Cleveland Sports Forum

6-5 win for Columbus. 2 hits by Juan Diaz. 3 scoreless and gone by DiceK. Rob Bryson yields 3 in 1 1/3.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x&sid=milb

Mudcats fall 10-5. But Naquin and Lindor and Jordan Smith each with 2 hits; Naquin his 8th double. Smith and Charlie Valerio each with his first HR. Jacob Lee starts, leaves after 1 2/3, 6 runs, 2 homers.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x&sid=milb

Captains rained out.

Among the league leaders in the Carolina League:

Sabourin 2nd in avg and On Base.
Lindor 5th in avg, 5th in steals, 10th in total bases
Naquin 7th in avg, 3rd in doubles, 5th in total bases, 8th in OPS. I'm not complaining about those numbers!

Fill in starters for Columbus and AKron lose, Lake County sweeps two games (had been 6-16 before Monday). Carolina rained out.

Toru Murata starts for Bauer for Columbus; Brett Brach starts for Murata in Akron.

Cord Phelps with another 0-4, 3 K. 12 K in 35 AB for Phelps while in Columbus. Disheartened by his week in Cleveland? Hermida with 3 of the 7 Columbus hits. Lose 5-1.

Aeros outhit Altoona 9-3, but lose 2-0. Jose Ramirez with 3 singles, a walk his league leading 12th steal, also caught stealing for the 3rd time and makes his 5th error. Ronnie Rodriguez with a pair of hits.
Austin Adams 2 innings, 4 K, a solo homer, in his return from injury.

Red hot Levon Washington singled, doubled, tripled in the opener for Lake County. OPS 1507 in his 19 AB. Now stay healthy! He's still only 21 but needs to get back up to Carolina. 18 year old 1B Nellie Rodriguez doubled and walked: that makes 19 walks in 93 appearances, also 28K, which means a majority of his ABs don't involve a ball put in play.

In game 2, my breakout player of the year, Anthony Santander, makes his season debut, 18 year old singled in 3 trips, threw out a runner with his strong arm, and also made an error. Paulino with his 9th error as a miserable personal April nearing an end

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130429

Rayl activated, Cooper promoted to Akron, more moves

By Tony Lastoria

April 29, 2013 ShareThis


The Indians made a slew of moves throughout their minor league system on Monday. Here is a quick recap of the activity:

At Columbus, lefty Giovanni Soto was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a lower back strain. Also, with Carlos Carrasco recently sidelined and Diasuke Matsuzaka getting injured on Sunday, the Indians promoted right-handers Toru Murata and Kyle Landis from Double-A Akron. Murata could fill a temporary starting need while Landis may only be up for a short time while they await the return of lefty Scott Barnes who was just optioned back to Columbus today by the Indians.

At Akron, with the departure of Murata and Landis, the Indians have activated lefty Mike Rayl was from extended spring training and called up righty Jordan Cooper from High-A Carolina. Also, with catcher Chris Wallace moving up from Akron to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, the Indians filled the catching need with a promotion of catcher Jake Lowery from High-A Carolina.

At Carolina, the Indians placed outfielders Anthony Gallas and Bryson Myles on the disabled list and promoted outfielder Luigi Rodriguez from Low-A Lake County and outfielder Aaron Siliga from extended spring training. To replace Cooper in the rotation, the Indians also promoted right-hander Joseph Colon from Lake County.

At Lake County, with the departure of Rodriguez to Carolina the Indians activated outfielder Anthony Santander from extended spring training.

Not too many significant players among those involved. Luigi Rodriguez however has been rated among our Top 10 prospects the last couple years; not doing much in his return to Lake County this year. Lowery disappointed in 2012 in HIgh A and was demoted to Low A. Hitting a little better for Carolina this year. Rayl has edged into the back end of our prospect list some seasons, but his stay in XST tells you what the Indians think of him now. Jordan Cooper is one of those college pitchers drafted in the lower half of the top 10 rounds who don't usually do much, (David Roberts, some guy named Holt, Will Roberts, etc.) with the exception of Josh Tomlin. He has had some very good starts recently. Santander makes breakout lists because of his possible possession of 4 or 5 projectible tools.

Launching Off With The Aeros: 4/23/13 – 4/29/13

Akron begins to turn things around with a winning week

Akron Aeros

April 30, 2013 ShareThis

As the Akron Aeros salvaged a disappointing homestand with two wins last Tuesday and Wednesday, manager Edwin Rodriguez mused about what when wrong.

"We were inconsistent," Rodriguez said. "Then again, we have a young team, and when you have a young team that's what's going to happen. One day they look like big leaguers out there, the next day you wonder if they know how to play the game."

Rodriguez also mentioned that he wanted the team to take things one day at a time on the upcoming road trip. So far, things have gone decently for the 10-14 Aeros, as they took 2-of-4 from the Binghamton Mets and Altoona Curve with three games in Altoona remaining.

Overall for the week the Aeros have gone 4-2, mostly on the strength of their pitching. Akron pitchers combined for a 3.12 ERA and will look to continue that through the rest of the series with the Curve and when they return to Canal Park for a six-game homestand starting Friday.

In Orbit

Chun-Hsiu Chen, DH/1B
.429/.538/.571 line, .489 wOBA, 9-for-21, 2 R, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 4:5 SO:BB, 1 SB in 26 PA

Just another hot week for Chen, who has spent the entire season making his case for why he belongs in Columbus. Chen even added a level of plate discipline to the equation this past week, walking more than he struck out.

The big question remaining for Chen right now is what happens after the luck runs out. Unless Chen is able to break the mold and sustain a .478 BABIP, his overall numbers will slowly creep down from the .342/.467/.562 heights they currently sit at.

The reappearance of the power obviously changes the equation for Chen, but if he can find a way to continue succeeding when his BABIP inevitably regresses, then he just might force his way into the big league picture at some point. Regardless, it is not hard to think that Chen should find his way to Triple-A before too much longer.

Jose Ramirez, 2B/SS
.364/.481/.500 line, .439 wOBA, 8-for-22, 5 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:5 SO:BB, 6 SB, 2 CS in 27 PA

Just when it looked like the jump to Double-A might be too much for Ramirez, he comes back with a vengeance.

The mere fact that the hits started falling again for Ramirez is not necessarily news, as the switch-hitter just has a knack for putting the bat on the ball. What is more impressive from the past week is the way Ramirez limited strikeouts while piling up walks. Ramirez did that very well in Lake County last year and is back at it again this year (12:11 SO:BB in 107 plate appearances).

Add in 12 steals in 15 attempts on the young season -- tops in the Eastern League -- and you can see why the organization felt Ramirez could skip High-A Carolina. He is also working in at shortstop, as his manager noted.

"This is about development," Rodriguez said. "Ronny [Rodriguez] knows how to play shortstop. We have to play him at second to get some games there. We have to play Jose Ramirez at short... We want them to feel comfortable at both positions."

Danny Salazar, RHP
0.00 ERA, 0.20 FIP, 0.80 WHIP, 3 H, 9:1 SO:BB, 0 HR in 5.0 IP

I wish Salazar had more than one start to highlight here, but truth is, his one start was more than enough to make it In Orbit this week.

Salazar is on a five inning/80 pitch limit to help manage his workload as he continues his way back from Tommy John surgery in August 2010 and it is really leaving his season as a big tease. The right-hander has struck out 31-of-93 batters he has faced this season -- otherwise known as one-third -- while only walking seven.

As a result of the limits, Salazar has not really faced a lineup for the third time in a game much this year, which in turn has not allowed him to work on proving he is absolutely a starter long-term. The good news is, even if he turns out to fit best in the bullpen, Salazar is showing this year the dominance he is capable of achieving.

(Honorable Mentions: Austin Adams, Brett Brach, Tyler Holt, Quincy Latimore, Bryan Price, Ronny Rodriguez, Bryce Stowell, Chris Wallace)

(Previous Winners: Chun-Hsiu Chen (4/16), Tyler Holt (4/23), T.J. House (4/9, 4/23), Quincy Latimore (4/16), Carlos Moncrief (4/16), Toru Murata (4/9), Jose Ramirez (4/9), Danny Salazar (4/23))

Temporarily Grounded
Giovanny Urshela, 3B
.071/.067/.071 line, .060 wOBA, 1-for-14, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4:0 SO:BB, 0 SB in 15 PA

Well it does not get much worse than that. While this is certainly not a reason to give up on Urshela entirely -- mini-slumps like this happen all the time -- this stretch does serve to highlight what Urshela still needs to focus on as he works to conquer Double-A.

Despite some errors in the early going, Urshela's defense remains his calling card. What we are all waiting for is the bat to get up to the task, which is slow going so far. He currently owns a .244/.268/.346 line, one that is not being held down by a low BABIP (.281).

Urshela started slow last year, so this is not something new, but he does need things to turn around sooner rather than later. The move to Double-A is a hard one and takes time, though, and I expect Urshela to make the adjustments like he did in Carolina last year.

Matt Packer, LHP
8.31 ERA, 7.35 FIP, 3.00 WHIP, 10 H, 2:3 SO:BB, 1 HR, 1 HBP in 4.1 IP

It is still April -- meaning that typically it is too soon to worry too much about poor performances -- but something is different with Packer. The velocity has not been there when I have seen him and he just looks really hittable after his rotator cuff injury last year.

The numbers paint an ugly picture, as Packer has allowed 35 hits in 24.1 innings this year. He also is walking batters a great deal more than in the past (up to 4.4 BB/9 from 1.7 in his career) and is not getting strikeouts (down to 3.0 SO/9 from 7.4).

Either Packer is going through the unluckiest stretch possible or there is something seriously wrong with the left-hander. Unfortunately, all the evidence right now is not pointing to a happy ending.

Carlos Moncrief, RF
.118/.158/.294 line, 2-for-17, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6:1 SO:BB, 0 SB in 19 PA

The rap on Moncrief heading into 2013 was that he really needed to limit the strikeouts. Despite last week, Moncrief has still managed to limit his strikeout rate to 13.5% after last year's 31.0%.

Now, any extreme drop like that is highly unlikely to last. It would not surprise me one bit if this past week is the beginning of Moncrief's strikeouts trending up to their prior form.

That might not be all that much of a bad thing, though.

So far this year, Moncrief's line sits at a low .227/.318/.320. Even worse, though, is that lack of power. Moncrief only has three extra base hits through 24 games, not nearly enough for someone whose power is one of his calling cards.

I do not see 2-for-17 as Moncrief's true talent level, so some of those balls should fall in for hits in the coming weeks. Hopefully those hits will go for extra bases, and if it takes Moncrief striking out a little more frequently, I will take it. It is not that bad of a tradeoff.

(Dishonorable Mentions: Jesus Aguilar, Cole Cook, Kyle Landis, Toru Murata, Roberto Perez)

(Previous Losers: Austin Adams (4/23), Shawn Armstrong (4/23), Brett Brach (4/23), Cole Cook (4/23), Paolo Espino (4/16), Tyler Holt (4/9), T.J. House (4/16), Kyle Landis (4/23), Quincy Latimore (4/23), Fabio Martinez (4/16), Carlos Moncrief (4/9), Toru Murata (4/16), Matt Packer (4/9, 4/16), Edward Paredes (4/16, 4/23), Jose Ramirez (4/16), Ronny Rodriguez (4/9, 4/23), Danny Salazar (4/16), Giovanny Urshela (4/9), Robert Whitenack (4/23))

Stats Oddities
See full weekly and yearly Aeros stats here.

0.69
After last week's bullpen implosion, it is nice to see a good chunk of the bullpen rebounding. With the adventures the bullpen has put the team (and the fans) through, it is not really a surprise that the team started winning now that the majority of the bullpen is holding leads.

Right-handers Austin Adams (2.25 ERA, 3.20 FIP), Jose Flores (0.00 ERA, 6.20 FIP), Trey Haley (0.00 ERA, 3.70 FIP), Bryan Price (0.00 ERA, 1.87 FIP), and Bryce Stowell (0.00 ERA, 0.87 FIP) combined to shut down teams to the tune of a 0.69 ERA.

That is one run allowed, four hits, six walks, and 19 strikeouts in 13.0 innings. We have all heard plenty about the organization's bullpen depth, but it had not shown in Akron yet this year.

Now, though, it is starting to shine.

3.12

A 3.12 ERA may not be all that much to brag about, but I am sure that Brett Brach will take it. The right-hander is far from a top prospect -- he went unranked in IBI's Top 100 -- but Brach has always found a way to perform.

Brach may not have the best stuff, but his career ERA is 3.43 through 487.3 innings pitched. At age 25, he does not have much growth left in him, but Brach will likely stick around for a while longer with numbers like that. Monday night was Brach's first start of the season, as he was in the bullpen before that game, but the right-hander just may stay in the rotation after this.

His manager also credited Brach with saving the game on Wednesday after he went three scoreless innings to stem a Trenton rally. All in all, not a bad week's work for the organizational soldier.

4.3

If someone like Ronny Rodriguez is going to go the whole week without drawing a walk, I guess keeping his strikeout rate at 4.3% is a good thing to do. Rodriguez also added two triples en route to a .304/.304/.478 week, easily his best of the year so far.

The issue with Rodriguez, of course, comes back to that criminal lack of walks. Things are all fine and dandy when the strikeouts are not there, but over the course of the season, that has not borne out. Rodriguez currently owns a 16:1 SO:BB, something that simply cannot support any successful offensive line.

Rodriguez is still quite young at 21 years old, but this is far from his first issue with strikeouts. Especially considering his inability to draw walks consistently, this problem will prevent him from maintaining his lofty prospect status if they prove to continue throughout the season and limit his ability to get on-base.

Odds & Ends

Outfielder Tyler Holt had a good week (.304/.360/.435 line in 26 plate appearances), but he had a low moment when he was thrown out of Wednesday's game for arguing balls and strikes. His manager was not happy with Holt after the game.

"That's the heat of the game," E. Rodriguez said of Holt being thrown out. "As a hitter you have to stay under control. I think he did a poor job doing that. Especially when you're one of the main guys and [it's a] close game, so you have to stay under control."

Holt has had issues with keeping his emotions in check in the past, but it has been a while since something like this flared up. Hopefully it is just a blip on the radar and not a growing trend.

Outfielder Delvi Cid was released over the past week to make room for outfielder Bo Greenwell to be activated. Cid was not having a particularly good season (.143/.226/.214 line, 9:2 SO:BB in 31 plate appearances), but his speed was exciting. He is currently playing in High-A in the Orioles organization.

Left-hander T.J. House received the coveted callup to Triple-A after posting a 3.22 ERA, 1.77 FIP and 27:3 SO:BB in 22.1 innings. With the lack of depth in the starting rotation and the injuries piling up, House just may be able to force his way into the big league picture before year's end.

M*A*S*H Unit

There was no action on the Aeros' disabled list over the past week. RHP Shawn Armstrong remains out with a right hand contusion while catcher Alex Lavisky is still recovering from a fractured left big toe.

The Aeros did receive LHP Mike Rayl from the Extended Spring Training disabled list where he was recovering from a torn fingernail on his pitching hand.

Moves (Like Orbit)

April 25 - OF Delvi Cid released

April 25 - OF Bo Greenwell assigned from Extended Spring Training

April 26 - LHP T.J. House assigned to Triple-A Columbus Clippers

April 26 - C Jeremy Lucas assigned to Low-A Lake County Captains

April 26 - C Roberto Perez assigned from Triple-A Columbus Clippers

April 28 - C Chris Wallace assigned to Triple-A Columbus Clippers

April 29 - RHP Kyle Landis assigned to Triple-A Columbus Clippers

April 29 - RHP Toru Murata assigned to Triple-A Columbus Clippers

April 29 - LHP Mike Rayl assigned from Extended Spring Training

April 29 - RHP Jordan Cooper assigned from High-A Carolina Mudcats

April 29 - C Jake Lowery assigned from High-A Carolina Mudcats

Home run yesterday by Urshela, so maybe his slump is past, and Bo Greenwell, his first in AA. Trying to recall what I else I saw in the box scores, but the only fact that made an immediate impression was a second start and a 1-3 day by Anthony Santander and the absence of Levon Washington from Lake County lineup. He plays intermittently but hits a ton when he gets out there. I'll get around to boxes when I have time.

Aeros beat Curve 5-0

Beacon Journal staff report

April 30, 2013 -

Will Roberts gave up four hits and struck out four through six innings for his first win of the season and Giovanny Urshela and Bo Greenwell each homered to lead the Aeros to a 5-0 win over the host Curve on Tuesday in Altoona, Pa.

Urshela hit a solo homer in the top of the second inning and Greenwell hit a two-run shot in the top of the fifth inning to give the Aeros (11-14) a 3-0 lead. Jesus Aguilar grounded into a force-out at second base for an RBI and Jose Ramirez had an RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Aeros a 5-0 lead.

Roberts worked six innings and walked three but did not allow a run in his first start of the season. Cole Cook, Bryan Price and Jose Flores pitched three perfect innings of relief to hold off the Curve (11-14).

Tyler Holt had a double, and Chun Chen and Tyler Moncrief each had two singles for the Aeros.

The Aeros will play the Curve at 6:30 tonight

Around The Farm: April 30, 2013

47 innings of baseball in semi-convenient list form!

May 1, 2013 ShareThis

Chris Wallace (Columbus, C) - 5-7, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 PB - Okay, he may not be a prospect, and it was a 15-inning game. But anytime a guy gets five hits in a game, it is worthy of feature status. When it's in his Triple-A debut for the organization, even more so. Wallace seems to be making a name for himself as a possible depth option at catcher (which may be needed the way Indians catchers seem to be getting hurt this year).


Carlos Carrasco (Columbus, SP) - 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R (all earned), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 HR allowed, No Decision - Carrasco should be taking the entire Clipper lineup and bullpen out to dinner to thank them for saving him from taking the loss today (not sure where he could take them on Triple-A meal money, White Castle, maybe?). The mystery of what exactly is going on between Carlos Carrasco' ears continues to stump managers and pitching coaches in Cleveland and Columbus alike. Maybe a visit with Big Club Psychology Coach Charlie Maher is in order.

Cord Phelps (Columbus, 2B) - 2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 Sac Bunt, 1 Sac Fly - Finally! Signs of life from Cord Phelps at the plate! While this effort still doesn't raise his batting average above the Mendoza Line (he's currently at .175), it is a good sign that hopefully is indicative of the beginning of a turnaround rather than a one-day fluke.

Will Roberts (Akron, SP) - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, Win - In an outing reminiscient of T.J. House's recent Triple-A debut, Will Roberts takes the mound in his debut at a level representing a significant jump from his prior level of competition and no sign of fear, nerves, or lack of talent. If Roberts keeps this up, he might make himself a fixture in the Akron rotation for the rest of this season. While this Akron club could likely use help just about anywhere right now, adding a reliable starter to the roation would certainly be a huge improvement.

Francisco Lindor (Carolina - Game 2, DH) - 3-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI - This is the type of night where it becomes obvious why Francisco Lindor is, well, Francisco Lindor. Three hits, including a double and a home run, in a 7-inning game is a highly special night and indicative of why he is a truly elite prospect. While he may make a jump to a higher level before the season is out, the Tribe has been sticking to a "one year, one level" plan with him thus far. The future is bright. Grab your shades (although, technically, unlike the sun, Francisco Lindor is safe to look at directly).

Erik Gonzalez (Lake County, SS) - 3-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB - Erik Gonzalez's recent strong form continued with a huge night. While he's still only batting .256, he is hitting much better as of late (.409 in his last six games) and picked up his seventh and eighth RBI of the season tonight. Also, the fact that he did not strike out Tuesday is also promising (2,57 K/BB ratio so far this season).

Eric Haase (Lake County, DH) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 Sac Fly - Much like Gonzalez, an extraordinary night from a largely average hitter on the season. Given Haase's relative inconsistency compared to the visible trend line in Gonzalez's numbers, it's harder to make any grand pronouncements based on this outing, but it's still a high-quality outing worthy of feature recognition here in ATF.

Mudcats stuck in mud, swept in twin bill by P-Nats

May 1, 2013 ShareThis

Woodbridge, Va. –

Michael Taylor lined the game-winner off the left field wall in the bottom of the seventh as the Potomac Nationals rallied past the Carolina Mudcats 4-3 in game two. The walkoff, coupled with a 5-0 shutout in game one, earned a doubleheader sweep for the Nationals (12-13). The Mudcats (10-15) have lost four straight.

Potomac scored the winning run off Enosil Tejeda (0-1) in game two. The right-hander walked Billy Burns to start the inning, and stole second to set up Taylor. It was his third stolen base of the game.

Derek Self earned the win in relief, hurling a scoreless 1.1 innings.

Francisco Lindor had a strong outing for Carolina. Serving as designated hitter, Lindor cracked his first home run of the year in the first off Taylor Hill, a bomb over the right field fence. Trailing 3-1 in the third, the Indians’ top prospect doubled home Yhoxian Medina in the third to pull Carolina within one. He singled and scored the tying run on a two-out hit by Zack MacPhee in the sixth.

The teams set through a one hour, two minutes, rain delay before getting the double feature started. Potomac shutout Carolina 5-0 in game one behind a stellar outing from Blake Schwartz (2-0). The right-hander tossed five scoreless, scattered three hits, and struck out six.

Shawn Morimando (1-3) went the distance for the Mudcats, but surrendered five runs on eight hits over six innings. It was the most runs Morimando has allowed all year.

The Nationals struck for two runs in the second, and for three more in the fifth. Taylor also played a huge factor in game one, punching through a two-run single in the fifth to put the game away. Caleb Ramsey paced the Nationals with three hits.

Game three of this series begins at 7:05 on Wednesday night at Pfitzner Stadium. Joseph Colon makes his first start for Carolina. He will throw opposite Robbie Ray for Potomac.

Boxes for Tuesday games.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130430

Some notable performances:

in the first of 2 Lindor drew a walk in 3 trips; in the nightcap he was 3-3 with his 6th double, his 1st homer; batting avg for April: 341.
Naquin in the opener singled and stole his 7th.

At AAA, McDade 0-6. Veteran C: Chris Wallace 5 for 7. Carrasco 4 runs in 3 innings. 7 relievers followed, 1 run in 12.

At AA, 2 hits apiece by Chen, Moncrief, Greenwell and Urshela.

in Low, Eric Haase hit his 7th double and 2nd homerun. Nellie Rodriguez 0-5.

Will Roberts promoted to Akron despite 6+ ERA, pitches 6 shutout innings.
Shawn Morimando in Carolina: 6-5-5-5-1-2 ERA 3.12.
ryan Merritt in Lake County: 3 1/3 8 4 4 1 5 ERA 4.13
Felix Sterling 1 4 2 1 0 2 ERA drops to 11.57

IBI Stock Watch: April 2013

By Tony Lastoria

May 1, 2013 ShareThis

Today is the first “stock watch” of the 2013 season for players in the Indians’ minor league system. This report is a snapshot of a few players up and down the system and how their value may be decreasing or increasing as prospects.

As always, it comes down to “value” when looking at prospects, and not necessarily stats. From month to month this piece will hopefully help illustrate who is improving that value and who is not as the season wears on. The values for players could fluctuate over the course of the season depending on performance, observations from myself and scouts, injuries, and ultimately how they are developing.

The same players will not be featured every month as I will look at four to six players from each affiliate and try to mix it up with new names each time, but the highlights and lowlights for the month will dictate who is featured.

Key:

↑ - way up; → - trending up; ↔ - no movement; ← - trending down; ↓ - way down

Columbus

→ Jeremy Hermida (OF): 24 G, .259/.376/.471, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 BB, 25 K. Hermida is doing exactly what the Indians hoped he would do in Columbus and has more than established himself as an outfield depth option for the Indians. If the Indians have a need for an outfielder from the minors, he very likely would be the first option they would call upon given his Major League experience and a bat that has been productive in the past at the big league level.

← Mike McDade (1B): 21 G, .230/.313/.284, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB, 24 K. McDade has been a big disappointment to date, though maybe expectations were a little higher than they should have been. He has struggled with his full time transition to Triple-A striking out once every three at bats and shown no power. If his performance carries through May, he could quickly find himself jettisoned from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers.

← Cord Phelps (2B): 11 G, .175/.261/.250, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K. Phelps is off to a rough start as he has not only struggled in limited action in Columbus, but he struggled in a brief stint in Cleveland going 0-for-8 at the plate in three games and made a few mistakes on defense. He had an injury that he suffered just before the season that forced him to miss the first week of the season and it appears to have ruined all of the momentum he built with a great spring training. He needs to start performing and show a little more versatility because the Indians are quickly running out of time with him.

→ David Huff (LHP): 7 G, 3.93 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 9.3 K/9. Huff is nearing the end of the line with the Indians as unless he is rostered again and sticks on it, he will be a minor league free agent in the offseason and likely sign elsewhere. He is doing a good job so far to drum up interest in him and he might still get another shot with the Indians at some point this season. Aside from one disastrous outing on April 13th in a spot start (1.0 IP, 4 R/ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K), he has been very good and has really settled in well to a bullpen role.

↑ Preston Guilmet (RHP): 11 G, 1.46 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, 9.5 K/9. Guilmet has bucked the odds and has made a believer out of me and several others who have often been skeptical of him because of his lack of a true plus pitch or high velocity. He just knows how to pitch, throws strikes, is fearless, has deception, and can command all of his pitches. All of that equals into a very interesting relief pitching prospect that could be a nice middle relief arm in the big leagues. If he stays healthy and continues to perform, he will be added to the 40-man roster at some point between now and November.

Akron

→ Chun Chen (1B/DH): 22 G, .351/.468/.558, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 16 BB, 25 K. Chen had one of his best months in his long minor league career with the Indians and has re-established himself as an interesting bat in the upper levels of the system. The problem still remains that as a 1B/DH type he is going to be hard pressed to get a Major League shot whereas if he were an outfielder or catcher it would be much easier to find a spot for him. Another thing to note is Jared Goedert hit .385/.494/.554 in April last year at Akron…and the Indians let him go in the offseason without an attempt to resign him - a sign that the numbers are not always a true sign of value.

↔ Jose Ramirez (SS/2B): 25 G, .276/.351/.337, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 12 SB, 12 BB, 13 K. Ramirez’s stock has not changed simply because it was already extremely high coming into the season. The great thing is that it has not slipped, and that is because while the batting average may be down a little, he has translated his game well to Akron all while playing at Double-A and in cold weather for the first time in his career. He has been as advertised as so far he has done a good job limiting strikeouts, taking his walks, creating havoc on the basepaths, and playing good defense.

← Carlos Moncrief (OF): 23 G, .241/.326/.329, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 11 BB, 13 K. Moncrief’s numbers are mostly the same a month into the season as he has a low average along with a high amount of walks and strikeouts. But what is missing is the power that has been so intriguing and what makes him such an interesting prospect. Without the power, his stock drops significantly, so he needs to start showing it more the rest of the season to stay relevant.

↓ Cole Cook (RHP): 9 G, 10.13 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, 6.1 BB/9, 8.8 K/9. Cook had a nice rebound last season where across four levels he put up a 2.64 ERA and solid 3.0 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9. Some felt that he was on the verge of a breakout this season while others were skeptical last season was for real. So far he is proving the skeptics right as he has had trouble throwing strikes and has been hit hard at an alarming rate giving up lots of hits and a few home runs. He is not a priority prospect, so he needs to develop and perform quickly to stick in the organization.

↔ Danny Salazar (RHP): 5 GS, 3.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 12.3 K/9. It is only one month, but that is the kind of month the Indians were hoping for out of Salazar. His fastball is a weapon but it is the continued development of his changeup which is becoming a very good consistent offering and makes his fastball more effective. His strikeout rate has jumped as a result, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain that rate as the year progresses.

Carolina

→ Jerrud Sabourin (1B): 24 G, .345/.439/.381, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 13 BB, 11 K. You know what, sometimes with marginal prospects we focus on so much of what they can’t do that we overlook what they can do. It is time to acknowledge that with the likes of what Sabourin has done to date this season. He may not be a high level prospect and has very little power, but his defense is very good, he is a leader, and his at bats the first month of the season were outstanding. If he keeps this up over the course of the season, power or no power, he will be taken a lot more seriously as a prospect.

→ Francisco Lindor (SS): 24 G, .341/.406/.505, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 SB, 10 BB, 13 K. When you are the #1 prospect in the system it is hard to increase your stock, but that is what Lindor has done to date this season. There is talk that if he keeps this up that he could be in the running as the #1 prospect in all of baseball next season. He is doing it all as in addition to the great defense, his bat has improved significantly this year, he is stronger, and his baserunning is also better. An injury appears to be the only thing that prevents him from being a star in the big leagues.

← Jordan Smith (OF): 24 G, .233/.300/.300, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB, 14 K. Smith is hitting better of late, but April was not a kind month for him. He has made his mark as a prospect that hits for average, puts up good at bats, and limits strikeouts, but none of that has been there so far in his first exposure to High-A. He not only needs to show his strengths more consistently but that lack of power is still a dark cloud over his head as just 4 of his 21 hits went for extra bases during the month. Hitting for average and for more power are a must for him to stay as a higher level prospect.

→ J.D. Reichenbach (LHP): 7 G, 1.35 ERA, 0.90 ERA, 1.4 BB/9, 6.1 K/9. Reichenbach arguably had his best month in his four year career in the Indians minor league system. The key for him was throwing more strikes which led to much less walks. He is 25-years old and in High-A so it remains to be seen if he has suddenly improved his strike throwing ability, but he is an interesting pitcher because of his athleticism, durability, and his good sinking fastball. He needs to keep performing in order to continue to get opportunities, and if he continues to pitch well he might get a chance soon at Double-A Akron.

→ Cody Anderson (RHP): 5 GS, 2.25 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.8 K/9. Anderson’s progression as a starting pitcher is one of the great stories this early in the season. He is very inexperienced and raw on the mound, but the talent is unmistakable. He has good size and a nice frame, has strength, and has the stuff with a mid-90s fastball and very good cutter. The Indians have taken off the kid gloves some and allowed him to go 5.0 or more innings in all five of his starts. The only thing missing from making him a potential top 10 prospect at this point is more swing and miss with his stuff.

Lake County

← Dorssys Paulino (SS): 20 G, .208/.288/.208, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 8 BB, 15 K. That was a brutal month of April for Paulino. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds from probably his first extended period of failure in his baseball career, but the Indians and scouts are confident that he will perform this season. It is important to note that he is just 18 years old and playing in cold weather for the first time in his career, so now that the weather is heating up it will be intriguing to monitor whether he continues to struggle or if he settles in and starts to perform as expected.

← Jorge Martinez (OF): 22 G, .203/.234/.338, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 20 K. Martinez has all of the physical tools, but his limitations as a hitter are showing themselves in the early going. His approach needs a lot of work as he is way too aggressive and not patient enough to get a pitch to drive, which has resulted in a lack of power, walks, and a ton of strikeouts in the early going. He is also playing in cold weather for the first time, but lacks the pedigree and history as a good performer as he spent three straight seasons in the Arizona Summer League before arriving in Lake County.

↔ Nellie Rodriguez (1B): 24 G, .190/.347/.266, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 19 BB, 29 K. Rodriguez neither helped nor hurt his prospect standing the first month of April. On the bright side he is showing a ton of patience in his at bats and laying off some breaking stuff, which is not common for a prospect his age. On the flip side, he has 29 strikeouts in 79 at bats which is an exceptionally high rate, so he is still feeling his way toward developing his bat to ball ability. He is also not showing much power, and the Indians are pushing him to be a little more aggressive early in the count to find pitches he can drive to hopefully help him in that area.

↓ Felix Sterling (RHP): 9 G, 11.57 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 12.5 K/9. Sterling’s fall from grace as a top prospect has been swift and fast. The Indians moved him out of the starting rotation this season in the hopes he would show more consistency with his outings, but to date they have only gotten worse. Strangely, he is walking less batters and striking out more batters than he ever has in his career, but he is getting touched up and hit hard having allowed 18 hits in 9.1 innings. The stuff is there, but his work ethic leaves a lot to be desired and is a big reason he has stalled and now fallen as a prospect.

← Luis DeJesus (RHP): 5 GS, 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 6.8 K/9. DeJesus is off to a rough start and has yet to pitch well above short season Single-A Mahoning Valley. At the short season level he has limited walks and been able to get hitters to expand the zone, but Low-A has not been too kind to him as he had a 7.50 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in four appearances last season at Lake County. He is an interesting arm and has some projection, but to remain in the mix he is going to have to turn things around quickly.

so far tonight:

2012 2nd rounder Mitch Brown sees his ERA reach 11.49 after 2 innings, 6 runs, 2 homers.
1b/DH Chun Chen with his 4th homer and surprisingly his 5th steal for Akron.
Francisco Lindor with his 7th double, is hitting 344.
Jake Lowery in his AA debut has 2 doubles in 3 AB. Bo Greenwell in his 3rd AA game has a walk and single.
Levon Washington in the Lake County lineup singles in 2 trips, is hitting 556. Dorsyss Paulino makes his 10th error. Maybe he needs some time in sunny Arizona to relax and reignite; no xb hits to date.