Cleveland Sports Forum

Kinston rained out, so I'll take the opportuntiy again to gripe that Pomeranz is still in the Carolina League. He had a little rest, he's pitching great. Why not move him along? Let's aim him for Cleveland the second half of 2012.

Kyle Blair who was rated very promisingly has not pitched up to expectactions. ERA balloons t 5.66 after a mess of performance. 3 2/3 he fans 5, but also walks 4, hits a batter, throws a wild pitch, balks, allows 7 hits and luckily onl 4 runs.

Jesus Aguillar with a pair of hits, ditto all-star Argenis Martinez. Levon Washington, who I always want to call Kyle (anyone besides A.G. remember Kyle W and who we traded him for??), never hits the ball fair. He walked thrice and struckout twice.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_wisafx_1

Some unimpressive reports from Baseball America in this week's Hot Prospect Report:

NOT-SO HOT SHEET



• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3b, Indians. While the Indians are flourishing in the American League Central, their top prospect is scuffling. The 22-year-old Chisenhall went 5-for-30 (.167) this week with six strikeouts to drop his season batting line to a fairly pedestrian .256/.349/.401. His troubles this year are rooted in his work against same-handed pitchers—versus southpaws he's batting just .176/.260/.309. If Chisenhall can right the ship, Cleveland still could use help at the hot corner, where their third baseman have compiled a composite .670 OPS.

• Joe Gardner, rhp, Indians. Gardner had two very forgettable starts for Double-A Akron last week, giving up 13 runs in just 7 1/3 innings. The Indians' third-round pick in 2009, he walked five batters and gave up 15 hits. Gardner's sinker had seemed to be working well in Double-A before this week, as he was 3-3, 3.46, but against Binghamton and New Britain, Gardner didn't miss many bats, striking out just two batters.

And a maybe positive:

MAN AMONG BOYS

Beau Mills, 1b, Indians. Things were getting ugly for Mills. A first-round pick in 2007, Mills won the high Class A Carolina League MVP in 2008 but has been on a downward tumble ever since. He struggled in Double-A Akron in 2009, but 2010 was even worse, both on and off the field. Mills hit .241/.312/.377 in 113 games for the Aeroes last year, then made matters worse for himself last June by getting arrested for felonious assault outside an Akron bar. Repeating Double-A for the third time at age 24, Mills is hitting .293/.344/.488 in 23 games since joining the team after starting the year on the disabled list with Achilles tendinitis, showing that maybe, just maybe, there's still something there.

What is the overall grade by posters and experts on the Tribe draft?

Somewhere around average. Really liked top 2 picks and a couple others.

Michael Goodnight's last five starts for Lake County:

29 2/3 innings
16 hits
11 walks
30 strikeouts
3 runs

Those should be his last starts for Lake County

With 30 walks in 41 games, Roberto Perez, catcher at Kinston, has an OBP of 401, which would lead the Carolina League if he had enought AB's to qualify on the rankings. He has always been a prolific walker, and he's lifted his batting average 70 points over the last nine games to a respectable 254. He doesn't hit for a lot of power. He's always been rated an excellent defensive catcher.

2 1/2 innings played in Columbus before the rains stopped things. Clips hold 5-1 lead behind Zach McAllister 3 solid innings, 1 run and 4 K. Jared Head with his 8th homer with 2 men on. He' s never been anything more than an organizational player, but Head's hitting over 300 with power and plays all over the field. Maybe he deserves a big league trial. Lonnie Chisenhall broke his slump with a homer.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x&did=milb

Another star nonprospect with a big night: McBride with 2 homers, one a grand slam, and 5 rbi for the Aeros in a 9-5 victory. Austin Adams had a first inning kind of like Carmona's (although in his cae an error way key to prolong the inning) letting in 5 featuring a 3 run homer. But unlike Carmona he then settled in and finished with 4 shutout innings. Fro the night 5 5 5 2 3 5. 2 shutout innings each from C C Lee and Ryan Langwell, each with a pair of strikeouts. Kyle Bellow with 2 hits lifts his average to 170: I though his career might match Pat Osborne's but he's making Osborne look like Wade Boggs by comparison

Nick Weglarz, not injured yet, strikes out 3 times in 4 tries.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_haraax_1

Marty Popham, on Kinston this week, and starting again, with a solid 6 innings 1 run effort. Marty leads the organization in bus miles, or maybe he drives from Kinston-Akron-lake County-Columbus-Kinston. The slow developing careers of OF's Bo Greenwell and Abner Abreu with farily good days, each has 2 singles. Abreu, still only 21, is hitting 229 with an OPS of 610. Greenwell, at 22 not old for this level, is hitting 265 and OPS of 699. But little reason to expect much from either.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_kinafa_1

10th inning loss for Captains as Rob Bryson lets in the game winner. At least he's here and pitching. Jordan Cooper 5 2/3 to start 4 hits 1 run. Levon Washington at the top of the order walks twice and steals his 8th. Monsalves singles and walks twice, having a good offensive season. All of a sudden we have a surfeit of young catchers developng from Chen to Perez to Monsalve to Lavisky. Which is I guess why we drafted 2 catchers in the top 7 rounds. Carlos Moncrief nails another runner with his gun of an arm in RF.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_belafx_1

Here's a name for the distant future. Luis Lugo a 6-5 200 pound LH pitcher, all of 17 years old, in his first 5 innings for our Dominican team has 7 K and no runs on two hits. My breakout pitcher of 2014.

Corey Kluber off to a good start tonight, 5 K in 4 shutout innings and Columbus leads 2-0. A pair of steals for Carrera.

Tim Fedroff who's red shot streak was followed by an 0-17 rallies back with a couple of 3 hits for Aeros. TJ McFarland pulled after one inning. Steven Wright who arrived back from Eastlake takes over goes 5. Adam Miller 2 scoreless but he walks a pair. Beau Mills and Juan Diaz add 2 hits, Karexon Sanchez homers, No. 5

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_haraax_1