Two minor trades were made today by the Tribe, as they shipped 27 year old first baseman Michael Aubrey to the Baltimore Orioles and received reliever Jose Veras from the New York Yankees for cash. Aubrey was a former 1st round pick by the Indians, but just never could stay healthy. He also was caught up in a numbers game as there are a plethora of 1st Baseman/Outfielders currently in the Indians' upper minors. Michael was hitting .292 with 16 doubles, a triple, five homers and 29 RBIs in 57 games for the Clippers. This transaction removes one more hurdle for Columbus Clipper Jordan Brown to finally make it to the big leagues in Cleveland, a promotion he has earned and deserves. Aubrey will best be known in Indians lore as the first baseman who just let Gary Sheffield charge the mound from first base without tackling him or intervening. Fausto still smoke Sheff in the face, but you gotta do something Mike, not just stand there like you usually do (see below).
Veras (pictured right) pitched pretty poorly for the Yankees in 2009. In 25 appearances out of the New York 'pen this season, the 28-year-old Veras was 3-1 with a 5.96 ERA. He walked 14 and struck out 18 in 25 2/3 innings of work. He pitched a lot better in 2008, going 5-3 posting a 3.59 ERA in 57 + innings while striking out 63 and only walking 29 in 60 appearances. The Yankess designated him for assignment, so he would have had to clear waivers to stay in New York's organization. It will be interesting to see who is jettisoned off of the 25 man roster because Veras is expected to join the big league club sometime this week. He can't be any worse than what is currently out there. Can he?
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.
There are two things that Columbus Clippers starting shortstop can claim that no other person on the team can....a batting average below .200 and the fact that he is the only white guy on the team, scratch that, in the world that comes up to the plate with rap music. That's right, Andy Cannizaro, the 5'10 170lb number 9 hitter who looks like a mix breed between the bitter beer guy and an umpa lumpa comes to the plate each time when he is up to none other than NOTORIOUS B.I.G's "Hypnotize" That being said, the Clippers took a little bit of what seems like will be A-Can's only clam to fame will ever be, and used it to whoop up on Norfolk on Monday night beating them 16-3. I was truly HYPNOTIZED after this one folks. After getting crushed the last three nights by the Tides, the Clippers took one out on starting pitcher Radhames Liz. Although the right hander threw some gas topping out in the high 90's. As they say.... "the faster it comes in the faster it goes out!" Just ask Matt Laporta who went 3 for 4 hitting a blast off Liz in the 2nd inning. Also looking good tonight were Andy Marte going 3 for 5 and Jordan Brown going 2 for 3. As a matter of fact the Clips did so well tonight that Cannizaro even went 2 for 5, but don't worry his average is still under .200, finishing the evening at .197. Maybe he will drink a few Keystone Lights tonight and erase that face
Notables in this game were Travis Hafner and pitcher Joe Smith. Hafner who went 1 for 4 had two things going for him. Number one he looked really good in his uniform tonight, and number two he swung the bat with some authority. I was really impressed with his warm up swings in the on deck circle. In one of his warm up swings he took it deep, it look to me like it would have been a Home Run (more importantly he seemed not to strain or pull anything). Anyhow, I am sure he will be back up to Cleveland any day now. Joe Smith also made his first appearance in his rehab assignment. Although he did not look as good as Hafner in his uniform (not as muscley), he looked pretty good having only faced 4 batters and giving up one hit. The MPH sign on the scoreboard said he maxed out at 93mph however from my vantage point it looked closer to 94.
Jack Cassel started for the Clippers throwing 5 shutout innings before giving up 2 runs in the 6th and 1 more in the 7th. As mentioned earlier, Joe Smith threw to four batters in the 8th and then Blaine Neal came in for the save in the ninth, shutting the door the only way he knows how. All in all, the Clips were running on all cylinders tonight. The win brings Columbus back to .500 with a 26-26 record which oddly enough keeps them in first place of the God awful International West Division. Let's tip our cap and chug another Stone for ole' Cannizaro, every AAA club needs a guy like him!
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.
While the Indians big league club was off getting swept in Texas, their minor league clubs were fareing quite nicely. The top three clubs (Columbus, Akron, Kinston) all pulled off victories on Thursday, and many of the top prospects were out helping the cause.
The team put together 14 hits and looked pretty impressive doing it. Good to see the young guys slugging it out. The pitchig was pretty good also...
David Huff 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 K's 2 HR's allowed
Vinnie Chulk 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's
Tony Sipp 1 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's
Huff didn't have eye-popping numbers, but kept his team in the game (unlike another team I watched this week). Sipp struckout the side while Chulk continues to roll. Great way to start off a season.
Frank Herrmann pitched great, allowing one earned run in six innings. He only struck out one batter but he is more of a finese guy anyways. Ryan Edell threw 2 shutout innings for a hold, and Beau Mills went 2-3 and an RBI. This is the Aeroes second win in a row as they beat Bowie 9-5 Wednesday as Hector Rondon fired 5 2/3 innings of one run ball while stiking out 6 in earning a victory. Randy Newsom added 1 1/3 of shutout baseball to earn a save, while Carlos Santana provided the offense going 2-4 with a Homerun and 4 RBI.
20 year old phenom Kelvin De La Cruz stuckout a whopping 10 batters in 6 innings while giving up 2 runs on just 2 hits. Outfielder Matt Brown added the offense going 3-4 with a run batted in.
Not a bad way to start a minor league season. Most of these same names to pop up early and often as the Tribe's farm system is looking more stacked by the day.
It may be sooner rather than later for Cleveland Indians prospect Trevor Crowe's major league debut. With aging veteran David Dellucci experiencing a nagging calf injury, the Tribe may be calling on their top draft pick of 2005 to fill in. Crowe, with his ability to play all three outfield positions, switch hit, and run well would be a natural fit off of the bench in 2009.
This Portland, Oregon native was highly touted coming out of the University of Arizona where he played with current Clipper teammates Jordan Brown and John Meloan. Being the 14th overall selection, Crowe was immediately put on a fast track to move on through the Indians organization as by the end of his first full professional season (2006) he had already logged 154 at bats at Double A Akron. A myriad of injuries and bad luck, coupled with a failed change of position experiment (move to second base) seemed to derail his top prospect standing within the organization. Hard nosed and the eternal fighter, Crowe quickly regained respect in the front office posting a solid 2008 campaign (.302, 41 extra base hits, 18 steals) between Akron and Buffalo.
Originally and probably unfairly compared to Grady Sizemore, Crowe plays and athletic style of baseball possessing most of the prototypical five tools a baseball player should possesses. His career minor league on base percentage is .361 and has steadily climbed over the past two seasons. The Indians feel that more pop in his bat will come in the future as he matures and learns the game. His ability to drive the ball to both outfield gaps will ultimately be the deciding factor of whether Crowe is an everyday player or a fourth outfielder. Some also that he may not have the range to play centerfield on a daily basis, but what I have scene in person of Trevor is a tough, hard nosed kid who could definitely handle the challenge. As the current roster is made up, the Indians really doesn't have a guy to fill in in center if Sizemore needs a day off, so Crowe would be the most logical choice.
Trevor Crowe came in to spring camp as a man on a mission,impressing manager Eric Wedge along the way.
Crowe played well enough to make the ballclub,'' Wedge said. ''He has every tool that you want to see in a young player. But there is no downside to sending him back, because it will help him fine-tune his game. When he comes up — and I think he will at some point in the season — he will be a better player. ohio.com
That "some point" may be to start the season. He hit .289 (13-for-45) with a homer, a triple, a double and three RBIs, while going 6-for-6 in stolen-base attempts. Crowe would also be a much needed steady outfield replacement for both Shin Soo Choo and Ben Francisco if either struggles early on. In his last game up with the big league club, Crowe slugged a long homerun and a double which impressed the front office.
"When Crowe hit his HR to right (which was huge), Antonetti and Shapiro exchanged a raised eyebrow glance."letsgotribe.com
With the lack of first round homegrown talent on the current big league roster, it would be a big win for the organization for Trevor Crowe to become a solid major league contributor. His game reminds some of Arizona Diamondbacks' outfield Eric Byrnes, which would not be a bad thing at all. Look for Crowe to make some type of impact in 2009 with a shot at an everyday spot in 2010.
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!"
Two minor trades were made today by the Tribe, as they shipped 27 year old first baseman Michael Aubrey to the Baltimore Orioles and received reliever Jose Veras from the New York Yankees for cash. Aubrey was a former 1st round pick by the Indians, but just never could stay healthy. He also was caught up in a numbers game as there are a plethora of 1st Baseman/Outfielders currently in the Indians' upper minors. Michael was hitting .292 with 16 doubles, a triple, five homers and 29 RBIs in 57 games for the Clippers. This transaction removes one more hurdle for Columbus Clipper Jordan Brown to finally make it to the big leagues in Cleveland, a promotion he has earned and deserves. Aubrey will best be known in Indians lore as the first baseman who just let Gary Sheffield charge the mound from first base without tackling him or intervening. Fausto still smoke Sheff in the face, but you gotta do something Mike, not just stand there like you usually do (see below). 
