Cleveland Sports Forum

Rusty: We couldn't get away saying that if Joe were around; he's probably dissing the Jiminez trade because we let McBride go. On the other hand, Chen is not yet in that prospect deadzone. The Indians have moved him up aggressively and have stuck with him as a catcher exclusively. BA never ranked McBride anywhere near the Top 10 for the Tribe (or perhaps never in their Top 30).

I am not defending McBride or JOEZ but let us not forget that McBride, whatever his skills as a catcher, did get injured and was forced to learn new positions.

I have personally watched McBride play catcher before he was injured. He sucked. Said at the time he would never catch in the big leagues. Had nothing to do with an injury. Of course Joe Z disagreed because McBride had a C by his name.

So who was worse Joez or our scouts?

Joe couldn't not like anyone who played winter ball.

Where is Joe? Why didn't he move with us to the new forum?

6 errors don't help; Arizona Indians lose 6-5. Chris Valerio, catcher, with one error, 3 hits, one a hr.

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

Poor start for Kinston, trailing 9-0 after 5. Also been outhit 9-0. All the runs off TJHouse; note he's one of the few starters not names a prospect by Tribe Minor League guru. 2 batters in starting lineup hitting in the 260's, everyone else below

Final: same score; good relief by Jones and Haley. 2 hits for Kinston.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_lynafa_1

Matt Packer on that overlong list is pitching a little better than house, alos 9 hits in 5 innings, but merely 5 runs. 2 runs for the Aeros. 2 Aeros starters with avgs at 272, tops on the team.

Final: 9-2 loss.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_prtaax_1

Lousy game for the Clippers too, trailing 4-0 after 5. Joe Martinez pitching. Goedert with 2 doubles, team has 2 other singles.

5-2 final. Hagadone with 2 scoreless innings.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_louaaa_1

No hitting you will note much of anywhere in the organization. And that prospect list that BA posited includes no position player other than Chen who is as high even as Kinston. If we want to add bats, we're going to have to find them somewhere else unless we are willing to wait for 2015.

From Baseball America:

Tallying votes for our annual Best Tools feature reveals a lot about which players make the biggest impressions with opposing managers. Here we check in on the progress of five International League players, several of whom made multiple appearances in Best Tools balloting. The Triple-A Best Tools results will be unveiled this Thursday.

Zach McAllister, rhp, Columbus (Indians)

Righthander Zach McAllister led the Double-A Eastern League with a 2.23 ERA in 2009 as a member of the Yankees organization. However, his first exposure to Triple-A ball in 2010 didn't go nearly so well. McAllister went 8-10, 5.09 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 24 starts prior to his trade to the Indians for Austin Kearns, after which his ERA jumped to 6.88 over his final three turns.

The 23-year-old McAllister has righted the ship this season with Columbus, and he owes some of that success to a modified delivery.

"I've changed my delivery a little bit, and that has given me some more (velocity) and has made all of my pitches sharper," McAllister said. "Last year was a huge learning year for me, and I'm kind of glad it happened. Obviously no one wants to struggle, but it was a good learning year from those struggles.

"It was tinkering a little bit: I have a little more of a hip turn, and I'm using my legs a little more. That's something that has contributed to the (increased) velocity. (After the change), I felt more powerful, and the ball came out of my hand sharper than it had in the past. This delivery felt better for me."

Through 20 starts this season, McAllister has gone 8-3, 3.24 with 97 strikeouts in 125 innings. He started the Triple-A all-star game for the International League, made his big league debut on July 7 and his microscopic walk rate (1.94 per nine innings) ranks fourth in the IL. He received several votes in our Best Tools survey for Best Control.

McAllister feels no resentment over his trade by the Yankees, the organization that selected him from a Chillicothe, Ill., high school in the 2006 draft's third round.

"I was excited for it," he said, "because it was a chance for a new experience and for new opportunities. I wanted to take full advantage of it. I knew the Indians had a lot of guys coming up, but I knew that if I worked hard and did my job, some good things would happen for me."

Hector Rondon could still be a factor in the future.

Clippers lose 8-1. Huffman 4 hits, 2 doubles. Kluber 6 runs in 7 innings. Talbot 1 in 1.

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

Aeros win 3-0. 15 K by Akron pitchers, including 3 by Berger in 2 innings, 3 by Bryson in 1. Jordan Henry two singles and twice caught stealing. Chen singles and walks.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_prtaax_1

Kinston goes 10 for 4-3 win. Aguillar’s first Carolina League homer and a single. Holt single and double. Murata, 26 year old Japanese, 2 1/3 1 hit 3 K. Rayl 5-8-3-3-1-4

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_lynafa_1

Captains knot it in the 9th, lose in the 11th, 6-4. Recently designated among our top 10 prospects: Ronny Rodriguez single, double, steal; Luigi Rodriguiez two singles, steal. Not so regarded Carlos Moncrief, but I like him, three singles and a steal.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_lcoafx_1

Scrappers split a pair. Drop the opener 4-3. Tony Wolters 3 hits, caught stealing once. Bryson Myles 2 hits. Alex Lavisky an rbi double. Will Roberts slips back from his last two shutout performances, 5-6-3-3-0-2.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_trcasx_1

4-0 win in the nightcap. All star pitcher Danny Jiminez 5 shutout innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 K. All star OF Bryson Myles doubles and steals. All star SS Wolters 0-4, 3K, e#17. Jake Lowery 3 walks.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_trcasx_2

3rd rounder Jake Sisco 3 runs in 3 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks. 1b Luis Castillo 2 hits, 2b Jose Ramirez 2 hits, they’re both hitting over 300.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... k_giarok_1

Here's a real long story about Beau Mills that of course is more positive than warranted, but Beau is in fact having a pretty decent year.

Mills is back on the radar
12:31 PM Tony No comments

Beau Mills (Photo: IPI)
One of the best stories of the season in the Indians’ minor league system has been the renaissance of Triple-A Columbus first baseman Beau Mills.

Mills, who turns 25-years old next week, is hitting .294 with 14 HR, 56 RBI and a .870 OPS in 77 combined games between Double-A Akron and Columbus. After a promotion in late July he is enjoying his first exposure to Triple-A and has already adjusted well hitting .269 with 3 HR, 7 RBI and a .826 OPS in 16 games.

Mills has really come on of late going 10-for-21 in his last six games with 2 HR, 5 RBI and a 1.370 OPS.

“I feel really good,” Mills said in a recent interview for IPI. “It has been a different year for me as I never had to sit in Arizona for a couple months and watch the teams leave, but I am here and feel really good and am swinging the bat well. I feel good physically and mentally.”

While Mills’ teammates shuffled off to Columbus and Akron at the end of spring training, he remained in extended spring training to rehab an Achilles heel injury to his left foot. The injury originally came about the last week of last season, but it happened so fast and was not considered something major that he and the Indians felt the offseason would take care of it. When spring training started up in March it flared up on him again, so he was shut down and was not activated until May 18th when he was assigned to Akron.

The injury is still there as Mills feels it a little from time to time, but after consulting with doctors they do not believe it will get any worse by playing on it. When the offseason comes he may have minor surgery to correct the issue, but as of now that has not been discussed.

“I’m not a doctor so I don’t know exactly what the exact term is, but the fibers are tearing off the bone a little bit,” Mills said. “The doctors said they don’t think it will tear all the way, so that is why I am playing. We haven’t talked about [surgery]. I won’t know the answer to that until I see a doctor and we evaluate it again. I really don’t know.”

Mills has been an iron man in the Indians organization since being selected in the first round of the 2007 Draft. Aside from a day here and there to rest from some bumps and bruises, he has never had a significant injury which prevented him from playing.

“That was the first time ever in my life I have missed time to injury as I never missed time in college, high school or anywhere,” Mills said. “It was really hard. I am a guy who loves to play the game and be on the field. Just watching them leave [at the end of spring training] and having to check box scores without my name in it was tough. It was hard but it was something I had to do and it allowed me to stay focused out in Arizona to get back here as quickly as possible.”

As Mills sat around and went through the tedious rehab process in Arizona the time away really helped him hone in on his approach and focus.

“Oh yeah, it really did,” Mills said. “It got me hungry to want to play the game. I think sometimes people don’t understand how hard this game is with how long we play and how the everyday grind gets to you. I think that little time away really made me realize how much I love this game, that I love to play it, and I really want to do everything I can to succeed at it. You try to turn a bad situation into a great one, and I think I did that.”

While Mills was rehabbing he often talked with first baseman Nick Johnson who was also in Arizona rehabbing from wrist surgery. Johnson’s knowledge and experience as a nine-year Major League player immediately impressed upon Mills.

“I was out there figuring some things out and talked to some great guys like Nick Johnson,” Mills said. “We just kind of talked approaches with each other and what he has done and thinks about, and I gained some stuff off that. It helps for a veteran guy like that who is willing to sit down with you and talk to you while a game is going on or you are icing in the training room. I took it to heart, and I have gone out there to try to do it.”

Johnson has been highly regarded in the past for his advanced approach at the plate which is something Mills has struggled with in recent years. Some adjustments Mills made last season to improve his plate discipline showed with an improved walk and strikeout rate but he struggled with maintaining consistency with his power. This year he is once again showing better pate discipline, but along with that the power has been much more consistent.

Whether that is a result of hard work paying off or from talking to Johnson remains to be seen, but either way it is good to see.

“[Johnson] is a good guy to talk to,” Mills said. “Not necessarily with mechanics but just approach and the mental stuff on how to make contact. That’s the goal, to get a good pitch you are looking for and that is what we talked about.”

Mills seemed to be the heir apparent at first base in Cleveland after his 2008 Carolina League MVP season for High-A Kinston when he hit .293 with 21 HR, 90 RBI and a .880 OPS. He was a top ranked prospect and had the pedigree as a former first rounder and the son of a former player.

But Mills followed up that great 2008 campaign with two disappointing seasons at Akron. In 2009 he hit .267 with 14 HR, 83 RBI and a .724 OPS, numbers which were not awful but were not up to his standards. He followed that up with a poor season last year in a return trip to Akron hitting .241 with 10 HR, 72 RBI and a .689 OPS.

After being a first round pick one year and then an MVP the next a player can feel like nothing can go wrong. But things can change quickly in the game, and when it does it can be a humbling experience.

“It is not an easy game,” Mills said. “It makes you really appreciate those guys you watch in the big leagues. It is humbling and is a game that makes you want to go out there and succeed again because you know that feeling, know what you can do, and know what is inside of you.”

After two years of disappointment everything seems to be coming together for Mills now. His defense at first base continues to be solid and he has become very comfortable there, and now that his approach has improved the power has returned. He is a much more confident player and feels like he is back.

“I honestly really do [feel like I am back],” Mills said. “I feel ready both mentally and physically, and I feel like I have grown a lot in the game of baseball on and off the field. It is just taking that approach day in and day out, at bat to at bat and pitch to pitch. I have really learned that. My numbers were not where I would like the past few years. They were not horrible by any means, but they just were not there. Now I am going out and trying to do my job which is to help the team win a ball game by driving in runs and be that guy in the middle of the lineup.”

With less than four weeks left in the season, Mills has reestablished himself as a prospect at first base for the Indians. With his success this season in showing a better approach at the plate while remaining consistent with his power he could be in the first base mix with the big league team as soon as next season.

Mills is not concerned about that as he can’t control what decisions the Indians make. He knows all he can do is go out and perform and improve, and if he does that things will take care of themselves.

“I am just trying to focus on each day,” Mills said. “My goal is to control what I can control, and let them decide what happens.”

BA review of best tools for minor leaguers. We score the following:

International League:

Best Baserunner: Ezequiel
Best Defensive OF: Ezequiel
Best Managerial Prospect: Sarbaugh

(fyi: "fasteset baserunner" once again is the aging Jose Constanza)

Eastern League:

Best Reliever: Cory Burns (does that mean he's a prospect?)
Best Infield Arm: Juan Diaz (another of our many former Mariners)

Carolina League:

Best Reliever: Preston Guilmet
Best Strikezone Judgment: Trevor Holt
Best Pitching Prospect: Some guy we recently traded
Best Managerial Prospect: Aaron Holbert

Midwest League:

Best Defensive 3B: Giovanny "Brooks" Urshela

So it looks like we have some good fielders, some leadoff men, and some relievers, not to mention solid managers. But no one who's an off-the-charts hitter. And other than Kipnis that is exactly what we know.