Cleveland Sports Forum

ndians' minor league camp officially opens Monday
Photo: IPI
Photo: IPI
By Tony Lastoria
March 2, 2012

Big league camp is already in full swing. Some minor leaguers are already in Goodyear for early camp which officially started on February 28th, but here is a quick rundown of how minor league spring training will go for the next four weeks until camp breaks on April 1st.

March 5th: Pitchers and catchers report
March 9th: Position players report
March 11th: First full squad workout
March 16th: Spring games begin
April 1st: Camp breaks

For a complete view of the minor league spring game schedule, you can view it here:

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/m ... g-schedule

Over the course of the next four-plus weeks the Indians will have close to 180-some players participate in minor league spring training. About 100 of those players will be assigned to full season teams at Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Akron, High-A Carolina, and Low-A Lake County when camp breaks. A handful will remain in Arizona to continue to rehab from offseason surgeries or injuries sustained during spring training.

About 40 or so players will remain in extended spring training to play and get ready for short-season leagues which start up in June. For the remaining 20-30 players they will be released as with every spring training there are a lot of cuts made as the organization pares down the roster for the new season. With lots of new incoming talent over the course of this next year on the international front and 2012 Draft, there are only so many players the organization can keep around.

Kyle Blair was No. 11 or 12 on BA's Top Prospect list last year but had a miserable 2011. He fell out of their Top 30 this year. Tony's not too excited either:

The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues and we crack into the Top 30 with right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair at #30. He had a tale of two seasons last year, one pitching with a knee injury and one without, which led to some ups and downs with his performance. Tony sorts it all out and explains what happened last year to the highly regarded 2010 Draft pick.

WHIP near 1.5. Only 84 innings with an injury shutting him down for a couple months.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... air-001kyl

Bryce Stowell was my breakout success of 2010 and not so hot in 2011. Still throws hard but not so effectively.

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #31 Bryce Stowell
Right-handed pitcher Bryce Stowell comes in at #31 in the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown. He has a powerful right arm, but with command issues and the Indians' mysterious usage of him last season his big league future remains in doubt. Tony looks at what happened last year and his Major League future


http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... owel001bry

Surged to AAA in 2010, never made it past Akron in 2011.

Tony moves up to #29 a high-rated pitcher in 2010 draft who hurt himself shortly before the draft, so he dropped down a long ways but is considered a high reward high risk prospect. Got into 10 innings at Rookie level last summer. He's still only 20. A 6-4 200 pound lefty.

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #29 Robbie Aviles
We move into the 20s of the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown, and coming in at #29 is right-handed pitcher Robbie Aviles. He spent most of last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but now that he is healthy and ready to go this season he could begin to live up to his promise as a top two round pick going into the 2010 Draft. Tony gives the details.


I'll have to get out my BA prospect guide and start giving their comments on these players.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... iles001rob

He receives a $150,000 signing bonus as well as $200,000 which is for college if he ever decides to go to school. He's also scheduled to have TJ surgery right out of the gate.

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #28 Trey Haley
The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with right-handed pitcher Trey Haley coming in at #28. He has yet to live up to his draft promise and some may question his ranking in the Top 30, but there is no denying his talent as he has one of the top two or three arms in the system. After some velocity gains and mechanical changes last year, Tony believes he is ready to make a big step forward this season.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... ley-001cur

Career WHIP is a gaudy 1.7.

Haley was a 2nd round draft pick paid very big money to sign who struggled annually until 2011. Baseball America rates several notches higher. Yet like most all of our well-regarded pitchers he's a reliever.

Another reliever comes in at Tony's NO. 27. Sturdevant has received some early attention in camp.

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #27 Tyler Sturdevant
The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with right-handed reliever Tyler Sturdevant coming in at #27. He took a sizable jump in prospect stature last season and is now a legitimate big league bullpen option. Tony talks about his improved velocity, performance, and just what he may become as a big league reliever.

Signed past his 23rd birthday so with 2 full seasons and a short season behind him he's already 26.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... urde001tyl

Baseball America puts Sturdevant and Haley much higher: No. 12 and No. 16 respectively.

Others who Tony has listed so far who rate on BA's list:

Jordan Smith No. 30 Nick Weglarz No. 18

If Weglarz is truely #18, and he is totally worthless, what does that say about 19+ ?

They are nearly all probably worthless, too. The only thing Weglarz has going for him is that he is one of very very few power hitters we have. A team can only have so many middle relievers and middle infielders.

Goodnight, says Tony

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #26 Michael Goodnight
The first half of the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown wraps up with right-handed pitcher Michael Goodnight at #26. He is a strong starting pitching prospect with a delivery you can dream on and has potential as a middle of the rotation starter in the big leagues. Tony provides the details on what he improved in 2011 and what he needs to continue to work on in 2012.

A great start of the season and a terrible second half for Goodnight in 2011. You can't tell it from these stats. Somewhere the game logs for 2011 are available.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... odni001mic

One of the Tony Lastoria clones writes this article.

Five pitching prospects that could become the next Pestano

Photo: Ken CarrBy Jim Berdysz
March 9, 2012 ShareThis

At this time one season ago, Vinnie Pestano was just another reliever looking for a chance to make his mark in the big leagues. After having some success as a September call-up in 2010, Pestano competed and won the final bullpen spot out of spring training last season, and seemingly never looked back.

One year later, Pestano has not only become a household name for Tribe fans, but has pitched himself into one of the main fixtures in the Indians bullpen, now known as the Bullpen Mafia.

With spring training now underway, what Indians pitching prospect could follow in the footsteps of Pestano and break out in a big way in 2012?

The Indians relief depth has been an asset throughout most of the minor league system over the past few years. With offseason trades of highly regarded reliever prospects Cory Burns and Zach Putnam though, the Tribe is now left with a smaller core of young relievers, who like Pestano, hope to make their own mark with the Tribe as early as this season.

Here are five pitching prospects that could break out this season and become the next Vinnie Pestano:

5. Bryan Price, RHP

Acquired from the Boston Red Sox along with Justin Masterson in the Victor Martinez trade, Bryan Price has put up solid numbers in his two-plus years in the Indians minor league system. The one time starter now reliever projects into a well rounded middle to back-end reliever, where he has shown great control by mixing in his two-seam fastball and slider, to go along with a mid-to-high 90’s fastball.

At Double-A Akron the past two seasons, Price has combined to go 8-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 68 games spanning 121 innings. The 25-year-old and former first round pick by the Red Sox in 2008 has gotten better in each of his seasons in the Indians organization, dropping a run off his ERA while maintaining strong control. His 2.20 SO/BB ratio was one of the best in the Akron bullpen in 2011, walking 15 and striking out 33 in 51.2 innings.

With lots of relief depth coming to the Tribe on minor league contracts this offseason, Price very well could open up the 2012 season with the Aeros once again. With no setbacks and a good first month, he will make his way further south to Triple-A Columbus during the first half of the year. Barring any injuries to the Indians bullpen, Price could become a September call-up to the big leagues as rosters expand near the end of the season.

[AA lifer, it appears]

4. Bryce Stowell, RHP

If there was an Indians prospect on his way to the majors with the best late inning stuff, it just may be Bryce Stowell. The former UC Irvine star was at one point on the fast track to the majors, having played games at the three highest minor league levels in 2010. After straining his right elbow late during the 2010 season though, the arm injury ultimately prevented Stowell from potentially making his Major League debut that year with the Tribe as a September call-up.

This past year, Stowell began a slow but productive road back, pitching in a total of just 38.2 innings between Class-A Lake County and Akron. The Indians former 22nd round pick in 2008 has dominated the most at the Double-A level each of the past two seasons, going a combined 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in 41.2 innings with the Aeros. In those 40-plus innings Stowell has allowed just 27 hits, walked 21 while striking out 61, posting a ridiculous 13.2 SO/9.

[Dropped all the way to No. 24 on Baseball America's Tribe Top 30 for 2012]

Arm injuries aside, Stowell cannot only flat out pitch, but become a force in the back-end of the Tribe bullpen for many years to come. If he can stay healthy this entire season and keep control of his fastball that can touch 100 mph, there’s no doubt Stowell can make his Major League debut sometime in 2012. With arbitration and salaries beginning to rise in the Indians bullpen, Stowell could become an excellent alternative in the bullpen should the Indians make a deal during the year.

3. Tyler Sturdevant, RHP

If Indians fans don’t know Tyler Sturdevant already, I almost guarantee they will before this season is over. Like Stowell in 2010, Sturdevant played at the three highest levels of the Indians minor league system in 2011. There is a lot to like when it comes to the former New Mexico State Aggie, as just one glance at his career minor league numbers will make any Tribe fan want to see what he can do in the big leagues.

The former 27th round pick by the Indians in 2009 owns a career minor league record of 15-6 with a 2.46 ERA. Totaling 175.1 innings, Strudevant has a career 2.60 SO/BB ratio where he’s walked just 51 batters while striking out 215. In the end, he ultimately may have a better chance to make it to the big leagues first when compared to Stowell, with health and the ability to stay consistent being the main differences.

[Rated No. 12 by Baseball America]

One knock on Sturdevant is his age, as he is already 26 years old and has yet to crack the major league roster. Age could also become beneficial to him as the season progresses, as the Indians will need to find out if Sturdevant is in the team’s future plans, especially if he keeps pitching the way he has been the last two seasons. For now, Strudevant looks to be destined for Columbus out of spring training.

While the Indians have relief depth with lots of big league experience, some of the veteran minor league relievers can opt out of their contracts with the team if they don’t make the Indians roster by a certain date. This bodes well for any one of these prospects, and could end up being the opportunity for Sturdevant to get his first call to the pros as early as this season.

2. Chen Lee, RHP

One Indians pitching prospect that has done nothing but fly through the minor league system is right hander Chen Lee. The native of Taiwan may stand below six feet, but his numbers especially with the Clippers this past season will tell anyone he is ready to be tested in the majors. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008, Lee’s querky Japanese-like delivery makes him unique from the other upcoming prospects, which may give him a little leg up in the competition.

Rated by Baseball America earlier this year as the fourth best prospect in the Indians' system, Lee went an undefeated 4-0 with Columbus this past season, sporting a 2.27 ERA in 31.2 innings. Throughout his minor league career with the Indians, Lee has never posted an ERA lower than 3.35, his highest coming in his first season in the Tribe system with Class-A Kinston.

As a dark horse in spring training for one of the final bullpen spots with the Indians, Lee has already proven at 24 years old that he is a winner at every minor league level. While Lee hasn’t exactly been lights out in spring training so far, he has already been called upon to close out the first exhibition game of the year, showing just how high the Indians are on the Taiwan native. With many veterans in camp, it’s tough to say whether Lee will make the big league club out of spring training. If not, Tribe fans will see a new kind of “Lee” at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario very soon.

1. Nick Hagadone, LHP

Also acquired in the Martinez trade with the Red Sox in 2009, Nick Hagadone has the best chance of becoming the next Vinnie Pestano this upcoming season. The six-foot-five left-hander saw his first taste of the big leagues last year, and did not disappoint notching his first Major League win in the process.

After having Tommy John surgery in 2008, the Indians believe Hagadone is best destined for a role in the back-end of the bullpen, where short inning work could benefit his already high-90’s fastball. With the Tribe, Hagadone went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA, but what was most impressive was that the southpaw gave up just four hits in his first 11 big league innings, holding opponents to a dismal .118 average.

Rated by Baseball America as the third best prospect in the Indians organization this season, Hagadone is currently competing for one of the last two remaining bullpen spots with the Tribe. With two lefties already in the ‘pen in Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez, it may be difficult for Hagadone to win a spot out of spring training. With a good month of March and the will to show he belongs in the majors, Hagadone could very easily slip onto the big league roster this spring and not only help the Tribe contend, but become the next Pestano as well.

[Another possibility could be Austin Adams who throws very hard and impresses most "experts" as a better relief candidate than a starter. Baseball America rates him our #8 prospect. Indians keep starting him, I suppose because of the depth of relievers and dearth of starters.

[This list would have been much longer a couple months ago, before Cody Burns was traded; Josh Judy DFA'd, Zach Putman traded, and Kelvin de la Cruz DFA'd. They would all have fit in above Price, Putnam would have been No. 3. BA rated him as our #10 prospect. Indians may quickly be eliminating their one and only area of depth: middle relievers.]

Another catcher, this time a good hitter who isn't much of a receiver. In fact Lowery spent most of his game time in 2011 at 1st Base or DH with Alex Lavisky as lead catcher. I have no objection to a 1b who can hit.

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #25 Jake Lowery
We begin the front half of the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown with Jake Lowery at #25. He is a powerful catching prospect the Indians picked up in the 4th round of last year's draft and has a lot of potential with his bat. Tony looks at what type of offensive player he could become and where he may fit on the field as a defender.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... wery000mar

Lots of walks, lots of doubles in his debut season.

Tony continued:

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #24 Tyler Holt
The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown moves on with Tyler Holt coming in at #24. The speedy, high energy outfielder had a solid season last year at High-A Kinston, a better year than the raw numbers indicate. His game is about getting on base, creating havoc on the basepaths, and playing solid defense. Tony gives the 411 on his potential and if he can continue to progress in the upper levels of the minors

a better year than the raw numbers indicate Really? How is an OPS of 691 really not an OPS of 691? Here are the numbers:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... lt--001tyl

He didnt' reach the Top 30 with BA. Neither did Michael Goodnight, Tony's #25 who is many places lower for BA.

#23 a rare starting pitcher prospect, but an especially impressive one:

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #23 T.J. McFarland
We continue on with the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown with #23 T.J. McFarland. He is a left-handed starting pitching prospect, and one of the last prospects that could still potentially become something from a very disappointing 2007 Draft. Tony looks at what McFarland needs to do to go to the next level as a prospect and if he is on the Major League radar.

BA rates TJ #21. They use number grades this year, rating prospects from 20-80 on the normal scouting scale of talent. TJ gets an unimpressive 45. That grade translates to: "Platoon/utility players, back-end starters and relievers. Think of James Carroll and Joe Blanton". BA writes about McFarland:

His fastball sits in the high 80s with heavy life and tail, which makes it difficult for hitters to lift. He isn't likely to add velocity so he'll have to rely on movement and refinement of his secondary pitches and control. His sweeping slider and changeup are both fringy but he mixes them well and has good feel for his craft. While his upside is limited, he could be a back of the rotation stater or middle reliever in the majors Yeah! Another middle reliever.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... farl001tj-

Only 22. Career WHIP 1.38

A Tony clone writes about the best of a not very good group of players in Akron this season:

The five most important Akron Aeros' in 2012

Photo: IPIBy Jim Piascik
March 13, 2012 ShareThis

Even though the Cleveland Indians have a lack of top-end talent in the upper levels of their minor league system, the performances of five players currently ticketed for the AA level Akron Aeros will be very important to the Tribe’s success in 2012 and beyond.

Saying most of the real talent of the Indians’ minor league system is in the lower levels is an understatement. Of IPI’s Top 20 prospects, only eight are currently slated to be above A-ball at the start of the 2012 season (to find out exactly who they are, buy the book!). Even worse for the Akron Aeros, most of those eight are above the AA level. Only two players in IPI’s Top 20 are expected to start the year in Akron, leaving fans of the Aeros without much impressive, top talent to go see this season.

That said, the Indians will need some of the players at Akron to succeed at a high level for the overall health of the system. Here are the five most important Aeros for the 2012 season:

Chun Chen, C

On the surface, Chun Chen’s first exposure to the AA level in 2011 did not go all that poorly. In 113 games, Chen posted a fairly strong .262/.330/.451 slash line, .781 OPS, .346 wOBA (113 wRC+), 16 HR, 70 RBI and 24 2B. Since the offensive threshold for catchers is not all that high and Chen was only 22 last year, his 2011 season would not normally seem to be a huge cause for concern. Yet, Chen saw his prospect stock fall heading into 2012.

Despite most of the top of the 2011 Indians’ prospects list being lopped off, Chen fell two spots from 20th to 22nd. This is due in a big way to his defense and strikeout problems. By all accounts, Chen’s defense is below-average right now, something that means more now that we are finding out catcher defense may be underrated by our current metrics. Chen needs to improve his defense because he has to stick at catcher, since his bat does not profile at all at first base. In addition to his defensive struggles, Chen’s strikeout rate jumped from 17.8% to 26.1% in 2011 and his walk rate plummeted from 12.1% to 9.2%. He still showed decent pop when he made contact, but he needs to improve his plate discipline in order to be successful.

The Indians may have a good one-two punch at catcher of Carlos Santana and Lou Marson at the big league level, but the Tribe really needs Chen to reach his full potential. At the very least, an offensive-oriented catcher who can handle the position – someone like Yasmani Grandal – can be a key piece in trades for impact players like Mat Latos. That is not to say the Indians must trade Chen, that he is as good as Grandal or that they are going to trade for someone like Latos, but if Chen were to rebuild his stock, he would be very useful to the club in one way or another.

Nick Weglarz, OF/DH

There are no words that can express how happy Nick Weglarz must have been to see 2011 end. In what was supposed to be his final year of seasoning at the AAA level, Weglarz only managed 41 games due to injuries and struggled mightily back down in AA Akron. Weglarz does not have much speed or play defense particularly well, so his power is his big calling card. After 2011 saw Weglarz post a meager .306 SLG%, there is real doubt now if he will ever make it to the majors.

Weglarz has never managed to stay healthy throughout his minor league career, but he is still only headed into his age-24 season. This is still the player who had a .501 SLG% and .893 OPS between AA Akron and AAA Columbus in 2010 (granted, in only 87 games). Weglarz’s stock is at a major low, but the injuries last year only robbed him of his power considering he maintained his strong batting approach (43:36 SO:BB, .360 OBP). If Weglarz can stay healthy and regain his power, he can spend 2012 re-establishing himself within the system and stake his claim to the DH spot in Cleveland that will be coming free next season after Travis Hafner departs. Weglarz is still far from making it to Cleveland, but if he can dominate Akron like he did in 2010, he could still work out in the end.

Austin Adams, RHP

Unlike Chen and Weglarz, Austin Adams is a prospect whose star is rising. Adams saw his ranking jump from 32nd in 2011 to a high, as of yet unreleased number in IPI’s top prospect countdown (again, if you want to know now, buy the book! I did already and it is tremendous). Adams may not be a big guy (5’11”, 185 lbs.), but he has hit triple digits on the radar gun with his fastball. Considering Adams was a shortstop in college and only started pitching full-time recently, his growth and production in 2011 at Akron (3.77 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 8.7 SO/9, 4.2 BB/9) is very impressive.

Adams still has plenty of work and improvement to do, but he is certainly on the right track. The biggest problem with Adams right now is that he may only end up being a reliever at the Major League level. While there is nothing wrong with that per se, the Tribe would obviously rather see Adams produce 200 innings as a starter as opposed to 70 as a reliever. The Indians have plenty of back-end starting options in the majors and upper minors, but not many middle- to top- of the rotation starters. If Adams can continue his development, he projects to be more than just another back-end depth guy, making his 2012 season very important and one to watch at AA Akron.

Tyler Holt, OF

He may not look like much (5’10”, 187 lbs.), but Tyler Holt will be an interesting player for the Akron Aeros this season. Last year in his age-22 season, Holt posted a decent .254/.365/.325 slash line, .690 OPS, .338 wOBA (112 wRC+), 19.8 K%, 14.6 BB% and 34 SB last year at A+ Kinston. The high amount of strikeouts is concerning, but if he is able to walk as much as he did last year, he will be okay. He brings a lot of speed and baserunning ability to the table and has drawn comparisons to Brett Gardner. Since Gardner was worth 5.1 fWAR last year (and should be hitting leadoff for the Yankees, in my opinion), that is high praise for Holt.

My biggest concern for Holt is the lack of power he showed at Kinston last year. Sure, the point of his game is to make contact and be the tablesetter for the rest of the order, but he needs to be a bit better than a .325 SLG%. I have watched Jordan Henry for the last two years at Akron and he is quite frustrating at times to watch. The right fielder will play closer to center field than right field, daring him to pull the ball anywhere close to the right field line, and Henry continues to just slap the ball the other way into the defense. You have to be aggressive and assert yourself from time to time to keep the defense honest, so I hope Holt continues his aggressive approach and works on driving the ball. He has the tools to be more than a fourth outfielder (something the Indians have excelled at producing recently, with Trevor Crowe leading the parade) and will get the chance to hone them in his first exposure at AA Akron this season.

T.J. McFarland, LHP/Matt Packer, LHP/Clayton Cook, RHP

Alright, so I cheated a bit with this spot here. The point is, as I mentioned earlier, the Indians have a massive amount of back-end rotation pitchers in the majors and upper minors. Between Josh Tomlin, Derek Lowe, Kevin Slowey, Jeanmar Gomez, David Huff, Zach McAllister, Scott Barnes and maybe even Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez (who just had the charges against him dropped), the Indians do not need more fourth or fifth starters. Unfortunately, T.J. McFarland, Matt Packer and Clayton Cook look more like back-end than middle of the rotation guys right now.

Cook has the most upside of these three right now, but has struggled with massive blowups and staying consistent throughout the long baseball season. McFarland and Packer are groundball-inducing innings-eating machines, but those guys typically end up more as fourth or fifth starters. While you can never really have enough of those guys, the Indians are doing their best to prove that axiom wrong (in a good way). The key for Cook, McFarland and Packer in 2012 is to separate themselves from the group. They all should be in the starting rotation in Akron on Opening Day and thus will be good competition against each other throughout the season. If one of these guys was able to improve their stock and start looking like a bona fide middle of the rotation starter, they would have a much easier path to the majors and the Indians would gain some diversity in their depth.


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Overall, the Indians may not have many impact players currently slated for the AA Akron Aeros, but there will still be important players donning that purple uniform and hanging out with Orbit the space cat this year. Chun Chen, Nick Weglarz, Austin Adams, Tyler Holt and the T.J. McFarland/Matt Packer/Clayton Cook triumvirate are players to watch in Akron in 2012 and their fortunes will have a big say in if the Indians can climb out of the cellar of everyone’s minor league organizational rankings. Nothing against players like Karexon Sanchez (Mr. 100 on IPI’s Top 100 prospects), but if they fail, no one will really notice. As for the players on this list, they need to succeed in a big way and are wildly important players to watch in Akron in 2012.