Indians Prospect Insider

While the AFL may have closed its doors last week, a number of winter leagues remain in action, which means that a handful of Indians players are still in action. Jesus Aguilar made his return to the Venezuelan Winter League this past week plus left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone pitched in a game for the first time since breaking his wrist during the 2012 season. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps the performances of Aguilar, Hagadone as well as others in this week's Winter Ball Notebook.

Every Friday between today and December 21st, we will look back at the roster movement over the past season for one club in the Cleveland Indians organization. Today, on Black Friday, we take a look at the transactions with a look back at the comings and goings of the players at Double-A Akron.

First off, we here at IPI hope you had a happy Thanksgiving and a great Black Friday night of shopping (if you braved the crowds). Now that you are likely in need of some time to relax and digest from yesterday, join Jim Piascik as he takes you Around The Farm, checking in on a light night of Cleveland prospect action.

It is Thanksgiving, which is time when so many of us get together with our families and enjoy lots of food and spirits, watch football, and prepare ourselves for the madness that is the start of the holiday season. It is also a time to reflect and be thankful, which is something that former Indians prospect Chris Jones is there days now that he is in the Atlanta Braves organization.

From all of us here at Indians Prospect Insider, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for your support and for reading!

It is a Turkey Day edition of Around the Farm here at IPI. In today's rundown we note a change in Tim Fedroff's status this offseason, the debut of another Indian player in winter ball, the good start to Ezequiel Carrera's winter campaign, and lots more. Before you sit down and get together with the family and settle in for a Thanksgiving feast, take a look at how those Indians are doing this winter...after the jump.

The holidays are officially upon us, and you know what? There's plenty to be thankful for here in Cleveland with regards to the Cleveland Indians. No, this team will never be compared to the 1927 Yankees, or even the 2007 Cleveland Indians, but there's plenty of upside on a team that lost...a lot. Happy Thanksgiving everybody...

Yesterday the Indians added Tim Fedroff, T.J. House, Trey Haley and Chen-Chang Lee to the 40-man roster and designated Matt LaPorta, Brent Lillibridge, and Fabio Martinez for assignment. Tony provides lots of insight and info with regard to the decisions and what roles the new roster additions may fill going forward, discusses the future of LaPorta and others, and takes a quick peak into any potential Rule 5 losses.

It was a somewhat quiet night for Indians players playing winter ball on Tuesday, but there were a handful of players in action, including the return of left-hander Nick Hagadone, who made his debut with Aguilas Cibaenas in the DWL. His performance was less than stellar, but nonetheless, it was nice to see him back on the mound. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the action as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have purchased the contracts of outfielder Tim Fedroff, right-handed reliever Chen-Chang Lee, right-handed pitcher Trey Haley, and left-handed pitcher T.J. House and added them to the 40-man roster. To make room they removed Matt LaPorta, Brent Lillibridge, and Fabio Martinez from the roster.

We continue with our 2013 prospect coverage here at the IPI with a look at the shortstops in the Indians system. Over the past two years the Indians have built incredible depth and a deep talent pool at shortstop through a combination of trades, the draft, and on the international front, and that depth could be put to the test this offseason with a trade of Asdrubal Cabrera. Tony talks about Ivan Castillo, Juan Diaz, Jairo Kelly, Francisco Lindor, Dorssys Paulino, Ronny Rodriguez, Tony Wolters, and all the rest of the shortstops up and down the system and ranks them all, talks about their potential, and what kind of big league future they have.

Jesus Aguilar just completed his fifth season as a member of one of the Cleveland Indians affiliates. The powerful first baseman remains one of the most popular prospects in the Tribe's system, but it's still no foregone conclusion that he will one day be a member of the Indians Major League roster. The IPI's Steve Orbanek looks back at the hulking slugger's career in this week's edition of Then & Now.

Congrats to Yan Gomes and his Brazil teammates who beat Panama 1-0 on Monday night to earn a berth in the 16-team World Baseball Classic tournament that gets underway this spring. We recap Gomes' big influence on the outcome of the game plus all the other action in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic where players like Hector Rondon, Jesus Aguilar, and others were in action.

Short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley had 13 players from the 2012 Draft make their organizational and pro debut for the Indians. Tony recently had a chance to sit down with Mahoning Valley pitching coach Greg Hibbard and discussed how some of those debuts went, what strides were made, and what improvements are still being work on. Players discussed include Josh Martin, Jacob Lee, Luis Morel, Scott Peoples, Jake Sisco, Jimmy Stokes, Ryan Merritt, Jack Wagoner and more.

The Cleveland Indians announced that they have signed free agent outfielder Matt Carson and Cedric Hunter to minor league contracts with non-roster invitations to 2013 Major League spring training camp.

The Arizona Fall League wrapped up last week, and over the course of the AFL season the IPI provided profiles on six of the eight players with spotlight pieces on Shawn Armstrong, Trey Haley, T.J. House, Carlos Moncrief, Matt Packer, and Ronny Rodriguez. Not to be forgotten, we wrap up the spotlight pieces with the final two Indians prospects Tyler Holt and Alex Monsalve.