Goodyear Notebook: 4/2

Indians Have High Value On House

What a camp it has been for prized left-hander T.J. House.

House may have been a 16^th round draft pick out of Picayune Memorial High School (MS), but he was top three round talent that slid due to signability concerns.  He eventually signed for $750,000, which is about second round money.

So far, he has been worth every penny as the 19-year old has shown a penchant to pitch well beyond his age.  With Indians GM Mark Shapiro sitting right behind home plate on Saturday watching him pitch, House was cool and collected and proceeded to just dominate going four shutout innings allowing just one hit, no walks, and punched out five batters.  He also touched 93 MPH on the gun, and consistently peppered the lower part of the zone by getting six groundball outs in addition to the five strikeouts.

House can come a long way since signing last August, and now that he is getting ready to embark on his first professional season and is playing baseball for a living, there is still a lot to get used to.

"It is a lot different [playing professionally]," said House on Monday.  "It takes a lot to get used to the throwing.  That has been the biggest change for me in throwing every other day with bullpens and games.  Your arm starts to hang a little bit, and you think something is wrong, but it is just getting in shape and adjusting to the high volume of throwing.  I am also not used to having a lot of one-on-one attention pitching-wise, so that has been a big change too."

House was lined up to attend Tulane University has he not signed with the Indians, and about seven months since his decision to sign with the Indians he still has no regrets on the decision to pass up college so he could get going on his professional baseball career.

"I have no regrets," said House.  "I am fully 100% happy with the decision I made.  I feel like this is the right place for me, and the organization and people are great here, and I can't be happier.  While it is a tough thing, you gotta look at what is best for you and where you are going to be able to perform at a 100% and give it your all.  That is what it came down to, and as I looked deep down inside and looked at what was the best for me, this was it."

Rosters were finalized on Wednesday night, so by now House should know where he is going when camp breaks in a few days.  The word around camp was that House will open the season in the Single-A Lake County rotation, and there is no reason to think that will not happen.  As for House, he is not worried about where he ends up.  He just wants to opportunity to grow and develop into the best pitcher he can be.

"I am just going with the flow," said House.  "Wherever they tell me to go is where I am going to go and I am going to give it my all no matter what.  Just like people have been telling me it is not where you start it is where you finish.  I am not going to worry about that.  I am doing my best to try and perform and get better everyday and learn something new.  I have learned a lot so far being here just these last two months, and I have a lot more growing to do."

At such a young age and coming out of high school, House has a lot to learn in the coming years.  The good thing for him is that he is a sponge and will soak up a lot what he is taught or experiences the next few seasons as he ascends the minor league ladder.  Already, in the span of two months, his changeup has developed at a rapid pace.  He has worked so hard on developing his changeup, it is now the pitch he has the most confidence using.  His slider is more of a slurve, and the changeup sits at 80-81 MPH which is good separation from his 91-93 MPH fastball.

"I just developed my changeup, and I think I have a pretty good feel for it now and getting it worked in," said House.  I am learning how to establish the lower part of the plate.  In high school you get by with a mid-high fastball as you can push it by them, but here everybody can hit a fastball.  I am working more on location and just learning how to setup hitters and reading them.  It is a lot more in depth.  It is not just throwing now, it is pitching."

For any pitcher, one of the hardest things to learn is to not just throw the ball but to read the hitter's swing so as to better locate the next pitch.  This is something new House is learning, and will be vital in his transformation into being a complete pitcher.

"You have to learn how to pick up differences like if a hitter is more of a low ball hitter or high ball hitter," said House.  "It is difficult coming from not paying attention to it at all really to now it is real in depth as they want you to watch, they want you to learn, and they want you to talk to the hitters to see how they feel when the pitcher does this or that.  It is difficult learning more what they are thinking and what you can do to be a step ahead of them."

As the season gets ready to kickoff a week from today, House has several goals for this upcoming season, but consistency it his mail objective.

"My main goal is to make every start, to stay healthy, give my team a chance to win, and show consistency," said House.  "I know there are going to be some days when you don't have a good game, but I want to be as consistent as possible and grow and learn to develop into a better pitcher.  I want to mature mentally and physically in all aspects of the game.  There is just so much out there for me to learn."

Mister Roberts Neighborhood

One of the mainstays in the Single-A Lake County bullpen this year will be right-hander Dave Roberts.  A 4^th round pick in the 2008 Draft our of Long Beach State, Roberts got his professional career going last year at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley where he went 1-1 with a 6.11 ERA in 21 appearances, though he actually pitched better than his numbers indicate.  Opposing hitters only hit .248 off him and he had good command (3.1 BB/9) and was punching batters out (8.2 K/9), but his inflated ERA is really the result of two disastrous outings where he gave up half his earned runs on the season in those appearances.

The transition from college player to professional was seamless for Roberts, and he feels the key to his success is the ability to pitch with his fastball.

"For me it was somewhat similar [going from college to pro] just because at Long Beach our pitching coach always wanted us to work off our fastball," said Roberts.  "For me I am most successful when I work off of my fastball.  If you can do that and get ahead, you can get guys guessing a little bit more and then get them to expand the plate with some off-speed stuff."

When Roberts was at Long Beach, the backend of the bullpen was loaded.  He was the main setup man during his time there and he will look to bring his experience pitching in such a role to Lake County this year.  While as of this interview he was not aware he was going to Lake County to open the season, Roberts just wanted to concentrate on doing what he had to do, and wherever he ended up was fine with him.

"If you come out here and take care of your business, pitch well, make good decisions out on the field, and they see you are smart and not making mistakes.  It is out of my control, but if I  do those things, good things will happen."

Roberts' fastball has good life and sits at 91-93 MPH, topping out at times at 95 MPH.  Like most relievers, the pitch he has the most confidence in is his fastball.

"I'd probably say my two-seam fastball is the pitch I have the most confidence in," said Roberts.  "Just knowing I can get it to move since it moves pretty well, and I am able to throw it for strikes.  And I am pretty good on the arm-side with it, so I would say if I needed to throw a pitch to get an out that would be the one."

As spring training winds down and the start of the new season commences, Roberts knows what he needs to do to get better.

"I think for me my biggest thing is when I throw my arm-side away fastball - which is normally my four-seamer - I need to do better getting it on a more downward plane because at times it will be flat and I leave it up," said Roberts.  "I have been working on getting it in a little more than it has been and be more consistent with it.  I want to try and work both sides of the plate and that would equate to me being a little more successful."

Notebook

Rosters finalized:  Well, when players arrive in camp on Thursday morning they should all know where they are going to start the season.  On Wednesday, after camp broke for the day once intrasquad games were completed, Farm Director Ross Atkins and his entire staff gathered for final roster meetings.  With the equipment trucks leaving town tomorrow late morning, all players will know who is going to which full season affiliate, who is staying behind in extended spring training, and who is being released.  I will try and provide the rosters for the four teams when I get the details, though I am not sure if they will want an "official" listing of the rosters to go out yet.  The next notebook will likely have at least a synopsis of the rosters, and I will pass along anything I can on the rosters as soon as I can.

Clarifying Huff:  I had mentioned yesterday that left-hander David Huff was never in real consideration for the final rotation spot this spring because of the five candidates he was the only one not on the 40-man roster.  Let me explain a little further why this was the case.  Considering the Indians had four other options in Jackson, Laffey, Lewis and Sowers already on the 40-man, Huff had virtually no shot going in and there was no pressure to roster him if they did not have to.  The big thing in play is major league service time. By having him open the season in Columbus at least the first two weeks of the season, the Indians could call him up at anytime this season after that and get SEVEN years (including this year) of control over him whereas had he opened in Cleveland they would have only got SIX years (including this year) of control. This is huge, and why considering they had other options and Huff coming down with the tendonitis why they never pushed it.

More Huff:  In any case, Huff will be in Cleveland at some point his year, if healthy.  Yesterday I heard that he may in fact be the first person called up, even above Laffey and Sowers.  It really will depend at the time the Indians have a need for a starter how the three are performing.

Arizona Heat:  Former Minor League Infield Coordinator Ted Kubiak is back to managing, something he loves and missed.  Not only will he be around for extended spring training, but he will also manage the Indians rookie-level team the Arizona League Indians which will play their home games at the new Goodyear complex.  Because the temperature in the summer in Arizona reaches 106-115 degrees, the games will be at night (7pm) and on occasion at 10am in the morning.

Frias Bullpen Bound?:  From what I have heard, right-hander Santo Frias will not be in the rotation to start the season, though he could end up back in it at some point.  Instead, all signs point to him opening the season in the Single-A Lake County bullpen.  Frias is healthy again, and his velocity has ticked up a tad as he is now topping out at 94 MPH on the gun this spring.

Prospect Videos:  Lots of videos uploaded the past two days: Matt Meyer, Guido Fonseca, Eddie Burns, Carlos Rivero, Carlos Moncrief, Beau Mills, Michael Finocchi, Francisco Valera, Lonnie Chisenhall, Cord Phelps, Tim Fedroff, Matt McBride, Marty Popham, John Allman, Jason Denham, Santo Frias, Ryan Miller, and Eric Berger.

Did You Know: Indians right-handed reliever Eddie Burns' father, Thomas Burns, was also drafted and signed by the Indians in the early 80s and pitched in the NY-Penn League.  The elder Burns eventually left the Indians organization, and ended up in the Mets system reaching as high as Triple-A before arm troubles ended his career.

Random Notes:  I mentioned the other day that I had unofficially heard that first baseman Brock Simpson had retired.  Well, he has officially retired. ... Zach Jackson and Rafael Betancourt got some work in yesterday during minor league camp. ... Lefty Scott Lewis will make a start on Sunday April 5^th pitching in an extended spring training game to keep him sharp before he makes his season debut at the Indians home opener on Friday April 10^th.

Today:  I will be at camp for morning workouts from 9:30-11:30am to hopefully get a good glimpse of the final rosters.  I will also do interviews from about 11:30-12:30pm, and then watch Columbus and Akron play at 1pm.  In the next few days I hope to talk to several Indians staffers "on the record" and publish their comments on players.

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Minor League Spring Game Recap: 4/1

Here are the box scores for today's games Wednesday April 1^st: 

(note, no stats were kept for Mahoning Valley games) 

			R	H	E
Columbus			-	-	-
Akron			-	-	-

 

Player Name		POS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
1.	Brantley, Michael	CF	3	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
Sub	Baker, Trent	CF	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2.	Valbuena, Luis	SS	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
3.	Aubrey, Michael	DH	4	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
4.	LaPorta, Matt	RF	4	3	1	2	1	0	1	4	1	0	0	0	0
5.	Hodges, Wes	3B	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Sub	Willard, Matt	3B	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6.	Santana, Carlos	CA	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sub	Camacaro, Armando	CA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7.	Brown, Jordan	1B	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	0	0
8.	Lombard, George	LF	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
9.	Pinckney, Brandon	2B	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
10.	Toregas, Wyatt	DH	3	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Totals		--	35	29	5	7	3	0	1	5	4	7	2	0	0

 

Pitchers		TP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TBF	FPS	Hi	Avg
1.	Chulk, Vinny	-	1.0	2	2	2	1	3	6	5	91	88
2.	Jackson, Zach	-	3.0	4	2	2	1	1	14	6	88	87
3.	Rundles, Rich	-	1.0	1	0	0	2	1	5	1	85	82
4.	Roehl, Scott	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	90	89
5.	Newsom, Randy	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	80	79
6.	Jimenez, Jose	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	90	89

 

Player Name		POS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
1.	Hall, Michael	CF	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
2.	Esquivel, Matt	LF/DH	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
3.	Gimenez, Chris	CA	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
4.	Mills, Beau	1B/DH	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5.	Rivero, Carlos	SS	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sub	Fontanez, Kevin	SS	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6.	Goedert, Jared	3B	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sub	Brito, Jesus	3B	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
7.	Romero, Nuiman	2B	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
8.	Drennen, John	RF	3	3	2	2	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
9.	Head, Jerad	DH/1B	3	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10.	Cumberbatch, Cirilo	DH/LF	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Totals		--	31	30	2	6	1	0	1	1	1	8	0	0	0

 

Pitchers		TP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TBF	FPS	Hi	Avg
1.	Betancourt, Rafael	13	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	90	89
2.	Herrmann, Frank	80	5.0	5	3	3	0	6	20	9	90	88
3.	Zarate, Mauro	32	2.0	2	0	0	1	1	8	7	90	88

 

			R	H	E
Kinston			3	5	1
Lake County			10	13	2

 

Player Name		POS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
1.	Fedroff, Tim	-	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2.	Phelps, Cord	-	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Sub	Camargo, Jose	-	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
3.	Chisenhall, Lonnie	-	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
4.	McBride, Matt	-	4	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
5.	Pena, Roman	-	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
Sub	Recknagel, Nate	-	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6.	Montero, Lucas	-	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
7.	Denham, Jason	-	3	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
8.	Valadez, Michael	-	2	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
9.	Arnal, Cristo	-	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10.	Hehr, Jeff	-	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Totals		--	35	30	3	5	1	0	0	3	5	6	0	0	1

 

Pitchers		TP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TBF	FPS	Hi	Avg
1.	Putnam, Zach	64	4.0	1	0	0	2	5	16	13	91	89
2.	Taylor, Heath	30	2.0	2	2	2	1	1	10	6	92	88
3.	Meyer, Matt	33	2.0	2	1	1	1	2	9	6	89	88

 

Player Name		POS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
1.	White, Adam	DH	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
2.	Greenwell, Bo	LF	4	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
3.	Blair, Ryan	CF	4	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
4.	Tice, Jeremie	3B	4	4	3	2	0	1	1	3	0	1	0	0	0
5.	Davis, Adam	CA	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Sub	Pickens, Doug	CA	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
6.	Allman, John	RF	3	3	0	3	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
7.	Infante, Jansy	1B	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
8.	Diaz, Walter	2B	3	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
9.	Rivas, Ronald	SS	3	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
10.	Abraham, Adam	DH	3	3	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
Totals		--	34	30	10	13	3	2	1	8	3	7	1	0	2

 

Pitchers		TP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TBF	FPS	Hi	Avg
1.	McFarland, TJ	77	5.0	8	6	2	1	4	21	8	89	87
2.	Martinez, Anillins	39	2.0	4	2	2	2	3	13	7	91	90

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Rosters Decided Today

Well, when players arrive in camp on Thursday morning they should all know where they are going to start the season. Today, after camp broke for the day once intrasquad games were completed, Ross Atkins and all his coordinators and coaches gathered for final roster meetings. At some point tonight, who is going to which full season affiliate, who is staying behind in extended spring training, and who is being released, should be finalized by the organization.

I am not sure when the players will find out, but I am sure many will find out this evening. In tomorrow's update I will try and provide the rosters for the four teams, though I am not sure if they will want an "official" listing of the rosters to go out yet. They typically like to hold off on that until 2-3 days before the season starts. In any case, I will pass along everything I can tomorrow on that.

I'll be back later today with the box scores from today's intrasquad games, and also late tonight with another Goodyear Notebook.

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Goodyear Notebook: 4/1

Huff's Disappointment Should Be Indians Gain

When spring training opened this year, a lot of the attention was on who would end up winning the fifth starter spot in the Indians rotation.  Along with Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Zach Jackson, and Scott Lewis, one of the candidates for that rotation spot was left-hander David Huff.

Lewis eventually won the job, while Huff was shuttled off to minor league camp.  From a talent perspective, Huff may be the best pitcher of the group, and as far as impact potential goes he may lead the pack there as well.  Ultimately, what hurt Huff was the fact that he was not on the 40-man roster (Laffey, Sowers, Lewis and Jackson all were).  He was never in serious consideration to win the job out of camp, though by the end of the season I think some will be questioning the Indians why he wasn't taken a little more seriously.

It was never really a fair fight for Huff to begin with, and it did not help that he came down with some tendonitis which kept him from really getting much work while he was in big league camp.

"I had a little bit of tendonitis that I was battling through, but it wasn't anything serious and I just had to deal with it," said Huff.  "Yesterday (Monday) was actually the first day I threw with no problems.  I feel great, confident and good, and am ready to go."

Huff is very disappointed that he did not make the rotation, and not in a sulking woe-is-me way.  No, he is the type that uses disappointment to his advantage and as a challenge to work even harder.  He did it last year when he reestablished himself as a top pitcher in the organization after elbow issues in 2007, and he likely will do the same again this year when he goes to Triple-A Columbus and uses every start as an audition for the Cleveland thinktank to ponder on when to bring him up.

Indians GM Mark Shapiro always says you need at least 7-8 starting pitchers over the course of a season, and it is very unlikely the Indians starting rotation to start the season will be the same when the season ends in early October.  With that in mind, the Indians will have two veterans in Sowers and Laffey on call at Triple-A Columbus, but Huff will be there battling each time he goes out in the hopes he can win the Indians over so he can get that shot, sort of like Scott Lewis was able to do.  No matter what though, Huff will be ready for the opportunity when it comes.

Abraham Catches On

For Adam Abraham, spring training has just been a continuation of the long days of work he has had since he was drafted by the Indians in the 13^th round of the 2008 Draft out of the University of Michigan.  Upon being drafted and signed, he was sent out to the Gulf Coast League where he endured many long mornings and afternoons of instruction, drills and games at the old Winter Haven complex for the Indians.  He also followed that up with attending the Indians month long Instructional League out at the Goodyear Complex last September through October.

Over the course of these long days, the Indians decided to make a position change for Abraham where they moved him from the position he was drafted at (third base) and converted him to a catcher.  Abraham started work in the new catching role in Instructional League, and while it has been an ongoing adjustment process for him, he feels like he is getting better at it every day.

"It is going really well," said Abraham on Tuesday.  "I worked hard in the offseason to make sure I came into camp so I was comfortable with everything.  I know there will be some difficulties along the way just getting used to the position, but I think for the most part it has gone really well.  I feel comfortable back there now, so that is important."

The move to catcher is an interesting one to say the least as Abraham had never caught prior to making the move, but apparently the Indians like his athleticism behind the plate and his strong arm (touched 92-93 MPH as a pitcher).

"I think it was a little bit of the arm, and it was also that they had some guys at third and first base," said Abraham.  "I think it was just a decision for them where they weren't too thick at catching, so they made the move."

The plan at the moment is to use him primarily as a catcher, though he may figure into a game or two here and there at first and third base when needed.  The hardest thing for him to grasp at this stage of the catching game has been getting used to blocking balls.  He has a good handle at getting down and blocking the curveballs, but he is still learning to get down on the fastball.  This is just one of the many nuances of the position he looks to improve over the course of the upcoming 2009 season.

"I just want to survive the first full season and be consistent throughout the whole season," said Abraham.  "Hopefully I can be at catcher the whole season and really make the strides at the end where I can be a guy for them at the position."

Notebook

Spring Changes Little:  After talking to a lot of players over the course of the past five days, the common theme seems to be that they feel if they have a good camp that it will help with where they are assigned for the season.  They also expressed surprise at some of the players released who they thought were having good camps.  The reality is, though, that very little of what these guys do in camp will change their fortunes very much, if at all.  Where they are going has already for the most part been decided long before camp started, and save for 1-2 roster spots at each level, the Indians know who is going where (and likely who is being released) for the most part as soon as camp starts.  A quote from Farm Director Ross Atkins in an article I wrote over a year ago explains:  We have a very good idea before spring training starts where guys will be heading. The offseason can change that, and certainly games or strides they make in the offseason can change that. But spring training typically does not change that, other than injury. So performance in spring training does not change those things as far as prospects are concerned.

Rosters Coming Soon:  The minor league equipment trucks leave Goodyear on Thursday late morning, and they make their three day journey to Columbus, Akron and Eastlake.  One of the trucks has an even longer journey as it makes the even longer trip to Kinston, NC.  Unlike in year's past where the equipment truck would pretty much leave the same day the players leave, because the Indians are out West and the driving time has doubled, the truck now has to leave two days before camp breaks.  What this means, is come Thursday the players will know what affiliate they have been assigned to for the start of the season.  Hopefully at some point before the end of camp I will have some official rosters for Columbus, Akron, Kinston and Lake County to share. Stay tuned.

Single-A Rotations:  The rosters have not been officially released, but it looks like the rotation will be as follows for Kinston to start the season: Eric Berger, Zach Putnam, Ryan Morris, Kelvin De La Cruz and one of Carlton Smith or Jeanmar Gomez returns to Kinston.  The rotation at Lake County to start the season will be: TJ McFarland, Alexander Perez, Joey Mahalic, Ryan Miller, and TJ House.  There always can be a last minute change, but from what I am hearing this is what the rotations will be at each of the Indians' Single-A levels to start out.

Upset Pitchers:  As mentioned, rosters should be known sometime late morning on Thursday.  Already, though, many players have a very good idea of where they are going.  Just like last year, the Indians infatuation with retread veteran minor league pitchers is going to once again push many of the pitchers in the system down a level in sort of a domino effect.  Right-handers Randy Newsom and Frank Herrmann along with left-hander Ryan Edell are expected to return to Double-A Akron.  Left-hander Matt Meyer is returning to advanced Single-A Kinston for a third straight year, and one the right-handed starters Carlton Smith or Jeanmar Gomez may end up back in Kinston.  Right-hander Joey Mahalic and left-hander Ryan Miller will return to the Single-A Lake County rotation.  And there may be even more pitchers than those listed who end up returning this season to where they spent most of their 2008 season.  Bottom line though, no matter how disappointed these guys are with their assignment to start the season, they need to go back with a positive attitude and do what is expected, and if they do so they should move up quickly.  It happened to the likes of right-handers Erik Stiller and Jeff Stevens last year, and will happen to others again this year.

Stowell Sidelined:  Right-hander Bryce Stowell has been sidelined the last few weeks with bicep tendonitis and has been limited in his pitching.  He will open the season in extended spring training and continue rehabbing the injury, and he will be re-evaluated at the end of April.  If he checks out, he could join either Kinston or Lake County and will slide right into the rotation.  More on him in a future notebook as I had the chance to sit down and talk about the injury as well as others things.

Gimenez To Split at First And Catcher:  Catcher Chris Gimenez is back in minor league camp after enjoying what was really a great spring for him in big league camp.  His play opened some eyes, particularly those of manager Eric Wedge, and he now is considered a viable option by the Indians to fill a role with the club at some point this season when a need arises.  To keep him sharp, Gimenez will catch four days a week and on the other days play first base.  He is not scheduled to play any third base or outfield in Columbus, but he could get in there from time to time when needed.  The interesting thing is how the Indians plan to have him split at catcher and first base only in Columbus, which makes it look like they are considering him as a backup plan if Travis Hafner scuffles or Ryan Garko struggles.

Another First For McBride:  Matt McBride has had an interesting offseason.  He was converted from a catcher to the outfield, and did well in the transition to where he put up a good showing in Instructional League and out in the Hawaii Winter League.  But, shortly after coming to spring training, the Indians dropped another bombshell on him and moved him to first base.  McBride is currently working out as a first baseman, and this is the position he will primarily play when the season opens.  He may get in from time to time if need be at catcher or in the outfield, but the Indians are pretty committed to developing him as a first baseman now.  He will open the season as the regular first baseman for advanced Single-A Kinston.  More on him later in the week as I had a chance to sit down and talk to him about the change.

Baby Steps For Lofgren:  Now that is more like it.  Left-hander Chuck Lofgren put forth his best outing of the spring and maybe in a year yesterday when he went five innings allowing one run on six hits.  What made the outing so impressive was the fact he had zero walks as compared to seven strikeouts, and he also threw first pitch strikes to 12 of the 20 batters he faced.  If Lofgren can re-find the command he was lacking last year, he very well could rebound and get his career back on track this season.

Going Backwards:  Left-hander Ryan Miller's command issues from last season look to have carried over into this season.  His command issues are what prevented him from being called up to advanced Single-A Kinston last year, and those same command issues are what will likely keep him in Single-A Lake County to start the season this year.  In yesterday's spring game, Miller needed 66 pitches just to get through three innings, and he allowed two runs on three hits.  He also walked three and struck out four batters, but the number that pops out the most if he threw first pitch strikes to just five of 16 batters.  That means for 11 of the 16 batters he faced, he was quickly behind 1-0 to them, which is not where you want to be as a pitcher.

Sweet Abreu:  Watching outfielder Abner Abreu take batting practice borders on comical in how effortless he crushes balls, and then watching other players in his group step in and swing with all their mite and the ball does not go nearly as far or get hit as hard.  The ball just sounds different off Abreu's bat, and he shows an innate ability to square up the baseball well.  He is going to be in right-field for Lake County this year, and while he will probably have his fair share of strikeouts, he is going to be the star of the lineup there and fun to watch every time he steps up to the plate.

Pontius On Hold:  Right-handed reliever Mike Pontius is almost but certain to open the season in extended spring training as he is still working his way back from a minor injury.  He could be assigned to Kinston or Lake County rather quickly though, as he is not expected to hang around in Arizona for much time.

Rivero Is Just Fine:  I mentioned last week that shortstop Carlos Rivero suffered a knee injury during one of the spring games.  I got a few e-mails asking to clarify his status, and I may or may not have followed up on it, but he is fine as it was just a minor injury.  He sat out a day or two, but has been back in the lineup the past few days and is 100%.  He played the entire game at shortstop on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 at the plate.

The Next Crowe:  I keep saying it, but second baseman Cord Phelps may very well be the Indians infield version of outfielder Trevor Crowe.  Phelps does it all, as he plays solid defense, hits, is patient at the plate, runs well, and so on.  His defense may be under-rated though, as he made several fine plays in the game on Tuesday, one of which was a Robbie Alomar-esque dive onto the outfield grass in the hole between second and first and he came up with the ball and then quickly fired it to first for the out.

Remembering The 2008 Draft:  Watching Kinston yesterday, I keep saying to myself how unbelievable the 2008 Draft is looking at this point.  The first three hitters Tim Fedroff, Cord Phelps, and Lonnie Chisenhall all have impact potential.  While he battled with a touch of wildness, Eric Berger was electric on the mound.  Zach Putnam was impressive in his start the other day, and while sidelined with an injury Bryce Stowell was having a good camp and likely Kinston bound.  Then over with Lake County, TJ House has been sensational in camp.  And a whole slew of relievers like Marty Popham, Dave Roberts, Eddie Burns, Brian Grening, Mike McGuire, and Steve Smith look promising.  We can only hope the 2009 Draft is half as good!

Lara Returns: The Indians brought back an old familiar face on Tuesday as left-handed pitcher Juan Lara was signed to a minor league contract.  I was in the back of the complex by the minor league player picnic area talking to a few players when I caught a glimpse of Lara.  I did several double-takes to see if in fact it was him as I was not aware of the signing at the time.  In any case, he will open in extended spring training and will be on a return to throw program.  There is no ETA on when he may be activated and go to Triple-A Columbus.  For those who do not remember, Lara was removed from the 40-man roster and did not pitch for the Indians last year due to injuries sustained in a tragic car accident in the Dominican Republic in November 2007.

Kinston Game Notes:  Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall crushed a deep home run to right-center yesterday.  Chisenhall is the very definition of a gamer, and just flat out looks like a baseball player out there. ... Right-hander Michael Finocchi flat out mowed down the opposition in his inning of relief work.  The gun may say otherwise, but hitters were having trouble catching up to his fastball or may have had a hard time picking it up.  He had two strikeouts. ... Left-hander Eric Berger had a good outing.  He labored in the second inning, but cruised through his other innings of work.

Today:  Wednesday is a camp day, so I will be following all four groups.  Due to the length of the notebook today, I will not include any pictures or video, but I will have lots to share in the following day's notebook.

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