Indians Prospect Insider

The Cleveland Indians continued their spring decent down the other side of the mountain on Sunday afternoon, as the Los Angeles Dodgers used a big inning and a big home run to blow open a pitcher's duel in the seventh inning, carrying them to a 5-1 victory over the Indians.The Tribe bullpen showcased perhaps their three biggest arms in Vinnie Pestano, Cody Allen and Nick Hagadone, and they didn't disappoint...for the most part...

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone. Hagadone has all the goods to be a dominating presence at the backed of a Major League bullpen, and showed that up until his final three weeks of action last season when everything fell apart and he suffered a self-inflicted hand injury. The Indians need a power armed lefty in the pen, and Tony looks at what stuff he brings, what he needs to get better at, and more in this detailed scouting report.

Tony returns from his vacation with another edition of the Happenings to check in on how things are going for the Indians in spring training. He talks about the Carlos Carrasco suspension and how the Indians may work around it, the injuries that are starting to pile up, takes a closer look at Corey Kluber and what value he truly brings to the team, updates us on how Rule 5 picks TJ McFarland and Hector Rondon are doing, provides the full 11-game TV schedule for the Indians this spring, and more!

The power of Ryan Raburn enflamed Goodyear Ballpark once again on Saturday as the utility player continued to state his case for the Indians bench this season as he clubbed his fourth home run of the young Cactus League campaign as part of the Indians’ six-run first inning. But the fun did not last long as Ubaldo Jimenez and the pitching staff came unraveled in the third inning to allow seven runs.

The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder Anthony Santander. If not for the amazing season that Dorssys Paulino had in the Arizona League last year, then Santander would have probably received a lot more attention for the great pro debut he had himself. Tony provides lots of insight into what his upside is, what his strengths and weaknesses are, and what is in store for him this coming season in this detailed scouting report.

Though the pitching wasn’t pretty, the Indians salvaged a 9-7 victory in the late innings on Friday against the White Sox. Justin Masterson struggled, but a cast of non-regulars were the difference as Cord Phelps, Matt Carson, and Mike McDade had good games to lead the Indians to victory.

Indians closer Chris Perez has been shelved with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder and will not throw for the next seven to ten days. He will begin a return to throwing program as soon as he is asymptomatic, and is expected to be out of game action for at least three to four weeks. Also, Frank Herrmann has been shut down with a right elbow strain.

It's been an incredible week at the plate for Ryan Raburn, who could now be positioned as a frontrunner for one of the Indians' bench jobs. Also, roster hopefuls Trevor Bauer and Yan Gomes continue to impress, but does either player have a legitimate shot at making the Major League roster? The IBI's Steve Orbanek touches on these players and more in this week's edition of the Spring Training Notebook.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed releiver Chen-Chang Lee. Called C.C. Lee for short, he was off to a hot start last season before a serious elbow injury sidelined him in mid-April and resulted in Tommy John surgery. Tony gives an update on his rehab and return back to the mound, what his expectations for this season are, and what his future holds with the Indians in this detailed scouting report.

The once-hot Cleveland Indians don't look so hot anymore as the team lost its third straight Spring Training game on Thursday. Pitching was a major problem for the Indians as right-hander Zach McAllister allowed five runs in his two innings of work. Vinnie Pestano and Daisuke Matzusaka also had so-so outings, but there were a few positive takeaways. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps all the action and offers some positive points.

Here are the final winter ball statistics for all Cleveland Indians players that participated in fall/winter ball action out in the Arizona Fall League, Australian Baseball League, Dominican Winter League, Puerto Rico Winter League, and Venezuela Winter League. These stats include all the playoff stats for the Latin American leagues, something MLB.com and MiLB.com do not do.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder D'Vone McClure. McClure the kind of player that will need a lot of patience and development before his true baseball skills show, so in the meantime he is a player you can dream on because of his tremendous athleticism, plethora of tools, and unlimited upside. Tony goes into detail why he is so exciting as a prospect, what his future holds, and areas of concern with his game in this detailed scouting report.

After beginning the spring season with five straight wins, the Cleveland Indians lost their second straight game Wednesday after the Tribe fell 5-1 to the Seattle Mariners. The Tribe only mustered five hits, but there were still impressive outings from some players, including Nick Hagadone and Yan Gomes. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he touches on those performances and offers some takeaways from the Spring Training defeat.

The Cleveland Indians sold out their home opener in six-minutes, bringing back memories of the 90's when the Tribe front office managed to sell out entire seasons prior to opening day. The Indians offense has given fans a reason to hope for good things to come, but this season will depend on one thing: Starting Pitching. The starters show up this week at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario. The big question is, will they show up once the season starts?

When you play 198 (hopefully more) games in a season, you are not going to win them all, and the Indians encountered their first taste of defeat in 2013 on Tuesday. However, this is still Spring Training, where the final result never tells the whole story of the day. Here to examine that story in further depth is the IBI's Arthur Kinney...