Explaining Stats: Wins Above Replacement

WAR stands for Wins Above Replacement, and replaced VORP, value over replacement player, as the go to stat for trying to figure out the overall value of a player. It is simply the number of wins a player should help his team win in comparison to what a AAA player would do if called up in place of them. The idea being that a AAA team in the majors would be historically bad winning less than 40 games.

The stat combines all of the aspects of a player including defense which is typically not a part of most stats. It also allows for the comparison of pitchers and hitters to see the value they mean to a team. On top of this it is a rather easy stat to read.

If there is some confusion though it's the idea that a positive number means a player is doing well. The average major league player would have a value of 2.0, so positive isn't always good and negative is extremely bad. Last year's highest player was Matt Kemp at a value of 10. The highest Indian was Justin Masterson with a value of 4.1. This stat is a great way to look at the overall value a player brings to their team and for the comparison of all players.

You would think I am insane for saying that Casey Kotchman will have a bigger impact on his team next year than Prince Fielder. Yet this stat allows you to see a bigger picture, Prince Fielder's WAR was 5.2 and he was signed to replace Victor Martinez whose WAR was 3.1. Casey Kotchman's WAR last year was 2.9, while the player he is replacing Matt LaPorta had a WAR of 0.2. In the end, Fielder is a net gain of 2.1 wins while Kotchman is a net gain of 2.7 wins. Sure Fielder on the Indians would be better than Kotchman, but when you look at it it is what the addition does for a specific team. Each team signed a first baseman, yet the Indians are expected to get over half a win more. For all these stats I used the baseball reference numbers for WAR.

So why is this not the stat in all of baseball?  It's easy to understand and allows for straight forward comparisons between all players except relievers who tend to post much lower values.  The problem is that it is not standardized. Fangraphs and Baseball Reference are the main sources for the stat and each have a different way to devise a players' value as they end up with similar scores most of the time but not always. So if you ever see fWAR it stands for Fangraph's version and rWAR stands for Baseball Reference's version. I tend to use rWAR because I have been using Baseball Reference for so long.

So yes, it does have its problems but there is no debating its value. If you follow any baseball people, most comments on a newly signed player contain their WAR because how simple and inclusive it is. Given time it will be standardized, and one of the current ways will go the way of VORP. Even not standardized it is really just a plain way to show value, to compare and say this player's full package is an upgrade over this player. The future of stats is now and it's WAR, a stat so simple that anyone can understand and use.

For my next article in this series I want to let it be decided by the people who read and follow this series. Post what you want in the comments section and I will spend the next few columns focusing on those stats.

follow me on twitter at jeffipi

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Tribe Happenings: Are the Indians going up for sale?

If the Indians are for sale, who does Larry

Dolan sell the team to? (Photo: AP)

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

To sell or not to sell

First off, let me just be up front and note that before I get into any of this I am merely speculating. No one from SportsTime Ohio or the Indians has told me anything, I am simply just putting two and two together with some recent events surrounding the Indians.

That having been said, things are starting to get a little interesting with the Cleveland Indians of late. No, not because a new season is on the horizon, but because it looks like there may be some plans in motion to either sell the team or at least take a peek into the market to see who might be interested in buying the team.

Rumors came forth back in July that the Dolan ownership group was taking offers for SportsTime Ohio, their cable TV network and home of over 150 Indians television broadcasts a year. Not surprisingly those rumors have been denied, but where there is smoke there may be fire.

Suddenly in the past week I have been getting emails, texts and calls from all sorts of people with varying connections to me, and they all keep asking the same thing, “Are the Indians being put up for sale?”

I found it odd that with no knowledge of each other that all of these people would suddenly be asking such a question. Something may indeed be up, so here is a brief look at the situation to see if indeed the team could be up for sale.

From the sounds of things, the Dolan ownership may be putting out feelers to potential buyers. While it may not yet be public knowledge that the team is available for sale, the startup process to a long, convoluted process to sell the team may have already started quietly behind the scenes. The new CBA - which has drawn criticism for its unfairness to smaller market teams like the Indians - may be what finally pushed the Dolan ownership into considering offers for the team, and conceivably their cable TV network too.

The best evidence to support a possible looming sale of the Indians is their current payroll structure where not one single player has a guaranteed deal past this season. There are a few players that have club options for the 2013 season and there are some arbitration eligible players, but right now they have absolutely zero commitments in regard to salary for 2013. Nadda. With no long term monetary commitments it would certainly seem to make them more attractive to a potential buyer.

This may also explain what has been a strange offseason where the Indians have been very quiet on the free agent front and limited just about all contract discussions with players to a maximum of two years.

So who could be a potential suitor to buy the Indians? How about Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert?

In addition to the Cavaliers, Gilbert already owns the Lake Erie Monsters minor league hockey team and just recently purchased the arena football team the Cleveland Gladiators. With Quicken Loans Arena chock full of entertainment options between his three teams, he could look to continue to monopolize the sports market in the Cleveland area by purchasing the Indians.

One thing to remember is that before buying the Cavaliers back in 2005, Gilbert had tried to buy the Milwaukee Brewers, so interest in a Major League Baseball team is certainly there. With his new casino opening up later this year in downtown Cleveland, he could look at ways to use his sports teams to tie into it, and having a baseball team in town for 81 games a year might be inviting.

If there ever was an owner that would be a perfect fit for the Indians, it would be Gilbert. Not because he would spend lots of money – I have news for you, his spending will be based on team revenues just like it has with the Dolan’s – but because of the big shadow the Indians would get out from under with the Dolan ownership. I have often shared my feelings how I think Larry and Paul Dolan are misunderstood by the fan base, but Gilbert is a hero in this city right now, and with his money from Quicken Loans, expanding his Flash Seats setup to the Indians, and getting all the teams onto one big giant Cleveland sports network might be too good to be true.

Like I said, it is merely speculation, but with the rumors of SportsTime Ohio being for sale, the Indians very cost-conscious offseason, and Gilbert buying up sports teams in the Cleveland area like a kid in a candy store…anything can happen.

Finally, a first baseman

On Thursday the Indians came to a deal with free agent first baseman Casey Kotchman on a one year contract that will pay him $3 million in 2012. So ends their long offseason courtship of several first basemen, and while Kotchman may not be the sexiest pickup of those that were available this offseason he may end up as the best fit.

Kotchman, 28, played with the Tampa Bay Rays last season and finished 8th in the American League in hitting (.306) and 10th in on-base percentage (.378). He also had 24 doubles, 10 home runs, 48 RBI, and a .800 OPS in his 146 games played.

Last season Kotchman’s batting average, on-base percentage, and total number of games played were all career highs. It may be viewed that he simply had a career year last season, but he also had a very similar year – if not better – in 2007 when he hit .296 with 11 homers, 68 RBI, and a .840 OPS in 137 games. His numbers fell off a cliff from 2008-2010, but he apparently was having vision issues during that time and had a corrective vision procedure before last season. He conveniently responded with a very good season last year.

While a lot of people have been so fixated this offseason on adding a right-handed bat with power to the Indians lineup, one thing that has been greatly overlooked is the huge need for infield defense and a bat that can hit for average and limit strikeouts. That is exactly what Kotchman can do for the Indians this season.

Kotchman will not hit for much power, but what he will bring is exceptional defense at first base and an ability to consistently put the bat on the ball and limit strikeouts (2588 at bats, 289 strikeouts). He has all the pedigree as a former top prospect as for four years running from 2002-2005 he was a Top 25 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America when he was in the Angels’ system.

Kotchman will definitely help improve the Indians' infield defense on the right side, something that was an issue several times last season. Last year he finished the season with a .998 fielding percentage (2 errors in 1201 total chances), leading all Major League first basemen in that category for a fourth consecutive campaign (2008-11). His career .998 fielding percentage (11 errors in 6076 total chances) is the highest in Major League history for those with at least 700 career games at the position.

Even though Kotchman is yet another left-handed hitter, the Indians have the flexibility to sit him against left-handed pitchers and put Carlos Santana at first base when he needs a break from catching. This is a solid pick up, and even though it is not a headline maker he should help the Indians improve in several different areas next season.

Indians, Rays make a trade

On Tuesday the Indians and Tampa Bay Rays completed a small trade where infielder Russ Canzler was sent to the Indians in exchange for cash considerations. The Rays had designated him for assignment on January 27th, but the Indians were able to complete a deal and add him to the 40-man roster to the spot vacated by right-handed pitcher Fausto Carmona who was put on the restricted list last week.

Canzler, 25, was the MVP this past season of the International League at Triple-A Durham where he hit .314 with 40 doubles, 18 home runs, 83 RBI and .931 OPS in 131 games. His right-handed bat is interesting, but what probably attracted him to the Indians is his versatility as last season he appeared in 41 games in right field, 33 games in left field, 40 games at third base and 17 games at first.

Canzler has very little big league experience as he was added to the Major League roster and made his big league debut last September appearing in just three games (1-for-3, 1 RBI). He is a depth option and has some potential as a corner utility player. His defense is very questionable, which is why he was able to be picked up for nothing, and may be a lot like former Indian first base prospect Jordan Brown as a player that could hit but had too many limitations defensively.

Canzler has all three of his options remaining, so he should provide depth at several positions this year at Triple-A and in the big leagues, and he could end up being a good buy low pickup for the Indians.

LaPorta destined for AAA

With the signing of Kotchman, first baseman Matt LaPorta’s ticket has all but been punched to Triple-A Columbus to start next season. The only thing standing in the way of that ticket from being punched is if Kotchman were to get hurt this spring, which if that were to happen then it would open up the door for LaPorta or someone else to be the regular first baseman.

This is a good thing for LaPorta. His performance to date in the big leagues has been spotty and he has not developed at all the past few years. He may have actually regressed as a player. I believe LaPorta still has a chance to become something with the Indians, but I don't get this mantra by some folks that he has to play with the Indians this year. The guy needs tons of work and development, something which simply cannot be afforded at the big league level when a team is trying to win. It is different if a team is in a development year, but that is not the case this year.

LaPorta has one option left. Use it and send him to the minors where the focus is less on winning and all about development. This is really his last chance to get his swing right, his confidence up, and his consistency with both his offense and defense to what it is expected to be. At this time next year he will be out of options and then the Indians will be backed up against a wall to make a decision on him if he is still struggling. At least by sending him to Triple-A for a big chunk of the season they will know they tried.

In no way have I given up on him. I just believe with this being his last option year he needs to go to Triple-A and play every day in an environment where there is no pressure to win and the Indians can be patient to wait for the results to show. Plus, even if he starts the year in Columbus, there is a good chance he will be needed at some point this season because of injuries and performance to other players.

Sign on the dotted line

Indians left-handed reliever Rafael Perez agreed to terms on Friday to a one year $2.005 million contract for 2012 to avoid salary arbitration. He is still under club control in 2013 and is not eligible for free agency until after that season.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera remains the lone unsigned arbitration eligible player on the Indians roster and reportedly has a multi-year offer from the team on the table. He and the Indians are not expected to go to salary arbitration, so sometime early this coming week he will probably either accept the multi-year deal or just take a one year salary offer. Like with Perez, he is also under club control for the 2013 season and not eligible for free agency until after that season.

Parting Shots

As of this writing, the Indians have not yet announced the player to be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Casey Kotchman. … The Indians had agreed to terms with infielder Julio Lugo on a minor league contract over a week ago, but that deal has fell apart and he is no longer part of the Indians plans in 2012. … This is just a quick note to mention that my new book the 2012 Cleveland Indians Prospect Insider is nearing completion. The book is my annual offering that provides everything you need to know about the Indians farm system and then some, and I hope to have news on its availability very soon. I also plan to unveil a new redesign of my site sometime in the next week. … Lastly, enjoy Super Bowl Sunday. Hopefully your team wins, but most importantly good luck hitting on those squares at the end of each quarter!

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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Prospects in the wind and free agent first basemen

Matt LaPorta (Photo: AP)

Many voices have shouted from their teepee’s about what the Indians should do at the not-so-hot corner.

Carlos Pena and Casey Kotchman are available and potential fits (though left-handed in the heavily tilted Tribe lineup). Matt LaPorta is the struggling not-so-green prospect (but right-handed). It is very clear to say that Kotchman or Pena are more guaranteed bats and certainly better defenders. So why not make the relatively low-risk investment (also, I’m a big Kotchman fan if we do, FYI).

There are many factors beyond player selection that are going into this decision:

Long Term team performance – Basically, does the organization want to completely abandon the biggest piece from the CC Sabathia trade? LaPorta seems to have officially “died” as a prospect, but he just turned 27 and has roughly two seasons worth of plate appearances and many of these have come while injured. While unlikely, LaPorta could still figure things out and become the eventual Hafner replacement after this season because he is not a good defender at first base.

Short Term team performance – The Indians have a window this year, with the Victor Martinez injury(1/24/12)Update: The Tigers signed Prince Fielder and will score many runs and are prohibitive favortiesBUT the Indians have a lineup loaded with bounce-back and break-out potential (Choo, Sizemore, Carmona + prospects galore). This is also intimately tied with financial success and the ability to pursue locking up the young core and signing on needed complementary pieces.

Economics – The Indians do not want to spend money that isn’t delivering high-class bang for their buck. This is where my issue with signing on Pena and Kotchman begins and ends: if we sign them, what are the chances that one of them is the difference between playoff contention for the entire season (to the extent it drives attendance) and being a non-factor? In my mind, it is extremely small. Granted, so too, is the financial commitment the Indians will have to make. In addition to this, if first base is really a sore spot and the Indians feel they are extremely close to contention after a fractional season they can just go after the numerous first basemen available as the year continues on.

Win Probability – Let’s say the Indians pick Pena, and lets further say that he turns into a three-win player (fair, he had six Wins Above Replacement in 2007, but has settled in around/below this level). So the Indians get him for the entire season and get their three wins above LaPorta, who we will further assume is a 0 win player.

Flexibility - Around the half-way point of the season, teams make the decision to go for it or throw in the towel. At this point, Pena might have accumulated 1.5 more wins than LaPorta. These wins would be very unlikely to sway Indians management to go for it as opposed to conceding defeat…too many other parts are too important in determining this component. The Indians could just give LaPorta more time to establish himself, while sometimes spelling him with Santana and then make the evaluation with a half season of LaPorta’s prime and theoretically only missing out on 1.5 wins. This will simultaneously give themselves the chance to complete their evaluation of LaPorta and not make a year-long financial commitment to a rental player.

In conclusion, the Indians need to ask themselves a few questions: Is Matt LaPorta completely a bust and ready to be written off? Will Pena or Kotchman be THE difference between contention and not? Will there be zero acceptable first base candidates available at the mid-point of the season? Will the resulting wins and playoff contention, coupled with the front-office admission of a failed prospect that headlined the trade that sent a huge part of the franchise away, drive financial success capable of securing core players?

If you can definitively answer “yes” to all of these questions, you have a compelling argument to sign a first-basemen. If you are unsure, or can answer “no” to any of these, you might just want to advocate keeping what we have and waiting things out. After all, you are only giving up a little more than one win and you might just be surprised with what you had in the cupboard.

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Tribe Happenings: New year, but Indians face same issues

Shin-Soo Choo's poor season actually

helps the Indians chances to keep him.

(Photo: AP)

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

The “developmental” label

About this time last year amid contract extension talks between the Indians and his client Shin-Soo Choo, super-agent Scott Boras made what was perceived as a slight when he called the Indians a “developmental team”. His belief was that a team in a rebuilding stage was less of a lure to attract new players to play or to keep players from leaving. This was his roundabout way of saying a long term extension for Choo with the Indians was extremely iffy.

Even though the comment may have been of the backhanded variety, what Boras said about the Indians was exactly right. Whether he implied it or not, the Indians and other small to mid-market teams like them are in a way farm systems for the bigger market teams where the smaller markets feed the good players to the big markets once those players reach or near free agency.

The Indians’ front office often gets slammed for some poor decisions they make, and rightfully so, though I think considering the climate they work in they have had done a solid job. The unfortunate reality is in the last few years they have had to make the tough decision to trade their best players because of a ridiculous financial climate where there is no way a team like the Indians can go toe-to-toe with the big boys in free agency to try and retain their players. They learned this lesson the hard way in the past with the likes of Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome.

Because of the way the game works today teams like the Indians will continue to be a developmental team for the bigger market teams. Boras was spot on about that. The Indians will have the true stars for five to seven years before they either leave via free agency or are traded before they become free agents. I hate to say it, but that is likely what will happen down the road with any of the current players such as Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Justin Masterson, and so on.

This flies in the face of what I wrote in a column recently of how I think the Indians need to dig deep and find a way to retain their players. I still stand by that belief in that it is the only way to improve attendance because it would help restore faith in a fan base that distrusts the organization immensely. But having said that, I also understand that the Indians are limited in what they can do until this broken system gets fixed somewhere down the line.

Choo is a prime example of how things can change at a moment’s notice and how suddenly a player fits in well with a “developmental team”. Last offseason Boras and Choo had all the bargaining power coming off two straight very good seasons where he hit .300 or higher, had 20 or more homers, 86 or more RBI, and over 20 stolen bases. But fast forward a year later and now the Indians have the bargaining power after Choo struggled through a forgettable 2011 campaign where he was limited to just 85 games because of a hand injury, hit just .259 with 8 homers, 36 RBI and .733 OPS, and got in trouble off the field with a DUI.

As funny as it may sound, but Choo’s subpar season actually helps the Indians’ chances of retaining him long term. It is still a long shot, but now that some warts have been exposed Choo may no longer merit a big long term deal. He still has time the next two seasons to repair and improve his market value to get that mega contract two offseasons from now, but at the moment his drop in value helps the Indians. As a perennial All Star or one of the top players at his position he would be unsignable, but as just a good player with some question marks he suddenly becomes more retainable for the Indians.

Welcome to the new world of Major League Baseball. A world where for the small to mid-market teams they have to hope a player is good but not THAT good in order to keep them.

Not a PR move

There are a lot of skeptics out there that believe the Indians contract offer to outfielder Carlos Beltran was just a token offer in order to look like they are doing something this offseason. That they never intended to sign him and that they got into the contract discussions as nothing more than a public relations move.

First off, the Indians are not about doing things from a spending standpoint as a public relations move. They are an organization that operates in secrecy where they do not make the moves they are working on behind the scenes known to the public. They do not share much of what they are doing with anyone.

Anytime you see the Indians tied to a rumor on a free agent it is almost always coming from the agent, and if it is a rumor about a trade it is very likely coming from the agent again or the other team they are talking to in the trade. Now, they will respond accordingly when asked about a leaked rumor, though usually in a very vague manner or just deny it.

The Beltran interest was not leaked by the Indians as that was the agent doing it in order to create a market for his client. It is Free Agency 101 where the agents use the rumor mill to create interest in their client and thus get them more money. Had the agent not leaked it we probably would have never known the Indians ever made any attempt to sign Beltran. This is the case for several other free agents the Indians have already talked to this offseason that have already signed with other teams or are still free agents.

There are lots of past and present long term offers the Indians have made to players – some very good players from what I have heard - which have yet to see the light of day and probably never will. If the team wanted to use contract offers as a form of public relations, then why not leak any of those?

So with that, the idea that the Beltran negotiations were merely a public relations stunt by the Indians is a bit farfetched. The offers to Josh Willingham and Beltran were legitimate offers to try and bring them to Cleveland on a deal they thought was fair and fit right into the current blueprint of the team. Nothing else. There was no false interest where they had no intention to sign either of them and simply just wanted to get their name in the papers.

Setting the record straight

A lot of people call Indians owner Larry Dolan cheap and wish he would sell the team. His tenure as owner has certainly been a rocky one with lots of fan favorites being lost in free agency or getting traded, and the team has underperformed on the field.

But the cheap comment is something that I think is taken a bit too far. Dolan owns the top five payrolls in franchise history, and going a bit further owns 10 of the top 13 payrolls in franchise history. During former owner Dick Jacobs’ tenure as owner the team eclipsed the $60 million payroll threshold just once, while under Dolan they have been at $60 million or higher seven times.

Dolan is spending more than Jacobs ever did and doing so with less revenue as he does not have the annual playoff revenue stream to pull from, major corporate backing, no Browns, and most importantly a sold out ballpark every day. It is just a different game today than it was 10-15 years ago. The Indians made $40-50 million in payroll go a lot farther in the 90s because the economic landscape of the game had yet to make a seismic shift.

I’ll dig a little deeper into the free agency aspect and contracts the Indians have had under the regimes of Dolan and Jacobs with a feature piece shortly after the New Year, but in a nutshell, from a spending aspect the Indians have really not been any different now than they were 10-15 years ago. What has changed is everything around the Indians with the local economy and then the rapidly growing financial disparity in the game between the big market teams and everyone else.

Right-handed options

The offseason has now pushed into January and there is less than eight weeks until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. With time running out on the offseason the Indians still have a glaring need for right-handed bats.

They are expected to address that need before the start of the season with a trade or free agent pickup, but at the moment their internal options at first base or as a right-handed bat off the bench are thin with just Shelley Duncan, Matt LaPorta, Jose Lopez, Aaron Cunningham, Thomas Neal and Jared Goedert.

The way things stand right now the Indians would probably have to go with a Duncan and Carlos Santana platoon at first base if the season started today. That may not be a bad thing, but it is not the preferred way to go about it for next season as Santana is still more valuable to the team behind the plate and Duncan is more valuable as a right-handed bat off the bench and not used regularly.

Cunningham is a new player the Indians acquired in a trade a few weeks ago, but his role appears limited as a fourth outfielder. Lopez probably will not make the team unless an injury crops up in spring training, and even so he is not an option to play every day.

LaPorta could still factor into things if injuries occur, but right now the best thing for him is to probably have him spend the first two or three months of the season at Triple-A Columbus to get him on track. Goedert and Neal will also likely start the year in Columbus, though of all the right-handed hitting options listed Neal is probably the only one who could someday be an everyday option.

The Indians are very limited with their internal alternatives to fill not only their right-handed bat need but their first base void as well. All of the alternatives are role players at the moment and they need to find someone they can plug in as a stop gap for at least the 2012 season.

I still say someone like Derrek Lee would be an ideal fit at first base because of the contract he could be signed to and the value he brings in leadership, his defense, and a bat that is in decline but still productive.

Winter ball update

Things are winding down in winter ball as the regular season in Venezuela wrapped up on Friday night. The only regular season action remaining is out in Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Australia, while the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are now into their postseasons.

Fausto Carmona struggled in his second offseason outing out in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. He pitched four innings and allowed two runs on five hits, two walks and had two wild pitches. He worked around the seven baserunners and wild pitches by limiting the damage to two runs, but it was a typical Carmona outing. So far this offseason his performance in just two games has been strikingly similar to his inconsistent 2011 season.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s offseason is done after his team was eliminated from the playoffs. He finished up his time in Venezuela hitting .246 with two homers, 10 RBI and .771 OPS in 17 games. He left the game on Thursday in the 4th inning and did not play in his team’s season finale on Friday, so he apparently suffered some kind of injury, though from what I have heard he is okay.

First base prospect Jesus Aguilar’s offseason is also finished. He had a very nice offseason showing where in 38 combined games between the Arizona Fall League and Venezuela he hit .305 with six homers, 23 RBI, .944 OPS. The power is no doubt there, but what really shined for him this offseason was his improved plate discipline where he drew walks at a much higher rate yet his power numbers at the plate were not affected.

Some other performances of note in winter ball this offseason: Ezequiel Carrera (.270, 2 HR, 13 RBI), Jose Lopez (.310, 5 HR, 24 RBI), Felix Pie (.273, 4 HR, 21 RBI).

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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IPI Inbox: Will the Indians consider long term extensions?

The Indians look like they will just continue to

go year to year with players like Justin Masterson.

(Photo: AP)

It is time for another IPI Inbox to talk about some of the questions from the minors to the big leagues that Indians fans have asked of late. It has been awhile since I did one of these, so I felt with the holidays fast approaching that now would be a great time to clear out the IPI Inbox and answer some of the popular questions surrounding the Indians these days.

If you have a question on anything pertaining to the Cleveland Indians from the minors to the big leagues that you would like answered in a future inbox, feel free to contact me. I also pull from questions in the comments sections in articles, and also from Twitter, so you can post your questions there as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

To the IPI Inbox we go.....

Jeff N. wrote: The Tribe got burned on the last round of contract extensions to their core (Hafner, Westbrook, Grady, Peralta, Carmona). Do you think they'll try to extend this current crop of youngsters or flip them for parts rather than take the risk of injuries/underperformance that killed the '08 and '09 teams?

Me: I think the days of the long term pre-arbitration contracts for the Indians are a thing of the past. At one point it made sense for the Indians to sign their core young players to long term deals as it was very cost beneficial for the team, but with the rising cost of these long term deals and with how snake bitten they have been with long term contracts the last few years, they will continue to be rare going forward. You used to be able to lock up a young star for five to six years for $10-13 million total, but now it takes double or even triple that amount.

The Indians have not said so, but it really looks like the new plan of attack with players in their pre-free agency years is to just continue to go year to year with them. It is the only way to ensure that they are paid a correct amount on a yearly basis since what they did the previous year has a strong bearing on how much they make the next year. If a guy has his contract balloon in his arbitration years because he goes bananas with his numbers then so be it because at least he would be paid year to year what he is worth.

Now there will still probably be a few long term extensions doled out, likely to someone like Carlos Santana or a Jason Kipnis if both are healthy and perform the next season or two. Or even Justin Masterson this offseason. But the days of those contract extensions to try and buy out a free agent year or two appear to be gone because of so many contracts that have bombed on them of late. Thank guys like Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Grady Sizemore, and Travis Hafner for that. Those are four of their most recent contract extensions that were unfavorable because of either significant injuries or poor performance after the players signed their extensions.

Pete P. wrote: I read the Angels may potentially trade Mark Trumbo. Obviously, the Angels need a closer and there is a match there; however, I know Kendrys Morales is coming off an injury but he's a right handed bat and cheap. Thoughts?

Me: The Angels GM Jerry Dipoto keeps saying publicly that they are not trading either Trumbo or Morales, though this is probably just GM-speak in order to try and inflate both players’ values when both are in fact very available. If the Angels get a good Major League player or two offered to them in return for either Morales or Trumbo, they would probably jump at the opportunity.

Given Morales’ questionable health status, I see no way the Indians consider trading for him. There is talk that he will not even be ready for the start of the season, and with clubs not being able to scout him for almost two years or know his health situation, I find it unlikely anyone trades for him. I don’t see the Angels need to trade him at the moment as they will get pennies on the dollar for him right now and he is not a player they have to dump as he is very inexpensive. I believe they look to get him back playing again to re-establish his value and then potentially trade him around the July deadline, if they even need/want to trade him at that time.

Trumbo is a guy that I think could find a new home before the start of next season. DiPoto said he could maybe play third base or the outfield for them, but I am not sure they can really go with him in either role as a full time option. But if you can hit then teams will find a spot on the field to get you into the lineup, and with the power he displayed last season with 29 homers it should get him regular playing time once again in 2012 somewhere in the Angels’ lineup. Whoever acquires him will get a very inexpensive, cost-controlled player as he will make league minimum the next two seasons and is not free agent eligible until at least after the 2016 season.

If a team like the Indians considers trading for Trumbo they have to weigh how productive of a hitter he really could be for them. There is no doubt he has very good power as demonstrated by his minor league home run numbers and his 29 homers last year in his first full big league season. But beyond the home run power, would he really be that much of a lineup upgrade for the Indians or would he just be another free swinging strikeout prone hitter that will hit 30 homers but in his other 670 plate appearances be able to be pitched to? With just 25 walks and 120 strikeouts last year to go along with a poor .291 on-base percentage, the cost to acquire him at this point just would not be worth what production he could ultimately give the Indians. I say they should pass (for now).

Loran H. wrote: Give Matt LaPorta a chance. I don’t care who agrees with me, no ballplayer’s potential can be tapped into when he is benched every time he gets a couple of hits. Let him play 30 games without benching him and give him a little bit of consistency. I have a feeling if given a CHANCE with a little bit of coaching and patience LaPorta could surprise.

Me: I think the Indians are doing the right thing with LaPorta by not guaranteeing him an opening day roster spot next season. He got an extended look last season and played almost every day for most of the first half of the season, and while he showed flashes as a productive player he was just too inconsistent and as the plate appearances piled up his warts showed more and more.

LaPorta got off to a solid start in April with an .818 OPS for the month, but he followed that up with a .701 OPS in May, .641 OPS in June, .629 OPS in July, and .627 OPS in August before bouncing back with an .874 OPS in September. With such a long drought in performance for four months last season and with two inconsistent seasons in 2009 and 2010 before that, the Indians absolutely can no longer have a long leash with him as the focus is now on winning.

At the moment LaPorta is an unreliable player and he may just be what he is: a Shelley Duncan-typer role player with power off the bench. It will do him good to go into the season with no pressure as the everyday first baseman and with the knowledge that he is likely going to Triple-A Columbus to start the season. The Indians should give him two to three months in Columbus and see if any adjustments take hold and things improve, and most importantly if he can find some confidence again at the plate.

LaPorta is probably going to be needed at some point next season as injuries or poor performance by other players could occur, so he will get another opportunity and when he does he has to capitalize on it. Setting him up for success by letting him iron out some things in the minors may be the best solution.

Brian M. wrote: You have written about how we should be willing to trade Chris Perez, but we have talked about our other bullpen arms as if they are untouchable. Do you believe the front office would be willing to take a chance and part ways with some of our young, cost controlled bullpen arms if the result was a right-handed bat that we need to contend? What is your personal opinion on the matter, and how highly should we value a Pestano or a Sipp?

Me: I do not think any bullpen arm the Indians have is untouchable. Unless a guy is a top five setup man, left-on-left guy, or closer in the game, then he should be very available. Relievers are fungible and their performance from year to year is usually volatile except for those select few in the backend of a bullpen, so if the Indians get a good offer for any reliever in their bullpen they should strongly consider it.

The only bullpen arm that is a borderline untouchable should be right-handed setup man Vinnie Pestano. He established himself last season as one of the best setup men in baseball, is under control another five seasons, and has the goods and potential to be very good closer in the big leagues.

But beyond Pestano the Indians should no doubt consider dealing any of Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Frank Herrmann, and Tony Sipp from their Major League bullpen. This does not mean they should just look to dump them and get rid of them. It just means if an opportunity arises where one or a combination of them and another player can net them a Major League bat then they should seriously consider it, especially with the internal options they have waiting at Triple-A Columbus.

This also means the Indians should consider trading their top three bullpen prospects lefty Nick Hagadone and right-handers Zach Putnam and Chen-Chang Lee. But again, considering their potential and contract control, any of them should only be in a deal involving a significant upgrade to the big league roster.

Peter A. wrote: What are stars like Asdrubal Cabrera and Ubaldo Jimenez really trying to accomplish in winter ball other than conditioning? Is Cabrera working on some new batting techniques, things he might employ in the upcoming season? I assume Ubaldo may be working on some of the pitching advice given to him during the offseason. I ask because I assume we shouldn't be looking at our stars' statistics the same way we would during the regular Major League season.

Me: Great question. You are right in that the statistics in winter ball do not mean a whole lot. Teams do not put much stock into winter ball performance, and instead use it as a way to work on some things with some of their fringe Major League players or to seek out depth options for the upcoming season. In some cases players participate so they can get extra reps because they missed some time during the season for injury reasons or because the team wants to iron out some pitching or hitting issues.

In the case of Cabrera and Ubaldo, like a lot of Major League veterans who participate in the winter leagues, they simply just want to play a few weeks for their home country. The Latin players take a lot of pride in playing for their hometown teams and they are treated like gods.

For a guy like Cabrera he is simply just playing and not really working on anything, but for a guy like Jimenez – who actually pitches tonight - it is more about getting him on routine as he had always pitched in winter ball prior to last offseason when he did not. The Indians and Jimenez hope that by pitching him a few games in winter ball that it will get him back in sync. I’m sure some mechanical adjustments have already been implemented this offseason, so winter ball will also serve as an opportunity to see how those adjustments look in advance of spring training.

Aaron H. wrote: I don't know if anyone has suggested this name, but would the Indians be willing to acquire Mark Reynolds? He is in the last year of his three-year $14.5 million deal. He strikes out often, but as a right-handed power hitter, he's a perfect fit. I am sure he can play first base.

Me: I don't see it as a good fit. Like with Trumbo above the home runs are nice, but Reynolds just adds to what is already the Indians’ biggest problem with their lineup in that he can be pitched to as he has lots of holes in his swing, is very strikeout prone, and has poor bat to ball ability. He has averaged over 200 strikeouts a season the last four years and is a career .238 hitter, and while the 35 homers he has averaged the last four seasons is very intriguing, he just looks like a Russell Branyan-esque pickup (but better obviously) for the lineup.

Beggars can’t be choosers, so if Reynolds could be had for cheap and would be an option at first base, then the Indians should consider acquiring him. But I'd rather sign or trade for someone who maybe does not hit a lot of home runs but who can be a more consistent, productive hitter. I am of the belief that a big home run bat would be a nice addition to the Indians’ lineup, but I do not believe it is the biggest need in the lineup. They need to find a good hitter that can run into his fair share of homers but consistently puts the ball in play and can spray the gaps. That would be a bat that is an ideal fit, even if that player is left-handed.

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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Tribe Happenings: Indians 2011 season comes to a close

Manny Acta reflects on the Indians' 2011

season and looks ahead to 2012 (Photo: AP)

Some news, notes and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

Hope springs eternal

The Indians had a successful 2011 campaign. Yes, they did not win a World Series, make the playoffs, or finish with a winning record, but they showed they are ready to make a leap forward next year and contend.

They certainly still have lots of question marks, but they have built a strong foundation from which to build upon going forward. For the first time in awhile they go into an offseason with a positive vibe among the fans that they could contend next year. There is also a more positive feeling among the fans that the Indians will make some moves this offseason to improve the team.

Along with some expected moves this offseason in free agency or on the trade front there is excitement to see the growth of this young team and what it can do with better health next year. The Indians finished the season with the third youngest roster (27.5 years old) in the Major Leagues behind only the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros, and finished the season with eleven rookies on the Major League roster.

The Indians also used the disabled list 22 times in 2011 - second most in the American League to Minnesota’s 25 – and lost 826 player days to the disabled list. In contrast, they only used the disabled list 14 times in 2010 and lost 673 player days to the disabled list. This season their top four established hitters Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and Asdrubal Cabrera were only in the same lineup 17 times all year (they won ten of those games).

The Indians will not be in on mega free agents like Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this offseason, but they should be in on just about any other player available in free agency or trade. It is the combination of a growing, youthful roster, improved health, and some noteworthy offseason additions that make the possibilities with this team exciting for 2012 and beyond.

Coaching carousel

The Indians announced a flurry of coaching moves at the conclusion of the season with pitching coach Tim Belcher and bench coach Tim Tolman both stepping down. The news of both Belcher and Tolman leaving their roles was unexpected, but both will remain with the organization in a more limited capacity.

Belcher stepped down so he could spend more time with his family. He will go back into the role he had with the Indians as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations prior to being named pitching coach two years ago. Tolman stepped down for health reasons as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago. He will transition to another capacity within the organization that will be determined in the coming weeks.

With Tolman’s departure, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will become the bench coach in 2012. The move to bench coach does not limit Alomar’s pursuit for any manager openings. He is a top candidate for several openings, most notably the one with the White Sox after Ozzie Guillen was let go this week.

The Indians also announced that they have picked up the 2013 club option on manager Manny Acta. Acta led the Indians to a second place finish in the American League Central this year with a record of 80-82 (.494), an 11-game improvement in terms of wins over the previous season. He is now signed through the 2013 season and owns a two-year record of 149-175 as Indians manager.

Wanted: Coaches

The pick up of Acta’s option was but a formality, and is just a show of confidence in ownership and the front office that he is doing a good job. He now has to work on adding three new coaches to his staff as he has to fill the voids left at first base coach, pitching coach and hitting coach.

Jon Nunnally was fired as hitting coach back in June and Bruce Fields took over on an interim basis. It is not known whether he will continue in the role full time, but the Indians will surely look at all options to fill the role. Jim Thome returned to the Indians this year and may decide to retire, and if so he would surely be a leading candidate if he was open to it.

At the outset of the pitching coach search the three main candidates will likely come from within as Indians bullpen coach Scott Radinsky, Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller will all likely get first consideration for the job opening before looking outside the organization. Niebla is highly regarded for the work he did this year with his pitchers in Columbus and has done a great job in previous years. Radinsky has done a great job with the bullpen in Cleveland the last two years, so both seem to be the top candidates right now.

The first base coach could come down to any number of people in the organization. The top candidate would appear to be Triple-A Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh. He is very deserving of a Major League coaching opportunity and this would be a great way to add him to the mix, especially considering so many of the players on the roster played under him the past few years. Another possibility could be Minor League Fielding Coordinator Travis Fryman, but the unknown is whether or not he is ready to be more involved since his current role allows him more time with his family.

Mixed results for Pomeranz and White

Former Indians’ left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz and right-handed pitcher Alex White had mixed results in their final starts to finish what was a chaotic 2011 season for both of them.

Pomeranz had a solid Major League debut for the Rockies where in four starts he finished 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA (18.1 IP, 19 H, 5 BB, 13 K). After a sensational big league debut on September 11th where he threw five shutout innings he was very mediocre at best in his final three starts, but overall it was a very good foundation for him to build on for next year. At this point it looks very much like barring injury that he should open the 2012 season in the Rockies’ opening day starting rotation.

On the other hand, White’s future is not so certain. He was awful in his seven starts for the Rockies going 2-4 with an 8.42 ERA (36.1 IP, 48 H, 16 BB, 24 K). His numbers were horrific in that he put up a 1.76 WHIP and one-quarter of the hits he gave up were home runs (12). He averaged close to one home run allowed every three innings!

I said it at the time of the trade that White was not 100% healthy, and he certainly pitched like an unhealthy pitcher the rest of the season. It will be an interesting offseason to see if additional issues with his finger cropped up and if more surgery occurs to “correct” things. There definitely has to be some concern on the Rockies front about his future.

For those wondering, the other two players in that deal right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner and first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride both had mixed results as well while playing for the Rockies’ Double-A Tulsa affiliate. Gardner made six starts and went 3-3 with a 2.48 ERA (36.1 IP, 31 H, 8 BB, 22 K), and McBride struggled through injuries and played just six games and hit .235 with no homers, two RBI and a .513 OPS.

The Indians paid a pretty hefty bounty to acquire right-handed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies back on July 30th. Some may wonder why updates on Pomeranz and White are necessary since both are no longer in the organization, but considering the magnitude of that deal it is very relevant to provide the information on the performances going forward of all the players involved in that deal. Whether we admit it or not, we will all be keeping an eye on White and Pomeranz to see how their careers end up in relation to what impact Jimenez has for the Indians.

Indians get #15

With the regular season coming to a close the Indians draft slot for next year’s draft was finally determined. The draft slot is determined by taking the worst record in the league and awarding them the #1 pick and so on, and the Indians ended up with the #15 pick.

While controlling where a team selects in the draft is not a goal a team shoots for, there was a bit of drama on the final day as with the Indians loss and the Washington Nationals win the Indians “earned” that #15 pick. Had the Indians won or the Nationals lost the Indians would have finished with the #16 or later pick, a difference that has some significance.

By getting the #15 pick the Indians now have a protected first round pick. Picks at #16 or later in the first round are unprotected. What this means is for a team with an unprotected pick that signs a Type-A free agent they lose their first round pick as compensation to the team they signed the player away from. Teams that have a protected first round pick do not lose the first round pick when signing Type-A free agents and instead lose their second round pick.

Of course, the Indians will never really be big players in free agency for the marquee free agents; however, being designated a “Type-A” free agent does not always mean such a player is a high profile free agent. The Indians have some interest in first base/left field right-handed bats this offseason, and two names that get brought up a lot are Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham. Both are Type-A free agents, so at least the Indians now know what the cost will be in draft picks going into any possible bargaining sessions for either player.

LaPorta to visit Haiti

First baseman Matt LaPorta will join with SportsTime Ohio’s efforts to aid earthquake relief in Haiti. Many remember the devastation caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths or over 3% of the nation’s total population and left the small nation completely devastated.

SportsTime Ohio has been heavily involved in various fundraising efforts immediately following the earthquake and has raised $175,000 thus far. LaPorta will join the SportsTime Ohio team on October 6, 2011 to visit Gressier Haiti, an area approximately ten miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. It is also home to Christianville, a mission that has a school with four campuses and 1200 students, a medical facility and several feeding programs feeding as many as 4500 people per day. The campus was decimated in the earthquake but now has rebuilt the schools and actually increased the feeding programs as well as being the home to Haiti’s only malaria lab.

LaPorta will be in Haiti for four days, and while there will tour the schools, support facilities and orphanages that have benefited from the funds raised in North East Ohio. LaPorta will see all of the relief efforts first hand and will be showcased as part of a SportsTime Ohio program to air in January of 2012, the second anniversary of the earthquake.

Henry has surgery

There was some unfortunate news on the minor league front this week. Double-A Akron outfielder Jordan Henry had right knee surgery on September 22nd for what was supposed to be a surgery to clean the knee out and repair cartilage in the knee. The recovery time was expected to be six weeks.

Unfortunately for Henry, during the procedure the damage was found to be more extensive so his doctor ended up performed micro-fracture surgery to repair it. The possibility of micro-fracture surgery was known going into the surgery, but was not known for certain until doctors went in and started operating on his knee.

The recovery time is expected to be five to six months and Henry is already out in Arizona rehabbing the knee. He should be ready by the start of minor league spring training in March, but the Indians will likely be conservative with getting him back into full time game action next year.

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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Around the Farm: September 2

Matt LaPorta
(photo: Columbus
Clippers)

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

Francisco Lindor: DH, Mahoning Valley: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, SB (1):

Lindor played in his first full game of the season, and responded with his first multi-hit game of the season, as well as his first stolen base. In his four games of his professional career, Lindor has hit in three of them. According to Tony Lastoria, Lindor will likely be the starting shortstop at Lake County next year, with Wolters possibly moving to second. While a lot can happen over the winter months, that seems like a pretty solid middle infield of the future for the Tribe.  Keep this in mind: Lindor and Wolters are a combined 37-years-old. For those counting at home, that's three years younger than Jim Thome. 
 
Matt LaPorta: 1B, Columbus: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K:
I'm not sure what surprised me more, that Matt LaPorta was finally sent down to the minors, or that in his debut with the Clippers, he actually hit a two-run homer. In sending down LaPorta during the final month of a playoff run, the Indians are perhaps succumbing to the fact that right-handed first baseman is dangerously near becoming the poster child for the term "monumental bust"  While it's true that he's only 26-years old and still has time to prove himself as a power hitter in the bigs, being sent down at a time when the Indians needed him the most certainly isn't a pat on the back from Tribe Management. As far back as June, we were talking about how LaPorta couldn't even lace up Ryan Garko's cleats (check the comments of Tony's piece), and the Indians have finally temporarily pulled the plug on the centerpiece of the CC Sabathia deal in Milwaukee. Well, at least the Clippers can use him during their playoffs I guess. Maybe he can right the ship, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

• Luis Valbuena: SS, Columbus: 3-4, 1 K, SB (6): You can say what you want about Luis Valbuena, but he's just killing International League pitching this year. In the nine games since he's returned from a short stint in Cleveland, the shortstop is 13-for-36, with five runs scored. Ir's unfortunate that he hasn't yet translated into a major league player.
• Argenis Reyes: 2B, Columbus: 1-1, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB: Reyes has never really been a factor, or at least much of one, when it came to prospect ratings, but the wily minor league veteran has done nothing but hit the ball for the Indians over the past two years. Last season, he hit .340 for the Clippers after a trade brought him over from the Red Sox. This year, he's hit .315 since the Indians signed him away from the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am Independent League. The Tribe has been cleaning up with these minor league, free-agent signings this year.
• Zach McAllister: SP, Columbus: W (12-3), 7 IP, 11 H, 2 R/ER, 7 K: McAllister has reclaimed the groove that he seemed to lose in late July with back-to-back solid starts. He's 4-0 in his last four starts, and should remain in the picture for an end-of-the-rotation slot in the coming years.
• Chen Lee: RP, Columbus: S (1), 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 2 K: Lee wasn't perfect last night, but did manage to save the bullpen and get a save in the process. The righty has been solid since a four-run implosion on August 20th, only giving up one run in the six innings he's pitched since.
• Jordan Henry: CF, Akron: 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI: Henry has really scuffled at Double A Akron, but has shown signs of returning to form in the past week. He's had three two-hit games in his last six, but has to find a way to hit righties a bit better than his .236 average. He's hitting a solid .297 against left-handers.
• Karexon Sanchez: 2B, Akron: 2-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB: While Sanchez is only htting .218, these are the types of games that he became known for last year in Kinston. He's a hot-or-cold type player, but when he's on, he's very...very good. It was good to see him batting second for the Aeros, instead of at the bottom of the lineup.
• Chun Chen: C, Akron: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K: Chen is closing out his season with a strong offensive push. He's currently on a six-game hit streak, with two homers and a double in his last four games.
• John Drennen: LF, Akron: 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K: Drennen had his third multi-hit game out of his past four, and including a homer in last night's game. He's hitting .300 over his past ten games, with a .417 OBP.
• Donnie Webb: RF, Akron: 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B: Webb broke out of a 2-for-30 slump with a big game last night. Don't expect much more of this from the light-hitting utility player.
• Bryan Price: SP, Akron: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K: Price got the unconventional start last night thanks to injuries and call-ups, and did a nice job. He continued a nice stretch in which he's only given up one earned run over his past eight appearances and fifteen innings. He's not a stud prospect by any stretch, but he certainly could be a factor from Columbus next season.
• Rob Bryson: RP, Akron: W (2-0), 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K: Bryson has been a workhorse of late, pitchingin three games over the past four nights. This is a good sign that the Indians believe that Bryson is healthy. He's certainly earned the appearances. Over his past four games, Bryson has pitched in 6 1/3 innings, giving up only three hits and three walks, while striking out seven.
• Bryce Stowell: RP, Akron: 2 IP, 1 H, 4 K: Bryson and Stowell really are the cream of the crop in Akron right now.  Stowell has regained his stature from an impressive 2010 season, and has really shown that he can dominate when he's in the game. He's gone 6 1/3 innings over his last three outings, giving up three hits and two walks, while striking out seven.
• Kinston Indians offense: 3-29, 3 BB, 9 K: The Kinston Indians' offense managed a mammoth three hits and three walks in their last official home game at Historic Grainger Stadium last night. They were blown out 10-0. Not good for a club that is fighting for their playoff lives. They are currently in a virtual tie with Winston-Salem.
• LeVon Washington: LF, Lake County: 2-4, 1 K: Washington had his second two-hit game in three nights, and had two of the four total hits for the Captains.
• Jordan Cooper: SP, Lake County: L (2-9), 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 4 K: Cooper has lost four straight starts, but didn't deserve this one.
• Bryson Myles: RF, Mahoning Valley: 2-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB: Myles continues to terrorize New York/Penn pitching with his second straight two-hit, two run ballgame. The only difference between last night's game, and the one before...was a triple instead of a double. There's no tapering off for the Scrappers' right fielder.
• Jordan Smith: 3B, Mahoning Valley: 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K: Smith has been in a free fall offensively since starting the year off hitting around .350. He's only 6-for-39 in his last ten games.

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

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Beau Mills re-building his career as potential heir to Hafner

Beau Mills (photo: Tony Lastoria)

Beau Mills was promoted yesterday to Triple A Columbus after 2 1/2 frustrating seasons as a member of the Akron Aeros. Mills was the former first round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2007, and came as a power-hitting corner infielder with a high baseball IQ (his father is Brad Mills, the current manager of the Houston Astros, and former coach for the Boston Red Sox).

Mills backed up his first round, future-star status in his first full professional season in 2008 at High A Kinston. His line was .293/.373/.506, with 21 homers, 90 RBI and 78 runs scored, and he was named the Carolina League player of the year. The Carolina League has historically been a pitcher's league, so those numbers carry added weight.

He moved to Akron in 2009, and that's when his numbers began to take a tumble. He played nine more games in Akron compared to Kinston the season before, but every major offensive number went down. His averaged dropped 26 points to .267. He scored 19 less runs, hit seven less homers, and drove in seven less hitters. He didn't take the step many thought he would after his big year at Kinston, and his stock began to drop.

He started the 2010 season back in Akron, and his season was marred by nagging injuries and off-the-field issues. Again, his numbers would move in the wrong direction. He hit only .241, with 10 homers, 72 RBI and 55 runs scored in only 113 games. He had dropped off every prospect radar, including the Indians. As a 24-year-old, many believed that he had already plateaued, and at best, was Double or Triple-A fodder.

To make matters worse, Mills started the 2011 season in extended spring training thanks to Achilles tendonitis. After a long and arduous six-week rehab, Mills was activated, and for the third straight season, he started the season at Double A Akron. Not a good sign that the Indians had high hopes for their former first-rounder.

But a funny thing happened. Mills began to hit the ball. For the first time since 2008, Mills started to look like the player that the Indians were hoping for when they drafted him. Up through yesterday, Mills had a solid .300/.358/.522 line, with 11 homers and 49 RBI in only 61 games. He struck out only 37 times, with 22 walks, showing a bit more selection than in the past as well.

This earned him his first (and hopefully last) promotion to Triple A Columbus.

It's far too early to state with any sort of confidence that Beau Mills has "figured it all out." Mills has been playing Double A baseball for 2 1/2 seasons. Any player with the baseball IQ and power potential that he has is bound to adjust to pitching at that level in that extended amount of time. So you have to wonder whether or not he can replicate this year's stats from Akron in Columbus to close out the season.

It's a big turn of events for the once-lost-prospect, who now finds himself one step away from the big leagues. He's likely heard the term 'make-or-break' before, but in the land of the minors, this Triple A step really is his 'make-or-break' move. Can Mills continue transfer his 2011 production from Akron to Columbus, or is this small sample-size of offense just that, a small sample size?

If the latter is the case, then Mills ultimately turns in to the type of player that routinely litter Triple A clubs for several years, get a taste of the majors now-and-then thanks to the DL, but ultimately never make the next move permanently before disappearing when they realize the dream is over. Most folks have labeled Mills in this category (or worse) since his struggles began in 2009.

Many Tribe-followers lumped him into that category way back in 2007, calling Mills another one of John Mirabelli's "safe picks."  If we all want to look in the mirror and be honest, Mills was a safe pick, and did follow the pattern that Mirabelli seemed to be taking at the time. Does that mean he can't perform up to a first round level? Of course not. Mills had/has first round talent, and scout after scout said that he had 30-homer potential. Safe pick of not, Mills has the tools to play at the major league level.

If he can continue his current progression, Mills becomes the potential big bat that the Indians could call up should something happen injury-wise to either Matt LaPorta and/or Travis Hafner. Both players have had DL stints this season, so having some cushion would provide a boost to the Indians during the stretch drive. It's likely that Nick Johnson is ahead of Mills in the big league line of ascension, based both on his major league experience, and a bat that also seems to be heating up at the right time. Still, Mills is certainly a long-term answer regardless.

At best, Mills turns back into the top 20 prospect in the system that he was four years ago, and begins pushing for a full-time gig in 2012. Without any big power bats peeking their heads out of the sand at both Columbus, Akron (yeah Nick Weglarz, I'm talking to you), or Kinston (well, there's that Abreu guy), Mills becomes a hot commodity in a system that needs him to be just that.

The other thing to take into account is the 34-year-old Hafner, who has been a walking injury for three seasons, and is under contract for only one more season after 2011. Mills continuing his offensive "rehabilitation" gives the Indians an in-house fix should Hafner either struggle with injury, or if the Indians choose not to re-sign their slugger.

Of course, that's a whole lot of time, and a whole lot of what ifs. For now, Beau Mills is hitting the cover off the ball, and has made the next step towards the bigs. Now...just one more BIG step to go...

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Tribe Happenings: Indians are half way home

The Indians have done more high-fiving after games

the first half of the season than expected. (Photo: AP)

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

81 down, 81 to go

With the conclusion of Saturday's game with the Reds the Indians stand at 44-37 at the midway point of the season. If they keep up the first half pace and duplicate that in the second half, they will win 88 games this year.

While it is technically the halfway point, the All Star break is often celebrated as the true halfway point even though teams typically have played close to 90 games by then. Even so, with a week to go before the All Star break, who would have thought going into the season that the Indians would be where they are right in first place?

The Indians were a boatload of fun from the start of the season through the middle of May when they got off to a hot 30-15 start. And yes, they have been frustrating to watch since mid-May to today where they are 14-22 since that hot start.

But this team looks to be in it for the long haul so long as they do not continue to be riddled with injuries to the lineup. If they can avoid any more injuries to the lineup and find a veteran bat or two in a July trade, they can make some noise this year.

It all comes down to the pitching, and the Indians have a lot of it. As long as you have good, solid pitching you are always going to be in almost every game. Even with all of the lineup issues the Indians have at the moment, they can draw from their strength which is a solid, young rotation and a dynamite bullpen.

The Indians have three young starters in right-handers Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, and Carlos Carrasco who are proving to be very effective, good starters now and into the future for the organization to build around. If right-hander Fausto Carmona can ever get himself straightened out the Indians have a very formidable four-some to ride the rest of the season and potentially into the playoffs.

Right-hander Mitch Talbot does a solid job as the fifth man in the rotation, but the Indians have lots of options ready to replace him or anyone else who gets hurt with talented starters in waiting at Triple-A Columbus such as lefties Scott Barnes and David Huff and righties Jeanmar Gomez and Zach McAllister. With right-hander Alex White on the shelf, the Indians have a total of ten Major League quality starters at their disposal, something that is simply unheard of.

The bullpen has been simply electric with the likes of Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez shutting down teams late in games. Also Chad Durbin and Frank Herrmann have both been more effective of late in middle relief. On top of that the Indians have several promising bullpen arms waiting in Triple-A Columbus such as right-handers Josh Judy, Zach Putnam, and C.C. Lee as well as left-hander Nick Hagadone.

As we gear up for the second half of the season, the Indians are armed and loaded to make a strong push to the finish.

Credit where credit is due

The re-emergence of the Indians this year and the incredible amount of pitching depth they have built up is a testament to the good work done by former GM Mark Shapiro and current GM Chris Antonetti. The first "plan" under Shapiro worked pretty well as they built a pretty good rotation during their first rebuild which started back in 2002, and it appears they may be building a better, deeper pitching staff during their current rebuild that started in 2008.

Several of those tough moves that Shapiro and Antonetti had to make together over the past few seasons are starting to pay off as trades where they parted with the likes of C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Mark DeRosa, and Casey Blake have all produced key contributors to this year's team such as Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, Carlos Santana, Carlos Carrasco, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez, and Lou Marson.

Their draft's and international signings since 2008 are also bearing more fruit as Alex White, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Cord Phelps have all made it to the big leagues this year. Even more players from the 2008 and 2009 drafts and international signings are expected to arrive soon as Zach Putnam, Jason Kipnis and C.C. Lee are expected to arrive soon.

Shapiro and Antonetti often catch the ire of Tribe fans because they traded Sabathia, Lee and others, but they did not trade those players because they wanted to. They did it because they had to. Trust me, if they could have kept them and given them the money those players were seeking they would have done it in a heartbeat. So goes the life as a mid-to-small market general manager.

That having been said, the Indians now have a foundation to build upon where they have a good young nucleus in Cleveland, lots of talent emerging and developing in the minors, and a strong draft philosophy that is producing impact players. From here on out they should be in the thick of things in the AL Central and in the postseason chase for the next several years thanks to the good work the past few years by Shapiro, Antonetti and the rest of the front office.

Loss of Choo could force move

The Indians learned on Tuesday that they are going to be without star right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo for eight to ten weeks as he recovers from surgery to his broken left thumb. The surgery was performed on Tuesday by Dr. Thomas Graham at the Cleveland Clinic where he openly reduced and internally fixated the fracture. The injury occurred when he was hit by a pitch on Friday June 24 in San Francisco.

The loss of Choo for what looks like at least until the beginning of September will be a tough one to overcome for the Indians. He has been in a funk all season hitting just .244 with five homers, 28 RBI, and a .687 OPS in 72 games, but he has a history of consistent performance and the feeling was that he would turn it around in the second half and help lead an offensive charge. Prior to the injury he appeared to be turning things around at the plate and gaining confidence to make that charge.

For now the Indians are going to platoon Travis Buck and Austin Kearns in right field; however, there is no doubt that the club is going to actively seek a short term option on the trade front to fill in for Choo's absence for most of the rest of the season. The Indians could kick the tires on a guy like Jerad Head or Chad Huffman in Triple-A Columbus, but neither option appears like it would make much difference to what the Buck-Kearns duo offer.

Do not expect a blockbuster kind of deal as the Indians do not want to mortgage the future by trading off any of their higher profile prospects, but a more middle of the road deal where they trade a mid-level prospect or two for a veteran outfielder is certainly possible. A trade to consider is something along the lines of what they did back in 2007 when they acquired Kenny Lofton from the Rangers for High-A Kinston catcher Max Ramirez. Ramirez was an interesting prospect, but not one of their top prospects, so we could see something like this again.

One player who immediately comes to mind who the Indians may target is Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur. The Indians actually had some interest this past offseason in signing him, and his right-handed bat would complement the lineup and outfield well even when Choo returns. He is not an impact player by any means, but he has a cannon in the outfield and has some power from the right side. At the least he would be a significant upgrade over Kearns and make a much more interesting platoon partner with Buck.

The debut of The Chiz

With the Indians desperate for offense and a spark to the club they called up top prospect third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall from Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

At the time of the callup Chisenhall was hitting .265 with 7 homers, 44 RBI, and .779 OPS. Those are not overly impressive numbers, but he had been hot of late where he was named the International League's Player of the Week for the week ending June 26th where in five games he hit .429 with two homers and 14 RBI. He made his Major League debut on Monday going 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, and in three games is 4-for-12 with two doubles and an RBI.

Chisenhall, 22, had been out of the lineup for about 11 days in June because of a concussion he suffered when sliding into third base and banging his head on the field back on June 11th. He had been in a slump up to that point, but the banging of the head seemed to clear the cobwebs and the time off also allowed him evaluate his play and make some adjustments in the cages and it appears to have paid off.

The callup of Chisenhall was made to add some punch to a lineup that has been inconsistent and non-productive since mid-May and was lifeless in their series with San Francisco last weekend. He will not be a savior by any means as he is not a super star caliber player, but he is a smart, solid, and consistent player and should provide much more offense now and in the future at third base than Jack Hannahan has or would.

Chisenhall is still not a finished product defensively, so there will surely be some mistakes made along the way, particularly with his throwing. But his swing is sweet and he should be a solid contributor offensively for a long time. I've often said that he will likely be somewhere between a Casey Blake (floor) and Travis Fryman (ceiling) type player. Time will tell, but for now let the Chiz Era begin!

LaPorta still out

First baseman Matt LaPorta's return to the Indians suffered a minor setback this week when the club cancelled plans to have him join the team in Cincinnati and take some batting practice before the games. He has complained of some soreness with his ankle and was unable to participate in any pre-game activities.

LaPorta is on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle, an injury he sustained back on June 17th. He is eligible to come off the disabled list any day, but before doing so he will need to test it out to ensure he is healthy enough to get back on the field at a 100%.

The plan now is to have LaPorta join the team in Cleveland on Monday when they begin a four game set at home with the Yankees. Acta and his staff will evaluate him in batting practice and if he gets the all clear he could be activated any day after that. There is a chance he could also go on a minor league rehab assignment for two or three games to get him back up to speed before activating him.

Even with the All Star break a week away, it does not appear that the Indians will wait until after it to activate LaPorta. Also, since Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron are both off for the All Star break at the same time, there is no opportunity to send him on a minor league rehab assignment and keep him playing while the Indians are on their break.

No opt out for Johnson

Triple-A Columbus first baseman Nick Johnson's July 1st opt out clause came and went on Friday, and as of now he is still with the Indians. His July 1st opt out clause called for him to be added to the Indians 40-man roster by that date or he could elect free agency, and it appeared that he was heading to a resolution one way or another until an injury setback with his surgically repaired left wrist last weekend.

Last Saturday, Johnson slid into third base awkwardly and landed funny on his wrist which caused it to flare up on him. He sat out Sunday's game and then returned to the lineup on Monday but had to be removed after two at bats because the wrist was bothering him. He has not played since. He took some swings in the batting cage on Friday and could return to the lineup soon.

There is no question the injury setback threw the opt out clause out the window and Johnson will now stick around a little while longer in the organization and in the minor leagues. If I am not mistaken, the opt out clause is a one-time shot and by not choosing it he loses it. If that is indeed the case, then it looks like he will be around awhile longer and through the rest of the season playing in either Columbus or Cleveland. In 14 games with Columbus he is hitting .220 with no homers, one RBI and a .575 OPS.

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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