Indians Prospect Insider

On Wednesday afternoon the Indians added yet another non-roster invite to their big league camp this spring when they officially inked free agent infielder Cristian Guzman to a minor league deal. He is a long shot, but he has the defense and experience to maybe be a big league utility option if he is healthy this spring.

The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with another former Top 15 prospect that has slipped the past few years because of an arm injury. Perez missed all of last season, but had a promising showing in Instructional League in the fall and should be ready to pitch for a full season affiliate early on this year. Tony gives an update on his health, his stuff, and if his future is still bright.

Welcome new writer Jim Berdysz to the fold. He is a student at Cleveland State University and the sports editor of the CSU newspaper "The Cleveland Stater" and has been a feature reporter for The Bleacher Report. In his first offering he takes a quick look at Jason Kipnis and how second base is his job for as long as he continues to perform.

Here is a free non-premium view of left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz's 2012 scouting report in my new book. The Indians traded him on Tuesday to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations, and with that another once promising arm did not live up to his potential due to injuries and command issues.

The Indians traded left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz to the Texas Rangers today. So ends another career of a minor league pitcher in the Indians' system that had loads of potential but never realized it as an Indian.

According to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian, the Cleveland Indians are nearing a minor league deal with SS Cristian Guzman with an invite to major league camp. The deal will likely become official on Wednesday.
Guzman stated he will play all over the infield, creating more versitility for the Tribe this season. This also marks a reunitement between Cristian Guzman and Manny Acta, who Acta managed...

Outfielder Tim Fedroff comes in at #44 as we continue with the IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown. He has had a good minor league career and made it all the way up to Triple-A Columbus last season. Tony provides the details on whether or not he is in the big league mix, what he needs to do to get there, and more.

Much has obviously been made of the impact Fielder will make in Detroit... so how will Cleveland handle it? What are his weaknesses? Can he be pitched around? How has he done against the Indians historically? The questions are circulating and some of the advanced numbers shed light on how the Indians will have to handle Fielder in 2012 and beyond.

Up next in the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 prospect countdown is a very promising catcher out of high school the Indians selected in the 7th round of last year's draft. Haase is very raw, but has a lot of potential and the athleticism and skills to climb up these rankings in seasons to come. Tony gives the 411 on where he is at with his development and where it could go.

Prospect rankings have been flying all over the place the past few weeks. With so much emphasis of late on the prospects in the Indians' system and their stars of tomorrow, Greg Dew takes a look at the Indians' roster a few years from now and makes some predictions on what it will look like.

We are moving along into the middle 40s of the IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown, and today a former Top 10 prospect Hector Rondon slides in at #46. Two serious elbow injuries the past two years have stalled his career and his future is questionable, but when he is healthy the goods are certainly there to be a top pitching prospect. Tony looks at his stuff, his injury history, and outlook with the Tribe.

Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear today for physicals. Spring Training is officially here. In today's weekly Sunday rundown of the happenings with the Indians, Tony takes a look at the imminent Jon Garland signing, the improvements of Jeanmar Gomez, the commitment of ownership to scouting, and lots more.

The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown rolls along with a Latin American catcher the Indians signed in July of 2008 to a then club record international signing bonus. Monsalve has since made his way up the Indians' system by moving up a level each year and has established himself as a legit Major League catching prospect. Tony gives the details on his potential and his big league future.

A few quick updates on the site with what has been a crazy week getting things working properly and making some adjustments and enhancements along the way. Also an apology to those that may have had some login issues, a quick update on the new book, and some subscription information.

The 2012 Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown continues with another pitcher from the 2011 Draft, this time a college righty that threw a perfect game for Virginia last season. Roberts is an advanced pitcher with a low ceiling, but Tony gives us the details on what that ceiling is and what kind of pitcher he could become for the Tribe.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Lowe both struggled through a frustrating season 2011. Both pitchers are set to begin their first full seasons with the Tribe in 2012 and will be key pieces to the starting rotation. Can fans expect bounce back seasons from the two? A deeper look into the numbers shows what changed for them last year....now it is just a matter of correcting it.