He's drawn a lot of walks. If he could just steal bases we could put him at the top of the order. Who'd want to confront a 6-3 250 pounder charging into second base?

Noted today by BA:

CLE MAJ Lindor, Francisco PH-DH 1 1 1 1 .333 2B (1); Great start continues for Cleveland's shortstop of the future
CLE MAJ Moncrief, Carlos RF 2 1 1 1 .273 3B (1) [they omit the matching 3 base error]
CLE MAJ Adams, Austin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 W (1-0)

One of Civ longtime (but still only 26 year old) favorites, lefty Kelvin delaCruz is a reliever candidate for the Orioles. He could contend with last year's Orioles Rule 5 pick from the Tribe, the soft-tossing but reasonably successful T.J. McFarland.

The Orioles signed two minor league free agents to big league deals, one of them being hard-throwing, 6-foot-5 Dominican lefty Kelvin de la Cruz (age 25). A converted starter, de la Cruz struck out 78 in 62 innings as a reliever for Triple-A Albuquerque in the Dodgers system last year, using mid-90s heat and a quality slider to hold lefties to a .217 average with two extra-base hits in 83 at-bats.

Jason Knapp I(still only 23) is back in spring training this year with the Rangers.

This spring the Rangers are rolling the dice on a trio of high-profile reclamation projects in righthanders Jason Knapp (23) and Kyle Lotzkar (24) and lefty Aaron Poreda (26).

“Obviously all three of these arms have had trouble staying healthy,” Rangers pro scouting director Josh Boyd said, “and while there’s risk there, we like the combination of talent, upside and makeup they possess.

“We believe that we have a good development plan in place with (pitching coordinator) Danny Clark and our pitching coaches to give them the best chance to stay healthy and on course.”
Once a highly-regarded prospect in the Phillies and Indians systems before shoulder trouble derailed his career, Knapp spent all of 2011-12 on the disabled list and then was not under contract in 2013 following his release. The 6-foot-5 righty had the best fastball in the 2009 South Atlantic League while at low Class A Lakewood.

“One of our scouts (Jonathan George) had some insight as to how Knapp was throwing on his comeback,” Boyd said, “and another one of our major league scouts (Russ Ardolina) spent a couple weeks following his bullpen sessions. Obviously, our history with a top prospect like Knapp goes way back, and Russ was able to compare him to what he had seen back in Lakewood, and he walked away impressed.

“(Knapp) impressed all of us with his maturity, desire and focus to keep his career moving forward.”

2014 IBI Top 50 Prospects: #10 OF Carlos Moncrief

10. Carlos Moncrief – Outfielder

Born: 11/03/1988 – Height: 6’1” – Weight: 210 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

History: Moncrief was selected in the 14th round of the 2008 Draft out of Chipola Junior College (FL). Last season he finished 11th in the Eastern League in batting average (.284), 9th in at bats (489), 6th in runs scored (77), 6th in hits (139), 6th in triples (7), 11th in home runs (17), 7th in RBI (75), 4th in total bases (230), 8th in slugging percentage (.470), and 7th in OPS (.824). He is one of only two players to hit the scoreboard in center field at Low-A Lake County.

Strengths: Moncrief is a very strong, physical outfielder who oozes athleticism and has the ability to affect a game in many ways. He has a wide tool base, though what stands out are his abilities at the plate as he has a good line drive swing with plus raw power. His power is up the middle, but he has the ability to hit the ball out to any part of the field. He has a good, patient approach at the plate, has a good eye and can see spin. He has a willingness to work counts, get a pitch he can drive and is not overly aggressive thanks to a zone hitting approach he incorporated late in 2012 which has helped him lay off breaking balls and pitches lower in the zone. He is susceptible to strikeouts and expanding the zone, but he has continued to make strides each year in improving in this area. He is a solid average runner with good athleticism and quickness, and his speed plays up because of how hard he runs and his intelligence on the basepaths. Except for a broken hamate bone in his right hand in August of 2012 he has proven to be durable throughout his entire career.

Moncrief initially came into the organization as a pitcher because of some amazing arm strength with a fastball that reached 97 MPH, but after some injury issues he approached the Indians about moving to the outfield going into the 2010 season. Since then he has made considerable progress with his defense in each of the four seasons since and is now one of the Indians best defensive outfielders in the system. He features a plus-pus howitzer of an arm in right field and has good accuracy on this throws. He is an above average defender who takes good routes to balls and covers a lot of ground exhibiting good range both to his left and right as well as coming in and going back on balls. While he projects as a prototype right-fielder because of his power arm and bat, he has the versatility and athleticism to play any of the three outfield positions. He is a very smart player, has a god feel for what pitchers are trying to do with him, and shows an ability to make adjustments. He plays with a lack of fear and shows a lot of toughness and tons of confidence. He is a grinder who doesn't complain about anything as whether he is dinged up or tired he goes out every day and plays hard. He excels in his workouts, is very coachable, and has a good makeup.

Moncrief came alive last season and finally put things together as a prospect. He went through an adjustment period early in the season as he was a little overanxious in the early going, but once he settled down and simplified things his natural talent and abilities showed. He learned to think less and react more by trusting his instincts and tools at the plate and in the field, and the result is the game started to come much more easily to him. He is really learning to hit and has developed a good understanding of what he can and can’t do at the plate, which in turn has slowed the game down for him as a hitter. Even though he moved up to Double-A for the first time and into the tough Eastern League, he managed to significantly drop his strikeout rate from 28.6% in 2011 at Low-A Lake County and 31.0% in 2012 at High-A Carolina to just 17.8% last year at Akron – all while maintaining a walk rate of at least 10.0%. That precipitous drop in strikeouts was the result of him gaining more experience at the plate, a more focused approach on making contact, and maintaining a consistent focus in his at bats from day to day. Even with the emphasis on contact and limiting strikeouts it did not cost him much power as he had a .190 isolated power in 2011, .215 ISO in 2012, and .186 ISO last season – which is pretty good in the confines of pitcher-friendly Canal Park.

Opportunities: The biggest adjustment for Moncrief is getting a sense of timing and consistency at the plate with an approach that works for him and just bringing that to the park everyday consistently. He is still gaining an understanding of who he is as a hitter and refining his approach, and gaining a better feel for which pitches he can drive and what pitchers are trying to do to him each and every at bat. Instead of worrying about the count he is working to think more pitch-to-pitch and be a little more patient and wait for a good pitch to hit. He is working to improve his pitch recognition skills and not chasing balls out of the zone with two strikes. At times he gets too pull-conscious which is when he gets in trouble, so he has to consistently look to drive the ball to all fields. He needs to calm down from time to time as sometimes he tries to do too much. He can take over a single game with an incredible performance, but he needs to show that he can be more consistent day-in and day-out with his performance.

One of Moncrief’s challenges is as a late conversion to the outfield he doesn’t have quite the acumen as a position player that others might at 25 years old, so the Indians continue to coach him up and develop his knowledge of the position so that he is more instinctual with his play in the field. His body type is one that can quickly add bad weight so he is really going to have to take care of his body so he can continue to maximize and tap into his athleticism because he is just not quite gifted enough to rely on just power or arm strength or bat to ball.

Outlook: Moncrief has the defense to save runs, the arm to cut down runners on the bases, the legs to steal some bases, and the power to hit 20 or more homers. Last season he showed an ability to hit close to average and limit strikeouts to impact the game there as well. With the approach and power he has and now a developing ability to hit for average and limit strikeouts, no longer is he a guy you wonder if he can put it all together but he is now a guy you wonder if he can sustain it. That is going to be the biggest challenge for him this season is to prove if he is for real. If he is, then with his good defense, power arm and now a very promising left-handed bat, he might be a very good internal option to fill the starting right field position in Cleveland in the not-to-distant future. Who would have thought that when he had a shoulder injury in 2009 and asked the Indians if he could move from the mound to the outfield at the outset of spring training in 2010 that he would be what he is today? That’s the beauty of the minor leagues. He is a late bloomer that will need to get to the Major Leagues soon in order to enjoy his peak physical years at the highest level, but there is no doubt that the consistency within his approach will be what ultimately determines his fate as a prospect and potential future in the Major Leagues. He should open the season at Triple-A Columbus.

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Just looked up Edward Salcedo's stats-He certainly has set the world on fire.

Classic Tony take on Moncrief, who I also like, but has Tony ever not described a player as

He excels in his workouts, is very coachable, and has a good makeup

And how does he manage to omit the dramatic weakness Moncrief displayed against LH pitchers? So far Moncrief looks at best as a candidate for a RF platoon unless he can hit lefties.

civ ollilavad wrote:Classic Tony take on Moncrief, who I also like, but has Tony ever not described a player as

He excels in his workouts, is very coachable, and has a good makeup

And how does he manage to omit the dramatic weakness Moncrief displayed against LH pitchers? So far Moncrief looks at best as a candidate for a RF platoon unless he can hit lefties.

That sounds like he is gritty is a grinder and plays the game the right way ie he is a stiff in Wedgian speak.

2014 IBI Top 50 Prospects: #9 CA Tony Wolters

By Tony Lastoria

March 10, 2014

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9. Tony Wolters – Catcher

Born: 06/09/1992 – Height: 5’10” – Weight: 180 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

History: Wolters was selected in the 3rd round of the 2010 Draft out of Rancho Buena Vista High School (CA), and had an agreement to attend the University of San Diego but signed with the Indians for $1.35 million. In 2009 he was part of the Team USA 18-under club which defeated Cuba to win the Gold medal in the Pan Am Junior Games, and was also named to the 2009 Aflac All-American team and earned the game’s MVP award. He suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand in March of 2011 which sidelined him for a month and a half, and had a sports hernia injury in 2012 that he played through before having surgery at the end of the season.

Strengths: Wolters has a strong, compact body and is an athletic, fundamentally sound player who has a well-rounded skillset and lots of intangibles to become a solid average Major Leaguer both offensively and defensively. He has an advanced approach at the plate where he puts up a quality at bat by being selective and working counts well, and he does a great job of separating his at bats from his defense. He has some good, natural hitting skills with good hand-eye coordination and a line drive swing that allows him to use the entire field and pound the gaps. He only has below average power, but it plays up thanks to his innate ability to square up the baseball and make hard contact. His swing is improving and he has actually made some encouraging strides with it by bringing his hands up and using his legs more with a leg kick in order to improve the consistency of his at bats. He changed the load in his hands just to relax his upper body because he tends to use his upper body a little too much in his swing, so now he brings his hands in tighter to his chest and churns them a little so he can feel the bat head and get his hands moving before getting them into a load position on the pitch. It allows him to stay back with his lower half through the swing so he can drive balls better and he also use his hand-eye coordination a little bit better. He has also done a better job of seeing more pitches and getting deeper into counts.

Wolters excels at playing defense because of his passion for it and the natural abilities he showcases on the field. He has always been viewed as a very versatile defender, and that was put to the test last season when the Indians had him undergo a transition to catcher at the end of spring training. It was an unexpected move, but one he quickly embraced and spent the first month of the season at High-A Carolina getting acclimated to the position and working in pre-game activities with manager David Wallace - though did not play in any games. The work with Wallace gave him a good foundation from which to work with and allowed Wolters to go to a familiar place in Carolina since he played there the previous season and gave him a chance to continue to get in regular games and limit the time missed during his transition. Once the Indians felt he was ready to catch in a live setting they sent him to Arizona to play in extended spring training games and he was back in Carolina about a month later. His work over the season solidified the notion that he has a chance to be a plus receiver. He shows a lot of agility, quick feet, extremely quick hands, controls the running game well, and has a very good transfer and strong arm. Most of all he impressed with how quickly he picked everything up and adapted so well to the position. All of the skills the Indians loved about him with the hands, feet and quickness transitioned well behind the plate, and they are very encouraged by what is still to come. The focus is on developing him into a good Major League starting catcher, and they believe he can become that.

Prior to his move to catcher last season he proved to be a good defensive middle infielder that is fundamentally sound and has great natural instincts for the shortstop and second base positions. He has outstanding hands, very good actions, exceptional balance, and a lot of confidence in the field, and has an above average arm with very good accuracy on his throws. He has some flair to his game and turns the double play with ease. Even though he is developing as a catcher he routinely takes groundballs to stay sharp in the infield. He has proven he can handle shortstop, second base and now catcher, and there is no reason he can’t handle third base, first base and even the outfield if needed in the future. That versatility is a valuable skillset and makes him an asset to the organization as so few players can play so many positions in the middle of the diamond and play them well. He is an average runner with excellent instincts and intelligence on the basepaths. He is a baseball junkie who is deeply committed to his craft and works hard every day to improve. He impresses with how in tune to the game he is from start to finish, and is just the ultimate professional who has very strong leadership skills.

Opportunities: Wolters was already in great shape but he continues to improve on that as he came into spring training last year in even better shape and added over 10 pounds of muscle. In order to handle the wear and tear that comes from catching he is going to need that additional size and strength, and will need to take his workouts to another level in order to get bigger and stronger. He is also still picking up the physical aspects of catching such as blocking, receiving, and throwing, and has to pick up the mental aspects of the position such as calling games, handling a pitching staff, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his pitchers and the hitters they face, and so on. He tends to be a little too quick on his throws to second, so the Indians have worked on slowing him down. On top of that there are so many other nuances to the position that will take time for him to completely grasp, but the Indians are in no hurry and they believe he is up to the challenge. He has a lot to learn, and ultimately, he just needs the reps that he needs to improve and more importantly show whether he can stick behind the plate.

When you watch Wolters in the field he looks very much the part of a Major League defender, so the only question that really remains is whether or not he will hit. The bat will always be what separates him from being a minor leaguer or a big leaguer, though the move to catcher will help limit that need to be an above average or even average offensive performer as more offense is expected out of a second baseman than at catcher. As his body continues to adjust to catching the expectation is his offense may take a leap forward, but he needs to show he can be more consistent at the plate. He needs to work on maintaining his approach every at bat and get better at identifying pitches and how pitchers are pitching to him. If that consistency comes and he shows a little more power to the gaps, then his value will only continue to climb. While he is an exceptionally hard worker, sometimes it works against him as he can be a little too critical of himself. This is an area he has made considerable strides in over the past year, so he needs to continue to refine his mental approach to success and failure as well as controlling what he can control.

Outlook: Consider for a moment that Wolters made the catching change not in Instructional League or during the offseason, but at the end of spring training and near the start of the season. Knowing that, it is impressive to see how far he has come in such a short period of time and had the mental fortitude to handle such a significant change in-season. A year ago he did not really know much about catching, but he was put on a crash course to learn the position last April and May and learned on the fly in games at High-A Carolina the rest of the season. Now, he is flashing some impressive ability behind the plate that has scouts believing he truly can play the position someday at the highest level. He still has a long way to go in his development as a catcher, but the strides he has made are extraordinary. The transition from another position to catcher is probably the toughest to do in baseball. With so much focus on a position change, players often struggle with the bat or in other areas of their game. But to his credit, he remained consistent with his approach at the plate last season. A big reason for that is his belief that he can truly play there. While it took some time to settle in and get accustomed to the position change, he is learning all of the nuances and skills with the catching position on the fly - things that often take years for catchers to really pick up and refine. He just shows the tenacity to overcome early season obstacles. Be it the hamate injury in the spring of 2011, a tough start to his 2012 season at Carolina, or a change to catcher at the start of the 2013 season, he has the mental toughness to handle anything, which is why so many people are confident that if he stays healthy he is going to blossom into a Major League option at catcher. He should open the season at Double-A Akron.

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Of course. Tony notes that Wolters:

is a baseball junkie who is deeply committed to his craft and works hard every day to improve. He impresses with how in tune to the game he is from start to finish, and is just the ultimate professional who has very strong leadership skills.

With such good guys in our farm system, we can be sure of a very bright happy future for the Tribe.

2014 IBI Top 50 Prospects: #8 1B Jesus Aguilar

By Tony Lastoria

March 11, 2014

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8. Jesus Aguilar – First Baseman

Born: 06/30/1990 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 250 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

History: Aguilar was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent out of Venezuela in November of 2007. In 2012 he was selected as a participant in the Futures Game which is played over All Star weekend. Last season he finished 17th in the Eastern League in hitting (.275), 8th in at bats (499), 8th in hits (137), 11th in doubles (28), 16th in home runs (16), 1st in RBI (105), 7th in total bases (213), 21st in slugging percentage (.427) and 16th in OPS (.776). He also ranked 1st in games played at first base (128), most assists (84) and most errors (14). His 105 RBI broke the franchise record of 97 RBI held previously by Wes Hodges (2008) and Carlos Santana (2009).

Strengths: Aguilar is a large sized first baseman who is a hulking menace when he steps into the batter’s box. He is well put together with intimidating size and strength and has the look of an NFL tight end. With his strong upper body and strength in his lower half he has well above average power potential, and when he barrels up he hits balls a long way. When he gets the chance to pull a ball he really controls the inner half of the play well and showcases some big time power, though he also shows an ability to work on the outer half of the plate and drive balls with good power to right center. He has a solid approach that has really been refined and made considerable progress over the last few seasons. He will probably never hit for average and will be susceptible to high strikeout totals, but he shows some pitch recognition and plate discipline skills to work counts, hit from behind in the count, and find a pitch he can drive. While he still has a ways to go, he has really improved his ability to stay on breaking balls better by hitting them well when they are left in the zone and lying off them when they drop out of the zone low and away. He has really become a very confident player and has developed a consistent approach and swing every time he steps up to the plate. While RBI numbers are one of the least important numbers when evaluating prospects, his high success rate last season showed a clutch factor and how he stays within himself and doesn’t try to do too much when runners are in scoring position.

Aguilar originally signed as a third baseman but split time between first base and left field in his first pro season in the Dominican Summer League in 2008, but since then he has only played first base. Because of his size he is somewhat under-rated as a first baseman, but he moves well and has some athleticism and agility. He has worked hard to improve as a defender and displays solid footwork and movement around the bag, and has a good feel for positioning and a strong comfort level for the position showing good instincts. He is sure-handed and confident where he consistently makes very good plays at first base picking low throws, and with his size and arm span he provides a large target for his fielders to get him the ball. He has made enough strides where he is a near ready average defensive Major League first baseman. His versatility is limited as he is a below average runner and lacks the ability to play any other position except maybe left field, so first base is a position he will need to take up root to have a legit shot of sticking in the big leagues. He is a fighter who works extra hard when he is struggling, and is a good worker who works well with his coaches.

When last season started Aguilar had some notable holes in his swing and his approach was inconsistent. He was having trouble driving the ball and was encountering a bit of trouble with curveballs as he was lunging forward on them. To combat the issue he worked with Double-A Akron hitting coach Jim Rickon on some adjustments in his footwork in order to maintain more balance through his swing and to have a more efficient, compact swing by fixing the positioning of his hands in order to let him go straight to the ball. The changes got him into a position where he could stay longer through the strike zone so he could drive the ball to all fields and hit any pitch. It took some time but the adjustments finally clicked and he found his swing near the beginning of June, and as a result his swing was a much improved and his whole approach to strike zone management and his hitting improved as well. His at bats were much more professional and the Indians feel very confident that the adjustments have given him a swing that he can bring with him to the Major Leagues. It was impressive to see how his at bats changed over the last few months of the season as he was scaring pitchers out of the strike zone and more consistently driving balls into the gaps and over the fence. You could see it in his takes and swings that he is disciplined and has a plan to find a pitch he can drive and sticks to it.

Opportunities: You see the massive size when you first see Aguilar and then see the power in batting practice, but for a guy with his strength and size the power does not consistently show itself in games. League average isolated power is considered .145 and above average is .180, so his career .171 ISO falls right between average and above average in terms of power. While he has not shown much plus power over his career, another concern is how his power has steadily declined over the past few seasons. He had a .544 slugging percentage and .222 ISO in 2011 at Low-A Lake County, a .461 SLG and .181 ISO in 2012 between High-A Carolina and Double-A Akron, and had a .427 SLG and .152 ISO last year at Akron. Part of the reason for his power drop may be due to the spacious, pitcher friendly ballparks he has played in over the last two seasons in the Eastern League and Carolina League, and some of it may be a byproduct of his hard work to refine his approach and be more disciplined at the plate to limit strikeouts. Bottom line, without the consistent power, it really limits his prospect standing because he has no other plus tool and is below average to average everywhere else.

While Aguilar showed an improvement with his strikeout rate last season and saw a massive increase to his RBI total, the rest of his stats went backwards as his batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, isolated power, OPS and walk percentage all declined. He needs to continue to refine his pitch selection and bring a consistent approach to the plate every at bat by working on identifying offspeed pitches, staying within the zone and not expanding it and reaching for pitches low and away. Anytime a hitter lunges at a pitch their strike zone is going to get bigger and then they are behind in the count, so he needs to continue to refine his approach and be more patient so he can get pitches he can drive. He is about tapped out defensively though can still get a little better by improving his footwork so he can move a little better around the bag. He is so big and physical that he is going to have to stay on top of his strength and conditioning so that he remains in great physical shape so his limited athleticism and agility are not impeded and affect his first base play. He just needs to face more experienced pitchers and get a Major League opportunity to prove his true potential.

Outlook: Aguilar put together his third straight good minor league season last year, his fourth good season over the last five years, and he has been a pretty consistent performer in his minor league career to date. The big RBI total last season inflated his season as a whole as it was actually a step back from his previous two seasons, but was still a good season nonetheless. The lack of consistent power is mysterious with him, but maybe he is a late bloomer and the power is the last thing to come, which is possible as he raked in Venezuela in the offseason blasting 22 homers in 68 winter balls games. Those are the kind of numbers you want to see him show over the course of a minor league regular season, and something he has to do in order to truly be taken more seriously as a middle of the order option in Cleveland. He has a good shot to make it to the big leagues, but at the moment looks like more of a complementary player and someone of the Gaby Sanchez ilk (his good years) who can be a serviceable, productive first baseman but his longevity and overall impact is questionable. Needless to say, the Indians need a power bat and he looks like he could be an option in Cleveland sometime this season and might be an answer to their need to for a middle of the order right-handed power bat. He should open the season at Triple-A Columbus and a good showing with his power will put him in the mix to be the first callup to Cleveland if an injury occurs to one of Nick Swisher, Carlos Santana or Yan Gomes.

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

wolters really grinds

Indians Prospect Insider subscribers only2014 IBI Top 50 Prospects: #7 OF Tyler Naquin

By Tony Lastoria

March 12, 2014

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7. Tyler Naquin – Outfielder

Born: 04/24/1991 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 190 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

History: Naquin was selected in the 1st round of the 2012 Draft out of Texas A&M, and signed for $2.25 million. He was originally drafted out of high school by the Orioles in the 33rd round of the 2009 Draft. During his final year of school in 2012 he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and was also a semifinalist for the 2012 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and received Louisville Slugger third team All-American honors. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year as a sophomore and garnered All-America honors from College Baseball Insider (First Team), American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings (Second Team) and Collegiate Baseball (Second Team). In 2011 he played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and hit .321 (17-53) with 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR and 10 RBI in 12 games. Last season he finished 16th in the Carolina League in hitting (.277), 12th in runs scored (69), 12th in hits (124), 16th in doubles (27), 7th in triples (6), 10th in total bases (190), 13th in strikeouts (112), 16th in on-base percentage (.345), 11th in slugging percentage (.424) and 13th in OPS (.769). He also had 11 assists from the outfield.

Strengths: Naquin is a natural athlete who has a broad range of skills that can impact a game in many ways. Even with his deep skill set, what attracted the Indians to him the most out of the draft was his unbelievable hand-eye coordination and his good feel for hitting. He is a pure hitter with some impressive bat speed and a knack for centering the baseball who has a chance to become an above average Major League hitter. He has an advanced approach at the plate where he is aggressive but has a good eye to be patient and works counts, and shows an ability to use the whole field well and drive the ball into the gaps and the opposite way. While his game is more as a top of the order guy who gets on base so he can run and put pressure on the defense, he has a good line drive swing with some strength to occasionally hit the ball out of the ballpark. He does not have the strength and size to have anything more than slightly below average power, but his swing and great bat speed could definitely help him run into 10-15 homers a year. There may still be some untapped power in his bat because his approach is to get on base, but when he has a chance to turn on a ball he can hit it out of any ballpark. He is a very confident hitter who is fearless at the plate and does not give away at bats.

Last season was the first time Naquin played center field on a full time basis and scouts and personnel inside and outside the Indians organization did nothing but rave on how well he adapted to the position change. He was a right fielder in college simply based on need, but the Indians scouted him and felt that when they drafted him he could make a smooth transition to center field. So far, that has been the case as he shows no fear going back or coming in on balls, gets good jumps, and has one of the strongest arms from an outfielder you will see in the minors. He projects to be an average defensive center fielder, though could be more depending on how he continues to develop. He looks natural in center field as he glides to balls with ease and can cover a lot of ground. He is an exceptional thrower with plus-plus arm strength, and can throw balls on a line with accuracy from the wall to second base. His plus instincts help him shine with the way he takes great angles and routes to balls, and he sees the ball of the bat exceptionally well. He shows a fearless mentality going after balls near the wall and goes all out on short liners in front of him. His ability to be versatile and play all three outfield positions could be an advantage for him down the road if he becomes more of a role player as a fourth outfielder. He has slightly above average speed that plays up because of his intelligence as a runner. He is the quintessential gamer who has a motor that does not stop and plays the game hard every night. He is a tough, driven person who has a high baseball IQ, a great makeup, and is very coachable.

The Indians believe that Naquin can no doubt be at least an average Major League defensive outfielder, which changes things significantly on what the demands of his offensive production will need to be. He is really coming into his own and understanding what he needs to do to be a successful professional hitter. Probably the most encouraging thing about him last season was how he made a huge in-season mechanical adjustment to his approach to hitting. Midway through the season he made some changes to his swing to move away from a more upright stance to one where he used the ground better for power by lowering his hands and focusing on using his lower half to use his legs more in both his setup and swing. The change helped him tap into his natural abilities more so he could consistently make hard contact and improve his strike-zone discipline by allowing him to see the ball longer.

Opportunities: The biggest question mark with Naquin is whether he is going to hit enough to be an everyday Major League outfielder. He struggled with his plate discipline last season, something he himself knows, so it is an area that will be a main focus this season. He has a tendency to chase balls out of the zone, but the hope is through experience and at bats this can be fixed. The Indians love his aggressiveness at the plate and want him to keep it, but it is just about getting it a little more under control. He has such good hand eye coordination that it allows him to get away with things in the lower levels, but in order to have success in the upper levels he is going to need to be more consistent in his approach. He spent a lot of time last season working on simplifying his approach and sticking to his game plan day in and day out, and is something he will need to continue to do in order to make some strides at the plate.

Naquin walked just 7.9% of the time last season and only had 15 stolen bases, numbers that are okay, but are areas of improvement the Indians have targeted for him this coming season. As a top of the lineup threat he needs to get on base more and be patient to work counts, so he needs to limit the strikeouts and put up better at bats as a whole. The Indians have encouraged him to be more aggressive on the basepaths to push the envelope and develop his base-stealing skill. He is close to maxed out physically so he probably won’t add much more power, so while he won’t be much of a home run threat in the future he is going to have to live on plugging the gaps and hugging the lines for doubles and triples. He is coming along well in center field, but he is far from a finished product and needs to continue to refine his routes, jumps and overall feel for the position. He just needs games, coaching and repetition in order to develop a true comfort level at the position.

Outlook: Naquin had a nice year at High-A Carolina before he was promoted to Double-A Akron in mid-August and his final numbers took a dive thanks to some struggles in the limited amount of games he played there. Needless to say, he was one of the better offensive players in the Carolina League last year and was a fire-starter at the top of the lineup. It was a learning experience for him as he played in a long 140-game season for the first time and got to play in the Arizona Fall League and took some considerable strides in his development. It was a nice first full season for him and he hushed some of the critics that questioned the Indians decision to move him to center field and their selection of him in the first round of the draft. He proved that he not only can play center field, but that it is a position he can thrive at and belongs. Right now it is just a matter of him gaining experience, putting at bats together, and kind of building a body of work in professional baseball where he can learn and get better. If everything comes together he has all the intangibles and abilities to be a solid Major League player for a long time, and could potentially be .300 hitter in the big leagues with a patient, disciplined approach, decent speed, good defense, and a howitzer for an arm – so you can see why a lot of people are on his prospect bandwagon. He should open the season at Double-A Akron.

He is a tough, driven person who has a high baseball IQ, a great makeup, and is very coachable.


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2014 IBI Top 50 Prospects: #6 INF Jose Ramirez

By Tony Lastoria

March 13, 2014

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6. Jose Ramirez – Second Baseman

Born: 09/17/1992 – Height: 5’9” – Weight: 165 – Bats: Switch – Throws: Right

History: Ramirez was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in November of 2009. He did not play in 2010 due to injury and made his professional debut in 2011 stateside at rookie level Arizona. Last season he ranked 1st in the Eastern League in steals (38), 5th in runs (78), and 1st in lowest plate appearances per strikeout (13.00 TPA/SO – second place had a 9.92 ratio).

Strengths: Ramirez is a small sized middle infielder who brings a lot of electricity to his game with the reckless abandon in which he plays. His is not an imposing figure as he is undersized but he gets every ounce of ability out of his small frame and just has a special feel for the game at his age. His game is predicated on playing very good defense, being a catalyst on the basepaths with his energy and speed, and consistently putting the bat on the ball. He is a switch hitter with natural ability from both sides of the plate and low maintenance swing who just knows how to hit and has such good hand-eye coordination to make good, hard contact. Probably most impressive about him is his approach and unbelievable ability to limit strikeouts even though he is aggressive with his swing on pitches inside and outside the strike zone. He has a solid approach at the plate where when he gets a good pitch to hit he doesn’t try to do too much and puts a good swing on it. He has a good feel for timing pitchers which gives him a really good look at the ball and allows him to have no fear with two strikes because he sees the ball so well. He is a cool customer and handles pressure well as he is not afraid to hit behind in the count and stays within himself well by not trying to do too much at the plate. He lacks much physical strength and does not have much power, but he has some good bat speed and drives the ball well for his size. He is a plus runner who can impact the top of a lineup and put pressure on the defense every at bat and a threat to steal when he gets on the basepaths. He runs the bases very hard and has good instincts as a runner.

Ramirez’s energy and ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball is impressive, and the recklessness with which he plays is contagious. He is a lot like former Indians outfield prospect Jose Constanza with his size and speed and the way he can do so many things to impact a game, but the big difference is his much better approach and ability to make such consistent contact. He is really confident in his abilities and knows who he is as a player and how he fits on the team. He might not be the most physically gifted athlete, but he helps his team win with what he brings to the table. He is just a good ballplayer who knows how to play the game. Whether he does something great or something wrong, nothing fazes him as whatever happened is immediately past him – which is a rare quality and something that can’t be taught. He is reliable as you know you will get everything out of him day in and day out. He shows some leadership qualities, has very good makeup, and is a very hard worker.

Ramirez primarily played second base coming up through the system, but he has the skills to be a solid defensive shortstop in addition to a very good defensive second baseman. He uses his quickness and athleticism very well as a runner, and defensively it not only helps him get good jumps and range to balls well but also helps him make quick adjustments. He shows impressive instincts as a defender with good lateral movement to his left and right, good hands and footwork, quick feet, and a solid average arm that is accurate. As a defender he has a knack for making what he has physically work and has a good feel for the timing of the game where he has a good internal clock and knows the speed of the runners and where the ball is at. The Indians believe he is more of a second baseman at the moment, but they have played him some at shortstop to give him exposure there and all over the diamond in order to add to his versatility. One of his greatest assets is that versatility to handle a premium defensive position at shortstop and play anywhere in the infield, which only increases his value as an everyday Major League player or a utility infielder.

Opportunities: While Ramirez is such a good hitter, he needs to be a little more patient and selective at the plate. He hits for a high average but he does not walk much and his on-base percentage is not as good as it probably could be. He has so much confidence in his ability to make contact that at times he expands the zone too much and settles for weak contact, so he needs to lay off those borderline pitches and be more consistent staying in the zone with his swing. As a base-runner he needs to work on using more than just his raw speed on the basepaths and be more mechanically sound as a runner which should allow him to read pitchers better, get better jumps and be a little quicker when stealing bases. At times he needs to be reminded to keep things simple as he can be a little out of control as a hitter, defender and base-runner. Defensively he is working to fine tune his abilities, get better with his pre-pitch positioning, and maintain a strong focus throughout the game. He had some injury trouble last year as he missed a little time with a hip flexor injury and also a minor ankle injury. He also tore the ligament in his left thumb early during winter ball and had surgery, though is expected to be 100% by the start of the season.

Outlook: The Indians took a bold approach to have Ramirez skip the High-A level last season, something that never happens and shows how much they like him and believe in him, and he rewarded them with a good year at Double-A Akron. Even with an aggressive push to Double-A he maintained his good approach and performance and did not press – something some players end up doing in order to prove they belong at a level after a promotion. It was a remarkable first full season for him as he more than held his own as a very young 20-year old in a league dominated by guys two to three years older than him. His OPS and power numbers may not be impressive, but it is everything else he does that makes him special such as his 38 stolen bases that led the league, his exceptional 39:41 walk to strikeout ratio which shows how much of a tough out he is, and the plus defense with the versatility to play second base and shortstop. If you grade him out as a scout and put numbers on his ability, he would seem rather ordinary, but when you watch him play he shows everything a team looks for in a Major League ballplayer and looks like he could have a long career in the big leagues. The rate with which he has climbed up the system is astounding. He came out of extended spring training in June of 2012 as an unknown prospect and then 15 months later was called up to the big leagues and part of a playoff push for the Indians. Now, he is in the mix for a utility role for the Indians over the next few seasons and if an opportunity arises could even start at second base or shortstop in Cleveland. For now, he is expected to open the season at Triple-A Columbus and be on reserve as one of the first options the Indians call upon when they have a middle infield need.

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Q&A: Ross Atkins talks about Minor League spring training

By Tony Lastoria

March 13, 2014

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Please note, I originally posted this on the Fox Sports Ohio website last March and I am re-producing this here today in order to expose more to it since this is such an important topic at this time of the year and the conversation is very informative.

For anyone who has been to minor league spring training the first thing you notice is the abundance of players in camp as there are close to 180 players at any given time.

But even with players pouring out of the fields like water in a flooded stream, things somehow, someway run smoothly every day as players move from field to field, from drill to drill, and from coach to coach with near precision.

So how does all of this precision come about in spring training? How are things even coordinated to get players from all areas of the United States and various parts of the world to Goodyear, Arizona for spring training? How do the Indians prepare their staff members and players for spring training?

All of that and more is answered at length in a sit down interview that I had in the office of Indians Vice President of Player Development Ross Atkins. For almost 30 minutes we went through all of the details that make up spring training and how everything comes together to provide the best learning environment possible for the Indians’ bright young stars of tomorrow as they embark on a new season.

To provide Atkins’ comments in unabated fashion and to focus on everything he said this piece was put together in Q&A format.

Q: How soon after the end of a season do you begin to prepare for minor league spring training?

Ross Atkins (RA): It is like anything else where as soon as something is over you are thinking about what’s next. As soon as the season is over we start thinking about the next year, and that starts in Instructional League where we are thinking about developmental plans. You are thinking about timelines in reference to the Major Leagues and not necessarily A-ball and Double-A. You think about how far away a player is and then you think about where the next logical progression is for them. That starts immediately, but it never really stops as you are always thinking about those timelines and progressions.

Q: What goes into the planning and preparation for minor league spring training?

RA: Some of the more formal benchmarks happen during Instructional League [in October] when we meet with all of the coordinators and we also meet with all of our professional scouts. We gather all of the information on our best prospects and think about whether it is a roster-protect decision, when that player is ultimately going to be ready for the Major Leagues, and where our depth is, and as you are sorting through that you are always at the forefront of thinking what is best for that player. In the fall you are gathering information with that group and you are always working on their strengths and limitations to try to help them put one step forward whether it be with nutrition, strength and conditioning, or a fundamental aspect or a mental aspect. Then you go into the offseason with a plan that they have, then we make 40-man decisions and where they will play, then we place our prospects to the best of our ability, and then we build around them. That happens over the entire offseason. Then in January when we have the Winter Development Program we will have another meeting which is a spring training preparation meeting with our staff and coordinators, and we include the entire front office and scouting department and just revisit those decisions and plans. Then when our player development coaches and staff come into spring training we bring them up to speed and that typically in most cases is almost a month before our minor league players are here. Before we sit down with each player individually [in spring training] we have met as a group and as an organization.

Q: When you have those organizational meetings in October, is that when you determine areas of need to sign minor league free agents not just for the big league roster but in the upper levels of the minors as well?

RA: Yes. As you look at your depth and look at where your holes are and where you can add, you meet with your pro scouts and look at all of the minor league free agents and determine where there is opportunity. For the last ten years we have certainly been that team that has added guys like Casey Blake, Shelley Duncan, Jack Hannahan and a litany of pitchers that have come into the bullpen and rotation. Then there are the minor league free agent signings that really probably aren’t squarely in the mix to make the Major League team and will be legitimate depth for us. We as an organization try not to sign minor league free agents that are not Major League depth. We don’t just want to fill rosters as we would rather give opportunities to our drafted players.

Q: Before pitchers and catchers report in early March for minor league spring training - and the position players report shortly after that - you have several early camps throughout January and February. What are these programs for?

RA: That is all they are, just opportunities for us to give players [an opportunity to get better]. We are never closing the door on anybody; it is just a matter of resources and who we are paying to give those opportunities. There is the Winter Development Program in January, there is the strength and conditioning camp here in January, and the early spring training camp [in February] is really just extending a regular minor league spring training for our better prospects for two reasons: one, to get them more accustomed to a longer spring training, and two, to get them more individualized work.

Q: At the outset of spring training, do you have a good idea where players will be placed? How much goes into what these guys do over minor league spring training which for most players is about three weeks?

RA: We try not to put a lot into it. The guys that have really put themselves into position to be considered our elite prospects, they are here for well over three weeks as they are here for close to five and six weeks and the guys on the 40-man are here for the whole time. We have plenty of information by the time March 30th rolls around to have a good feeling where everybody should at least start the year. I think there are two things that occur here. One, the reason we do need to factor in the information is because of how young these players are. Sometimes the learning curve can be so steep and sharp that all of sudden something in his physical or mental maturity clicks and a guy will make strides that were unexpected. A guy can make strides in weeks that we maybe have been trying to help him with for months. So we can’t just say we don’t factor in spring training as we have to factor in all of the information. But the second component that we are always thinking about is whether a guy starts in Zebulon, Akron or Columbus; it really is not that significant in that player’s career because how we look at it is that there are the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues. Let’s put guys in a position to have success and then they will tell us in very short order if they are in the right place. We are trying to put them in the right place, but it is not the end of the world if a guy tells us he doesn’t belong there and outperforms that level because then we move them. Their performance will dictate that and we will adjust. That is the beauty about the minor leagues as it shouldn’t be seen as six levels, it should be seen more as a school. Here is where I am currently at versus I am two levels away or one level away [from the big leagues].

Q: So some notable growth either physically or mentally can certainly impact things in the spring?

RA: Because of their youth we see such significant progress with these players mentally and physically that we have to factor in all of the information. A guy that comes to mind is actually Francisco Lindor. He came in faster and stronger and more prepared for the season, and he had one of the highest benchmarks that we could possibly have for him. He continues to exceed our expectations and really probably his own as he really does set the standard bar high for himself. On the flip side there are disappointments too. It is typically not guys going in the wrong direction; it is the guys staying at the status quo. This game is just too hard that if you are a minor league player and you did not get a little bit better in the offseason and a little bit better than last year, somebody else is coming up and taking your spot.

Q: These players all need help getting to the Major Leagues, and hence that is why player development is so important. At the forefront of that is a development plan that you put together with the staff. What goes into making a development plan and how do you come up with it?

RA: It is nothing more than when you sit down with a group of people and talk about how we can help a player and come to a resolution on prioritizing what are the most important things for him to work on, what are his strengths, include that person in the process, and then put it on paper. That is all it is. It is not complex. It is a very simple process. It is just the diligence to do it. The hardest part is actually including the player in the process. You can assume and become a little presumptuous that your information is just the way it is going to be and what needs to happen based on our experiences and you know it so clearly that this is what this player needs, that a staff member can realize from time to time that he did not fully include the player in the process. The most important and hardest piece to do is fully getting them to buy in. It is one thing to say ‘are you okay with this?’ it is another thing to say ‘no really, what are your thoughts on it? Genuinely tell me.’ Sometimes you are dealing with an 18-year old young man who does not yet understand how to do that, so it is helping them learn how to challenge authority, how to challenge someone that has 30 years of wisdom and experience, and there are also some cases where a guy has had a lot of success and are set in their ways. Even still, for that guy, we fully include him in the process and if he doesn’t buy in, then we don’t put it in the plan.

Q: When spring training starts, do you sit down individually with each player and tell them their plan?

RA: Yeah we do meet with all 180 or so players. The best interactions that are going to happen with our players are with the guy in the uniform. These are the guys in the field that are standing behind the cage, in the dugout after something happens, and in the bullpen. Those are the most significant. The instruction and the guys that are with these players for a 144 games on the bus trips and with them in the clubhouse every day, that is where the impact is going to be made. So this is a meeting where we are breaking down barriers and letting them know we are available and how much we care.

Q: Who comes up with the daily routines for what the players do each day and what kind of input do you have in that?

RA: Yeah, [Field Coordinator] Tom Wiedenbauer is leading that charge. There is no doubt that he is doing the heavy lifting there. But, we have had meetings where we have prioritized things with him where he knows he should be playing this person or that person, and should this person be in this position or that position. Also, our Pitching Coordinator Ruben Niebla knows who needs to be stretched out and knows where the tough decisions are. So we have framed how they are going to make their daily decisions, they make them, and in the morning they run them by the staff and we make sure that everybody is on the same page. Niebla and Wiedenbauer will rely on [the other coordinators] to work together at the beginning and end of every day to make sure we are aligned and on the same page and every single staff member is in on those meetings. But the heavy lifting is done beforehand, and the taking of all that information and putting it to paper is done by Tom Wiedenbauer.

Q: Is the release process one of the tougher things you have to do in spring training?

RA: No. I may be a little bit callous and you certainly never want to be the guy to inform someone that it is the end of the line with us, but the players already know. They know they are 24-years old in A-ball and not playing every day so they know it is going to be an uphill battle for them. It is very rare that we sit down with a player and they are shocked and can’t believe it has happened. It has happened, but it is rare. In a lot of those meetings it is me telling them how proud we are of them and how impressed we have been and how happy we are in the man they have been become, so those in some ways can be fulfilling. But they are never easy.

Q: So what is the hardest thing for you to do in spring training?

RA: I would say the hardest thing about spring training is probably prioritizing. It is the only time you have over 180 players and over 300 people at one place that all work in baseball. If you let the day dictate what you are going to accomplish the day will do that. One person is asking you for this, the next person is asking you for that, and the next person asks you to do that, so if you don’t plan and prioritize what is the most important thing to get done that day then you did not get it done in an ideal way. It is just the prioritizing with all of the numbers, all of the people, and all of the desires and all of the things that you can react to. Often times just telling a player he is not making a Major League roster and being a part of that discussion as they are immediately coming to me and helping a player through it and getting him refocused. The difficult aspect of that is during spring training I am not having the good conversations. We are not taking the time to say nice job, great going, or way to go. We don’t have time for that. We want to spend the time with the guys that got the difficult information, and that can wear on you where over and over you are just handling the difficult conversations. But it is part of the minor leagues and is part of what we do.

Q: One of the amazing things is the logistics involved of bringing in players from all across the country and different parts of the world, setting them up with housing, getting them to and from where they need to go, and so on. How much work is involved with all of that?

NA: It is all [Administrative Assistant of Player Development] Nilda Taffanelli and [Director of Baseball Administration] Wendy Hoppel. It is unbelievable the amount of work, time and energy they put into it. A big part of it is we try to get that message across to our players how difficult it is, and our players are great about it. It is difficult for them to fully understand they are 1 of 180 when all of that information is transpiring, so getting them to be responsive immediately and follow up on requests and questions in order for their job to be a little bit easier is very difficult for us. But it is a challenge that everybody has, but it is an unbelievable task. Nilda is at the forefront of it with Wendy helping her in Cleveland. It is not just spring training. We are doing it for Instructional League, we are doing it for all the camps, and we are doing it for the Winter Development Program. We are coordinating not just the players, but the 50 staff members, the guest instructors that come in, the coordinators that come in and out, the scouts coming and going, and we have a staff seminar where we are bringing in guest speakers and consultants. It is constant. Our demands and standards are high as we don’t want people to feel like they are 1 of 180, which is why it is never going to change. We want them to feel like they are 1 of 1 and that they are being treated as an individual and with the utmost respect and attention to detail.

Q: In closing, I would have to assume that the end of spring training is probably the most exciting time of the year. The players more or less have a clean slate with which to work from and have five months to make some strides in their development. How do you feel about the end of spring training?

RA: Other than competing for the playoffs, it is the best time of the year because 300 people have come under one roof to spend 50 days together all day every day without exception to start our season. It is a very fulfilling accomplishment each year because of how much you have to rely on one another to get that done. It is just extremely fulfilling because of just the amount of work and time and energy that goes into doing something together. We can then at least for a day or two just sit back and watch. That is all you can do once the season has started is just watch them play now.

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.