Tony%20Lastoria Archive

As in years past, the IBI will be all over the draft this week and up through the signing deadline with information, scouting reports, news, and much more. As each pick is made we will be throwing up draft capsules and tons of other information literally minutes after the picks are made. Here is our running live draft blog which gets you up to speed on everything you need to be prepared for the draft!

The 2013 MLB Draft commences in just a little over 24 hours. With that in mind, Tony sat down with Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant to discuss a myriad of topics going into the draft. They talked about the talent in this year’s draft, their plans with the fifth pick, their philosophy changes over the years, some adjustments they have made to their scouting of starting pitching, the process of setting up their draft board, what they do the week of the draft to get prepared for it, the decision making process, and so on.

According to reports, Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez is being investigated by Rocky River police for drug possession. No official arrest has been made, and it is believed to be for possession of marijuana.

Cleveland Indians outfield prospect Josh McAdams has been in the organization for close to a year now. Around this time last year he was selected in the 7th round of the draft straight out of Calhoun High School in Georgia, and has enjoyed the ride since signing with the Indians. He brings a ton of power potential with his bat and arm, and Tony recently had a chance to sit down and talk with the talented youngster.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have placed shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera on the disabled list with a right quadriceps strain and have recalled infielder Juan Diaz from Triple-A Columbus.

Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. In tonight's episode, Tony and Jim discuss the Indians struggles through their month long stretch of games against playoff caliber opponents and the positive and negative effects their current nine-game road trip through New York, Detroit and Texas could have the rest of the way. They also discuss the continued problems with the left-handed relief, the injury to Asdrubal Cabrera, the rebirth of sorts of Ubaldo Jimenez, some minor league talk and tons more!

As we move into June the Indians are five games over .500 and a half game out of first place, something a lot of Indians fans thought was not possible back in spring training. Tony touches on that, but he also looks at the Indians' struggles in the left-handed relief department and what their options are there, the turnaround of Ubaldo Jimenez, what the Indians do with Lou Marson when he returns, and gives the details on the upcoming MLB Draft.

Thanks to the holiday weekend, today’s edition of Minor Happenings is the only edition this week, but have no fear, it is a doozy. In today’s extended edition Tony takes a look at the struggles that Trevor Bauer is having in Columbus, what his problem is, and what he needs to do to get himself right. He also looks at the recent adjustments made by Matt Packer, the strides Lonnie Chisenhall is making, shares some comments from the front office on pitchers like Austin Adams, Jordan Cooper, Trey Halley and others, provides several injury updates, and discusses several prospects like Danny Salazar, Tyler Holt, Fabio Martinez, Anthony Santander and more!

The Cleveland Indians have announced that catcher Lou Marson will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday night with Double-A Akron. If there are no setbacks, his rehab assignment will be transferred to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

It is time for another edition of “Coach's Corner” hear at the IBI, a monthly piece where Tony sits down with a coach in the Indians minor league system and really break down and discuss several players on the roster as well as some of the general philosophies they are teaching. He recently had a chance to sit down with Low-A Lake County pitching coach Steve Karsay and talked about the strides left-hander Ryan Merritt has made, the changes right-hander Jake Sisco has incorporated, the rise of right-hander Michael Peoples, the full season debuts of right-handers Dylan Baker and Mitch Brown, and tons more.

The Indians had a quieter night than usual on Tuesday night around the farm thanks to Low-A Lake County's rainout. All three of Columbus, Akron and Carolina were in action and really struggled, and Tony chimes in with the notable performances from all three stops and discusses the struggles of Rob Whitenack.

Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. In tonight's episode, Tony and Jim discuss the rough week the Indians had losing six of their last seven and four in a row going into Tuesday's game, the issues with Pestano and Perez at the backend of the bullpen, the lack of left-handed relief, the play of Carlos Santana and Yan Gomes and when/if a change will eventually come at catcher, and much more.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have placed right-handed pitcher Chris Perez on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness and recalled left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone from Triple-A Columbus.

The Indians and their fans have a growing concern about the lack of command and vellocity from top flight setup man Vinnie Pestano. Those problems came to the surface on Saturday when he was very ineffective in a blown save, and Tony touches on his issues. He also discusses the overuse of Jason Giambi, how Lou Marson fits into things, the best offseason move maybe being Aviles and Gomes for Rogers, when Brett Myers will return and much more

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have designated left-handed pitcher David Huff for assignment and recalled left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes from Triple-A Columbus.

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which is a great time to enjoy some good weather, some baseball, and most importantly remember and honor all of the veterans out there. In today’s Happenings, Tony touches on the promotion of Chun Chen and his blistering performance to date and what it could mean for him as a major league option going forward. He also provides comments from Ross Atkins on players like Danny Salazar, LeVon Washington, Francisco Lindor and others, talks about Austin Adams’ amazing return, and provides insight and information on Carlos Carrasco, Roberto Perez, Tyler Naquin, Dorssys Paulino and more!