Re: General Discussion

13892
Thomas I'm glad to see is not starting against RH pitchers who he has established credentials of not being able to hit.
Of course with CLE he's not been able to hit anyone.

Pretty good price we played for him:
Clemmey, our top pitching prospect and just rated as Best Fastball in his his Low A league
Tena, who can probably do OK at short, or someone in the IF, not the slickest fielder but has some good hitting stats
RamirezR, SS, whose numbers are awful but is rated a possible prospect

We've got Thomas through 2025; it's hard to imagine him not getting back at least to his 2024 moderate success if not his 2023 starring role.

Re: General Discussion

13894
Each of experts is entitled to his opinion.
Clemmey is by far the highest ranked of them and he was; makes some some 100 prospect lists. He is far from the majors so he's a classic high risk/high reward player. He;s quickly slotted in as the Nationals No. 6 prospect. Fastball has a 70 rating which topsout at 99 Of course his command is the biggest issue for a 6-6 19 year old lefty.
Ramirez is No. 20 on the Nationals list . Even more than Clemmey he has a long way to go to reach his perceived ceiling.
Tena hit like mad this year for Columbus; I have to assume his defense is suspect otherwise Cleveland, MLB.Com. Baseball America and others would rate him a lot higher.
I wish them all good careers.
And am eagerly awaiting Thomas showing some value for our side.

Re: General Discussion

13895
Here's what BA said preseason while rating Tena No. 24 on CLE's list

BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: Cleveland’s 2017 international class has developed into a blockbuster. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio have been the headliners of this group, but Tena, a nephew of Juan Uribe, has made a name for himself. He won the Arizona Fall League batting title after hitting .387 as a 20-year-old in 2021 and made his major league debut in August 2023. He spent most of 2023 at Double-A Akron, where he could play shortstop without competing for time with Rocchio.

Scouting Report: Tena has a smaller frame that belies his ability. He has a loose, easy swing and above-average feel for the barrel that allows him to consistently square up balls. He’s an aggressive hitter who doesn’t walk much and struck out in 28.3% of his plate appearances in 2023. His whiff rate is higher than a player of his offensive profile would want and it’s something he’ll need to manage against high-level pitching. He’s an above-average runner and as he’s physically matured has grown into more power, though it mostly plays as doubles pop. Tena has an above-average arm, clean hands and solid range thanks to his speed and athleticism. He’s mostly played shortstop as a professional, but also has seen time at second and third base.

The Future: Tena is a part of the growing legion of talented middle infielders in the organization. His defensive versatility is an asset and could help him break through the crowd or emerge as a utility option. He’ll start 2024 back in Columbus, where he’s played just 20 games so far.

It all sounds good except for the swing and miss part which we know CLE doesn't like. I am sure the 30/102 BB/K numbers this year made him expendable from Guardians' perspective. We don't have anyone left in AA or AAA who looks like a big league SS. Good looking kids at the two Class A levels.

Re: General Discussion

13905
important series starts tomorrow vs the Royals. No starter pitchers announced yet for the doubleheader.
ILogan Allen seems awfully likely in one game; it will be 5 days since his last start with Columbus: 5 inning 1 run.
Game 2 I hope we don't have to suffer Cantillo again; his ERA is up in the 8+ range after 4 starts. I'd rather see Gillespie start and go as far as he can; he's certainly no star but his 2 big league appearances this year have each been 3 innings, 1 run, albeit in low pressure situations.
I hope Williams might possibly last long enough today that we don't need to overwork the bullpen before the doubleheaer.
McKenize is not a possiblity; he pitched, badly again, on Friday so would not be available.