Indians' minor league camp officially opens Monday

Big league camp is already in full swing. Some minor leaguers are already in Goodyear for early camp which officially started on February 28^th, but here is a quick rundown of how minor league spring training will go for the next four weeks until camp breaks on April 1^st.

March 5^th: Pitchers and catchers report
March 9^th: Position players report
March 11^th: First full squad workout
March 16^th: Spring games begin
April 1^st: Camp breaks

For a complete view of the minor league spring game schedule, you can view it here:

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/minor-league-spring-schedule

Over the course of the next four-plus weeks the Indians will have close to 180-some players participate in minor league spring training.  About 100 of those players will be assigned to full season teams at Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Akron, High-A Carolina, and Low-A Lake County when camp breaks. A handful will remain in Arizona to continue to rehab from offseason surgeries or injuries sustained during spring training.

About 40 or so players will remain in extended spring training to play and get ready for short-season leagues which start up in June. For the remaining 20-30 players they will be released as with every spring training there are a lot of cuts made as the organization pares down the roster for the new season.  With lots of new incoming talent over the course of this next year on the international front and 2012 Draft, there are only so many players the organization can keep around.

I will be heading out to Goodyear on March 13^th. While out there I will catch up with several players for feature pieces this month and also provide several daily notebooks with my findings and observations over the course of the week-plus I am at camp. A new feature called “IPI on Site” will debut near the end of camp, which is a video show where I will interview a few players on camera, and will be a weekly staple all season.

I have a lot of new things coming this season. From top to bottom, you won’t find a site that knows about the entire organization and covers the Indians from the minors to the big leagues more thoroughly!

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his new book the 2012 Cleveland Indians Prospect Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.