Cleveland Sports Forum

Jose Medina, rf, Indians. Medina hit eight homers last season—albeit in just 196 at-bats—and had hit just 12 since signing out of the Dominican Republic in September 2013. But on Saturday night Medina hit three homers and a double as low Class A Lake County whipped up on Lansing (Blue Jays) 17-5. Medina, 22, entered the game at 3-for-18 for the season (.167) and left hitting .304.

CLE AAA Gonzalez, Erik SS 4 1 3 2 .261 2B (2), HR (3), CS (1)
CLE AAA Zimmer, Bradley RF 4 1 2 0 .286 2B (3)
CLE HiA Castro, Willi SS 4 2 2 2 .133 HR (1) [first offensive day of the season for 19 year old]
CLE MAJ Diaz, Yandy 3B 4 0 1 0 .250

Indians Milb leaders (AVG Against) 10+ IP

Thomas Pannone 0.59
Michael Clevinger .145
Luis Lugo .175
Aaron Civale .200
Triston McKenzie .225

Clevinger was just named pitcher of the week in International League.

Here is another guy I don't know much about ...

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Indians Prospective‏ @indiansPro 4 hours ago

Indians (C) prospect Li-Jen Chu w/ most of career derailed by injury even TJ surgery. Incredibly Chu w/ 43 XBH out of 102 hits w/ .297 AVG

Dude can rake. Came out of same 2014 AZL championship class as Bobby Bradley, Yu-Cheng Chang, Willi Castro Thomas Pannone, Justus Sheffield

.

Li-Jen Chu C 9 32 7 12 1 0 2 8 19 4 7 0 0 .474 .594 .375 1.067 0

He plays for the Captains and there isn't much there offensively to follow so I am going to have to start keeping an eye on this guy.

Columbus off tonight.

Akron won 6-3. ... Allen 2-5 with a double. ... Frankie 1-4 with an RBI. He struck out 3 times which is unusual for him. ... Bradley was 1-5, struck out 3 times, which is not all that shocking for him. ... Merryweather pitched 7 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K.

Lynchburg was postponed tonight.

Lake County got some good pitching tonight and won 1-0. ... Miniard threw 4.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 K. His ERA on the year is now 0.75. ... Hide your ladies, Ben Krauth was unleashed on society tonight. He pitched 3.1 innings, allowed 1 hit, no runs, and 5 K. How the hell did anybody manage a hit? Had to have been an error and bad call by official scorer. ... Gabe Mejia continues to disappoint, 0-4. ... Capel 0-3 with a walk and SB. ... Chu 0-2 with 2 walks. ... Ice 2-3 with a double.

CLE AA Allen, Greg CF 5 1 2 0 .306 2B (2) [I suppose he'll stay in Akron a couple months, but Columbus looms]
CLE AA Bradley, Bobby 1B 5 0 1 2 .121
CLE AA Chang, Yu-Cheng SS 5 0 2 2 .250 3B (2)
CLE AA Mejia, Francisco C 4 0 1 1 .394 [this kid hits all the time everywhere]
CLE LoA Ice, Logan C 3 0 2 1 .259 2B (2) [defense is his forte, if he can hit a little, he'll make it as Frankie's backup]
CLE MAJ Diaz, Yandy 3B 4 0 1 0 .250
CLE AA Merryweather, Julian 7 2 2 2 1 7 4.50 [last 2 starts: 12 2 2 2 1 15 1.50]
CLE LoA Miniard, Micah 4.1 5 0 0 3 3 0.75

BRB Joe‏ @BurningRiverBB 6 minutes ago
This is ball that @Nolan_Jones10 crushed out of today's Extended Spring game. He must have really disliked that ball to hit it so hard.
In addition to the HR, Jones hit a double & single, knocked in 3 and scored 2. Samad Taylor had a great game as well w/ 3H, 3R & an RBI.
Edit: Damn, I was trying to post the pic of the ball lying on the ground WAY past the OF wall that he posted with his tweet, but he must have it protected or something because for some reason it won't post. But it was an absolute bomb...

You can see that pic and others at his Twitter page. I don't think you need a Twitter account to view his tweets and pics.

https://twitter.com/BurningRiverBB

Sam Hentges tweeted out that he threw his first bullpen since his TJ surgery. I hope he comes back good as ever. He had potential.

And Lynchburg is playing two today to make up the rain out last night. They won the first game 1-0. Give you three guesses who started, but you won't need last two.

Pannone!

It's been a good couple nights. Cavs win, Blue Jackets win, Tribe wins 2 in a row. And tonight a few of my favorite pitchers took the bump in the minors.

The Clippers won 3-0 on a nice outing by Merritt. 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K. ... Zimmer 0-3 with a walk. ... Gonzalez 1-3 with a double. ... Kipnis 1-4 with double. ... Naquin 1-4 w/ 2 K.

Akron lost 8-6. ... Allen 1-4 with a double and a SB. ... Krieger 2-5. ... Frankie 1-5 with RBI. ... Bradley 1-2 with a homer and 3 walks. Nice. ... Chang 1-5, his 4th homer. ... Papi 1-4 with a HR.

As I mentioned, Lynchburg played two 7 inning games to make up the rain out last night. And they won game One 1-0 on the back of another great outing by Pannone. 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. ... Calica 1-1 w/ 2 walks.

They won game two as well, 7-1. Triston McKenzie continues to dazzle. 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. ... What a great looking prospect.

Lake County took the Hot Rods to the wood shed, 8-0. ... Aaron Civale looking damn good in his own right. ... 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K ... My man Gabe Mejia finally manages a single, 1-3, but gets thrown out trying to steal. He must be playing injured or sick. Yeah, that's it. ... Isaacs 1-5 with 3 K. ... Chu 1-4 with a walk. ... Ice 0-2 w/ 2 walks.

That was lot of good pitching! And there's no doubt about it, you're riding a winner with Pannone! Have you read any scouting reports on him? How hard does he throw? Is he a ground ball pitcher? Has he turned eyes of any prospect gurus?

I like the 10 walks Bobby Bradley has drawn. He went hitless in about his first 4 games and has hit a little better since. One of the youngest position players in the pitcher-dominant Eastern League, he remains patient and imperfect. But nobody's perfect.

This doesn't reveal much

Thomas Pannone – LHP

Thomas Pannone was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the ninth round in 2013 out of the University of Southern Nevada. He’s never been one of the more heralded prospects in the Tribe system, but the 6-foot tall lefty had a breakout 2016 season. He’s always been great at limiting base hits, but he posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 133 innings this summer. He began the season repeating Class-A but eventually found himself at Advanced-A Lynchburg, where his numbers actually improved. After a hot spring, where he was one of two minor league starters to allow zero runs (Adam Plutko being the other), Pannone will return to Lynchburg to begin the 2017 season. His stuff still makes it hard to project him as a big league starter ]but there’s value in getting outs and keeping guys off the bases. The 22-year-old will attempt to reach Double-A this summer.

Tony in 2016:

The countdown continues with an athletic lefty who is just coming into his own and has the potential to impact as a reliever or starter...


54. Thomas Pannone – Left-handed Pitcher

Born: 04/28/1994 – Height: 6’0” – Weight: 180 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

Facts & Info: Pannone was selected in the 9th round of the 2013 Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada. He was originally drafted in the 33rd round of the 2012 Draft by the Cubs out of high school, but did not sign and played baseball at the University of Miami, FL. Last season, he finished 7th in the Midwest League in strikeouts (120), 7th in WHIP (1.16) and 3rd in batting average against (.231).

Stuff: Pannone is a small pitcher, but packs a ton of athleticism into his small frame. He features a solid average fastball that sits at 88-91 MPH and touches 94 MPH with some good late life to it. He shows good command of his fastball and is able to get some swing and miss with it. He complements his fastball with a power curveball and straight changeup, both of which are a work in progress and lack consistency, but he shows the ability to put them around the plate and both have the potential to be average offerings for him. He has made some good strides with his curveball and is the better of his two secondary offerings. He is still learning to get a feel for his developing changeup.

Delivery & Intangibles: Pannone shows a good, free and easy delivery that he is able to repeat and make quick adjustments thanks to his high aptitude and athleticism. With some strength gains, more experience and some delivery adjustments over the last year it has helped get his body in a better spot and make him a little more powerful and consistent. He has some deception within his delivery that hitters just don’t see the ball really well, which is a big advantage for him being that he is left-handed and someone who has some good velocity from the left side. He has an aggressive demeanor on the mound and is a hard worker.

Focus: Pannone came in as an unpolished arm with some good upside who only pitched one year of junior college ball and did not pitch a lot in high school because he pitched in a cold weather state in Rhode Island, so a big focus right now is just getting him more mound time. He is still very raw with the mechanics of pitching and he is still making adjustments and fine-tuning his delivery by getting better direction to the plate and not getting across his body. The Indians believe that such fine-tuning would allow him to get to both sides of the plate better and command his fastball more consistently. The development of his secondary offerings is vital and something that will ultimately determine how far he goes. It is not about velocity, it is about commanding his pitches to disrupt a hitter’s timing and to be able to use an array of pitches within the strike zone over the course of a start. He is still in the early stages of building his routine and is learning how to pitch.

Future: Pannone has a lot of talent and has not harnessed that talent just yet. He is still very raw and needs experience, so there is a lot of room to grow and he has not yet come close to reaching his ceiling. Last season he started to show his potential and why the Indians like his upside with a good season across the board both from a traditional stat and advanced stat point of view. His future as a starter remains to be seen, but he at the very least is viewed as a future lefty pen arm with the upside to be more. The Indians believe that he will eventually be a reliever in the long term, but for now are content with keeping him in the starting rotation because they believe it is the best way to nurture him in the development of his delivery, pitches and feel for pitching - and they don't want to give up on him as a starter too soon. He should open the season in the starting rotation at High-A Lynchburg.

moved up 20 places in 2017:



The 2017 countdown continues with a lefty who came into the organization a few years ago as a project and has since solidified himself as a good starting pitching prospect for the Indians and the versatility to potentially end up a starter or reliever in the big leagues...


34. Thomas Pannone – Left-handed Pitcher

Born: 04/28/1994 – Height: 6’0” – Weight: 195 – Bats: Left – Throws: Left

Facts & Info: Pannone was selected in the 9th round of the 2013 Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada. He was originally drafted in the 33rd round of the 2012 Draft by the Cubs out of high school, but did not sign and played baseball at the University of Miami, FL. Last season, he finished 1st in the organization in ERA (2.57) and 3rd in strikeouts (122).

Stuff: Pannone is a smaller sized pitcher who brings a ton of athleticism to the mound with a solid three pitch mix from the left side. He features a solid average fastball that sits at 88-91 MPH and will flash up to 94 MPH when he reaches back for extra. He’s not someone who is going to blow hitters away, but he has shown improved velocity where he maintains it around 90 MPH and gets it higher than that more often, and more importantly, maintains his velocity and stamina through each outing and over the course of the season. He commands his fastball well and gets some good movement with it and shows some late life through the zone that generates some swing and miss. His best secondary offering is a power curveball that is average but has the potential to be above average as he gains more consistency in commanding it around the zone and shows a little more depth to it. He also throws a straight changeup that is a work in progress because it lacks consistently, but is a pitch he is starting to show more confidence throwing not just to right-handers but left-handers as well.

Delivery & Intangibles: Pannone has a clean delivery that is free and easy and that he repeats well. He has a ton of athleticism which has really helped him make quick adjustments and incorporate some delivery changes to this point in his pro career, and it is that athleticism along with a high aptitude that has the Indians excited about his potential as they believe there is still more in the tank as far as his stuff and pitchability goes. While the stuff may not be great, he shows the ability to get a lot of quick outs and get hitters to swing at his pitches early in the count and generate weak contact. That is a unique trait and shows he has some deception where hitters don’t see the ball well and that he does a nice job of sequencing and locating his pitches – especially with how well he runs his fastball in on right-handers. He is developing a good feel for pitching and shows the ability to move the ball around and change speeds. He has an aggressive approach and does not get frazzled when faced with adversity and does a good job of remaining poised and making a pitch to get out of a jam. He falls in line with the Indians focus on players who have a plus makeup and a strong work ethic.

Focus: The main focus with Pannone is developing his delivery, arsenal and strike throwing ability. He lacks much pitching experience since he did not pitch a lot in high school and pitched just one year in junior college before joining the Indians organization, so he is still learning to pitch and is still a little rough around the edges on the mound. The Indians had him repeat at Low-A Lake County to start last season because they wanted him to get more mound experience to gain a better feel for pitching, refine his command a little bit and learn how to throw with a little better intent. He made some strides in those areas, so when he moved up to High-A Lynchburg they began working on locating better to his glove side since he has a tendency to get across his body a little bit. Shortly after moving up to Lynchburg in July he threw a sensational outing where he threw seven shutout innings and allowed just one hit, but in the next start he had a blister issue crop up which impacted that start, shelved him for almost three weeks and it took him a few starts to get back into the swing of things. The Indians believe that some good came out of the blister issues as the time away from the mound at the end of July and the first half of August allowed him time to work on the side and get his mechanics back in line and take a step forward with his command. He’s really made some strides with his fastball command and the way he controls his secondary stuff and has turned into more of a complete pitcher the last two seasons. Going forward, the Indians want him to continue to work on refining his mechanics so that he can better repeat his delivery and work his fastball to both sides of the plate more consistently. Also, while his curveball and changeup are both promising offerings, neither has really come to the forefront, so they will continue to tweak both offerings and potentially even explore changing up his pitch mix to add a different offspeed pitch that works better with his fastball.

Future: Pannone probably should have opened last season in High-A, but the Indians are not a “normal” operation these days because of the plethora of pitching talent they have throughout their system. Even though he was forced to repeat at the same level he had some success at in 2015, he used it as an opportunity to hone in on some of his deficiencies and improve, and that’s exactly what happened as he made some strides both developmentally and statistically and had a great year. He came into the organization as a very raw, inexperienced arm that required a ton of work upfront on his delivery, command, stuff and just learning the nuances of pitching, but all of that work came together last season and he really stepped forward and solidified himself as a legit pitching prospect in the organization. He won’t break the radar gun, but low 90s lefties are nice to have and there is still some upside to his offspeed stuff. It is questionable as to whether he has the pitches to remain a starter, but there is no doubt he is at least a potential big league arm in the pen. The Indians themselves actually believe his future is in the pen, but will continue to start him in order to facilitate his growth with his pitches, command and feel for the mound and let his versatility and athleticism take him from there. He should open the season with a return to High-A Lynchburg and if he has a strong showing there he could finish the season with a late season promotion to Double-A Akron.

Ranking History: #54 (2016), #56 (2015), #69 (2014)