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The Radar Report: 2013 Volume III

By Tony Lastoria

October 29, 2013

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"The Radar Report" is a premium feature that lists fastball velocities and other notes for several pitchers in the Indians' system which I have recorded during my visits to see the teams/players. Today's listing has almost 20 radar readings for pitchers in the Indians' minor league system that I saw out in Instructional League and the Arizona Fall League, and where available I have also included the velocity ranges for their secondary pitches.

This is an interesting report simply because 14 of the 20 pitchers I saw pitch for the first time, with three of those pitchers Justin Garcia, Daniel Carela and Yoiber Marquina making either their organizational debuts in Instructs as players or their first time pitching off a mound. In addition to that I got to see how Tyler Sturdevant and Jacob Lee look in their rehabs from injuries.

Note: The information obtained in the chart below is from myself and has not been provided by the Indians or anyone affiliated with them or from another team. The readings are recorded through the use of my own professional graded radar gun.

Pitcher - FB Low - FB High - FB Avg - Notes

Sean Armstrong 91 92 91.7 Steady FB velo, 86-88 MPH cutter, still coming back from injury

Sean Brady 86 89 88.0 Nice 78-79 CB, good feel for pitching and command at age

Daniel Carela 92 95 94.1 New guy picked up from Phillies, good velo, 81-82 MPH CB

Kyle Crockett 90 92 91.3 Nasty 81-84 MPH SL that is almost unhittable for lefties

Trevor Frank 93 94 93.5 Consistent velo, strike thrower, good life to FB, 80-83 MPH SL

Justin Garcia 84 87 86.0 Lower round low velo pitcher, didn’t pitch in '13, 77-80 MPH CB

Daniel Gomez 89 92 90.9 Lots of 90s and 91s, 76-78 MPH CH, 84-85 MPH SL

Trey Haley 94 97 96.1 Good velo, command still inconsistent, 80-84 MPH CB

Jeff Johnson 88 91 89.2 Almost all FBs, velo down, command off, 83 MPH splitter

Jacob Lee 89 92 91.1 Velo not all the way back after injury, but good to see on mound

Francisco Lopez 86 89 87.8 Small guy, young, has some athleticism. Prob back to DSL

Yoiber Marquina 91 95 93.7 Compact frame, arm strength, 78-80 MPH slurvy slider

Kenny Matthews 87 89 88.2 Lots of 88s and 89s, good presence, nice 78-79 MPH CB

Carlos Melo 95 99 96.9 High velo guy, older, but Indians liked his showing a lot

Jordan Milbrath 92 94 93.6 Nice size, raw w/ lots of upside, coaches raved, 80-83 MPH CB

Yohan Puello 91 95 92.4 Mostly 91-93 MPH but hit 95 once, 77-79 MPH CB

Will Roberts 88 92 89.3 Lots of FBs early, 82-83 MPH CH, 77-79 MPH CB

Tyler Sturdevant 87 92 89.9 Fresh on mound, still working way back, 76-79 MPH CH

Walker White 88 93 92.1 Lots of 92s and 93s, good to see after injury, 79-80 MPH CB

Matt Whitehouse 86 90 87.9 Low velo lefty, good command, 82-84 MPH SL, 76-77 CH

Plenty to celebrate: The Giants' Yoshiyuki Kamei (right) and teammate Tetsuya Matsumoto enjoy the euphoria of Yomiuri's 6-5 victory over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Game 4 of the Japan Series on Thursday. The Giants scored twice in the fourth, twice in the fifth and once more in the seventh to complete the comeback | KYODO

Baseball

Terauchi, Chono, Giants draw even with Eagles in Japan Series

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

Oct 30, 2013

Takayuki Terauchi and Hisayoshi Chono secured return tickets to Sendai for the Yomiuri Giants and breathed new life into the Japan Series in the process.

Chono drove in three runs to keep the Giants in the game early, and Terauchi delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh to help the Giants edge the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 6-5 in Game 4 of the Japan Series on Wednesday at Tokyo Dome.

“Terauchi has been a hot hitter for us, but we also got big hits from Chono and (Tetsuya) Matsumoto,” Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said.

The Giants avoided falling into a 3-1 hole and instead evened the series and ensured there will be a Game 6 in Sendai on Saturday.

Rakuten will be trying to take the series lead back home with them by bouncing back from a tough loss and winning Game 5 on Thursday.

“It was a tough one,” Eagles third baseman Casey McGehee said. “They did a good job of coming back. It was a good game all around. There were some things we would’ve liked to have done a little differently, some things they probably would like to have done differently. But you know, the series just gets shorter. It’s a best-of-three now.

“This is what you want. You want a dogfight, and we got one.”

Yomiuri pulled out all the stops to snap out of their Japan Series funk. The Kyojin did morijio (the act of placing salt by an entrance to bring good luck) at the top of each of the three sets of steps in the home dugout, changed up their postseason pregame video, and more importantly Hara made a number of changes in the lineup.

The manager kept tinkering with the lineup during the game as well, as he tried to get the best of Eagles skipper Senichi Hoshino.

“I changed some of the starters tonight and we wound up using most of our players,” Hara said. “It was a full team win tonight.”

Chono was in his usual spot at the top of the order and finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs.

“This was a game we could not lose, so I was determined to make the most of every chance,” he said.

The Eagles intentionally walked Chono to get to Terauchi in the seventh, and the Yomiuri second baseman made them pay with his go-ahead single.

“After they walked Chono, I was hoping I could come through one more time and I was lucky the ball I hit landed just inside the line,” Terauchi said.

Neither team was particularly sharp in this one.

The Eagles’ pitching was shaky from the beginning, though starter Jim Heuser pitched around four walks to deliver three innings of one-run ball.

Heuser got the Eagles into the fourth with a 4-1 lead, but the Kyojin chipped away at a Rakuten bullpen that proved to be full of holes but, to its credit, never let Yomiuri bust the game open.

Rakuten pitchers walked 10 batters, and also hit two, during the game, hardly a recipe for success.

“You can’t expect to be on the winning side,” Hoshino said of the walks.

Rakuten also added to its own woes with a pair of errors.

The Eagles reached double-digit hits (10) for the second straight night and have out-hit the Giants in every game of the series.

Andruw Jones was 2-for-4 for Rakuten, launching a three-run homer into left field in the top of the first. It the third home run of the postseason for Jones, who had 10 during the 11 years he reached the playoffs in the major leagues.

“The home run was all about the scouting report,” Jones said. “I saw what (starter D.J. Houlton) did against previous guys that had power. He threw them high fastballs, and that’s what I was looking for.”

Ryo Hijirisawa finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and Kazuo Matsui had a pair of hits for the Eagles.

Scott Mathieson picked up the win in relief for Yomiuri, with Kohei Hasebe taking the loss. Yomiuri’s Tetsuya Yamaguchi was credited with a save.

Houlton had a disastrous start to the game, walking leadoff man Takero Okajima and hitting Rakuten’s second batter, Kazuya Fujita. He retired Ginji Akaminai for the first out of the inning, but then gave up Jones’ three-run shot. Houlton gave up another run in the second inning, but kept Rakuten off the board in the third.

His day was over after allowing four runs over three innings.

With his team trailing 3-0 after the top of the first, Yomiuri’s Shuichi Murata ripped an RBI single into left after walks put a pair of Giants on base with two outs in the bottom half of the inning.

“We had a chance to score, so I tried to be aggressive,” Murata said.

The Eagles struck back in the second with Heuser beating the throw to first on a fielder’s choice, advancing on a single byOkajima and scoring on Fujita’s single to center to make the score 4-1.

“It was lucky the ball went the way it did so that Heuser was able to come home,” Fujita said.

The Giants began to find cracks in the Rakuten armor in the fourth against reliever Sho Miyagawa.

Daisuke Nakai and Yoshiyuki Kamei drew walks to start the inning, and Chono singled in a run to make the score 4-2.

“The guys ahead of me were really patient and set the table,” Chono said. “So I just tried to do the same.”

The Giants later loaded the bases when a pitch hit Terauchi’s helmet, which also resulted in Miyagawa being thrown out of the game.

Shinichiro Koyama came on in relief to strike out Hayato Sakamoto, but gave up a sacrifice fly to Shinnosuke Abe as Yomiuri cut the lead to one run.

“It was a kind of difficult pitch to hit,” Abe said. “I was relieved that I at least still managed to drive in a runner.”

Matsumoto drew a one-out walk in the fifth and an error at third allowed Kamei to reach first safely. Chono drove in both runners with a come-from-behind double, making the score 5-4.

Matsui led off the sixth with a single for Rakuten, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hijirisawa drove in Matsui with a double that tied the game.

“The Giants have strong relievers for the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, so we definitely wanted to score some runs before getting to them,” Hijirisawa said.

The Giants put a runner on second with one away in the seventh, and Eagles pitcher Hasebe intentionally walked Chono. Terauchi responded by driving a run with his bloop single to shallow right field that just did land in fair territory.

The Doosan Bears players celebrate after winning the Game 5 of the Korea Series at the Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)

Doosan squeezes past Samsung to take 3-1 Korean Series lead

Published : 2013-10-28 22:45 Updated : 2013-10-28 22:47

The Doosan Bears got past the Samsung Lions 2-1 in Game 4 of the Korean Series on Monday, moving within one win of claiming the South Korean baseball championship.

At their home of Jamsil Stadium in the nation's capital, the Bears scored in the first inning and rode their pitching the rest of the way to take the commanding 3-1 lead in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) final series.

The Bears can clinch the championship Tuesday at home, where Game 5 is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. No team has blown a 3-1 Korean Series lead in the KBO's 31-year history.

They're trying to become the first club to win the Korean Series after finishing the regular season in fourth place. The Lions are chasing their third straight championship.

Doosan's starter Lee Jae-woo was the star of the game, throwing five shutout innings and giving up two hits and three walks for his first career playoff victory. The right-hander punched out the side in the fifth inning as part of his eight-strikeout night.

Reliever Chung Jae-hun gave up a run in the top of the ninth, but with two men on board with two outs, Yun Myung-jun retired Jin Kap-yong on a grounder for the nail-biting save.

The Bears said they will start right-hander Noh Kyung-eun in Game 5. The Lions announced that they will task right-hander Yoon Sung-hwan with trying to keep their season alive.

It will be the rematch of Game 1, a 7-2 win for Doosan. Noh was the winning pitcher tossing 6 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on four hits and striking out seven. It was Noh's first Korean Series win.

Yoon took the loss after giving up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in the first game. He also served up a home run to Kim Hyun-soo in the fifth inning.

During the regular season, Noh was 10-10 with a 3.84 ERA, but was only 0-2 in two games against the Lions with a 4.97 ERA.

Yoon went 13-8 with a 3.27 ERA during the regular season but went 1-3 in four games against Doosan with a 5.91 ERA. (Yonhap)

Samsung Lions players celebrate after winning the Korean Series Game 5 at the Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap News)

Samsung stays alive in Korean Series with win over Doosan

Published : 2013-10-29 22:52 Updated : 2013-10-29 22:53

The Samsung Lions defeated the Doosan Bears 7-5 in Game 5 of the Korean Series on Tuesday, staying alive in the best-of-seven championship final for the Korea Baseball Organization.

On the road at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, the Lions' Park Han-yi hit a tie-breaking two-run single in the top eighth after they blew an early 3-0 lead, as the two-time defending champion staved off elimination. The Bears still lead the Korean Series 3-2.

The Lions wielded hot bats in windy and chilly conditions with 11 hits, including two home runs. Over the first four games of the series, the Lions had been hitting just .175, including a meager 2-for-34 with men in scoring position.

By scoring seven runs on Tuesday, the Lions also matched the total number of runs they'd scored in the four previous games.

Rick van den Hurk, normally a starter for Samsung, picked up the win thanks to two shutout innings in relief. Oh Seung-hwan picked up his league-record 12th career postseason save with a scoreless ninth.

Yun Myung-jun took the loss for the Bears after allowing an earned run in 1 1/3 innings.

Park Han-yi was the late-inning hero for the Lions, but Choi Hyung-woo also enjoyed a fine day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run and an RBI. Park Seok-min was 2-for-2 with three walks and drove in two runs.

Choi Jun-seok went 3-for-4 with two home runs, two RBIs and three runs scored in the losing cause. (Yonhap News)

There is a lot of talent being distributed and on display in the winter leagues this season. It appears that the leagues are getting stronger each and every year thanks to the many top prospects playing in all the leagues. For the start of the winter ball season, this is as strong a beginning as I am accustomed to seeing and it only gets better and stronger from here.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Int’l Baseball Challenge: Samurai Japan vs. Chinese Taipei Baseball set for November

National Teams from Japan and Chinese Taipei square off from November 8-10 in Taipei City

National Teams from Japan and Chinese Taipei will play an officially sanctioned three-game exhibition series in Taipei City from Thursday, November 8 to Saturday, November 10, 2013.

Federations use an increased amount of resources to bolster their national team activity. Last year Cuba traveled to Asia to play against Chinese Taipei and Japan. During this summer the Czech Republic hosted Chinese Taipei. And the Collegiate National Team from the United States played a pair of friendship series versus Japan and Cuba. All of them were officially sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).

The highly anticipated “Samurai Japan/Chinese Taipei Baseball Challenge” features a selection of professional players, amateur talent and prospects from each country, as managers kick off preparations for next year’s Asian Games.

Three sold out games are expected, as both squads use the opportunity after the completion of the professional baseball season for national team competition on the international stage.

Japan recently has created a new website dedicated to Samurai Japan, as interest in their national teams continues to be on the rise. For new manager Hiroki Kokubo the series in Taipei City is going to be his official debut at the helm.

Samurai Japan/Chinese Taipei Baseball Challenge sees the number three and four of the Men’s Baseball World Ranking squaring off. Both rivals last met during the second round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic in March of this year. Japan won 4-3 en route to the semi-finals.

Games will be played at Xinzhuang and Tianmu Baseball Stadiums in Taipei City, venues which have hosted international tournaments like the World Baseball Classic Qualifier and Baseball World Cups in the past.

All three games will be broadcasted live in Japan (TV Asahi, TBS) and Chinese Taipei. Interest in national team encounters has been on the rise throughout the entire sport.

Schedule:

Thursday, November 8, 2013:
18:35 Chinese Taipei – Japan (Xinzhuang)

Friday, November 9, 2013:
18:05 Chinese Taipei – Japan (Xinzhuang)

Saturday, November 10, 2013:
18:00 Chinese Taipei – Japan (Tianmu)

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Australian Baseball League Season 2013/2014 starts on Thursday

by Australian Baseball Federation

The 2013/14 Australian Baseball League will commence on 31 October when the Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces visit the ABL champion Canberra Cavalry at Narrabundah Ballpark. Click here to visit the league's 2013/14 season schedule.

Adelaide Bite (presented by SA Power Networks), 21-15 last season (5th place)

The 2013/14 season marks a new chapter for the Adelaide Bite with a new manager in Houston Astros scout Charlie Aliano, a slew of impressive new imports from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros and the acquisition of last season’s most reliable closer, Matt Williams from the Sydney Blue Sox.

They’ll join a core group of veteran National Team representatives that have developed a strong chemistry in the club’s first three seasons, including 2012/13 Rookie of the Year Ben Lodge and co-defensive player of the year Stefan Welch. Welch helped Adelaide finish last season with the top fielding percentage of any team defensively in the ABL at.974.

Adelaide’s pitching staff will be anchored by veterans Paul Mildren, Dushan Ruzic, and Darren Fidge, but perhaps the most intriguing pitcher on the Bite mound this season will be Williams, who brings his trademark beard and ABL record 15 saves last year for the Blue Sox to an already formidable rotation.

Brisbane Bandits, 23-22 last season (4th place)

Three seasons into the new ABL and the boys in maroon are still searching for their first Postseason appearance. Brisbane hope the continued progression of one of the league’s youngest rosters and a new home, the historic Holloway Field will change their fortune.

A side heavily reliant on local talent, the Bandits should benefit from young players gaining valuable experience in the ABL and overseas in 2013/14. Pitcher Ryan Searle is fresh off a Florida State League Championship with the Daytona Cubs of the Chicago Cubs organization.

Brisbane cornerstones Josh Roberts, Ryan Battaglia, Nathan Hass, and Mitch Nilsson have also been continuing to hone their skills with their minor league clubs in the ABL off-season. If the Bandits can live up to their potential, they could be well on their way to snatching their first ever playoff berth in 2013/14.

Canberra Cavalry (driven by Rolfe Renault), 27-19 last season (1st place, Claxton Shield champions)

After two consecutive last-place finishes, the Canberra Cavalry charged to their first Claxton Shield in ACT baseball history last season. Led by the ABL’s first-ever triple crown winner, second baseman Adam Buschini, the Cavalry claimed the league’s minor premiership and the went on to sweep two-time defending champion Perth Heat at home at ‘the Fort’

While Buschini won’t be back after signing a contract with the San Diego Padres on the strength of his dominant ABL season, the Cavalry have re-signed a strong contingent of last year’s key pieces to defend their crown.

The Toronto Blue Jays will once again send some of their top prospects to Canberra, including catcher Jack Murphy who had an outstanding season for the Cavalry in 2012/13. Fan favourites Jeremy Barnes and Kody Hightower are also set to return.

Canberra’s fearsome offence will attempt to match its marks of a year ago when the club ran away with every major offensive category, leading the league with 56 home runs, 246 runs batted in, 264 runs, and 264 hits. Additionally, the Cavalry have inked the services of returning import pitchers Brian Grening, Sean Toler, and Eric Massingham and will also welcome local arms Steven Kent and Kyle Perkins.

The (‘Jet Couriers’) Melbourne Aces, 15-31 last season (6th place)

The 2012/13 season was a frustrating one for the Melbourne Aces. Just one year removed from nearly winning the ABL championship, the Aces stumbled to a disappointing last place finish with both the league’s worst ERA and the worst batting average.

Shortstop James Beresford leads a talented, young group of Aces players seeking a return to ABL contention this season. Beresford, who spent the bulk of 2013 in Triple-A in the Minnesota Twins system, teams with Tampa Bay Rays prospect and fellow Victorian Darryl George and veteran former major leaguers Justin Huber and Brad Harmon in the infield.

Melbourne has long had a strong relationship with Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan) clubs, and 2013/14 will be no different. This season, the Aces welcome imports from MLB’s Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers as well as NPB’s Seibu Lions.

The strength of the Aces will be its incredibly deep roster of capable arms that will include MLB talent like Travis Blackley and Shane Lindsay as well as stars in the making Daniel McGrath and Lewis Thorpe, of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins systems respectively,

The 17-year-old Thorpe just cracked the Twins’ top-ten best prospect list by Baseball America in his rookie season with the Gulf Coast League and is coming off the U18 World Championships, where he pitched Australia to victory in the USA's only loss in the tournament. McGrath has just completed a brilliant minor league season, as well, and was tabbed 2013 Boston Red Sox Rookie of the Year by the website SoxProspects.com.

The (Alcohol. Think Again) Perth Heat, 25-21 last season (3rd place)

The Perth Heat fell short or their third consecutive ABL title, but have reloaded their roster with a number of talented imports that should have them back in championship contention in 2013/14.

Perth’s starting pitching rotation will be headlined by returning locals and a trio of Americans with big league experience. Former major leaguers Anthony Claggett and Mike Ekstrom will take the mound along with 2011/12 ABL Pitcher of the Year Warwick Saupold, who returns to the Heat after an impressive season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves of the Detroit Tigers organisation.

The heart of Perth’s lineup will be back for 2013/14, with the Kennelly brothers, Sam, Josh, Matt, and Tim—the ABL’s 2011/12 Helms Award winner—all set for another campaign as well as former major leaguer Luke Hughes and 2012/13 co-defensive player of the year Allan de San Miguel.

Additionally, the Orioles will send three new prospects to the Heat, and Perth has signed Colorado Rockies minor league infielder Joey Wong.

Sydney Blue Sox, 26-19 (2nd place)

The Blue Sox missed a trip to the ABL Championship Series by a half-game last season and the club has reached the Postseason in all three years of the league’s existence, but a shot at the ABL title continues to elude the team.

One of the club’s biggest offseason moves is the return of Sydney star Trent Oeltjen, a former major leaguer currently playing Triple-A for the Los Angeles Angels organization.. Oeltjen, who has played in a combined 99 MLB games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, saw limited action with the Blue Sox in 2010/11 but figures to be a major contributor this season.

He joins a gifted outfield that includes Colorado Rockies minor leaguer David Kandilas, former Boston Red Sox prospect and current Japanese minor leaguer Mitch Dening, and 2010/11 ABL Rookie of the Year Trent Schmutter.

Sydney’s outfield and offence are set to get even better this season with the additions of imports from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Diamondbacks outfielder Keon Williams highlights this year’s imports in New South Wales. Tabbed the “Best Athlete” in the Arizona system by Baseball America, Williams hopes to be back in Sydney in March with the Diamondbacks as they contest the 2014 MLB Opening Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sydney’s stingy pitching staff loses closer Matt Williams but returns arguably the best starting core in the league. The Blue Sox posted the league’s best ERA by far in 2012/13, and Pitcher of the Year Craig Anderson is back to lead his team’s arms.

Ex-player Bernie Williams will perform at opening of Dominican Jazz Festival

By Antonio Heredia

PUERTO PLATA .,

megastar Former Major League Baseball player Bernie Williams, now prominent jazz musician, will perform at a concert to be held at the Plaza Independencia in this city, on Thursday October 31.

Williams who was a sensational player in major league baseball with team New York Yankees, will be performing at the first concert that marks the beginning of the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival to start tomorrow in Central Park this resort.

According to the show's program, the Puerto Rican Williams camp representing the Dominican Republic Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz in a presentation open to all age groups starting at 8:00 pm in Local Independence Square.

Also, the next day Friday, 1 November from 8:00 pm in the Parque Mirador Sosúa, there will be a presentation of Miguel Tejada & Bolero Blue, from the Dominican Republic.

In Puerto Rico will appear the Richie Flores Group. Horacio "The Black'' Hernandez from Cuba, and also from the Island of Enchantment will take the stage Edsel Gomez, Mike Rodriguez, Ivan Renta, Marfi Delgado and Ramon Vazquez.

On Saturday November 2, at 8:00 pm, at Playa Cabarete the great Abraham Laboriel of Mexico and from Peru, Alex Acuña who will then be accompanied by Ivan Renta and Manuel Valera.

As for Sunday November 3, also at 8:00 pm, will be the closing feature at Playa Cabarete, will entertain Marco Pignataro, the Rufus Reid Trio, George Garzone from Italy, and Billy Drummond from the United States. From the Dominican Republic the famous merengue act of Johnny Ventura and Milly Quezada who act in the show "La Gallura.

Dee Gordon debuted on Tuesday against Eagles; Engel Beltre on Wednesday

The speedy and known player imported by the Tigres del Licey, Dee Gordon arrived in the country over the weekend and will be on the roster Tuesday for the game the Cibao Eagles at Estadio Quisqueya.

Also, the center fielder Engel Beltre will have his debut on Wednesday against the Gigantes del Cibao, while the pitcher Ramon Ortiz will make his first appearance of the tournament on Friday against the Lions of the Chosen, both in the capital park. Dates were offered Monday by the club's general manager, Manny Acta, who added that the veteran Guillermo Mota is also preparing to join the Tigers' pitching staff.

Gordon strengthened Licey in the previous season, but in his original position of shortstop. In 29 games he batted .269. In 108 innings fired 29 hits, including three doubles and six triples, scored 16 runs, drove 12, stole nine bases, received 11 walks and 22 strikeouts.

Engel Beltre, who this year debuted in the majors with the Texas Rangers and had a ​​good campaign as their center fielder and leadoff hitter with Round Rock in the League of the Pacific Coast (AAA) has two weeks preparing to join the cats.

"Cotuí The Barber", Ramon Ortiz the Texas Ranger, last Monday against the Yankees, retired the three batters he faced.

Guillermo Mota, veteran pitcher who had no action in this summer in organized baseball, threw 1.0 inning against the Rangers on Monday, allowed one hit, with no runs.

Around the Farm: October 30, 2013
Tyler Sturdevant

By Tony Lastoria

October 31, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Arizona Fall League

Jake Lowery (C, Peoria Javelinas): 1-for-4, 3B, RBI, 2 PB. It is still odd to see Lowery playing for a different team in the AFL than the one his other Indians’ teammates are on. This is obviously a unique situation, one that I wonder how often it has happened in the past (if at all) in the AFL with players from an organization on more than one team. In any case solid day at the plate, but the two passed balls were obviously not good.

Tyler Naquin (CF, Surprise Saguaros): 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, A. Naquin has responded to some constructive criticism earlier in the week about his lack of power by knocking out an extra base hit in each of his last two games – this time a big line drive two-run homer laser shot to right. This was overall one of his most complete games so far in the AFL as he got on base 3 times, scored 3 runs, was a run producer and also had an assist from the outfield.

Joe Wendle (DH, Surprise Saguaros): 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB. Wendle got to hit second right behind Naquin, something he has not had much of a chance to do so far in the AFL and he made the most of it by getting on base 2 times and driving in a few runs. The playing time has been sporadic as he’s played in just 10 games and only played back to back days twice, but he has still managed to hit .306 with a .853 OPS.

Shawn Armstrong (RHP, Surprise Saguaros): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Armstrong needed 28 pitches (17 strikes) to get through his one inning of work, so he was not very efficient, but he has now racked up 6 strikeouts in his last two outings over 3.0 innings. The walks continue to be a concern as he has 8 of them in 8.0 innings.

Tyler Sturdevant (RHP, Surprise Saguaros): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. A quick, efficient inning for Sturdevant as he needed just 11 pitches (7 strikes) to breeze through three hitters. This was his offseason debut in the AFL – his season debut at that – and it looks like he is going to replace Trey Haley on the roster who has not pitched since October 11th. It’s great to see Tyler back out there competing on a mound again in meaningful games.

Dominican Winter League

Jose Ramirez (2B, Toros del Este): 0-for-4, 2 K. Baseball can be such a humbling game sometimes. After such an impressive showing in winter ball last year, Ramirez is off to a slow start hitting .231 in 10 games. That said, it is very early in the winter season and a small sample size – though the 9 strikeouts in 39 at bats is not customary for Jose.

Venezuela Winter League

Elvis Araujo (RP, Aguilas del Zulia): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Araujo faced just one batter and retired him on a groundout to the shortstop. His usage has been interesting this offseason as he’s made three appearances and faced just one batter in all three outings - this was the first time he retired a batter. Please note, this does not mean the Indians are making him a reliever as he is still a starting pitching prospect for them. They don’t have much control what role a pitcher pitches in except for some parameters they can set with pitch count limitations and avoiding over-use.

Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 0-for-3, E. Our days of keeping track of Carrera’s performance in winter ball may be soon coming to an end. With the World Series now over and the 2013-2014 offseason now officially started, he and other minor league free agents will be signing deals with teams over the next several weeks.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect 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.

Nats prospects lead Margarita to win in Venezuela

Two Nats farmhands took center stage in Margarita's win as No. 12 prospect Zach Walters homered and Danny Rosenbaum tossed six scoreless frames.

Winter League roundup: Walters lifts Margarita

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | 10/31/2013 3:40 A.M. ET

Venezuelan Winter League

Margarita 8, Lara 2

A pair of Nationals prospects took center stage in Margarita's victory over Lara on Wednesday night. Infielder Zach Walters, rated the club's 12th best prospect by MLB.com, homered and walked twice to provide the offense, while left-hander Danny Rosenbaum tossed six shutout innings and allowed just four hits. Gerson Montilla also added two hits for Bravos de Margarita, and Seattle's Jesus Montero had two knocks -- one a double -- for Lara.

Caribes 14, Magallanes 6

With their thrashing of previously first-place Magallanes, Caribes moved into a tie atop the Venezuelan Winter League. Kansas City's Gorkys Hernandez and Atlanta's Luis Nunez each pounded out three hits. Every player in the Caribes starting lineup had at least one, and they rocked the typically solid Magallanes staff for 14 runs and 17 hits. Yankees product Adonis Garcia homered in defeat, and former Orioles outfielder Lew Ford added two hits.

Zulia 8, La Guaira 2

Braves prospect Ernesto Mejia led off the fourth inning with a home run, sparking a five-run frame that sent Zulia on its way to a rout of La Guaira. Mejia and Henry Rodriguez -- the Reds' No. 11 prospect -- each had two hits for Zulia, and Wilfredo Boscan tossed four shutout frames. Rangers No. 2 prospect Luis Sardinas went 2-for-3 with a walk for La Guaira, raising his average to .378.

Dominican Winter League

Licey 7, Gigantes 6

Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar hit an RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth inning, propelling Licey to a victory over Gigantes. Jairo Asencio worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save. Baltimore's Yamaico Navarro went 4-for-5, and he knocked in three runs, raising his average to .487 on the season. Gigantes second baseman Leury Garcia -- Profar's teammate with Texas -- went 4-for-5 with two RBIs.

Aguilas 8, Toros 2

Dan Black hit a home run and a double in four at-bats, leading Aguilas in a rout over Toros. Mets center fielder Juan Lagares also had two hits, one of them a double, and Sho Iwasaki, a right-hander for the SoftBank Hawks in the Japanese League, allowed only an unearned run and two hits.

Escogido 6, Estrellas 5

Julio Lugo's RBI single in the top of the 13th inning capped a thriller as Escogido topped Estrellas. Pirates No. 2 prospect Gregory Polanco hit a fifth-inning grand slam and finished 2-for-4 with three walks and five RBIs. Lugo and Jorge Polanco also had two hits apiece for Escogido. On the same night his parent club won the World Series, Red Sox right-hander Allen Webster, who posted an 8.60 ERA in eight outings, struggled. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings, putting Escogido in a hole it would eventually slam its way out of.

Mexican Pacific League

Los Mochis 12, Mazatlan 4
First baseman Jake Fox led the way for Los Mochis, reaching base four times and pounding out three hits in a victory over Mazatlan. Los Mochis used a six-run fourth to pull away, and Yancarlo Angulo's homer in the top of the sixth inning put the game on ice. Shortstop Jesus Avila had two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Mazatlan second baseman Oswaldo Morejon went 3-for-4 in defeat.

Mexicali 4, Navojoa 3

Mexicali, quite literally, walked off in its victory over Navojoa, using four free passes -- one intentional -- in the bottom of the ninth inning to get back to the .500 mark. Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the frame with a walk and came around to score when Christhian Presichi walked with the bases loaded and one out. Mexicali right fielder Ricky Alvarez had two hits, including a fifth-inning homer -- his third of the year. Right-hander Terry Doyle tossed six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine. But he got a no-decision, as free-agent right-hander Jeremy Accardo blew the save in the top of the eighth.

Culiacan 2, Obregon 1

Culiacan mustered just three hits -- and none for extra bases -- but that was all it needed in a victory over Yaquis de Obregon. Right-hander Andres Meza allowed only an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 1.59. Rolando Valdez matched zeros with Meza, tossing six two-hit innings, but the Obregon bullpen cracked in the seventh when Humberto Cota hit into an RBI groundout. In fact, neither of Culiacan's runs came on RBI hits, as Luis Cruz plated the first run with a sacrifice fly.

Hermosillo at Guasave: PPD, rain

Baseball / Japanese Baseball

Eagles move closer to first Japan Series title

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

Oct 31, 2013

It wasn’t exactly pretty and it was definitely a little harder than expected.

But a win is a win, and in Game 5 of the Japan Series, you take them any way you can get them.

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles lost the lead in the bottom of the ninth, took it back on Ginji Akaminai’s RBI single in the 10th, and got an insurance run on Andruw Jones’ infield RBI single later in the frame to edge the Yomiuri Giants 4-2 on Thursday night at Tokyo Dome.

“We should have won the game in the ninth inning,” Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino said. “But even though we had to go one extra inning, I’ll take it.”

The Eagles now lead the series 3-2 and get two chances to clinch their first-ever title at home in Kleenex Stadium, with undefeated ace Masahiro Tanaka (26-0 in 2013, including the postseason) waiting in the wings to start either Game 6 or a potential Game 7.

“We’re in the driver’s seat now; one game up and going to Sendai to win it all for the home fans,” Hoshino said.

Rakuten pitcher Takahiro Norimoto blew a possible four-inning save by giving up a game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth.

Norimoto later led off the top of the 10th and drew a walk to start the frame. He went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Takero Okajima, and the Eagles added another baserunner when Kazuya Fujita was hit in the calf with a pitch from Giants reliever Kentaro Nishimura.

Norimoto came around to score the go-ahead run on Akaminai’s one-out single to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

“I felt good coming into the batter’s box with two runners on and just wanted to get a hit and put us ahead again,” Akaminai said.

Fujita went from first to third on the play, but the pain of being hit became too great as he was lifted for a pinch runner, Toshito Abe. Jones then legged out a two-out infield single (on a play at first that could’ve been called either way) which allowed Abe to score and put the Eagles ahead 4-2.

“I smelled it when I saw the third baseman kind of lose the ball in the lights,” Jones said. “So I thought I had a good chance. So I just kind of put a little step on that, trying to get that extra run.

“Like I said before, these games aren’t going to be easy. They’ve all been tough games. All one-run, two runs, stuff like that. We needed that run so we could give Norimoto a better chance to relax out there and get three outs.”

It must have worked, because the rookie took the mound in the bottom half of the inning and retired the side to record the win.

“It was tough pitching in the ninth after I gave up the leadoff double to (Yoshinobu) Takahashi, but I thank the manager for staying with me to pitch the 10th and get the win,” Norimoto said.

Rakuten nearly won the game in nine innings, thanks to the combined efforts of starter Wataru Karashima and Norimoto.

Twenty-three year-old Karashima did a good job of mixing his pitches and never faced any real danger in his five innings on the mound.

Karashima, a fourth-year pro out of Izuki High School in Fukuoka Prefecture, didn’t give up his first hit until Daisuke Nakai lined a single into center with one away in the fifth. The left-hander struck out four and walked a pair, allowing just Nakai’s hit before giving way to Norimoto.

“Karashima pitched better than he did during the regular season,” Hoshino said. “We got five good innings out of him, and he deserved to be a winner.”

Norimoto took home the victory after blowing the save, allowing a pair of runs and striking out five over five innings. The rookie was the losing pitcher in Game 1 despite eight solid innings of two-run ball and came back on short rest on Thursday.

“I’m very tired, but our starter Karashima did a terrific job, and I’m glad I was able to relieve him and get us to the finish line as the victors,” he said.

Nishimura was charged with the loss.

The Giants head to Sendai with their backs against the wall, needing to win two games in order to repeat as Japan Series champions.

“Nishimura was not his best tonight, and this is a tough loss to take,” Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara said. “But we’re going back to Sendai and we will have to win both games there.”

Shuichi Murata continued to terrorize Norimoto, especially fitting on Halloween, homering in the seventh and hitting an RBI infield single off the right-hander’s glove in the ninth. He also went deep off Norimoto in Game 1.

Murata finished with half of the hits on another poor night at the plate by the Kyojin, who have been out-hit in all five games.

Yomiuri continued to get almost no production out of mainstays Hayato Sakamoto and Shinnosuke Abe. Sakamoto was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and is 2-for-17 for the series. Reigning CL MVP Abe, who hit .296 during the regular season, also went hitless in Game 5 and is just 1-for-14 at the plate overall.

Even Yomiuri’s most dependable hitters in this series, Hisayoshi Chono (6-for-15 with four RBIs through the first four games) and Takayuki Terauchi (4-for-14 with two RBIs in the same span) lost their way in Game 5, combining to go 0-for-7.

The scene shifts to Sendai for Saturday’s Game 6, where the Eagles will be trying to close it out.

“There is a lot of pressure in the Japan Series,” Akaminai said. “But I think we can win one more game and become the champions.”

Samsung rallies to beat Doosan, forces Game 7 in Korean Series

Published : 2013-10-31 22:13 Updated : 2013-10-31 22:32

The Samsung Lions came from behind to defeat the Doosan Bears 6-2 in Game 6 of the Korean Series on Thursday, forcing a decisive seventh game in the championship final for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Playing host at Daegu Stadium, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Chae Tae-in blasted a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, and Park Han-yi put the game out of reach with a three-run shot in the seventh, as the Lions stormed back to knot the best-of-seven affair at 3-3 after trailing three games to one.

Los Toros del Este Thursday announced the dismissal of the U.S. manager Dave Miley. The team has one win and nine losses in winter baseball tournament. Miley's place will be occupied, on an interim basis, by the Dominican Evaristo Lantigua, who served as bench coach for the Toros.

The dismissal of the American manager was reported by the Toros on their Twitter account. "Due to bad start it requires taking decisions required to find a positive reaction to enable better performance," said Felix Francisco, general manager.

[Jose Ramirez is the Toros second baseman / shortstop / third baseman. They don't mess around in these leagues. Either win or go home.]

Omar Vizquel reached an agreement with the Leones del Caracas

Former big leaguer will wear number 23 for Caracas while exercising his functions as infield coach for the Lions.

Wednesday October 30, 2013 6:23 PM

Caracas. -

Omar Vizquel today reached an agreement with the board of the Leones del Caracas and will be starting tomorrow with the team in uniform. The information was released by the President of the team, Luis Avila. "Almost certainly Omar will be tomorrow with the team for about a month," he said. Vizquel had planned to be in uniform with the Lions on Tuesday before the game against the Navegantes del Magallanes, but the former player had not reached an agreement with the team on his contract.

[Jesus Aguilar should benefit a lot with respect to his defense at first base with Omar being his infield coach. That should be a nice experience for Jesus.]