MITCH BROWN
Just the fourth Minnesota high school pitcher ever drafted as high as the second round, Brown was inconsistent in his pro debut but his potential was obvious. The son of a Korean powerlifter, he has a sturdy, muscular body and pitches with good mechanics. His delivery doesn't involve a lot of effort and the ball comes out of his hand nice and easy.
Brown's fastball usually sits at 91-93, touching as high as 96, and he commands it well. He has good feel for an average changeup and pitches with some deception. The only breaking ball he used in the early part of the season was a slider, but he worked with pitching coach Steve Karsay and made progress with refining his curveball.
W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
2 0 3.58 8 8 0 28 20 16 11 3 10 26 .194
Re: Minor Matters
2192DORSYSS PAULINO
The Indians were aggressive in assigning Paulino to the AZL for his first pro season after signing him for $1.1 million bonus in 2011. He was anything but overmatched, ranking second in batting (.355) and third in OPS (.610) while providing 26 extra-base hits in 41 games.
Paulino brings a mature, disciplined approach to the plate. His quick hands, bat speed and exceptional hand-eye coordination allow him to use a short stroke that should allow him to hit for both average and power. "His swing is so natural, you don't need to mess with it so much," Indians manager Anthony Medrano said.
Some observers believe Paulino doesn't have the tools to stay at shortstop, and he may grow out of the position anyway. He makes the routine plays and has a decent first step, but he needs to improve his range and accuracy on his throws. He's a good baserunner with surprising quickness on the bases.
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
172 42 61 14 6 6 30 15 31 9 1 .355 .404 .610
The Indians were aggressive in assigning Paulino to the AZL for his first pro season after signing him for $1.1 million bonus in 2011. He was anything but overmatched, ranking second in batting (.355) and third in OPS (.610) while providing 26 extra-base hits in 41 games.
Paulino brings a mature, disciplined approach to the plate. His quick hands, bat speed and exceptional hand-eye coordination allow him to use a short stroke that should allow him to hit for both average and power. "His swing is so natural, you don't need to mess with it so much," Indians manager Anthony Medrano said.
Some observers believe Paulino doesn't have the tools to stay at shortstop, and he may grow out of the position anyway. He makes the routine plays and has a decent first step, but he needs to improve his range and accuracy on his throws. He's a good baserunner with surprising quickness on the bases.
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
172 42 61 14 6 6 30 15 31 9 1 .355 .404 .610
Re: Minor Matters
2193Wasn't Andy Marté ATL's #1 prospect, too?civ ollilavad wrote:On the other hand, BA had Lofton rated as Houston's No. 1 when we acquired him. Sandy was Minor League Player of the Year before we got him. Of course Ricardo Rodriguez who we got from the Dodgers wast their No. 1 prospect at the time, too.
Re: Minor Matters
2194Q and A on the prospect list:
PT (IBC): Last year the Indians had a huge lefty in Araujo, this year it was Luis Lugo. Does Luis project to have the same kind of power arm for the tribe?
Bill Mitchell: PT, I received some favorable comments on Lugo. He's a big kid and is very competitive on the mound. Fastball was usually 88-90 and he'll likely add velocity as he gets older and more experienced. While he's already got a strong frame, I could see him getting stronger.
[LET'S HOPE he develops better than Araujo. Elvis had a WHIP of 1.5, an ERA of 5 and K/BB of 1.8 in Lake County this year. Lugo is slightly less "huge", an inch and 15 pounds that Elvis. And he also is not coming off TJ surgery which shut Araujo down for nearly 2 season.]
PT (IBC): Last year the Indians had a huge lefty in Araujo, this year it was Luis Lugo. Does Luis project to have the same kind of power arm for the tribe?
Bill Mitchell: PT, I received some favorable comments on Lugo. He's a big kid and is very competitive on the mound. Fastball was usually 88-90 and he'll likely add velocity as he gets older and more experienced. While he's already got a strong frame, I could see him getting stronger.
[LET'S HOPE he develops better than Araujo. Elvis had a WHIP of 1.5, an ERA of 5 and K/BB of 1.8 in Lake County this year. Lugo is slightly less "huge", an inch and 15 pounds that Elvis. And he also is not coming off TJ surgery which shut Araujo down for nearly 2 season.]
Re: Minor Matters
2195One of my favorites:
Ben (Leland Grove): Your impressions of Anthony Santander? Was he a late cut from this list?
Bill Mitchell: Ben, Santander was in my 25-30 range. He's still very young, with a strong frame at only 17, and showed improvement in the second half of the season. He should show more power as he gets older. He needs a lot more experience and to develop more instincts. He's going to likely slow down as he gets older so the bat will need to carry him.
Ben (Leland Grove): Your impressions of Anthony Santander? Was he a late cut from this list?
Bill Mitchell: Ben, Santander was in my 25-30 range. He's still very young, with a strong frame at only 17, and showed improvement in the second half of the season. He should show more power as he gets older. He needs a lot more experience and to develop more instincts. He's going to likely slow down as he gets older so the bat will need to carry him.
Re: Minor Matters
2196Apparently some other Indians fans out there asking the questions. Often the questions from NY and Chi monopolize these chats. Tribe gets three of the first 5 questions. I posted Q's on these 3 but other fans beat to them. I still have queries on Paulino, Brown and Martinez in the pipeline.
Ben (Leland Grove): Dillon Howard definitely had his struggles in the AZL. What went wrong with him?
Bill Mitchell: I'll take another question from Ben because this is an important one to answer. I saw Howard several times and he really had a rough season. His biggest issue was consistency and ability to repeat his delivery. He's be cruising along and then the wheels would fall off --- he'd start elevating his pitches and it would look like he was throwing batting practice. There's still a lot to like about Howard's build and his repertoire, but there's a lot of work to do.
[And fortunately we have just the coaching staff he needs.]
Ben (Leland Grove): Dillon Howard definitely had his struggles in the AZL. What went wrong with him?
Bill Mitchell: I'll take another question from Ben because this is an important one to answer. I saw Howard several times and he really had a rough season. His biggest issue was consistency and ability to repeat his delivery. He's be cruising along and then the wheels would fall off --- he'd start elevating his pitches and it would look like he was throwing batting practice. There's still a lot to like about Howard's build and his repertoire, but there's a lot of work to do.
[And fortunately we have just the coaching staff he needs.]
Re: Minor Matters
2197Atlanta internally knew he was a stiff. They pimped him so they could dump him.Wasn't Andy Marté ATL's #1 prospect, too?
The Red Sox only took him because they knew they could flip him to the Indians.
John Scheurholz was the brains behind Altanta's success.
Re: Minor Matters
2198We have plenty of people we could pimp if our front office had the skills to do so.
You would think that Shapiro, who is said to be desired by many teams, would be able to shill up one or two of our guys.
Another interesting fact: we have tried to change many OF to become 2nd basemen. But having 2 good prospects at 2B (Kipnis and Phelps) nobody has been creative enough to try them at different positions. What a brain trust!
You would think that Shapiro, who is said to be desired by many teams, would be able to shill up one or two of our guys.
Another interesting fact: we have tried to change many OF to become 2nd basemen. But having 2 good prospects at 2B (Kipnis and Phelps) nobody has been creative enough to try them at different positions. What a brain trust!
Re: Minor Matters
2199Here's one of mine. And I got the answer I wanted:
Elliot (YOungstown OH): The Indians don't much have much talent anywhere but they do have a lot of young shortstops (Lindor, Paulino, Ronny Rodriguez). Where do you think Paulino will wind up and how soon will he get there? Indians are desperate!
Bill Mitchell: Elliot, there's a lot to like about Paulino, but don't forget that he's only 17 and is likely at least four or five years away from reaching Cleveland. Opinions are mixed as to whether he can stay at shortstop but the Indians will keep him there for now. The bat will play regardless of where he winds up, and one scout said that he'd be an above average regular in a corner outfield spot.
[Corner OF!! That's what we need. My projected Indians of 2017 already featured him or Ronny Rodriguez in LF. Maybe they both can wind up in the OF corners.]
Elliot (YOungstown OH): The Indians don't much have much talent anywhere but they do have a lot of young shortstops (Lindor, Paulino, Ronny Rodriguez). Where do you think Paulino will wind up and how soon will he get there? Indians are desperate!
Bill Mitchell: Elliot, there's a lot to like about Paulino, but don't forget that he's only 17 and is likely at least four or five years away from reaching Cleveland. Opinions are mixed as to whether he can stay at shortstop but the Indians will keep him there for now. The bat will play regardless of where he winds up, and one scout said that he'd be an above average regular in a corner outfield spot.
[Corner OF!! That's what we need. My projected Indians of 2017 already featured him or Ronny Rodriguez in LF. Maybe they both can wind up in the OF corners.]
Re: Minor Matters
2200Indians worked at making Phelps a UT in 2011 and he didn't work out. His defensive skills are limited to 2nd, i.e. weak arm, limited range. Which is why he's never been a very highly rated prospect.
Re: Minor Matters
2201Civ- with all due respect, lets not talk good defensive skills and this version of the Tribe in the same sentence.
Could Phelps be tried at OF? How much worse could he have been than some of the guys we used out there in LF? He is a switch hitter and has some pop. To me he looks athletic more so than some. Maybe looks are deceiving.
Could Phelps be tried at OF? How much worse could he have been than some of the guys we used out there in LF? He is a switch hitter and has some pop. To me he looks athletic more so than some. Maybe looks are deceiving.
Re: Minor Matters
2202Indians questions are dominating the discussion. Not that that means Indians players dominate the talent supply in the league.
@Jaypers413 (IL): Your impressions of AZL Indians' Jorge Martinez?
Bill Mitchell: There are several questions about Martinez in the queue so I'll address him now. He's a bit of a polarizing prospect --- some observers love him and others see a lot of flaws in his game. I really planned on working him into the top 20 despite the fact that it was his third year in the league. He got stronger this year and had a better feel for what he could do with pitches. Some observers think he can handle third base while others believe he's better suited to an outfield corner. The enormous potential is still there, but now I want to see more consistency from him and to see him challenged by moving to a higher level.
[I'm OK with him in LF. Giovanny Urshela is a superior defender and hit very well in Carolina this year. Or if necessary RonnyRod can move to 3rd. And we are incredibly deficient in OF talent]
@Jaypers413 (IL): Your impressions of AZL Indians' Jorge Martinez?
Bill Mitchell: There are several questions about Martinez in the queue so I'll address him now. He's a bit of a polarizing prospect --- some observers love him and others see a lot of flaws in his game. I really planned on working him into the top 20 despite the fact that it was his third year in the league. He got stronger this year and had a better feel for what he could do with pitches. Some observers think he can handle third base while others believe he's better suited to an outfield corner. The enormous potential is still there, but now I want to see more consistency from him and to see him challenged by moving to a higher level.
[I'm OK with him in LF. Giovanny Urshela is a superior defender and hit very well in Carolina this year. Or if necessary RonnyRod can move to 3rd. And we are incredibly deficient in OF talent]
Re: Minor Matters
2203Oh, an another thing, how many UT's does a team need. I think we have 3 right now.
Re: Minor Matters
2204Lou:
No reason not to try Phelps in LF, but I'd rather see if we can trade him for someone who we know can play LF. Or wait a mere four years for these kids from the Arizona League and the Midwest League to eah the majors.
No reason not to try Phelps in LF, but I'd rather see if we can trade him for someone who we know can play LF. Or wait a mere four years for these kids from the Arizona League and the Midwest League to eah the majors.