Tribe Happenings: Cabrera signing changes infield outlook

Cabrera will likely be the opening day

second baseman. (Photo: AP)

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

Cabrera signing reshuffles infield

As of Saturday evening the Indians have still not confirmed or denied that they have signed free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, but league sources have confirmed that he has been signed by the Indians to a major league deal.

Terms of the deal are unknown at this time, but it is believed to be a one year deal at or below the $3 million he made last year with the Cincinnati Reds. It is my understanding that the Indians have not confirmed the deal because a physical is still pending.

Cabrera, 36, played in 123 games with the Reds last season and hit .263 with four homers, 42 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and .657 OPS. In his 14-year big league career he is a .274 hitter and won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 2001 and 2007.

Since Cabrera has been signed to a major league deal and the Indians’ 40-man roster is full, the Indians will need to make a move to clear space on the 40-man roster to add him. The most likely candidates to be removed are infielder Jayson Nix, outfielder/first baseman Shelley Duncan, and right-handed pitcher Joe Martinez.

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise as the Indians were expected to only be in the market for a utility infielder this winter or someone to play third base. But with very little available at third base, the Indians have apparently shifted gears and instead filled the need at second base and for the time being will instead fill the need at third base from within.

Cabrera is expected to be the odds on favorite to win the starting second base job, and will also spell Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop from time to time. There was some disappointment in the play of Asdrubal Cabrera last year and some people think he should move to second base, but the Indians are firmly committed to him as their regular shortstop in 2011, so the arrival of Orlando Cabrera will only be as a handcuff at shortstop.

The arrival of Cabrera means that Jason Donald, Luis Valbuena and Jayson Nix will be the main candidates for the opening day third base job. They will also certainly be in the mix for the second base job as well, but virtually have no shot unless Cabrera gets hurt this spring. What will likely happen is Nix and Valbuena stick with the big league club with one as the third baseman and the other the utility man. Non-roster invitees Adam Everrett and Jack Hannahan may also play into the mix at third base or the utility role.

Also, it is now looking more likely that Donald will start the season at Triple-A Columbus where he will be the everyday shortstop. He could still factor into the big league mix this spring, but the feelings in the organization were mixed on him last year and some believe he needs to play shortstop everyday in order to enhance his value in the future as a super utility player, and the only way to play shortstop everyday is to go to Columbus. He also needs everyday at bats to improve offensively.

This also means that the Indians top two second base prospects Jason Kipnis and Cord Phelps and top third base prospect Lonnie Chisenhall will open the 2011 season in Columbus. Even before the signing of Cabrera this was the case as all three have development left defensively and offensively to ensure they are not overmatched when they make their big league debuts. In addition to that the organization does not want to rush them to the big leagues for roster management reasons.

Phelps is the only one of the three likely to play in Cleveland this year as he will likely be the first option called up to fill in at third base or second base. Kipnis and Chisenhall are likely to play the entire season in Columbus and may not make their major league debuts until 2012.

Injuries and team performance could always change that outlook, but as the way things stand right now this is the likely course of action they take with these players to ensure they are ready to compete at the big league level in the near future.

Good news on Santana

The Indians got some good news for a change this week as a six month post operative evaluation from Dr. Rick Parker on catcher Carlos Santana's left knee came out very positive. He was given the clear to immediately begin full batting practice activities from both sides of the plate in addition to catching bullpens. The evaluation was performed at the Goodyear complex where Santana has been working out all offseason.

Santana has also been cleared to begin position-specific agility drills in addition to full base-running exercises this week, and he remains on target to begin playing in games during the first week of the exhibition season which begins on February 27.

Even though Santana has been cleared, expect the Indians to be very conservative with his use this spring, especially early on in Cactus League play. Barring any setbacks, he is on target to play in the regular season opener on April 1st.

Santana had injured his knee in a home plate collision on August 6, 2010, and had surgery to repair his damaged lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his left knee. Before going down with the injury he hit .260 with six homers, 22 RBI, and a .868 OPS in 46 games with the Indians last year. He also had a very good 37 walk to 29 strikeout ratio.

Sizemore progressing

While Santana is on target to play in the regular season opener, the same is not necessarily the case for outfielder Grady Sizemore. He had a more complicated surgery to his knee last year as he had a microfracture procedure in June that takes a lot more time to fully recover from. He has been at the Goodyear complex working out and has not had any setbacks, but he is not expected to play in any Cactus League games this spring until mid-March.

For now the Indians are content with being very conservative with Sizemore. He is doing agility and running drills, and if all continues to go well he should progress into full time workouts later this month. How he responds to playing in games will be the true determining factor on whether or not he will be ready to open the season on time.

In the end, the Indians may just opt to play it safe and have Sizemore open the season on the 15-day disabled list. This would allow him time to continue to workout and play in extended spring training games to make up for lost time this spring, and then be activated later in April.

Sizemore is in the last year of the guaranteed portion of his contract and will make about $7 million this year. Last year he played in only 33 games and hit .211 with no homers, 13 RBI and had a .560 OPS.

Indians sign Latin catcher

The Indians signed 16-year old catcher Kevin Calderon out of the Dominican Republic for $80,000.

I'll have a more detailed write up of Calderon tomorrow or Tuesday in a piece on him and the state of the Latin operations with quotes from Scouting Director John Mirabelli, but the quick scouting report on Calderon is at this time his defensive tools are clearly way ahead of his abilities at the plate. He has a Carlos Santana-like build at 5'10" 170 pounds, shows a lot of athleticism behind the plate, and has a strong arm.

For those who follow Tribe prospects and have an understanding of who-is-who, to put the signing in perspective it is a lower profile one than catcher Alex Monsalve who they signed over two years ago.

The signing of Calderon is a lot like many of the signings the Indians have made over the past year on the international front, almost all of which are not publicized. Like most organizations, the Indians have a policy where they do not release their international signings as it can hurt them in their pursuit of other prospective international prospects. The word of the Calderon signing was leaked by the academy he was playing at and/or his agent, which is why the signing has been released publicly.

Book update

My “2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects and More” book is scheduled to finally go to press this week. I am still working out the final details and layout, but the book will have everything fans needs to follow the young Indians at the minor league and big league level this season. The book includes tons of information and stats on over 175 players in the system from rookie ball to the big leagues, and has lots of other reference information for the casual and diehard fans.

I will have a detailed breakdown next week when hopefully it has gone to press as scheduled. In the meantime, I will be accepting pre-orders. Just use the interface on the upper right side of the page to complete your pre-order and once the book is available you will be one of the first to receive one (and signed to boot).  If all goes very well, the first batch may go out this Friday or Saturday.

Key dates

With pitchers and catchers reporting to major league camp this Tuesday February 15th, here are some other key dates to keep in mind this spring:

February 15: Pitchers and catchers report
February 19: Position players report
February 26: Mandatory date all players need to report by
February 27: First Cactus League game vs. Cincinnati Reds
March 1: Early minor league camp begins
March 7: Minor league pitchers and catchers report
March 11: Minor league position players report
March 18: First minor league spring game
March 30: Indians vs. Columbus Clippers exhibition game in Columbus, OH
April 1: Regular season opener at home vs. Chicago White Sox

Parting shots

Left-hander Jeremy Sowers had surgery on Monday to repair a tear in his rotator cuff. He will miss the entire 2011 season and be out of action for nine to 12 months. He had recently been resigned to a minor league contract after going 2-6 with a 5.85 ERA in 27 appearances last year at Triple-A Columbus. … Cleveland Browns wide receiver and special teamer Josh Cribbs was named Cleveland's Professional Athlete of the Year at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards on Thursday night. He beat out Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas and Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo for the award. … Indians manager Manny Acta is now on Twitter. You can follow him @Mactriber_11.

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Minor Happenings: Santana Shines In AAA Debut

"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.

The 2010 season officially got underway last Thursday, and with that it is time for another season of Minor Happenings to get you all caught up on the news and developments in the Indians farm system.  Things were a bit hectic this week, and with so much happening I have decided to split the report into two this week with the first half posting today and the second half tomorrow (Friday).  As you will see, the Happenings this week is very much focused on the Triple-A Columbus team, which should be much of no surprise considering I spent last weekend in Columbus watching the team as well as talking to players, coaches, etc.

Also, be sure to listen into our Smoke Signals radio broadcast tonight as Paul Cousineau and I recap the week that was for the Cleveland Indians from the big leagues all the way down to Single-A.  You also have a chance to win two free tickets to a Lake County Captains game, so be sure to listen in!

For those interested, I will be in Akron this Saturday and Lake County next Tuesday.  Hope to see you there!

Onto the Happenings...

Indians Minor League Player Of The Week
(for games from April 8 through April 14)

Carlos Santana (Catcher - Columbus)
.423 AVG (11-for-26), 8 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 2 K, 1.478 OPS

Indians catcher and top prospect Carlos Santana wasted little time in getting his season off to a hot start with a sensational opening night performance last Thursday - on his 24th birthday no less - where he went 4-for-5 with a 2B, 2 HR, and 4 RBI.  Since then he has continued to roll and has been one of the early stars of the minor league season as not only are people in Cleveland talking about him, but just about any national publication or site that follows the minor leagues has already made mention to his hot start.  For his efforts in the first week of the season the International League on Monday named him their Batter of the Week.

In the first week of the season Santana has demonstrated everything to Columbus fans that his scouting report said coming in.  He has very good power, has an exceptional feel for hitting, is a smart hitter and patient (5 BB, 2 K), and can pull the ball or go opposite field.  In fact, one of the early positive signs besides the numbers has been the opposite field home run he hit last Thursday night, which is something the Indians really want to see more of since last year he really got into more of a pull mode at the plate.  He is just a rare commodity at the plate in that it is rare to find someone like him who is so aggressive yet at the same time is so patient and exhibits outstanding strike zone discipline.

The question everyone is asking now, is when will Santana be in Cleveland?  If big league starter Lou Marson continues to struggle and Santana continues to rake in Columbus, is there a chance Indians fans will see Santana sooner than later?

In a nutshell, no.  Right now, regardless of the hitting numbers for Santana, the Indians are in no hurry to call Santana up.  In a contending year it would be another story, but one advantage to a rebuilding/retooling year (whatever you want to call it) is they can be patient and let Santana work on some of the nuances to the catching game in Columbus like his communication skills with his pitchers, calling a game, and shoring up his defense, things that are much harder to do at the big league level since everything is so focused on winning and losing whereas the focus in the minors is mostly on development.

Plus, the Indians want to get an extended look at Marson to see what they have and determine if he can be a suitable backup for Santana, or if they can increase his value where a team may want him as an everyday starting catcher.  Once these next two to three months are up, the Indians won't have such an opportunity to get an extended look at Marson since Santana should be up sometime in June or July and is expected to be the everyday catcher for the next half dozen decade or so.

It is important to remember that Santana is entering just his fourth season as a catcher.  He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 as a third baseman and outfielder, but they moved him to catcher at the start of the 2007 season.  So while he has a rocket arm and does a good job receiving and blocking balls, he is still picking up on a lot of the nuances to the position with game calling, handling his staff, and taking control of the team as the leader on the field.  He will be in Cleveland at some point this season, likely just before or after the All Star break, but the Indians are doing the right thing with keeping him in Columbus to finish off his development, control his service clock, and also at the same time get an extended look at Marson.

Honorable Mentions:

Brian Buscher (3B - COL): .444 (8-18), 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 0 K, 1.222 OPS
Jose Constanza (OF - COL): .389 (7-18), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1.056 OPS
Jason Donald (2B - COL): .391 (9-23), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.003 OPS
Wes Hodges (1B - COL): .370 (10-27), 6 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, 1.118 OPS
Cord Phelps (2B - AKR): .368 (7-19), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 1.033 OPS
Nick Weglarz (OF - AKR): .320 (8-25), 3 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K, 1.069 OPS
Nick Hagadone (LHP - KIN): 0-1, 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 9.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
Greg Folgia (OF - LC): .375 (9-24), 3 R, 0 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.054 OPS
Bo Greenwell (OF - LC): .440 (11-25), 8 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K, 5 SB, 1.037 OPS
Jeremie Tice (3B - LC): .360 (9-25), 3 R, 4 2B, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K, .890 OPS
Joe Gardner (RHP - LC): 1-0, 2 G, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 18 K

Director’s Cuts

Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins is at High-A Kinston this week to see some of his prized starting pitching prospects in action, and this week shared some thoughts on his talented starting staff in Kinston as well as the makeup of the Triple-A Columbus roster:

On the strength of the farm system:  "It was a very positive and productive spring training.  We are extremely healthy on the minor league front, and really looking forward to seeing how the trade infusion, the selections of the last draft, the progress of some young Latin American players, and how that all plays out over the course of the 2010 season.  It is the deepest and most balanced we have felt in a long time."

On the Kinston rotation:  "They are off to a good start on the pitching front, and they are punching out a lot of guys which is a very good sign.  They are doing it with some powerful stuff, especially the first three guys who have a chance to be elite in Alex White, Nick Hagadone and Kelvin De La Cruz.  All three guys are throwing the ball well.  De La Cruz has thrown the ball better in the past, but he still looks fine.  There is a lot of ceiling there with all three of those guys, and all three are very powerful and been in the mid-90s and as you know Nick has been above that."

On where to assign Alex White to start his career: "There is certainly a lot of thought, time and energy that goes into making sure we are putting him in the right place for each step and at the same time to have some success.  The situation here for Alex is he grew up 30 minutes from Greenville and went to the University of North Carolina.  In his first start they had 2000 more people in the same game on the same night a year ago.  That's in most part attributed to him on every subjective account.  He is really an impressive young pitcher and seemingly a very impressive young man.  He has not burned any bridges along the way and has a lot of fans here locally.  He has a lot of upside as a pitcher.  He is an impressive athlete and impressive person."

On the Columbus starting rotation:  "They are young with ceiling, especially Carlos Carrasco and Hector Rondon.  Those two jump out because of the youth, projection, and the chance to be better than what they are.  Jeanmar Gomez is very solid and has some upside there as well, and we feel very good about Yohan Pino and Scott Lewis as well.  Lewis has been there before, and if he can sustain some health we could have something there again.  But the key pieces are Carrasco and Hector Rondon."

On Carlos Santana:  “I think Carlos has made incredible progress since he has converted to the catching position.  Time will tell, but he will certainly benefit from being around a more veteran pitcher, having to be a leader at a position that demands that, and will benefit greatly from some Triple-A time.  How much time is really going to be dictated by his [defensive] performance."

On Trevor Crowe:  "It was very tough [to send him down].  No one plays this game at the professional level to stay in the minor leagues, especially someone of his caliber.  It was a very tough initial blow to him, but certainly one he can handle.  His quote to me was 'hey I wasn't good enough last year when I got the opportunity so I have to do that the next time and I will be better for it’."

Ambriz Looking To Get Healthy

Indians Rule 5 pick right-hander Hector Ambriz is currently on the major league disabled list with elbow tendonitis.  He is currently on a 30-day minor league rehab assignment which started on April 10^th, so the Indians have until May 9^th to make a decision on whether to activate him on the big league roster, complete a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks to obtain his full rights, or offer him back to the Diamondbacks.  There is also the possibility that after the 30-day rehab period is over that he is not healthy, but at the moment all signs point to that not being the case.

"It is feeling a lot better,” said Ambriz in the Columbus clubhouse after his first rehab appearance with the Clippers on Saturday night.  “The plan is to get healthy, go out and pitch and throw up some zeroes."

That’s what Ambriz has done so far as in two appearances he has pitched a total of two shutout innings, allowing four hits, no walks, and racking up four strikeouts.  The Indians envisioned him in a bullpen role when they selected him in the Rule 5 Draft this past December because his biggest strength is his ability to attack hitters and throw strikes.  But having not pitched out of the bullpen before and trying to impress the powers that be, Ambriz overexerted himself and suffered a minor setback with his arm in spring training.

“It was my first year coming into camp as a reliever as I have always been a starter,” said Ambriz.  “I just probably tried to let it all out and something happened."

With the Indians bullpen showing some early season inconsistency and struggles, they may soon turn to Ambriz and give him a shot to see what he can do before sending him back to the Diamondbacks.  Eventually the Indians will have to make a decision on him one way or another.

"Well, I hope so as that is my goal,” said Ambriz about maybe soon getting that major league opportunity.  “Ever since they Rule 5ed me that has been my goal and obviously it was their goal for me to get up there.  So I am just here to get healthy."

Manager’s Minute: Mike Sarbaugh

Triple-A Columbus Clippers Manager Mike Sarbaugh took about ten minutes of his time on Saturday to talk about some of the players on his roster and what is expected of them this season:

On Carlos Santana:  "I think just for him being able to go level to level, and having that full season [in Akron] last year I think is really beneficial for him.  Coming here we all know he is ready for this level, and the consensus has always been that the bat has always been there. I think it’s just about defensively being more consistent with his game-calling and his receiving.  He has done a great job blocking balls here the first few days, and he has always been pretty quick behind the plate.  It is just helping that pitcher get out of a situation, and having him think along with that pitcher.  I think having more experienced players will be very helpful for him with what they have seen and their experiences.”

On Santana's English:  "I think his [English] is definitely improved since last year.  I think sometimes it will come into play, but I think if he does what he needs to do I think it will all take care of itself.  I think it is all about him being able to go up to a Mike Gosling and being comfortable talking to him [in English] about how they are going to attack a guy or where he is going to set up.  I think just for him to get comfortable where he knows that this is his staff and he is able to talk to each guy and is comfortable speaking the language, and I think it will help him the more he confronts that."

On Hector Rondon:  "We all know he has that explosive fastball, but he is going to have to be able to throw his secondary pitches for strikes and know how to use them.  I think he is still learning as he is only 22 years old and I think that is just part of his development.  I think coming here last year in the second half of last year definitely helped as well as his second big league camp.  He had a little bit of a tough outing the other night, but everybody did.  He just didn't have his real good fastball command, and that happens.  I think he is definitely where he needs to be and he just has to keep working and get better every start.  I think he got away with using his fastball at anytime last year [in Akron], but I think he now knows that when he does go to it that he has to have it plus the location.  He knows that, and it is something he is going to have to work on."

On Jeanmar Gomez:  "For him I think it is to just continue doing what he did last year and just throw strikes down in the zone.  The one thing with Jeanmar [which stands out] is the maturity we saw from him last year and how he built off of each start.  I think when he got there a little bit early on he had some jitters with the new level.  He really matured a little bit last year and seeing him in major league camp this year he did well and his confidence is good and he is right where he should be.  It's all part of development where you just go out and pitch your game, keep learning from it, and take each start and try to keep getting better."

On Wes Hodges:  "He is a first baseman now, so he will be over there unless he DH’s or has a day off.  Opening night he really made some nice plays over there, especially for his first game under the lights at a new position.  I was really happy with how he played.  He is still learning and getting comfortable over there.  I feel the transition is going well especially when we are maybe four weeks into it.  [The position switch came about] in spring training.  When he first got there they just kind of introduced him to it and had him start taking some ground balls, do some early work, and then gradually got him into a few games.  And then when he went down to minor league camp he spent the entire time over there.  It's been good, and I think he has taken to it and enjoys being over there."

On Jason Donald:  "Coming in it is more 50-50 [that he will split time at second base and shortstop], maybe a little more at second base.  But the one thing I want him to do when he plays second base is play there three to four games in a row so he can kind of get comfortable as much as he can, and then when he goes to short keep him over there for four to five and then move him back.  We'll see how it goes, but I know moving from the left side to the right side takes a little bit to get comfortable over there.  I think he has picked up on it pretty well, and it's going to be a process but he has done well."

Role Changes

Infielder Jason Donald is going to spend a lot of time at Triple-A Columbus splitting time at second base and shortstop.  Prior to last year he had always played shortstop, so he will get a much heavier dose of playing time at second base this season in order to more familiarize him with the position, one that many think he could eventually settle in at as the everyday guy in Cleveland.  To help his development and get him more acquainted to the position as well as stay sharp at shortstop, manager Mike Sarbaugh plans to have him start at least three games in a row at second base and then start three games in a row at shortstop, and just repeat the process with a day off in between the position switch each week.  The transition to second base is a huge reason why he was never really an option to make the big league team out of spring training.  Other factors like making sure he is 100% healthy from the back injury (he is) which sidelined him late last year and also managing his service time certainly were considered, but the main one was finishing off his development by getting him some more Triple-A at bats and working on his transition to second base.  In six games this season he is hitting .391 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, and a 1.003 OPS.

Left-handed pitcher Jeremy Sowers is still in the organization and was just recently activated at Triple-A Columbus where he will be pitching out of the bullpen.  Sowers was designated for assignment near the end of spring training to open a roster spot on the 40-man roster, and when he went unclaimed on waivers he was outrighted to Columbus (he was not a free agent so had to accept the assignment).  All spring Sowers struggled with some discomfort and inflammation in his left shoulder which never really allowed him an opportunity to compete much for a big league job in the spring, and somewhat surprisingly allowed him to pass through waivers untouched.  Sowers is supposedly feeling better and is expected to make his season debut for Columbus on either Friday or Saturday by pitching an inning or two out of the bullpen.  The Indians may finally be moving on from Sowers as a starter and now looking at him as a reliever, a move that is long overdue if you ask me.

As for first baseman and outfielder Shelly Duncan, he is not only major league depth for the big league team, but he provides a much needed veteran presence in the middle of the Columbus lineup which should pay big dividends to the likes of Carlos Santana, Wes Hodges, Jason Donald, and others.  Already in the first week the benefits of having him in the middle of the lineup protecting the others has shown itself as he takes a lot of pressure off the other young hitters.  He won the International League MVP last year while playing with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so it is nothing but a good thing to add his bat to the lineup.  He is still working his way back from a right elbow injury which slowed him in spring training, and it has shown in the first week of the season as in seven games he is hitting .208 with 1 HR, 8 RBI and a .740 OPS. 

So, Who Is #3?

While there is little doubt that catcher Carlos Santana will be up with the big league club by sometime around mid-season and become the #1 catcher, one thing to consider is what happens if something happens to current big league catchers Lou Marson or Mike Redmond in the meantime?  The Indians are pretty committed at the moment that no matter what Santana likely will not see big league action before June.  So, with that said, in the event Marson or Redmond are hurt they would turn to either Triple-A Columbus backup Damaso Espino or Double-A Akron starter Wyatt Toregas.

Toregas is still in the Indians' organization.  At the conclusion of spring training he was removed from the roster to clear space for the addition of one of the three non-roster veteran invitees the added to the roster, and after clearing waivers he was outrighted to Akron.  Players who are removed from the 40-man roster for the first time have no say in the matter as they cannot choose to sign with another team and instead must accept the assignment if they clear waivers.  It was no doubt a blow for Toregas who went from battling for a big league opportunity to going all the way to Double-A, and most of all making roughly 1/30th the amount of cash that he could have made in the majors.  That said, he was sent to Akron so he could play everyday, something that is obviously not an option for him at Triple-A Columbus as long as Carlos Santana is there.  In five games he is hitting .263 with 0 HR, 3 RBI, and a .687 OPS.

Espino is a minor league lifer who is not a prospect, but has developed a solid reputation as a good defensive catcher who can be a serviceable backup.  He won't hit much, but he does all the little things, does a very good job handling a pitching staff, and has been helpful in Santana's development by serving as his mentor.  He was a non-drafted free agent signing with the Cincinnati Reds in 1999, so has spent the better part of the past 11 years in the minors.  The Reds traded him to Kansas City in 2003, and then Kansas City traded him to the Indians in 2008.  Since being acquired with the Indians, he has served as Santana's backup catcher for a majority of his time in the organization.  In two games he is hitting .250 with 0 HR, 1 RBI and a .500 OPS.

When it comes down to it, as long as Toregas is in the organization he is likely the defacto number three catcher in the short term.  He was already deemed worthy enough of a 40-man roster spot once, and the Indians still value his defensive abilities and the way he takes charge of a pitching staff.  To go along with the experience of being on the 40-man roster and already spending some time at the big league level in 2009 with the Indians, Toregas also has a better bat that is more major league caliber that has some pop in it.

Now, after this season the situation will be different as Toregas will be a minor league free agent (unless placed on and kept on the offseason 40-man roster, which is unlikely).  There is almost no way Toregas would re-sign with the Indians, so if that does come to pass then Espino is likely the #3 catcher in waiting at Triple-A Columbus next year for the expected big league catching tandem of Santana and Marson.  In the event Marson is traded, Espino could become the backup in Cleveland unless the Indians prefer to re-sign Mike Redmond or another veteran catcher like him with lots of major league experience.

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

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IPI Inbox: Perez, Judy On The Mend

It's time to clear out the inbox, which as expected with the start of the season is starting to fill up much more quickly. With that in mind, the IPI Inbox will likely become a weekly feature this season, likely on Saturday. If you have a question on anything pertaining to the Indians minor league players and team, or even the big league team, feel free to contact me.  I also pull from questions in the comments sections in articles, so you can post your question there as well.

To the inbox we go.....

Jim F. and about 100 others: Tony, noticed that A. Perez has not pitched in Kinston yet. The roster shows him active. What gives? Has he been moved to the pen?

Me: My inbox has been slammed the last 24 hours about questions pertaining to High-A right-handed starting pitcher Alexander Perez since he did not pitch in the first five games (right-hander Joey Mahalic pitched in his place in the rotation). Basically, like right-hander Josh Judy, he came down with some arm tightness in his last spring training outing. It isn’t considered serious as he traveled to Kinston when spring training broke instead of staying behind in Goodyear (like Judy) to rehab. Perez is tentatively scheduled to pitch on Sunday for Kinston.

Speaking of Judy, I am hearing he is close to being activated. He had some elbow tightness, but threw a bullpen session yesterday and was pain free. He is expected to throw some breaking balls today to see how his arm feels and provided there are no setbacks he is expected to be activated soon, possible by week’s end.

Tom M. wrote: Just wondering your thoughts on the Reds rookie 1st rounder Mike Leake making his professional debut [Sunday] in the majors. Good idea or will he become Steve Dunning? Is he that advanced compared to Alex White?

Me: To me at least, the Reds are pushing the envelope a little here with Leake. We'll see how it goes, but quite often this sort of move backfires and some consequences are involved. It may work out, but he should have at least started the season in Double-A and pitched most of the season in Double-A and Triple-A before maybe coming up the second half of the year if warranted. They are one of the worst systems in baseball (bottom third) and are desperate for pitching, so it is a gamble they maybe felt worth taking. I mean, the Nationals have Steven Strasburg in Double-A at the moment, and if anyone should maybe be in the bigs now it is him, but the Nationals are playing it right by not being impatient.

That all said, Leake is very polished and has very good command and poise, so apparently they think he has the attributes to start in the big leagues now and that they can finish him off up at the Major League level. With little options to choose from, they feel this is the route to go. For a team like the Indians who have a lot of young options to sift through, this would not be the case with someone like Alex White. There are so many comparable options to him in the system that are above him at Double-A and Triple-A that the Indians need to find out about them first before turning to White. If White performs and develops as expected, he could possibly be in Cleveland sometime late in 2011, though again there is no rush because of the abundance of pitching the Indians have to sort through before turning to him.

JeterCP wrote: I read before that Toregas has sort of an attitude and has needed to clear his head at times. During spring training this year he mentioned to me that if he didn’t latch on with the Indians that he would go somewhere else. Is it fair to say that no one was really interested in him? Could his demotion all the way to Akron have something to do with his tendency to have an attitude?

Me: I have to say, the notion that catcher Wyatt Toregas has an attitude problem would certainly be news to me. His pitchers love working with him and the Indians like him both from a makeup perspective and his defensive abilities, so I don’t know where the “attitude” issue is coming from as I have only heard positive things about him. I’ve spoken to him a few times and he comes across as a very nice guy with an openness to talk. There is absolutely no doubt he is probably bitter at the moment about the whole situation he is going through with being removed from the roster, not getting picked up, and now in Double-A Akron. Wouldn’t you be though if you just had a baby and were trying to make ends meet and now have to live on about $1200 a month as a minor leaguer rather than about $2500 a day as a major leaguer? So, you can see why these guys take it so hard when they are sent to the minors (I will actually post a money story on the minors soon).

Also, he wasn't demoted to Akron, it's just where he can get everyday at bats plus the Indians have a real need there at catcher. He was DFAed, and all other 29 clubs passed on him to claim him and add him to their 40-man roster, so maybe it was a reality check for him. That said, he was not a free agent nor had any opportunity to sign with someone else as first time removals from the 40-man don't get that right. Once every team passed on his waiver claim, he was still the property of the Indians and he could not negotiate a deal to go to another team even on a minor league deal. He just needs to stick it out this season, go out and perform, and if he does that someone may take a shot on him as he will be a minor league free agent (assuming he is not 40-man rostered by the Indians before that, as 40-man status always trumps minor league free agency).

Bob wrote: It occurs that Toregas has been passed over in favor of Marson, the question being, is Marson better, and by how much?

Me: Yeah as soon as the Indians acquired catcher Lou Marson he became the second best catching prospect in the organization by default. He's just viewed as a better prospect than Toregas, mostly because he is nearly four years younger and he shows better skills at the plate with making consistent contact and getting on base. Toregas has more power and is better defensively, but Marson just has a higher ceiling as he still has projection and room for growth whereas Toregas is what he is. Toregas may still get a chance this year with the Indians, but his days with the club likely end at the end of the season when he becomes a minor league free agent.

Indian Inkslinger wrote: Looks to me like there are probably 4 pitchers at Kinston that could wind up on the Akron roster by midseason. Any thoughts on whether Graham or Espino is headed for the pen by then? Can we consider the experiment finished with McBride at Catcher?

Me: I would think as soon as left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz and potentially others move up from High-A Kinston to Double-A Akron that right-hander Connor Graham, left-hander Ryan Edell and right-hander Paolo Espino will move to the pen full time. Actually, once left-hander Eric Berger returns he will bump Edell back to the pen anyway. Their future is in the pen, and with the Indians starting De La Cruz in Kinston it will afford at least Graham to continue to work as a starter to develop his pitches (Espino should be the first to go to the pen).

As for first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride's catching future, I get the sense he is all but done there. The Indians have not commented so, but actions speak louder than words sometimes. After sending him to the Arizona Fall League to try catching again and then there be an enormous gap in catching talent after Carlos Santana in Triple-A, the fact that they are not playing McBride at catcher now in Akron says it all if you ask me. I think aside from an emergency situation, he is about done playing behind the plate and his future will be as a guy who is versatile and can plan first base and the corner outfield spots as well as serve as an emergency catcher. There is some value there.

Chad wrote: So what exactly are the "extra" guys [on rosters] doing right now? If they aren't on the roster, what are they doing?

Me: The extra players hanging around Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron are all working out with the team and take part in batting practice, fielding drills, pre-game workouts, etc. They do everything but play in the real games. The Triple-A roster is always very fluid, and there are roughly five to six extra guys there at the moment not rostered (Jeremy Sowers, Luis Rodriguez, Jerad Head, etc). At the lower levels, some quick callups may be expected as there are some extra players at Double-A Akron and High-A Kinston as well, though nowhere near as many as there are with Columbus.

Brian wrote: Is Jeremy Sowers active in Columbus? If so, are they going with an 8-man pen, or is one of the other relievers inactive?

Me: Sowers is in Columbus, but inactive. I have no idea when he will be active as he still has left arm soreness and recently had it examined, but I saw him in the clubhouse there in Columbus over the weekend, so he is definitely there.

Aaron H wrote: On the Kinston's site Jason Kipnis is listed as a first baseman. Did the Indians change his position? Or is this a typo? Wasn't he originally a second baseman?

Me: No, Kipnis is a second baseman. It is simply a typo by MinorLeagueBaseball.com. I contacted them about it, they know of it, and it should be corrected soon.

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IPI Inbox: Opening Day Is Here!

The Cleveland Indians 2010 season officially gets underway later today in Chicago at 2:05 PM EST when they face off with the White Sox, and the Indians’ minor league affiliates in Columbus, Akron, Kinston and Lake County are set to open their season on Thursday night. With that in mind, let’s clean out the e-mail inbox from spring training and talk about all the recent roster decisions and more.

As a quick sidenote, rather than give a longwinded prediction as to the success or failures of the 2010 Cleveland Indians, I will just say that I think this team will be better and more exciting than a lot of people think. It will be a rollercoaster of a ride this season, but by the same token I think there will be a lot to get excited about by the end of the season. It is going to be a lot of fun and frustrating at the same time watching this starting rotation and bullpen shake itself out, and in the end I am predicting they make some noise in August before finishing in third place in the division at 78-84. While they could surprise this season given the weak AL Central, no matter what happens I think it will be a good building block of a season for 2011 which I think is when they truly jump back into the contention ring.

Onto the inbox….

Aaron H. wrote: Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook, Kerry Wood, Russell Branyan and Jhonny Peralta could all be coming off the books soon. Possibly even Carmona after his contract ends in 2011, but it all depends on his success this season and next. With that said, does that money go to Choo, Cabrera and, if there is enough, Grady? I expect Choo and Cabrera to get signed soon, but Grady?

Me: If you look at the Indians payroll situation for the next seven years, you can definitely see that a lot of money is coming off the books after this season. After this season the Indians only have contract commitments of any kind to three players, Travis Hafner ($13M), Grady Sizemore ($7.7M), and Fausto Carmona ($6.3M) which totals about $27 million. For a team that in 2011 will likely operate with a payroll somewhere between $50-60 million, that offers them the potential to add anywhere from $25-35 million in payroll next year. Some of that I am almost positive will come in the form of new long term deals to young players nearing arbitration to carry them through their arbitration years and their first year or two of free agency. I would be very surprised if Asdrubal Cabrera is not locked up in this way, though I think Shin-Soo Choo will be a much more difficult task. In any case you can bet both get long term contract offers sometime this season, the only question will be whether they sign them. If Justin Masterson is doing well by the All Star break, he is another who may get one of those long term offers as well. In any case, these players are going to be with the Indians for at least four more seasons including the upcoming season, so it is not time to panic about them yet.

Even if they do sign Cabrera and Choo to long term deals, they are going to have a lot of flexibility next offseason to add some payroll and bring in free agents on somewhat expensive one year or possibly two year deals. The money saved from the likes of Jake Westbrook, Kerry Wood, Jhonny Peralta, and Russell Branyan coming off the big league payroll next year will really help the Indians in their efforts to add some mid level free agents to fill gaps and to also extend players currently with the team. I don't anticipate Sizemore resigning to any kind of extension as he will likely test out the free agent waters. Because of that, the Indians may attempt to reach an extension with him next year sometime, but that seems like a long shot and it seems that barring something unexpected happening with Sizemore taking a lot less to stay here that he will be traded at some point during the 2012 season.

Frank wrote: Although he didn't pitch last season what is you're feeling on right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner? I looked at his college stats and saw an interesting theme. In almost 90 innings he had 19 hit batters but only gave up 3 home runs. It appears he will bust you inside but not leave the ball in the sweet zone. Might he start in Kinston?

Me: Gardner will open the season in the Low-A Lake County rotation. After he missed the chance to make his professional debut last year for short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley because of a minor injury which lingered, it all but locked him into a Lake County assignment to start this season. He was the Indians 3rd round pick in last year’s draft, so he obviously comes with some value since he was taken so high. He is still kind of raw on the mound so it will be very interesting to follow him this year with his development and performance. He throws a heavy sinking fastball which allows him to keep the ball down and the home runs to a minimum, and he is also not afraid to pitch inside. These two things are very important and something the Indians like to see with their young pitchers, so he is off to a good start at least from that perspective. Now it is just about seeing what he does and how he improves.

Rich S. wrote: Could the injury to Kerry Wood end up being beneficial to the Indians in that it will make it harder to finish enough games to automatically kick in his 2011 option? Wouldn't this make him more tradeable?

Me: I think the injury definitely benefits the Indians at least financially and from a trade perspective. There is now just about no way he will ever finish 55 games this year, and with that the Indians will not be bound to his $11 million option for 2011 which would have automatically vested with 55 or more games finishes this season. This also applies to any team which were to acquire him this year, so it certainly helps make him more attractive to any team in a potential trade knowing they won’t be on the hook for him past this year. A team can pick him up for the stretch run, and if he struggles or they are not impressed with him they can just decline his 2011 option. But, there is also the chance he fits in well and they like what they see, and they could always pick up the 2011 option. If he is healthy come July, I expect him to be highly sought not only because of what he could bring to a contending team’s pitching staff, but he would not cost a lot for three months and that team also would have control over him for 2011.

On the flipside, the injury really hurts the Indians at the moment. Initially I felt the injury actually helped them as it allowed them to get a longer look at right-hander Chris Perez as a closer and potentially some other arms in the pen. But, after thinking about it more, the injury was the worst thing that could happen to the bullpen to start the season. Now not only do you lose your closer, you also lose your setup man as Chris Perez was expected to be that guy. So you are not only finding out about your closer now, but you are also playing musical chairs and trying to find a setup man to start the season. It could be the recipe for a disaster in the bullpen to start the season, and having Wood in there to stabilize the pen and have everyone else fall in line behind him may have helped a lot more at least to start the season.

JeterCP wrote: Wow no one wanted [left-hander Jeremy] Sowers? Has his stock diminished that much? Surely you would think someone would have claimed him.

Me: It is not much of a surprise really to see Sowers clear waivers. First off he is somewhat damaged goods as he has battled shoulder soreness all of spring training. Secondly, he has largely been ineffective for most of his four year big league career. Last, and probably most importantly, other teams are also feeling the roster crunch as they were releasing players too in order to get their 25-man and 40-man rosters set. Had Sowers been designated for assignment in September or October, I think he may have been claimed. It was really just a good time to make a move on Sowers from the Indians point of view, and shows that sometimes contrary to what the fans may think the Indians may know a thing or two about roster manipulation. Plus, as fans, we tend to over value our own players anyway!

Dave wrote: [Right-handers] Dallas Cawiezell and Mike Pontius are surprise [cuts], at least in seeing BOTH of them released. Both have very good arms, and if I recall, Pontius was a highly regarded prospect just a season or two ago. What happened with these guys, Tony?

Me: It was just a numbers game that they didn’t win. After all of the trades the Indians have completed over the past year netted them some nice arms, it pushed a lot of their in-house guys down a notch or two, or in the case of Cawiezell and Pontius out of the organization. Last year Cawiezell was a bubble guy to be released after spring training, so it is not too much of a surprise to see him released, though he had nice size and a good arm in the pen. But I expected it because of the depth of pen arms at AAA/AA. In a different less deep system, he probably gets another year. As for Pontius, his injury last year really killed his prospect standing. He told me he was all the way back this spring, and the velocity was just about there, but in missing all that time it opened the door for a lot more players to jump him on the depth charts. In addition to that I was told he just did not have a very good spring. Injuries can often be a death sentence to a minor leaguer as if you are not playing someone else is getting a chance plus every year 30-50 new players are brought in via the draft or free agency to take their job.

Brock wrote: I thought [left-handed pitcher Kelvin] De La Cruz was going to be in Akron?

Me: De La Cruz was 50/50 for Double-A Akron to start the season, though if healthy he should still spend the majority of the season in Akron this year. You have to remember that he was slated at High-A Kinston to start last year and only made two starts before missing the rest of the season. Even though he pitched in Instructional League in the fall, the Indians consider Kinston the most important level for a player to develop at and with that they probably would like to see him make a few more starts there. They also likely want to see him get his season going, get his feet wet and back in top form, and then probably move up quickly by May/June to Akron.

Jake Taylor wrote: Any reason Vidal Nuno is with Extended Spring Training? The guy was absolutely lights out and isn't even good enough to grab a bullpen spot in Lake County? Is he hurt?

Me: No, Nuno is 100% healthy, at least to my knowledge. He definitely had a very good statistical performance last year, but unfortunately it didn’t change his view very much as a prospect. He is still a guy drafted out of the 48th round who doesn’t have very good stuff, he just competes well and throws strikes. There is still also a question as to whether him being a crafty left-hander and a little older may have helped him dominate hitters at the short-season and rookie ball levels. In any case, it was good to see how he performed last year as it surely put his name on the map, which for a lower level draft pick like him is all he could hope for in the early stages of his career. For now though, there are some other arms the Indians need to see at Lake County first as for one left-hander Chris Jones is in the pen there, but I think Nuno will be in Lake County (or Kinston) at some point fairly quickly. I mean, who do you take out of that Lake County bullpen? The problem at the moment is there are so many starters and several of them are now pitching in the bullpen, and as a result it is pushing some of the relievers back a level or to extended spring training. Injuries and performance issues always crop up the first month or two of the season, so I am sure we will see Nuno at some point in April or May.

Jake Taylor wrote: A bit surprised to see [right-handed pitcher Connor] Graham and [right-handed pitcher Paolo] Espino still starting, but should I assume that those 2, as well as [right-hander Zach] Putnam are likely ticketed for the bullpen in the near future?

Me: Graham is definitely in the starting rotation to start the season, though to be honest I am not 100% that Espino will be, but the way the pitching staff looks he looks like the favorite to hold down the fifth spot in the short term. Yes, all three of Graham, Espino, and Putnam are likely bound for a bullpen role, but the Indians really want to develop Putnam’s secondary stuff and they are really trying to refine Graham’s command of his fastball. The best place to do that is in the starting rotation where these guys can work on stuff for five to six innings an outing and at the same time develop a routine throwing every five days with a 30-40 pitch throwing session mixed in there on one of their off days. Espino is just keeping the rotation spot warm until Kelvin De La Cruz is eventually called up in May, and once that occurs he will probably go to the Akron bullpen.

Dave G. wrote: What does it mean when a pitcher is placed in extended spring training?

Me: Extended spring training runs from April to June. It's in Goodyear, the same place as regular spring training, and is where all the extra guys who don’t make full season teams continue to develop and work on things and play games to get ready for short season leagues which start up in June. I have an article on it that I will update and re-post next week.

Josh wrote: Is Jordan Brown back at first base?

Me: With the Indians need at first base, they are definitely keeping him in mind as a first baseman. Not an everyday guy, but someone who at best could platoon there at the big league level if a need arises. The Indians are thin at first base as they only really have Matt LaPorta available to play there everyday at the big league level, and it can be argued it is the weakest position in the system as far as true depth options go. Beau Mills is returning to Double-A Akron to continue his development, and if he has a better season this year than last he could enter into the everyday first base discussion at the big league level by the end of the season. But as for Brown, his best chance as an everyday player is left field, though when he makes the Indians’ roster he will likely rotate between left field, first base and designated hitter.

Brian wrote: It may be very difficult to whittle down that Akron bullpen from 10 to 7. Any ideas as to who gets sent down to EST?

Me: As for the ten relievers in Akron at the moment, the roster has not yet been finalized so some last minute changes can occur. Also, a pitcher or two could open on the disabled list, and if I had to guess right-hander Vinnie Pestano and left-hander Heath Taylor will at least to start the season since they are coming off severe arm injuries from last year. They have pitched well in spring training and are supposedly healthy, so I am just guessing with that as it is entirely possible they open the season in the bullpen. We will know one way or another in the next 48 hours. Remember that last year right-hander Carlton Smith opened the year in Akron as an extra bullpen guy and was not activated until late April, so three of the arms could just hang around the team for a short while before being activated. As we know, the bullpen situation in Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus will be in flux all year, and some big changes could occur within the first month of the season, so the extra arms on reserve in Akron may help.

Follow me on Twitter @tlastoria.

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Roster D-Day

The Indians have made some roster decisions today, as they have named outfielder Michael Brantley as the starter in left field. Brantley was expected to be the everyday left fielder for most of the offseason, but the Indians always wanted to find a veteran option at first base or left field if possible in order to send him to Triple-A Columbus to start the season for more seasoning and to manage his service clock. The signing of first baseman Russell Branyan allowed this to happen, but with Branyan out all spring with a lingering back issue, it opened the door for Brantley to once again be the starter in left field.

With Brantley on the team and the starter in left field, the Indians only needed to make a decision on the fourth outfielder.  As expected, they decided on Austin Kearns, and have optioned Trevor Crowe to Columbus.

While Jamey Wright has yet to be officially announced as a member of the opening day bullpen, it is all but a certainty. With him in the pen it left one spot between Jensen Lewis, Saul Rivera and Hector Ambriz. As expected, Lewis won the spot and Rivera will open the season in Columbus. He has an opt out in his contract where if he is not on a big league roster by May 15th he can leave the Indians. Ambriz will open the season on the disabled list with right elbow tendonitis.

In addition to Wright and Kearns, Mark Grudzielanek is expected to make the 25-man roster.  We will probably not get an "official" addition to the roster of Wright, Grudz, and Kearns until this weekend, which we will find out then which two additional players were cleared from the 40-man (likely Henderson and Toregas....Ambriz was DLed, so seems he is out of the woods).  You don't roster NRI guys like Wright, Grudzielanek, and Kearns until the last day of camp. That way if they somehow get hurt these final few days they haven't DFAed someone who otherwise may have been an option.

Speaking of creating roster room, the Indians designated left-hander Jeremy Sowers for assignment a few days ago. His removal from the 40-man roster will allow them to add one of as many as three non-roster invitees they plan to add to the 40-man (Grudzielanek, Wright, Kearns). Sowers has already cleared waivers and will be sent to Columbus where he likely opens the season on the disabled list there.

Lou Marson is officially the starting catcher as Wyatt Toregas was optioned out to Columbus.  Toregas could also soon be a 40-man casualty in order to add one of the non-roster players.

Andy Marte has made the team as the backup at third base and first base.

Last, there were no releases in minor league camp today, though another round (possibly final) of cuts are expected on Thursday or Friday.

I'll update this posting later today once the last rotation spot between David Huff and Carlos Carrasco is announced.

Follow Tony Lastoria on Twitter @tlastoria

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IPI Inbox: Salcedo Saga Nearing End

It is time for another edition of the IPI Inbox, one which will be broken up into two pieces with part one today and part two tomorrow or Saturday. Today's piece will concentrate more on questions pertaining to the big league team, while the second edition will answer some questions about the farm system.

One quick note and correction to my Russell Branyan piece from over the weekend, and that is to note that in the comments section I made mention that I did not believe Andy Marte would be the one designated for assignment once the Branyan signing is made official. As announced yesterday, the Indians chose to designate infielder Chris Gimenez. I just wanted to clarify that I misspoke and that the Indians very much value Marte because he is their best defender at both first base and third base, and being right-handed it would allow the Indians to play him and Matt LaPorta almost exclusively against left-handers with Branyan and Travis Hafner sitting.

Anyway, to the inbox we go...

Devin R: In the past couple of days, and seemingly out of nowhere, the Braves have been tied to Edward Salcedo -- most recently, mlbtraderumors.com has them finalizing a deal as soon as he passes a physical. They mention his birthday has "recently" been established as July 30, 1991. Where were the Indians when this happened? We had this guy playing in our DR facilities for at least a year (longer, if I remember correctly). He disappears for a couple years because of concerns about his age, and we completely lose touch?

Me: First off, I see you asked Indians.com beat reporter Anthony Castrovince this same question and he provided a spot on response in his mailbag earlier in the week. To recap what Castrovince said, Salcedo has been trying to sign with a major league team for the past three years but has been unsuccessful in those attempts because of an investigation into his identity. While the Braves appear close to signing him, it doesn't mean the investigations into his identity being conducted by both Major League Baseball and the United States Consulate are in the clear.

Now, as to why the Indians have "lost touch" with Salcedo? It is just one of those things where to my knowledge the Indians interest and contact with him completely flat-lined once the identity issues cropped up three years ago. Whether or not he is cleared and his identity is verified no longer matters as they have apparently moved on. Also, Salcedo was never at the Indians' Dominican Republic facilities for a year as any report on that is inaccurate because by rule teams cannot have a player at their academy for more than 30 days. The Indians did have him in for a few short visits and even saw him play in the USA when he participated in a Perfect Game event, but that's it.

Aaron wrote: When reading your comments you said "this [Branyan] signing in no way is blocking anyone of importance." You don't think this will cut into LaPorta's time? Matt is a "true prospect" that is ready (if no setbacks health wise.) How many starts, when healthy, will LaPorta get? I am not for platooning.

Me: I am not for a platoon either in this case. In the right situation where two role players are used to maximize their strengths and limit their weaknesses, I am fine with it, sort of like the "Benuardo" platoon in 2006 with Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez. But in the case of LaPorta, he is considered an everyday player so will get everyday at bats. What is likely to happen here is while there is no strict platoon, the Indians are going to be cautious with how they use him this year and not just throw him out to the wolves and play every night come hell or high water. The plan is for him to get around 500 plate appearances, but his performance over the course of the season will dictate whether he gets less or more plate appearances.

From the sounds of it, LaPorta will split time in left field with Michael Brantley and also play first base or designated hitter against lefties so the Indians can sit Branyan and/or Travis Hafner. So, while Branyan is expected to be the “regular” first baseman, he shouldn’t really block anyone other than Andy Marte and Chris Gimenez (who are no longer prospects). Branyan is more an insurance option for the Indians so they can be a little more careful in the use of LaPorta and even Michael Brantley who will both be in their first full big league seasons. Whether or not Branyan is the right fit is certainly debatable, and I subscribe to the belief that he is a wasteful signing, but even without signing Branyan his role is one that would have been filled by "someone" this year to help lessen LaPorta's burden, so make of that what you will.

Brian wrote: How in the world are we going to give any of the trio of Ambriz, Sowers, and Talbot a chance if we only have a 6-man bullpen?

Me: This question is in response to my note last week that the Indians may go with a 14-position player and 11-man pitching staff alignment for the 25-man opening day roster. I’ve since changed my stance on that as it appears the Indians may instead go without a true 4th outfielder, so they could still have a 13-position player and 12-man pitching staff alignment.

But, to answer the question, whether they go with a six or seven man bullpen I think the either scenario makes sense and still allows Talbot, Sowers and Ambriz to battle it out for the final spot. The only locks in the bullpen are Kerry Wood, Tony Sipp, Raffy Perez, Chris Perez and Joe Smith. That's five guys. Jensen Lewis is by no means a lock for a spot and has an option left, so he could open the season at Triple-A Columbus. The same goes for Jess Todd, who is all but certain to open the year in Columbus unless several injuries crop up this spring.

With a six man bullpen and Lewis/Todd in Columbus, the last bullpen spot would come down to one of Hector Ambriz, Mitch Talbot, Jeremy Sowers, and Aaron Laffey, with one of Laffey, Talbot, and Sowers being the fifth starter. Ambriz to me is a non-factor as I don't see any way he cracks the bullpen in a long man role over the other three, so to me Ambriz either is sent back to the Diamondbacks or if he impresses the Indians will work out a trade to acquire his full rights and send him to Columbus.

Talbot is the odds on favorite to me to be the 5th starter seeing how the Indians just completed a trade for him this offseason when they sent catcher Kelly Shoppach to the Rays. I actually think Laffey in the short term best fits in the long man role because of his versatility, and we sure are going to need someone reliable in the role to help in the first two months of the season while the rotation hashes itself out. I think Laffey could be in for a role similar to Jake Westbrook's in 2004 where he went in as the long man in the pen, but provided nice insurance for when a starter couldn't go long and eventually he found his way into the rotation full time that year by mid-May. Sowers looks to be the odd man out, though there is a chance he could open the year on the disabled list as the seeds have already been plated for that to occur based on reports he has had some arm discomfort this spring.

If they go with a seven man bullpen, which is likely, then the other spot should be a battle between Lewis, Todd and Ambriz. In this scenario if the Indians really like Ambriz and they can’t complete a fair trade with the Diamondbacks for his full rights, you could see him open in the big league bullpen with both Todd and Lewis in Columbus.

Ken Y. wrote: Will the Indians convert Rafael Perez into a starter?

Me: The Indians have hinted during the offseason that Perez could be moved back into a starter's role at some point this season. While I happen to think it is very unlikely to occur, in the chance it does it would not happen until at least the second half of the season as he needs to be built back up to handle a starter's role, something he has not done since the early part of 2006 in the minor leagues.

Quite frankly, I don't think Perez has the pitches to be a successful starter, so I don't know what the Indians are thinking here other than that they are just keeping their options open. With Perez being out of options they may look at every alternative to keep him on the roster if his bullpen struggles continue well into the coming season. His best pitch is his slider, a pitch which plays up in short stints out of the bullpen, but his fastball is barely average and he lacks any real quality third pitch. So, it doesn't appear starting him makes any sense other than pure desperation in a last ditch attempt to salvage his career with the Indians if he continues to struggle in the bullpen to where maybe stretching him out in the rotation for awhile can fix some of his consistency and command issues.

Eric T. wrote: Tony how far away are [Josh Judy and Zach Putnam] from contributing to the big league team? Could we see them at some point this year?

Me: With both in big league camp, they are most definitely considered big league options at some point this year. Both have vaulted to the top of the Indians depth chart among relief prospects yet to make their major league debut, and both could get that chance this year if things go right.

That said, unless the Indians find themselves in contention which would pressure them to promote them quicker, both will likely not be in Cleveland this year. The Indians just have too many other bullpen options to sort through this season as they look to build some semblance of a bullpen for 2011 and beyond. Anything can happen, but there are roster implications to consider too since Putnam does not need to be "rostered" until after the 2011 season, while Judy will need to be rostered after this season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

With that in mind, and considering there are only 40 major league roster spots, it seems very unlikely Putnam is added to the 40-man until sometime in 2011 unless he is just lights out and the Indians have an urgent need for bullpen help this season. Since Judy needs to be added to the roster anyway this coming offseason, he really could be added at anytime this year. I think in order to avoid possibly wasting an option on either player this year they would not be added to the big league roster until near the end of August or early September, much like what the Indians did with outfielder Michael Brantley last year.

Bruce C.: Does [the Indians GM change] mean anything except new titles?

Me: Shapiro is a good GM. This team was very good from a talent standpoint from 2005-2008, but two of those years they bombed because of a hellacious bullpen. He has surely made his mistakes, but I don't see very many other current GMs doing a better job with the limited resources he has to work with. And anyone that thinks Antonetti will simply be Shapiro clone may want to rethink their position a little bit. Yes, they seem alike in a lot of ways, but so is the case when the understudy is working for his "boss" and really can't open up and do as he chooses until he has control. I mean, Shapiro was viewed as a "Hart Clone" back when he was handpicked to succeed John Hart when Hart stepped down in 2001. Look how different Shapiro turned out to be. So, while it may seem like more of the same, I think we need to see Antonetti in the GM chair first before we can accurately assess whether it will just be business as usual like under Shapiro, or if he may bring something different to the table.

Salcedo photo courtesy of Perfect Game USA

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Bold Bullpen Moves Signal Indians New Direction

"We've always had a set way of doing things here and tried to respect. But now I think we've got to have a little greater sense of urgency where those things are not going to be as important." - Indians GM Mark Shapiro

Wow, what a crazy day yesterday in Tribe Land with all the roster moves, mostly in conjunction with an organization looking for answers for the major league bullpen. It was a monumental day in that for maybe the first time under GM Mark Shapiro’s leadership we see real signs that the organization is willing to think outside of the box for solutions and also has a sense of urgency to fix an issue with a team still barely a month into the season.

In the past, the Indians have notoriously been extremely slow to make moves or respond to problem areas of the team in-season mostly because of their even keel and patient approach of doing things. They often have waited for that 40-game mark to consider moves, but with how the bullpen has imploded this year and is absolutely ruining this season for the team (with an average bullpen effort they are probably in first place), the Indians have been active making move after move trying to find a way to right the ship. Love him or hate him, you have to like what Shapiro is doing here or at the least the message it is sending.

The big news of the day yesterday evening was the Indians decision to move left-handed starter Aaron Laffey to the bullpen and call up left-hander Jeremy Sowers from Triple-A Columbus to fill Laffey's spot in the rotation. The Indians also said good-bye to right-hander Vinnie Chulk, optioned out left-hander Rafael Perez to Columbus to get him straightened out, and added veteran right-hander Matt Herges from Columbus as well.

Shapiro said yesterday that there are limited external alternatives for the Indians to fix their bullpen issues, which is true because a lot of teams have bullpen problems they would like to fix too. Plus, no one is dumping any relief help of significance this early in the season. He also implied that the well is pretty dry in Columbus as far as immediate help is concerned internally. With Adam Miller and Joe Smith on the disabled list, Jeff Stevens traded in the offseason, John Meloan struggling with his command, and a mix of past their prime veterans or too green prospects, there is virtually nothing left to pull from in Columbus.

This led to the bold decision to move Laffey into the bullpen, a decision that came out of nowhere. While many people contemplated the Indians options in the bullpen over the past week, I don't think anyone thought about putting Laffey in the pen and using an area of strength - starting pitching in Columbus - as a possible solution to the bullpen problems. While the well may have dried up as far as relievers go in Columbus, the Indians still had two very good starting options in lefties Jeremy Sowers and David Huff. With the surplus of starting pitching, they needed to figure out a way to get their best available options in Columbus - Sowers and Huff - to Cleveland, hence the Laffey move to the bullpen.

Laffey, theoretically at this point obviously, could be just what the doctor ordered for the bullpen. Some may wonder why the Indians would move Laffey to the bullpen, especially with how he has been one of the better starters on the staff in the early going. This came down to versatility and need, and of the five guys in the rotation Laffey is best suited for a bullpen role. Cliff Lee obviously would not be moved to the pen, as well as Fausto Carmona. Pavano has pitched well of late and was not an option either. The only other candidate would have been Reyes, but he just made a start the previous night so was unavailable for a few days anyway if he was even considered at all.

Also, some may wonder why not put Sowers into the bullpen and keep Laffey in the rotation? Bottom line, the goal is to stop the bleeding in the bullpen. If this is the case, who would you have more confidence in using in such a role late in games to get outs, Laffey or Sowers? Enough said. Or, would you rather keep Laffey in the rotation and try more of the retread options like Rich Rundles, Zach Jackson, Tomo Ohka, or whatever in the bullpen instead? They needed to put someone in the pen who they know can get consistent outs, and when they weighed all the options it looks Laffey came out on top as the best option.

Again, while the move itself is questionable, I like the boldness of it and the risk the Indians are taking. I think it is a well calculated risk. It may or may not work, but the Indians are at the point of desperation. With no solutions in Columbus to turn to, they made the bold move of taking one of their more versatile starters and more importantly one of their more composed, mentally tough starters and pushed him to the pen. This allowed them to use the depth of starting pitching in Columbus to an advantage and used them instead to fill the rotation.

Sowers has looked very good in Columbus so far, and some of the people I have talked to in and out of the organization say he looks like he is ready to get another shot to pitch and perform at the big league level. He was 1-1 in four starts there with a 2.25 ERA, but more importantly in 24.0 innings had only allowed 5 walks and 23 hits while striking out 22. His command was good, and his velocity was up to 92-93 MPH. Now that he is in Cleveland, time will tell. Even if he falters, it now opens the door for Huff to get an opportunity, and with right-hander Jake Westbrook nearing a return likely in about five to seven weeks, the Indians have a surplus of starting options still at their disposal.

The other thing in play yesterday besides the Laffey move to the pen was a lot of movement in the farm system. With Sowers going to Cleveland, right-hander Frank Herrmann got the well deserved call up from Double-A Akron to Columbus to fill the open spot in the rotation. Herrmann is a legit depth starting option at this point to be considered if Sowers, Huff and eventually Westbrook struggle. In Akron no one has replaced Herrmann in the rotation, though right-handed reliever Erik Stiller is expected to get the temporary starting job until a solution is decided.

One of the more interesting moves of the day was the promotion of right-hander Zach Putnam from High-A Kinston to Akron. Putnam is definitely a guy to watch, as it is no coincidence that he was promoted yesterday and moved to the Akron bullpen and Shapiro made these comments on the same day:

"So, we're going to have to try and be creative. We're going to have to look at things from top to bottom in our system and look for solutions. Those are conversations we're having right now. We are pushing the envelope on internal considerations. The reason we're doing that is we're not going to be able to turn over the whole bullpen from external alternatives. We've got limited external alternatives. We'll continue to be aggressive in pursuing external alternatives, but the reality is the answers are probably going to have to lie internally."

Putnam was a 5th round pick in the 2008 Draft last year out of the University of Michigan. He has limited experience professionally, but was always thought to be a guy who could move quickly through the system - especially as a reliever - because of his advanced pitching approach. At 6'2" 225-pounds he has a big frame to go along with very strong legs and broad shoulders that give him an ideal body to be a workhorse in the bullpen or rotation. He is an aggressive, power pitcher who shows excellent composure in tight games and is a notorious big game player who has that knack of coming through in the clutch, which is something the Indians desperately need in the bullpen right now. He throws two plus pitches, a fastball which sits 92-93 MPH and tops out at 96 MPH and a devastating splitter. The fastball has great movement, and the splitter is nasty and already considered a major league out pitch. He also throws a slider, curveball and changeup, but these would be used sparingly in a bullpen role.

Putnam had been starting in Kinston, but the Indians moved him up to Akron to pitch in the bullpen. In four starts at Kinston he was 2-0 with a 4.13 ERA, and in 24.0 innings had allowed 22 hits and 5 walks while striking out 23. Don't let the ERA fool you, as his performance was much better than that number indicates as he was the victim of a bad first inning in an outing a few weeks ago where seven runs came to the plate on some well placed hits (he came back and shutout the opposition the next four innings).

While Putnam had been pitching out of the rotation in Kinston, he has always been viewed as a dominant late inning bullpen option in the making. He was starting to mostly work on his secondary pitches and get regular work, and he actually would have opened the season in the Kinston bullpen had right-hander Bryce Stowell not come up lame in spring training.

Shapiro also made comments that they may pull someone from Double-A to fill a bullpen void, which immediately puts a guy like Putnam on notice. It also should put a little extra spring in the step of other pitchers in Akron like Stiller, Vinnie Pestano, Josh Tomlin, Chuck Lofgren, Steven Wright, Michael Finocchi, Josh Judy, Carlton Smith and Neil Wagner. The most likely options that may be considered out of that bunch are Tomlin and Wright, with Tomlin someone to have an eye on as well because of his ability to pitch in virtually any role in the bullpen, his makeup, his exceptional command, and his strike throwing ability. He may be our Jensen Lewis of 2007 later in the season.

Some may wonder why I have not mentioned right-hander Hector Rondon as an option from Double-A Akron. In a nutshell, he really is an untouchable as far as the bullpen goes. There is a sliver of a chance anything can happen and he may see bullpen work at some point this year in Cleveland, but it is very, very unlikely. He's still very green, growing, maturing, and has exploded onto the prospect scene as a legit front-of-the-rotation starting pitching prospect, and you don't bounce around a young high-level pitching prospect like that.

I even asked Farm Director Ross Atkins point blank in our sit down last week about the possibility of a bullpen role for Rondon this year, and he emphatically denied that Rondon was an option for the bullpen. Like I said, anything can happen, but a move of Rondon to the bullpen as a short-term fix is extremely unlikely.

With all of this movement, I have to say I am a little perplexed at why they are not giving right-hander Randy Newsom a shot. Yes, he may not be an impact guy or may just be a right-handed version of Rich Rundles, but what else does this guy have to do to get a big league shot? He has had some issues with walks, but I still believe he is a better option to try and use than someone like a Matt Herges. Newsom has great makeup, is made for a bullpen role, has that gimmick submarine pitching style, and has loads of experience in many situations out of the bullpen. Why not try him out, especially with Joe Smith on the disabled list? If he can't get a chance now, he'll never get one.

Anyway, as they say, drastic times call for drastic measures. These are certainly drastic times with the Indians bullpen. Let’s hope the moves the Indians made yesterday are the start to getting the bullpen on track to save this once promising season.

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Sowers To Cleveland?

Jeremy Sowers was a late scratch from his scheduled start last night, a change that came in shortly before the start of the game. Zach Jackson made the spot start for Triple-A Columbus instead. Sowers is not injurred, and it looks like he is either on his way to Cleveland or has been traded. If he is on his way to Cleveland, it will be interesting to see how he is used and if he goes into the bullpen or rotation, and who would come out of the rotation if he ends up there.

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Minor Happenings: De La Cruz-ing In Lake County

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

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

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

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

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

Indians Minor League Player Of The Month
(for May)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mentions:

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

Previous Winners:

April: Ryan Miller (LHP - Lake County)

Director's Cuts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Previous Winners:

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

Off The "Snyde"

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

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

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

Indians Extend Agreement With Kinston

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

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

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

Wild Wednesday

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

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

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

Carlton In Charge

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

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

Huff To Buffalo

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

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

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

Tomlin Impresses In Spot Start

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

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

Award Winners

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

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

Transactions Log

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

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

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

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

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

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

Affiliate Notebook

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

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

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

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

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

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