Cleveland Sports Forum

Not a very impressive number for Oscar. Curious if anyone will finally take a flyer on him in Rule 5. He has proven he can hit homeruns at upper minor league levels.

No. 1: The extra option

After J.C. Mejia was traded to the Brewers, it came to light that he had a fourth minor-league option. At the end of the 2021 season, he was listed as having used his three options. The fourth option allows the Brewers to send him to the minors for one more year of development if he doesn’t make their pitching staff for 2022.

When a player is added to a team’s 40-man roster, he receives three options. A fourth option is granted to a player if he has used his three options, but is still in his first five full professional seasons. A full season counts as 90 or more days of major- or minor-league service. Mejia had only four years of 90 or more days of service time thus the fourth option.

No. 2: Names to remember

* The Rays traded outfielder Jordan Luplow to Arizona. Luplow spent parts of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons with Cleveland before being traded to the Rays on July 30.

* Right-hander Heath Fillmyer, who made 21 appearances, including 17 starts for Class AAA Columbus this year, signed a minor-league deal with the Padres. Fillmyer went 4-7 with a 6.18 ERA for the Clippers.

* LHP Juan Hillman was among several Cleveland minor leaguers who recently filed for free agency. HIllman, a second-round pick in 2015, went 10-4 with a 3.94 ERA this year. He made 22 appearances, including 21 starts. All but one of those appearances was made at Class AA Akron.

* Other Cleveland minor league free agents include right-hander Kyle Dowdy, catcher Gianpaul Gonzalez, right-hander Matt Koch, shortstop Tyler Krieger, outfielder Connor Marabell, infielder Andruw Monasterio, right-hander Jordan Stephens [that's not the major league Stephans] and left-hander Daniel Young [that's not left hander Alex Young].

[Only Hillman among all those guys is modestly interesting as a prospect. He's had several pretty bad years; 2021 was his best but he still lacks a really effective "out pitch" from what I've read]

Ahh that extra option gave Mejia some little extra value.

civ:

https://guardiansbaseballinsider.com/20 ... um=twitter

for those who don't want to click the link, the winner for
Best Speed
in Guardians' system to a group of "experts" is Luis Durango with Rocchio number two. Durango certainly had a great year on the basepaths in Arizona last summer. Led the league in steals with 28, caught stealing 7 times; another guy had 26; no one else more than 16.
Rocchio had 21 in 31 tries in a season twice as long.

Others noted on the vote were Daniel Johnson who stole 7; and Alexfri Planez with 11 in a full season.

I'd have to think about it and look through the stats but there must be someone better than those 2 to win third place [or maybe second place] honors.

Top Winter ball performers include:

Brayan Rocchio, SS/2B, Tiburones De La Guaira (Venezuela)
CLE No. 7
We won't go so far as to say Rocchio's play down in his native Venezuela fueled his addition to the Guardians' 40-man roster, but it certainly didn't hurt. The 20-year-old switch-hitter produced a .391/.440/.594 line with nine extra-base hits in 17 games for La Guaira. He struck out and walked at an even pace (five times each) in his 76 plate appearances, while seeing time at both short and second. His final game with the Tiburones came on Nov. 17, two days before Cleveland added him to the 40-man and asked him to be taken out of winter league play. His 1.034 OPS remains seventh-best among Venezuelan Winter Leaguers with at least 75 plate appearances.

from MILB.com

Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.

Cleveland experienced something of a transition year after trading one of its franchise cornerstones. And even though the team finished on the wrong side of .500 at the Major League level, there were plenty of exciting building blocks on display in 2021.

The farm system compiled an overall .524 winning percentage as four of its six affiliates finished the season with more wins than losses. Akron was one of the best teams in the Minors, capping a stellar campaign with a three-game sweep of a talented Bowie squad in the Double-A East championship.

Most of Cleveland's Organization All-Stars are not represented among the team's top prospect rankings, but the talent that jumped out most during the 2021 season shows just how deep the system could be overall. And with the potential for more deals involving big names this offseason, prospect pool could soon rival some of the best in the game.
Cleveland Organization All-Stars

Catcher -- Bryan Lavastida, High-A Lake County (48 games), Akron (29 games), Triple-A Columbus (seven games): The club’s 13th-ranked prospect profiled as a bat-first backstop, mostly because he was short on playing time behind the plate. But he logged more than 400 innings at the position in 2021, and the bat did not drag behind.

The 22-year-old committed 10 errors as a catcher and threw out 16 of 74 would-be base stealers -- which is about 12 percent lower than his success rate in his first two professional seasons. [UGH]

“He really made a huge jump with his blocking, obviously, and also his receiving,” said vice president of player development James Harris. “We were really excited about how much he matured behind the plate. And the bat carried as well.”

Lavastida batted .289/.380/.456 with nine homers across three levels this season. His 83 total hits, .836 OPS, 51 RBIs and 50 runs scored were the most by any catcher in the Cleveland system.

The 2018 15th-rounder was second to No. 6 Cleveland prospect Bo Naylor in homers (10) and was only slightly behind fellow backstop Yainer Diaz in most other offensive categories. Diaz completed his excellent year in the Astros system after being included in the trade that sent reliever Phil Maton to Houston and brought outfielder Myles Straw to Cleveland. [NAYLOR DIDN'T HIT BUT HE CAN RECEIVE]

First baseman -- Trenton Brooks, Columbus (79 games), Akron (23 games): The organization was confident that Brooks would show a little something extra this season. And after a full-time move to first base, the 26-year-old delivered. [CERTAINLY NOT A PROSPECT; Y NOEL WILL LIKELY WIND UP AT 1ST SO HE CAN GET THE NOD HERE]

Brooks batted .256/.351/.433 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs. His .784 OPS was the best of his five professional seasons, and his 26 doubles were the most among first basemen in the system.

“He's done a really good job of swinging at good pitches, making good contact and, on occasion, impacting the ball,” Harris said.

Brooks had primarily played in the outfield for most of his career and was able to bring some of that athleticism to the new position. He committed seven errors in 669 total chances at first base this season.

Second baseman -- Richie Palacios, Akron (66 games), Columbus (37 games): Prior to the season, the club’s No. 14 prospect was limited to 45 professional games after being drafted in the third round in 2018. Palacios suffered a torn labrum that wiped out his 2019 season before the pandemic created a wider gap between professional games.

Back at full strength this year, Palacios displayed tremendous bat-to-ball skills that produced one of the best offensive seasons in the system. The 24-year-old led all Cleveland second basemen with a .297 average, .404 on-base percentage, .874 OPS, 141 wRC+, 72 runs, 33 doubles and 20 stolen bases.

“He's giving you a quality AB every time he's up,” Harris said. “He's grown into a little bit of power. He's always been a guy who has been bat-to-ball but now some of those balls are leaving the park or at least consistent line drives.”

Palacios played mostly at second base, but logged some time in left and center field as well. Harris explained that Palacios had to work to build up arm strength after the injury, but he has the versatility to move around a couple different positions in the future. This could become an important quality within a system that’s deep on infielders like Freeman, their top prospect, fourth-ranked Gabriel Arias and eighth-ranked Angel Martinez.

Third baseman -- Jhonkensy Noel, Lynchburg (38 games), Lake County (26 games), Rookie-level Arizona Complex League (six games): An ankle sprain limited the 19-year-old to just 70 games, but when he was healthy he produced one of the best seasons in the system.

Noel was an absolute terror at Low-A Lynchburg, batting .393 with a 1.119 OPS, 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 150 at-bats. Overall, he led all Cleveland third baseman in just about every offensive category, batting .340/.390/.615 with a 1.005 OPS, 161 wRC+, 19 homers and 66 RBIs.

“First thing that comes to mind is how hard he hits the ball. So much power at a young age out of a righty,” Harris said. “He did it in Low-A, and then we moved him up to High-A and he continued the trend of impacting the ball.”

The club’s No. 25 prospect was a primary first baseman in two years of short season ball after signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. But the organization expanded his defensive profile to third base and eventually the outfield. Noel committed five errors in 79 total chances at the hot corner.

Shortstop -- Brayan Rocchio, Lake County (64 games), Akron (44 games): There were plenty of options for this slot on this list, but the club’s No. 7 prospect edged out Arias and Jose Tena. Rocchio was one of only two prospects in the system with at least 15 homers and 15 stolen bases. His 21 bags and 79 runs scored were the most among all of Cleveland’s Minor Leaguers, and his 15 long balls were a career high in his first full season.

The 20-year-old is a notoriously intelligent ballplayer with tremendous bat-to-ball skills. He batted .277/.346/.460 with 63 RBIs and 122 total hits.

“Lots of bat to ball, growing into his power a little bit,” Harris said. “You can tell he loves [the game]. Like one of those real scrappy-type players, but yet with quite a bit of skill and talent.”

Rocchio also has the athleticism and defensive versatility to move around the diamond. He mostly stuck at shortstop but got some time at second and third base.

The Caracas, Venezuela native went 4-for-12 in Akron’s sweep of Bowie in the Double-A East championship series. He’s continuing his season with Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he’s already gone deep twice in the first 11 games.

Outfielders

Oscar Gonzalez, Columbus (72 games), Akron (49 games): The 23-year-old hit 37 total homers in his first five professional seasons but nearly matched that total in 2021. His 31 long balls, 84 singles and 83 RBIs were the most by any prospect in the system.

“He impacted the ball more than he has in the past. He grew into some power this year that was a little bit of a surprise to all of us, including Oscar,” Harris said. “He's done a better job of selecting better pitches to hit, and I think that's allowed him to impact the ball.”

Overall, Gonzalez batted .293/.329/.542 with 24 doubles and 70 runs scored. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound outfielder was quickly promoted to Triple-A after batting .330 with a .968 OPS and 41 RBIs with Akron.

George Valera, Lake County (63 games), Akron (23 games): Cleveland’s second-ranked prospect ended his season on a pretty incredible high note, collecting six hits, including a pair of doubles, in the RubberDucks’ championship sweep.

Valera was out for nearly a month with an oblique injury and limited to 86 games throughout the regular season. He earned the promotion to Double-A for the final month of the season and actually posted better numbers at the higher level.

The 20-year-old batted .260/.405/.505 with 19 homers, 65 RBIs and 51 runs scored across both levels.

“[He] swings at good pitches,” Harris assessed. “He's always shown that he can impact the baseball. And this year was no different.”

The No. 63 overall prospect got some time at all three positions in the outfield this season, with the lion’s share of his reps coming in right field.

Steven Kwan, Akron (51 games), Columbus (26 games): On first glance, the one thing that’s evident about Kwan is that he really doesn’t miss. The 24-year-old had a 9.1 percent strikeout percentage, the lowest in the system and the eighth-lowest among all Minor Leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances.

“He puts the bat on the ball, and he puts the ball in play. And he does that night in and night out,” Harris said.

Kwan had 97 hits in 77 total games, including 12 homers and 15 doubles, while batting .328/.407/.527 with 44 RBIs and 65 runs scored. He suffered a hamstring strain just three games into the season that forced him to miss nearly all of May and June.

Right-handed starting pitcher -- Xzavion Curry, Lake County (13 starts), Lynchburg (five starts), Akron (one start): It was no easy task to outshine No. 92 overall prospect Daniel Espino this season. But the 23-year-old Curry was fantastic in 2021, and one of the few pitchers in the organization to move across multiple levels.

“He just keeps getting better and better as he knows himself,” Harris said. “Of course, it starts with the fastball, but he was able to mix in some of his secondary stuff and attack hitters, and he's an uncomfortable at-bat.”

The club’s 30th-ranked prospect pitched to a 2.30 overall ERA with 123 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings across three levels. He allowed a run on two hits while punching out eight batters over five innings in Game 2 of Akron’s championship series.

Curry mostly relies on a low-90s fastball and his slider, but Harris said there’s plenty to be excited about with Curry’s curveball and his changeup will probably need more work to get him to the next level.

The 2019 seventh-rounder out of Georgia Tech allowed two runs or fewer in all but six of his starts, including nine scoreless outings.

Espino deserves credit for leading the system with 152 strikeouts and 14.92 K/9, but his 3.73 ERA gives Curry the edge on this list.

Left-handed starting pitcher -- Logan Allen, Akron (12 games), Lake County (eight starts): Not to be confused with the Cleveland southpaw of the same name who made 11 starts for Columbus and 11 in the Majors this season, but Logan Allen, the club’s No. 10 prospect, had one of the best seasons in the Minors.

The 23-year-old pitched to a 2.26 overall ERA with 143 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings across both levels.

“The guy just took the ball night in and night out and performed. Every time he was up there, we had a chance to win,” Harris said. “Another guy who is mostly fastball-slider, but he mixes in the changeup as good as anyone else and we're really excited about that.”

Allen was second to Espino in total strikeouts, and he made nine starts with at least eight punchouts. He only yielded more than two runs in an outing four times, and held left-handed hitters to a .174 batting average.

Relief pitcher -- Francisco Perez, Columbus (19 games), Akron (11 games), Cleveland (four games): There was an opportunity for the 24-year-old former starter to earn his first big-league promotion in the Cleveland bullpen this season. And the southpaw embraced the challenge, pitching to a 1.87 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 53 innings in the Minors this season. [STILL UNSURE WHY THEY LET HIM GET AWAY]

“He's extremely competitive. Went out there and was able to always give us a chance to win,” Harris said. “He just took advantage of when he was given the ball. And when he was given the ball, he got guys out. Sometimes the game is a little simple, and for him that's what it was.”

Perez was claimed off waivers by the Nationals on Friday, but his year still stands out as the best among relievers in the system.

Also deserving of consideration is Aaron Pinto, who held a 2.30 ERA in 43 innings out of the bullpen for Akron. [or Nick Mickelojack]

As baseball edges ever closer to the one-month mark until the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are a series of questions we keep hearing at Baseball America.

What happens to the minor leagues, Rule 5 draft, free agency and everything else that normally occurs during the offseason if there is a work stoppage come Dec. 1?

If past history is any indication, if the 2022 MLB season is delayed by a work stoppage, the minor leagues should roll along largely as normal.

Thankfully, there is now a generation of baseball fans who do not remember the work stoppages that were a normal feature of CBA negotiations from the 1970s through 1990s. So understandably there are now many baseball fans who don’t remember how baseball worked (and didn’t work) during past work stoppages—whether player strikes or owner lockouts.

How it worked was simple—the minor leagues were largely unaffected by any MLB work stoppages. The only real effect that the minors saw was increased attention, because without MLB games to air, the minors got some games broadcast nationally, much like the Korean major league did in 2020 during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the past, when MLB has either locked out the players or the players have struck, Minor League Baseball continued to play. The vast majority of minor league players are not members of the MLB Players Association, and there is no CBA in the minors—rules are simply decreed by MLB without any negotiations with the players.

So any work stoppage at the MLB level does not impact the minor leagues—with one big exception. Players on 40-man rosters are MLBPA union members, and as such are expected to honor a picket line (in case of a strike) or are part of the group that is locked out by owners.

And that can cause some difficult situations. In 1995, MLB teams (with the exception of the Orioles) put together teams of non-union replacement players during spring training. All 40-man roster players were sitting at home, but any prospects who were not on 40-man rosters and had big league spring training invites were still part of MLB spring training.

Unlike the MLB replacement players, who drew scorn from the players' union and MLB players, the minor leaguers were not seen as breaking a picket line. They were simply not party to the labor dispute.

At Baseball America, we wrote about numerous such examples that spring. Two of the Cardinals' top pitching prospects were Alan Benes and Brian Barber. Benes, not on the 40-man roster, was in spring training, getting work in front of the big league staff, while Barber, a part of the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, sat at home.

Similarly, Phil Nevin was in camp with the Astros while fellow top prospect Brian Hunter was not. Ruben Rivera was not at spring training for the Yankees, but Derek Jeter wasn’t on the Yankees’ 40-man roster yet, so he gave the Yankees’ front office a sneak peek that that he would be ready before long. The Yankees called him up for 15 games that season.

The timing of the CBA expiration on Dec. 1 means that tendering contracts and 40-man roster protection decisions will likely occur as usual near the end of November. But if no new CBA agreement has been reached by Dec. 1, it is likely that MLB free agency would be delayed until a new agreement is reached. That's because the very structure of that free agency could change under a new agreement.

It’s also possible that the Jan. 15 international signing period could be pushed back, especially if the rules for international amateur talent acquisition are changed as part of a new CBA.

But there is precedent for the Rule 5 draft to roll along, new CBA or not. In 1994, there was still a Rule 5 draft even though the owners and players were in the middle of a strike. Baseball America’s story about that year’s Rule 5 draft described it this way:

“The confused and troubled state of baseball’s unresolved labor dispute had a profound effect on the annual Rule 5 draft. Traditionally one of the staples of baseball’s Winter Meetings, this year the draft was rescheduled twice by Major League Baseball before an awkward conference call was held Dec. 5. Farm and scouting directors and other player development officials—but no general managers—called the shots for those clubs who had representatives in Dallas.”

In the latter part of the 20th century, new CBAs were never reached before the old ones expired. In the 21st century, the new CBA agreements have always been reached without the two sides resorting to a work stoppage. But whether there is a work stoppage or not, it likely would have minimal effect on the minor leagues.

I occasionally try to get myself to remember any of the replacement players from the spring of the lockout. I few still come mind, or at least sort of:

There was an OF named Hood, perhaps Donnie Hood
hhhhhmmmmm that's about it! A handful were retained at AAA for a little while so I could locate them and perhaps their spring training statistics were saved although they may have purged them.
There was some big guy at 1B who like most unsuccessful 1B struck out a lot and was slow [Walters? Waiters?]
There was at least on pitcher who had been in the majors a few years before.
a pitcher with a Polish sounding name
And some minor leaguers who were on their way to becoming coaches, quite possibly Mike Sarbaugh inlcuded.
There was an IF whose name reminded of 1958 IF Mike de la Hoz.
And I was a fan of some IF who seemed to be a good enough hitter to succeed but must have been an awful fielder.

That doesn't amount to much of a memory!

They are not readily available on line; I find these guys who played a bit in AAA who I remember as replacements in ST

Joe Slusarski, the pitcher I was thinking about
Greg Perschke another pitcher of perhaps Polish extraction
Eric Yelding an OF

and in AA
Joe Biasucci I think he's the IF I had in mind
Adell Davenport a 3B who got 9 games for Canton
Dennis [not Donnie] Hood
Tommy Taylor, one of the spring rotation with Slusarski and Perschke and ???

despite the possible lack of a season, BA is continuing with their Top 10 prospects and team chats and they're most of the way through the AL Central. Cleveland should be the topic in a day or few. Need to gather up my questions. I will take suggestions from others, too.

just like the top 10 pitchers with great analytical characteristics [of which Cleveland had 3] today they list 10 hitters with the same. We get one kid here, too; the Yankees have a couple

Jhonkensy Noel, 1B/3B Guardians | .275 ISO, .436 wOBA, 5.9 BB%, 70.1% Contact Rate

Recently added to the Guardians 40 man roster, Noel missed time due to injury in 2021 but made the most of his time on the field, hitting .340/.390/.615. His expected data backs his surge as well, with his expected isolated slugging a facsimile of his actual ISO. His expected weighted on-base average was below his actual .436 mark but was comfortably in plus territory, pushing up on .400 and ranking within the top 30 of non-Triple-A exWOBA leaders. His exit velocity numbers are breathtaking, with his max exit velocity in 2021 above 115 mph with a 90th percentile of greater than 109 mph (per sources). He ranks extremely high among estimated bat speed leaders as well, ranking within the top 10 of players 20 years of age or younger. This brute strength and twitch allow Noel’s power to play at an elite plus-plus level. This in turn allows him to overcome his aggressive tendencies, but there’s always likely to be swing and miss.

Takeaway: Once again, hitting the ball hard often translates to success. When you hit the ball as hard and with as much consistency as anyone on the planet it leads to greater success. That’s Noel’s season described succinctly, but there are some concerning trends in regards to chase (above 33%) and his fringe-average bat-to-ball skills. Additionally, he’ll need to prove he can hit lefthanders as he moves up the ladder. He struggled versus southpaws in 2021 and it’s further evidence that he’s walking a tightrope with his approach. Noel has Superhero power with unrefined plate discipline.

only the Minor League Rule 5 will be held this week; the major league portion presumably will occur when the teams unlock the gates. Players not on the major league 40 man roster nor on the AAA 38 man roster are eligible for this draft. Baseball America points out a few players who have been drafted in the minor league phase who have later reached the majors, about half dozen last year, but it's pretty unusual. There is no requirement on this draft for the drafting team to retain the draftee at AAA the next year. Once drafted 95% stay with their new team.

A couple Cleveland pitchers make the list of most likely to be drafted:

Kyle Marman, RHP, Guardians

Cleveland has a type, and to an extent Marman fits that. A 13th-round pick out of Florida Atlantic in 2018, Marman is a higher-slot righthander. He likes to work up and down in the strike zone with his fastball and curve. Marman’s overhand slot allows his fastball to generate elite ride (greater than 19 inches of induced vertical break) and his curveball to generate great depth and drop (over -15 inches of induced vertical break). He pairs those with a mid-80s slider with cutter shape that he uses interchangeably with his curveball. The results were poor for Marman this season (4-0, 5.85 with a 1.65 WHIP in 20 innings with Double-A Akron), but he has intriguing fastball shape and velocity (sits 93-94 mph) with two secondaries that miss bats.

Skylar Arias, LHP, Guardians

A 24th-round pick out of Tallahassee (Fla.) JC in 2016, Arias was an extremely effective reliever in 2019 in stops at Low-A Lake County and High-A Lynchburg. His control took a big step back in 2021, as he walked 35 in 40.1 innings with Double-A Akron, but the quality of his stuff remains intriguing. Arias deploys a trio of pitches in his low-90s fastball, low-80s slider and low-to-mid-80s changeup. He has an unusual four-seam fastball that’s heavy with side spin, but lacks hop, moving almost like a sinker from a flat vertical approach angle. This allows the pitch to play above his below-average velocity. His slider is far and away his go-to swing-and-miss offering, with a whiff rate above 50% despite accounting for a quarter of his usage. From a shape perspective his changeup may be his most intriguing pitch. It sits 82 mph with average velocity separation from his fastball. He does an excellent job of killing the lift on the pitch, which gives it plenty of tumble. It also has hellacious run. Arias has an unusual pitch mix for a lefty with a trio of unique pitch shapes.

Good stuff, thanks civ!

in very minor news, the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft was held yesterday, these guys were not even on a AAA 38 man roster and can be kept by the new team at any level they may choose next year, if there is a season, that is.

Cleveland picked:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/players ... sabrowski/

BA reports that he's a hard throwing lefty who will miss a chunk of 2022 after TJ surgery
Has 29 career innings

and
https://www.baseballamerica.com/players ... t-daniels/
A 25 year old righty who had good stats in A ball, bad ones last year in AA, but has very high K rate

and lost
https://www.baseballamerica.com/players ... y-clemmer/
A 25 year old righty reliever who's been OK since he was drafted way back in 2016. BA describes him as having a funky delivery and is a marginal prospect