Indians Prospect Insider

The Cleveland Indians sent struggling second baseman Luis Valbuena to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, a move that was long overdue after he hit a miserable .166 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 49 games with the Indians this year.
Kudos to the Indians for finally making the move.
But the pats on the back stop there.
Instead of pulling from within and calling up infielder Josh...

The Cleveland Indians announced they have acquired outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and shortstop Juan Diaz from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for infielder Russell Branyan and cash or a player to be named later.
Carrera, 22, has spent the entire 2010 season to date at AAA Tacoma as he has hit .268 (57-213) with 24 runs scored, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 18 RBI in 64 games. He has stolen 9 bases...

Packer Leads Captains to 5-0 Win
Matt Packer threw eight scoreless innings and Roberto Perez had four hits to lead the Lake County Captains to a 5-0 shutout over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Saturday. The Captains have thrown four shutouts this season and are off to a 2-0 start in the second half of the season.
Jeremie Tice led off the top of the fourth inning with a double and...

"Minor Happenings" is a weekly column which covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.
Lots and lots of stuff to...

Clippers hold on in series opener, 7-5
The Columbus Clippers defeated the Gwinnett Braves, 7-5 on Friday night at Huntington Park. The win gave Clippers' manager, Mike Sarbaugh, his 500th of his career and also put Columbus 15 games above .500, matching their best mark this season.
The Clippers took over the lead in the sixth inning as they scored four runs on five hits after trailing...

For most players on the Scrappers roster, this was their first week of playing professional baseball and the team as a whole has struggled. After taking two out of three from Jamestown to start the season, Mahoning Valley has now lost their last four games.
"It's really difficult to throw quality pitches, especially early in the year," said Scrappers manager Travis Fryman. "Most of your college...

"Indians Minor League Magazine" is a half hour program on the Cleveland Indians cable network SportsTime Ohio (STO) which airs weekly on Tuesday nights from 6:00-6:30 PM EST. The show recaps all of the highlights from the week that was in the Cleveland Indians farm system with lots of video, interviews, and in-studio guests.
The show recaps the week that was in the system and also features...

Aeros Take Series With Squirrels, Win 3-2
The Aeros defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels Thursday afternoon at Canal Park by the final score of 3-2 despite three fielding errors and a 19-minute rain delay. The rubber match of this three-game series turned into a drawn-out pitcher

Today the Cleveland Indians announced they have claimed infielder Jayson Nix off outright waivers and have added him to the Major League roster. The Indians also optioned right-handed pitcher Jensen Lewis and infielder Luis Valbuena to AAA Columbus. To allow room on the 40-man roster for Nix, the Indians have designated right-handed pitcher Shane Lindsay for assignment.
Nix, 27, was recently...

Three Cleveland Indians minor league players have been charged with felonious assault per a report in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Double-A Akron first baseman Beau Mills and infielder/outfielder Jerad Head along with Triple-A Columbus right-handed starting pitcher Josh Tomlin have been arrested per the report, an incident which occurred on June 3rd at a nightclub in Akron called Whiskey Dick's...

The Cleveland Indians need left-handed relievers.
Rafael Perez and Tony Sipp continue to struggle at the big league level. Jeremy Sowers is the only left-handed relief option at Triple-A Columbus, and he has had problems adapting to the new role (1-4, 6.26 ERA, 17 games). And at Double-A Akron there are no left-handed relievers, though at some point many feel Nick Hagadone could be moved...

Drennan Delivers As Aeros Win 5-4
Right fielder John Drennen provided a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Aeros to a 5-4 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels Wednesday night at Canal Park. A crowd of 3,396 fans in downtown Akron witnessed Drennen and second baseman Jason Kipnis lead the Akron offense while both were oddly dressed in old-fashioned stirrups....

Lake County Captains catcher Chun Chen has been named to the World Team for the 12th annual XM All-Star Futures Game to be played on Sunday, July 11 in Anaheim, California. Akron Aeros third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall will also represent the Indians organization and play for the United States team. The XM All-Star Futures Game pits the top American-born prospects against a 25-man World roster comprised...

Columbus offensive outburst beats Rochester, 10-5
The Columbus Clippers defeated the Rochester Red Wings, 10-5 in what looked to be a hitting clinic at Frontier Field on Tuesday night. In the game, there were three home runs, two for Columbus and one for Rochester, as well as Columbus tallying three double and two triples.
Jose Constanza opened up the scoring in the top of the second...

Two years ago at this time, Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Clayton Cook was on top of the world after being selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 9th round of the 2008 Draft as a high school senior at Amarillo High School in Texas.
Cook, who turns 20 in July, was set to pitch at the University of Oklahoma on a full scholarship, but chose to sign with the Indians right away out...

The Indians today announced they have recalled right-handed reliever Joe Smith from Triple-A Columbus. Smith assumes the roster spot on the 25-man roster of left-handed starter David Huff who was optioned to Columbus yesterday.
This will mark Smith