Tony%2520Lastoria Archive

Today the Cleveland Indians announced that they have extended non-roster invitations to Major League spring training camp to first baseman Jesus Aguilar, right-handed pitcher Matt Langwell, right-handed pitcher Preston Guilmet, catcher Roberto Perez, and left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with first baseman Mike McDade. The Indians picked up McDade this offseason in a waiver claim from the Blue Jays, and he is in the mix to make the big league roster this spring as a power bat off the bench or will serve as depth in Triple-A. Tony gives you the 411 on the new Indians prospect and what kind of hitter and defender he is, and how he can help the Indians in this detailed scouting report.

Last week the IBI first mentioned that the Indians have been in talks with free agent slugger Jim Thome, and according to a report today from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports he says the Indians are considering a reunion with Thome and Travis Hafner.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed reliever Fabio Martinez. The Indians picked him up off of waivers from the Angels last August and then designated for him assignment this offseason but he cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minors. He is a project that has all sorts of command issues, but Tony talks about the potential of his stuff that is so intriguing. He also breaks down all the rest of the positives and negatives with him in this detailed report.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with the first position player named do far: catcher Jake Lowery. Even though his prospect value slipped last season due to his performance offensively and high strikeout totals, he is still an interesting prospect going forward because of his power potential from the left side. Tony takes a look at the positives that he brings, why he struggled last season, and lots more in this detailed writeup.

The Venezuela Winter League wrapped up round robin play on Monday night, and has now joined the Dominican Winter League and Puerto Rico Winter League in the championship series round of league play. It was a thin night as far as Indians action goes, but there were a few players that played, and Tony recaps how they did after the jump...

The Indians continue to shore up their roster with more depth signings, and today they announced that they have officially signed infielder/outfielder Ryan Raburn and outfielder Ben Francisco to minor league contracts with an invite as non-roster payers to Major League spring training.

Here is a listing of all the players in the Cleveland Indians minor league system that have been released over the course of the 2013 calendar year.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed reliever Rob Bryson. So far the IBI listing has been a run of interest right-handed pitchers, and Bryson is another in a long line of good right-handed relief prospects in the system. He continues to perform each year with impressive strikeout totals, and Tony goes in depth with a detailed report on what makes him so successful, but also what continues to hold him back and more.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed reliever Preston Guilmet. Guilmet had another outstanding year last season closing out games for an Indians affiliate, and for the third straight season ended up with an ERA in the low 2’s and averaged about a strikeout an inning. Tony breaks down his stuff and potential in great detail, and explains why even with the great numbers he is still a second level relief prospect.

What a great Indians weekend as the widely popular Tribe Fest was jam packed on Saturday and is expected to have big crowds again today. On the news front, it was a slow week for the Indians other than a few players being named to World Baseball Classic rosters and several arbitration eligible players having their 2013 contracts finalized. Tony discusses the arbitration deals and the WBC, but also touches on how two former Indians heroes might make for good low risk pickups this late in the offseason.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed pitcher Cole Cook. Last year Cook had a nice bounce back season from an injury plagued 2011 and traveled across four levels between Low-A Lake County and Triple-A Columbus, and impressed in a small sample size of work at the end of the year in Columbus. He is an interesting prospect, and Tony provides all the details on his potential, his stuff, and what he needs to do to take the next step in his development into a higher priority prospect.

Today the Indians have avoided arbitration and agreed to one year contracts with Matt Albers, Lou Marson, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez, and Joe Smith, and on Thursday night they agreed to a one year contract with Drew Stubbs. Only infielder Mike Aviles remains unsigned, and since no deal was made before today's 1pm signing deadline, the process gets a little more complex.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed reliever Tyler Sturdevant. Last year Sturdevant was much higher in this listing, but an injury plagued 2012 campaign and some current health issues have really pushed him down the listing. Tony looks into his health and outlook for the 2013 season and also gives a detailed look at what makes him so successful when he is healthy.

Late Thursday night the Indians and outfielder Drew Stubbs agreed to a $2.825 million contract for the 2013 season, and it includes up to $50,000 in performance performances. Also, a source has told the IBI that the Indians have interest in free agent Jim Thome and that a contract has been offered.

The World Baseball Classic released the provisional rosters for all 16 teams in the tournament that will be played this March. Six Indians have been named to the rosters: Mike Aviles, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez, Vinne Pestano, Carlos Santana, and Giovanni Soto. Yan Gomes was expected to be on team Brazil, but was not listed.