In this week's IPI Stock Watch, with the first half of the season coming to close Tony reviews the season to date and notes which players have improved or hurt the stock they had at the start of the season. In today's piece he makes note of several players at every level of the Indians' system, namely Cody Allen, Corey Kluber, Tim Fedroff, Steven Wright, Nick Weglarz, Tony Wolters, Will Roberts, Jordan Smith, Robel Garcia, Felix Sterling and many more.
Left-hander T.J. House has come back this season and rekindled his prospect status. It all started with his offseason workouts and his commitment to conditioning and nutrition, and it carried over from there to getting his mechanics in line and his command back on track. The result to date has been impressive, and Nathan Kemp recently had a chance to sit down and talk with him about his comeback season.
Wow, what a ballgame last night. The Indians got a much needed win and shot in the arm when Asdrubal Cabrera deposited a two-run homer into the right-center field seats to give the Indians a stunning 3-2 win in extra innings over the Reds. With the win and a White Sox loss, the Indians are now back in first place in the AL Central. Charlie Adams has his "second thoughts" on the game...
Juan Romero hit his third homer in his first two ball games with Mahoning Valley, announcing his presence with authority. Corey Kluber continued to rise up the rankings with another dominating performance for the Clippers. Nick Weglarz is up to .251 on the season, and Bryan Price grabbed his fourth save. Won't you come cycling with tonight's top player on ATF? Find out who got out their bike for the Clippers...after the jump...
The Akron Aeros added a pair of wins against the Binghamton Mets, 6-4 and 4-2, in a double-header Tuesday night at Canal Park to increase their record to a league-leading 44-25. The Aeros resumed play from their suspended game against Binghamton tied 2-2 after five innings, but the tie was quickly broken after Nick Weglarz hit a solo homerun to right field to give Akron a 3-2 lead.
Juan Romero continued his dominant streak amid a heartbreaking loss for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Tuesday night. The Scrappers faced off with the Jamestown Jammers in their second game of the season, but the outcome was not what the Scrappers expected as they struggled to gain offensive momentum and get on base, losing 3-1.
The Clippers’ bats were out in full force Tuesday night as Columbus throttled the Charlotte Knights on way to a 13-2 victory. Columbus (34-38) had 19 hits—four doubles, two home runs—and scored in five of their nine at-bats in Charlotte. The win comes one day after the Clippers struggled at the plate in a 5-2 loss in which they had just five hits and left five runners on base.
With a 42-25 record on the year, the Aeros aren't used to losing very often, yet they did just that over the past week, dropping 5 of 8 games on the road. As always, let Jim Piascik take you through the highs and lows of the Aeros from the past week and find out who is doing well (hint: it's Nick Weglarz) and who needs to get things together.
Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Joe Colon is having another good season for the Indians. He was rewarded for his good season to date by being named to the Midwest League All Star team, a game which is being played tonight. Stephanie Metzger recently sat down with Colon and talked about his season and where it may go from here....
Smoke Signals returns to the cyberwaves tonight, and Jim and Tony will give their thoughts on the second Battle of Ohio series between the Reds and Indians. They will also discuss the recent struggles of the Indians, the handling of Lonnie Chisenhall, when the Indians should pull the plug on Johnny Damon, what other hitting options are available internally or on the trade front for the Indians, and give a first half review of the Indians minor league system and take a look at the start of Mahoning Valley and Arizona’s season.
The Indians have inked two more high profile players from their 2012 Draft in the past 24 hours, and Tony has the details on those signings. He also takes a look and breaks down much the Indians have left to spend in their bonus pool, has some info on whether or not they can make a run at some late round picks that are tough sings, and gives updates on the signing status of some other players.
The Battle of Ohio moved to Progressive Field last night. After the Reds thumped the Indians for a three game sweep last week, the Indians got things started off on the right foot with a 10-9 win last night in an offensive slugfest. Adam McGavin provides his "second thoughts" on a crucial win and all of the positives that came from the game for the Indians offensively.
The Clevelvand Indians Single-A farm team, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, opened their season on Monday night against the Jamestown Jammers. Excitement surrounded the Scrappers' season opener as they signed their number one draft pick outfielder Tyler Naquin on Friday. Overwhelmed with positive emotions, Mahoning Valley started off the season the way they wanted to with an 8-5 victory over the Miami Marlins' single-A farm team, the Jamestown Jammers.
Matt LaPorta belted his 15th homer for the Clippers, while Ezequiel Carrera added one of his own. T.J. McFarland pitched well again for the Clippers, while Brett Brach did the same for the Aeros. Thomas Neal continued to show something at the top of the order, and Preston Guilmet continued to show something at the back-end of the bullpen. Tonight's ATF star hails from a new land, a land called Mahoning Valley. He belted two homers on the night. Find out who, after the jump...
For five and a half innings Monday night, the Clippers were on way to a win in their game against Charlotte, but a late rally propelled the Knights past Columbus in the series opener between the two clubs. Columbus, after splitting a series with Charlotte at Huntington Park last week, fell to the Knights, 5-2, to begin a four-game series.
The Akron Aeros fell short to the Reading Phillies after a ten innings of play on Monday, 4-3. The Phillies took a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on two fielding errors by Akron and two stolen bases. The Aeros got the run back in the top of the seventh led by a line drive double to left field by right fielder Thomas Neal.
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!