Goodyear Notebook: 3/20

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Wolters in good spirits in wake of injury

It happens every spring.

With around 150 players in minor league camp, a handful of players are bound to get a few bumps and bruises along the way.  The hope is that of the injuries sustained during spring training that none of them are serious and will keep players out for very long.

Shortstop Tony Wolters, 18, is one of those players who has been sidelined with an injury this spring, but is not expected to be out of action for very long.

Last weekend Wolters complained of some discomfort in his right hand after taking some swings and an x-ray revealed he had broken the hamate bone in his hand.  He went to Cleveland on Monday and Dr. Tom Graham completed the surgery on Wednesday to remove the hamate bone.  He returned to Arizona on Thursday night and remains positive and upbeat that he will be back playing soon.

“I feel pretty good,” said Wolters.  “I’m just here to watch the guys play.  I am excited for them, but I want to be out there.  I’ll be back out there soon.”

Wolters worked hard in the offseason with a personal trainer as it was the first time in his career that he was able to concentrate 100% on baseball.  He came into camp in the best shape of his career, but apparently he suffered the hand injury just before the start of camp while taking some swings in the cages.

“I started feeling it about three weeks ago but thought it would go away,” said Wolters about the injury.  “I felt some cracking going on during batting practice so I went in and told them about it.  I went in and got an x-ray and they said it was broken.”

Wolters is back in camp with a soft cast on his right hand and has been reduced to a spectator’s role while his hand recovers from surgery.  He is expected to go back to Cleveland soon to be re-evaluated by Dr. Graham and determine if everything is going as expected post-surgery and what his rehab plan will be.

For now all Wolters knows is that he will be in a soft cast until about the end of the month.  Since the injury is to his throwing hand and the bottom hand with his swing, some precaution will surely be taken to ensure he comes back fully healthy and does not have any setbacks.

“They haven’t really given the outline of it, but [the rehab will] probably be strengthening of the hand and rubbing out the scar tissue,” said Wolters.  “Just trying to get the feel back is going to be one of the main things.”

Beyond the hand injury for Wolters, his first spring training experience is going well.

“I love coming here and seeing all the guys,” said Wolters.  “I have made a lot of friends and I am meeting everyone, so I feel I know almost everyone here.  I am getting really comfortable with that.  I felt good coming into spring training and feel like I came into camp in the best shape I have ever been in.  I am really excited.  [The hand injury] was kind of a disappointment, but I am trying to take the positive out of it.”

Wolter’s first spring training pales in comparison to the excitement he had to get his career going last year when he got to play at rookie level Arizona for a few games and then went to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley for the last week or so of the season.  He did not pay with Mahoning Valley but practiced and also travelled with them.

“It was awesome coming out here for the Arizona League and getting to play with some of the guys I knew and playing against some of the guys from the other teams I knew,” said Wolters.  “It was amazing and I loved it and it was what I expected.  When I went to Mahoning Valley it was an honor to get to go somewhere and have my first road trip.”

Once Wolters is healthy and ready to start playing games – hopefully in about five weeks – he can start getting to work on improving his game as a defender and hitter.  His two favorite players growing up that he patterned his game after are Ozzie Smith and Craig Biggio because of how they played the game on and off the field.

“I have been working crazy hard on my defense,” said Wolters.  “There are a lot of things that Travis Fryman and Anthony Medrano have been telling me like that I need to start practicing to funnel and go to my core.  I practiced that probably more than hitting in the offseason.  I really feel like it is coming natural to me now and I am actually getting better at it.”

Wolters knows that he also needs to get better at the plate.  He implies it really boils down to him finding his swing again, something that has eluded him since some of the showcase games early last year.

“I have been doing this board thing with my hitting coach and it has actually really helped me with my lower half and staying back,” said Wolters about his hitting.  “I can’t wait to go see what my swing is like now because I have been doing it without a bat.  I just need to find my swing.  I know it’s in there as I had it in the Aflac game and all those other games.  I brought my hands from down [low] and up [higher], and I just need to find that timing and everything again.  It will come along as I just need at bats.”

The main goal for Wolters right now is to get healthy as hamate procedures can be tricky as they can affect every player differently.  He knows this, but is determined to get back on the field and have a good first full season in the organization.

“I just want to get healthy and find out what kind of player I am,” said Wolters.  “Just kind of find my swing, get better and stronger, and try to improve all of my skills and try to become the baseball player I want to be.  It is a step by step process, but I am really pushing myself.”

Washington temporarily sidelined

Another top pick from the Indians’ 2010 Draft class has been sidelined this spring as outfielder LeVon Washington is working his way back from a minor knee injury.

“My knee just started hurting out of nowhere,” said Washington.  “I have been up here since January.  I had an MRI on my hip and had a torn labrum [that I hurt in rookie ball].  I played through it in Instructional League.  I would be 100% if my knee wouldn’t have started bothering me right now.”

Washington has been rehabbing the knee the past few weeks as he has been limited in the early going this spring where he has not participated in drills or games yet, but is expected to be back in action at the end of the week.

“I’m just doing a lot of stretching and making it stronger,” said Washington.  “I’m doing a lot of oval tub, ice, ultrasound, and a lot of medicine to help with the inflammation.”

Washington played shortstop in high school, but an arm injury has relegated him to the outfield and is where the Indians plan to play and develop him going forward.  He prefers to play shortstop but knows he can’t because he no longer has the arm strength to play there.

While Washington’s arm strength has declined, he is adamant that his speed has not taken a step back.  He knows that there have been some comments over the past year that he may have lost a step, but according to him he just chose not to run as much last year in order to stay healthy for the draft.

“I want to steal a lot of bags this year,” declared Washington.  “A lot of people say I can’t run as fast as I did in high school and that I lost a step, but I can still run and that’s what I want to prove this year.  I didn’t run by choice as I stole only eight bags in college in order to try and stay healthy for the draft.”

Washington has the tools to be an impact caliber leadoff hitter.  He has a tendency to over swing, so one of the early adjustments the organization has asked him to make is to work on keeping his head down on the ball and make more consistent contact.  Once he is cleared to start playing in games this spring he plans to start working on that adjustment and just doing whatever he can to improve this season.

“I am liking [pro ball] so far and having fun,” said Washington.  “I wish I was playing right now, but my goal it to just be healthy the whole year.  I think good things will happen if I am.”

Notebook:

Weglarz out:  The injuries are starting to pour in late in spring training, and outfielder Nick Weglarz is the latest to get bitten by the injury bug.  He collapsed to the field on Thursday while running the bases and had to be helped off the field.  He ended up suffering a torn meniscus to his left knee and is on his way to Cleveland to seek a second opinion from Dr. Rick Parker to determine if surgery is needed or not and how long he will be out.  First baseman Jordan Brown suffered the same injury last year and ended up missing about eight weeks, so Weglarz will probably be out at least until mid-May.

Bryson has broken foot:  Right-handed pitcher Rob Bryson was back at camp on Saturday with a cast on his right foot.  In talking to him he suffered the injury the day before he was set to come to spring training while he was training and running poles at his high school facility when he stepped in a hole.  He is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, and then go on a throwing program.  Provided he has no setbacks, be will probably be out until sometime around the All Star break.  What an unfortunate injury as he looked to be in great shape and got much stronger in his upper half over the offseason.

Columbus recap: Shortstop Ronald Rivas went 1-for-1 with a HR and 2 RBI, and shortstop Juan Diaz went 2-for-3 with a 2B.  Right-hander Bryce Stowell was up to 96 MPH but struggled with his control in his two innings of work with three walks and two strikeouts with just one first pitch strike to the nine batters he faced.  Left-hander Matt Packer was tagged for three runs on five hits, two walks, and a strikeout in two innings (91 MPH high, 88 MPH average).

Akron recap: Third baseman Kyle Bellows had an impressive day at the plate as he homered in both plate appearances.  Right-hander Tyler Sturdevant pitched well and showed a nice cutter going two innings and allowed one run and one hit (94 MPH high, 92 MPH average).  Right-hander Kyle Landis is continuing his comeback and went one inning and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits, two walks, and had one strikeout (92 MPH high, 88 MPH average).

Kinston recap: The offense was quiet for Kinston as only outfielder Brian Heere did anything noteworthy by going 1-for-3 with a 2B and 2 RBI.  Oh, and Alex Lavisky was a late sub and had one plate appearance and doubled.  Right-hander Tony Dischler threw two innings and allowed one run on no hits, one walk, and had one strikeout (90 MPH high, 87 MPH average).

Lake County recap: First baseman Jesus Aguilar continues to have a very good camp with the bat going 2-for-2 with a walk.  Left-hander Elvis Araujo was impressive in his one inning of work by not allowing a run or hit (95 MPH high, 92 MPH average).  Right-hander Andrew Shive who is one of the players the Indians acquired in the Kerry Wood trade went one inning of shutout-hitless relief (89 MPH high, 87 MPH average).

Cid is back: Outfielder Delvi Cid had been slowed early in camp because of a mild groin strain, but has been cleared to start participating in games and played a few innings on Sunday.

Ouch!:  Infielder Argenis Martinez was blasted with a pitch to his left collar bone and neck area from right-hander Kyle Landis yesterday.  He quickly crumpled to the ground and after a minute or two was able to walk off the field under his own power.  Hopefully he is okay as it sounded awful.

Davis gonzo: In case anyone missed it, the Indians decided not to sign right-handed pitcher Jason Davis and he left camp on Friday.

Today: It will be my last day out here in Goodyear, and should actually be a rainy one as the forecast is calling for a high in the low-to-mid 60s with 70% chance of rain.  I will have one more notebook tomorrow, but the updates will not stop there as I have lots of articles to come over the next few days on players I have talked to in camp.  I will also continue to provide more detailed recaps from the spring games.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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Goodyear Notebook: 3/16

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Tomlin wants to win

The Indians are now less than two weeks from breaking camp in Goodyear, Arizona.  Time is running out for them to make a decision on who will be named the fifth starter.

The three candidates for the role are right-handers Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin as well as left-hander Dave Huff.  Right-hander Anthony Reyes is back pitching and may technically be back in the mix, but he appears to be too far behind to be in serious consideration at least to start the season.

For awhile now it has been felt that Tomlin and Huff are the only two candidates truly being considered as Gomez is still kind of raw and needs more seasoning at Triple-A Columbus.  He was pushed up before he was ready last season and while he pitched well initially he was exposed late in the year and has not had a very good camp so far.  He is expected to be sent out soon and go to Triple-A Columbus with the focus to continue to improve his fastball command and develop his secondary pitches.

Of course, if you ask any of the three candidates their take on the battle for the fifth spot, they see things a lot differently and not so defined.

“So far things have been going pretty well,” said Tomlin on Tuesday.  “Everybody is throwing the ball pretty well.  No one has a leg up in the competition at all as everyone is still kind of battling and competing.  I think that is good for us.”

The Indians are scheduled to break camp on Tuesday March 29^th to go to Columbus and play an exhibition game on Wednesday March 30^th against the Clippers.  By then they should know who the fifth starter is, although theoretically they could still wait a few days since both the Columbus and Cleveland rosters will be travelling to the same destination once they depart Goodyear.

“I really don’t know,” said Tomlin about when he thinks a decision will be made.  “I am not sure what’s going to happen right now, so I don’t know when they are going to make that decision.”

Tomlin, 26, lives and dies on his athleticism and ability to throw strikes and be consistent from outing to outing.

“Physically I feel great,” said Tomlin.  “I am just trying to stay balanced and keep that release point right now.  You always work on your mechanics and delivery to try to just keep them good.  But other than that I feel great and I am ready to go.”

Tomlin so far has done his part this spring.  He’s put forth several solid to good outings, and depending on who you talk to he is deemed the favorite to win the final rotation spot.  Of course there are others who feel he may better serve the team in a bullpen role as a swing guy.  Either way, it appears that he should make the team either as the fifth starter or in the long relief role.

“My goal is just to win,” said Tomlin.  “Do everything I can to help the Indians, whether that is in the bullpen or starting.  Whether I start out at Triple-A and come up when somebody gets hurt, whatever that may be, I just want to help the Indians in any way I can to win.”

Huff has the stuff

If the final spot in the rotation was based on talent alone, it would probably go to left-hander David Huff.

Huff, 26, still has not yet achieved anywhere close to his potential as a starter in the big leagues, and of the three candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation he has the most potential or upside of any of them.  He offers more bang for the Indians’ buck because of his talent and because he throws from the left side.  Of course, he may be the most inconsistent of the three, so he could just as easily go the other way and struggle for the Indians this year.

That is why the decision the organization makes on who wins the final rotation spot this spring will be interesting.  Do they go with the consistent workman-like Tomlin who is what he is as a low upside solid big league contributor?  Or do they go with a guy like Huff who has the potential to be much more than he has shown but at the same time could once again struggle with being consistent?

For Huff it all boils down to his mechanics.  If he can get them squared away and also become more cognizant of when they are off, it will go a long way at making him a much more consistent performer.

“The outing against the Padres at home I couldn’t throw a strike [that last inning] to save my life,” remarked Huff on Tuesday.  “It was brutal.  I was 7-for-7 the first inning [with strikes] and 14-for-18 the next inning, and then I just started rushing the next inning.  I was throwing pitches but the changeup was up and it wasn’t down as I was pushing it a little bit.  I just have to continue to remind myself to slow things down and get on top of everything and finish.”

Huff went to the video booth on Tuesday to review his performance and saw some things he feels are very correctable.  Again, it is all about mechanics.

“I found out today when I was watching some video that I was kind of pulling rotational-wise and twisting rather than being straight down and over the top sort of like a pendulum,” said Huff.  “So I went outside today and just started working on things doing some towel drills.”

Huff is getting better at noticing when his mechanics are off and making adjustments on the fly, but he knows he needs to do a better job of picking up and making those adjustments quicker.

“When you are at this level you need to be able to do it yourself,” said Huff.  “Going through the system guys will tell you when you are flying open or when your arm is lagging, but when it comes to game time they really don’t want to say anything as you start to think about it and end up not concentrating on the batter and making pitches.  I am getting to the point where I am starting to pick it up quicker, and I know when I watch the video I can see it.”

It has been interesting to follow how the Indians have approached the battle for the fifth starter’s role this spring.  Tomlin has thrown a handful of B-games and Huff is always coming out of the bullpen in relief.  It doesn’t appear to be a good way to evaluate the pitchers on the same merits since both have been pitching in roles they are not accustomed to or are not facing the same competition.

The Indians have their reasons for setting things up this way.  To their credit they have done a good job of keeping everyone including the players in the dark as to what they will do with the final spot in the rotation.

As for Huff, he knows all he can control is what he does on the field.  While he prefers to be in Cleveland and would be disappointed to open the season at Triple-A Columbus, he would not be a problem at all if that were to happen and would continue to work hard so he is ready when a need arises for a starter.

“I need to do what I need to do, which is just focusing on my mechanics and making sure that they are polished and I get after it,” said Huff.  “Our Triple-A team [will be] ridiculous.  Coming off of last year and with the guys that don’t make [the opening day roster], Columbus is going to be really good.”

Judy ready for an opportunity

Right-handed reliever Josh Judy is as close as a player can be to a big league opportunity.  While his numbers in a very small amount of appearances this spring are nothing to write home about, his body of work in his minor league career speaks for itself.

Judy, 25, owns a career 20-6 record with a 2.74 ERA in 136 career minor league appearances.  He has a nice fastball-slider combination, throws strikes, can get hitters out on his stuff alone, and he really limits the walks.  So far this spring he has not allowed a walk, something he did not do in the Dominican Republic in the offseason where he did not allow a walk in 12 appearances covering 12.0 innings.

So far Judy has used his nice showing in the Dominican Republic as a springboard into his 2011 season.  While out there last year he even found out he was added to the 40-man roster when Farm Director Ross Atkins paid him a special visit out there to tell him.

“It was great as I went down to the Dominican Republic and had a great time out there,” said Judy on Tuesday.  “I was actually told I was rostered when I was down there as Ross came and told me.”

Things have been going well for Judy as he is healthy and feels strong.  Health is a big key for him this year considering he had a setback at the end of spring training last year with a sore elbow which pushed the start of his season back about six weeks.

“The arm feels great and I am just going out there doing my thing,” said Judy.  “I have been aggressive and going right after hitters, and knock on wood I haven’t walked anybody yet.  So we will see what happens at the end.”

Judy has been working on a changeup to give him a weapon to better attack left-handers, and so far he has made some nice positive strides with the pitch.

“My slider is my go to pitch, but right now I am working on a changeup so I have something to attack left-handers with,” said Judy.  “I have had some good results with it.  I threw it a little bit while I was in the Dominican Republic as it was a reason I was there.  I am getting a lot of groundballs with it, so I am kind of impressed with it.  I have to have something going the other direction as both the fastball and slider go the same way.”

Judy has now had two springs out in Goodyear to showcase himself to the big league coaching staff.  They thought well enough of him to bring him to camp last year as a non-rostered player, and then subsequently rostered him in the offseason.  Now that he is on the 40-man roster he is one of the immediate options the Indians will turn to this season when they need a fresh arm for the bullpen.

“I just really want to stay healthy and have a complete season under my belt and hopefully get the chance to get called up,” said Judy.  “I just want that opportunity and I hope it comes.”

Notebook:

Tomlin rolls: Josh Tomlin threw five innings and 52 pitches total in a B-game on Wednesday against the Reds on Field 1 at the Indians complex.  From what I saw and what a few scouts for other teams in attendance said, he looked good.  He threw strikes and overmatched a lineup full of Reds minor leaguers.  I am not sure what anyone can get out of that kind of outing facing that kind of competition other than he got his work in and did what he needed to do.

Davis update:  Right-hander Jason Davis also threw in the B-game on Wednesday.  I did not see him pitch as I had already ventured over to minor league camp to see some rehabbing pitchers throw live batting practice.  I was able to talk to a few scouts later in the day who were there and saw him pitch and they said he was not very good at all as he couldn’t throw strikes and the mechanics were ugly.  It appears the decision on whether to sign him or not will be a decision made by the Indians Player Development staff, and as of this writing he still has not been officially signed and is still in camp on a tryout basis.

Erratic Chisenhall:  Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall made two throwing errors with high throws which pulled first baseman Wes Hodges off the bag during the B-game.  Part of the reason he was sent down to minor league camp on Monday was to control his clock and future cost, but while he is pretty close to big league ready with the bat his defense still needs polish which was the main reason he was sent out so that he could continue to work on his defense at third base.  His throwing has always been one of the few knocks against him in the minors.  Not his arm strength as it is very good, just the accuracy of his throws.  This is surely something he will hone in on at Columbus in the early going this year.

Chun! Chun!  Chun!: Boy, what a game catcher Chun Chen had in the B-game on Wednesday.  Before I left in the fifth inning he was 2-for-2 at the plate with a bases loaded two-run single to left and an RBI double that was a bomb to dead center field that just missed being a 3-run homer after it dented the top of the wall.  On top of that he threw out a runner attempting to steal second on a hit and run, and he also picked off a runner at first.

Miller Update:  I ventured over to minor league camp halfway through the B-game so I could go see right-hander Adam Miller make his first appearance on a mound this spring throwing live batting practice.  He looked good and most importantly felt good and joked “I haven’t been so excited to throw live batting practice.”  It is another small step for him and it looks like he will be out in a live game setting on Saturday or Sunday in a minor league spring game.

Quote of the day: “Hey Donald, you go out and buy them a steak dinner last night?  Because they just cut Chisenhall.” – Players joke to Jason Donald after learning Lonnie Chisenhall had been sent to minor league camp on Monday.

Today: I’ll be over at minor league camp again today for the start of games as the Indians will have an inter-squad game.  Some pitchers scheduled to pitch are Kelvin De La Cruz, Drew Pomeranz, Corey Kluber, Matt Packer, Bryce Stowell, Austin Adams, Zach Putnam, Michael Goodnight, Tony Dischler, Trey Haley, Clayton Cook and others.  With the start of games be on the lookout for box scores as I will probably be posting them if I get them.

Next: I will be back to focusing on minor league camp with the next notebook, and will have updates on several players including an update on shortstop Tony Wolters and what’s going on with him.

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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Goodyear Notebook: 3/11

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Aviles is on schedule

With the start of minor league spring training, it is always interesting to find out how some of the players coming off major surgeries are doing in their rehabs.  One of those players is right-handed pitcher Robbie Aviles.

Aviles, 18, was drafted by the Indians in the 7^th round of last year’s draft and signed with them for $150,000.  He was actually projected to go in the first or second round, but a ligament tear in his elbow just a few days before the draft seriously damaged his draft standing going in.  He had Tommy John surgery performed on July 13^th, and is on the road to recovery.

“I’m feeling great,” said Aviles during an interview on Friday.  “So far so good.  Everything is pain free right now, so I am happy.”

Aviles continues to progress nicely with his rehab and is now throwing flat grounds as on Friday morning he threw a flat ground session to a catcher squatting down for the first time.  Going forward, the plan is to have him throw off a five inch mound in about one or two weeks so he can get used to the downward angle and then progress to a full sized mound around the beginning of April.

If things go well Aviles could pitch for the Indians rookie level team in the Arizona Summer League sometime in June or July, but the focus appears to get him 100% healthy by the time Instructional League starts.  While he has made a lot of positive strides in his rehab, he is still several months away from being ready to pitch in games.

“I am holding back some,” said Aviles.  “In my flat grounds to a catcher I am probably throwing at 75%, and when I am long tossing I am at about 90%.  When I start getting on the mounds I will probably start at 60% and then work my way up about 5% every throwing session.”

As for the injury, it happened on June 4^th which was just a few days before the 2010 Draft.  Because New York starts their high school baseball season so late, Aviles and his school were still playing, something you rarely see from high school players in June.

“I was throwing well and it was the best I ever felt,” recalled Aviles about the day he hurt his elbow.  “I heard I was up to 95 MPH in the first inning, but on the seventh pitch of the game I just tore it.  I got off the mound, talked to some scouts, and every team knew an hour later.”

The injury was devastating for Aviles as it put his pro career in jeopardy, one which he was eager to get started with right away rather than go to college where he was committed to play at the University of Florida.  When the Indians selected him he knew he had little bargaining power because of the injury and he did not drag the negotiating process out.  It did not matter to him as all he wanted to do was play baseball, so he signed quickly.

“I was happy when my area scout Brent Urcheck called me up,” said Aviles.  “I was not going to hold out.  My agent, parents and I talked and my goal my whole life was to play baseball, so I just signed right away and got the surgery going right away so I can hopefully come back as soon as [possible].  If I had held out I might have missed all of this season and Instructional League.  But since I signed right away and had the surgery right away, I am hoping to pitch halfway through this year and be able to pitch in Instructs at 100%.”

The Indians plan to make some adjustments to Aviles’ mechanics and improve the quality of his pitches, but those plans are currently on hold until he starts pitching on a mound and proves he is healthy.

“I have been talking to the pitching coaches here and they want to tweak my mechanics a little bit but they are waiting for me to get on the mound,” said Aviles.  “I really want to work on my secondary pitches.  I have a clean slate right now so I want to work on all my stuff and get better at everything and just work hard.”

This season is all about health for Aviles.  If he can successfully return from Tommy John surgery, then he should be able to pitch in 2012 with few if any restrictions and be back on track to achieving his dream of pitching in the big leagues someday.

“My goal is to come back healthy, be a good pitcher, and make it to the major leagues someday,” said Aviles.  “And help the Indians win a World Series.”

Notebook

On the comeback trail: Right-handed pitcher Alexander Perez had Tommy John surgery last May.  So far so good as he is currently throwing at 90 feet and should be back on a mound probably sometime in April, though because of his youth and his high priority as a prospect to the Indians they will be very conservative with him this year.  He will open the season in extended spring training and probably will not pitch for an affiliate until short season ball kicks up in June where he will probably pitch a few games for rookie level Arizona.  If all goes well he could potentially go to High-A Kinston to finish out the season, maybe even Double-A Akron.

Not far behind: Right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon had Tommy John surgery last August and has also recently started a throwing program where he is at 90 feet.  Considering he had his surgery three months after Perez yet is almost on the same time table it is a sign that he is either making some big strides in his rehab or Perez has had a setback or two along the way.  I will try and get more clarification on this in the coming days.  In any case, I would not expect to see Rondon pitch for any affiliate other than rookie level Arizona this year.  If things go very well, there is an outside chance he could pitch for Triple-A Columbus at the end of the season, but the target appears to be to let him loose in Instructional League and maybe even have him go to the Arizona Fall League.

Abreu’s confidence:  The shoulder issue that plagued outfielder Abner Abreu for most of last season appears to be a thing of the past.  He was never technically hurt last season, but ever since separating his shoulder in June of 2009 he has had a confidence issue with the shoulder and it was also never really at a 100% last season.  There is a belief by a few coaches that his poor showing last year and his lack of power was simply the result of a lead shoulder issue where he lacked the confidence in it and it was still not a 100%, similar to Jared Goedert prior to last year.  If the confidence truly has returned and he is healthy, it will be interesting to see how he performs this year and if the shoulder issue really did affect his play last year.

Welcome back Mr. Davis: So I get to minor league camp on Friday and I see some tall, lanky righty pick up a ball with a nameless jersey and No. 51 on the back.  After a closer look I realize it is Jason Davis, but in my surprise I ask around in order to be sure as the warm Arizona sun may have affected my vision.  Sure enough, it is him.  The Indians have not signed him as they just have him in camp for a few days to take a look at him.  This is similar to when they brought in right-hander Tom Mastny last year, and then subsequently released him a few days later.

Morris feels good: Left-handed pitcher Ryan Morris says he feels as good as he has in a long time.  He recently had a follow up physical with his doctor on his left shoulder, and apparently his range of motion has improved by 40 degrees, something that he and his doctor are quite pleased with as the procedure to release the joint capsule in his shoulder looks like a success so far.  It remains to be seen if he will make a team out of camp, will open in extended spring training, or maybe is even released, but this is encouraging news for him nonetheless.

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

House adjustment: Left-hander T.J. House made a change to his mechanics over the winter where he is now staying back much more through his delivery so he can drive the ball through the zone better.  The change should help him have more power to his pitches.  I’ll be talking to him later on in camp and will discuss the change further with him then.

Eric “Rollie” Berger: Probably the most interesting thing my first day was the sight of left-hander Eric Berger who has grown his hair out and has a mustache that would make Rollie Fingers proud.  Check out the photo of him to the right….classic.  And I heard that the mustache was two times as big just last week before he trimmed it down.

Roster cuts:  Eight players were sent down from big league camp on Friday: right-handed pitchers Bryce Stowell, Hector Rondon, and Corey Kluber, left-handed pitchers Kelvin De La Cruz, Nick Hagadone and Drew Pomeranz, infielder Jared Goedert, and catcher Chun Chen.  Their arrival will likely mean a first round of cuts coming sometime this weekend or early next week.

Get your pictures:  Just a reminder to family members of the players, if you would like any high quality pictures of your son, brother, nephew, etc in action this spring, just drop me an e-mail at tlastoria@indiansprospectinsider.com and I will send you some pictures at the completion of my visit.

Family visits: Speaking of family, you may or may not know that you are able to obtain guest passes so you have authorization to get inside the complex and get a closer look at the action.  I’ve learned over the years that the players often don’t realize they can get you these guest passes, or that they are afraid to ask for them.  As long as the player requests them at least 24 hours in advance, you should have no problems getting them.

Today: I will be at the minor league fields all morning and then spend the day at the ballpark watching the big league team.  Not much action yet in minor league camp as it is mostly just pitchers throwing bullpens and doing lots of different drills.  Things should kick up on Sunday as it will be the first full squad workout with position players and pitchers will start throwing live batting practice.

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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