Cleveland Sports Forum

Cantillo ran out of steam in the 4th inning, but finished with 8K [and 5 walks] in his 3 2/3

Columbus pitching is going to be a problem after Guardians removed 3 from their roster to plug COVID holes. Surprised they had won 9 straight; their roster is rather light on serious prospects.
I'll assume Arias returns today; the only other top 30 prospects are Richie Palacios and LHP Peyton Battenfield and reliever Nick Mikolajchek. Also here are Oscar Gonzalez and LHP Adam Scott
somehow Jose Fermin has become a slugger; 2 homers on Tuesday, 4 for the season; career high is seven. In his 7th minor league season but still only 23. Yet another IF.

Wednesday games:

CLE AA #3 Brayan Rocchio, SS 4 0 1 0 .242
CLE AA #4 George Valera, SS 2 0 0 0 .259 BB (10),
CLE MAJ #5 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 1 1 0 .250
CLE MAJ #5 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 1 0 1 .250
CLE AA #11 Jose Tena, SS 4 0 0 0 .243
CLE AAA #13 Richard Palacios, 5 0 0 0 .227
CLE MAJ #16 Bryan Lavastida, C 1 0 0 0 .000 2 BB (3),
CLE LoA #17 Carson Tucker, SS 2 0 0 0 .083 2 BB (9), AT LEAST HE WALKS
CLE HiA #18 Gbrl Rodriguez, 3B 4 2 1 1 .407 BB (1),
CLE HiA #20 Jhonkensy Noel, 3B 5 0 0 0 .240
CLE HiA #22 Petey Halpin, OF 4 1 1 0 .267 BB (4), SB (3),
CLE MAJ #24 Ernie Clement, 2B 5 1 1 1 .273
CLE MAJ #27 Steven Kwan, OF 4 1 1 0 .387 2B (3),
CLE MAJ #27 Steven Kwan, OF 1 0 1 1 .387
CLE LoA #32 Isaiah Greene, OF 5 0 0 0 .233
CLE LoA #33 Milan Tolentino, 2B 3 0 2 0 .379 BB (3), SB (2), HE'S FOR REAL
CLE LoA #37 Luis Durango, OF 4 0 0 0 .086 A SLOW START
CLE LoA #40 Jake Fox, SS 4 0 0 0 .182

CLE AA #34 Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.2 2 2 2 5 8 3.38 L (0-1)

Loons Distance Themselves in Five-Run Sixth Inning to Defeat Captains

April 21, 2022

MIDLAND, MI -

The Lake County Captains (5-7) committed five errors and issued nine walks, dropping the third game of a six-game series to the Great Lakes Loons (4-8) 9-3 on a sunny albeit windy Thursday night at Dow Diamond.

Mason Hickman got the call for the first time in 2022 for the Captains. The right-hander produced two fly balls to begin the game but then allowed five straight batters to reach on four hits and a walk, as the Loons jumped ahead 4-1.

Hickman would strikeout out three batters in the second inning and escaped bases loaded with one out in the third. Overall, the right-hander went three innings striking out four but allowed five hits and four runs and was tagged for his second loss on the year.

Lake County scored the first run of the game, on a Christian Cairo RBI single. They would slowly chip away at the lead. The top of the fifth inning, started with four walks, plating a run. But a 1-2-3 double play and strikeout followed. In the sixth, Micael Ramirez blasted his first home run as a Captain, to pull it to a 4-3 game.

The bottom of the sixth, saw a Great Lakes offensive onslaught. On only two hits, five runs were totaled. The main catalyst was four walks and two errors. After a 13-pitch scoreless fifth, Lenny Torres began the sixth, but Raymond Burgos ended it.

Over the final three innings, Lake County stranded four runners on base, in total they left 13.

The Captains and Loons square off for game number four of the six-game series at Dow Diamond tomorrow Friday, April 22nd. The first pitch is at 6:05 p.m.



RubberDucks Fall to Baysox, 3-2 in 10 Innings

April 21, 2022 -

Bowie Baysox second baseman Adam Hall hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to give his a team a 3-2 win and third straight victory over the Akron RubberDucks at Prince George's Stadium Thursday night.

Turning Point

In a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 10th inning, Bowie had designated hitter Dylan Harris placed at second base to begin the inning against Akron left-hander Jake Miednik. Right fielder Zach Watson placed a bunt single to the third-base side, and after an intentional walk to pinch hitter Jordan Westburg, Hall hit a line drive to right fielder George Valera, who threw to catcher Bo Naylor to try to get Harris, who avoided the tag and scored the winning run.

Mound Presence

Left-hander Logan T. Allen started with five scoreless innings and carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning. He allowed consecutive singles to start the sixth and a two-out double down the third-base line by shortstop Joey Ortiz gave Bowie a 2-1 lead. Right-hander Jerson Ramírez pitched a scoreless seventh inning, and right-hander Nic Enright pitched two perfect innings to send the game to extra innings.

Duck Tales

Akron broke a scoreless tie against left-hander Drew Rom in the fifth inning. Naylor walked, designated hitter Micah Pries lined a single to left field, and first baseman Marcos Gonzalez grounded an RBI single to right field. Later behind, 2-1, Akron tied the game in the eighth inning, when center fielder Julian Escobedo singled against right-hander Adam Stauffer, advanced on two groundouts, and scored on Valera's game-tying infield single off right-hander Logan Gillaspie.

Notebook

Akron has lost three straight games for the first time since losing three in a row to Somerset at Canal Park Sept. 15-17, 2021. The RubberDucks' last three-game road losing streak was May 12-14, 2021, in Erie...Akron is 1-1 this season in extra innings. The RubberDucks won all four extra-inning games with the Baysox in 2021, including three in Bowie...Rom had pitched nine straight scoreless innings against Akron (beginning with Game 3 of the 2021 Double-A Northeast Championship) before Akron scored in the fifth inning Thursday...Game Time: 2:34...Attendance: 1,294.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Bowie at 7:05 p.m. EDT Friday. Akron right-hander Xzavion Curry (0-1, 6.00 ERA) is scheduled to face Baysox right-hander Brandon Young (1-0, 1.93 ERA). The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.



Columbus Clippers 12 at Indianapolis Indians 5



Lynchburg Hillcats 8 at Carolina Mudcats 1

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Strange way to describe what happened: "After a 13-pitch scoreless fifth, Lenny Torres began the sixth, but Raymond Burgos ended it."

What that means is Torres fell apart in the 6th and Burgos rescued him
Torres walked 4 in his 1 2/3 only 1 hit 5 runs 4 unearned
Burgos a big lefty who was my breakout pitcher several years ago and then hurt his arm 2 1/3 2 hits 1 walk 0 runs 2K

big days for some unknowns:

Lynchburg: Jake Fox, IF one of a handful of non-pitchers drafted last year 2 singles 3 walks 2 steals
Lake County: 1b Joe Naranjo single 3 walks hitting 303 OPS 1227 of his 10 hits 4 are for extra bases
Columbus: Jose Fermin 3 singles, a double hitting 311 ops 1080 Little guy with 4 homers this year. We certainly can find room for an IF.

Strange way to describe what happened: "After a 13-pitch scoreless fifth, Lenny Torres began the sixth, but Raymond Burgos ended it."

What that means is Torres fell apart in the 6th and Burgos rescued him
Torres walked 4 in his 1 2/3 only 1 hit 5 runs 4 unearned
Burgos a big lefty who was my breakout pitcher several years ago and then hurt his arm 2 1/3 2 hits 1 walk 0 runs 2K

big days for some unknowns:

Lynchburg: Jake Fox, IF one of a handful of non-pitchers drafted last year 2 singles 3 walks 2 steals
Lake County: 1b Joe Naranjo single 3 walks hitting 303 OPS 1227 of his 10 hits 4 are for extra bases
Columbus: Jose Fermin 3 singles, a double hitting 311 ops 1080 Little guy with 4 homers this year. We certainly can find room for an IF.

Lynchburg pitcher Dion 4 1 0 0 0 5 9th round 2021 5-10 lefty

Also good days for infielders Y Valdes 2 hits, up to 273; he's often described as one of our best defensive middle infielders
Milan Tolentino double 2 walks 375 another IF
Both of those guys are at Lynchburg too

Captains Game Postponed, Doubleheader Set for April 23rd

April 22, 2022

(MIDLAND, MI)

On Earth Day, Mother Nature didn't provide baseball weather at Dow Diamond as the Lake County Captains scheduled game against the Great Lakes Loons has been postponed due to inclement weather.

The Captains and Loons were set to have first pitch at 6:05 p.m. on Friday evening but rain that started at 6:00 p.m. made field conditions unplayable.

Tomorrow will now see a doubleheader, two seven inning games, with first pitch of game one at 1:05 p.m. It will be the fourth doubleheader for Lake County in the 2022 season.



Baysox Walk off RubberDucks Again, 2-1

April 22, 2022

RubberDucks designated hitter Marcos Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season, but it was Akron's only run, and Bowie right fielder Zach Watson raced home from first base to score the winning run on left fielder Dylan Harris' ninth-inning double, giving the Baysox a second straight walk-off win and fourth straight victory, 2-1, at Prince George's Stadium Friday night.

Turning Point

In a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning, RubberDucks right-hander Kevin Kelly hit the leadoff batter, Watson, with a 2-2 pitch. Harris then hit an 0-2 pitch down the left field, where it got past left fielder Julian Escobedo in the left-field corner. Watson sprinted home to score the winning run for the Baysox, who also won, 3-2 in 10 innings, on Thursday.

Mound Presence

RubberDucks right-hander Xzavion Curry allowed a first-inning solo home run to Bowie shortstop Gunnar Henderson, but held Bowie scoreless for the rest of his start, lasting 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Right-hander Kyle Marman pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and left-hander Tim Herrin pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. The three combined to strand the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in four straight innings. Kelly relieved Herrin in the eighth and got the final out.

Duck Tales

Gonzalez led off the third inning with a home run to left field off Bowie right-hander Brandon Young. Akron put two runners on base in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings but left them on base. The RubberDucks were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and the Baysox were 0-for-7.

Notebook

Akron has lost four straight games for the first time since losing five in a row June 24-29, 2021 (four to Erie and one to Bowie at Canal Park)...Bowie clinched a series win over Akron for the first time since winning three of four June 27-30, 2019, at Prince George's Stadium...The RubberDucks' last four-game road losing streak was Aug. 26-29, 2019, in Altoona...Akron is 2-3 in one-run games this season...Game Time: 2:33...Attendance: 2,055.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Bowie at 6:35 p.m. EDT Saturday. Akron right-hander Daniel Espino (0-0, 2.08 ERA) is scheduled to face Baysox left-hander Antonio Velez (0-0, 5.19 ERA). The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.



Carolina Wastes Early Lead in 10-3 Loss

April 22, 2022

ZEBULON -

Edwin Jimenez started and allowed just one run and struck out five over five innings, but relievers Israel Puello and Brandon Ramey combined to allow nine runs and 10 hits over sixth, seventh and eighth innings as the Carolina Mudcats saw an early lead disappear in a 10-3 loss to the Lynchburg Hillcats on Friday night at Five County Stadium.

Carolina (7-6) originally led first after getting an Oswal Leones two-run single in the second, but the Hillcats (5-8) cut that lead to 2-1 in the fourth after Will Bartlett brought in a run with a single. The Mudcats then went on to answer right back in their half of the fourth after Hedbert Perez connected on a RBI single to right to lift Carolina to a 3-1 lead.

That 3-1 Carolina lead lasted through Jimenez's start, but vanished in the sixth when Lynchburg's Richard Paz came through with a three-run double off reliever Israel Puello. The sixth started with Puello (1-2) giving up two straight hits and a walk before giving up the Paz double.

The Hillcats led 4-3 after the sixth and went on to score five more runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth while compiling their 10-3 lead. They also totaled five hits in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

Paz led the way for Lynchburg while going 4-for-5 with four RBI, including his three-run double in the sixth and a RBI single in the seventh. Milan Tolentino also had a big night while going 3-for-4 with three runs for the Hillcats.

Puello allowed all four in the seventh and ended up giving up seven runs on eight hits over two innings. Brandon Ramey worked the eighth and gave up both runs while recording just two outs in his appearance. Trevor Tietz took for Ramey in the eighth and eventually got the Mudcats through the rest of the frame while stranding two inherited runners on base. Tietz also pitched the ninth and worked a scoreless frame to finish the game.

The victory lifted the Hillcats into a 2-2 series tie in the six game series with the Mudcats.



Oscar Gonzalez has big night as Columbus Clippers win for 11th time in 12 games

4/22/22

Friday's game: Clippers 4, Indians 3 at Indianapolis

Recap:

Oscar Gonzalez and Gavin Collins hit home runs as the Clippers defeated Indianapolis 4-3 for their 11th win in their past 12 games. Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Both homers came in the second inning as Columbus took a 2-1 lead. Alex Call scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to make it 3-1. Gonzalez doubled home Gabriel Arias in the fifth for a 4-1 lead, but Indianapolis scored later that inning and again in the seventh. Nick Mikolajchak (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win. Ian Gibaut pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save of the season.

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highlights in there:

Curry allowed a first-inning solo home run to Bowie shortstop Gunnar Henderson, but held Bowie scoreless for the rest of his start, lasting 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with two RBIs including a homer

Catcher Paz led the way for Lynchburg while going 4-for-5 with four RBI, including his three-run double in the sixth and a RBI single in the seventh.
Milan Tolentino also had a big night while going 3-for-4 with three runs for the Hillcats. [Having a great April]

Espino pitching today.

His Akron teammate top prospects are off to varied starts:
Rocchio 220/320/341
Valera 235/445/541
others:
Naylor 252 333 303
Tena 239 286 261

All are among the youngest players in the league so far too early to be discouraged and Valera's OPS of 986 is far more significant than his 235 AVG

all of whom put Victor Nova to shame:
037 103 074 of course he's not considered a prospect anyway

Lake County Splits Road Doubleheader with Great Lakes in Showcase of Great Pitching

April 23, 2022

(MIDLAND, MI) - The Lake County Captains (6-8) split today's doubleheader with the Great Lakes Loons (5-9) dropping game one 1-0 but taking game two 5-2 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Game One

The first game saw a pitching masterclass as both Gavin Williams and Lael Lockhart had their best stuff. Williams pitched a Captains season-high five innings, striking out seven. He allowed only two hits and one run. The run came after a leadoff double by Eddys Leonard, who moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a 6-4-3 double play.

The Captains had multiple opportunities. In the first two innings, they stranded a runner on second and in the third, Lake County had bases loaded with two outs, but two strikeouts followed. The next four innings were dominated by the Great Lakes bullpen that only gave up one hit.

Williams got the loss, Jose Hernandez earned the win, and Jordan Leasure the save.

Game Two

The following game saw another slow start for the Captains offense, but Doug Nikhazy kept Lake County close. Although he permitted six walks, he tallied six strikeouts, and only one run was plated in the bottom of the third, a bases-loaded base on balls.

In the top of the fourth Jhonkensy Noel got a run on the board in a big way. He launched a 450-foot home run over the left-field fence to tie up the ball game. The exit velocity was 107 miles per hour, his second long ball of the year.

Zach Hart entered in the bottom of the fourth and threw two scoreless innings. He struck out four over 38 pitches and earned his first win of the season.

The Captains would tack on the go-ahead run in the fifth after a balk with the bases loaded. Then in the sixth three runs were scored on three hits. An RBI single from Gabriel Rodriguez and a two-run double from Aaron Bracho brought the lead to 5-1.

Rodriguez, Bracho, Noel, and Angel Martinez all had two-hit games.

Alaska Abney would finish the game, striking out three and surrendering only a run.

Lake County finishes this six-game road series tomorrow Sunday, April 24th. The first pitch between the Loons and Captains is at 1:05 p.m.



Espino Fans First 11, Posts 14 Ks in Ducks' 8-6 Win in Bowie

April 23, 2022

RubberDucks right-hander Daniel Espino struck out the first 11 batters of the game and had a career-high 14 strikeouts - matching the most by any affiliated minor league pitcher in 2022 - to earn his first Double-A victory when Akron rallied for an 8-6 win, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Bowie Baysox at Prince George's Stadium Saturday night.

Turning Point

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning, the RubberDucks rallied to take the lead against Bowie left-hander Antonio Velez. Third baseman Daniel Schneemann lined a leadoff double to right field and went to third base on a one-out wild pitch. Right fielder George Valera hit a one-out, game-tying single to right-center field. Second baseman Brayan Rocchio doubled to the left-field corner, and center fielder Will Brennan hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly to center field. Catcher Bo Naylor then drove his first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-center field wall, for a 5-2 Akron lead.

Mound Presence

Espino extended a string of 8 1/3 hitless innings - going back to his last start - until shortstop Gunnar Henderson broke the 11-strikeout string with fourth-inning home run. Espino struck out the next three batters, recording his first 14 outs on strikeouts. With two outs in the fifth inning, he allowed a double to left fielder Dylan Harris and go-ahead single to catcher Cody Roberts, before fielding a comeback grounder to finish his start with five innings, three hits, two earned runs and no walks. Right-hander Manuel Alvarez pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Right-hander Nick Gallagher (one inning) and left-hander Jake Miednik (1 2/3 innings) each allowed two-run homers. Right-hander Jerson Ramírez got the final out.

Duck Tales

Akron scored its first run when Naylor hit a fifth-inning leadoff triple and scored on an RBI single by first baseman Micah Pries. The RubberDucks added a run on Henderson's seventh-inning throwing error and two on RBI singles by shortstop José Tena and Brennan in the ninth inning.

Notebook

Espino came within one strikeout of the affiliated minor league record for consecutive strikeouts (12), set by Yusniel Padron-Artiles for Lowell in 2019...No other Akron pitcher since the start of 2005 has struck out 14 batters in a game...The other 14-strikeout games in baseball this season are by Tanner Gordon (High-A Rome April 16) and Andrew Painter (Low-A Clearwater Saturday)...Game Time: 2:42...Attendance: 3,983.
On the Pond

The RubberDucks conclude their six-game series in Bowie at 1:05 p.m. EDT Sunday. Akron right-hander Tanner Burns (0-0, 2.16 ERA) is scheduled to face Baysox right-hander Zach Peek (0-1, 4.00 ERA).



Hillcats Take Third Straight 9-2 in Zebulon

April 23, 2022

ZEBULON -

Lynchburg's Dayan Frias went 2-for-4 with two runs, Richard Paz drove in two while going 2-for-5 and pitchers Jake Miller, Jack Leftwich and Yeury Gervacio struck out 11 in a 9-2 victory over the Carolina Mudcats on Saturday night at Five County Stadium. The loss was Carolina's third straight, and dropped them to 3-2 deficit in the series.

The Mudcats (7-7) scored first for the third time in their last five games, but once again struggled to add to, or hold, the early lead as they lost their third straight. The Hillcats (6-8) scored three runs in the third and five runs in the seventh while bringing across eight unanswered runs. Carolina scored one late run in the seventh, but Lynchburg answered with one last run in the ninth while going up 9-2.

The Mudcats did, however, nearly bring across a run in the fifth when Alberis Ferrer followed a Zack Raabe walk with double off the center field wall. Raabe attempted to score from first on the Ferrer double but was caught at home for the inning's first out. The Raabe walk and Ferrer double greeted Leftwich (1-1) to the game but was essentially all that he allowed in his strong relief outing.

Leftwich earned the victory for the Hillcats while pitching through three innings with just one run allowed on three hits. Miller started and struck out six over four innings. Miller also allowed just one run in his start.

Alexander Cornielle started for Carolina and took the loss despite allowing just one earned run (three total) over four innings pitched. Cornielle (0-2) allowed just two hits, but walked a career high five batters in the loss. Both of his hits allowed came in the first to start the game, but he worked around those while working a scoreless frame. His three runs allowed all came in the third, but all three scored without aid of a hit. Cornielle walked two and hit a batter during the three-run Lynchburg third.

Michele Vassalotti worked a scoreless fifth and sixth before leaving with two men on base in the seventh. Those two runners were eventually allowed in by Christian Tripp who went on to work the remainder of the seventh. Tripp also allowed three runs in the seventh as the Hillcats rallied for five runs in all. Vassalotti and Tripp both allowed runs for the first time this season in Saturday's loss.

Junior Montero later worked a scoreless eighth for Carolina. Jakob Brustoski then pitched the ninth where he walked three, struck out three and allowed one run.

Carolina's runs were both driven in with sac flies in the first and seventh from Jesus Chirinos and Jeferson Quero respectively.

The victory lifted the Hillcats into a 3-2 series lead in the six-game series with the Mudcats.



Indians Race Toward Walk-Off Knock

April 23, 2022

INDIANAPOLIS - Following a leadoff triple by Hunter Owen in the bottom of the ninth inning, Canaan Smith-Njigba smacked a single down the left-field line to walk off the Columbus Clippers on Saturday night, 3-2. It was the Indianapolis Indians' second walk-off of the season in as many homestands.

Clippers' outfielder Alex Call misread Owen's long fly ball to straightaway center to open the bottom of the ninth inning and set the game-winning run on third base with no outs. On a 1-0 count, Smith-Njigba lined a fastball the opposite way against Brett Daniels (L, 1-2) to ensue an on-field celebration at Victory Field.

Mason Martin broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with his third home run of the season deep out to the right-field scoreboard. Rodolfo Castro opened the frame for Indianapolis (8-8) with a double.

Columbus (12-5) tied the game in the sixth on a leadoff double and two-run homer off the bat of Gabriel Arias.

Cam Alldred made his first career start and was scoreless in a career-high 4.0 innings. After the two-run long ball in the sixth inning, relievers Sam Howard, Eric Hanhold and Yerry De Los Santos (W, 1-0) combined for 3.0 shutout innings with just two hits allowed.

The game ended at the 2:06 mark, which was the Indians' fastest 9.0-inning game since April 11, 2018 vs. the Toledo Mud Hens at Victory Field.

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Talking Guardians farm system and lots of prospects – Terry Pluto


Updated: Apr. 24, 2022, 5:51 a.m. | Published: Apr. 24, 2022, 5:50 a.m.

By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com
WHAT’S HAPPENING DOWN BELOW

I was paging through the Guardians media guide, looking at the farm system. At Class AAA Columbus, Andy Tracy is the manager. Then I began counting the coaches.

Four. That’s right, a manager and four additional coaches.

They have Rigo Beltran in his fourth season as the Clippers’ pitching coach. There’s Cody Buckel, listed as “pitching strategist.” He pitched eight years in the minors, but recently had been working in Cleveland’s player development department. The Clippers also have hitting coach Jason Esposito and bench coach Kyle Lindquist.


Class AA Akron has veteran Manager Rouglas Odor and four coaches – including a pair of hitting coaches. This is the first year the Guardians have gone to four coaches in Columbus and Akron.

I remember watching a minor-league team with a manager and a pitching coach. That was it. As recently as 2012, Cleveland had a manager and two coaches at each minor-league level. I checked the Yankees’ farm system. They have a manager and three coaches with their farm teams. That is the norm for most minor-league systems.

Another prerequisite is having at least one bilingual coach at each level. Several of the roving instructors also speak Spanish. Latinos are all over the baseball landscape and it’s vital to communicate in more than English.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

The Guardians are putting money where they must – player development. They can’t compete with major market teams for expensive free agents. They need to sign and trade for young players, then prepare them for the majors in the minors.

“Think of school, where you have a teacher-to-student ratio,” said Guardians player development director Rob Cerfolio. “The smaller, the better. In the minors, you have 28-30 players on each team. More staff members were needed.”

Cerolio mentioned there is usually a “roving instructor” or two at each farm team during a homestand.

“We want to illustrate to our players that they can be most prepared with instruction, information and training,” he said. “We want to make sure that regardless of what round you were drafted, you have the same access to information and people.”

High round picks who receive big bonuses naturally receive more attention from the minor-league staff. That was especially true when those staffs were small years ago. But now, there should enough help for everyone.


“We want this to be a competitive advantage for us,” said Cerfolio. “Our player development is the DNA, the backbone of the team. Our goal is that at each level, you will see guys who should eventually impact the big-league team.”

He was pick No. 362 in the 2016 draft.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Zach Plesac was recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery when Cleveland picked him in the 12th round out of Ball State. John Kuntz, cleveland.com


HOW DO THEY RANK?

Baseball America ranks the Guardians as having the No. 12 farm system in MLB: “One can argue the Guardians’ prospect depth is among the best in the game, but a lack of high-end talent at the top drags the system down, with no players among the game’s top 50 prospects.”

Cerfolio stressed “depth is one of our goals.” MLB.com also ranks the Guardians farm system 12th out of 30 teams.

MLB’s Jim Callis wrote: “As the Guardians continue to slash payroll in the majors, they’re going to have to rely on inexpensive in-house talent to remain relevant. Their system may be up to task, as it’s loaded with promising pitchers and sweet-swinging infielders. Most of their best young talents are still another year from being ready for the big leagues, including right-hander Daniel Espino, their best mound prospect since CC Sabathia.”

The Guardians’ best players now were not highly regarded prospects. Jose Ramirez was signed out of the Dominican Republic for $50,000. The rotation of Shane Bieber (fourth round), Aaron Civale (third round), Zach Plesac (12th round) were all in the 2016 draft. Scouts liked them, but didn’t love them.




“Zach Plesac had Tommy John (surgery at Ball State),” said Cerfolio. “Had he not been hurt, he’d have been drafted higher. When you’re hurt, people don’t think about you because you don’t post a stat line. We put a lot of time and resources into him to help him rehab. All the credit goes to him for taking advantage of all the bells and whistles.”

Cleveland has found success with college pitchers who have average velocity but excellent control and a variety of pitches. As Cerfolio mentioned, several have gained speed on their fastballs in the minors.




YES, THEY DO HAVE PHENOMS

In Goodyear, I kept hearing raves about Espino, Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2019. He was taken as a high school pitcher, considered a risky pick in the first round. Only 21, the right-hander could end up in Cleveland before the end of the season. At Class AA Akron, Espino has struck out 16 in 8 2/3 innings, allowing three hits (two runs). He’s averaged 15 strikeouts per nine innings in his brief pro career.

“As incredible as it is to watch him on the field, he’s incredible off the field,” said Cerfolio. “His work habits, the kind of teammate he is. ... It’s special. In a spring game, we had 30 of his teammates sitting behind home plate watching him.”

Espino throws in the 95-to-100 mph range with a nasty breaking pitch and good control.


“He has the intangibles,” said Cerfolio. “His teammates watched him because he’s talented. But there are some talented guys people don’t like to watch. It speaks volumes they are rooting for him, and he roots for them.”

CLEVELAND'S TOP PICK IN 2021
East Carolina's Gavin Williams has started his pro career in impressive fashion at Class A Lake County this season. AP




A COUPLE MORE TO WATCH

At Class A Lake Counrty, 2021 first-round pick Gavin Williams is having an Espino-like early season: 17 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings, three walks and three runs allowed. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound right-hander is in his first pro season after playing four years at East Carolina.

“He throws the upper 90s, and can hit 100 mph,” said Cerfolio. The 22-year-old can move up quickly.

George Valera is top-ranked player in the Cleveland farm system by MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. The lefty hitter with the smooth swing battled injuries early in his career. He signed with Cleveland in 2018 out of the Domincian Republic at 16 for a $1.3 million bonus.

He spent his first 13 years in New York until moving back to the Dominican with family members.




“I threw to him at Progressive Field when he first signed,” said Cerfolio, a former Yale pitcher. “I was an intern. To see him go from a 140-pound teenager to a grown man who keeps getting better. Easy to see the tools ... he worked on his body.”

Now 21 and with 195 pounds on his 6-foot frame, Valera batted .260 (.910 OPS) between Class A and AA with 19 HR in 65 games last season. He’s 8-for-34 with a pair of HR at Akron this season. He has 10 walks compared to 11 strikeouts.

COMING SOON
Gabriel Arias came up from the minors for one day to help the Guardians in a doubleheader last week. John Kuntz, cleveland.com


A FEW UNDERRATED GUYS

Some of the scouting services are not as excited about Gabriel Arias as the Guardians. Baseball America ranked Arias as the No. 100 prospect. As for MLB.com, they put him at No. 73.

At 21, Arias batted .284 (.802 OPS) with 13 HR and 55 RBI in 2021. He was the fifth-youngest player in all of Class AAA.

“Arias came over in a trade (the Mike Clevinger deal with San Diego in 2020) at midseason when he was 20 years old,” said Cerfolio. “He didn’t know anyone’s name. It was the COVID year. It was’t easy. That’s why what he’s done is so impressive. He has an absolute cannon for an arm. He can hit the ball 112 mph (exit velocity).”

A year ago, no one was talking about Steven Kwan. Now, he’s in the big leagues.

Cerfolio has a soft spot for outfielder Will Brennan, an eighth-round pick out of Kansas State in 2019. Brennan batted .286 (.778 OPS) with six homers and 50 RBI between Class A and AA in 2021. This season, he is sizzling at Akron, batting .405.




“You put a good player around good staff, and if the player wants to dig in, you see what happens with Will,” said Cerfolio. “He has high work ethic and high character. He doesn’t strike out. He can surprise people.”

Two more “under the radar guys” from Cerfolio are pitcher Tanner Bibee and first baseman Joe Naranjo. Both are at Lake County.

Bibee is a 6-foot-2 right-hander in his first pro season. He was a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Cal-Fullerton in 2021. He’s like many Guardians college pitchers. Scouts see his stuff as maybe above average, but he has good control and is likely to overachieve. He’s fanned 13 and allowed three runs in 8 2/3 innings.

Naranjo is a 5-foot-10, lefty-hitting first baseman who is batting .303 (1.227 OPS) with three homers for the Captains. He was a third-round pick in 2019 out of high school and will turn 21 next month.

merging the two previous stories,

super prospect Espino struck out 14 in 5 innings!
see video:
https://www.milb.com/video/espino-fans-14-in-5-frames

excellent prospect Williams whiffed merely 7 in his 5 innings
fellow 2021 top draft pick Nikhazy a bit erratic: in 3 innings 6 K and also 6 BB
Teammate Noel with his 2nd homer; in game he committed is 5th error, he is not going to stay at 3rd base, second game DH fits better, or 1st base I hope

2 homes each for J. Noel and J. Naranjo at Lake County. Both 20 year olds. Both have 4 homers in fewer than 50 plate appearances. Both are 20 years old. Both are most likely 1st basemen. One is a highly rated prospect; the other is having his first solid season but was a highly rated high schooler picked in the 3rd round

4 guys in the Midwest League have 5-7 homers. Joe and Johnkenssy come next.


Naranjo tied for 3rd with 15 RBI [in 13 games]
Tied for 6th with 12 walks
11th in batting average [SS Angel Martinez is 9th]
2nd in on base pct Martinez is 3rd
4th in slugging; Noel is 8th
2nd in OPS Noel is 9th

Either this is a serious breakout season for Naranjo or he's having a great first couple weeks repeating high AA. He was very young for the league last season.

Looking for league leaders in Low A Carolina League among Lynchburg's roster



Jorge Burgos is 9th in RBI
As befits Cleveland players, 3 are among the top 10 in walks:
Jake Fox IF leads with 14in 12 games also in the top 10: CF Isaiah Greene, SS Dayan Frieas OF Will Bartlett
Tolentino 8th in batting average: 365
Fox 10th in on base pct 444