2010 Tony Awards: Defensive Player of the Year

We are in the thick of the year end Cleveland Indians minor league player awards as the Offensive Player of the Year was announced on Monday, the Pitcher of the Year was announced on Tuesday, and the Reliever of the Year was announced yesterday.

Today we continue the postseason awards with the announcement of the Defensive Player of the Year.  This is a new award this year, and one I think is very deserving to acknowledge some of the great defensive displays by players who may not have had good seasons at the plate.

One thing to note, is the defensive metric known as Total Zone is currently not calculated for the 2010 minor league season and is something that will come out in the coming weeks, so unfortunately I could not use this when determining this award.  You’ll have to cut some major slack here as the candidates for the award were determined by a combination of their basic defensive stats (fielding percentage) and perception (how they actually looked).

Again, just a quick reminder that these awards are awarded 100% based on performance as prospect standing is not factored in.  So just because a guy is or is not listed does not mean anything from a “prospect” status.  These awards are simply for fun to hand out at the end of the year.  Also, the Cleveland Indians in no way whatsoever had any input in these awards.  In the coming days the Comeback Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Biggest Breakthrough, Biggest Disappointment and the All-Tony Team will be announced.

Defensive Player of the Year Nominees:

Kyle Bellows (3B – Kinston)
.978 PCT, 199 G, 77 PO, 286 A, 8 E, 371 TC, 30 DP

Bellows led all Carolina League third basemen in fielding percentage.  He was a rock at third base all season for High-A Kinston and showed very good range and an incredibly accurate and strong arm.  He has really established himself as one of the best defensive third basemen in the minors.

Greg Folgia (Outfielder – Lake County)
.994 PCT, 101 G, 169 PO, 7 A, 1 E, 177 TC, 1 DP

Folgia led all Midwest League outfielders in fielding percentage, which comes as no surprise to anyone who watched him patrol right field for Low-A Lake County all season.  He made several amazing catches be it coming in and making sliding catches, going back on balls and chasing them down at the right-center field wall, or attacking balls with reckless abandon and leaping over walls to catch them.

Roberto Perez (C – Lake County)
Fielding: .997 PCT, 104 G, 850 PO, 109 A, 3 E, 962 TC, 5 DP, 15 PB
Throwing: 50 CS, 75 SB, 125 ATT, .400 PCT

Perez led the 16-team Midwest League in fielding percentage among catchers, and finished 2nd in caught stealing percentage.  He showed a strong, accurate arm when attempting to throw out runners at second and third, and exhibited all of the intangibles required to be an above average major league defender at catcher.

Giovanny Urshela (3B – Mahoning Valley)
.957 PCT, 55 G, 52 PO, 124 A, 8 E, 184 TC, 11 DP

The 18-year old Urshela did not lead the NY-Penn League in fielding percentage, though was only 14 points off the leader (.970) even though he was three to four years younger than most of the third basemen in the league.  Even so, he was a defensive highlight reel every night and played above his years.  He has gold glove ability, and flashed that potential many times over the course of 2010 and more than held his own with his fielding and throwing.

And the 2010 Tony Award goes to…Roberto Perez

Unlike all of the hitting and pitching awards provided so far, there is not a lot of context which can be provided defensively because of the absence of much statistical data.  More advanced stats should become available this offseason.

All that said, when reviewing the limited statistical data and considering the actual on field performance of all the Indians minor leaguers this year, the four-some of Kyle Bellows, Greg Folgia, Roberto Perez, and Giovanny Urshela really stood out.  In a system devoid of many above average defenders at any position, these four were far and away the best four defensive performers this season.

But when it comes down to it, Perez had the best year defensively in the organization because of how many different ways he affected a game with his throwing, blocking, receiving, game calling, leadership, etc.  There is no question he was the glue to that team this year at Low-A Lake County as he worked extremely well with the pitching staff all season, shut down the opposing team's running game, and was very good defensively behind the plate with blocking and receiving.

Obviously Perez has a long way to go with his bat, but the Indians have themselves a very good defensive catching prospect and one that many feel could hold his own in the major leagues right now as a defender.  He is going out to the Arizona Fall League to catch, and while it is uncertain how much he will actually play, this is a pretty big honor in sending a player who played all year in Low-A to a prestigious prospect league such as the AFL where rosters are mostly made up of Triple-A and Double-A players.  He should open the 2011 season at High-A Kinston as the starting catcher.

As a quick note, Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz - the two players obtained in the Russell Branyan trade in June - definitely would have been included here but they played less than half a season in the organization.

Up Next: Comeback Player of the Year

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

Read More

IPI Inbox: McAllister Adds More Pitching Depth

It's time to clear out the inbox again with some answers to some questions surrounding the Cleveland Indians big league team and farm system.  As a reminder, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding the Indians.

Onto the Inbox...

Phil wrote: Which names you are hearing for the PTBNL from the Yanks? I know we won't be getting Montero as well as probably McAllister or Nova. So that makes the list a little shorter.

Well, turns out in the end it was right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister (good call by the way, you should be happy). McAllister is an interesting arm whose stock has dropped a little this year after an inconsistent season pitching for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre going 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 24 starts (132.2 IP, 165 H, 38 BB, 88 K). Indians GM Mark Shapiro was in Columbus the last week since Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had been playing Columbus from Tuesday through Friday and caught his start against Columbus on Tuesday (5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R/ER, 2 BB, 4K). He’s a command/control specialist with a two-seam fastball that sits 87-91 MPH though has touched as high as 93 MPH. He complements the fastball with a slider, curveball, and changeup, with the slider being his best pitch and an above average offering. He projects as back of the rotation arm, and in a lot of ways is similar to Josh Tomlin with his approach and stuff.

McAllister, 22, looks like yet more pitching inventory the Indians are adding to their roster. With so much uncertainty with the rotation for next year, they are stock piling arms in what looks like will be a year long evaluation process to fill two to three slots in the rotation. The only certainties for next year are Fausto Carmona and Mitch Talbot, and really how much of a certainty are those guys given Carmona’s rocky up-and-down career and this being Talbot’s first year pitching in the big leagues?

With McAllister in tow, along with right-hander Corey Kluber who they obtained in the Jake Westbrook deal, they appear to have two more backend rotation options at their disposal in addition to the likes of David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez, Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco, Hector Rondon, Alex White and others who will be options next year as well.

Stephen P. wrote: What in the world happened with Wes Hodges??? He went from top prospect at 3rd, to a position change to 1B. Then a he had a great spring and was doing OK in Columbus. Next thing he gets designated for assignment and dropped off the 40 man, picked up by Colorado, then cut again and back to the Tribe in Columbus. Has he fallen that far off the radar with the Tribe (and other organizations) that they consider him another Ryan Mulhern?

Yes, unfortunately for Hodges he is now pretty much viewed as a 4A player now. He will play in the Major Leagues someday, but it looks like it will be as a bit player and a constant shuttle from the big to Triple-A. When he was initially drafted by the Indians in the 2nd round in 2006 out of Georgia Teach he came highly regarded with his bat and was a solid defender, but injuries have taken their toll and he never was able to develop and improve enough to be viewed as at least an average Major League defender. In addition to that, while he has been solid offensively, his bat has never really progressed as well.

As a third baseman Hodge’s bat would have been just fine, but now that he has been moved to first base it is below average. You don’t see many first baseman with a .732 OPS like he has this year or .704 like he had last year, both numbers at the Triple-A level. His value was at third base, and now at first base he is swallowed up by a lack of big offense at a position which demands it. He just doesn't have an interesting enough bat at first base to be nothing more than a marginal part time player. This is why other teams passed on him and he had the adventures on the waiver wire. The Indians still value him, and like the depth he provides for them at a position of need at first base, which is why they claimed him back when the Rockies put him on the waiver wire. At this point, he is good depth to keep around, and I guess you never know about a guy what may happen down the road...but his prospect star has faded immensely.

Nate W. wrote: What do you make of the recent major league success of Jeanmar Gomez? I remember on many occasions you just weren't that impressed with his stuff, but he's consistently 91-94 MPH on his fastball with a lot of movement. He seems like he could develop into a pretty productive BOR or even MOR guy if he ever gets a consistent breaking ball.

Hey Nate, yeah, gotta say I am pleasantly surprised with Gomez so far. He is pitching well beyond what was expected of him, and definitely for me. Kudos for an outstanding job by him so far. One caveat though is it is only a handful of starts, and his true test will come once the league adjusts to him and how he handles that. He is still very young, and really has a lot more ceiling, so at this point the sky is the limit with him. But just like I don’t hold right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco’s poor performance last year in September against him, I also don’t take too much stock in a handful of good starts. Encouraging, yes, and what you want to see, but we need more games and data points to get a true read on Gomez and a lot of these other guys.

It is funny though how with the Latin Trifecta that included Gomez, right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon, and left-handed pitcher Kelvin De la Cruz, that the one guy I was least excited ended up making the big leagues first and is impressing! Good for him, and I am happy to be wrong. I never felt he was not good, I just felt that there were other better pitching prospects out there in the system and really those other guys still are better prospects. The difference is he has stayed healthy while guys like Rondon, De La Cruz and others have not. When opportunity knocks, sometimes players just answer the door!

Phil wrote: With Barret Loux being granted free agency on Sept 1 after not signing with the D-Backs due to the bone chips in his elbow, any chance the Indians would be in the mix for him?

From what I understand, the Indians have moderate interest in Loux. They like other teams are kicking the tires on him in gathering lots of medical information on him. Before anyone offers him a contract, it really comes down to what an organization’s people think of the medical information that is available for review. Teams may also require a second physical or additional tests, something I don’t believe he has to do, but considering his situation where he has little leverage, he just may have to so teams can get a better idea what they are dealing with in his elbow. The Indians actually had him rated as a second round talent at best going into the draft, but if they believe the risk is worth it I would not be surprised if the Indians end up being in the mix to sign him.

Dave wrote: Tony, Looking at today's Lake County box score, I was wondering whatever happened with the Greg Folgia to catcher experiment? Seems like it was abandoned pretty quickly?

Folgia is just another in a long line of guys (Jerad Head, Nate Recknagel, Adam Davis etc) in the last few years who go to Instructs or Spring Training to catch and then don't end up playing there. A lot of times it is just experimental purposes for these guys, and to also create some versatility for down the road. The deciding factor, though, is playing time at the position has to be available. Back in 2005 when Chris Gimenez made the switch to catcher there was time available to play him there in Lake County. The same was not the case this year in Lake County as the Indians had both Roberto Perez and Chun Chen open the season there, and both of those guys are priority catching prospects in the system. As a result, Folgia has not caught this year, but from what I understand he did well in Instructional League last year and showed some athleticism and a howitzer for an arm, so it is something that could be revisited in the future.

Raul wrote: Why don't the Indians put Jose Constanza in the 40 man roster? He's leading the league in stolen bases and is hitting over .300.

Constanza is in an unfortunate situation where the Indians just have so many outfield options as they already have center fielders Grady Sizemore, Michael Brantley, Ezequiel Carrera, and Trevor Crowe on the 40-man roster. That's a lot as it is on a 40-man where space is so limited. I think he has opened more eyes this year, and considering how well he has played I think he has created some value where the Indians can’t let him just walk away as a minor league free agent and instead end up putting him on the 40-man roster this offseason. I personally I would rather have him on the roster than Carrera or Crowe, so we will see. In fact, I would not be surprised to see Crowe traded or given the wazoo this offseason and his spot going to Constanza’s. Crowe has had almost an entire year in Cleveland, and has underwhelmed both offensively and especially defensively.

Erik J. wrote: In your opinion as of right now who would be the top 5 prospects in the system heading into the 2011 season.

This is a process that takes a lot of time and research with reviewing lots of subjective and objective information, so I am not one of those people who just throw out off the cuff rankings. I do think though, without much thought or analysis the top five guys in the system (in no particular order) would be third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Jason Kipnis, right-handed pitcher Jason Knapp, outfielder Nick Weglarz, and right-handed pitcher Alex White. Do note though, this list is fluid until the end of the fall/winter leagues, and there are a handful of other guys who could still factor in there.

Joel K. wrote: Just wondering has there been any news on international signings?

There is nothing really to report at this time on the International front for the Indians. They have keep a tight lip these days and don’t talk much about their International dealings until the signing period is over, mostly so as to not affect any signings that are still being worked on. That said, they have made it a point to mention they don’t really just go by the signing period from July 2 to August 31, as they actually sign guys all year. This is actually true as they actually sign more guys outside of the International Signing Period than during it. Like last September, I hope to have a piece on their International process and some of their picks this year in a piece sometime in September.

Stephen P. wrote: Where in the world is Stephen Head?

Head was released in spring training. After all the injuries and inconsistent performance, the Indians ultimately decided to move on. Had there been a spot at first base or in the outfield for him they may have kept him, but first base and outfield was bursting at the seams with options at the start of the season. He signed on with an independent team, I believe in the Golden Baseball League if I am not mistaken, and is continuing his dream of eventually making the Major Leagues.

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

Read More

Minor Happenings: Haley Starting To Put It Together

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

Sometimes things are better late than never, and that’s the theme for Minor Happenings this week.  The piece is extremely short this week and also very late mostly because I have battled a bad stomach virus as well as made the trek this past Thursday to Myrtle Beach where I will be seeing High-A Kinston in action for a few games starting tonight.

A regular and much more thorough version of Minor Happenings, perhaps even two parts, will post at the end of the week.

Onto the Happenings…

Indians Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from April 29 to May 5)

Trey Haley (Right-handed Pitcher – Lake County)
2-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 Games, 14.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 12 K

What a week Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Trey Haley had last week, and he is the epitome of how fun it is to watch a talented 19-year old develop and grow into a pitcher right before your eyes.  Unlike last year he is now using his entire four-pitch arsenal, throwing both his two-seamer and four-seamer at will and mixing in an excellent curveball and a much improved changeup.

The biggest key for Haley though has been much improved command of his pitches where he is throwing consistent strikes and hitting his spots.  Last year in 77.2 innings he walked 65 batters (7.5 BB/9), but this year in 36.2 innings he has more than cut the walk rate in half as he has only walked 16 batters (3.9 BB/9).  He has also shown a lot more maturity on the mound this year.  He’s a big competitor, but often times last year his youth and inexperience often showed through as when he struggled things seemed to snowball on him.  This year, however, he looks better prepared to handle adversity and keep the damage to a minimum when things are not going right.

“He has been close the whole year as he has not been very lucky when he was out there his first few starts,” said Lake County Pitching Coach Mickey Callaway the day after Haley’s sensational seven shutout, nine strikeout performance last Tuesday May 4th.  “He kind of figured some of it out his previous outing as he had three walks and three strikeouts.  He was really using his pitches well.  He elevated it in his last outing and used his pitches better as he had very good command of the zone and actually pitched.  He is a lot more mature than last year from what I hear.  He has a lot of confidence, and that’s going to make him successful.  He matures daily; it’s unbelievable really.”

Honorable Mentions:

Kelvin De la Cruz (LHP – KIN): 1-0, 1.35 ERA, 2 G, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 14 K
Shelley Duncan (OF – COL): .350 (7-20), 3 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K
Jared Goedert (INF – AKR): .364 (8-22), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Beau Mills (1B – AKR): .417 (10-24), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K
Cord Phelps (2B – AKR): .455 (10-22), 3 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Nick Weglarz (OF – AKR): .391 (9-23), 6 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

Previous Winners:

04/22 to 04/28: Jason Donald (INF – Columbus)
04/15 to 04/21: Bo Greenwell (OF – Lake County)
04/08 to 04/14: Carlos Santana (C – Columbus)

Coach’s Corner: Phil Clark

Low-A Lake County hitting coach Phil Clark is in his first season with the Captains and his fourth season overall as a coach in the Indians minor league system.  After retiring from baseball as a player in 2000, back in 2007 a formed Indians player that he is good friends with connected him to the team and he ultimately landed a job with the Indians.  Last week I had a chance to sit down and talk to him about some of the hitters he has been working with so far this year:

On Bo Greenwell:  “I had him for his first year of pro ball back in 2007.  He has made tremendous adjustments in his swing ability and setup, and I think it has all come together this year.  He feels good about himself, which what I like about him as well is his confidence level.  What I am seeing is he is learning to excel.  Right now what I think it pushing him is his inner self.  He is a competitor and learning from his mistakes, which is important for hitters as if they have a bad at bat to come back and regroup and figure out what is going wrong.  He is starting to notice what pitchers are throwing, and our conversations are really starting to get advanced, so I like what he is doing right now.”

On Jeremie Tice:  “Coming in we spent a lot of time talking just about him and what he has done in the past and what he went through last year (injuries).  One of the things we did with Tice is we got his bottom hand and elbow strengthened and coordinated.  I feel like now mechanically he is in a good place and his swing path is good, just right now we are working on the mental part of baseball as he is still getting himself out at times.  With him it is just kind of balancing him out and we are starting to see some good stuff.  Right now he is trying to focus on driving balls through the middle of the field.  Pretty soon we should start seeing some power from him once he gets to know his swing better.  It’s him getting comfortable with his swing and ability, and I think he is going to hit some homers this year.  I don’t have any doubt about that.”

On Casey Frawley: “That bat to ball ability [is something we like].  I had him last year, and he is probably one of the few players I have spent hardly any time working on mechanics.  I am very careful with him as he seems to have a good feel for his swing.  Basically I let Casey come to me with questions, and our conversations are usually about approach.  He’s a pretty solid player I think.”

On Greg Folgia:  “He’s a guy who is just inconsistent.  He’ll go up and put some good swings and at bats together, and there is just an inconsistency situation there that we are trying to balance with him.  I don’t expect for him to be 100% like a major league hitter, but one of our challenges this year is on a daily basis let’s try to do the same thing.  He may not get the same results everyday, but still just try to stay consistent in thoughts and approach and he’ll get pretty close to it.  He’s a guy for me who no doubt has some pretty good bat to ball ability, there are just some grey areas where he just needs to be consistent.”

On Delvi Cid:  “We had a heavy load to start out and threw some things at him.  He is young still and has some raw ability.  With him it’s a case where his left-handed side when he came into the season his swing path, balance and body was a little off.  So one of the things we have done with him is we have taken him back to some of the things he has done a couple years ago, and he has responded very well to that.  He is a visual kid, as if he sees things and likes it he can imitate that.  That’s kind of what we are doing with him right now.  So he is starting to pick it up a little bit and get it going again.”

On Argenis Martinez:  “He has a tendency to have a rotational swing where he is allowing his body to swing the bat.  He is having to separate his hands for a nice fluid, quick swing from his body swing.  He is getting better and progressing all the time.  I look at his numbers right now, and I am pretty sure by the end of the season he will be doing pretty good with them.”

Indians Minor League Player of the Month
(for April)

Bo Greenwell (Outfielder – Lake County)
.405 (32-79), 22 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 11 BB, 9 K, 7 SB, 1.142 OPS

Low-A Lake County outfielder Bo Greenwell was a guy marked on a lot of lists coming into this season as an Indians prospect on the rise who could break into the Top 20-30 prospect rankings this coming offseason.  So far he has lived up to that hype as we are quickly running out of superlatives to identify his spectacular play to date.  When you go out and beat out the likes of Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis for Player of the Month honors, you know it was a pretty special month.

Greenwell has started to cool off of late as in his last eight games he is hitting just 5-for-26 (.192 AVG), showing that he is not superman and is mortal.  He is still hitting .352 with 4 HR, 27 RBI, and a 1.020 OPS in 29 games this year, and even with the small cold spell he is still 2^nd in the organization in batting average (Cord Phelps, .370), 2^nd in RBI (Shelley Duncan, 31), and 2^nd in stolen bases (Delvi Cid, 13).

To make note of a few other players, Triple-A Columbus catcher Carlos Santana used a monster opening week of the season to propel him to a very good month, and his teammate outfielder Jose Constanza is off to a blazing start in Columbus as well.  Double-A Akron infielder Jared Goedert showed flashes of his sensational April/May 2007 performance which put him on the prospect map, and High-A Kinston outfielder Jason Kipnis and left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone are off to great starts at the High-A level.

Honorable Mentions:

Jose Constanza (OF – COL): .365 (19-52), 15 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K, 4 SB, 1.008 OPS
Carlos Santana (C – COL): .303 (20-66), 13 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 16 BB, 9 K, 3 SB, 1.043 OPS
Frank Herrmann (RHP – COL): 1-0-2, 0.90 ERA, 8 games, 10.0 IP, 7 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, 6 K, .200 BAA
Jared Goedert (INF – AKR): .351 (20-57), 6 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 5 BB, 15 K, 0 SB, .858 OPS
Cord Phelps (2B – AKR): .382 (26-68), 12 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K, 1 SB, .940 OPS
Jason Kipnis (2B – KIN): .380 (27-71), 16 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 BB, 14 K, 1 SB, 1.050 OPS
Nick Hagadone (LHP – KIN): 0-1, 0.56 ERA, 4 games, 16.0 IP, 13 H, 0 HR, 8 BB, 20 K, .220 BAA
Bryce Stowell (RHP – KIN): 1-0, 0.63 ERA, 7 games, 14.1 IP, 15 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 12 K, .259 BAA
Casey Frawley (2B – LC): .361 (22-61), 10 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K, 3 SB, .885 OPS
Chris Jones (LHP – LC): 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 5 games, 16.0 IP, 9 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 17 K, .161 BAA
Francisco Jimenez (LHP – LC): 4-0, 1.84 ERA, 6 games, 14.2 IP, 10 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 11 K, .200 BAA

April Fools

Here are a few players in the system who performed well below expected levels in April.  Obviously none of these guys are “fools” per se, but they put up poor performances which were not at all expected going in, so we can only think (hope) that it was just a bad month for most of them.

Rondon and Barnes were about as bad as they could be from a performance perspective in April, though each time out both are surely working on their development and improving in other areas not shown in the line score.  Mills appeared to suffer from a Double-A hangover the first month and appears to finally be snapping out of it.  Rivero is a tough one to figure out and get behind as he is so often hyped and talked about, but often delivers so little.  Abreu got off to another one of his patented slow April starts, and with May here we will see if he gets hot or if he truly is struggling with High-A pitching (I believe it is the latter).  Webb and Cid are two center field prospects who performed well last year who were thought capable of making a jump this year, and still might.  Last, Toregas has not done much at all at Akron, though would still be in line for a major league job in Cleveland if Mike Redmond or Lou Marson were to get hurt and miss any significant length of time.

Hector Rondon (RHP – COL): 0-3, 9.13 ERA, 5 G, 22.2 IP, 35 H, 23 ER, 8 HR, 9 BB, 22 K, .347 BAA
Beau Mills (1B – AKR): .169 (12-71), 9 R, 5 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 9 K, .505 OPS
Carlos Rivero (SS – AKR): .211 (15-71), 8 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 8 BB, 17 K, .525 OPS
Wyatt Toregas (C – AKR): .204 (10-49), 3 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, .592 OPS
Scott Barnes (LHP – AKR): 0-2, 8.80 ERA, 4 G, 15.1 IP, 19 H, 11 BB, 15 K, .297 BAA
Abner Abreu (OF- KIN): .230 (17-74), 12 R, 5 2b, 1 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K, .603 OPS
Donnie Webb (OF – KIN): .213 (10-47), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 15 K, 1 SB, .515 OPS
Delvi Cid (OF – LC): .195 (15-77), 11 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 21 K, 9 SB, .452 OPS

Transactions Recap

There has been a flurry of activity of late, so I will catch everyone up with all of the official transactions in a listing below.  Please note, some moves on Saturday were made which are not listed below since they are not official (though have happened): left-handed Kelvin De La Cruz has been promoted to Double-A Akron, left-hander Ryan Edell was released, right-hander Brian Grening was sent to High-A Kinston, and right-handed starter Joe Gardner has been promoted to Kinston.

April 29:

Columbus Clippers - LF Jordan Brown activated from 7-day DL
Columbus Clippers - C Damaso Espino assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Kinston Indians - RHP Alexander Perez activated from 7-day DL
Kinston Indians - LHP T.J. House assigned to Lake County Captains

April 30:

Columbus Clippers - RHP Hector Ambriz recalled from Major League Rehab Assignment
Columbus Clippers - IF Niuman Romero traded to Boston Red Sox for cash
Kinston Indians - LHP T.J. House assigned from Lake County Captains
Kinston Indians - RHP Brett Brach assigned to Extended Spring Training
Miscellaneous - RHP Rafael Vera (Extended Spring Training) traded to Chicago White Sox for cash

May 1:

Columbus Clippers - RHP Joe Smith optioned from Cleveland Indians
Columbus Clippers - RHP Steven Wright optioned to Akron Aeros
Akron Aeros - C Miguel Perez assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Akron Aeros - C Alex Castillo assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers

May 2:

Akron Aeros - RHP Steven Wright received from Columbus Clippers
Akron Aeros - RHP Erik Stiller placed on 7-day DL

May 3:

Akron Aeros - RHP Kerry Wood received on Major League Rehab assignment
Lake County Captains - OF Jason Smit activated from 7-day DL
Lake County Captains - OF Chris Kersten assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers

May 4:

Columbus Clippers - SS Brian Bixler placed on 7-day DL
Columbus Clippers - OF Jerad Head assigned from Akron Aeros disabled list
Akron Aeros - C Damaso Espino assigned from Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Akron Aeros - C Miguel Perez assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers

May 7:

Columbus Clippers - RHP Jensen Lewis assigned from Cleveland Indians
Akron Aeros - RHP Kerry Wood recalled from Major League Rehab assignment
Akron Aeros - RHP Bryan Price activated from 7-day DL

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.

Read More

Hunting Down Late Round Gems

Editor's Note:  This is a debut piece from Benedetto, an Indians fan out in Italy!  He has been a big fan of this site since day one and is an avid follower of the Indians from the other side of the pond.  Language can always be a barrier in sports, but stats never are, and he takes a quick look at some of the numbers the Indians late round picks from the 2009 Draft put up last year and singles out anything that may be interesting to note from those numbers.

In this new IPI feature I’d like to take a closer look at the players taken in late rounds of the MLB draft. Players selected, and signed, by the Indians from the 10th round and on. Usually they are players that get little attention, but I felt they deserved to be known and looked at closer.

I am not by any means a scout, so I’ll just take a look at their numbers and see who did well just through the cold numbers. For me, and hopefully for you, it’s just a way to track down those players that might fly under the radar and be bound for a breakout season. Here they are and please always consider the very small sample size.

ROUND 11: Kirk Wetmore - Left-handed Pitcher
Bellevue CC - 6’2 - 205 - L/L - Born 3/17/89 (20)
Resides in Maple Valley, WA - Scout: Uhey

AZL Indians (R): 11 Games (7 starts), 43 IP, 4.19 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 9 H/9, 9.4 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 3.22 FIP with .388 BABIP.

Analysis: Solid numbers, nice BB/K ratio.

ROUND 12: Joseph Colon - Right-handed Pitcher
No School - 6’0 - 167 - R/R - Born 2/18/90 (19)
Resides in Caguas, PR - Scout: Soper

AZL Indians (R): 11 Games (7 starts), 32 IP, 5.63 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 12 H/9, 7.3 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, 3.86 FIP

Analysis: Ugly numbers not helped by a very high BABIP. Horrible K/BB ratio. Not a good start.

ROUND 13: Jeremy Johnson - Right-handed Pitcher
Washington State - 5’11 - 186 - R/R - Born 1/7/87 (22)
Resides in Centralia, WA - Scout: Uhey

Mahoning Vally (A-): 19 Games (all in relief), 37 IP, 1.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 9 H/9, 7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 3.23 FIP with a .317 BABIP

Analysis: Former college reliever continued to work in the pen, showed very good control, low K number but a fine 60% of groundballs . Good control and high groundball rates are usually good signs for a reliever.

ROUND 14: Kyle Smith - Shortstop
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo - 6’1 - 190 - R/R - Born 12/25/87 (21)
Resides in Visalia, CA - Scout: Sagisi

Mahoning Valley (A-): 51 Games, 190 AB, .242 AVG, .332 OBP, .279 SLG, .611 OPS, .037 ISO, .307 BABIP, 18% LD%, 9.5% BB%, 18 K%, 8 SB and 7 Errors.

Analysis:  So and so debut, showed no power but nice plate discipline. Monthly splits suggest that he got better as time went on.

ROUND 15: Mike Rayl - Left-handed Pitcher
Palm Beach CC - 6’3 - 185 - L/L - Born 11/1/88 (20)
Resides in Lake Worth, FL - Scout: Soper

AZL Indians (R): 10 Games (8 starts), 33.2 IP, 3.74 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 9.6 H/9, 11 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 2.90 FIP with a .388 BABIP.

Analysis: Nice K/9, good K/BB ratio, high H/9, very good FIP considering the high BABIP.

ROUND 16: Dale Dickerson - Right-handed Pitcher
Nicholls State - 6’2 - 210 - R/R - Born 9/11/86 (22)
Resides in Calhoon, LA - Scout: Pajari

AZL Indians (R): 21 Games (all in relief), 25.1 IP, 3.91 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, 8.5 K/9, 5.7 BB/9

Analysis: Not a very good start but still put up better number than in college. Bad K/BB ratio.

ROUND 17: Casey Frawley - Infielder
Stetson - 5’11 - 170 - R/R - Born 9/17/87 (21)
Resides in New Haven, CT - Scout: Soper

AZL Indians (R): 43 AB, .882 OPS but .422 BABIP
Mahoning Valley (A-): 150 AB, 293 AVG, 344 OBP, 387 SLG, 743 OPS, 0.94 ISOP, 350 BABIP, 18% LD%, 6% BB%, 18.7 K%.

Analysis:  Played mostly second base, nice debut, good plate discipline but not a lot of power. Good OBP but 8 errors in 51 games played.

ROUND 18: Dwight Childs - Catcher
Arizona - 6’1 - 170 - R/R - Born 7/23/88 (20)
Resides in Elk Grove, CA - Scout: Ewing

Mahoning Valley (A-): 43 AB, 093 AVG, 200 OBP, 163 SLG, 363 OPS, 070 ISO, 097 BABIP, 9% LD%, 6% BB%, 25 K%.

Analysis:  Numbers do look horrible, but 0.97 BABIP and extremely low LD% suggest a very unlucky stint; still too many K.

ROUND 19: Nick Kirk - Left-handed Pitcher
Northern Iowa - 6’1 - 200 - L/L - Born 12/16/86 (22)
Resides in Dubuque, IA - Scout: Abney

Mahoning Valley (A-): 21 Games (all in relief), 34.2 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 8.6 H/9, 10.6 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 3.17 FIP, 57% GB%

Analysis:  Good K/9 and GB%, groundball pitcher, FIP suggest that he should get better as defence behind him gets better.

ROUND 20: Kyle Smith - Right-handed Pitcher
Kent State - 6’6 - 220 - R/R - Born 9/5/87 (21)
Resides in Louisville, OH - Scout: Melendez

Mahoning Valley (A-): 6 Games (all in relief), 18 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 9.5 H/9, 6 K/9, 5.5 BB/9, 4.74 FIP

Analysis:  Too few innings, but too many BB.

ROUND 23: Daniel Jimenez - Left-handed Pitcher
John A. Logan College - 6’3 - 215 - L/L - Born 9/23/89 (19)
Resides in Park Ridge, IL - Scout: Armstrong

AZL Indians (R): 11 Games (1 start), 36.2 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.1 H/9, 6.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, FIP 4.13

Analysis:  Too many hits and not a lot of Ks.

ROUND 26: Antwonie Hubbard - Right-handed PitcherOklahoma - 6’3 - 250 - R/R - Born 7/30/88 (20)
Resides in Hooks, TX - Scout: Cullen

Mahoning Valley (A-): 13 Games (all in relief), 27.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 5.5 H/9, 9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 2.48 FIP with a .249 BABIP.

Analysis:  Very good numbers in Mahoning Valley, no HR allowed, batting average against of .177. Nice debut. WHIP under 1. He’s ready for a breakout season.

ROUND 27: Tyler Sturdevant - Right-handed Pitcher
New Mexico State - 6’1 - 170 - L/R - Born 12/20/85 (23)
Resides in Littleton, CO - Scout: Ewing

Mahoning Valley (A-): 19 Games (all in relief), 36 IP, 2.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 10.5 K/9, 3.25 BB/9, 2.48 FIP with a .357 BABIP.

Analysis:  Put up very good numbers in Mahoning Valley but 23 year old. He’s ready for some more advanced ball, next year will be crucial.

ROUND 28: Nick Sarianides - Right-handed Pitcher
Chattahoochee Valley CC - 6’1 - 200 - R/R - Born 8/29/89 (19)
Resides in Fortson, GA - Scout: Bartlett

AZL Indians (R): 14 Games (all in relief), 27 IP, 2.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 10.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, FIP 2.48, 55% GB
Lake County (A): 4 games (all in relief), 5.2 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 6.4 K/9, 3.2 BB, FIP 3.38

Analysis:  Very good debut in AZ league and then promoted to Lake County at the age of 19 and did not miss a beat. Considering the age if he cuts down the BB might be bound for a breakout season.

ROUND 32: Matt Packer - Left-handed Pitcher
Virginia - 6’0 - 200 - L/L - Born 8/27/87 (21)
Resides in Germantown, TN - Scout: Mayer

Mahoning Valley (A-): 5 Games (all in relief), 11.1 IP, 2.38 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 6.4 H/9, 10.3 K/9, 0.8 BB/9, 2.32 FIP

Analysis:  Small sample size, but showed excellent control with 1 BB in 11 IP.

ROUND 33: Chris Kersten - Third BasemanLouisiana Tech - 6’3 - 220 - R/R - Born 12/28/85 (23)
Resides in Kiowa, KS - Scout: Cullen

AZL Indians (R): 180 AB, 328 AVG, 393 OBP, 528 SLG, .921 OPS, ISO 200, BABIP 430, BB% 6%, K% 26.7%

Analysis:  Played mostly 1B, lot of Ks. Numbers have been helped by a very high BABIP but power is there.

ROUND 40: Greg Folgia - Utility
Missouri - 5’11 - 190 - R/R - Born 3/31/88 (21)
Resides in North Wales, PA - Scout: Abney

Tony already broke him down

I can add: ISO 137, BB% 11.8, K% 17.6, GB% 28%, LD% 17% suggest a solid player.

ROUND 48: Vidal Nuno - Left-handed Pitcher
Baker U - 5’11 - 195 - L/L - Born 7/26/87 (21)
Resides in National City, CA - Scout: Abney

AZL Indians (R): 4 Games (all in relief), 7 IP, 5.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 12.9 H/9, 14.5 K/9, 1.3 BB/9, FIP 1,77 BABIP .534
Mahoning Valley (A-): 13 games (8 starts), 57 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 BB, FIP 3.04, BABIP .262

Analysis:  Sleeper alert!  Ugly “classic” number in Rookie league due to a very high BABIP, like the very good numbers in Mahoning Valley reflect a quite low BABIP. Anyway command is a strength and the wonderful K/BB ratio make him look like a very, very good pick up for a 48th rounder.

I thought that this was a nice way to follow the guys that get selected in the late rounds and see how they progress and who might be a real steal and be headed for a solid career.  My plan is to follow them through their first complete year and then leave them in Tony’s hands, and next year look at the new ones coming in the 2010 draft.

Read More

IPI 2010 Top 50 Prospect Countdown: Teaser

As an appetizer for the upcoming IPI 2010 Top 50 Indians Prospect listing, here is a report of a player that is not in the Top 50, but will be in the upcoming book.  This scouting report as well as roughly an additional 100-150 more will only be available in the book, though some will be posted on the site throughout the year.

Tomorrow I will have a detailed preview of the upcoming list, and then Wednesday the countdown commences with #50.  As for the book, I will share more as details come in, but I am shooting for a press run by month end, with it hopefully getting cleared for purchase within a week or two after that.  Thanks again for reading.

Greg Folgia - Catcher
Born: 10/14/1987 - Height: 5'10" - Weight: 194 - Bats: Switch - Throws: Right

YEAR	Age	Team	LVL	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2009	21	Mahoning Valley	A-	65	232	34	63	17	3	3	36	33	49	3	5	.272	.383	.409	.792
		Totals		65	232	34	63	17	3	3	36	33	49	3	5	.272	.383	.409	.792

History:  Folgia was selected by the Indians in the 40th round of the 2009 Draft out of the University of Missouri.  He won the Atlantic Collegiate League batting title in the summer of 2008 hitting .388, and in his junior season last year at Missouri hit .326 with 12 HR, 70 RBI and a .585 slugging percentage.  He also has some experience as a pitcher as he pitched mainly as a freshman and a little bit as a sophomore and junior.

Strengths & Opportunities:  Folgia could be one of the real sleepers from the 2009 Draft for the Indians.  He is a good all around player who has a short, compact swing with great gap power.  He piled up a lot of doubles his first year of pro ball which a lot of times turn into home runs.  He is under-sized, but has the body, strength, and toughness you would expect from a former high school wrestler.  He only has average speed, though he runs the bases well showing good instincts and intelligence.  He has an excellent work ethic, and exhibits strong leadership capabilities.  He is a very versatile player, and ultimately may best fit in a utility role at the big league level.

Though Folgia was drafted as an infielder, the Indians had him play in the outfield during his first taste of professional baseball last year at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley.  The move to the outfield was not a big deal as he primarily played there last year at Missouri, but he also came in with experience as a second baseman as he primarily played that position his sophomore year in college.  The Indians experimented with him at catcher during Instructional League in the fall and liked what they saw and will continue with the transition to catcher in 2010.  With the move to catcher the Indians appear to be playing off the versatility he has shown in being able to play any position on the field, but they also appear to be maximizing what is probably his best asset:  his arm.  As a former pitcher in college he topped out at 95 MPH, and that arm strength was on display during Instructional League when he fired the ball all over the field with exceptional velocity and good accuracy.

The problem with Folgia is he is undersized for a corner outfielder and won't hit for enough power out there, and he lacks the quickness needed to stick in center field, hence the move to catcher.  He has a long way to go with picking up the nuances of the catching game, handling a pitching staff, blocking balls, and his footwork, but his plus-plus arm is without a doubt an absolute howitzer.  The upcoming 2010 season is all about learning everything that goes into playing catcher, and on the hitting side continuing to work on more consistency at the plate and a more level consistent bat path with his swing.  He also needs to continue to get stronger in order to handle the daily rigors of catching everyday.  The transition to catcher will be a difficult task for him, but he is up to the challenge and likes the change.

Outlook:  Clearly the Indians are intrigued with Folgia's arm strength, and their experiment with him at catcher may be a way to add more value to him as a player, but worst case it will just add more versatility in how they can use him down the road.  That said, they are checking to see if they have a potential everyday fit at catcher, a position they need a boost at particularly in the lower levels of the system.  He should open the 2010 season as the starting catcher at Low-A Lake County.

Photo courtesy of Tony Lastoria

Greg Folgia MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Greg Folgia Baseball-Reference page

Greg Folgia MinorLeagueSplits.com page

Greg Folgia Video:

Read More

Instructional League Notebook: 10/16

I'm back from Arizona (unfortunately) and have one final notebook to talk about all the things I saw my last day in camp at the Indians Player Development Complex in Goodyear, AZ.  Oh the joy of getting on a plane at 11am in Phoenix where it was 90 degrees, sunny, and nothing but blue skies only to step off the plane four hours later in Cleveland to temperatures barely in the 40s, rain and grey skies.  I love this town.

Anyway, during that final day of camp I finally had a chance to see 2009 3rd rounder Joe Gardner pitch for the first time, talk to 2009 1st rounder Alex White, check in on young gun Greg Folgia, get injury updates on Kelvin De La Cruz, Matt Brown and others, and get a final look at some intriguing infielders in the lower levels of the system.  I initially was going to include pieces on White and Gardner in this notebook, but because of the length and not to take away from some of the other players highlighted, I will post their articles separately on Monday and Tuesday.

Also, a quick note, I will be posting the final Instructional League and Parallel League box scores on Sunday.

And with that, onto the happenings in Instructs...

De La Cruz Still Finding His Way

One of the biggest blows to the Indians farm system this season was when highly regarded left-handed starting pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz went down with a serious elbow injury the first month of the season.  He was off to a great start for High-A Kinston where in two starts he was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 19 K) and had just been named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his first two starts.

But during that second start De La Cruz started to feel some discomfort in his elbow and it increased a lot over the coming days to where he had to eventually be shut down for most of the rest of the season.  He eventually did make his way back to pitch some games on rehab with the Arizona League Indians at the end of August, but was a long way from the pitcher he was pre-injury.  He participated in Instructional League to make up some of the lost development time, and he has slowly started to put things together as his velocity is up to 92 MPH and his feel for pitching is starting to return.

"I feel pretty good," said De La Cruz.  "I am working hard on all of my stuff in the training room and in the gym.  I feel way better than I did a couple of weeks ago.  It was a hard year."

A hard year indeed.

After a breakout season last year in Low-A Lake County and Kinston where he went a combined 12-6 with a 2.98 ERA in 27 starts, a lot was expected of De La Cruz this year and it was hoped he would continue to progress and spend a majority of the season with Double-A Akron.  But his elbow had other plans, and he came down with the dreaded UCL strain which shut him down for several months.

"In my last game [at Kinston] I was feeling a little bit of stress in my arm and elbow," recalled De La Cruz.  "The next day when I woke up I couldn't even wash my face.  They gave me a seven day rest to see what happens as it could of just been a sore muscle.  When I threw my bullpen they asked me if I was ready to go in few days and to tell them how I felt.  I didn't feel good at all, so I asked for an MRI to see what happened and they found I had a strained UCL ligament."

While there was bad news that the UCL had been strained, the good news was that there was no tear.  Had he torn the UCL it would have required Tommy John surgery and he would currently be at the midpoint of his rehab and his 2010 season would likely be a complete wash.  Instead he is pitching again and his arm is feeling a lot better, though still not 100%.

"I feel like I am still trying to find my way back," said De La Cruz.  "In the game I feel really good when I am throwing, but I am very sore the next day.  Sometimes [it is frustrating], but I know that I will be back and that it is a step by step process."

With Instructional League over, De La Cruz will likely remain in Goodyear for awhile longer to continue rehabbing his elbow and throwing off the mound a few times a week so the Indians can evaluate his progress.  His goal is to be back at 100% and ready to go once spring training starts up in March, and then go to Kinston or Akron and have a great season.

"We'll see what happens," said De La Cruz.  "I will go home or stay here for a couple of more weeks.  I'll do whatever they say.  I am just prepared for everything right now."

Pestano Begins To Throw

Vinnie Pestano was on top of the world about three months ago.

Back at the beginning of July the right-handed closer for the Indians Double-A Akron affiliate was locking down victories night after night and was leading the Eastern League in saves  - and just about all of baseball for that matter.  In 34 games through July 9th he was 2-3 with a 2.86 ERA with 24 saves and in 34.2 innings had allowed 30 hits, 13 walks, and had 31 strikeouts.  He was named to the Eastern League All Star team and was primed to smash Randy Newsom's 2008 club record of 29 saves in a season.

That's when elbow soreness settled in with Pestano and he had to be shut down.  Initially he remained with Akron for about a month getting treatment on his arm while more tests were done, but his condition did not improve.  After an MRI was done it was determined his elbow injury was serious enough where he would be shut down for the rest of the season and head out to the Goodyear complex to rehab and get ready for the 2010 season.

In the blink of an eye Pestano went from having probably his most memorable season as a baseball player, to one of the most disappointing and frustrating seasons he has ever been through.

It was an encouraging first half of the season for Pestano as he hit 93 MPH a few times and up until his elbow injury his arm had felt great and his average velocity was up to where he was sitting mostly 88-92 MPH.  The increased velocity was a big step for him as coming off Tommy John surgery in 2006 he was only throwing 87 MPH in his first year of professional ball in 2007.  But since his surgery he has worked hard to build up his arm strength and get back to the low 90s he consistently threw in college.

"It was pretty good and I got a lot of opportunities [in Akron]," said Pestano in a recent interview.  "I got a lot of work and got my feet wet and got into a little bit of a groove.  I can't say I am happy with what I have done, but I have to be content with the [year] I had and I got a lot of opportunities and did well in a few of them and [didn't] do well in a couple of them."

Pestano has been out in Arizona rehabbing the arm and last week started throwing off the mound for the first time since the injury first came about in early July.  He is still in the early stages of a throwing program and he is still feeling his way through his arm issue as it still is not 100%.  Barring any setbacks, he is expected to be ready to return to action full-go next spring and this offseason he may even get a few innings in with a winter league team somewhere.

Pestano has put the same tenacity and effort into his rehab that he does when closing games out on the mound, which is why he has been so successful in recovering from arm injuries in his career and also closing games out when he pitches.  He may not profile as a big league closer with his stuff, but when healthy his sidearm arm slot and amazing mental makeup could make him valuable down the road to a big league team in some kind of bullpen role.

"I like [closing] because I can prepare for the game better," said Pestano.  "I know what my role is and what I am going to throw.  Being in the bullpen is tough as you don't know if your number is going to be called that day.  For me it is a lot better because I have my routine, but I like it.  I have always said whatever the Indians need me to be - be it a right-on-right guy or a 7th or 8th inning guy - I am comfortable doing whatever gets me to the big leagues.  If that is closing I am all for it, but if I have to take a different route there then that's okay too."

For now, the injury is just another obstacle for Pestano to climb over.  He has proven an ability to overcome such adversity in the past, and so far has shown he is well on his way to overcoming it again.  Even with the injury and sudden end to his season, there are still a lot of positives to build off of as he had an excellent first half of the season.

"I'm always going to want to make strides," said Pestano.  "No matter what throughout the course of the year my goal is to pitch in the big leagues as my goal is not to be a Double-A or Triple-A closer.  If I take a step forward in trying to achieve that then that year as a whole was successful.  Last year in Lake County and Kinston I felt like I took a step forward, and this year in spring training I had a good spring training and took another half step forward.  But obviously it is a long road and there are a lot more steps to be made.  It's tough to know what people think of you, but you just have to worry about yourself and keep doing the things you know you need to do to keep getting better."

Greg Folgia: Gun For Hire

While the move of Jason Kipnis to second base may be one of the bigger stories of Instructional League, one of the more interesting developments has been the transition Greg Folgia has made to catcher.

Drafted as an infielder in the 40th round of the 2009 Draft out of the University of Missouri, the Indians had him play in the outfield during his first taste of professional baseball this year at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley.  The move to the outfield was not a big deal as he primarily played there this season for Missouri, but he also came in with experience as a second baseman as he primarily played that position his sophomore year in college, and he also brought some pitching experience to the table as he pitched mainly as a freshman and also a little bit as a sophomore and junior.

With the move to catcher the Indians appear to be playing off the versatility Folgia has shown in being able to play any position on the field, but they also appear to be maximizing what is probably his best asset:  his arm.

As a pitcher in college Folgia topped out at 95 MPH, and that arm strength was on display during Instructional League as he fired the ball all over the field with exceptional velocity and good accuracy.  He has a long way to go with picking up the nuances of the catching game, handling a pitching staff, blocking balls, and his footwork, but his arm is without a doubt an absolute howitzer.  One NL scout in attendance during morning workouts came away very impressed and said it is easily a plus plus arm for the position.

Clearly the Indians are intrigued with Folgia's arm strength.  Their experiment with him at catcher may be a way to add more value to him as a player, but worst case it will just add more versatility in how they can use him.

"Catching is good, and it is kind of fun to work on as the days go quicker," said Folgia.  "It is difficult, but at the same time I like it.  I am just trying something new and feeling it out I guess for next year.  I think that is mainly what happened [is they like my arm].  I am not exactly the fastest outfielder, so a lot of negative and positive factors probably coincided with each other."

With Instructional League now over, Folgia will continue to work this offseason on adapting to and learning about the new catching position.  In addition to catching, he will continue to work on his swing as he showed some promise as a hitter this season hitting .272 with 3 HR, 36 RBI and a .792 OPS for Mahoning Valley.

"Mainly I am working on more consistency at the plate and a more level bat swing," said Folgia about his focus this offseason on improving as a hitter.  "Just get stronger and just mainly keep trying to develop as much as a I can in the offseason.  Get more fit and a more consistent bat path.  Just working on catching a little bit as it looks like it will be a position I will be put at next year."

Notebook

Brown Out:  Outfielder Matt Brown participated in Instructional League, playing mainly in games for the Parallel League team.  He missed most of the season with patellar tendonitis and a patellar tear to his right knee, an injury which came about in spring training.  He was never 100% all season, even when the season started in Kinston, though he tried to play through it before eventually having to shut it down in May.  He is still not 100% and is still experiencing discomfort in his knee to the point where he is likely going to have to have the knee checked out this offseason to see if surgery is required.

Kipnis at Second Base:  The Indians are full steam ahead with the move of Jason Kipnis to second base.  They were very encouraged with what they saw out of him in Instructional League at second base and he will go into spring training as a second baseman and likely open the regular season as the everyday second baseman at High-A Kinston.  In addition to what the Indians think, two scouts from other organizations commented that it is a great move as he was nothing special as an outfielder and just a regular guy, but as a second baseman his bat and ability there makes him a potential elite level prospect at the position.

The Defensive Wizard:  Arguably the best defensive middle infield prospect in the Indians organization may be Argenis Martinez.  He has very good speed but a suspect bat; however, there is not a player in the system that can pick the ball batter than him or who shows more athleticism at shortstop or second base.  He is flashy at times, shows excellent range, and is a definite plus defender.  Kevin Fontanez is another interesting defender in the organization at shortstop.

The Other Martinez: While Argenis Martinez regularly put on a fielding display in camp, 16-year old Latin newcomer Jorge Martinez really had an excellent first showing in Instructional League.  After signing with the Indians out of the Dominican Republic just two months ago, he showed the maturity and moxie at shortstop of a 20-21 year old (yes, he reportedly did pass the age tests!).  He is just an average runner at best, but his long frame and quickness makes him an intriguing shortstop prospect because not only does he have good range and can pick it, but he projects well with the bat.  Even though he is only 16 years old he already shows a good grasp of how to handle a wood bat and has shown the ability to drive the ball.

Third Power:  One of the more impressive offensive performers in camp was third baseman Kyle Bellows.  He displayed some very nice raw power, and the position change from playing shortstop in college to now third base in the pros looks like a great fit.  He shows a good arm at third base, comes in on balls well, and shows very good athleticism, accuracy and arm strength on balls hit deep down the line.

Aguilar!  Aguilar!:  I got a first ever look at 19-year old first baseman Jesus Aguilar, a 6'3" 240-pound behemoth.  He had the best season of any hitter in the Dominican Summer League this year, hitting .305 with 5 HR, 46 RBI and an .872 OPS in 55 games, all while exhibiting some impressive plate discipline with 31 walks to 24 strikeouts.  At just 19 years of age he is very big and strong and showed some impressive power in batting practice and absolutely tattooed a ball over the left field wall in Wednesday's Instructional League game.  He should be the first baseman next year for the Arizona League team, and is someone to keep an eye in down the road.

Parting Shots:  Giovanny Urshela was impressive defensively at third base, showing a very strong and accurate arm.  He also displayed soft hands and looks to be a good defensive third baseman in the making.  The question with him is his bat.  He is not very big, and he still lacks much punch with the bat. ... Catcher Rolando Petit worked out a lot at first base, and it looks like the Indians are trying to add a little more versatility for him.  He has a long way to go at the position as he looks very raw at the position. ... Trent Baker, Diori Robles and Jordan Henry showed some above average arm strength in the outfield.  Henry is a center fielder, but he also worked out some in left field. ... Second baseman Casey Frawley is a scrappy player who does not have a lot of power, but he squares the ball up well at the plate and plays solid defense at second base. ... Catcher Moises Montero's bat did not impress much, but scouts liked his throwing arm a lot. ... Lake County manager Aaron Holbert managed the Parallel League team and do-everything player Adam Davis played almost exclusively at shortstop there.

Read More

Instructional League Notebook: 10/12

Having arrived out here in the desert on Sunday - and this time with no crazy incidents like the one that occurred on my way out here in March - I was able to take in the action on Monday in the Fall Instructional League.

The Indians had morning fielding practice and batting practice at the complex from 9:00am to 10:30am, had lunch, and then players not playing in the afternoon game or only participating in the strength and conditioning program went home. The remaining players stuck around to participate in the 12:30pm games with the Parallel League guys sticking around to play in Goodyear and the Instructional League guys hopping in an army of white shuttle vans to play in Peoria.

Here are some news and notes from my visit on Monday.

Bryson Showing Lots Of Progress

It has been a long year for right-hander Rob Bryson.

Of all the players in the Indians minor league system Bryson has probably spent the most time at the Indians new Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Arizona. His time began in January earlier this year when he reported to the facility to work on his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery, and it continued through spring training in March, extended spring training from April to July, the Arizona League from July to August, and now the Instructional League from September to October.

In August, Bryson almost thought he had earned a reprieve from his long stay in Arizona when he was set to be activated off his rehab assignment and sent to join up with High-A Kinston who was on the road in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. Unfortunately, he had a minor setback and the plans to send him to Kinston were nixed.

"We played high school baseball playoff games and other big games there [in Wilmington]," said Bryson. "I live about five minutes from the stadium so I was looking forward to playing there this year, but just didn't make it. I was going to leave and [be there for a weekend series in August], and then my forearm started bothering me a little bit so they had to shut me down."

Bryson's recovery from offseason shoulder surgery went as planned as he returned to game action in late July. While he did not have a setback with the shoulder he instead ended up being temporarily shut down because of the forearm injury, and injury that came about because he was compensating for the shoulder.

Bryson, who is still only 21 years old, ended up pitching in just three "official" games in the Arizona League going 0-0 with a 12.00 ERA (3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K). He was still sort of feeling his way through things during his time in the Arizona League games, but now feels like he is close to 100% on the mound.

"Now that Instructs are on the way and I am playing in the Parallel League, really for me the big thing is getting back on the mound and getting some innings and feeling good while I am doing it," said Bryson. "I got a couple of innings in the Arizona League, but I was kind of fresh off surgery and wasn't feeling too great. I wouldn't say I am feeling 100% now, but I am back to somewhat feeling normal so I am just trying to get back into the swing of things, get used to seeing batters, and then shut it down and be ready for spring training next year."

Bryson no longer has any soreness in the shoulder and feels really good. When healthy, Bryson's fastball sits between 92-94 MPH and has topped out as high as 96 MPH, but when he initially came back from his shoulder surgery he was only topping out at 88-89 MPH. His arm strength has been slowly improving as he is now back up to sitting in the low 90s and topping out at 93-94 MPH during Instructional League.

"This is the best I have felt since the surgery," said Bryson. "A little by little [my velocity] is coming back. When I first started throwing to batters I was only hitting in the upper 80s. I am pretty happy with where I am right now. I am starting to get my arm strength back, and right now it is just getting the feel of my slider and stuff like that. I think by next year by continuing my throwing program in the offseason my velocity will eventually be back to normal."

Bryson is officially off the rehab list, which means he has no structured throwing sessions or any restrictions on what kind of pitches he can throw, so he is able to throw his slider and changeup at will. However, in the back of any pitcher's mind coming off a serious injury to their shoulder or arm is that they could re-injure themselves. It is a lack of confidence early on in their rehab that results in them holding back some in order not to overexert themselves. As a result, sometimes pitchers take longer to get the velocity all the way back as they are timid to air it out.

"I think that has a little bit to do with it, just the fear of re-aggravating it and hurting it again," said Bryson. "So I think you are kind of holding back at first. As I start to trust my arm that it is feeling good, I am starting to put a little more into it. I am still not out there trying to throw the ball as hard as I can, so I am sure if I tried to reach back it is still there. But I am just trying to ease into it."

With Instructional League wrapping up here in a couple of days, Bryson will finally be able to pack up and head home to the East Coast for an extended period of time, reflect on his 2009 return to the mound, and get ready for spring training in 2010.

"The plan right now is I will pitch tomorrow (Tuesday) and in our last game on Friday," said Bryson. "Then I will shut it down until December when our throwing program starts back up to get ready for spring training. After this week I think that is it for this season. Just shut it down while it is feeling good and hopefully come out and compete in spring training."

Bellows Still Transitioning To Third

One of the more interesting picks the Indians made this year in the 2009 Draft was when they selected San Jose State shortstop Kyle Bellows with their 4^th round pick. Unlike last year when the Indians drafted Lonnie Chisenhall in the 1^st round of the 2008 Draft and let him remain at shortstop until transitioning him to third base in the offseason, the Indians immediately got to work on the move with Bellows after selecting and signing him.

"It has gone good," said Bellows. "Having Travis Fryman there in Mahoning Valley - who played 13 years in the big leagues - helped me out and made it an easy transition. Right now the Indians just want to give me as many innings at third to get used to it."

Bellows showed good progress at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley this year and was solid defensively while showing a lot of power potential in hitting .240 with 7 HR, 32 RBI, and a .716 OPS in 54 games. However, his season was cut short in early August when he came down with a right hand injury when sliding into a base. The injury resulted in him sitting out for most of the final month of the season and through the NY-Penn League playoffs.

"I had a great time [at Mahoning Valley]," said Bellows. "[The injury happened when] I slid back into a base and kind of hooked a guy's leg and I dislocated my finger and fractured my hand."

Kipnis Moves To Second

The Indians are taking a long look at 2009 2^nd round pick Jason Kipnis at second base. Clearly, if he can move to second base it makes him move valuable, and at worst case if he proves he can't play there everyday they feel he can handle playing there on an occasional basis which would add some versatility for him down the road.

Kipnis has been working at second base all camp, though he just started playing some games there over the weekend. The Indians are currently assessing whether he has the footwork, hands, and comfort level with turning double plays, but so far they are very pleased with what he has shown there and it looks like it will be full steam ahead with him continuing his transition to second base in spring training. The Indians know he can play the outfield, so if by the end of spring training they don't feel comfortable with him at second base they can just move him back to the outfield.

That all said, it is starting to look like Kipnis could very well be the opening day second baseman at High-A Kinston next year. If Kipnis is able to move to second base full time, his very good bat at a middle of the diamond position would make him very valuable to the Indians as an offensive oriented second baseman.

A Scout's Take On Young Indians

I had a chance to talk to a National League (NL) scout during the morning sessions who was there to get information and observe players in the Indians system. He has been scouting for 27 years and had several positive things to say about what he saw.

One thing he said immediately jumped out at him watching the Indians players practice and play games the past week is how much arm strength they have among their young position players. He loves Jason Kipnis at second base and thinks if he can stick there he has the bat that could make him explode as a prospect. He also thinks the move of Kyle Bellows to third base suits him well as he has the frame and body to get bigger and has some good raw power.

The NL scout also remarked highly on several of the young Latin prospects in camp, namely catcher Alex Monsalve, outfielder Diori Robles and shortstop Jorge Martinez. He couldn't believe Martinez was 16-years old and really liked the arm strength he showed at shortstop, likes his size and body, and feels he has a lot of projection with his bat. Monsalve has a good arm and is aggressive at the plate, and Robles he feels is someone to keep an eye on going forward.

Notebook

- For those wondering, the Instructional League is indeed still setup with three different camps: Fall Instructional League (FIL), Fall Developmental League (FDL), and Strength and Conditioning. They had the more established prospects in FDL part of camp, which was the first half of Instructional League and involved players who have been in the system that don't need to be introduced to hitting, fielding and pitching philosophies. Those players come in and the Indians give them a plan to work on in the offseason and it begins with work in Instructs. The other portion of camp is the FIL which involves the new players who need to learn all the philosophies and for the organization to get to know the player and figure out what they need to work on. Instructional League also involves players who need supplemental innings and at bats, and they stay the whole time.

- There has been some speculation by various media sources that the Indians will consider Travis Fryman for the manager opening in Cleveland. That may be the case, but the vibe I am getting is this is more just people playing a matching game because of his popularity as a player and him being a manager in the Indians' farm system. It should be noted that Fryman is in Goodyear and is managing the Indians Instructional League team. That doesn't seem like a guy getting ready to be a manager in the big leagues.

- One of the first things I noticed when watching the morning session practices on Monday was a new guy at shortstop who I did not recognize. After talking to some Indians personnel I learned the player was newly signed Latin shortstop Jorge Martinez. For a kid stateside for the first time and just 16-years old you would never know it as he just oozes confidence on the field. He made several impressive plays at shortstop during the Instructional League game in the afternoon, and in the morning practice showed off an impressive arm and the ability to hit the ball with the authority which is rare for a player his age. He is a switch-hitter, an average runner, and has a projectable bat. The Indians are very high on him, and while they are not commenting publicly yet on the players they signed from Latin America, supposedly he was their biggest catch.

- Right-hander Trey Haley took a wicked line drive off his kneecap in the second inning on Monday. Haley limped around in pain after the play, but after a few minutes made a couple of warmup throws to test the knee, and remained in the game to finish the inning. When he came into the dugout after the inning the Indians medical staff and coaches decided that it was best to take him out of the game for precautionary reasons. His kneecap swelled up pretty good and it should be sore for a few days, but it looks like he and the Indians averted what looked like might be a more serious injury when he was initially hit with the line drive.

- For those wondering where Indians 2009 3^rd round pick right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner was this year, he was out with a right rib cage injury. Upon signing he was expected to pitch in Mahoning Valley for most of the season, but the rib cage injury was more serious than originally thought. When the Indians drafted him they were aware of the injury, they did not anticipate it being to the degree where he would not throw a pitch professionally in the 2009 season. He is back in action and has been pitching in the Parallel League games this fall and has had some encouraging outings, hitting 94 MPH in one outing.

- One of the more disappointing performances in the system this year was from first baseman Beau Mills. For the typical player, his final numbers at Double-A Akron where he hit .267 with 14 HR, 83 RBI, and a .724 OPS were solid. But Mills is not a typical player as he was the Indians 1^st round pick in 2007 and a Top 10 prospect in the system coming into this season, so a lot more was expected of him this year especially after his Carolina League MVP season in 2008 when he hit .293 with 21 HR, 90 RBI, and an .880 OPS. The fact he is playing in Instructional League even after such a long year in Akron shows the Indians disappointment in him this year, and they are trying to get him back on track and ready to get some at bats in a yet to be determined winter league.

- Catcher Alex Monsalve looks a lot better from when I saw him in spring training. Back in March he looked very raw and timid, but a half year later and some time to acquaint himself to professional baseball, he looks like a completely different player. He has very good size, a strong arm, shows some good athleticism behind the plate, and is an aggressive hitter at the plate. He's a prospect to keep an eye on, and should be stateside all year in 2010 playing for the Arizona League Indians and maybe even some at Low-A Lake County late in the year.

- Several Indians officials have raved about the bats of Jason Kipnis and Kyle Bellows. Both may have the most hit ability of anyone in their 2009 Draft.

- Infielder/outfielder Greg Folgia is working out at catcher. He is a left-fielder and not a pure center fielder, so knowing it is very difficult to make it to the major leagues as a left fielder the Indians are attempting to use his good athleticism to his advantage by adding some more versatility to his game.

- Outfielder Nick Weglarz is in camp and his start in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) will be delayed for a few days as he continues to recover from a shin injury. He is healthy, but the Indians just want to make sure that they are not pushing him too hard. He has a little bit of pain in the leg still, but nothing considered serious or that he can't play through. He is expected to join his AFL teammates on Friday.

- Left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz has been good in camp and looks strong. He is still not 100% and not back to the same guy he was before his elbow injury in April, but the Indians are confident he will be back to the player he was very soon.

- Right-hander Joey Mahalic is back throwing in game action from an elbow injury he suffered in May. He is expected to be back and ready to go when spring training commences in March.

- On Tuesday it will be baseball all day for me as I will be back at the Indians complex in the morning to watch fielding and hitting sessions, then in the afternoon catch the Parallel League team in action as well as an intra-squad scrimmage of the Instructional League team. Later on in the evening, I will be in Scottsdale to see the start of the Arizona Fall League as the team the Indians players are playing on will be in action.

Read More