Encouraging things
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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More good news, Cabrera's in the starting lineup tonight
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."
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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.
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.
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.
It could be encouraging for people who like bad news?
-
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.
It could be encouraging for people who like bad news?
It could be encouraging for people who like bad news?
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.)
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I hope Perez closes the rest of the season, absolutely dominant out there. Only thing I would like to see change is send Brantley back to the minors, theres gotta be somebody that can play the outfield and hit better than atleast .200. Hell if Duncan can play outfield why not stick Marzon out there, what options are there in Columbus as far as outfielders
1st Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU 3rd Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State4th Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma5th Earl Wolff, S, N.C. State6th Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico -
I hope Perez closes the rest of the season, absolutely dominant out there. Only thing I would like to see change is send Brantley back to the minors, theres gotta be somebody that can play the outfield and hit better than atleast .200. Hell if Duncan can play outfield why not stick Marzon out there, what options are there in Columbus as far as outfielders
nmills said:
I hope Perez closes the rest of the season, absolutely dominant out there. Only thing I would like to see change is send Brantley back to the minors, theres gotta be somebody that can play the outfield and hit better than atleast .200. Hell if Duncan can play outfield why not stick Marzon out there, what options are there in Columbus as far as outfieldersI 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.
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I hope Perez closes the rest of the season, absolutely dominant out there. Only thing I would like to see change is send Brantley back to the minors, theres gotta be somebody that can play the outfield and hit better than atleast .200. Hell if Duncan can play outfield why not stick Marzon out there, what options are there in Columbus as far as outfielders
nmills said:
I hope Perez closes the rest of the season, absolutely dominant out there. Only thing I would like to see change is send Brantley back to the minors, theres gotta be somebody that can play the outfield and hit better than atleast .200. Hell if Duncan can play outfield why not stick Marzon out there, what options are there in Columbus as far as outfieldersI 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.
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Choo's back. Woohoo.
(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.")
Choo's back. Woohoo.
(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!
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Mitch Talbot just tied (and got jipped out of breaking) the Tribe's all-time record for consecutive strikeouts with 6. Now a four way tie with Talbot, Feller, Colon and Chuck Finley.
Kelly Shoppach is sporting a nice .200 avg (.638 OPS)
FIRE SHAPIRO
Mitch Talbot just tied (and got jipped out of breaking) the Tribe's all-time record for consecutive strikeouts with 6. Now a four way tie with Talbot, Feller, Colon and Chuck Finley.
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?
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Mitch Talbot just tied (and got jipped out of breaking) the Tribe's all-time record for consecutive strikeouts with 6. Now a four way tie with Talbot, Feller, Colon and Chuck Finley.
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?
How are CC, Cliff, Franklin G, Kouzmanoff, Betancourt, V-Martinez, and Brandon Phillips doing?
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.
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How are CC, Cliff, Franklin G, Kouzmanoff, Betancourt, V-Martinez, and Brandon Phillips doing?
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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
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Wow Tomlin pitches 7 scoreless innings in his debut against the Yankees....pretty impressive faced up against C.C.
He had an impressive changeup and had hitters guessing all night, well called game by Jimenez.
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Wow Tomlin pitches 7 scoreless innings in his debut against the Yankees....pretty impressive faced up against C.C.
He had an impressive changeup and had hitters guessing all night, well called game by Jimenez.
nmills said:
Wow Tomlin pitches 7 scoreless innings in his debut against the Yankees....pretty impressive faced up against C.C.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.
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nmills said:
Wow Tomlin pitches 7 scoreless innings in his debut against the Yankees....pretty impressive faced up against C.C.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.
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.
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.
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Andy Marte has found his niche, he pitched a inning and got all three batters out. I've seen it all now
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More encouraging things (I love this thread)
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.
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The Tribe signs its top 3 (and their first 14, for that matter) picks from the 2010 draft.
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.
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