Cleveland Sports Forum

He's an all-bat guy

Comments from his manager say he's got good footwork and handles 1st base well. For 6-3 250 that will take some doing

I don't understand why Kipnis hasn't been called up.

The Indians want him to play everyday. Not platoon with Cabrera. The Indians lack any leaders at all and O Cab is one of the few and Acta's true favorite player.

O Cab is a pain in the ass if he is not playing and certainly made Phelps uncomfortable enough to effect his play on defense.

I think the Indians (non Acta) would like to see Kipnis up sooner then later. Figuring out a way to juggle both.

Good take.

So OC makes at least 2 Manny pets on the roster.

Did David Huff leave after 3 innings because they're saving him for Monday night in Cleveland? Or because he didn't pitch very well? 3 runs on 6 hits, a walk and 3 strikeouts.

The star on the mound was Chen Lee, with a 1-2-3 ninth, 2 out on strikes. Since he arrived in AAA he's pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings, with 15 strikeouts, 2 walks and six hits. Before his promotion, he had worked 39 2/3 in Akron with 56 strikeouts.

Hagadone in one inning allowed a hit, 2 walks and error helped produced 2 unearned runs.

2 hits each for Fedroff, Phelps and Donald - Jason also walked twice

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_colaaa_1

Elsewhere, good pitching by Matt Packer for once in Akron: 7.1-6-2-2-0-8. Robbie Aviles a 2010 draftee perhaps a 1st or 2nd round talent who fell because of injury, made his professional debut in Arizona league, not very good but he was able to pitch so we won't read the linescore. Also in Arizona young hotshot Felix Sterling 6 1/3 3 hits 8 K, 1 walk, 2 runs.

At the plate: Beau Mills 2 doubles, batting 287, OPS OK at 915. Chun Chen doubled. Weglarz hitless is batting 196; another high-round OF choice wasting away. Jesus Aguillar with 2 more homers: that makes 18, in case Baseball America is interested; he also fanned 2 times, than makes 87 compared to 28 walks, so there's plenty of chance for failure here, too. Giovanny Urshela 2 hits, one a double, batting 310 over past 10 games. Nick Bartolone 4 hits. More sigingicant Levon Washington 3-3 with a a double and a walk, is up to 220. Another struggling hitter does something good: Alex Lavisky with his first homer since dropping down a level to the Scrappers. 10th double plus a walk for fellow catcher Jake Lowery. Juan Romero doesn't strike out once in 4 at bats for Arizona, that makes 14 non-strikeouts in his last 38 at bats.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x&did=milb

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_peoafx_1

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_mvsasx_1

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... k_clerok_1

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... k_ddrrok_1

The two Scrapper catchers:

Lavisky, $1 million 2010 contract is exactly 20.5 years plus 2 days old. OPS 512. High school only
Lowery $220,000 2011 contact is exactly 21 years minus 6 days old. OPS 900. 2 or 3? yrs college

Adam Miller may be the highlight of Cleveland Indians' surprising season

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer


Adam Miller shows you The Finger.

It's the right middle finger, the one that has been through four surgeries.

"It doesn't hurt at all," he says. "It feels great."

You are sitting with Miller in the dugout at Canal Park, about two hours before the Class AA Akron Aeros will play a game. You can't help but stare at the finger, because it doesn't look much like a finger at all.

It's more like a bent fishhook. It leans slightly to the right. The top joint, the one with the fingernail, is at a 45-degree angle.

You look at the finger and shake your head. You keep wondering, how can Miller even hold a baseball.

"No problem," he says.

Then he jams the ball into his hand, and the finger curls around the ball.

Miller has pitched in 13 games for Akron. He has a 3.18 ERA, allowing 16 hits and striking out 12 in 17 innings. His fastball is in the 92-94 mph range, and has been clocked as high as 96. He throws a slider, which is a bit erratic. That's where the finger is still a problem, as Miller is still working on his control with that pitch.

But the fact you are talking sliders and radar gun readings with Miller is remarkable.

As Tribe General Manager Chris Antonetti says about the odds of Miller coming back from his injuries, there are no odds.

"He is the only professional pitcher that has ever returned from multiple surgeries on the pulley system and ligaments in his pitching hand," says Antonetti. "We are elated that he is back pitching."

PHENOM

Miller was a first-round pick by the Tribe in 2003.

By the time he was 19, Miller was 10-6 with a 2.88 ERA in Class A. He fanned 146 batters in 143 innings, and had a fastball clocked at 100 mph.

"He was throwing 94 when we signed him," Tribe Minor League Director Ross Atkins tells you. "Soon, he was at 96-97, and he really did hit a 100 a few times."

He also injured his elbow and threw only 70 innings in 2005.

But in 2006, he was healthy again and one of baseball's premier prospects after a 15-6 record with a 2.75 ERA at Class AA Akron.

He was only 21.

"That was five years ago, the last time that I was here," says Miller, shaking his head as he looks around Canal Park. "That almost feels like another life."

Miller was a star in the Tribe 2007 training camp. The only reason he didn't come to Cleveland was that he had never pitched at Class AAA and he was only 22. The Indians thought he could be in the majors by June.

"I don't think about it much," he says. But he admits that once in a while, he thinks, "Man, I could have been there."

Then came the first finger injury early in his 2007 season at Buffalo, N.Y

It started with a blister, some pain . . . nothing that seemed serious.


It was more than serious. It was career-threatening, life-changing.
RELENTLESS

Once upon a time, it all came so easy for Miller, even the comeback from the elbow surgery. But from 2008 to '10, he would pitch only 28 innings -- none at all in 2009 and 2010.

All because of the finger.

Miller points to a spot on his left calf muscle.

That's where doctors took out a ligament for one of the finger surgeries.

He points to a spot on his left wrist another ligament, another surgery.

So holding together his right middle finger are ligaments from his left wrist and left leg.

It was a complicated process that included not one . . . not two . . . but three surgeries in 2009, the most recent in December.

"I always believed I'd pitch again," Miller tells you. "But I didn't know how well."


He knew some people believed he was wasting time, that his sometimes solitary comeback quest was doomed. How many surgeries would it take for the message to be understood?

"I couldn't worry much about what others thought," he says. I just knew that I wasn't ready to give it up."
Not at age 26. Not after eight years of pro ball and countless trips to doctors' offices and trainers' rooms.
TENACIOUS

Former Tribe third baseman Travis Fryman was in Akron recently. Now the Tribe's minor-league infield coordinator, he has watched Miller pitch a few times.

"He still has a great arm and his fastball has some life," Fryman tells you. "Few guys have his tenacity. Few can keep chasing it like Adam. I'm not counting him out. He's thrown some filthy fastballs." Then Fryman tells you about watching Miller at the Tribe's spring complex in Arizona going through one rehabilitation after another. Much of it was done by himself, or with a trainer. It was a big deal just to play catch.

Players would come to Goodyear after knee and other surgeries. They'd recover, go back to their teams and play.

Not Miller.

For two years, he never made it to the mound. Not once in 2009. Not once in 2010.

Fryman sounds awestruck as he talks about Miller's dedication, his upbeat attitude, his willingness to keep climbing a mountain.

"I respect perseverance," says Fryman. "It's one of the best things you can have."

Most former No. 1 picks who become millionaires before they throw their first professional pitch don't have the grit to put so much into a career when there seems to be so few results. Miller admits that there were times when he was scared to even look at the finger after some of the surgeries.

Now, he looks at the finger and almost seems amused by it.

He's never seen anyone with a finger quite like it.

But somehow, this crazy finger held together by ligaments from his wrist and leg . . . maybe, just maybe, this thing is going to work.

LOVE OF THE GAME

Atkins' voice breaks a bit with emotion when he talks about Miller.

"He's a purist", Atkins tells you. "Some players love to play, but they don't love the game. They don't watch it a lot. Adam loves it. He watches games on TV. He loves being around guys in the clubhouse. He loves to learn about the game."

That's why he's never thought about quitting, not once. After the 2010 season, Miller climbed the mountain that had become the pitchers mound for an inning in an Instructional League game.

"It was awesome," he says. "Just being back out there . . ."

He threw one inning, 12 pitches. He gave up a hit, struck out a batter, and allowed no runs.
"That's when I started to think something like this could happen," he said.

He meant taking it slow in spring training, going to Class A to start the season and be in Akron by the All-Star break. There is no more talk of him being an ace, or even a starter.

But one inning at a time bringing heat from the bullpen?

Why not?

If he continues to pitch well, the next step this summer could be Class AAA Columbus. And yes, there's always room in a major-league bullpen for a guy who can throw in the mid 90s.

There will always be at least a caution flag next to any evaluation of Miller. Before the finger problems, there was an elbow injury.

"Provided he stays healthy, Adam has the stuff, the mentality and the toughness to pitch meaningful innings in the major leagues," says Antonetti. "Nobody would deserve to make it more than he does."

Prospect of the Day: Scott Barnes, LHP, Cleveland Indians
by John Sickels on Jul 14, 2011 8:00 AM EDT


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Cleveland Indians prospect Scott Barnes, pitching for St. John's University in 2008. (Photo by Bob Levey, Getty Images)
Prospect of the Day: Scott Barnes, LHP, Cleveland Indians

If you're looking for a sleeper pitching prospect, take a look at Cleveland Indians lefty Scott Barnes, currently pitching for Triple-A Columbus in the International League. (NOTE: after I wrote this article, news came out that Barnes hurt his knee in his last start and will miss the rest of the season.)

Barnes was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round in 2008, from St. John's University. A three-year starter for the Red Storm, Barnes looked like a possible second or third round pick after a 7-2, 2.93, 99/34 K/BB in 95 IP sophomore season in '07, but an erratic spring in '08 hurt his stock somewhat, although he still put up good numbers (3.69 ERA, 90/45 K/BB in 90 IP, just 69 hits). He performed brilliantly in six Sally League starts after signing, posting a 1.38 ERA with a 41/7 K/BB in 32 innings with just 15 hits allowed for Augusta.



The Giants moved him up to High-A San Jose in '09 with strong results (12-3, 2.85, 99/29 K/BB in 98 IP, 82 hits), but he was traded to the Indians in late July for Ryan Garko. Barnes struggled with a transition to Double-A after the trade, posting a 5.68 ERA with a 29/14 K/BB in 32 innings. He returned to Akron in '10 and posted a 5.22 ERA last year, which kept him off a lot of prospect lists entering 2011.

However, that 5.22 ERA was misleading. In 138 innings last year, he posted a 127/58 K/BB ratio and gave up just 126 hits. His FIP was much better at 4.23, and he looked great in the Arizona Fall League last November, posting a 28/7 K/BB in 25 innings. I rated him in my book this year as a Grade C+ but with a chance to break through.

Barnes began '11 with two outstanding starts for Akron, earning a promotion to Columbus where he currently stands 7-4, 3.68, with a 90/34 K/BB in 88 innings and 80 hits. Overall at the two levels, he's got a 3.45 ERA with a 107/36 K/BB in 99 innings, 85 hits.

The southpaw is tall and thin at 6-4, 185 pounds. His mechanics are a bit unusual and he throws across his body at times, but he's deceptive and has been quite durable. His fastball normally ranges between 89 and 93 MPH, although he's reportedly hit 95-96 at times this year. Even at the lower velocities his fastball plays up, due to the contrast with his curve, slider, and changeup, all three secondary pitches being quite solid. His changeup draws the best reviews, but the breaking pitches have improved substantially over the last year. His control can be erratic, but he collects plenty of strikeouts and has maintained a strong K/IP ratio at all levels.

Barnes' biggest problem is a tendency to leave pitches over the fat part of the plate, making him gopher-vulnerable when his command is off. However, he's shown the ability to make needed adjustments. He isn't on the 40-man roster yet, and with the knee injury he won't see the majors until 2012, but Barnes has the markers of a pitcher who could end up surprising a lot of people.

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He might be out for the year
Weird timing of this article and that news….hurt his knee and they think ligament damage;

“It does not look good though as there surely appears to be some ligament damage, the only question is to what extent. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.”

by Hawkewind on Jul 14, 2011 11:39 AM EDT reply

barnes
I wrote the article before this news came out

by John Sickels on Jul 14, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply
figured as much just wanted to let people know

by Hawkewind on Jul 14, 2011 12:22 PM EDT reply
Too bad. I have always liked Barnes from a stats/scouting perspective. With the way his velocity is peaking, he’s a good candidate to be a solid really good reliever if nothing else.

by limozeen on Jul 14, 2011 12:29 PM EDT reply
I think Brian Sabean, Liriano trade aside, gets a bad rap for his trade record (free agency…he obviously has no clue what he is doing there), but Barnes for Garko really made me slap my forehead in disgust.

by ldd233 on Jul 14, 2011 12:44 PM EDT reply

Anyone for Garko was a good trade, especially if ever shows up in a major league game. Will the injury keep off the 40=man roster? If so will the injury keep anyone else from Rule 5-drafting him?

We have a bunch of kid reliever who I think need to be added to the 40-man this winter. We can jettison just about all our OFs to make room for them.

Since lots of leagues and stars were off most of this week due to All Star games, the BA Prospect Hot Sheet is dominated by younger players in Class A leagues. A couple of our Arizona League stars get attention, one more is obvious by omission:

Among the "In the Team Photo" category i.e. "honorable mention" beyond the ranked top 13:

Indians RHP Felix Sterling, 18, was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Rookie-level Arizona League this week. Cleveland's No. 13 prospect entering the season, Sterling had a 14-1 K-BB mark and allowed two runs in 11 1/3 innings on the strength of his power fastball/slider combination .

And "Helium Watch" for rising star of the week is:

Luigi Rodriguez, cf, Indians: Rodriguez signed as a switch-hitting second baseman, but the Indians moved him to center field last year to put his speed to better use. Rodriguez ranked as one of the top prospects in the Dominican Summer League in 2010 and has shown why through his first two weeks in the Rookie-level Arizona League. The 18-year-old hit two home runs this week and has a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's also swiped five bases. At 5-foot-11, speed and getting on base will be more of Rodriguez's game than pure power, though he's done a bit of everything early on with a .372/.404/.558 line through 13 games.

And got a comment on Elvis, too, which is pretty impressive. Just stay healthy big guy!

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Ben: Thanks for recognizing two of the three Hot Prospects on the Indians' Arizona League team. How about the third: Elvis Araujo who's back from 2010 surgery (BA had listed him as Cleveland's breakout possibility last year, before the surgery shut him down). This week the 6-6 lefty threw 10 shutout innings, fanning 11, 6 hits and 3 walks, and has allowed only 3 runs in his first 23 innings, with 24 K for the summer. What does Elvis have in his repertoire?

Ben Badler: The stuff is very good, 93-96 mph, touching 98. We put him as the Sleeper for the Indians in the Prospect Handbook when he was a 17-year-old touching the low-90s after the 2008 season because of his potential. I'd like to see him stay healthy and put a full season's workload together before getting too excited, but the stuff has certainly come around as projected.

It's only the 4th innings, but Jason Donald already with his 5th straight 2-hit game.

Nick Weglarz 2 k in his first 2 Akron AB. Our "top OF prospect" now hitting 191 in what I am sure was supposed to be a AA rehab but he's not going back to Columbus unless he can hit the ball again.

Brett Brach with 4 shutout innings so far; Corey Kluber with 3; Pomeranz finally in Akron, only 1 hit in 3 1/3, was a solo homer; 5th rounder Will Roberts make a brief debut for the Scrappers, 1 2/3 and done;

Remember when we were converting or trying to convert all the outfielders to 2B?

Now we are clogged at 2B.

Time to convert IF's to OF's???

Drew Pomeranz has been all over the country in the past week. But the travel has all been worth it.
Five days after pitching in the All-Star Futures Game in Phoenix, MLB.com's No. 50 prospect made his Double-A debut in Harrisburg on Friday, allowing a run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings as the Akron Aeros beat the Senators, 4-3. [No. 14 Prospect in BA's mideason re-rankings]



· Pomeranz, for whom control was a concern coming out of college, struck out five and walked one while throwing 91 pitches.

"I felt a little rusty in the beginning, just not throwing all that much during those days when we had the Futures Game," he said. "I got into a few deep counts, they fouled off a lot of balls.

"I wish I could've gone deeper into the game, but overall I was pretty happy with my performance. I threw a lot of pitches but only had one walk. For the most part, I threw all three pitches for strikes. It felt good to go out there and get that first Double-A start under my belt."

The 22-year-old left-hander retired the first six batters he faced, striking out three, before serving up a leadoff homer to Archie Gilbert in the third. He turned out to be the only Senator to get past first base against Pomeranz.

"I got in a deep count and he's dead pull hitter," Pomeranz said. "I was pounding fastballs into him and he finally just got one."

The University of Mississippi product twice faced Bryce Harper, the top overall pick in the 2010 Draft, striking him out both times. MLB.com's No. 2 prospect finished the game 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Pomeranz, who was drafted four picks after Harper, said he doesn't focus too much on who's in the batter's box.

"He's just another batter," he added. "I try not to even look at the hitter too much because he doesn't even matter. It's just me and the catcher. I'm happy I struck him out twice."

Pomeranz started the season with Class A Advanced Kinston, where he led the Carolina League with a 1.87 ERA and struck out 95 batters in 77 innings. K-Tribe manager Aaron Holbert told him last week he'd been promoted.

"I found out last Friday, the day before I left for the Futures Game," Pomeranz said. "I was happy. I'd been wanting to get moved up, but there was nothing really I could do about it. They felt I was ready, so I was happy they felt I was ready to get moved up."

To carry that success into the Eastern League, he'll have to keep improving in the same areas he worked on at Kinston, Pomeranz said.

"Throwing three pitches for strikes and trying to get ahead of hitters so I can keep my pitch count down and get deeper into the game. ... Just building on those things," he said. "Being more efficient, getting ahead, throwing any pitch in any count. Things will work out well for me if I'm doing those things right."