Cleveland Sports Forum

Their whole list, Hillbilly got all of these, I think,well maybe not Eric Haase's wlalk

CLE AA Clement, Ernie SS 4 1 2 0 0.280 SB (5)
CLE AAA Chang, Yu SS 6 2 3 3 0.186 HR (3)
CLE AAA Haase, Eric PH 0 1 0 0 0.254 BB (25)
CLE AAA Johnson, Daniel RF 4 1 3 0 0.306 2B (11), BB (11), SB (2)
CLE HiA Benson, Will RF 5 2 1 0 0.188 BB (3), SB (2)
CLE HiA Freeman, Tyler SS 5 1 0 0 0.176 BB (3)
CLE HiA Gonzalez, Oscar LF 5 1 1 0 0.329
CLE HiA Jones, Nolan 3B 5 2 3 0 0.290 2B (8), BB (57), SB (5)
CLE LoA Holmes, Quentin CF 5 2 2 0 0.182 SB (15) [I'm hoping he can make 200 some day]
CLE LoA Naylor, Bo C 4 1 1 0 0.237 BB (23)
CLE MAJ Bradley, Bobby 1B 3 1 1 1 0.333 2B (1), BB (1)
CLE MAJ Mercado, Oscar CF 4 0 1 1 0.310
CLE R Bracho, Aaron 2B 3 0 0 0 0.167 BB (3)
CLE SS Delgado, Raynel SS 5 1 0 0 0.233
CLE SS Rocchio, Brayan 2B 4 0 2 0 0.156
CLE SS Rodriguez, Johnathan RF 3 0 0 0 0.292 BB (4)
CLE SS Valera, George CF 3 1 1 0 0.300 2 BB (5)

Both disappointing:
CLE AA Hentges, Sam 4.1 7 5 4 2 2 5.04
CLE LoA Oviedo, Luis 5.1 3 5 5 3 4 4.33

57 walks for Jones! Well MILB has it 54, but he still leads the league by a big margin. In fact it's the most anyone has on any league leaderboards. [That excludes possibility someone who's played at multiple levels totals more]

How did I forget Haase? He was my favorite Cartwright on Bonanza.

Hot Prospect List:

8. Ethan Hankins, RHP, Indians
Team: Short-season Mahoning Valley (New York-Penn)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: 0-0, 0.00, 2 G, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 12 SO


The Scoop: The Indians drafted Hankins with the No. 35 overall pick in last year's draft, but they only let him throw three innings after signing, then kept him back in extended spring training to start 2019. Unleashed on the New York-Penn League, Hankins has yet to allow a hit in his first two starts. He has also struck out 12 of the 29 batters he has faced (41 percent), with a knack for getting hitters to wave through his low-to-mid 90s fastball when he elevates or swing over the top of a slider that flashes plus.
[remember that he was rated by some as a likely top half dozen pick earlier in 2018 but slid due to some health concerns. No setbacks yet as pro, in his very early days]

Remember him:

18. Justus Sheffield, LHP, Mariners
Team: Double-A Arkansas (Southern)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.50, 12 IP, 12 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 16 SO, 0 HR


The Scoop: Sheffield was demoted from Triple-A at the start of the week, another disappointing development in a season of many for the centerpiece prospect of the James Paxton trade. The lefthander responded with two excellent starts, tossing five innings of one-run ball in June 18 and following up with seven innings of one-run ball with no walks and nine strikeouts on Sunday. Control has been Sheffield’s biggest issue this season, and the outings in Arkansas represented a step in the right direction on that front. (KG)

and finally:

20. Bobby Bradley, 1B, Indians
Team: Triple-A Columbus (Indians)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .385/.529/.846 (5-for-17), 5 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO


The Scoop: The Assassin is moving to Cleveland. After torching the International League for a little more than two months and moving into the minor league lead with 24 home runs, the Indians pulled the trigger on Sunday and called him up. Power is, was and always will be his biggest calling card, though it will likely come with plenty of swing-and-miss as well. [which they remind us every time they write a sentence about Bobby]

Valera makes the Top 100. Could rise fast now that's he's playing

6/24 UPDATE: Austin Riley (Braves) and Francisco Mejia (Padres) are the latest to graduate. D-backs catcher Daulton Varsho and Indians OF George Valera slot in at the back of the list.

That give us McK 56 and slipping; Jones 71 and rising; Freeman 80 and rising; Valera 100.

Nice to make these rankings but none among Mercado or Plesac or Civale were anywhere near the top 100 and we're well satisfied with the early big league results. I think Bradley may have on the bottom of their top 100 after his 1st or 2nd super minor league seasons but then dropped back [until he broke out again this year.]

In summary - prospects are a very tricky and inexact science.

Since Morgan was starting I thought I'd watch first couple innings of Ducks game before Tribe started. Morgan didn't have his best stuff, allowing two hits in each of the first 2 innings, but managed OK, giving up 1 run. His changeup really is a beauty.

Clippers win again, 11-6. ... Allen 0-4, BB, RBI. ... Chang 1-4, double, walk, 2 rbi. ... Johnson 0-4 ... Haase 1-3, 2 BB.

Ducks lose 3-2. ... Morgan not his best but battled. 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. ... Broom allowed 1 unearned run in 2 relief innings but gets the loss. 3 K.

Hillcats won big, 11-5. ... I bragged about Morris so of course he was killed. 4 earned in 5.1 IP. ... Freeman and Benson gave night off, but still plenty of offense. ... OscarG 2-5, rbi. ... Jones 3-3, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 rbi.

Lake County and Mahoning Valley with nights off.

AZL Red and Blue had day off too.

DSL Dodgers (SM) 8 DSL Indians 2
A. Figueroa 3.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1SO
Reyes 4.1(IP) 3H 4R 1ER 3BB 7SO
Lara 1-4 R 3B RBI
Martinez 1-3 BB

DSL Pirates (1) 17 DSL Indians/Brewers 2
Gomez 2-4 2B RBI
Meza 1-3 BB
Sanquintin 1-4
Baez 0-3 BB

Father’s accident, homeland shaped Valera into Scrappers’ top prospect

dhiner@vindy.com

Travel takes its toll on Minor League baseball players, especially at the Single-A level. Mahoning Valley Scrappers outfielder George Valera is used to moving around. An accident forced his parents to move to the Dominican Republic when he a 13-year-old.

Valera was born in Queens, N.Y., and was raised in the Bronx. His father was a cab driver when he was a child. Valera was too young to remember the accident, but his father was hit by a truck.

“He flew maybe 20 feet in the air,” Valera said. “He couldn’t really do much.” Valera’s father survived the accident, but for medical reasons, the family needed to find warmer weather to escape the cold New York winters. “The cold would really messed with his body ‘cause he has metal in his body,” Valera said.

It was a homecoming of sorts for the Valera family. His parents were originally from the Dominican Republic and they moved back to his father’s hometown.
“It was a struggle for me at the beginning because I had to leave my brother, my sister, my cousins, my friends back home ... my baseball friends and get to be in a new atmosphere,” Valera said.

The Cleveland Indians signed Valera as a non-drafted free agent in 2017. The 18-year-old has quickly become the fifth-highest rated prospect in the Indians’ organization, according to MLB.com.

Valera went 6 for 18 with a home run and six RBIs while playing with the Arizona Indians 2 at Rookie last season. He also had a double, three walks and four runs scored in six games. The 5-10, 160-pound prospect is hitting .265 in nine games with the Scrappers. His three home runs leads the team and is tied with Henderson De Oleo and Bryan Lavastida with seven RBIs for the team lead.

“It’s just paths that you have to go through, obstacles you have to run through,” Valera said when discussing the challenges of moving to another country. “The toughest soldier is gonna survive, and I hope to be that guy.”

He’s the highest-rated non-drafted prospect in Cleveland’s farm system and is one of five Scrappers on the MLB.com list. He is ranked one spot ahead of recent call-up Bobby Bradley, who made his debut with the Tribe on Sunday.

Valera doesn’t think about the rankings. He said his family will update him on his status, but he just wants to show up to the ballpark and play.
“I don’t really focus on that because that’s not my end goal,” Valera said. “Being a prospect doesn’t matter to me at all.”

Valera moved three times in five years. But what about a move to the Lake County Captains? Scrappers hitting coach Grant Fink said Valera has the potential to be “a special player” if he puts in the work at the lower levels.

“He’s a really advanced hitter,” Fink said. “Got a really good approach at the plate and he’s got some firepower back there. Being 18 years old, he’s got time to develop, get stronger just like all these players that are young here.”

While some might have dwelled on his father’s accident, Valera sees the positive and how it’s impacted his future in baseball. “Honestly, I think it was one of the biggest blessings I could have received because I got to see the best of both worlds,” Valera said.

“Being able to speak both languages — English and Spanish, getting to have better communication with my teammates ... more like friends — is just amazing.”

Hillbilly: Is there some site that identifies the Indians guys on that joint team with the Brewers?

Jones 3-3, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 rbi.

Nice line! I had just noticed that Jones' numbers were down in June from his big move in May. Now he's nearly caught up.

April 306/419/353
May 299/476/506
June 309/457/473

But one split that is a matter of concern: Jones is a big kid 6-4 185, bats left.

Vs Left: 146/403/268 at least against lefties he draws plenty of walks, 16 in 57 plate appearances.
v Right: 341/463/477

Civ,

Yes, when you click on a players name from the DSL Coop Roster or a Boxscore from MiLB.com and go to his player page, in the upper right of the page it says “Parent Club” and will tell you if he’s with Indians or Brewers organization.

http://www.milb.com/roster/index.jsp?cid=617

There is the roster.

Or if you were looking at last nights boxscore you may have noticed a shortstop named Henyer Gomez had a good game. If you clicked on his name from the roster or boxscore it takes you to his player page.

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?si ... g/2019/ALL

In the upper right corner it tells you his level, Rookie Ball, and his league, Dominican Summer League.

Then right underneath that it says ... MLB Parent Club: Cleveland Indians

Check it out and let me know you see it. I’m on an iPad. I assume the layout will be same for smart phone or PC.

Thanks!

I'll check both on my iPhone and my desktop. Then I'll make a list of which are ours for future reference. I'll let you know if it works