Cleveland Sports Forum

He would under past normal circumstances with 40 men all allowed to join the big club. Now the limit is 28- 26 now; Harold Ramirez will return. Civale will return. that's a full house.

Oscar makes the Hot Prospect List for last week

11. Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Indians
Team: Triple-A Columbus (East)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .346/.414/.769 (9-for-26) 2 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 CS.

The Scoop: Gonzalez is having one of the sneaky good seasons of 2021. His stats have only slightly dipped since he was promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus, and overall he is hitting .320/.356/.567 with 23 home runs. It’s fair to worry that his tendency to swing at most anything will come back to bite him in the majors, but Gonzalez posts outstanding exit velocities. The power is real, and he’s doing a better job of getting to it regularly. (JC)

only Arizona in action Monday

Isaiah Greene 1 double 2 singles and a walk hitting 313 845 OPS
Connor Kokx 1st pro homer

Cleveland Indians: 3 prospects that should have fans excited for the future
by Kyle Edmond18 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7

At 64-64, the Cleveland Indians are sitting at exactly .500, placing them 10 games back in the American League Central and 8.5 back in the Wild Card race. With time slowly running out for a last minute run, fans of the club are starting to shift their attention to the future. Luckily, there’s some exciting players on the horizon.

Cleveland has already been given a slight taste of upcoming players who could soon have an impact. The injuries to the starting rotation have allowed a handful of pitching prospects to try their hand in the majors while deadline moves opened doors for others to get their shot.

The outfield is starting to come together and the rotation is starting to click, giving hope for the 2022 campaign. In addition to what we’re seeing on the field already in Cleveland, there’s prospects that are knocking on the door, or at least showcasing their potential for what could be.

Not all of these players will be ready to contribute in 2022, but they will be in the relatively near future and are already turning heads at the minor league levels. If they can sustain their production, they should be consistent contributors in Cleveland sooner rather than later.


Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Cleveland Indians

We’ve talked about Oscar Gonzalez before, but he just continues to impress in Triple-A Columbus and it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to overlook him as an option for Cleveland’s outfield. Turning 24-years old in January, he’s exhibiting skills that might be MLB-ready by Opening Day of next year.


Gonzalez is coming off a 14-game hitting streak with Columbus and that’s just a sample of the success he’s had. Being called up from Double-A earlier this season, Gonzalez now has 46 games under his belt with the Clippers, slashing an impressive .310/.345/.533 with the club.

In addition to the strong slash line, Gonzalez has also tallied nine doubles, a triple and 10 home runs while accumulating 23 RBI. As for in the field, he’s been perfect at both corner outfield spots.

It was a similar slash line that was enough for Gonzalez to make the move from Double-A Akron up to Triple-A Columbus. If he can continue to showcase these skills through Spring Training, it will be hard to not give him a roster spot to start the season

Gabriel Arias, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

After top prospect Tyler Freeman went down for the year with an injury, No. 4 prospect Gabriel Arias quickly became one of the most intriguing youngsters in the organization’s short-term outlook. Despite being just 21-years old, Arias has been absolutely tearing it up in Triple-A Columbus this season.

Over the last three months (90 days), Arias has played in 67 games for the Clippers and has posted a slash line of .292/.351/.459 with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 25 RBI. He’s cooled off a bit recently, which could be the reason we haven’t watched him in Cleveland yet, but he’s definitely positioning himself to make a run at a starting spot in 2022. The question is just where.

Arias has shown that the bat is there, but his glove is a bit behind. He has nine errors at shortstop this season for a fielding percentage of .961. While he only has one error at second base, he still has a .971 fielding percentage there due to lack of innings at the position.

If Arias can clean up his fielding a bit in the offseason, he should be able to find a spot in Cleveland very quickly. The team needs middle infield help after trading Cesar Hernandez and while Amed Rosario has been steady at the plate, he has seven errors at short himself.

In short, Arias has the opportunity to make a splash in the near future and being just 22 when the next season starts, he should be viewed as a potential cornerstone for the club if he can progress as anticipated.

Daniel Espino, SP, Cleveland Indians

One player in the organization that we really have talked about a whole lot here is Daniel Espino. Now, the No. 5 prospect for the organization, Espino was a first round pick by the Tribe in the 2019 MLB Draft. At just 20-years old, he’s already looking impressive for High-A Lake County.


Being so young, it will probably be a couple more seasons before Espino makes it to the big league level, but he’ll turn 21 in January so that’s not much of an issue. The good news is that by the time he’s ready, Cleveland will likely need him.


If this season has taught us anything it’s that a team can never have too many starting pitchers ready for the big leagues. Getting Espino to that point will be key over the next couple seasons. While the starting rotation might be locked up for now, injuries and struggles can derail those plans at any time.

The 2024 season is the last time that Shane Bieber will be under cheap team control with Plesac, Civale and Quantrill all following the next season. If Espino can be ready by the time that all happens, that would be a huge advantage for the club given their recent rate of moving expiring contracts.

It might seem a long time off that Espino could be replacing Bieber in the rotation, and hopefully not missing a beat, but the time between now and Opening Day 2025, about three and a half years, is the same amount of time that Bieber has been up in Cleveland.

I wouldn't say Arias is "absolutely tearing it up" but he's hit very well for a 21 year old in AAA
This guy just looks at the stats and I guess the 9 errors don't look so good to him [not a high number for a SS] but stories I've read call him the best defender among our many young SS

Great week for the Logans Allen

Logan Allen, LHP, Double-A Akron (Indians)—The 2020 second-rounder from Florida International struck out six and walked none over six scoreless innings to earn the win against Altoona. Allen quickly pitched his way out of High-A after nine starts, and he's been almost as impressive since getting to the upper minors. In nine Double-A appearances (eight starts), he's 3-0, 2.78 with 54 strikeouts and 10 walks in 45.1 innings.

And in other stats [remember all of the cumulative totals are for the player at all levels combined]

CLE AA #4 George Valera, OF 5 1 2 3 0.265 HR (17),
CLE AA #7 Brayan Rocchio, SS 4 3 2 2 0.264 2B (19), BB (30),
CLE LoA #9 Angel Martinez, SS 3 0 0 1 0.252 BB (37), CS (6),
CLE LoA #14 Gbriel Rodriguez, SS3 0 0 0 0.228 BB (17), CS (3),
CLE MAJ #15 Owen Miller, SS 4 0 2 0 0.248
CLE HiA #20 Jose Tena, IF 4 1 1 0 0.287 2B (22),
CLE HiA #21 Aaron Bracho, 2B 4 0 0 0 0.188
CLE AA #23 Bryan Lavastida, C 1 0 0 0 0.302
CLE HiA #25 Jhonkensy Noel, 1B 3 1 1 1 0.373 BB (10), SB (4),

CLE AA #19 Joey Cantillo, LHP 1.1 3 2 2 2 1 4.15 1ST OUTING IN AA a couple rehab outings in Arizona; one of the many pieces of the Clevinger deal. Rule 5 eligible. Can they leave him unprotected due to his limited work this summer?

a few other notes on Wednesday games

at Lake County:
Johnnathan Rodriguez 2 singles 273 672 OPS since promotion

at Lynchburg
Petey Halpin single 283 790
Angel Martinez descent continues, now below 250 for the first time this year
Planez 3 singles 248 720
Burgos follows his 4 doubles with 2 singles: 400 1024 in his first week since promotion

Columbus and Arizona were both postponed

As I was recently advised here, the minor league seasons continue well into September this year.
AAA regular season lasts till Sept 27
AA High A and Low A till Sept 19

some Thursday notes:

in Columbus,
Oscar G 11th homer since arrival in AAA
Steven Kwan CF first week in AAA. 4-5 last night with double and homer
Jose Fermin, 3B, first day in AAA 3 for 4 with a double
Cody Morris 5 1 0 0 1 7
shutout relief innings by Hill, Nelson and Gose

in Akron:
Peyton Battenfield looks darned good 6 4 0 0 1 6 1.68 ERA for Akron 24 year old's career is pretty short 133 IP 1.89 ERA 1.2K/IP 9th round pick
We got him for Luplow. We traded minor league pitcher Tahnaj Thomas; he had been looking good until this year; not much in High A for the Pirates
Rocchio 2-4 8th AA double 6th AA homer [one of BA's players of the day as I will post shortly]
Valera 0-4

in Eastlake:
Tena's 15th homer and a single
Q Holmes rare xbhits: double and triple
Jhonkennsy Noel 3rd and 4th High A homers and a single HR total is now 15 in only 219 AB; since promotion 353 1019 OPS both of which are less than for Lynchburg. plays 3rd base and 1st base. 20 years old, RH hit. Not sure if he's very good on defense at either corner but he certainly hits.
on the mound, the X Man, Xzvavion Curry 5 2/3 4 0 0 1 7 2.38 in High A for the season 8-1 2.01 89IP 115K 14BB. Looks like your classic control freak Cleveland minor league. HR total of 10 is high; but none in his last 3 starts over 17 IP

for Lynchburg
OF Petey Halpin with his 6th triple and a single
Angel Martinez double and homer, turning in back on after a long dry spell back up to 257 739 OPS
6th round RHP Aaron Davenport first game in Lynchburg 3 shutout innings 6 strike outs

in the desert
3rd round 2B/SS Jake Fox 2-4 hitting 400 in his first week
Jr Sanquintin 11th double [no longer top in the league in HR or RBI but 2nd in both] 292 882 OPS
SS Frias 2 hits; 317 912 OPS
Isaiah Greene drew a walk hitting 305 830 2nd in walks 3rd in OPS
OF Luis Durango walk and single but no steals; although still holds a big lead
[Jorge Burgos left for Lynchburg leading the league with a 353 average; no longer qualifies]

Well I could have sworn I saw Rocchio on the list of top performers but he disappeared. But he had a big day and has a great season, getting better as the season has gone along

CLE AA #4 George Valera, OF 4 0 0 0 0.261
CLE AA #5 Bo Naylor, C 3 0 0 0 0.184
CLE AAA #6 Gabriel Arias, SS 5 0 1 0 0.273
CLE AA #7 Brayan Rocchio, SS 4 1 2 3 0.271 2B (21), HR (15), BB (31),
CLE MAJ #15 Owen Miller, SS 4 1 1 3 0.248 HR (11),
CLE HiA #20 Jose Tena, IF 5 2 2 3 0.291 HR (15),
CLE AAA #23 Bryan Lavastida, C 4 0 0 0 0.297 BB (36),
CLE HiA #25 Jhonkensy Noel, 1B 5 2 3 2 0.378 2 HR (15),
CLE AAA #29 Oscar Gonzalez, OF 4 1 1 3 0.317 HR (24),

CLE AA #17 Peyton Battenfield, RHP 6.0 4 0 0 1 6 2.01 W (7-0)

I don't know if homeruns are up all through the minors; we are certainly seeing big totals this summer from our kids

Rocchio made the top of the writeup the day before; and then did much better the next day as a followup

This is for Wednesday games

Brayan Rocchio, SS, Double-A Akron (Indians)—Rocchio collected three hits, including a double, scored once and drove in one in a win over Altoona. The 20-year-old shortstop has impressed since earning a promotion to Double-A on July 30, with a .278/.352/.504 slash line, five homers and 20 RBIs in 115 at-bats.

CLE AA #4 George Valera, OF 3 0 1 2 0.265 BB (58),
CLE AA #5 Bo Naylor, C 4 2 2 1 0.186 HR (10),
CLE AAA #6 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 0 0 0 0.274 E (14),
CLE AA #7 Brayan Rocchio, SS 5 1 3 1 0.269 2B (20), SB (18), E (13),
CLE LoA #9 Angel Martinez, SS 4 1 3 0 0.258 2B (19),
CLE LoA #14 Gabe Rodriguez, SS 4 0 1 0 0.228 E (15),
CLE HiA #20 Jose Tena, IF 4 1 2 0 0.289 BB (22),
CLE HiA #25 Jhonkensy Noel, 1B 3 1 1 2 0.373 2B (12), BB (11),
CLE AAA #29 Oscar Gonzalez, OF 3 0 0 0 0.318 BB (19), [for Oscar that's a lot of walks]

CLE HiA #11 Tanner Burns, RHP 4.0 3 2 2 2 4 3.92 rather disappointing

It will be tough to squeeze all the prospects to the top 30 this winter; the current are mostly deserving to remain; but have to have room for guys like

Not sure Cody Morris was in the most recent updates, he will be in the 8-15 range now.
Jorge Burgos
Junior Sanquintin
Milan Tolentino
Xzavion Curry
Stephen Kwan ?

The Tribe seems to love Kwan. Not so much the rankings.

5th round draft choice so obviously not a no one; let me look up his draft assessment. He's one of a crowd of prospective 40 man additions.
I'm considering [if it were my choice] dropping a large share of our relievers from the roster; we can keep up free agents equivalent to Wittgren, Shaw, Nelson, one and done Perez, Garza, Hill, perhaps Parker, Young along with Scott Moss. The roster currently also includes catchers . Gonzalez and Lavernway and Ramos who will be DFAd, as well as R. Perez who is a free agent so comes off,

including 3 on the 60-day DL there are 43 on the 40. I just cut it to 31 without waving good bye to Daniel Johnson or any IF or OF.

Almost History

Sept. 3: One strike from no-hitter, Ducks pitch 3-0, one-hit shutout over Curve

Akron RubberDucks (66-39) 3, Altoona Curve (52-51) 0 | Box Score

WP: Adam Scott (3-2) LP: Travis MacGregor (3-9) Save: Nic Enright (2)

Summary

Cleveland Indians rehabbing catcher Roberto Pérez teamed with RubberDucks left-hander Adam Scott for six hitless innings, and Akron came within one strike of a combined no-hitter in a second straight shutout win, 3-0 over the Altoona Curve on Friday night at Canal Park. Akron leads Bowie by 4.5 games for the league’s best record.

Turning Point

Akron jumped on Altoona starter Travis MacGregor, as Will Brennan doubled to left field to open the bottom of the first inning. Brayan Rocchio followed with an RBI double off the glove of left fielder Daniel Amaral. Pérez followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. MacGregor recovered to hold Akron without another run through the fifth inning.
Mound Presence

Scott was untouchable for six innings. A walk in the second and sixth were the only two runners to reach against him, as he authored six no-hit innings, striking out eight batters. Left-hander Jake Miednik followed by getting two quick outs in the seventh before walking back-to-back hitters. Right-hander Nic Enright came on and escaped the jam by getting Daniel Amaral to fly out to center. Enright retired six straight, striking out three, before Curve first baseman Mason Martin broke up the no-hitter on a 3-2 pitch with a two-out single to left field. Enright ended the game by getting a groundout.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks added to the lead in the seventh inning, when Ike Freeman sent his first Double-A home run over the wall in left field to make it 3-0. Akron left six on base and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Notebook

Akron wore jerseys to honor the 1933 Akron Black Tyrites of the Negro National League…The last RubberDucks no-hitter was by Ryan Merritt (seven innings) against Reading in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Canal Park on July 11, 2015…The last nine-inning no-hitter was July 15, 2012, when Giovanni Soto no-hit the Altoona Curve at Canal Park for the Akron Aeros…Scott also no-hit the Curve for five innings on Aug. 3… Pérez has caught 17 straight scoreless innings in his three rehab games…Game Time: 2:27…Attendance: 3,628.

On the Pond

Union Home Mortgage Welcomes You Home To Canal Park for the six-game RubberDucks homestand with the Altoona Curve, continuing Saturday at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Left-hander Konnor Pilkington (2-0, 1.44 ERA) is scheduled to start against Curve right-hander Jeff Passantino (1-6, 4.98 ERA).