Aeros lose 4-2. Weglarz doubles and strikes out twice. Van Mil 2 scoreless
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_reaaax_1
Re: Minor Matters
1817Mudcats in the midst of getting blasted, 8-3 in the 7th. Michael Goodnight walked 6 in 4 2/3, let in 6 runs. Ronnie Rodriguez with a three hit game.
10 run 8th turns this one into a Carolina victory. RRod finishes with 5 hits. Aguillar with 3, one a double; Urshela 3, 2 are doubles; Lowery 2 doubles; Wolters exited early after 2 ab's. Moncrief with a homer,his 9th, a double, a walk.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_salafa_1
10 run 8th turns this one into a Carolina victory. RRod finishes with 5 hits. Aguillar with 3, one a double; Urshela 3, 2 are doubles; Lowery 2 doubles; Wolters exited early after 2 ab's. Moncrief with a homer,his 9th, a double, a walk.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_salafa_1
Last edited by civ ollilavad on Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Minor Matters
1818The forgotten catchers on Lake County each homer, Lavisky his 4th, Monsalve his 5th plus single and walk. no hits by Lrod or Lindor. Felix Steling has been pretty lousy of late; not he's working in the bullpen, 1 perfect inning. Morimando started 3 runs in 6 inning.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_lcoafx_1
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_lcoafx_1
Re: Minor Matters
1819In March 2011, Arkansas left-hander Geoffrey Davenport suffered an elbow injury and went from a possible second-day draft pick to someone facing Tommy John surgery and a one-year rehab.
He didn’t think he’d get drafted. The Indians picked him anyway. In the 43rd round.
“The Indians helped me rehab my elbow and they’ve given me a great chance,” said Davenport, who had the surgery in April 2011. “I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Today, Davenport will start the season opener for the Scrappers, who are playing the Jammers in Jamestown, N.Y.
Davenport has spent the past few months at the Tribe’s spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz., and said he’s confident his elbow will hold up.
“I feel comfortable out there” on the mound,” said Davenport, who is one of two Indians pitchers recovering from the surgery, along with James Stokes, a 22nd round pick out of Elon who missed his sophomore year in 2011 after having the surgery. “I’m not going to be too nervous when I get into the game.”
That wasn’t the case 141/2 months ago. Although about 10 percent of major league pitchers have had the surgery at some point, Davenport knew nothing was guaranteed.
“I was really nervous,” he said of the surgery, where a surgeon replaces an elbow ligament with a tendon from another part of the body. “I was just kind of scared of what was going to happen.
“But they say everything happens for a reason and now you can see how everything worked out.”
Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak is still sorting out his rotation but he said Davenport, Jake Sisco (a third-round pick from 2011), Ryan Merritt (a 16th-round pick in 2011) and Luis DeJesus (an 11th-round pick) will be early starters.
He expects good things.
“They’ve got some really good stuff,” Kubiak said. “Davenport’s got a great changeup, which I think will be effective here. Merritt’s a little left-hander and he threw [Friday] in our [simulated] game and it looked like he was glad to get out of Arizona because he had a little more stuff on the ball than I’d seen down there.
“Sisco is working on his breaking ball and his control and DeJesus just came down from Lake County, so he’s going to fit in the rotation.
“And we’ve got some great arms in the bullpen. I think we’ve got some guys that can throw the ball. We’re working on control with some of them, working on some pitches.”
Davenport, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, said he has family in Saginaw, Mich., but he’s never been in Ohio or the Northeast. His early scouting report on the Mahoning Valley came from Bryson Myles, who played 50 games with the Scrappers last year.
“He said it’s a great time and to have fun up there,” Davenport said. “I’m just going to go out there and try my best to help the team win.
“That’s the most important thing.”
He didn’t think he’d get drafted. The Indians picked him anyway. In the 43rd round.
“The Indians helped me rehab my elbow and they’ve given me a great chance,” said Davenport, who had the surgery in April 2011. “I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Today, Davenport will start the season opener for the Scrappers, who are playing the Jammers in Jamestown, N.Y.
Davenport has spent the past few months at the Tribe’s spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz., and said he’s confident his elbow will hold up.
“I feel comfortable out there” on the mound,” said Davenport, who is one of two Indians pitchers recovering from the surgery, along with James Stokes, a 22nd round pick out of Elon who missed his sophomore year in 2011 after having the surgery. “I’m not going to be too nervous when I get into the game.”
That wasn’t the case 141/2 months ago. Although about 10 percent of major league pitchers have had the surgery at some point, Davenport knew nothing was guaranteed.
“I was really nervous,” he said of the surgery, where a surgeon replaces an elbow ligament with a tendon from another part of the body. “I was just kind of scared of what was going to happen.
“But they say everything happens for a reason and now you can see how everything worked out.”
Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak is still sorting out his rotation but he said Davenport, Jake Sisco (a third-round pick from 2011), Ryan Merritt (a 16th-round pick in 2011) and Luis DeJesus (an 11th-round pick) will be early starters.
He expects good things.
“They’ve got some really good stuff,” Kubiak said. “Davenport’s got a great changeup, which I think will be effective here. Merritt’s a little left-hander and he threw [Friday] in our [simulated] game and it looked like he was glad to get out of Arizona because he had a little more stuff on the ball than I’d seen down there.
“Sisco is working on his breaking ball and his control and DeJesus just came down from Lake County, so he’s going to fit in the rotation.
“And we’ve got some great arms in the bullpen. I think we’ve got some guys that can throw the ball. We’re working on control with some of them, working on some pitches.”
Davenport, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, said he has family in Saginaw, Mich., but he’s never been in Ohio or the Northeast. His early scouting report on the Mahoning Valley came from Bryson Myles, who played 50 games with the Scrappers last year.
“He said it’s a great time and to have fun up there,” Davenport said. “I’m just going to go out there and try my best to help the team win.
“That’s the most important thing.”
Re: Minor Matters
1820NILES - Any No. 1 draft pick has loads of expectations on him, but Tyler Naquin may have a bit more.
The 21-year-old outfielder from Texas A&M was called the "Best Pure Hitter" and tapped with the "Best Arm" by Baseball America.
This season, the Cleveland Indians will start him off with the Scrappers and manager Ted Kubiak, who has read the scouting report and is ready to see him perform.
"I saw all that in the scouting report," he said. "That's pretty glowing, so let's hope that's right - let's hope that works."
For Naquin, that type of praise is almost too overwhelming to process, so he's just going to keep his approach simple.
"I just have to be myself - and not try and do too much, like hit too many home runs. I believe home runs and power is going to come," he said. "I just have to play within myself, and relax and let it all happen."
"Letting it happen" is pretty much the basis of Naquin's approach at the plate. He knows professional pitchers will come with more sliders and other breaking balls, so he thinks it's even more important to keep things simple.
"I just have to relax, take what pitchers give me, and be ready to hit the ball anywhere in the park," he said. "I have to hit what I see, but I think the smaller strike zones in the pros will help me a bit, because I like to take a lot of pitches and work counts."
Naquin will move from right field to play center field for the Scrappers - and perhaps the Indians in the near future.
"I played center field my entire life right up through high school, and then right field in college to try and shut down the running game with my arm strength," he said. "But I believe center field is a little easier than playing right field because you don't have to worry about the slices or the walls. You see everything like pitch location, and you get a better jump on the ball."
Kubiak thinks Naquin has the tools and experience to make the jump, but he'll still face great challenges along the way.
"Any time you move a guy from one position to another, there's always a transition to be made, and it's not that easy - it may look like that from the stands," he said. "It doesn't work like that, and then there's the mindset. I mean, you got the No. 1 pick coming in here, so he's under pressure because of that. I've seen that happen in the past - he's going to try and do things he shouldn't do. It'll take him a while to calm down, so we'll see what he'll do."
For Naquin, it's all a matter of keeping it in perspective.
"I'm just glad to get my career started," he said. "They want to put that much money into you and give you the opportunity of a lifetime, and God blessed you with the ability, so just go out and play, and try and work your way up as fast as you can."
The 21-year-old outfielder from Texas A&M was called the "Best Pure Hitter" and tapped with the "Best Arm" by Baseball America.
This season, the Cleveland Indians will start him off with the Scrappers and manager Ted Kubiak, who has read the scouting report and is ready to see him perform.
"I saw all that in the scouting report," he said. "That's pretty glowing, so let's hope that's right - let's hope that works."
For Naquin, that type of praise is almost too overwhelming to process, so he's just going to keep his approach simple.
"I just have to be myself - and not try and do too much, like hit too many home runs. I believe home runs and power is going to come," he said. "I just have to play within myself, and relax and let it all happen."
"Letting it happen" is pretty much the basis of Naquin's approach at the plate. He knows professional pitchers will come with more sliders and other breaking balls, so he thinks it's even more important to keep things simple.
"I just have to relax, take what pitchers give me, and be ready to hit the ball anywhere in the park," he said. "I have to hit what I see, but I think the smaller strike zones in the pros will help me a bit, because I like to take a lot of pitches and work counts."
Naquin will move from right field to play center field for the Scrappers - and perhaps the Indians in the near future.
"I played center field my entire life right up through high school, and then right field in college to try and shut down the running game with my arm strength," he said. "But I believe center field is a little easier than playing right field because you don't have to worry about the slices or the walls. You see everything like pitch location, and you get a better jump on the ball."
Kubiak thinks Naquin has the tools and experience to make the jump, but he'll still face great challenges along the way.
"Any time you move a guy from one position to another, there's always a transition to be made, and it's not that easy - it may look like that from the stands," he said. "It doesn't work like that, and then there's the mindset. I mean, you got the No. 1 pick coming in here, so he's under pressure because of that. I've seen that happen in the past - he's going to try and do things he shouldn't do. It'll take him a while to calm down, so we'll see what he'll do."
For Naquin, it's all a matter of keeping it in perspective.
"I'm just glad to get my career started," he said. "They want to put that much money into you and give you the opportunity of a lifetime, and God blessed you with the ability, so just go out and play, and try and work your way up as fast as you can."
Re: Minor Matters
1821Sort of positive words about RonnieRod from BA:
TOP 10 RUNS CREATED BY PROSPECTS IN THE MINORS • JUNE 15-17
Chart considers only players who appear in 2012 BA Prospect Handbook
• The Indians divide shortstop responsibilities between Ronny Rodriguez and Tony Wolters with their high Class A Carolina club, and while Wolters may be the better long-term prospect, it's Rodriguez who has made the biggest initial splash in the Carolina League with his bat. He's hitting .275/.309/.424 with five homers in 236 at-bats, though his walk-to-strikeout ratio (8-to-44) should not be viewed as the firmest foundation possible.
TOP 10 RUNS CREATED BY PROSPECTS IN THE MINORS • JUNE 15-17
Code: Select all
BATTER ORG TEAM LEAGUE LVL AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB RC
NO. 1 Ronny Rodriguez CLE Carolina Carolina HiA 12 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 6.4 • The Indians divide shortstop responsibilities between Ronny Rodriguez and Tony Wolters with their high Class A Carolina club, and while Wolters may be the better long-term prospect, it's Rodriguez who has made the biggest initial splash in the Carolina League with his bat. He's hitting .275/.309/.424 with five homers in 236 at-bats, though his walk-to-strikeout ratio (8-to-44) should not be viewed as the firmest foundation possible.
Re: Minor Matters
1822BA reports two high school Top 10 picks signed by the Indians in additon to 2nd rounder Matt Brown. 3rd rounder Kieran Lovegrove, an RHP like Brown, and Joe Wendle 6th round, although why they would go for yet another 2nd baseman that high in the draft amazes me. We only have Kipnis for the long term, with Phelps in AA, Wolters in Hi A.
Re: Minor Matters
1823Loveingrove signed for a little under the MLB "pool amount" ($400,000 instead of $432,700.).
Wendle's slot was for $176,600 but he signed for jsut $10,000. BA reported that most teams filled the back end of the first 10 rounds with college seniors who have no signing leverage, to free up extra money for later rounds. He was not rated among BA's top 500 draft-eligible players but was taken at slot 203. This is the only way the team can try to sign some of their HS players from the second ten rounds or lower.
Wendle's slot was for $176,600 but he signed for jsut $10,000. BA reported that most teams filled the back end of the first 10 rounds with college seniors who have no signing leverage, to free up extra money for later rounds. He was not rated among BA's top 500 draft-eligible players but was taken at slot 203. This is the only way the team can try to sign some of their HS players from the second ten rounds or lower.
Re: Minor Matters
1824Kind of silly worrying about a high school 2nd baseman because of Kipnis. Phelps will be gone soon.
Re: Minor Matters
1825I was wrong: he is a college 2nd baseman. Still not needed, but for $10,000 what's it matter. He's obviously just going to be an organizational player.
Wendle helped West Chester win the Division II national championship by hitting .399/.479/.768 with 12 home runs in 198 at-bats. He also [walked] 29 times while striking out just five. He has good hitting ability thanks to a good, level stroke and approach. He's an average runner and has solid hands. He's shown aptitude for hitting with wood by hitting .346 in the Coastal Plains League in 2011 and .311 in the New England Collegiate League in 2010.
Wendle helped West Chester win the Division II national championship by hitting .399/.479/.768 with 12 home runs in 198 at-bats. He also [walked] 29 times while striking out just five. He has good hitting ability thanks to a good, level stroke and approach. He's an average runner and has solid hands. He's shown aptitude for hitting with wood by hitting .346 in the Coastal Plains League in 2011 and .311 in the New England Collegiate League in 2010.
Re: Minor Matters
18263 Up, 3 Down: Single-A midseason review
By Tony Lastoria
June 18, 2012
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A little bit of a change this week to this weekly premium feature on the site which usually focuses in on a few of the good and not so good performances from the past week in the Indians’ minor league system. With the High-A and Low-A levels both at their respective midpoints and enjoying a three to four day respite with the All Star break, I want to touch on three “up” and three “down” performances at the Indians’ Single-A level this season.
As always, insight gathered from talking with scouts, coaches and executives inside and outside the organization are used when talking about each of these players. Also, these are not necessarily the best or worst players so far this season, but simply a snapshot of the more notable good and not so good performances from the first half of the season. The stats listed are the season totals through June 17th.
Note: I will be doing a special “3 Up, 3 Down” for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus when they reach their All Star break in three weeks.
3 Up + 1:
Cody Anderson (RHP - Lake County)
4-4, 3.12 ERA, 13 G, 66.1 IP, 68 H, 6 HR, 19 BB, 47 K, .270 BAA
If you wanted to point to one player at the midpoint of the season that is in line for the IPI’s Breakout Player of the Year award given at the end of the season, Anderson right now might be the leading candidate. He has cooled off some of late as he has performed poorly in his last five outings going a total of just 21.2 innings, but has allowed 33 hits, 10 walks, and only had 8 strikeouts. That performance of late is a precipitous drop from the way he was just absolutely dealing in his first eight games and maybe a sign of a pitcher that is still learning and may have hit a wall, so the break has come at a good time for him. His stuff is very good as he has been up to 96 MPH, his cutter has been fantastic, and he has just made huge strides so far this season. He is 110% without a doubt a higher level prospect for the Indians now.
Jeremie Tice (1B/DH - Carolina)
51 G, .278 AVG (49-for-176), 32 R, 17 2B, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 20 BB, 43 K, .949 OPS
Keeping in line with the IPI year-end awards theme, if you wanted a good idea of who is maybe running away with the IPI’s Comeback Player of the Year award, it might be Tice. He had a sensational first half for High-A Carolina and showed his potential to be a thumper in the middle of the lineup that can drive in runs. His downfall over his career has been injuries as they have limited him in almost every season, but when he has been healthy he has always produced. In addition to the injuries, the other big problem has been finding a position for him as he is a below average defensive corner infielder, so the Indians have experimented with him some in left field this year. He is mostly just a designated hitter at this point, but if he continues to hit the Indians are going to have to force him into the lineup somewhere. I also have to think he will be Double-A Akron bound soon, potentially by this time next week.
Shawn Armstrong (RHP - Carolina)
0-3, 1.43 ERA, 22 G, 37.2 IP, 23 H, 0 HR, 17 BB, 45 K, .181 BAA
It should be no surprise to see both Tice and Armstrong in the “Up” section considering the first half both players had and their nomination as All Stars to the Carolina League team. It should also not come as much of a surprise to see Armstrong performing as he has this season considering he got a very big bonus at the signing deadline last year and was highly regarded coming out of college. What has been a surprise is how well he has pitched in such a short period of time. The Indians typically do not push first year full season players to the Double-A level, especially pitchers, but there is a good chance that he will be Double-A Akron bound at some point before the end of the season. He’s another big, power arm that has loads of potential and has joined right-hander Cody Allen as one of the best relief pitching prospects in the entire organization. He is also right there with Cody Anderson for the IPI Breakout Player of the Year award.
Carlos Moncrief (OF - Carolina)
59 G, .243 AVG (50-for-206), 37 R, 12 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 29 BB, 75 K, 9 SB, .802 OPS
Moncrief is a “+1” guy because I simply could not omit him from this section nor remove any of the other players. He has had such a good season that I wanted to make sure to note it. He continues to be a human windmill at the plate striking out what basically amounts to once every three at bats, and the batting average may not be very pretty, but he is such an intriguing talent. He is a strong, athletic player that affects the games in so many ways with his good defense, cannon arm, powerful swing, and solid speed on the bases that if his approach ever clicks he is going to make a major leap forward as a prospect. He has the patience; it is just about improving his pitch recognition skills and getting him to make more consistent contact. That is easier said than done, but he’s had a better year this season than the one he had in Low-A Lake County last year, which is impressive considering the Carolina League is notoriously a pitcher’s league.
3 Down + 1:
Alex Lavisky (C – Lake County)
52 G, .235 AVG (46-for-196), 23 R, 12 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 18 BB, 55 K, .660 OPS
When it comes to all of the intangibles like makeup, intelligence, discipline, work ethic and so on, Lavisky has themall mastered. Unfortunately, the one area he has yet to come close to figuring out is hitting at the professional level. He had a rough first full season last year, and the hope was that after an offseason where he made some adjustments and returned to Low-A Lake County for a second consecutive season that he would begin to show some consistency with his at bats. None of that has really transpired to date. Yes, his walk rate is up a little and his strikeout rate is down a little, but a lot more was expected of him at this point in the season. He has the strength, drive and ability to eventually become what the Indians hoped he could be when they gave him $1M to sign two years ago, but with each passing day the odds on that continue to get longer and longer.
Kyle Blair (RHP - Carolina)
5-3, 6.42 ERA, 14 G, 47.2 IP, 42 H, 10 HR, 23 BB, 33 K, .231 BAA
One of the most disappointing seasons to date has been that of Blair. He struggled last year, but the belief was his struggles were more the result of a knee injury he pitched through, and when he came back healthy at the end of last season and pitched well it really kind of solidified that belief. Unfortunately, with his performance to date he is showing that last year’s results were maybe more real than originally believed. The Indians paid a lot of money to sign him out of the 2010 Draft and he has really underwhelmed to date. There have been some concerns with his conditioning and work ethic, but most of the concerns are with his stuff as he just does not look like the same pitcher during his college season at San Diego in 2010. There is always time to turn things around, but the high homer totals and lack of strikeouts show a pitcher that is just not fooling anyone right now.
Jake Lowery (C - Carolina)
53 G, .235 AVG (44-for-187), 20 R, 15 2B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 25 BB, 65 K, .673 OPS
I’m about as big of a Lowery fan as you are going to find as I absolutely love his combination of power and discipline on the field and everything he is off the field, but he has really struggled this season. He actually had a good April where he hit .304 with a .805 OPS, but he has since nosedived in May (.195/.567) and June (.154/.603). The interesting thing is he is striking out and walking at about the same rate as teammate Carlos Moncrief, and even hitting at about the same average, but the difference is Moncrief is showing his power while Lowery is not. Without the power, Lowery becomes a very ordinary player. Hopefully the All Star break allows Lowery to step away a little bit, reboot, and come back ready to have a very good second half.
LeVon Washington (OF – Lake County)
6 G, .440 AVG (11-for-25), 8 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 6 BB, 8 K, 1.043 OPS
Just like with Moncrief in the previous section, I had to include Washington as a “+1” in this section. Washington’s stock has taken a gigantic hit this season not because of his play, but because of his inability to play. He was off to an incredible start to the season and looked to be on the verge of repairing all the damage done by his poor 2011 season, but then a hip injury cropped up a week into the season which has since sidelined him and will probably keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. He really committed in the offseason to his workouts and was a man on a mission in spring training and it carried over into the first week of the season, but now the Indians have a high profile young outfield prospect that has chronic leg injuries. Washington’s game is built around his speed and athleticism, and with the injuries that continue to pile up to his legs, they are already beginning to sap some of that world class speed that teams loved when he initially went into the draft in 2009. He is young and has the means to be an incredible player, but there is no doubt that his prospect value has taken a big hit this season and he is one of the biggest disappointments of the first half simply because he was unable to play due to injury.
By Tony Lastoria
June 18, 2012
ShareThis
A little bit of a change this week to this weekly premium feature on the site which usually focuses in on a few of the good and not so good performances from the past week in the Indians’ minor league system. With the High-A and Low-A levels both at their respective midpoints and enjoying a three to four day respite with the All Star break, I want to touch on three “up” and three “down” performances at the Indians’ Single-A level this season.
As always, insight gathered from talking with scouts, coaches and executives inside and outside the organization are used when talking about each of these players. Also, these are not necessarily the best or worst players so far this season, but simply a snapshot of the more notable good and not so good performances from the first half of the season. The stats listed are the season totals through June 17th.
Note: I will be doing a special “3 Up, 3 Down” for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus when they reach their All Star break in three weeks.
3 Up + 1:
Cody Anderson (RHP - Lake County)
4-4, 3.12 ERA, 13 G, 66.1 IP, 68 H, 6 HR, 19 BB, 47 K, .270 BAA
If you wanted to point to one player at the midpoint of the season that is in line for the IPI’s Breakout Player of the Year award given at the end of the season, Anderson right now might be the leading candidate. He has cooled off some of late as he has performed poorly in his last five outings going a total of just 21.2 innings, but has allowed 33 hits, 10 walks, and only had 8 strikeouts. That performance of late is a precipitous drop from the way he was just absolutely dealing in his first eight games and maybe a sign of a pitcher that is still learning and may have hit a wall, so the break has come at a good time for him. His stuff is very good as he has been up to 96 MPH, his cutter has been fantastic, and he has just made huge strides so far this season. He is 110% without a doubt a higher level prospect for the Indians now.
Jeremie Tice (1B/DH - Carolina)
51 G, .278 AVG (49-for-176), 32 R, 17 2B, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 20 BB, 43 K, .949 OPS
Keeping in line with the IPI year-end awards theme, if you wanted a good idea of who is maybe running away with the IPI’s Comeback Player of the Year award, it might be Tice. He had a sensational first half for High-A Carolina and showed his potential to be a thumper in the middle of the lineup that can drive in runs. His downfall over his career has been injuries as they have limited him in almost every season, but when he has been healthy he has always produced. In addition to the injuries, the other big problem has been finding a position for him as he is a below average defensive corner infielder, so the Indians have experimented with him some in left field this year. He is mostly just a designated hitter at this point, but if he continues to hit the Indians are going to have to force him into the lineup somewhere. I also have to think he will be Double-A Akron bound soon, potentially by this time next week.
Shawn Armstrong (RHP - Carolina)
0-3, 1.43 ERA, 22 G, 37.2 IP, 23 H, 0 HR, 17 BB, 45 K, .181 BAA
It should be no surprise to see both Tice and Armstrong in the “Up” section considering the first half both players had and their nomination as All Stars to the Carolina League team. It should also not come as much of a surprise to see Armstrong performing as he has this season considering he got a very big bonus at the signing deadline last year and was highly regarded coming out of college. What has been a surprise is how well he has pitched in such a short period of time. The Indians typically do not push first year full season players to the Double-A level, especially pitchers, but there is a good chance that he will be Double-A Akron bound at some point before the end of the season. He’s another big, power arm that has loads of potential and has joined right-hander Cody Allen as one of the best relief pitching prospects in the entire organization. He is also right there with Cody Anderson for the IPI Breakout Player of the Year award.
Carlos Moncrief (OF - Carolina)
59 G, .243 AVG (50-for-206), 37 R, 12 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 29 BB, 75 K, 9 SB, .802 OPS
Moncrief is a “+1” guy because I simply could not omit him from this section nor remove any of the other players. He has had such a good season that I wanted to make sure to note it. He continues to be a human windmill at the plate striking out what basically amounts to once every three at bats, and the batting average may not be very pretty, but he is such an intriguing talent. He is a strong, athletic player that affects the games in so many ways with his good defense, cannon arm, powerful swing, and solid speed on the bases that if his approach ever clicks he is going to make a major leap forward as a prospect. He has the patience; it is just about improving his pitch recognition skills and getting him to make more consistent contact. That is easier said than done, but he’s had a better year this season than the one he had in Low-A Lake County last year, which is impressive considering the Carolina League is notoriously a pitcher’s league.
3 Down + 1:
Alex Lavisky (C – Lake County)
52 G, .235 AVG (46-for-196), 23 R, 12 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 18 BB, 55 K, .660 OPS
When it comes to all of the intangibles like makeup, intelligence, discipline, work ethic and so on, Lavisky has themall mastered. Unfortunately, the one area he has yet to come close to figuring out is hitting at the professional level. He had a rough first full season last year, and the hope was that after an offseason where he made some adjustments and returned to Low-A Lake County for a second consecutive season that he would begin to show some consistency with his at bats. None of that has really transpired to date. Yes, his walk rate is up a little and his strikeout rate is down a little, but a lot more was expected of him at this point in the season. He has the strength, drive and ability to eventually become what the Indians hoped he could be when they gave him $1M to sign two years ago, but with each passing day the odds on that continue to get longer and longer.
Kyle Blair (RHP - Carolina)
5-3, 6.42 ERA, 14 G, 47.2 IP, 42 H, 10 HR, 23 BB, 33 K, .231 BAA
One of the most disappointing seasons to date has been that of Blair. He struggled last year, but the belief was his struggles were more the result of a knee injury he pitched through, and when he came back healthy at the end of last season and pitched well it really kind of solidified that belief. Unfortunately, with his performance to date he is showing that last year’s results were maybe more real than originally believed. The Indians paid a lot of money to sign him out of the 2010 Draft and he has really underwhelmed to date. There have been some concerns with his conditioning and work ethic, but most of the concerns are with his stuff as he just does not look like the same pitcher during his college season at San Diego in 2010. There is always time to turn things around, but the high homer totals and lack of strikeouts show a pitcher that is just not fooling anyone right now.
Jake Lowery (C - Carolina)
53 G, .235 AVG (44-for-187), 20 R, 15 2B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 25 BB, 65 K, .673 OPS
I’m about as big of a Lowery fan as you are going to find as I absolutely love his combination of power and discipline on the field and everything he is off the field, but he has really struggled this season. He actually had a good April where he hit .304 with a .805 OPS, but he has since nosedived in May (.195/.567) and June (.154/.603). The interesting thing is he is striking out and walking at about the same rate as teammate Carlos Moncrief, and even hitting at about the same average, but the difference is Moncrief is showing his power while Lowery is not. Without the power, Lowery becomes a very ordinary player. Hopefully the All Star break allows Lowery to step away a little bit, reboot, and come back ready to have a very good second half.
LeVon Washington (OF – Lake County)
6 G, .440 AVG (11-for-25), 8 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 6 BB, 8 K, 1.043 OPS
Just like with Moncrief in the previous section, I had to include Washington as a “+1” in this section. Washington’s stock has taken a gigantic hit this season not because of his play, but because of his inability to play. He was off to an incredible start to the season and looked to be on the verge of repairing all the damage done by his poor 2011 season, but then a hip injury cropped up a week into the season which has since sidelined him and will probably keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. He really committed in the offseason to his workouts and was a man on a mission in spring training and it carried over into the first week of the season, but now the Indians have a high profile young outfield prospect that has chronic leg injuries. Washington’s game is built around his speed and athleticism, and with the injuries that continue to pile up to his legs, they are already beginning to sap some of that world class speed that teams loved when he initially went into the draft in 2009. He is young and has the means to be an incredible player, but there is no doubt that his prospect value has taken a big hit this season and he is one of the biggest disappointments of the first half simply because he was unable to play due to injury.
Re: Minor Matters
1827BA lines from Sunday:
CLE AA Weglarz, Nick DH 4 0 1 1 .245 2B (10)
CLE AAA Phelps, Cord 2B 3 2 2 3 .275 HR (7), BB (29), SB (3)
CLE HiA Aguilar, Jesus 1B 5 3 3 1 .295 2B (17); 10-run inning helped his Mudcats beat Salem
CLE HiA Lowery, Jake C 3 2 2 1 .235 2 2B (15), BB (25)
CLE HiA Rodriguez, Ronny SS 5 3 5 2 .275 2B (14)
CLE AA Van Mil, Loek 2 2 0 0 0 1 1.29
CLE AAA Barnes, Scott 1.1 2 0 0 0 3 3.64
CLE AAA McAllister, Zach 6 7 2 2 1 2 2.98 W (5-2)
CLE HiA Sturdevant, Tyler 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 W (1-0)
CLE LoA Sterling, Felix 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.70
CLE AA Weglarz, Nick DH 4 0 1 1 .245 2B (10)
CLE AAA Phelps, Cord 2B 3 2 2 3 .275 HR (7), BB (29), SB (3)
CLE HiA Aguilar, Jesus 1B 5 3 3 1 .295 2B (17); 10-run inning helped his Mudcats beat Salem
CLE HiA Lowery, Jake C 3 2 2 1 .235 2 2B (15), BB (25)
CLE HiA Rodriguez, Ronny SS 5 3 5 2 .275 2B (14)
CLE AA Van Mil, Loek 2 2 0 0 0 1 1.29
CLE AAA Barnes, Scott 1.1 2 0 0 0 3 3.64
CLE AAA McAllister, Zach 6 7 2 2 1 2 2.98 W (5-2)
CLE HiA Sturdevant, Tyler 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 W (1-0)
CLE LoA Sterling, Felix 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.70
Re: Minor Matters
1828Homerun or bust OF Juan Romero (just turned 19 last weekend) with 2 longballs and 4 RBI in Scrappers opener and Mahoning Valley wins 8-6. This is an unusual Scrapper roster, full of Latin players who have worked a year or two in the Arizona League. Very few college position players were drafted this year, and they would usually be debuting in Mahoning Valley. Naquin is the only one on the roster so far. Joe Wendle the 6th round 2B is listed on the roster, but on opening day a very long IF with 19 year old Jose Ramirez at 2nd, 19 year old Jairo Kelly at ss and 20 year old Erik Gonzalez at third. Ramirez had a single and a double and a steal last night; he hit 320 in Arizona last year. As we've said, the Indians have lots of depth at 2nd base.
Geoff Davenport, 22 year old low-round pick in 2011 got the start. He has been described as a likely 3rd or 4th rounder who slipped way down due to arm surgery. Indians have taken flyers on a bunch of pitchers like that lately. Among them is Robbie Aviles, likely late 1st rounder who they grabbed in 2010. He worked 10 innings in 2011. Still only age 20 he's listed on the Scrappers roster. Save went to Enosil Tejada whose stats were awfully good for the Scrappers in 2011 so I was surprised to see he's back here. Fanned 57 in 34 innings last year.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_jamasx_1
Geoff Davenport, 22 year old low-round pick in 2011 got the start. He has been described as a likely 3rd or 4th rounder who slipped way down due to arm surgery. Indians have taken flyers on a bunch of pitchers like that lately. Among them is Robbie Aviles, likely late 1st rounder who they grabbed in 2010. He worked 10 innings in 2011. Still only age 20 he's listed on the Scrappers roster. Save went to Enosil Tejada whose stats were awfully good for the Scrappers in 2011 so I was surprised to see he's back here. Fanned 57 in 34 innings last year.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_jamasx_1
Re: Minor Matters
1829in 20011 in Rookie Ball:
Gonzalez 258/346/316 31K/12BB 5SB/1CS
Ramirez 325/448/351 17K/7BB 12SB/6CS
Kelly 278/370/365 16/9 2/1
Romero 225/258/298 70/13 0/1
Gonzalez 258/346/316 31K/12BB 5SB/1CS
Ramirez 325/448/351 17K/7BB 12SB/6CS
Kelly 278/370/365 16/9 2/1
Romero 225/258/298 70/13 0/1
Re: Minor Matters
18302012 Indians Draft: 6/19 Signing update
By Tony Lastoria
June 19, 2012
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The Indians have signed 5th round pick right-handed pitcher Dylan Baker. I got word of the signing yesterday evening, but I am not yet sure where he will be assigned (my guess is rookie level Arizona like Jake Sisco last year). Also, according to reports that are starting to filter in about the signing, the Indians signed him to a $200,000 bonus, which is under the $265,000 slot for their 5th round pick, so the Indians saved another $65,000 in their bonus pool.
7th round pick outfielder Josh Schubert has also been signed by the Indians, although details of the signing are not yet available. He is expected to be an overslot signing.
With the Indians signing Baker as well as 3rd round pick right-handed pitcher Kieran Lovegrove on Sunday for an underslot bonus of $400,000 (slot was $432,700), the Indians are now a whopping $819,100 under budget in their draft bonus pool for the top ten rounds with only two picks left to sign (4th round outfielder D’Vone McClure and 8th round right-handed pitcher Caleb Hamrick) and one pick left to find out the bonus details (Schubert).
The initial thinking was that the Indians might now have a lot of left over money to go well the $100,000 limit on a few post-10th round selections, but that is still not a certainty. The remaining unsigned top ten round picks McClure and Hamrick are expected to be well overslot signings, and the Schubert signing is also expected to be overslot, so it could eat most if not all of the $820K they are under. According to a source, “All three of those guys will be tough signs, so it is hard to see much being left over.” I believe all three will sign but the Indians may have to use up a huge chunk of the saved bonus pool money and then see where the dust settles as far as having extra money available for post-10th round picks.
One thing that has been great so far with the new signing process is how quickly these players are signing. We are still well over three weeks from the July 13th signing deadline, and it looks like most of the major signings if not all of them will be wrapped up well before the deadline. At this point the deadline may now simply come down to some post-10th rounders willing to accept $100K or a little over it if a team has any saved bonus pool money.
Overheard
4th round pick outfielder D’Vone McClure is still weighing his options whether to sign with the Indians or go to college and play for the University of Arkansas. According to a report in a paper today, yesterday he was at the university complex and participated in some on-field baseball activities at the Razorbacks baseball field Baum Stadium.
By Tony Lastoria
June 19, 2012
ShareThis
The Indians have signed 5th round pick right-handed pitcher Dylan Baker. I got word of the signing yesterday evening, but I am not yet sure where he will be assigned (my guess is rookie level Arizona like Jake Sisco last year). Also, according to reports that are starting to filter in about the signing, the Indians signed him to a $200,000 bonus, which is under the $265,000 slot for their 5th round pick, so the Indians saved another $65,000 in their bonus pool.
7th round pick outfielder Josh Schubert has also been signed by the Indians, although details of the signing are not yet available. He is expected to be an overslot signing.
With the Indians signing Baker as well as 3rd round pick right-handed pitcher Kieran Lovegrove on Sunday for an underslot bonus of $400,000 (slot was $432,700), the Indians are now a whopping $819,100 under budget in their draft bonus pool for the top ten rounds with only two picks left to sign (4th round outfielder D’Vone McClure and 8th round right-handed pitcher Caleb Hamrick) and one pick left to find out the bonus details (Schubert).
The initial thinking was that the Indians might now have a lot of left over money to go well the $100,000 limit on a few post-10th round selections, but that is still not a certainty. The remaining unsigned top ten round picks McClure and Hamrick are expected to be well overslot signings, and the Schubert signing is also expected to be overslot, so it could eat most if not all of the $820K they are under. According to a source, “All three of those guys will be tough signs, so it is hard to see much being left over.” I believe all three will sign but the Indians may have to use up a huge chunk of the saved bonus pool money and then see where the dust settles as far as having extra money available for post-10th round picks.
One thing that has been great so far with the new signing process is how quickly these players are signing. We are still well over three weeks from the July 13th signing deadline, and it looks like most of the major signings if not all of them will be wrapped up well before the deadline. At this point the deadline may now simply come down to some post-10th rounders willing to accept $100K or a little over it if a team has any saved bonus pool money.
Overheard
4th round pick outfielder D’Vone McClure is still weighing his options whether to sign with the Indians or go to college and play for the University of Arkansas. According to a report in a paper today, yesterday he was at the university complex and participated in some on-field baseball activities at the Razorbacks baseball field Baum Stadium.