Cleveland Sports Forum

Tony likes Cord Phelps more than the "experts" He has him at No. 9. BA puts him 20th

Tony reaches No. 8 and plugs in the top picks from the 2010 draft.

#8 Tony Wolters
Posted by Tony at 12:01 AM
Tony Wolters – Shortstop
Born: 06/09/1992 – Height: 5’10” – Weight: 175 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

(Photo: Ken Carr)
History: The Indians selected Wolters in the 3rd round of the 2010 Draft out of Rancho Buena Vista High School (CA). In just 25 games his senior year in high school he hit .430 (34-for-97) with 27 runs scored, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 17 RBI and was a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen base attempts. 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, hitting .371 with 4 doubles and 10 RBI in the tournament. He was also named to the 2009 Aflac All-American team and earned the game’s MVP award as he went 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI and a stolen base in Petco Park. He had a verbal agreement to attend the University of San Diego and slid to the 3rd round because of his seven figure bonus demands, but he was eventually signed by the Indians on the deadline for $1.35 million.

Strengths: Wolters doesn’t show a ton of plus tools, but he is a guy scouts just love to watch play. He is a smart, natural hitter who shows good hitting skills at the plate with good bat speed and hand-eye coordination. He shows an advanced approach at the plate for his age as he works counts well and is a selective hitter. He only has average at best power, but he still shows some surprising pop because of his innate ability to square the bat up with the ball and make hard contact. He is a line drive gap-to-gap hitter who sprays the ball all over the field with the ability to turn on balls. He is an average runner with strong leadership qualities who loves the game and plays it with a ton of enthusiasm. He is the very definition of a baseball "rat" that works hard to improve and spends a lot of time in the weight room in an effort to get bigger and stronger.

What the Indians and scouts like most about Wolters is his potential to be an above average hitter who plays excellent defense. His range at shortstop is only average at best, but he is an amazing defender who the Indians believe has the ability to remain at shortstop as he displays outstanding hands, actions, balance and instincts for the game. Because of his good instincts it helps him get to a lot of balls that a typical average ranged shortstop does not get to. While his arm is only solid average and lacks much arm strength for future gains, he is fundamentally sound and accurate with his throws. He is an extraordinary playmaker who shows a lot of flair, and he has an exceptional ability at turning the double play.

Opportunities: While there is little doubt about Wolter's defensive potential, the bat is still a big question mark. The Indians first order of business for him will be to help him improve as an offensive performer as he is still searching for his swing, something that is not uncommon for a player his age breaking into pro ball. While he shows an advanced approach at the plate it is more just an innate ability as he presently is still learning the nuances of hitting as a pro. In high school he would just go up to the plate and swing with little thought about the situation or what was coming, where as a pro he will need to have a more solid approach to hitting and be able to identify how pitchers are throwing to him and what pitches to attack. He has some issues with his setup and approach where his hands were too low in high school and not in proper hitting position as the pitch came to the plate. In the fall the Indians began working with him to help him become more efficient and fundamentally sound with his swing, and one small minor adjustment made in Instructional League was to bring his hands up.

Wolters is an under-sized player, so in order to remain a high level prospect he will need to remain in the middle infield. Due to his average range and arm and lack of plus speed, it is possible that down the road he could move to second base, but at this point that would appear to be a move that would be made only out of necessity.

Outlook: Wolters oozes all the intangibles and good fundamentals to be a very good player down the road. He just looks like a ballplayer out there with his on field actions and demeanor which are all very advanced for his age. There is no question that his bat is raw, but as he and the Indians make some adjustments and he matures his potential as an offensive player is very reachable. Also, while it is possible he may end up at second base down the road, it is way to early to consider such a move because of his amazing skills at shortstop. There is a strong belief in the scouting community that he will be a big leaguer someday, and some have even comped him as a left-handed hitting version of Dustin Pedroia. That is a very long projection at this time, but with his skills as a defender and hitter, the sky is the limit for him right now and why he is such an exciting, young prospect in the Indians organization. He should open the 2011 season at Low-A Lake County as the regular shortstop.

If Tony would just stop writing things like Wolters oozes all the intangibles and good fundamentals he'd be much easier to bear.

BA rates Wolters at the same No. 8 but without such nonsense. They say "he's an instinctive player on both sides of the ball, showing a polished approach at the plate with the patience to work counts." "Wolters has an intriguing combination of athleticism and feel for the game", which is perhaps what Tony means but makes a bit more sense. They continue: "he has an unusual hitting style ...at times releasing his top hand too quickly. He has the offensive upside to hit at thte top of the order, spraying liners to all fields with the potential for 10-15 homers. A fringe-average runner Wolters has the tools to play up the middle. Though he's fluid in the field and has quick hands and a strong arm, some scouts believe his range might be better suited for second"

Sounds like we have 3 possibilities with Wolters:

1. A shortstop with a variety of offensive tools
2. Yet another solid second baseman to add to the oversupply
3. Micah Schilling, another polished high school hitter and 2nd baseman of the future,

civ ollilavad wrote:Tony reaches No. 8 and plugs in the top picks from the 2010 draft.

#8 Tony Wolters
Posted by Tony at 12:01 AM
Tony Wolters – Shortstop
Born: 06/09/1992 – Height: 5’10” – Weight: 175 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

(Photo: Ken Carr)
History: The Indians selected Wolters in the 3rd round of the 2010 Draft out of Rancho Buena Vista High School (CA). In just 25 games his senior year in high school he hit .430 (34-for-97) with 27 runs scored, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 17 RBI and was a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen base attempts. 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, hitting .371 with 4 doubles and 10 RBI in the tournament. He was also named to the 2009 Aflac All-American team and earned the game’s MVP award as he went 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI and a stolen base in Petco Park. He had a verbal agreement to attend the University of San Diego and slid to the 3rd round because of his seven figure bonus demands, but he was eventually signed by the Indians on the deadline for $1.35 million.

Strengths: Wolters doesn’t show a ton of plus tools, but he is a guy scouts just love to watch play. He is a smart, natural hitter who shows good hitting skills at the plate with good bat speed and hand-eye coordination. He shows an advanced approach at the plate for his age as he works counts well and is a selective hitter. He only has average at best power, but he still shows some surprising pop because of his innate ability to square the bat up with the ball and make hard contact. He is a line drive gap-to-gap hitter who sprays the ball all over the field with the ability to turn on balls. He is an average runner with strong leadership qualities who loves the game and plays it with a ton of enthusiasm. He is the very definition of a baseball "rat" that works hard to improve and spends a lot of time in the weight room in an effort to get bigger and stronger.

What the Indians and scouts like most about Wolters is his potential to be an above average hitter who plays excellent defense. His range at shortstop is only average at best, but he is an amazing defender who the Indians believe has the ability to remain at shortstop as he displays outstanding hands, actions, balance and instincts for the game. Because of his good instincts it helps him get to a lot of balls that a typical average ranged shortstop does not get to. While his arm is only solid average and lacks much arm strength for future gains, he is fundamentally sound and accurate with his throws. He is an extraordinary playmaker who shows a lot of flair, and he has an exceptional ability at turning the double play.

Opportunities: While there is little doubt about Wolter's defensive potential, the bat is still a big question mark. The Indians first order of business for him will be to help him improve as an offensive performer as he is still searching for his swing, something that is not uncommon for a player his age breaking into pro ball. While he shows an advanced approach at the plate it is more just an innate ability as he presently is still learning the nuances of hitting as a pro. In high school he would just go up to the plate and swing with little thought about the situation or what was coming, where as a pro he will need to have a more solid approach to hitting and be able to identify how pitchers are throwing to him and what pitches to attack. He has some issues with his setup and approach where his hands were too low in high school and not in proper hitting position as the pitch came to the plate. In the fall the Indians began working with him to help him become more efficient and fundamentally sound with his swing, and one small minor adjustment made in Instructional League was to bring his hands up.

Wolters is an under-sized player, so in order to remain a high level prospect he will need to remain in the middle infield. Due to his average range and arm and lack of plus speed, it is possible that down the road he could move to second base, but at this point that would appear to be a move that would be made only out of necessity.

Outlook: Wolters oozes all the intangibles and good fundamentals to be a very good player down the road. He just looks like a ballplayer out there with his on field actions and demeanor which are all very advanced for his age. There is no question that his bat is raw, but as he and the Indians make some adjustments and he matures his potential as an offensive player is very reachable. Also, while it is possible he may end up at second base down the road, it is way to early to consider such a move because of his amazing skills at shortstop. There is a strong belief in the scouting community that he will be a big leaguer someday, and some have even comped him as a left-handed hitting version of Dustin Pedroia. That is a very long projection at this time, but with his skills as a defender and hitter, the sky is the limit for him right now and why he is such an exciting, young prospect in the Indians organization. He should open the 2011 season at Low-A Lake County as the regular shortstop.

Oh No! A Pedroia reference! Here comes a dead horse.

Updates from Tony lastoria who's made the trip to Goodyear. First of all, "more good news" on Adam Miller.

So far so good with Miller

It is very early in minor league camp, but so far so good for right-handed pitcher Adam Miller.

Knock on wood, but it has now been well over a year since Miller has had any setbacks with the middle finger on his throwing hand. After three surgeries on the finger in 2009 and lots of setbacks up to December of 2009, it has been a slow process to get him to where he is today where he is about as close as he can be to pitching for a team once camp breaks in a few weeks.

Miller, 26, maintained his health through a slow rehab process last year and was able to finish the season on a high note by pitching in Instructional League in October. He made it through last season healthy and in the offseason was able to maintain his health, and is in camp throwing without any restrictions.

“My offseason was good as I pretty much threw and lifted,” said Miller. “At first I was just throwing two times a week at like 60 feet - nothing crazy - just to keep the feel. I ended up taking about three weeks off from throwing just to shut it down a little but, and then I started back up throwing in mid-December [to get ready for the season]. There were no restrictions and it was a normal offseason I guess you could say. I am pretty much a normal guy out here for the most part. There are some things I may not do yet, but for the most part everything is good and I am just going out there and having some fun.”

The only real restriction for Miller is the Indians are being careful with his volume of throwing. All of the pitchers in camp are doing a lot of throwing to ramp them up and are throwing bullpens every other day. In Miller’s case, he has an extra day between bullpens where he is throwing every three days instead of every two days like everyone else.

“That’s the only thing as right now bullpens are back to back, so instead of every other day I am going with two days in between,” said Miller. “I guess is it a semi-restriction, but it is pretty minor. It actually could be a good thing because in ’09 coming in I think the thing that was different was the volume coming in which resulted in the finger getting sore again.”

Miller has thrown a lot already in camp and he says the finger so far feels fine. He threw three bullpens before early camp started, then three more in early camp, and then threw a bullpen on Thursday and another on Sunday. In total he has thrown eight bullpens over the past few weeks and has not had any setbacks.

“I’m good and the arm feels good,” said Miller. “Now it is just getting my rhythm back since I haven’t really pitched since ’09. The last two years I haven’t really been able to get that feel back. The last bullpen [on Thursday] went really well, so hopefully it is back or so you would say.”

Miller has a starter’s arsenal with his fastball, slider, and changeup mix. But at the moment he is only concentrating on throwing his fastball-slider combination and really focusing on getting his fastball command back.

“I am pretty much just throwing fastball-slider,” said Miller. “I am not really worried about the changeup right now. The slider I haven’t really been throwing because I have been working on fastball command. If I get that then I can figure the slider out. Probably the next bullpen [on Sunday] I will make sure it is good especially with live batting practice coming up.”

Miller is not sure what the Indians or his health has in store for him this year. He knows all he can control is going out there and doing what he can do to help ensure he can get back on the mound and be as effective as possible.

“As far as innings and stuff like that I don’t know what will happen, but I am not even worried about that,” said Miller. “I’m just ready to throw and stay healthy. That’s all I can really control right now and I will see what happens after that. I am not even taking it one inning at a time, but instead I am just taking it one pitch at a time.”

If Miller can stay healthy this spring and show he is effective there is a great chance he will open the season in the Triple-A Columbus bullpen. The Indians may opt for a more conservative route and have him open in extended spring training and then go to Columbus a few weeks into the season, but it will be hard to keep him from going to Columbus if he is healthy and pitching well because of the limited amount of bullets left in his arm and the amazing story it would make.

There are a lot of fans out there pulling for Miller, and when told of that he expressed a lot of gratitude and thanks.

“I’m just excited to be back,” said Miller. “It’s a lot different from last year as all I could do was cover first in spring training. I am pretty pumped for games right now. That’s all I care about. As long as I am throwing it’s great.”

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

And on Austin Adams

Adams to remain a starter

The Indians have a lot of decisions to make with the starting rotation at virtually every level of the organization from Cleveland on down to Low-A Lake County. Right-handed pitcher Austin Adams looked to be someone on the bubble going into the season as either a starter or reliever, but apparently he has been told he will be in the starting rotation to open the season.

“I am going to stay as a starter this year for sure,” said Adams. “I’ll probably be a full fledged starter this year (no piggybacking) just to see how it goes. We’ll go from there and see how everything works out.”

Last year Adams pitched in a piggyback situation mostly with right-handed pitcher Marty Popham at Lake County and High-A Kinston. If he does not pitch in a piggyback role it will give the Indians a chance to see if he can go six or seven innings every five days and how he adapts to the role.

The commitment to Adams as a starter is not that much of a surprise. Going into the season it was generally felt that he would continue to pitch in a piggyback role and then transition to the bullpen later in the year. While a transition to a bullpen role is still possible, the Indians commitment to developing him as a starter increases his value tremendously. Had he been rated as a starter, he would have easily been ranked in my Top 20 listing this year.

To stay a starter Adams will need to show he can pitch deep into games and that he can develop that much needed third pitch. His bread and butter are his mid 90s fastball and power curveball, but he also throws a slider and changeup. The slider is a pitch that the organization has really spent a lot of time of late to develop as a potential additional weapon to his arsenal.

“I am going to stay with my fastball, curveball, slider and changeup mix,” said Adams. “That’s what I threw last year. In Lake County I did not throw the slider as Mickey [Callaway] and I worked on it and then once I got to Kinston me and Tony [Arnold] got it going good and I threw it there. We have been working on my slider more as a strikeout pitch or just something to backdoor a lefty with. But my curveball is pretty much my go to pitch.”

The development of his slider and improving his command are two things that Adams will need to make strides with this year. He also wants to maintain good health and shore up his delivery.

“I just want to make strides and stay healthy again,” said Adams. “I want to work on speeding up my delivery out of the stretch a little bit, but other than that just keep on doing what I have been doing.”

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

and more:

Burns ready for new season

Right-handed reliever Cory Burns is ready to get things going again. He has good reason to be excited about this upcoming season after he made a splash last year with one of the best statistical seasons for a Tribe minor league reliever in some time with his 42 saves which were second in all the minors.

Burns, 23, arrived in camp on March 7th after a good offseason and is hoping that he can pick up right where he left off last season.

“My offseason was good,” said Burns. “I really just worked on improving off of what I did last year by improving on what I did well and bettering what I needed to improve on.”

Burns not only had an impressive 42 saves last year, he also dominated in almost every statistical category imaginable. While he doesn’t have dominating stuff, he used his intelligence, a funky tornado-like delivery, and his strike throwing ability to limit hitters to a .212 batting average, had a 2.86 groundball ratio, and had a 13.3 strikeout per nine rate.

“Just throwing strikes,” said Burns about the key to his success. “I throw all of my pitches for strikes when I need to. That was one of the hardest things to learn when I changed my delivery, and I think I have mastered it pretty well. Now I just need to progress through the levels and learn how to pitch more.”

Pitching against more advanced hitters is exactly what Burns needs to do this year, which likely will happen if he opens the season as expected at Double-A Akron. He fills up the zone with strikes, but really relies on the deception created from his tornado-like delivery and the varied pauses he uses each time he winds up. A gimmick delivery like that can work in the lower levels of the minors, but may not work as well in the upper levels, so he and the Indians need to find that out. He also needs more experience pitching against higher level competition and just learning how to pitch and use his fastball better.

“I just kind of need to keep doing what I am doing,” said Burns. “I believe I have the stuff to do it, it is really just learning how to pitch. I think I agree with what they told me, and that is I need to command the fastball a little better. I throw my changeup and curveball for strikes very well, and sometimes it forces me to stray away from my fastball. To be at the higher levels, I need to throw my fastball for strikes.”

Notebook:

Knapp slowed: The Indians apparently are taking an extremely cautious approach with right-handed pitcher Jason Knapp. He says he is fine, but he has not thrown a bullpen yet so far in camp at the recommendation of team personnel. He is currently only throwing at 120 feet and throwing flat grounds. It is unknown when he will transition to throwing bullpens, but it should be soon. I will try and get more clarification on this soon.

Others not pitching: Left-hander Giovanni Soto, right-hander Andrew Shive, right-hander Kyle Landis, right-hander Antwonie Hubbard, and right-hander Jason Johnson are the only other pitchers in camp who are not rehabbing from Tommy John surgery who have not been throwing since I have been here. Shive, Hubbard and Landis are coming off injury last season so they make some sense, but I am unsure who Soto and Johnson are not throwing. Again, like with Knapp, I hope to provide more info on why they have not been throwing soon.

Pomeranz impressing: I saw left-hander Drew Pomeranz throw a bullpen on Saturday and he looked very sharp. I really believe that had he pitched one or two months last season and given more for people to evaluate him on rather than just his college pedigree and what he did in Instructional League that he may have been ranked the Indians #1 prospect, including by yours truly. Long way to go, but it looks like the Indians may have something in him (fingers crossed).

Hagadone unsure: Left-hander Nick Hagadone is still unsure whether he will open the season as a starter or reliever. He is being stretched out as a starter, but has been told his role for the upcoming season is still up in the air. The Indians are expected to make a decision on his role very soon, and if I had to guess he will continue to start in a piggyback role at Double-A Akron.

The Wright stuff: Right-hander Steven Wright toyed with a knuckle ball in the second half of last season. He never unveiled it in a game, but he has been throwing it in bullpen sessions so far in camp and plans to throw it in minor league spring games.

Salazar on the mend: Right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar is recovering well from Tommy John surgery last year, and is in the middle of his rehab. He is not throwing yet, but should soon begin a throwing program and could see game action later this summer.

Miller’s schedule: With Miller throwing a bullpen on Sunday, he is expected to throw to live batters on Wednesday. It will be his final test before minor league spring games start up on Friday, and he is expected to make his first game appearance on Saturday.

Minor changes: I keep hearing that it is possible that the roster setup for all four full season teams may be very close at the start of this season to the ones that ended last season. With so much depth at the Triple-A level and a logjam of guys, there may be a trickle down affect in the early going where guys have to open at a level they shouldn’t be at.

Released: More roster cuts are coming soon, but over the weekend first baseman Chris Kersten was granted his release.

Full squad: On Saturday the position players all reported and had physicals, drug testing, and all sorts of tests performed. Sunday was the first official full squad workout.

Tony resumed:

#4 Drew Pomeranz
Posted by Tony at 1:24 AM
Drew Pomeranz – Left-handed Pitcher
Born: 11/22/1988 – Height: 6’5” – Weight: 230 – Bats: Right – Throws: Left

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)
History: Pomeranz was selected by the Indians in the 1st round of the 2010 Draft out of the University of Mississippi. It was the second time he was drafted as he was originally drafted out of high school in the 12th round of the 2007 Draft by the Texas Rangers. His 139 strikeouts ranked 3rd in all of NCAA Division-I baseball, he was named a first team all Southeastern Conference (SEC) player, and he was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year. He has a lot of pedigree in the game as his older brother Stuart was a 2nd round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003, his father Mike was a 13th round pick by the Minnesota Twins in 1988, and his uncle Pat was an 18th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1983. The area scout Chuck Bartlett that signed him ($2.65 million) played with his father at Ole Miss.

Strengths: Pomeranz is a big, physical, strong, durable starter with a power three pitch mix of a fastball, curveball, and changeup. His fastball sits comfortably at 91-94 MPH and touches 95 MPH, and shows good swing and miss ability. His fastball is explosive through the zone and he is aggressive with it going right after hitters, especially on the hands of right-handers. Hitters often have a hard time tracking his fastball because it gets in on them quicker due to some good deception in his delivery, late life, and movement. He shows solid average command of his fastball and works it well to both sides of the plate.

Pomeranz’s plus-plus 12-6 knuckle curveball may be his best pitch as it has good, sharp downward bite and was considered one of the best secondary offerings in all of the 2010 Draft. It is another swing and miss type pitch in his arsenal, and he holds it with the same grip that left-hander Cliff Lee does. He rarely threw his changeup in college since he was mostly a fastball-curveball guy so it is a below average pitch for him at the moment, but he shows a good feel for it and it has the potential to at least be an average pitch if not more.

Pomeranz has a loose, low effort delivery and gets a good downward plane on his pitches. He gets a lot of swing and misses with his pitches, and uses his fastball to overpower hitters and mixes in his curveball well to keep them off balance. He is a workhorse, and his velocity and stuff holds up well late in games. He is a fierce competitor on the mound who is mature, controls his emotions well, and is very focused. He has an intimidating presence on the mound, and is unwavered even in the tightest spots and does not let the game speed up on him when things are not going well. Because of his ability to keep cool and collected along with some great performances in big games in the past he has established a reputation as being a big game pitcher.

Opportunities: The two main areas of focus for Pomeranz as he transitions to the pro game will be the development of his changeup and his pitching mechanics. His fastball and curveball are no doubt plus major league quality pitches, but to remain a starter and be effective at the pro level he needs to develop his changeup as an effective third pitch. Also, his delivery is not clean and his mechanics fall apart at times which results in inconsistent velocity and command. By refining his mechanics and developing a better rhythm in his delivery it should help improve the command of all of his pitches. He had no arm issues in college, but did have a pectoral injury that he suffered at the end of March which affected his performance and caused his fastball velocity to slide to the high 80s, but was 100% by the end of May.

Outlook: The Indians scouted Pomeranz since he was in high school and saw him pitch a lot in high school, college and even for Team USA in 2009. With his pitches, power, frame and stamina he has the ability to be an electric All Star top of the rotation workhorse who hauls a lot of innings. He is in the same situation that 2009 1st rounder Alex White was in at this time last year where he signed late and did not pitch in his draft year. He should follow the same path White did last year by starting the 2011 season in the rotation at High-A Kinston and if he stays healthy and pitches well he should spend half the season at Double-A Akron.

Tony wrote that before Spring Training. After the handful of innings Pomeranz threw with the major league team, there seems a real possibility he will move up faster than White did (since he looks like better pitcher!)

He is one of the best pure power hitters in the minor leagues,


Overstatment, but he's our best power prospect and a very patient hitter. But he may not have a defensive position and he is often injured. High upside as the New Travis Hafner. Canadian instead of a Dakotan. Does he have a similar sense of humor?

My break out players will be

Hagadone and Mills

These are really come back players. I like Berger and Chris Jones to move up fast as left hand relievers.

Mills? Longshot. It would be nice.

Here's an advantage of the new forum: no maximum size of a post, so Tony Lastoria columns fit in one take.

Here is a little different take on the Goodyear notebook today.

Over the past few days I have made my rounds and talked to a few different scouts from other organizations that follow the Indians all year. Some of what they say will follow right in line with what the front office has been saying, but as is the case with talking to anyone outside the Indians organization the scouts can also be more direct, to the point, and brutally honest.

The comments below are from two different scouts I talked to this week, and as is the case when talking to any scout they are kept anonymous at their request. Also, the discussion was focused entirely on the prospects at the Triple-A and Double-A level with just two or three big leaguers mixed in.

On Lonnie Chisenhall: “He swung the bat a lot better for me in the second half last year. Is he a major league bat? Yeah. I think he is going to be a solid everyday third baseman. I like him a good bit and I like him as their most legitimate prospect now that Santana is gone where he is going to be able to play defense and hit. I think he will be an above average hitter with solid power. You know, a .280-.290 hitter where he won't be a 30 home run guy, but I think he will hit a lot of doubles and the high teen home runs and in the good years hit 20-25 homers. I think if you can go out and play a good third base and hit like that from the left side, that is a good player. He has one of the best left-handed swings in the minor leagues. Boy that's a good swing.”

On Carlos Carrasco: “[His toughness] has been an issue for him his entire career. But you can’t walk past that stuff as it is good stuff. He is going to be a major league starting pitcher. He is young and he needs experience. Things speed up on him and he elevates the ball too much and he gets straight in the middle of the plate, but he will be okay. He has a good arm, a good breaking ball and a plus changeup and has ceiling to him. He is at least a major league four or five starter, but he has to achieve and there is some concern with his competitiveness. He is the best of the bunch if he were eligible as a prospect if I were ranking guys based on ceilings this year.”

On Alex White: “I like him and he is a big leaguer for sure if he stays healthy. I don’t know that he has that high of a ceiling as a starter as there are some concerns with the command and starting ceiling with that arm slot he has, but he is going to move quick and is a something. I'd take him. I still haven’t seen him yet as good as what he is, and he may be better than what I have seen. I rate him as a number four starter, but he may be better than that. I originally put him in as a bullpen guy, but then I saw him and I am going to give him a chance to be a backend starter. The ceiling is limited as a starter with the type of arm action and command I see, but he could be a setup guy or a number four starter. That's what I got him at.”

On Jared Goedert: “I haven't bought into him yet. I think he is a good mistake hitter and has an area of the plate that he covers. He has good power and good extension, and when he gets extended he is going to hit his home runs at the big league level, but I think he can be pitched to. He is a below average inconsistent and erratic defender but is not hopeless. He is a good Triple-A guy, and it is tough to find a right-handed bat with power. I think his play last year was kind of fluky as he got kind of hot. He does not miss his pitch, which is part of being a player. He is a tough one for the industry I will tell you that. I see Columbus and Akron so much that I have a lot of scout friends from other teams who called me last year when they saw him as they had no idea what to do with him because everyone has the same doubts when you watch him and then you look and see all the home runs so you don't know what to do with him. There were days I had guys from more than one organization call on him. He's a tough one. My general feeling is he is a mistake hitter when he gets extended to the pitch, but I think he can easily be pitched to by major league pitchers and the defense is on the below average side. I haven't bought into him yet. I think he is a right handed corner power utility bat. And with the year he had last year, if they thought he was any kind of player wouldn't they have brought him up in September? That was interesting. Sometimes you gotta go with your own guys, and their actions let you know what they think of the players like Goedert, that's for sure.”

On Nick Hagadone: "He needs to show some of the arm strength and stuff that would make him a desirable guy to pick up in a deal. He showed a good arm when I saw him last year, but just not a lot of command. He has to work through some delivery issues. You just don't know when that stuff is going to click. Obviously the tools are there for him to be a nice major league pitcher, though he has some age on him. I can see them wanting to keep him a starter as you want to create and develop starting pitching, and he is the kind of guy who you want to keep as a starter until he shows that he can't throw enough strikes to go deep enough into the game. That is what may ultimately move him to the pen for good. But I'd still take his arm even though he is not the same guy he was in Boston. I don't know what is going on as he has not been nearly as good as he was the year before when I saw him in Boston. He should at least be a second left-handed reliever with a ceiling for more than that. He has a power arm, but it went backwards for me last year. I saw him just before he got traded from Boston the year before and he looked much better.”

On Zach Putnam: “He will appear in the big leagues though his performance is up and down. He has arm strength and is a good athlete, but his secondary stuff is not very good. His slider is really inconsistent and below average, the splitter he gets under the ball, and his arm action is limiting a little bit with having consistency staying on top. But he has a mid 90s fastball, is a good athlete, and throws strikes. He is going to get to the big leagues as commanding the fastball is number one. There is a limited ceiling to what he can be, but you never know if he develops some type of second weapon with that fastball. But he is pretty straight and the secondary stuff is not very good. He is going to pitch up there for sure barring injury. He would be one that I would have interest in a trade.”

On Bryce Stowell: “He has a good arm and he is wild. You can't ignore the arm strength. With these kinds of guys [in the bullpen] you see them such a short amount of times. I've never seen him good. I've seen the fastball velocity and some athleticism, but the delivery is bad, he overthrows, and he can’t throw his fastball for strikes. He got exposed in Triple-A where in the lower levels he had good numbers because he didn't have to throw strikes as they were swinging at his fastball. He is straight and has below average command which is not a good combination. His secondary stuff is inconsistent. It was an injustice to him though as he was rushed through too fast. He did not command his fastball enough to be pitching in Triple-A and it was an embarrassment and painful to watch him come into those games at the end of last year. I think he should have stayed longer in A-ball and finished in Double-A. He does not belong in Triple-A and he has development needed on his secondary stuff. He could not get guys out and throw strikes in Triple-A. You could never trust him right now. But he has stuff. I like him some. Him and Putnam are the two I'd get as an add on in a deal.”

On C.C. Lee: "He wasn't very good early last year, but when I saw him at the end of the season he made an adjustment and put him back on the prospect radar for me. He wasn't throwing very hard early in the year, and he was coming from an angle and guys were able to hit him pretty good. But the second half it was completely different and a different report. His arm strength was there and his mechanics were cleaned up which allowed his arm to get through better. When I initially saw him I knew they had paid some money to sign him, and I shook my head the first time as to why, but the second time I walked away and was like 'Okay, now I see what they signed.’"

On Matt Packer: “The Packer kid is a guy who could overachieve. He looks like he battles with his fringy average stuff. Being left-handed it gives him a chance. He has average velocity with a nice changeup, and he competes which is a nice thing to see. I think he is better off as a starter. He is not a breaking ball guy as he is more of a sinker ball guy, and I think that starting approach is what he is. I'll bet you he pops up in the big leagues. I bet he gets a chance as a fifth starter. There is not much ceiling for him. Eventually the stuff has to be there, which for him is questionable.”

On Zach McAllister: “I like him and think he can be a backend starter. He moved through pretty quick and had a tough year being a young kid at [the Triple-A] level last year and did not have a good year. I think he was a good get for them and is going to be something. He is a big horse that can sink the ball, throw strikes, and keep the ball on the ground.”

On Nick Weglarz: “He is not my kind of guy. You see, Cleveland has so many of these kind of guys. He is young with hitting skills and power, but a below average defender and athlete. I think he is tardy so he has to make early decisions. I will continue to give him a chance as a second division corner outfielder or a platoon guy, but he is not a frontline guy for me. I do have him as a big leaguer though.”

On Cord Phelps: “I have him as a fringe prospect, though he may be better than what I have seen. I don't like his defense as he is limited to what he can do defensively range-wise and turn-wise. But he is a switch-hitting bat from second base, and he is one of those guys that performed a lot better than when I have seen him. I just don't know. I am not in on him. I think he will play and get to the big leagues, but he has a limited ceiling.”

On Michael Brantley: “I still think he will be a long time big leaguer. He has a limited ceiling but will play forever. I think he is a good ballplayer. You wish there was a little more fire in the bat or center field play, but he has hitting skills, he can run the bases, he can steal bases, he has instincts and he can play center field. I really like him.”

On some of the minor league relievers: “There are relievers who have a chance. When you make as many trades as they have recently, you are going to have a depth of guys. They do have a depth of bullpen arms and a number of them are going to pitch in the big leagues. Now how good they are and if they stick up there, that remains to be seen. But they have a lot of good arms because they have made a lot of two and three for one trades. There is a depth of bullpen arms that have fastball velocity that will appear in the big leagues in middle relief. They all have their hickeys, but they have a number of guys like Bryan Price who barring injury will pitch in the big leagues. I don't like Eric Berger. The C.C. Lee kid has a nice arm.”

On bullpen arms in general: “You just don't get excited about bullpen arms unless they are potential closers in the future. Bullpens in the big leagues get built and rebuilt every year. Guys like Vinnie Pestano and so forth, those guys they come and they go unless they are going to be an impact backend of the bullpen guy like when they picked up Chris Perez. I'd seen Perez back when he was with the Cardinals and you knew he was going to be a setup guy and mature into a closer. Eventually that's all they are is bullpen arms who come and go. They do have some nice arms, and in the future these guys are going to be able to come up and be usable. The less money they have to spend on the bullpen the more money they can use elsewhere. They certainly have bullpen depth as an organization.”

On the Indians minor league system: “The Indians have a wealth of talent that they have to sort through this season. This year is going to be a pretty big year for the organization prospect-wise because all of these players have come in and they are getting to know them, and they have to start making decisions to move forward in 2012."

Notebook:

Working roster changes: I posted the working rosters for Columbus, Akron, Kinston and Lake County yesterday. With the Indians sending seven players down from big league camp on Monday, there were a few adjustments to the rosters going into Tuesday’s camp day. Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Jason Kipnis, catcher Juan Apodaca, outfielder Nick Weglarz, and right-handed pitchers Alex White, Zach Putnam and Zach McAllister were all assigned to Columbus. Right-handed pitcher Jason Davis and third baseman Kyle Bellows were shifted to the Akron roster, and infielder Casey Frawley and right-handed pitcher Trey Haley were shifted to the Kinston roster. First baseman Chase Burnette swapped with outfielder Delvi Cid where Burnette was placed on the Akron roster and Cid on the Kinston roster.

Bryson being evaluated: The specifics of right-handed pitcher Rob Bryson’s injury are still not completely clear as to how he injured himself, but he supposedly hurt his foot shortly before the start of camp in a non-baseball related incident. He is back in Cleveland being evaluated and is expected to miss some time and open the season on the disabled list. His injury just opened the door for another reliever at Double-A Akron to get a shot.

Washington hobbled: Outfielder LeVon Washington has been sidelined the past few days with a bothersome hip and knee. He apparently is still recovering from some sort of hip injury at the end of last year or in the offseason, and the rehab resulted in him hurting his knee a little bit. The Indians decided to shut him down as a precaution and he has been held out of outfield drills and is only taking batting practice. He is expected to be back out on the field by the weekend.

Miller update: Don’t be surprised if right-handed pitcher Adam Miller is healthy at the end of camp that he is sent to Double-A Akron to start the season and not Triple-A Columbus as many expect. Considering he has not pitched in such a long time and because the Indians have so many major league bullpen options expected to open in Columbus, his best starting point may be in Akron to re-acclimate him.

Salazar rehabbing: Right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and a ways away from starting a throwing program. He is expected to start throwing in about two months.

No show: First baseman Chris Kersten was released over the weekend, which I noted the other day. Well, apparently, he was a no show to camp. The Indians had planned to give him a chance to get some playing time at first base at one of their affiliates, but his no show threw that chance out the window.

Releases coming: The first round of cuts will likely be handed out sometime in the next few days, likely as soon as Wednesday morning and probably no later than Sunday morning.