Monday games:

CLE AA Clement, Ernie SS 1 1 0 0 .156
CLE AA Johnson, Daniel CF 4 1 1 3 .245 HR (7)
CLE HiA Gonzalez, Oscar LF 3 2 2 2 .371 2B (8), 3B (3), BB (1)
CLE HiA Jones, Nolan 3B 4 1 1 0 .312
CLE LoA Freeman, Tyler SS 3 1 1 0 .295 SB (9)
CLE LoA Holmes, Quentin CF 4 2 2 1 .162 HR (1), SB (8) [6 for his last 24; slow improvement]
CLE LoA Naylor, Bo C 2 0 1 1 .200 2 BB (14)

CLE AA Sandlin, Nick 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0.87 WHIP 1.16 could be better

So I once again complained in a BA chat about no attention to Karinchak and was referred at last to a recent[brief] reference to him:

KEEP AN EYE ON: Indians righthander James Karinchak has wowed scouts this season with an upper-90s fastball and hammer breaking ball that have allowed him to whiff 30 hitters in 12 innings this season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. The heater plays up even more than its velocity because of deception and plane created by his delivery. He could make an appearance in the big leagues this season.

And got a positive teaser of an answer to my Tyler Freeman query:

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Tyler Freeman seems to lost the ability to strike out while walking as much this spring as he did in his first two years together. I can see him moving to the top of the Indians prospect list, what do you think?

J.J. Cooper: I think you're going to want to check out our soon-to-post Top 100 update to reflect Yusei Kikuchi's graduation....

Daniel Johnson with 2 more hits today for Akron.

How good is that trade looking? Johnson and Jefry Rodriguez for Gomes, who is barely putting up better numbers than Perez. Hell, Roberto has been on a bit of a hot streak so his numbers may be better now. (damning with faint praise)

Roberto's got his OPS up over 700!

J.C. Mejia is scheduled to start for Lynchburg today; his first appearance in about a month. Hentges for Akron who had his first good start last time out.

Indians Prospective @indiansPro

#Indians RHP prospect Zach Plesac's organizational rankings: (30+ IP)

1) ERA 0.83
1) FIP 1.88
1) BB/9 1.45
1) BB% 4.4%
1) IP 43.1
1) HR/9 0.00
1) LOB% 88.2%
2) SO 41
2) SO/BB 5.86
2) SO/BB% 21.3%
2) AVG .176
2) WHIP 0.78
3) SO% 25.6%
6) SwStr% 11.6%
9) SO/9 8.52

He's looking awfully good. What pitches does he throw?

meanwhile, BA lines for yesterday games:

CLE AA Johnson, Daniel CF 4 0 2 0 .254 CS (3)
CLE AAA Bradley, Bobby 1B 4 1 0 0 .296 BB (11)
CLE AAA Haase, Eric C 4 1 1 0 .222 BB (13)
CLE HiA Gonzalez, Oscar LF 5 0 0 0 .358
CLE HiA Jones, Nolan 3B 3 0 0 0 .304 2 BB (27) [the walking man]
CLE LoA Benson, Will DH 4 1 1 0 .241 SB (10)
CLE LoA Freeman, Tyler SS 4 1 1 0 .293 3B (2)
CLE LoA Holmes, Quentin CF 3 0 0 0 .157 [hit streak ends at one]
CLE LoA Naylor, Bo C 4 1 2 1 .213 2 2B (3) [he's picking it up nicely; he had 3 extra base hits through last week; has his first homer and these two doubles in the past few days]
CLE MAJ Mercado, Oscar LF 3 1 0 0 .000

CLE LoA Oviedo, Luis 3.2 2 3 3 5 1 4.13 Never a mediocre game by Oviedo

I started to post this article but decided to post link instead cause there is a great video of Ted Williams embedded in it. #1 rule of hitting is getting a good ball to hit. That is why most important attribute I look for in young hitters is patience. Tyler Freeman is figuring that out, and why he’s moving up rankings.

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/toolshed ... -307131618

Morning baseball today:

Sam Hentges was much better last start, although he walked 5 in his shutout. Today he pitched 7 more shutout innings, 1 walk, 4 hits, 6 K. His ERA is still high at 4.69 but maybe good progress.
Kyle Nelson with another scoreless inning of relief, and registered all the outs by strikeout; issued 1 walk; his WHIP in AA is 0.75, with Lynchburg was 0.32 this season
Meanwhile Dennis Johnson 3 run homer in the 11th wins it for Akron; his 8th; he has 28 RBI

lake County win 10-6.

Q Holmes with his first ever 3 hit game [one a double] and his 9th steal; 9 for his last 32 is for him a major step forward. Benson also three hits, including HR7, first I believe since the 4 homer game, and 3 rbi. He has 26, and his 11th steal. Freeman likewise with 3 hits, with double #13 and his 10th steal.
Henry Pujols season debut 1-3.
Cody Morris OK 5 innings: 5 4 2 2 1 6

Tyler Freeman 306/425/496. struck out today, for the 2nd time in his last 9th games or 36 plater appearances.
He'll turn 20 next week. Could reward him with a move to Lynchburg. No reason not to expect rapid ascent for a disciplined hitter like him.

He is still very young, and from the link to the article I posted above it is obvious there is still things they want him to work on. So I doubt he gets a very quick ascension. But very nice to see him debut in the Top 100 for MiLB.

Daniel Johnson gets his average up a little bit and I’m going to start getting excited.

Horrible news today. Recently I shared with you that Lenny Torres was in Cleveland getting his elbow examined. Hadn't heard anything since, till today...

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Indians Prospective @indiansPro

#Indians 18yr old RHP Lenny Torres Jr. had Tommy Johnn surgery today & will miss the 2019 season.

Sam Hentges had TJ and is back as a Top 10 prospect in AA still only at age 22

Here's a post from last year around this year while he was working at Lynchburg:

Hentges can draw a fairly straight line from his elbow surgery almost two years ago to his success today.

"It's a long process," Hentges said of his rehab. "With Tommy John, you have to accept you won't be out there for at least a year. That's a big step mentally no matter what. But it also means you can get better physically and in better shape because you have no limitations other than your arm. It sparked a new work ethic. I understand the grind more. I was still young, only 19 when the surgery happened. I didn't really know what I was trying to do or achieve. Now with effort and consistency, I get it a lot more.

"Like today, I'm on a bus for six hours, but I can't just shrug that off and not work for the day. I still have to go through my work, follow my routine. Rehab helped shape that."

Hentges earned solid marks for the way he lost weight going into his Draft year, dropping from 248 to 220. He's back up to 245 now, but there's more muscle. Without the ability to work on his arm during rehab, Hentges focused on his lower half and core with the help of trainers. By the time he returned, his velocity returned as well -- with even a few extra mph at times. Now, Hentges typically throws in the lower 90s but is capable of touching 95.

The results Hentges is seeing in 2018 didn't come right away, however. He put up a 4.85 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP and .296 average-against in his first six rehab starts in the complex-level Arizona League -- throwing no more than three innings in this outings -- before seeing much more promising results after a small bump to Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley (2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .088 average in five starts).

Hentges says now that he didn't care about the results in 2017. The only thing he was checking was the health of his surgically repaired elbow.

"There was a point last year where they were building me up slowly," he said. "It didn't take until the fourth game before I could even throw three innings in a game. But at a certain point, I understood the elbow was healthy. The surgery was successful. I didn't need to worry about that. I could take everything I had learned in my rehab and put it to use on the mound and beyond that in my life, too."

That meant the offseason could finally be devoted to honing his craft, and because of that work, Hentges is seeing perhaps his greatest growth in control. Even before the surgery in 2016, the tall southpaw walked 29 batters in 60 1/3 innings with Class A Lake County for a 10.2 percent walk rate. Last season was about the same with an 11.8 percent walk rate. And though it was encouraging to see things hadn't gotten out of whack after a major procedure, his control was knocked in his scouting report as MLB.com gave it a 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

But after an offseason harnessing his craft, Hentges has seen a big jump when it comes to finding his spots in the early going. He's cut his walk rate in more than half, down to 4.8 percent through his three starts with the Hillcats. It's too early to say he's become a control freak, but consider this -- he's yet to walk more than two in an outing, and his April 11 gem marked the first time he didn't issue a free pass in a start of six innings or more since Aug. 9, 2015. It all traces back to a lack of worry about his elbow.

"One thing I've tried to focus on above all else has been control and command of the fastball, and I think that has improved a lot," he said. "Again, it's not perfect. It probably will never be perfect, but it's at least trending that way. ... It just comes down to repetition. Last year after rehab, it was just about getting out there and throwing. The stuff and location just wasn't a big deal for me. The offseason, I could actually focus on tightening things up, and that all starts with the fastball."

Only 21 in what would be his senior spring had he honored his commitment to Arkansas, Hentges is still learning about what he can be as a pitcher. He's still learning his craft. He's still learning his body, his delivery, his pitches. But Cleveland has liked enough of what they've seen to push that education to Class A Advanced, rather than returning him to Class A, where he had a 6.12 ERA before the operation. The aggressive move is already paying dividends.

"They had confidence that they could challenge me," Hentges said. "They've understood I've matured in my rehab, and that I was ready for something like this. That just speaks to the confidence I have in myself that they can see and the confidence they have in me too."

then again, Grant Hockin was No. 2 pick in 2014, another solid high schooler, and after his TJ surgery his comeback was brief and he's out of baseball