VT'er - A quick change there.

81-81 is 500

18 games over 500 is 90-72

I stand corrected.

As I remember Ludwick was RH and had a strong arm.

Struck out a lot, he would fit in well.

Hate to give up anyone with a future for him.

Ludwick would fit the bill nicely. Still best friends with Hafner. Going to cost 2 to 3 B prospects or one A prospect in this sellers market.

Ryan Ludwick

2012 Contract Status: Signed thru 2011, 1 yr/$6.78M (11) (details) [*]

Ludwick is batting .226 with 5 HRs over 128 ABs since June 1.

But only 32 Ks, a good rate compared to many Tribesters.

seagull wrote:81-81 is 500

18 games over 500 is 90-72

I stand corrected.

Fact is that the Tribe must go 43-30 the rest of the way to reach 90 wins.


Which, by my calculations, would be .589 ball from now on. Thus far, we are .528. If we continue at that rate, we would win 85 or 86.

That pace would only be 2 wins off their phenomenal 30-15 start.

Hard to see it happening that way.

But it was hard to see the Tribe where they are now.

Just for perspective, the only teams playing .589 or better for the season so far are EE, Red Sox and Phillies.

Tribe doesn't seem to fit with that group.

However, the Central division teams play each other more frequently from now on out, so one of them has to lose when the other wins.

19 of the final 24 games are against CWS, DT and MT.

I would go all out for Pence, even giveing them an untouchable. A strong outfield bat is precisely what we need, and not a Lugnuts or other retread. We could finish the year with Pence, Brantley and Choo in the outfield, I would like that!

Cleveland Indians have swung and missed in developing homegrown outfield talent: Terry Pluto

Published: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 6:59 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 6:59 PM

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Why are the Indians shopping for an outfielder to add some pop to their offense?
Because they can't draft and develop their own. That thought arrived Monday night at Akron's Canal Park, watching the Tribe's Class AA team play. In the outfield for the Aeros were John Drennen and Nick Weglarz.
Once upon a time, Drennen and Weglarz -- along with Trevor Crowe -- were expected to be playing in Cleveland by now. All were picked in the 2005 draft. Crowe was the 14th overall selection, Drennen was No. 33, Weglarz No. 94.

Crowe has played 190 games for the Tribe from 2009-10, batting .246 (.627 OPS) with three homers, 53 RBI and a .295 on-base percentage in 625 at-bats. Now 27, he is out for the year with shoulder surgery. Even before he was hurt, Crowe's big-league future seemed to be as a backup -- at best.
Drennen and Weglarz have yet to make it to Cleveland, six years after they were drafted. Weglarz is coming off knee surgery and just can't stay healthy. Drennen is a career .267 minor-league hitter who will be 25 in August and has yet to reach Class AAA. He also was suspended for 50 games this season for using an illegal substance.

OK, Tribe fans, who is the last significant outfielder drafted by the Indians? Try Manny Ramirez, the team's first-round pick in 1991. He arrived with the Tribe in 1994. He played in the same outfield as Albert Belle, a second-rounder in 1987.

The Indians also picked Brian Giles in 1987, a steal in the 17th round. His best years were in Pittsburgh -- yes, the awful Ricky Rincon deal! But in two years with the Tribe, Giles batted .268 with an .840 OPS, averaging 16 homers and 65 RBI (.380 on-base) in 360 at-bats. If only the Tribe had produced one outfielder like that in the last five years. Or 10 years.

The current outfield is the product of trades: Shin-Soo Choo (Seattle), Grady Sizemore (Montreal) and Michael Brantley (Milwaukee). Backups Travis Buck, Austin Kearns and Shelley Duncan all came from other organizations.

While the Tribe usually picked pitchers near the top of the draft (other than 2005), they did make Brad Snyder the 18th pick in 2003. The outfielder from Ball State never made it. So the Indians kept filling the outfield with the likes of the Jason Michaels/Dave Dellucci platoon. Or with Kearns/Buck. Or with trades for players such as Franklin Gutierrez, Coco Crisp, Matt Lawton, Jody Gerut and Milton Bradley.

It's enough to make you scream, "They can't find one outfielder is the last 20 years?" OK, Ben Francisco was a fifth-round pick in 2002, but he is a backup with Philadelphia.

The interesting part of this discussion is that Jason Kipnis was picked as an outfielder -- in the second round of 2009 -- but has been converted to second base. The Indians plan to keep him there, believing he'll have the job no later than 2012.

At Class AAA Columbus, 24-year-old Ezequiel Carrera (.288, 723 OPS) is considered the best outfield prospect. He is an excellent center fielder. He can steal bases (35 of 39) and is a leadoff guy. But he's a left-handed hitter with no power.

Jerad Head is batting .291 (.864 OPS) with 14 homers and 44 RBI for the Clippers. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and is 28. Head is batting .344 (1.078 OPS) in hitter-friendly Columbus, .245 (.681 OPS) on the road. The right-handed hitter may be worth a late-season look, but he doesn't seem to be an answer.

More intriguing is 24-year-old Tim Fedroff, who was hitting .338 (.846 OPS) at Akron. He was recently promoted to Columbus, where he's hitting .239 (.669 OPS), but that's only in 46 at-bats. The problem is Fedroff has only three homers in 312 at-bats this season -- and the Indians need power from the right side.
It's possible the Indians will trade for an outfielder who will help this season. But until they draft players who can make impact in the outfield, the Help Wanted signs will remain.

That thought arrived Monday night at Akron's Canal Park, watching the Tribe's Class AA team play. In the outfield for the Aeros were John Drennen and Nick Weglarz.

Terry is starting to sound like those 2 old guys in the balcony of " The Muppets ".

"If you are really injured, it's one thing," he said. "But if I could walk, I wanted to be there. It was an honor. It was prestige. It was being with great players. It's part of why you play the game."

I will be the contrarian here and see things from the present day player side.

Everyone considers a season nothing but a quest for the ring. If so, then why would a player take a chance on further injury in an exhibition game?

I understand the latter day players valuing it, but I do not look down on present day players for prioritizing a pennant race over an all star game.

What about players who have a clause in their contract that pays a bonus if they make the AS team?