Cleveland Sports Forum

Nice to see that stat on Mejia. I like him a lot. Clevinger made the biggest jump up our prospect list last year; his two starts for Columbus in the playoffs were nearly flawless, 0 run in 14+ innings; the first of the two he pitched no hit ball for 7 innings.

go here for the hairdo:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mike+cl ... xnDiy_8%3D

BA does the Tribe prospect list and chat on Wednesday. Some years they go on for hours and answer scores of questions; other years much less. I'll see if I can join in. There are a lot of quality players to talk about for a change. I'll have to go back through the rosters and 2015 stats to remind myself which of the less-talked about players are worth discussing. I was pleased with the bounce-back seasons of Paulino and Santander, both of whom are still quite young, and perhaps still have the same high ceilings as previously rated. I wonder how Yandy Diaz is viewed from an objective distance.

In advance of tomorrow's BA Indians Prospects chat, the magazine featuring AL Central top 10 lists has appeared in my mailbox. Since I no longer have my kids around to quiz me on the list, I'll to use the forum for my audience;

I'd certainly expect to find Zimmer and Frazier 1 and 2.
Bradley will rate high of course but since he has not established a defensive position; strikes out too much; and since teen power hitters are generally somewhat unprojectable, I expect a bunch of the pitchers to rate higher.

Hard to say how they'll rate the pitching, since each of about half a dozen candidates have impressive credentials.

Sheffield and Kaminsky were among their teams' top 5 last year and pitched well again in 2015.
Clevinger made a great leap forward.
McKenzie was great in a very small sample; Hillman was very good in a less small sample; Aiken has an extremely high ceiling but has not thrown a pitch as a pro.

That makes nine. I'd be rather surprised if anyone fits higher than any of those guys, but there are a handful of other candidates, Naquin who keeps putting up pretty good numbers in injury-filled seasons; F. Mejia who's stats were mixed but still seems an awfully good prospect as a 19 year catcher with a full season of Class A ball behind him. Erik Gonzalez was in the top 10 last year and did well in AA but not so in Columbus. Papi was in the top 10 last year but struggled in Lynchburg. There are some more good talents like OFs Greg Allen and Dorsyss Paulino and Gabriel Mejia and pitchers Sam Hentges and Shawn Morminado and Carolina League MVP Nellie Rodriguez but I don't see any of them beating out anyone else listed above.
Maybe Luke Wakamatsu? BA likes to overrate first year draftees. Mike Mathias and Ka'ai Tom had good debuts too but have more modest ceilings.

No real surprises on the list, but the analyses are all very positive, from No. 1 Zimmer ["true 5-tool potential] through No. 10 F. Mejia ["The Indians have challenged Mejia with aggressive assignments . . . the precocious catcher has always proven up to the task"]

The odd man out was Hillman. The pitchers were ranked: No. 3 Aiken ["has rehabbed on schedule"] No. 4 Sheffield ["offers an exciting combination of power stuff from the left side and athleticism"] No. 7 Clevinger ["has been clocked up to 97 mph . . . hard slider.. he has the athleticism necessary to repeat his delivery"] No. 8 McKenzie [6-5 165! "if McKenzie does fill out there's much to dream on"] No. 9 Kaminsky "his overall package gives him a good chance to develop into a back-=end starter".

Naquin's write-up at No. 5 is nice, too ["his speed and defensive ability figure to make him at least a fourth OF in the major leagues"]

chat delayed to January 11. More time for me to prepare questions.

Sure looks like BA like Sickels now sees the Indians with a deep cohort of B to B+ prospects. No one projects as a Trout or a Harper but Z-F-B could fit in just right with the solid core of Brantley-Lindor-Kipnis-and I think Gomes and all those hard-throwing young pitchers.

paul hoynes Verified account  ‏@hoynsie · 5 hours ago
Tribe's Joe Colon suspended for 50 games for positive test for drug of abuse.

No.....say it ain't so, Joe

By the way, I read from one Twitter source that it was recreational drug, not PED. But not sure if that is true cause just saw it from one person so far.

But this was definitely his second failed test.

BA's Tribe Top 10 goes live today.

Any thoughts the Indians had about entering the 2015 season as an under-the-radar contender were discarded in spring training when Sports Illustrated put Corey Kluber and Michael Brantley on the cover and picked Cleveland to win the World Series. The Indians managed to remain in the wild card race deep into September and finished 81-80, but ultimately it was the division-rival Royals who broke a long World Series drought.

The Indians’ mediocre record in 2015 was disappointing, but the franchise ushered in a new era on June 14 when Francisco Lindor reached the big leagues. Though he had been the organization’s top prospect since he was drafted eighth overall in 2011, the shortstop managed to exceed the hype in his debut and was the runner-up to Carlos Correa in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Lindor’s ascension to the big leagues also was a boon for the Indians pitching staff, because he helped improve the team’s overall defense and thus fortify a talented, young rotation. Starters Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Kluber and Danny Salazar, all under the age of 30, combined to make 122 starts and record a 3.76 ERA. What’s more, Indians starters led the majors in strikeout rate (8.9 per nine innings) for the second straight year.

With their young, controllable pitchers and core position players such as Lindor, Brantley, Jason Kipnis and Yan Gomes, the Indians have assembled pieces of a club that can be competitive. Now, they must figure out how to take the next step in a competitive division.

The Indians front office will have to figure it out without Mark Shapiro, who left the organization at the end of 2015 to become president of the Blue Jays. Shapiro had been with the Indians since 1992, serving as general manager for nine years and president for the last six.

As a result of Shapiro’s departure, GM Chris Antonetti was elevated to president and Mike Chernoff was promoted to GM.

Antonetti and Chernoff have a strong farm system to work with as they look to fine-tune the major league roster. Bradley Zimmer, the 21st overall pick in 2014, excelled in his full-season debut and reached Double-A Akron. Bobby Bradley, a third-round pick in 2014, led the low Class A Midwest League with 27 home runs.

The Indians added another premium talent in the 2015 draft, when they selected lefthander Brady Aiken with the 17th overall pick. The No. 1 overall selection in 2014, Aiken failed to work out a deal with the Astros after a post-draft physical led to a disagreement about the health of his elbow. He had Tommy John surgery in March, but the Indians signed him for a little more than $2.5 million.

With a payroll that ranks consistently among the lowest in the game, the Indians must depend on homegrown players. The young core and recent player-development successes such as Lindor and Salazar suggest that the franchise is positioned to return to the playoffs.

With a payroll that ranks consistently among the lowest in the game, the Indians must depend on homegrown players.


Gotta love that fact. Again why would Dolan sell. Someone would need to win powerball several times in order to entice that miser.

I consider Dolan personally responsible for turning me off the boring sport of baseball.

Tony Mansolino named manager of Lake County Captains. Edwin Rodriguez for Mahoning Valley Scrappers as FryGuy takes a step back. Bruce Chen joins the staff, and John McDonald with a promotion.

Cleveland Indians announce 2016 Player Development staff assignment

CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Indians today announced the organizational staff alignment within the Player Development System for the upcoming season.

CHRIS TREMIE (AAA Columbus), DAVE WALLACE (AA Akron) and MARK BUDZINSKI (Single-A Lynchburg) all return at the top three organizational levels while TONY MANSOLINO takes over the helm of the Single-A Lake County Captains after coaching the last five seasons between Mahoning Valley, Lake County and Lynchburg. All four full season clubs posted winning records last season as Tremie led the Triple-A Columbus Clippers to their third International League title since 2010.

With TRAVIS FRYMAN moving back into an advisor role, EDWIN RODRIGUEZ will manage the Short-Season A Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Rodriguez, 55, has been in professional baseball since 1980, managed the Florida Marlins in 2010-11 and has been a member of the Indians family since 2012, managing Class-A Carolina in 2012 and AA Akron in 2013.

JOHN McDONALD moves into the role of Infield Coordinator after rejoining the Indians organization last season as a Special Assistant to Player Development. In this position, “Mac” will serve as the primary resource to Minor League coaches in the implementation and monitoring of individual infielder player plans. The slick-fielding shortstop enjoyed a 16-year Major League career from 1999-2014, including 293 games with the Indians from 1999-2004 and again in 2013.

ALEX ECKELMAN moves back into the front office as Assistant Director, Player Development after serving as the club’s Advanced Scouting Coordinator the last four seasons since 2012. Eckelman joined the club in 2010 after wrapping up a nine-year professional career in 2005 and enjoying a Hall of Fame career at Ohio State from 1994-1997. As Assistant Director, Player Development, Alex joins Eric Binder in assisting with the leadership of the Player Development staff and the design and creation of its programs, policies, and curriculums. Eckelman will oversee the player-plan process for all of the organization’s non-pitchers.

JULIO RANGEL has been a member of the Indians organization since 2007, working in mental skills and cultural development early on in his tenure with the Indians before spending the last several seasons as Lower Level Pitching Coordinator. As Assistant Field Coordinator he will assist Tom Wiedenbauer in all phases of coordinating and overseeing the Indians Player Development operation. Julio will also oversee the Player Development implementation at the club’s new Dominican Academy.

BRUCE CHEN concluded his 17-year Major League playing career in 2015, making two starts with the Indians last May after signing with the club in February. The native of Panama City, Panama will assist all organizational players in the transition to professional baseball with a particular focus on Latin-born players. Chen pitched for 11 teams in his career and posted a career record of 82-81 with a 4.62 ERA in 400 Major League games from 1998-2015.

TIM LAKER returns to the organization after spending the last five seasons as a hitting instructor in the Chicago White Sox organization. He spent three seasons coaching with the Indians, 2007-2009, as Minor League Manager and Catching Coordinator after retiring as a player in 2006 before moving on to manage in the Seattle organization in 2010. He played professionally for 19 seasons from 1988-2006 and appeared in 282 Major League games over 11 years, 1992-2006.

STEVE McCATTY spent the last seven seasons as the Major League Pitching Coach of the Washington Nationals. He was also the Pitching Coach of the Detroit Tigers for three seasons, 2003-05, before joining the Nationals organization in the same position at the Triple-A level. He is entering his 36th season in professional baseball, posting a Major League record of 63-63 with a 3.99 ERA in 221 games/161 starts with Oakland from 1977-85.

MATT BLAKE will assist Pitching Coordinator Ruben Niebla as a leader of the organization’s pitching coaches as it pertains to understanding and implementing organizational philosophies, systems and processes at the team and individual level. Blake was the Pitching Coordinator at Cressey Sports Performance, an elite training center in Hudson, MA for pro and college players, and held a similar position for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League. He also founded his own company, Elite Pitching Development, in 2009.

I disagree with the premise of the first guy's question,

Greg T. (Lake Central): I'm sure a lot of us are surprised Zimmer beat out Frazier for the #1 spot. Frazier is TWO YEARS younger and has put up better overall numbers at similar levels. What gives Zimmer the edge?

Teddy Cahill: Let's start at the top. I don't know that it really should have been much of a surprise. Zimmer topped our midseason top 10, which was the first Indians prospects list Francisco Lindor wasn't eligible for since he signed. Yes, Clint Frazier is younger and has better power. But what puts Zimmer ahead of him is his all-around game. He's a true five-tool player and is more likely to stay in center field. He also is slightly closer to the big leagues having already reached Double-A. Ultimately, they're two very good players. Zimmer is just a tick ahead at this point.

This is kind of the same question:

Craig (Ohio): Why Aiken ahead of Sheffield & Bradley? With the uncertain health of Aiken and Success by the other two at Lake County the ranking surprised me.

Teddy Cahill: Much like the previous question, just looking at Nos. 3-5 on the list. There is some uncertainty about Aiken's health after the ordeal following the 2014 draft and his subsequent Tommy John surgery. But his upside is massive. He was the No. 1 pick in that draft for a reason. Obviously he's going to have to work to get back to that level, but it's very hard to ignore his upside as a No. 1 pitcher in the big leagues.

this is not looking good; this guy has answered two questions in 15 minutes; unless he plans to keep the chat going for three hours he'll never got through my list alone

Michael Stern (Rochester NY): Zimmer is obviously a 5 tool talent with star potential but what do you think about his abillity to hit at the higher levels? Does his .219 with 54 Ks in 187 ABs in AA raise any red flags? Thanks for the chat

!
Teddy Cahill: That obviously wasn't an ideal performance once he got to Akron, but there are a couple mitigating factors that make it easier to give him a pass for now. The first is that for most of the time he was in Akron he was playing through a hairline fracture in his foot that wasn't discovered until the season ended. The second is that he was playing in Double-A in his first full pro season. It'll be key for him to get that turned around this year when he goes back to Akron, but the level of concern isn't particularly high right now.