Steve%252520Orbanek Archive

The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with his latest Then & Now. This week, Steve takes a look at outfielder Tim Fedroff, who is coming off a fantastic 2012 campaign between Akron and Columbus. However, Fedroff will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December, so what is his future in the organization moving forward? Steve takes a look after the jump.

The Cleveland Indians made their first move of the offseason Saturday as they acquired Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed reliever Esmil Rogers. Aviles appeared in 136 games for the Boston Red Sox last season and hit .250 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.

A handful of Indians prospects were in action last night in a number of winter leagues. Jose Ramirez put together his best performance so far in the DWL, and Tim Fedroff launched his first home run of the winter season. All this and more as the IPI's Steve Orbanek takes you Around the Farm.

The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with the latest edition of his Winter Ball Notebook. Carlos Moncrief was removed from the taxi squad this week and should be performing regularly for the remainder of the AFL season. Plus, Steve touches on catcher Alex Monsalve and how he has started to heat up at the plate and first baseman Jesus Aguilar's surprising absence this past week in the VWL.

T.J. McFarland just completed an up-and-down season for the Akron Aeros and Columbus Clippers. Now, the left-handed starter is very much on the radar of the Major League club. But what does the future hold for McFarland? Is he a pitcher in the mold of Aaron Laffey or Jeremy Sowers? Or is he something more? The IPI's Steve Orbanek looks back at McFarland's career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

After a long hiatus, Jim Pete and Steve Orbanek return to the cyberwaves tonight with CSI: Cleveland Sports Insiders. The show will now air in two half-hour increments every Tuseday night from 11:00 to 11:30 p.m. EST and 12:00 to 12:30 a.m. EST. The guys will touch on many topics tonight including the debut of this year's Cavaliers as well as the recent resurgence shown by the Browns. All this and more when the guys go live tonight at 11:00 p.m.

Chun-Hsiu Chen has been one of the best offensive performers in the Indians system for years. Yet, because of his lack of power, his future is now uncertain since he made the switch to first base prior to the 2012 season. What does the future hold for Chen? The IPI's Steve Orbanek takes a look as he recaps Chen's career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

It was a quiet night for Indians players in the fall and winter leagues Friday. Tyler Holt continued his recent strong showing the AFL, and Alex Monsalve put together his best performance so far in the league. The IPI's Steve Orbanek provides all the stats and recaps the action as he takes you Around the Farm.

The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with the Winter Ball Notebook. In the piece, Steve provides all the winter stats for Indians players and touches on the hot-hitting Ronny Rodriguez as well as the slumping Jesus Aguilar. Plus, left-handed starter T.J. House continues to make a case that he could one day be a Major League contributor.

Winter leagues continued on Friday, which means a number of Indians players were in action. Jesus Aguilar and Tim Fedroff each recorded hits for their respective teams, and T.J. House put together a brilliant performance in the AFL. The IPI's Steve Orbanek provides all the stats and recaps all the action after the jump.

It's hard to believe but numerous winter leagues have already been in action for over a full week now. The Indians have a handful of players competing in the different leagues, so there's certainly plenty of reasons for fans to pay close attention. Though sometimes that can get pretty difficult, so the IPI's Steve Orbanek is here to help as he recaps all the action and provides all the stats in his Winter Notebook.

The lack of impact arms in the Indians farm system has been addressed on many occasions. However, thankfully, there does seem to be one pitcher that currently projects as an "impact arm." Danny Salazar just completed a brilliant 2012 campaign and is now very much on the radar of the big league club. The IPI's Steve Orbanek looks back at his career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

Winter and fall leagues are beginning to heat up, and the Indians had players playing in both the Arizona Fall League and the Venezuela Winter League on Friday. Jesus Aguilar put together a nice showing in Venezuela while Shawn Armstrong continues to show why he was a deserving recipient of the 2012 Tony Award for Reliever of the Year.

The Instructional League wrapped up for the 2012 season on Thursday. Joe Wendle, D'Vone McClure and Kieran Lovegrove all ended their 2012 seasons with solid performances. Plus, the Parallel League was in action once again, and Kyle Bellows came through big time for the second time this week. The IPI's Steve Orbanek provides all the statistics from both games after the jump.

The Instructional League and Parallel League were both in action again on Wednesday. Tyler Naquin, Claudio Bautista and Anthony Gallas all recorded hits for their teams while Jordan Cooper continued his string of impressive performances. Steve Orbanek provides all the statistics from both games and recaps yesterday's Arizona Fall League action after the jump.

The Parallel League was once again in action Tuesday. LeVon Washington showed signs that he may be coming out of his slump while Jerrud Sabourin also collected a big hit. Plus, the Arizona Fall League kicked off yesterday as well, and three Indians players were in action. Steve Orbanek recaps all the action and provides all the statistics after the jump.