Players

Up next in the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 prospect countdown is a very promising catcher out of high school the Indians selected in the 7th round of last year's draft. Haase is very raw, but has a lot of potential and the athleticism and skills to climb up these rankings in seasons to come. Tony gives the 411 on where he is at with his development and where it could go.

We are moving along into the middle 40s of the IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown, and today a former Top 10 prospect Hector Rondon slides in at #46. Two serious elbow injuries the past two years have stalled his career and his future is questionable, but when he is healthy the goods are certainly there to be a top pitching prospect. Tony looks at his stuff, his injury history, and outlook with the Tribe.

The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown rolls along with a Latin American catcher the Indians signed in July of 2008 to a then club record international signing bonus. Monsalve has since made his way up the Indians' system by moving up a level each year and has established himself as a legit Major League catching prospect. Tony gives the details on his potential and his big league future.

The 2012 Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with another pitcher from the 2011 Draft, this time a college righty that threw a perfect game for Virginia last season. Roberts is an advanced pitcher with a low ceiling, but Tony gives us the details on what that ceiling is and what kind of pitcher he could become for the Tribe.

The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with a young lefty the Indians selected in the 19th round of last year's draft out of high school. The Indians lured him away from college with a sizable bonus and really like his upside, and Tony provides all the details on what is liked about his potential and more.

We kick off the 2012 Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown with shortstop Juan Diaz, an infielder that the Indians added to the 40-man roster this offseason. The Indians must have liked something to roster him, and Tony lays out all his strengths and weaknesses and what his future may hold with the Indians.

Spring training is right around the corner, and one player that is looking forward to the new season is infielder Casey Frawley. Tony gets his thoughts on a frustrating 2011 season where he battled some vision issues and what he is looking forward to in 2012.

Being in the minor leagues is all about proving yourself, but for these five players, 2012 will be even more critical on their quest to proving that they belong in the Cleveland Indians' long-term plans.
Two weeks ago, I listed the five most exciting prospects for 2012.Continuing on with this theme, now I'll take a look at the five Tribe prospects with the most to prove in 2012. Whether they're...

We are about a month away from the opening of minor league camp as pitchers and catchers report March 5th and position players report March 9th.
One player looking forward to reporting is right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair as he is anxious to wipe the bad taste out of his mouth from a disappointing 2011 campaign. In 24 combined appearances (14 starts) between rookie level Arizona and Low-A Lake...

These are the "can't miss kids". Players that are former members of the Top 100 Prospect club as named by Baseball America. With over a thousand players in the minors every season, at one time these "can't miss kids" were considered the best 100 prospects going into that season and were thought to end up being at worst solid major leaguers.
Each player had a pedigree and now has a few flaws...

Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Bieber have more in common than you may think...
Huh?
Well, both were ‘discovered’ by YouTube and became instant viral icons. If you have been M.I.A. of late, you can see the showcase and the encore of the Cespedes scouting satire here. Bieber was signed by musician Usher while Cespedes is rumored to ink with one of six potential MLB clubs. Though...

The Cleveland Indians announced yesterday afternoon that they signed reliever Dan Wheeler to a minor league deal. The 34-year old Wheeler is a 12-year veteran right-hander who has spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent last season with the Boston Red Sox, going 2-2, with a 4.38 ERA, while striking out 39 batters and walking only eight in 49 1/3 innings pitched.
The move...

I have to confess: I’m a sucker for left-handed pitchers.
It has nothing to do with any great disdain for right-handed pitchers or any real reason whatsoever other than the fact I have always loved watching a baseball game when a lefty is thrown on the hill. With the game so right-handed dominated, it is like watching the game through a mirror as everything is backwards.
I’m...

Editor's Note: This is the first posting from Jim Piascik here at the IPI. He will be writing about all things Cleveland this season with a special focus on Double-A Akron.
Despite the fact that the Cleveland Indians’ top 4 prospects are either no longer prospects (Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall) or with the Colorado Rockies (Alex White and Drew Pomeranz), there are still...

Editor's Note: This is the debut piece of another new writer on the IPI, Sean Mahon. He will be writing about various topics surrounding the Cleveland Indians for the site.
If you take a look around the AL Central, you’ll notice a household list of tenured first baseman: Paul Konerko and his 13 seasons with the White Sox, Justin Morneau and his nine with the Twins, Miguel Cabrera and his...

The offseason continues to roll along. By now most of the players in the Cleveland Indians’ system from the minors to the majors are well into their preseason workouts in preparation for the new season.
Some of those preseason workouts have been interrupted this week as the Indians invited a select few players to come to Cleveland for their annual Winter Development Program. Eleven Indians...