Tribe Happenings: Beltran interest shows Indians are working

The Indians missed out on Beltran, but

it shows they are working. (Photo: AP)

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

Indians looking for the right fit

News came out on Thursday that the Indians were hot and heavy for free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran. Reports indicated it was down to the Indians and Cardinals before he agreed to sign with the Cardinals for two years and $26 million.

While the Indians finished second, it showed their willingness to go the extra mile to sign a player when their value aligned with what they are looking for and can afford. While Beltran would have made about $13 million a season, the Indians would have found a way to fit him into their limited payroll by clearing some payroll elsewhere on the roster. Most importantly, it was his availability on a two year contract that spiked the Indians interest as they are looking to sign free agents to one or maybe two year deals this offseason.

The Indians final offer was reportedly very “aggressive” and “close” to what Beltran got from the Cardinals. In a way he and his agent probably used the Indians to raise the ante the Cardinals needed to pay to sign him. It should not be viewed that the Indians simply came up short once again, but that he just ultimately chose to go where he wanted to go all along. Remember, this is a player who declined to waive his no trade clause to come to Cleveland last July, so he was a long shot to sign with the Indians anyway.

The Indians have been in talks this offseason with every free agent hitter not named Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. They have also been burning up the phones talking to other teams to explore trade opportunities. The lack of names floating around on who they are interested in should not be a sign of inactivity by the team. The Indians have a policy where they simply do not leak or discuss potential free agent signings or trades, and good or bad, that is how they do it.

It remains to be seen what their plan is and how the rest of this offseason will unfold. The way the Indians roster currently sets up they have a window open for the next two years before they probably have to retool the team after 2013; however, how much they have to retool the team post-2013 depends on what happens the next two seasons.

This is why they are limiting contract acquisitions at the moment to two years or less. They do not know what will happen between now and the next two years, so they are allowing flexibility with the roster so if they do have to rebuild they are not saddled with payroll. They are also allowing flexibility with the payroll in the event they can keep the window open and want to extend a lot of soon-to-be free agents such as Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Grady Sizemore, Fausto Carmona, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Chris Perez.

While the Indians did not sign or acquire a player to put under the Christmas tree of Indians fans everywhere, they are working hard and a move or two is still expected before the start of the season.

Not so fast

There is a segment of the Indians fan base that believe first baseman/outfielder Shelley Duncan should be given an opportunity to be the everyday first baseman for the Indians next year. He had a solid year this past season hitting .260 with 11 homers, 47 RBI and .808 OPS in 76 games for the Indians. He also had an awesome September where given a chance to play every day he hit .265 with 7 homers, 23 RBI, and .942 OPS, and his 23 RBI ranked him 3rd in the American League for the month.

But before anyone gets all caught up in 83 at bats in September and thinks Duncan is a suitable every day option, let’s be honest: he is not. He is a good role player who performed well when given the opportunity to play more, but it is not like the proverbial light suddenly went on for him at age 32. He simply got hot for a month and had a few big swings go over the fence. He still struck out at an alarming rate (21 strikeouts in 83 at bats) and his batting average was still only .265; he just managed to make the most of his 22 hits by having 14 of them go for extra bases.

But in no way should the Indians be considering Duncan for an everyday role. Not yet at least. Lest we forget Karim Garcia from nine years ago? Remember him? The guy who had an awesome August and September in 2002 where he hit .299 with 16 homers, 51 RBI and .901 OPS in 51 games to end that season? The Indians went with him as a regular in 2003 and he bombed hitting .194 with a .603 OPS in 24 games before being put on waivers and being claimed by the Yankees in June of that year.

Duncan absolutely should be a part of the Indians plans in 2012 because he is great in the clubhouse, accepts his role as a bench player, is a solid right-handed bat of the bench, and is a good backup option to use as an everyday guy in the event the regular first baseman or left fielder gets hurt. But let’s leave him in that bench role.

Winter ball roundup

The winter ball season wraps up next weekend. Already several leagues like the Arizona Fall League and Panama Winter League have finished their seasons, and by this time next week regular season action will have finished in the two most popular winter leagues in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Here is a quick snapshot of how some notable players are doing out in winter ball.

The most popular day of winter ball this offseason occurred on Tuesday when Fausto Carmona and Ubaldo Jimenez squared off in the Dominican Republic. It was the first action for both of them this offseason, and while Carmona looked good (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K) Jimenez was his usual inconsistent self (2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K). It is hard to take anything away from one appearance in winter ball, but it goes without saying that Carmona and Jimenez are arguably the two most important pitchers the Indians need to get straightened out in order to have more success next season.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been playing regularly out in Venezuela for about three weeks now and in 15 games is hitting .231 with 2 homers, 10 RBI, and .750 OPS. Slugging first baseman Jesus Aguilar continues to impress this offseason hitting .325 with 6 homers, 23 RBI and 1.007 OPS in 35 combined games between the Arizona Fall League and Venezuela. Outfielder Ezequiel Carrera has gotten some much needed extended playing time in Venezuela where in 39 games he is hitting .270 with 2 homers, 13 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and .756 OPS, though has not played in a week because of an injury sustained last weekend that forced him to be removed from the game.

Recent signings infielder Jose Lopez and outfielder Felix Pie have also played well. Lopez has played 39 games out in Venezuela, almost exclusively at third base, and is hitting .307 with 5 homers, 23 RBI and .841 OPS. Pie has played in 42 games out in the Dominican Republic and is hitting .273 with 4 homers, 21 RBI, and .750 OPS.

LaRoche signed

On Wednesday the Indians announced the signing of infielder Andy LaRoche to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League spring training.

LaRoche, 28, has played in 403 career games at the Major League level and owns a .226 batting average with 22 homers, 113 RBI and .642 OPS. Last year in 40 games with the Athletics he hit .247 with 0 homers, 5 RBI and .654 OPS, and also played 54 games at Triple-A Sacramento where he hit .254 with 4 homers, 27 RBI and .710 OPS. His brother Adam has enjoyed an eight year Major League career and currently plays for Washington. His father, Dave, appeared in 647 games over 14 seasons from 1970-83 and pitched for the Indians from 1975-77, leading the club in appearances and saves in both 1975 and 1976.

Though LaRoche has spent most of his career at third base he has played games both at the Major and minor league level at many other positions. Last year he appeared in games at all four infield positions and has some experience in the minors playing left field. He is yet more depth the Indians have signed to back up some of their role players like Jack Hannahan and Jason Donald. Donald and Hannahan are expected to make the opening day roster as bench players.

Judy turns Red

The Indians lost right-handed pitcher Josh Judy on waivers to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. He had been designated for assignment on December 16th when the Indians needed to clear space on the 40-man after acquiring outfielder Aaron Cunningham from the Padres in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Cory Burns.

I’m not sure if the Indians expected to lose Judy or not on waivers, but the move to acquire Cunningham resulted in them losing two of their relief pitching depth options, one at the big league level and one at the Triple-A level. The value of such players in a trade is not very high, but by the same token neither is a fourth outfielder like Cunningham.

It remains to be seen what happens with Cunningham, but since he is out of options it would be a shame if he is lost on waivers at the end of spring training and the Indians have nothing to show for losing Judy and Burns. Good luck to Judy as while I am sad to see him go, I am also at the same time excited to see him remain on a Major League roster and get to continue his dream.

Parting shots

The Indians voided the contract of 36th round pick left-handed pitcher Abel Guerrero back in August. He had signed with the team and made two appearances at rookie level Arizona, but he had some pre-existing medical issues that they found after he signed. He is a free agent and has not yet signed with another team. … Former Indians hitting coach Jon Nunnally is back coaching again as he has been hired by the Toronto Blue Jays to be their hitting coach at Double-A New Hampshire. … Did you know that Latin players participating in the Dominican Summer League can only play there a maximum of three years before they have to be brought stateside or be released? … And finally, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy this special time of the season.

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: LaPorta should be playing winter ball

Some winter ball action would have only

helped LaPorta and his bat (Photo: AP).

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

Winter no show

The Indians have several players currently participating in winter ball this offseason in places all around the globe in Australia, Panama, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. While some Latin stars play a few weeks for their home country, most of the players participating in winter ball are those in the minor leagues on the cusp of the big leagues, those in the big leagues with a year or two experience that have struggled and need to figure some things out, and those who have had injuries and need to make up at bats or innings pitched.

So why in the world is Indians’ first baseman Matt LaPorta not playing winter ball this offseason?

The Indians have a big question mark at first base at the moment, and with how inconsistent LaPorta has been in his three years in the big leagues he would probably be best served to go play winter ball and just play some games to work on things and maybe build some confidence going into spring training. In his three year career he has a .238 average, 30 homers, 115 RBI, and .701 OPS in 269 games.

Right now LaPorta is all but certain to open the 2012 season at Triple-A Columbus unless he wows in spring training and the Indians do not pick up a first baseman this offseason. Even so, the Indians may still opt to go with a Carlos Santana-Shelley Duncan combination at first base so LaPorta can go to Columbus to get him on track and build his confidence and consistency.

So how about getting a head start on all that by playing this offseason in winter ball?

I really think LaPorta is making a mistake by not playing anywhere this offseason. The Indians likely encouraged him to play, but ultimately the decision to play winter ball is 100% on the player as a team cannot force a player to do it. Had LaPorta played somewhere this offseason it may have helped serve as a catalyst to get him right again and give him an opportunity to see a ton of breaking balls (something he needs a lot of work on) for four to six weeks.

Two other players who really should be playing winter ball are second baseman Cord Phelps and catcher Lou Marson. Phelps needs more work defensively at second base, more consistency at the plate, and maybe even needs to work on playing some left field to add some versatility to his game. Marson still needs a lot of work with his bat, and it wouldn’t hurt to learn how to hit left-handed pitching better since that is when he will most often be in the lineup.

On the flip side, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera is playing winter ball in Venezuela. In 38 games he is hitting .265 with 2 homers, 13 RBI and .749 OPS, and his six triples lead the league and his 10 stolen bases rank second. While his numbers are quite ordinary he is gaining a ton of much needed game experience as he has accrued 178 plate appearances and will probably end up with over 200 plate appearances this winter. That’s valuable playing time and a player taking advantage of his offseason to maybe perform better next year.

Running out of alternatives

The Indians’ search for a right-handed bat to fill a need at first base continues to be a challenge this offseason.

Free agents Michael Cuddyer (3 years, $31.5 million) and Josh Willingham (3 years, $21 million) were taken off the free agent market this week which leaves very little in the way of reasonable upgrades for the offense available in free agency. The Indians did not have much interest in Cuddyer, but there was some interest in Willingham; however, as previously noted the Indians were not interested in going more than two years and even had he been willing to sign for two years the Indians would have had to make a trade to clear some salary in order to add him to the roster.

The only everyday right-handed bat upgrade available to the Indians in free agency appears to be first baseman Derrek Lee. His contract length of one year fits the Indians, but he could get $5-7 million which is not in the Indians budget at this time. Outfielder Andruw Jones also remains a possibility.

Free agency was never really much of an option for the Indians to acquire a significant bat this offseason, so the trade market continues to be the best possibility. But the trade market for any impact quality right-handed bats has been slow this offseason as really none have been traded, so it is hard to second-guess the Indians sitting pat since the activity around the league has been almost non-existent.

Since Albert Pujols did not end up in Miami, first baseman Gabby Sanchez is no longer expected to be available in a trade. The Padres pickup of first base prospect Yonder Alonso yesterday may put first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the market, but the Indians do not have the upper level starting pitching or Major League pitching that would match up in a trade. One trade option with continues to be a possibility for the Indians is Astros outfielder/first baseman Carlos Lee, but for a deal to take place the Astros will have to eat much more than half of his $18.5 million 2012 salary.

With each passing day the likelihood increases that the Indians may stand pat and wait until during the season to fill their bat need(s). Whether or not they do this and whether or not it is the right or wrong thing remains to be seen, but when looking at the internal options at their disposal for first base they are very limited.

The way things stand right now the Indians have Shelley Duncan, Matt LaPorta, Thomas Neal, and Jared Goedert along with newcomers Jose Lopez and Aaron Cunningham (more on them in a minute) as options to fill their right-handed bat needs in the lineup. That’s not a very good list of options at the moment to rely on for impact production at a corner infield position.

Look for the Indians to continue to bring in right-handed bats on minor league deals to have some options to sift through this spring in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. It still remains a possibility that one of Casey Blake or Mark DeRosa may still be brought in on a minor league deal.

Goodbye, Adam

With some sadness I am sorry to report that long time Indians’ right-handed pitching prospect Adam Miller has agreed to sign a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He was a first round pick of the Indians all the way back in the 2003 Draft and only outfielder Grady Sizemore, designated hitter Travis Hafner, right-handed pitcher Fausto Carmona, and left-handed pitcher Rafael Perez had a longer tenure in the Indians’ organization.

Miller, 27, leaves the Indians after nine seasons in the organization, though much of the last five seasons were limited because of chronic issues with the middle finger on his pitching hand. He had all the talent to be a sure-fire frontline starting pitcher in the big leagues and was about to get that opportunity in 2007, but a nasty and rare career threatening middle finger ailment cropped up that resulted in lots of surgeries and down time that saw him miss all of 2009 and 2010 before returning last season.

Miller was a free agent and it was his choice whether he stayed with the Indians or went elsewhere. The Indians were open to him returning, but with all the bullpen arms the Indians have stocked from Cleveland to Double-A Akron there really was no spot for them to guarantee him a place on a roster or consideration for a big league opportunity. He knows of the depth the Indians have firsthand because he lived through it last season as he was forced to pitch all season in High-A Kinston and Double-A Akron because there was no spot open for him to pitch in Triple-A Columbus.

This is why minor league free agency is available as it allows players who have been around a long time an opportunity to seek out another possibility elsewhere rather than be blocked and stuck in a system where they really have no future. There is no reason for him to be loyal to the Indians for not releasing him years ago when his career looked to be finished. At this point he needs to maximize his opportunity to make it to the big leagues because time is running out as there is no telling when his surgically repaired finger will give out one final time.

Another thing to keep in mind is Miller is still a complete unknown with his health. His fastball gets into the low 90s but it is not close to the fastball it used to be, and his slider is no longer the dominating plus pitch it was prior to his finger injury. He struggled with the consistency of his slider all last season and tried new grips and lots of suggestions by coaches to no avail. Without the slider he is simply not a Major League pitching option.

It would have been great to see Miller beat the odds and make it to the big leagues in an Indians uniform. It would have made a great story, and probably had Disney knocking on the door to get the rights to make a movie out of it. But at this point the odds are still extremely long he ever makes it.

I’m going to miss Miller very much as he came into the organization right when I started covering the Indians and their farm system, so I have been closely following his whole career. I wish him nothing but the best of luck going forward. I know I speak for many when I say that I will continue to watch his career and hope he gets that long awaited dream of pitching in the big leagues, even for just a day.

Internationally speaking

The Indians continue to search every corner of the globe for talent to add to their minor league system or to fill a need at the big league level.

In late November they had outfielder Yoenis Cespedes workout for them at their facility in the Dominican Republic. While they are very interested in him, his price tag is unfortunately much too high as the signing demands for him have gone into the stratosphere which has pushed him out of the Indians budget.

The fall developmental league in the Dominican Republic recently completed last month, and while out there several scouts and club executives already got busy preparing for the International Signing Period which opens up July 2nd. The scouting and workouts for that signing period started cranking up on November 1st and will continue to be hot and heavy the next several months in advance of the signing period.

This month the Indians have been taking a look at the talent participating in a big Pacific Rim tournament out in Taiwan. Clubs feel that this is one of the best years in the last decade or so for talent in Taiwan, so lots of high profile players are being looked at by the Indians and other teams. There is a possibility that the Indians will come away from Taiwan with a signing or two, though any such signing will probably be at the minor league level. The Indians have signed about five players out of Taiwan in the past four or five years and have a good reputation with agents there.

Minor moves

The Indians officially signed outfielder Felix Pie and infielder Jose Lopez to minor league contracts on Friday. Pie is a former top prospect with the Chicago Cubs who is still young (26) but has been a disappointment so far in his big league career. Last year in 85 games with the Orioles he hit .220 with no homers, 7 RBI, and .545 OPS. Lopez hit .216 with 8 homers, 21 RBI and .617 OPS in 82 combined games with the Rockies and Marlins last year. Two years ago he hit 25 homers and had 96 RBI with the Mariners.

Pie can make $700,000 if he makes the team and the deal also includes another $300,000 he can make in incentives. Lopez will make $900,000 if he makes the team.

The Indians also announced a trade on Friday as they sent Double-A right-handed reliever Cory Burns to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Aaron Cunningham. Cunningham is a right-handed hitter who is on the 40-man roster and out of options, so it looks like he has the inside shot for the fourth outfielder role in Cleveland. He hit .329 with 9 homers, 63 RBI and .930 OPS in 87 games at Triple-A Tucson last year, and in the big leagues with the Padres hit .178 with 3 homers, 9 RBI and .624 OPS in 52 games.

Burns was a mid-level relief pitching prospect with potential as a middle innings big league reliever. He has been one of the top save men in the minors the last two years and this season his 35 saves at Double-A Akron were tied for second most in all of Minor League Baseball.

Seven up

Of no surprise the Indians tendered contract to all seven of their arbitration eligible players before the midnight deadline this past Monday. The seven players up for arbitration are shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, outfielder Shin-Shoo Choo, third baseman Jack Hannahan, right-handed starter Justin Masterson, right-handed reliever Chris Perez, left-handed reliever Rafael Perez, and right-handed reliever Joe Smith.

The combined salaries for all seven players will result in the Indians’ payroll increasing by $10-12 million just by their raises alone. Here are the salaries for each player with their 2011 salaries and 2012 projections in parentheses: Cabrera ($2.25M, $5.0M), Choo ($3.98M, $4.5M), Hannahan ($500K, $1.2M), Masterson ($468K, $3.7M), Chris Perez ($2.25M, $4.0M), Rafael Perez ($1.33M, $1.9M), and Smith ($870K, $1.5M).

Had they not tendered a player a contract they would have become a free agent. All seven of the players are under contract control through at least the end of the 2013 season.

Parting shots

To make room on the 40-man roster for the addition of Aaron Cunningham, the Indians designated right-handed reliever Josh Judy for assignment. If he clears waivers he will be outrighted to Triple-A Columbus and will still be property of the Indians in 2012. … Earlier this week the Cleveland BBWAA named shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera the Bob Feller Man of the Year and closer Chris Perez the Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy Award. … Radio voice Tom Hamilton signed a multi-year extension on Friday, and Jim Rosenhaus will join him in the radio booth full time this season as he replaces the retired Mike Hegan. The Indians also plan to have several three-man radio booth setups this season with former alumni taking part in select broadcasts. … Former Indians prospect Chuck Lofgren was resigned to a minor league deal with the Giants this offseason and is making the switch from the mound to first base or outfield this winter.

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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2011 Tony Awards: Reliever of the Year

Chen Lee (Photo: Lianna Holub)

Today we continue the IPI postseason awards with the announcement of the Relief Pitcher of the Year.  The starting pitchers often get most of the focus, so this award gives an opportunity to showcase and recognize some of the top relief pitching performances over the course of the 2011 season. Because there are so many worthy relief pitcher candidates who had good seasons this year, to be nominated for the award a reliever had to have made at least 40 appearances.

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)

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…

Reliever of the Year Nominees:

Cory Burns (RP – Akron)

2-5, 2.11 ERA, 35 saves, 54 G, 59.2 IP, 47 H, 3 HR, 15 BB, 70 K, .220 BAA

Burns once again was one of the top save men in all the minors as his 35 saves were tied for 2^nd most in all of Minor League Baseball. He was 35-for-37 in save opportunities and broke the single season save record at Double-A Akron. He finished 2^nd in the Eastern League in appearances (54), 1^st in saves (35), 1^st in games finished (52), 5^th among relievers in batting average against (.220), 3^rd among relievers in K/9 (10.6), 1^st among relievers BB/9 (1.9), and 1^st among relievers in fewest baserunners per nine innings (9.4).

Preston Guilmet (RP – Kinston)

1-1, 2.16 ERA, 35 saves, 52 G, 58.1 IP, 43 H, 4 HR, 11 BB, 60 K, .202 BAA

Guilmet picked up this season right where he left off last year in Low-A Lake County with another dominating showing out of the bullpen. He tied with former University of Arizona teammate Cory Burns for 2^nd in all of baseball for saves and on the year was 35-for-36 in save opportunities. He was the Carolina League Reliever of the Year and finished 1^st in the league in appearances (52), 1^st in saves (35), 1^st in games finished (48), 3^rd among relievers in batting average against (.202), 4^th among relievers in K/9 (9.3), 1^st among relievers in BB/9 (1.5), 1^st among relievers in fewest baserunners per nine innings (8.3).

Nick Hagadone (RP – Akron/Columbus)

6-4, 2.79 ERA, 4 saves, 46 G, 71.0 IP, 56 H, 5 HR, 22 BB, 77 K, .212 BAA

Hagadone had a nice bounce back season as his command finally returned. He ended last season at Double-A Akron and in 19 games went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA (48.0 IP, 44 H, 5 HR, 34 BB, 44 K), and in a return trip to Akron to start year his numbers all improved significantly as in 12 games he went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA (22.2 IP, 14 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 24 K). Overall this year he slashed his walk rate from 6.6 BB/9 in 2010 to a very healthy 2.8 BB/9 this year. The hot start and better command helped pave the way for his big league debut and as a possible permanent fixture in the Cleveland bullpen going forward.

Josh Judy (RP – Columbus)

6-2, 3.12 ERA, 23 saves, 50 G, 52.0 IP, 44 H, 5 HR, 25 BB, 60 K, .230 BAA

Judy has been one of the more steady relievers in the Indians’ system the past few years and once again had another banner year at the highest level in the minors. The walks are somewhat of a concern, but he continues to have success getting hitters out via the strikeout and limiting the damage when hitters connect. He made his Major League debut this season and should be a bullpen option for the Indians over the next few seasons. He finished 2^nd in the International League in saves (23) and 1^st in games finished (45).

Kyle Landis (RP – Lake County/Kinston/Akron)

10-2, 2.54 ERA, 3 saves, 42 G, 63.2 IP, 52 H, 6 HR, 13 BB, 74 K, .226 BAA

One of the best stories of the year was the return to the mound of right-hander Kyle Landis. He missed all of the 2010 season with a rare nerve traction injury in his right arm that occurred in May of that year. He had missed the start of that season with a lat injury and during a rehab outing in May somehow overtaxed the right musculocutaneous nerve in his arm which resulted in numbness and weakness. It is a rare condition that took several months of treatment via ice, ultrasound, stretching and massage over the course of about seven months to get over. After all the rehab he actually saw a spike in his velocity this season as he was up to 94 MPH.

Matt Langwell (RP – Akron/Columbus)

5-1, 3.01 ERA, 3 saves, 48 G, 68.2 IP, 62 H, 5 HR, 28 BB, 71 K, .237 BAA

It is no secret that the Indians’ biggest strength in the upper levels of their minor league system right now is their depth of relief pitching prospects. If not for all of that depth the right-handed Langwell would probably get more attention and rated higher as a prospect in the organization. All he has done is dominate since converting to a full time bullpen role in his first full season in 2009. This season was much the continuation of his success in 2009 at Low-A Lake County (45 G, 1.97 ERA, 68.2 IP, 68 K) and 2010 at High-A Kinston (45 G, 2.41 ERA, 56.0 IP, 58 K).

Chen-Chang Lee (RP – Akron/Columbus)

6-1, 2.40 ERA, 1 save, 44 G, 71.1 IP, 53 H, 3 HR, 23 BB, 99 K, .210 BAA

Lee came into the season as arguably the Indians’ top relief pitching prospect and he did not disappoint. His numbers were Nintendo-like out of the bullpen this year with a 12.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. After a very good 2010 season at Double-A Akron he surprisingly returned there to open the 2011 season and pitched half the season there until a promotion to Triple-A Columbus, a sign of the bullpen depth in Cleveland and Columbus.  Assuming he remains healthy he is going to get a shot in Cleveland at some point in 2012 and could help impact the team as a shutdown reliever in a 7^th or 8^th inning role.

Zach Putnam (RP – Columbus)

6-3, 3.65 ERA, 9 saves, 44 G, 69.0 IP, 61 H, 6 HR, 23 BB, 68 K, .233 BAA

Putnam had another very good season in his second season as a full time reliever in the Indians’ minor league system. He returned to Triple-A Columbus this year and used the time there to finish himself off as a prospect and ended up making his Major League debut in late September. He has the stuff to be an impact reliever at the big league level late in games, and should get strong consideration for a bullpen role in Cleveland to start next season.

Tyler Sturdevant (RP – Kinston/Akron/Columbus)

7-3, 2.65 ERA, 4 saves, 42 G, 74.2 IP, 67 H, 5 HR, 19 BB, 82 K, .238 BAA

Sturdevant will turn 26 years old this December, so he is old for a prospect.  But he had another banner year pitching at three different levels of the Indians organization from High-A Kinston (21 G, 1.98 ERA, 41.0 IP, 31 H, 8 BB, 44 K) all the way to Triple-A Columbus where he made two appearances. Even with the callup to Double-A Akron (19 G, 3.30 ERA, 30.0 IP, 30 H, 9 BB, 34 K) there was barely any adjustment required as he settled right in and pitched as good as he has in his two and a half seasons in the organization.

And the Tony Award goes to….Chen-Chang Lee

There were certainly a lot of good bullpen performances this season up and down the Indians’ minor league system, and by some players not even listed. The group listed above all have varying levels of prospect value to the organization, but they all certainly performed at an elite level and are deserving of the award.  In the end, for me, it came down to Guilmet, Lee and Burns.

All three were very close to one another in all the key stats in determining the award. Burns had the best ERA (2.11), but Lee (2.40) and Guilmet (2.16) were right there. Guilmet had the best batting average against (.202), but Lee (.210) and Burns (.220) were not far behind. Guilmet had the best walk rate per nine innings (1.7), but Burns (2.3) and Lee (2.9) were good as well.

The one area where any pitcher had an advantage was in the strikeouts per nine innings rate as Lee had a decided advantage with a 12.5 K/9 while Burns had a 10.6 K/9 and Guilmet had a 9.3 K/9.  By the same token, both Burns and Guilmet racked up an impressive 35 saves while Lee had just 1 save.  So it was very close and very much a tie among all three as far as performance goes.

Looking at things a little deeper, Guilmet is close to four months older than Burns yet pitched at a lower level this season. This is not his fault as he can only pitch where he is assigned, but when looking at the raw stats it is more impressive to see a 23-year old reliever like Burns perform like he did in Double-A versus what a 24-year old reliever like Guilmet did in High-A. When considering this it canceled out Guilmet from further consideration for the award and left it up to Burns and Lee.

It should be noted that Lee is almost a full year older than Burns (their birthdays are two weeks apart) and Lee did pitched some of the season at Double-A and already had a year of Double-A under his belt coming into the season. That said, the age thing becomes moot in this case because Lee went up to Triple-A for roughly half of the season and continued to dominate.

Both offer unique styles with their delivery as Burns uses a Hideo Nomo-like delivery which gives hitters fits while Lee has a low sidearm slot which is extremely tough on right-handed hitters. As far as stuff and prospect standing goes, Lee is clearly the better prospect as he throws harder and has better secondary pitches.

In the end, while Burns had the 35 saves and another outstanding season, I chose Lee as the reliever of the year. It is hard to use the save stat since Lee pitched in a different role, and in all honesty, the save stat is not a very highly regarded stat when evaluating performance or potential in the minors.  On top of that Lee pitched at a higher level than Burns for half the season.

When looking at the raw stats at things like ERA, BAA, K/9, BB/9, HR/9, H/9, etc, Lee had the better year statistically as he pitched more innings (almost two innings an outing) and had a better BAA (.210 to .220), H/9 (6.7 to 7.1), HR/9 (0.4 to 0.5), and K/9 (12.5 to 10.6). The only two areas Burns was better was ERA (2.11 to 2.40) and BB/9 (2.3 to 2.9), but it was not enough to offset the other numbers and a decided advantage in both strikeout rate and innings pitched per outing.

Both have areas in need of improvement as Lee needs to continue to work on keeping that arm slot of his consistent, while Burns needs to continue to improve the command of his pitches since he relies so much on location and he also needs to get better at reading hitters swings. But both are certainly two of the Indians’ best pitching prospects and very likely will be in the same bullpen to start next season at Triple-A Columbus.

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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Hafner to DL, Thome to Cleveland?

Jim Thome (Photo: AP)

The Indians have placed designated hitter Travis Hafner on the 15-day disabled list with a right foot sprain. The Indians have called up right-handed pitcher Josh Judy to take Hafner's spot on the 25-man roster and help a burned out bullpen. He may not be in Cleveland long as he probably will be optioned out after the first game of the doubleheader tomorrow so the Indians can activate right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister who is expected to make the start in the second game of the doubleheader.

There is some concern that Hafner may be done for the season, and that along with the news that Twins designated hitter Jim Thome has been put on trade waivers today has a lot of people in the baseball world believing the Indians and Thome may soon be reuniting.

Thome, 40, has a no trade clause, but one would think he would surely waive it for the opportunity to come back to Cleveland and play every day. He has been a part time player with the Twins this year, but when he has played he has been productive as in 68 games he is hitting .256 with 12 HR, 40 RBI and a .868 OPS. If Hafner is indeed lost for a long time - if not the rest of the season - Thome would be a perfect fit on many levels.

Since Thome is playing for the Twins in the AL he must first pass through waivers to all the AL teams before an NL team can put in a claim for him. The claiming order goes from worst record to best record, and at the moment the Indians appear to hold all the cards and will probably get the first crack at Thome since they have the worst record among contending teams in the AL that may be interested in picking him up.

The process is expected to take 24-48 hours, and it is possible sometime on Wednesday or Thursday that Thome could be traded to a new team, with that team maybe being the Indians. He is a former fan favorite and would surely be welcomed back even if some people are still angered by his free agent departure almost nine years ago.

Thome's return would allow him to finish his career with the team he will always be most remembered playing with, and along the same lines as outfielder Kenny Lofton who was traded to the Indians in July of 2007 and finished his career with the team that season.

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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Judy ready for more opportunities in Cleveland

Josh Judy (Photo: Lianna Holub)

The Indians have had over a half dozen players make their Major League debuts this year, and for the most part they have all performed well. Right-handed pitcher Alex White, second baseman Jason Kipnis, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Cord Phelps, right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister, and outfielder Ezequiel Carrera have all made their debuts this season.

Another who made his debut - but has seen little time at the big league level - is Triple-A right-handed reliever Josh Judy. He has been up for two different short stints with the Indians, and has made just three appearances going 4.0 innings and allowed 3 hits, 1 run (1 earned), 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts.

Judy, 25, is having another good season at Triple-A Columbus where in 37 appearances he is 5-2 with a 2.90 ERA, and in 40.1 innings has allowed 33 hits, 22 walks, and has 50 strikeouts. With another good season and a big league callup he can’t be any happier right now.

“The season is going well,” Judy said in a recent interview. “I’m just trying to go out there and do my job and get better every day.”

When Alex White got hurt early in a start against the Reds in late May, the bullpen was overworked and the Indians needed a short term bullpen option. That’s when Judy got that coveted first call to the bigs. It was a blur of frantic phone calls and packing before driving north late at night up the I-71 corridor to Cleveland.

“[The callup] was awesome,” Judy said. “It was everything you dreamed about when you were a little kid. I was actually across the street at a concert and Sarby called me at midnight to tell me I had to come back to the clubhouse to pack my bags. I thought I got traded at first, but he told me no as I was going up to Cleveland. So I drove up that night to Akron and stayed with my fiancé. The next day I was told that I would be in holding as they were not sure if they were going to put White on the DL or not. I didn’t get the call until 11:30 on Saturday morning whether to come to the clubhouse or not.”

Judy’s parents, grandparents, and close friends were able to get to Cleveland on short notice and see his big league debut that weekend.

“[My fiancé] Vivian was the first person I called, and then I called my mom and said you need to pack your bags and come to Cleveland,” Judy said. “I can’t imagine what was going through my dad’s head when he saw me coming across that field.”

Due to a commitment to be in a wedding Judy’s fiancé Vivian had to leave town for the weekend, so she missed his big league debut.

“Unfortunately, she wasn’t there that weekend,” Judy said. “I told her to go because she was going to her best friend’s wedding in Staten Island. I told her she already had it planned and it was kind of a coincidence I got called up. I had a feeling I would pitch on Monday, but they opened up the game against the Reds on Sunday so I got the opportunity then.”

With the first foray into the bigs now past him, Judy can now concentrate on doing what it takes to get up there and stay there. He along with right-hander Zach Putnam are big league ready options right now, and right-hander Chen-Chang Lee and left-hander Nick Hagadone are not far behind.

The biggest thing Judy has worked on this season is improving his arm slot as he was drifting to more of a sidearm slot early in the year which was flattening out his pitches and affecting his velocity. With the help of Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla he watched video of him from last year and this year and saw the noticeable drop in his slot, so they worked on bringing it back up and the results have been much more consistent and positive since.

“Yeah, [the arm slot] not only affected the offspeed pitch but also the fastball,” Judy said. “Early on in the season my velocity was down and everything was a little more flat than it is now. We have just been working everyday getting off the mound and staying on top of the ball. It is more just hand placement than arm slot, and I really think it will help in the long run.”

As a result of the subtle changes Judy’s fastball velocity has gone back up to where it usually is in the 91-94 MPH range.

“Everything has been pretty consistent and my velocity has jumped up one to two MPH,” Judy said. “My strike zone command has been a lot better and I am getting ahead with first pitch strikes.”

Judy was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, a sign that a player has value to the organization and that they are considered a potential big league option in the near future. While getting added to the 40-man roster is not the end-all-be-all, it is still a goal for all minor league players.

“It was a goal to get placed on the 40-man in my first opportunity,” Judy said. “I am thankful to the Indians that they see me in high regards to do that. I was in the Dominican [playing winter ball] when I got the news [last November] and I was on cloud nine then.”

With the season winding down - unless an injury occurs in Cleveland - Judy will probably stick around in Columbus until the end of August. With Columbus going for back-to-back championships he could be with them throughout the playoffs in September, though if the Indians need an arm in Cleveland when rosters expand September 1st he will surely be one of the first bullpen options added.

“Coming into this year I had high expectations of myself to go out and perform whether it is here or in Cleveland, but ultimately to finish in Cleveland,” Judy said. “I want to look back and say I did better than the year before and helped these guys win another championship here [in Columbus]."

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: Deadline deal likely for Indians

Could Ryan Ludwick be an Indian again

soon? (Photo: AP)

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

Time to make a deal

The Indians are in the thick of a pennant race in the AL Central, a race that by the day seems to add more teams.

In the middle of May the Indians appeared to be running away with the division as the nearest team was 7.5 games out at one point. Then the Indians got cold and the Tigers got hot and that lead evaporated and both have been neck and neck for the better part of two months. During that time the Chicago White Sox have gotten back into the mix, and of late the Minnesota Twins have as well.

With two months left to go still before the end of the season and with all four teams playing each other several times between now and then, the division is up for grabs and there could be a crazy finish.

Teams are already making moves to better themselves, something the Tigers did earlier in the week when they picked up third baseman Wilson Betemit from the Kansas City Royals for two prospects. The Tigers are supposedly not done as they are interesting in starting pitching and are also in the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes, and the White Sox and Twins are also actively seeking help.

Like their counterparts, the Indians are flawed. The Indians need to make a move not only to keep pace with their division rivals, but to also fix some areas on the roster which are now really thin thanks to the injuries to outfielders Grady Sizemore and Shin Soo Choo the past few weeks which will keep both of them out for a significant period of time.

The Indians have looked within for answers this year with starting pitching as starters Mitch Talbot, Fausto Carmona, Alex White, and Carlos Carrasco have all spent time on the disabled list, and for the most part the starters from Triple-A Columbus who have filled in have pitched well. In the few instances they have needed a bullpen arm they have gotten good performances there as well, and they have tons of options available to them sitting in waiting at Columbus.

The lineup is where most of the concern lies.

The Indians have now called up their three best hitting prospects at Columbus by adding third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Cord Phelps, and second baseman Jason Kipnis to the roster. Phelps has since been sent back to Columbus, and with the arrival of Kipnis and then Ezequiel Carrera when Sizemore got hurt, the Indians are now out of reinforcements in Columbus other than rehabbing first baseman Nick Johnson.

With really no more options left in Columbus along with two key injuries in the outfield, the Indians will almost surely make a move before the July 31st trade deadline to acquire an outfielder. There are lots of rumors flying around as to who they are after, but do not expect them to be players for the top outfield bats available like Beltran or a perceived to be available like Hunter Pence.

Instead, look for the Indians to pickup one or even two of the mid-level to marginal outfielders on the trade market such as Jeff Francoeur (Royals), Coco Crisp (Athletics), Kosuke Fukodome (Cubs), Ryan Ludwick (Padres), Mike Morse (Nationals), and Josh Willingham (Athletics).

The Indians appear to be making the most headway in a deal with the Padres, possibly for Ludwick. A deal with them may instead be for right-handed pitcher Aaron Harang, or may be a big multi-player deal for both Harang and Ludwick.

No matter what happens over the course of the next week as we reach next Sunday’s July 31st trade deadline, there are sure to be lots of rumors but little action. The Indians will probably be tied to any available outfielder on the market, and when the dust settles they should acquire at least one.

The trading likely will not stop there as teams are expected to continue to be busy well into August making trades. The only difference in August is players that are traded on a 40-man roster must first clear waivers. Expect the Indians to make a move or two then if they are still in contention as more teams will be eliminated from playoff races and thus will be more apt to make a deal, and the teams who held out for the moon in July will probably settle for a lot less.

Sigh of relief

The Indians depth of starting pitching has shown itself of late with three different starters from Triple-A Columbus making starts in July. Right-handers Zach McAllister and Jeanmar Gomez along with left-hander David Huff all have come up and pitched well, and before them right-hander Alex White came up in early May and pitched well before being sidelined with a finger injury.

The Indians also have a lot of bullpen options at their disposal at Columbus, but because of the good health and performance of the bullpen in Cleveland they have not needed to dip into those options except for right-hander Josh Judy a few short stints here and there.

But the Indians have a truckload of bullpen talent waiting to be used in Columbus with the likes of right-hander Zach Putnam, right-hander Chen-Chang Lee, left-hander Nick Hagadone, and the aforementioned Judy. All four have the ability to be impact relievers in the very near future for the Indians.

In addition to the high level guys in Columbus, the Indians also have some very interesting bullpen prospects at Double-A Akron such as right-handers Adam Miller, Bryce Stowell, Rob Bryson, Tyler Sturdevant, Matt Langwell, and Cory Burns. All of them are expected to pitch in the big leagues some day.

That’s an impressive collection of bullpen depth ON TOP of the bullpen options already in Cleveland apart of the “Bullpen Mafia”. With bullpens being so volatile with their performance year to year, having so many options is a good thing and provides great insurance for the Indians going forward as well as excellent trade bait to fill other needs.

The Sizemore Decision

To pick it up or not to pick it up.

That is the question that Indians decision makers will need to make this offseason on whether to pick up the $9 million club option on star center fielder Grady Sizemore.

What seemed like a slam dunk of a decision a few months back to pick it up now is a very questionable decision the Indians have to make. With Sizemore struggling with so many injuries the last three years after being an iron man in the lineup from 2005-2008, his questionable health will surely give the Indians pause in making the decision this offseason. It may depend on how he comes back from his current knee injury.

The latest injury for Sizemore is a knee bruise he suffered last weekend in Baltimore while running the bases and sliding into second base. He had surgery this week for a sports hernia that will keep him out of the lineup for four to six weeks, an injury that came out of nowhere and shows how he has been playing hurt for about the last two months. With the length of time needed to recover from the hernia surgery it will also allow time for his knee to heal. He is expected to be back at the end of August or beginning of September.

With so many injuries of late and a rapidly deteriorating body, Sizemore’s career may be in jeopardy. His chronic knee issues are a huge concern, and his rapid physical descent as a player is very similar to that of outfielder Darren Erstad, another player who had so much promise and was a star but because of his all out play style it took a toll on his body and his career fell apart.

The Indians will likely keep Sizemore next season, but they may opt to decline the option and work out a deal in advance where both parties agree to a one year contract at a smaller amount.

The Untouchables

As the Indians prepare to make a deal to acquire help for their struggling offense and maybe a starting pitcher to round out their rotation, there are four players that are off limits in trade talks: third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Jason Kipnis, right-handed pitcher Alex White, and left-hander Drew Pomeranz. Two other pitchers left-hander Scott Barnes and right-hander Jason Knapp are also pretty much untouchable partly because of their value to the team but also because both are injured and their value in a trade is very low.

The foursome of Chisenhall, Kipnis, Pomeranz, and White are untouchable because all four are expected to be building blocks for the immediate future for the Indians. Chisenhall, Kipnis, and White have already reached Cleveland this year and are expected to stay going forward, and Pomeranz could be with the team early next season. They are All Star potential talent, something the team just cannot acquire via free agency or trade.

With those four players out of play in a trade, it will likely force the Indians to look for some of the mid-level bats available in a trade and flip some of their “B” and “C” type prospects. Some examples of players that could be in play in a trade – though just mere speculation – would be players along the lines of right-handed pitcher Austin Adams, left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone, left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto, right-handed pitcher Clayton Cook, and first baseman Jesus Aguilar.

The Indians All Star type players must come from within. The meat of those teams from the 90s that had so much star power that came from the minors rather than in free agency or veteran trades. Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Charlie Nagy, Richie Sexson, and Brian Giles all came from their own farm system, while Sandy Alomar Jr,, Carlos Baerga, and Kenny Lofton came in deals when all were still prospects.

It remains to be seen if any of the Indians current “untouchables” will live up to the star power of their 90s predecessors as all four could turn out to be stars or duds, but the Indians have to take that risk.

Kipnis up

The Indians promoted second baseman Jason Kipnis from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. He joins third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall as two young players who are not yet finished products but players the Indians feel can help provide a spark to a team desperate for offense.

Just last week I noted that it appeared very unlikely that Kipnis would make it to Cleveland any time soon because of the presence of second baseman Orlando Cabrera on the roster. I am happy to say I was wrong as the Indians threw caution to the wind and promoted Kipnis even though they know that Cabrera will not be happy to see his playing time cut once again. Kudos to the Indians for doing what many thought they would not do after the Cord Phelps call up was such a disaster.

With Kipnis now up in Cleveland he should get the lion’s share of playing time at second base. Since he is a left-handed hitter and Cabrera a right-handed hitter it is likely that some sort of platoon will result with Cabrera facing most of the tough left-handed starters. With no other middle infielder on the roster he will also be the backup at shortstop for Asdrubal Cabrera. Even though he played outfielder in college Kipnis is not expected to play any outfield except in emergency.

Parting shots

There is some talk that the Indians have contacted the Colorado Rockies about the availability of catcher Chris Iannetta. He is under team control through the 2013 season, and if picked up would probably mean Carlos Santana would move to first base and Matt LaPorta to the outfield. … Right-handed pitcher Alex White threw another good bullpen session on Friday and used his entire repertoire of pitches for the first time by throwing some sliders and splitters. He is expected to throw a simulated game on Monday. … On Thursday outfielder Shin-Soo Choo plead guilty to his May 2nd operating a vehicle while impaired charge. He received a $755 fine and has had his license suspended for 180 days. He is still expected to return to the lineup in about four to five weeks from a broken thumb.

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

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Goodyear Notebook: 3/16

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Tomlin wants to win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huff has the stuff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judy ready for an opportunity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notebook:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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