Cleveland Sports Forum

Merritt and Anderson are 2 "3rd round equivalents". Let's see how they do with the rest of the hard-to-sign picks that we loaded up on this year.

Indians sign Davenport
4:07 PM TONY NO COMMENTS

The Indians have signed 43rd round pick left-handed pitcher Geoff Davenport. According to Jim Callis of Baseball America he was signed for $100K.

Davenport was a middle reliever and weekend starter for the University of Arkansas and this past season went 3-1 with a 4.95 ERA in six appearances. In 20.0 innings he allowed 18 hits, 11 earned runs, 7 walks, and had 22 strikeouts. He would have gone a lot higher in the draft, but he injured his arm this past March and had Tommy John surgery.

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Posted in: 2011 Draft News,Geoffrey Davenport

uesday, August 9, 2011

Indians sign Ruiz
1:47 PM TONY NO COMMENTS

Brian Ruiz (Photo: Plain Dealer)
The Indians today announced that they have signed 41st round pick outfielder Brian Ruiz, a 2011 graduate from Lincoln West High School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ruiz was named Player of the Year in the Senate Athletic League for the second straight season, hitting .600 with 22 RBI while using a wooden bat all season. The right-handed hitting centerfielder led the Wolverines to the Division I district semifinals, the farthest a Cleveland public school has advanced in 24 years. He was a member of the Senate All-Star team for three years.

The Indians had been following Ruiz while he was playing summer ball, and what they saw combined with his local ties was a perfect match for the two sides to strike a deal and get him into the fold. The wooden bat he used all season was given to him by fellow Tribe farmhand Alex Lavisky, and he wears #24 in honor of Willie Mays.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).
Posted in: 2011 Draft News,Brian Ruiz

The Indians have signed 43rd round pick left-handed pitcher Geoff Davenport. According to Jim Callis of Baseball America he was signed for $100K. [That's about 5th round money]

Davenport was a middle reliever and weekend starter for the University of Arkansas and this past season went 3-1 with a 4.95 ERA in six appearances. In 20.0 innings he allowed 18 hits, 11 earned runs, 7 walks, and had 22 strikeouts. He would have gone a lot higher in the draft, but he injured his arm this past March and had Tommy John surgery.

Tony's usually right on these signings:

he Indians have agreed to terms with 7th round pick catcher Eric Haase, and his signing is expected to become official anytime between now and next Monday August 16th [sic]. The Indians have not officially announced the signing, probably because they may have to wait a few days before MLB approves the signing to be released publicly due to his expected well overslot bonus.

Haase had a commitment to attend Ohio State University to play baseball, but will instead hope to pass through Columbus down the road via the Indians' Triple-A affiliate. He offers up an interesting power-speed skill set, and while he is a catcher has the versatility with his athleticism to move to a corner position.

BA on Haase:

Eric Haase is the best high school position prospect in Michigan, but scouts believe he's not ready for pro ball and needs to go play for three years at Ohio State. He has some strength and has more athleticism than most catchers, but it's uncertain he'll hold up behind the plate at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. He didn't even catch regularly for his high school team. He has some strength in his righthanded swing, but he may not have the bat speed to fare well against better pitching.

Sounds like he's not worth going overslot for.

Why would you worry about the Indians going over slot ?

It's not my money, so why should I worry? Only so they have the dollars available for a more valuable commodity. If they sign the Dillons and Tarpley and Lindor, and the rest, that's great.

Sounds like they are going to sign everyone they want to sign.

Dave (SD, CA)

Will the Indians sign Dillon Howard- and where does he project? Seems like he is a must sign after they dealt away Pomeranz and White.


Keith Law (1:06 PM)

Yes, I believe he'll sign on Monday. I think he's probably a good #2, maybe a top 25-30 starter in the big leagues but below the top echelon. A bit raw but really projectable.

Peter (Madison WI)

Which first round picks can you see not signing before the deadline?


Keith Law (1:40 PM)

I said last week that if you bet on each of the 33 to sign, you'd be right on at least 31 of them, just going off historical trends. That said, this year I believe all 33 will sign if they pass their physicals. Biggest risk is Lindor, who is talking nonsense about going to JC and going higher in next year's draft - much more downside risk for him than upside. Real drama comes after that with guys like Bell (unlikely), Hedges (better than even), Howard (likely), Norris (50/50), and so on.

Ian (Ohio)

What are the chances the Indians sign Dillon Howard, Stephen Tarpley, and Dillon Peters? Should they be aggressive in signing them after dealin Pomeranz and White?


Keith Law (2:16 PM)

Mentioned above that I think Howard signs. Not sure on the other two - rumor out here had Tarpley looking for something crazy, like $3MM. He's not a seven-figures guy for me.

Chris (Boston)

With how deep this draft was, isn't there more upside than normal for a guy picked from 12-18 to re-enter the draft next year while likely going much higher?


Keith Law (1:46 PM)

Yes, although I might put the cutoff more at 25-30 or later, just because there is so much risk involved. But Lindor was picked 8th and would be turning down at least $2MM.

Indians obviously like this kid a lot. They're going way over slot for plenty of signings. Lindor, the two Dillons and Tarpley remain.

Tribe Signs Haase For $580,000

Posted Aug. 12, 2011 9:03 am by Jim Callis
Filed under: Signings
The Indians have signed seventh-round pick Eric Haase for $580,000. This marks the second straight year that Cleveland has invested heavily in a high school catcher. In 2010, the Tribe inked eighth-rounder Alex Lavisky for $1 million.

Haase's bonus is the highest after the fifth round so far this year.

A product of Divine Child HS (Dearborn, Mich.), Haase was the best high school position prospect in Michigan this spring. He's more athletic than most catchers and shows some strength, though many area scouts weren't sold on his ability to stay behind the plate. He had committed to Ohio State.