Minor Happenings: Not too many Cook’s in the kitchen

Cole Cook (Photo: Lianna Holub)

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

Another season has come and gone….I swear it that just yesterday I was boarding a plane for spring training to get ready to kickoff the 2011 coverage. Wow how this year flew.

And with that so did another season of Minor Happenings. This will be the last installment of Minor Happenings until next April, but things will continue to be busy up until then with lots of stuff to cover from Instructional League, the Arizona Fall League, winter leagues, roster moves, the Rule 5 Draft, and of course the new 2012 Indians prospect rankings. If things work out I may also have one more Minor Happenings late next week with a year end review with Vice President of Player Development Ross Atkins. Plus the 2011 Tony Awards will start to be unveiled next week!

I also want to take this time to thank everyone for the continued support with the site and for reading. I also want to give an extra special thanks to everyone for their support back in April when I learned of my cancer diagnosis, and for their continued words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers.

As I alluded to last week some changes are coming to the site….I am getting closer to unveiling those changes. Maybe by next weekend, and certainly in the next two weeks.

As a side note, I will be making my final baseball trip of the season from October 11th to October 15th to catch the end of Instructional League and see a few games in the Arizona Fall League. So be on the lookout for some direct reports from Arizona soon, but in the meantime I will continue to chime in with near-daily updates on the happenings in Instructs and everything else.

Onto the Happenings…

Cook sidelined late in the year

Cole Cook

Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Cole Cook was sidelined at the end of July with what was termed as a mild strain of his UCL in his right elbow. He made his last start on July 31st lasting just 4.0 innings and allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits and did not make another appearance after that for the remainder of the season. In 20 starts he went 5-11 with a 4.54 ERA, and in 105.0 innings he allowed 126 hits, 35 walks, and had 68 strikeouts.

This was not the kind of pro debut the Indians probably envisioned from Cook, a player they invested a 5th round pick and paid a handsome bonus to last year. He actually was showing signs of coming around and was pitching better in the second half as even with the blow up in his last game he still managed to go 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA in seven starts after the All Star break. But the elbow injury ruined any opportunity for him to try and continue that success into August and the rest of the season.

Cook’s improved performance in the second half was the result of him becoming more comfortable and focused on the mound. Early in the season he was still adjusting to the five day routine as a starter in the pros versus the seven day routine starting pitchers have in college. He was also working through some delivery adjustments to help him be more consistent with repeating his delivery so his fastball command and his secondary pitches would improve.

Cook has a lot of confidence in his fastball and changeup, but in addition to improving his fastball command his slider needs more work to become a more dependable, effective third pitch. He is a pitch-to-contact guy so he will likely never be a high strikeout pitcher, so commanding all of his pitches is vital to his future success. He has some very good work ethic and is very intelligent – some would say sometimes to a fault. He is a tall, skinny pitcher who has a lot of moving parts in his delivery, something that in the past he has described as Ichabod Crane on the mound and a “bowl of spaghetti” coming at you.

Cook recently had some more tests on the elbow, but the results on whether or not the damage is more extensive and whether any surgery will be involved is unknown at this time.  The performance this season and the elbow injury to end it are very concerning, but provided he checks out he is still pretty raw and there is a lot to like about him going forward. With his first season in the books and lots of downtime this offseason to get healthy and prepare for next year, the hope is that next season things start to come together for him.

Cook looks like another Gomez

Clayton Cook

While Cole Cook is looking to get healthy as well as build on his successes and learn from his failures this season, High-A Kinston right-hander Clayton Cook (no relation) had yet another strong season for the Indians. The 21-year old Texan went 9-9 with a 4.56 ERA in 25 starts, and in 122.1 innings allowed 124 hits, 53 walks, and had 106 strikeouts.

Cook’s numbers were not as eye-catching as his previous efforts with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Indians in 2008 (2.52 ERA, .217 BAA), short season Single-A Mahoning Valley in 2009 (2.79 ERA, .224 BAA), and Low-A Lake County in 2010 (3.35 ERA, .244 BAA), but nonetheless it was another solid season. It is interesting to note that he allowed four runs or less in 21 of his 25 starts this year, three runs or less in 19 of his 25 starts, and two runs or less in 17 of his 25 starts.

Cook’s poor numbers are the result of four terrible outings where he allowed 9 runs in 1.0 inning on April 27th, 7 runs in 4.0 innings on July 11th, 6 runs in 2.1 innings on August 21st, and 6 runs in 0.2 innings on September 2nd. He allowed 26 of his 62 earned runs (42%) in those four starts covering 8.0 innings, and without those four outings he would have had a 2.83 ERA on the year.

As Cook mentioned in an article for the IPI two weeks ago he wants to work on his consistency in order to best avoid those big blow ups. He struggled some down the stretch with his command and suffered from a small bout of wildness, but in the end he still finished with another strong season. The Indians often compare him to right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, and for comparison sake when Gomez was in Kinston at the same age back in 2008 he went 5-9 with a 4.55 ERA (138.1 IP, 154 H, 46 BB, 110 K). There are definitely a lot of similarities both in performance but also in stuff and ability.

Director’s Cuts

Indians Vice President of Player Development Ross Atkins spent a lot of time going back and forth between Triple-A Columbus and High-A Kinston the last two weeks watching them in the playoffs. Here are some recent comments on the teams and players there:

Ross Atkins

On the playoffs: “At this point in the year it is good to see players play in an atmosphere when games really have a lot of significance to them as individuals, to us as an organization, to the team, and to the staff to see how guys handle pressure because the pressure is certainly increased. Having said that, it is not necessarily the best time to give an evaluation. It is the end of the season so we are not really focused on development at all at this point. I think the biggest reason for us to have a front office presence in a playoff series it to let them know we are proud of them, we are happy for them, and we are in support of all the progress they have made and want to be there to hopefully see it through.”

On Clayton Cook, Michael Goodnight, and Mike Rayl: “Those three guys are all solid Major League prospects. They have a long way to go and have a lot of work to do with their consistency that still needs to come, but all three are interesting. Cook has the youth on his side, has a solid three pitch mix, and reminds me a lot of Jeanmar Gomez when he was a young player. Goodnight is a guy who has a really, really strong projectable delivery. Rayl has an incredible feel to pitch and is a left-hander with the ability to get a strikeout. All three have the intangibles to potentially become Major League starters.

On Jared Goedert: “He had a relatively quiet year, but it has been a good, solid year for him. He was in the middle of that lineup and was probably the biggest threat that they had. He made some progress at third base because of the opportunities that were created for him and he took advantage of them. He really had consistent at bats and really a solid year. We are certainly glad to have him on the roster and in the mix as part of this organization.”

On Beau Mills: “Beau is that guy that over the course of the year has not performed quite at the level he would like or we would like, but when the game is on the line there is not a staff member in the organization that would not want him at the plate because of his fight, his confidence, and with him wanting to be the guy. Hopefully that intangible for him can turn into more consistency and become one of the best players in the world because that is what it will take to crack into the big leagues to play first base at the Major League level.”

On Nick Johnson: “He has been an incredible influence on all of those young hitters and all of the guys transitioning now. He has helped the guys transitioning back and those transitioning back up and really been a positive influence. All the while he has been dealing with a very, very frustrating injury. As a hitter to have something going on with your wrist has to be one of the most challenging issues to deal with because hitting is such a fine motor skill and there is such an importance to have a feel for your hands and an awareness of the bat. A wrist is integral in that. He has absolutely powered through it. He is not 100%, but he has not looked back. He doesn’t need to play as he is playing for his love of baseball. He has been an unbelievable professional to our organization this year.”

On Corey Kluber: “He has finished strong. He pitched exceptionally well in August and had a fine Major League debut and he will get another opportunity to show what he can do in the Major Leagues at some point. We are hopeful that the fastball command will come so that he can get to the slider and changeup that are very good Major League weapons.”

On Mitch Talbot: “He is an interesting story. He has found some things that are helping him be more consistent right now. He really is a pitcher that is better than Triple-A. He needs to be more consistent to be a solid Major League pitcher, and he knows that. I think health has had a lot to do with that and his overall durability. We really have had no issues this year with players not handling transitions up and down well. It really is a testament to the job that scouting does and that Chris and baseball operations have done to get in not just quality baseball players but quality people. It certainly makes our lives in player development a lot easier when we are dealing with the consummate professionals, and Mitch has certainly been that.”

Holt shows promise

Tyler Holt

High-A Kinston outfielder Tyler Holt had a very good first full season as a professional hitting .253 with 2 HR, 26 RBI, 34 stolen bases, and a .691 OPS in 123 games. Those numbers may not look all that impressive on the surface, but he was right around the Carolina League average for hitting (.250) and OPS (.700). Also, only one hitter in the league (that qualified) hit over .290 and only six players had an .800 or better OPS this year.

Holt, 22, is a tablesetter and he did that this season with a .365 on-base percentage which ranked 2nd best in the league thanks to his league leading 78 walks. When he got on base he created havoc for pitchers by getting in their heads because of his ability to go from first to third or home and his ability to steal bases. His 34 stolen bases ranked 3rd in the league, and he was caught only six times all season (85% success rate).

The Indians worked with Holt earlier in the year to get him to relax his front elbow in his stance to create a better bat angle so he could hit breaking balls better. The subtle change allowed him to see the ball better and have a more consistent swing path through the zone on all pitches. He is an instinctive, aggressive player that works counts well and is not afraid to take pitches and fall behind in the count, so if the consistency with his bat-to-ball and his swing improves he could make a leap forward next season.

Martinez impresses late

Joe Martinez

Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Joe Martinez had a strong finish to his season. He made three starts in the postseason and went 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 22.0 innings he allowed 18 hits, 5 walks, and had 20 strikeouts. In 35 appearances (16 starts) over the course of the regular season he went 8-9 with a 4.04 ERA (118.0 IP, 136 H, 29 BB, 101 K).

Martinez, 28, pitched in any role needed this season where he pitched in the bullpen, made spot starts, and eventually finished the season as a starter. He also saw a velocity increase this year where coming into the year he was pitching more at 88-91 MPH but by season’s end was consistently at 91-94 MPH all year. The velocity spike was a result of him becoming more comfortable on the mound and working to stay behind the ball and not spinning off so much. He showed good ability to sink the ball to both sides of the plate and has a good feel for his changeup and breaking ball.

Martinez is not much of a prospect anymore but has proven to be good Major League depth pitching at the Triple-A level. He does not have an arsenal that allows him to get away with mistakes, and he has a tendency to flatten out at the top of the zone which is when he really gets hurt. That said he has all the intangibles to be a solid depth arm for a Major League organization. He is a minor league free agent this offseason so will probably look around for better big league opportunities in other organizations, but there is a chance he could return to the Indians next year.

Random Notes

Marty Popham

High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Marty Popham had his season end prematurely when he was struck on the back of his right wrist on August 30th. Up until the injury he had thrown four perfect innings, but he suffered the injury when a screaming liner came back and hit his wrist and he picked up the ball and tossed it to first for the final out of the fourth inning. The Indians treated the injury as a contusion and just shut him down for the playoffs. In 27 combined games (18 starts) between Kinston, Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this year he went 6-3 with a 4.58 ERA (112.0 IP, 117 H, 25 BB, 106 K).

High-A Kinston right-handed pitcher Preston Guilmet had an outstanding season closing games this season and for his efforts was named the Carolina League’s Reliever of the Year. He finished 48 of the 52 games he appeared in and went 35-for-36 in save opportunities. He went 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA, and in 58.1 innings allowed 43 hits, 11 walks, and had 60 strikeouts. He does not have dominating stuff, but he comes from a unique straight over the top angle that helps him get great leverage on hitters and he throws strikes. He is also very composed and thrives on pitching in tough situations and just battles when he is on the mound.

Mike Rayl

High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Mike Rayl had a nice breakout season as a prospect, which in some ways is very similar to that of lefty Matt Packer last year. In 25 combined starts between Kinston and Low-A Lake County this year he went 6-8 with a 3.42 ERA, and in 123.2 innings allowed 114 this, 26 walks, and had 121 strikeouts. He is an athletic left-handed pitcher that the Indians believe has the stuff to be a starting pitcher in the big leagues.

High-A Kinston first baseman Jesus Aguilar had one of the best seasons offensively in the entire Indians’ minor league system. In 126 combined games between Kinston and Low-A Lake County he hit .284 with 23 HR, 82 RBI, and a .865 OPS. He has a lot of power and the Indians believe that he can also become a very good defender at first base. There is a lot to be excited about with him going into next year where he will likely open the season at High-A Carolina.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra). Use discount code 2Z6F362B to receive 40% off the book through the site store!

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Around the Farm: September 9--The Columbus clinches edition

Tyler Holt
(photo: Kinston
Indians)

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday's performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where
the player was playing in yesterday's game.

Tyler Holt: CF, Kinston: 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 2 K:

Have I mention the havoc that Holt can create? Holt had his third consecutive multi-hit game last night, and is now hitting a robust .538 for the series (7-for-13). Last night, Holt got the ball rolling for the K-Tribe by leading off with a single, and moving to second on Bo Greenwell's walk. A three-run homer later, which I'll get into in a second, and Kinston was already up 3-0. In the second inning, with Casey Frawley on third, and the fleet-footed Delvi Cid on first, Holt lined a double down the right-field line, scoring both runners, making the score 5-0. In the sixth inning, with Tyler Cannon on third, and Cid on first, Holt tripled to score both runners, ending the scoring at 7-0. Holt saved his best performance as a professional for the playoffs. Can he top it tonight to help Kinston clinch the series and send them to the championship game?   


Joe Martinez: SP, Columbus: W (1-0), 8 IP, 9 H, 2 R/ER, 4 K:

Talk about starting pitchers stepping up at the right time. Martinez had been a fringe starter for most of the season, and didn't really become a full-time starter until the shuttle started shuffling off the top-end guys like Alex White, David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez to Cleveland. As a reliever, Martinez had been one of their best, going 4-2, with a 2.84 ERA. He wasn't nearly as good as a starter, going 4-7, with a 4.48 ERA, but would manage to throw a solid start in the middle of bad performances. Things began to change on August 15, when Martinez threw six innings of seven-hit, shutout baseball. Then two starts later, he went 7 1/3 innings, giving up only four-hits and one run, and backed that up with a seven inning, two run performance. Last night's start was clearly his best of the season, as Martinez seems to be warming up to the starting role. While he struggled in his last start of the season, last night's series clinching gem gives the righty three quality starts out of his last four outings, and four out of his last six. Perhaps there's something to this kid as a starter, after all.

Nick Johnson: DH, Columbus: 3-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K:

If only the playoff version of Nick Johnson had shown up sometime in July. Johnson absolutely mashed Durham Bulls pitching over the three-game series. Last night's three hits gave Johnson a .556 average for the series, and really showed what the Indians were hoping that he could bring to the table when they signed him prior to the season. Johnson got the scoring going in the second inning last night after he roped a double, plating a run. He later scored on an Argenis Reyes single. In the third, after Durham had scored a run, Johnson singled, driving in Jerad Head for a 3-1 lead. Clinging to a 3-2 lead in the eighth, Johnson hit a two-out double this time. Ben Copeland pinch ran for Johnson, and scored on a Luke Carlin single, giving the ClipShow the insurance that they needed. It was an all-around solid performance for the Clippers' veteran DH.

• Jerad Head: LF, Columbus: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K: Head made his return to Columbus after clearing waivers from the Indians, and was showed no rust whatsoever with his two-hits. It was clear that Head wasn't a long-term answer for the Tribe, but he absolutely deserved the shot that they gave him. He showed what kind of pro he really is with his two-hit performance last night. 
• Luke Carlin: C, Columbus: 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K: Carlin is really an unsung player with the Clippers. The 31-year old isn't an offensive wunderkind of any kind, hitting .213 on the year, but he is a solid backstop. In this playoff series, Carlin has stepped up his game, going 2-3, with a run and an RBI. He's hitting .375 overall.
• Zach Putnam: Closer, Columbus: S (2), 1 IP, 1 H: With Josh Judy toiling in Cleveland, Putnam has taken over the closer role in Columbus, and is beginning to run with it. In his second save opportunity of the first three games, Putnam shut down Durham, holding them to only one hit. He needed 21 pitches to work through his four batters, but threw 15 strikes.
• Adam Abraham: 3B, Kinston: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K: Abraham continued with the hot bat, blasting a three-run, first inning homer, to give the K-Tribe an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. Abraham is hitting .429 for the series, and is once again riding an extra-base hit streak.
• Michael Goodnight: SP, Kinston: W (1-0), 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K: Goodnight picked up right where he left off after moving up to Kinston and making his start during the September 4th doubleheader. Goodnight got the win then, clinching the second half title for the Indians. Last night he was even better. In his two starts with the K-Tribe, he's gone 11 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits, an earned run and two walks, while striking out 12.
• Chris Jones: RP, Kinston: 2 IP, 1 BB: Jones is having a bit of a renaissance late in the 2011 season, after a dip to start the year off in 2011. Jones had a solid 2010 campaign, and was looking to cement his name into the mind of management with another one in 2011. Things didn't work out all that well with a horrible month of April in which his ERA was a bloated 7.62. Since then, Jones has slowly lowered his ERA back down to 3.36, and he showed why last night with two innings of near perfect baseball.
• Trey Haley: RP, Kinston: 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 K: Haley struggled a bit with control, walking two of the four batters that he faced, but thanks to a strikeout and a double play, Haley managed to get out of his mini-jam to continue his solid performances over the last month.
• Preston Guilmet: Closer, Kinston: 1 IP, 1 BB: In a bit of a strange move, Guilmet came on to pitch the final inning with his club up seven runs. He got through the inning easy enough, but you have to wonder if he'll be available tonight should Kinston need him to help clinch the series. I'm sure Guilmet will go out there, but is pitching your closer three nights in a row the smart move?

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra). Use discount code 2Z6F362B to receive 40% off the book through the site store!

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Tribe Happenings: Miller's future still unknown

Miller's 2011 will likely be his last chance to

make the big leagues (Photo: Ken Carr)

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

What if…

Spring training is here once again.

The entire Cleveland Indians roster is now in camp, and once again - even if only for a little bit - hope springs eternal for fans of every baseball team around the country. Yes, even for the Cleveland Indians. A lot of "what ifs" are flying around, and because of that there is a glimmer of hope even for teams like the Indians who at the outset of the season are not expected to be much of a factor in pennant races later in the season.

Sticking with the "what if" scenarios for a moment, has anyone ever wondered, "what if” Adam Miller had never injured his finger?

If you want to look back at one injury or move that has really impacted the Indians' organization in the past decade - maybe even longer - it has to be the injury to the flame throwing right-handed Miller.

Back in 2007, Miller was one of the best young pitching prospects in the game. Sports Illustrated magazine that year named him to their "Dream Rotation" which was an up-and-coming dream five-man rotation compiled by 11 high-ranking major-league executives. The five man dream rotation included Miller as well as Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka, Philadelphia's Cole Hamels, New York Yankees' Phillip Hughes, and San Francisco's Tim Lincecum. Miller is the only one in that dream rotation who has yet to appear in the majors.

All of those pitchers have helped their clubs win a World Series since then. Last year, Lincecum was a huge help to the San Francisco Giants success in coming out of nowhere to win the World Series. In fact, you take him off that team and they arguably are not much better than the current Indians team.

It was all set up for Miller to succeed in 2007. He dominated in spring training that year and was set to have a cup of coffee at Triple-A Buffalo and then make his big league debut sometime that summer. When Jake Westbrook went down with an elbow injury in late May that year and Jeremy Sowers was ineffective, the Indians would have called Miller up but because he was hurt they had to scramble and instead called up Jason Stanford that June.

But imagine for a moment had Miller remained healthy in 2007 and became what Lincecum has since become. He would have come up that June and made an immediate impact to the team by joining forces with C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona in the rotation and might have been the difference for the Indians in the playoffs that year in getting past the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series and win the World Series.

More importantly, going forward the Indians would have had Sabathia, Carmona, Cliff Lee, and Miller in the rotation in 2008 and that season may have turned out a lot different with three aces pitching at the front of the rotation. Plus, even after the Sabathia and Lee trades the Indians would still today have a very good one-two punch of Miller and Carmona at the front of the rotation for the next several years.

But of course, what if.

That along with "wait 'til next year" have been the taglines for Cleveland sports fans for decades.

For those who don't remember…

Miller's career took a sharp turn for the worse in May of 2007 when he injured the last digit on the middle finger of his pitching hand. It was not thought to be much of an injury then, but it ended up serving as the starting point to all kinds of complications with the finger going forward.

Miller went to spring training in 2008 healthy, but shortly into camp a blister formed on the finger which shut him down for a short time and he had to open the season in extended spring training to get caught up and then went to Triple-A Buffalo a few weeks later. By the end of May his season ended when he had to have season ending surgery to repair a broken callous on the finger. He has not pitched in a professional game since.

Since then Miller has tried to come back several times. He rehabbed from the finger injury the rest of the 2008 season and was able to go out to the Dominican Winter League that offseason and pitched quite well and his stuff was still there. After his encouraging performance in winter ball, the Indians decided to make him a bullpen option going into the 2009 season and went so far as to say that if he was healthy he would make the opening day roster.

But it was never meant to be for Miller as a few weeks into spring training in 2009 his finger once again started acting up. After some experimentation with changing his grip of the ball and delivery, he was eventually shut down and underwent career threatening exploratory reconstructive surgery to try and fix the problems once and for all that he was having with his finger.

It was a very involved procedure, the first of its kind really, and resulted in two separate planned surgeries. The first one in April of 2009 repaired the flexor pulley system by replacing two pulley ligaments in the finger with a tendon from his wrist and put a silicon rod in it so scar tissue would not form around the tendon. He underwent the second planned surgery in July of 2009 to clean up the scar tissue as a result of the first surgery and attach the new tendon from his leg to his middle finger. He began a throwing program in November of 2009, but again had some issues, so a third surgery in December of 2009 was performed to stabilize the flexor tendon reconstruction in his finger.

After the third surgery Miller and the Indians were very cautious with him last year as he did not start throwing a baseball until the summer. He got back on a throwing program around July and did not have any setbacks at 60, 90, or 120 feet so moved on to throwing bullpen sessions and had no problems there either.

At the tail end of the season Miller made his return to the mound by pitching one game in Instructional League and pitched well. That one appearance was enough for him and the Indians to be encouraged for this upcoming season so they shut him down for the rest of the offseason to continue rehabbing and strengthening his finger.

Miller is scheduled to officially report to spring training on March 1st, though he is expected to be in camp before that. He is an invite to big league camp, but will likely pitch most of spring training in minor league camp as the Indians continue to work him back to being a pitching option for them. He will have no restrictions this spring, so really he and the Indians are going to in many ways let it air out and see what happens.

While Miller has almost no shot to make the big league roster to start the season, if the finger remains intact he could open the season in the Triple-A Columbus bullpen or go to Columbus as a reserve and continue to build himself up and be activated shortly into the season.

If Miller remains healthy, returns to the mound in Columbus, and pitches well, there is no doubt the Indians will call him up to Cleveland as soon as possible to see how he does and to see if there is anything they can get out of him because the finger can go at any moment.

Indians officially sign Cabrera

It took a week, but the Indians finally officially announced the signing of free agent infielder Orlando Cabrera on Wednesday. News of the signing came about almost a week prior to the official announcement, but the Indians never acknowledged the signing because they needed to wait for him to report to Goodyear, Arizona to pass a physical, which he did on Wednesday.

Cabrera, 36, played for the Cincinnati Reds last year where in 123 games he hit .263 (130-for-494) with 33 doubles, four homers, 42 RBI, and had 11 stolen bases. He is a career .274 hitter in 14 big league seasons and has won two Gold Glove awards (2001, 2007). He will wear #20 with the Indians, and is the younger brother of former Indian Jolbert Cabrera who played in 310 games with the Indians from 1998-2002.

Barring injury, Cabrera is expected to open the 2011 season as the Indians starting second baseman.

Three former Indians added as coaches

The Indians announced this week that former All-Star outfielder and fan favorite Kenny Lofton has rejoined the organization and will serve as a guest instructor this spring. He will be in camp from February 22-28 primarily to work with the outfielders and assist all the players with base running techniques.

The 43-year old Lofton may also be experimenting with a potential return to the game as a coach, something that Travis Fryman did a few years ago as a guest instructor. Fryman immediately took to the role and has since become a fixture in the Indians' Player Development Department, so the same could possibly happen with Lofton.

The Indians also announced that Jason Bere and Eduardo Perez will serve as special assistants. Both will be in uniform this spring as instructors, and over the course of the season Bere will assist with evaluating and providing instruction to pitchers in the majors and minors, and Perez will do the same for first basemen. Perez will also continue to serve his role with ESPN as a baseball analyst.

Indians fill minor league coaching void

The Indians announced this week that they have hired 28-year old Tony Mansolino to be the hitting coach at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley. He is beginning his coaching career with the Indians after playing professionally for six seasons as an infielder from 2005-2010. He was a 26th round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 out of Vanderbilt University. His father, Doug, is the Infield Coordinator in the Phillies Player Development System.

The new 2011 Indians book is here!

The “2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects and More” book is now available for purchase here on my site (upper right-corner).  I received my first shipment yesterday, and I have to say it looks great and is much improved with the overall look when compared to previous editions.  It will also soon be available at several other retail outlets which I will announce when available. It should also be available at all the team shops this season from Cleveland on down to Single-A Mahoning Valley.

The book runs 228 pages in length and profiles over 175 players in the Cleveland Indians system, with a heavier look into their top 100 players. It also provides tons of information on the Indians payroll situation and player control outlook the next seven years as well as information on the 2010 Draft, their top Latin prospects coming stateside this year, Rule 5 Draft eligibles for 2011-2014, tool grades for over 100 players, complete schedule and affiliate information, and tons more. Order today!

Parting shots

The Indians announced this week that catcher Chun Chen has been invited to big league spring training as a non-rostered player. He had a nice season at two different levels of Single-A last year and is an up-and-coming catching prospect in their system, though was brought to big league camp solely for the experience and to give them another catcher to assist with bullpens for all the pitchers in camp. ... To make room on the 40-man roster for the arrival of Orlando Cabrera, the Indians designated right-handed pitcher Joe Martinez for assignment. He is still in camp as a non-rostered player. ... On the minor league front, the Indians have released right-handed pitcher Kyle Smith whom they picked up in the 2009 Draft out of Kent State.

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

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Tribe Happenings: Depth, need squeezes Brown off roster

Brown's best chance may be to catch

on with another team. (Photo: Ken Carr)

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

Brown out

On Thursday the Indians officially added outfielder Austin Kearns to the 40-man roster. To make room for him, they designated outfielder/first baseman Jordan Brown for assignment.

The Indians have ten days to trade, release or outright Brown to the minors. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, as a first time 40-man outright he cannot refuse an assignment to the minors and would be the Indians property for at least the 2011 season.

Brown, 27, made his major league debut on August 1st last season and played in just 26 games. He hit only .230 (20-for-87) with seven doubles, two RBI and had a .582 OPS. In 83 games at Triple-A Columbus last season he hit .298 with 28 doubles, one triple, eight homers, 67 RBI, and had a .804 OPS. In his six year minor league career he is a .306 hitter with an .840 OPS, has won two league MVP awards ('06 Kinston, '07 Akron), and two batting championships ('07 Akron, '09 Columbus).

Brown is a very good hitter who did not get much of a major league opportunity with the Indians mostly because of bad luck and the lack of a true position defensively. Every time he seemed to have a chance to get a shot the last three years an untimely injury seemed to always get in the way. The Indians also have acquired a lot of upper level talent the past few seasons in the wake of the trades for C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee and others, which pushed him from near the top of the totem pole at the beginning of 2008 to what now appears on the outside looking in.

Brown's removal from the roster comes as somewhat of a surprise considering it was expected that Shelley Duncan would likely be removed once Kearns was officially added. But the Indians opted to remove Brown for depth reasons and team need, and are willing to gamble that he clears waivers.

Kearns was a need the Indians felt was important to add because of their all left-handed hitting outfield of Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, and Shin-Soo Choo, so as a right-handed hitter should complement them well as the fourth outfielder who primarily plays against lefties. He is also insurance in the event Sizemore is not ready to open the season and needs to spend additional time in Arizona rehabbing from knee surgery. Duncan is a better fit with the team because he is a right-handed hitter who hits lefties well, and is considered a better defensive option at both first base and left field than Brown.

Since Brown is a left-handed hitter he was no longer considered much of an option in the outfield because of the all left-handed starting outfield and because of his shaky defense. It left no opportunity to platoon with anyone at the big league level in the outfield, which meant his only option was first base and designated hitter.

But the Indians have Matt LaPorta and Travis Hafner locked into both of those spots, and recently rostered Jared Goedert is an option at first base as well. In addition to that, they also have the left-handed hitting slugger Nick Weglarz who if he can stay healthy will probably get a look in Cleveland sometime after the All Star break this year, if not sooner.

All that said, Brown can hit, so someone with a need for a platoon player or stop gap option at first base, designated hitter, and/or left field may snag him off waivers. However, considering how so many 40-man rosters are close to locked up for the start of 2011 spring training and Brown is limited as a one tool player (bat), it looks likely that he will probably clear waivers.

With that in mind, you always need to watch out for the Pirates as GM Neil Huntington is very familiar with Brown and saw him at his best before he took the Pirates GM post in 2008. Another team who may have interest is the Red Sox.

Blyleven, Alomar named to hall

Former Cleveland Indians right-handed pitcher Bert Blyleven and second baseman Roberto Alomar were named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday.

Blyleven pitched five seasons for the Indians from 1981-85 and went 48-37 with a 3.23 ERA in 104 games, and as an Indian was an American League All Star in 1985 and finished 3rd in the American League Cy Young voting in both 1984 and 1985. His best season with the Indians came in 1984 when he went 19-7 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 starts, finishing 2nd in the AL in wins, 3rd in ERA and 4th in strikeouts. In his 22-year Major League career from 1970-1992 he finished with a record of 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA in 692 games. His 3,701 strikeouts are the 5th most in the history of baseball.

Alomar played with the Indians over three seasons from 1999-2001, hitting a combined .323 with 362 runs, 114 2B, 63 HR, 309 RBI and 106 steals. His 1999 season was one of the all time best in club history as he hit .323, scored a league best 138 runs, and had 40 doubles, 24 homers, 120 RBI and 37 stolen bases and placed 3rd in the AL MVP voting. He won Rawlings Gold Gloves over each of his three seasons with the Indians and Silver Slugger Awards in 1999 and 2000. He is one of just four players in history (Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor) with at least 500 career doubles (504), 200 homers (210) and 450 steals (474) to go along with a career batting average of .300.

Blyleven and Alomar are the 30th and 31st individuals to gain election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame who either played or managed with the Cleveland American League baseball franchise.

Sizemore making progress

Indians All Star outfielder Grady Sizemore is making his way back from microfracture surgery on his left knee last June, and after a recent checkup with doctors is on pace to be ready for opening day on April 1. This past week he got the okay to take part in a hitting and throwing program, and this week he will begin a light running program to build up strength in his knee.

While there is optimism for Sizemore’s healthy return, it should be noted that he very likely will not play early this spring as he and the Indians will take a conservative approach to help reduce the chance for a hiccup in his health when he does return to the lineup full time. It remains a possibility he could open the season on the 15-day disabled list and get some extra rehab time in Arizona and game action in extended spring and then join the team later in April.

Sizemore, 28, is coming off two injury plagued seasons in 2009 and 2010, and if his health returns it would be a huge boost to the offense. Last year he played in just 33 games and hit .211 with no homers, 13 RBI and a .560 OPS before being shutdown in May with the injury.

Indians, Pirates complete trade

On Tuesday the Cleveland Indians acquired right-handed pitcher Joe Martinez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later or for cash considerations.  The trade is not future compensation from the Pirates for infielder Josh Rodriguez who they took from the Indians in the Rule 5 Draft last month, and instead is likely to just be a cash deal.

Martinez, 27, was picked up by the Pirates in a trade last July, and in nine combined games at the big league level last year with the Pirates and Giants went 0-1 with a 4.12 ERA. In 21 combined appearances (17 starts) between Triple-A Fresno (Giants) and Indianapolis (Pirates) he went 5-6 with a 3.94 ERA.

Martinez throws an upper 80s sinking fastball and relies on pitching to contact and getting groundball outs. While he lacks dominating stuff he is still considered a starting option because he gets good movement on his fastball and has two solid secondary pitches in a curveball and changeup. In the past he has proven to be a durable, reliable starter, which is something the Indians need right now is a pitcher who can consistently give them innings and compete well. He may also fill a long relief or swing role in the bullpen at some point in 2011.

Barring injury, the Indians are set to open the 2011 season with Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and Mitch Talbot in the starting rotation. The options for the final spot in the rotation appear plentiful with Jeanmar Gomez, Josh Tomlin, Aaron Laffey, David Huff and others, but due to the youth, inexperience, and the inconsistent performance of all of those pitchers in the past - as well as the front four of the rotation - the Indians have been looking to acquire more starting pitching options this offseason.

No on Chavez

The agent for free agent third baseman Eric Chavez recently made it known that he will have a private work out for the Dodgers and two unnamed American League teams. With the Indians in search of a cheap third base option for 2011 it would appear that he would be a good fit for them, but they are not one of the two mystery teams that will work him out later this month as they are not interested in signing him.

Chavez is coming back from a serious back issue, and from what I have heard there are enough concerns with his medical that even if he can play in 2011 will likely will push him to first base, a position the Indians will be playing Matt LaPorta at a lot this upcoming season.

Indians sign Mathis

On Wednesday the Indians signed right-handed pitcher Doug Mathis to a minor league contract with an invite to big league spring training. He made 13 relief appearances with the Texas Rangers last year and went 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA, though the ERA is greatly affected by a disastrous outing on May 14th at Toronto where in 1.1 innings he allowed 8 earned runs. He recently pitched for Este in the Dominican Winter League where he went 2-1 with a 3.29 ERA in seven games.

Parting Shots

Right-handed pitcher Justin Germano last weekend accepted his assignment to Triple-A Columbus. As a non-first time 40-man roster removal he had the right to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A and declare free agency. He will report to big league spring training in February. … Non-roster invitee middle infielder Adam Everett will make $700,000 if he makes the big league roster this year, and with incentives could make as much as $1 million. … Minor league outfielder Lucas Montero signed with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier in the week. He was a six year minor league free agent who reached as high as Double-A Akron and last year in 111 combined games at High-A Kinston and Akron hit .261 with 3 HR, 32 RBI, 25 stolen bases, and a .706 OPS. … Finally, ESPN’s Buster Olney recently commented that Indians President Mark Shapiro is someone who may get consideration down the road as the successor for Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig when he hangs it up.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling stateside).

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Indians Add Another Starting Pitcher To Mix

(Photo: MLB)

On Tuesday the Cleveland Indians acquired right-handed pitcher Joe Martinez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later or for cash considerations.

Martinez, 27, was traded last July by the San Francisco Giants to the Pirates for left-handed pitcher Javier Lopez. In nine combined games at the big league level with the Pirates and Giants he went 0-1 with a 4.12 ERA (19.2 IP, 26 H, 9 ER, 9 BB, 9 K), and in 21 combined appearances (17 starts) between Triple-A Fresno (Giants) and Indianapolis (Pirates) he went 5-6 with a 3.94 ERA (109.2IP, 124H, 48ER, 83K).

Martinez is yet another sinkerballer who specializes in pitching to contact and getting groundball outs. His fastball only comes in on hitters in the upper 80s, but has good movement and complements it with two solid secondary pitches in a curveball and changeup. He has proven in the past to be a durable, reliable starter who won't wow people with his stuff when he pitches, but he competes well and has had a lot of success in the minors and mixed results in limited time in the big leagues so far.

The Indians have been desperately looking everywhere for additional, inexpensive starting pitching options. The addition of Martinez adds another pitcher into the mix to fill the backend of the rotation and make starts this upcoming season.  He may also fill a long relief or swing role in the bullpen to start the season.

Barring injury, the Indians are set to open the 2011 season with Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and Mitch Talbot in the starting rotation. But due to youth, inexperience, and inconsistent performance all of those pitchers in the past, as well as several very green pitchers who need more development time at Triple-A like Jeanmar Gomez, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister, they have been looking to acquire more starting pitching options this offseason.

Martinez was on the Pirates' 40-man roster so will be added to the Indians 40-man roster and take the vacated spot left by right-handed pitcher Justin Germano who was designated for assignment over a week ago. Outfielder Austin Kearns still has not officially been added to the 40-man roster as his contract still needs approval, and once it is approved the Indians will need to remove another player from the 40-man roster in order to make room for him.

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