Cleveland Sports Forum

Here is todays "Around The Farm". I'll post the whole thing instead of just grabbing a few of the interesting guys.

Around The Farm: September 2, 2015

Ross Tamburro

The Columbus Clippers punched their ticket into the International League playoffs on Wednesday, and a big night for a Mahoning Valley bat highlighted the day around the Indians' farm system.

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Cleveland prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

SCOREBOARD

R H E R H E R H E
Columbus 4 12 0 Erie 1 4 0 Salem 7 14 1
Indianapolis 2 6 0 Akron 6 11 0 Lynchburg 2 5 4
BOX BOX BOX

R H E R H E
Lake County 6 10 2 Mahoning Valley 11 14 2
Bowling Green 9 13 0 Auburn 5 11 2
BOX BOX

HIGHLIGHTS

Columbus Clippers: With a 4-2 win against the Indianapolis Indians on Wednesday night, Columbus clinched a playoff berth and pulled into a first-place tie with the Indians in the IL West division. Congratulations to the Clippers!

Mark Mathias (Mahoning Valley, 2B): 4-5, R, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, K, E – In an outstanding effort at the plate, Mathias was just a double away from completing the cycle and his four hits and six runs driven in were the fire behind Mahoning Valley’s 11-2 rout of Auburn. Mathias’ homer was just his second in 62 games with the Scrappers this year, and his 31 RBI’s now lead the team. Although mlb.com has him ranked as the Indians’ 21st best prospect, Mathias is quickly establishing himself as one of the more exciting youngsters in the Tribe’s system.

THE REST

Zach Walters (Columbus, 3B): 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, SF, 2 SB – Walters accounted for half of the Clippers’ runs on the night, and he now has a hit in four of his last five games and seven of his last ten. However, he is still hitting just .175 over his last ten (7-for-40) with one home run and five RBI’s.

Adam Moore (Columbus, C): 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB – Moore has now produced four multi-hit games in his last six contests and five in his last ten. The 31-year-old catcher continued his 2015 trend of dominating right-handed pitching (.321 to go along with an average of .152 against lefties), and he is sporting a .329 average in his last 30 games.

James Ramsey (Columbus, CF): 2-5, RBI, K – Ramsey has struggled all year with the Clippers, but a .286 stretch in his last ten contests (8-for-28) has been encouraging. He did strike out for the 125th time in 122 games this year, but he has improved his K rate lately, fanning just three times in his last eight games and six times in his last thirteen.

Will Roberts (Columbus, SP): W (3-4), 7.0, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 7 K – Roberts was brilliant in his first win since July 24, bringing his ERA down to 3.36 in 11 starts with the Clippers and 3.77 overall between Double-A and Triple-A this year. The right-hander suffered through a rough August, going 0-2 with a 5.31 ERA in four starts, but he has recovered to allow just one run on seven hits with 13 strikeouts in his last two starts combined (13 innings).

Jake Lowery (Akron, C): 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI – In his first game since August 15, Lowery hit his first home run since April 22. He has struggled this season with the ‘Ducks, hitting .159 in 48 games with the Double-A club, but he has driven in seven runs in his last ten games dating back to July 18.

Yandy Diaz (Akron, 3B): 3-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI – Diaz had his second three-hit game in his last six and sixth multi-hit game in his last 10. Over that ten-game stretch, the third baseman has batted .410 (16-for-39). Overall, he’s hitting .311 with a .409 on-base percentage in 131 games with Akron.

Bryson Myles (Akron, DH): 1-2, R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB, HBP – Myles turned in a solid night at the dish, but perhaps the most notable part of his night was his steal of home plate in the third inning. The steal was Myles’ 21st of the year, tying him with Todd Hankins for the team lead.

Bradley Zimmer (Akron, CF): 0-4, 2 K – Zimmer was the story of the Indians’ organization earlier in the year, and his midseason promotion to the ‘Ducks generated quite a bit of attention. He played well early in Akron, but he has since seen his share of struggles at the new level. In his last ten games, Zimmer is hitting .150 (6-for-40) to bring his season Double-A average down to .241. He’s still reaching base at a .339 clip, but he’s drawn just four free passes in his last 15 contests.

Shawn Morimando (Akron, SP): W (10-12), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 4 BB, 5 K – Morimando found the win column for the first time is nearly a month (August 6 was his last victory), and he was effective in not allowing any of six baserunners to score in his six innings of work. After back-to-back 10-hit outings, it was encouraging to see the lefty only allow two hits in Wednesday’s outing.

Mike Papi (Lynchburg, 1B): 1-4, R, HR, RBI, K – Papi’s third home run of the year put the Hillcats up 1-0 in the third, but the first baseman’s bomb would be one of only two runs scored for the ‘Cats on the night in an eventual 7-2 loss to Salem.

Paul Hendrix (Lynchburg, 3B): 2-4, 2B, RBI, E – Hendrix’s two hits represented the only multi-hit effort for the Hillcats on Wednesday, and he drove in Lynchburg’s only other run. It was the 23-year-old’s third two-hit game in a row and fourth in his last five.

Lynchburg Hillcats’ Defense: 4 errors, three unearned runs – The bats were likely the main reason for Lynchburg’s loss on Wednesday, but the defense didn’t help matters. The Hillcats’ gloves committed four errors on the night that led to three unearned runs, and who knows what type of game this could’ve been with clean fielding.

Dace Kime (Lynchburg, SP): L (3-8), 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K – Kime struggled to keep runners off base on Wednesday, something that has been a problem for the right-hander all year long. In his last ten starts, he is 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA and has allowed 54 hits, 26 earned runs, and 16 walks in 49.1 innings.

Trevor Frank (Lynchburg, RP): 2.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, BB, 2 K – In 15 relief appearances with the Hillcats in 2015, opposing batters are hitting .281 off of Frank, and the 2013 draft pick sports a WHIP of 1.43 with the High-A club. However, he’s doing his job of not allowing many of these runners to score, now flashing a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings with Lynchburg.

Yu-Cheng Chang (Lake County, SS): 3-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, E – Chang reached base in all four of his plate appearances, tallying three hits and a walk. He also drove in a pair of runs, bringing his season RBI total up to 51 to couple with a .219 average. The 20-year-old was hitting just .135 in his ten games prior to Wednesday’s contest, so maybe this shakes him out of the slump.
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Taylor Murphy (Lake County, 3B): 1-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K – Murphy also drove in two for the Captains on Wednesday. The California native has quietly put together a solid season in Lake County as he has now hit .264 with a .370 on-base percentage, eight homers and 50 RBI’s in 111 games.
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Ordomar Valdez (Lake County, 2B): 2-5, 2 R, K, SB – Lake County banged out 10 hits as a team on Wednesday, but Chang and Valdez were the only hitters to have more than one to their credit. Valdez’s stolen base was his 24th of the year, good for second on the team behind Greg Allen (43).

Sean Brady (Lake County, SP): L (7-12), 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R (6 earned), 2 BB, K, HR – After allowing just one run in each of his previous three outings, Brady struggled mightily on Wednesday, giving up six earned runs for the first time since June 20. Brady still maintains a 3.81 ERA on the year to go along with 118 strikeouts and just 29 walks.

Austin Fisher (Mahoning Valley, 1B): 4-5, 2 R, RBI, K – Mark Mathias stole the show in Auburn on Wednesday night, but Fisher also deserves credit for a great offensive showing. His season numbers show a .250 average in 48 games with the Scrappers, but he has been red hot as of late, going 12-for-24 (.500) in his last eight games with six runs, five RBI’s, and four multi-hit games.

Willi Castro (Mahoning Valley, SS): 2-5, 3 R, RBI – Castro had two hits in a game for the first time since August 12, and he now has hit in five straight with five runs and three RBI’s in that span. The 18-year-old is hitting .262 with a .303 on-base percentage, 23 RBI’s, and 18 stolen bases in 62 games with the Scrappers this year.

Gabriel Mejia (Mahoning Valley, CF): 2-4, 2 R, K, SB – Mejia has been on a tear as of late, and his two hits on Wednesday put him at a .462 average (12-for-26) in his last seven games. In that stretch, he has scored eight runs and has raised his season average to .356 in 54 games between the Arizona League Indians (43 games) and Mahoning Valley (11 games).

Matt Esparza (Mahoning Valley, SP): W (4-0), 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K – Esparza started just his second game with the Scrappers in 2015 (13 relief appearances), but he was excellent in striking out seven and not allowing a run in five and two thirds innings of work. He has given up just seven earned runs in 38.1 innings this season for a 1.64 ERA.

In honor of Mathias' big day at the plate yesterday I will post this interview from Scout.

One-on-One with Mark Mathias

Corey Crisan

Tuesday at 9:38 AM

The IBI's Corey Crisan sits down for a one-on-one interview with Mahoning Valley Scrappers' infielder Mark Mathias.

Mark Mathias was drafted in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft (93rd overall) by the Indians out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (CA). Entering 2015, Mathias ranked 128th on MLB.com’s overall prospect list, and ranked 104th on Baseball America’s overall list, as well. Mathias profiles as a second baseman who can man shortstop or third base. He has made appearances for USA Baseball as a third baseman, but moved to second after a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder sidelined him for a portion of 2015 following surgery in January. According to MLB Pipeline’s current rankings, Mathias sits at 21st among prospects in the Indians’ system.

The upside within Mathias can be seen in his bat, and that is what regarded him as a prospect of high interest. He is known as a contact hitter who hits line drives, but has not yet developed a power stroke in his bat. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is exceptional for such a prospect, and his approach has the potential to translate into production that could get him moved quickly throughout the Indians’ system.

In 2014 with Cal Poly, Mathias hit for a .356/.424/.436 line with a homer, 28 RBI, 72 hits, 42 runs scored, and nine steals in 47 games with the Mustangs. In his collegiate career, Mathias hit for a .356/.426/.447 line with three HR, 71 RBI, 161 hits, 95 runs scored, and 21 steals in 121 games.

In 2015 with Mahoning Valley, Mathias is hitting at a .276/.382/.383 line with a homer, 25 RBI, 59 hits, 16 doubles, 32 walks, 29 strikeouts, and 82 total bases in 59 games played. He has been penned into manager Travis Fryman’s lineup for 59 out of 67 contests, and has consistently hit in the middle of the order for Mahoning Valley.

I caught up with Mark before Monday’s contest versus State College to see how he feels he has progressed in 2015.

Q: What was your initial reaction when you learned you would be playing for the Indians organization as a third-round draft pick?

Mathias: I was happy that I got a chance to follow my dream and to be a part of the Indians. I grew up watching Major League, so I kind of thought about coming here and helping the Indians win a World Series Championship one day.

Q: You had the shoulder surgery back in January. Have you experienced any problems or discomforts with that throughout the season?

Mathias: It’s been really good. My shoulder’s gotten stronger than it was at the beginning of the year. Getting my flexibility back and getting my strength back has been the key. The rehabbing process has been working with a lot of flexibility drills… Stretching and a lot of band work and just keeping my shoulder maintained is the main thing coming to the field every day and making sure I get treatment beforehand and getting stretched out before hitting and throwing.

Q: Have you worked on anything specific in the cage with your coaches in regards to your approach at the plate?

Mathias: I would say I’ve worked on my approach, for sure. Coming from the Big West and the west coast, you usually get a pitch to hit within the first three pitches, but over here, it’s different. Pitchers throw a bit harder, and I’ll probably only get two pitches to hit per at-bat, sometimes only one, so it’s been about getting my pitch. In the beginning of the season, I was getting my pitch and I would miss them or mishit them, but now I’m starting to see my pitch and I’m starting to take advantage of the opportunities to drive the ball.

Q: With that said, do you find yourself being more selective at the plate, more so than you were in college?

Mathias: Yeah, definitely. My approach has gotten way better.

Q: What was your experience like as a member of the USA Baseball team?

Mathias: It was life changing, and I got to work with the best coaches in the nation. I worked with Larry Denbo, the former Yankees hitting coach. Just working and talking with him about how to hit the ball and what to sit on in certain situations, and traveling the world and being on that grind has definitely gotten me ready for pro ball.

Q: What’s your transition been like, in your eyes, from college to the professional level?

Mathias: Coming in to the field every day and expecting to play great is the main thing. It’s easy to come out here and go through the motions and not be too focused and counting days down instead of making the days count. Just coming here and making sure I’m ready to play and ready to make a big play or get a big hit because it matters.

Q: What aspects in your game do you feel are a little weaker that you might put effort into improving in the offseason?

Mathias: I would say developing more speed and power, and learning to backspin the ball to left field a little more. I know my (current) approach is to right-center and opposite field. I just want to develop a little more power and speed. I’ll probably go work out at Sparta, which is a training facility right by San Francisco. They take the strength part of baseball real seriously, so working there and trying to put on more muscle and getting rid of fat.

Q: What has Travis Fryman instilled as a part of your game? What has he taught you this season?

Mathias: One of the things that he said to me that really stuck with me is that it’s not about doing a lot of work, it’s more about putting quality work into the time. It’s about getting less density of work, but having the quality of work high.

Q: You’re a California kid, and you played college ball in California. What’s the experience of playing so far away from home been like?

Mathias: I love to represent for my hometown. I know we got a lot of California kids on this team, but I like representing from where I’m from and where I was born. “California Love” (the song he walks up to the plate to) is definitely a big part of me.

Q: What are your impressions of the Mahoning Valley and the area? Is it different from California?

Mathias: I like it. I like how everything’s spread apart. In San Francisco, everything is close together and it’s hard to get anywhere without seeing any traffic while driving. Everything is a lot slower living, and I like it a lot. I like Ohio, and I’m glad I got a real good first experience here.

Q: Aside from baseball, what are some hobbies of yours?

Mathias: I like going to the beach. My college was about 15 minutes away from the beach. I like working out and spending time with family and watching baseball. I like to do that a lot.

Q: You mentioned Major League the movie, but who was your favorite Major League team and Big League player growing up?

Mathias: Growing up, I would probably say Derek Jeter. I love how he takes an inside-out approach (at the plate) and hits the ball to right field, and defensively, he’s the best player there is. I grew up a Giants fan. I lived like 20 minutes away from the stadium. I grew up a Barry Bonds fan, as well. I was always watching him, and even though he got caught up in some not-so-good stuff, I still liked him.

Mark Mathias is a humble player with high hopes and dreams of making a name for himself. One may classify him as a “student of the game” who fuses hard work and reps with lessons learned from watching peers and the professionals. The Indians have high hopes for a player like Mathias, and there’s no doubt that a work ethic as great as his could land him in the League of his dreams one day.

Yesterday's Around the Farm ... just because my boy Papi actually had a day...

Around The Farm: September 1, 2015

Arthur Kinney

Tuesday at 9:20 PM

Hillcats win the pennant! Hillcats win the pennant! While the clinching of postseason play in Lynchburg for the fourth straight season was the team story of the day, the most notable individual news to come out of the Indians' farm system on Tuesday was the naming of the four position players the Indians will assign to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Cleveland prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

SCOREBOARD

R H E R H E R H E
Indianapolis 6 12 0 Erie 6 9 0 Salem 6 12 2
Columbus 10 6 0 Akron 4 7 1 Lynchburg 5 9 0
BOX BOX BOX

R H E R H E
Lake County 5 4 0 State College 9 10 2
Dayton 1 6 0 Mahoning Valley 2 10 2
BOX BOX

HIGHLIGHTS

Bradley Zimmer (Akron, CF) - 0-2, 2 BB - Not a particularly impressive performance outside of the plate discipline, but I mainly included him so I could congratulate him on his selection to play in the Arizona Fall League with the Scottsdale Scorpions following the minor league season.

Yandy Diaz (Akron, 3B) - 0-4, 1 E - While Diaz proved to be human on Tuesday night, he is also included for the purpose of congratulating him on his AFL selection.

Jeremy Lucas (Akron, C) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K - Congratulations to the third RubberDuck on his way to Scottsdale this fall! (There may be more, the Indians have not named the four pitchers they are assigning to the autumn circuit yet).

Clint Frazier (Lynchburg, CF) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K - One more Fall Leaguer to congratulate!

THE REST

Jesus Aguilar (Columbus, starting DH) - 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K - If someone told you that three Clippers had multi-RBI nights, your first guess as to one of the players would be Jesus Aguilar, and you would be right. The RBI Machine hit a two-run double in the Clips' mammoth seven-run first inning and followed it up with a solo shot in the sevnth to bring his Triple-A season totals to 18 HR and 86 RBI.

Ryan Rohlinger (Columbus, 2B) - 0-1, 1 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB - The other two big nights were from less obvious players. Rohlinger's performance from the eight hole was even more unlikely as it was the result of plate discipline and being at the plate at the right time as Rohlinger's runs came from a ground out fielders choice in the first and a bases loaded walk in the seventh.

Alex Lavisky (Columbus, C) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI - Lavisky's first game back with Columbus after his most recent call-up from the Double-A Akron RubberDucks was an example of how important a one-hit performance can be as Alex's lone hit of the evening was a three-run homer to cap off the Clippers' first-inning score-a-palooza.

Toru Murata (Columbus, SP) - W (14-4), 7.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R (all earned), 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR allowed - Even when he isn't on his "A" game, which has been fairly often recently (fifth game in his last 11 in which he has allowed 3 or more earned runs), Murata keeps racking up the individual wins.

Yhoxian Medina (Akron, 2B) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B - Medina's first Double-A game with plate appearances (he entered Friday's game as a pinch runner for his AA debut) was the only multi-hit effort in a loss that made the Ducks' path to the playoffs even harder than it already was.

Jordan Smith (Akron ,LF) - 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 Sac Fly - Smith hit a two-run homer and a sac fly to account for three-fourths of the night's scoring for the Mallards of Main Street.

Adam Plutko (Akron, SP) - ND, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (both earned), 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR allowed - Plutko made it back-to-back solid starts since his six-run, nine-hit disaster August 22 against the Erie SeaWolves (last night's opponent, coincidentally) at Canal Park.

Jacob Lee (Akron, RP) - Lee pitched a perfect top of the ninth to give the 'Ducks offense a chance to come back in the bottom of the frame (unfortunately, as you can tell from the score above, they did not).

Paul Hendrix (Lynchburg, 3B) - 2-4, 2 R - Hendrix had the lone multi-run effort on a night when the Hillcats clinched the second-half Carolina League Northern Division championship thanks to a 8-5 win by last year's Indians' affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats, over the Frederick Keys. Congratulations to the Hillcats and good luck in the postseason!

Mike Papi (Lynchburg, RF) - 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, Caught Stealing 1 time - Papi had his first multi-hit night in a week and a half.

Sicnarf Loopstok (Lynchburg, C) - 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 PB - Loopstok had a much-needed big night at the plate, but the passed balls, which the 'Cats are commiting at a pace almost twice the CL average, continue to be a problem.

Mitch Brown (Lynchburg, SP) - L (9-12), 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R (all earned), 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HR allowed - Brown continues to struggle as he has allowed 10 ER on 13 H and eight BB in 9.1 IP in his last two outings.

J.P. Feyereisen (Lynchburg, RP) - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 K - While not in order, Feyerisen struck out the side in the top of the eighth.

Grant Sides (Lynchburg, RP) - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K - Brown's Advanced Single-A ERA continues to improve and now stands at 1.21 after last night's effort. The question is if he can bring this level of performance with him to Akron if he gets another call-up to the Double-A level.

Bobby Bradley (Lake County, 1B) - 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI - Bradley had the Captains' only multi-RBI effort of the evening in Dayton on Tuesday.

Taylor Murphy (Lake County, 3B) - 1-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, Caught Stealing 1 time - Murphy's plate discipline helped him score multiple runs on the night.

Jordan Milbrath (Lake County, SP) - W (7-10), 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R (earned), 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR allowed - Milbrath seems to have finally turned it around as he makes it four respectable outings in a row. The question is whether it is too little, too late to salvage his career in the Indians' minor league system.

Luke Eubank (Lake County, RP) - 1 IP, 1 BB, 3 K - Another Indians' minor league pitcher striking out the side non-consecutively on Tuesday night.

Ka'ai Tom (Mahoning Valley, LF) - 3-3, 1 BB - Tom has a perfect night at the plate to bring his batting average over .300 (.301).

Daniel Salters (Mahoning Valley, C) - 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K - Salters is another Scrapper whose batting average keeps improving and now stands at .290.

Austin Fisher (Mahoning Valley, 1B) - 2-4, 1 2B, 2 K - Fisher keeps improving as he has three multi-hit games in his most recent six and is 8-for-19 (.421) in that stretch. Even during this hot streak, however, his performance is too dependent on big games (i.e. lack of consistency).

Micah Miniard (Mahoning Valley, SP) - L (0-1), 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (all earned), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR allowed, 3 HBP - Another case of the proverbial butterflies getting the best of a pitcher on the mound in front of a sizable crowd for the first time.

Brock Hartson (Mahoning Valley, RP) - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K - Hartson continues to pitch well as he is posting identical 1.04 numbers for his ERA and his WHIP on the short season.

Some love for everyones favorite writer ...

Minor Happenings

Tony Lastoria

Yesterday at 1:43 AM

The IBI's Tony Lastoria checks in with a deeper look into who Matt Esparza is and what kind of upside he has with the Indians. In addition, he takes a look at the surprise showing from Jarrett Grube, the Indians heading out to the AFL, the downfall of Luigi Rodriguez, and more.

Here is part two of this week’s scheduled three Minor Happenings postings. Part one went up on Monday and part three should go up later this week on Friday or Saturday.

IBI Pitcher of the Week

(for games from August 21st through August 27th)

Jarrett Grube (Right-handed pitcher – Columbus)
2 GS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 14.0 IP, 13 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 11 K

The Indians continue to get good pitching up and down their system, but over the past week they got the best performance from a completely unexpected source: Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Jarrett Grube.

Grube, 33, was signed back in June out of the Triple-A Mexico League and has been pretty close to lights out since he arrived where in 14 games (12 starts) he is 8-0 with a 2.29 ERA (74.2 IP, 65 H, 9 HR, 18 BB, 63 K). His strong showing over the past three months is not much of a surprise considering this is his twelfth professional season. He’s been a minor league lifer appearing in 360 games and going 73-57 with a 4.31 ERA (1162.0 IP, 1207 H, 140 HR, 338 BB, 1013 K).

With that in mind, it’s important to remember that Grube is a minor league journeyman and that there should not be much stock put into his recent good fortune. He has a fairly standard pitch mix with a fastball, slider and changeup, none of which grade out as more than average, though where he has proven to be the most valuable is in the way he is reliable, gives innings, throws strikes and competes. Those are traits which will extend a professional career, even if only as someone who annually shows up on a Triple-A roster.

If anything, what Grube’s recent performance has done is set him up for a potential shot at resigning with the Indians this offseason and being used as a veteran swing guy at Columbus next season. At the worst, he’s opened some eyes around the industry to create some interest in signing him in some capacity for next season (something that did not happen before this season), and who knows, maybe a team desperate for a starter gives him a shot in spring training to win a spot in their opening day rotation.

Honorable Mentions:

Toru Murata (RHP, COL): 2 GS, 0-0, 2.77 ERA, 13.0 IP, 10 H, 4 R/ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 12 K
Mike Clevinger (RHP, AKR): 1 GS, 0-1, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
Michael Peoples (RHP, LYN): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
Luis Lugo (LHP, LYN): 1 GS, 1-0, 2.57 ERA, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
Sean Brady (LHP, LC): 2 GS, 0-2, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 2 R/ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 7 K
Jared Robinson (RHP, MV): 1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
James Stokes (RHP, MV): 2 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K
Juan Hillman (LHP, AZL): 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 K
Triston McKenzie (LHP, AZL): 1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 4 K
Sam Hentges (LHP, AZL): 1 GS, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 9 K

Esparza shows promise

Every year there are a few players who make some noise as a non-bonus pool round guy who goes out and performs well and also shows some interesting stuff and upside. This year’s version of “that guy” may be 2015 14th round pick and short season Single-A Mahoning Valley right-handed pitcher Matt Esparza.

Esparza, 21, is having a very nice pro debut with Mahoning Valley where in 14 appearances he is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA, and in 32.2 innings he has allowed 31 hits, 11 walks and has 42 strikeouts. What is probably most impressive is his 11.6 K/9 rate to go along with his rather good 1.89 GO/AO and just one home run allowed in 32.2 innings. The ability to get a groundball and keep the ball in the ballpark is a skill that every team likes, but if you can also show you can get a strikeout it makes that pitcher immensely more interesting. Whether those statistical trends continue as he gets into full season Single-A ball and above remains to be seen, but it’s been a great foundational year for him none the less.

Esparza only throws 87-91 MPH and touches 92 MPH on occasion with his fastball, though the command of it comes and goes. He features a very good curveball that is the best pitch in his arsenal because of the extraordinary bite it gets and the advanced feel and command he has of it. He also throws a changeup that needs work and will be an early focus in his development plan. He shows a good aptitude to make adjustments, is a good athlete and has a very good delivery and clean arm action, all things that the Indians believe will help him down the road as he makes adjustments which will help him improve the command of all of his pitches and also add a tick or two of velocity to his fastball. He has a good approach to pitching, shows a good demeanor on the mound, and is very competitive with a strong desire to win.

The Indians feel there is some upside in Esparza not just with his stuff, but due to the fact he has so little experience on the mound. He was a shortstop all through high school until he was moved to the mound for his senior season. He went to the University of Tennessee for his freshman season but only pitched 13.2 innings, so he transferred to Cypress College for his sophomore season in 2014 and then transferred to UC Irvine for his junior season this past year. He’s been around and not had a stable coaching environment the last four years, so now that he is settled in as a pro and has a chance to really hone in and develop as a pitcher, the Indians believe there is some untapped potential in his arm and that it will come out as he makes some adjustments and gains more mound experience.

The end for L-Rod?

This came down the pipe a few weeks ago, but I wanted to be sure to touch on it and give my thoughts on it. High-A Lynchburg outfielder Luigi Rodriguez was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Friday August 14th after violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He tested positive for a metabolite of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance that ten players have already been suspended for this season.

Rodriguez, 22, was on the disabled list nursing a hamstring injury at the time of the announcement but the suspension went into effect immediately wiping out the final 23 games of this season and the first 57 games of next season, which means that he won’t be eligible to join a team until mid-June next season. So not only does the suspension ruin what was a strong comeback season for him, but it essentially wipes out half of his season next year as well.

Rodriguez hit .293 with 12 HR, 49 RBI, 24 stolen bases and .827 OPS in 92 games for Lynchburg this season. It was a very good showing and created some buzz for him as a former high end prospect who had resurfaced and resurrected his career after several injury-plagued seasons where he dealt with shoulder and leg injuries. At the time of the suspension he was among the Carolina League leaders in batting average, home runs, extra base hits, slugging percentage and OPS, and he had set career highs in all of the power categories (home runs, doubles, and slugging percentage).

But all of that is for naught now as the suspension has pretty much destroyed whatever prospect value Rodriguez had left. That power-speed combination that he possesses is something that was always intriguing about him, and it looked like this season it had all finally come together for him. Maybe it really did and the substance he took had nothing to do with it, but unfortunately no one will ever know. When he returns he will still be an interesting guy because of his set of tools but the strong showing from this season will be wiped from the ledger and no longer considered because he was on a banned substance. In a system crowded in the upper levels with outfielders and several high profile outfielders moving up, it is going to be tough for him to crack the Double-A Akron roster next season unless injuries and trades clear up space, so this might be the beginning of the end of his career in affiliated ball.

AFL Rosters announced

The Indians participants in the Arizona Fall League were announced on Tuesday, though only the position players are known: outfielders Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer, third baseman Yandy Diaz and catcher Jeremy Lucas.

The trio of Frazier, Zimmer and Diaz makes for an exciting cast on the Scottsdale Scorpions team as they are arguably the Indians three best hitting prospects. In some ways, the AFL experience should be to get Zimmer and Diaz ready for possible Major League action in 2016 and to get Frazier accustomed to the higher caliber of pitching he will see at Double-A in 2016.

As has been customary for the Indians the last few years, the Indians will announce the three to four pitches they are sending to the AFL at a later date. They will send one starter and then two or three relievers. There is no specific reason why they wait until closer to the start of the AFL season (Oct. 13th) to announce their pitchers, but generally they are waiting to see what the inning totals of some of their pitchers are at once the regular season and postseason ends. Also, they need to see where the pitchers are at who are rehabbing from injury. My best guess would be that Ben Heller and Josh Martin go as relievers and that one or both of Rob Kaminsky or Jayson Aquino go as starters (Aquino would relieve if Kaminsky was a starter).

Scouting the Indians 2015 Draft: Part 1

Tony Lastoria

8:49 AM

The IBI's Tony Lastoria sits down with Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant and talks about 2015 Draft picks Brady Aiken, Todd Isaacs and Ryan Colegate.

As I do every year, over the course of the next few weeks I am going to be posting post-draft pieces like this on all of the players that the Indians drafted and signed from the 2015 Draft. The Indians signed 23 players in total and I have comments and details on each and every player from Indians Amateur Scouting Director Brad Grant. I will be including comments from Grant and a quick summary on each player as well as any stats from the 2015 season.

Rather than just roll down the list of players in order of when they were picked, I am going to put these up at random and mix the higher and lower profile prospects together. Three to four players will be featured each article for a total of six post-draft capsules:

Brady Aiken (Left-handed Pitcher): 1st round, IMG Academy

2015 stats: Has not pitched (injured)

Quick summary: Brady no doubt has top of the draft talent as a former number one overall pick and has all the ingredients to be a dominant frontline pitcher, but there are injury concerns with him coming off of Tommy John surgery. When healthy, he features a mid-90s fastball, a really good curveball and he commands all of his pitches well. With the combination of stuff, pitchability, command and size he looks to have it all, but it all comes down to how he comes back from surgery.

Grant’s take: “We just like the upside to him. Even with the injury he was the first overall pick a year ago. When healthy the upside is the potential for a frontend starter if it all clicks. It’s size, fastball, breaking ball and changeup. There is a chance for three plus pitches and the ability to throw strikes and repeat his delivery. It is kind of everything you look for in a high school starter. We obviously saw him a lot in the summer leading up to the 2014 Draft. We scouted him quite a bit. Even though the expectation was for him to go high we still spent time scouting him. We really don’t make the assumption that someone is not going to be there with any of our picks. So we scouted him in 2014 and we were there for the first start in 2015 and saw that. [His selection] was based off of what we did in 2014, but we were still able to build enough information and have enough evaluations to feel comfortable to take him. It is the whole package. On top of that it is the person too. The work ethic, the desire to get better and the ability to push himself overcoming adversity and everything he has gone through before and persevering through that. I think there is a whole lot to like about him. I think now it is just working to getting back from injury which is going to be the biggest thing he is going to have to overcome. He is already putting effort into it but as he starts to get back on the mound it is getting back to where he was before that is the biggest thing that we need to work on with him.”

Todd Isaacs (Outfielder): 19th round, Palm Beach CC (FL)

2015 stats: 34 G, .225 AVG (25-for-117), 12 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 27 K, 5 SB, .507 OPS

Quick summary: Isaacs is a sub six foot outfielder who is only 19 and was drafted out of high school by the Blue Jays a year ago in the 22nd round. He is from the Bahamas which has not historically been a baseball hot bed which might have caused him to get less noticed. His best asset is his speed and he can fly as his 60 yard time was 6.1.

Grant’s take: “We liked the speed. That’s really it as it is a true 8 run. Probably one of the fastest guys in the draft and obviously one of the fastest guys we have taken in a while. So it is the speed and the ability to develop that. We really like the person too and really look forward to working with hm. You have athleticism, you have defense, and you have speed. We just have to create ways to find ways to get on base, but he can run and he can play solid average defense for us too in center field. At 19 years old there is still definitely room there to advance him offensively and there is upside to it. As he continues to learn to use that speed and how to get on base and spray the ball around and play a short game and continue to learn to get on base and continue to learn to control the strike zone, those are going to be things that will help him. But you can’t teach that run tool that he has. It shows up on the bases and it shows up defensively, and we are going to work to develop it offensively too.”

Ryan Colegate (Right-handed Pitcher): 36th round, Ohio Dominican University

2015 stats: 14 G, 0-1, 7.45 ERA, 19.1 IP, 30 H, 17 R (16 ER), 1 HR, 8 BB, 12 K, 2.64 GO/AO

Quick summary: Colegate is a big 6’5” right hander with a standard three pitch mix of a fastball, curveball and changeup. He was the Pitcher of the Year in his conference and led the conference in several categories. He only once all year allowed more than a single run in a game. He dominated his level and is another interesting addition because of his size and being a cold weather arm means he might have some growth potential.

Grant’s take: “Obviously we like the size and we like the ability to throw strikes with him. We like the fastball and the makings of the secondary. The fastball plays 89-91 MPH and has a little bit of action to it. He has a chance for a slurvish-type average breaking ball and a feel for a change. There are some good things to like with him. He is a guy that we feel like can go out and help us in a multiple of ways. We have the ability to move him around and do some different things with him.”

Some great info from Scout's Indians Baseball Insider site the last couple days! Thank you Tony Lastoria!

Other Wednesday notes:

Holt and Ramsay each 2 hits. Walters singled, walked and stole bases: brings his season total to 3
Yandy 3 hits, including a triple. Zimmer is wasting away, hitless, down to 241 for Akron
Frazier walked, 280. Papi hit his 3rd homer, wow!
Santander walked, doubles, and stole a base. Chang big night: 3 hits, a double, walked, 225

Pitching:

Will Roberts AAA 7 3 1 1 2 7 3.36 Has he become a prospect?
Morimando AA 6 2 0 0 4 5 3.22 If he cut down on the walks!
Daryl Kime Hi A 5 7 3 3 2 6 4.50 Making scant progress
Brady Lo A 4 1/3 8 7 6 2 1 he's run of gas

Matt Esparza SS A 5 2/3 4 0 0 0 7 1.64 season: 38 35 7 er 11 49 14th round pick; very good debut season

Hentges got in 3 good innings, before he fell apart: 3 2/3 8 5 4 3 2 14.21 in his NYPL debut

Another multihit game for Gabriel Mejia, 3 singles in 5 trips Lifts his NYPL avg to 381, stole his 5th and 6th bases and caught for the first time. He has not walked and has only one double, but after a 1-11 start, he's gone 15-31 for the Scrappers.

Papi gets hot right before time to go back home. 2nd homer in two days gives him 4 for the season, adds a single and a walk for a 714 OPS

Meanwhile Frazier hitless in 4 slips to 278 OPS 818

Another 0=4 for Zimmer, hitting 235 for the RDucks. 5 for his last 40 with an OPS of 311 during those 10 games.

Another gem by Mike Clevinger, probably the best overall pitching for any of our guys this season:
7 4 1 1 1 7 2.73 1.06 WHIP. Excelled down the stretch, his final 6 games totaled:
38 2/3 40 strikeouts 6 ER 1.42 ERA
There's one guy who needs to be added to the 40 man roster this winter.

Aguillar and Holt, still hoping for invitations to Cleveland, each with a pair of hits last night. Choice hitless in 4, oops maybe Tony is wrong, he hasn't completely turned his season around.

BA notes only the good lines:

CLE AA Moncrief, Carlos DH 4 0 3 0 .262 CS (4) [cannot avoid being DFA's]
CLE AA Rodriguez, Nellie 1B 4 1 1 0 .133 2B (2)
CLE AAA Aguilar, Jesus 1B 4 0 2 1 .265
CLE AAA Gonzalez, Erik SS 5 1 1 1 .221
CLE AAA Ramsey, James LF 4 0 1 0 .237 2B (21)
CLE HiA Papi, Mike RF 3 1 2 1 .240 HR (4), BB (78)
CLE HiA Paulino, Dorssys LF 4 0 1 0 .296
CLE SS Goihl, Jack C 3 1 1 0 .154 2B (4) [97th round draft choice, approximately]
CLE SS Mathias, Mark 2B 3 1 1 0 .283 BB (33)
CLE AA Clevinger, Mike 7 4 1 1 1 7 2.79 W (9-8)
CLE SS Stewart, Devon 1 1 0 0 0 0 3.86 [NYPL middle reliever with no ceiling]

Some people are impossible to talk to.

Reminds me of the guy in The Matrix eating the steak. Ignorance is bliss.

Jesus makes the Hot Sheet. Can he make the Indians' September roster?

11. Jesus Aguilar, 1b, Indians

Team: Triple-A Columbus (International)
Age: 25
Why He’s Here: .429/.485/.857 (12-for-28), 5 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 BB, 8 SO

Can Aguilar ever break through and prove he’s more than just a 4-A slugger? That remains the knock for the 6-foot-3, 250-pound righthanded hitter who has batted .265/.331/.434 with 18 home runs in 128 games in the International League. That’s a solid—but not great—showing for a 25-year-old who has struggling during his brief big league time.

Mike Clevinger gets noted, too:

19. Mike Clevinger, rhp, Indians

Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern)
Age: 24
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.69, 2 G, 1 GS, 13 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 14 SO

The Scoop: Clevinger stagnated with the Angels, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2011. Part of that was due to Tommy John surgery he had in 2012, wiping out nearly all of his 2013 season. He then got lit up in 2014 with a 5.37 ERA as a 23-year-old in high Class A Inland Empire. When the Indians traded reliever Vinnie Pestano to the Angels in August 2014, Clevinger was the player they received in return.

That could prove to be a shrewd move, for Clevinger leads the Eastern League in strikeouts (145) while posting a 2.73 ERA in 158 innings, a promising sign for his post-TJ durability. Given the Indians’ recent track record for finishing the development for power starters—Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber—Clevinger’s re-emergence since joining the organization is notable.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): A mere for 15 hits in 31 at bats for Gabriel Mejia this week, and four steals. Granted he hasn't drawn any walks in his couple weeks in the NYPL but the 381 average even tops the 357 he put up in Arizona. Not good enough for Hot Prospect status?

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: We can only pick 20 guys and Mejia, like others, fell just short. It's never anything personal. We look at a spreadsheet of best weeks and decide by using RC02 (runs created) to make an unbiased choice. He fell just short.

I don't think I implied it was something personal!

elliot (Youngstown OH): Is it too early in their careers to project career paths of 1bs Bobby Bradley and Nellie Rodriguez as compared to Aguilar's?

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Bradley's the most well-rounded of the three in terms of power and hit tool. As Ben Badler noted in the hot sheet (http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/p ... -end-line/), Aguilar is 25 and did not dominate in Triple-A. I like Nellie, but man has he struggled at Double-A