Steve%20Orbanek Archive

Jesus Aguilar's early winter struggles seem to be a thing of the past, and the hulking first baseman provided further evidence for that argument on Wednesday when he recorded a home run in his third straight game. Aguilar was not the only member of Leones del Caracas to impress on the evening though as Asdrubal Cabrera had a great night at the plate and collected three hits. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes you Around the Farm.

Jose Ramirez's strong winter season continued on Tuesday as the switch-hitting second baseman socked his first home run in the Dominican Winter League. Also, Ezequiel Carrera put together a solid performance in the Venezuelan Winter League and Roberto Perez was in action in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes you Around the Farm.

Rob Bryson has been creating some buzz this winter thanks to his outstanding performance in the Puerto Rican Winter League, but he is hardly ever mentioned when discussions arise about Major League relief pitching options. What does the future hold for Bryson, and does the right-handed pitcher have a future with the Indians? The IBI's Steve Orbanek looks back on Bryson's career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

After taking Thursday off, Asdrubal Cabrera was back at it with a vengeance on Friday as the switch-hitting shortstop collected three hits in Venezuelan Winter League playoff action. Plus, over in the Puerto Rican Winter League, Rob Bryson continued his recent string of impressive performances. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes you Around the Farm.

It's been a busy week in the numerous winter leagues as now the Dominican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan winter leagues have all begun round robin postseason play. A few Indians players are still working hard in the leagues, including Juan Diaz in the DWL and Ezequiel Carrera in the VWL. Plus, on another continent, Andrew Campbell continues to rake in the Australian Baseball League. The IBI's Steve Orbanek touches on this and more in the latest edition of the Winter Ball Notebook.

With Tuesday's signing of Brett Myers, the Cleveland Indians continued to address the team's needs. The Myers move is just the latest in what has been a very busy offseason for the Tribe. The team's needs have not differed much this offseason when compared to last offseason, yet the Indians have approached the needs in an entirely differently way this year. The IBI's Steve Orbanek chimes in with his thoughts after the jump...

The Venezuelan Winter League playoffs began on Wednesday and both Ezequiel Carrera and Asdrubal Cabrera kicked things off with a hit. Plus, playoff round-robin play continued in the Dominican Winter League and Jose Ramirez and Juan Diaz were both in action. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes you Around the Farm.

So much for a slumping Carlos Santana. The switch-hitter's hitting prowess was on display again as Santana once again put together a very strong performance in a DWL playoff game. Plus, Asdrubal Cabrera has a nice night at the plate and Jesus Aguilar makes a rare appearance in the VWL. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the action and provides all of the night's statistics as he takes you Around the Farm.

It was somewhat of a quiet week in the various winter leagues because of the Christmas holiday, but there is still plenty of action to recap. The round robin playoffs began in the Dominican Winter League on Thursday while the regular seasons will be ending on Sunday in both the Puerto Rican Winter League and the Venezuelan Winter League. Plus, Chun-Hsiu Chen completed a strong winter season in the Asia Winter Baseball League this past week. The IPI's Steve Orbanek has all the details in this week's edition of the Winter Ball Notebook.

The pending purchase of SportsTime Ohio by Fox Sports Ohio became official Friday as it was announced that FOX has purchased the Cleveland sports network for an estimated $230 million. FOX will now have the broadcast rights to Cleveland Indians games for the next 10 seasons, which is estimated to be worth around $400 million.

The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with the latest edition of Then & Now. Steve looks at promising left-hander Giovanni Soto, who is coming off a strong 2012 season with the Akron Aeros. Steve looks back at Soto's career and also touches on how Soto may be able to impact the Major League team moving forward.

It was a busy night around the winter leagues on Friday as the Dominican Winter League played its final round of regular season games. Jose Ramirez's team, Toros del Este, will be advancing to the next round, but what about Carlos Santana and his team, Leones Del Escogido? Plus, in other action, Ryan Battaglia and Andrew Campbell continue to rake in the Australian Baseball League, and a former Cleveland Indian put together a monster performance Friday. All this and more as the IPI's Steve Orbanek takes you Around the Farm.

it's been a busy week in winter ball as the first round of the Dominican Winter League ends tonight, so teams have been trying to make their playoff push. Along a way, a handful of Indians players, such as Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez and Mikes McDade, have been trying to help power their teams to the next round. Yet, unfortunately, not every player has been having success in the process. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the winter action in this week's edition of the WInter Ball Notebook.

After a nearly three week absence, Jesus Aguilar once again appeared in a winter ball contest on Wednesday, and while the slugger's appearance was brief, it was positive nonetheless. Plus, Mike McDade had a strong night at the plate, and Carlos Santana continues to draw walks and strikeout at a very high rate. All this and more as the IPI's Steve Orbanek takes you Around the Farm.

There was plenty of action around the numerous winter leagues on Tuesday. Asdrubal Cabrera continued to rake at the plate while Carlos Santana unfortunately had a game that he would probably like to have back. Also, Matt Langwell and Giovanni Soto continued to dominate hitters in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps all this and more as he takes you Around the Farm.

As you read this, outfielder Nick Swisher is on a plane out of Cleveland. The free agent outfielder was in town today and visited Indians facilities as the team continues to pursue his services. A standing offer is apparently on the table for Swisher, so these next few days could become quite interesting.