In this week’s first edition of the Happenings, I provide an update on what is going on out in Arizona with several players participating in extended spring training. I recently had a chance to sit down with the player development staff and discuss several players and I provide lots of comments from them on players such as D’Vone McClure, Josh McAdams, Tyler Booth, Kieran Lovegrove, Luis Lugo, Dillon Howard, and more. I also provide the details on Cord Phelps’ new role, the plans for Danny Salazar this season, and insight and info on the likes of Tim Fedroff, Jordan Cooper, Enosil Tejeda, Jake Sisco and more.
Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. In tonight's episode, Tony and Jim discuss the Indians recent run to first place and if the hitting, pitching and defense that have all been stellar of late can stay that way, the recent demotion of Lonnie Chisenhall, some thoughts on the bullpen involving David Huff and Nick Hagadone, and even some minor league updates.
Taking things one game at a time, the Akron Aeros made their way up to .500 over the past week and into a tie for second place in the Western Division of the Eastern League. As we approach the 40-game mark -- a point where we can start to leave small sample size caveats behind -- the Aeros seem to be finding their stride. To find out exactly how the Aeros did over the past week and everything you need to know about the team, join Jim Piascik and go Launching Off With The Aeros.
Monday at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario featured a traditional doubleheader against the Yankees, and a few people were actually there to see it and everything! The Indians scored a grand total of one run, but managed to split the day, thanks to the team's best pitching performance of the young campaign. The IBI's Kevin Dean provides his "second thoughts" on the matchup...
The Columbus Clippers were the only team in the Indians' organization that managed to pull out a win on Monday night, but that doesn't mean there weren't some interesting games, good and bad, from some of the organizations top prospects, and top surprises as well. The headliners tonight certainly won't disappoint, as we have a nice mix of those guys you'd expect to see, and those you can't believe you are seeing. Join Jim Pete for Monday Night's ATF.
It was a tale of two similar, yet totally different ballgames in the makeup doubleheader against the New York Yankees on Monday. When the dust settled, Cleveland would split the twin bill between their AL East rivals as both games came via the shutout. One word to describe game one: Masterful.
Baseball is full of the unexpected, and for Lake County Captains’ reliever Michael Peoples, the surprises started the day he was drafted. He was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 14th round on the 2012 draft and to date has pitched well in his brief professional career. He is enjoying a good start to his season at Low-A Lake County, and the IBI's Stephanie Metzger recently caught up with him to discuss his start.
The IBI Hot List is back for another week and recaps the hot (and some cold) performances in the Indians system over the past week. This week Tony provides some insight and info on the recent hot performances from the likes of Danny Salazar, Ryan Merritt, Dylan Baker, Nick Pasquale, Justin Toole, D.J. Brown and others, and yes, he also looks at the recent cold showings from the likes of Dorssys Paulino, Ronny Rodriguez, Elvis Araujo, and others.
It was quite a week for the Cleveland Indians as the Tribe completed a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics and then took two out of three from the reigning American League Champions, the Detroit Tigers. Pitching and offense both played key roles in the team's strong week, and the IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the action in the weekly IBI staple, Notes from the Wigwam.
Started from the bottom, now they’re here! For the first time since April 5, the Cleveland Indians reign at the top of the American League Central Division after winning a wild extra inning showdown with the Detroit Tigers, 4-3. With the victory, the Tribe not only takes the three-game series, but move into a tie for first place with the Tigers with a record of 20-15. Jim Berdysz gives his second thoughts on the big win and series win by the Indians...
The Indians' organization flopped a bit on Sunday afternoon, as everyone but the Aeros felt the sting of defeat. The Aeros, on the other hand, played a back-and-forth affair before winning the game in extra-innings. The player with the winning hit sits atop our ATF tonight all by his lonesome, but he was far from the only interesting performance, good and bad, in Sunday Night's edition. Join Jim Pete with his look at Sunday's most interesting players.
The Carolina Mudcats continue to hit the ball well, but the fact that they can't seem to drive in runs combined with a pitching staff that has a hard time not allowing runs has left the Muddies with a bad mix for winning. Jordan Smith, Luigi Rodriguez, Jerrud Sabourin and Cody Anderson carried the team this week, but not far enough for a winning record in week 5. Go fishing with the Jim Pete and your Carolina Mudcats...
Say hello to your first place Indians. That's right ladies and gentlemen, after taking two of three from the first place Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Indians have joined Detroit at the top of the standings in the A.L. Central with a 20-15 record. The Indians are 6-1 since last week's episode of CSI, which matched their 6-1 record the week prior. With Michael Bourn returning, are we finally seeing who this Cleveland Indians team really is, or have they yet to reach their ceiling?
We are about a month until the 2013 MLB Draft and things are starting to crystallize. The top two picks are all but confirmed to be Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray, though the order they are taken is yet to be determined and won't be known until draft night. Both Appel and Gray will be redrafts, and IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis discusses four former Indians picks that should be redrafts in the top ten rounds this year.
The Indians are rolling as they have won 11 of their last 13 games, and one of the players that has had a big impact to their strong play has been the powerful bat of Mark Reynolds. Tony discusses the impact he has made and what options (if any) the Indians have of resigning him. He also takes a look at how Brett Myers is progressing in his return from injury and how the Indians may reinsert him into the rotation, he catches us all up on some old friends, and more.
It was a nail biter in the heart of Motown Saturday night, as the Tribe snuck by their Central Division rival Detroit Tigers, 7-6. What looked to be an easy win against ace Justin Verlander with Cleveland up 6-1 in the seventh inning, ultimately fell apart late by the Indians bullpen.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!