For those who miss Tony Lastoria a.k.a. Pollyanna's Totally Upbeat Prospect reports, his Top 75 is now being issued one at a time at Tribe Insider.com.
As an example of what you're missing, and what I will not be posting daily, here is a paragraph among several on our No. 36 prospect LHP Sean Brady, dealing with Tony's favorite criterion his "intangibles"
36. Sean Brady – Left-handed Pitcher
Born: 06/09/1994 – Height: 6’0” – Weight: 175 – Bats: Left – Throws: Left
Delivery & Intangibles: Brady has a good delivery with some clean arm action to it that he repeats well. He’s not a stuff pitcher, but is a strike thrower who has some off the charts pitchability that results in a lot of consistent outings. He’s a pitch-to-contact pitcher who likes to work efficiently and get groundballs, so often times he is at the mercy of his defense and the baseball gods, but no matter what he never stops competing and just keeps getting after it. He is very tough minded which allows him to maintain his poise when he is in a jam, handle any situation well and not let the game speed up on him regardless of what is happening around him. He has an exceptional makeup and really trusts the process with a good overall understanding of who he is and what he needs to do to improve. His work ethic is unmatched and he has an unbelievable approach to his routines and preparations that allow him to have consistent success.
Re: Minor Matters
6347I read his site regularly in season and love it. Not for any kind of opinions or rankings of prospects. Nor scouting reports, I can think and judge for myself. But love the run down of each minor league teams games that day, and run down of how the top prospects did.
BA ignors far too many talented players, and puts a spotlight on far too many guys with no future. And they charge you money for it. I cancelled my subscirption long ago. And due to some good twitter follows and sites like Tony's I don't miss it one little bit.
BA ignors far too many talented players, and puts a spotlight on far too many guys with no future. And they charge you money for it. I cancelled my subscirption long ago. And due to some good twitter follows and sites like Tony's I don't miss it one little bit.
Re: Minor Matters
6348Indians Prospective @indiansPro
#Indians 2014 2nd Round pick RHP Grant Hockin who hasn't pitched since 8/27/14 TJ Surgery finally healthy & fully particpating in Milb camp.
#Indians pitchers rehabbing from TJ
RHP
Francisco Lopez
Jacob Lee
Zach Plesac
Jonas Wyatt
LHP
Sam Hentges
Anderson Polanco
Raymond Burgos
#Indians 2014 2nd Round pick RHP Grant Hockin who hasn't pitched since 8/27/14 TJ Surgery finally healthy & fully particpating in Milb camp.
#Indians pitchers rehabbing from TJ
RHP
Francisco Lopez
Jacob Lee
Zach Plesac
Jonas Wyatt
LHP
Sam Hentges
Anderson Polanco
Raymond Burgos
Re: Minor Matters
6349Ah man.
Indians Prospective @indiansPro
Injury update: #Indians INF prospect Mark Mathias seperated his left shoulder. Shoulder was popped back in. Heading for MRI on Monday.
Indians Prospective @indiansPro
Injury update: #Indians INF prospect Mark Mathias seperated his left shoulder. Shoulder was popped back in. Heading for MRI on Monday.
Re: Minor Matters
6350Hockin, Hentges and Wyatt are/were all very promising. That update didn't indicate if any on the list besides Hockin is pitching yet.
Re: Minor Matters
6351Tweet said Hockin is participating fully in minor league camp. Said the rest are rehabbing. Im a Hentges fan, so get well soon.
Nelly was carted off the field yesterday. Looked scary but ended up being a sprained ankle and he's considered day to day.
Nelly was carted off the field yesterday. Looked scary but ended up being a sprained ankle and he's considered day to day.
Re: Minor Matters
6352Spring training provides an opportunity for unproven minor league players to showcase their abilities on a major league stage.
For Mark Mathias, the chance to make a dazzling first impression on the MLB coaching staff presented itself on a diving play to his left side in the ninth inning of Saturday's 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Although he was able to keep the ball in front of him, Mathias was writhing in pain after landing hard on his left shoulder.
Top Stories
- Mathias was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder on an RBI single off the bat of Billy Burns. The base knock cut the Cleveland Indians advantage to 7-6 and led to the abrupt departure of the former Cal Poly standout in the crucial stages of the contest. Todd Hankins entered the game as a defensive replacement at second base.
"They're going to take him back and put it back in," said Terry Francona to reporters about popping the shoulder back into place. "Hopefully, when it gets back in, the damage that was done is minor. We'll see. He was hurting."
The 22-year-old will reportedly get an MRI on Monday before determining the best plan of action moving forward. Mathias was batting .200 (1-5) this spring and was selected as a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2016.
- A rarity in the 2016 regular season, Francona tested Tyler Naquin and put him in an unfamiliar spot against left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas on Saturday. The Spring, TX native went 2-for-3 to elevate his spring training batting average to .556 and .600 against southpaws (3-for-5).
"I'd love to almost like turn the keys over to him," Francona said in regards to shifting Naquin to an everyday role rather than a center field platoon. "It's probably going to get better and that's exciting."
Only 11.07% (32 of 289) of Naquin's 2016 at-bats came against left-handed hurlers.
- Brandon Guyer was scratched from today's lineup due to the flu. He is expected to play on Saturday and/or Sunday at the 2017 H-E-B Big League Weekend vs. the Texas Rangers at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
- A right groin strain continues to cut into the playing time of Yandy Diaz. Although he ran the bases on Friday and reportedly took batting practice on Saturday, Diaz is still day-to-day with no target date for a return to Cactus League action.
"He's a good hitter and he's got so much to learn," said Francona. "It's hard when you're in the trainers room."
For Mark Mathias, the chance to make a dazzling first impression on the MLB coaching staff presented itself on a diving play to his left side in the ninth inning of Saturday's 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Although he was able to keep the ball in front of him, Mathias was writhing in pain after landing hard on his left shoulder.
Top Stories
- Mathias was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder on an RBI single off the bat of Billy Burns. The base knock cut the Cleveland Indians advantage to 7-6 and led to the abrupt departure of the former Cal Poly standout in the crucial stages of the contest. Todd Hankins entered the game as a defensive replacement at second base.
"They're going to take him back and put it back in," said Terry Francona to reporters about popping the shoulder back into place. "Hopefully, when it gets back in, the damage that was done is minor. We'll see. He was hurting."
The 22-year-old will reportedly get an MRI on Monday before determining the best plan of action moving forward. Mathias was batting .200 (1-5) this spring and was selected as a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2016.
- A rarity in the 2016 regular season, Francona tested Tyler Naquin and put him in an unfamiliar spot against left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas on Saturday. The Spring, TX native went 2-for-3 to elevate his spring training batting average to .556 and .600 against southpaws (3-for-5).
"I'd love to almost like turn the keys over to him," Francona said in regards to shifting Naquin to an everyday role rather than a center field platoon. "It's probably going to get better and that's exciting."
Only 11.07% (32 of 289) of Naquin's 2016 at-bats came against left-handed hurlers.
- Brandon Guyer was scratched from today's lineup due to the flu. He is expected to play on Saturday and/or Sunday at the 2017 H-E-B Big League Weekend vs. the Texas Rangers at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
- A right groin strain continues to cut into the playing time of Yandy Diaz. Although he ran the bases on Friday and reportedly took batting practice on Saturday, Diaz is still day-to-day with no target date for a return to Cactus League action.
"He's a good hitter and he's got so much to learn," said Francona. "It's hard when you're in the trainers room."
Re: Minor Matters
6353Earlier today the Indians put up a video on their Facebook page of the homer Frankie hit Sunday, with Hammy doing the call. It was to straight centerfield, and hit like half way up the big batters eye out there. Which is very big and tall. Was quite a shot for the little man.
Re: Minor Matters
6354Infielders Bautista and Medina got brief time yesterday for the Tribe; that brings us up to 47 position players.
But still not a single inning behind the plate by Sicnarf Loopstock.
But still not a single inning behind the plate by Sicnarf Loopstock.
Re: Minor Matters
63552 more hits for Santander. The only hope we have I think is that the Orioles also drafted an OF in the first round of the Rule 5, and then Anthony in Round 2. Can they afford to keep two Rule 5 kids in their OF while contending, I think, for the playoffs.
Re: Minor Matters
6356This article is a bit long but some great tidbits. Worth the time.
.
Pipeline report: Prospects in Indians' camp
MLBpipeline.com's Jim Callis talks about Indians prospect Bradley Zimmer and the possibility of him making the Indians roster in 2017
By Jim Callis / MLB.com | @JimCallisMLB | March 14th, 2017
Every Spring Training, prospects get a chance to show what they can do as they prepare for the season ahead. Some are competing for jobs in big league camp, others are prepping for the season as they vie for spots at Minor League affiliates up and down a team's system. MLBPipeline.com will be visiting all 30 camps this spring. Today, we check in on the Cleveland Indians.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians had a terrific 2016, winning their first American League pennant in 19 seasons and coming within a run of their first World Series championship in 69 years. Their farm system fueled a lot of that success and should continue to do so as Cleveland chases that elusive title in the next few years.
For much of the playoffs, more than half of the Indians' starting lineup consisted of homegrown players, headlined by ascending superstar Francisco Lindor. Rookies Tyler Naquin and Mike Clevinger plugged holes that sprung during the regular season, and fellow first-year big leaguer Ryan Merritt came up big with 4 1/3 scoreless innings in an emergency AL Championship Series start. The system also produced enough fodder (including a pair of former first-round picks in Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield) to acquire Andrew Miller from the Yankees and Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers, though Lucroy vetoed the latter trade.
"It was certainly an exciting time," said Carter Hawkins, who oversaw the system as Cleveland's farm director before being promoted to assistant GM in November. "It has a lot to do with the scouting process, bringing the right guys in, signing the right guys out of Latin America. The staff did a great job of helping guys fulfill their potential.
"The most rewarding part of it was seeing the scouting and player development staff come in for the League Championship Series and the World Series, and seeing the look on their faces when they saw the players out on the field."
Indians staffers should see more familiar faces on the field in coming years. In 2017 alone, the club's No. 1 prospect Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen (No. 9) should push for playing time in the outfield, while shortstop Erik Gonzalez (No. 8) and third baseman Yandy Diaz (No. 10) are ready for regular roles if an opening should arise. Catcher Francisco Mejia (No. 2), first baseman Bobby Bradley (No. 4) and shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang (No. 11) are potential impact players who should be ready in 2018.
While right-handers Shawn Armstrong (No. 25) and Adam Plutko (No. 15) could play complementary roles this year, most of Cleveland's top-shelf pitching prospects are on course to arrive in 2019. Righty Tristan McKenzie (No. 3) and lefties Brady Aiken (No. 5) and Juan Hillman (No. 12) were the organization's first three picks in the 2015 Draft and signed for a combined $5.6 million.
"There are clearly names in Triple-A, Double-A and down through the system that we'll be talking about in the near future," Hawkins said. "The cool part is we've realized we can help guys develop who weren't on the radar. Jose Ramirez, nobody thought he'd have Michael Brantley production last year.
"Yandy Diaz wasn't known two years ago, and now he's winning a batting title [in the Triple-A International League] and on the verge of helping the big league team. Mike Clevinger was in a very small trade for Vinnie Pestano and now he's ready to contribute to the big league staff."
Camp standouts
Mejia made headlines last summer by hitting in 50 consecutive games to set a modern Minor League record. He finished the year at .342/.382/.514 with 11 homers in 102 games between two Class A stops, and his bat hasn't cooled off this spring. The 21-year-old switch-hitter has gone 7-for-18 (.389) with a pair of homers in big league camp, and he also has a well above-average arm behind the plate.
Cleveland has several pitchers vying for what may be just one open spot in its bullpen, and Armstrong is doing his best to claim that role. He hasn't allowed a run in six appearances while permitting just four baserunners and fanning six in 6 1/3 innings. Attacking hitters with a mid-90s fastball and a tight slider, the 26-year-old is throwing more strikes than usual.
Breakout candidates
A fellow Dominican but no relation to Francisco, Gabriel Mejia is the fastest player in the system. The 21-year-old switch-hitter batted .322/.378/.375 at short-season Mahoning Valley last year, leading the New York-Penn League with 85 hits, and has stolen 140 bases in 194 pro games. His speed also plays well in center field, and Hawkins says it can't be accurately gauged by the 20-80 scouting scale.
"Mejia is a 90 runner," Hawkins said of the Indians' No. 20 prospect. "For him, it's just a matter of continuing to refine his approach. He's figuring out how to have consistent at-bats, how to make smart decisions on the basepaths, how to do the little things. The key for him is finding that consistency to his game."
The Indians have excelled at unearthing pitchers in the late rounds of the Draft, including closer Cody Allen (23rd round, 2011), 13-game winner Josh Tomlin (19th round, 2006), Cody Anderson (14th round, 2011) and Armstrong (18th round, 2011). They could have another find in Matt Esparza, a 14th-rounder out of UC Irvine in 2015. The 22-year-old right-hander went 10-10 with a 3.36 ERA and a 141/36 K/BB ratio in 139 1/3 innings between two Class A levels in his first full pro season.
"Matt Esparza was really under the radar last year but we look at him as one of most valuable pitchers in our system," Hawkins said. "He throws a breaking ball, a changeup and a fastball in the low 90s. He really understands how to pitch and knows where to put his pitches."
Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow @jimcallisMLB on Twitter. Listen to him on the weekly Pipeline Podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
.
Pipeline report: Prospects in Indians' camp
MLBpipeline.com's Jim Callis talks about Indians prospect Bradley Zimmer and the possibility of him making the Indians roster in 2017
By Jim Callis / MLB.com | @JimCallisMLB | March 14th, 2017
Every Spring Training, prospects get a chance to show what they can do as they prepare for the season ahead. Some are competing for jobs in big league camp, others are prepping for the season as they vie for spots at Minor League affiliates up and down a team's system. MLBPipeline.com will be visiting all 30 camps this spring. Today, we check in on the Cleveland Indians.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians had a terrific 2016, winning their first American League pennant in 19 seasons and coming within a run of their first World Series championship in 69 years. Their farm system fueled a lot of that success and should continue to do so as Cleveland chases that elusive title in the next few years.
For much of the playoffs, more than half of the Indians' starting lineup consisted of homegrown players, headlined by ascending superstar Francisco Lindor. Rookies Tyler Naquin and Mike Clevinger plugged holes that sprung during the regular season, and fellow first-year big leaguer Ryan Merritt came up big with 4 1/3 scoreless innings in an emergency AL Championship Series start. The system also produced enough fodder (including a pair of former first-round picks in Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield) to acquire Andrew Miller from the Yankees and Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers, though Lucroy vetoed the latter trade.
"It was certainly an exciting time," said Carter Hawkins, who oversaw the system as Cleveland's farm director before being promoted to assistant GM in November. "It has a lot to do with the scouting process, bringing the right guys in, signing the right guys out of Latin America. The staff did a great job of helping guys fulfill their potential.
"The most rewarding part of it was seeing the scouting and player development staff come in for the League Championship Series and the World Series, and seeing the look on their faces when they saw the players out on the field."
Indians staffers should see more familiar faces on the field in coming years. In 2017 alone, the club's No. 1 prospect Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen (No. 9) should push for playing time in the outfield, while shortstop Erik Gonzalez (No. 8) and third baseman Yandy Diaz (No. 10) are ready for regular roles if an opening should arise. Catcher Francisco Mejia (No. 2), first baseman Bobby Bradley (No. 4) and shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang (No. 11) are potential impact players who should be ready in 2018.
While right-handers Shawn Armstrong (No. 25) and Adam Plutko (No. 15) could play complementary roles this year, most of Cleveland's top-shelf pitching prospects are on course to arrive in 2019. Righty Tristan McKenzie (No. 3) and lefties Brady Aiken (No. 5) and Juan Hillman (No. 12) were the organization's first three picks in the 2015 Draft and signed for a combined $5.6 million.
"There are clearly names in Triple-A, Double-A and down through the system that we'll be talking about in the near future," Hawkins said. "The cool part is we've realized we can help guys develop who weren't on the radar. Jose Ramirez, nobody thought he'd have Michael Brantley production last year.
"Yandy Diaz wasn't known two years ago, and now he's winning a batting title [in the Triple-A International League] and on the verge of helping the big league team. Mike Clevinger was in a very small trade for Vinnie Pestano and now he's ready to contribute to the big league staff."
Camp standouts
Mejia made headlines last summer by hitting in 50 consecutive games to set a modern Minor League record. He finished the year at .342/.382/.514 with 11 homers in 102 games between two Class A stops, and his bat hasn't cooled off this spring. The 21-year-old switch-hitter has gone 7-for-18 (.389) with a pair of homers in big league camp, and he also has a well above-average arm behind the plate.
Cleveland has several pitchers vying for what may be just one open spot in its bullpen, and Armstrong is doing his best to claim that role. He hasn't allowed a run in six appearances while permitting just four baserunners and fanning six in 6 1/3 innings. Attacking hitters with a mid-90s fastball and a tight slider, the 26-year-old is throwing more strikes than usual.
Breakout candidates
A fellow Dominican but no relation to Francisco, Gabriel Mejia is the fastest player in the system. The 21-year-old switch-hitter batted .322/.378/.375 at short-season Mahoning Valley last year, leading the New York-Penn League with 85 hits, and has stolen 140 bases in 194 pro games. His speed also plays well in center field, and Hawkins says it can't be accurately gauged by the 20-80 scouting scale.
"Mejia is a 90 runner," Hawkins said of the Indians' No. 20 prospect. "For him, it's just a matter of continuing to refine his approach. He's figuring out how to have consistent at-bats, how to make smart decisions on the basepaths, how to do the little things. The key for him is finding that consistency to his game."
The Indians have excelled at unearthing pitchers in the late rounds of the Draft, including closer Cody Allen (23rd round, 2011), 13-game winner Josh Tomlin (19th round, 2006), Cody Anderson (14th round, 2011) and Armstrong (18th round, 2011). They could have another find in Matt Esparza, a 14th-rounder out of UC Irvine in 2015. The 22-year-old right-hander went 10-10 with a 3.36 ERA and a 141/36 K/BB ratio in 139 1/3 innings between two Class A levels in his first full pro season.
"Matt Esparza was really under the radar last year but we look at him as one of most valuable pitchers in our system," Hawkins said. "He throws a breaking ball, a changeup and a fastball in the low 90s. He really understands how to pitch and knows where to put his pitches."
Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow @jimcallisMLB on Twitter. Listen to him on the weekly Pipeline Podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Re: Minor Matters
6357Good story. Thanks for posting. It looks like Hawkins' vote for breakout pitcher of 2017 is Esparza.
Re: Minor Matters
6358Haven't really read a lot on G. Mejia who's been moving up one slow step at a time. But Hawkins brings him back to the fore.
I've begun to wonder if perhaps Todd Isaacs is a more promising center fielder. 20-year-old does more than run. His split line for the Scrappers was 333/384/514. He stole 14 bases and caught only twice. And he add 6 doubles, 6 homers. His flaw: 45 strikeouts to 8 walks. [last 5 games of the season, he struck out only once. Maybe he "turned the corner"??]
I'm going to try Isaacs as my position player breakout guy. Which on my past performance is not a good thing for Todd.
I've begun to wonder if perhaps Todd Isaacs is a more promising center fielder. 20-year-old does more than run. His split line for the Scrappers was 333/384/514. He stole 14 bases and caught only twice. And he add 6 doubles, 6 homers. His flaw: 45 strikeouts to 8 walks. [last 5 games of the season, he struck out only once. Maybe he "turned the corner"??]
I'm going to try Isaacs as my position player breakout guy. Which on my past performance is not a good thing for Todd.
Re: Minor Matters
6360Do we have rules around here? I don't know, probably someone not on the top prospect listings. I restrict myself to kids not on the BA Top 30. Not sure if Esparza made that list or not, I'd have to run all the way upstairs to check.
If he were certified able to pitch I might go for Jonas Wyatt but the last story posted suggested he's still in recovery mode. So I'll need a pitcher. Maybe Mitch Brown is at last ready to break through? Even I wouldn't think that the time is now ripe for Dace Kime.
If he were certified able to pitch I might go for Jonas Wyatt but the last story posted suggested he's still in recovery mode. So I'll need a pitcher. Maybe Mitch Brown is at last ready to break through? Even I wouldn't think that the time is now ripe for Dace Kime.