More on the young Venezuelan we signed, Luis Oviedo.

Fastball that sits 86-89 mph and has hit 90 and could become a plus pitch. Changeup advanced for his age. He's a tall lanky kid. As his body matures and he adds some bulk he could become a hand full.

And the 3rd baseman we signed, Pujols. I read he has a lot of right handed power potential. Fear is his glove will force him into the corner outfield. But he already has a lot of experience playing for the Dominican in International competition for his age.

Pujols is the kid in the middle? He's what, 16?

BA chart on "where top 30 International players have signed"

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internat ... -signed-2/

Only one on that list coming with Cleveland is No. 28 Fermin

Welcome Carlos Moncrief back to Akron. 26-year-old moving backwards; maybe he'll resume pitching soon.

I'd prefer to see Zimmer or Luigi Rodriguez joining the R'Ducks outfield.

LRod, Frazier, Zimmer and NRod have combined for 3 hits and 9 strikeouts through 7 innings.

Dace Kime 7-7-3-3-0-5 which is sort of ho hum OK

an almost famous name working against the Scrappers tonight:

Justin Jacome 6-6 lefty; a much bigger version of Jason? Son of?

Civ, all 3 of our signings yesterday are 16 years old.

.

.

?

Supposedly

they don't look any older!

Thursday games:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20150702

AAA Ramirez and Aguillar combined for a run; and then the rains came. To be resumed later.
AA Plutko with one of his weaker starts: 5 1/3--6--3--3--2--4 Demoted Moncrief walks and doubles.
Hi A The above-cited Top 4 hitters finished with a combined 11 strikeouts. Better luck Friday.
Lo A Sean Brady 5 2/3--6--4--3--2--7 Paulino single and triple; Santander single and walk; Bradley K-less!
SS A Tapia 2 hits in game two; Sayles two hits and 1st steal for the speed-demon [or at least he was in high school]
Rookie: Holiday observed early

BA notes on the top 3 tribe International signings; these reports look suspiciously like yesterday' postings, so if they're merely duplicates, just skip them:


Indians Agree To Sign No. 28 International Prospect Jose Fermin
Dominican shortstop Jose Fermin, the No. 28 international prospect for July 2, has agreed to sign with the Indians.
Fermin, 16, is 5-foot-11, 165 pounds and has drawn praise from scouts for his ability to hit in games from the right side of the plate with a good chance to stay at shortstop. Fermin trains with Pablo Lantigua and played in the International Prospect League.

The Indians have agreed to sign 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Henry Pujols for $600,000.
At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Pujols stood out for his righthanded power potential, with plenty of game experience having represented the Dominican Republic at international tournaments. If his defense improves, he could stick at third base, though he could end up as a corner outfielder. Pujols trains with Laurentino Genao

The Indians have agreed to sign Venezuelan righthander Luis Oviedo for $375,000.
Oviedo, 16, has a skinny, projectable frame at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds. Once he gains weight, that should allow him to add to a fastball that sits 86-89 mph and has hit 90 and could become a plus pitch. His changeup is advanced for his age, so some scouts liked that pitch more than his curveball. Oviedo trains with Jose Montero

BA lines from Thursday:

AA Moncrief, Carlos RF 3 0 1 0 .333 2B (1), BB (1)
CLE HiA Frazier, Clint RF 4 0 1 0 .248 BB (34)
CLE HiA Rodriguez, Nellie 1B 5 0 1 0 .277 2B (22)
CLE LoA Bradley, Bobby 1B 4 0 1 0 .259
CLE LoA Paulino, Dorssys LF 4 1 2 1 .250 3B (2), CS (4)
CLE MAJ Lindor, Francisco SS 5 0 2 1 .211
CLE MAJ Urshela, Giovanny 3B 4 1 1 0 .270

CLE AA Plutko, Adam 5.1 6 3 3 2 4 2.61 L (3-2)
CLE HiA Kime, Dace 7 7 3 3 0 5 4.41 L (2-4)

Ingraham writing in BA on the Tribe's top players of the 1st draft, biggest leap forward, and biggest disappointment. Why he is excited by a 25 year old reliever in Akron, I can't say, but I suppose it's a reflection on the state of the farm system:

Best Player: In the year since the Indians selected him in the first round of the 2014 draft, center fielder Bradley Zimmer has made a seamless transition from advanced college hitter to impact professional hitter at high Class A Lynchburg.
Selected 21st overall out of the University of San Francisco, the lefthanded-hitting Zimmer has been one of the top hitters in the Carolina League. Through 66 games, he hit .303/.402/.500 and ranked among the league leaders in average, home runs (10), stolen bases (29), on-base percentage and slugging.
A lanky 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, the long-striding Zimmer also is a polished defender in center field. He quickly moved through two levels in 2014, short-season Mahoning Valley and low Class A Lake County, producing a cumulative slash line of .302/.400/.492.

Biggest Leap Forward: An unheralded 10th-round pick in 2012 out of Samford, righthander Josh Martin is having a breakout season at Double-A Akron. Through his first 23 relief appearances, he had logged a 0.88 ERA. In 41 innings he allowed 21 hits, with 45 strikeouts and 12 walks. His .144 opponent average and 0.81 WHIP were further indications of how he was dominating Eastern League hitters.

“Josh worked extremely hard over the offseason to get stronger, increase his velocity and add to his pitch mix,” director of player development Carter Hawkins said. “It’s been fun to watch his process turn into results. With the way he’s trending, he’s put himself squarely on the radar for greater opportunities going forward.”

Biggest Disappointment: While Zimmer flourishes at Lynchburg, left fielder Mike Papi, selected in the supplemental first round of the 2014 draft, has not. Through 68 games, he had hit just .217/.370/.302 with 15 doubles and only one home run. Papi showed unusual patience, however, with a Carolina League-leading 50 walks but also 63 strikeouts.

The 22-year-old lefthanded hitter was considered one of the top college bats when the Indians drafted him out of Virginia. Papi led the Atlantic Coast Conference in hitting as a sophomore and led the conference in home runs as a junior in 2014—but he has struggled on both counts as a pro. Through his first 441 pro plate appearances, Papi has hit .202 with four home runs.

I only question the 3rd baseman's age because he has already played for the Dominican in international play across the world.

Just hard to imagine a 14 or 15 year old being the best a baseball hot bed like the Dominican Republic can come up with. But maybe so.