Searching......searching.....

Ah.

CLEVELAND -- In a season geared toward the development of young players and answering questions for the future, the guy who has probably provided the highest level of comfort for the Indians is closer Chris Perez.

Thrust into the ninth-inning role when Kerry Wood was injured in Spring Training, and installed as a full-time fixture when Wood was injured again and then traded midseason, Perez has proven he can not only fill but thrive in that important lockdown role.

Entering Sunday's finale with the Royals, Perez had converted 11 of his past 12 save opportunities, including a five-out save Thursday night against the A's. He had allowed just two runs over his past 23 1/3 innings since June 28. He had also struck out 11 and allowed just two hits and a walk over his past eight innings of work.

A closer in college at the University of Miami and a closer for the Cardinals for a brief period in 2008, Perez has long wanted this full-time job, and he's making the most of it.

"This is something that is not new to him," manager Manny Acta said. "He's not a guy just being thrown into that role. That's what he's done before, so he never seemed out of place from the beginning, when he was doing it for Woody. He likes being in those situations. He's fearless. Even when he didn't have his best command the first couple weeks of the season, he didn't back down."

Perez's command was a bit rough around the edges in spring camp and at the outset of the season.

"Coming out of Spring Training," Perez said, "I was wondering if I was ever going to throw a strike again."

But Perez never went through a sustained struggle on the mound. And now he's put together a sustained period of excellence that has satisfactorily responded to at least one major question mark on a Tribe team looking for answers.

Time will tell if they signed the right guys, but it's clear they're following the Pirates when it comes to acquiring talent. Not a bad model to mirror.

Beanpot

Drew Pomeranz...

Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant's Takes:

On Drew Pomeranz: "Drew brings a power fastball 90-95 MPH with a plus late breaking swing-and-miss curveball, a changeup, and an ability to start. On the mound he is an extreme competitor as he is very mature and very focused. Nothing wavers him at all and he looks much more mature than everybody else out on the field because of that presence that he brings out on the mound. He was the SEC Pitcher of the Year, so that does have a factor for us, but at the same time he pitcher very well and was one of the top starters with Team USA this year. We scouted him out of high school, for three years at Mississippi, and with Team USA, so we have a lot of history similar to the history we had with Alex White [last year]. This winter after his performance with Team USA and in the Regionals, he was a targeted guy for us. We feel like we got a big front of the end rotation left-handed starter.”

On Pomeranz’s best attribute, biggest weakness: “He gets swings and misses with his fastball, that’s really the most impressive part [about him]. Not only is it 90-95 MPH, but it is explosive through the zone. Hitters just don’t hit it as there are a lot of swings and misses with it along with the curveball as well. The one pitch he needs to develop a little bit still is the changeup. He has a feel for it and does throw it, but it is something he needs to develop."

Levon Washington

Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant's Take: “He is an athletic high upside centerfielder, and is a left-handed bat with an advanced approach to hit. He has very good natural bat speed and a very disciplined approach. He is a 7 runner on the 2-8 scale, which is a well above average runner. He is 4.0 to 4.1 down to first base which is well above major league players. He was a second baseman in high school and transitioned to center field this year in junior college, and we see him as a center fielder. With his speed and ability to cover gaps, and the ability to track down balls and go back and come in very well on balls he has a chance to be an above average centerfielder in the future. He also has power too, so [while] he has the leadoff discipline, hitting and running, he also has some ability to pull the ball out of the ballpark and drive the ball into the gaps. He is a good advanced junior college hitter. There is a lot of upside to LeVon; that’s what is exciting about him. He is a very good athlete with two things you can’t teach: above average bat speed and the ability to run. He had a slight tear to his throwing shoulder which caused him to have to DH sometimes in high school. This year the shoulder did not have any issues at all, though during the course of the season he did have some hamstring issues which caused him to miss games, but as far as the shoulder goes he has been fine. We are fine [with the makeup] and I have talked with LeVon in the winter and we have known him since high school. He is a good kid, and we are very comfortable with him.”

and Tony Wolters

Jeff Ellis: The Indians drafted a high school SS in the third round. Wolters is a guy who is a legit SS, he is one of the best prep defenders in the country and in many ways he compares very favorably to Christian Colon. Both were excellent defenders, both aren’t the quickest guys, both had above average pop, quick hands, and if you look just at athletic ability you might be a little let down. The thing with Wolters was he hit everyone as every top pitcher he faced he hit. His bat is his best skill and not only is he a good hitter, but he has a good eye and takes what a pitcher gives him. His defense is very good, rated best defender in the state of California by PGC. His arm is average, his hands are quick, and he has the natural instincts to play SS well. On top of all this Wolters is a baseball rat, he loves the game and has a great attitude towards the game. The one red flag is he was suspended this year after he had a work out with the Blue Jays, this lead to him being suspended for the end of this high school team’s season. While this was not a huge issue, it should still be noted.

The other comp you’re going to see a lot with Wolters is Dustin Pedoria, as both are undersized players who hit and played well in spite of their limitations. PGC actually picked Wolters and Kellen Sweeney as the middle infielders who will have the biggest impact in this draft. So not only do the Indians get a guy who fits what they are drafting for, but they also get there third highly though of player.

I like this pick, and love the fact he can play SS and is just a natural hitter and a kid who seems to love the game. He might cost more than slot, but he seems to be a kid who wants to sign now and play tomorrow.

Like people were saying during the draft, it seems like a pretty good mix of high-ceiling/high-floor players. Glad we got most of them signed. And obviously be sure to check out Indians Prospect Insider for write-ups on all of the picks.

Mike Brantley's hitting again.

.375 avg, .444 OBP in August

.293 avg, .388 OBP since the all-star break

Continuing with the "since the all-star break" theme, he has 17 hits and 9 walks compared to 3 strikeouts. And he's stealing some bases. Sign me up for this version.

@chris. said:

And how about Dave Huff's journey. Leads the team in wins last year, and now he's already been passed by two guys in AAA, not even counting the golden boys Rondon and Carrasco (or Alex White and co. in Akron). Could be on his way to getting Sowers'd.

yea it def. looks like we are going to have a pretty stout rotation as well as some trade bait to restock the farms. Really good to see Perez work his way thru the ninth and the heart of the order. was i the only one that envisioned A-roid pulling one over the score board(on his birthday none the less.

One of the their biggest wins of the year. Good game.

nmills said:

He had an impressive changeup and had hitters guessing all night, well called game by Jimenez.

Depth in the rotation, it's a beautiful thing. Great start for Tomlin.

And how about Dave Huff's journey. Leads the team in wins last year, and now he's already been passed by two guys in AAA, not even counting the golden boys Rondon and Carrasco (or Alex White and co. in Akron). Could be on his way to getting Sowers'd.

He had an impressive changeup and had hitters guessing all night, well called game by Jimenez.

@feartheroo said:

marte has got to be getting close to being out of options

and don't forget about adding ryan ludwig, jermey guthrie and omar t to that list. omar would of been solid up to the last two or three years

@chris. said:

Josh Tomlin is next in line to make his major league debut, getting the start on Tuesday.

He's been great in Columbus this year, with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.

I'm just giving you a hard time man. I knew most of them had to go, and most of the prospects are doing well. Marte is the only one I think has yet to do anything productive and it might be time to move him back down.

@feartheroo said:

Good, to varying degrees.

Josh Tomlin is next in line to make his major league debut, getting the start on Tuesday.

He's been great in Columbus this year, with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.

@chris. said:

Kelly Shoppach is sporting a nice .200 avg (.638 OPS)

FIRE SHAPIRO

How are CC, Cliff, Franklin G, Kouzmanoff, Betancourt, V-Martinez, and Brandon Phillips doing?

i think theres 4 all-stars in that bunch?

Kelly Shoppach is sporting a nice .200 avg (.638 OPS)

FIRE SHAPIRO

@chris. said:

(Laffey to the DL - from Castro's twitter - "Justin Masterson takes Laffey's originally scheduled Sunday start on standard rest. Indians will need a starter Tuesday vs. Yankees.")

Cabrera's been a bit disappointing since he got back, but I just saw a great play by chooooo. Infield single off a bunt, stole 2nd on next pitch, stole 3rd on wild pitch. yes the man is back!

(Laffey to the DL - from Castro's twitter - "Justin Masterson takes Laffey's originally scheduled Sunday start on standard rest. Indians will need a starter Tuesday vs. Yankees.")

nmills said:

I think Acta knows what he's doing with Brantley, who doesn't really have much more to prove in the minors - where he's a career .300 hitter with more walks than strikeouts. He obviously hasn't been much of a leadoff guy for the Tribe, but this year is 100% about player development, and he's our best center field prospect. No sense giving him the Wedge treatment, bouncing around and in and out of the lineup. We've seen what consistent ABs meant for LaPorta.

If we could just find a tru 3rd baseman we would be pretty solid.

Could be Nix and/or Jared Goedert before long.

nmills said:

I like kearns Crowe and Choo in the outfield

Santana catching

Laporta at 1st

Donald at 2nd

Cabrera at SS

If we could just find a tru 3rd baseman we would be pretty solid.

@feartheroo said:

Touche.

For the people who like good news, though, how about Masterson tonight? The Twins are sans-Morneau but still a tough lineup with a lot of good lefties and Masterson's making pretty short work out of them. Like I've said, when he's on top of his game, Masterson can be our best pitcher. Just has to get the consistency down.

And for people who don't like Jason Donald, Jason Kipnis hit two more home runs today for the Aeros, should be plenty of options at second in the near future. (And for people who like Donald, he roped a two-out RBI double, which is good too.)

@chris. said:

I will say (and probably regret doing so) that from 2005 til now, our most meaningful players have been Grady, Victor, Hafner, CC, Fausto, Lee, Westbrook and Betancourt (not counting Choo and Cabrera yet).

Of those, Grady, Hafner, Fausto, and Westbrook were extended.

CC was traded a few months before he would sign the highest contract ever given to a pitcher (and landed at least one impact player in return).

Lee was traded for the first of three times, including once because the PHILLIES knew they couldn't meet his contract demands.

Victor was traded for a slew of pitchers when we needed to add pitchers to the organization. And he was showing signs of age. And we had "the organization's best bat since Manny" ready to go at his position.

I guess I don't have a justification for Betancourt other than he's old...and a middle reliever.

And there's more circumstances I don't feel like getting into (see: last place, no hope at contending at the trade deadline)

Basically there's no sense complaining about losing the guys we have now. Certainly not in a thread about encouraging things.

It could be encouraging for people who like bad news?

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

07/20/10 7:44 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera wasn't expecting to rejoin the Tribe until Friday. But the Tribe called Cabrera on Tuesday morning and told him to hop on a flight to the Twin Cities.

Cabrera, who worked his way back from right forearm surgery, was activated off the disabled list in advance of Tuesday's game with the Twins and immediately slotted back into the leadoff spot of manager Manny Acta's order. To make room for Cabrera, reliever Jensen Lewis was designated for assignment and is expected to be officially optioned to Triple-A Columbus later in the week.

Acta said the Indians had to speed up the timetable on Cabrera a few days because of what transpired Monday night, when Austin Kearns left early because of right knee soreness and Michael Brantley injured his right shoulder on a dive in the outfield grass.

With both Kearns and Brantley listed as day-to-day, the Indians needed another position player. It was suggested to Acta that perhaps Cabrera "sent a message" that he was ready when he homered in Double-A Akron's win over Altoona on Monday night.

"Those guys getting banged up sent a message," Acta said. "Or else he'd still be there til Friday."

Cabrera fractured his forearm May 17 against Tampa Bay, when he collided with teammate Jhonny Peralta near second base. He showed no signs of rust during the rehab. In six games at Akron and Class A Mahoning Valley, Cabrera went 7-for-20 (.350) with three doubles, a homer and three RBIs. He is deemed ready to resume his everyday duties at shortstop.

"I hit pretty good down there," he said.

With Cabrera back, the Indians have a new second baseman in rookie Jason Donald, who had been filling in at short. Jayson Nix, who had taken over at second base in recent weeks, will move to a utility role. It began Tuesday, when he was penciled into left field for the first time with the Tribe and just the second time this year.

Donald is batting .276 with two homers and 17 RBIs in 49 games. The Indians view him as a potential core player going forward, so they wanted him to remain in the big leagues and remain in the lineup.

"He's shown a lot of progress," Acta said. "I think he's settled down since the first couple weeks. He's really made a lot of progress in his overall game. He has played himself into this situation."

Acta said he will use Nix "as I see fit," meaning he is not promising Nix a certain number of starts per week or a set position. Claimed off waivers from the White Sox last month, Nix has been a nice find, batting .265 with six homers and 12 RBIs.

As for Cabrera, he might slot into the No. 2 spot of the lineup later in the week, when Shin-Soo Choo returns. Choo, who is expected to be activated Friday, would bat third and Carlos Santana would bat cleanup.

Cabrera, who was batting .287 with one homer and seven RBIs before going on the DL, indicated that he was expecting to bat second.

"It's fine," he said. "It's the position I'm supposed to do all the time. I feel comfortable there."

@feartheroo said:

There will be none of that in this thread about encouraging things. You can keep those thoughts for the comments section on Hoysie's articles.

I will say (and probably regret doing so) that from 2005 til now, our most meaningful players have been Grady, Victor, Hafner, CC, Fausto, Lee, Westbrook and Betancourt (not counting Choo and Cabrera yet).

Of those, Grady, Hafner, Fausto, and Westbrook were extended.

CC was traded a few months before he would sign the highest contract ever given to a pitcher (and landed at least one impact player in return).

Lee was traded for the first of three times, including once because the PHILLIES knew they couldn't meet his contract demands.

Victor was traded for a slew of pitchers when we needed to add pitchers to the organization. And he was showing signs of age. And we had "the organization's best bat since Manny" ready to go at his position.

I guess I don't have a justification for Betancourt other than he's old...and a middle reliever.

And there's more circumstances I don't feel like getting into (see: last place, no hope at contending at the trade deadline)

Basically there's no sense complaining about losing the guys we have now. Certainly not in a thread about encouraging things.

@chris. said:

Jason Donald - .326 avg, .404 OBP in July... (.754 OPS overall still one of the best among AL middle infielders)

Matt LaPorta - .333 avg, .951 OPS in July... (1.041 OPS in June)

Carlos Santana - still with a .989 OPS, but it would be nice to see some of his walks turn into base hits.

And they all have the minor league track record to back it up. Add Choo and Cabrera (and eventually Sizemore) and that's a serious lineup.

You know Shapiro is seeing those same stats and thinking to himself...that's good trade value. He likes to watch prospects come up through the system, then once they hit a high point he trades them for more prospects. It's a never ending cycle and is the reason why we have to rebuild every 3 years, and every player we grow to love in Cleveland gets traded away.

@feartheroo said:

Boooo.

Jason Donald - .326 avg, .404 OBP in July... (.754 OPS overall still one of the best among AL middle infielders)

Matt LaPorta - .333 avg, .951 OPS in July... (1.041 OPS in June)

Carlos Santana - still with a .989 OPS, but it would be nice to see some of his walks turn into base hits.

And they all have the minor league track record to back it up. Add Choo and Cabrera (and eventually Sizemore) and that's a serious lineup.