Down on the Farm Report: Jordan Brown

With the 2009 Major League draft going on this week, there is always a lot of potential great catches for Major League ball clubs. With this in mind, I'd like to think back in 2005 the Cleveland Indians made a great catch when they selected Jordan Brown in the First Year Player Draft out of the University of Arizona in the fourth round (no. 124 overall). Speaking of catches check out the picture above (clockwise from top left Chris Gimenez, Trevor Crowe, Jordan Brown, Jon Meloan) Since being in the Indians organization, Jordan Brown, the 6'0 foot 205 lb first baseman has put up some pretty good numbers. The 25 year old won back-to-back MVP awards in his first two full seasons in the minors, taking the Carolina League honors in 2006 and the Eastern League trophy in 2007. In 2006 he hit .290 with an OPS of .831 at Single A Kinston and in 2007 he really broke out hitting .333 with an OPS of .906 in Akron. Brown spent all of 2008 in Triple A Buffalo putting up average numbers hitting .281 in 109 games. Furthermore he spent spent a little time last year on the Disabled list with a left knee injury. With this in mind, the presumed "catch" went unpicked in the Rule 5 draft after a rough 2008, but he's back looking like a fair first-base prospect again so far this year.



After a little over two months into the season Jordan seems to be one of the key factors that is holding this Columbus team together. The Clips have been up and down all year as they are 30-29 and a 1/2 game back in the IL West Division. The one thing that has not been down is Brown's averages. As of Monday he is 8th in the entire International League in batting .311 (59 x 190). He was also named IL Player of the week for the week of 5/18 - 5/24 going 14 x 27 batting .519 w/ 3 HRs, 7 RBI's, and a Slugging Percentage of 1.000. Furthermore, his batting average has not dropped below .300 since April 14. As mentioned earlier Brown has been a key player on this years Clippers squad; he has played in 53 of the 58 games so far this year. The Clippers roster has Brown listed as a first baseman, however he can also play outfield. In the past 5 years he has appeared at first base 207 times and in the outfield 138. He can play both corners of the outfield as he has played 16 games in right and 13 games in left this year. His fielding percentage has been a perfect 1.000 at both first base and left field this year and is .967 in right field. His total fielding percentage average over his 5 year pro career is .989.

Here is a breakdown of some of his stats this year:

AVG .311
SLG .521
OPS .871
vs. lefty's .326
vs. righty's .306
Home games .288
Away games .327
Day games .333
Night games .298
Runners on .324
Runners in Scoring Position .311

Looking at last years (2008) Baseball America's Top 10 Cleveland Indians Prospects versus this years (2009) one will notice that while Brown was on last years list he was dropped from this years list. Although he has started the year off with a bang I guess we will find out if indeed Jordan Brown is the "catch" we thought he was.

Chi-Town, My Kind of Town

If I ask my friend Jon his weekend plans and I receive the reply "Chi Town" via either text or email, I know he is visiting his fiancee in Chicago. That is just his personality, simple one word answers or short phrases to explain his feelings, emotions, or even destinations. That 2 word coupling worked out great for the Tribe this past weekend. When your favorite club is in desperate need of a positive series (a team littered with aging veterans and suspect pitching), just hope "Chi-Town" is on the schedule.

The Tribe looked a lot better over the weekend, taking 2 of three from the south-siders. Maybe it took the truly "Hot" Carl Pavano to set the tone for the series (9 inning shutout). Or possibly the return of Pronk, who homered in first game back into the lineup, helped charge up the Wigwammers. The most probable answer is that the White Sox are just about as good as the Indians right now, but that is why you play the games. The Columbus contingent has been playing pretty well lately, and the bullpen sans a shaky outing by Luis Vizcaino Sunday threw effectively. Let's look back at the good and the not so good against the White Sox.

3 Not so Good

Mark DeRosa has been an decent addition to the club, but his .329 OBP ranks 12th on the team (below even our boy David Dellucci). He does have ok power numbers (9 HR's, 38 RBI) but is a man without a position. The team has more than enough position flexibility, so strike while the trade iron is hot and start a bidding war for DeRo. Valbuena looked pretty good at short yesterday, so Jhonny won't have to mind the 6 spot hopefully too often. His wife is hot, though.

The man with the silent H is still in a bit of a funk. He went 0-7 in his two starts during the series, with a big error on Saturday. Jhonny needs to be put back at 3rd for good to allow him some stability. Peralta tends to heat up in the summer months, so jerk him around the infield will probably not be good for his weak psyche. Also, I would love to know the Indians' ERA with Peralta at short. I bet you it is higher than when anyone else plays there. Have Valbuena play short, and let Barfield get an audition for a week at second until Asdrubal comes back. Bounce Jhonny between 3rd and DH with only one start a week for him at short against a team with a bunch of lefty hitters.

We all know what Ben Francisco is. A 4th outfielder that shows glimmers of greatness but more than likely is average at best. He went 2-12 with two walks against Chicago with 2 walks. He is not a leadoff hitter (.329 career OBP) so move him down where he belongs at the bottom of the order. That way he won't put too much pressure on himself because I have a feeling he does. When he batted 3rd of 4th last season, he stats went down dramatically. If you look at his stats from 2009, I almost guarantee he hits better at the bottom of the order.

3 Real Good

The Columbus Trio all played major roles in the victory Sunday. Chris Gimenez (pictured above) went 1-4 with a homerun and moved a runner to third by hitting to the ball to the right side of the infield. Luis Valbuena went 1-2 with a sac fly, a walk, 2 RBI and looked pretty good playing shortstop for the first time in the majors. Trevor Crowe went 1-4 and made two amazing catches out in center, one of which with the bases loaded robbed White Sox rookie Gordon Beckham of his first major league hit and was destined to clear the bases with two outs in the 8th. If the rookies play this well, (along with David Huff's first ML win), the Indians can make a run to .500.

I have developed a new found respect for Jamey Carroll. The guy goes out and does his job, whether at 2nd or 3rd, never gives up on an at bat, is playing with a sprained finger, and leads by example. Carroll went 5-9 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's over 2 games and looks to be a very solid 2 hitter for the time being. He always works the counts and usually puts the bat on the ball. He is a guy the club should consider resigning for 2010 because of his position flexibility and toughness. Jamey is the perfect utility infielder.

Carl Pavano continues to amaze, throwing 9 shutout innings Friday to help start the series off on the right step. Pavano struck out 6 while only allowing 2 walks and 3 hits. Trade rumors will start to circulate about him, but the Indians will keep him on the club up until the July 31st deadline because the rotation is just too decimated by injuries(Laffey,Reyes,Lewis) and ineffectiveness (Carmona). If the Tribe are completely out of it, then Pavano can be shipped on out.

The Royals come to town Tuesday for a 3 game series. The pitching matchups are as follows:

Tuesday Brian Bannister vs Cliff Lee

Wednesday Gil Meche vs Carl Pavano

Thursday Zack Grienke vs Jeremy Sowers

Should be interesting to see if the Indians can string together another series win before interleague play starts up again over the weekend. Hopefully I can text Jon "KC" and that will mean a 3 game sweep of the Royals.

Fausto pounded again, Likely headed to Columbus

After allowing 7 runs in the first 2 innings today (raising his ERA to 7.42), Fausto Carmona is likely headed to Triple A Columbus. With Travis Hafner likely being added tomorrow in Chicago, Fausto will probably be the guy headed out. Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky has done a great job with guys like Rafael Perez, Jeremy Sowers, and Aaron Laffey (maybe they should have him up in Cleveland)! I imagine that won't be the only move coming, because Trevor Crowe looks terrible at the plate, Luis Valbuena has been struggling, and with Victor Martinez healthy, Chris Gimenez doesn't look to be getting too much time. I would imagine everybody's favorite rookie Matt LaPorta won't be down in Columbus too much longer as the injuries and inconsistencies pile up.

As for the series, barring an unbelievable comeback, the Tribe will lose 2 of 3 to the Twins. The first 2 games were played well, but Carmona pretty much killed any momentum the club was looking to build on from Wednesday's 10-1 victory (a great start by Cliff Lee with a bit of Jhonny Peralta sprinkled in). Hopefully the pitching will be adequate, because the back end of the the rotation as of now (Sowers, Huff, Ohka) looks pretty scary right now. Great for Columbus, but not so hot for a Major League squad.

Walking Wounded

The Indians dropped 3 of 4 to the Yankees this past series, but are competing with a depleted roster. They walked 11 batters today, but only lost 5-2. With Grady Sizemore placed on the DL, the lineup has taken on a new less-than-potent look. The roster has turned over so much that the celebration from Sunday's game (pictured above) almost looks like the guys are meeting each other for the first time instead of an exciting 9th inning win (Jhonny, meet Luis, Kerry meet Tomo.)

The key to Monday's game was with 2 on and nobody out, Kelly Shoppach (has been awful lately) popped up a sac bunt that subsequently doubled off Ryan Garko at second base. After Joba Chamberlins' obnoxious mannerisms over his good play, Jamey Carroll was thrown out attempting to steal. That sealed the deal for any shot of a rally. That was the ballgame right there, as Greg Aquino walked the bases loaded in the top of the 7th that led to a 4 run inning. Aquino pitched out of a bases loaded jam (Sowers walked the bases loaded in the 6th), but was unable to pull the Houdini act again. Jeremy pitched great for 5 innings, but became Jeremy Showers again in the 6th. This guy can just not figure things out on a consistent basis.

I attended Sunday's game which was well played by both teams and featured a walk-off single by Jhonny Peralta. The annoying part of my experience was having to sit in the right field mezzanine surrounded by Yankees fans wearing jersey's with their favorite players' names featured on the back. Do they know that their Bronx Bombers only sport numerals sans any lettering featured above? Apparently not. My wife and I figured that there was at least twice as many pinstipes as there were Tribe supporters out where we were sitting, which is pathetic. She actually turned to the gentleman sitting behind us who was dressed from head to toe in Yankee gear and snapped at him when he wondered why the Indians would bring in their closer in a tie ballgame. She said "he hasn't pitched in 3 games and they already went through 3 relievers last inning," which shut up the front runner and his snot-nosed son right there. Now you know why I married her. It made the victory that much more fun right there, even though it felt like we were cheering for our team in an opposing park.


Friday and Saturday's games were losses, one by a great pitching performance (Pettite) and another by a poor one (Carmona). Cliff Lee battled Friday but could just not get any run support. Fausto was the crappy Fausto as of late, allowing 7 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings. I didn't watch really any of Saturday's game as I was "witnessing" another Cleveland heartbreak. 2 up 2 down for the series over the weekend.

2 up

Victor Martinez fouled a ball violently of his knee Saturday, was back in the lineup Monday and stroked a homerun that my buddy Kyle was one row behind (he ducked for cover, just inexcuseable). The guy is a gamer and the team leader. I know the club shouldn't rush into any long term contracts when they are sattled with Pronk's albatross of a deal, but Victor needs to be in an Indians uniform for the next 5 years.

Carl Pavano has pitched fantastic in May and has helped settle a spot in a rotation that has been decimated by injuries in ineffectiveness. This guy has shown guts and I have to give him credit, he sure proved me wrong.

2 Down

All Kelly Shoppach has done over the past 4 games is go 1-14 with 8 K's. He now has 39 K's in 109 plate appearances (36%). That is just awful. Shapiro should have traded him in the offseason when his value was at the highest of his career. Don't be surprised to see Chris Gimenez a bit over the next week.

Fausto Carmona is completely lost and needs some major revamping of his pitching delivery. Get someone up here to help him figure things out because our ace of the future has become Albie Lopez.

Some good news on the injury front came out today, as Jake Westbrook is scheduled to make a 3 inning appearance for Akron Friday. If he has no setbacks, look for Jake to return to Cleveland sometime at the end of the month. It will be huge addition to the mash unit of a club, as Aaron Laffey is scheduled to return at the end of the month as well. Scott Lewis is making progress so all three could be in the pitching mix by July 1st. With Grady and Betancourt placed on the DL, the Columbus shuttle continues. You tend to forget who is actually on the roster anymore with guys like Tomo Ohka (my dad called him Timo Ocho yesterday) rounding out the 25. The Clippers have been forced to sign guys off of the street just to field a team (who is heck are Blaine Neal and Ken Ray)? The Indians move onto Minnesota Tuesday as David Huff looks to string two solid starts together against Kevin Slowey. Let's just hope they don't lose anyone else to injury.

Sizemore placed on DL, Gimenez recalled from Triple A

With Grady Sizemore suffering for several weeks from an ailing left elbow the Indians have finally placed him on the 15 day disabled list. Although no structural damage was shown after an MRI the Tribe thought putting Grady in the DH spot would help with his recovery...apparently that was not the case. Sizemore has only played in three games at Centerfield since May 16th. With this in mind, it marks the first time in his career that he has been on the DL.

Things are not looking to bleek for the Tribe right now as injuries keep haunting them. Yesterday in the first inning Victor Martinez went down after fouling a ball off his left knee. He is currently day to day and his ex-rays were negative after he was sent to Cleveland's Lutheran Hospital. Furthermore relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt left Sunday's game after only three pitches. Dennis Manoloff from the Clevland Plain Dealer commented today saying, "Since Betancourt takes three times as long between pitches compared to other pitchers, does this mean it'll take him three times as long to recover back to being ready to pitch? Only time will tell. So, with all of these injuries the Tribe had to make a move today. That move was bringing the versatile Chris Gimenez (pictured left) up from Triple A Columbus. Gimenez, a 2004 19th round pick was brought into the organization to play third base, however he has seen much of his time behind the dish; and with Victor being day to day the Indians need another backup. Furthermore, Gimenez is much liked by Tribe manager Eric Wedge because of his ability to play various positions.

So far this year in Columbus he has seen time at both corners in the outfield as well as First Base and Catcher. In fact the 26 year old rising star has seen the following time in the field this year: 25 starts at catcher, 11 in the outfield and 3 at first base. Offensively Gimenez started the year off slow batting only .151 in the month of April, however he has quickly started to come around as he is batting .294 in his last 10 games. As of yesterday he was hitting .235 with 15 RBI's, 6 HR's. His OBP is .323 and OPS is .749.

All of Ohio is a Winner

Quick game recaps from the Minor League affiliates of the Indians today as all 4 Ohio teams won. Many stars of the game for each team so let's get right into it...

Indians win 6-5 over the Tigers

A win is a win, even though my heart was pounding out of my chest, which is very unnecessary for a May 1st game. Maybe The Tribe just needed to get through that pesky month of April, put their crappy performances behind them, and move forward. Let's forget Jensen Lewis meltdown and slow bus trip to Columbus (along with Perez) and focus on the positive. Saturday may be a pretty exciting day for some Major League Debuts.

• Carl Pavano: 7 1/3 IP, 2 ER 5 Hits, 0 Walks, 3 K's. Hot Carl pitched a gem, making his longest start since 2005. Pavano commanded his pitches and was able to keep his stuff low in the zone. I believe he will be up and down all year, but I think he may be better than I think as his best buddy on the team (Cliff Lee) may be a good positive influence on him. He also could get bombed for 9 runs against Red Sox next week. What do I know (see below)
  
• David Dellucci: 4-5, 2 doubles. Double D came back with a bang. If as the DiaTribe refers to him as (the Looch) can be a positive bat off the bench and fill in for injuries, he may be able to salvage his Tribe career. One game does not make a season, so I will watch with cautious optimism. Give Davey some credit, but hold the applause until mid June.


• Jhonny Peralta: 2-5, HR, 2RBI. Jhonny woke up today and stopped over thinking at the plate. It's May so Peralta is happy April is over.


• Kerry Wood: Picked up his 5th save in 5 save opportunities. Went 1,2,3 and threw some wicked sliders and curves. They had a great gameplan against Laird and Inge to not show the fastball too much. He is worth every penny of his $10 million dollar salary (that's for you Jonny).

The Columbus Clippers rattled the Durham Bulls today 14-1, scoring 10 runs in the last two innings. Andy Marte hit a grand slam as the Clips wave goodbye to three of their starters (more on that later)

• David Huff: 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 k's, 0 earned runs. Is setting up to be the next starter called up to Cleveland


• Luis Valbuena: 2-4 BB, HR, 3 RBI. Continues to mash in Columbus and will be a welcomed addition to the big league club.


• Jordan Brown: 4-5 HR, 3 RBI. Guy hits everywhere he goes, just unfortunately for him be with the Indians.


• Chris Gimenez: 3-5 HR, 3 RBI. Has been raking as of late after his early season struggles. Will be an option for the Tribe sometime this summer.

The Akron Aeros won in extra innings today 8-6 to improve their record to an amazing 17-4.

• Chuck Lofgren: 5 IP, 4 hits, 4 walks, 1 earned run, 3 K's. Lofgren is slowly getting back on the organizations' radar with every quality start.


• Jerad Head: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI. Big late inning homerun to propel Akron to victory for the infielder.


• Nick Weglarz: 3-5. 2 doubles, HR, 2 RBI. Finally had a breakout game as he has been struggling mightily all season. The Canadian is a top 10 prospect and will bounce back to his usual form. Still only 21.

The Lake County Captains had a big win tonight against Kannapolis 8-3.

• Nate Rechnagel: 4-5, double, triple. The Wolverine has been crushing the ball at a .370 clip.


• Abner Abreu: 3-5, triple, 2 RBI. 19 year old right hand hitting Dominican is one to watch for the Captains and is ranked 15th best Indians propect by Indians Prospect Insider.

Tomorrow is another day, but let's enjoys these performances for what they are, a day in the life of a long baseball season.

Clipper Clips

With the Indians off tonight, I decided to watch Cleveland's Triple A affiliate via the wonders of the internet. Columbus was unable to deal with the loss of veteran grinder David Dellucci, falling to the Durham Bulls 6-3. The Tribe's Triple A affiliate was only able to scrape together 6 hits and 3 walks. Right Fielder Stephen Head was the player of the game, going 3-4 with a double and a run batted in with two outs, something Indians fans have seen all to infrequently. The struggling Chris Gimenez went 1-2 with a double and two walks, while "The Golden Boy" Matt LaPorta (pictured above courtesy of indianspropectinsider.com), went 0-3 with a base on balls, probably ticked off that he has to wait until June to be called up to the major league club while the "gritty" Double D is back to finish off his disappointing run as an Indian. Wes Hodges went 0-3 with a sac fly RBI, but was robbed of hits twice by Bulls Third Baseman Chris Nowak.

As for the pitching, veteran Jack Cassell pitched a solid 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, scattering 8 hits and walking 5. To say he got himself out of a bit of trouble is an understatement. The bullpen ended up blowing the game as Zach Jackson loaded the bases in the 7th and allowed 3 earned runs. John Meloan came in to try and get the Clippers out of a jam with second and third with two outs, but gave up a double to right field to clear the bases. He pitched a scoreless 8th, but still needs time to polish up his pitch location. The Clippers continue their 4 game series against the Bulls tomorrow as David Huff is scheduled to throw Friday. Rays phenom David Price goes against Tomo Ohka Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how Columbus hits against Tampa Bay's top prospect.

Hafner to DL, Rich Rundles Returns!

Travis Hafner's comeback attempt has been on hold for now, as he was placed on the 15 day DL with shoulder soreness. Pronk has been out of the lineup off and on for the past 4 days. He is off to visit Dr. Death (James Andrews) soon so he can evaluate Hafner's now chronic shoulder condition. Hafner has been pretty solid so far, so hopefully he will be ok and rest is only needed. I am happy the Indians made their decision to DL him early so we weren't forced to watch a 60% healthy player again. Rich Rundles is back, if only for a night as the bullpen was heavily taxed yesterday (7IP 1 ER). He is on the 40 man roster so it was an easy decision. I would imagine everyone's favorite Italian Double-D David Dellucci will be called up to take Hafner's roster spot tomorrow, which is unfortunate. Josh Barfield is an option, but Wedge really doesn't seem to like him very much. Chris Gimenez has an outside shot as well due to his position flexibility, but he is hitting a woefull .137 with 18 K's, not exactly numbers that show promise. Other options that most fans would like to see are Matt Laporta and Luis Valbuena, but the club usually waits until the team is in a really big hole to call up promising rookies. The move opens up more playing time for Ryan Garko, who has been swinging the bat well as of late and getting on base.

Barfield wins Indians' last bench spot; Gimenez and Crowe Optioned to Columbus

In a not so surprising development, Josh Barfield has made the Cleveland Indians as a super utility guy. Although he hasn't been exactly knocking the cover off of the ball (.184, 9-for-49 .216 on-base percentage in 19 spring games, entering Saturday.), J-Barf has shown the ability to adjust to various positions around the diamond. He seems to be playing pretty well out in the outfield, and is getting more comfortable at third base. The Indians will use Barfield as a pinch runner, late inning defensive replacement with an occasional start here and there. Manager Eric Wedge has liked what he has seen out of the former Padre...

"Josh's versatility was part of the decision,'' Wedge said Saturday. ''Also his speed, his ability to steal a base. We still feel like his hitting is coming. It has yet to translate into a game, but I feel like it will.
''He's probably a little better in right than in left. Of course, second base is his best position, and he needs some work at third.''

With the announcement, the Indians optioned the Chris Gimenez and Trevor Crowe to Triple A Columbus. Both played great in the spring, so don't be surprised if you see them up with the big league club sometime in 2009.

Gimenez showed outstanding position flexibility, playing both corner outfielders, first base, and his everyday position as a catcher. He also posted outstanding stats (.357, 10-28 2 HR, 7 RBI, .486 OBP, .670 SLG) in 20 spring games. The guy is major league ready and will force the Indians to make some pretty hard decisions on the roster very soon.

Crowe also played great, (.289, 13-45, 6 SB) and played all out in every game he appeared in. Trevor is a player to watch and will be the first call up position player wise in 2009 when an injury occurs. Crowe looks to be poised to make an impact in 2009 as well.

The final bullpen slot seems down to Vinnie Chulk and Zach Jackson. Jackson seems to still have the inside edge as a left handed long man, but Chulk has pitched great as well. Look for a decision Monday or Tuesday.

Cleveland Indians Desert Diagnosis

The Cleveland Indians finally were able to keep an opposing team under 4 runs today, beating the Chicago White Sox 9-4. I was able to watch this game via mlb.com and here were some random thoughts from the game.

Fausto Carmona: Was able to force seven ground outs in three innings, but got in some two out trouble in the 2nd inning. Seems to be pitching OK, not a serious concern early in camp with walking guys.

Anthony Reyes: Pitched a scoreless three innings, was successful moving the ball all around the zone. Allowed just one walk and has yet to give up a run in Cactus League action. Reyes has pretty much locked up the number four spot in the rotation.

Vinnie Chulk: Two scoreless innings, 3 K's. Dark horse for 7th slot in the pen.

Matt Herges: 40 year old struck out the side. Has received praise from Wedge and may be an option for the 7th spot in the pen as well.

Grady Sizemore: Simply went 3-3, 2 RBI and looked fluid on the base paths. Grady is fine and look for him to have a career year in 2009 with the added punch to the lineup. Also hit well off of 2 lefties, which is a great sign as he only batted .224 against lefties in 2008.

Victor Martinez: 3-3, 2 RBI. Victor hit a fastball in on the hands out into center field, hit a gap with another single, and seems to be fully back from his various ailments of 2008.

Chris Gimenez: 0-1, BB. Didn't do much but I believe will be on this team after the All-Star break due to his enormous position flexibility. Currently hitting .385.

Beau Mills: 0-4, 1 RBI. Beau struggled with the outside in-the-dirt curve ball from lefties and seemed to be over guessing on pitches, but is still only about to begin his 2nd full year in pro ball. If Mills has a big year in Akron, the Indians will have an interesting decision to make at first base in 2011.

Tony Graffanino/Andy Cannizaro: 5-7, two doubles, 1 home run, 3 Rbi. The Italian duo auditioned themselves well as utility guys for the Indians minor leagues or possibly a big league job at the end of camp. Cannizaro is probably the leader in the clubhouse to play short in Columbus.

Matt LaPorta: 0-4, 3K's. Bad game for LaPorta at bat, and also fumbled the ball out in right. Still hitting .316 and will see a lot more time this spring.

Michael Brantley: 2-3, double, 2 runs scored. Both of Brantley's hits were to the opposite field and showed some nice speed on the bases. Putting together a nice spring, with a .368 avg. and looking pretty fluid in the outfield.

Hopefully the pitching will sustain some consistency over the next few weeks as we get closer to camp ending. The hitting at all levels looks ready for business, so hopefully the winter weather of April in Cleveland won't cool down the bats too much.

Future Heroes: Cleveland Indians Minor Leaguers Show Promise

The more I watch the Cleveland Indians' minor league position players (Beau Mills pictured left) compete this spring training, the more I have become impressed. With the WBC adding 2 more weeks to Cactus League actions, plenty of minor leaguers from all levels have appeared in games. Granted, there is only been a weeks' worth of games, but I have a strong feeling of good things to come for many of these guys. Here are just some of the highlights...

Luis Valbuena: Yet to get a hit in 8 at bats, but has looked great at second and short stop around the bag. Saw him hit in the cages and the ball really popped off of his bat.

Trevor Crowe: Switch hitter has batted already 15 times and looks to be a viable candidate for the 4th outfield spot. Needs to show consistency at the plate, but covers a lot of ground in center and in left.

Beau Mills: Hit his first Cactus League home run Wednesday off of Chad Gaudin which was described as a moon shot. .357 batting average in 14 AB's, driven in 4 runs to go with a double and a triple. Mills has had some issues with the flip play with the pitcher covering first. Definitely needs to refine his fielding skills, but his bat looks almost ready.

Michael Brantley: Played a decent outfield, has 3 hits in 12 AB's, seems to be a slap hitter know so he should fill out his lean frame. Hopefully AAA won't be a major adjustment for him as he is only 21 but the coaches seem to feel his work ethic will allow him to progress smoothly.

Here is some footage of Brantley in the cage...



Stephen Head: Cranked a home run in first cactus game against the Giants, looks good at first base and besides his error in right seems to be a future 4th outfielder/utility guy of value.

Matt LaPorta: 4 hits in 11 at bats, hit a home run off of Dan Haren, and seems to be playing ok out in left field. Future Tribe slugger should see action with the big league club sometime this summer.

Wes Hodges: 3 for 11, going to be playing a lot with Mark DeRosa in the WBC. Needs to work on all facets of his defensive game but still seems to be the Tribe's future third baseman.

Jordan Brown: 3 for 9, with a home run and 2 runs batted in. Seems to be the forgotten man this camp as he was left off of the 40 man roster. Jordan has something to prove and I believe can be an everyday first baseman somewhere in the league, just probably not in Cleveland.

Chris Gimenez: Has played all over the field this spring (Catcher, 3rd, Outfield), while 2 of his 3 hits have been doubles. Gimenez will be seen up with the Indians sometime this year as his versatility is outstanding. OBP is .538, a stat he has excelled in at every level.

Carlos Santana: Shown a rifle for an arm, is gaining a lot of valuable experience working with the big league club. Santana has looked over matched at times, but has drawn 3 walks in 11 plate appearance which shows he is staying patient and not trying to over impress.

Nick Weglarz: 21 year old Canadian is 0 for 4 but gained some important time watching the studs of the big league club. It will be interesting to see how many at bats he gets in the WBC for Team Canada.

Here is some game footage of Weglarz in action...



Carlos Rivero: Soon-to-be 21 year old went 2-3 with a double and an RBI in his first game playing in a Major League game with the Indians. Top 10 Tribe Prospect will start the year in Akron and may be a name to watch.

It will be interesting to see how many of these guys contribute to the big league club in the future. I would imagine someone between Hodges, Mills, LaPorta, and Weglarz will be moved for pitching as they are all similar type players (as is Head,Brown, and Michael Aubrey). The Indians have really went away from overloading camp with the hangers on (Graffanino, Merchan, and Valdez type) and given their young guys shots at major league pitching. These prospects will be donning the blue and red in the next few years so get used to their names now so you have the pleasure of saying, "I remember that guy from Spring Training!"

Down on the Farm Report: Chris Gimenez

Chris Gimenez has been one of the many shinning stars currently playing down I-77 for the Akron Aeros. This converted catcher is putting up huge offensive numbers, batting .309 (with an eye-popping .472 On Base Percentage), 4 Homeruns and 18 RBI in 46 games played. If he continues to get on base at his current pace, look to see him up at some point with the big club in 2009.

Gimenez was drafted in the 19th round of the 2004 Draft out of the University of Nevada, where he played all over the diamond. Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins has raved about this prospect, saying he is a natural leader who takes charge in the clubhouse. Atkins also stated that Chris is currently one of the most productive minor league bat in the system. At 6'2, 200 lbs, he is an extremely durable player who has been transitioning to the catching position pretty well.

The Akron starting staff has been up and down (with David Huff and Ryan Edell being the "up"), but the coaching staff has still allowed Gimenez to call 100% of his pitches. Roving catching instructor Tim Laker has been working with him often, even utilizing a catching machine that delivers real live pitches (Fastballs, Curves, etc) as if it were a live game. Atkins stated that he still needs to be consistent throwing down to second in order to control the running game.

Chris Gimenez has raked at every minor league level. Through 2007 (387 games), he has amassed 60 HR's and compiled a .374 OBP. With Victor Martinez possibly eventually being moved over to first, I believe Gimenez may be a guy who may not be the best defensive catcher, but provide a bat this team and system is in dire need of.

Note* The majority of this articles' information was researched from Cleveland Indians Minor League Insider, and you can find even more about Gimenez here.