Cleveland Indians Top Prospects 6-10

The Indians prospect series continues with prospects 6-10.I would say that the top five prospects will go up either Sunday or Monday.

6) Levon Washington OF AZL Indians
The speedy Washington was the top pick of Tampa in 2009 and was unable to come to a contract agreement with the Rays.
In order to enter the 2010 draft,Washington attended a junior college instead of a four year school and lasted to the Indians second round selection due to the risk of being able to sign him.
Washington earned comparisons to Carl Crawford as far as his skill set before the draft and signed for 1.2 million on the bonus scale.
Washington played very little after signing and scouts are mixed on his future.
I'll risk rating him this high for now with next year having more data to rate him on.
I would bet that Washington starts at Low A Lake County....

7) Jason Knapp RHP AZL Indians/Low A Lake County
Another example of gambling on a rating,the fireballing Knapp was super impressive when I saw him pitch for Lakewood (Phillies) against the Hagerstown Suns and could be the only player with impact potential left from the Cliff Lee trade.
Knapp came to the Indians with shoulder trouble that shut him down for the end of 2009 after the deal and missed most of 2010 after cleaning the shoulder up.
At his best Knapp can touch the high 90's (If not 100) with the fastball and the curve had Suns hitters befuddled.
This is a key year for Knapp health-wise.
If he is healthy,I think he will quickly pass through the system as either a possible front end starter or the Indians closer of the future....
Knapp will possibly start at High A Kinston,although a few early season starts at Lake County isn't out of the question.

8) Joe Gardner RHP Low A Lake County/High A Kinston
The 6'4 Gardner dominated the Carolina League last season with his ability to get groundouts.
Gardner has a very relaxed motion and throws in the low 90's,although he doesn't touch much higher than that.
The sinker is his best pitch and he needs to add something else to the mix to succeed at higher levels.
If he can do that,Gardner could be a mid rotation starter,if not the sinker could make him middle relief fodder.
Gardner will start at AA Akron in 2011.

9) Tony Wolters SS-AZL Indians
Wolters was the Indians third rounder and had to be bought out of a commitment to San Diego with a bonus check of 1.35 million,which was higher than LeVon Washington in the second.
Wolters is thought to have leadoff or second slot of the order potential and the Indians think he could mature to average power.
Wolters is projected to stay at shortstop for the long term defensively.
Wolters will be the shortstop for the Low A Lake County Captains this season.

10) Nick Hagadone LHP High A Kinston/AA Akron
The prize of the Indians trade of Victor Martinez,Hagadone has been treated with kid gloves by the Red Sox and Indians for the last two years and Cleveland should truly see what they have this season.
Hagadone's velocity was down a bit last season,although still touching the mid 90's and his slider was inconsistent as well.
The Indians want to give Hagadone every opportunity to be a starter,but some see him as a late inning reliever with his injury history and power stuff.
Hagadone will most likely return to the Akron rotation,although depending on training camp he could be assigned to AAA Columbus.....

Photo Credit-SportsLogos.net

Cleveland Indians Top Prospects 11-15

We return to the Indians and Pirates top fifteen prospects editions after a one year absence that was unintentional and then lacking in time to get caught up.
We start today with the Indians 11-15 and since the Devils are off today,most likely 6-10 tomorrow.
These will not always be posted everyday,but I want to get these up ASAP...

The Cleveland Indians system has been a disappointment over the last few seasons.
The Wahoo drafts had struggled for a few seasons when the team was competitive,but their last three drafts show lots of promise,to the point that this was more difficult to do than the last time that I tackled this task.

11- T.J. House-LHP-2010 High A Kinston
I have a bias towards House as I have thought that he is one of the nicer players that I have met through the last few seasons and seems to have his head on correctly.
On the field,House is difficult to slot into a category as a pitcher.
He throws hard enough to resist the label of soft tosser,yet is not quite in the fireball division either.
House excels when both his fastball and changeup work well as a mix as his slider is still a work in progress.
House should start at AA Akron in 2011.

12) Alex Lavisky-C AZL Indians
This is a hunch pick as Lavisky played just five games in the Arizona rookie league after dropping to the eighth round in the draft due to signability concerns.
Lavisky was thought be either a sandwich selection or a second rounder on talent,but his asking price caused him to drop in the draft,much like his high school battery mate Stetson Allie.
Lavisky settled for one million flat and coming from the hometown Indians likely sealed the deal.
Since I have not seen him play or have much stat data,this is a chance,but I like catchers projected to have power and look likely to remain a catcher.
Lavisky also comes with the experience of having caught a top notch talent like Allie that should be invaluable defensively.
We'll have a better idea on Lavisky next season after he spends the season at Low A Lake County

13) Cord Phelps 2b-AA Akron-AAA Columbus
Phelps split the 2010 season between the Aeros and Clippers and hit well for average at each spot,but continues to lack power and owns less than average speed.
Phelps has one major problem with the Indians-he likely is blocked by better prospects at two positions.
Phelps was tried at third in the Arizona Fall League,made eight errors and even if he had been flawless-Phelps is not going to beat out Lonnie Chisenhall there.
At his natural position,Phelps has to deal with Jason Kipnis,who matches Phelps for hitting for average and exceeds him in both power and speed.
With both Chisenhall and Kipnis projected to start at Columbus this season,Phelps looks to be in trouble as far as place to play even at Columbus until one or the other gets the call to Cleveland and that could be late June.
Phelps reminds me a lot of Jeff Keppinger,who has used one tool (hitting for average) as his calling card for a decent major league career.
There is always a calling for a decent bat that can pinch hit and fill in at a few different spots when needed.
Phelps will return to AAA Columbus to start 2011....

14) Abner Abreu-OF High A Kinston
Abreu has dropped off the prospect radar of some after an average 2010 in Kinston that saw him miss some time (again) with injury,hit with less power than expected (4 HR's) and strike out an average of over once a game.
The toolsy Abreu still leaves me hope that he will put his game together because the skills are there.
In hindsight,the Indians may have rushed Abreu to Kinston after an excellent,but abbreviated 2009 at Low A Lake County and between the level advancement and the downtime,Abreu could have been just a bit unprepared.
I'll give the 6'3 rightfielder another year before moving him off my radar,
Abreu is expected to return to High A Kinston and attempt to master that level.....

15) Bryce Stowell-RP-High A Kinston,AA Akron,AAA Columbus
Stowell dominated both the Carolina and Eastern leagues last season before coming back to earth a bit in a late season stop at Columbus.
Stowell was moved to the bullpen before the season and watched a low 90's fastball hit the high 90's and looked unhittable the night that I saw him in Frederick.
Bruce Drennan on Sports Time Ohio has reported that Stowell has hit 100 in Tucson in spring training already.
Stowell uses a slider and needs to work on changing speeds more effectively as he is prone to giving up a walk or two.
Stowell will start in AAA Columbus,with a possible callup to the big club,if all goes well....

Photo Credit-SportsLogos.net

Kovalchuk dampens Lightning!

Ilya Kovalchuk's third period goal (22) broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 win over the only team to beat them of late,the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Henrik Tallinder's late second period goal (4) tied the game with just over a minute to play in the period.
The Devils host Pittsburgh Friday night at the Rock....

Hell Raisers

1) Ilya Kovalchuk finished with a goal and an assist,but even before that,it was clear that he was the dominant player on the ice.
Kovalchuk was over all the ice with such verve and enthusiasm that one had the feeling that only bad luck was going to stop the sniper on this night....

2) Credit again to the shutdown defense as the Lightning with the league's leading goal scorer put just 15 shots onto the Devils net.
When the numbers are that small,it would take a inept offense to lose.

3) The Devils blueliners are not the star defenders of yesteryear,but Jacques Lemaire along with Larry Robinson have worked with the defensemen in the Devils way of doing things and watching the games,I can see things that guys like Ken Daneyko used to do in the past.
When your talent is limited,sometimes the best strategy is to keep it basic and the Devils are doing just that....

4) Brian Rolston had seven shots on goal and other than a miscue with the puck on a power play that Martin Brodeur needed to make a huge save on the caused breakway,played very well.
The Devils man advantage works so much better from the point when Rolston and Kovalchuk are playing at the top of their game...

5) Give some credit to Henrik Tallinder for more than just a goal.
Tallinder's pairing with Mark Fayne has been tremendously effective recently and made me think of some of the compliments given Tallinder for some similar work in Buffalo with Tyler Myers...

6) Zach Parise began to skate on his own yesterday,so that gives the team ( and me) hope that Parise could play in a few games before the season ends.
If the miracle run allows the Devils to make the playoffs,the most dangerous team in hockey will be even more so-there are quite a few playoff teams that want no part of this bunch right now....

Photo Credit-AP

Cleaning out the Inbox

We clean the inbox with some various topics today that have some range to them.

We start today with a goodbye to Frank Buckles.
Who was Frank Buckles?
Well,he was the final surviving US veteran from World War I,which is fading from memory as the  years go by.
Buckles had been active in recent years with our next topic and had been living in Charles Town WV.
Buckles was 110 years old...

Frank Buckles had been working towards having a renovation of the national World War I Memorial,which is in a state that deserves far more than the current status of the memorial.
There should also be a re-dedication of the memorial as well,in my opinion.
All of the war memorials from the more recent wars have been tastefully done and are wonderful additions to the National Mall,but Washington as a city was far different in the 1920's than it is today.
As a result,the WWI memorial has been shuffled along in seclusion away from the other memorials.
This is something that should be fixed today with both work on the original memorial and an addition of a memorial to World War I veterans to the main mall area,so that visitors to Washington can understand and honor those that served in the bloodiest war of the 20th century.
In three years,the centennial for the "war to end all wars" will be observed-Wouldn't it be wonderful to celebrate that with the renovated current memorial and ground breaking on a new WWI memorial on the mall?
To honor the memorial and Mr.Buckles.we are using the memorial picture for today to replace the usual photo for the inbox....

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon want to do a film on the 1973 "family swap" between Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich.
Depending on what you read Peterson either is or isn't cooperating with the film,while Kekich is exploring possibilities on how to block the film from being made.
I understand their reluctance to relive the issue,(Peterson remains married to the former Mrs.Kekich,while Kekich was not able to make things work with Mrs.Peterson),but I am surprised by the various columns that seem to think that Affleck and Damon would be unfair to the pair because they are Red Sox fanatics and the players were New York Yankees.
The story is a good one,the team that they played for was irrelevant....

Didnt take long for CNN's failing Parker/Spitzer show at eight PM to make changes as Kathleen Parker "left to devote more time to her newspaper column".
Umm,OK.
In any event,Eliot Spitzer survives with the show being renamed "In the Arena" and having rotating contributors.
Not sure that will have any additional success than Parker/Spitzer,but considering the shows limitations,cannot hurt to try....

Joe Haden likes Patrick Peterson and A.J. Green and think the Browns should grab either if they fall to them in April's draft.
Has Joe been reading our blog or wants to be an unpaid contributor?
Right on,Joe!!!

Looks like audio cassette tapes still have a dedicated following out west as this article from NPR shows.
Cassette tapes may be mostly dead,as are their cousins from VCR's,but as long as someone is around that loves the format,they can never truly be gone....

Devils hockey later tonight against Tampa at seven,so back later or tomorrow with a recap...

Photo Credit: C.Todd Lopez-Army.Mil

Erik Arnesen Interview-Part 4

We finish the Erik Arnesen interview today with the fourth installment.
I have another interview ready to post,but I am trying to decide whether I want to do the Pirates and Indians top 15 prospects yet before posting....

TRS: After winter ball,do you continue a hard regimen of training or do you rest a bit in order to recharge for the long upcoming season?

EA: I stopped throwing for a little bit after Puerto Rico, but I started working out right away. I am still training heavily and have started getting my arm ready for the season.

TRS: Has the Nationals pitching philosophy changed much with the turnover in the front office/farm system executives and if so how...

EA: The philosophy has remained the same through the turnover. Work hard, throw strikes, keep the ball down, and don't be afraid of contact. 

TRS:Going into the 2011 season,I would assume you would be assigned to Syracuse,is the expectation as being a starter,swingman or reliever?

EA: I'm just going to work hard and do my best in whatever role I am assigned.

TRS: Last year,you were teammates with Stephen Strasburg,your thoughts on the constant mania around him (media and fans) and any interesting stories how Strasburg and the team members dealt with it...

EA: It was a lot of fun playing with Strasburg. The mania around him was crazy and it was great to be a part of it.

TRS: Finally,I asked this question in the other interviews and I liked your answers,
Tell me more about your faith,its advantages in keeping things in perspective and how it has helped you in your climb up the baseball ladder...


EA: My faith has always been and will continue to be first in my life. I try to live my life in a way that will give God the glory in everything I do on and off the field. It's an incredible feeling to know that no matter what happens I always have the Lord behind me. In the good times and the bad. My wife and I are having our first child, a boy, due in early April and I thank God for the new addition to my family.


Thanks again to Erik for taking the time and here is hoping to see a big league debut this season for Erik...

Sayin' goodbye to the Duke and Chuck

Two belated goodbyes to recent passings as Hall of Fame player Duke Snider and former player and more notably manager Chuck Tanner both recently moved onto greener diamonds.

Duke Snider was one of the more underrated players in the history of the game as he had the misfortune to spend his prime in the days of three team baseball in New York.
That would not have been so bad,had the other two teams not had two guys named Mays and Mantle patrolling their center field.
As good as Snider was,he was not the force that either of those two were and as a result,Snider was somewhat pushed to the side,despite his top notch play.
Check this link for a past post by us on the New York centerfielders...
This showed in the amount of time that Snider had to wait before his enshrinement in Cooperstown as his last season was 1964 and his HOF year was 1980..
One thing that hurt Snider and his huge drop in power was the Dodgers move to Los Angeles.
Snider fell from hitting 40+ homers for five years in a row to only hitting more than sixteen once in his final seven years in the game.
The Los Angeles Coliseum's temporary baseball configuration was a dream come true for a righthanded slugger but a stat destroyer to a power hitter from the left side like Snider.
Between age and playing in that ballpark,Snider's career would never recover,although one could make an argument that it was leveling out that Snider hit some homers in Brooklyn's smallish Ebbets Field that would have been outs otherwise.
The Duke did some announcing for the Montreal Expos after his final season that was spent with the Giants as a reserve and ace pinch hitter and was well received for his relaxed style of broadcasting.
Not all was perfect after the game as Snider was convicted for tax fraud in the 1990's for not reporting all of his income from memorabilia shows and was fined heavily,although he avoided jail time..
Farewell to one of the most underrated members of the Hall of Fame-Duke Snider.
The Duke was 84 years old.

Chuck Tanner was a journeyman player in the 50's and early 60's that was better known for his work in the dugouts managing four teams,most notably the 1979 Pirates to the franchise's last world title.
Tanner finished with an under .500 record as a manager,but looking closely at his numbers it took managing two awful clubs (85 Pirates,86-88 Braves)to drop his record that far.
Chuck Tanner also did one of the games most underrated managing jobs in keeping the 1972 White Sox in the AL West race with the powerful Oakland Athletics deep into the final month of the season with a team that basically had Dick Allen as its total offense.
Tanner was also known for a laid back style that helped him get the most out of players that had had issues with other skippers such as Allen,although this backfired on him in the early 1980's when the drug scandal hit the Pirates locker room and basically hurt many careers including Tanner's.
Chuck Tanner was also known for being one of the friendliest persons in the game to fans and media and I don't remember too many negative comments on Tanner as a result,even his teams were struggling....

Farewell to both Duke Snider and Chuck Tanner and our condolences to their families...


For a far better writer than I's thoughts on Snider and Tanner,click their names to the left.

Photo Credits
Unknown

Jason Arnott to Washington

Lou Lamoriello was not able to replace the pick that he swapped to Nashville for Jason Arnott,but he was able to talk Arnott into accepting a waiver of his no-trade clause as the Devils shipped the veteran center to Washington for a second rounder in 2012 along with David Steckel.
The former Ohio State Buckeye scored five goals with six assists for Washington this season,but ranks as the league's top faceoff man in winning just under 65 percent of his faceoffs this season.
Steckel also was a key part of the Capitals penalty killing unit.
Steckel is under contract for two more years at a very reasonable 1.2 million per season.

Jason Arnott started strong this season when the Devils were struggling,but has seen his play tail off as of late.
Arnott was a disappointment for the most to Devils fans after the team swapped a 2011 second round pick and minor league winger Matt Halischuk to return the veteran to New Jersey.
Arnott should be able to help Washington in their annual attempt to go over the top.

Overall,I like the deal,although some disappointment in the team not getting a second rounder in 2011,but the 2012 pick might be a bigger deal in the long term. as the Devils will eventually have to cash a first rounder for the Ilya Kovalchuk incident.
Steckel should come right in as a third or fourth line center and step right in as the teams main faceoff man,which has become a weakness lately that was very noticeable in the loss to Tampa.
The second rounder will help some in 2012 and Steckel could be the linchpin of some of the team speciality units at a reasonable price.
Plus he is a Buckeye!!!!!

Possibly back later...