Indians Prospect Insider

There's only two days left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, so in the spirit of the season, the IBI's Steve Orbanek debuts the first edition of the Spring Training Notebook. This week, Steve looks at five burning questions for the Indians as the team heads into spring training. Who will be the team's fifth starter and who will fill in as backup catcher? Steve offers his take on these questions and more after the jump.

One’s first season playing pro ball is full of adjustments, lessons and personal tests. Cleveland Indians infielder Joe Wendle understands the importance of learning everywhere, from between the foul lines to off the field. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recently caught up with him to get caught up with how his offseason is going and what he is looking forward to this season.

The Cleveland Indians have announced the broadcast times for all of their spring training and regular season games, and the broadcast schedule for all of their games on radio and TV as well. Six spring training games will air in March and a total of 161 games will air on SportsTime Ohio and nationally on Fox this season.

The winter ball season officially ended for all Indians players last night as Mexico outlasted Republica Dominana in 18 innings for a hard fought 4-3 win, and the title of baseball champions of the Caribbean. Join Arthur Kinney as he recaps the game, wraps up the performance of some Indians' players in the Caribbean Series, and more.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with left-handed pitcher Shawn Morimando. Morimando is one of the more promising young pitchers in the Indians’ system because he is so young, raw, and inexperienced, but shows a lot of ability already and more is expected to come with his command and stuff. Tony breaks down what he brings to the table as an athletic lefty, and some areas where he could see improvement in this detailed scouting report.

On Thursday the Cleveland Indians announced that they have signed infielder Mike Aviles to a two-year $6 million contract that includes a club option for the 2015 season. His signing brings all arbitration eligible players under contract for the 2013 season, and keeps the Indians streak intact of not going to arbitration since 1991 (Swindell, Browne). They also announced the signing of lefty Rich Hill to a minor league contract.

While all eyes will be on Justin Masterson, Brett Myers and Ubaldo Jimenez to carry the load for the Cleveland Indians questionable rotation, the key to the Indians season may rest on the shoulders of Carlos Carrasco and Zach McAllister. Might the #4 and potential #5 starters prove to be more important than the rest? Join Jim Pete as he wraps up the hot stove Corner of Carnegie and Ontario with some rotation talk, and a look at Bourn and Lohse...

That time of the year is nearly here! Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Goodyear, Arizona in the very near future and the offseason is almost behind us. In the interest of keeping things fresh and not bland here at IBI, Jim Piascik and Steve Orbanek decided to preview the 2013 Cleveland Indians in an unconventional way, sending e-mails back and forth to figure out where they stand on the team heading into Spring Training. Today, Steve and Jim take a crack at the infield.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with catcher Yan Gomes. The Indians acquired Gomes in an offseason trade from the Blue Jays and he is in the mix this spring to make the opening day roster as a versatile player off the bench. So what exactly does this newcomer bring to the Indians and what future does he have in the big leagues? Tony breaks it all down in this detailed scouting report.

In the weeks leading up to Opening Day the IBI will be doing all sorts of previews and breakdowns of the Indians from the big leagues down to the minors. One the features will be an in-depth look at several Indians whose performance is critical to the team’s success in 2013. Michael Goodman kicks things off with the man who may be the most important of all, Justin Masterson.

The IBI's Steve Orbanek returns with his weekly staple Then & Now, which takes a closer look at right-handed reliever Matt Langwell this week. Between his performance with the Clippers and in Puerto Rican Winter League, Langwell had a stellar 2012 campaign and now finds himself among the Tribe's non-roster invitees to Spring Training. What does the future hold for Langwell? Steve ponders after the jump.

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with outfielder Jorge Martinez. Yes, that's right, Martinez has moved from shortstop to third base last year and is now moving to the outfield this season. Tony explains the move, talks about the incremental strides he is making with his approach and body, and goes into detail on all of his positives and negatives in this detailed scouting report.

Welcome to the continuation of this week's edition of the IBI Power Poll. Today's poll focuses on the best Indians' outfielders of all time and Jim Pete lists his Top 15 and give you a chance to vote....after the jump. The IBI Power Poll takes a look at a relevant topic of the time, an all-time list, or just something that we're talking about here at the IBI home offices. There's nothing like a list to spur a debate, so join us in our lively banter with our weekly polls!

Today the Cleveland Indians announced that they have signed free agent catcher Omir Santos to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to Major League spring training camp. He will add to the Indians catching depth this spring and be an option for assignment to Triple-A Columbus.

The Round Robin stage of the Caribbean Series is two-thirds the way over. With the tournament's hump-day now in the rearview mirror, it's a perfect time for the IBI's Arthur Kinney to take a look at the performance thus far of the Tribe's Jose Ramirez, Rob Bryson, and Ezequiel...um, what's that? Eze's not here?!

The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with right-handed pitcher Cody Anderson. Anderson is still a little rough around the edges and is more of a projection at this point, but has the work ethic, aptitude, and stuff to be a whole lot more and is an interesting starting pitching prospect for the Indians. This coming season will tell a lot about him, and Tony breaks down all the good and bad with him as a prospect in yet another detailed scouting report.