Cleveland Sports Forum

Hargrove of course hit leadoff years ago and he couldn't run either but drew plenty of walks. What do the stats guys say is most important for leadoff man: on base ability or speed? Carlos actually was much more successful basestealer than Kipnis last year: 11 successes in 14; Kipnis 12 for 20. Carlos OBP was only 752 due to his miserable 231 average. If he cannot hit 250 he doesn't belong at the top of the lineup. How well does Carlos move from 1st to 3rd?

Juan Uribe has agreed to a deal with the Indians, but still hasn't signed with the team

Hayden Grove

GOODYEAR, Arizona—

Days after agreeing with a deal with the Indians, Juan Uribe still hasn't been able to find his way to the United States.Though the Tribe hosted its second day of full squad workouts on Wednesday, the squad is still technically not full.

eteran infielder Juan Uribe, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Indians late last week, is still having issues with his visa, which is preventing him from returning to the United States and signing with Cleveland.

Uribe will have to pass a team physical and sign the contract with Cleveland before he officially becomes part of the team, which clearly won’t happen until he’s able to travel from his home in the Dominican Republic to the Tribe’s Spring Training complex in Arizona.

Until the deal is official, Indians manager Terry Francona won’t discuss the rumors, but admitted that he did talk to Giovanny Urshela about them.

Urshela would likely be replaced by Uribe as Cleveland’s starting third baseman, but Francona was pleased with the second-year infielder, who spent his offseason away from home working with Jose Ramirez and Jesus Aguilar at the IMG Academy in Tampa Bay, Florida.

“If I was that age, I would want to go home, so we were really proud of them for doing that,” Francona said. “Regardless of who we sign or who we don’t sign, (IMG Academy) is going to be good for their careers and I think he understood that.”

Following Francona’s comments, it was reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post that Uribe was offered a Minor League contract by the New York Yankees, but declined when receiving the Tribe’s Major League offer.

Turning 37 in March, Uribe has spent 15 years in Major League Baseball between the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants and, most recently, the New York Mets.

Uribe spent 2015 with three teams— the Dodgers, Braves and Mets— compiling a .253 average with 14 home runs in 119 games and played in one game in the 2015 World Series with New York, hitting an RBI single in his lone at-bat.

Uribe’s one-year deal with Cleveland is reportedly worth just under $5-million and once he signs said contract, the team will have to make a decision in order to make room for the veteran on Cleveland's 40-man roster.

Under-the-radar addition of Juan Uribe could provide big boost for Indians
Juan Uribe's veteran presence in the clubhouse should help Cleveland's younger players navigate through the ups and downs of a 162-game season.
Buster OlneyESPN Senior Writer


Early in the Indians’ offseason, even before the Royals and Mets finished the World Series, they reviewed the forthcoming free-agent class and determined that Juan Uribe could be an excellent fit with Cleveland.

First and foremost, Uribe wasn’t among the most expensive players, the Jason Heywards and Alex Gordons, who would never sign in Cleveland because they make too much money. There are country club free agents in the market, and it’s a simple truth that the Indians are an organization that will always play the public course because of their financial limitations. Uribe turns 37 this spring, hasn’t played in more than 132 games in any year since 2010 and doesn’t have the leverage to command much money.

As the offseason began, the Indians had at-bats available at Uribe’s position of third base, at a time when not many teams did. The 24-year-old Giovanny Urshela played his first games in the big leagues last year and did a good job defensively but had a .608 OPS in 288 plate appearances over 81 games. He had 15 extra-base hits and hit into nine double plays, leaving the Indians open to possible upgrades -- and Uribe, with his power and experience, could be better. In 119 games last year, Uribe batted .253 with 14 homers and an OPS of .737.

In 2014, Uribe batted .311 for the Dodgers. Uribe bats right-handed, and the Indians could use more right-handed balance in their lineup: Jason Kipnis is a left-handed hitter, Michael Brantley hits left-handed, Lonnie Chisenhall hits left-handed.

But the Indians also talked internally about what Uribe could mean for their clubhouse, and in particular, for 22-year-old shortstop Francisco Lindor, who had an excellent first showing in the big leagues last year.

Uribe has a long-established reputation for providing a strong positive clubhouse presence, his professionalism conveyed through an effective sense of humor -- the sort of personality that can help a team, or a teammate, get through a long season.

Lindor will inevitably have a stretch when he’ll struggle, when he’ll be trying to find some equilibrium through a slump. Maybe Uribe can help Lindor, or reinforce the need for consistent defensive focus. Or maybe Indians players will benefit from a Uribe laugh, as they navigate the challenging AL Central. After Uribe got hurt late last season, Mets manager Terry Collins spoke about how beneficial he believed it was to have Uribe around the team even when he wasn’t playing.

Uribe had opportunities to sign elsewhere, but the Indians might have been the only team providing a chance to play at least somewhat regularly. Uribe wanted more money for a prominent role, and after asking for $5 million from Cleveland, he agreed to terms with the Indians for $4 million in base salary, plus incentives.

The Indians have arguably the best pitching in the American League, and once Brantley returns from his shoulder rehabilitation, they could have a lineup that looks like this:

2B Jason Kipnis

SS Francisco Lindor

LF Michael Brantley

DH Carlos Santana

RF Lonnie Chisenhall

1B Mike Napoli

C Yan Gomes

3B Juan Uribe

CF Abraham Almonte

Please spare me the new Jason Giambi bullshit when it comes to Uribe's role on the team.

Chisenhall hitting 5th? Not likely!

And now a bit of a hole, in the 9th spot in the order. Almonte's absence could be more important for defense than offense. Looks like Naquin is the only CF in camp. If he can avoid getting hurt, give him the job, bat him ninth and if he flops he goes back to AAA when Brantley returns.

Naquin is opening some eyes

Rookie outfielder collects three hits

Paul Hoynes

phoynes@cleveland.com

The Indians didn't sign free agent Austin Jackson, and they could have used him in center field this season.

If they did that, however, just think how boring the next four weeks would be.

Tyler Naquin, for instance, would have been pushed to the back of manager Terry Francona's lineup card. Right now, he's front and center.

Naquin, in his third start in center field this spring, went 3 for 4 Monday as the Indians beat the Dodgers, 8-5, at Camelback Ranch for their first win of the Cactus League season.

When spring training started, it was believed that the Indians would carry five outfielders as Michael Brantley recovered from left shoulder surgery. The top five were thought to be Rajai Davis, Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall, Collin Cowgill and Joey Butler.

A positive PED test eliminated Almonte. Enter Naquin, the Indians' No.1 pick in 2012, with a help wanted sign staked in center field.

Naquin, batting eighth, singled in his first three at-bats Monday. He started the second with a single to right and kept going to second base when Trayce Thompson bobbled the ball for an error.

He scored on a ground out by Jose Ramirez for a 5-0 lead.

He collected his third hit, a two-strike single off lefty J.P. Howell, in the sixth. Once again, he came around to score on a tworun single by Davis.


Defensively, he made a nice catch against Yasmani Grandal in the fourth.

How Indians outfield can save itself

Naquin has plenty of competition in Cowgill, Randy Grossmann, Will Venable and Davis, but he's opening the right eyes.

Francona said batting average is the last thing you want to judge a player by in spring training. In case you're curious, Naquin is hitting .467 (7 for 15).

The Indians, for the second straight game, used power to take an early lead. Ramirez and Giovanny Urshela homered in the first for a 4-0 lead off Alex Wood. Urshela hit a three-run homer after Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana reached on one-out errors by shortstop Corey Seager.

The Tribe hit three homers in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers. In 2015, they finished 13th in the AL in homers.

Danny Salazar used the early lead to his advantage Monday as he became the first Tribe starter to go three innings this spring. He walked two in the first but didn't allow a run on one hit for his day's work.

It's strange how spring training works. When the Indians signed Juan Uribe in late February, it meant Urshela would open the season at Class AAA Columbus. The Indians love his defense at third base but feel his offense needs a lot of work.

Well, since Uribe was signed, all Urshela has done is hit. While Uribe is getting his spring-training legs under him — he played in a B game Monday — Urshela is hitting .364 (4 for 11) with a homer and five runs in five games. He drove in four runs Monday.

In the bullpen, Joba Chamberlain owes a tip of the cap to right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall for keeping his third inning under control. Chamberlain allowed five straight Dodgers to reach base — the charge included a three-run homer by Charlie Culberson — before Chisenhall turned Adrian Gonzalez's liner to right into a double play for the first two outs of the inning.

Chamberlain had a great first outing, so this one shouldn't hurt too much in his quest to win a spot in the pen. But it's something he would do well not to repeat. Lefty Giovanni Soto, meanwhile, recovered from his Sunday afternoon meltdown against the Giants to put himself back in the race for a bullpen spot. Soto started the eighth by allowing the first two batters to reach before using his slider to induce a double play and a ground out.

Chisenhall got his first hit of the spring with a single in the sixth. The hit came after his double play in the fifth. Not only did he catch Gonzalez's liner, but he threw out Joc Peterson as he tried to go from second to third for a double play to ease Chamberlain's load.

Cowgill had a brain cramp in the sixth. After replacing Chisenhall in right field, he caught a fly ball by Austin Barnes with Rob Segedin on second. Instead of throwing to third, he threw home as Segedin cruised into third.

It's spring training, and such things happen.

B-plus: The Indians topped the Reds, 1-0, in Monday's five-inning ''B'' game at the Tribe's complex. Juan Uribe, in his spring debut, notched the only RBI of the game. He also logged one of the Indians' two hits in his gamehigh four at-bats.

— Zack Meisel

Jim Ingraham is still stringing for Baseball America:

CLEVELAND—There are multiple reasons why Shawn Armstrong’s resume as a relief pitcher appeals to Indians officials.

In 50 innings over 46 appearances with Triple-A Columbus last year Armstrong didn’t give up any home runs while averaging 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings, the second-highest ratio for any relief pitcher (minimum 45 innings pitched) in all of minor league baseball.



“He has a nice fastball with some extra giddy-up that hitters have to respect. He’s an interesting guy,” said Indians manager Terry Francona.

Francona got a first-hand look at Armstrong last year, when the 25-year-old righthander made eight appearances for the major league club in August and September.

Selected in the 18th round out of East Carolina in the 2011 draft, Armstrong has made a steady climb through the minor league system. In five minor league seasons he has a 2.42 ERA while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, and allowing just seven home runs in 212 innings.

All those good numbers have positioned Armstrong to make a run at a big league job in 2016. The Indians opened camp with three or possibly four openings in their bullpen. Armstrong is in the mix, but even if he starts the year back at Columbus, he would be a candidate for a promotion this season.

In his eight appearances with the Indians last year Armstrong’s numbers mirrored his performance at Columbus. For the Indians he pitched eight innings, allowing five hits, with 11 strikeouts and two walks. He held opposing hitters to a .179 batting average.

“When he pitched, he pitched well,” Francona said. “There’s so much in that arm. He’s a big, strong kid. We all feel he has a good future in the bullpen.”

Napoli becoming a leader with Tribe

http://m.indians.mlb.com/news/article/1 ... th-indians

Good news: Lonnie's not concerned that he's not hitting a lick.

By Paul Hoynes
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There were vertical strips of tape running from Lonnie Chisenhall's right forearm to his wrist. When asked about them, he said, "It's just decorative." A few hours later Chisenhall was scratched from the Indians' lineup because of right forearm tightness and replaced by Robbie Grossman in right field. How's that for a decoration?

What's even more painful for Chisenhall right now is his batting average. He's hitting .048 (1-for-21) in eight Cactus League games. He has one RBI and that came on a bases-loaded walk Monday against Texas. "It put a smile on my face," said Chisenhall.

The work Chisenhall is putting in before the game feels great. The results he's getting in the game, well, they don't feel so great. "Fortunately, nothing we do performance wise here means anything once April rolls around," said Chisenhall.
Still, it is nice to hit the baseball well no matter what time of year it is.

"When you get in the game, obviously, you want to show up in spring and hit .400," said Chisenhall. "You want to feel great every day. I've been happy with my work. My at-bats haven't been great. I've been happy with my pitch selection. I haven't had too many hard contacts.

"Getting that competitive spirit is what I'm focused on. That's where I'm at right now."

When you're hitting .048, you have to cling to something.

"I'm believing in the cage work and not worrying about the results, but the process," said Chisenhall. "All those things have been really hard for me to do in the past. So I'm really trying to hunker down and bear with it. We were talking the other day that it might be a good thing to learn from the struggles early. If the cage work is OK, maybe it's just a rough patch and we'll get through it. Then when April rolls around it's time to go."

Manager Terry Francona made the decision to rest Chisenhall on Wednesday against the Angels. "He's had that forearm and it's been bugging him," said Francona. "I talked to him before the game and said, 'Let's give you a couple of days.' Guys want to hit in spring training, especially when they're trying to find their stroke. But he hit so much Tuesday that I think it was more sore today."

Chisenhall is facing a question without an answer – does a good spring mean a good season? Last year he hit .327 (18-for-55) with five RBI in camp. So much for good vibes. Chisenhall opened the regular season at third base and hit .209 (37-for-177) with 19 RBI in his first 52 games of the season. On June 7, Chisenhall and shortstop Jose Ramirez were optioned to Class AAA Columbus following the collapse of the left side of the infield. He did not return until July 30 and when he did he was no longer a third baseman, but a right fielder.

In Chisenhall's final 54 games of the season, he hit .288 (45-for-156) with three homers and 25 RBI. Defensively, he was credited with eight runs saved in August alone.


"I'm not dismissing spring training," said Chisenhall. "I just want to make sure I'm competitive everytime and swing at good pitches. If I get hits, I get hits."

Chisenhall is not a robot. He has already thought about tinkering with his swing, but so far he's resisted. "I've had reel myself back in already," said Chisenhall. "You don't want to tinker. You've put in all this hard work in the offseason. You don't want to let a handful of at bats in spring training determine the fate of your season. It's 15 . . .20 at-bats. It's five games in the season. My swing has felt the best it has in years in the cage as far as being ready. In the games, I think a lot of it has to do with timing and competitiveness."

When it comes to the pecking order of spring training, Chisenhall has made every stop imaginable. He's been the No.1 pick trying to open eyes. He's come to camp guaranteed a job. He's come to camp and been beaten out by Jack Hannahan.

Chisenhall reported this spring knowing his job wasn't on the line. At least that's how it looked from the outside looking in.
"I've had a couple of springs and everyone has been a little different as far as my personal status with the team," said Chisenhall. "You want to go out there and play good defense if you're not hitting. You want to contribute somehow and take the focus off yourself and make it team oriented."

Francona said Chisenhall will not play Thursday against Cincinnati to give him time to let his forearm settle down. Then he'll turn him loose in search of his swing. "The good thing about spring training is that all it takes is one good day for a guy to feel good about himself," said Francona.

It is all about the process. You gotta play the right way. You have be a grinder (thought you put veal on a grinder.) It is a marathon not a sprint. You dont win the pennant in April. Pitching wins. Hitting is overrated. We cant compete with the big boys ie KC.

Just saw that Napoli is gritty just like John Lowenstein.

That B game must have been a real snoozer.

But Juan Uribe has that veteran presence. The youngsters can learn much from a washed up has been never was. I remember Boog Powel on the tribe. At least he looked good in that bright orange uni.

Dolan must be paying these writers to write this nonsense.