Cleveland Sports Forum

if those rule changes interest you here's a podcast for future consideration

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... -for-2021/

I love that they are trying these!

There is no reason whatsoever, for example, that a pitch clock can't be implemented. What a waste of time - watch games from the 80s and 90s and they did NOT crap around like that forever.

And I am all in on limiting the amount of shifting. More crap.

Automation has taken over society. Analytics are fine, unless they are code for automation of human beings. Lindor spoke out about it - good for him.

BTW, I didn't know he was on the executive board for the Players Association so this isn't just bullshit - if he said this out loud then the Players are serious. And you know the owners want them. So they are coming.

Make the base bigger and get a reduction in size at the same time. Now there is a concept the government would love.

civ - just got an explanation about how the "alternate site' thing in Columbus will work.

Seems the majority of minor leaguers will stay in AZ for April. LOWER minor leaguers and guys who wouldn't be called up when needed on the big team in April.

The reason is that only players at the alternate site can be called up.

In addition if you wanted to move a player from AZ to the alternate site, it takes 5 days (covid intake) to make that work.

(That said, I would think in certain pitchers' cases you keep them in AZ then transfer them 5 days before you need them?)

BA updates its Top 30's but I don't think this list has changed:

Click prospect for player report

1
Triston McKenzie [on opening day roster, in the bullpen]
Triston McKenzie RHP
2
Nolan Jones
Nolan Jones 3B
3
Andres Gimenez [in opeing day starting lineup] [Lindor trade]
Andres Gimenez SS/2B
4
Tyler Freeman
Tyler Freeman SS
5
Bo Naylor
Bo Naylor C
6
George Valera
George Valera OF
7
Gabriel Arias [in Clevinger trade]
Gabriel Arias SS
8
Brayan Rocchio
Brayan Rocchio SS
9
Daniel Espino
Daniel Espino RHP
10
Ethan Hankins
Ethan Hankins RHP
11
Aaron Bracho
Aaron Bracho 2B
12
Gabriel Rodriguez
Gabriel Rodriguez SS
13
Carson Tucker
Carson Tucker SS
14
Logan Allen THE ONE PITCHING OPENING DAY IN CLEVELAND in Bauer trade]
Logan Allen LHP
15
Emmanuel Clase [on opening day roster; probably the closer] in Kluber trade
Emmanuel Clase RHP
16
Tanner Burns
Tanner Burns RHP
17
Joey Cantillo [in Clevinger trade]
Joey Cantillo LHP
18
Carlos Vargas
Carlos Vargas RHP
19
Owen Miller [in Clevinger trade]
Owen Miller SS
20
Scott Moss in Bauer trade]
Scott Moss LHP
21
Logan Allen THE ONE DRAFTED LAST SUMMER
Logan Allen LHP
22
Bobby Bradley
Bobby Bradley 1B
23
Sam Hentges
Sam Hentges LHP
24
Ernie Clement
Ernie Clement SS [on the "taxi squad"]
25
Josh Wolf [in Lindor trade]
Josh Wolf RHP
26
Isaiah Greene [in Lindor trade]
Isaiah Greene OF
27
Lenny Torres
Lenny Torres RHP
28
Yordys Valdes
Yordys Valdes SS
29
Angel Martinez
Angel Martinez SS
30
Yu Chang [on the opening day roster]
Yu Chang 3B/SS

Added a few guys to the 75 allowed to participate: but I don't remember where I found the list. So .... never mind.

I have read that the alternate site 28 will be finalized today.

A major reason why the Indians have been able to remain contenders despite the loss of so many stars has been their ability to develop young pitchers, both homegrown and those acquired from other organizations, into productive major leaguers.

Cleveland's next young pitcher development project is 20-year-old righthander Josh Wolf, a product of the offseason deal that sent Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets.

New York drafted Wolf out of Houston's St. Thomas High in the second round in 2019 and went way over slot to sign him for $2.15 million.

As it turned out, Wolf appeared in just five games in the Mets’ organization, all starts in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his draft year. He struck out 12 and walked one in eight innings.

His development was interrupted last year when the minor league season was canceled, and he was not invited to the Mets’ alternate training site. But that didn’t stop Indians officials from negotiating him into the Lindor/Carrasco trade.

“He’s a young, hard-throwing righthander with a good mix of pitches,” Indians president Chris Antonetti said. “(He has) an above-average fastball up to 96 (mph) and a really good slider. His third pitch is a changeup that he’s still developing.”

At 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, Wolf has the potential to continue to mature physically.

There’s no way to make up for lost time last summer when he was working out remotely, before reporting to the Mets’ instructional league. But Indians officials obviously saw something worth working with.

“We think Josh has the ingredients to develop into a successful starting major league pitcher,” Antonetti said.

Cleveland’s alternate site roster includes:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Infielders Owen Miller and Gabriel Arias are among 31 players named to the Cleveland Indians’ alternate site squad that will work out at Huntington Park in Columbus until the minor-league season gets underway in May.

Miler and Arias, both acquired from San Diego last season in the Mike Clevinger trade, both turned heads in spring training with their offense. Miller batted .390 with a .932 OPS and six RBI in 41 at-bats over 24 games. Arias was one of the stars of the early part of camp, batting .615 with a 1.308 OPS and five RBI in 13 at-bats through eight games.

Catchers: Gavin Collins, Ryan Lavarnway, Mike Rivera, Eric Rodriguez. [Bo Naylor is too young for this AAA type level, but I hope he gets to start playing somewhere soon

Pitchers: Robert Broom, Joey Cantillo, Kyle Dowdy, Sam Hentges, DJ Johnson, Kirk McCarty, Jean Carlos Mejía, Nick Mikolajchak, Blake Parker, Nick Sandlin, Dalbert Siri, Tanner Tully, Daniel Young. [Daniel Young is a new one on me.]

Infielders: Gabriel Arias, Bobby Bradley, José Fermίn, Nolan Jones, Tyler Krieger, Owen Miller. where's Tyler Freeman? He hit over 400 in camp

Outfielders: Daniel Johnson, Oscar Mercado, Connor Marabell, Bradley Zimmer. [as bets our strengths and weaknesses, two of the four are beyond prospect stage and Marabell has never come close to a top 30 list. But I suppose we'll see Jones out here]

Lefty reliever Anthony Gose and outfielder Harold Ramirez are part of the taxi squad along with catcher Ryan Lavarnway, infielder/outfielder Ernie Clement and reliever Kyle Nelson.

Alternate site participants will play up to four games per week against other major league depth camp squads during the month of April, according to Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. Travel will be limited by bus to teams in drivable locations such as Toledo and Louisville.

Pitchers Scott Moss (neck) and Eli Morgan (forearm soreness) stayed behind at the club’s Goodyear training complex. Catcher Beau Taylor could join the alternate site group if he clears waivers and accepts an assignment there later next week.

only Daniel Young I find is probably not him:

Daniel Bracy Young (born November 3, 1971) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in four games in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs in 2000. Young was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 83rd round of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft.

successful research locates Danny Young:

26 year old lefty; pitched in AA 1.79 ERA 1.21 WHIP; 7.27 2.08 in 7 AAA games. A career reliever.

wonder when the sort of Clippers start playing games? Since the games aren't official I suppose no box scores.
wonder if there will be any reports out of Goodyear now that the rest of the minor leaguers have arrived.

I copied from a post in Articles:

5. Until the minor-league season begins in early May, the crew at the team’s alternate site in Columbus will play exhibition games against opponents stationed in nearby cities. They are limited to ground transportation during the exhibition slate.

Some noteworthy velocity readings from the club’s first few games this week:

Sam Hentges: 93.7 mph average fastball, topping out at 97.0 mph
Anthony Gose: 96.4 mph average fastball, topping out at 98.6 mph
Nick Sandlin: 94.7 mph average fastball, topping out at 95.5 mph

Nolan Jones has appeared at third base and in left field. Oscar Mercado, Daniel Johnson, Bradley Zimmer and Harold Ramírez have rotated through the outfield spots.

We don't need help at 3rd base or left field so I'm surprised Jones is not trying out at 1st base. Of course we will need help in left field next year and at 3rd whenever they get a great big package for Jose

"5 best batteries of 2021"

C Bo Naylor and RHP Ethan Hankins—High-A Lake County

Naylor, the younger brother of new Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor, has earned a rep as one of the best pitch-framers in the minor leagues, and in 2019 threw out 37% of attempted basestealers. He was one of the best offensive performers at Cleveland’s alternate training site in 2020 and should open the year in High-A.

Hankins, Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2018, has a plus fastball at the front of a mix of three potentially above-average pitches. He made five starts at Low-A in 2019 and pitched at the alternate training site in 2020.

[Daniel Espino gets higher praise but I guess he'll be a step behind in Lynchburg]

With Brayan Rocchio, Aaron Bracho, Angel Martinez and then Jose Pastrano from their 2019 signing class, the Indians have stocked up on switch-hitting, instinctive shortstops with good contact skills from Latin America. They added more of that prototype in their most recent international signing class, plus one of the top catchers available.

Top Of The Class

Dominican shortstop Angel Genao, who trained with Aldo Marrero, is a smooth, steady player with good baseball instincts. The shortstop on the team from the Dominican Republic that played in the 2017 Little League World Series, Genao is a switch-hitter with a calm, easy swing from both sides of the plate. It's a balanced, compact stroke with good path through the hitting zone, geared to hit line drives to all fields. He makes frequent contact with gap power now and the strength projection in his 6-foot-1, 160-pound frame to do more damage later on, though it's probably going to be a hit-over-power offensive profile. Genao doesn't have one plus tool that sticks out or the explosion of some other shortstops, but his savvy and game acumen help everything play up. His arm has a chance to be plus, with good defensive actions, average speed and a good internal clock at shortstop.

Dominican shortstop Fran Alduey has quick-twitch athleticism in a smaller 5-foot-8 frame. He has improved his speed and arm strength, running plus now and showing flashes of an above-average arm as well. Alduey is a switch-hitter who has shown good bat-to-ball skills against live pitching, using his hands well with good bat control from both sides of the plate and a solid sense of the strike zone for his age. It's mostly a line-drive approach with occasional doubles, though he's unlikely to ever drive the ball with a lot of impact. Alduey trained with Carlos Guzman.

Robert Lopez was one of the top Venezuelan catchers in the 2020 international class. He's 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and projects to stick behind the plate, drawing high marks for his instincts, baseball IQ and leadership skills. He has solid catch-and-throw skills, with his arm strength improving to around an average tool now. Lopez has shown a promising bat for a catcher too, both in terms of his contact skills from the left side and his power. Lopez has good power already for his age, with a chance to grow into above-average power that he has a good chance of tapping into in games because of the way his swing works. Lopez trained with Giovanni Silva of the Masa Baseball Academy and with Johan Ocanto.

Names To Know

Jesus Montilla, SS, Venezuela: Montilla isn't that big but he's a savvy player with high-level game acumen for his age. He has a good chance to stay at shortstop, where his hands and feet work well with good instincts. That feel for the game shows up in the batter's box too, where he has good plate discipline and bat control. Montilla trained with Jose Salas.

Richard Polanco, SS, Dominican Republic: Polanco is an offensive-minded infielder with big hands and strong wrists that help him generate impressive bat speed and frequent hard contact from both sides of the plate. He should have some physicality to him once he fills out and be able to hit for power, with his defense likely fitting better at third base. Polanco trained with Eddy Fontana.

Yefri Rivera, SS, Dominican Republic: Rivera is a defense-first shortstop with outstanding hands and slick actions in the field, getting rid of the ball with a fast exchange to an arm that's flashing plus. He has a chance to be a plus defender, with his glove ahead of his bat, though he has solid contact skills without much power from both sides of the plate. Rivera and Fran Alduey trained together with Carlos Guzman.

Emerson Purroy, SS, Venezuela: Purroy doesn't have a standout tool, but he's a steady, sum-of-the-parts type player with the athleticism to potentially stay at shortstop and good bat-to-ball skills from both sides, with his righthanded swing further ahead of his lefty stroke. Purroy trained with Kander Depablos.

Miguel Lopez, SS, Dominican Republic: Lopez had an extremely small, skinny build early in the scouting process, though even at that time he showed good contact skills and the ability to catch up to good velocity. He's still on the shorter side but he has added strength that has helped improve his body coordination, projecting as a middle infielder with a chance to stay at shortstop. Lopez trained with Fausto Garcia.

Sleeper Watch

The Indians spend most of their bonus pool money on position players, but one under-the-radar pitcher to keep an eye on is righthander Austin Aldeano from Panama. He's 6-foot-1, 180 pounds and throws strikes with a fastball that has been up to 90 mph with the physical projection for more velocity as he gets stronger. He mixes a curveball and changeup into his three-pitch mix with good mechanics and pitchability for his age.

Cherington also expressed some patience with Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo despite a recent drubbing at the hands of the hands of the Padres, who tagged him for five runs in 1 2/3 innings Monday (link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). While acknowledging the dismal outing against San Diego, Cherington noted that it came after a weeklong layoff from pitching in a game and indicated that the club remains “really encouraged” by the manner in which Oviedo has begun the year. Most rebuilding clubs are willing to look beyond the bottom-line results when looking for positives with young Rule 5 picks such as Oviedo, who is pitching above A-ball for the first time in his career. If he continues to struggle to this extent, the Pirates will obviously have to weigh the merits of keeping him on the roster, but based on Cherington’s comments, Oviedo seems safe for now.

Luis Oviedo, RHP, Pirates (via Indians): Oviedo was the Mets’ pick at No. 10, but they had a deal worked out to flip him to the Pirates in exchange for cash. Oviedo has been hammered for six runs on six hits (two homers) and two walks with five strikeouts through 4 2/3 innings so far. Even pitching for a tanking club, Oviedo will need to show some improvement in order to stick on the roster all season.

Ka’ai Tom, OF, Athletics (via Indians): Tom, 26, raked at a .310/.412/.552 pace with a homer, two doubles and a triple in 34 spring plate appearances. After that strong audition, however, he’s just 1-for-16 with six strikeouts through his first 16 trips to the plate with the A’s.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/