Indians Prospect Insider

There was more action out in Arizona yesterday as both the Indians' Fall Development League and Parallel League teams were in action. Tony provides all the stats from each game and the updates on how some players are doing out in Instructional League. Newcomer Naoki Hashimoto struggled once again, Jose Ramirez continues to set opposing pitchers ablaze, Elvis Araujo is finishing very strong, and lots more.

The Indians fought admirably on Monday night, but Vinnie Pestano had a rare stumble and a two-out, 9th inning rally came up just short as the Indians fell to the White Sox 5-4. Zach McAllister pitched very well and the Indians hung in there against Chris Sale, but two Adam Dunn homers did them in. Adam McGavin shares his thoughts on the game.

Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight from 10:00pm – 11:00pm EST. The Indians season has a little over a week remaining, and that is the same thing for “Smoke Signals” as this is our second to last show of the year before our two-hour season finale on a special night next Monday. Tonight, Jim and Tony will hit on a bunch of random topics surrounding the Indians as they look to tie up loose ends before they break down the season and preview the offseason next week.

Tony continues with his fifth piece of his six-part series recapping all six of the Indians' stateside affiliates. In Tony's review of the Indians' Low-A affiliate the Lake County Captains, he sat down with the Indians front office over the weekend and discussed their season, the exceptional seasons from the likes of Jordan Smith, Cody Anderson, Francisco Lindor, and others, the breakout performances of Cole Cook, Jerrud Sabourin, Jose Ramirez and others, and some of those like Felix Sterling, Jake Lowery, and others that fell short of expectations but much is still expected of them.

Given the way that the Indians season has gone, it's hard to talk about moral victories, but the Indians got a big one yesterday. With the team's 15-4 win over the Kansas City Royals, the Indians improved to 63-90 and are now assured that they will not lose 100 games this season. IPI's Steve Orbanek offers his Second Thoughts after the jump.

It seems like it was not long ago that Hector Rondon was one of the most promising starting pitching prospects within the Cleveland Indians farm system. Fast forward to 2012 and Rondon is no longer the prospect he once was. What does the future hold for Rondon? IPI's Steve Orbanek offers his take in this week's edition of Then & Now.

The Tribe's Instructional League team threw out some offense on Saturday morning, rolling over the Reds to the tune of 9-1. There were hits galore, as everyone either got a hit, or got on base. Leading the charge was Jake Lowery, who launched his first Arizona home run in the Instructional League. Find out who else made a name for themselves, after the jump...

Tony chimes in with his weekly Sunday notebook and touches on how he believes that the Matt LaPorta Era in Cleveland is sadly (or mercifully) coming to an end this year, notes the lack of faith the fans have in the organization from top to bottom, looks at Terry Francona as a managerial candidate, gives an update on Roberto Hernandez and his future, plus lots more.

The Indians lost their second straight game to the Royals Saturday as Kansas City earned a 5-3 win. Even worse was the performance of Tribe starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who again pitched poorly and earned his Major League leading 17th loss. IPI's Jim Berdysz offers his second thoughts after the jump.

And ATF rolls into the fall. It was another full day of action, with the interesting time share at short going on between Francisco Lindor and Dorssys Paulino. This will give us our first indicator of how close...or far apart the two are in their development, both offensively and defensively. Join Jim Pete, as he reclaims the reigns to ATF...fall-style...after the jump...

The Browns look to upend the Buffalo Bills in week three. Are the Browns ready to win, or...are they ready to disappoint? Is the Eastern Conference's Central Division ripe for the taking, or are the Bulls ready to run away and hide...with or without Derrick Rose? Do the Indians have anyone worth keeping in the rotation at this point, or is it time to just dump them all, and start guys off the street? Wild Thing?...you out there? Join Steve and Jim on CSI...tonight at 10:30

In a new Saturday staple, Jim Piascik recaps all the pieces from the week and gives some interesting links from around the web in the IPI Weekly Recap.

Missed “royal” opportunities could be one way to describe the Indians game on Friday night as the team struggled to score runs against division rival Kansas City. With the loss, Cleveland fell to 62-89 and is now the sole owners of last place in the American League Central Division. IPI's Jim Berdysz shares his Second Thoughts on the game after the jump.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers had an up-and-down season in 2012, but there were still several bright spots. The team competed well during the first half, and fans also got a first glimpse at several of the Indians' 2012 draftees. Take a closer look at the Scrappers' 2012 campaign as Matt Miller recaps the season that was.

Day two of the advanced Instructional League kicked off Thursday. A number of Indians players were in action, including the debut of recent Japanese signing Naoki Hashimoto. Steve Orbanek recaps all the action and provides all the stats from yesterday's game.

The Lake County Captains had a great 2012 season that they topped off with a postseason run sending them to the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. They did something that is hard to do in the minors which is develop and win at the same time, something that is a testament to the coaching staff and players there this season. Stephanie Metzger recaps the season that was for the Captains.