LaPorta Up

[Beanpot]

Tribe calls up LaPorta, others

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal staff writer

POSTED: 11:44 p.m. EDT, May 01, 2009

DETROIT: You want moves? Eric Wedge will give you moves.

After Friday night's 6-5 win over the Tigers, the Indians' skipper announced three roster moves involving six players.

Arriving today from Columbus will be the club's No. 1 prospect, left-fielder Matt LaPorta, plus infielders Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield.

To make room for them, right-hander Joe Smith will go on the disabled list (retroactive to Wednesday) with a sore right rotator cuff; outfielder Trevor Crowe was optioned to Columbus and veteran utility infielder Tony Graffanino was designated for assignment, which means the Tribe has 10 days to trade him or get him through waivers, so he can be sent to Triple-A.

''We want Trevor to play every day,'' Wedge said. ''And Joe has had some soreness in his shoulder. We don't think he'll have to spend too long on the DL. He's a guy who definitely can help us.''

There are currently no plans to have a doctor examine Smith's shoulder, so the injury is not regarded as serious.

LaPorta has gotten off to a good start in Triple-A, batting .352 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 71 at-bats.

''LaPorta will complement David Dellucci,'' Wedge said. ''He's been hitting very well down there. This is a good time to get him up here with [Travis] Hafner out. So LaPorta will get to play.''

Hafner, the team's designated hitter, will be out at least two weeks and maybe more because of soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder.

Valbuena was batting .311 with two homers, 10 RBI in 74 at-bats in Columbus, playing third, second and short. Wedge said he probably will concentrate on the left side of the infield.

Barfield will resume his role as a pinch runner, but he can fill in at second base or the outfield.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/44204387.html

Beanpot

[CIMO.]

Finally some excitement. LaPorta's in a mini-slump batting 2/18 in the last 5 games but hopefully the call gets him back on track.

I mentioned Valbuena in the minor league thread, I love what he could bring to the table. If he can continue making some good contact, we'll have a lot of speed on the bases.

''We want Trevor to play every day,'' Wedge said.

Translation: "Yeah, Crowe still sucks." Hey, I like his speed and defense (even though he clearly wasn't meshing with Grady), but he doesn't belong over guys like LaPorta.

[CIMO.]

It looks like Detroit is sending out Miner and Verlander the next two games, both righties. So if it's a DH platoon with Delucci and LaPorta...we probably won't see him until Monday in Toronto. The Blue Jays are set to go with Brian Tallet and Brett Cecil, both lefties, and Tallet has 9 career starts (but has been a pretty good reliever), and Cecil has never pitched in the majors.

[JohnG71097]

@beanpot said:

LaPorta has gotten off to a good start in Triple-A, batting .352 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 71 at-bats.

''LaPorta will complement David Dellucci,'' Wedge said. ''He's been hitting very well down there. This is a good time to get him up here with [Travis] Hafner out. So LaPorta will get to play.''

Hafner, the team's designated hitter, will be out at least two weeks and maybe more because of soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder.

Valbuena was batting .311 with two homers, 10 RBI in 74 at-bats in Columbus, playing third, second and short. Wedge said he probably will concentrate on the left side of the infield.

Barfield will resume his role as a pinch runner, but he can fill in at second base or the outfield.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/44204387.html

Beanpot

I am not happy at all about LaPorta coming up here. I understand that they can send him back down to stop his super Two status but I don't think that is going to happen with him I think he is here to stay.

reasons

Whenever the mention Travis Hafner and Dr James Andrews in the same sentence it should set off alarm bells and whistles

that isn't a good thing.

Delucci looked very good last night hitting the ball.....hopefully this will take the pressure for Wedge to slam Laporta into the lineup. With 2 rightys going in the rest of the series for Detroit it won't be until Toronto that the Tribe will be facing a left handed starter

Ben Francisco is relgated to 4th outfielder status. It just might be what benny needs to sit back and watch the game for awhile. Take the pressure off if you will.

Unless Valbuena is playing a lot why is he here? Will DeRosa get increased time at 1B so that Valbuena can get in there and play. That means vic catches Delucci or LaPorta alternates between dh and lf or rf if Choo is in lf. Wedge is also gonna hve to find ab's for Garko and Shoppach somewhere in there also.

And I haven't even mentioned Jensen Lewis yet

Somethings are better left unsaid.

[Beanpot]

Here's Rotoworld's take on the moves:

Trevor Crowe and Tony Graffanino will be exiled, while reliever Joe Smith (shoulder) will be placed on the DL. Manager Eric Wedge supposedly said LaPorta would serve "as a complement to David Dellucci," which is a complete joke if he really meant it. Calling up Valbuena to serve as a backup for three regulars who won't sit very often is a ridiculous move -- it makes much more sense for him to play regularly in Triple-A -- but LaPorta will be of immediate use with Hafner on the disabled list. Still, Wedge has to be trusted to use him correctly and we have less faith in him by the day.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/HeadLines...B&hl=261485

Hardly a ringing endorsement of Wedge and one I agree with. The Valbuena part is particularly worth following. He's apparently best friends with Asdrubal (they both played together in winter ball too) and he's been pretty terrific in Columbus - http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/V/luis-valbuena.shtml - hope he's not simply taking up space on the bench while here.

That said, I'm happy LaPorta is up. All the guy does is hit and here's hoping he has every opportunity to do just that.

Beanpot

[CIMO.]

Like Castro said in a Indians.com article, Graffanino has already gotten some pretty good playing time (7 games, 23 ABs) and he's terrible. Valbuena can play 2B and SS, letting Peralta play some 3B and DeRosa move to the outfield. I'm not too opposed to a Delucci/LaPorta platoon for the time being, because I'm really not concerned about LaPorta needing regular ABs. He's shown he's ready. Eventually (hopefully) the cream will rise to the top, Hafner will return, and the best players will play. I love 2007 Ryan Garko and was a pretty big fan of 2008 Kelly Shoppach, but neither are really making me worry about them being left out of the mix. Garko looks like he has no pop at all in his bat, and Shoppach is just below his career average of .250. Francisco is another guy I like, but again isn't really making his case to earn an every day job.

And we're a last place team. Just a shakeup could do the trick, but some of these players could be flat-out upgrades.

[Beanpot]

Here's Castro's take:

LaPorta called up and ready to play

Top prospect should see time at first base, in outfield

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Indians sped up Matt LaPorta's big league timetable, but the airline carrying him and teammates Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield from Triple-A to the Majors tried to slow him down.

The trio saw their first flight from Durham, N.C., where Triple-A Columbus played Friday night, to Detroit canceled early Saturday morning. They were then placed on a connection through Chicago.

"When the first flight was canceled, we were like, 'Come on!'" LaPorta said with a smile. "But they worked it out."

And the drama was worth it for LaPorta, who was the only one of the three getting that precious call to the Major Leagues for the first time.

The Indians made a major roster overhaul Friday, activating David Dellucci from the disabled list before their win over the Tigers and calling up outfielder LaPorta and infielders Valbuena and Barfield in place of reliever Joe Smith, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff, outfielder Trevor Crowe, who was optioned back to Columbus, and infielder Tony Graffanino, who was designated for assignment.

LaPorta is certainly the most intriguing of the new callups, considering he was the Indians' prized acquisition when they dealt CC Sabathia to the Brewers last summer. Since that July day, LaPorta has been a focal point for fans. LaPorta projects to be a potent middle-of-the-order bat, and he certainly backed that up by batting .333 with five homers, four doubles, two triples, 14 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS in 21 games with the Clippers.

"It's just about having good approaches and good at-bats," LaPorta said. "That's the most important thing."

When Cleveland placed designated hitter Travis Hafner on the 15-day DL on Wednesday, the LaPorta talk reached a fever pitch. Fans were clamoring for the Indians to promote the 24-year-old from Port Charlotte, Fla., but the Indians tried to temper that enthusiasm by publicly implying LaPorta would be left where he is.

Saturday's promotion, then, came as a bit of a surprise, even to the man himself.

"I played first base [Friday] night," LaPorta said. "I was like, 'I haven't played first base in a year.' But I didn't think anything of it. After the game, I was walking back to the hotel. They called me like three times and said, 'Hey, you've got to get back here.'"

Clippers manager Torey Lovullo delivered the good news.

"He said, 'Hey, you're getting called up, you deserve it, you're ready for this challenge,'" LaPorta said.

Manager Eric Wedge has the challenge of deciding how to incorporate the new faces into his nightly lineup. None of the newest callups were in it Saturday, but LaPorta and Valbuena (.321 average and .975 OPS), in particular, should have a chance to make an immediate impact.

"You always like to see a young player that gets sent down and gets after it," Wedge said. "They both did that, no doubt about it."

LaPorta started at first Friday so that he'd be prepared, should Wedge decide to play him at the position up here.

"I have a first baseman's glove, but I left it back in Columbus," said LaPorta, who last played first at last summer's All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. "I had to use Andy Marte's [on Friday]."

Wedge said he also feels comfortable using LaPorta in the corner outfield spots, and he is, of course, a candidate to get starts at DH. With left fielder Ben Francisco off to a slow start and Hafner on the DL, LaPorta should have plenty of opportunities to prove himself early on. The Indians are careful to get their top position player prospects consistent playing time, and they wouldn't be calling LaPorta up if he was simply going to sit.

"He's coming up here for a reason," Wedge said.

It's likely LaPorta, a University of Florida product who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, will see significant action against left-handed pitching, and the Indians are facing two lefty starters in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday.

But on Saturday, LaPorta was just looking to get to town and get settled in. He arrived at his locker to find clubhouse manager Tony Amato had left him an Indians shirt roughly five sizes too small.

"I think that's for a little kid or something," LaPorta said with a laugh.

The late-night callup did not prevent LaPorta from getting his family here in time for Saturday's game. His wife, Dara, his parents, his uncle and his sister were all in attendance. In fact, they arrived to Motown before LaPorta did.

And when it came to letting all his friends know about his promotion, LaPorta took the easy way out. He sent a couple text messages to people he knew would "spread the word around," and he updated his Twitter page, where he has the screen name "Gator4God."

"It's easy to do," LaPorta said. "I sent a couple texts to it while I was sitting in the airport.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb

Beanpot

[Oldcrow1945]

@johng71097 said:

Unless Valbuena is playing a lot why is he here? Will DeRosa get increased time at 1B so that Valbuena can get in there and play. That means vic catches Delucci or LaPorta alternates between dh and lf or rf if Choo is in lf. Wedge is also gonna hve to find ab's for Garko and Shoppach somewhere in there also.

.

I agree with this point. If you call him up he should be playing. If you are not planning on sitting any of your infielders to allow him to play nearly everyday then you are doing him no favors and I'm not sure you are doing the club any favors.

It seems like a move just to make a move.

[CIMO.]

Looks like LaPorta (RF) and Valbuena (2B) are both in today. Choo is in Left, Cabrera at Short and DeRosa at 3rd. Peralta gets the day off.

[Masters]

Not a good first showing for Laporta (0-4, 2Ks, and 4 LOB).

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

Not a good first showing for Laporta (0-4, 2Ks, and 4 LOB).

You are all over that one Masters. Trying to prove a point from a prior debate?

Of Verlander's 21 outs recorded 11 were K's. He gave up 2 hits and pitched like Sandy Koufax. Verlander was just sick. Throwing a 97 MPH fast ball and a 78 MPH curve. I've already watched a lot of games this year an there hasn't been one pitching performance close the the one verlander had that day.

But yet you want to point out LaPorta's poor debut.

Choo and Sizemore each K'd twice and Delluci k'd three times. So what?

If you were at all interested in being fair to the kid instead of trying to prove a point about an earlier discusion that took place on this site you would've mentioned that he saw the best pitching performance of the entire major league season when he had to face Verlander in his first game. That makes his 0-4 with two K's seem a lot less meaningful though.

You become a bigger joke with each posting.

[Masters]

@oldcrow1945 said:

You are all over that one Masters. Trying to prove a point from a prior debate?

Of Verlander's 21 outs recorded 11 were K's. He gave up 2 hits and pitched like Sandy Koufax. But yet you want to point out LaPorta's poor debut.

Choo and Sizemore each K'd twice and Delluci k'd three times. So what?

You become a bigger joke with each posting.

Not yet at all. Only pointing out he had a pretty bad debut. Could have been nerves. We'll see over some more games, Not to mention my complaints previously about Laporta were not about his hitting, but his defense. So hard to be trying to prove a point, when hitting was never my point.

Did you really point out Delluci's performance? That dude shouldn't even be on a big league roster.

LMFAO... What ever dude. As if your thoughts about me carry any weight. There are plenty on this board brighter than you or me who don't find my postings a joke what so ever. But if it makes you feel important to make such statements. Feel free.

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

.LMFAO... What ever dude. As if your thoughts about me carry any weight. There are plenty on this board brighter than you or me who don't find my postings a joke what so ever. But if it makes you feel important to make such statements. Feel free.

Thanks...I'll always feel free to point out that you are a joke and constantly get owned by someone in a discussion or debate. You just had to own up again in the Browns thread. The one before that was the claim the Steeler's had only one center on their roster. It happens a lot to you.

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

Not yet at all. Only pointing out he had a pretty bad debut. Could have been nerves.

Nerves?

Did you even watch the game? Verlander would've shut down Murderer's row in that game.

[Masters]

@oldcrow1945 said:

Thanks...I'll always feel free to point out that you are a joke and constantly get owned by someone in a discussion or debate. You just had to own up again in the Browns thread. The one before that was the claim the Steeler's had only one center on their roster. It happens a lot to you.

Ha ha ha. The fact that you have to use terms as getting owned and calling someone a joke tells me all I need to know about you.

Yep, I was wrong, PIT had a second C on their roster. God fobid I over look a second guy who doesn't see time

[Masters]

@oldcrow1945 said:

Nerves?

Did you even watch the game? Verlander would've shut down Murderer's row in that game.

Sure. It's the kids 1st big league game. Did he even get the ball out of the infield?

I did. Yeah Verlander did pitch great. I wouldn't go to the stretch you just did. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

[CIMO.]

LaPorta didn't look good in his first start, but he was one of the few guys who actually worked the count, fouled off a bunch of pitches and actually put the ball in a play against Verlander. No one was hitting Verlander so the best you can do is get his pitch count up, which LaPorta actually did pretty well.

And he adds a clutch 2-run homer in a tight game today. Hopefully (for the Tribe and my fantasy team) it's the first of many.

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

My statement is conjecture and therefore It cannot be proven to be corrrect or incorrect. The difference in what I said in that snippet and the things you say should be rather obvious. Your statements were not conjecture and were factually incorrect. As I said, you have a habit of doing this.

[Kosar_For_President]

Jacked one last night. What a game.

[Beanpot]

Masters said:

Sure. It's the kids 1st big league game. Did he even get the ball out of the infield?

I did. Yeah Verlander did pitch great. I wouldn't go to the stretch you just did. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

Uh, he didn't compare the 09 Indians to the 27 Yanks, he simply said that Verlander was good enough to beat anyone that day. I sure as hell don't find that to be a stretch at all. Personally, I thought LaPorta was as overmatched as the rest of the team but it was nice to see him foul off three fastballs at the end. The couple of curveballs that finished the AB were simply unfair. Verlander was a witch that day as outlandishly reported here:

Verlander displays 'no-hitter stuff' in an electric performance against Indians

By JON PAUL MOROSI

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

It’s a wonder that the Comerica Park scoreboard didn’t short circuit. Had the leftfield display ever shown something that looked quite like this?

NOW PITCHING: VERLANDER.

MPH: 100.

TOTAL: 114.

For those unfamiliar with baseball shorthand, here’s a translation: On his 114th pitch, in his seventh and final inning on Sunday afternoon, Tigers ace Justin Verlander threw a 100-m.p.h. fastball.

“No-hitter stuff,” left-hander Bobby Seay admired.

“I’m impressed,” teammate Brandon Inge said.

And yes, Verlander saw it.

“I look,” he said, smiling.

On this particular day, it was hard not to look. As the intensity climbed, Verlander’s fastball became faster.

Triple-digit pitch count. Triple-digit velocity.

How many pitchers in baseball belong in that 100/100 Club?

Verlander was asked how often he’s been able to throw that hard beyond the 100-pitch mark. He could think of one other occasion: June 12, 2007, his no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers.

More importantly, after Detroit’s seventh-inning rally produced a 3-1 triumph over the Cleveland Indians, Verlander had his first back-to-back wins since last August. The Tigers took a series from a division rival, beat defending Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee (1-4), and pushed to within a half-game of the American League Central lead at 13-11.

“Justin was brilliant,” manager Jim Leyland said.

“Last year, I wasn’t quite right for the whole year, really,” said Verlander, whose velocity has returned now that he has a lower, more consistent arm angle. “That’s why I worked so hard this spring and made changes that I knew were necessary.”

Verlander struck out 11, his most in a game since 2007. The right-hander allowed only two hits and pitched masterfully after encountering turbulence in the third and seventh.

The Indians had the bases loaded and no one out in the seventh – walk, double, intentional walk – but Verlander retired the next three hitters in order.

“A lot of times, they’ll leave the guy in to intentionally walk him and then take (the pitcher) out,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Don’t take me out. Don’t take me out. Don’t take me out.’ Once I looked over and didn’t see him (Leyland) coming out, that’s when I focused in and said, ‘All right. Here we go. Let’s get these guys.’”

He did.

The first out would be the biggest of all, since Verlander had already expended 110 pitches by the time Kelly Shoppach stepped into the batter’s box. Verlander wanted to strand Shin-Soo Choo at third base, no matter how much effort it took.

“I wasn’t thinking, ‘Let’s get an economical out,’” Verlander said. “I was thinking, ‘Let’s strike out everybody.’”

Leyland remembered Shoppach had hit for power against the Tigers last year (six home runs) and felt uneasy. On Sunday, though, Shoppach’s aggressiveness helped the Tigers. Verlander threw him a first-pitch fastball, up in the zone, and the catcher took a big swing. The ball went high but not far. Magglio Ordoñez settled under it in rightfield. One out.

Then rookie outfielder Matt LaPorta, who was making his debut, stepped to the plate. LaPorta is a highly-regarded prospect and may ultimately hit many home runs against the Tigers. But he probably didn’t see anyone like Verlander in the Double-A Southern League, which is where he was at this time last year.

LaPorta fouled off three fastballs – including fabled Pitch No. 114 – before Verlander slowed the pace. He spun two curveballs, the latter for a called third strike.

So it was left up to another rookie: infielder Luis Valbuena. He gamely fought off a pair of 99-m.p.h. fastballs. Then Verlander snapped another curve, and Valbuena bounced it to shortstop.

At the moment Adam Everett tapped his foot on second base for the inning-ending force, Verlander jabbed at the air as he pivoted toward the dugout. Leyland’s decision to issue the intentional pass to David Dellucci, who batted .500 in the series, worked wonderfully.

Hitters had stepped out of the batter’s box several times during the afternoon, attempting to disrupt Verlander’s rhythm. It didn’t work. And for one afternoon, at least, Verlander’s struggles with Cleveland – a career-long trend – melted away before a mesmerized crowd of 27,411.

“He was pretty tough,” said Victor Martinez, Cleveland’s switch-hitting slugger. “He was mixing his pitches. He was throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes, and then the 95, 97 fastball. You’ve got to give him credit. He was on today. There’s nothing you can do about that.”

Now it's up to you if you want to somehow prove that Earle Combs would have surely figured out Verlander the second time around but that's clearly another topic.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090504/SPOR...against+Indians

Beanpot