Cleveland Sports Forum

So many teams in the league, that plenty of reasonable prospects don't make the Midwest list. And I wasn't around to try to sneak in any questions, although the only other player who reasonably would have had a shot is Nellie Rodriguez who was one of the league's top power hitters.

John Sickels' sleepers

Jake Lowery, C, Cleveland Indians: Age 24, hit .201/.306/.329 with five homers, 33 walks, 71 strikeouts in 219 at-bats for Double-A Akron. He hit .275/.363/.449 at the same level last year so this was a disappointing campaign and he’s getting old for a prospect. Fourth round pick in 2011 from James Madison

Carlos Moncrief, OF, Cleveland Indians: Age 25, hit .271/.328/.431 with 33 doubles, 12 homers, 38 walks, 130 strikeouts in 480 at-bats for Triple-A Columbus. Will need to turn more of those doubles into homers to get a chance. I can't prove it objectively but I think he could still surprise us. 14th round pick in 2008 from Chipola JC.

Nellie Rodriguez, 1B, Cleveland Indians: Age 20, hit .268/.349/.482 with 32 doubles, 22 homers, 60 walks, 142 strikeouts in 485 at-bats for Low-A Lake County. Some contact issues but this is outstanding power production for the Midwest League. 15th round pick in 2012 from high school in New York City.

LeVon Washington, OF, Cleveland Indians: Age 23, former second round pick but pointed out as a "sleeper" to remind people of him since constant injuries have pushed him down the lists. However, when healthy he always hits, including a .294/.402/.393 mark in 252 at-bats in High-A this year. Lots of on-base ability. Can he stay healthy enough for it to matter?

I guess those were his pre-season sleepers?

Rodriguez looks like a hitter.
Lowery like he needs to find a new line of work.
Washington was healthy most of this year but showed little power or speed and defensively was pretty much limited to LF. At age 23 and not yet in AA I don't think there's much chance left for him; if he doesn't improve dramatically in 2015, he's finished.
I've always liked Moncrief so I too think he's still a possibility; two positive signs not noted by Sickels: 1) his vs RH/LH split was much improved in 2014 (avg about the same but the K/BB split was still very uneven) and 2) he hit much better later in the year than early on.

Minor League Transactions

Cleveland Indians
Signed: C Felix Fernandez

Elected free agency: 2B Elliot Johnson

Recalled: LHP Scott Barnes, LHP Nick Maronde, SS Erik Gonzalez, OF Carlos Moncrief

Assigned to Arizona Fall League: RHP Dylan Baker [needs work], RHP Louis Head [pretty impressive reliever], RHP Grant Sides [less impressive reliever], LHP Nick Maronde [former big leaguer rehabbing], C Tony Wolters [still new behind the plate, injured the end of the season], SS Francisco Lindor [not sure why he needs the work], OF Jordan Smith [no power, no speed, hit about 250, has one tool: a RF arm]

[This is a BA post, not from Tony Lastoria, so the speed gun measurements are probably accurate]

PHOENIX—Weekends start early in the instructional league. Instead of the normal 12:30 p.m. start time, games begin at 10 a.m. to give players a jumpstart on their weekends. There are no games on Sundays.

This Saturday took me to Goodyear, Ariz., where the Reds and Indians (whose complexes are separated by just a couple of blocks) were playing. Pitching matchups are not typically known in advance, so it’s usually a potluck if you’re a scout or media member.

On this day, the Indians were throwing a pitcher an inning, so there was a wide variety of arms to view. Lefty Justus Sheffield and righty Grant Hockin, taken by Cleveland in the first and second rounds of this year’s draft, respectively, pitched the third and fourth innings, so they were the clear headliners.

Sheffield, a short, stocky lefthander taken out of Tullahoma (Tenn.) High, cut through Cincinnati in order in his inning. He threw just eight pitches (six strikes, two balls, one swing-and-miss) in retiring the side on two grounders and a fly to shallow center. His fastball peaked at 92 mph. He also showed a changeup with a small amount of fade at the end at 79 mph.

Hockin, a tall righthander from Damien (Calif.) HS, didn’t fare as well in his inning. Reds catcher Garrett Boulware, Cincinnati’s 16th-rounder from Clemson, destroyed one of Hockin’s fastballs and sent it out over the high wall in left field. Boulware also popped at 2.40 trying to catch a runner stealing.

The longball was just a blip, though. Hockin retired the other three hitters he faced, utilizing a fastball that sat between 88-90 mph, a slider at 82-83 and a changeup at 83. He threw 12 pitches in his inning, eight of which were strikes. He got three swings and misses, including two consecutive on sliders to finish a strikeout of Dalton Carter, and another on a changeup.

There were other intriguing arms as well. Jared Robinson, a righthander the Indians selected in the 11th round out of Cerritos (Calif.) JC, was up to 93 mph and recorded a swinging strikeout of Montrell Marshall on an 80 mph slider. Luke Eubank, Cleveland’s 15th-rounder out of Oxnard (Calif.) JC, punched out two in the ninth and broke a bat. Eubank, a low-slot righthander, used a running fastball between 91-93 mph and a sweepy slider between 78-82 mph.

Some other notables from Saturday’s game: Indians shortstop Drake Roberts, this year’s 29th-rounder from St. Mary’s, pulled a single through the left side on a 90 mph fastball that was boring in on his hands. … Indians outfielder Gabriel Mejia singled and showed good instincts when he scampered to second when the ball got away from the second baseman on the throw in from the outfield.

Ba Carolina League Top 20 posted today and chat this afternoon. None of our guys make this easy-to-make list [there are only 8 teams]. I expected Erik Gonzalez to make the lower end of the list, but looking at his stats they really were nothing special in Carolina, were much better after his promotion to Akron [289 .336 .409 .745 vs. .357 .390 .473 .863]. I hoped Ryan Merritt's 13-3 2.58 ERA might get noticed but he seems to be not much more than another small soft-tossing lefty with a good offspeed pitch.

The Carolina League must not have many teams from big market cities, since all my questions on the marginal Tribe talent in the league were answered, and some others about Indians' prospects, including somehow Austin Adams, who is a bit beyond the Carolina League. All answers were unreliably positive since none of our guys actually made the Top 20 in this small eight-team league:

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Slightly surprised Erik Gonzalez didn't make the list at all, although his stats were actually much better in Akron after his promotion. Do you consider him a middle infield prospect?
Lacy Lusk: Perhaps in another organization, but third base could be the best bet for him. He almost made the Top 20. Has good arm strength and can handle the bat.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): I was hoping Ryan Merritt's good season might actually mean he's a marginal prospect. But not making the Top 10 in a small league suggests that he's not. Just doesn't throw hard enough?
Lacy Lusk: Marginal prospect and perhaps then some. The velocity was the only question mark. Not a bad signing for $150K.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Carolina Mudcats had a remarkably prospect-light team. Did anyone on the team impress?
Lacy Lusk: Gonzalez, for sure. Merritt, too. Third baseman Yandy Diaz has potential, too, off the Indians’ final Mudcats team before their switch to Lynchburg.

Dave (New York City): Adam Plutko seems to be holding his own as he advances. What did you hear about his rotation potential from Carolina managers and scouts? Will he need to return to Lynchburg, or is Akron in his future?
Lacy Lusk: Since he’s a fairly polished pitcher who did so well and pitched in so many games at UCLA, Double-A is probably a good bet. His 78-18 strikeout-walk ratio in 97 innings was solid.

Norm (Sarasota): What's the deal with Austin Adams. He seemed to have a good/bad year. Is he a prospect or org depth?
Lacy Lusk: Still a prospect. Didn’t do well in the big leagues this year, but that brief look should help him.

Josh (Richmond): What does it say about the overall talent of the league that a situational lefty made the league's top 20 list?
Lacy Lusk: I’ve definitely seen deeper lists in the Carolina League. There seemed to be more teams without many intriguing prospects.

No. 13 in the Texas League. A lot more useful than Justin Masterson.

13. James Ramsey, of, Springfield (Cardinals)

Age: 24. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 190. Drafted: Florida State, 2012 (1).

Ramsey took a big step toward matching his production on the diamond with his high-character reputation and leadership skills off it. He simplified his swing and approach to produce his best season as a pro before the Cardinals shipped him to the Indians at the trade deadline for righthander Justin Masterson.

Ramsey can do a little bit of everything but lacks a standout tool. Pitchers exploited him on the inner half of the plate entering this season, so he adjusted his stance by standing up straighter, creating better balance in his swing that allowed him to reach inside pitches. He also simplified his approach, and instead of trying to pull everything out of the ballpark showed a willingness to take pitches to the opposite field.

Ramsey is a solid defender with a strong arm and enough range for center field. The Cardinals gave him experience on the corners to improve his versatility and he got better at reading the ball off the bat over the course of the season. He’s a good runner but stolen bases will never be a part of his game.

Here's a scouting report of a player rated No. 24 for his organization. Impressed? [The previous season he didn't make the BA Top 30 for his team at all]

He played so well in his return to low Class A last year that he was jumped to AA at midseason. He is a patient hitter who has a gameplan at the plate and waits until he gets what he wants. He hits balls where they're pitched and doesn't offer at much out of the strikezone. He's a reliable contact hitter who draws walks and is a threat to steal any time he reaches based. The problem is that he doesn't profile well at any position. His plus speed doesn't translate well to his OF play. He often gets bad breaks on balls and has a below=average arm which makes him more of a left fielder than a CF. With just two homers in three pro season, he doesn't have the power to play regularly in left. He also handled himself well around first base when he was given some exposure there, but more power is required at that position. Ticketed for a return to AA, he looks like a fourth OF who can be a useful pinch-hitter.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Josh: Do you think Ramsay will help the Indians more than the man he was traded for, Justin Masterson, helped the Cards?

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: I really like Ramsey, as do the scouts I've spoken to. Simply because he'll likely be in Cleveland longer than Masterson will in St. Louis, I'll say sure.

Lindor went 4 for 6 with a double and homer and 3 rbi in the Arizona Fall League yesterday.

PHOENIX—It took only a few minutes for Thursday’s star to assert himself. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, Cleveland’s top prospect, smacked Scottsdale starter Ryan O’Sullivan‘s fourth pitch into the gap in left-center field for what appeared to be a clean single. Instead, Lindor took advantage of some slightly nonchalant play from left fielder Brandon Nimmo and motored his way into second base.

His two-bagger was the first of five doubles in the first six hitters against O’Sullivan, who was rocked for six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Lindor wasn’t nearly done. In the second inning, he punched a single through the right side, giving him two hits in as many innings. An inning later, Lindor showed off the surprising power from his slight (5-foot-11, 175-pound) frame, launching a pitch from Mets prospect Paul Sewald over the bullpen in right field for his first longball of the fall.

He capped his tremendous afternoon in the fourth with a tremendous piece of hitting. Facing Mets lefty Dario Alvarez, who rocketed from anonymity to Citi Field this season, Lindor hung with a slider on the outer half and looped it over shortstop for his fourth hit in four innings. He was a triple short of the cycle before the game was half over.

Just to prove he was human, he made outs in his final two at-bats.

Lindor had just two four-hit games this season, on Aug. 22 and 23 against Louisville and Indianapolis in the Triple-A International League. So, if history holds, Salt River and starter Jayson Aquino (Rockies prospect) should be on high alert on Friday.

Don't get too excited over batting stats in the AZ Fall League. Pitching is usually non-existant.

Always remember that Sea is from Rhode Island. They tend to not get excited about much !

Arizona Fall League:

Saturday:

Lindor 4-1-2-0 .500 walk, strikeout
Wolters 5-0-1-3 .111 double
J Smith 4 0 0 0 .235 2K
Dylan Baker 2-1-1-1-0-1 4.50 HR allowed
Grant Sides 1-0-0-0-0-2 0.00
Louis Head 1-3-2-2-0-2 9.00