Tony%252520Lastoria Archive

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes. The Ryan Garko for Barnes trade back in July of 2009 may end up as one of the best trades the Indians have made in the last several years, and whether he ends up as a full time bullpen arm or a starter down the road, the Indians believe they have a solid piece to their big league pitching puzzle for the next several years. He is in the mix for a Major League job this spring, and Tony breaks down all of his pluses and minuses in this detailed scouting report.

The new 2013 Indians Baseball Insider: The Top 100 Prospects & More book is now available for sale. This year's 252-page version has 204 players in the Indians organization featured in it with scouting reports for everyone, a new International Top 20 prospect listing for those that are new to the organization or may be debuting stateside this year, and more. The book is available for purchase on-line and should be available at other outlets soon. Details inside...

The Rule 5 Draft is several months away, but here is a current up-to-date listing showing the eligible Indians' minor leaguers for the 2013 Draft in December. This list will be housed for quick reference in the "Reference" section along the top below the site batter and listed under the "Rule 5 Draft" heading.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Aguilar is a guy that a lot of Indians fans and the organization themselves are excited about because good right-handed power is hard to find. He certainly has that and then some, and is arguably the best power prospect in the entire system. Tony talks about that power potential and other areas he excels as a hitter and defender, and also talks about where he has opportunity for improvement in this detailed scouting report.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder Luigi Rodriguez. Defensively and offensively the Indians feel like Rodriguez has as much talent as anybody in the organization, it is just a matter of him putting it together to be more consistent as a player day by day rather than in streaks throughout the year. Tony discusses all the abilities he brings with his bat and speed, and touches on where he needs to make big improvements in this detailed scouting report.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed pitcher Trey Haley. It has taken some time, but everything is starting to come together for Haley now that he is 100% healthy and his fastball command is improving. He has the best arm in the system and could still end up starting again, and Tony talks about his talented right arm, what it brings, what he can become, and what he needs to improve in this detailed scouting report.

Tony has been receiving a lot of inquiries as to the availability of his new 2013 Cleveland Indians prospect book. Today he provides a very quick update on the status of it as it is all written and is just in the final stages of completion with putting it together to send to press. He provides an update on that and when it may become available. Over 200 scouting reports in the book this year!!

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone. Hagadone has all the goods to be a dominating presence at the backed of a Major League bullpen, and showed that up until his final three weeks of action last season when everything fell apart and he suffered a self-inflicted hand injury. The Indians need a power armed lefty in the pen, and Tony looks at what stuff he brings, what he needs to get better at, and more in this detailed scouting report.

Tony returns from his vacation with another edition of the Happenings to check in on how things are going for the Indians in spring training. He talks about the Carlos Carrasco suspension and how the Indians may work around it, the injuries that are starting to pile up, takes a closer look at Corey Kluber and what value he truly brings to the team, updates us on how Rule 5 picks TJ McFarland and Hector Rondon are doing, provides the full 11-game TV schedule for the Indians this spring, and more!

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder Anthony Santander. If not for the amazing season that Dorssys Paulino had in the Arizona League last year, then Santander would have probably received a lot more attention for the great pro debut he had himself. Tony provides lots of insight into what his upside is, what his strengths and weaknesses are, and what is in store for him this coming season in this detailed scouting report.

Indians closer Chris Perez has been shelved with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder and will not throw for the next seven to ten days. He will begin a return to throwing program as soon as he is asymptomatic, and is expected to be out of game action for at least three to four weeks. Also, Frank Herrmann has been shut down with a right elbow strain.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed releiver Chen-Chang Lee. Called C.C. Lee for short, he was off to a hot start last season before a serious elbow injury sidelined him in mid-April and resulted in Tommy John surgery. Tony gives an update on his rehab and return back to the mound, what his expectations for this season are, and what his future holds with the Indians in this detailed scouting report.

Here are the final winter ball statistics for all Cleveland Indians players that participated in fall/winter ball action out in the Arizona Fall League, Australian Baseball League, Dominican Winter League, Puerto Rico Winter League, and Venezuela Winter League. These stats include all the playoff stats for the Latin American leagues, something MLB.com and MiLB.com do not do.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder D'Vone McClure. McClure the kind of player that will need a lot of patience and development before his true baseball skills show, so in the meantime he is a player you can dream on because of his tremendous athleticism, plethora of tools, and unlimited upside. Tony goes into detail why he is so exciting as a prospect, what his future holds, and areas of concern with his game in this detailed scouting report.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with third baseman Giovanny Urshela. Urshela is a top notch defender with a bat that has always lagged behind because of a lack of power, but last season his bat started to show signs of life and he had his best pro season to date. Tony explains what has changed with his bat, if the bat has the potential to be up to Major League standards, and much more in this extremely detailed scouting report.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong. Everything came together as hoped for Armstrong last season as he was 100% healthy for the first time since he went off to college, his arm strength was all the way back, and he really solidified himself as a legit pitching prospect in the Indians’ organization. Tony breaks down his impressive power arsenal and big velocity jump last season, and also talks about the concerns with his command in this detailed scouting report.