean such a player is a high profile free agent. The Indians have some interest in first base/left field right-handed bats this offseason, and two names that get brought up a lot are Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham. Both are Type-A free agents, so at least the Indians now know what the cost will be in draft picks going into any possible bargaining sessions for either player.

LaPorta to visit Haiti

First baseman Matt LaPorta will join with SportsTime Ohio’s efforts to aid earthquake relief in Haiti. Many remember the devastation caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths or over 3% of the nation’s total population and left the small nation completely devastated.

SportsTime Ohio has been heavily involved in various fundraising efforts immediately following the earthquake and has raised $175,000 thus far. LaPorta will join the SportsTime Ohio team on October 6, 2011 to visit Gressier Haiti, an area approximately ten miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. It is also home to Christianville, a mission that has a school with four campuses and 1200 students, a medical facility and several feeding programs feeding as many as 4500 people per day. The campus was decimated in the earthquake but now has rebuilt the schools and actually increased the feeding programs as well as being the home to Haiti’s only malaria lab.

LaPorta will be in Haiti for four days, and while there will tour the schools, support facilities and orphanages that have benefited from the funds raised in North East Ohio. LaPorta will see all of the relief efforts first hand and will be showcased as part of a SportsTime Ohio program to air in January of 2012, the second anniversary of the earthquake.

Henry has surgery

There was some unfortunate news on the minor league front this week. Double-A Akron outfielder Jordan Henry had right knee surgery on September 22nd for what was supposed to be a surgery to clean the knee out and repair cartilage in the knee. The recovery time was expected to be six weeks.

Unfortunately for Henry, during the procedure the damage was found to be more extensive so his doctor ended up performed micro-fracture surgery to repair it. The possibility of micro-fracture surgery was known going into the surgery, but was not known for certain until doctors went in and started operating on his knee.

The recovery time is expected to be five to six months and Henry is already out in Arizona rehabbing the knee. He should be ready by the start of minor league spring training in March, but the Indians will likely be conservative with getting him back into full time game action next year.

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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Quick Thoughts On Belcher

Without any comments from Mark Shapiro or Manny Acta yet on the hiring of Tim Belcher as the Major League Pitching Coach, here are some quick thoughts on the hiring off the top of my head:

• When assessing the pitching coach possibilities, I think it was a foregone conclusion that that job was going to be filled from within. As a result, a lot of the focus was on Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky and minor league pitching coordinator Dave Miller as the top candidates to fill the job. In hindsight this was very narrow thinking, and I like many others in the media completely forgot about Tim Belcher and Jason Bere and their roles as special assistants to the Indians Baseball Operations Department.
  
  
• Like Radinsky and Miller, Belcher fit the mold of someone who was very familiar with all the young talent up and down the Indians system having observed and also worked with them all many times over his eight years in the organization. He was a teacher and helped facilitate the development of the young players like Radinsky and Miller, but what set Belcher apart from Radinsky and Miller is his experience working in the big league environment. Having done a lot of advanced scouting and player evaluation at the big league level recently he was probably more in touch with the demands at that level.
   
• Bere and Belcher shared a lot of the same duties as special assistants to baseball operations, with Bere a little more ingrained with the minor league guys and development whereas Belcher was used a little more in player decisions at the minor/major league level and also evaluation of players in the minors/majors inside and outside the organization.
   
• From what I understand a lot of times Belcher was GM Mark Shapiro’s “eyes” in evaluating and observing the pitching in the system, particularly in the upper levels of the system at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.
   
• It looks like with this move that Miller likely remains as the minor league pitching coordinator, but it is still unclear where Radinsky will fit. There is a possibility he could be a bullpen coach, or very well return to Columbus and assume his pitching coach duties again. There is also the possibility that Radinsky could leave the organization for a big league job or minor league coaching job elsewhere.
   
• The hiring of Belcher may bring to light who they may be looking at as their hitting coach. I still believe they will go outside the organization and fill the role, but if they do happen to fill the role from within it seems very possible that Ellis Burks could be named to the position. Like Belcher, Burks was a special assistant to the Baseball Operations Department and had the same responsibilities as he assisted in the facilitation of instruction and development at the major league and minor league level. Just like Belcher, Burks assisted Shapiro in player decisions and his primary duty was to evaluate position players, particularly the outfielders. If he does not end up the hitting coach, he could still end up on Acta’s staff as an outfield coach.
   
• In the end I like many Indians fans was surprised by the announcement this morning that Belcher was named the big league pitching coach. But while I was surprised, I was not shocked as given a few minutes to take it in the hiring certainly makes a lot of sense.  He brings with him a lot of success and experience as a big league pitcher, and more importantly he also has experience with instruction, evaluation, and developing young talent.  I still may have preferred Radinsky, but I understand that they probably wanted a guy with more experience recently working at the big league level.

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Top Pitching Coach Candidates

From where I sit, I believe the biggest decision for new manager Manny Acta and the Indians is who they pick as his pitching coach. With so many young arms presently on the staff and a lot on the horizon, the focus the next few years will be on finishing off their development at the big league level.

I really believe such a hiring will come from within the organization as they look for someone familiar with the current staff and also very familiar of the influx of arms they will be adding in the next few years from the minors. To me, that makes the two most likely candidates as Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller and Triple-A Columbus Pitching Coach Scott Radinsky.

Both Miller and Radinsky to me would be solid additions to the staff. Miller has worked directly with every homegrown pitcher on their staff and those coming up through the ranks for the past eight years as the pitching coordinator in the minors. Radinsky has also worked with a lot of the pitchers on the big league staff and some others who will be joining the staff in the next year or so as he has been the pitching coach at Akron, Buffalo and Columbus the past four seasons.

From what I have learned talking to players over the years they absolutely love Radinsky. They think he is an excellent coach where he holds his players accountable and has a take no crap attitude, but he knows how to teach, communicate, and get results. He is also a bit wild and not your typical cookie-cutter manager as he is a singer in a punk rock band (Pulley). I don’t know much about how the players feel about Miller. I have never asked in the past how they felt about Radinsky, but the players always talked highly about him without any provocation, yet never spoke of Miller. Whether that means something or not, who knows, but it should also be noted that Miller was on the Indians bench a lot this past September as a guest coach, something I don’t recall him doing in the past.

In any case, I think Radinsky looks like the favorite to win the job, though Miller should get strong consideration as well and could be named to the position just as well. As with anything of course, a curveball could be thrown where the Indians and Acta come out of left field with a hiring, but it really seems like even before Acta was hired that Radinsky or Miller were lined up for this job.

For a background on the two candidates, here are their writeups in the media guide this year:

Dave Miller - Pitching Coordinator
Born: August 25, 1966 in Woodbury, NJ
Resides: Wilmington, NC

Managerial/Coaching Highlights: Enters his 8th season as the Pitching Coordinator in the Indians Player Development System… Marks his 17th season in the Indians organization as a coach, scout or instructor… As the Pitching Coordinator he implements the basic organizational pitching philosophy among the minor league coaching staff and players… Responsible for developing pitchers that have sound fundamental delivery of mechanics which allows them to develop their pitches and learn how to attack hitters while also being able to control the running game and execute defensively.

Managerial/Coaching Career: 1993-1995 - Pitching Coach, Burlington Indians (Indians); 1996- Pitching Coach, Watertown Indians (Indians); 1997- Pitching Coach, Burlington Indians (Indians); 1998-1999- Pitching Coach, Kinston Indians (Indians); 2000-2001- Scout, Cleveland Indians (Indians); 2002-2008- Pitching Coordinator, Cleveland Indians (Indians).

Playing Career: Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the secondary phase of the 1985 January draft and by the Detroit Tigers in the 1985 June draft but did not sign either time… Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round of the January, 1986 secondary phase… Played professionally for 7 seasons at the minor league level all with the Orioles… Posted a career record of 43-34 with a 3.09 ERA in 152 games/83 starts before ending his career with Rochester in 1992.

Scott Radinsky - Pitching Coach
Born: March 3, 1968 in Glendale, CA
Resides: Simi Valley, CA

Managerial/Coaching Highlights: Enters his 3rd season with Cleveland as the Pitching Coach of the Indians Triple-A team and 6th season as a coach in the Indians organization…Guided the Akron staff in 2006 to a league best 87 wins, while finishing 4th in the league in ERA at 3.74… Originally joined the Indians organization in 2004 as a guest instructor.

Managerial/Coaching Career: 2004-2005- Pitching Coach, Lake County (Indians); 2006-Pitching Coach, Akron Aeros (Indians); 2007-2008-Pitching Coach, Buffalo Bisons (Indians).

Playing Career: Played professionally for 15 seasons, including 11 at the Major League level with Chicago-AL (’90-’95), Los Angeles-NL (’96-’98), St. Louis (’99-’00) and Cleveland (’01)… Saved a career-high 15 games in 1992 and won a career-best 8 games while recoding 4 saves in 1993… Missed entire 1994 season after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease prior to spring training…Made a career-best 75 appearances in 1997 with the LA Dodgers…Underwent “Tommy John” surgery in 2000 and made just 3 more career appearances at the ML level following his surgery… In 11 Major League seasons was 42-25 with a 3.44 ERA and 52 saves in 557 Major League games… Was a 3rd round selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 1986 draft.

By the way, bet you never imagined a guy like this could be on the Indians bench as a coach (heh):

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