Cleveland Sports Forum

seasons all open Thursday.

Opening day starters?
Often they use someone with experience at that level even if not the top prospect at the level.
I'll take some guesses and suggest that although Clevinger should be considered Indians' 6th starter, he worked in relief much of the spring so Merritt could get the call in Columbus. Kaminsky is the top prospect and experienced in Akron so he should go on day 1. McKenzie is the Big Guy in Lynchburg, but they may give the 19-year-old a backseat to start the year and go with Esparza who finished last year there, or Pannone. I'd bet on one of the old men starting for Lake County, Civale or Beiber. Or if they prefer someone with MWL experience the only of the starters who was in Eastlake last year was Micah Miniard.

From one of Tony Lastoria's chums on Tribe Insider:


2017 is a year of many changes in Eastlake, including a new manager, a nearly new roster and some new features to the ballpark. The IBI's Jake Dungan details these changes in the Lake County Captains season preview.


EASTLAKE -- Roster turnover is a part of any minor league affiliate from one year to the next. Some more than others, which is the case for the 2017 Lake County Captains who have only five players returning from last year's squad. Aside from the 20 players who are getting their first taste of full-season affiliated ball, there will be a new face at the helm as former hitting coach Larry Day gets his first crack at managing in 2017.

"I think we just need to be true to ourselves," said Day regarding being a first-time manager of a young roster, "There's reasons why these guys are here. They're obviously great players and getting to know them over the past five weeks in Goodyear, I can attest to their character. They're great kids. And as far as myself as a manager, I also need to be true to myself and the things I believe in."

Day, 32, will certainly have his work cut out for him in his first managerial season as eight of the players joining the Captains roster on opening day fresh out of amateur ball having been drafted less than a year prior. Players such as right-hander Aaron Civale, catcher Logan Ice and outfield Conner Capel are some of the more prominent names among that group, given their high draft slots in 2016.

As far as the roster as whole, this team appears the type to thrive on pitching as many of the Indians' top, lower level hurlers will be on the mound at Classic Park to start the year such as 2015 draft alumni Juan Hillman and Brady Aiken, who join the incumbent
class of arms on the staff.

"Coming into the year and watching them during spring training, they're so diverse," Day said regarding his pitchers, "You have power arms, power stuff and pitch-ability. So the ability to blend the power arms with the really good stuff and also the guys who have the ability to command the strike zone comes along with the maturity of the pitching staff which we're lucky enough to have here."

While they may have exceptional talent on the pitching side, don't sell the Captains short on their position players, boasting names like Gabriel Mejia, Luke Wakamatsu and Todd Isaacs.

"It's very similar to the pitching front where we can do a few things well, hopefully," explained Day, "The combination of just sitting there and tally-whacking the ball with Logan Ice, [Emmanuel] Tapia, Alexis Pantoja [no, he's a terrible hitter, but a good fielder], Luke Wakamatsu... They can all swing the bat. Even our fast guys can swing the bat with [Gabriel] Mejia, Todd Isaacs and Conner Capel, but like I just alluded to, they can run. So we'll have the ability to just sit back and hit the traditional way, but we'll also have the opportunity to put the pressure on the defense because of our speed."

Of course, while there's plenty to capture attentions on the field, the Captains have projects in the works off the field to improve fan experience and serve the community in 2017 and beyond. Team general manager Neil Stein outlined the most immediate and significant renovation for the season: their new digital, video scoreboard.

"We're super excited about the video board," said Stein, "We've been looking into it for, honestly, about 3-4 years and between cost and funding, it's a big, big project to undertake. We finally found a deal with Panasonic, who's putting in our board for us. It's going to be a phenomenal board. It's going to be 22 feet tall by 50 feet wide, so it's almost 1,100 square feet. Our old one was about 400 square feet, so we'll be doing a lot more in-game stuff with real-time updating stats pulled straight from the website, lineups and, hopefully somewhere down the road, replay."

The next undertaking for the Captains organization is still in the early stages of development, but will be ready to break ground, hopefully, during the season. In partnership with the local chapter of the Miracle League, the Captains have plans in the works to construct a specially-designed ball field and playground outside of Classic Park to be a safe haven for children with special needs.

"We're still working on the Miracle League field," the Captains GM explained, "We've got a fundraiser coming up towards the end of this month. We're basically trying to get funding for it right now. The city and the county got a grant for the handicap-accessible playground. That will probably start before the field happens. We've gotten a few big sponsors and donors for the field itself, but it's a pretty expensive project. So before we can do anything, we have to get funding. Our goal is to have it started at some point our season."

Lake County will kick off their 2017 campaign on the road in Dayton against the Dragons on Thursday with right-hander Micah Miniard slated to take the mound at 7:00 pm ET. The Captains will return to Classic Park for their home opener against the same Dragons on Saturday. First pitch will be at 6:30 pm ET.

and another of his pals on Wakamatsu

Coming off a shoulder injury that brought his 2016 season to an abrupt end, Indians prospect Luke Wakamatsu is primed for his first full season at the professional level with the Single-A Lake County Captains.


It’s always difficult to know the reasons why baseball players were drawn to the sport at an early age.

It could be because they simply fell in love with the game once they started playing it, but in Cleveland Indians minor league infielder Luke Wakamatsu’s case, he was born into the game thanks to his family’s longtime role in baseball. Son of Kansas City Royals’ bench coach Don Wakamatsu, the young infielder quickly became a part of the game much like his father did.

“It’s definitely not surprising to me given what we do," Wakamatsu noted. "I think it’s a head start for me knowing what to do and how to act around the clubhouse and treating coaches with respect."

The middle infielder became a member of the Cleveland Indians organization after being selected out of Keller High School from Texas in the 20th round of the MLB Amateur Draft. A lot of skepticism surrounded the Indians and their ability to get him to sign given he had been reportedly seeking a lucrative signing bonus, but the Indians were able to lock Wakamatsu up as he signed a $290,000 signing bonus after the draft. The club had hopefully signed a stealthy good prospect for a moderate price.

“It’s been my dream since I was a little kid so thanks to the Indians for drafting me,” the Keller High School product smiled.

He enjoyed a strong opening start in the Arizona Rookie League in 2015. The middle infielder slashed .267/.339/.400 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 27 games in the Arizona Rookie League. His K% was a little high at 33.6%, but he didn’t play many games and it was only his first real taste of minor league ball since being drafted.

Things went a little differently the next season. He ended up hitting .232/.312/.304 in 17 games with Short-A Mahoning Valley last season, but his season was again cut short due to a shoulder injury as he ended up missing the rest of the season rehabbing his shoulder.

“It was a [not a pretty good] season last year so I did a lot of rehab stuff this off-season,” he said.

Despite having a short stint with the Scrappers, Wakamatsu did learn quite a lot in his time with the team. The biggest takeaways he took from his time in the New York Penn League was how to keep his body in shape when playing everyday and developing a consistent workout routine to make sure he was always game ready.

Having both his first two seasons cut short was not something he particularly enjoyed. In fact, it was quite an obstacle to overcome in order to make his way back and be able to play a full season at the minor league level in 2017.

“It’s definitely depressing,” Wakamatsu admitted. “Obviously, you can’t change that so I guess just working harder and making your preparation better and making sure you stay on the field has probably been my number one priority, so hopefully just sticking with that and staying healthy will get me moved up pretty soon.”

Despite the setbacks, he has not been deterred in continuing to work hard and get his body back to the shape it needs to be in order to go out and show what he can do. A huge part of his recovery process has been the art of patience. The 2015 draft pick has taken careful steps to ensure his preparation for games is better so his body will also hold up better and he won’t continue to suffer setbacks.

After an off-season of recovery, he is more than anxious to get back out onto the diamond and start playing ball again. Wakamatsu has been assigned to play with the Lake County Captains in Class-A ball to start the season. He’s most likely to have full time duties at shortstop to open the year. This will be the first time he has started a minor league season in April instead of the middle of the summer, but all he cares about is having a full healthy season.

“It’s definitely my number one priority right now to at least try and play every game, but getting my preparation better and just trying to stay healthy and eat well that’s probably going to be a high priority,” he said.

Regardless, he is ready to step into action and get things going again. He has had to overcome quite a lot of obstacles during his first two years in the Indians minor league organization. He has a lot of expectations to live up to given his high profile status as a draft pick in 2015. While injuries have set him back a bit, he still has plenty of time to improve and live up to those high expectations.

Prospect Jonas Wyatt on the mend, may not play in 2017

Indians pitching prospect Jonas Wyatt underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016 and is remaining patient and disciplined in his recovery in order to return to the mound soon stronger than ever…


It’s every baseball player’s dream to officially get drafted by a Major League Baseball team in the amateur draft. For a pitcher, it’s a big deal when they finally get to toe the rubber for their new team after getting drafted even if it is just their first minor league game. That was the case for right-hander Jonas Wyatt after getting drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft out of Quartz Hill High School.

The Quartz Hill product took the mound in the Arizona Rookie League in 2015. He put up some very respectable numbers as he tossed a 1.62 ERA across 16.2 innings of work and threw some serious gas in his first season with the Indians. He was looking forward to continuing his progression in the system in 2016 when he felt some discomfort in his elbow at the end of spring training last year.

“After a few starts it started bothering me a little bit,” Wyatt recalled. “I kind of just pushed through it. I didn’t think it was too serious and kind of tried to work through it and it started bothering me a little bit more, so I told the trainers. They shut me down for a little bit and I rehabbed it for a while and came back in extended spring training.”

Despite his efforts to rehab the elbow naturally, things didn’t go according to plan. While pitching in a game, his elbow immediately started acting up again as he continued to throw his usual mix of pitches. He eventually felt something give in his arm after throwing a pitch, but he was able to finish his inning.

Afterwards, he went back to the training staff to report the pain in his elbow and was sent in for an MRI. The results came back and the worst-case scenario had come to fruition for Wyatt: he had suffered a torn UCL in his elbow. There was nothing left to do but go under the knife and have Tommy John surgery, which is often a scary proposition for any pitcher.

“I was pretty bummed at first,” the right-hander lamented. “It’s not a good thing and I wasn’t happy about it, but I was still young and if it had to happen then it happened at the right time so I could get it out of the way early and get stronger from here.”

It’s been nine months since getting the procedure and so far things are going pretty well for Wyatt. He’s already able to get back to working out and beginning some baseball activities. He was able to resume his usual workout regime six months out after the surgery. He’s also now throwing from 120 feet out on flat ground as he works to regain the strength in his pitching elbow. The next step is getting back into the bullpen and throwing a live bullpen session which is in about a week.

“I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. I’m just ready to get back out there,” he said with an eager smile on his face.

The recovery process hasn’t been a cakewalk for Wyatt. His arm is feeling pretty good, but it’s been the process of being patient and letting the recovery process take its natural course which has tested him.

“It was challenging at first,” Wyatt admitted. “It was something you kind of had to get used to and really think about and focus on because at first I wasn’t able to do much but just sit in the training room in my brace and watching other guys throw. It wasn’t very fun.”

Nonetheless, he stuck to the recovery regime and remained disciplined. He refrained from trying to rush the process and that patience is paying off for the right-hander. So far, knock on wood, there have been no setbacks in the recovery period and Wyatt is extremely pleased with the results so far. The worst so far that has happened has been him experiencing some tightness in his elbow at certain points, but the training staff has been on top of it and made sure that things remain on track. The Indians are notably one of the best organizations when it comes to rehabbing a pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery and Wyatt praises the Indians training staff after experiencing it firsthand.

“I think we’ve got the best trainers there are and they’ve been helping me a lot along with the other guys with Tommy John surgery,” he said.

Right now, Wyatt is focused on continuing his recovery from Tommy John. There is no guarantee he’ll be able to get back onto the mound and throw a live game in the 2017 season. It’s not out of the question though given his progression through the rehab process. Wyatt would certainly like nothing better than to get back on the mound near the end of the 2017 season, but he’s also realistic about the larger goal in mind. The goal isn’t to throw a few games at the end of the year, but it’s to ensure a full recovery from the operation and if it means missing the entire 2017 season as well, then so be it. All Jonas Wyatt is concerned about is coming back stronger than ever from Tommy John.

Still no sign of Sam Hentges or Grant Hockin on any roster. They were part of our 2014 draft class, which is full of talent. 3 among top 100 prospects.

1st round: Zimmer, now in AAA
1A: Justus Sheffield = part of Andrew Miller
1B: Mike Papi can't hit a lick, now in Akron
2: Hockin
3: Bobby Bradley, now in AA, has won two MVP awards
4: Hentges
5: Julian Merryweather, now in AA, has broken through to possible prospect status
6: Greg Allen, also in Akron, rated at spots 8-10 on our prospect list
8: Micah Miniard, a high school pitcher like Hockin and Hentges, but healthy, he's opening day pitcher for Captains
16: J.P. Feyiersen, another part of Miller package

Hentges still rehabbing from his tommy john surgery last July. I've heard no timetable yet but will share when I do.

seen anything on Hockin? He worked 21 innings in 2014. That's it.

Last spring "LetsgoTribe" reported:

"Grant Hockin SP (age 19, AZL) - A 2014 second round draft pick, Hockin missed the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. The sky is still the limit for Hockin, however, as long as he can return to form as a solid power right-handed pitcher."

Not sure if sky remains the limit, obviously his rehab has not gone well.

Hockin participated in spring training. I think I read he pitched a little in a fall league last year too? But I do know he pitched this spring.

I do not see his name on the High or Low A rosters though, so maybe they are planning on pitching him in one of the short season rookie leagues and kind of start all over with him? I dunno?

.

Indians Prospective‏ @indiansPro March 12
#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.

He's still hardly "too old" for short season ball. And it's obvious too that they're holding a whole bunch guys back in Goodyear who are likely to assigned to Lake County later on, e.g. the entire 2016 draft class of high school kids.
Hockin was a 2nd round pick, obviously he was well-regarded when drafted. Hope he's ready to get going on his career now.

2017 IBI Top 75 Prospects: #7 Nolan Jones

TONY LASTORIA
7. NOLAN JONES – THIRD BASEMAN
Born: 05/07/1998 – Height: 6’4” –
Weight: 185 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right


Facts & Info: Jones was selected by the Indians in the 2nd round of the 2016 Draft out of Holy Ghost Prep High School (PA). He had a commitment to attend and play baseball for the University of Virginia, but the Indians pulled him away by signing him to a $2.25 million signing bonus. As a high school senior last season he posted a .636 average (28-for-44) with five home runs, 24 RBI, 26 runs scored, 24 walks and just 3 strikeouts in 19 games - despite missing the start of the season due to a back injury. He led his high school to back-to-back PIAA District 1 AAA postseason appearances where they won the title in 2015 and advanced to the semifinals in 2016. He was also named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American.

Offense: Jones brings a lot of upside offensively and his power potential is a nice addition to an organization in need of it. The Indians believe he will hit for plus power in the future because he shows some excellent raw power along with some very good bat speed and just continues to get bigger and bigger and add strength and size to his frame. He also has the potential for a plus hit tool as he has a smooth swing that he repeats well and works to the middle of the field for a high contact rate. His stance is spread open with a simple load to contact where he is quick and direct to the ball and shows some good hand quickness to get the barrel to the ball and make consistent, hard contact. He is an advanced hitter with the makings of a good approach where he controls the zone very well for his age. He doesn’t expand the zone very much, has a good understanding of it and has a good plan when he steps into the box.

Defense: Jones was a shortstop in high school but Indians immediately moved him to third base after drafting him because of his long, lean frame that has a lot of projection physically where he just continues to get bigger at a very fast rate. He is a legit third base prospect who is a solid fielder now and has a chance to be a plus defender as he gains comfort at the position and picks up some of the nuances there as well. He is very smooth with some good fielding actions, good hands and shows some quick footwork, and features a plus throwing arm with a quick release and some very good accuracy. He is a very good athlete and has the athleticism where he could move around the diamond some and play other infield positions and even the corner outfield if the Indians wish to add more versatility to his game down the road.

Speed & Intangibles: Jones is a solid average runner and good baserunner, though has slowed down a little as he has gotten bigger and added more good weight to his frame. He just continues to grow and is a former hockey player who really dove into a weightlifting program last year where he ended up gaining over 25 pounds of strength from the beginning of the summer in 2015 to the time the Indians drafted him a year later. The Indians have really concentrated on athletes with plus makeup in recent years and he is a continuation of that as the makeup is as good as it gets. The Indians really spent a lot of time with him and got to know him very well during the scouting process, and were just blown away by his work ethic and advanced maturity.

Focus: The Indians are mostly focused on Jones building a foundation where he establishes his routines so he is prepared to play every day at the professional level. He needs to learn how to take care of his body, prepare himself for games each day and work on his strength and conditioning so that he can be consistent day in and day out and have the strength to handle the rigors of a long season. The Indians believe that his power may take some time to show and may be a gradual process of unveiling his full potential with the bat. He has already added a ton of weight strength-wise, so as he continues to add more strength there is going to be more power in the bat to come which could allow for his above average raw power to show more consistently. Probably his biggest adjustment will be at third base just learning to have a better understanding coming in on balls, developing a better feel for the position and just gaining more comfort and confidence as a defender there to allow his plus defensive skills to show more naturally.

Future: The Indians got what a lot of people deemed was an excellent value with the selection of Jones in the second round of last year’s draft – netting a player who had top 20 talent and a clear first round talent in the process. The upside is legit and everything is there for him to emerge as one of the game’s next crop of up-and-coming prospects this season. Even though there were a lot of strikeouts, he had a solid pro debut last season and really flashed some impact potential with the bat and really made some big strides at third base. He went to Instructional League in the fall to continue his work and suffered a knee injury which sidelined him and put him on crutches, though it was not expected to be a serious injury. The Indians will take it slow with him at the outset of the season by starting him in extended spring training to ensure his health and also to foster his development to continue to build his foundation and fine tune his transition to third base before going to Short-A Mahoning Valley when their season begins in June. With a strong showing there, it is possible he could find his way to Low-A Lake County the last few weeks of the season to get a short taste of the full season level before starting there next season.

Ranking History: Unranked

I looked it up, Hockin was removed from the DL last September, but he did not pitch in fall. Nor winter as far as I know.

Indians are off Thursday but all the minor league teams kick off.

MiLB opening day SP's

Columbus - Michael Clevinger
Akron - Julian Merryweather
Lynchburg - Matt Esparza
Lake County - Micah Miniard

Recently released players:

Released: RHP Trey Masek [never heard of him], RHP Christian Meister, LHP Kelvin de la Cruz [old favorite back briefly], LHP Luis Perez [who?], LHP James Russell [a 30-something lefty brought into camp], C Guillermo Quiroz, 2B Ordomar Valdez, OF David Armendariz and OF Bobby Ison [a couple of non-hitting low-round draft picks], OF Wily Mo Pena

From other teams, former Tribe No. 2 round pick Trey Haley released by the Orioles; long long ago Tribe minorleaguer Josh Rodriguez released by Oakland.

2017 IBI Top 75 Prospects: #6 Will Benson

TONY LASTORIA
6. WILL BENSON – OUTFIELDER
Born: 06/16/1998 – Height: 6’5” –
Weight: 225 – Bats: Left – Throws: Left

Facts & Info: Benson was selected by the Indians in the 1st round of the 2016 Draft out of Westminster Schools (GA). He had a commitment to attend and play baseball for Duke University but the Indians signed him to a $2.5 million signing bonus. In 35 games during his senior season he hit .454 (44-for-97) with 11 doubles, 8 home runs, 41 RBI and a 1.380 OPS, and drew 29 walks against just 11 strikeouts with 11 stolen bases. He was named to the 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game All-American First Team and his selection to the USA 18U National Team included a trip to the WBSC 18U Baseball World Cup in Nishinomiya, Japan.

Offense: Benson is an interesting specimen who excites from a body perspective because of his physicality and how he has some quick twitch actions with a long, strong frame that oozes athleticism with the potential for a lot of strength gains down the road. With his impressive bat speed and good strength he has a lot of good raw power to his swing and there is the potential for plus power as he matures – maybe even plus-plus power - once he learns to tap into it more consistently. He shows a good ability to hit with power to all fields and can really hit balls a long way when he squares them up with the good carry he gets thanks to his raw strength and the backspin he is able to put on the ball. The bat is a projection and will take some time to develop, but the Indians feel that he as he improves the mechanics of his swing and develops his approach that he will be a more consistent hitter and his discipline will improve. The Indians are confident that as he incorporates a better load, uses his lower half better, gets more extension on his swing and develops his discipline that the bat will be special.

Defense: Benson played center field and first base in high school, but he projects as a prototype right field prospect because of his good arm and athleticism and has a chance to be above average there defensively. His speed plays well in the outfield, though because of his lack of first step quickness and above average range, he is limited some in center - though it would not surprise to see the Indians develop him some as a center fielder early in his career. He shows solid defensive skills in the outfield, moves around well and displays some solid average arm strength which shows plus at times.

Speed & Intangibles: Benson is an above average runner overall, though takes a little time to get going so he is not a big stolen base threat but can really motor around the bases once he gets going. He is just an unbelievable athlete who excelled as a two-sport athlete in high school both as a basketball and baseball player. He is a very intelligent person who has the ability to learn quickly and understands what he needs to do to get better, and it is that high aptitude that the Indians are confident will help him develop and define his game as a professional. The Indians have been blown away by his work ethic, personality and makeup since they first got to know him early in the draft process. Their scouts C.T. Bradford and Brad Tyler along with senior advisor Bo Hughes went and met with him back in October 2015 and spent two hours with him at his house and walked away amazed, and continued to be impressed with him in every contact they had with him leading up to the draft.

Focus: There are several issues with Benson’s swing, discipline and bat path that the Indians will need to work with in the early going of his career, and there are concerns if he will ever be able to get to his power at the professional level. He’s so raw with his swing and approach that it will take a lot of time to develop, and right out of the gate they got to work on that and believe he has already started to build the foundation with the bat and understand that it potentially will be a longer developmental process for him because he is so young. There is a lot to mold with him and there is a lot of swing and miss right now because of how raw he is with his approach, but with the type of person he is the belief is he will be able to handle a lot of the failure in the beginning and know he is going to get better later. It comes down to him just getting consistency with the approach with his load, his leg kick, syncing up all of his different moving parts in his swing and developing a better feel for hitting. While he has some good hands, bat speed, strength and athleticism to his swing, he has some adjustments he needs to make to his swing to get him to use his lower half better. When he stays short with his swing he does well, but where he gets into trouble is when he tries to do too much as the swing gets long and he chases a lot – which is a byproduct of youth and inexperience. He has a tendency to commit early with his swing which makes his bat path a little loopy, so the Indians are working to get him more on time and to get more extension through contact so he has better plate coverage.

Future: The Indians of late have a formula they stick to early in the draft where they like to take athletes who play up the middle, and Benson was about as good an athlete as you were going to find coming out of last year’s draft. The most common comparison thrown around as far as Major League potential goes is Jason Heyward, which is an impressive comp and one that should make a lot of Indians fans salivate about his potential patrolling the Indians outfield a few years down the road. He is someone who very well could be the right fielder of the future for the Indians if he develops and performs all the way through the minors and reaches the big leagues. But while the ceiling is very high, the floor is also very low right now as he is extremely raw and there is a ton of risk that he may never find a consistent approach and hit tool to get out of the minors. The Indians are going to be very conservative with his development path early in his career and take a step-by-step approach with him to allow his progression to happen naturally. The focus is on building his foundation right now where he develops the routines he needs to handle the daily grind of the game and molds his impressive set of skills to showcase his true abilities on a more consistent basis. The Indians will have him open the season in extended spring training this year, get him playing, allow him to dictate the pace and then go from there. He should go to Short-A Mahoning Valley when they start play in June and could see some time at Low-A Lake County at the end of the year if he really makes some strides and has a good showing at Mahoning Valley.

Ranking History: Unranked

It doesn't look like Columbus' game is on MiLB TV tonight. Akron is though.

I am going to watch the Blue Jackets game on TV but think I might put a minor league game on in background on internet radio. I think I will listen to Akron. Frankie, Allen, Kaminsky, Merryweather, Bradley, Chang ... Might be the team to watch for a bit this spring.