Around The Farm: January 3, 2013

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

Here is the rundown of what Cleveland players in fall and winter ball did yesterday:

Dominican Winter League

• Jose Ramirez (SS): 1-for-4, 1 BB. Ramirez went to the plate five times Thursday night and, in classic Ramirez form, reached base twice. He remains one of the hottest hitters in the organization and will be a thrill to watch in 2013.

Venezuelan Winter League

• Ezequiel Carrera (LF): 1-for-4, 1 CS. Thursday night was not too terribly eventful for Carrera on the field, but off the field, his path to a big league spot in 2013 was cleared. I love Thomas Neal, but with him being designated for assignment in wake of the Nick Swisher signing, Carrera has the inside track on the fourth outfielder spot on the big league team.
• Paolo Espino (SP): L (0-1), 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR. Espino continued alternating good and bad starts with a decent outing last night, but it was not enough to get his team the win. Espino has a great 32:8 SO:BB in 36.0 innings, but the 10 home runs are certainly cause for alarm.

Australian Winter League

• Andrew Campbell (LF): 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 SO. Just another hot night for Campbell, who has a .309/.383/.447 line in 27 games. As is written almost every night, though, what is important is how Campbell translates it stateside.
• Ryan Battaglia (DH): 0-for-4, 1 SO. Power has been Battaglia's big calling card this offseason, but last night, the power was not there. The .259 ISO is great, but a .241 average and .333 on-base percentage in Australia is not the best.

If you want to follow Jim on Twitter, he’s @JimPiascik. If you want to e-mail him, you can do so at jpiasci1@kent.edu