Cleveland Sports Forum

The Final Saturday of 2013:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130831

Highlights few as usual

Guilmet and Rapada each a scoreless inning for Columbus
Moncrief's 17th homer and Ronnie Rodriguez's 5th for Akron (RRod hit 19 in '12 and 11 in '11) Matt Packer with a shutout start.
Jordan Smith finishes a big August with 3 hits, avg now 292. For the month 369/478/550/1027
Lugo in Lake County 5-5-4-3-2-3. Eric Haase 2 singles, a double.
Matt Whitehouse with another fine day for Mah Valley, 3 innings 1 run. Ben Heller's previous work was 36 innings and 6 runs allowed. Yesterday he retired 1 batter and allowed 7 runs, ruining his fine ERA

Not all the Sunday games are over yet, but there are some lines to note:

Luis Gomez LH at Mahoning Valley threw 6 no-hit innings, 1 walk, 8 K.
Dylan Baker ends a good full season at Lake County 5-6-2-2-0-6 3.63
Shawn Morimando is sometimes quite good and sometimes quite bad, Sunday 2-6-7-7-1-1
Tomlin 5 innings, 1 run. Lee 1 shutout. Pestano 2/3 shutout.
Paulino single and double, .247. A big day Monday needed to reach .250.

SUNDAY: The Diamondbacks have announced, in a press release, right-hander Matt Langwell is the PTBNL. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut with the Indians this season appearing in five games (all in relief) allowing three runs (all earned) and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Langwell, an 11th round draft pick of the Indians in the 2008 amateur draft, has posted a 2.24 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus this year covering 42 games, including one start.

I wondered why Langwell didn't join the crowd of relievers promoted for September. Never rated a significant prospect but he has moved up through the system efficiently and was OK in his brief stay with the Indians. Good luck to him.

Last games for some but not all teams. The NYPL continues at least.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130902

Nice games for some of the unpromoted:
LaPorta 10th homer; Chen 4 hits; Carrera 2 hits. Not so by TJHouse 6 runs and 11 hits in 6 2/3

Next year's Clippers: Moncrief 2 hits, 3 walks, 2 steal. Stowell, Adams and Flores scoreless innings. Haley 2 scoreless, 2 K but 2 walks.

Next year's Aeros: Joe Colon 6-2-1-0-1-3. Bryson Myles 3 walks. Joe Wendle 2 hits.

Next year's Mudcats: Levon Washington single, double, walk 321; Eric Haase single, double, walk, 2 errors; 250/761 OPS

Tony's report on the same games:
Carlos Moncrief (Akron RF): 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB: One of the most impressive seasons for Akron this season ends with a bang. Moncrief showed an impressively disciplined approach this season which was born out Monday with three walks. Perhaps Moncrief hitting .219 in the month of August was deflating; however, he took a giant step forward this season and has been a joy to follow.

Joe Wendle (Carolina 2B): 2-4, 2 RBI: Wendle ended his season much the way it began, getting hits. Of course the same things haunt Wendle in that he is old for his level and a limited defender; however, it is hard to look past his .330 average against righties and his .885 overall OPS. Wendle may not be a high priority prospect but his transition to Akron next year will certainly be interesting.

Ezequiel Carrera (Columbus CF): 2-5, R, K: The speedy centerfielder had a solid night offensively as he drifts into the fog of relevant Tribe farmhands of the past.
Matt LaPorta (Columbus DH): 2-4, 1 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB: Speaking of exiting into the shadows this is in all likelihood the final game in Matt LaPorta’s tenure as an Indians farmhand. His disappointment has been profound but his quality of character has never come up short.
Chun Chen (Columbus LF): 4-5, R, RBI, K: There was so much hubris following Chen’s domination of Akron that perhaps his stock became inflated. His time in Columbus has been nothing but under impressive.
Omir Santos (Columbus C): 1-4, R, RBI, HR: As minor league filler goes, Santos has had an adequate season. Obviously the front office had no interest in him as even a third catching option in September, hence the Shoppach acquisition.
T.J. House (Columbus SP): 6.2 IP, 6 R(ER), BB, 6 K: Well House threw a lot of strikes, in fact 71-101 pitches were strikes. Unfortunately for House, he might have thrown too many as the Mud Hens hit him hard all over the yard.
Brett Brach (Akron SP): 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, K, HR: Brach offered one of his best starts of the year as Akron’s season drew to a close. While his stuff and strikeout rate show he is not exactly overpowering, he was still able to limit base runners and runs themselves.
Trey Haley (Akron RP): 2 IP, 2 K: Haley has been a wholly inconsistent being this season. Though his stuff is impressive one thing from this season was clear: the lack of control ( 39BB/43IP) is very disturbing and threatens his ability to be a competent back end guy.
Matt Lawson (Akron 2B): 2-5, 3 RBI, BB, K: The ultimate professional, the definition of organizational depth provided the Aeros with a victory on the season’s final day.
Jake Lowery (Akron C): 2-6, 2 K: Lowery has resurrected a little of his shine this season at Akron. Although his splits against left handed pitching (.196/.281/.373) are miserable he has taken a step forward offensively in 2013.
Alex Monsalve (Akron DH): 2-4, 2 K: The 21 year old has been very impressive during his short 21 game stint in Akron this season. Of course, the K/BB ratio of 15/1 is concerning but this is his first taste of AA baseball.
Joseph Colon (Carolina SP): 6 IP, 2 H, R(Unearned), BB, 3 K: A tremendous final appearance for Colon. Talk about a strong WHIP. Three pitcher allowed runners in six innings. Fabulous.
LeVon Washington (Lake County CF): 2-3, 2B, BB: #Washtime was one of the few Captains to perform adequately on Monday as they were romped 10-2.
Eric Haase (Lake County C): 2-3, R, 2B, BB: A really strong season for the 20 year old in low-a. The power numbers are especially encouraging. 23 doubles, 3 triples and fifteen dingers make for a nice season.
Leo Castillo (Lake County DH): 2-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI - Castillo absolutely dominated at the plate in two appearances before being pulled from the game for pinch-hitter Richard Stock in the seventh inning.
Juan Santana (Lake County SP): L (0-1), 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R (5 earned), 3 K, 2 HR allowed, 1 HBP - Another day, another pitcher getting touched up in his full-season debut. As with Milbrath on Sunday, the impressive Santana had a rough welcome to the Midwest League.

Looking ahead at the roster moves necessary post-season. Some of the young guys who will be ready for the 40-man roster include Aguillar, Wolters, Moncrief and Ronnie Rodriguez. Not hard to find room for at least some of them since the current roster will easily shed Shoppach, Giambi, Carson and anyone else who has a a one-year contract that expires. Haven't thought about the pitching portion of the roster, but I doubt that Rapada or Haley will stay on the 40-man roster and Kazmir has a one-year deal so he comes off, too. Most of the to-be-addeds are more relievers so if we don't have room for some (e.g. Austin Adams, Jose Flores), it's not really that big a deal. In fact I don't think there are any starters in the minors who we need to make room for this off season and who'd be sorry to lose in the Rule 5 draft. (Closest would be Matt Packer)

The Marlins have designated first baseman/outfielder Jordan Brown for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for left-hander Brian Flynn, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Brown, 29, picked up 17 plate appearances for the Marlins this season, collecting three hits (including a double) and five RBIs in that small sample. In 324 plate appearances at Triple-A this season, the former fourth-round pick batted .289/.346/.385. Brown also saw a brief callup with the Indians in 2006 and has spent time with the Brewers organization as well.

The 23-year-old Flynn is one of three players acquired from the Tigers last summer in exchange for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante (Jacob Turner and Rob Brantly were the others). In 138 innings at Triple-A New Orleans, he posted a 2.80 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

MLBTR readers can track the progress of Brown and the other nine players that are currently in DFA limbo using MLBTR's DFA Tracker.

Jordan was designated as the "professional hitter" by old forum friend A.G.

His brief time with the Tribe actually was in 2010. OPS of 582

Only the Scrappers were still at it yesterday, and appears they have one more day to go. They had their typical results, good pitching, little hitting and split a doubleheader

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130903

Cole Sulser with a gem, 6 innings, one baserunner on a hit, 10K. Finishes with era of 1.83. Not sure he's going very far, though, he's a 23 year old, 6 foot righty.

Kenny Matthews lost the nightcap but only runs off him were unearned. 4-4-3-0--2-2 2.53 era. He's a 7th round pick, a 6-3 195 lefty, so more projected ceiling, and five of the 11 runs he allowed this season were in one game.

If this is the best Tony can come up with, Matthews doesn't sound too exciting:

He does not throw hard at all as he barely touches the high 80s, but he has a nice build, good pitchability, and has a good breaking ball and a changeup that is a plus offering.

Baseball America, for a change, showed higher velocity:

Mathews' feel for pitching and knack for pumping strikes helped him get drafted in the 12th round by the Mets out of high school in California in 2011. The club made a run at signing him, but he opted to attend Cal State Fullerton instead. The Titans prize strike-throwers, and Mathews was a good fit in their weekend rotation, going 6-2, 3.86 with 60 strikeouts and 16 walks in 78 innings as a freshman. Off-field factors caused him to wind up at Riverside CC for his sophomore year. He has continued to pound the strike zone this spring, going 3-1, 1.23 with 52 strikeouts and just two walks in 58 innings. Mathews lacks overpowering velocity, pitching in the 84-87 mph range and topping out at 88-89, but he gets results with his fastball because it has good life and he spots it to both sides. He has feel for two average secondary pitches in his curveball and changeup, and he commands both of them as well. Mathews pitched with more velocity out of high school, sitting in the high 80s and bumping 90, and scouts have always liked his loose, athletic 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame.

sounds like he was a signability pick. Forget him. Will this team ever sign either a FOR starter or a big time right handed outfielder with pop. Manny and Joey were several generations ago.

I see that Tony is extolling the character of that wonderful Gator for God Laporta-Good riddance.

Cant wait for basketball season.

Maybe we have a good one here?

Carolina League Pitcher of the Year is Tribe's Cody Anderson, led the CL in ERA at 2.34. Promoted to Akron for the last few weeks. He was a mid-round pick signed for higher round money the same year we made a good pick in an ever lower round for Chad Allen. Anderson is the only starting pitcher below Bauer in the minors who has a chance until we get down to the low A and lower levels.

As BA notes when they posted the list of league all-stars, All Star does not equal prospect. These lists are picked by the league managers. With that said, the only other Tribesters who were league All Stars were:

Carlos Moncrief OF, Eastern League
Jesus Aguillar, as a DH, Eastern League, led with RBI 105
Francisco Lindor, SS, Carolina League
Joe Wendle as UT-IF, Carolina League
Clint Frazier, OF, Arizona League
no All Star list posted yet by the NYPL which is still playing. Nellie Rodriguez 1B (a big RH bat) and Luis Lugo LHP (a big kid not sure how hard he throws) both made the all-star game and had very good stats. Maybe this pair will fit ken's wants???