In this week's second edition of Minor Happenings, Tony takes a long, hard look at the Triple-A Columbus roster. He takes a look at the hot hitting Tim Fedroff, Ezequiel Carrera and Jared Goedert and provides insight and analysis on whether they are big league options for the Indians anytime soon, provides several interesting comments from Ross Atkins on how they handle players that are affected by trades as well as some thoughts on Vinny Rottino and J.C. Romero, and more.
The Carolina Mudcats shutout the Myrtle Beach Pelicans behind an oustanding pitching performance from starter Mike Rayl 5-0 on Wednesday night. After a 29 minute rain delay, Rayl came out and was dominant, as he did not give up a hit until there was one out in the fifth. He wound up going seven scoreless innings, surrendering four hits and striking out two.
The Mudcats couldn't hit this week, and they really couldn't pitch much. Put that all together, and your week isn't going to go very well. The Mudcats quest for the second half took a bit of a snag after a struggling week that saw a long losing streak, which coincided with a suspension by two of the Mudcats best players. Check out the week as we go Fishing with the Mudcats...
With the trade deadline now in the past and my vacation but a distant memory, it is time to get back into the swing of things with Minor Happenings as we head down the home stretch of the minor league season. Today, Tony provides updates on the departing Steven Wright and incoming Lars Anderson, the recent impressive performances from lefties T.J. House and Danny Jimenez, all sorts of goodies from Farm Director Ross Atkins on some pitchers in the system, an update on the health of Jeremie Tice, and more.
The Carolina Mudcats (19-18) squeezed out a 2-1 win against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (22-15) to open up a three game series. The Mudcats got two, two out hits in the bottom of the first to drive in their only runs of the game. That would be all the offense the Mudcats would need as the pitching was fantastic on the night.
For the second straight game, Anthony Gallas had the big hit as the Carolina Mudcats defeated the Wilmington Blue Rocks 5-2 to claim their first road series since winning three of four at Lynchburg, April 23-26. Carolina (19-18, 51-56) finished the road trip 2-5. Wilmington drops to 18-18 in the second half, 47-59 overall.
Anthony Gallas found himself in an opportune spot on Saturday night, and delivered his biggest hit of the season to help the Carolina Mudcats snap a season-long, six-game losing streak. Gallas crushed a grand slam out to left of Frawley Stadium, and the Mudcats toppled the Wilmington Blue Rocks 8-4 in a rain-shortened contest.
Wilmington, DE - The Carolina Mudcats dropped a Friday night game at Frawley Stadium to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, 6-2. The loss was the sixth straight for the Mudcats, tying a season-long. The Mudcats (17-18, 49-56) jumped out to an early lead when Delvi Cid scored from third on a throwing error by third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert. However, the Blue Rocks (18-16, 47-57) responded with crooked numbers in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings to pull away.
The Carolina Mudcats failed to find a solution to foil the red-hot Winston-Salem Dash, dropping an 11-1 decision on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark in the final game of the season series. The Dash (19-16, 63-40) finished 14-6 in the 2012 regular season against the Mudcats (17-17, 49-55) after sweeping the four-game series.
Every winter, Tony Lastoria produces the preeminent Indians prospect rankings each winter. With the season in full swing, and our massive website being Tony's major focus, Jim Pete has modified the top 22, taking into account performance, the draft, and several other criteria over the course of the first 2/3rds of the season. You must have a subscription to view #2-7, #9-#14 and #16-#22, but the players residing at #1, #8 and #15 are free! Here's a look at #1 (and more), after the jump....
Winston-Salem, NC – After staking a 5-1 lead thanks to a patented offensive outburst, the Carolina Mudcats surrendered six unanswered to the Winston-Salem Dash in a 7-5 loss at BB&T Ballpark on Wednesday night.
The Mudcats can't find any consistency this season, other than to be consistently inconsistent. While the offense seemed to find their groove without their big bopper doing much of anything, their rotation and their bullpen did about what was expected, and tread water, reversing roles week after week. Tune into this week's Fishing for Mudcats, to see the High A Mudcats at their best...
A lot of people think that being a minor league player or coach is a glamorous lifestyle, but that is far from the truth. The reality is that for those with families it requires a strong commitment from all parties involved while they deal with all of the travel, time apart, ever-changing living arrangements, and low pay. Tony recently sat down and talked to the the wives of Lake County coaches Dave Wallace and Jeff Harris to get their side of the minor league lifestyle.
Tony is back with another edition of "The Radar Report" that has lots of gun readings on several Indians' prospects in the system. This is a premium site feature which posts about once a month and provides the fastball and secondary velocities of players in the Indians' organization that he sees. This week's report includes information on several High-A Carolina arms.
The Winston-Salem Dash revved up the running game, and scored eight runs over the final three innings to pull away for a 12-3 victory on Monday night at BB&T Ballpark.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!
