Steve%20Orbanek Archive

The winter seasons are quickly coming to a close, but a few Indians players were still at it on Wednesday. Asdrubal Cabrera and Ezequiel Carrera each recorded hits for their clubs in the VWL. Plus, Jose Ramirez may have competed in one of his final games of the winter season. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the action as he takes you Around the Farm.

Jose Ramirez continues to impress and progress at the plate. That was evident on Tuesday as the switch-hitting infielder was just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Also, Asdrubal Cabrera and recently acquired pitcher Jerry Gil were among the other Indians players in winter ball action on Tuesday. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action and statistics as he takes you Around the Farm.

Coming off of major surgery, Chen-Chang Lee is one of many Indians pitchers that is now somewhat of a question mark heading into the 2013 season. Lee was once one of the most dominant relievers in the Indians system, but what can be expected from him as he makes his way back from the surgery? The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps Lee's career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

A number of Indians players had strong performances in the winter leagues on Friday. Asdrubal Cabrera and Andrew Campbell each had multi-hit performances while Rob Bryson continued to shut down the opposition. Plus, Jesus Aguilar and Jose Ramirez continued to build upon their strong winter seasons. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes your Around the Farm.

The playoffs continue in the Venezuelan, Dominican and Puerto Rican Winter Leagues, and a few Indians players have upped their game as they push forward for a chance at a league championship. In particular, Jesus Aguilar launched three home runs this past week, and Asdrubal Cabrera continues to impress at the plate. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the action and provides all of the winter statistics in this week's edition of the Winter Ball Notebook.

Just one year ago, Austin Adams was one of the most talked about prospects in the Indians farm system. The hard-throwing right-hander had just completed a brilliant 2011 campaign, and he seemed poised for another... until injuries hit. Now, it's hard to say what lies ahead for Adams, but he's certainly not the prospect he was a year ago. What exactly is in store for Adams? The IBI's Steve Orbanek opines when he looks at Adams' career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

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.