The Indians completed another week of Spring Training games this past week, and the team's record of 12-7 is now tied for second in the Cactus League. Lonnie Chisenhall continues to heat up at the plate while the Indians received some unfortunate news this week after it was announced right-hander Frank Herrmann had undergone Tommy John surgery and would be out for a year. The IBI's Steve Orbanek touches on both of these points and many more in this week's edition of the Spring Training Notebook.
It's hard not to be somewhat concerned with what happened on the Goodyear Ballpark mound on Thursday, especially in regards to big club fourth starter Zach McAllister. He struggled in his outing as did fellow righty Trevor Bauer who ran into some trouble late in the game. The IB's Arthur Kinney recaps the the action...
As has been the case in each of the past four seasons, left-hander David Huff entered this year's Spring Training as a candidate for a spot in the starting rotation. However, Tribe skipper Terry Francona has since said Huff is no longer competing for that spot and can only make the team as a member of the Indians' bullpen. So, what does the future hold for Huff? Take a look as the left-hander is featured in this week's edition of Then & Now.
Minor league spring training is in full swing, and over the next few weeks players will work their way to make a full season roster. With the new season on the horizon, Tony takes a look at the upcoming decisions with players and how several players will be handled this season. From that you can really get a good feel for their prospect value and who may stick around in the organization this season.
Ubaldo Jimenez wasn't perfect, but he was better. The Cleveland Indians will need their starting pitching to come through in 2013 for the team to make a legitimate playoff run. While you can never count on the spring training games to guarantee success, this start was certainly a step in the right direction for the Indians' righty.
The Indians have gone from a slow-ish, non-athletic team that depended on walks, to an athletic, speedy team that will depend on big hits and stolen bases. Will that translate into a winning season? The team is also ripe with new leadership, that should help foster the growing number of young players that could emerge over the coming years. Will this new brand of Indians baseball mesh together under the tutelage of Terry Francona?
On Tuesday the Cleveland Indians announced right-handed reliever Frank Herrmann underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in New York City. Dr. David Altchek performed a ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction on Herrmann, who will miss the entire 2013 season and has an expected rehabilitation period of 12-to-18 months.
Left-hander Scott Kazmir has been the talk of Indians camp. Monday's game with the Angels was aired on tape delay by MLB Network at 3 am ET in the morning on Tuesday, and for a few Tribe fans that have MLB Network or who bothered to watch it live or DVRed it, it was the first chance to actually “see” him pitch. Tony watched the game and provides some objective commentary on how he really looked in his start.
Scott Kazmir’s resume for the Indians’ starting rotation just got longer as the left-hander only allowed three hits and one walk and had four punchouts in four dominant shutout innings. Good pitching by both the Angels and Indians led to a scoreless tie at Goodyear Ballpark on Monday. The Indians move to 11-6-1 in Cactus League play this spring while Los Angeles is now 3-10-1.
Terry Francona named Zach McAllister his fourth starter after the righty has pitched well in his last two starts. Now the focus turns to the final spot in the rotation. Will it be Carlos Carrasco, who has missed over a year and has a suspension to face? Is it Kazmir who has missed a year, and seems reborn? Is it Dice K, who has a prior relationship with Francona, or is it Trevor Bauer, the future ace? You make the call...
On Monday the Indians announced several roster moves, the biggest of which was the addition of left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to the 40-man roster. His addition appears to have locked up a spot for him in the Indians' opening day bullpen. To make room on the 40-man roster the Indians placed right-handed pitcher Blake Wood on the 60-day disabled list.
The IBI's Michael Goodman returns with his second look into the key players for the 2013 Cleveland Indians and this time focuses in on third basemen Lonnie Chisenhall. Chisenhall enters 2013 as the biggest wildcard of the Indians’ position players as he struggled with an arm injury and consistency issues last season. The Indians hope that 2013 marks a breakout campaign for the former top-prospect who no longer will have to fight Jack Hannahan for the position in 2013.
It was a tale of two Brett Myers in Goodyear on Sunday as the Tribe fell to the Texas Rangers 7-6. Was it a symptom of Myers' attempt to return to starting after a year in the bullpen, is it a sign that there may have been a reason the Astros put him there, or just a really bad inning that happened to come at the end of his outing? Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he looks at this and other issues in greater detail from the first day of 4:05 Cleveland time spring ball...
IBI contributer Jake Dungan takes an initial look at Terry Francona's announcement that Zach McAllister has been named the #4 starter for the Cleveland Indians to start the 2013 season.
The Indians passed the halfway mark in spring training this past week and as of today have just under three weeks left in camp. There have been many surprises and a few disappointments so far, and some position battles are starting to come into focus. Tony touches on all that and also checks in with some updates on some old friends from last year's team, gives some of his thoughts on the World Baseball Classic, and more.
BALLGAME!!! It's another Tribe Spring Training win and the performances behind the linescore are just as stellar. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he looks back on a wonderful day in Wahooland and also takes a moment to reflect on the sorry state of Team USA's World Baseball Classic effort...
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!
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