2011 Tony Awards: Pitcher of the Year

Jeanmar Gomez (Photo: IPI)

Today we continue the IPI’s year end awards with the announcement of the Pitcher of the Year.  This award goes to the starting pitcher in the Indians organization that had the best year from a performance perspective, not from a prospect standing.

Here are the 2011 Tony Awards so far:

Rookie of the Year: Cody Allen (RHP)

Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Bellows (3B)

Biggest Disappointment: Nick Weglarz (OF)

Biggest Breakthrough: Elvis Araujo (LHP)

Reliever of the Year: Chen-Chang Lee (RHP)

Comeback Player of the Year: Beau Mills (1B)

Again, these awards are simply for fun to hand out at the end of the year.  Also, the Cleveland Indians in no way whatsoever had any input in these awards.

Onto the nominees…

Pitcher of the Year Nominees:

Scott Barnes (LHP – Columbus)

8-4, 3.45 ERA, 18 GS, 99.0 IP, 85 H, 12 HR, 36 BB, 107 K, .230 BAA

Barnes was having an outstanding season before a knee injury sidelined him on July 10^th and he missed the rest of the season. He was on quite a roll at the time as after struggling in his first exposure to Triple-A he made a quick adjustment and in his last ten starts went 5-3 with a 2.58 ERA (59.1 IP, 49 H, 5 HR, 19 BB, 63 K). He showed an ability to get his fastball by hitters and is definitely a Major League starting pitching option for the Indians in the near future.

Austin Adams (RHP – Akron)

11-10, 3.77 ERA, 26 GS, 136.0 IP, 147 H, 6 HR, 63 BB, 131 K, .280 BAA

This was Adams’ first season as a full fledged starter as he spent all of 2010 in a piggyback role and he made a lot of strides. He is still raw and learning how to pitch, but the power of his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and his good curveball make him an exciting pitching prospect for the Indians. He finished 2^nd in the organization in wins (11) and 2^nd in strikeouts (131). He also finished 2^nd in the Eastern League in wins (11), 11^th in ERA (3.77), 12^th in innings pitched (136.0), 6^th in strikeouts (131), and 3^rd in walks allowed (63).

Elvis Araujo (LHP – Arizona/Mahoning Valley)

9-1, 3.36 ERA, 15 GS, 69.2 IP, 65 H, 2 HR, 25 BB, 63 K, .245 BAA

Araujo took home the honors this year for the Biggest Breakthrough, which was well deserved after the year he had. He finished 7^th in the Indians organization in ERA (3.36) and also ranked 1^st in the Arizona League in wins (9), 3rd in ERA (2.86), 9th in games started (11), 4th in innings pitched (63.0), 3rd in strikeouts (58), 3rd in WHIP (1.14), 1^st in batting average against (.228), 5^th among starters for lowest walks per nine innings (2.5), and 2^nd among starters for fewest baserunners per nine innings (10.3).

Joseph Colon (RHP – Mahoning Valley/Lake County)

4-4, 3.51 ERA, 16 GS, 77.0 IP, 69 H, 3 HR, 31 BB, 61 K, .239 BAA

Colon had a very good return to the mound this season after missing all of the 2010 season because of a right elbow sprain. He pitched all season at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley before getting a call up to Low-A Lake County for his final appearance of the year (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 K) and is likely where he will open the 2012 season. He finished 9^th in the Indians organization in ERA (3.51).

Paolo Espino (RHP – Akron/Columbus)

8-1, 2.77 ERA, 34 G (10 GS), 120.1 IP, 101 H, 11 HR, 25 BB, 119 K

Espino is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Indians organization as he just “gets no respect”. All he has done the past few years is perform, but his opportunities have been limited because other pitchers with higher value continue to pass him over. He was lights out for most of the last four months of the season, and in his final 10 games at Triple-A Columbus went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA (37.1 IP, 29 H, 3 HR, 4 BB, 39 K). He finished 4^th in the Indians organization in ERA (2.77).

Jeanmar Gomez (RHP – Columbus)

10-7, 2.54 ERA, 22 GS, 141.2 IP, 128 H, 8 HR, 49 BB, 110 K, .244 BAA

Gomez returned to Triple-A Columbus to start the season and made a few spot starts over the course of the year in Cleveland before he was called up for good on August 30th. He finished 3^rd in the Indians organization in ERA (2.54) and 3^rd in wins (10). He finished 1^st in the International League in ERA (2.55), 5^th in wins (10), tied for 3^rd in complete games (2), 8^th in WHIP (1.25), and 5^th among starters for lowest batting average against (.242).

David Huff (LHP – Columbus)

9-3, 3.87 ERA, 18 GS, 107.0 IP, 111 H, 10 HR, 30 BB, 66 K, .264 BAA

Huff is 27 years old and lost his rookie status back in 2009, so he is no longer a prospect per se, but he still pitched a majority of the season at Triple-A Columbus so is eligible for the award. After a tough 2010 season he bounced back this season and had a good year in Columbus and a solid showing in Cleveland where in 11 starts there he went 2-6 with a 4.09 ERA (50.2 IP, 55 H, 6 HR, 17 BB, 36 K).

Danny Jimenez (LHP – Mahoning Valley)

4-3, 2.39 ERA, 17 G (12 GS), 71.2 IP, 66 H, 1 HR, 24 BB, 50 K, .241 BAA

Jimenez has made the slow progression through the Indians system where he pitched at rookie level Arizona for two years in 2009 and 2010 before finally getting an opportunity at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley this year. He did not disappoint pitching at a higher level this year and definitely raised his stock. He finished 2^nd in the Indians organization in ERA (2.39). He was also 5^th in the NY-Penn League in ERA (2.39) and 11^th in innings pitched (71.2).

Zach McAllister (RHP – Columbus)

12-3, 3.32 ERA, 25 GS, 154.2 IP, 155 H, 11 HR, 31 BB, 128 K, .261 BAA

After a disappointing 2010 campaign last season in Triple-A (9-12, 5.29 ERA, 27 GS) McAllister had a very good second go around this year. He finished 5^th in the Indians organization in ERA (3.32), 1^st in wins (12), and 4^th in strikeouts (128). He also finished 7^th in the International League in ERA (3.32), 3^rd in wins (12), 1^st in complete games (3), 4^th in innings pitched (154.2), 2^nd among starters in lowest walks per nine innings (1.8), and 4^th for fewest baserunners per nine innings (11.2).

T.J. McFarland (LHP – Akron)

9-10, 3.74 ERA, 27 GS, 149.1 IP, 149 H, 11 HR, 51 BB, 115 K, .259 BAA

McFarland started the year at High-A Kinston but was quickly promoted to Double-A Akron and pitched well in his first extended exposure at one of the highest levels in the minors. He established himself as a good, young starting pitching prospect for the Indians and likely will return to Akron to open 2012. He finished 10^th in the Indians organization in ERA (3.74). He also finished 2^nd in the Eastern League in complete games (2) and 11^th in innings pitched (137.1).

Matt Packer (LHP – Akron)

9-12, 4.31 ERA, 27 GS, 169.1 IP, 175 H, 16 HR, 33 BB, 129 K, .269 BAA

Don’t let that high ERA fool you as it is not truly indicative of how well Packer pitched this season. He finished the season with a flurry going 8.0 innings or more in six of his last ten starts and in 11 starts after the All Star break went 6-4 with a 2.78 ERA. He finished 2^nd in the Eastern League in games started (27), 1^st in innings pitched (169.1), 1^st in total batters faced (702), 2^nd in losses (12), 7^th in strikeouts (129), 9^th in WHIP (1.23), and 2^nd in lowest walks per nine innings (1.8). He also ranked 3^rd in the Indians organization in strikeouts (129).

Mike Rayl (LHP – Lake County/Kinston)

6-8, 3.42 ERA, 25 GS, 123.2 IP, 114 H, 9 HR, 26 BB, 121 K, .243 BAA

Rayl was up for the Biggest Breakout award as well as he had a very good first full season for the Indians. He split his time between Low-A Lake County where in 17 starts he went 5-5 with a 2.83 ERA (82.2 IP, 66 H, 3 HR, 13 BB, 84 K) and High-A Kinston where in 8 starts he went 1-3 with a 4.61 ERA (41.0 IP, 48 H, 6 HR, 13 BB, 37 K). He pitched well in both places and his 3.42 ERA was 8^th best in the Indians organization.

And the Tony Award goes to…Jeanmar Gomez

The Indians did not have a true standout pitching performance from a starter this year. Had lefty Drew Pomeranz finished the year in the organization he would have been the clear runaway winner for the award as his performance was outstanding. There were several good performances by other pitchers, but nothing to Pomeranz’s level so it made it tough to hand out this award.

In the end it was hard to overlook the year that Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Jeanmar Gomez had. Sure, he was no longer a rookie coming into this season thanks to the 11 starts and 57.2 innings he pitched at the big league level in 2011, but he is still just 23-years old and is still growing as a pitcher. To put it in greater context he will not turn 24-years old until next season but already has two Triple-A and Major League seasons of experience under his belt.

Gomez pitched very well all season at Columbus and was one of the best pitchers in the International League. When he was called up to Cleveland on August 30^th he got on a roll where in five starts after his recall he went 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA (30.0 IP, 29 H, 8 BB, 15 K), though he struggled in his final start of the season against the hot-hitting Tigers on September 27^th as he allowed 10 hits, 8 runs, 2 walks and had 5 strikeouts over four innings.

Gomez showed a good fastball that he cuts and sinks and had better command of it this year. His slider and changeup both showed improvement as well. It is now all about just getting him consistent from start to start and becoming more aggressive in the strike zone. He has Major League stuff, just the question is how well it will translate every five days over the course of a 162-game season in the big leagues.

I myself have never been a huge fan of Gomez and what he could do at the big league level. I have always felt he is a big league starting pitcher, but that it would be more as a back of the rotation or depth starter.  But after his season I may have to reconsider my thinking on that as he now looks like he has the potential to be a solid middle of the rotation starter in the big leagues.  Unless the Indians add a veteran starting pitcher to the mix he will go into spring training as the early favorite to make the 2012 opening day starting rotation as the fifth starter.

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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The Scrapperbook: Week Six

Where We Stand in Week Six:

Overall Record: 23-18 (3-3 this week) Tied for first place.

Week Six Games:

23 @ Hudson Valley, W 7-4 (WP: J. Colon; LP: A. Bellatti; SV: E. Tejeda)
24 @ Hudson Valley, L 0-6 (WP: P. Markel; LP: W. Roberts)
25 @ Hudson Valley, L 0-2 (WP: J. Floethe; LP: D. Jimenez; SV: R. Dickmann)
27 vs. Lowell, W 5-3 (WP: R. Nixon; LP: R. Velette; SV: E. Tejeda)
28 vs. Lowell, L 7-10 (WP: L. Bastardo; LP: T. Dischler)
29 vs. Lowell, W 8-4 (WP: J. Colon; LP: L. Diaz)

The Transactions:

No transactions.

Week 6 Offense:

After an offensive explosion last week, the offense struggled mightily this week, managing just 27 runs (24 earned), racking up only 41 hits. They also were shut out twice this week. With the anemic offense this week, it certainly sunk their stats a bit, now ranking sixth in the league batting average (.254), previously ranked fifth last week with a .261 batting average, fifth in runs (204), sixth in hits (358), third in doubles (76), second in triples (14), tied for tenth in home runs (15), sixth in RBI (177), sixth in total bases (507), second in walks (154), fewest in strike outs (250), and tied for second in stolen bases (63). They also rank fourth in OBP (.343), eighth in SLG (.359), and sixth in OPS (.703).

Week 6 Offensive Player of the Week: Tony Wolters

A quick rising prospect in the Tribe organization is this guy right here who is swinging one of the hottest bats in minor league baseball. This week, he hit .400 (8-20) with 3 runs, a double, and 2 runs driven in. He also struck out twice and walked twice, while also stealing 2 bases. And in his past ten games, he's hitting .415 (17-41) with 7 runs, 3 doubles, and 6 runs driven in. He has also walked four times and struck out 4 times, while also swiping 4 bags. Also in his past ten games, he has a .478 OBP/.488 SLG/.966 OPS. Wolters is a young prospect facing pitchers who are on average 2 or 3 years older than him. On the season, he's hitting .311 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, a home run, and 13 runs driven in. He also has a good strike out to walk ratio of 22 K/18 BB. A little surprisingly, he has also stolen 13 bags and being caught only 3 times. For the season, he has a .403 OBP/.424 SLG/.827 OPS.

Week 6 Pitching:

Aside from one bad game, the pitching staff held its own this week, allowing 26 ER/29 R and surrendering 48 H. The one thing that's evident is that this team lacks some serious talent in the bullpen who can be relied on night in and night out. For the most part, the starters have kept the team in ball games all season long, but once the game is turned over to the 'pen, things suddenly go wrong. They now rank eighth in the league in ERA (3.84), sixth in hits allowed (341), seventh in runs (185), fifth in earned runs (157), tied for fifth most in home runs allowed (22), sixth in walks allowed (139), and second in strike outs (333).

Week 6 Pitcher of the Week: Joseph Colon

Colon has quietly put together a solid season for the Scrappers. On the season, he has posted a 4-2 record with a 3.48 ERA. In 9 appearances (8 starts), he's pitched a combined 44 innings, allowing 36 hit, 17 ER/20 R, and 1 home run. He has also walked 13 and struck out 33. Opposing hitters have an average of .220 against him. This week, however, he picked up two wins, pitching six innings in both outings, allowing a combined 6 hits and allowing 2 ER/R in both outings. He also walked a combined 2 batters and struck out 14.

Injury Note: I talked with Bryson Myles earlier this week and he stated that the hamstring that has sidelined him from action is doing well and he will return to action on August 1 against Aberdeen.

Looking Ahead to Week 7:

30 @ Aberdeen, 7:05 PM
31 @ Aberdeen, 2:35 PM
1 @ Aberdeen, 7:05 PM
2 vs. Staten Island, 7:05 PM
3 vs. Staten Island, 7:05 PM
4 vs. Staten Island, 7:05 PM
5 vs. Auburn, 7:05 PM

Week 7 Promotions:
Tue, Aug 2: Glee Night, $2 Tuesday, McDonald's McFamily Pack Night, KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets, Austintown Community Day
Wed, Aug 3: DARE Day, Salute to the Great Outdoors, Ohio Lottery Winners Are Everywhere, Military Nights
Thu, Aug 4: Betty White Night, Buck Night
Fri, Aug 5: Friday Night Fireworks, Faith Night, FRITOS Family Friday

You can follow Andrew on Twitter @Andrew_IPI

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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The Scrapperbook: Week Four

Where We Stand in Week Four:

Overall Record: 16-12 (3-3 this week) Tied for first place.

Week Four Games:

9 @ Williamsport, W 4-3 (WP: D. Jimenez; LP: L. Martinez; SV: E. Tejeda)
10 @ Williamsport, L 2-6 (WP: C. Kleven; LP: R. Nixon; SV: J. Gomez)
11 @ Williamsport, L 4-7 (WP: A. Brough; LP: C. Allen)
13 vs. Connecticut, W 2-1 (WP: J. Colon; LP: R. Woolley)
14 vs. Connecticut, W 9-6 (WP: N. Striz; LP: D. Gagnier; SV: E. Tejeda)
15 vs. Connecticut, L 4-7 (WP: M. Mercedes; LP: D. Jimenez; SV: D. Bennett)

The Transactions:

07/09/2011: SS Kevin Fontanez assigned to Lake County Captains from Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
07/09/2011: SS Evan Frazar assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
07/13/2011: RHP Jeanmar Gomez assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers from Columbus Clippers.
07/13/2011: Henry Dunn assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers from AZL Indians.

Week 4 Offense:

The offense by no means struggled this week, but weren't overly impressive either. In six games, they racked up 50 hits, while scoring 22 ER/25 R. They continue to plumet in the stats category, dropping to ninth in the league in batting average (.248), ninth in runs (123), tied for fifth in hits (236), sixth in doubles (47), tied for third in triples (9), tied for eleventh in home runs (9), seventh in RBI (104), sixth in total bases (2328), fifth in walks (100), third fewest in strike outs (172), and third in stolen bases (46). They also rank fifth in OBP (.338), ninth in SLG (.345), and eighth in OPS (.683).

Week 4 Offensive Player of the Week: Alex Lavisky

While Lavisky's overall numbers are unimpressive and his combined season stats are even more unimpressive, he had himself a fine week, hitting .350 (7-20), scoring three runs, homering once, and driving in two runs. He also improved his overall approach at the plate walking three times and only striking out four times. The past two seasons, Lavisky has had a major problem striking out, so it was encouraging to see the walks he earned.

Week 4 Pitching:

The pitching staff had another rough week, allowing 29 ER/30 R and surrendering 51 hits. It appears they're finally falling back to Earth with less than stellar prospects.It's also beginning to show on the stat sheet. They now rank eighth in the league in ERA (3.61), tied for sixth fewest in hits allowed (221), seventh in runs (119), sixth in earned runs (101), tied for forth most in home runs allowed (14), seventh in walks allowed (94), and fourth in strike outs (222). I also think it's worth noting this stat: our offense this season has scored 123 runs (104 earned), while our pitching staff has allowed 119 runs (101 earned). Pretty close.

Week 4 Pitcher of the Week: Joseph Colon

Almost by default, Colon wins in a landslide, considering the terrible week the pitching staff had. Colon pitched in relief of Jeanmar Gomez, throwing 5 solid innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and a walk, while striking out 4. He also picked up his second win of the season, improving to 2-2. Had Colon not been eligible, Nate Striz also pitched a solid 4 innings of relief this week, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 4.

Looking Ahead to Week 5:

16 @ Jamestown, 7:05 PM
17 @ Jamestown, 6:05 PM
18 @ Jamestown, 7:05 PM
19 vs. State College, 7:05 PM
20 vs. State College, 7:05 PM
21 @ State College, 7:05 PM
22 @ State College, 7:05 PM

Week 5 Promotions:

Tue, Jul 19: Tribute to Hair Bands, $2 Tuesday, KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets, Niles Community Day, Going Green Night
Wed, Jul 20: Road to Ground Zero Flag Tour, McDonald's McFamily Pack Night, Military Nights

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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Hunting Down Late Round Gems

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

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

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

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

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

Analysis: Solid numbers, nice BB/K ratio.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Analysis:  Too few innings, but too many BB.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tony already broke him down

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

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

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

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

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

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Indians Officially Sign Eight More Draft Picks

The Indians have officially announced the signing of 8 additional draft picks today. Tony has already reported on several of these guys in his "unofficial signing" updates. Top pick Alex White's UNC Tar Heels were eliminated from the College World Series yesterday (White did not pitch in the game), so look for the Indians to start negotiating with him in the near future as well. Below is the official press release from the Indians announcing todays signings:

The Cleveland Indians today signed 8 additional draft picks from the 2009 First Year Player Draft. Today the Indians signed 3rd round pick RHP Joe Gardner (UC Santa Barbara), 4th round pick INF Kyle Bellows, 12th round pick RHP Joseph Colon (Puerto Rico CC), 15th round pick LHP Mike Rayl (Palm Beach CC), 19TH round pick LHP Nick Kirk (Northern Iowa), 23rd round pick LHP Daniel Jimenez (John A Logan College), 33rd round pick INF Chris Kersten (La Tech), and 48th round pick LHP Vidal Nuno (Baker U). The Indians have now signed 17 of their 50 selections and 12 of the top 16.

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Minor Happenings: Indians Draft Lots Of Pitching

"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.

The 2009 First-Year Player Draft has come and gone, and now that the picks have been made the real fun begins as teams scramble to sign players by the August 15^th signing deadline. To stay with the draft theme, the news and notes in the farm system will be put on hold this week as we concentrate on wrapping up the draft. Lots of comments from Director of Scouting Brad Grant, and also some other nuggets on the draft as well.

For those that missed it, we had 3^rd round pick right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner and 18^th round pick catcher Dwight Childs on our radio show Smoke Signals on Thursday night. Lots of great insight from both players on how their draft day went and what their plans are going forward.

Also, I will be at Lake County tonight and Akron on Sunday as I begin to make my next round through the farm system talking to players, coaches, club officials and so on.

Directors Cuts

According to Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant pitching was viewed as the strength of what was considered a weak draft, so they targeted pitching in the draft. They had a college pitcher targeted with first pick, and it ended up being White who was the top option on their board at the time their pick came up. Also, Grant mentioned that they did not take any Boras guys in the draft, though this was not by design as it just worked out that way. They have already begun negotiations with many of their picks right now, though for the players still playing in the College World Series they cannot do anything with them until their season's are over.

Here is what Grant had to say about several of the players take in the draft:

On Alex White (RHP, 1^st round): "He'll run up to 95-96 MPH. He has good life to his plus fastball, and it has good, heavy sink to it and is more like a two-seam fastball. He features two different secondary pitches, a split which is a late swing-and-miss type pitch and a slider that is a swing-and-miss type pitch as well. He has very good size at 6'2" 235 pounds. He has been one of our targets since the beginning of the season and he was the top talent left up on the board at that point in time. He was a guy who once he pitched his senior year in high school he had the power stuff we liked with a power sinker, power fastball, and power slider, and he is just a very athletic, intelligent kid. He was a guy that we have known since high school, and our area scout Bob Mayer has known him since high school. He is a guy we had interest in when he was in high school but were unable to draft him, but watched him for the last three years in North Carolina. He is an intelligent kid who is very grounded and very strong in his values. He has added a split to his repertoire now, as in high school he was a power sinker-slider guy. We are going to likely project him out as a power backend bullpen arm. He is a plus-plus makeup guy. Our development path with the innings he has right now at North Carolina, we will probably slow-play it once we do get him signed, but we will begin the transition to the bullpen probably next year. We took him with the intention of signing him."

On the reasoning for White's move to the bullpen: "We are going to develop him as a reliever, so we just figured we would come out and go ahead and just say that ultimately see him in the future as a power backend of the bullpen guy. He has the makeup to do it, and the mentality to do it. It is very hard to predict who is ever going to be a closer, but he certainly has the stuff to be a backend arm. We think his track will be shortened if we put him in that role and let him go. We don't draft off of major league need, as our major league need could change drastically in a year. He was the best talent available and we went ahead and selected him in the first round. Everything we look for and value in a pitcher he has it. Alex is going to do whatever is best for the organization and best for him to succeed. We just feel that the strike throwing ability and stuff will play better in a bullpen role. When you stretch it out longer the stuff still plays, but in a shorter role the fastball, slider, and splitter are going to play up. He has three legitimate above average major league pitches.

On Jason Kipnis (OF, 2^nd round): "He was our second round draft pick this year, and he is a left-handed centerfielder at Arizona State. He is a very athletic player with advanced ability to hit. I think he is going to hit with power as well, he has the ability to play center field and play the other corner positions as well. We feel we have added a very athletic bat through the draft, and we see him as an everyday centerfielder with the ability to play all three outfield positions. It is an advanced college bat, and is a guy we followed the last three years. He is a guy who gets on base a lot and doesn't strikeout. He has a very good, disciplined approach at the plate. He has more hitting than power, but we also feel like he has a chance to hit with power. He is a guy who was sophomore eligible last year that we had targeted and lost him in the draft. Fortunately he came back through the draft again this year and he was a guy we had targeted since the beginning of the season and we are happy we were able to acquire him."

On where they will play Kipnis: We are going to keep Kipnis as an outfielder. We see him as a centerfielder. He is a very good hitter, has an advanced approach at the plate, doesn't swing and miss much, and a very patient approach. He is a good hitter with power. I think he has enough tools to be able to play centerfield as an average runner, average defender which are enough tools to stay in centerfield on an everyday basis.

On Joe Gardner (RHP, 3^rd round): "He is a big, strong, physical 6'5" 225-pound right-hander. He has a sinker-slider mix with a feel for a changeup, and he is a very good strike-thrower. He throws 90-94 MPH with a late heavy fastball that sinks and produces a ton of groundball outs. He has a solid-average slider that gets up to 80 MPH. He has all the attributes to start, the only thing is the slot is a low-three quarters slot which allows for a lot of sink to the fastball. So we are going to start him. Ultimately he does have a three pitch mix with solid strike throwing ability, so if it does not work out in a starting role we have a power backend sinker-slider bullpen arm. He is a big physical player. We got another power arm that we are going to be able to send out there and add to our depth at the pitching position. We have followed him since junior college two years ago, and then we followed him the last two years at Cal-Santa Barbara as well."

Kyle Bellows (3B, 4^th round): He is a very athletic right-handed shortstop right now that we are projecting out to be a third baseman. It is a very good bat with developing power. He is 20 years old and he is starting to progress each year if you look at it, and his power has continued to develop. Our area scout Don Lyle - who signed Cord Phelps last year - this was a strong gut feel guy for him as this is a guy he really feels has the ability to continue to grow as a hitter and continue to develop power.

Austin Adams (RHP, 5^th round): I would say Adams is a [risk-reward guy]. He is a converted shortstop and came up onto the mound at 94-98 MPH with a plus curveball. He is a power pitcher they had in a starting role, and we are going to put him back into a bullpen role and hope that the stuff and power plays up in the role. He was a shortstop who was drafted last year, so we have seen him for the last three years. Our area scout Chuck Bartlett has a very good feel for him where he feels if you put him into the right role he will have a chance to excel.

Joseph Colon (RHP, 12^th round): He was out of junior college in Puerto Rico. The Cubs tried to sign him last winter but since he is enrolled in a junior college they found out that he is draft eligible and had to go through the draft.

On Kyle Smith (RHP, 20^th round): He has a three pitch mix and has a chance to be a starter. He is a big, physical, strong right-handed pitcher. He had some shoulder injuries at the end of the season, but he was able to pitch through them. He should be healthy and should be fine as he pitched at the Regionals this year. We are going to let him slow down a little bit and take some time off and rest and see where things go this summer. But we like the size, we like the three pitch mix, and we like the strike throwing ability. He is a very good overall athlete. What we look for in a pitcher is athleticism and the ability to repeat the delivery, especially in a guy like Kyle. He has that along with intelligence.

On Matt Hamann (RHP, 24^th round): He is a local kid who is going to the University of Toledo. It is a projection, he is a high school right-handed pitcher who has not pitched that much just because of the weather here in Cleveland. We are going to follow him over the course of the summer and see where things progress.

Robert Sabo (RHP, 38^th round): "He was a reliever at Kent State this year. He is coming off of shoulder surgery last year as he only had 20 innings this year. He has pitched well, and we are going to watch him over the course of this summer, kind of similar to what we are going to do with Kyle Smith, and see where things progress and take it from there."

On how they use their area scouts in the draft: "This year once we got past the 7^th round then we started to take guys who were strictly with the area scouts at that time. Occassionally it would mix in some where a crosschecker, myself or John Mirabelli would had seen the player, but really once you get outside the top five rounds you really start to rely on your area scouts as that is where they start to make the difference. We did bring all of our area scouts into Cleveland this year. We had all 15 area scouts right behind us, and it makes our process that much better as we can turn around to them and ask questions and they are right there to say to us ‘take this guy or take that guy'."

On their Day Three strategy: What we look for at this point is guys we are going to follow over the course of the summer. We took a lot of guys who are going to go into the summer leagues and Cape Cod League so that we can watch them over the course of the summer. You can find value in the backend of the draft. We targeted that as we are not just looking to fill out our rosters. We are looking to try and get prospects and then add depth to our draft through the 50 rounds."

Another Perspective On White

Obviously Brad Grant and the Indians are very high on their first round pick Alex White, but what does an unbiased observer think? Here is what a top official from another American League club passed along as his view on White:

Big, strong, durable workhorse type guy with arm strength and two average-to-above average secondary pitches. His fastball goes up to 94, comes out of his hand easy with some late sink. His slider wasn't consistent later in the year, but still showed flashes of above-average tilt/depth. Split looked more like a straight changeup when I saw it, but when it's right it has really late fade. For me, Putnam had a better splitter in his junior year of college, but no question it's a weapon, especially versus left-handers.

Draft Recap

Here is a quick rundown of the players the Indians took over the course of the draft which was spread out over three days from Tuesday though Thursday. For some scouting reports and more information on these players, go to my blog at http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/.

Round Player Position School

1 Alex White, RHP, North Carolina
2 Jason Kipnis, OF, Arizona State
3 Joe Gardner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
4 Kyle Bellows, 3B, San Jose State
5 Austin Adams, RHP, Faulkner (AL)
6 Ben Carlson, 1B, Missouri State
7 Jordan Henry, OF, Mississippi
8 Corey Burns, RHP, Arizona
9 Preston Guilmet, RHP, Arizona
10 Brett Brach, RHP, Monmouth
11 Kirk Wetmore, LHP, Bellevue (WA) CC
12 Joseph Colon, RHP, (No school)
13 Jeremy Johnson, RHP, Washington State
14 Kyle Smith, SS, Cal Poly
15 Michael Rayl, LHP, Palm Beach (FL)
16 Joseph Dickerson, RHP, Nicholls State
17 Casey Frawley, OF, Stetson
18 Dwight Childs, C, Arizona
19 Nick Kirk, LHP, Northern Iowa
20 Kyle Smith, RHP, Kent State
21 Jeff Rowland, OF, Georgia Tech
22 Merrill Kelly, RHP, Yavapai (AZ) JC
23 Daniel Jimenez, LHP, Logan (IL) JC
24 Mike Hamann, RHP, Danbury HS, Lakeside, Ohio
25 Blake Hauser, RHP, Manchester HS, Midlothian, Va.
26 Antwoine Hubbard, RHP, Oklahoma
27 Tyler Sturdevant, RHP, New Mexico State
28 Nickolas Sarianides, RHP, Chattahoochee Valley (AL) JC
29 Xorge Carrillo, C, Central Arizona JC
30 Bryson Smith, 3B, Young Harris (GA) JC
31 Raynor Campbell, 3B, Baylor
32 Matt Packer, LHP, Virginia
33 Chris Kersten, 3B, Louisiana Tech
34 Westley Moss, OF, Nevada
35 Chris Beck, RHP, Jefferson (GA) HS
36 Robert Evans, RHP, Alabama
37 Steven Ewing, LHP, University (FL) HS
38 Robert Sabo, RHP, Kent State
39 Brian Hernandez, 3B, UC Irvine
40 Greg Folgia, SS, Missouri
41 Max Muncy, C, Keller (TX) HS
42 Jonathan Kountis, RHP, Ohio Dominican
43 D.J. Gentile, DH, Cal Poly
44 Jose Madrid, C, Memorial HS, Victoria, Texas
45 James Jones, RHP, Logan (IL) JC
46 Scott Sommerfeld, OF, Parkway South HS, Ballwin, Mo.
47 Christian Powell, RHP, Greenwood (SC) HS
48 Vidal Nuno, LHP, Baker (KS)
49 Burch Smith, RHP, Howard (TX) JC
50 Tyler Joyner, LHP, Northern Nash HS, Rocky Mount, N.C.

Draft Breakdown

Here are some facts of interest from the draft:

- Of the 50 players taken, 23 were right-handed pitchers, 8 were left-handed pitchers, and 19 were position players. Of those 50 players, 41 were college and 9 high school.

- Each of the Indians first 23 selections were from a college or university as the Indians did not select a high school player until their 24th pick (RHP Michael Hamann).

- 28 of the Indians first 30 picks were from a college or university, and of the Indians first 30 selections, 20 were pitchers.

- The Indians selected three local products in RHP Kyle Smith from Kent State (20th round), RHP Michael Hamann from Danbury High School in Port Clinton, OH (24th round), and RHP Robert Sabo from Kent State (38^th round).

Signing Update

Also, no signings have been announced yet, but a few are imminent considering that Mahoning Valley opens play in less than a week and the players will report there on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. From what I know so far, Dwight Childs, Cory Burns, Preston Guilmet, Kyle Smith (KSU), Vidal Nuno, Nick Kirk, and Chris Kersten all are very interested in signing and getting things going right away and signed very soon. Scott Somerfeld and Michael Rayl are iffy, while Raynor Campbell and Brian Hernandez will be summer draft-and-follows. Expect the Indians to sign roughly 23-27 of their 50 picks.

Also, the Indians had 865 players on their draft board and supposedly had about 75 players still up on their board when the draft ended, so look for them to sign several undrafted free agents in the coming days.

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2009 Indians 12th Round Pick: RHP Joseph Colon

In the 12th round, the Cleveland Indians select: RHP Joseph Colon - Huertas Junior college 6'2" 200 lbs. 6'0" 167lbs

UPDATE (2:08 PM EST): Jeff Ellis
Joseph Colon was undrafted last year as a third baseman out of Puerto Rico. Baseball America rated him the 9th best prospect in Puerto Rico. He switched to the mound and it turned out he had a low 90’s fastball. The Cubs signed him in January, but the deal was void because he had enrolled at Huertas Junior college even though they don’t have a baseball team. He is about as raw as you can get with a pitcher. He has no breaking pitches and a curve that looks like it should develop into a good pitch. His fastball has nice sink to it and should gain more MPH as his mechanics are refined and he is coached up. An interesting prospect, but along the definition of a project.

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