Today is the first “stock watch” of the 2013 season for players in the Indians’ minor league system. This report is a snapshot of a few players up and down the system and how their value may be decreasing or increasing as prospects. In today's report, Tony looks at all four levels in the Indians system and touches on the likes of Jeremy Hermida, Mike McDade, Preston Guilmet, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Moncrief, Jerrud Sabourin, Jordan Smith, Dorssys Paulino, Nellie Rodriguez and more.
In this week’s first edition of Minor Happenings this week, Tony takes a look at several pitchers throughout the organization. Right-hander Jordan Cooper has used last season’s late success as a springboard to a good start to this season and is starting to round into form as a solid pitching prospect, and he touches on where he has improved and what kind of future he may have. In addition to that he provides an update and outlook on Diasuke Matsuzaka, shares some comments made by the front office this past week on the likes of T.J. House, Trey Haley, Austin Adams and others, and also some insight and updates on the progress of the likes of Giovanni Soto, Bret Brach, Jacob Lee, Luis DeJesus and others.
Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. In tonight's episode, Tony and Jim discuss the Indians just completed 11-day nine-game road trip that they went 5-4 on, the Indians keystone combination of Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera and if they can get things going, Carlos Santana's breakout month and if his start is sustainable and if it is time to move him up in the lineup, Ubaldo Jimenez's and Corey Kluber's excellent outings the last two nights, and more.
The IBI Hot List is back for another week and ranks the hot (and some cold) performances in the Indians system over the past week. Last week saw LeVon Washington return with a fury with five hits on Saturday, Diasuke Matsuzaka looked to turn a corner, Preston Guilmet is squarely on the big league radar, Jordan Cooper is rising, Cord Phelps’ struggles continue, and much more. Tony ranks the good and bad performances and provides some commentary on each player.
The Indians made a slew of moves throughout their minor league system on Monday. Here is a quick recap of the activity that includes the activated of one of the Indians top prospects, outfielder Anthony Santander.
The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have recalled catcher Yan Gomes and placed catcher Lou Marson on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation (retroactive to April 25). They also recalled left-handed reliever Scott Barnes from Tripe-A Columbus for the doubleheader.
It is something that has not been talked about much yet, but right-hander Justin Masterson is getting closer and closer to free agency with every start he makes. At the same time, with every good start he makes, his price tag goes up and up as well. Tony discussed why the Indians have to extend now him and ensure he does not get away. He also touches on how close Yan Gomes is to taking Lou Marson's backup catching job, the close scare with Carlos Carrasco, moving on from Brett Myers, and more.
The 2013 baseball season is already now into its fourth week. While players at various levels of the Cleveland Indians farm system are starting to settle in, Tony Wolters is just now beginning his full-time transition from the middle infield to the catching position. The IBI's Tony Lastoria recently sat down with Wolters to discuss his move to catcher.
The Cleveland Indians announced Friday morning that Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco suffered a deep contusion to his right elbow and forearm after being hit with a line drive on Thursday night. He is listed as day to day.
Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco was struck on his right elbow by a line drive off the bat of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre second baseman Corban Joseph and was removed from the game in the fifth inning of action on Thursday night. He has been taken to an area hospital for further evaluation, likely to get x-rays on his arm/elbow.
In this week’s second edition of Minor Happenings, Tony takes a look at the hot start that Akron first baseman Chun Chen is off to, what has changed with his approach, and when he may get to Columbus (or Cleveland). He also has a ton of comments from the front office regarding the Columbus roster on things such as the presence of so many six-year free agents as well as the plans for Carlos Carrasco and others. Finally, he touches on the return of Austin Adams and Trey Haley, the release of Delvi Cid and who may be replacing him, the blistering bat of Jerrud Sabourin, the potential of Dylan Baker and much more.
Coach's Corner returns to the IBI today for the 2013 season, and is a piece where Tony sits down with a coach in the Indians minor league system and really breaks down and discusses several players on the roster. He recently had a chance to sit down with High-A Carolina manager Dave Wallace and they talked in detail about the transition that Tony Wolters is making to catcher, his timeline, what he has impressed with so far, and what his early challenges are with the change. They also talked about the impressive work ethic of Francisco Lindor, the rapid growth of Cody Anderson, the showing to date of Tyler Naquin, the potential of Shawn Morimando, the pitching role changes for Michael Goodnight and Jordan Cooper, and more.
We settle in with the first Tuesday edition of Minor Happenings of the season today, and with that comes a pretty large update on several players in the system. Tony breaks down the encouraging start to the season by lefty T.J. House, how he has looked, what he needs to work on, and what the rest of the season may hold for him. In addition to that he has several comments and insight from the front office on players such as Jerrud Sabourin, Joey Wendle, Shawn Morimando, Bryson Myles, Rob Whitenack and more as well as a litany of injury updates on players such as LeVon Washington, Mason Radeke, Alex Monsalve, and more.
Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. In tonight's show, Tony and Jim will discuss the early returns in free agency for the Indians and how they have performed to date, the struggles of Jason Kipnis and what to do with him, the evolution of Justin Masterson that is happening right before our eyes, and some minor league talk with regard to the starting rotation options the Indians could maybe turn to at Columbus or even Akron.
It is Monday, and that means it is time to review some of the hot and some not so hot performances from the past week in the Indians' system. In this week's Hot List, Tony looks at a few starting pitching options in the upper levels of the system with the likes of Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, T.J. House and Danny Salazar that could soon be in Cleveland, the red hot bats of Logan Vick, Eric Haase, Giovanny Urshela, some concerns about Tyler Naquin, and much more.
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!
