Jason Kipnis finds himself on this list for one big reason: the .233/.322/.328 line he posted after the All-Star break last season. Once upon a time last season Kipnis was up for consideration as an All Star and potentially a 30-30 season, but a poor second half leaves some questions as to what can be expected of him in 2013. He is expected to be the lynch pin in the lineup from Bourn and Cabrera to Swisher and Santana, and the IBI's Michael Goodman believes it makes him the most crucial player in the lineup.
Tony chimes in with another notebook on several things he learned at Indians minor league camp on Monday. He spoke to right-hander D.J. Brown and got an update on his recovery, he spoke to the front office and received several updates on a few high profile 2012 Draft picks, recorded several radar gun readings, and he has all sorts of updates on the status of Bo Greenwell, Clayton Cook, Shao-Ching Chiang and more!
The minor league games rolled on Monday with the Indians four affiliates squaring off against the Reds. With the first round of roster cuts looming, there were several players that strengthened their case to be kept and others that struggled and maybe put themselves in danger of being let go. Tony talks about some of those performances and also reviews all of the stats from all of the games yesterday and provides some gun readings on several pitchers.
Ubaldo Jimenez recorded his second straight solid outing on Monday to lead the Indians to a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. Jimenez was back by Lou Marson and Drew Stubbs, who recorded two hits apiece to lead the Tribe. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he looks back at the contest and offers some key takeaways.
The Goodyear Notebook is back for another run this spring, and Tony will be updating us over the next two weeks on the happenings at minor league camp for the Indians. In today's update he has comments from the front office on the plan for Trey Haley and more, plus he has details on the rehabs of Austin Adams and Geoff Davenport, the impressive early showing from Nelson Rodriguez and Cody Anderson, stuff on Jose Ramirez, Nick Hamilton, Bryson Myles, Robbie Aviles, Francisco Lindor and more.
The Cleveland Indians announced a number of decisions on Monday as a handful of players were reassigned to minor league camp. Also, the team informed non-roster invitees Daisuke Matsuzaka and Matt Capps that they would not break camp with the Major League club. How does this impact the team with the start of the regular season just two weeks away? Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he ponders that thought and goes over all the news from a busy Monday.
The focus for the Cleveland Indians has been nothing but positive so far in 2013. With all the talk of winning baseball, the potential negatives have been shuffled under the rug a bit. With the team heading into the regular season in two weeks, is there something about this team that just doesn't feel right? This week's power poll takes a look at the potential struggles heading into April.
The Indians minor leaguers took on the Rangers on Sunday, and there were plenty of noteworthy performances and some not so good showings. Tony was there to witness the action yesterday and provides all the stats for all four teams, and touches on the great day at the plate for the likes of Jose Ramirez, Dorssys Paulino, Manuel Boscan, Francisco Mejia and lots of others, and also gives his thoughts on some good and bad performances from some high profile Indians minor league pitchers.
Right-hander Justin Masterson struggled in the first inning before settling down while Matt Carson, Cord Phelps and Chris McGuiness all recorded two hits each for the Indians on Sunday. Plus, Carlos Moncrief hit a key home run in the ninth inning to lift the Indians and clinch a 7-7 tie. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he looks back on all of Sunday's performances and offers some key takeaways from the contest.
Welcome to the first annual IBI March Madness Bracket Challenge! Do you think you know more than everyone else? Do you think you are the smartest member of IBI's loyal followers? Do you think March Madness is your private stomping grounds? Well, it's time to put up, or shut up. Make your picks, and be the first to wear the title of "IBI March Madness Champion!" Read on for the details...
The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown concludes with shortstop Francisco Lindor. In what was a very tight race for the top spot between Lindor, Trevor Bauer, and Dorssys Paulino, the crown as the top prospect in the Indians' system once again goes to Lindor. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the countdown this year, and as a special treat to give a sneak peak at the kind of detail the rest of the 59 players had in the countdown, today's report is non-premium so all can view. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Happy St. Patty’s Day Tribe fans! The Indians made some decisions this past week which really helped define what the opening day bullpen will be for them, and Tony breaks down how it looks like it will be set up when camps concludes in two weeks. He also touches on the plan for Yan Gomes, the surgery for Frank Herrmann and much more. He is now out in Goodyear so expect tons of stuff this week on the site!
The Indians minor league teams were in action on Saturday against the Brewers, and Tony provides a recap of how everyone did in each game. T.J. House and Toru Murata were crisp in their outings for Columbus, Michael Goodnight struggled for Akron, Leonardo Castillo was perfect on the day for Carolina, Nelson Rodriguez showed the power (again) for Lake County, and tons more.
Delvi Cid is far from what most fans would label a can't-miss prospect, but the young outfielder certainly had a can't-miss moment on Saturday. Cid's walk-off RBI-triple allowed the Indians to clinch a 4-3 over the San Francisco Giants. Along with Cid, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Giambi and Asdrubal Cabrera also had impressive performances. Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he recaps all of these performances and more as he looks back on the Indians' 13th win of the spring season.
The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.
Continuing with the series he started last week, Jim Piascik lists the most exciting prospects in the organization headed into 2013. There are many ways to define exciting, but Jim looked all around the minor league system for players that simply jump off the field at you. Find out who made the list (along with the obvious, Jim's favorite minor leaguer, Dorssys Paulino) after the jump.
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!