Cleveland Sports Forum

Who might be know of that is considered a Hot Prospect in the Rule 5 draft:

SS Eric Stamets, kid we got from Angels for David Murphy, who cannot hit a lick but is an excellent defensive shortstop. So we could not care less if we lose him

RHP Luis Perdomo whose father pitched in our system not that long back

RHP Austin Adams who is not the Austin Adams in our bullpen

OF Zach Borenstein, one of the Borenstein bears, if I recall.

Sea:

The best thing about having 11 Grade B- or better prospects is that since we all know, as do the "experts" that a fair number will never fulfill their promise, we have more possibilities who may actually come through as advertised.

Too bad; he has some upside. He's now to his 4th organization at age 23. Signed young so needs to be a 40-man roster to be retained. He'll probably bounce around a lot more before he ever, perhaps, reaches the majors.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Cardinals claimed left-hander Jayson Aquino off waivers from the Indians on Wednesday, bringing their 40-man roster to 35 players.
Aquino, 23, was 5-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 24 Minor League starts in 2015 while pitching for the Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto organizations. He began his career in the Rockies' system and is 32-37 with a 2.94 ERA in 99 Minor League games (98 starts), with all but two coming below Double-A.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said that Aquino will likely begin the 2016 season in Double-A, where he can give the organization "some flexibility" as a starter or reliever.

"He has some upside," Mozeliak added. "We'll see what he can do."

Apparently Josh Martin made the Indians nauseous.

With their 40-man roster at capacity, the Indians were unable to make a selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft this year. Cleveland did, however, lose right-hander Josh Martin to the Padres. Martin had a 2.27 ERA with 80 strikeouts against 19 walks in 67 1/3 innings last season with Double-A Akron.

Carter Hawkins, the Indians' director of player development, said the team debated long and hard about whether to protect Martin from Draft exposure.

"He was a guy that was on the list, a guy that we talked ad nauseum about," Hawkins said, "which makes it even more difficult to lose him. But at the same time, just the quality individual he is, the type of worker, he's a self-made player, [we're] glad to have him get that opportunity."

Padres who picked Martin took an amazing total of 4 guys in the Rule 5 draft. The chances of all sticking is infinite; which should mean the chances of Martin coming back to Cleveland are pretty high,

From padres.com

Keeping one Rule 5 player is hard enough for teams, who have to carry the player for an entire season or offer him back to his original club for $25,000.
But four? No big league team has ever carried four Rule 5 players for an entire season. The Tigers carried three in 2003.
The big name among the four players is right-hander Luis Perdomo, who was ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Cardinals' No. 11 prospect. He was selected by the Rockies with the fourth overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft, then dealt to San Diego.
Perdomo, 22, pitched in the Futures Game in July. He was being developed as a starter by the Cardinals, but the righty could also slide into the bullpen with his upper-90s fastball and hard breaking ball.
Perdomo posted a 3.98 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) in two Class A stops this past season in the Cardinals' system.
"Perdomo is a really good body, good athlete, throws in the mid-90's. We've seen him start. He has a really good arm. It's going to be a jump, but he's got talent and that's a good place to start from," said Preller, who indicated that Perdomo will likely be given a chance to start entering Spring Training.

The A's, picking sixth in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, took Mariners outfielder Jabari Blash. He was later dealt to the Padres as the player to be named in the Yonder Alonso deal from earlier in December.
The Padres then took right-handed pitcher Josh Martin from the Indians with the eighth overall selection. In Round 2, San Diego selected right-handed pitcher Blake Smith from the White Sox.

Blash, 26, is coming off a season during which he hit a combined 32 home runs with a .271/.370/.576 slash line between Double-A and Triple-A, blasting 22 home runs in 56 games with Triple-A Tacoma. A right-handed hitter, Blash plays the corner outfield spots. "Jabari is a guy who was regarded as one of the big power threats in the Draft five years ago," Preller said. "I think that power is playing out in games. We were looking to replace a little right-handed power. Hopefully he can provide that for us."

Martin was 8-1 with a 2.27 ERA for the Indians' Double-A affiliate in 2015. He had 80 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings and allowed only 47 hits. Martin, who will turn 26 on Dec. 30, held opposing batters to a .192 batting average in 44 relief outings.

Smith, who turned 28 on Wednesday, was a former outfielder in the Dodgers' system. Logan White, the Padres' senior advisor to Preller, drafted Smith in 2009. Smith had a 2.89 ERA in three Minor League stops in 2015 with the White Sox. The righty has a big arm, striking out 64 in 53 innings.

Preller said Martin has an out-pitch breaking ball and Smith's performance over the last six weeks of the season impressed the Padres' scouts. And with the rising cost of what relievers are getting in free agency -- and the return in trades -- the team looked at this as an inexpensive way to add talent without much risk. Preller said the club will still pursue bullpen options this offseason.

So, can the Padres really keep all four players for the entire season?

"I think that would be a fun thing to see," Preller said. "It's not easy to do. We're not going to give out any scholarships. They've got to earn their way."

But it's clear the Padres like these players and would love it if they stuck on the roster in

Indians are cheap bastards. Why didn't they have a spot on their 40 man to pick somebody in rule 5? Cost them only 25k to look at a player up close and personal for a while instead of relying on some computer geek spitting out stats.

And how much do these minor league signings cost us?

It seems to me that the cheapest way to operate is to go for lots of $25,000 Rule 5 claims and then keep the draftees at the minimum salary, $500,000.

The minor league free agents we're signing, e.g. Robbie Grossman and Cowgill, have some major league experience so their salaries are higher. [Cowgill made $995,000 last year; Grossman $515,000. I think they're virtually required to pay slightly more each succeeding season.]

Looking again at the top 30 listed at Indians.com which is about as dumb a list as any. Ramsay No. 12, Papi 13, Clevinger 15, Claudia Bautista [??] 24. No Gabriel Mejia. Now that I think of it, was G.Mejia on the Sickels list? Yes in the "other C+" which means around position 21-25. In the comments section on his list, Sickels adds:

This system is under-rated in my view. Consensus hasn't caught up with reality yet

Omitted are a couple guys who I think are bouncing back: Paulino and Santander. The latter with 10 homers in less than 1/2 season with Lake County; he needs to finally have a healthy full season. Paulino strangely improved tremendously after his promotion from Lake County to Carolina.

Scouting Profile: Bradley Zimmer


By Bernie Pleskoff / MLB.com | @BerniePleskoff | 10:38 AM ET

Background

Some baseball fans may remember Von Hayes, the former Indians, Phillies and Angels outfielder who played for 12 years in the 1980s and '90s. He was a solid line-drive hitter. The Indians' Bradley Zimmer reminds me of Hayes. Both are tall and slender left-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing outfielders with good bat speed and barrel-of-the-bat type production.

Zimmer went to La Jolla (Calif.) High School where he was named to the All-County team twice and led his team with a .446 batting average. The Chicago Cubs selected Zimmer in the 23rd round of the 2012 Draft, but he did not sign with the team.

A good student-athlete, Zimmer went on to play baseball for the University of San Francisco Dons. Zimmer hit .368 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in the 2014 season and was named to an All-America team for his outstanding play. The Indians selected him in the first round of that year's Draft.

Hitting

I watched Zimmer this past season when he played for Lynchburg of the Class A Advanced Carolina League. I was hoping to see him again in the Arizona Fall League, but a hairline fracture of his right foot kept him out of Fall League action. He incurred the injury fouling a ball off his foot.

Zimmer is ranked No. 1 on the Indians Top 30 Prospects list for his outstanding approach at the plate and multiple tools.

His easy, simple swing and quick hands through the ball allow Zimmer to take pitches where they are thrown. Using the entire field, he targets the middle of the diamond in a classic manner.

Zimmer has excellent plate discipline and very quick pitch recognition.

While his swing lacks some loft, he gets enough strength and bat speed from his athletic frame to power doubles to the gaps.

Defense

Zimmer has the quickness, the instincts and the range to play all three outfield positions. He can play center but has to continue to smooth out some of the kinks in his outfield play. Overall, I think he projects best as a fast, athletic, and capable right fielder and may be more comfortable in the corner.

His good speed allows him to close on balls well.

Strengths

Zimmer is a good hitter with strong wrists and quick reactions. His game is tailored for him to get on base, perhaps steal a base and score. He can drive in runs with timely hits.

I would call Zimmer a solid four-tool player with the hope that power will improve with more physical development.

Zimmer's good speed is a tremendous asset to every part of his game.

Weaknesses

Like most young players, Zimmer can scuffle a bit with offspeed and breaking balls. He struck out 131 times in 549 plate appearances this past year combined at Lynchburg and Double-A Akron.

To date, power has not emerged from his 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. Having just turned 23 in late November, Zimmer can still add some strength and muscle to his body.

I find this interesting

Zimmer gets his athletic ability from his dad, who played baseball at the University of California San Diego, and his mom, who ran track at San Diego State. His brother Kyle is a pitcher in the Royals organization.

The future for Zimmer

The Indians have a need for outfielders. Zimmer may very well be on the fast track due to his hitting style and the upside that waits with his smooth swing. He should consistently deliver a high batting average and a high number of stolen bases.

His broken foot set his timetable back a bit, as the Fall League experience would have benefited his development against quality pitching.

Unless he is part of a package the Indians use to fetch a power hitter he could be ready to emerge on the big league scene in Cleveland at some point in 2017.

Zimmer in a word

Valuable

Not sure this link will work on anything other than a mobile device but hope so. Shows our pitcher we acquired, Rob Kaminskey, doing a standing 49.5 inch jump. Apparently quite the athlete.

https://mobile.twitter.com/tpaquette_ii ... 0371752960

Indians In Depth ‏@tpaquette_IID · 1 hour ago
#Indians 19yr old (C) prospect Francisco Mejia with Runners in Scoring in 2015 at (Low-A)
39-113 5(2B) 3HR 46RBI 8BB .345 AVG .402 OBP

Hillbilly wrote:Not sure this link will work on anything other than a mobile device but hope so. Shows our pitcher we acquired, Rob Kaminskey, doing a standing 49.5 inch jump. Apparently quite the athlete.

https://mobile.twitter.com/tpaquette_ii ... 0371752960

Works on my MacBook Pro. Amazing!

Speaking of impressive young pitchers we've acquired, I read an article earlier that I tried to copy and bring here but web site wouldn't let me. But the article spoke very highly of Mike Clevinger. 4 pitches, mid 90's fastball, etc.. And said every team that has talked trade with the Tribe has asked for him. Tribe and others are very high on him.

Plus he has Lincecum(sic) hair!