Cleveland Indians Report

May 31, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT -- Saturday, May 31

Record:	21-32, 4th Place, 10 GB
Last:	Won 7-3 over White Sox on Friday
Streak:	Won three in a row
Next:	Today vs White Sox, 1:05 PM ET
Matchup:	Mark Buehrle (2-8, 5.01) vs Jason Davis (4-4, 5.66)
On Deck:	Three games in Denver (Tues-Thurs)

A winning month of May. Who would've ever thunk it?

Great game by the Indians last night. Solid hitting, good relief pitching. Ben Broussard jacked his third homer. Four scoreless innings from the bullpen? Are you kidding me? It was only one game but Dan Miceli looked pretty good. Jody Gerut drew a walk. Why is this a big deal? It's only his second in 83 at-bats. Josh Bard let Carlos Lee steal two bases. Why is this important? He's on my fantasy team :-)

Don't look now but the Indians are only 3-1/2 games behind the White Sox.

The Indians called up Zach Sorenson from Buffalo and designated Bill Selby for assignment yesterday. Sorenson will be making his major league debut after being selected by the Indians in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft out of Wichita State. He was hitting .223/.288/.337/.625 with six doubles, three triples, and three homeruns for the Bisons. I was initially surprised by this move, not because of any desire to keep Bill Selby on the roster, but because Sorenson had not done anything recently (or this season) that would have seemed to warrant him a call-up. What he brings to the roster, however, is speed off the bench (10 steals this year) and increased versatility as he can play second, short, third, and anywhere in the outfield. Specifically, this move and those traits were made to help the Indians when they start interleague play next week in Colorado. Sorenson will probably last on the roster until Ricky Gutierrez is ready to be activated in June.

The Indians now have 10 days in which to trade, release, or outright Selby to the minor leagues. It's expected that he will clear waivers and I'm going to assume that he'll accept an assignment to Buffalo. I have a feeling we have not seen the last of Selby in the big leagues this season.

Cliff Lee was activated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to double-A Akron. He's expected to make two starts for the Aeros before moving up to Buffalo.

To make room for Lee on the 40-man roster, Jason Bere was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL (thereby removing him from the 40). His MRI revealed fraying in the rotator cuff and labrum and the Indians team doctors have recommended surgery. Bere will see a specialist in Boston before making a decision but it looks like he's done for year.

Jason Phillips cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Buffalo. He'll rejoin the Bisons rotation.

Jack Cressend was promoted from Akron to Buffalo where he'll join the Bisons bullpen. Cressend did not allow an earned run in 16 innings for Akron and held opposing hitters to a .235 average while walking two and striking out 10.

The Bisons lost their ninth in a row yesterday, yet they remain in first place by one game. How many teams on a nine-game skid have ever been able to say that?

Grady Sizemore and Ryan Church both went deep yesterday for the Aeros. Sizemore now has 40 RBIs on the season and is hitting .292/.360/.464 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homeruns, and a 23/32 BB/K ratio. Church's bomb was his 8th of the season and he's now hitting .278/.373/.506 with 10 doubles, a triple, the 8 longballs, and a 22/31 BB/K ratio. Both started fast, slumped for a few weeks, and are now heating up again. If you haven't seen these two yet at Canal Park, it's worth the trip.

Rick Elder was activated off the Kinston disabled list. The big first basemen has been out all season with lingering tendinitis in his shoulder according to the LMJ. Elder was the Orioles first round pick in the 1998 draft and was selected by the Indians in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft last December. He's got lots of raw power but he also strikes out a ton. No reciprocal move was listed but I wonder if Bill Peavey was placed on the DL. He had missed the last few games with a sore hammy.

Paul Hoynes reports in the PD that if the Indians are going to leave Winter Haven for Port Charlotte or Fort Myers next spring, a decision will probably be announced in June.

Herb Perry was placed on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in the right shoulder by the Rangers.

Kenny Lofton extended his hitting streak to 26 games last night with a pair of hits, including his 6th homerun.

The Reds released Aquiles Pinales (I didn't even know they had signed him).

CLEVELAND (21-32, 4th Place, 10 GB): The Indians defeated the White Sox 7-3 in the rain for their third victory in a row. Ben Broussard belted his third homerun and also walked and stole a base. Milton Bradley drove in two runs with a double and single. Josh Bard doubled and knocked in a pair of runs. Matt Lawton doubled and singled. Jody Gerut singled and walked and Omar Vizquel, Ellis Burks, and Casey Blake all drew free passes. CC Sabathia (4-2, 2.92) allowed three runs on three hits and three walks in five innings to pick up the win. He struck out four and served up one big fly. Jason Boyd, Dan Miceli, David Riske, and Danys Baez each pitched an inning of scoreless relief. Baez and Miceli struck out two batters apiece. Omar made an error in the field.

BUFFALO (28-22, 1st Place, 1.0 GA): The Bisons dropped their 9th in a row, losing to Columbus 4-3. The offense rallied to tie the game with runs in the 8th and 9th inning but Alex Herrera and Chad Paronto combined to let the winning run cross the plate in the bottom of the 9th. Jamie Brown (2.36) started for the Bisons and went seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks, striking out one. Herrera was charged with the final run and he allowed a hit and a walk in 1.1 innings while Paronto faced one batter and gave up the game-winning hit. Luis Garcia homered (#5), singled, and walked. Greg LaRocca doubled and singled. Jhonny Peralta and Nate Grindell doubled. Victor Martinez walked and was hit by a pitch. Travis Hafner and Alex Escobar each went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

AKRON (34-21, 1st Place, 4.5 GA): The Aeros used four homeruns to defeat Bowie 5-3. Grady Sizemore (#6), Ryan Church (#8), Ron Wright (#3), and Brian Luderer (#3) all went deep for the good guys. Church also doubled, singled, and stole a base while Luderer added a baseknock, as did Hector Luna. Eric Crozier walked and Tyler Hinges was plunked. Francisco Cruceta (4-3, 3.54) allowed a run in each of the first three innings but held the Bay Sox scoreless for the next five in picking up his fourth win. He fanned six, walked one, and gave up eight hits. Rafael Betancourt struck out two for the save. He now has 49 K's in 31.1 innings.

KINSTON (27-26, 4th Place, 3.0 GB): The K-Tribe knocked off Potomac 6-3. Brian Slocum (3-3, 4.25) went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two. Doug Lantz permitted a run in two innings and Lee Gronkiewicz worked a scoreless 9th for his 12th save. Miguel Quintana (.322) stayed hot with three hits, including his first homerun. Wily Taveras singled, walked, and stole a base. Eider Torres doubled. Brian Kirby singled and walked, Brian Wright singled, and Pat Osborn drew a walk.

LAKE COUNTY (37-18, 1st Place, 6.5 GA): The Captains belted three homeruns and went on to their 5th victory in a row, defeating Lakewood 7-3. Jason Cooper blasted his 8th dinger and walked twice. JJ Sherrill belted a three-run shot (#7) and also singled and walked. Matt Knox swatted his 6th big fly of the season and also doubled. Ricardo Rojas doubled and singled. Dave Wallace walked three times, singled, and stole a base. Shaun Larkin had a pair of hits. Micah Schilling walked twice and singled. Nathan Panther walked and swiped a bag and Bryan Kent also received a free pass. The Captains walked 10 times in the game. Jake Dittler (3-1, 1.87) struck out eight and did not allow an earned run (two unearned) in six innings of work. He scattered five hits and did not walk a batter. Ignacio Montano allowed a solo homer in 2.2 innings of relief. Matt Knox made two errors in the field.

Posted on 5/31/2003

May 30, 2003

CIR UPDATE

More transactions from the Indians today. Cliff Lee was activated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to double-A Akron. To make room for Lee on the 40-man roster, Jason Bere was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL (thereby removing him from the 40-man roster. Jack Cressend was also promoted from Akron to Buffalo after throwing 16 innings in Akron without allowing an earned run. More tomorrow in the CIR.

Posted on 5/30/2003

CIR UPDATE

The Indians called up Zach Sorenson from Buffalo and designated Bill Selby for assignment today. Sorenson will be making his major league debut after being selected by the Indians in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft out of Wichita State. He was hitting .223 (41-184) w/29RS, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3HR, 23RBI, and 10SB for the Bisons and has played all over the field (2B, SS, 3B, OF). Selby was hitting .103 (4-for-39) and was .188 (3-for-16) as a pinch-hitter. The Indians will have 10 days to trade, release, or outright him to the minors. I would suspect that he'll clear waivers and report to Buffalo. I like this move, if only to remove Selby from the big league roster and give someone else a chance. Sorenson hadn't really done anything to warrant a call-up and perhaps this is just a two-to-three week evaluation period for him before Ricky Gutierrez comes back in June. We'll see what they say in the papers tomorrow morning.

In other news, Jason Phillips cleared waivers and has accepted an assignment to triple-A. He'll rejoin the Bisons rotation.

Posted on 5/30/2003

Special Draft Preview Edition -- Listmania

CLEVELAND INDIANS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS
2002: Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, 22nd overall
2001: Dan Denham, RHP, 17th overall
2001: Alan Horne, RHP, 27th overall
2000: Corey Smith, SS, 26th overall
1999: Will Hartley, C, 74th overall (2nd round)
1998: C.C. Sabathia, LHP, 20th overall
1997: Tim Drew, RHP, 28th overall
1996: Danny Peoples, 1B, 28th overall
1995: David Miller, 1B, 23rd overall
1994: Jaret Wright, RHP, 10th overall
1993: Daron Kirkreit, RHP, 11th overall
1992: Paul Shuey, RHP, 2nd overall
1991: Manny Ramirez, OF, 13th overall
1990: Tim Costo, 3b, 8th overall
1989: Calvin Murray, OF, 11th overall (Did not sign)
1988: Mark Lewis, SS, 2nd overall
1988: Charles Nagy, RHP, 17th overall (Brett Butler compensation)
1988: Jeff Mutis, LHP, 27th overall (Brett Butler compensation)
1987: No first round pick (signed Rick Dempsey)
1986: Greg Swindell, LHP, 2nd overall
1985: Mike Poehl, RHP, 9th overall
1984: Cory Snyder, SS, 4th overall
1983: David Clark, OF, 11th overall
1982: Mark Snyder, RHP, 12th overall
1981: George Alpert, OF, 13th overall
1980: Kelly Gruber, SS, 10th overall
1979: Jon Bohnet, LHP, 7th overall
1978: Phil Lansford, SS, 10th overall
1977: Bruce Compton, OF, 11th overall
1976: Tim Glass, C, 14th overall
1975: Rick Cerone, C, 7th overall
1974: Tom Brennan, RHP, 4th overall
1973: Arthur Tufts, INF, 5th overall
1972: Rick Manning, OF, 2nd overall
1971: David Sloan, P, 9th overall
1970: Steve Dunning, RHP, 2nd overall
1969: Alvin McGrew, OF, 15th overall
1968: Robert Weaver, SS-OF, 6th overall
1967: Jack Heidemann, SS, 11th overall
1966: John Curtis, LHP, 12th overall
1965: Ray Fosse, C, 7th overall

Note: Not all that impressive of a group, is it? Manny Ramirez is, by far, the best first round selection this organization has ever made. I can't believe the Gray Flamingo (Tom Brennan) was drafted that high. The Indians have had the second pick in the draft (first pick in parenthesis) and ended up with Steve Dunning (Mike Ivie), Rick Manning (Dave Roberts), Greg Swindell (Jeff King), Mark Lewis (Andy Benes), and Paul Shuey (Phil Nevin). Ouch.

RECENT 11th OVERALL PICK SELECTIONS
2002: Jeremy Hermida, Marlins, OF, Florida HS, $2,012,500
2001: Kenny Bough, Tigers, RHP, Rice, $1,800,000
2000: Dave Krynzel, Brewers, OF, Nevada HS, $1,950,000
1999: Ryan Christensen, Mariners, C, Cal HS, $2,100,000
1998: Josh McKinely, Expos, SS, Penn HS, $1,250,000
1997: Chris Enochs, A's, RHP, $1,204,000
1996: Adam Eaton, Phillies, RHP, $1,100,000
1995: Mike Drumright, Tigers, Tigers, RHP, $970,000
1994: Mark Farris, Pirates, SS, $820,000
1993: Daron Kirkreit, Indians, RHP, $600,000

Note: Adam Eaton is a promising young arm, now on the Phillies, and is the best of this group. Hermida was regarded as the best pure high school hitter in the draft last year. Bough blew out his arm after signing. Farris quit baseball and became the starting quarterback for Texas A&M. Kirkreit was bothered by injuries and only lasted a few years in the Tribe system.

RECENT 18th OVERALL PICK SELECTIONS
2002: Royce Ring, White Sox, RHP, SDSU, $1,600,000
2001: Aaron Heilman, Mets, RHP, Notre Dame, $1,508,750
2000: Miguel Negron, Blue Jays, OF, Puerto Rico, $950,000
1999: Richard Stahl, Orioles, P, Georgia HS, $1,795,000
1998: Seth Etherton, Angles, RHP, U$C, $1,075,000
1997: Mark Mangum, Rockies, RHP, $875,000
1996: RA Dickey, Rangers, RHP, $75,000 (injury)
1995: Ryan Jaroncyk, Mets, SS, $850,000
1994: Cade Gasper, Tigers, RHP, $825,000
1993: Chris Schwab, Expos, OF, $425,000

Note: That is a pretty motley crew, although the Sox and Mets retain high hopes for Ring and Heilman.

2003 DRAFTEES RELATED TO FORMER INDIANS
Andy Hargrove, 1B, Oral Roberts (Mike Hargrove)
Andy LaRoche, SS, Grayson County CC (Dave LaRoche)
Andy Myette, RHP, Lower Columbia CC (Aaron Myette)

DRAFT BREW
More info on Reid Santos, who was a late DFE signing by the Indians, direct from the Tribe. Santos, 20, pitched for Saddleback Junior College in San Diego, CA this past spring. The 6'1", 175-pound lefty was 3-0 w/a 3.72 ERA in 9 games in 2003 (1GS, 19.1IP, 25H, 11R/8ER, 6BB, 19SO). He previously pitched at Santa Ana College (CA) before undergoing "Tommy John" surgery on his left elbow prior to the 2002 draft. The Honolulu, Hawaii native was drafted out of high school in 2000 by Montreal and by Texas in 2001 out of Santa Ana College. "The signing of Reid Santos represents a tremendous collective team effort by West Coast Scouts Darren Chun, Doug Baker & Paul Cogan," said Tribe Assistant General Manager, Scouting Operations John Mirabelli. "We invested a lot of man hours following Reid thru his amateur career and he has been on our radar screen since his days in high school in Hawaii. We are very excited to finally have the opportunity to bring Reid into our organization."

Jim Ingraham reports in the LMJ that John Mirabelli says that the Indians will have a pretty good idea on who's going to be on the board at #11 going into the start of the draft. This contradicts reports from earlier in the week and is more in line with what we've been thinking all along. The article goes on to note that the Indians will select the player with the highest upside and money is not an object. The next sentence then says the Indians will take a player that they are very confident they can sign. Contradictory? Perhaps, but maybe it also means that if they take a high school kid they want to make sure he's willing to turn pro if the team meets his asking price. Ingraham notes that players the Indians may be considering for their 1st pick include California 3B (and Tribe 2000 draft pick) Conor Jackson, Florida HS outfielder Lastings Milledge, Pennsylvania HS outfielder Chris Lubanski, California HS third basemen Ian Stewart, and Ball State third basemen Brad Snyder. The list of pitchers include Texas HS lefthander John Danks, Massachusetts HS righthander Jeff Allison, Florida HS lefthander Andrew Miller, and Mississippi State lefthander Paul Maholm. Most of these names have been linked to the Indians in various mock drafts and speculations with the additions to the list being Snyder and Maholm.

Ingraham also has an interesting article on Brian Anderson and the 1993 draft (Anderson was selected third overall by the Angels).

Jayson Stark forecasts the top 10 picks in the draft in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column on espn.com and all but Maholm, Allison, and Stewart would be available for the Tribe at #11 using his projections. It's interesting that Stark has the Orioles taking Nick Markakis at number seven as a "signability pick" when Markakis recently turned down $1.5 million from the Reds as a DFE. You would think that if Markakis and the Reds were close financially that something would have been worked out but since he re-entered the draft his asking price must be in the $2 million plus range or he knew that he could get $1.7 or $1.8 million from the Orioles. He must be pretty confident he's going to be popped in the first 15-20 picks to turn down that kind of jack. It will be interesting to see where he slots in next Tuesday.

Stark also reports that Adam Loewen's contract with the Orioles is a five-year major league deal worth $4,000,000.

MLB.com will offer FREE streaming audio of the MLB draft this Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, they will be offering FREE streaming video of the first few rounds on Tuesday. I'm not sure exactly what they're going to but it will be interesting to check out nevertheless. Baseball America will be providing commentary between rounds but that may be part of the MLB Radio (pay site) portion of the broadcast.

Coming Monday: Some combination of mock draft, Indians overview, and potential draftee profiles.

Posted on 5/30/2003

Cleveland Indians Report -- Friday, May 30

Record:	20-32, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Won 8-2 in Detroit on Wednesday
Streak:	Won two in a row
Next:	Tonight vs White Sox, 7:05 PM ET
Matchup:	Dan Wright (0-2, 5.66) vs CC Sabathia (3-2, 2.73)
On Deck:	Three games in Colorado next week (Tues-Thurs)

Welcome to all the new readers who have subscribed to the newsletter or linked to the site through the ATM Reports or Baseball Blogs. The former you know all about, it's a CIR recommended newsletter, the latter is a new site that provides an index of baseball blogs along with links to the most recently updated. The CIR is excited to be a part of baseballblogs and I have a feeling that I'm going to be a frequent visitor.

Don't look now but a win tonight could clinch the Indians a winning month of May, which is pretty impressive when you consider they played 16 games against the AL West and 3 more against the Red Sox. Playing the Tigers seven times helped, but if I had asked on May 1 if you would have been happy with a 14-13 record for the Month, the vast majority of you would probably have responded with an enthusiastic yes.

CC Sabathia takes the mound tonight for the Indians in his first start since he sprained his ankle against the Tigers last week. Over his last five starts, he's been dominant (1.54, 35 IP, 22 H, 12 W, 26 K). Let's see if he can keep it going against the White Sox, who have lifetime averages of .241/.354/.470/.823 against CC.

Jason Bere was scheduled to have an MRI yesterday in Cleveland. Results have not yet been disclosed.

Mark Wohlers had an MRI on Wednesday and the results were inconclusive due to all the swelling. He'll be shutdown until they can get another look in a few days when the swelling subsides.

Paul Hoynes reports in the PD this morning that Ricky Gutierrez may begin a rehab assignment in Buffalo next week.

Did you notice that Brandon Phillips led off (0-for-5, K) on Wednesday afternoon? Eric Wedge says it was just a one-time stint so Matt Lawton could rest.

Does Victor Martinez read the CIR? Since his mention on Tuesday, he's 8-for-13 with four doubles and a homerun. More likely, here's what John Farrell says about Victor in the Canton Repository, “He is facing pitchers who are considerably more advanced than what he saw in A or Double-A,” Farrell said. “He has seen so many breaking balls and offspeed pitches that he started drifting toward the pitcher. It’s taken some of the power out of his swing and caused him to come out of his typical approach. This period of adjustment and counteradjustment is just part of his developmental process.” Let's hope he stays hot.

Speaking of hot hitters, I have to mention that Coco Crisp is still red-hot at Buffalo with his averages currently sitting at .354/.443/.508/.951 with 15 doubles, 5 triples, a homerun, 26 walks (20 strikeouts) and 17 steals.

Jeremy Guthrie's triple-A debut Wednesday night was not a pretty sight as he failed to make it out of the second inning and allowed six runs on eight hits in Louisville.

Cliff Lee did not allow a hit in four innings yesterday for Kinston in the first start of his rehab assignment. Lee struck out four, walked three, and was charged with an unearned run. John Farrell was quoted in the Canton Repository as saying that Lee has been bothered by three separate health issues, a hernia suffered two years ago while pitching with Montreal, strained abdominal muscles in January and strained muscles in his ribcage during extended spring training. The article goes on to note that Lee’s hernia may require surgery after the season. Lee is scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday in Akron.

Bill Peavey is day-to-day with a bad hamstring according to Kinston.com.

Chris De La Cruz is day-to-day with a hip flexor according to the Captains website.

Dave Wallace drove in four runs yesterday on a pair of singles and is now hitting .294/.423/.460/.883 with 11 doubles, 2 triples, four homeruns, 29 RBIs, and 27 walks. He's also been hit 10 times. Not bad for an undrafted free-agent.

The local papers are reporting this morning that Tucson, Arizona is wooing the Indians to relocate their spring training operations back to the desert where the Tribe trained from 1946-1993. Tucson would be in need of a team if the White Sox follow through with their plans to move to a new facility in Scottsdale and Sheldon Ocker notes in the ABJ that Jerry Reinsdorf contacted the Indians about taking over their facilities. With the Indians known to be shopping for a new home, it's logical that the two sides would talk. Keep in mind that an Indians move west would also require another team from Florida to make the move in order to keep the Cactus League schedule balanced. I have not heard of any other teams involved in negotiations to move to the Desert. I suspect the Indians are simply using Tucson as leverage to extract a better deal from Winter Haven, Port Charlotte, or Fort Myers.

The Redsox traded 3B Shea Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks for P Byung Hyun-Kim yesterday. Great deal for the Sox. Kim should help the rotation while Pedro is out and then he could move to the bullpen if needed later in the season.

Joe Roa was designated for assignment by the Phillies. To quote CIR spy Steve..."he's been pitching atrociously this season (an opposing BA of a preposterous .341), but was surprisingly decent last season and has upped his K-rate (and his K/BB ratio is 4:1, but then, why take a walk against a guy you can paste to the tune of .341?).

Greg Swindell left the Diamondbacks AAA team to spend more time with his family, but he has not retired, according to the ATM Reports.

John Rocker cleared waivers was assigned to double-A by the Devil Rays.

The ATM Reports also note that Reds pitcher Jeff Austin became the first pitcher to fail to get out of the first inning in consecutive starts since Scott Scudder with the 1992 Indians. That name is a blast from the past, isn't it? After the game, Austin was sent to triple-A and Russ Branyan was activated from the disabled list.

Twenty-six years ago today, 13,400 faithful saw Dennis Eckersley throw a 1-0 no-hitter against the Anaheim Angels at the old Stadium. Eck fanned twelve Halos and only a first inning walk to Tony Solaita kept him from a perfect game. Duane Kuiper and Jim Norris combined for the Indians lone run after Kuiper tripled in the first and scored when Norris made an out to Angels pitcher Frank Tanana (was this a squeeze bunt?).

Volleyball movies just don't get any better than Side Out.

Happy 26th Birthday to Aeros catcher Victor Valencia.

CLEVELAND (20-32, 4th Place, 11.5 GB): Jody Gerut had three hits and threw out two baserunners as the Indians defeated Detroit 8-2 on Friday. Gerut needed only a triple for the cycle as he homered (#3), doubled (#8), and singled to drive in three runs. Milton Bradley also had three hits and walked in his other two plate appearances for a perfect 5-for-5 day at the dish. Tim Laker also collected three hits and drove in three runs. Ben Broussard added a baseknock. John McDonald and Shane Spencer walked twice and Ellis Burks received one free pass. Ricardo Rodriguez went seven strong innings for his third win. Rodriguez allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three. Jason Boyd finished with two scoreless innings.

The Tribe was off on Thursday.

BUFFALO (28-21, 1st Place, 1.5 GA): Welcome to triple-A, Mr.Guthrie. It was a rough debut for the Indians prize prospect as he gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in 1.2 innings in a 11-10 loss to Louisville on Wednesday night. Guthrie fanned two and gave up a dinger. Jose Vargas was also hit hard as he was charged with five runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks in 1.2 innings. Jose Santiago worked a final 3.2 scoreless innings. Alex Escobar drove in three runs with a homer (#8) and single. Zach Sorenson (#3) and Scott Pratt (#1) also went deep. Coco Crisp doubled and scored twice. Victor Martinez banged out three hits, including a double. Jhonny Peralta doubled and Luis Garcia tripled with two walks. Travis Hafner walked twice and doubled and Greg LaRocca added a basehit. LaRocca made two errors and Scott Pratt made one.

The Bisons dropped their 8th in a row yesterday as they lost 6-5 to Louisville in 10 innings. The good guys actually took the lead in the top of the 10th but Chad Paronto did not record an out in the bottom half of the frame and three hits led to two runs and the loss. Aaron Myette (2.55) made the emergency start in place of the promoted Brian Tallet and allowed two runs in three innings on five hits and two walks. He struck out one. Lance Caraccioli allowed a run in two innings. Carl Sadler threw four innings of one run ball before giving way to Paronto in the 10th. Victor Martinez belted his fourth homerun, doubled, and singled. His average is now up to .256. Luis Garcia (.218) doubled twice with a single. Coco Crisp (.354) doubled and singled. Jhonny Peralta and Dusty Wathan had a pair of hits. Greg LaRocca, Travis Hafner, and Alex Escobar added basehits.

AKRON (33-21, 1st Place, 3.5 GA): Three Aeros hurlers combined for a 6-0 shutout in Altoona on Wednesday. Kyle Evans made the spot start and scattered three hits and three walks over six innings. He did not strike out a batter. Kazuhito Tadano fanned two in two innings and Ryan Larson worked a final scoreless frame. Ryan Church homered (#7) and singled. Victor Valencia doubled and singled, as did Hector Luna who also walked. Maicer Izturis doubled, Luis Gonzalez singled and walked, and Tyler Minges added a baseknock. Eric Crozier reached base twice via a HBP and walk while Ron Wright received one free pass.

The Aeros lost 5-4 to Altoona in 13 innings. The offense put a 4-spot on the board in the third inning but were blanked over the next 10 frames. Grady Sizemore homered (#5) and doubled to drive in three runs. Maicer Izturis had three hits, walked, and stole a base (#14). Brian Luderer also had three hits, including a double. Hector Luna singled twice with a walk. Luis Gonzalez and Ryan Church added basehits while Ron Wright walked twice. Derrick Van Dusen (4.18) allowed four runs (three earned) in 7.2 innings on nine hits. He fanned two and walked none. Ryan Larson threw 2.1 scoreless innings and Shea Douglas took the loss as he allowed a run (his first in 25 innings) in 2.1 innings on three hits and a walk. He struck out two. Izturis, Gonzalez, and Crozier committed errors for the Aeros.

KINSTON (26-26, 4th Place, 3 GB): The K-Tribe split a doubleheader with Frederick on Wednesday. In the opener, the Keys held on for a 9-7 victory. Mariano Gomez (3-3, 5.13) was charged with six runs (three earned) in 2.1 innings as he allowed seven hits and four walks while striking out just one. Scott Sturkie was touched for three runs (two earned) in 2.2 innings and Nate Fernley finished with two scoreless frames. Wily Taveras doubled, singled, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base (#24). Pat Osborn doubled, singled, and walked. Brian Wright swatted his third homerun and walked. Miguel Quintana doubled and singled. Eider Torres singled and stole a base (#31). Armando Camacaro was plunked and walked. Osborn and Gomez committed errors.

In the nightcap, the K-Tribe rallied with a run in the bottom of the 7th inning for a 4-3 victory. Jim Warden (6.11) turned in his best outing of the year as he did not allow an earned run (one unearned) in five innings, permitting four basehits and walking four. He struck out three. Chris Cooper allowed a run in an inning and Lee Gronkiewicz allowed a run in the top of the 7th but picked up the win when the offense rallied in the bottom half of the frame. Brian Kirby drove in two runs with a homer (#1) and single. Miguel Quintana (.305) had two hits as did Luke Scott (.315). Ben Margalski was plunked and singled and Pat Osborn added a safety. Wily Taveras committed an error for the good guys.

Cliff Lee threw four scoreless innings in his 2003 debut as the K-Tribe knocked off Frederick 3-2. Lee did not allow a hit but walked three which led to an unearned run to cross the plate. He struck out four. Victor Kliene (3.34) allowed a run in 3.2 innings of relief and Lee Gronkiewicz worked a scoreless 9th for his 11th save. Eider Torres had two hits and a walk. Pat Osborn doubled. Luke Scott, Rodney Choy Foo, Miguel Quintana, Brian Kirby, and Armando Camacaro all singled. Kirby and Wright also walked, as did Wily Taveras.

LAKE COUNTY (36-18, 1st Place, 6.5 GA): The Captains knocked off Delmarva 4-3 on Wednesday. Sean Smith (4.62) started and went the first 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and five walks while striking out three. Dan Eisentrager (1.69) struck out five in 2.1 innings and Blake Allen (1.61) worked a scoreless final two innings. Micah Schilling singled, walked, and knocked in two runs. Nathan Panther, Jason Cooper, and Matt Knox added basehits. Dave Wallace walked three times and Shaun Larkin drew two free passes.

The Captains scored seven times in the first four innings and went on to a 10-2 victory over Delmarva. JJ Sherrill homered (#6), doubled, singled, walked, and stole a base (#16) from atop the lineup. Dave Wallace drove in four runs with a pair of singles. Bryan Kent homered (#1), singled, walked, and stole a base. Nathan Panther also swiped a bag (#16) and had a pair of hits. Jason Cooper extended his hitting streak to eight games with a pair of singles. He also walked and stole a base. Matt Knox doubled. Jonathan Van Every singled with a stolen base. Micah Schilling walked and scored twice. Keith Ramsey (6-3, 2.30) allowed two runs in five innings for his sixth win although he did give up nine hits and two walks. Ramsey struck out five and served up one big fly. Juan Lara picked up the save with four innings of scoreless relief, fanning three. Shaun Larkin committed an error in the field.

Posted on 5/30/2003

May 29, 2003

Special Draft Preview Edition -- 2002 Draft in Review

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Thursday, May 29

Thanks to free-agency, much like in 2001, the Indians had another tremendous opportunity to add a huge amount of talent to the organization via the 2002 draft. The departures of Juan Gonzalez (Tex), Marty Cordova (Balt) and the failed signing of Alan Horne (Mississippi) from 2001 gave the Indians seven picks in the first three rounds. The first selection was a bit of a surprise as the Tribe took the most polished college pitcher in the draft, Jeremy Guthrie, who had slid to the #22 overall pick due to signability concerns (i.e., the Scott Boras factor). Although, if you read Moneyball you somewhat pick up the impression that this selection had been worked out in advance. With their next two picks, the Indians grabbed two pure hitters out of the high school ranks and then split the next four selections equally between hitting and pitching. The Tribe's draft was universally praised as one of the best (as it should have been with that many picks) and the debuts of Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Whitney, Ben Francisco, Jason Cooper, and Brian Slocum have done nothing but solidify those thoughts. Additionally, the Indians picked up a couple of mid-to-late round sleepers in Nathan Panther and Shea Douglas and they've also signed DFE Nick Pesco who blossomed into a potential second round pick this year at Cosumnes CC. The class is not without its early struggles as Micah Schilling, Pat Osborn, and Fernando Pacheco have not matched their performance to their draft positions but considering that none of these kids was in pro ball at this time last year, it's safe to say that they have time to develop. For now, this class receives a solid B grade.

Following is a pick-by-pick review of the Indians 2002 draft class...

1. Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, Stanford, $3,000,000
Signed late but the Indians weren't too concerned because his professional innings were going to be limited anyway due to his heavy workload in leading Stanford to the College World Series last year. Made his pro debut in the Arizona Fall League, impressed in spring training, and started this season at double-A Akron where he dominated to the tune of a 1.44 ERA and a .196 batting average against in 62.2 innings. There's some concern with his low low K/IP ratio (35/62.2) but he dominated and fanned eight in the game I attended. Promoted to triple-A Buffalo last week and is on pace to be the first member of the 2002 MLB draft to reach the big leagues. It's not a stretch to call him the best pitching prospect in the American League.

1a. Matt Whitney, 3B, Florida HS, $1,125,000
Supplemental pick for the loss of Juan Gonzalez to the Rangers.
Lured away from a commitment to Clemson, Whitney had a great debut in Burlington last season, hitting .286/.359/.537 with 12 doubles and 10 homeruns in 175 at-bats. The best power hitting prospect in the systems, visions of Jim Thome were dancing in Tribe fans heads. Struck out a lot (49 times) but that's not unusual for a high school power hitter and he walked once every ten at-bats which indicates he has knowledge of the strike zone. Broke his leg this spring in a freak accident (stepped on a sprinkler head while chasing down a basketball) and is out for the entire season. Will likely return in the Instructional League this fall.

1b. Micah Schilling, 2B, Louisiana HS, $915,000
Supplemental pick for the failure to sign Alan Horne in 2001
Considered one of the top high school bats in the draft last year, Schilling struggled in his pro debut, hitting just .206/.303/.270 in 126 at-bats in Burlington. The Indians pushed him to low-A to start this season and he's off to another slow start, hitting .192/.309/.272. Still looking for his first professional homerun, it's worth noting that his plate discipline has improved a little this season. It's not unusual for high schoolers to struggle as they switch to wood bats but you would like to see a higher level of performance than this. Still very young and the tools remain.

NOTE: I wonder if the struggles of Schilling, Fernando Pacheco, Mike Conroy, Sean Swedlow, Mark Folsom, etc., prompted John Mirabelli's requirement that all early round high schoolers have to hit with a wooden bat in front of Tribe scouts as a prerequisite for being drafted. This process could have been in place for previous drafts but 2003 is the first time that I can remember it being talked about so openly in the media.

2a. Brian Slocum, RHP, Villanova, $625,000
Pitched extremely well in the Valley last season, holding opposing hitters to a .230 average and posting a 2.60 ERA in 55.1 innings, striking out 48 and walking 14. Has been compared to Charlie Nagy in the past, although I think he throws harder, and Mark Shapiro stated on the radio in the offseason that he might have the highest raw upside of any pitcher taken in this draft. Skipped low-A and went right to Kinston where his numbers have fallen off this year. Currently has a 4.34 ERA and has allowed 40 hits in 37.1 innings with an unimpressive BB/K ratio (22 BB / 21 K). Has had injury problems in the past. I would expect a big second half from him as he makes adjustments to the higher-level hitters.

2b. Pat Osborn, 3B, Florida, $547,500
Supplemental pick for the loss of Marty Cordova via free-agency to the Orioles.
Hitting for average at Kinston (.293) but has not displayed the power you would expect from a 6'3", 210 lb. third basemen. Has a .352 career slugging percentage (20 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homeruns) in 341 at-bats split between Mahoning Valley and Kinston. Did not show a lot of power in college, either, but part of that was due to shoulder injuries during his freshman and sophomore years. It's still very early in his pro career and power usually develops late so we need to be patient (but concerned).

3. Jason Cooper, OF, Stanford, $472,500
Compensation pick from the Rangers for signing Juan Gonzalez.
Signed late but hit four homeruns and five doubles in 55 ABs for Columbus. Off to a strong start this season, hitting .313/.398/.553 with 12 doubles, five triples, and seven homeruns for Lake County and has improved his plate discipline from last year to a respectable level (21 BB / 34 K). Compared to Darin Erstad by MLB.com when drafted while BA noted that he had the most power potential of any college draftee last year. Next to Matt Whitney, the best powerhitting prospect in the system.

Note: The loss of Juan Gonzalez via free agency turned into Matt Whitney and Jason Cooper. Looks pretty good on paper for the Indians right now but it's more important how it will look in 2006.

3. Daniel Cevette, LHP, Pennsylvania HS, $400,000
Solid debut in Burlington, marked by the inconsistency you would expect from a high school pitcher in his first exposure to professional ball. Made 13 starts and posted a 4.67 ERA in 52 innings (52 H, 31 W, 36 K). Tore a biceps muscle at the end of March and is rehabbing in extended spring training. One of his fans writes in that his current stats in xspring are 17 IP, 10 H, 2 W, 27 K, 1.06 ERA. He'll make a few starts for Burlington before moving up to Mahoning Valley.

4. Fernando Pacheco, 1B, California HS, $250,000
Intriguing "pure hitter" struggled last year making the conversion to wood bats, hitting .188/.295/.293 and striking out 57 times in just 133 at-bats. Will likely return to Burlington this summer.

5. Ben Francisco, OF, UCLA, $170,000
Missed the last five weeks of his college season with a broken collar bone but never stopped hitting once he turned pro, posting .349/.405/.502/.907 numbers with 23 doubles, three homeruns, 22 steals, and a 22/28 BB/K ratio. Has missed the start of the season with a broken wrist but is expected to return in mid-June and he'll skip a level and report to Kinston. Best debut of this draft class. Also drafted by the Indians out of high school in 1999.

6. Michael Hernandez, LHP, Fresno State, $100,000
Projection pick by the Indians as his college numbers were not that impressive. Great debut last year in the Valley, holding opposing hitters to a .216 average and striking out 58 in 45.1 innings out of the Scrappers bullpen. He's a "Slinger" who looks like he could really be tough on left-handed hitters. Started the season on the Kinston disabled list and has not pitched in 2003.

7. Brian Wright, OF, North Carolina State, $22,500
College senior who had a solid debut in the NY-Penn league last year, hitting .285/.375/.413 with nine doubles, five homeruns, and 38 walks (35 K). Skipped low-A and went right to Kinston this year where he is hitting .276/.359/.404 with 10 doubles and three homeruns while maintaining his plate discipline (20 BB / 25 K). He needs to show more power.

8. Blake Allen, LHP, Union Univ. (TENN), $75,000
Debuted as a starter last year in the Valley, posting a 4.82 ERA in 15 starts (80.1 IP, 94 H, 17 W, 62 K). Switched to the bullpen this season in Lake County, Allen has responded by holding opposing hitters to a .160 average and striking out 28 in 26 innings (15 H, 9 K) with a 1.73 ERA.

9. Shaun Larkin, 2B, Cal State Northridge, $10,000
Has not hit for average as a pro but has demonstrated the ability to get on base, a skill that placed him on the Oakland A's draft wish list last year, according to
Moneyball. Larkin hit .226/.345/.391 with nine homeruns and 42 walks (40 K) last year in the Valley. This season, he's at .267/.353/.426 with 11 doubles, 5 homeruns, and 23 walks (19 K) for Lake County. Versatile, he's played second and third, and he's a player to keep an eye on.

10. Keith Ramsey, LHP, Florida, $10,000
Signed for a bargain-basement price, all he has done is pitch and pitch well since turning pro. Struck out 71 in 61.2 innings last year in the Valley while walking only 10 and giving up just 43 hits. Moved up to Lake County this year and has a 3.17 ERA in 10 starts for the Captains. His command has been impeccable as he's issued just three free passes in 59.2 innings while striking out 45. Opponents are hitting .271 against him but the low walks make up for that. It will be interesting to see how he fares against higher-level competition.

11. Bill Peavey, 1B, U$C
Has not displayed the power you would expect from a guy his size (6'4", 250). Hitting .229/.343/.314 with nine doubles and only one homerun for Kinston this season.

12. Chad Longworth, OF, Virginia HS
Signed with the Indians in midsummer but did not play in 2002. Will make his debut in Burlington this June.

13. Reid Santos, LHP, Saddleback CC (CAL)
Did not sign with the Indians. Blew out his arm last year and returned to Saddleback CC. Also drafted in 2000 (Montreal, 23rd round) and 2001 (Texas, 42nd round). Shared Player of the Year honors in 2000 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association East Division with Kinston second baseman Rodney Choy Foo.

Note: Santos signed with the Indians right before the deadline and ESPN is reporting this in the transaction wire today. He sat out last season after Tommy John surgery and pitched in nine games for Saddleback CC with a 3-0 record and 3.12 ERA. He'll make his debut at Mahoning Valley next month.

14. Mike Mitchell, RHP, St. Charles JC (MO)
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to St.Charles. Ranked as the #4 JUCO prospect and #3 prospect in Missouri by Baseball America.   Tribe could not ink him as a DFE and he'll reenter the draft where he's forecasted to go in the 3rd-5th rounds. A sore elbow this spring could scare some teams away but his 90-95 mph fastball and plus slider ensures that someone will take a shot with him early on the first day.

15. Nathan Panther, OF, Muscatine CC (Iowa)
Mediocre debut in Burlington last year but toolsy player has opened prospect watcher eyes this year at Lake County as he's hitting .257/.310/.430 with 8 doubles, a triple, 7 homeruns, and 15 steals in 20 attempts. Plate discipline is a concern (13 walks, 37 strikeouts) but the overall numbers are encouraging for a raw player in his first full season in pro ball.

16. Omar Casillas, C, Puerto Rico HS
Signed late with the Indians, passing on a commitment to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Did not play in 2002 and will likely make his debut in Burlington in June.

17. Jeff Ostrander, LHP, Virginia HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Louisburg CC.

18. Jahseam George, LHP, San Jose State
Tossed 34.2 innings with a 4.93 ERA last year. Released in March.

19. Curt Mendoza, OF, California HS
Flyer who signed with San Diego State. Hit .244/.292/.395 with four homeruns with a poor 5/36 BB/K ratio for Aztec skipper Tony Gwynn.

20. Chris White, LHP, Kent State
Pitched in 14 games for Mahoning Valley last season with a 5.00 ERA (18 IP, 19 H, 11 BB, 12 K). Did not break camp with a full-season club.

21. Zeke Parraz, SS, Southern Nevada CC
Enrolled at the University of Georgia and hit .189 in 37 at-bats this year.

22. Clayton McCullough, C, East Carolina
Organizational. Hitting .118/.231/.147 in 34 at-bats for Lake County.

23. Aaron Tennyson, LHP, Michigan HS
Enrolled at the University of Kentucky instead of signing with the Indians. Pitched in 17 games this year with a 8.14 ERA (21 IP, 26 K, 17 W, 11 K).

24. Dan Donaldson, LHP, Texas HS
Spurned the Indians for Texas A&M where he pitched in 35.1 innings this year, fanning 33 with a 2.31 ERA (35 H, 13 W).

25. Nick Pesco, RHP, Cosumnes River JC (CAL)
Signed with the Indians as a DFE last week. We've talked plenty about him.

26. Jose Cardona, LHP, Puerto Rico HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Enrolled at Cowley CC (KS) and pitched in 3.1 innings this year with a 10.80 ERA.

27. Derek Dunne, RHP, Missouri HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Jefferson College (JC) in Missouri. Posted a 2.48 ERA in 32.2 innings with 27 strikeouts (17 H, 6 W).

28. Tim Sabo, RHP, New York HS
Spurned the Indians in favor of Seton Hall. Named to the all-rookie team by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association this year after a 3-4, 3.09 (46.2 IP, 45 H, 29 W, 55 K, .239) freshman season.

29. Ruben Flores, RHP, Texas HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Went 8-3 with a 5.11 ERA (75.2 IP, 73 H, 44 W, 66 K) for El Paso CC this year.

30. Daniel Eisentrager, RHP, Long Beach State
Signed late and did not play in 2002.   Solid in relief this year for Lake County with a 1.82 ERA in 29.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .270 against him but he's walked only 4 while striking out 32.

31. Jeff Davis, RHP, Kansas
Pitched in two games for Burlington and was released in March.

32. Shea Douglas, LHP, Southern Mississippi
Sleeper alert. Struck out 49 in 33 innings last year in Burlington with a 1.36 ERA. Big numbers but not unexpected for a college player in the Appy League. Broke camp with Lake County and has a 0.81 ERA in 33.1 innings out of the bullpen, striking out 43, walking only 7 and permitting only 16 hits. Spending the week in Akron as a staff filler but could move into the rotation when he returns to Eastlake.

33. Jensen Lewis, RHP, Ohio HS
Flyer who did not sign with the Tribe. Enrolled at Vanderbilt where he pitched pretty well for a freshman in the SEC, posting a 3.00 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 57 innings (50 H, 20 W, 3-6 record). Pitched the first five innings (six strikeouts) of the first perfect game in Commodores history on May 6.

34. Chris Williams, C, Texas HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Freshman at the University of Arkansas where he hit .186/.214/.278 in 70 at-bats this year.

35. Kevin Hawkins, RHP, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College
Did not sign with the Indians after helping Embry-Riddle to a 4th place finish in the NAIA World Series. Named Academic All-America and Honorable Mention All-American. Founder and CEO of gamedev.net. Search for baseball on his diary.

36. Aaron Braithwaite, OF, Indian River CC (FLA)
Did not sign with the Indians. Also drafted by the Mariners in 2001 (23rd round). Not listed on the Indian River roster for 2003. Whereabouts unknown.

37. Luis DeJesus, SS, New Mexico JC
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to NMJC where he hit an amazing .507/.544/.797 with 5 doubles, 7 triples, and 7 homeruns. Was also drafted by Seattle in 2001. Coach Ray Birmingham says that DeJesus is not committed to a 4-year school.

38. John Moran, SS, Mississippi HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Memphis University. Hit .136 in 44 ABs this year.

39. Blake Taylor, RHP, South Carolina
Gamecocks closer saved six games in Burlington last year with a 2.78 ERA (22.2 IP, 25 H, 9 W, 23 K).   Did not make a full-season roster out of spring training.

40. Shea McFeely, SS, Washington HS
Did not sign with the Indians.   Enrolled at Tacoma CC where he hit .418 with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homeruns, and 13 steals this season. Signed with Oregon State and BA noted that he was the most heavily recruited JUCO in Washington this year and that his .418 average was done with a wood bat.

41. Andrew Knight, LHP, Kansas HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Barton County CC where he went 5-3 with a 5.10 ERA in 65.1 innings (78 H, 19 W, 73 K). Was named as an honorable mention All-Jayhawk West Conference this year.

42. Chris Rosario, OF, Florida HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Listed on the Daytona Beach CC roster but he was not listed on the stats page.

43. Matt Paz, RHP, Long Beach State
Did not sign and returned to LBSU for his senior year. Paz sat out all last season after Tommy John surgery. Posted a 7.80 ERA in 15 innings for the Dirtbags this year.

44. Richard "Boomer" Welles, 3B, Glendale JC (CAL)
Did not sign and returned to Glendale. Hit .348/.439/.523 with 15 doubles and 4 homeruns this season. Glendale SID Alex Leon says that Welles was first-team all-Western State Conference and that he is not committed to a 4-year school at this point but his grades are solid and he could go that route if he does not like his draft position this year.

45. Truan Mehl, OF, Hutchinson CC (KAN)
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to Hutchinson. Signed with Maryland where he will enroll in the fall.

46. Aaron Davidson, 2B, Florida
Organizational who hit .180 in 50 ABs in Burlington last year.   Did not break camp with a full-season club this spring.

47. Jimmy Mayer, SS, Pennsylvania HS
Did not sign with the Tribe and was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh this year.

48. Bryce Kartler, LHP, Arizona State
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to Arizona State. Held opponents to a .225 average this season in 19 innings for the Sun Devils. Ranked as the #27 prospect in Arizona by BA. Both BA and Teamonebaseball say he has LOOGY (Lefty One Out Guy) potential.

49. Daniel Lindner, RHP, Potomac State JC (WV)
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to Potomac State. Ranked as the #16 prospect in West Virginia by BA.

50. Ricardo Concepcion, OF, Puerto Rico HS
Cool baseball name. Did not sign with the Indians. Whereabouts unknown.

DRAFT BREW
The keg is dry today.

Tomorrow: Draft Lists

Posted on 5/29/2003

May 28, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Wednesday, May 28
Special Draft Preview Edition: News and Notes

The scheduled 2002 draft review will be published tomorrow. It's taken a little longer than planned to put together but the good news is that all of the past draft reviews should be relatively easy to update next year. Here's today's draft news and notes.

DRAFT BREW
John Mirabelli says in the Indians draft preview on MLB.com that he has no idea what the teams in front of him are going to do. I'm sure there's some truth to this, as in, he's not 100% certain who they're going to take, but more than in any other draft (because picks can't be taken) teams talk about who they're going to take, if for no other reason than to guage signability and gain information. If teams can't trade up in front of you to get a player, the risk of losing someone (like in the NFL or NBA) is significantly reduced. If you've read Moneyball, you know what I mean. I find it hard to believe that the Indians won't have a good handle on what's going to happen in the first 10 picks by the time Tuesday morning rolls around.

Also in the preview is the note that the 1991 draft of Manny Ramirez, Herb Perry, Chad Ogea, Paul Byrd, Albie Lopez, and Damien Jackson as the strongest in Indians history.

Paul Hoynes notes in the PD this morning that Nick Pesco signed for $460,000.

Hoynes also reports that the Indians were close to signing another DFE before the Monday deadline but does not identify the player. I suspect it was 14th round pick Mike Mitchell from St.Charles JC (Mo) whom Baseball America had ranked as the #8 JUCO prospect in the country. He's a likely 3rd-5th round pick on Tuesday

Posted on 5/28/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Wednesday, May 28

Record:	19-32, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Won 5-2 in Detroit on Tuesday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Today in Detroit, 1:05 PM
Matchup:	Ricardo Rodriguez (2-5, 4.70) vs Mike Maroth (1-9, 5.40)
On Deck:	Off day on Thursday, three games vs Chicago this weekend

Terrific work by the bullpen last night in relief. Omar steals home. Ben Broussard working himself into a comfort zone. A good night for the Tribe, except...

"It's bad. This is way beyond simple discomfort.''

That's what Jason Bere said last night after he was removed from his second start after pitching only one inning (1H, 1R). Bere was placed on the disabled list this morning with inflammation in his shoulder and it sounds like surgery is likely and I'm going to speculate that he could be done for the season. This is the 538th time that Bere has been on the disabled list in his career, which includes elbow tendonitis (1995), elbow tendonitis (1996), elbow surgery (1996), elbow rehab (1997), elbow inflammation (1999), right knee and right groin (2002), restrained right groin (2002), shoulder (early 2003). I hate to say I told you so, but given his track record, is it any wonder that he's broken down again? I know he's never been disabled for shoulder problems but the shoulder was just about the only thing left on his body that hadn't broken down, so you know it was due to go any minute. I'm making light of this, but let's hope that Bere makes a complete recovery and can continue his career. Since he's only on a one-year deal with the Indians, I would say that whether or not that will be in Cleveland is very much in doubt right now. Aside from losing a player, the additional downside to the Indians is the loss of a potential trading chip at the trade deadline in July.

Brian Tallet was recalled from Buffalo to take Bere's spot on the roster. He's made 10 starts for the Bisonso and has a 4-2 record and a 4.27 ERA. Opposing hitters are hitting .229 off of him and he's struck out 50 in 59 innings. Of some concern is the fact that his walks are up significantly from years past (26 already this season) and he's already allowed seven homeruns. Tallet last pitched on Saturday (May 24) when he threw seven innings (7H, 3R, 1ER, 3W, 5K, 1HR) against the Richmond Braves and his next scheduled outing would have been tomorrow in Louisville so he should be ready to pitch today if needed. From the local papers, it sounds like Billy Traber will move into the rotation but it would not surprise me if the choice is Tallet simply because he's been starting all year and can work far deeper into a game than Traber can right now.

Thanks to the day off on Thursday, the Indians won't need Bere's replacement to take the mound until either Monday or Tuesday, depending on whether they give Ricardo Rodriguez an extra day of rest or not. I think we'll see the starters fall into this rotation...

5/28: Ricardo Rodriguez
5/29: Off
5/30: CC Sabathia
5/31: Jason Davis
6/01: Brian Anderson
6/02: Ricardo Rodriguez
6/03: Billy Traber or Brian Tallet

The above keeps Rodriguez on his regular five-day turn and it also separates lefthanders BA and Billy Traber (or Tallet). The downside is that either Billy Traber (2nd major league start) or Brian Tallet (3rd major league start) would be thrown to the wolves in Coors Field next Tuesday. (gulp). Jake Westbrook is apparently not a candidate to rejoin the rotation as the Indians remain concerned about his arm strength and don't want to overwork him this season. He also hasn't been pitching very well of late which makes that decision a little easier.

Karim Garcia's left wrist has been placed in a protective cast and has been told to rest for a week after his visit to a specialist in Baltimore on Monday. Eric Wedge is quoted in the Canton Repository as saying that the tests have shown nothing but inflammation. In the ABJ, Wedge is quoted as saying that Garcia will start a hitting program after his 7-day rest period and that he's at least two weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Mark Wohlers has been shutdown and was evaluated again in Cleveland yesterday. No word yet on the date of his next rehab appearance.

The ABJ confirms my speculation yesterday that Jason Phillips does have the right to refuse assignment if he clears waivers but Eric Wedge is quoted as saying that Phillips wants to stay with the organization. If the Indians had waited a day to make the Miceli/Phillips move, would Phillips have slid into Bere's spot in the rotation?

Jeremy Guthrie makes his triple-A debut tonight in Louisville. I wonder if this game will be on Empire?

Jose Vargas was promoted from Akron to Buffalo for the next few days as the Bisons are a man short on their pitching staff after the recent callups of Dan Miceli and Brian Tallet and Jason Phillips in assignment limbo. He's expected to return to Akron this weekend.

Jack Cressend is quietly posting some excellent numbers as he rebuilds his arm strength in Akron. Cressend has made eight appearances for the Aeros and has not been charged with an earned run in 16 innings, permitting 15 hits, walking only two, and striking out 10. His later performances have been better than his earlier performances too. Cressend was a pretty solid reliever for the Twins a few years ago and he might be able to help the big league bullpen in the second half of the season.

Grady Sizemore is inching his way back towards the .300 after a 3-hit game yesterday for the Aeros. Sizemore is now hitting .291/.363/.437/.800 with 11 doubles, 3 triples, and 4 homeruns whils sporting a solid 23/30 BB/K ratio.

Cliff Lee will start tomorrow night in Kinston and then move up to Akron for starts on June 3 and June 8 before joining the rotation in Buffalo.

Chris Kline answers my Ivan Ochoa question from yesterday by noting that Ochoa aggravated his hamstring on Monday and is listed as day-to-day. It's the same hammy that caused Ochoa to miss the first month of the season so the Indians will be cautious. Pat Osborn is also day-to-day after fouling a pitch off his knee on Saturday.

Jim Ingraham notes in the LMJ this morning that Shea Douglas will likely return to Lake County once Cliff Lee moves up to Kinston this weekend. This follows our line of thought from yesterday. What Ingraham adds is that Douglas could move into the Captains rotation when he returns and he quotes John Farrell as saying that Douglas profiles better as a starter but there weren't any openings in the rotation when camp broke this spring. So if Douglas is moving into the rotation, who is moving out? Certainly none of the starters (Fausto Carmona, Jake Dittler, Dan Denham, Keith Ramsey, Sean Smith) have pitched themselves out of a job so the likely scenario is that one of them will be promoted to Kinston. The K-Tribe's rotation currently consists of Travis Foley, JD Martin, Mariano Gomez, Brian Slocum, and Jim Warden/Victor Kliene and that last rotation spot (vacated by Nick Moran a few weeks ago) is ready to be filled by a promoted hurler. Carmona has pitched the best of the Captains five starters and would seem likely to get the call. We'll see what happens.

Jason Cooper had four hits yesterday in the Captains double-header sweep of Lakewood (NJ). He's now hitting .313/.398/.553/.951 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, and 7 homeruns with a healthy 21/34 BB/K ratio. I would be surprised if he's in Eastlake past the 4th of July.

Matt White had a rough major league debut last night in Yankee Stadium as he recorded only two outs and was charged with six runs on four hits and two walks. As a Rule 5 pick, the Red Sox need to keep him on their major league roster for the rest of the season or offer him back to the Indians for $25,000. I suspect the Indians would want him back.

In a procedural move designed to free a spot on the 40-man roster, the Devil Rays designated John Rocker for assignment yesterday. He was already in the minor leagues and it's expected that he will clear waivers and stay in the D-Rays organization.

Kenny Lofton had three more hits yesterday, including a double, and extended his hitting streak to 25 games. He's hitting .312/.375/.455/.830 with five homeruns this season.

Nerio Rodriguez is expected to be sold to the Kinetsu Buffalos of the Japanese League. He's currently pitching in triple-A with the Cardinals.

Larry Brown is a good coach but I don't want him in Cleveland. The last thing the Cavaliers need is the annual "will he stay or will he go" carnival that swirls around Brown every offseason. He's a coaching nomad and the Cavs need a rock.

CLEVELAND (19-32, 4th Place, 11.5 GB): Omar Vizquel stole home and Ben Broussard drove in three runs to lead the Indians to a 5-2 victory in Detroit. Broussard (.293) needed only a single for the cycle as he swatted a solo homer (#2), tripled in two runs in the 8th inning, and also doubled. Aside from stealing home, Omar (.255) also singled. Ellis Burks (.267) had two hits. Matt Lawton (.215) and Shane Spencer (.230) each had a single. Milton Bradley (.324) walked twice and was thrown out trying to steal home in the 3rd inning (five frames before Omar). Casey Blake (.255) also walked. Jason Bere lasted only one inning before being removed with a sore shoulder. He gave up one run on one hit. Billy Traber struck out three and allowed a run in three innings. Brian Anderson tossed two scoreless innings. Dan Miceli fanned two and was credited with the win for a scoreless inning of work. David Riske and Danys Baez combined to shut the door in the last two innings with Baez picking up his 10th save.

BUFFALO (28-19, 1st Place, 2.5 GA): Despite pitching well, Jason Stanford suffered his first loss of the season as the Bisons fell 3-1 in Louisville. Stanford (5-1, 3.11) allowed just two runs in seven innings, permitting eight hits, walking two, and striking out four. Alex Herrera was charged with an unearned in one inning of relief. Victor Martinez (.232) banged out a pair of doubles. Scott Pratt (.233) also had two hits. Zach Sorenson (.223) and Greg LaRocca (.333) added basehits. Luis Garcia (.203) doubled. Travis Hafner (.296) and Alex Escobar (.235) walked. Martinez made an error behind the plate.

AKRON (32-20, 1st Place, 4.0 GA): Corey Smith drove in all three runs to lead the Aeros to a 3-1 victory in Altoona. Smith (.246) had a two-run single in the 1st and added an RBI single in the 3rd. Grady Sizemore (.291) had three hits, including a triple, and also walked. Luis Gonzalez (.297) singled twice. Hector Luna (.224) singled and walked. Maicer Izturis (.280) added a basehit. Ron Wright and Eric Crozier walked. Fernando Cabrera (4-2, 2.60) went five innings for the win, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks. He fanned four. Jack Cressend (0.00) tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and Rafael Betancourt (1.48) recorded three of his four outs via the whiff for his 8th save. Corey Smith made three more errors (#23-24-25) in the field.

KINSTON (24-25, T-3rd Place, 4.5 GB): Rained out. Previously scheduled doubleheader today. Yesterday's game will not be made up as Frederick and Kinston do not meet again in the first half.

LAKE COUNTY (34-18, 1st Place, 5.5 GA): The Captains had a fun bus ride home last night as they swept a double-header in Lakewood (NJ). In the opener, Fausto Carmona ran his record to 7-2 and lowered his ERA to 1.51 as he tossed six innings of scoreless ball, scattering five hits, walking one, and striking out four. Carlos De La Cruz was charged with an unearned run in 2/3 of an inning and Todd Pennington (1.10) recorded the final out for his 8th save. Ricardo Rojas (.269) singled twice and stole a base. Jason Cooper and Bryan Kent singled and walked. Shaun Larkin added a basehit. JJ Sherrill walked twice and stole a base. Nathan Panther and Micah Schilling walked. Larkin and Schilling committed errors.

In the nightcap, the offense banged out 13 hits as part of a 8-2 victory. Jason Cooper (.313) doubled twice with a single. Nathan Panther (.257) drove in three runs with a triple and single. He also stole his 15th base. JJ Sherrill (.249) doubled twice (#16-17), stole a base (#11), and was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Van Every (.197) had two hits and stole a base. Bryan Kent (.197) singled and swiped a bag. Jesus Colmenter (.188) singled, walked twice, and knocked in a run with a sac fly. Shaun Larkin (.267) walked and Clayton McCullough (.118) added a basehit. Matt Knox (.253) doubled with two walks. Dan Denham (3-2, 3.21) went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. He also hit two batters. Ignacio Montano mopped up with a scoreless inning of relief.

SLY FOX MASUGA (1-5): Lost 11-4 to Arturo's in the rain. The boxscore mysteriously disappeared this morning.

Posted on 5/28/2003

May 27, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 27
Special Draft Preview Edition: 2001 Draft in Review

With five picks in the first 51 and six picks among the first 100, the second draft conducted by John Mirabelli was an excellent opportunity to add a mass of talent into the organization. And for the most part, the Indians did not disappoint. Whether by plan or not, the Indians focused on right-handed high school pitching in the early rounds and landed solid prospects in Dan Denham, JD Martin, Jake Dittler, and Travis Foley. Sean Smith joined the group when he signed the following May as a DFE and these five comprise the bulk of the Indians Class-A rotations in Kinston and Lake County. Another right-handed HS starter, Alan Horne, was selected in the first round but he passed on the Indians offer and enrolled at the University of Mississippi. If there's a weakness in this draft, it's with the position players. Granted, they only took one in the first six rounds (nine picks) but it was a first round pick and outfielder Mike Conroy (Who? Exactly) has yet to make it out of short-season ball. Only Luke Scott (9th round) has shown any promise as a prospect and there are questions surrounding him due to his age and level. Aside from the above group of starters, Marcos Mendoza, Chris Cooper, Scott Sturkie, Todd Pennington, and Doug Lantz all remain with the organization as relievers although none are considered serious prospects at this point. Matt Knox is the only other position player that is playing regularly and he's still in low-A ball. But this draft was about pitching and the Indians landed a bunch of it. It's still going to take another year or two before we are better able to evaluate this class due to its youth so, for now, we'll give it a B grade based on the strength of the starting pitching prospects and taking into account the lack of position player prospects.

One quick note about grading draft classes. There are so many different ways to evaluate a class: allocation of funds, success of early picks, success of late picks, balance between hitting and pitching, etc., that five people could look at a class and come up with a different grade. I mention this because the vast majority of people consider the Indians 1999 draft a complete disaster while the Tribe generally gets high marks for its efforts in 2001. We reviewed 1999 last week and you'll learn all about 2001 below but if you simply look at what's left in the organization from each class, is there a big difference between the two groups? 1999 has Jason Davis (big leagues), Fernando Cabrera (AA), and Kyle Denney (AA) all pitching well while 2001 has the quintet of Denham, Dittler, Foley, Martin, and Smith carrying the banner (others are left, but these are the top prospects). 2001 has the quantity but I bet some think 1999 may have the quality since none of the five '01 youngsters have experienced success beyond low-A ball. It'll be a few years before we know the answer to this question but it definitely will be interesting to look back and see which class, the universally panned 1999 group or the universally praised 2001 group, had the greatest impact on the Cleveland Indians.

Here's a pick-by-pick review of the Indians 2001 draft class....

1. Dan Denham, RHP, California HS (compensation from Red Sox for Manny Ramirez), $1,860,000
Highest draft pick and best arm among the Big Four high school right-handers drafted by the Tribe in 2001. Has averaged almost a strikeout per inning in his career but had inconsistent command his first two seasons (155.1 IP, 91 W).   The Indians reworked his mechanics after drafting him and he returned to the Sally League this year in Lake County to continue to refind his mechanics and command and the results have been very encouraging (50 IP, 14 W). His ERA is a career low 3.23, he's struck out 43, and opponents are hitting .265 against him. Be excited.

1a. Alan Horne, RHP, Florida HS (compensation from White Sox for Sandy Alomar)
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Mississippi. Blew out his arm this season and had Tommy John surgery in April. Expected to be ready for the start of the 2004 season but there remains the possibility he could be out most (or all) of next season. Was regarded as one of the top prospects for the 2004 draft but that status is very much up in the air right now.

1b. JD Martin, RHP, California HS (supplemental pick for Ramirez), $975,000
Best early results of the Big Four which included a dominant 2001 debut in Burlington (1.38, 45.2 IP, 26 H, 11 W, 72 K). Because his offspeed stuff was so advanced, the Indians made him throw more fastballs last season in Columbus in order to increase his command and location with that pitch. His numbers fell off but were still solid for a 19-year old making his debut in a full season league (3.90 ERA, 138.1 IP, 141 H, 46 W, 131 K).   JD moved up to Kinston this season and he's struggled early, posting a 5.12 ERA with opponents hitting .301 against him. His recent starts have been better although he hasn't been dominant (17 W, 27 K).

1c. Michael Conroy, OF, Massachusetts HS (supplemental pick for David Segui), $870,000
Doesn't turn 21 until after the season so there is still hope but Conroy has not shown much in his first two seasons in the Tribe system, hitting .212 in 344 at-bats. The fact that this is his third season of pro ball and he's headed for his third tour of duty in a short-season league says all you need to know about his development. Critics said he was overdrafted (projected 3rd-5th round) and, so far, he's lived up to that. Northern high school kids generally take longer to develop so the Indians have been patient but this is a HUGE year for him.

2. Jake Dittler, RHP, Nevada HS (compensation from Orioles for Segui), $750,000
Another big right-hander who has undergone a mechanical overhaul in his two years in the Tribe system.   Extremely inconsistent the last two seasons, Dittler's command has improved tremendously this season in Lake County (37.1 IP, 6 W) and he's struck out 30 with opponents hitting .245 against him. Missed the first couple of weeks this year with a strained lower abdominal muscle but he's shown no ill effects since returning.

3. Nick Moran, RHP, Fresno State, $400,000
College righty who has been plagued by elbow problems. Solid debut in the Valley in 2001 and was off to a good start for the K-Tribe last year before having elbow surgery in June. Returned to Kinston again this year and had a 3.55 ERA in six starts (33 IP, 32 H, 7 W, 20 K) before being shutdown with elbow problems again. The Indians are saying he could be back in 7-10 days but the fear is that it's a recurrence of the same problem and will require surgery. Let's hope not, Moran has been impressive when healthy.

4. Travis Foley, RHP, Kentucky HS, $245,000
The least heralded of the high school Big Four, Foley put up the best numbers in his first two seasons (Mahoning Valley and Columbus), posting ERAs of 2.80 and 2.81 and K/IP ratios of 59/45 and 138/137-1/3. He missed the beginning of this season with a muscle strain in his right forearm and has struggled since returning in Kinston, posting a 5.73 ERA and allowing 39 hits in 33 innings. 36 strikeouts, though, show that his stuff has not diminished. That's a good sign.

5. Marcos Mendoza, LHP, San Diego State, $170,000
Enjoyed a breakthrough 1st half last year at Kinston (0.97 ERA, 46.1 IP, 36 K) but struggled with his command after being promoted to Akron (37.1 IP, 24 W, 27 K). Returned to Canal Park to start this season but had some off-the-field problems while struggling on the mound (10.87 ERA in 14.1 innings). Demoted to Kinston.

6. Jim Ed Warden, RHP, Tennessee Tech, $110,000
Big right-hander who debuted by striking out 52 in 52.2 innings in the Valley in 2001 before having shoulder surgery in February 2002.   Struggled after his return last year in Kinston (6.61, 30 W, 32.2 IP) and has not pitched well this season either. The Indians maintain high hopes.

7. Josh Noviskey, OF, New Jersey HS, $99,500
The Indians are trying to convert him to catcher but he's had only 212 ABs in two seasons. He'll probably play in the Valley this year.

8. Miguel Quintana, OF, Florida International, $20,000
Mediocre numbers his first two years in the system. Hitting .275/.333/.319 in a limited role for Kinston this season.

9. Luke Scott, OF, Oklahoma State, $10,000
Did not play for the Indians in 2001 after having Tommy John surgery in July. His debut last year was split between Columbus and Kinston where he hit a combined .249 and showed power potential with 22 doubles and 15 homeruns in 334 ABs. Returned to Kinston this April and is hitting .309/.390/.507 with 9 doubles and 7 homeruns.   Numbers that are not that all far off from Ryan Church's start in Kinston last season. Temper the enthusiasm by noting he turns 25 in June which is old for the Carolina League. If he keeps this up, I think we'll see him in Akron sometime around July and I'm curious to see what he can do against higher level pitching.

10. Brian Harrison, RHP, Georgia HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Georgia Southern where he's joined fellow former Tribe draftee Scott Tolbert in the rotation. Harrison has struggled as a sophomore, posting a 5.13 ERA (66.2 IP, 88 H, 17 W, 51 K).

11. Brad Guglielmelli, C, Allan Hancock JC (Calif)
Released last summer after just 69 ABs in the system. Signed and released by Colorado and is currently playing for Fort Worth in the Central League. 11th round picks should last longer than one year.

12. Scott Sturkie, RHP, Coastal Carolina
College starter turned reliever. Dominate stretch (27.1 IP, 29 K, 4 W, 0.99) last year in Columbus earned him a promotion to Kinston. Numbers fell but he held his own. Returned to the Carolina League this year and has held opponents to a .227 average, walked only two, and struck out 20 in 26.2 innings (2.03 ERA).

13. Matthew Knox, OF, Millersville Univ. (PA)
Weak debut in 2001 but he rebounded with a solid second half in Columbus last year (.277, 13 2B, 6 HR in 191 AB). Playing first base for Lake County this season and is hitting .256/.351/.448 with 14 doubles and 5 homeruns and showing a vast improvement in plate discipline (22 W, 27 K). Needs to turn the doubles into homeruns (while maintaining his improved discipline) to start moving up in the organization.

14. Doug Lantz, RHP, Kansas
Another college starter turned reliever who is advancing through the system one level at a time. Great 1st half in Columbus last year. Currently in the K-Tribe bullpen and has a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings (25 H, 9 W, 16 K, .263 BAA).

15. Martin Vergara, RHP, New Jersey HS
Did not sign with the Indians and is now a sophomore at Notre Dame. Has a 4.61 ERA in 11 appearances this season (27.1 IP, 21 W).

16. Sean Smith, RHP, California HS
High profile DFE who signed with the Tribe last May for a reported $800k-$1.2 million (depending on what source you read). Currently in the Lake County rotation and while his ERA is not pretty at 4.50, his secondary numbers are not that bad for a 19 year old making his full season debut (46 IP, 42 H, 20 W, 41 K).   Keeping the ball in the park has been a problem (nine homeruns allowed). His recent starts have been much better than his earlier ones.

17. David Jensen, 1B, BYU
Did not sign with the Indians as a draft-eligible sophomore and returned to BYU. Drafted in the 3rd round last year by the Royals and he's hitting .178 for Burlington in the low-A Midwest League.

18. TJ Burton, RHP, Ontario HS
Signed late and made his debut last year in Burlington, posting a 7.36 ERA in 44 innings. Missed some time after being hit in the face with a line drive.

19. Luis Alvarado, LHP, Puerto Rico
Spent the last two seasons in Burlington, posting a 3.31 ERA and striking out 60 hitters in 65.1 innings.

20. Michael Rogers, RHP, Oral Roberts
Signed late with the Indians and did not pitch in 2001. Made his debut last season in the Valley and posted a 3.60 ERA in 15 starts (75 IP, 70 H, 31 BB, 64 K, 6 HR). Underwent shoulder surgery in January and I have no idea if he will return in 2003.

21. Richard Spaulding, LHP, Lexington CC (KY)
28 walks in 24.2 innings in two years. Released last year.

22. Jimmy Schultz, RHP, Texas HS
Shoulder surgery in July 2001 and January 2002 has allowed Schultz to throw only 27.2 innings in his pro career. That's not surprising when you consider he also had shoulder surgery in high school. Will probably start this season in the Valley, if he pitches at all.

23. Kenton Myers, C, Mesa State
Hit .232 in 112 ABs in two seasons. Traded to the Red Sox this spring for infielder Bryan Kent (Lake County).

24. Matthew Blethen, LHP, West Virginia
Solid debut in Burlington in 2001 but that's not surprising given that he was a college player in a league full of high school players. Did not pitch well in either Columbus or the Valley last season. I could have sworn that he was released last year but he's in the Indians 2003 media guide so I'm going to assume that he's in extended spring training.

25. Rickie Morton, OF, Pacific
Big debut in the Valley in 2001 (12 HR, 15 2B, 238 AB, 37/55 BB/K ratio). Skipped low-A last year and struggled at Kinston, posting similar power numbers (13-13) in 100 more ABs and seeing his BB/K ratio plummet to 30/100. Released this spring by the Indians, not entirely for baseball reasons from what I remember. Currently playing for Elmira in the Northeast League.

26. Bryce Uegawachi, SS, Hawaii Pacific
Small (5'6") utility player who became a fan favorite at Cafaro Field in the Valley. Signed with Kenosha of the independent Frontier League in February.

27. Josh Lex, C, Sacramento CC
Did not sign with the Indians. Currently a junior at Oral Roberts and he hit .274 with 4 homeruns this season.

28. Brandon Harmsen, RHP, Grand Rapids CC (Mich)
Did not sign with the Indians and returned to Grand Rapids CC. Passed on a DFE offer from the Tribe and reentered the draft where he was selected (and signed by) the Yankees in the 6th round. Currently pitching in the Midwest League where he has a 4-3 record with a 4.87 ERA in 7 starts (33.2 IP, 50 H) for the Battle Creek Yankees.

29. Chris Hunter, RHP, Utah HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Utah Valley State. Big right-hander (6'4", 215) was also drafted out of high school in 1999 by the Dodgers and in 2002 (32nd round) by the Angels. From 1999-2001, he was on a Mormon mission in Utah. BA ranks him as the #29 JUCO prospect and notes that he throws 91-94 mph.

30. Keith Lillash, 2B, Cleveland State
Played one season in the Valley and then retired.

31. Brian Kirby, C, Arkansas
Showed decent pop last season in Columbus (15 doubles, 14 homeruns, 337 ABs) but has gotten only 37 ABs this year in Kinston where's he serving as a backup first basemen, outfielder, and catcher. Struck out a ton last year (123 times).

32. Andy Baxter, 1B, East Tennessee State
Recovering from shoulder surgery in extended spring training. Hit .252 in the Valley last year with 4 homeruns and 13 steals.

33. Chad Peshke, 2B, UC Santa Barbara
Utility player with a good eye (47 W, 40 K last year). Retired this spring.

34. Aaron Mardsen, LHP, Hutchinson CC (Kan)
Did not sign with the Indians and is currently the ace for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and forecasted as a possible 3rd pick in the draft next week. BA ranks the 6'6" left-hander as the top prospect in the state and notes that he throws 86-89 with a plus slider. Has plus command as evidenced by the 107/19 IP/BB ratio (2.78, 107 IP, 99 H, 19 W, 107 K, .243 BAA).

35. Chris Cooper, LHP, New Mexico
Smallish (5'11", 190) lefty who has moved up the system one level at a time and is the third college starter turned reliever from this draft in the K-Tribe bullpen. Struck out 69 in 61.2 innings last year in Columbus and has a 1.67 ERA for Kinston this season (27 IP, 25 H, 10 W, 18 K, .250 BAA). Big test will come in Akron later this season or next year.

36. Jose Cruz, OF, Metropolitan Univ (PR)
Did not play in 2001 and hit .225 in 178 ABs with two homeruns in Burlington last year.

37. Todd Culp, RHP, Pacific
Spent two years working out of the bullpen in the Valley before being released last fall. Walked 27 batters in 20.2 innings last season.

38. Neto Quiroz, LHP, Saddleback CC (Calif)
Did not sign with the Indians. Junior at College of the Southwest (NM) where he posted a 4.91 ERA in 14 innings this season.

39. Brian Farman, RHP, Pacific Lutheran
Decent debut in the Valley (16 IP, 12 K, 2.81 ERA) but has not pitched since and is no longer in the organization.

40. Aaron Russell, RHP, Cerro Coso CC (Calif)
Did not sign with the Indians. The CCCC website lists Russell as recovering from an elbow injury which makes me suspect he sat out all of last season if he can still be enrolled at Cerro Coso. He has not played this year.

41. Ross Lewis, RHP/OF, Florida HS
Did not sign with the Indians and enrolled at Central Florida CC. Drafted in the 31st round last year by the Angels and is currently a DFE. A big, skinny, right-hander (6'8", 198), he's only pitched 10.1 innings this season (19 strikeouts) and I suspect an injury.

42. Kyle Allen, LHP, California HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Currently a sophomore at Orange Coast CC where he's struck out an impressive 120 hitters in 99.1 innings and is holding hitters to a .224 average.   Not listed among the top JUCO or California prospects by BA.

43. Vincent Davis, LHP, New Mexico JC
Did not sign with the Indians. Senior at Southern University. BA ranks him as the 43rd best prospect in Louisiana.

44. Garrett Mock, RHP, Texas HS
Did not sign with the Indians, choosing to attend Grayson CC. Drafted in the 14th round last season by the Twins but did not sign and enrolled at the University of Houston. Has a 5-4 record with a 4.24 ERA (80.2 IP, 62 H, 37W, 63K) and is holding opponents to a .221 average. Barring injury, he'll be drafted again in 2004.

45. Brett Ashmun, RHP, Modesto JC (Calif)
Did not sign with the Indians. Whereabouts unknown.

46. Todd Pennington, RHP, Southeast Missouri State
Doesn't throw hard but he's posted good numbers wherever he's pitched in the system. Currently the closer for Lake County where he's struck out 33 in 16 innings with a 1.13 ERA and .140 average (16 IP, 8 H, 7 W, 33 K). The big test for Pennington will come when he reaches double-A.

47. Billy Brian, RHP, LSU
Did not sign with the Indians. Currently pitching for the Alexandria Aces in the independent Central League.

48. Douglas Brooks, RHP, Henry Ford CC
Did not sign with the Indians. Played for Grand Rapids CC last season and is currently a junior at Wayne State (6.06 ERA).

49. Jason Columbus, 1B, New Mexico JC
Did not sign with the Indians. Played last season at LSU and signed with the Giants as an undrafted free-agent. Hitting .268/.348/.423 with four homeruns for Hagerstown in the South Atlantic League.

50. James Burok, RHP, Pennsylvania HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Sophomore at Old Dominion. Preseason All-CAA selection but has struggled this year with a 6.39 ERA.

DRAFT BREW
Interesting article in the Canton Repository on Sunday in which John Mirabelli said that the Indians will take the best player available with their first two picks, regardless of position, and that those two selections will then dictate what they do from that point on. And when the players are rated equal, the Indians will choose the college kid over the high school kid. Mirabelli has seen over 200 players in person since January 24 and the most solid group of players in this draft are the college position players (Note: this contradicts what most "experts" have been saying). Most importantly, he confirms that the draft budget is similar to last years $8 million.

Adam Loewen signed with the Orioles five minutes before the DFE signing deadline of midnight this morning (or last night, whichever you prefer). Loewen reportedly will receive a major league contract and be added to the 40-man roster. Terms have not been disclosed but it's been rumored that he was asking for a $3.9 million bonus while the Orioles were holding firm at $2.5 million. The O's saved $645,000 last week when they lost Gary Matthews Jr on waivers to the Padres and it's probable that that money was used to increase their offer. If he had reentered the draft, Loewen was expected to be the second overall pick. There's two potential impacts on the Indians here. The first is that this moves everyone up one spot which leaves one less player for the Indians to choose from. The other line of thinking is that the Orioles will draft a "signable" player with their #7 pick to pair with Loewen financially and that this signing will not effect the Indians at all. We'll find in a week.

Nick Markakis did turn down the Reds reported offer of $1.5 million and will reenter the draft. He's a potential Tribe pick at #18 although that price tag may scare the Indians (and others) away if he really turned down $1.5 mil.

Speaking of DFEs, Jim Ingraham reported in the Morning Journal that Nick Pesco signed for just under $500,000 which is significantly less than what I originally speculated when "second round money" was tossed out by the Indians as a barometer. No word from the Indians on whether they signed any of their other DFEs (Mike Mitchell, Luis DeJesus, etc.) this morning.

Baseball America ranks the Indians 2000 9th round pick Scott Tolbert as the 19th best prospect in Georgia and that he has a hard slider and throws in the low 90s.

Allen Simpson speculated in a Baseball America chat session last Friday that the Indians would be interested in taking St. Ignatius lefty Greg Moviel and Midview lefty Ryan Feierabend in the first five rounds, perhaps overdrafting in order to get them. Sure, it would be a nice story having the local kids in our system, but I can't believe the Indians would overdraft just to make that happen. This isn't the NFL or NBA when draft picks can have an instant impact on the box office.

Peter Gammons notes in his latest Diamond Notes column that the Indians won't let Princeton right-hander Thomas Pauley (a Paul Quantrill clone) get past them with their #49 pick in the second round. I'm not sure if he's basing this on anything except the that Mark Shapiro also went to Princeton. The thought may have some merit, though, with all the Ivy League grads popping up in big league front offices. There's so few Ivy Leaguers worth selecting early (especially from your alma mater) that I bet there is a little competition amongst the group in getting these guys. Think of how your fantasy league works with local guys or personal favorites. You'd like to think that the big leagues work differently than your fantasy league but guys are guys and bragging rights are always important. Pauley is ranked the #2 prospect in New Jersey and was used mostly as a closer this spring, throwing primarily a 93-95 mph fastball and slider, and he averaged 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings. A late bloomer, he only threw 83-84 mph when he enrolled at Princeton. With all the talk from the Indians this season about pitchers needing to development secondary pitches, Pauley sure seems like a one-trick pony to me right now from that description. Not that he couldn't learn or improve his secondary offerings though. I just have to ask, is a Paul Quantrill clone really worth a 1st or 2nd round pick?

Coming Wednesday: 2002 Draft Review

Posted on 5/27/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 27

Record:	18-32, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Lost 6-5 to Detroit on Monday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight in Detroit, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Jason Bere (0-0, 3.18) vs Nate CorneJO (3-3, 3.23)
On Deck:	Three games at home against the White Sox this weekend

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.

This is the first of three reports you will receive today. Warning, it's pretty long. Following will be the continuation of the draft preview with a review of the 2001 draft. The recaps from the past few days should follow after that but, then again, they might not. We'll see.

Since we last talked, the Indians lost twice to Detroit, twice to Boston, and won at Fenway on Sunday. BTW, with the loss on Thursday, I am now 0-4 in attending games this year. On to the news.

CC Sabathia's left ankle is still sore so his scheduled start yesterday went to Jake Westbrook. CC's next appearance is expected to come Friday against the White Sox in Jacobs Field but that is still not a 100% lock. This might be a blessing in disguise for CC as it will give his arm a little rest. Sabathia is off to a fine start this season (3-2, 2.73) and has been especially tough over his last five appearances (1.54, 35 IP, 22 H, 12 W, 26 K). His K/BB ratio is improving which means that his command has improved which is even more impressive when you consider that his K/IP ratio is increasing. So he's striking out less but walking even less. The drop in strikeouts is a concern (you'd like your #1 starter to be more dominant) but he's done well in that regard over his last five outings. And while I've talked about his usage (pitch counts) this season, it should be noted that he's been more efficient this season as his Pitches per Plate Appearance and Inning have decreased. The only confusing stat with CC is his inability to get lefties out as they're hitting him at a .322/.365/.458/.823 clip this season.

As noted above, Jake Westbrook made the spot start yesterday and did not pitch well, allowing five runs on seven hits in three innings to the Detroit Tigers. This continues a disturbing trend over his last six starts in which he's allowed 25 runs and 43 hits in 29.1 innings. The first four of those outings came against Oakland, Texas (twice), and Seattle but the last two have been against the hapless Tigers. Hitters are now pounding Westbrook at a .306 clip and he's walked (20) more than he's struck out (18) which is as large a warning sign as you can possibly have. I'm sure the uncertainty about his role and eventual move to the bullpen has played into this slump, I just hope we don't start hearing it used as an excuse.

Jason Bere turned in a solid performance in his first outing against the Tigers on Thursday (5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 W, 2 K). In a bit of a surprise, Carl Sadler was the odd man out to make room for Bere and was sent to triple-A. In retrospect, I suppose we should have seen this coming as the Indians had stated they wanted to get more work for Sadler and had previously moved him out of the late inning Assenmacher role he spent the first quarter of the season working in. Sadler had a good ERA at 1.86 but he was being hit at a .306 clip and had a problem with inherited runners. He has not pitched well in Buffalo since the demotion.

The Indians made another move in the bullpen today as they called up Danny Miceli and designated Jason Phillips for assignment. Miceli was signed a few weeks ago and had pitched in five games in Buffalo with a 3.00 ERA (6 IP, 7 H, 1 W, 7 K). I wonder if he had a clause in his contract allowing him to become a free-agent if he wasn't called up in X number of days? Phillips pitched in three games for the Indians and had a 9.00 ERA in five innings of work. I believe he has previously been designated and that would mean that he has the right to refuse assignment to the minor leagues and can become a free agent if he clears waivers (similar to what Jerrod Riggan did last week). I like Phillips as a triple-A insurance policy and hope he sticks with the organization.

The Indians other rotation Jason turned in a splendid performance in Fenway Park on Sunday, retiring 17 straight batters at one point. It's his second straight solid outing and, hopefully, he's starting to grow into a comfort zone as a big league starter. Ricardo Rodriguez, on the other hand, continues to struggle. Like I've said previously, it's going to be a roller coaster ride with the young pitching this season and it's entirely possible these two could be flip-flopped in how we're talking about them next month.

Looks like Ben Broussard will be around for awhile as Travis Hafner was activated from the DL and optioned to Buffalo where he had been on a rehab assignment. Hafner is hitting .333/.417/.529 with two doubles and ten walks in eight games (24 ABs). Broussard is hitting .243/.317/.378 with two doubles and a dinger in 37 ABs. I don't have a problem with this. It's an opportunity for the Indians to extend their look at Broussard and find out what they have (or don't have) while giving Hafner time to regain his swing and confidence.

Casey Blake has raised his average to .260 after banging out two more hits yesterday. He's now at .260/.329/.425/.754 for the season but is hitting .308/.384/.446/.830 for the month of May. His BB/K ratio has also improved this month from 5/19 in April to 8/16. I've been impressed by his defense at third too. His playing time will suffer when Ricky Gutierrez returns (probably next month) but I think Blake has earned a spot on the roster.

Did Jason Boyd really give up a homer to Brandon Inge yesterday? Of course, that's similar to what Tigers skipper Alan Trammell is asking himself this morning after watching left-handed pitcher Steve Avery give up a dinger to the .138 hitting (vs lefties) Brandon Phillips in the 7th inning.

Ellis Burks was removed from Sunday's game with a strained left hamstring but returned to the lineup on Monday and had two hits.

Karim Garcia was in Baltimore yesterday to have his left wrist examined by a specialist after he continued to experience soreness in the wrist during his rehab assignment in Buffalo. Garcia had played in two games with the Bisons and went 2-for-9 with a double.

Mark Wohlers had soreness in his elbow after his outing on Friday (reached his pitch count without getting out of the first inning) and his scheduled rehab appearance in Akron was skipped yesterday. He'll now throw on Wednesday for the Aeros. The Indians are in no rush to bring him back given their place in the standings. I think they're more concerned about having him healthy in July when a few good weeks could net the Tribe a prospect at the trade deadline.

Cliff Lee is expected to begin a 30-day rehab assignment in Kinston this week. He'll make one start for the K-Tribe and then move up to Akron.

Jeremy Guthrie made his 10th start for the Aeros on Friday and was then promoted to triple-A Buffalo just like Mark Shapiro and John Farrell said was the plan way back in April. Guthrie finishes his double-A stint with a 6-2 record and 1.44 ERA (62.2 IP, 44 H, 14 W, 35 K) and he held opposing hitters to a microscopic .196 average. He'll start in Louisville on Wednesday for the Bisons. Mark Shapiro said that he'll make 10-12 starts in Buffalo and then be evaluated again. If he does what he did in Akron, it's possible he could be called up to Cleveland but Shapiro is expecting some ups-n-downs and doesn't think that is likely. Sounds like a GM not trying to put too much pressure on his prized prospect. Shapiro also correctly noted that his command was off in his last few starts (four walks on Friday) but stated that Guthrie was not being challenged and that wasn't an exaggeration (his words).

To make room for Guthrie, the Indians traded Mike Fyhrie to the Royals for minor league infielder Luis Cotto. Cotto was the Royals 8th round pick in the 2000 draft out of Puerto Rico and was hitting .173/.267/.173 in 52 at-bats for Wilmington in the Carolina League. He's played second, shortstop, and third base this season. Fyhrie (acquired this spring for Wendell Magee from the Phillies) was 1-5 with a 5.80 in eight starts for the Bisons. The 33-year old journeyman was being hit at a .304 clip and had allowed 55 hits in 45 innings.

Guthrie is number seven on the Top Prospect Alert Hot List and is an honorable mention on BA's Prospect Hot Sheet.

Lance Caraccioli was added to the Bisons rotation which now includes Guthrie, Caraccioli, Jamie Brown, Jason Stanford, and Brian Tallet. Where Jason Phillips fits into this group remains to be seen.

Chad Paronto (yes, that Chad Paronto) was named the International League pitcher of the week after recording three saves in four innings last week. Ignoring yesterday's outing, Paronto has been extremely effective for the Bisons this season, holding opponents to a .151 average and striking out 17 hitters in 14 innings with 0.64 ERA (14 innings). Likewise, Aaron Myette (.209, 2.19, 13 K, 12.1 IP) has also pitched well in Buffalo. Jose Santiago has a low ERA (0.71) in six outings but is being hit at a .261 clip and is allowing a hit per inning with a pedestrian BB/K ratio of 6/6. Didn't we see that in Cleveland? The one reliever in the Bisons bullpen who hasn't pitched in Cleveland this year (Danny Miceli too, but he just signed) is Alex Herrera and he's having control problems (21 W, 21 IP, .406 OBP, 6.43 ERA, 18 K).

The Buffalo News notes that Victor Martinez is hitting .174 at home and has thrown out only 10 of 42 baserunners. For the season, Martinez is down to .225/.337/.305 with only three doubles and three homeruns. Over the last two years, Martinez has been a doubles machine. I hate to say it, but I'm thinking undisclosed injury right now.

With Jeremy Guthrie out of Akron, the hottest pitcher on the Aeros staff is now Kyle Denney, who lowered his ERA to 1.99 yesterday with six scoreless innings. Over his last four starts, Denney has an unbelievable 0.37 ERA and has struck out 24 in 24 innings (17 H, 5 W). John Farrell was quoted in the ABJ that Denney has pitched well enough to warrant a AAA look. I would think so.

Kazuhito Tadano has not allowed an earned run in Akron in a stretch of 11 innings since his promotion from Kinston. Double-A hitters have had better luck at the plate against him (.244 BAA in Akron vs .191 in Kinston) but he's been able to maintain a healthy K/BB ratio of 13/1 and K/IP ratio of 13/11. Combined, he's worked 30 innings and allowed just 24 hits and four walks while striking out 41 (.213, 1.20). Keep an eye on him.

Rafael Betancourt is the other member of the Aeros bullpen who has opened some eyes with a sensational start (.1.55 ERA, .194, 44 K, 29 IP, 21 H). My notes are messed up but Mark Shapiro was quoted in one of the local papers as saying something like, when a guy dominates like that, regardless of age, sooner or later, you have to give him a shot. It was noted that Betancourt needs to develop a secondary pitch in order to move up and that the late action on his fastball makes him tough to hit.

Mark Shapiro referred to Maicer Izturis as a "top-rate, big-time middle of the diamond player" in the ABJ.

And the rich get richer as Shea Douglas joined the Aeros bullpen this weekend after being promoted from Lake County. Douglas had a streak of 22.2 scoreless innings at the time of his call-up and had a 0.81 ERA in 12 appearances for the Captains in 33.1 IP (16 H, 7 W, 43 K, .138 BAA). Last years 32nd round pick out of Southern Mississippi was also named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending May 22. The move may be temporary, however, as it appears that Douglas replaces Kyle Evans in the Aeros bullpen while Evans temporarily fills the recently promoted Jeremy Guthrie's spot in the rotation. Cliff Lee is expected to claim that spot next week and it's possible that Douglas could be returned to Lake County, sent down/promoted to Kinston, or stay with Akron depending on how he pitches and other moves. Doing his best best to stay in Akron, he tossed a perfect inning in his double-A debut yesterday.

Kevin Martin was activated from the Captains disabled list and promoted to Kinston where he joins his younger brother J.D. on the pitching staff. He had been disabled since May 4 with a strained left hammy. The K-Tribe played double-headers on Saturday and Monday and have another scheduled for Wednesday and I think this move ties into that stretch of games. Dennis Malave was placed on the disabled list for the 79th time this season to make room for Martin on the Indians roster.

Kinston.com reports that Brian Jenkins and Shane Arthurs were released by the Indians after they violated the organization's "zero-tolerance" policy by being involved in an altercation, which I assume is a polite way of saying they tried to kick each others asses.

Speedy Ivan Ochoa was removed in game one of the K-Tribe's doubleheader yesterday for a pinch-runner and did not play in the nightcap. Could be nothing, could be something. Just thought I would mention it.

Eteamz.com notes that last years 3rd round pick, Dan Cevette, tore a bicep muscle at the end of March and is rehabbing in extended spring training. He's throwing 88-92 mph and could make 3-4 starts in Burlington before being moved up to Mahoning Valley. I'm not sure how accurate these stats are, but here's his numbers from xspring according to eteamz: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 W, 10 K, 2.25 ERA.

Baseball America notes that the Indians signed Alberto Garza to a minor league contract. Garza had spent his entire career (while battling injuries) in the Indians system until he signed with the Yankees this past offseason as a six-year free-agent. Garza made five appearances for double-A Trenton and walked 11 in 9 innings which led to his release earlier this spring.

BA also reports that former Indians reliever Dan Guillory signed a minor league contract with the Devil Rays. I didn't even know that he was a "former". Guillory was the Indians 41st round pick in the 1998 draft out of LSU and had a 2.61 ERA in 165.1 innings for the Indians, striking out 174. He missed all of 2000 after rotator cuff surgery and a significant portion of last year with shoulder problems that led to surgery last August.

Jerrod Riggan elected to become a free-agent when he refused the Indians offer of a triple-A contract and signed with his former team, the New York Mets, where he'll join their triple-A squad. Riggan's Indians tenure ends with a 7.78 ERA in 37 innings (60 H, 19 W, 24 K). He's the second of the five players acquired in the Robbie Alomar trade to leave the organization. Earl Snyder was waived and claimed by Boston while Matt Lawton, Alex Escobar, and Billy Traber remain with the Tribe.

Boston activated Matt White (selected from the Indians in the Rule 5 Draft last December) from the disabled list. He did not allow an earned run (11.1 IP, 8 H, 3 W, 10 K) during six appearances of a rehab assignment (two games each in single-A, double-A, and triple-A).

The Indians released Rich Powalski from their minor league system. He's the big left-hander the Tribe signed out of the Central League last year and he pitched in a few games for Kinston last year.

The Cubs signed Kane Davis to a minor league contract.

Kenny Lofton has a 24-game hitting streak (longest in the NL this season) for the Pirates.

Former Indian Dave Hollins announced his retirement. He went 1-for-5 with the Indians in 2001 and finishes with averages of .260/.358/.420/.779 and 112 homeruns for his 11-year major league career.

Did I read this correctly in Terry Pluto's column over the weekend? The Cavs will be approximately $10 million under the salary cap this season? Is this the first time this has happened since Hot Rod Williams said "I'm a Heat now" and the Cavs matched the offer sheet? My god, if this is true, they need to go after Gilbert Arenas to play the point. With LeBron on board, I have to believe that Cleveland has suddenly become an attractive place to play.

Why didn't anyone tell me there's a new Judge Reinhold series on TV? Shame on you!

Posted on 5/27/2003

May 23, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Friday, May 23
Special Draft Preview Edition: 2000 Draft in Review

In the first draft conducted by current Indians Director of Scouting John Mirabelli, the Indians 2000 draft class is not a particularly strong group but it's still a marked improvement over the 1999 abomination put together by his predecessor. Conducted under the organizational mantra of power arms, power bats, and raw tools as dictated by John Hart, the Indians drafted six high schoolers in their first seven picks with only Corey Smith and an injured Chris Magruder (via trade) to show for it three years later. Losing Derek Thompson to the Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draft was a significant loss and signing Conor Jackson or Brian Wilson as late round flyers would have significantly boosted this classes standing. The Tribe did pick up a decent college pitcher in Brian Tallet and added a couple of later round sleepers in Ryan Church, Rodney Choy Foo, and Eric Crozier. Ryan Larson, Kyle Evans, Victor Kliene, Joe Inglett, and Jonathan Van Every also remain in the organization. Overall, this group probably warrants a C even or C- grade as none of these players is considered a can't miss prospect at this point in their career. While it's possible this class could turn out 3-5 big leaguers, it's also possible that it could turn out none or only one. In any draft grade, the success of the first round pick carries a lot of weight and with the Indians already missing on so many early selections, the fate of Corey Smith will go a long ways towards determining the long-term impact of this class.

Here's the pick-by-pick review of the Indians 2000 Draft Class....

1) Corey Smith, SS, New Jersey HS, #26 overall, $1,375,000
Raw Power with Gary Sheffield comparisons when drafted. The raw power remains but the Sheffield comparisons are a thing of the past. To be fair, he's been young at every level and the Indians continue to push him but his development basically stalled last year at Kinston and he hasn't shown much improvement this year in Akron. While his BB/K ratio have improved this season, they're worsening with each day and the batting average is down as well. Defensively, he's made 132 errors since signing and a move to the outfield would probably be in his best interest. The organizational hole at 3B in front of him in Cleveland and Buffalo and the fact that a switch to the outfield would make him the 6th or 7th best outfield prospect in the upper levels (behind Crisp, Sizemore, Escobar, Church, Gerut, Garcia) is the only thing keeping him in the infield. He will have to be added to the 40-man roster in the offseason (or he'll be exposed in the Rule 5 Draft) and the Indians will have an interesting decision to make come November if he doesn't show a marked improvement over the summer. He's still very young and the Indians will give him every chance to develop but, right now, this has the "b" word written all over it. It's a shame because Corey generally gets rave reviews for his work ethic and love of the game.

1a) Derek Thompson, LHP, Florida HS (loss of Mike Jackson), #37 overall, $850,000
Projectable lefty when drafted, Thompson reportedly hit 95 mph in the Instructional League this fall which prompted the Dodgers to select him in the Rule 5 Draft in December. He then blew out his arm in the spring and will spend the entire season on the Dodgers 60-day disabled list. He'll only need to spend 90 days on the Dodgers roster next year which pretty much eliminates any chance the Tribe has of getting him back. He had decent numbers last year in Columbus but his ratios suffered with a promotion to Kinston. 95 mph lefties don't grow on trees, however, and it hurts to lose a prospect like that.

Note: Jason Stokes, Xavier Nady, and Bobby Hill are among the players the Indians passed on to select Smith and Thompson.

2) Brian Tallet, LHP, Louisiana State (Choice from Phillies as compensation for Jackson), #55 overall, $595,000
Signed late in 2000 and pitched only 15.1 innings in the Valley. Skipped low-A in 2001 and went right to Kinston where he struck out 164 in 160 innings with a 3.04 ERA. Started last season in Akron, went 10-1 with a 3.08 ERA, promoted to Buffalo midseason and posted a 3.07 ERA in eight appearances before a two start audition (1.50 ERA) with the big league club in September. Was in the mix for one of the open rotation spots this spring but returned to Buffalo after the emergence of Jason Davis and Billy Traber and has a 4.67 ERA (52 IP, 44 H, 23 W, 45 K) for the Bisons in nine starts. There's been talk of moving him to the bullpen if he can't refine a third pitch. Overshadowed by the other young pitchers but he remains a decent prospect.

2a) Mark Folsom, OF, Florida HS, #66 overall, $700,000
Major disappointment. Toolsy outfielder hit .208 in 587 at-bats with 14 homeruns and 223 strikeouts before being released last summer. Tried hooking on with the Braves as an infielder but was released this spring.

Note: Grady Sizemore was selected with the $75 overall pick and signed for $2 million.

3) Sean Swedlow, 1B, California HS, #96 overall, $450,000
Another huge bust for the Indians. Big left-handed power hitter who hit .215 in 801 at-bats with 276 strikeouts over three seasons. Drafted as a catcher, he soon moved to first base and made 23 errors in 2001 and 25 more in 2002. Left Columbus midseason last year for personal reasons and is currently on the Indians voluntarily retired list. San Dimas High School football rules! (had to say that one more time)

Note: Between Folsom and Swedlow, the Indians received 1388 ABs of .212/.281/.376/.657 production with 57 doubles, 6 triples, and 24 homeruns over three seasons (and it only cost us $1.15 million) This is another big reason for the huge void of talent in the system entering the 2002 season.

Note: Cliff Lee was selected with the #105 pick and signed for $275,000. Rangers uber-prospect Lanyce Nix was selected with pick #124 and signed for $250,000

4) Adam Cox, OF, Darton College (GA), #126 overall, $216,000
Converted to the mound as a LHP after signing with the Indians. Underwent left shoulder surgery in April 2001 and March 2002. Ouch. Has thrown only 51.2 innings for the Indians, walking 32 and fanning 55. He's on the Lake County disabled list.

5) Rashad Eldridge, OF, Georgia HS, #156 overall, $281,000
Toolsy outfielder, extremely raw when drafted. Never did much with the Indians in two years at Burlington (.221, 39 W, 107 K) and was traded to the Rangers last March for Chris Magruder. Off to an intriguing start with the Rangers high-A team in Stockton (California), most notably because of the dramatic improvement in his batting eye (25 W) although he still strikes out a lot (33 W) for a speed player. Still raw, still a long way from the big leagues, but he's also still young and any improvement like that in plate discipline bears watching for further development.

Note: Derrick Van Dusen was selected with the #162 pick and signed for $146,000.

6) Kyle Evans, RHP, Baylor, #186 overall, $130,000
Moved to the bullpen this year (three spot starts) after spending the previous three seasons as a starter. Had Tommy John surgery in July 2001. Hasn't pitched a whole lot (190.2 innings since signing) but he's been moderately effective wherever he's been. Strikeouts are down in AA (15 in 32 IP) and opponents are hitting .258 against him. Not a prospect.

7) Victor Kleine, LHP, John Logan JC (ILL), #216 overall, $90,000
Spent three years in the Valley, although to be fair he only pitched 4 innings in 2000. Serving as the spot starter/long reliever for Kinston this season. I wouldn't read anything into his jumping a level (skipping low-A). It's more that he fit a defined role after the Indians placed their young pitchers into their respective levels than it is a reflection of his prospect status. He's walked 12 in 25 innings and opponents are hitting .263 against him. Not a prospect.

Note: Marlins top prospect Dontrelle Willis was selected #223 overall and signed for $200,000

8) Joe Inglett, OF, Nevada, #246 overall, $20,000
Moved to the infield (3B/2B) after signing with the Indians. Sally League all-star last season but has little pop and little speed although he hits for average (.282/.332/.362 after promotion to Kinston last year). Got off to a great start (.342/.465/.481, 19 W, 13 K) for Kinston this year but was placed on the disabled list when they ran out of roster options when Ivan Ochoa returned from the DL. That about sums up the organizational plans for Inglett at this point in his career. If he could hit the ball out of the yard 10 times a year he might make a decent utility prospect.

Note: Marshall McDougall was selected #270 overall and signed for $5,000.

9) Scott Tolbert, RHP, Georgia HS, #276 overall
Did not sign with the Indians. Junior at Georgia Southern with solid numbers (7-1, 3.21, 61.2 IP, 44 H, 29 W, 54 K). Likely candidate to be drafted again this June.

10) Tom Canale, RHP, California Lutheran, #306 overall, $43,000
3-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 innings for Columbus in 2001 and then he disappeared. Injuries probably got him.

11) Scott Threinen, SS, Minnesota HS
Still in the system even though he's only had 132 at-bats since signing. Pretty sure he's been plagued by injuries. The Indians still have hope they'll lower that Bonus $ per AB ratio.

12) Jason Colson, RHP, Winthrop
Did not sign with the Indians. Drafted in the 7th round of the 2001 draft by the Blue Jays. Was considered a two-way player (3B/P) coming out but the Jays kept him on the mound. Decent debut in '01 but he struggled with a promotion to the high-A Florida State League last year. Hasn't pitched this season and I think I remember hearing something about an arm injury.

13) Jeff Haase, C, Cleveland State
Eight homers in the Valley last season but that's not all that impressive when it's a short-season league and you're in your third season of pro ball. Tommy John surgery in 2001. Retired this spring.

14) Ryan Church, OF, Nevada
The sleeper of this draft. Church was drafted out of Nevada after spending only one season in the outfield after making the conversion from the mound. Broke out with a strong first half in Kinston last year (.326/.433/.569, 10 HR) and posted solid surface numbers (.296, 12 HR) after a midseason promotion to Akron that hid a worrisome drop in plate discipline (12 BB, 58 K). Returning to Akron this year, Church has solid averages (.270/.377/.468) but has shown a marked improvement in plate discipline (21 BB, 28 K) and that bodes well for future improvement. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason and has been compared to Jim Edmonds, Trot Nixon, and Todd Hollandsworth. I would expect to see him in Cleveland this September when rosters expand.

15) Nate Janowicz, OF, South Carolina
Big start to his career in the Valley in 2000 (.340), productive enough in low-A in 2001 (.294) but a 9/38 BB/K ratio forecasted the slump when he was promoted to high-A Kinston (.253) for the second half. Hit .265 with a dinger last year for the K-Tribe before being released to pursue a rap career as "Whitebread".

16) Luke Field, RHP, Arizona State
Spent two mediocre summers in the Valley. Released in early 2002 after posting a 5.79 ERA in six innings in Kinston.

17) Brandon Matheny, LHP, Emory & Henry College
Finesse lefty who had steadily advanced one rung up the ladder each year until starting 2003 on the Kinston DL. Matheny has posted decent surface numbers at each level but the telltale sign of his future is the below-average 42/41 BB/K and 41/79 K/IP ratios he posted in Kinston last year. Still has hope but it's going to be tough in a system that has a lot of young pitchers who throw harder.

18) Jeremy Rogelstad, RHP, San Jose State
Did not sign with the Indians. Was drafted in the 33rd round of the 2001 draft by the Phillies. Currently pitching for Amarillo in the Central League.

19) Chad Cislak, RHP, UCLA
Signed with Tribe. Gave up one run in 1/3 of an inning for Burlington in 2001 and then vanished.

20) Ryan Larson, RHP, Sacramento CC
Smallish (5'10") right-handed who has steadily worked his way through the Indians system, starting this year in Akron and posting a 3.38 ERA in 13 innings (3 homeruns). His highest ERA at any level is the 3.05 he posted in the 1st half last year in Kinston but he improved on that by posting a 1.78 ERA with a 6/30 BB/K ratio in 35.1 innings after a promotion to Akron. He's averaged more than a strikeout per inning for his career and spent some time in the Arizona Fall League last season. While he's not a major prospect, he's definitely in the mix for a future relief role in Cleveland.

21) Steve Fugarino, RHP, Iona
Signed with the Indians and lasted one year.

22) Vance Pietro, 3B, Creighton
See Fugarino above.

23) Brandon Harmsen, RHP, Michigan HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Went to Grand Rapids CC and was drafted by the Indians again in 2001. Did not sign and was drafted by the Yankees in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Currently has a 4-3 record with a 4.87 ERA in 7 starts (33.2 IP, 50 H) for the Battle Creek Yankees of the low-A Midwest League.

24) Chris Houser, 3B, Texas
Don't think he signed. Last seen toiling for the Fort Worth Cats of the Central League in 2001.

25) Andy Helmer, RHP, Purdue
Interesting story. Drafted as a senior he needed one more class to graduate but needed to stay on scholarship to avoid having to pay for his final semester himself (if he signed with the Tribe, he would have lost his scholarship). I saw something that he signed in late 2000 but I don't show any record he ever pitched for the Indians. Good for him for valuing the education.

26) Bruddah Choy Foo, SS, Hawaii HS
Signed late in 2000 and was injured for most of 2001 (only 64 ABs). Hit .264/.326/.404 with 14 doubles, 8 triples, and 8 homeruns at low-A Columbus last season which is pretty impressive for a high school kid essentially making his professional debut. He's off to a great start this year in Kinston, hitting .321/.409/.470 with 11 doubles, 3 homers, and 8 steals with a 17/28 BB/K ratio. He's a prospect.

27) Johri Litman, RHP, Yavapai JC (AZ)
Pitched three games for Burlington in 2000. Had Tommy John surgery in 2001. Released by Amarillo of the Central League in 2002.

28) Jeff Opalewski, RHP, Michigan HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Junior at Central Michigan.

29) Jonathan Van Every, OF, Itawamba JC (Miss)
Signed by the Tribe as a DFE. Toolsy outfielder who is really struggling in his first full-time exposure to full-season ball with Lake County, hitting .179/.239/.274 and 46 strikeouts in 106 at-bats (seven walks).

30) Brian Wilson, RHP, New Hampshire HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Enrolled at LSU and was ranked the #30 college prospect by BA in their preseason rankings. Fell to #38 in their most recent list.

31) Conor Jackson, 3B, California HS
Did not sign with the Indians and went on to an All-American career at the University of California. He's expected to be a first round pick this year and may go as high as #11 or #18 to...you guessed it, the Indians. Jackson has good power and walks a ton, traits that teams like the A's, Blue Jays, and Red Sox salivate over. The Indians have not officially joined the "Beane" organizations in their draft approach but they have said those are traits they want to emphasize in the system. Like Jeff Baker the year before, if Jackson had signed with the Indians, it's possible he could have been the Indians starting third basemen this season.

32) Scott Thomas, RHP, Lake Michigan CC
Also selected by the Indians out of high school in 1999. He didn't sign then but the Tribe was persistent and inked him to a deal in December 2000. The wait was worth it as Thomas posted a 6.52 ERA with 12 walks in 9.2 innings in Burlington in 2001.

33) Ashley Dunlap, LHP, Palomar JC (Cal)
Did not sign with the Indians. Senior at San Francisco State with unimpressive numbers.

34) Steve Fitch, RHP, Kutztown Univ
Released by the Indians last summer after giving up 50 hits in 31 innings for Kinston. Currently pitching in the Pirates system (Carolina League, I think).

35) Will McKenzie, RHP, Walters State CC (Tenn)
Also drafted by the Tribe in 1999. Did not sign in either year. Spent two years at Walters State, pitched for Louisville last year, and is at East Tennessee State for his senior year. Stats are not impressive.

36) J.T. Schultz, LHP, Wisconsin HS
Did not sign with the Tribe. Enrolled at Indiana State for one season before transferring to Xavier. Missed all of 2002 with a shoulder injury. Should be a draft-eligible sophomore this year.

37) Damon Katz, 2B, Pepperdine
Organizational. Split time between Kinston and Columbus in 2001 before leaving baseball.

38) Robert Sierer, RHP, Bluffton College
Signed with the Tribe and lasted one year.

39) Curtis Ledbetter, C, Kansas HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Spent one season at Garden City CC before transferring to Nebraska. Redshirted last year due to injury so he's likely a draft-eligible sophomore. Playing infield for the Huskers with decent power numbers.

40) Jon Hooker, RHP, Kentucky
Don't think he signed with the Indians as he played for Bristol in the Appy League in 2001. Currently pitching for Fargo-Moorhead of the Central League.

41) Eric Crozier, 1b Norfolk State
Nice find this late in the draft. Broke out last season in Kinston when he hit .326/.423/.508 with nine homeruns in the first half. Key indicators (SLG, BB/K ratio) dropped considerably after a promotion to Akron. Went to the Arizona Fall League where he played some outfield. Had a nice spring (six bombs) and got off to a fast start with the Aeros before settling into his current .268/.344/.458 averages. His plate discipline has dropped (16 BB / 42 K) but he's been playing with a sore back caused by two hairline fractures in his spine and I'm sure that's affecting him at the plate. Good athlete but he should (and needs to) show more power for a guy his size playing first base.

42) Silas Ahsui, 3B, JC of the Siskiyous (Cal)
Like Daniel Simpson Day: Whereabouts Unknown

43) Ron Colvard, RHP, The Citadel
8.31 ERA and 17 walks in 21.2 innings ended his Tribe career in 2001. Strangely enough, he was released yesterday by the Edinburg Roadrunners of the Central League

44) Joe Little, LHP, Colorado HS
Did not sign with the Tribe. Junior starting pitcher for the University of Arizona. BA ranks him as the #13 prospect in the state and notes that he has the stuff to pitch in pro ball but has inconsistent command.

45) Mark Carroll, SS, California HS
Did not sign with the Tribe. Junior at Loyola Marymount, has played in two games this year.

46) Chris Appuhn, RHP, Nebraska HS
Did not sign with the Tribe. Junior at Creighton via Butler County CC. Stats are not impressive.

DRAFT BREW
Baseball America posted their first mock draft (Top 100 rankings in parenthesis) and had the Indians selecting Pennsylvania outfielder Chris Lubanski (#9) with the 11th pick and Georgia JUCO pitcher Nick Markakis (#16) with the 18th pick. We talked a little about Lubanski in the last report but he's five-tool outfielder, loves the game, great work ethic, and has been compared to a Johnny Damon with more power potential. BA adds that Massachusetts HS RHP Jeff Allison (#5), Texas HS LHP John Danks (#11), and Florida HS LHP Andrew Miller (#13) are the players the Tribe is considering for their first pick. This contradicts some of the recent reports that have the Indians leaning toward a college position player with their first choice. Markakis (#16) is actually a DFE with the Reds (23rd round) but is not expected to agree to terms by the Tuesday deadline. He's a left-hander who is also a pretty good hitting prospect.

I mentioned in the last report that Toledo catcher Mitch Maier (#40) would be a great pick for the Indians in the second or third rounds. He still would be but it's possible he might not be available as there's a rumor on the Teamonebaseball boards that the Padres are talking with Maier about a pre-draft deal to select him with the #4 overall pick. The Padres have a ton of DFEs that they are negotiating with and a signability pick at #4 overall would allow them to use some of that bonus sign for the DFEs. While the Indians would lose out on a chance at Maier later, this would also knock everyone else down a spot which could help the Tribe at #11. Stay tuned.

Baseball America has a draft chat with Allan Simpson today at 3:00 PM ET. Check it out.

Coming Tuesday: 2001 Draft Review

Posted on 5/23/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Friday, May 23

Record:	17-29, 4th Place, 10 GB
Last:	Lost 3-2 to Detroit on Thursday in 11 innings
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight in Boston, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Ricardo Rodriguez (2-4, 4.31) vs Derek Lowe (303, 5.89)
On Deck:	Three games in Detroit next week (Mon-Wed)

I still can't believe it.

Can you?

"And the first pick goes to the Cleveland Cavaliers"

UN-BEE-LEE-VA-BLE!

(I know this is an Indians blog, but I'm sure you'll forgive my basketball focused mind this morning)

Was it a fix? I don't know and I don't care. For once, Cleveland fans are on the good side of the eight ball and it feels pretty damn good this morning

LeBron James.

Staying in Cleveland.

The Cavs are cool again.

Who would've thunk it?

The reaction at Jacobs Field was awesome last night. Pockets of fans clustered around monitors, random bursts of cheer, and then as the word spread, the crowd erupted. It was a great sight. Nice gesture by the Tribe in showing the announcement on the Jumbotron before the next half-inning. "Take me to the Other Side" was blared on the loudspeakers afterwards. It seemed appropriate enough.

So where do we go from here? The pressure is definitely on the Cavs now, but I don't think it's necessarily on whom you think. Yes, LeBron has to live up to the hype but, in my mind, Jim Paxson becomes the man under the microscope because he's the guy that needs to find the right coach and support pieces that will have this franchise winning 50 games and on the brink of an NBA championship four years from now when LeBron can taste free-agency for the first time. Sure, the Cavs will always be able to pay him the most dollars since they're his current team but the only way a megastar like LeBron will stay in Cleveland is if the team is winning and winning big. I realize I'm looking way too far ahead but that's the big picture and my spotlight is now trained firmly on Jim Paxson and company. It's time for him to deliver.

As for the short-term, I think 30 wins next season, a .500 campaign in 2004-05, and 50 wins in 2005-06 are realistic goals for this franchise. I like Jeff Van Gundy and Paul Silas as head coaching candidates. Z, DeJuan Wagner, Ricky Davis, Carlos Boozer, and LeBron are a dynamic core. Defense and selflessness needs to be taught. With the first pick in the second round, I think the Cavs should take a flyer on a Euro who won't play Stateside for two-three years. This team has more than enough youth on the roster and any open spots should go to veterans who can help mentor the kids (while still being able to play a little too). Take a Euro and let him develop into an NBA player off the roster. It's about time the Cavs tapped into that talent pipeline and now's the perfect time to do it.

Oh yeah, they also have one month to get their notecard card ready for delivery to the podium on draft night. I want to see Austin Carr (or somebody) standing on the platform before David Stern can finish his opening sentence that officially starts the clock ticking down.

Do you think the Cavs will have a draft party at the Gund this year? Kind of anti-climatic but I hope they do. For once, the fans will be happy with the pick and Joe Tait won't have to yell at us.

I gotta get me a Cavs hat this weekend.

Tribe news will return tomorrow, today belongs to the Cavs. One quick baseball note: I tested the thunderbolt that others call my right arm last night on the speed pitch machine. Throwing all strikes, I threw 68, 68, 68, 69, and (reaching back for a little something extra) 71. My rotator cuff surgery has been scheduled for next week.

C'MON CAVS, GOTTA MAKE IT HAPPEN!!

(I still can't believe it)

Posted on 5/23/2003

May 22, 2003

CIR UPDATE
The Indians sent down Carl Sadler today to make room for Jason Bere on the 25-man active roster. More tomorrow in the CIR.

Posted on 5/22/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Thursday, May 22

Record:	17-28, 4th Place, 9 GB
Last:	Won 4-0 over Detroit on Wednesday
Streak:	Won three in a row
Next:	Tonight vs Detroit, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Nate Cornejo (3-3, 3.35) vs Jason Bere (0-0, 0.00)
On Deck:	Three games this weekend against Mayday Malone and company

Abbreviated report today. The 2000 Draft Review will also be delayed a day. The current draft preview publishing schedule will be as follows...

5/23: 2000 Draft Review
5/27: 2001 Draft Review
5/28: 2002 Draft Review
5/29: Pitchers Preview
5/30: Position Players Preview
5/31: Draft Lists
6/02: Indians Preview and Mock Draft
6/03: MLB Draft

Tonight's the night.

The Lebron Lottery.

I'm going to be down at the Tribe game and I'm looking forward to seeing the random pockets of cheers/groans sometime around 8:20 PM or so this evening. Last time I was in a similar Cavs/Indians situation was when Michael Jordan hit "The Shot". Let's hope tonight turns out a little bit better.

I played the Lottery Simulator on espn.com and realgm.com 25 times each and here's my results...

ESPN.com
1st (6), 2nd (6), 3rd (5), 4th (8), 5th (0)

RealGM.com
1st (5), 2nd (5), 3rd (2), 4th (12), 5th (1)

So out of 50 chances, the Cavs got the 1st overall pick 11 times, or 22%, which is pretty much dead-on with the actual odds. What's distressing is how the two different simulators both had the Cavs drafting fourth as the most likely outcome (20 times total or 40%) which, as Cleveland fans, is what we all fear (and know) is exactly what's going to happen.

I hope the Cavs get lucky. God knows, that team and this city could use it.

I'm a poor golfer and a casual golf fan but I freely admit that I have bought into the Annika Sorenstam craze. I hope she makes the cut and I hope she's in the mix on Sunday afternoon. That would make for some great television. If you're firewalls allow, check out Tourcast on PGAtour.com, it's a pretty slick app.

CLEVELAND (17-28): CC Sabathia and three relievers shutdown the woeful Tigers for a 4-0 shutout and the Indians third win in a row. Sabathia (3-2, 2.73) scattered three hits and two walks and struck out five. He was removed after six innings after twisting his left ankle on a play at first base that is believed to only be a minor sprain. Billy Traber worked a scoreless inning and Jason Boyd and Danys Baez struck out the side in the 8th and 9th innings. Baez did make it interesting by allowing the first two hitters to reach base but he shut the door after that. Matt Lawton doubled, singled, and stole a base. Shane Spencer drove in two runs with a pair of singles. He also walked. Ben Broussard doubled and Omar Vizquel and Brandon Phillips added basehits. Milton Bradley walked twice and stole a base.

BUFFALO (28-13, 1st Place): Day off

AKRON (27-19, 1st Place): The Aeros blanked Binghamton 2-0 in Canal Park. Kyle Denney (5-1, 2.22) struck out seven in six innings, scattering six hits and not walking a batter. Mark Wohlers allowed three in one inning but did not allow a run to score. Jack Cressend finished with two perfect innings for his first save. Corey Smith had two hits and knocked in a run. Maicer Izturis singled, walked, and stole a base. Luis Gonzalez singled with an RBI. Victor Valencia singled. Hector Luna and Alex Requena walked.

KINSTON (22-21, 2nd Place, 3.5 GB): The K-Tribe scored seven runs over the last three innings to rally for a 7-6 win over Myrtle Beach. Luke Scott belted a solo home run (#7). Wily Taveras singled twice, walked, and stole two bases. Eider Torres also swiped two bags and singled. Pat Osborn and Miguel Quintana banged out three hits. Ivan Ochoa (.355) also had three hits, stole a base, and drove home two runs. Bill Peavey singled and walked. Mariano Gomez (4.81) allowed four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Doug Lantz worked 2.1 scoreless innings and Lee Gronkiewicz permitted two runs in the 9th but closed the door for his 10th save. Peavey made the error for the K-Tribe.

LAKE COUNTY (30-16, 1st Place): The Captains lost 9-5 to Greensboro. Fausto Carmona (6-2, 1.68) was hit hard for the first time this season as he allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings. He surrendered two longballs and four hits total while walking two and striking out four. Carlos De La Cruz was tagged for four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Juan Lara tossed 2.1 scoreless innings and Todd Pennington struck out all three batters he faced. Micah Schilling (.201) doubled and tripled. Chris De La Cruz had two hits and a walk. Shaun Larkin belted a solo homer (#5). Nathan Panther singled and JJ Sherrill was hitless but drove in two runs. Chris De La Cruz and Micah Schilling made errors. The Bats stole seven bases against Captains catcher Dave Wallace.

Posted on 5/22/2003

May 21, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Wednesday, May 21
Special Draft Preview Edition III: 1999 Draft in Review

Warning: The following may induce vomiting, sobbing, or hysterics and is not to be read by the faint-of-heart or the squeamish.

The 1999 Indians draft is regarded in baseball circles as one of the worst drafts in history. Not just Indians history, but in major league history. Think about that. Out of the approximately 900-some draft classes selected over the past 37 years, the following group of draftees has been recognized as one of the worst assemblages of talent put together by one organization. Now consider that this draft class should be at the core of the young players on the big league roster and in the upper levels of the farm system and you get an idea of the magnitude of the talent deprivation in the farm system when John Hart left for Texas. Yes, the money (or lack thereof) was a big factor in his leaving, but don't think for a minute that the huge talent void in the organization did not play a part in his decision making process either.

How bad is this class? The first selection was out of baseball after two seasons. None of the first 19 selections have sniffed the major leagues. Two of the first six picks did not even sign with the Tribe. They drafted three seniors from Duke. They drafted three high school pitchers from the State of Michigan. They drafted two guys (Monte Mansfield and Francis Finnerty) who sound like they belong in a Vaudeville Act, not on a ball field. Only six of the 49 selections (one in Cleveland, two in Akron, and three in extended spring training) remain with the organization and I'm being generous as one of those six was redrafted and signed three years later. The Tribe went for tools and missed on almost every selection. They then compounded their errors by overpaying on signing bonuses. Jason Davis, Fernando Cabrera, and Kyle Denney are doing their best to salvage something from this group but, as drafts go, this one was a complete disaster.

Following is a round-by-round review of the Indians 1999 draft. Note that they did not have a 1st round pick that year due to signing Roberto Alomar as a free-agent.

2) Will Hartley, C, Florida HS, #74 overall, $725,000
Ridiculed when he was selected, even more so when he signed for an above slot bonus, Hartley spent two disastrous seasons in the Tribe system before he was released.

Note: With the #89 pick, the Twins signed Justin Morneau for $290,000. All he's done this season is blast 14 homeruns in AA and AAA and become the premier hitting prospect in the American League. The Indians also passed on Josh Bard (#100, $387k, Colorado) and Hank Blalock (#105, $288k, Texas). Bard is, of course, the Indians starting catcher and all Blalock has done this season is lead the American League in hitting as a 22-year old.

3) Eric Johnson, RF, Western Carolina, #107 overall, $700,000
Tools pick and another above-slot bonus. Had an intriguing 1st half of 2000 in the Sally League (.309, 41 steals) but has been more tools than performance ever since. Sat out all of 2002 to pursue a football career and spent some time on the Bears practice squad last year. This is not the Eric Johnson that went to the Super Bowl with the Raiders. Was back with the Indians this spring and could still be in Florida in extended spring training. He turns 26 in August and I think I just heard the prospect clock stop ticking.

4) Jeff Baker, SS, Virginia HS, #137 overall
Did not sign with the Indians and went on to an All-American career at Clemson. First round talent who slid into the 4th round of the 2002 draft due to the Scott Boras factor before he was selected by Colorado. Currently hitting .271/.318/.424/742 with two homers for Asheville in the South Atlantic League. If he had signed with the Tribe, it's possible he could have been the Indians starting third basemen this season.

Note: With the above two picks, the Indians passed twice on Ken Harvey (#151, $130k, KC) and Clint Nageotte (#155, unknown bonus, Cleveland area kid now a top prospect with the Mariners)

5) Curtis Gay, 1B, Oklahoma City Univ, #167 overall, $150,000
Who? Exactly. His .141 average in the Valley in 2001 signaled the end of his career.

6) Shane Wallace, LHP, Texas HS, #197 overall, $290,000
Appeared to blossom in 2001 at Kinston (10-2, 1.61, 84 IP, 65 H, 16 W, 60 K) only to be derailed by Tommy John surgery. Returned last season with mixed results. Currently in extended spring training after starting the season in Akron.

Note: Covelli Crisp was taken by the Cardinals with pick #222 and signed for $85,000.

7) Daylon Monette, OF, California HS, #227 overall
Did not sign with the Indians and went on to an All-Big 12 career at Oklahoma State. Selected in the 15th round last year by the Cardinals and is currently hitting .229/.270/.257 in 35 ABs with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League

8) Devin Rogers, RHP, Nicholls State, #257 overall, $76,000
Struck out 83 in 89.2 innings for Columbus in 2000. Right shoulder surgery Sept 2000, UCL sprain in right elbow July 2001, Tommy John surgery May 2002. Ouch.

9) Steve Cowie, RHP, Duke, #287 overall, $20,000
Got off to a good start in the Valley in 1999, striking out 83 in 61.2 innings. Followed that with a 3.39 ERA in 14 starts for Columbus in the first half of 2000 that earned him a spot on the Sally League All-Star Team. Finished the season in Kinston where his H/IP and K/BB ratios plummeted. Made two appearances for Kinston in 2001 and then disappeared due to injury.

Note: The Indians gave Cowie $20,000 to sign when other college seniors taken in the same round were receiving anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 to $10,000 to sign. Who inked for only one grand? That would be Oakland A's starting second basemen Mark Ellis (drafted by Kansas City). Phillies rookie outfielder Marlon Byrd was selected with pick #306 and signed for $38,000.

10) Fernando Cabrera, RHP, Puerto Rico HS, #317 overall, $90,000
Finally, a player worth talking about. The fact it's taken until the 10th round says everything about this draft. Cabrera has one of the better arms in the Indians system and would probably have made the Indians top 10 prospect lists this offseason if not for the mass influx of prospects via trade last year. Currently pitching for Akron and has a 2.36 ERA in 8 starts with 48 strikeouts in 42 innings. Opposing batters are hitting him at a .248 clip. A move to the back of the bullpen is expected later this year. Added to the 40-man roster last November.

11) Monte Mansfield, RHP, California HS
Attended Riverside CC instead of signing with the Indians. Did not come to terms as a DFE and was selected by the Astros in the 16th round of the 2000 draft. Currently has a 4.30 ERA in 13 games out of the bullpen for the Salem Avalanche in the Carolina League.

12) Francis Finnerty, INF, Florida HS
Right shoulder surgery in 1999, spent three years in short-season ball. Released in June 2002.

13) Adam Barr, LHP, Pennsylvania HS
112 walks in 107.2 innings over three seasons before he was released.

14) Joshua Martin, LHP, South Carolina HS
15) Brody Lynn, SS, Kansas HS
16) Anthony Morini, LHP, Kennesaw State
17) Chris Kelley, RHP, William & Mary

18) Kyle Moyer, 1B, Ohio HS
Big kid who sat out 2001 after foot surgery. Retired in March 2002.

19) Travis Santini, OF, Florida HS
Three years in the Tribe system produced a .225 average in 130 games with seven homeruns. Released March 2002.

20) Louis Wieban, LHP, New Jersey HS

21) Jason Davis, RHP, Cleveland State CC
The first (and only) member of this class to reach the big leagues. Signed as a DFE in May 2000, Davis blossomed in the second half last year and rocketed all the way from Kinston to Cleveland. Some insiders say he has the best stuff of any pitcher in the organization although his dominance stats (K, K/BB) haven't really backed that up yet. Inconsistent in the bigs this season but that's not unexpected given his age (23) and lack of experience (13 starts above class-A entering this season). The future remains bright.

22) Jeff Reboin, LHP, Sacramento State CC
The Indians love tapping Sacramento State for DFEs.

23) Anthony Toney, RHP, Michigan HS
24) Phillip Rosengrew, RHP, Michigan HS
25) William Loherhas, 2B, Mississippi State

26) Kyle Denney, RHP, Oklahoma Univ
Unheralded prospect who has bounced back strong from Tommy John surgery (June 2001) this season in Akron, posting a 2.51 ERA in 8 starts with 41 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Opposing hitters have a .232 batting average against him. Temper those numbers a bit by acknowledging that he'll be 26 in July. Unbelievable first half in Kinston before the injury (5-3, 2.05, 57 IP, 32 H, 13 W, 80 K). Potential 3rd-4th starter in the big leagues but could get overlooked with all the pitchers in front of (and behind) him. Likely candidate to be included as the throw-in prospect in a package deal.

27) Jordan Olsen, LHP, California HS
28) Matthew Spress, RHP, Michigan HS
29) Roberto Vega, C, Puerto Rico HS

30) William McKenzie, RHP, Tennessee HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Nor did he sign with the Tribe when they drafted him in the 35th round of the 2000 draft out of Walters State CC.

31) Leysan Rivera, RHP, Puerto Rico HS

32) Benjamin Francisco, OF, California HS
Did not sign with the Indians, choosing instead to attend UCLA. Wait a minute. Francisco.... UCLA....outfielder...yup, this is the same Ben Francisco that the Indians drafted in the 5th round last year and who tore up the NY-Penn league last season. Setback with a broken hand this spring, he's rehabbing in Winter Haven and expected to report to Kinston in mid-June.

33) Scott Thomas, RHP, Michigan HS
Did not sign with the Indians. Re-selected in the 32nd round in 2000 but did not sign until December. The wait was worth it, though, as Thomas posted a 6.52 ERA with 12 walks in 9.2 innings in Burlington in 2001.

34) Kerry Hodges, OF, New Mexico JC
35) Michael Byrd, RHP, Vanderbilt
36) Jerad Doty, OF, Texas HS
37) Ed Sullivan, RHP, Duke HS

38) John Christ, LHP, Johns Hopkins
Let's see. You're a Johns Hopkins grad and you can sign for $2,000 and enjoy 10 hour bus trips in a smelly cramped bus or you can be a doctor. A glutton for punishment, he lasted through the 2001 season when he made four appearances for Columbus.

39) Byron Ewing, 1B, Howard
Made it as far as Kinston where he hit seven homeruns in 301 ABs in 2001. Hit .176 in 34 at-bats for the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs last year. Released March 2002.

40) Niel Dudkowski, LHP, Lassen College

41) Roger Royce Ring, LHP, California HS
Drafted as Roger Ring, he dissed the Tribe in favor of San Diego State. Three years later, he was drafted as Royce Ring in the 1st round of the 2002 draft by the White Sox and currently sports a 0.48 ERA in 19 innings in double-A, striking out 26 hitters in 18.2 innings.

42) Anthony Lunetta, SS, California HS
Chose to attend U$C instead of signing with the Indians. Ranked the #74 best prospect in SoCal by Baseball America as a college senior. BA notes that he had Tommy John surgery as a sophomore and limited range at short will likely force a move to second in the pros.

43) Brad Harrison, OF, Florida HS

44) Michael Bishop, OF, Kansas State
Great college quarterback. Horrible baseball player. Pretty sure he won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.

45) Doug Johnson, RHP, New Hampshire HS
Attended Bryant College (RI) instead of signing with the Indians. Selected in the 5th round of the 2002 draft by the Rockies. Has a 4.71 ERA in 10 appearances for Asheville this year and opponents are hitting .301 against him.

46) Jeff Becker, SS, Duke
Split 2001 between Columbus and Kinston before realizing that his Duke education was going to do more for him than his bat and glove ever would. Still, he lived the dream for awhile. Retired March 2002.

47) Sam Button, LHP, Jacksonville State

48) Simon Young, LHP, Georgia Tech
Excellent debut in 2000 as he fashioned a 1.75 ERA in 14 starts in the Valley. Struggled in a promotion to class-A the following season. Returned to the Valley in 2002 with decent numbers but was released in November 2002.

49) Neal Maybin, OF, Florida JC
Hit .196 in 51 ABs for the Braves GCL team last year.

50) John Gall, 1B, Stanford
Did not sign with the Indians. Selected in the 11th round of the 2000 draft by the Cardinals. Hit .327/.357/.519 with three homeruns in double-A before a promotion to triple-A in May. Currently hitting .253/.302/.354 with two dingers for the Cardinals triple-A squad.

DRAFT BREW
We discussed the Nick Pesco signing yesterday in an update. Jim Ingraham reports that he signed for an estimated $1 million bonus. Wow.

In other draft and follow news, the Indians are reportedly negotiating with 14th round pick Mike Mitchell from St.Charles JC (Mo) and 37th round pick Luis DeJesus from New Mexico Junior College. NMJC Coach Ray Birmingham says that DeJesus has not committed to a 4-year school and will re-enter the draft if he does not sign with the Indians. NMJC has an impressive track record of drafted players and Coach Birmingham says that DeJesus has a chance to be a very good player. DeJesus posted some unbelievable numbers this season, hitting .507/.544/.797/.1.341 with five doubles, seven triples, and seven homeruns in 138 at-bats. A 5-9, 160 lb, switch-hitting second basemen, his bio notes that DeJesus has a tremendous arm (90 mph), good glove, and 6.6 60-yard speed.

Not that we have a shot at him but Tom Hamilton noted on the radio last night that the Indians believe that Delwyn Young (younger brother of Detroit Tiger "outfielder" Dmitri Young) is one of the top two players in the draft. Young has emerged as the front-runner to be selected by the Devil Rays with the number one pick although that is not set in stone.

John Mirabelli made an appearance on the radio last night during the game and stated that the Indians believe they will land an impact player with their first selection (#11 overall) and, ideally, it would be a college position player who would be ready for the big leagues within two years. Mirabelli also stated that ownership has not placed any restrictions on who they can or can't draft in regards to signability. That's good news. He also mentioned that teams will be allowed a two-minute window in the first round and a one-minute window in the second round in which to make their selections. Previously, all picks were made in a rapid-fire fashion.

Paul Hoynes quotes Mirabelli in the The Plain Dealer as saying that the Indians have interest in several Ohio players and that this draft class is an above-average group for the state. Hoynes lists three high school pitchers (LHP Greg Moviel of St. Ignatius (Vanderbilt), LHP Ryan Feierabend of Midview (Kent State), and Jason Stephens from Tallmadge) along with Marc Cornell from Ohio University as potential Tribe draftees. I think you have to add University of Toledo catcher Mitch Maier to that mix as well. Teamonebaseball.com ranks him as the #26 prospect in the draft and he would be a great grab for the Tribe in the 2nd or 3rd round given the organizations lack of catching prospects below triple-A.

DFE Dan Lindner (49th round, Potomac State JC) is ranked the #16 prospect in the mid-Atlantic area (Maryland, D.C, West Virginia, etc.) by Baseball America. Bryce Kartler (48th round, Arizona State) is ranked the #27 prospect in Arizona by BA and projects as a situational reliever (LOOGY).

MLB.com has an article on potential Tribe draftee Chris Lubanski. Note the portion where he took BP in between games of a doubleheader with a wooden bat for the scouts in attendance. Then note that John Mirabelli says in the PD that the Indians won't take a high school kid without seeing him hit with a wooden bat. Then realize that Mirabelli was in the stands for that double-header.

Tomorrow: 2000 Draft Review

Posted on 5/21/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Wednesday, May 21

Record:	16-28, 4th Place
Last:	Won 6-5 over Detroit on Tuesday
Streak:	Won two in a row
Next:	Tonight vs Detroit, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Jeremy Bonderman (2-6, 5.77) vs CC Sabathia (2-2, 3.00)
On Deck:	Three games in Beantown this weekend

Quick administrative note: Besides the previews, all draft news will be covered in the separate draft reports. If the regular reports seem a little shorter, it's because of the extra time and space devoted to the draft coverage.

Four out of five is nice. Very nice.

You have to like our chances this evening with CC Sabathia facing off against rookie Jeremy Bonderman too.

How about that catch by Jody Gerut last night? Or the play made while moving across the mound by Casey Blake? That's not as easy as it looks.

Speaking of defense, what is up with Matt Lawton giving up way too early on two foul balls (one in the 9th) down the line last night? Both balls landed in fair territory and it looked like he eased up a good four steps from the line.

Anyone else think the Tigers fell asleep and didn't notice John McDonald turn the wrong way at first base when he reached via error in the 4th inning.

Sir Eugene Kingsdale is a little cocky for a guy with a career OPS of .654, don't you think.

Eric Wedge confirmed that Jason Bere will start for the Indians on Thursday with Ricardo Rodriguez being bumped back a day. No word yet on who will be removed from the rotation or who will be removed from the big league roster to make room for Bere.

Rafael Betancourt continues to mow 'em down in Akron, striking out two more to earn his 5th save last night. Betancourt has now fanned 42 hitters in 27 innings out of the bullpen and has a 1.67 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .206 average. He's a journeyman (28 years old) but the numbers are still impressive. I wouldn't be surprised to see him move up to Buffalo in the not too distant future.

Corey Smith continues to struggle in the field (error #21 last night) and he's also scuffling at the plate as his averages have fallen to .227/.319/.393.

Stephanie Storm reports in the ABJ that Eric Crozier is playing with two hairline fractures in his spine. They were discovered this spring and Crozier does not know how or when they occurred. He's playing through the back pain right now.

Travis Hafner is eligible to come off the disabled list on Thursday but Eric Wedge says that he'll stay in Buffalo for a while to give him an opportunity to get healthy and get his swing back. Whether this means his rehab assignment will be extended towards the maximum 20 days or he'll be activated and optioned to triple-A remains to be seen. Either way, Ben Broussard looks to continue to receive ABs with the big league club.

Sad news for noted Blake Stein fan Komar as Stein was released by the Tribe yesterday after posting a 27.00 ERA in two appearances for the Aeros.

Rodney Choy Foo and Chris Kline make the Daily Dish from Baseball America.

The Kinston Indians website is reporting that the Indians have released OF Brian Jenkins and RHP Shane Arthurs. Jenkins was originally acquired from the Mets in May 2001 for Justin Speier and was hitting .257/.289/.362 with one homerun this season. He missed all of 2002 with a knee injury. Arthurs was acquired last summer from the Expos in exchange for Jeremy Ware and had a 4.58 ERA in 19.2 innings this season. Both were older players for Class-A (Jenkins-24, Arthurs-23).

Dennis Malave was activated from the disabled list and replaces Jenkins on the K-Tribe roster.

Rudy Seanez was called up by the Red Sox. Matt White has been promoted to triple-A Pawtucket as his rehab assignment continues with the Sox.

CLEVELAND (16-28, 4th Place): Brandon Phillips belted a three-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Indians a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over Detroit. Phillips (.246) had two other hits on the night and drove in four runs total. Josh Bard also went yard (#2). Casey Blake doubled and his bloop single started the rally in the final inning. Matt Lawton singled and walked. Milton Bradley and Ben Broussard added basehits. The bottom four of the lineup was a combined 7-for-16. Jake Westbrook surrendered four runs in six innings on ten hits and a walk. He struck out one and gave up one big fly. Jason Phillips and Terry Mulholland tossed a scoreless frame apiece and David Riske picked up his first win with a scoreless final inning.

BUFFALO (28-13, 1st Place): Rained out

AKRON (26-19, 1st Place): The Aeros defeated Binghamton 5-4 in Canal Park. Ron Wright belted his second homerun and singled. Luis Gonzalez also went deep (#3). Maicer Izturis doubled, singled, and stole a base. Eric Crozier had three hits, including two doubles. Tyler Minges singled and walked while Brian Luderer doubled and walked. Francisco Cruceta (2-3, 3.66) was far from dominant in allowing ten hits in five innings but he led the Mets to four runs (three earned) while walking one and striking out two. Jose Vargas struck out four in three scoreless innings of relief and Rafael Betancourt fanned two for his 5th save.

KINSTON (21-21, 2nd Place, 3.5 GB): The K-Tribe evened their record at .500 with a 5-2 win in Myrtle Beach. JD Martin (4-2, 5.12) worked six innings for the win, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three. Marcos Mendoza, Scott Sturkie, and Lee Gronkiewicz each worked a scoreless inning of relief with Gronkiewicz picking up his 9th save. The offense took advantage of four Pelican errors in putting their five runs on the board. Luke Scott doubled, singled, and walked. Pat Osborn, Ben Margalski, and Ivan Ochoa each had two hits. Eider Torres singled, walked, and stole two bases. Ochoa made an error.

LAKE COUNTY (30-15, 1st Place): Day off

Posted on 5/21/2003

May 20, 2003

CIR UPDATE
The Indians signed DFE Nick Pesco to a contract this afternoon.

Pesco (6'7", 190, 19 yrs old) was drafted in 2002 in the 25th round out of Cosumnes River Junior College in Sacramento, CA and was 8-4 this season with a 2.24 ERA in 13 starts (76.1IP, 57H, 33BB, 79SO). As a draft-and-follow, the Indians had until one week prior to this years draft to sign him. Baseball America rated him as the 4th best JUCO prospect and the 3rd best prospect (and top pitcher) in Northern California and projected him as a possible second round pick this year. BA notes that Pesco has four projectable pitches, including a 94-95 mph fastball and above-average changeup. They quote Cosumnes River coach Tony Bloomfield as saying that Pesco is the best pitcher he's ever coached and that includes current big leagues Bud Smith (injury) and Justin Miller. John Mirabelli says in the Indians press release that Pesco is similar to Jason Davis at the same stage of his career. Nice. A signing bonus was not disclosed but second round money could range anywhere from $600k to $1 million. Last year, the Indians gave Sean Smith, another projected second round DFE, just south of $1 million and Pesco could be in a similar pay bracket. No word on whether this deal will impact the 2003 draft budget but if the Smith signing from last season is an indication, it should not. Nice move by the Tribe and another encouraging sign that Larry Dolan is committed to investing in the farm system and player development.

Posted on 5/20/2003

CIR UPDATE
Upcoming probable pitchers fresh from the Indians. Looks like tonight's start by Jake Westbrook will be his last before moving to the bullpen.

5/20 RHP Jake Westbrook vs. Bernero
5/21 LHP CC Sabathia vs. Bonderman
5/22 RHP Jason Bere vs. Cornejo
5/23 RHP Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Lowe
5/24 LHP Brian Anderson vs. Burkett
5/25 RHP Jason Davis vs. Fossum

Posted on 5/20/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 20
Special Draft Preview Edition Part II

Welcome to the second edition of the CIR 2003 Draft Preview. Over the next two weeks we'll provide you with all the information that you need to get ready for the MLB draft on Tuesday, June 3. The MLB draft is the least publicized of the major drafts and, therefore, also the least understood. Perhaps the most frequently asked question regarding the MLB draft is just what do teams do with all those draft picks?   This year, for instance, the Indians will have 52 picks; their regular 50 selections plus two compensation picks for Jim Thome signing with the Phillies last offseason.   In tandem, the follow-up question is usually why don't they sign all of those picks?   Today, we'll breakdown a draft and discuss what types of players the Indians will be selecting with those 52 picks and whether they really have any intention of signing all of them.

With rare exception, every player selected in the MLB draft this June will fall into one of the following categories: The A-list, The Flyers, The DFEs, The Organizationals, and The Favors. Following is a breakdown of each of these categories.

THE A-LIST
The A-List is the group of players the team wants to (has to) sign. Typically, these are the selections within the first 10 rounds although it could stretch well into the teens.   The Jeremy Guthries and Matt Whitneys and Keith Ramseys fall into this category. Sometimes these are high-profile, high-cost players and sometimes they are signability picks (i.e., players drafted earlier than their talent warrants due to their lower signing costs). Regardless, failure to sign one of these players means a wasted pick and no organization can afford many of those.   Last year, the Indians signed their first 16 players and 20 of their first 24 (20 rounds) with three of the unsigned headed to Junior Colleges (JUCOs) and the other to San Diego State.

THE FLYERS
Sometimes referred to as "contingency picks", these are typically high-school players who have a strong commitment to a four-year University and will have to be lured away with a sizable signing bonus. Flyers start being popped on draft day in the teen rounds and the run lasts well into the later part of the second day. Why do teams take a flyer? Because you never know when a 17-18 year old will change his mind, especially when you dangle a $300k-$1mil signing bonus in front of them. Not to mention that the potential reward of signing such a player usually far outweighs the signable talent on the board in that round. Flyers are also contingency picks in case a team does not sign one of their early A-List picks. For example, let's say that the Indians had budgeted $4 million to sign Jeremy Guthrie last summer and by early August they were 95% certain that he was going to return to Stanford for his senior season (unlikely, but let's run with it for the sake of this example). The Indians could then have turned around and used that money to lure a couple of their flyers away from their college commitments by raising (and perhaps overpaying) their signing bonuses in order to salvage the draft and bring some A-List talent into the system. Flyers can also serve as leverage against that tough to sign high draft pick if the player/agent/advisor starts hearing the Indians are throwing money at their flyers. This doesn't always happen, but you need to have the flyers among your selections to even give yourself the option. Curt Mendoza (San Diego State, 19th round) and Jensen Lewis (Vanderbilt, 33rd round) are the prime examples of flyers from the Indians 2002 draft.

THE DRAFT AND FOLLOWS (DFEs)
If you missed yesterday's FAQ, please visit the CIR website for the definition of a draft and follow.   Similar to flyers, DFEs start flying off draft boards in the teens and continue well into the later rounds. They can be players already enrolled in a Junior College (freshman) or high school kids who plan on attending a JUCO school.   The advantage to drafting a DFE is that you can retain the players rights for a whole calendar year (one week prior to the next draft) and you can evaluate that player without incurring an expense in player development. A DFE also lets a team escape from paying a signing bonus for a season so there are some budget implications in these selections as well. The downside to a DFE is that if the player develops, his signing bonus typically escalates well beyond the bonus that he would have received for the round he was originally drafted. In these instances, the player has the leverage because he can always refuse to sign, reenter the draft, and hope that he goes in an earlier round with a higher bonus. Of course, a team would also have a pretty good prospect on their hands so it's more of a financial issue than a baseball one. Last year, the Indians drafted 14 DFEs and they have two (Nick Pesco, Mike Mitchell) ranked among the top 50 JUCO prospects by Baseball America. The Tribe was in a similar situation in May of last year when they had Sean Smith, Brandon Harmsen, and Garrett Mock all ranked among the top DFEs. Smith was the only one of the three who ended up signing with the Indians (for a bonus just south of $1 mil). Harmsen was drafted in the 6th round and signed by the Yankees while was Mock was drafted in the 14th round by the Twins but chose to attend the University of Houston. He'll be draft eligible again in 2004.

THE ORGANIZATIONALS
Typically college players, usually seniors, these are the "organization" players, players who are needed to fill out rosters in the lower levels of the minor leagues. You generally see a lot of middle infielders, catchers, and pitchers (converted to relief) fall into this category. These are easy signs and the players are usually referred to as "crafty", "gritty", or "hard-nosed". Occasionally, an organizational will break free from this stereotype and develop into a true prospect but they generally have to prove themselves at each level.

THE FAVORS
These are the selections made late in the draft as a favor to a team executive, scout, coach, player, or former player. The Indians usually draft a player from Cleveland State and that's a favor to the CSU baseball program. Mike Piazza is probably the best example of this type of selection.

SUMMARY
The Indians 2003 draft picks will likely report to either Mahoning Valley or Burlington to begin their professional careers. It's the rare player who makes the jump to Class-A ball upon signing. The Valley is considered a "short-season" league and is typically reserved for college draftees and prior year draftees/signees who already have a season of pro ball on their resume. Burlington is considered a "rookie" league and is typically reserved for high school draftees and foreign players making their appearance in the States. Rosters for short-season leagues are set at 30 players (25 active) while rookie leagues are set at 35 players (25 active). With both teams having returning players from last season in addition to first-year players from the Indians Venezuelan and Dominican academies, the Indians would be hard-pressed to find room for all 52 of their drafted players on rosters this summer. Certainly, some draftees could (and do) sit out the summer after they sign (usually pitchers with lots of use or players with injuries) but this limit on roster spots is one reason why teams do not sign (or want to sign) all 50 (or 52 this year for the Indians) of their draft picks. They simply don't have enough room for them in their respective systems. Last year, the Indians signed only 26 of their 54 picks but the key figure is that they signed 20 of their first 24 picks as previously discussed. So don't worry when you hear that the Indians only signed 25 or 30 or 35 of their 2003 draft picks. Focus instead on the early picks, those are the keys.

DRAFT BREW
A spy reports that he overheard John Mirabelli on the radio say that the Indians draft budget is comparable to last season (around $8-9 million) and that the team will lean towards selecting position players with two legitimate power bats being targeted with our first pick (#11 overall). He also hinted that the Indians will be influenced this year in how they use their early picks based on the strength of next years draft (college pitching) when they should have a top six overall selection.

John Farrell was also on the radio recently and noted that the organization has a lack of impact righthanded power hitters in the system, perhaps hinting at the Tribe's direction two weeks from today?

The Canton Repository goes on to quote Neal Huntington this morning that the Indians are not afraid to draft high school guys but they'll probably lean towards collegians as that is the strength of the draft. The Tribe will begin meeting this Sunday in preparation for the draft.

Several players fit the righty power-hitter mold, including Florida high school outfielders Ryan Harvey and Lastings Milledge and Cal-Berkley 3B (and 2000 Tribe draft pick) Conor Jackson. Lefty sluggers include Tulane 1B Michael Aubrey, California HS 3B Ian Stewart, and Pennsylvania HS OF Chris Lubanski. Lubanski has been the name most often associated with the Indians and the 11th pick but, to be honest, he's more of an all-around talent and projectable slugger rather than a raw power kind of player. Harvey and Aubrey are expected to be taken before the Indians make their first selection.

TOMORROW: 1999 Draft Review

Posted on 5/20/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 20

Record:	15-28, 4th Place, 10 GB
Last:	Won 10-9 over Detroit on Monday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Tonight vs Detroit, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Adam Bernero (0-6, 6.04) vs Jake Westbrook (2-3, 4.46)
On Deck:	Three games in Fenway Pahk this weekend

Go figure a slugfest breaks out between the Indians and Tigers.

Hey, we've won 3 of our last 4 games.

David Riske picked up his first save last night by striking out three Tigers in 1.2 innings of relief. He closed because Danys Baez was unavailable after pitching three games in a row. Since he gave up two runs in back-to-back outings against Kansas City on April 12 and 14, Riske has a 1.65 ERA in 16.1 innings, striking out 17 and walking only one. For the season, his ERA is down to 3.92 and he has an incredible 0.82 WHIP and is holding hitters to a .187 average. Very nice.

Don't look now but Casey Blake is hitting .302/.388/.465/.853 with four doubles and a homerun in May.

Eric Wedge refuses to confirm that Jason Bere will start on Thursday as has been speculated for the last few days in the local papers. Jason Davis started last night and allowed seven runs in six innings, although only two runs were earned. The three big flys he served up were his own doing, however. Jake Westbrook makes his case to stay in the rotation with a start tonight. Ricardo Rodriguez is still scheduled to start for the Indians on Saturday.

Karim Garcia beings a rehab assignment in Buffalo today. This could be a short one as he's eligible to come off the disabled list on Thursday. The question then becomes who gets sent down?

Mark Wohlers threw 20 pitches in a simulated game before the Indians-Tigers yesterday and he is expected to report to Akron for a rehab assignment and throw one inning on Wednesday. Wohlers is eligible for activation off the 60-day disabled list on May 30 and a player will need to be moved off the 40-man roster for his return. Peter Gammons mentions Wohlers as a possible trade deadline candidate this summer.

Ricky Gutierrez played seven innings at third base in extended spring on Monday. Cliff Lee threw 55 pitches in four innings in extended spring on Sunday.

Greg LaRocca was hit in the face by a pitch yesterday according to the Buffalo News. X-Rays did not reveal a fracture and he is listed as day-to-day.

Ryan Church has sat out the last three games due to a bruised left thumb, according to the Beacon Journal.

Fausto Carmona is number seven and Jeremy Guthrie number ten on the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

Peter Gammons reports in his latest Diamond Notes column that Manny Ramirez is taking yoga classes, he gives some love to Coco Crisp and his "incredible ability to get on base", says the Tribe outfield future is bright with Crisp, Milton Bradley, Jody Gerut, Alex Escobar, and Grady Sizemore, and talks about the MB/Eric Wedge issue from last week. Good stuff as always.

Speaking about MB, I noticed that his walks and OBP have skyrocketed (11 walks, .465 OBP) with his move into the middle of the order this month while his slugging is way down at .323. Kind of the opposite effect you would normally expect to see, huh? At any rate, the increase in walks is a very good sign. Overall, Bradley's numbers are still quite tasty at .342/.444/.532/.975. He banged out two doubles and a single (with a walk) last night.

Steve Karsay will have shoulder surgery today in Birmingham and is likely out for the rest of the season. His fate for 2004 won't be known until after the surgery.

CLEVELAND (15-28, 4th Place, 10 GB): The Indians rallied for a 10-9 victory over Detroit despite three homeruns and seven runs batted in from the Tigers Carlos Pena. Jason Davis started for the Tribe and was charged with seven runs in six innings, although only two of the runs were earned. Davis has no one to blame but himself, though, for the three homeruns he allowed. He struck out three, walked two, and surrendered seven hits. Billy Traber served up a homer and gave up two runs in 1.1 innings. David Riske worked the final 1.2 innings, striking out three, for his first save. Casey Blake had three hits, including a double and his 4th homerun, and a walk to raise his average to .250. Milton Bradley doubled twice with a single and walk. Jody Gerut blasted a three run homer (#2) and singled in another run. Josh Bard and Ben Broussard doubled. Omar Vizquel and Brandon Phillips added basehits. Blake, Broussard, and Phillips all committed errors. Pena had a chance to hit his 4th homerun but flew out to centerfield to end the game.

BUFFALO (28-13, 1st Place): Jamie Brown tossed six innings of one run ball to lead the Bisons to a 3-1 victory over Indianapolis. Brown (4-1, 1.87) allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out four. Lance Caraccioli, Jose Santiago (0.93), and Chad Paronto (0.69) tossed a scoreless inning apiece with Paronto picking up his sixth save. Coco Crisp (.363) had two more hits yesterday, stole a base (#15), and knocked in a run. Zach Sorenson doubled, walked, and stole a base. Nate Grindell, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Alex Escobar singled. Hafner and Dusty Wathan walked. Martinez and Greg LaRocca (face) were hit by a pitch.

AKRON (25-19, 1st Place): The Aeros outlasted Binghamton 9-7 last night in Canal Park. Victor Valencia belted his third homerun and also doubled to drive in two runs. Maicer Izturis singled twice, swiped two bags, and also walked. Grady Sizemore tripled and singled. Eric Crozier drove in two runs, singled, and walked. Tyler Minges doubled twice with a single. Corey Smith and Alex Requena singled with Requena adding a stolen base. Hector Luna walked twice and made an error. Derrick Van Dusen (4-3, 4.68) picked up his 4th win as he allowed three runs (two earned) in 6.1 innings on nine hits and a walk. He struck out just one. Blake Stein (27.00) was pounded for four runs in 1.2 innings of work and Rafael Betancourt struck out two in a perfect final inning for his 4th save.

KINSTON (20-21, 2nd Place, 3.5 GB): Day off

LAKE COUNTY (30-15, 1st Place): The Captains lost both ends of a doubleheader in Rome, GA. 6-1 was the final in the opener as Keith Ramsey gave up more than two earned runs for the first time this season, allowing six runs on eleven hits (one dinger) and two walks in 4.1 innings, He struck out only one. Dan Eisentrager relieved with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Jason Cooper doubled, singled, and walked. Dave Wallace, Shaun Larkin, and Chris De La Cruz singled. De La Cruz walked twice, Wallace received on free pass. Nathan Panther and Jonathan Van Every both walked and stole a base.

In the nightcap, the Captains rallied for two runs and a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6th inning only to see the Braves rally for two of their own in the bottom half of the inning and an eventual 3-2 victory. Jake Dittler (1.91) struck out six in five innings of work, walking none, and allowing just one run on five hits. Blake Allen took the loss. Jason Cooper (.296) tripled, singled, and stole a base. JJ Sherrill and Matt Knox doubled. Ricardo Rojas and Dave Wallace singled. Shaun Larkin was hit by a pitch and Bryan Kent walked. Micah Schilling made a pair of errors and Jake Dittler also committed a miscue on the mound.

Posted on 5/20/2003

May 19, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Monday, May 19
Special Draft FAQ Edition

Welcome to the first CIR 2003 draft report. Over the next two weeks we'll provide you with all the information that you need to get ready for the MLB draft on Tuesday, June 3. The MLB draft is the least publicized of the major drafts and, therefore, also the least understood. Today will serve as a draft primer in FAQ format and serve to answer all the questions you may have wondered about regarding the draft.

WHEN IS THE DRAFT?
The 2003 draft will be conducted on Tuesday, June 3 and Wednesday, June 4. The draft is typically always scheduled for the first Tuesday in June. The first day usually ends somewhere in rounds 20-29.

HOW IS THE DRAFT ORDER DETERMINED?
The draft alternates between AL and NL teams, with the NL team with the worst record picking first in even numbered years and the AL team selecting first in odd years. So in an odd-numbered year (i.e., 2003), the worst A.L. team picks 1st, the second-worst A.L. team picks 3rd, the third-worst A.L. team picks 5th, and so on.

WHAT PICKS DO THE INDIANS HAVE THIS YEAR?
The Indians will draft 11th in each round. They also have the Phillies 1st round pick (#18) and a "sandwich" pick (#31) between the first and second round as compensation for losing Jim Thome as a free-agent.

CAN DRAFT PICKS BE TRADED?
Draft picks cannot be traded.

HOW IS THE DRAFT CONDUCTED?
The draft is conducted via conference call. You can listen to the draft via mlb radio on the internet. It is very fast-paced with Tommy Lasorda typically providing the only entertainment when the Dodgers make their picks.

HOW MANY ROUNDS ARE IN THE DRAFT?
The draft lasts 50 rounds or until all teams have passed on selecting a player.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE DRAFT?
Residents of the United States, United States Territories (Puerto Rico), and Canada.

High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college.

College (4-year) players, who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 yrs old within 45 days after the draft.

Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed.

21-year-old players.

Teams must provide a list of potential draftees to MLB one week prior to the draft. If you've ever listened to the draft and heard the i.d.'s assigned to each player, you know the reason why.

WHAT IS A DRAFT-ELIGIBLE SOPHOMORE?
A sophomore who turns 21 within 45 days of the draft (i.e., the draft is on June 5 and the players birthday is July 3). That player would be eligible for the draft as a sophomore. Power hitting Rice 1B Vince Sinisi is the the premier draft-eligible sophomore this year. Jeremy Guthrie was drafted in the 3rd round by the Pirates in 2001 as a draft eligible sophomore but elected to return to Stanford for his junior season.

HOW LONG DOES A TEAM HAVE TO SIGN A PLAYER?
A club generally retains the rights to sign a selected player until one week prior to the next Draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis.

A selected player who enters a junior college cannot be signed until the conclusion of that school's baseball season. The window is from that date until one week prior to the draft.

A player who is drafted and does not sign with the Club that selected him may be drafted again at a future year's Draft, so long as the player is eligible for that year's Draft. A Club may not select a player again in a subsequent year, unless the player has consented to the re-selection. The Indians went through this with Ben Francisco in 2002 after drafting him out of high school in 1999.

WHAT IS A DRAFT AND FOLLOW (DFE)?
Drafted players who enter (or return to) junior college remain eligible to sign with the team that drafted them until seven days before the next year's draft. Teams often sign these players almost a year later. Draft and follow is the name for this process.

WHEN CAN DRAFTED PLAYERS BE TRADED?
A drafted player cannot be traded until one year after he signs his first pro contract. This is often the reason for PTBNLs (player to be named later) during the summer as teams must wait a full year before dealing a player they drafted/signed the year before. If a player is drafted in June and doesn't sign until August 5, he cannot be traded until August 5 of the next season.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A PLAYER IS NOT DRAFTED?
An eligible player who is not drafted becomes a free agent and may sign with any Club, up until one week before the next Draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college full-time or enters, or returns to, a junior college. In the one-week period before any Draft, which is called the "closed period," the general rule is that no Club may sign a new player.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WORLDWIDE DRAFT?
A worldwide draft to include players from all countries was agreed upon in spirit during the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations last summer. The details were supposed to be ironed out in future negotiating sessions in time for either the 2003 or 2004 drafts. As it turns out, the owners and players have only discussed this once since they averted a strike last year and the idea will most likely be tabled until the next CBA negotiations in 2006.

WHEN ARE FOREIGN PLAYERS ELIGIBLE TO BE SIGNED?
Players from outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico that are not draft-eligible may sign with major league teams when they are 16, with the restriction that the player must turn 17 by the end of his first professional season.

TOMORROW: Breaking down a Draft.

Posted on 5/19/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Monday, May 19

Record:	14-28, 4th Place, 10.5 GB
Last:	Lost 8-5 to Oakland on Sunday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight vs Detroit, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Gary Knotts (1-3, 4.19) vs Jason Davis (3-4, 6.21)
On Deck:	Three games in Bahstan this weekend

Thanks to Larry Dolan for the ducats yesterday (freebies from Opening Day).

Great game from the Tribe yesterday. Brian Anderson tossed a one-hitter, the offense took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, and the defense, particularly Omar Vizquel and John McDonald was superb. Heck, Shane Spencer even tracked down a few balls in the gap. The sun was out, the Tribe was winning, and life was good down at the Jake.

And then some idiot started the wave.

You know the guy. Drunk, goofy looking, claims the later innings as his own, cupstacker. Cleveland's finest.

So it's the top of the 8th inning and this guy decides it's time for the wave. Never mind that the Indians are on the verge of sweeping the A's or that Brian Anderson is tossing a one-hitter. This guy wants a wave and once the decision is made, there is no turning back. After all, you can't start a wave and not see it through to its fruition. That's just poor wave etiquette.

So up he stands to take the game out of Eric Wedge's hands. 1-2-3...WAVE, 1-2-3...WAVE, 1-2-3...WAVE....Four straight hits off of Brian Anderson. Finally, the crowd realizes what's going on and turns its attention back to the game and the Tribe escapes the inning with a 5-3 lead. Using the bottom half of the 8th to reorganize, the wave guy returns undaunted in the top of the 9th just as Danys Baez releases his first pitch. 1-2-3....WAVE, Boom, double. The wave guy moves down one section and stops to extoll the virtue of the wave to the nonbelievers. No wave, no damage, it's a bunt attempt for an out. But then, without warning, it's 1-2-3...WAVE and a single by Mark Ellis (score now 5-4). Next section, 1-2-3...WAVE, single by Terrence Long. One more section down, the wave guy cannot be stopped, 1-2-3...WAVE, single by Chris Singleton ties it at 5. The boos cause him to stagger but the wave guy fights on, 1-2-3....WAVE....single by Eric Byrnes and a 6-5 lead for Oakland. At this point, the boos send the wave guy reeling into the empty seats and he blends in with the crowd heading for the exits. But his damage is done. Fan morale is sapped, the Indians are losing, and the wave lives for another game. My only solace is that his wave never made it past ten sections but I suspect he salvaged his afternoon by picking up a few empty beer cups on the way out the door. Please, the next time you see this guy at the ballpark (and you will), stop him. Stop him from ruining the game, stop him from blowing a Tribe lead, and stop him from reproducing future generations of wave guys. Be the breakwall.

The Indians scored their last run on a crazy play in which Shane Spencer dropped a sac bunt attempt down the third base line in which Ramon Hernandez picked it up (rolling foul?) and threw it past first base. Ellis Burks ended up scoring on the play but I mention this mostly to comment on how Milton Bradley remained at second base while Oakland left third unattended until Miguel Tejada took off from a dead sprint while standing next to Bradley on second base. I failed to see what Joel Skinner was signaling but is this is a case of MB asleep on the bases? Or is this an overreaction on my part simply because it's Milton Bradley?

The play above started with the Spencer bunt attempt with the Tribe up 4-0 and runners on 1st and 2nd and no out. Strange enough play, but ok. After the error occurs, the Tribe is now up 5-0 with runners again on 1st and 2nd with no out. The next hitter is Casey Blake and he swings away. So why was Spencer bunting while Blake did not? It's the same situation and I would assume that Blake is a better bunter than Spencer. Is it because the Indians felt the A's would be on to them since they bunted the play before? Is it because Wedge's book says bunt when you're up four runs, but not five? Or is it that Spencer bunted on his own? I don't know. It looked like inconsistent decision making to me but if Spencer laid one down on his own, I would definitely be talking to him about that.

How impressive was the A's bullpen yesterday? Damn impressive. Chad Bradford, Jim Mecir, and Keith Foulke combined for five innings of one-hit relief yesterday, striking out 10. Keith Foulke made the Indians look foolish over the last two innings, including Jody Gerut and Omar Vizquel in the bottom of the 9th as they both looked at changeups (78 mph and 76 mph) float by for strike three.

Speaking of impressive, Brian Anderson was simply dominant through 7.1 innings, as evidenced by the one hit and 15 groundouts. I did notice that he was up over 100 pitches for the start of the 8th inning and then a batter later the hits started falling. But we all know that's the fault of the Wave Guy.

How about those back to back great diving stops by Omar Vizquel and John McDonald in the top of the 7th inning. Omar almost turned his for two only to be followed by Johnny Mac getting the DP on the next hitter. Awesome.

I didn't have the best vantage point but it looked Eric Byrnes' single in the 9th that scored the winning run would have been a doubleplay ball if the infield was back. Tough call with only one out in the 9th inning of a tie game but doubleplay depth up the middle?

Watching Chad Bradford dominate the Tribe yesterday, it makes me wonder why more relievers haven't attempted the conversion to the submarine delivery? It's such a unique angle for the hitter to pick up the ball that I think you'd add a couple of mph to your fastball from that alone, not to mention the element of deception. If I'm a 23 or 24 year old pitcher buried in middle relief in single-A, I would definitely consider making the switch in an attempt to salvage my career.

Damn that Mark Ellis!

In the continuing saga of "As the Bullpen Turns", Jerrod Riggan was designated for assignment and Jason Phillips was recalled from Buffalo. Used as a starter for the Bisons (his lone rbullpen outing was in "relief" of a three inning Jason Bere rehab appearance) Phillips was off to a fine start for the Bisons, posting a perfect 6-0 record and a 2.70 ERA in 43.1 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .222 average. He had also struck out 28 and walked 14 and given up 35 hits. Eric Wedge noted that he will be used in middle-relief and that he will not be used on consecutive days since he is less than a year removed from elbow surgery (August). Phillips was solid in an eight appearance audition (six starts) with the Indians last year (4.97 ERA, 41.2 IP, 41 H), including a one-run outing (7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 K) against the White Sox last July in Jacobs Field for his first (and only) major league victory. I like Phillips but I wonder how much work he will receive with fellow long relievers Terry Mulholland and Jake Westbrook (coming soon) also in the pen.

Riggan was demoted after only two appearances with the Indians in which he allowed four runs in four innings on seven hits and a walk. Eric Wedge noted that his fastball was up, his splitter was up, and he did not have command of his pitches. Mark Shapiro went on spin control and stated that the organizational scouting reports were united that Riggan could be a quality reliever and that his numbers in triple-A and with the Mets were real. Paul Hoynes correctly adds in the Plain Dealer that his numbers with the Indians are real as well.

Since he was designated for assignment, the Indians now have 10 days in which to trade him, release him, or outright him to the minor leagues. And since Riggan has previously been designated, he has the right to refuse the assignment and can become a free agent. Sheldon Ocker notes in the ABJ that there is some question as to whether the Indians will even offer him a triple-A contract if he clears waivers. Apparently, Riggan has a bit of a "know-it-all" attitude and is reluctant to take instruction from the coaching staff. Interesting. You always hate to lose a quality arm without getting anything in return but, at this point, I'm not going to lose too much sleep if the Tribe loses Riggan. I'd be surprised if the Indians did not make an offer, however, if only to escape the negative PR due to Riggan being part of the Roberto Alomar deal.

So the bullpen currently consists of Danys Baez, David Riske, Jason Boyd, Carl Sadler, Terry Mulholland, Billy Traber, and Jason Phillips. They'll probably only last for three more games, however, with Jason Bere scheduled to be activated for a start on Thursday so don't get too attached to them as a group. Who will be the odd man out? Despite his miracle work on Saturday against Oakland, Jason Boyd seems the obvious candidate. Phillips is a possibility as well, especially when you consider that conventional wisdom holds that Jake Westbrook is the likely candidate to be removed from the rotation and both Phillips and Westbrook are best suited for extended middle relief stints at this point. Since Bere is already on the 40-man roster, the Indians could send Phillips down without the risk of exposing him to waivers, although I would like to think he was recalled for more than just a four-game stretch. And finally, depending on how much use the bullpen receives over the next three days, that could factor into the decision as well. Although with the Tigers in town this week, you have to expect the starters to work into the 7th inning in each of the next three games.

So let's say that Thursday rolls around and the decision is made to farm out Jason Boyd and move Jake Westbrook into the bullpen. That would leave Baez, Riske, and Sadler as the short guys and Traber, Westbrook, Phillips, and Mulholland all available for multiple inning work. With that many guys available for long relief, do you think the Indians would give consideration to dropping from 12 to 11 pitchers and adding a position player? I think they're pretty much set on keeping 12 pitchers but, personally, I would love to see them send out a long man (probably Phillips) and bring up Coco Crisp from Buffalo. Aside from the obvious advantage of seeing what Coco can do in the big leagues, rewarding him for an unbelievable start, and adding a spark to the top of the lineup, the subtraction of a reliever would allow for more consistent use of the remaining guys in the pen, something that is crucial for the continued development of Billy Traber and Jake Westbrook.

Where would Coco play? Good question. That's the problem with his recall and perhaps it is a little too early for it but, nevertheless, here's what I would do. Keep in mind that Karim Garcia is eligible to come off the disabled list on Thursday and I suspect we will see a Gerut for Garcia move that day or over the upcoming weekend. The following is based on that assumption. I would recall Crisp and play him in centerfield and move Milton Bradley to one of the corners. Matt Lawton and Karim Garcia would wrap into a strange platoon and spell Ellis Burks at DH occasionally. Shane Spencer is the loser in this arrangement as he becomes the 5th outfielder but I'm not too concerned about that since he is out of here at the end of the year anyway. Of course, I don't have to worry about what the effects a grumpy Lawton or Garcia or Spencer will have within the clubhouse and I'm sure that's going to weigh heavily into the Indians decision, rightly or wrongly. That's why I say that it might be premature for a Coco promotion. The Tribe may simply be waiting for Karim Garcia to play himself out of a position, an injury, or a trade to free up an outfield spot. It's agreed that the a trade is the most unlikely of the above scenarios. Crisp, incidentally, banged out three more hits yesterday, scored twice, and is now hitting .359 for the season.

Jeremy Guthrie is number four on the Top Prospect Alert Hot/Cold List. Kazuhito Tadano receives his first props from the prospect watchers in the honorable mentions. Fausto Carmona is also an HM.

Chad Allen was recalled by the Marlins and will serve as their 5th outfielder.

CLEVELAND (14-28, 4th Place, 10.5 GB): The bullpen collapsed, Danys Baez got mushed, the Indians lost 8-5 to Oakland. I will spare you any further details. Blame the Wave Guy.

BUFFALO (27-13, 1st Place): Brian Tallet and two relievers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Bisons blanked Indianapolis 4-0. Tallet (4-1, 4.67) struck out six in seven innings and allowed only three hits and three walks. Alex Herrera fanned two in an inning and Dan Miceli tossed a scoreless frame. Coco Crisp (.359) banged out three more hits, including a double, and scored twice. Greg LaRocca (.325) doubled and singled to drive in two runs. Travis Hafner (.333) had two hits with a walk. Scott Pratt (.211) also had two hits. Alex Escobar (.234), Luis Garcia (.197), and Nate Grindell (.209) added basehits. Garcia and Grindell also walked. The Bisons beat up on former teammate Dave Burba (1-1, 4.76) to the tune of nine hits and two walks in five innings.

AKRON (24-19, 1st Place Tie): Jeremy Guthrie suffered the worst outing of his professional career as the Aeros fell in New Haven 6-2. Guthrie (5-2, 1.56) worked a scoreless first four innings before being touched for four runs in the fifth inning. He finished with a scoreless sixth and allowed ten hits in the game. He walked none and fanned two. Kazuhito Tadano was charged with two runs (both unearned) and struck out two in two innings of relief. Tyler Minges (.212) had three hits and drove in a run. Ron Wright (.250) doubled, singled, and knocked in a run. Maicer Izturis (.279), Grady Sizemore (.285), and Luis Gonzalez (.297) added basehits. Former Aero Simon Pond (.357) had three hits, including a double, for the Ravens.

KINSTON (20-21, 2nd Place Tie, 3.5 GB): The K-Tribe outlasted the rain drops for a 6-3 win over Winston-Salem in a rain shortened five inning game. Luke Scott (.307) belted his sixth homerun for the Indians. Brian Wright (.282) drove in two runs with a double and walk. Eider Torres (.253) scored three times, singled, was hit by two pitches, and stole two bases (#19-20). Wily Taveras (.276) singled and stole a base (#15). Bill Peavey added an RBI single and Rodney Choy Foo walked twice and swiped a base. Travis Foley (3-3, 4.50) went five innings for the win, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. He fanned six.

LAKE COUNTY (30-13, 1st Place): Rained out.

Posted on 5/19/2003

May 18, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Sunday, May 18

Record:	14-27, 4th Place, 10 GB
Last:	Won 4-2 over Oakland on Saturday
Streak:	Won two
Next:	Today vs Oakland, 1:05 PM
Matchup:	Ted Lilly (3-2, 3.67) vs Brian Anderson (2-4, 5.40)
On Deck:	Four games versus Detroit this week at the Jake

Did the following really happen yesterday?

Josh Bard homered?

Eric Wedge turned into a strato manager?

Jason Boyd retired Miguel Tejada on a comebacker with the bases loaded in the 7th inning?

Omar Vizquel dropped a squeeze bunt in the 8th inning?

Danys Baez retired Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada for the save after walking the previous two hitters?

The Indians beat the A's for the second day in a row?

Just checking.

Quick thoughts on Miller Park. Wisconites love to tailgate. It was a steady drizzle all day long but there must have been at least 50 tailgate parties going on in the parking lot. Unbelievable. It was like being at a Browns game, except I was in Milwaukee for a Brewers game in the rain in the middle of May. The park doesn't look all that big from the outside and it's surrounded by giant parking lots. They have some nice areas setup outside, including Gantner's Beer Gardens. I saw Haelfer Field (where the old County Stadium sat) but didn't really see it because of the rain. The outside facade is a nice brick and it has all of the amenities that modern stadiums have. The inside is very domish, even if it is retractable, with lots of concrete everywhere (paint must have been out of the budget). Good sight lines, probably not a bad seat in the park. We were in the club seats and the Jacobs Field club area is much nicer. Overall, Miller Park is not a bad stadium but I wouldn't rush back to see a game there either.

I listened to Extra Innings on WTAM after the Brewers game for about 75 minutes while driving through Wisconsin and Illinois. The signal came through crystal clear. I was pleasantly surprised. When they say 38 states and half of Canada, dude, they mean it.

Eric Wedge has decided to use Billy Traber more in late game situations while Carl Sadler will work more in the early-to-mid innings. Traber walked the only two batters he faced yesterday.

Bob Wickman is long-tossing several times a week as he continues his rehab, according to the Beacon Journal.

Ricky Gutierrez played five innings in extended spring training on Saturday, according to the Canton Repository.

I probably haven't said enough about the tremendous season that Coco Crisp is having in Buffalo, so here we go. Crisp is hitting .351/.451/.493/.944 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 14 steals, and a tasty 23 walk/15 strikeout ratio. He's been on base an amazing 82 times in 179 plate appearances. The homers are down from last year but he has 16 extra-base hits and has cranked up the on-base percentage. I realize we're only at the quarter pole of the season but how much longer can the Indians keep him down on the farm if he continues to produce at these levels? Karim Garcia needs to start producing when he returns or the pressure will be on.

The Canton Repository notes that Ben Francisco is rehabbing in extended spring training from a broken hand and is expected to be ready in mid-June. He'll report to high-A Kinston.

Shea Douglas tossed four perfect innings for Lake County yesterday, lowering his ERA to a microscopic 0.89 for the season. Douglas has now struck out 38 in 30.1 innings while allowing only 16 hits and 6 walks. The 32nd round left-hander out of Southern Miss has been dominating (to say the least) and a promotion to Kinston cannot be far away.

Another 2002 draft pick, lefty Blake Allen, is also off to a fine start in the Captains bullpen, posting a 1.57 ERA and he's struck out 26 in 23 innings while allowing just 13 hits and 8 walks. Nice.

Albie Lopez was placed on the 15-day disabled list by Kansas City with a pulled groin.

Dave Roberts was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Dodgers with a strained right hamstring and Paul Shuey was activated to take his place on the roster.

Ron Villone asked for his release from the Diamondbacks triple-A squad and signed a contract with the Astros.

Hansel Izquierdo signed a minor league contract with the Expos.

Orange County is a very underrated movie.

CLEVELAND (14-27, 4th Place, 10 GB): The Indians won for the fifth time in their last eight games with a 4-2 victory over Oakland on Saturday. Ricardo Rodriguez (4.31) carried a shutout into the sixth innings before allowing a run and he finished with just one run through six frames on three hits and three walks. That's when Eric Wedge took over as he used six pitchers to record the final nine outs. Jason Boyd retired Miguel Tejada with a comebacker with the bases loaded in the 7th to preserve the Indians 2-1 lead. Terry Mulholland gave up the Erubiel Durazo homer that tied the game in the 8th at two. Danys Baez retired Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada after walking the two previous hitters in the 9th for his 8th save. Josh Bard homered (#1) and singled. Matt Lawton drove in the game winning run in the 8th with a single and advanced to third on the play thanks to an error by A's outfielder Terrence Long. Lawton then scored on a nifty squeeze bunt by Omar Vizquel for the Indians final run. Ellis Burks and Casey Blake added doubles.

BUFFALO (26-13, 1st Place): Jason Bere struck out 11 in his final rehab start to lead the Bisons to a 2-0 victory over Indianapolis. Bere was simply dominating as he allowed just three hits without walking a batter in 6.2 innings. Aaron Myette followed with a scoreless 1.1 innings and Chad Paronto worked a perfect final inning for this 5th save. Coco Crisp (.351) had a pair of hits, stole two bases (#13-14) and was hit by a pitch. Zach Sorenson singled and walked. Jhonny Peralta singled and was hit by a pitch. Victor Martinez and Alex Escobar knocked in the Bisons runs. Travis Hafner was 0-for-3 with a walk and Greg LaRocca made an error.

AKRON (24-18, 1st Place): The Aeros rallied for five runs in the final two innings for a 5-3 victory in New Haven. Grady Sizemore drove in three runs with a pair of singles and he also walked and was hit by a pitch. Maicer Izturis also singled twice with a walk. Eric Crozier, Tyler Minges, and Hector Luna all singled and walked. Fernando Cabrera struck out seven in five innings while allowing only three this and walking four. He was charged with two runs, both unearned. Kyle Evans tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Jack Cressend was charged with an unearned run in 1.2 innings and Rafael Betancourt recorded the final out for his third save. Hector Luna made his 19th error at short.

KINSTON (19-21, 3rd Place, 4.5 GB): The K-Tribe lost 3-1 in a five inning rain shortened game in Winston-Salem. Jim Warden allowed three runs in 4.2 innings on seven hits and four walks while striking out two. One of the hits was a big fly. Pat Osborn had two hits for the Indians, including a double, and knocked in the lone Kinston run. Wily Taveras had the other K-Tribe hit and he also stole a base. Ivan Ochoa walked and stole a base. Brian Wright walked twice. Warden made an error on the mound.

LAKE COUNTY (30-13, 1st Place): Sean Smith turned in his best performance of the year as the Captains recorded their fifth shutout of the season with a 7-0 blanking of the Rome Braves. Smith (3-2, 5.18) struck out six in five innings while allowing three hits and two walks. He also struck out the final batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth inning, leaving the bases loaded. Shea Douglas worked the final four innings and did not allow a baserunner, striking out seven. JJ Sherrill had three hits, including a triple. Nathan Panther also had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Shaun Larkin drove in four runs with a homer (#4) and a sac fly. Matt Knox had a pair of this. Dave Wallace singled and walked, Jason Cooper singled, and Jesus Colmenter walked twice.

Posted on 5/18/2003

May 17, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Saturday, May 17

Record:	13-27, 4th Place
Last:	Won 3-2 over Oakland on Friday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Tonight vs Oakland, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	John Halama (2-2, 3.77) vs Ricardo Rodriguez (2-4, 4.66)
On Deck:	Four games vs Detroit this week

Big news update today. Miller Park tomorrow. Draft coverage begins Monday.

Moneyball (Billy Beane) and Rob Neyer's Big Bad Book of Baseball Lineups are the featured books on the CIR website this week. I ordered both and, hopefully, they'll be here early next week. I'll have some comments on the controversy surrounding Moneyball tomorrow.

Great game by the Indians last night. The only problem was that they finished before I could get the kids to bed.

Congratulations to The Prospect Report on their one year anniversary. If you're not a subscriber to this great free newsletter, you should be.

The Indians placed Travis Hafner (broken toe) and Dave Elder (rotator cuff tendinitis) on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Ben Broussard and Jerrod Riggan were recalled from Buffalo to take their spots on the roster. Broussard was already on the 40 and Riggan fills the open 40-man roster spot vacated when the Tribe designated Chad Paronto for assignment a few weeks ago. Jerrod has pitched pretty decent for Buffalo this year, holding triple-A hitters to a .237 average in 16.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA. Broussard had the hot spring but it did not carry over to the start of the season, although he has warmed up a little of late and was hitting 248/.297/.359 with two doubles and three homeruns as of a few days ago. It will be interesting to see if the Indians use Broussard against lefties Mark Mulder, John Halama, and Ted Lilly this weekend against Oakland.   Since I wrote the above, Riggan has allowed four runs in four innings on seven hits and Broussard is 3-for-11 with a dinger and a walk. I suspect Riggan (or Jason Boyd) is the likely candidate for demotion when Jason Bere (see below) is activated next week. Unless Broussard rakes (or someone else is injured), he'll probably return to Buffalo when Hafner is activated.

Jason Bere is scheduled to make his final rehab start on Saturday in Buffalo. If all goes well, he would be scheduled to be activated for a start next Thursday against Detroit. Oh joy, I think I'm going to that game.

Karim Garcia has taken swings without a protective brace on his left wrist. He's expected to start a brief rehab assignment and be activated on May 22.

Eric Wedge told the local papers that Mark Wohlers remains on target for an early June return. I would think we should see him head out on a rehab assignment shortly. In fact, Wednesday in Akron is the target date after he throws a simulated game on Monday.

Travis Hafner starts a rehab assignment in Buffalo today. He can come off the disabled list on May 25.

The Indians signed veteran reliever Dan Miceli to a minor league contract and he'll report to triple-A Buffalo. Miceli was recently released by the Rockies after posting a 5.66 ERA and allowing seven homeruns in 20.2 innings for them this season. The 32-year old was originally signed by the Royals as an undrafted free-agent and has seen time in the big leagues with the Rockies, Marlins, Tigers, Royals, Pirates, Padres, and Rangers, posting a career 4.82 ERA and allowing a whopping 72 homeruns in 523 innings. His best season was in 1998 when he posted a 3.22 ERA and struck out 70 in 72.2 innings for the Padres but, other than that, he's generally been borderline replacement to awful in every season save for a few months with the Rocks in 2001. You can blame the 21 saves he was credited with in 1995 while pitching for the Pirates that earned him the "former closer" badge and a false reputation of being a quality reliever. Looking for a glimmer of hope in this signing? Over the last three years, Miceli has held right-handers to a .208/.266/.353/.619 average. Looking for more? Tribe Assistant General Manager Chris Antonetti stated that Miceli has no guarantee of a big league job and that he'll make some appearances in triple-A and we'll see if he fits. That makes me feel better. It's just the Indians trying to capture lightning in a bottle. No harm in that.

Another low-risk signing, Blake Stein, was activated from extended spring training and will join the Aeros bullpen. He's the prototypical live arm journeyman former starter trying to convert to the bullpen in order to save his career. Marcos Mendoza was sent down to Kinston to make room for Stein. Mendoza has struggled this season (on and off the field) after a strong 2002 campaign, posting a 10.67 ERA in 14.1 innings with 16 hits allowed and 13 walks.

Chris Kline from Kinston.com notes that Brian Slocum was skipped a start to rest a tired arm. Kline adds that the injury to Nick Moran has been diagnosed as inflammation of the right elbow and that it could be similar to the injury that shut down Moran last May for the remainder of the 2002 season. K-Tribe skipper Torey Lovullo remains positive, however, and thinks that Moran may be out only 7-10 days. If the worst is true, this would be a crushing blow for the former third round pick (2001).

Kline also notes that the Indians do not allow single-A players to play seven days in a row.   That is something that I did not know.

Captains right-hander Fausto Carmona receives some love in BA's Daily Dish. Here's an excerpt...."He has a classic projectable frame with a loose, quick arm allowing him to generate deceptive, explosive velocity. He spins a hard 78-79 curveball with two-plane biting action, a potential knockout pitch as he refines his consistency and delivery. He shows a feel for his change, which is still below average. Opponents have managed a .197 clip against him in 49 innings, and just a .211 on-base mark."   Carmona has walked only 4 batters in 48.2 innings while allowing just 35 hits and striking out 24.

Carmona and Matt Knox were named Pitcher and Batter of the Week for the week ending May 15 in the Sally League. Carmona did not allow an earned run in 15.0 innings of work (and two wins) in two starts last week, scattering nine hits and one walk while striking out five. Knox appeared in all six Captains games while posting a .435 (10-23) batting average. Seven of his 10 hits went for extra bases: four homers and three doubles. Knox also drove-in eight runs while scoring seven times.

Also dealing for Lake County is left-hander Keith Ramsey, who ran his record to 5-1 on Tuesday with seven innings of one-run ball. Ramsey is even stingier than Carmona with the free passes, having surrendered only three walks in 50 innings this season. He's struck out 39 and allowed 44 hits and has a 1.62 ERA. Not too shabby for a 10th round pick from last year.

Quietly, Dave Wallace has taken over the team lead in OPS from teammate Jason Cooper. Wallace is hitting .320/.452/.520/.972 with 11 doubles, a triple, and four longballs. He's walked 21 times and been hit by pitches 10 times. Cooper's OPS stands at a very healthy .924.

The Indians signed Miguel (Damon) Sosa and Jorge Riera to contracts. Sosa will play in the DSL and Riera in the VSL. Jonel Pacheco (.375 in the VSL last year) was placed on the suspended list. I'm not sure what that means long-term but it sounds like it would lessen the chance of us seeing him in Burlington this summer.

The Newberg Report notes that the Dallas Morning News reported last Sunday that Brian Anderson wanted to sign with the Rangers in the offseason but they never made an offer. Anderson wanted to play for Buck Showalter and the paper went on to add that BA remains open to the possibility of signing with Texas via free agency this winter.

The Indians changed the start times for five games...
Saturday, May 17 vs. Oakland at 7:05PM
Saturday, May 31 vs. Chicago at 1:05PM
Saturday, June 14 vs. Los Angeles at 3:05PM
Saturday, June 28 vs. Cincinnati at 1:05PM
Saturday, August 9 vs. Anaheim at 1:05PM

They also announced the makeup date for the May 1 rainout against Anaheim. That game will be played on August 9 as part of a day/night doubleheader.

Steve Karsay has a setback in the rehab of his right shoulder and he may be done for the season. The Yankees were hoping to have him back by mid-June.

Steve Woodard was sent to the minors by the Red Sox after posting a 5.09 ERA and a .311 average in 17.2 innings.

Mike Hargrove's mother passed away earlier this week. Our condolences to the Hargrove family.

Marcus Scutaro was called up from triple-A by the Mets. He'll serve as a backup infielder until Rey Sanchez returns from the disabled list.

Tyler Houston was placed on the 15-day DL by the Phillies.

Charles Nagy was recalled by the Padres last night. He had a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings in triple-A.

John Rocker was sent back to double-A by the D-Rays. He had a 9.00 ERA and had walked three batters in one inning of work.

Jayson Stark notes in his Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN.com that the worldwide draft proposal has been essentially shelved and that the current draft structure may continue until the next labor deal.   Stark also forecasts a potentially limited trade market for the fielding-challenged Ellis Burks this trading season and notes that the Astros are poking around for a veteran left-handed starter and speculates they may make a run at Chuck Finley.   How about Brian Anderson?

CLEVELAND (13-27): The Indians defeated Mark Mulder and the Oakland A's 3-2 thanks to some strong pitching from CC Sabathia and timely hitting from Ellis Burks. Sabathia (3.00) worked the first seven innings and allowed only two solo homeruns and two other hits while walking two and striking out eight. CC needed 111 pitches to finish his outing and threw 74 strikes. Billy Traber was credited with his first major league win as he struck out two in one inning and Danys Baez worked a perfect final inning for his 7th save. Ellis Burks homered (#6) and singled to drive in all three Tribe runs. Omar Vizquel tripled and singled. Milton Bradley singled and walked, Shane Spencer and Jody Gerut singled, and Casey Blake drew a walk.

BUFFALO (25-13, 1st Place): The Bisons lost to Toledo 5-4 in 12 innings. The good guys jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning but the Mud Hens kept pecking away one run at a time and won it on a solo homerun in the bottom of the 12th. Mike Fyhrie (5.31) started for Buffalo and was charged with four runs in 5.1 innings on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two and served up two dingers. Jose Santiago worked 2.2 scoreless innings (but did he allow any inherited runners to score?) and Dan Miceli debuted with two strikeouts in a perfect inning. Lance Caraccioli took the loss when he allowed the dinger in his third inning of work. Zach Sorenson doubled and singled and drove in three runs. Greg LaRocca, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta all had two hits. Coco Crisp singled and walked. Alex Escobar, Dusty Wathan, and Nate Grindell also walked.

AKRON (23-18, 1st Place Tie): The Aeros were victimized by a seven-run 8th inning in a 10-3 loss to New Haven. Kyle Denney started for Akron and left the game with a 3-2 lead after allowing two runs (one earned) in six innings. He gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Blake Stein followed and his Tribe debut was a rough one as he was charged with four runs in one innings on three hits and three walks. Jose Vargas took over and had an almost identical line with four runs allowed on three hits and a pair of walks. Ron Wright belted his first homerun. Eric Crozier singled and stole a base. Brian Luderer and Hector Luna added basehits. Maicer Izturis made an error.

KINSTON (19-20, 3rd Place, 3.5 GB): Mariano Gomez suffered his worst start of the season as the K-Tribe lost 8-1 in Winston-Salem. Gomez (3-2, 4.81) allowed seven run on nine hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings. Included in those 3.2 innings was one longball. Chris Cooper permitted a run in 3.1 innings and Doug Lantz worked a scoreless frame. Wily Tavares tripled, singled, and stole a base. Brian Wright singled and knocked in the lone K-Tribe run. Rodney Choy Foo singled and walked, Armando Camacaro singled, and Eider Torres and Ivan Ochoa walked.

LAKE COUNTY (29-13, 1st Place): The Captains rounded out the rough night for the Tribe farm system with a 10-5 loss in Rome (Georgia). Dan Denham nearly matched Mariano Gomez in Kinston by allowing seven runs in three innings on eight hits and two walks. He also hit two batters. Juan Lara was touched for three runs in three innings on five hits and two dingers. Ignacio Montano worked two scoreless frames. Jonathan Van Every (.184) drove in three runs with a homerun (1st) and single. He also stole a base. Shaun Larkin, Clayton McCullough, Micah Schilling, and Chris De La Cruz walked. De La Cruz made an error. The loss snapped the Captains nine-game winning streak.

Posted on 5/17/2003

May 16, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Friday, May 16

Just the recaps from Tuesday-Thursday in this report. More to come tomorrow.

Record:	12-27, 4th Place, 12 GB
Last:	Lost 9-1 to Seattle on Thursday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight vs Oakland, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Mark Mulder (6-1, 2.55) vs CC Sabathia (2-2, 3.06)
On Deck:	Four games versus Detroit next week

CLEVELAND (12-27, 4th Place, 12 GB): Brian Anderson was rocked for six runs in four innings as the Mariners defeated the Indians 8-3 on Tuesday. Anderson (2-4, 5.40) allowed nine hits and one walk while striking out two. Jerrod Riggan allowed two runs on five hits while Terry Mulholland, Carl Sadler, and Jason Boyd worked a scoreless frame apiece. Ellis Burks, Jody Gerut, and Josh Bard doubled. Matt Lawton, Omar Vizquel, and Casey Blake. Brandon Phillips banged out two hits.

Jason Davis turned in his best outing of the year on Wednesday as he pitched the Indians to a 7-2 victory over Seattle. Davis (3-4, 6.21) allowed only two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Billy Traber and Danys Baez worked a scoreless inning apiece. Ben Broussard had three hits, including his first homerun. Matt Lawton, Ellis Burks, and Brandon Phillips doubled. Omar Vizquel, Milton Bradley, and Casey Blake singled. The Tribe jumped on top early 6-0 and Ben Broussard made an error.

The Mariners returned the favor on Thursday as they jumped out to a big early lead and went on to a 9-1 victory in a game that was delayed almost two and a half hours by rain. Jake Westbrook allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings on five hits and five walks in what may be the final start for him in awhile. Terry Mulholland, David Riske and Jason Boyd combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief while Jerrod Riggan gave up two runs in two innings. Omar Vizquel homered (#2) and walked. Shane Spencer and Jody Gerut doubled. Matt Lawton, Ellis Burks, Casey Blake, and Tim Laker singled.

BUFFALO (25-12, 1st Place): The Bisons won 5-4 in Toledo on Tuesday. Jason Phillips (6-0, 2.70) picked up his league-leading sixth win after allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in 7.2 innings. He struck out four and served up one dinger. Lance Caraccioli struck out four in 1.2 innings for his second save. Victor Martinez went deep (#3) and singled. Coco Crisp, Scott Pratt, Zach Sorenson, and Alex Escobar had a pair of hits. Escobar and Pratt also stole a base.

Jamie Brown allowed only two hits in seven innings to lead the Bisons to a 6-1 victory on Wednesday. Brown (3-1, 1.95) walked none, struck out three, and allowed only one run to cross the plate and that came in the first innings. Aaron Myette struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief. Alex Escobar doubled twice with a single to plate two runs. Victor Martinez doubled and singled. Coco Crisp tripled, Zach Sorenson singled and stole a base, and Greg LaRocca, Jhonny Peralta, and Luis Garcia singled.

The mighty, mighty Bisons continued to roll as they knocked off Toledo again on Thursday, this time by a score of 4-3. Jason Stanford (5-0, 2.79) went seven innings for the win as he struck out eight and allowed just two runs on five hits and three walks. Chad Paronto picked up his fourth save with 1.2 innings of relief. Greg LaRocca and Dusty Wathan both doubled and singled. Coco Crisp (.350) singled twice with a walk. Alex Escobar doubled and Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, Luis Garcia, and Nate Grindell added baseknocks.

AKRON (23-17, 1st Place): Jeremy Guthrie was sensational again as he threw a complete game shutout to lead the Aeros to a 4-0 win in Bowie. Guthrie (5-1, 1.05) scattered just four hits and struck out two while walking one. Grady Sizemore belted his fourth homerun and singled to drive in a pair. Eric Crozier also had two hits. Corey Smith singled and walked while Luis Gonzalez doubled and walked. Ryan Church and Ron Wright both walked three times. Smith committed his 20th error in the field.

Ryan Church belted two homeruns (#4-5) to pace an Aeros attack that pummeled the Bowie BaySox 13-3 on Wednesday. Church also doubled and drove in three runs. Luis Gonzalez blasted his second homerun and doubled to also plate three Aeros. Grady Sizemore doubled and singled. Ron Wright doubled. Corey Smith, Brian Luderer, Hector Luna added basehits. Maicer Izturis walked twice. Derrick Van Dusen (3-3, 5.25) went six innings for the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out three. Jack Cressend tossed two scoreless innings while Jose Vargas worked a scoreless frame. Hector Luna made two errors at short.

The Aeros won 4-1 on Thursday behind the strong pitching of Francisco Cruceta. Cruceta (1-3, 3.41) struck out six and allowed only one run in six innings on four hits and three walks. Kazuhito Tadano worked two scoreless innings and Rafael Betancourt struck out the side in the 9th inning for the save. Ryan Church had three hits and a walk. Eric Crozier belted his second homerun. Corey Smith doubled. Grady Sizemore, Luis Gonzalez, and Ron Wright singled.

KINSTON (19-19, 2nd Place, 2.5 GB): The K-Tribe was shutout 3-0 by Wilmington on Tuesday. The offense left 11 runners on base and were paced by Luke Scott's two singles and a walk. Wily Tavares, Eider Torres, Armando Camacaro, and Ben Margalski each singled. Scott, Camacaro, Rodney Choy Foo, and Miguel Quintana walked. Travis Foley (2-3, 4.30) took the loss as he was charged with two runs in four innings on four hits and four walks. He struck out five. Shane Arthurs allowed one run in 3.2 innings and Doug Lantz worked a scoreless 1.1 innings.

JD Martin turned in one of his better performances of the season but the K-Tribe lost to Wilmington 2-1. Martin allowed only one run in six innings on six hits and a walk. He did not strike out a batter. Scott Sturkie fanned three in two innings and Marcos Mendoza allowed a run in one inning. Brian Kirby belted a solo homer (#1) and doubled. Rodney Choy Foo and Brian Wright added basehits. Royals top prospect Zach Grienke (6-0, 1.20) struck out seven and allowed only the Kirby homer and two other hits in eight innings.

Wilmington completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory on Thursday. Victor Kliene (1-1, 3.60) took the loss as he was charged with five runs (two earned) in four innings on six hits and two walks. He struck out three and served up one homerun. Nate Fernley was touched for a run in three innings and Marcos Mendoza worked two scoreless frames. Bill Peavey had two hits and Eider Torres, Miguel Quintana, Ivan Ochoa, and Pat Osborn added basehits. Luke Scott walked twice. Bill Peavey dropped a popup which led to Kliene's unearned runs and Fernley also made an error.

LAKE COUNTY (29-12, 1st Place): Keith Ramsey tossed seven innings of one run ball to lead the Captains to a 7-1 victory over South Georgia. Ramsey (5-1, 1.62) scattered six hits and one walk while striking out five. Dan Eisentrager struck out three in two innings. Matt Knox homered (#4) for the third consecutive game and doubled with a walk. Dave Wallace had three hits, including a double. Nathan Panther homered (#7) and stole a base. Ricardo Rojas singled twice, walked, and swiped two bags. JJ Sherrill doubled and Jason Cooper singled. The game was the Captains first in their former home in Columbus, GA and 204 people were in the stands to see it.

The Captains outlasted the Waves 15-12 in an offensive slugfest. Dave Wallace homered (#3) with two singles to drive in four runs. Nathan Panther doubled, singled, walked, was hit by a pitch, and stole three bases. Jason Cooper doubled and singled. JJ Sherrill doubled, singled, walked, and swiped two bags. Matt Knox doubled and singled. Jonathan Van Every doubled. Bryan Kent and Chris De La Cruz singled. Jake Dittler was charged with five runs in 3.2 innings but only one was earned as the Captains made three errors (Micah Schilling, De La Cruz, and Van Every). Dittler struck out four, walked one, and gave up eight hits. Carlos De La Cruz allowed five runs in 2.1 innings, Ignacio Montano gave up two runs in one inning, and Blake Allen worked a scoreless frame.

Lake County ran their winning streak to nine games with a 7-0 victory over South Georgia on Thursday. Fausto Carmona (6-1, 1.11) was superb through eight innings as he scattered only three hits and one walk while striking out three. Todd Pennington worked a scoreless final inning. Matt Knox homered (#5) for the fourth time in five games and also doubled to drive in two runs. Dave Wallace homered (#4) and singled with a pair of walks. Nathan Panther had three hits and Jason Cooper singled twice. Ricardo Rojas belted a solo homer (#2). Micah Schilling singled and stole a base and Shaun Larkin added a basehit.

SLY FOX MASUGA (1-4): Despite being short-handed for the second consecutive game, the Foxers rolled to a 17-2, 4th inning run rule victory over the former Alexander's team for their first victory of the season. The good guys plated five in the first inning and eight more in the second and relied on the steady pitching of Big Daddy Rahm to shut down the Cowboy and company the rest of the way. Harold Ballgame triple and singled as did Frankie Flemming and Shindog. Jake and Big Daddy doubled and singled while the Janimal added two hits. Komar tripled and Joe and Sean added a baseknock. The Foxers finished the game with a smooth 4-6-3 double-play.

Posted on 5/16/2003

CIR UPDATE
Fausto Carmona and Matt Knox were named Pitcher and Batter of the Week for the week ending May 15 in the Sally League. Carmona did not allow an earned run in 15.0 innings of work (and two wins) in two starts last week, scattering nine hits and one walk while striking out five. Knox appeared in all six Captains games while posting a .435 (10-23) batting average. Seven of his 10 hits went for extra bases: four homers and three doubles. Knox also drove-in eight runs while scoring seven times.

Posted on 5/16/2003

CIR UPDATE
Updates will be posted later today. I'm working on them but it's a slow go this afternoon.

Posted on 5/16/2003

May 13, 2003

CIR UPDATE
The Indians placed Travis Hafner (broken toe) and Dave Elder (rotator cuff tendinitis) on the 15-day disabled list this afternoon. Ben Broussard and Jerrod Riggan were recalled from Buffalo to take their spots on the roster. Broussard was already on the 40 and Riggan will take the open 40-man roster spot vacated when the Tribe designated Chad Paronto for assignment a few weeks ago. Jerrod has pitched pretty decent for Buffalo this year, holding triple-A hitters to a .237 average in 16.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA. Broussard had the hot spring but it did not carry over to the start of the season, although he has warmed up a little of late and was hitting 248/.297/.359 with two doubles and three homeruns as of a few days ago. It will be interesting to see if the Indians use Broussard against lefties Ted Lilly, John Halama, and Mark Mulder this weekend against Oakland.

Posted on 5/13/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 13

Record:	11-25, 4th Place, 12 GB
Last:	Lost 17-10 in Texas on Sunday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight vs Seattle, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Joel Piniero (2-3, 4.06) vs Brian Anderson (2-3, 4.54)
On Deck:	Three games at home versus Oakland this weekend

The MLB Draft is three weeks from today and with four selections in the first 49 picks, the Indians will be active early and often. To get you prepared for the next wave of future Indians, the CIR's draft coverage starts next Monday, May 19.

Thanks to all who did a little Mother's Day shopping in the CIR Bookstore or through the Amazon.com link on the CIR website. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The Tribe embarks on a 10-day homestand in which they'll face Seattle for three, Oakland for three, and Detroit for four games. The matchups could be worse, though, as the Indians should escape from facing Jamie Moyer this week and Tim Hudson and Barry Zito over the weekend. Current probables for the Mariners and A's series forecast Joel Piniero, Freddy Garcia, Ryan Franklin, Mark Mulder, John Halama, and Ted Lilly. Not easy, but not as rough as it could have been. This will be a very good test for the young Tribe hitters as they'll have faced each of these squads before and will have to make adjustments as "the book" is starting to be written on them. Let's see if they continue their hot hitting from the weekend, a necessity made all the more important the closer we get to Mark Shapiro's 40-game evaluation mark (Friday).

The honors continue to roll in for Tribe prospect Jeremy Guthrie who was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for April in recognition of the 3-0 record and 1.27 ERA he compiled in his five starts. Guthrie struck out 17 and walked only six hitters and finished the month with a complete game three-hit shutout. Guthrie is also ranked number four on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet. Fausto Carmona makes his first appearance on the list as an honorable mention.

Kazuhito Tadano was promoted to Akron yesterday and tossed two scoreless innings in his Aeros debut. Tadano had held Carolina League hitters to a .191 average (13-for-68) and had posted a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings, striking out 28 and walking only 3. I thought he could move quickly and, so far, the Indians first foray into Japanese baseball is looking pretty good.

Jake Robbins was placed on the DL by Akron with a strained right latisimus muscle. Robbins has been a bright spot in a shaky Aeros bullpen this season, posting a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings, striking out 10 and holding hitters to a .171 average.

Jim Warden was bumped up to Kinston and made a rough start last night. Warden is recovering from a pair of shoulder surgeries and had made one prior appearance for Lake County in which he allowed three runs in four innings while striking out seven. K-Tribe skipper Torey Lovullo spoke highly of Warden in the Kinston Free Press this morning, saying "I'm a big fan of his. I'm a big fan of Jim Ed Warden. He's low and firm in the zone, has experience at this level and when he's healthy, I think he's one of the best pitchers we have in this organization."

Ignacio Montano was activated by Lake County to take Warden's spot on the roster. Montano has a 4.00 ERA in nine inning with the Captains this season.

In another Kinston move, Nate Fernley was activated from the disabled list and Reid Casey was sent to extended spring training.

The Indians made a series of moves with their Dominican and Venezuelan players yesterday with 19-year old RHP Edward Mujica (6'2", 185) and 20-year old outfielder Junior Garcia (6'0", 170) transferred to Burlington where I assume they will make their stateside debuts this summer. Garcia hit .281 with 36 steals in the Dominican league last year while Mujica posted a 1.78 ERA in 30.1 innings in the Venezuelan League.

Peter Gammons calls Zach Day the best sinkerballer in the game in his latest Diamond Notes column. Day is the player the Indians traded to Montreal for Milton Bradley and he has gone 4-1 in eight starts for the Expos this year with a 2.73 ERA and a .211 average against.

Interesting discussion on Baseball Tonight last night. The cash-strapped Marlins fire Jeff Torborg and eat the remaining $1.15 million of his contract. Then they hire 72-year old Jack McKeon as the (not interim, but new) manager for a reported $700k. Because McKeon is not the interim manager and was hired without the Marlins reviewing any minority candidates, MLB is expected to nail them with a $250k fine. So that's a total of $2.1 million they will be spending on their managers this season and all they have to show for it is Jack McKeon, who logic would seem to indicate will not be a long-term solution (3-5 years) for a team that is in desperate need of one. Then, in the offseason, the Marlins are expected to cry poor and lose Luis Castillo, Derrick Lee, Mike Lowell, and AJ Burnett to free-agency, forced trade, or non-tendering. Oh yes, and Peter Gammons notes that Mike Hampton (now on the Braves, never pitched for Florida) will be the Marlins highest paid player next year. Goddamn those fish for 1997!!

Ray Romano will make $50 million next year for Everybody Loves Raymond. Great show, but somehow A-Rod's $25 million doesn't seem so ridiculous.

Wanna hear my LeBron conspiracy theory? The NBA will allow the Cavs to win the lottery to save the franchise in Cleveland and maintain a good public face. Once his four years is up, however, and LeBron has matured and developed into the next NBA mega-star, he'll head to New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago via free-agency. You heard it it here first.

Happy 28th Birthday to Jack Cressend and 24th Birthday to Ryan Larson.

The CIR will be silent the next two days as I will be travelling for work. I'll be back on Friday with all the Indians news and notes along with a report on Miller Park in Milwaukee.

CLEVELAND (11-25, 4th Place, 12 GB): Day off

BUFFALO (22-12, 1st Place): Jason Bere threw five strong innings as the Bisons defeated Indianapolis 3-2. Bere allowed only one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four in his third rehab appearance (second with the Bisons). Jose Santiago was credited with the win despite allowing a run on four hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Chad Paronto notched his third save with 1.1 innings of scoreless innings. Greg LaRocca belted his second homerun, singled, and walked. Luis Garcia (.202) doubled, singled, and drove in two runs. Scott Pratt also had two hits, including a double, walked, and stole a base. Ben Broussard singled, walked, and stole a base. Dusty Wathan (.414) added a basehit and Jhonny Peralta singled. Peralta also made an error in the field.

AKRON (20-17, 2nd Place, .5 GB): The Aeros were shut out by the Bowie BaySox 3-0. Ryan Church and Victor Valencia had the only two Aeros hits although they did walk seven times and reach twice via a hit batsmen, leaving 10 runners on base for the game. Valencia also stole a base, Corey Smith walked twice, and Hector Luna received three free passes. Fernando Cabrera (2-2, 2.68) allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out three. Kazuhito Tadano worked two scoreless innings in his double-A debut, striking out two and allowing just one hit.

KINSTON (19-16, 2nd Place, .5 GB): The K-Tribe late inning rally came up just short as they lost 6-5 to Wilmington. Down 6-1, the Indians rallied for a run in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings and had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th before Armando Camacaro struck out to end the game. Rodney Choy Foo belted his third homerun, singled, and also stole a base. Eider Torres had a pair of hits and a walk. Camacaro blasted his first homerun of the year. Bill Peavey and Wily Taveras singled and walked. Pat Osborn and Ivan Ochoa added basehits. The Indians left 12 runners on base. Jim Warden allowed five runs in three innings in his first high-A outing of the season. He was tagged for six hits and struck out one. Nate Fernley threw three innings of one-run relief and Chris Cooper (1.74) struck out two in three perfect innings. Bill Peavey made an error.

LAKE COUNTY (26-12, 1st Place): The Captains knocked off South Georgia 8-4. Ricardo Rojas (.288) was a perfect 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot and swiped two bags and drove in a pair of runs. Matt Knox (.277) went deep for the third time and also singled. Dave Wallace (.277) had three hits, including a double, and stole a base. Jason Cooper (.289) singled with a walk. Jonathan Van Every (.168) doubled twice and also stole two bases. Micah Schilling (.217) singled and walked and Chris De La Cruz (.230) added a basehit. Clayton McCullough (.130) walked. Sean Smith (5.91) started for the Captains and was roughed up for four runs in 2.2 innings. He gave up five hits, walked three, and struck out five. The bullpen was superb again as three relievers combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless relief. Juan Lara (1-3, 6.85) struck out five in 2.1 innings for the win. Shea Douglas also struck out five in his three innings of relief and Todd Pennington fanned two in the final inning. Ricardo Rojas committed an error.

Posted on 5/13/2003

May 12, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Monday, May 12

Record:	11-25, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Lost 17-10 in Texas on Sunday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tuesday at home against Seattle, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Floyd Bannister (0-0, 0.00) vs Don Schulze (0-0, 0.00)
On Deck:	Three games at home against Seattle (Tues-Thurs)

The Indians are off today and start a 10-game homestand against Seattle (gulp), Oakland (double-gulp), and Detroit (hooray!).

Congrats to Rafael Palmiero on homerun #500 but let's hope that this is not the most notable accomplishment of Dave Elder's career. He and Jason Boyd have been pretty brutal so far, haven't they?

Tremendous defense by Jody Gerut and Brandon Phillips over the weekend.

Speaking of Phillips, he's hitting .308 with five doubles in May.

Ricardo Rodriguez was hit hard again yesterday, giving up seven runs (six earned) in four innings. His ERA now stands at 4.66 for the season and is at 7.66 over his last four starts against Seattle, Anaheim, Anaheim again, and Texas. Obviously, the lineups he's faced recently are a big part of his struggles but I'm particularly concerned about the lack of dominance (8 K, 9 W, 22 IP as opposed to 15 K, 8 W, 26 IP in first four starts) and the propensity to giving up the long ball (5 in last 4, 8 overall). He'll face Oakland in his next start before receiving a break with the Tigers slated to be the following two opponents when he takes the mound.

It turns out Travis Hafner's foot injury is a little more serious than originally thought as he's been diagnosed with a fracture of the left big toe. Hafner had a similar injury in 2000 when he was playing for the Rangers class-A team in Port Charlotte and missed two weeks recovering. He did sit out the last two games and it's possible that he could be placed on the DL by the Indians since the only real rehab for this injury is time and rest. Hafner is hitting .206/.280/.392/.672 with four homeruns. His possible replacement at triple-A, Ben Broussard, is hitting .248/.297/.359 with two doubles and three homeruns for Buffalo.

Jason Bere is scheduled to make a rehab start in Buffalo tonight with a goal of extending him to 80 pitches. Bere is expected to make one more rehab start this weekend before rejoining the Tribe next week.

Cliff Lee threw two innings, with three strikeouts, in an extended spring game on Saturday. He may face Ricky Gutierrez in his next appearance as Gutierrez is scheduled to start playing in extended spring games today.

Mark Wohlers threw 24 pitches on Saturday in his first appearance on the mound since his March 11 surgery. He should be ready for a rehab assignment shortly.

Bill Selby's double in the 8th inning snapped an 0-for-20 slump and raised his average to .083 on the season. I'm sure Selby is a good guy and a solid presence in the clubhouse, but isn't it time we took a look at Greg LaRocca or Zach Sorenson or (insert player here) in that role?

Is it time to start worrying a little about Victor Martinez in Buffalo? Terry Pluto noted in the ABJ over the weekend that triple-A hurlers are feeding him a steady diet of breaking balls and offspeed pitches and the early numbers show that that approach is working as Martinez is hitting .224/.346/.299 with only two doubles and two homeruns in 107 at-bats. The lack of power is worrisome but the silver lining is that's he maintained good plate discipline (17 walks, 13 K's) which means that's he not getting *that* fooled at the plate. Improvement should come (let's hope quickly).

Corey Smith made his 18th and 19th error in Akron on Saturday and is on pace to commit 70+ miscues for the season. There's been talk in the past of moving Smith away from the hot corner and into the outfield but here's the problem with such a move. If he stays at third, he's the Indians highest level third base prospect as long as Jhonny Peralta stays at shortstop. If he moves to the outfield he becomes the 5th or 6th highest level outfield prospect behind Coco Crisp, Jody Gerut, Alex Escobar, Ryan Church, and Grady Sizemore (not necessarily in that order). That's why I think you're going to see the Indians stick with Corey for as long as possible at third base. He just turned 21 and is holding his own at the plate in double-A (with a big improvment in his BB/K ratio) so the Tribe can afford to be patient with his defense as long as he's hitting. I caution that statement by noting he'll need to be added to a crowded 40-man roster in the offseason.

Ivan Ochoa was activated from the Kinston disabled list and Reid Casey was added to the K-Tribe roster out of extended spring training. Ochoa has been out the entire season with a hamstring injury. Joe Inglett (.342/.465/.481 with nine doubles) was placed on the DL to make room for Ochoa. Nick Moran (4-0, 3.55, 6 starts, 33 IP, 32 H, 7 W, 20 K) was placed on the DL to make room for Casey. No word yet on the injury or severity for either player.

Did you see the outings turned in by the Captains trio of Jake Dittler, Fausto Carmona, and Dan Denham over the Thurs-Saturday weekend? Dittler needed only 85 pitches to toss a complete game three-hitter on Thursday, Carmona needed only 76 pitches to work seven scoreless innings on Friday, and Denham needed only 63 pitches to work through seven innings of one-run ball on Saturday. Impressive work, to say the least. Check out these season numbers...

Fausto Carmona: 5-1, 1.33 ERA, 40.2 IP, 323 H, 3 W, 21 K
Dan Denham: 2-1, 2.20 ERA, 41 IP, 40 H, 9 W, 39K
Jake Dittler: 2-0, 1.85 ERA, 24.1 IP, 18 H, 3 W, 18 K

Carmona was promoted as a possible Jason Davis breakout pitcher this spring by one Indians exec whose name escapes me at the moment and he is well on his way with the above numbers. 3 walks in 40.2 innings? That's insane. Denham and Dittler are in their second season of Sally League ball and returned to work on their command and the results, so far, are very encouraging. Carmona does not turn 20 until December, Denham and Dittler don't turn 22 until December and November.

Dennis Manoloff notes that Assistant Farm Director Ross Atkins recently returned from a five-day trip to the Indians baseball academy in Venezuela where he noted that catcher Enrique Vasquez, third basemen Niuman Romero, and right-hander Jose Vargas stood out amongst the competition. Vasquez is a 6'0", 195 lb, 19 year old, right-handed hitting catcher who hit .154 in 104 at-bats last year. Vargas is a 6'1, 150 lb, 20 year old, right-handed pitcher who had a 2.01 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 22.1 innings last year. Romero is a 6'0", 160 lb, right-handed hitting infielder who signed with the Indians last November.

Manoloff also reports some rather frank quotes from Aeros skipper Brad Komminsk in regards to outfielder Alex Requena, "Unfortunately, he just hasn't gotten better. If anything, he has regressed" and "There comes a time where you have to hit or get off the pot". No sugar-coating there, huh? Requena is hitting .148/.246/.185 in 54 ABs this season.

Baseball Weekly ranked the Indians minor league system number one in baseball in their latest organizational rankings.

Baseball America notes that the Indians released LHP Engels Cordones. The 21 year-old Dominican never made it to the States and had shoulder surgery last April. BA also notes that Corey Erickson was released by the Giants and signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals.

Happy 27th Birthday to Dan Guillory.

CLEVELAND (11-25, 4th Place, 11.5 GB): CC Sabathia threw seven innings of two-run ball to lead the Indians to a 6-4 victory over Texas on Saturday. Sabathia (2-2, 3.06) allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three. He threw 64 of 102 pitches for strikes and recorded 15 outs via the flyout as opposed to only three groundouts. David Riske recorded only one out and was charged with two runs on two hits. Carl Sadler walked the only batter he faced and Danys Baez allowed a hit and a walk in 1.2 innings. Brandon Phillips and Casey Blake each doubled and singled and drove in a run. Omar Vizquel drove in two runs with a double and single. Jody Gerut also doubled and made three great catches in the outfield. Shane Spencer singled twice and walked, Josh Bard singled home a run, and Milton Bradley walked.

Rafael Palmiero belted his 500th career homerun as the Rangers beat up on the Indians 17-10. Raffy went deep in his final at-bat of the game and his final at-bat of the homestand as he came through for the Texas faithful. Brandon Phillips (.239) drove in three runs for the Indians with a double and single. Matt Lawton (.205) hit his 6th homerun and Tim Laker (.296) belted his first homerun. Laker also doubled. Omar Vizquel (.293) singled twice and drove in two runs. Jody Gerut (.244) doubled and singled. Shane Spencer (.236) and Bill Selby (.083) doubled. Milton Bradley (.340) and Casey Blake (.228) walked. Ricardo Rodriguez (2-4, 4.66) started for the Indians and allowed seven runs (six earned) in four innings. He gave up eight hits and one walk while striking out two. The outing was the shortest of the season for Rodriguez as he only threw 69 pitches. Billy Traber did some nifty work in the 5th inning to work out of a jam but allowed two runs on four hits in two innings. Jason Boyd gave up six runs in 1/3 of an inning and Dave Elder was charged with two runs in 1.2 innings, including Palmiero's 500th dinger. Tim Laker and Bill Selby made errors for the Indians.

BUFFALO (21-12, 1st Place): Indianapolis defeated the Bison 5-1 on Saturday. Coco Crisp had three hits, including a double, and stole two bases (#10-11). Zach Sorenson drove in the Bisons lone run and also walked and stole a base. Ben Broussard singled and walked, as did Nate Grindell. Jhonny Peralta added a single and Greg LaRocca walked. Mike Fyhrie (1-4, 5.08) gave up four runs in 5.1 innings on seven hits and four walks. Lance Caraccioli allowed a run in 1.2 innings and Jerrod Riggan struck out two in a scoreless final inning.

The Bisons offense erupted for 13 runs as they knocked off the I-Indians 13-6. Coco Crisp (.355) had three more hits, including two doubles (#9-10) and scored three times. He also stole a base (#12) and was hit by a pitch. Greg LaRocca (.331) doubled, singled, walked, and drove in three runs. Alex Escobar (.219) doubled and singled. Scott Pratt (.167) tripled, walked, and stole a base. Zach Sorenson (.252) singled and walked. Ben Broussard (.248) and Jhonny Peralta (.267) singled. Luis Garcia (.190) belted his 4th homerun. Victor Martinez (.224) walked. Brian Tallet (3-1, 5.40) picked up his third win despite allowing five runs in five innings, giving up seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Alex Herrera allowed two runs in two innings, Aaron Myette tossed a scoreless inning, and Chad Paronto allowed a run in one frame.

AKRON (20-16, 1st Place Tie): The Aeros rallied for four runs in the last two innings for a 4-3 victory over Norwich on Saturday. Francisco Cruceta (3.81) gave up three runs (two earned) in the first inning but then held the Navigators scoreless for the six innings. He struck out seven and allowed only five hits and two walks. Jack Cressend finished with two scoreless innings. Grady Sizemore homered (#3) and singled to drive in two runs. Ryan Church needed only a homerun for the cycle. Maicer Izturis doubled. Luis Gonzalez and Corey Smith singled. Ron Wright walked twice. Corey Smith made two more errors (#18-19).

Kyle Denney and Boof Bonser faced off in a pitchers duel for six innings before the bats erupted and the Aeros hung on for a 6-5 victory. Denney (2.66) allowed one unearned run in six innings on five hits and one walk while striking out four. Bonser (top Giants pitching prospect) threw six scoreless innings before being charged with a run in the 7th inning and he allowed only one hit and three walks while striking out six. The Aeros ended up putting five runs on the board in the 7th and added a run in 8th for a 6-1 lead headed into the final inning. The Navigators rallied for four runs in the top half of the inning before Jake Robbins could record the final out and preserve the Akron Victory. Kyle Evans (4.99) tossed a scoreless inning. Rafael Betancourt (1.90) was charged with an unearned run. Marcos Mendoza was charged with three runs and Jake Robbins walked three but did not allow the tying run across the plate for his third save. Maicer Izturis (.301) drove in three runs with a triple and single. He also stole his 8th base. Grady Sizemore (.281), Eric Crozier (.250), Ryan Church (.250), and Victor Valencia (.211) singled. Church also walked twice as did Ron Wright (.277). Izturis, Valencia, and Hector Luna (3 - #14, 15, 16) made errors.

KINSTON (19-15, 1st Place Tie): Victor Kliene tossed six strong innings to lead the K-Tribe to a 7-6 victory over Potomac on Saturday. Kliene (1-0, 3.43) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings for his first win of the season. He struck out one. Reid Casey, fresh from extended spring training, allowed three runs on four hits in one inning. Doug Lantz was charged with an unearned run in one inning and Lee Gronkiewicz tossed a scoreless frame to pick up his 7th save. The offense jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings. Bill Peavey belted his first homerun, a two-run jack, and also singled. Rodney Choy Foo drove in three runs with a solo homer (#2) and a single. He also stole a base. Wily Taveras singled, was hit by a pitch, and swiped two bags (#12-13). Eider Torres singled, walked, and stole three bases (#16-17-18). Ivan Ochoa had two hits in his 2003 debut. Luke Scott doubled and Brian Jenkins singled. The K-Tribe stole seven bases and Ivan Ochoa made an error.

The bats stayed hot on Sunday as the K-Tribe knocked off Potomac 7-4. Brian Wright (.315) belted his first homerun. Wily Taveras (.280) doubled and singled. Eider Torres (.254) had a pair of hits. Ben Margalski (.159) doubled, singled, and walked. Ivan Ochoa (.571) doubled, singled, and stole a base. Rodney Choy Foo (.343) singled, Miguel Quintana (.265) doubled, and Bill Peavey (.248) added a two-bagger. Luke Scott (.321) walked and was hit by a pitch. Mariano Gomez (3-1, 3.66) allowed four runs in six innings, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out two. He served up three longballs. Scott Sturkie (2.61) tossed two scoreless innings and Lee Gronkiewicz (2.08) allowed three hits in the 9th but shut the door before any damage was done for his 8th save.

LAKE COUNTY (25-12, 1st Place): Dan Denham was sensational through seven innings and pitched the Captains to a 7-1 victory over Kannapolis on Saturday. Denham (2-1, 2.20) needed only 63 pitches to work through seven frames as he held the Intimidators to one unearned run and six hits. He struck out two and walked none. Blake Allen extended his scoreless streak to 19.1 innings with a scoreless frame and Todd Pennington closed out the game with a scoreless final inning. Matt Knox belted his second homerun for the offense. Dave Wallace singled twice and stole a base. Micah Schilling doubled and singled. Shaun Larkin singled, doubled, and walked. Bryan Kent singled and was hit by a pitch. JJ Sherrill and Ricardo Rojas added basehits while Nathan Panther and Jonathan Van Every walked. Schilling made an error in the field.

The Captains had a travel day on Sunday.

Posted on 5/12/2003

May 10, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Saturday, May 10

Record:	10-24, 4th Place, 10.5 GB
Last:	Won 9-5 in Texas on Friday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Tonight in Texas, 8:05 ET
Matchup:	CC Sabathia (1-2, 3.13) vs Alan Benes (0-0, 0.00)
On Deck:	Three games at home against Seattle (Tues-Thurs)

I was poking around some message boards last night and noticed that a few people were wondering how they could subscribe to the CIR, so let me mention the following. If you ever need to contact me about subscribing or you just have a comment or suggestion on the CIR, I can be reached via e-mail at IndiansReport@aol.com. All other forms of communication will be dealt with swiftly by my entourage (wink).

Nice win by the Tribe last night. If only we could play Texas every game.

Impressions from Thursday's Akron game (note that I missed the first inning while searching for a parking spot)....

Jeremy Guthrie is impressive. Clean delivery with smooth mechanics that leave him in a good fielding position as evidenced by how quickly he pounced off the bunt on a bunt attempt and a double-play ball back to the mound. He doesn't throw anything straight and his breaking pitch is a big-time strikeout pitch (five of the six K's I saw were on the bender). Jim Ingraham noted in the LMJ that he threw 106 pitches (76 strikes) and that he threw first pitch strikes to 18 of 31 hitters. He pounded the strike zone all day with every pitch. I could not see the guns but I would say he was in the low 90s consistently and, when he needed to, he would kick it up a couple of extra mphs. He has tremendous poise and focus as evidenced in the 4th inning when he gave up a leadoff double (only hard-hit ball I saw) and a run scored when Corey Smith made an error on the next batter. That left a man on second with no outs and one run already scored. Guthrie pounced off the mound for the 1-3 sacrifice to the next hitter and then struck out leadoff hitter Chris Duffy (looking, fastball outside corner, four pitches) and Pirates top prospect Jose Castillo (great at-bat, lots of foul balls). He had previously frozen Castillo in the third inning with a 3-2 curve on the inside corner. Guthrie did take a shot from the last batter he faced but quickly recovered and threw the guy out at first. I was writing something and only heard a loud "thwack". He limped off the field under his own power and I haven't heard anything mentioned about it since. I'm glad I saw him when I did because I don't think he's going to be in Akron very long.

Corey Smith did not have a good day. He struck out in his first two attempts on breaking pitches and then when he finally worked himself into a fastball count, he got the pitch he wanted, but flied out to short right-center. He did single through the hole in the 8th inning. Defensively, Smith struggled as well, making two errors. The first came on a bunt in which he charged and made the barehand pickup only to double-clutch and then throw the ball 10 feet wide off the bag. This was the unearned run charged to Guthrie. The second error was a concentration error, easy two-hopper right to him and he looked like he completed his throwing motion before the ball even hit his glove. Physically, he looks like he's got some tools and, aside from swinging at the first pitch, he did seem to have some idea of the strike zone. Curve balls, though, continue to give him fits (at least they did this day).

Maicer (pronounced My-Sir) Izturis can blame me for his 18-game hitting streak coming to an end as I was also at the park last year when Dave Elder's 18.2 inning scoreless streak was snapped. Izturis is very small but quick and hits out of a wide open stance.

I was surprised at Hector Luna's upper body. It looks like he's got some pipes. He also has a big butt. In short, he's not the lean, wiry shortstop that we're used to. He looked pretty smooth in the field this day.

Grady Sizemore looks like an athlete, but he needs to add some bulk.

Eric Crozier has some Fred McGriff mannerisms at the plate. He also got down the line pretty quickly on his basehits.

Ryan Church turned on a first pitch fastball and set a laser deep down the line foul. Then he struck out three straight times.

Jake Robbins is a big dude who throws hard but has no idea where it's going.

I sat one section over from Mark Shapiro and the rest of the Tribe brass in attendance. He spent a lot of time on the cell phone and I couldn't help but wonder if he was calling up Billy Beane or Jim Bowden and leaving voicemail messages like " Guthrie just made Jose Castillo look silly, another scoreless inning". I know in our rotisserie league whenever Justin Morneau (or one of my other prospects) goes 4-for-5 with a couple of homeruns, I can't get the e-mail out fast enough to a select group of owners :-).

All in all, Guthrie was extremely impressive and even though the Aeros lost and the sky was overcast, it sure beat being at work.

I told you not to be surprised if something happened with Karim Garcia when Milton Bradley was activated on Thursday. Of course, I think we're all a little surprised that Garcia was placed on the disabled list (strained left wrist) given that he had banged out two hits the night before, had told Sheldon Ocker of the ABJ two days before that his wrist was better, and that he had said his swing was coming around after he singled with a deep fly out last Sunday. Garcia received a cortisone shot on Thursday and he's expected to start a rehab assignment next Tuesday or Wednesday. This is a good move by the Indians as the wrist is a good means of getting Garcia some rest and allowing him to get comfortable at the plate again away from the pressures of the big league club. It also gives the Indians another 15 days to evaluate Jody Gerut at the major league level. When Garcia returns, however, I can't imagine he's going to have too much longer to get himself straightened out. If he's hitting .205 on June 1, can the Indians afford not to dump him and bring up Gerut or Coco Crisp full-time? Mark Shapiro had a rather cryptic comment when asked if the sore wrist was responsible for his weak at-bats: "I'm not sure". Not exactly a vote of confidence, huh?

Travis Hafner left last nights game in the third inning with a bruised toe. The injury is not expected to be serious and he could be back in the lineup today.

In a precautionary move, Ellis Burks was removed from last nights game in the fifth inning due to overheating.

The Aeros activated Jose Vargas and placed Ryan Larson on the disabled list. Larson had a 3.38 ERA in 13.1 innings this season (16 H, 4 W, 8 K).

Eric Crozier was scheduled to have an MRI on Friday. He's been bothered by a sore back but he was in the lineup again last night.

20 years ago, George Brett was victimized by Pine-Tar gate. Last night, Torey Lovullo pulled a similar coup as he had a single and run removed from the board when they caught a member of the Potomac Sounds using an illegal bat (not pinetar, sounds like it was illegal make or model). Unfortunately, this was after the Sounds had put up six or seven runs already.

Make sure to check out the recaps to see what Jake Dittler and Fausto Carmona have done the last two nights for Lake County. You won't be disappointed.

John Rocker was recalled from double-A by the Devil Rays and walked the only two batters he faced last night.

The Rangers optioned Ryan Drese to triple-A Oklahoma City. Drese had a 2-2 record and a 7.65 ERA in five starts for the Rangers this season, allowing 30 hits in 20 innings while walking 17. Texas is also expected to activate former Indian Herb Perry before tonight's game.

Rich Rodriguez was outrighted to triple-A Salt Lake City by the Angels. He had been designated for assignment on Wednesday and cleared waivers last night.

The ageless one, Jesse Orosco, picked up his second save of the season for the Padres last night (at age 46). Can you believe that he was considered "old" when he pitched for the Indians from 1989-1991.

Brian Giles was activated from the disabled list by the Pirates.

The Red Sox released Hansel Izquierdo from a minor league contract. He had a 11.48 ERA in 13.1 innings for Pawtucket.

Rudy Seanez signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. It's believed that he has a two-week agreement with the Sox to pitch in Pawtucket after which he can ask for his release if he is not promoted to the big league club.

Matt White was charged with an unearned run in two innings in his first rehab appearance for the Red Sox. White is pitching for single-A Sarasota and he's been on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle.

Former Indian Art Houtteman passed away of a heart attack on Tuesday at the age of 75. Houtteman pitched for the Indians from 1953-1957 and went 34-22 with a 3.97 ERA. He was part of the 1954 starting rotation, along with Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia, Early Wynn, Bob Feller, and won 15 games with a 3.97 ERA in 25 starts. For his 12-year major league career, Houtteman was 87-91 with a 4.14 ERA. For a neat perspective on his career, make sure to check out Friday's edition of Billy-Ball.

The Cavs will host a draft lottery party on Thursday, May 22 at Champps in Valley View.

Remember David Clyde? The 18-year old left-handed phenom who went right from high school to the big leagues for the Rangers in 1973? Ended his career with a short stint with the Indians? For more on Clyde, check out this article in the Dallas Observer.

CLEVELAND (10-24, 4th Place, 10.5 GB): The Tribe extended their West Coast losing streak to nine games with a 7-1 loss to Anaheim on Thursday night. Jason Davis (2-4, 7.20) allowed six runs in four innings on seven hits and two walks. He struck out two and the big blow came when he served up a 2-0 fastball that Garrett Anderson deposited into the seats for a salami and a 6-1 Angels lead. Billy Traber allowed a run in 1.2 innings, Jason Boyd recorded four outs, and Dave Elder struck out all three batters he faced. The Indians had their chances early when they placed runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs in each of the first two innings but they could only push one run across the dish. Matt Lawton doubled and Johnny McDonald and Brandon Phillips singled. Milton Bradley walked twice and stole a base. Ellis Burks walked twice and Josh Bard also received a free pass. The Tribe left seven runners on base.

Leaving Pacific Time was a boon to the offense as they erupted for seven runs in the first three innings and went on to a 9-5 victory in Texas. The Tribe banged out 16 hits, including seven doubles, and chased Rangers starter John Thomson in the third inning. Omar Vizquel had four hits, including a double. Matt Lawton belted his 5th homerun and also doubled. Milton Bradley singled twice, walked, and stole a base. Casey Blake doubled, singled, and walked. Brandon Phillips doubled twice. Tim Laker, John McDonald, and Travis Hafner each doubled and Shane Spencer added a single. Jake Westbrook (2-2, 3.00) finally received some run support and threw 6.2 innings of solid ball to pick up his second win. Westbrook allowed two runs on seven hits and walked one while striking out two. The Tribe extended him out to 94 pitches. Carl Sadler worked a 1/3 of an inning. Dave Elder walked the two men he faced. David Riske tossed a scoreless innings and Terry Mulholland allowed three runs in his one inning toeing the rubber.

BUFFALO (20-11, 1st Place): Jamie Brown tossed seven strong innings on Thursday to lead the Bisons to a 4-2 victory over Toledo. Brown (2-1, 2.18) allowed only two runs on three hits and he struck out two and walked none. Aaron Myette tossed a scoreless frame and Chad Paronto struck out the side in the 9th for his second save. Coco Crisp had a pair of hits and stole two bases (#8-9). Dusty Wathan and Nate Grindell doubled. Ben Broussard and Jhonny Peralta singled. Victor Martinez walked and Peralta made an error.

On Friday, the offense scored eight runs in the final three innings to secure a 13-5 victory in Indianapolis. Alex Escobar (.217) drove in six runs with a homerun (#6), single, and walk. Coco Crisp doubled, singled, and walked. Luis Garcia doubled twice. Dusty Wathan had two hits and a walk. Zach Sorenson singled and walked. Ben Broussard walked twice and singled. Jhonny Peralta banged out a pair of singles, Nate Grindell singled and was hit by a pitch, and Greg LaRocca had a pair of hits with a walk. Jason Stanford (4-0, 2.85) pitched six innings for the win, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking none. Jose Santiago tossed two scoreless innings and Alex Herrera mopped up with a scoreless final inning. Zach Sorenson made an error for the Bisons.

AKRON (18-16, 1st Place Tie): The Aeros lost 3-1 on Thursday. Jeremy Guthrie took the loss for the first time in his professional career although he certainly pitched good enough for a win, allowing only one earned run (two runs total) in eight innings on five hits. He struck out seven and walked none. Jake Robbins allowed a run in one inning of relief. Eric Crozier had two hits for the Aeros. Brian Luderer doubled. Hector Luna and Grady Sizemore each walked twice and singled. Corey Smith added a basehit. He also made two errors in the field while Crozier made one. The Aeros left ten men on base. Maicer Izturis' 18-game hitting streak was snapped as he went 0-for-5 at the plate.

The offense came alive on Friday, however, as the Aeros defeated Norwich 8-1. Luis Gonzalez (.320) was a perfect 5-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Ron Wright doubled, singled, and walked. Maicer Izturis doubled and stole a base. Grady Sizemore had a pair of hits and a sac fly. Ryan Church drove in three runs as he singled with a sac fly. Eric Crozier doubled and walked. Hector Luna doubled and was hit by a pitch. Victor Valencia added a basehit. Derrick Van Dusen (2-3, 5.70) tossed six innings of one-run ball for the win, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six. Rafael Betancourt struck out four in two innings and Jose Vargas worked a scoreless final inning. Luis Gonzalez committed an error.

KINSTON (17-15, 2nd Place, 1 GB): The K-Tribe won 6-3 over Potomac on Thursday. Pat Osborn smacked a three-run homer as part of a four run first inning. JD Martin gave up three runs in five innings on seven hits and two walks. He struck out two and was helped by two double play balls. Scott Sturkie and Lee Gronkiewicz combined for four scoreless innings of relief with Gronkiewicz earning his 6th save.

Potomac turned the tides on the K-Tribe, however, as they knocked off the Indians 8-1. Brian Slocum (2-3, 4.05) surrendered seven runs (six earned) in four innings to take the loss. He struck out two, walked four, and served up on big fly. Chris Cooper tossed three scoreless innings and Shane Arthurs allowed a run in two innings. At the plate, Wily Taveras had three hits, including a double, and stole a base (#11). Luke Scott, Rodney Choy Foo, and Miguel Quintana each had two hits with Quintana driving in a run. Eider Torres and Bill Peavey walked with Torres committing an error in the field.

LAKE COUNTY (24-12, 1st Place): Jake Dittler threw the first complete game of his career as he tossed a three-hitter to lead the Captains to a 5-1 victory over Kannapolis. Dittler (2-0, 1.85) needed only 85 pitches to work the full nine innings and surrendered only three hits with the only blemish being a solo homer in the 8th inning. He struck out eight and walked none. Matt Knox doubled twice, walked, and drove in two runs. Dave Wallace had a pair of hits. Shaun Larkin doubled and walked. Jason Cooper walked twice with a single. Chris De La Cruz singled, walked, and stole a base. JJ Sherrill walked and Chris De La Cruz and Micah Schilling committed errors.

The great pitching continued in Eastlake on Friday as Fausto Carmona and Carlos De La Cruz combined for a 1-0 shutout of Kannapolis. Carmona (5-1, 1.73) worked the first seven innings in 76 pitches (56 strikes) and allowed only six hits while striking out two and walking none. De La Cruz then finished with two perfect innings, striking out three. Kannapolis did not have a runner reach third base in the game. Nathan Panther scored from second on a Matt Knox infield single for the Captains only run. Panther singled and also stole a base (#9). Aside from the infield hit, Knox also walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Jesus Colmenter added the Captains other hit. JJ Sherrill and Dave Wallace walked and Chris De La Cruz was hit by a pitch. De La Cruz also made an error.

SLY FOX MASUGA (0-4, 8th Place): The valiant Foxers, missing three of their top five hitters at the start of the game, battled the mighty ringers of Slam Jams, only to fall 22-12 in six innings. The Fox jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning but were down to their last at-bat by the 4th as they faced a 15-5 deficit and a potential run-rule. Amazingly enough, the scrappy Fox put a seven-spot on the board to close to 15-12 before Slam Jams put the game away for good in the next inning. Harold Ballgame had four hits, including a double. Komar singled twice with a triple. Pit trotted to two triples. Jake had two hits. Joe doubled and singled. The Janimal and Coach The each banged out two hits. Frankie showed up mid-game and singled and Chris NewGuy added a basehit. Big Daddy (0-2) took the loss and singled at the plate. Luminaries taking in the game on a beautiful Friday night included longtime Fox hurler Ray and Old Man on Bike.

Posted on 5/10/2003

May 09, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Friday, May 9

Things are conspiring against me today.

First of all, I left all my notes at home this morning.

Secondly, if you ever want to put a scare into a manufacturer, just mention some combination of the words "shutdown General Motors". Regardless of whether they're at fault, you'll have people scampering all over the place (especially on a Friday).

So, needless to say, there will not be a CIR this afternoon. I'll be back tomorrow with the regular report as well as an account of my trip to see Jeremy Guthrie in Akron yesterday afternoon. Sum up my impressions in one word? How about...IMPRESSIVE!

Posted on 5/09/2003

May 08, 2003

CIR UPDATE
The Indians activated Milton Bradley and placed Karim Garcia on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left wrist. More tomorrow in the CIR.

Posted on 5/08/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Thursday, May 8

Record:	9-23, 4th Place
Last:	Lost 6-5 to Anaheim on Wednesday
Streak:	Lost two
Next:	Tonight in Anaheim, 10:05 PM
Matchup:	Jason Davis (2-3, 6.39) vs Kevin Appier (1-2, 7.36)
On Deck:	Three games this weekend in Texas

Indians bullpen: 2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 W, 1 K
Angels bullpen: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 W, 4 K

Game over.

I was pretty close on John Lackey last night, wasn't I? There goes the old ratio.

Milton Bradley is expected to be activated from the disabled list this afternoon. Since he was placed on the DL on April 26, the Indians have gone 2-10 without him. Who will be the odd man out? The safe bet is Jody Gerut being returned to Buffalo to play every day. While he certainly hasn't embarrassed himself, hitting .250/.276/.429 with two doubles and a homerun and displaying a nice glove and arm in the outfield, unless the Indians make another move, I don't see consistent playing time for him at the major league level. If that's the case, he probably is better off playing every day in triple-A.

It's interesting, however, that the local papers are reporting that Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge have met extensively on this move and that leads me to believe that they're exploring other options. I mean, if the move was Bradley for Gerut, I don't think "extensive" talks would be required. Could it be that Karim Garcia is headed out the door? Yes, he had two hits yesterday but that only raised his averages to a paltry .194/.238/.366/.603 for the season. Yes, he has five homeruns but only one other extra base hit. If you subtract his big weekend in Chicago a few weeks ago (7-for-17 with three homers), he's hitting an anemic .145/.197/.237/.434. Hey, I'm a Garcia guy and I'm glad the Tribe gave him a chance and I would love to see him bounce back but when push comes to shove for playing time, I think I'd rather see Jody Gerut in the lineup everyday right now. And don't forget that the Indians have Coco Crisp, Alex Escobar, Ryan Church, and Grady Sizemore all lined up ready to hit the bigs in the next 12-18 months so it's not like Karim has a lot of time to turn things around. Again, the safe bet is Gerut being sent down but don't be surprised if something happens with Garcia.

Jason Bere made his second rehab appearance last night in Eastlake. He's encouraged but the results were not pretty. Three runs in four innings on seven hits and a walk. He struck out one and gave up a homerun. 46 of his 66 pitches went for strikes.

The ABJ notes this morning that Cliff Lee pitched an inning in an extended spring game, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Paul Hoynes notes in the PD that the Indians 2003 draft budget is believed to be in excess of $5 million. Let's hope so. The 2002 signing bonuses for the Indians first four picks this year total $5,617,000. Here's the breakdown...

#11 - Jeremy Hermida, Marlins, $2,012,500
#18 - Royce Ring, White Sox, $1,600,000
#31 - Greg Miller, Dodgers, $1,200,000
#49 - Brent Clevlen, Tigers, $805,000

Certainly, the Indians could draft for signability and lower those numbers but I don't think that's their style. At least, it wasn't last year. Note that Ring was the 41st round pick of the Indians in 1999 but chose to attend San Diego State. Looks like he made the right choice.

Bruce Chen was claimed on waivers by the Red Sox.

Wendell Magee signed a minor league contract with Detroit. He hit .271/.289/.383 with six homeruns in 97 games for the Tigers last season.

Don't forget that $10 this afternoon in Akron gets you a ticket, a dog, a pop, some 'corn, and Jeremy Guthrie. Game starts at 12:05.

Happy Birthday 23rd birthday to Jason Davis (who makes the start tonight)

CLEVELAND: The bullpen blew another one as the Angels rallied for three runs in the 7th inning and a 6-5 victory over the Indians in Anaheim. Brian Anderson started for the Tribe and allowed three runs in six innings on seven hits and a walk. He struck out one and served up one tater. Dave Elder recorded only one out and was charged with three runs on three hits. He also had a key wild pitch. Carl Sadler gave up a hit and did not record an out. David Riske was not charged with a run in 1.2 innings but gave up the single that plated the game-winning run. At the plate, the Indians pounded out 15 hits, including four doubles and two homeruns. John McDonald belted his first homerun and also singled. Shane Spencer also did some yardwork (#3). Matt Lawton, Omar Vizquel, Josh Bard, and Ellis Burks all singled and doubled. Travis Hafner and Karim Garcia each had a pair of hits. The Tribe left nine runners on base and Omar Vizquel and Karim Garcia made errors.

BUFFALO: Toledo rallied for four runs in the late innings for a 5-3 victory over the Bisons. Jason Phillips (2.25) turned in another solid performance as he allowed three runs in seven innings on eight hits. He struck out eight and walked none. Two longballs plagued his outing. Jerrod Riggan (2-1, 2.35) took the loss as he allowed two runs in two innings. Alex Escobar (.208) and Jhonny Peralta doubled and singled. Coco Crisp tripled. Greg LaRocca had two hits. Scott Pratt doubled. Zach Sorenson singled and walked. Ben Broussard walked. Peralta and Luis Garcia made errors.

AKRON: The Aeros were pounded by Altoona 10-2. Fernando Cabrera (2-1, 2.32) turned in his worst start of the season as he allowed 11 hits in five innings. He did manage to keep the damage to only three runs (two earned) and walked one while striking out four. Kyle Evans gave up one less hit (10) but four more runs (7) in four innings of relief. Maicer Izturis has now hit in 18 straight games as he banged out three singles. Luis Gonzalez also had three hits, including a double. Corey Smith tripled, singled, and walked. Ryan Church belted his third homerun. Alex Requena tripled and Brian Luderer, Eric Crozier, and Tyler Minges walked.

KINSTON: The Frederick Keys swept a doubleheader from Kinston yesterday. In the opener, the Keys prevailed 6-4. Travis Foley (2-2, 4.26) started for the K-Tribe and allowed four runs in three innings on six hits and two walks. He struck out four and served up one homerun. Victor Kliene worked a scoreless inning and Shane Arthurs allowed two runs in two innings. Brian Wright (.313) had three hits and drove in a run. Bill Peavey doubled twice and knocked in three. Pat Osborn doubled and walked. Wily Taveras, Rodney Choy Foo, and Luke Scott singled. Joe Inglett singled and walked and Armando Camacaro singled and was hit by a pitch.

In the nightcap, the Indians managed only two hits as they were shutout 1-0. Rodney Choy Foo and Ben Margalski each singled and stole a base. Eider Torres and Brian Wright walked. Kazuhito Tadano (1.89) started for the Indians and struck out four in four scoreless innings. He walked none and gave up only three hits. Doug Lantz (1-1, 3.31) took the loss as he allowed a run to cross the plate in the bottom of the 6th inning.

LAKE COUNTY: Jason Cooper's two-run homer in the 6th inning gave the Captains a 4-3 victory over Kannapolis. The bomb was Cooper's 7th of the season. Dave Wallace doubled in a run. JJ Sherrill and Ricardo Rojas singled. Nathan Panther scored twice and stole a base (#8) and Micah Schilling walked. Jason Bere allowed three runs in four innings in a rehab appearance. He gave up seven hits and walked one and struck out one. Dan Eisentrager (3-1, 2.25) struck out six in three scoreless innings to pick up the win. Shea Douglas (1.16) tossed two scoreless frames to pick up his 5th save.

Posted on 5/08/2003

May 07, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Wednesday, May 7

Record:	9-22, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Lost 6-1 to Anaheim on Tuesday
Streak:	Lost one
Next:	Tonight at Anaheim, 10:05 PM
Matchup:	Brian Anderson (2-3, 4.55) vs John Lackey (1-3, 7.23)
On Deck:	Three games this weekend in Texas

I apologize for any problems that you may have had accessing the CIR website yesterday. The slow loading was caused by the commenting system. I've noticed this happening more frequently and I'm looking at different commenting systems as a replacement.

If you stay up to watch one Tribe game from the West Coast this week, make sure that you do it tonight. Why? Because I decided to take one for the team and activate John Lackey for his start tonight. This usually guarantees a minimum of eight hits and five runs for the Tribe during the first five innings. Enjoy!

Frequent conversation heard over the Ameritech wires yesterday afternoon in the Cleveland area...

Husband: Hey, honey. Just checking to see what's going on at home. Umm, Ohio State is playing Cleveland State tonight at Jacobs Field.

Wife: Uh-huh.

Husband: Yeah, umm, tickets are only $5 and it's a beautiful night to relax outside.

Wife: Uh-huh.

Husband. I'll take (insert kid or kids here) with me.

Wife: Ok.

That was the scene last night at the Jake as James and I took in a portion of the OSU-CSU game. Apparently, a bunch of Dads had the same thought as I did because there were fathers and kids all over the place. It was pretty cool. My guestimate is that there were approx 1,000 people in the stands and we were all roped in between the dugouts in the lower level. From our vantage point right behind home plate, we watched the middle four innings as we had to wait in line for approx 15 minutes for our dogs and pop (major league prices unfortunately) and then had to leave early due to softball but we did see a OSU player knock one onto the home run porch in left field and a CSU player just miss doing the same by a few feet off the wall. One of the OSU hurlers had a pretty nice bender too although my details are sketchy at best as I spent the last 20 minutes playing "I Spy" to keep James occupied, as in "I Spy a big yellow pole". "DERE IT IS". All in all, it was a fun time, and if they play again next year at Jacobs Field, I would encourage you to check it out.

Jason Bere is expected to throw four innings tonight in a rehab start for Lake County. Eric Wedge was quoted as saying that he'll be activated when he's up to five innings and 80 pitches.

Mark Wohlers is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in Eastlake on Friday. A rehab assignment is not far off.

The Aeros Maicer Izturis extended his hitting streak to 17 games last night with a single. During the streak, Izturis is hitting .365 (27-for-74) and has raised his averages to .300/.380/.458 for the season. He has eight doubles, four triples, and one homerun and an impressive BB/K ratio of 16/16. Mark Shapiro is quoted in the PD this morning as saying that "Maicer was at the top of the radar screen at one point. The only thing that took him off the radar were his injuries. What he's doing now, as a middle of the diamond player, is very encouraging". Very true. Let it also be known that the probable main reason that he fell off the prospect watcher radar screen is due to the massive infusion of prospects into the organization the past two seasons and two decent-to-mediocre seasons in 2001 and 2002.

Jeremy Guthrie (4-0, 1.30) makes an afternoon start tomorrow in a "Businessmans Special" at Canal Park. For $10, you get a ticket to the game, a jumbo hot dog, a 16 oz. pop, and a 32 oz. popcorn. Oh yeah, you also get to watch Guthrie and Grady Sizemore and Ryan Church and Corey Smith. (cough, cough) I can feel a cold coming on (cough, cough).

Keith Ramsey continues to cruise for Lake County with seven more scoreless innings last night. He allowed only two hits, walked none, threw 17 of 23 first pitch strikes, and did not allow a runner past first base in the Captains 12-2 victory over Lexington. Ramsey (10th round, 2002, U-Florida) lowered his ERA to 1.67 and has now walked only two batters in 43 innings while striking out 34 and allowing 38 hits. If he continues to pitch like this, the Indians are going to have to find room for him in a crowded Kinston rotation (Foley, Slocum, Gomez, Martin, Moran).

Also at Lake County, Jason Cooper continues to mash with another big fly last night and he's hitting .296/.398/.565/.963 with seven doubles and six homeruns while carrying a solid 14/21 BB/K ratio. JJ Sherrill is hitting .257/.397/.513/.910 with 12 doubles, five dingers and a 23/27 ratio. Shaun Larkin is hitting at a .316/.400/.491/.891 clip with nine doubles and three homers. He's walked 16 times while striking out only 8. Nathan Panther is displaying power with .265/.310/.462/.772 averages and five doubles and six homers but needs to work on that plate discipline (8/24 ratio). All are very encouraging numbers, especially when you consider that Cooper, Larkin, and Panther were in college this time last year. At the other end of the spectrum, Jonathan Van Every is hitting .169/.233/.217/.450 with 39 strikeouts and 5 walks. On the mound, Dan Denham has a 2.65 ERA and has struck out 34 in 34 innings with only 9 walks. Those last two numbers are very encouraging considering he walked 65 while striking out 104 last year. Nice development. Sean Smith is struggling with 9 homers in 32.1 innings in his first taste of full-season ball.

Mark Ksiezyk was sent down from Sly Fox Masuga to the Our Lady of the Elms Sunday co-ed league. Dave Jenkins will take his spot on the Fox roster.

Omar Vizquel's stolen base last night tied him with Terry Turner for second place all-time with the Indians. Here's the top 10 plus some other notables...

450: Kenny Lofton
254: Omar Vizquel
254: Terry Turner
240: Nap Lajoie
233: Ray Chapman
207: Elmer Flick
165: Harry Bay
164: Brett Butler
157: Bill Bradley
153: Tris Speaker]
147: Julio Franco
142: Rick Manning
138: Shoeless Joe
128: Miguel Dilone
126: Joe Carter

Ellis Burks long ball last night was the 350th of his career and places him in a tie with Mike Piazza and Chili Davis for 63rd place on the all time list, according to the ATM Reports. Hot on his heels is Jim Thome who passed Don Baylor, Larry Walker, Dave Parker and Boog Powell and tied Jack Clark for 69th place on the all time HR list, with 340.

Happy 24th birthday Jim Warden.

CLEVELAND: Jarrod Washburn shut down the Indians for the second time in a week as he threw a one-run complete game last night to lead the Angels to a 6-1 victory over the Tribe. Ricardo Rodriguez nearly matched Washburn through six innings as the Indians trailed by only one run, 2-1, but then he gave up a three-run dinger to Bengie Molina which essentially ended the game with the way that Washburn was pitching. Rodriguez had earlier given up a two-run shot to Garret Anderson. For the game, he finished with 6.1 innings and allowed five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two. He threw 62 of 105 pitches for strikes and recorded 15 outs via the groundball. Save the for the two big mistakes, it wasn't a bad outing. Jason Boyd allowed a solo homer in 1.2 innings in his Tribe debut. Ellis Burks belted his 350th career homerun for the Indians lone mark on the scoreboard. Brandon Phillips doubled, Josh Bard had a pair of hits, Shane Spencer singled, and Omar Vizquel singled, walked, and stole a base.

BUFFALO: The Bisons dropped their second in a row to the Mud Hens, losing 10-4. Brian Tallet allowed only one run through the first five innings but then Toledo erupted for five in the 6th and went on to the easy victory. Tallet (2-1, 4.95) allowed six runs in 5.1 innings on six hits and four walks while striking out three. Jose Santiago worked 1.1 innings in his first appearance since being demoted and he was charged with four unearned runs on four hits and two walks. Lance Caraccioli finished with 2.1 scoreless innings. Luis Garcia (#3) and Zach Sorenson (#2) each belted home runs for the Bisons. Garcia added a single. Victor Martinez had two hits and a walk. Ben Broussard singled twice. Coco Crisp singled and walked. Broussard and Jhonny Peralta made errors for the Bisons. AJ Hinch (.237) drove in two runs with a pair of hits for the Mud Hens.

AKRON: The Aeros managed only three hits as they lost 11-1 to Altoona. Corey Smith (.252) provided the Aeros only run with his fifth homerun of the season and he also singled. Maicer Izturis (.300) extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single. Grady Sizemore and Victor Valencia both walked to complete the Aeros total of five baserunners. Kyle Denney (4-1, 3.12) took the loss as he allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings of work, walking one, striking out four, and serving up two longballs. Jack Cressend was charged with three unearned runs in two innings and Marcos Mendoza allowed four runs (three earned) in one inning. The Aeros committed three errors, two by Izturis and one by Tyler Minges.

KINSTON: The K-Tribe split a doubleheader with Frederick, winning the opener 10-1 and losing the nightcap 4-3. The offense scored the 10 runs without the benefit of an extra-base hit as they banged out 13 singles, walked 10 times, and stole six bases. Armando Camacaro was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. Luke Scott had two hits and an RBI. Joe Inglett singled twice, walked twice, and knocked in two runs. Bill Peavey plated three as he walked twice and singled. Wily Taveras singled, walked twice, and stole two bases (#6-7). Eider Torres stole three bases (#11-12-13), singled, and walked. Miguel Quintana singled and swiped a bag , Pat Osborn walked twice, and Brian Wright worked a free pass. As strong as the offense was, Mariano Gomez (2-1, 3.24) was just as sensational as he threw six innings of two-hit ball, allowing only one run while walking two and striking out six. Scott Sturkie worked a final scoreless inning.

In the nightcap, Chris Cooper (0-2, 2.45) allowed the gamewinner in the bottom of the 7th of the 4-3 loss. Nick Moran (3.55) gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out one. Brian Jenkins had three hits, including a double, to lead the offense. Pat Osborn doubled and drove in two runs. Eider Torres singled with a stolen base. Rodney Choy Foo, Brian Wright, and Bill Peavey singled. Wright and Brian Kirby were hit by a pitch and Ben Margalski walked.

LAKE COUNTY: Keith Ramsey tossed seven shutout innings to lead the Captains to a 12-2 victory over Lexington. Ramsey (4-1, 1.67) struck out seven and allowed only two hits while walking none. He threw first pitch strikes to 17 of 23 hitters and did not allow a runner past first base. Impressive outing, to say the least. Juan Lara gave up two runs in two innings of relief. Ricardo Rojas drove in five runs, including a three-run homer as part of the Captains 12-run assault. Nathan Panther added a two-run shot (#6) and a double to drive in three runs. JJ Sherrill doubled twice, stole a base, walked, and was hit by a pitch. Jason Cooper doubled and singled. Shaun Larkin doubled twice. Micah Schilling had three hits and an RBI. Chris De La Cruz doubled with a walk, Dave Wallace was hit by a pitch, and Matt Knox walked. All Captains starters reached base and they banged out seven doubles, including four consecutive two-baggers in the second inning.

SLY FOX MASUGA (0-3, last place): The Foxers battled and rallied late but came up two runs short in a 19-17 loss to the hated Zemitos. Captain Sweatpants had four hits, including a double. Frankie belted a monstrous homerun and added a pair of singles. Komar needed only a dinger for the cycle. Jake had three hits. Big Daddy singled twice and took the loss on the mound (too many meatballs says the outfield). Coach The pounded out a pair of hits and a bunch of other chumps also had a hit or two. I represented the tying run at the plate but grounded out to the pitcher to end the game. It takes a big (and stupid) man to admit that.

Posted on 5/07/2003

May 06, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Tuesday, May 6

Record:	9-21, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Won 3-1 over Texas on Sunday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Tonight at Anaheim, 10:05 PM
Matchup:	Ricardo Rodriguez (2-2, 3.32) vs Jarrod Washburn (2-3, 4.29)
On Deck:	Three game series in Texas (Fri-Sun)

Slow news day. Three teams were off last night.

Jim Warden was activated from extended spring training and assigned to Lake County where he made his 2003 debut last night (see recaps). The 2001 6th round pick had shoulder surgery in February 2002 and then went under the knife again for arthroscopic surgery in his shoulder this past September. Warden's a big kid (6'7") and he struck out 52 hitters in 52.2 innings for Burlington in 2001. To make room for Warden on the roster, Kevin Martin was placed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Martin (JD's older brother) was off to a good start this year for the Captains as he was unscored upon in six innings of work.

The Indians signed infielder Cesar Suarez to a minor league contract. I'm speculating that this is the same Suarez who hit .289/.329/.386 with 19 doubles and 2 homeruns for a New York Yankees team in the Dominican Summer League last year.

Matt Williams big fly last night moved him into a tie with Norm Cash for 50th place on the all time HR list with 377, according to the ATM Reports.

Speaking of the longball, Richie Sexson leads the National League with 11.

The Royals signed Jed Hansen to a minor league contract.

Cleveland State vs Ohio State at the Jake tonight at 6:00. Tickets are only $5.

CLEVELAND (9-21, 4th Place): Scheduled day off.

BUFFALO (18-9, 1st Place): Andy Van Hekken loves facing the Indians. Nearly 8 months to the day since he blanked the big league club in Detroit last September 3, Van Hekken (2-4, 5.85) tossed a four-hit shutout yesterday against the Bisons in a 3-0 Toledo victory. Coco Crisp, Alex Escobar, Jhonny Peralta, and Dusty Wathan managed singles and Zach Sorenson and Victor Martinez walked. Mike Fyhrie (1-3, 4.76) took the loss although he turned in a solid performance, allowing two runs on six hits in five innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Alex Herrera struck out three in three innings of one-run relief and Aaron Myette worked a perfect final inning.

AKRON (17-13, 1st Place): Scheduled day off.

KINSTON (15-11, 1st Place Tie): Rained out.

LAKE COUNTY (20-12, 1st Place): Jim Warden served up a two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning that led to a 7-6 Lexington victory over the Captains. Warden was making his 2003 debut and he struck out seven in four innings while allowing three runs on three hits and three walks. Sean Smith (5.29) started for the County and allowed four runs in five innings on six hits and two walks. He also struck out seven and served up a three-run bomb and a solo shot. Jason Cooper went deep (#6) for the Captains. Shaun Larkin tripled, singled, and walked. Matt Knox had a pair of singles. Nathan Panther singled and stole a base. Micah Schilling tripled and swiped a bag. Clayton McCullough doubled, Jonathan Van Every singled and walked, and JJ Sherrill walked and stole a base.

Posted on 5/06/2003

May 05, 2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Monday, May 5

Record:	9-21, 4th Place
Last:	Won 3-1 over Texas on Sunday
Streak:	Won one
Next:	Off today, at Anaheim on Tuesday (10:05 PM)
Matchup:	Mike Witt (0-0, 0.00) vs Neal Heaton (0.0, 0.00)
On Deck:	Three game series in Anaheim (Tues-Thurs)

T-minus 6 days and counting until Mother's Day. Guys, she's the one who brought you into this world and she can probably still take you out of it as well. I mention this as a friendly reminder that you can take care of all your Mother's Day shopping needs by entering Amazon.com through the link on the CIR website. For every purchase that you make at Amazon, the CIR receives a small referral fee which comes at no extra cost to yourself. It's support like this that helps to pay the bills and keep the CIR free of charge. You can also shop in the CIR bookstore which has a fine collection of Indians and baseball books and videos to choose from. Thanks for your support, it's greatly appreciated!

News, notes, and miscellaneous thoughts from the weekend...

The Indians displayed nice patience against Ugueth Urbina in the 8th inning on Friday night. Travis Hafner had a particularly nice at-bat even if it ended with a deep fly to left field.

How cool is Ellis Burks? Damn cool.

Wild third inning for Jason Davis on Friday night. It's a minor thing, but it was nice to see him bounce back with a 1-2-3 fourth inning.

Nice outing from CC Sabathia on Saturday in picking up his first win of the season. He needed 115 pitches to do it and threw 16 in a 1-2-3 final inning so he sat at 99 after seven frames. The 22-year old is 5th in the American League in number of pitches thrown with 720 and this was his second consecutive start over 110. Just something to keep an eye on.

Matt Lawton took to the leadoff spot well, don't you think? He was 4-for-10 with three walks and a homerun over the weekend.

The Jose Santiago era came to an end on Saturday after he recorded the first two outs of the 7th inning and then gave up a hit, a walk, and a two-run double to Alex Rodriguez. After the game, he was sent down to Buffalo and replaced by Jason Boyd. Santiago led the Indians in appearances (15) and posted a respectable 3.94 but that hid a horrendous .368 batting average against (25 H, 16 IP) and a poor BB/K ratio (7/8). I've never been much of a fan of Santiago, as you well know if you're a regular reader, but as poorly as he pitched, I can see why teams are always willing to give him a chance. He's throws hard (92-93 mph) with a nice sink that moves down and in on right-handers. His problem is that his command is poor and when he does get the ball over the plate, it's usually up and over the middle of the dish, which leads to opposing hitters pounding him at a .368 clip. If he can ever control that pitch and keep it down, he could be nasty. Your guess is as good as mine if that will ever happen and, fortunately, we won't have it watch it anymore in Cleveland (for the time being, at least).

Jason Boyd is Santiago's replacement and we talked about him on Friday. He's at a similar career point as Santiago and if he fizzles after a few weeks, I can see the Tribe sending him out when Jason Bere returns, Mark Wohlers returns, or being replaced by Jerrod Riggan (1.35 ERA, 13.2 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 11 K) or some other Bison reliever. The Tribe is just hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with any of these guys and if they stick, that's great. If not, send them out and bring in the next "great arm" or "great one pitch" guy. For the record, Boyd is a sinkerballer and he'll work in the middle-to-late innings with David Riske and Dave Elder.

Jason Bere threw three scoreless innings in a rehab start for Buffalo on Friday. His next outing is scheduled for Lake County on Wednesday.

Milton Bradley is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Thursday (first day eligible). Jody Gerut has two games left to make his case to stick with the big league club. Karim Garcia snapped a 2-for-30 slump with a RBI single yesterday. He's hitting .190 and should start looking over his shoulder if you ask me.

The Canton Respository noted that Cliff Lee had no pain in his bullpen session and that Mark Wohlers has thrown from 90 feet.

Ricky Gutierrez says that he's headed to extended spring training on May 12 and that he could be activated by end of the month. I think a rehab assignment in Akron or Buffalo will figure in there somewhere.

Dave Burba signed a minor league contract with the Brewers after he asked for, and was granted, his release over the weekend by the Indians. Burba was 1-3 with a 2.05 ERA in four starts with the Bisons covering 22 innings (18 H, 5 BB, 10 K). With all the young arms in the Tribe system, he stands a better chance of returning to the big leagues with the Brue Crue.

Jason Rakers was traded to the Orioles in exchange for future considerations (i.e., a trip to Jaxson's for the Kitchen Sink next spring). Rakers was 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA for the Aeros and had struck out 9 batters in 8.1 innings. At age 29, Rakers did not fit into the Indians plans and he'll report to triple-A Ottawa for the 'Birds.

Jake Robbins is unscored upon in six appearances for the Aeros. He's struck out 10 in 12 innings, walked only two, and scattered only six hits.

Jeremy Guthrie is ranked number three on the Top Prospect Alert Hot/Cold list after his three hit shutout on April 27 and his one run outing on Saturday (see recaps).

Ivan Ochoa is expected to be activated from the Kinston disabled list today, according to Kinston.com. Ochoa has missed the beginning of the season with a pulled hamstring.

Wily Taveras was activated by the K-Tribe and Dennis Malave was placed back on the disabled list. Malave hit .188/.278/.188 (3-for-16) with two walks in his one week active.

Charles Nagy struck out three in two perfect innings of relief yesterday to pick up the first save of his career. He's pitching for the Padres triple-A team in Portland and this was Nagy's first appearance of the season. He's been recovering from a bruised right forearm suffered during the last week of spring training.

Speaking of Portland, the Padres released Brady Anderson from his minor league contract. Anderson was hitting .294/.455/.338/793 for the Beavers with only two extra-base hits in 68 at-bats. Impressively, Anderson had walked 18 times (note the OBP) but had also struck out 15 times. I assume that Brady exercised a clause in his contract allowing him to become a free-agent on May 1 similar to the arrangement that Dave Burba had with the Indians.

John Rocker threw a scoreless inning for the Devil Rays double-A team on Thursday. This will be the last Rocker update for awhile now that's he back on a roster.

Zach Day was named the NL Rookie of the Month for April after a 3-1, 1.94, .187 month (41.2 IP, 28 H, 16 BB, 22 K) but was stripped of the title when it was discovered that he has too much service time to qualify as a rookie. Regardless, Day is off to a fine start for the Expos. The Indians acquired Day (along with Jake Westbrook) from the Yankees as part of the David Justice deal and then shipped Day to Montreal in the summer of 2001 for Milton Bradley.

Eric Dubose allowed two runs in 6.1 innings yesterday for the Orioles. He spent some time in the Tribe organization a few years back although I'm not sure he ever actually pitched for us.

Dave Roberts returned to the Dodgers lineup yesterday and had two hits and two stolen bases. He had missed the last 6-7 days with a sore hamstring.

Rotoworld speculates that Matt White may be suffering from a case of Rule5itis with the Red Sox. White has been out since the end of spring training (strained oblique muscle) and, if healthy, he would have to stay on the Red Sox big league roster all season or be offered back to the Indians. The Red Sox are going through relievers faster than you say "Bring back Bob Stanley" so they may be stashing White away on the DL to keep their roster options open. Wouldn't be the first time this has happened to a Rule 5 pick.

The Astros designated Bruce Chen for assignment over the weekend. Chen's a former top prospect who has pitched for six organizations (Braves, Phillies, Mets, Reds, Expos, and Astros) over the last three years. Still young, he doesn't turn 26 until June 19, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Indians show some interest in signing him to a minor league contract if he clears waivers and becomes a free-agent. Maybe a switch to the AL would do him some good and don't be surprised if the Tigers lay a claim on him. Chen had a 6.00 ERA in 12 innings for the Astros this season.

Rudy Seanez asked for, and was granted, his release by the Rangers over the weekend. He's not young and his health is always a question mark, but the former Indian can still get guys out. Seanez or Jason Boyd?

Sean DePaula was released by the Reds. He had a 6.17 ERA for triple-A Louisville in 11.2 innings this season.

Chuck Finley remains a free-agent and is free to resign with the Cardinals now that the May 1 deadline has passed.

Happy belated Saturday Birthdays to Chip Southerland (21) and Chris De La Cruz (21).

If you've got broadband, check out this amazing (and real) U.K. Honda advertisement. It's worth the click.

CLEVELAND (9-21, 4th Place): The Indians snapped their eight game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Texas on Friday night. Ellis Burks came through with two, two-run doubles to lead the Indians to the come-from-behind victory. Travis Hafner went deep (#4) against his former teammates. Matt Lawton had two hits from the leadoff spot. Jody Gerut belted his first major league homerun. Omar Vizquel walked twice. Jason Davis (6.39) was charged with five runs (two earned) in four innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out five. Billy Traber (3.31) was sensational in relief as he struck out five in 3.2 innings of one-hit ball. Dave Elder recorded only one out but it was enough to earn him his first victory and Danys Baez worked a scoreless final inning for his 4th save.

The Indians lost to the Rangers 6-5 on Saturday. Matt Lawton stayed hot with two more hits, including his 4th homerun. He also walked twice and drove in three runs. Johnny McDonald tripled in a run. Casey Blake singled and walked. Tim Laker singled and stole a base. Shane Spencer, Jody Gerut, and Josh Bard added basehits. Jake Westbrook (3.07) allowed four runs in 5.2 innings on seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Carl Sadler recorded one out. Jose Santiago recorded two outs and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. David Riske did not allow a run in 2.1 innings.

CC Sabathia threw eight innings of unearned ball to pitch the Indians to a 3-1 victory over Texas on Sunday. The Tribe's ace allowed only one unearned run and scattered four hits and three walks while striking out five. He threw 115 pitches, 76 which were for strikes. Danys Baez walked one and struck out one for his 5th save. Ellis Burks (.288) had two hits and knocked in a run. Karim Garcia (.190) had an RBI single. Bill Selby (.071) drove in the Indians other run. Matt Lawton (.198) walked, Omar Vizquel (.263) singled, and Josh Bard (.227) singled and walked.

BUFFALO (18-8, 1st Place): Zach Sorenson sent a three-run homer deep into the night on Friday to give the Bisons a 5-3 victory over Louisville. The blast was Sorenson's first of the season. Alex Escobar also went yard (#4) and he added a doubled. Greg LaRocca had two hits (17 game streak) and Johnny Peralta added a baseknock. Jason Bere threw three scoreless innings in his first rehab start, scattering three hits, walking none, and striking out two. Jason Phillips (5-0, 2.17) was credited with the win after allowing three runs in five innings on four hits and three walks. He fanned one. Jason Boyd worked a scoreless final frame.

The Bisons lost 4-1 to Louisville on Saturday. Jamie Brown (1-1, 1.98) took the loss after allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings of work. He walked none, struck out two, and served up two taters. Lance Caraciolli allowed a run in three innings, striking out four, and Chad Paronto fanned two in a scoreless inning. Dusty Wathan singled and doubled. Zach Sorenson, Victor Martinez, and Ben Broussard had two hits apiece. Nate Grindell doubled to drive in the lone Bisons run and Alex Escobar singled and stole a base. Coco Crisp added a basehit. Greg LaRocca's 17 game hitting streak was snapped. Jacob Cruz (.405) had three hits, including a double, for Louisville. Russ Branyan (.378) homered (#1), singled, and walked as he begins a rehab assignment.

Jason Stanford did not allow a run in six innings on Sunday as the Bisons rolled to a 7-2 victory over Louisville. Stanford (3-0, 1.86) struck out seven and was charged with one unearned run on five hits and two walks. Jerrod Riggan worked a perfect inning, Aaron Myette gave up a solo homerun, and Chad Paronto worked a scoreless final frame. Nate Grindell (.300) doubled and singled. Luis Garcia (.189) had two hits. Coco Crisp (.333) walked twice and singled. Zach Sorenson (.267) walked twice, tripled, and stole a base (#6). Greg LaRocca (.366) singled and walked. Alex Escobar (.200) homered (#5) and walked to drive in two runs. Jhonny Peralta singled twice and walked. Ben Broussard (.242) singled. Victor Martinez threw out two of three attempted base stealers.

AKRON (17-13, 1st Place): Jeremy Guthrie was sharp through six innings as the Aeros pounded Norwich 11-1 on Friday. Guthrie (4-0, 1.30) allowed only one run in 6.1 innings, striking out four, walking three, and scattering six hits. Jack Cressend worked 1.2 scoreless innings in his Aeros debut and Ryan Larson struck out two in a scoreless final frame. Luis Gonzalez homered (#1) and singled twice to drive in three runs. Tyler Minges also went deep (#3). Hector Luna had a pair of hits, scored three times, and made two errors (#12-13). Maicer Izturis has now hit in 14 straight as he tripled and stole a base (#6). Ryan Church doubled, Brian Luderer walked twice and singled, and Grady Sizemore, Ron Wright, and Corey Smith added basehits. Smith also made his 14th error.

The Aeros lost to Norwich 9-5 on Saturday. The Navigators posted a 7-spot in the 7th inning and the Aeros tried to rally with a pair of runs in the 8th and 9th innings but it was too little, too late for the good guys. Derrick Van Dusen (1-3, 6.75) turned in his best start of the season as he allowed only two runs in six innings on six hits and three walks while striking out four. Marcos Mendoza did not fare as well as he could only record two outs while being charged with six runs on two hits and four walks. Ryan Larson gave up a longball in his 1.1 innings. Maicer Izturis extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a double and a single. Hector Luna and Victor Valencia had two hits apiece. Grady Sizemore walked twice and singled. Ryan Church drove in two and singled. Tyler Minges doubled, Luis Gonzalez singled, and Alex Requena singled and was hit by a pitch. Sizemore, Valencia, and Requena were all gunned down on the bases.

Corey Smith doubled in a run and Hector Luna added an RBI single in the 10th inning to give the Aeros a 7-5 extra inning victory over Norwich. Smith (.241) had two hits on the day and also made his 15th error. Luna (.237) also had a pair of hits on the afternoon. Ryan Church (.241) singled twice with a walk. Luis Gonzalez (.301) doubled and singled and drove in two runs. Maicer Izturis (.302) made it 16 straight with a basehit as he singled twice. Grady Sizemore (.282) doubled and Alex Requena (.146) singled and scored two runs. Francisco Cruceta (4.22) allowed three runs in five innings on seven hits and three walks while striking out five. Rafael Betancourt allowed two runs in two innings and Jake Robbins picked up his second win with three innings of scoreless relief.

KINSTON (15-11, Tied 1st Place): The K-Tribe was shut out 2-0 by Lynchburg on Friday. Travis Foley (2-1, 2.81) took the loss but pitched well as he allowed two runs in six innings on five hits and two walks while striking out five. He held the Hillcats scoreless through the first five innings before surrendering two runs in his final frame. Scott Sturkie tossed two innings of scoreless relief and Doug Lantz added a scoreless inning. The offense managed only two hits, a single by Luke Scott and double by Bill Peavey. Scott also walked, stole a base, and was caught stealing. Rodney Choy Foo had his 20 game hitting streak snapped.

The offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday as they pounded Lynchburg 15-5. Brian Wright needed only a homerun for the cycle as he singled twice, doubled, and tripled to drive in two runs. Eider Torres had three hits and a stolen base (#11). Brian Jenkins doubled with two singles. Rodney Choy Foo started a new streak with a double. He also walked and knocked in three runs. Luke Scott doubled and singled. Armando Camacaro had three hits that plated three runs. Wily Taveras returned to the lineup with a walk and stolen base (#6). JD Martin (2-2, 6.59) picked up the win after allowing two runs in five innings. He gave up eight hits and two walks while striking out five. Shane Arthurs permitted two runs to cross the dish in three innings and Chris Cooper worked a scoreless final frame. The K-Tribe made three errors (Torres, Peavey, and Camacaro).

Sunday was not as kind to the little Indians as they lost 5-2 to Lynchburg. Brian Slocum (2-2, 2.76) had his worst start of the season as he worked only 3.1 innings, allowing five and four walks while striking out only one. He was charged with three runs, although only two were earned. Victor Kliene gave up two runs in 3.2 innings and Doug Lantz tossed two perfect innings. Rodney Choy Foo (.354) doubled, singled, walked, and drove in a run. Pat Osborn (.291) doubled and walked. Brian Jenkins (.274), Ben Margalski, and Brian Kirby (.067) singled. Wily Taveras (.246) stole two bases (#7-8), walked, and knocked in the other Kinston run.

LAKE COUNTY (20-11, 1st Place): Jake Dittler tossed 7.1 innings of one-run ball on Friday to lead the Captains to a 5-1 over Charleston (WV). Dittler (1-0, 2.35) scattered five hits without a walk while striking out three. Shea Douglas recorded the final five outs for the save. JJ Sherrill doubled and homered (#5), walked, was hit by a pitch, stole a base (#5), and drove in two runs. Chris De La Cruz had three hits, including a triple, and also walked. Jason Cooper walked twice and doubled. Shaun Larkin singled and walked. Nathan Panther was hitless but walked and knocked in two runs. Micah Schilling added a basehit.

The Captains returned home on Saturday and knocked off Lexington 7-3. Fausto Carmona picked up his 4th win of the season with six innings of three-run ball. Carmona (4-1, 1.60) did not walk a batter and surrendered seven hits while striking out three. Carlos De La Cruz tossed three scoreless innings of relief to pickup his second save. Matt Knox homered (#1) and doubled to knock in three runs. Shaun Larkin also went deep (#3). Dave Wallace had two hits. Jason Cooper tripled and walked. Chris De La Cruz added a basehit and Bryan Kent singled twice.

Lake County continued to roll on Sunday as Nathan Panther (.262)blasted a two-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Captains a 5-3 victory over Lexington. Jason Cooper (.293) tripled and singled. Dave Wallace (.261) walked three times and singled. Micah Schilling (.196) walked twice and doubled. Shaun Larkin (.302) received four free passes. JJ Sherrill (.255) scored twice and walked three times. As a team, the Captains walked thirteen times, had five hits, and left 12 runners on base. Dan Denham (2.65) struck out eight in six innings, allowing three runs on four hits, including a long ball, while walking four. Blake Allen ran his scoreless streak to 18.2 innings with three innings of shutout relief, striking out four. Todd Pennington was credited with the win thanks to two scoreless innings of relief. He also fanned four.

Posted on 5/05/2003

May 02, 2003

CIR UPDATE
We Won!!! Long live Ellis Burks!!

Posted on 5/02/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Friday, May 2

Record:	7-20, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Rained out on Thursday vs Anaheim
Streak:	Lost 8 in a row
Next:	Tonight vs Texas, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Joaquin Benoit (first start) vs Jason Davis (2-3, 6.67)
On Deck:	Three games in Anaheim (Tues-Thurs)

Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day. I probably heard that, oh, 748 times last night. Look for the Tribe and Angels to make up last nights rain out when the Angels are back in town on August 8-10. Eric Wedge has pushed everyone in the rotation back a day so Jason Davis will be on the hill tonight.

The relievers are coming! The relievers are coming!

Dave Elder was promoted from Buffalo yesterday and added to the 40-man roster. He is unscored upon this season, which includes 8 spring training innings and 12.2 innings for Buffalo. He made eight appearances in triple-A and struck out 17 batters, walked six, and allowed only five hits. He's held opposing hitters to a .122 average and has been especially nasty on right-handers, who have only managed to hit at a .087 clip against Elder this season. In his last appearance, he struck out the side for his sixth save. Elder probably should have made the team out of spring training and the mysterious arm problem that the Tribe gave as the reason for his demotion has finally been revealed, he had elbow tendinitis and the Indians were wary of his ability to work in back-to-back games. Elder somewhat disputes that, saying he just had some soreness and was fine by the end of the spring, but, regardless, he's back in the bigs. Elder had some success with the Indians last year (3.13 ERA, 23 K, 23.2 IP) but he did walk more than his fair share of batters (14 in 23.2 IP). I'd be a naif if I said that Elder is the answer to the bullpen problems but he's got a good arm and it's time to see if he can get big league hitters out late in the game on a consistent basis. Personally, I like his chances.

Aaron Myette is out of options so he had to clear waivers before the Indians could outright him to Buffalo. His two game performance aside, fortunately, he did and he'll report to Buffalo. Myette has a live arm and as long as you can hang onto a guy like that, it's a good thing. Eric Wedge was quoted as saying that he needs to be more consistent with the command on his fastball and he'll work on that in Buffalo.

Could another change be in the works for today? Sheldon Ocker reported in the Beacon Journal this morning that Jose Santiago cleared waivers last night and the Indians are expected to remove him from the 40-man roster and replace him with Jason Boyd. Boyd, signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, was off to a good start in Buffalo, posting a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and only two walks while striking out 12. He's a journeyman (30 years old) but you never know when these kinds of guys can get hot and give you a good three-year run. We tried Santiago with poor results. Let's see what Boyd can do.

Bravo for the Indians in demoting Santiago although I have to admit that I am a little surprised. I'm glad they saw past the 2.83 ERA and, instead, focused in on the 23 hits in 15.1 innings, the 6:8 BB:K ratio, the 8:15.1 K:IP ratio, and the inherited runners he had allowed to score which were not charged to his ERA.

With the above two moves, the roster still stands at only 39. In the past couple of days, they've removed Paronto, Myette, and Santiago while adding only Elder and Boyd. The question remains, why was Paronto removed to create an open spot? Maybe we'll see something happen this weekend.

Matt Lawton was scheduled to leadoff last night. With another right-hander on the mound tonight (Joaquin Benoit), I wonder he's going to stay atop the lineup? As strange as it may sound, Lawton's eye has remained solid (10 walks) during his horrible start so this may not be such a bad move. With Benoit tonight and Todd Van Poppel likely tomorrow, the Indians are going to want to be patient at the plate and let those two pitch themselves into trouble and Lawton should be able to set that tone at the top of the order. Sounsd good in theory, at least.

Ask and ye shall receive. Yesterday, I wondered what was the status of Cliff Lee's rehab and today we have our answer. Unfortunately, the news is not good as Lee has suffered another setback and late June is the new target date for his return (rehab assignment). Lee has been in extended spring training in Winter Haven recovering from a strained abdominal muscle and the first week of May was the original target date for him to start a rehab assignment. The new injury is a strained oblique muscle which has kept him off the mound until today, when he is expected to throw a bullpen session. Needless to say, this has been a tough season for Lee. The only bright spot is that it's not the elbow or shoulder that is hurting.

The Indians named Greg Hibbard as the pitching coach for Mahoning Valley this summer. That name is a blast from the NCRL past.

Fernando Cabrera struck out 10 last night for Akron and has now struck out 34 hitters in 26 innings. He's given up only 16 hits, walked 11, and sports a 2.08 ERA. Do we really want to move him to the bullpen?

What's gotten into the Tribe second basemen? Greg LaRocca has a 16 game hitting streak in Buffalo, Maicer Izturis has a 13 game streak going in Akron, and Rodney Choy Foo leads them all with a 20 game streak for Kinston.

I had planned on an April month-in-review today but two little clients are coming in to take me out for lunch so I'll have to save that for the weekend. Here's the recaps.

CLEVELAND (7-20): Rainout.

BUFFALO (16-7): The Bisons scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th for a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over Louisviille. Zach Sorensen had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three runs and also stole a base. Alex Escobar (.175) doubled, singled, and stole a base. Greg LaRocca and Jhonny Peralta each singled and was hit by a pitch. LaRocca has now now hit in 16 straight. Scott Pratt and Luis Garcia singled and Coco Crisp walked twice, scored twice, and stole a base (#7). Brian Tallet (4.15) allowed four runs in six innings on five hits and three walks. He struck out four and served up two longballs. Alex Herrera allowed a run in one inning of work. Jerrod Riggan picked up win #2 with two innings of scoreless relief. Jacob Cruz (.395) had three hits, including his 6th homerun, and drove in three runs for Louisville.

AKRON (15-12): Victor Valencia belted a homerun (#2) in the top of the 10th inning to give the Aeros a 2-1 victory in New Britain. Fernando Cabrera (2.08) struck out ten in five innings, allowing only one run on three hits and three walks. Kyle Evans did not allow a run in 2.2 innings. Jason Rakers picked up his first win with 1.1 scoreless innings and Jake Robbins earned his second save with a scoreless final frame. Tyler Minges (.258) had two hits. Maicer Izturis extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double. He also walked and stole a base. Grady Sizemore doubled, Eric Crozier singled, and Hector Luna made an error.

KINSTON (14-9): The K-Tribe moved into a tie for 1st place with a 6-4 victory over Lynchburg. Nick Moran moved to 4-0 with the win although this was far from his best outing of the season. He surrendered four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. The bullpen was solid in relief as the trio of Shane Arthurs, Chris Cooper, and Lee Gronkiewicz worked 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Gronkiewicz picked up his 5th save. Eider Torres (.261) doubled, singled, walked, and drove in a run. Brian Wright had two hits, a walk, and an RBI. Bill Peavey doubled and walked. Rodney Choy Foo has now hit in 20 straight thanks to a double in his final at-bat of the night. Pat Osborn singled and walked and Miguel Quintana and Brian added safetys.

LAKE COUNTY (17-11): Charleston (WV) rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to beat the Captains 3-2. The Captains had previously plated a run in the top half of the frame to take a one-run lead. Keith Ramsey worked 5.2 innings for Lake County, allowing one run on nine hits. He walked none and struck out five. Dan Eisentrager (2-1, 2.57) took the loss as he allowed two runs on five hits in two innings. Kevin Martin recorded the final out. Nathan Panther had two hits and a stolen base. Jason Cooper doubled, singled, walked, and knocked in a run. JJ Sherrill had a pair of singles. Matt Knox doubled and walked. Clayton McCullough singled and walked with an RBI. Jonathan Van Every and Chris De La Cruz singled. Shaun Larkin and Micah Schilling walked.

Posted on 5/02/2003

May 01, 2003

CIR UPDATE
Ken Silverstein reported on WKNR this afternoon that Dave Elder has been called up from Buffalo and Aaron Myette has been removed from the 40-man roster. As discussed earlier today, the move leaves the roster at 39 players. Who's the open spot for? More tomorrow in the CIR.

Posted on 5/01/2003

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT
Thursday, May 1

Record:	7-20, 4th Place, 11.5 GB
Last:	Lost 6-2 to Anaheim on Wednesday
Streak:	Lost 8 in a row
Next:	Tonight vs Anaheim, 7:05 PM
Matchup:	Scot Shields (1-0, 0.77) vs Jason Davis (2-3, 6.67)
On Deck:	Three-game weekend series at home against Texas

I went to the game last night. The result wasn't pretty but it was a perfect night for baseball. This was the first time that I've been down to the Jake without a large crowd and it's really a shock when you walk in and see all those empty seats. Not to mention the lack of traffic on the streets and the abundance of cheap (and available) parking spaces. I parked on East 14th (across from the cemetery) for $3 and I noticed that there were lots closer to the park with plenty of spots left for $5. My how the times have changed.

There could not have been 1,000 people in the Upper Deck last night. I wonder if they've considered roping it off for certain games?

I read on Twins Geek yesterday that the Twins offer a full-season (81 games) season ticket package for $199. Of course, the seats are in the boonies (think upper right field at the Jake) but that's still an attractive price, especially if you can move around a little (wink, wink). This might be something for the Indians to explore next year.

The $1 programs this year are outstanding. I was just expecting a scorecard but it's the full GameFace magazine. Nice.

I thought Travis Hafner had a good approach at the plate last night. He worked the count full against Washburn in all three at-bats and ended up with a walk, a smoked double to right-center, and a deep fly out to left-center. Very encouraging.

Nice to see Ellis Burks and Jody Gerut running hard down the line on easy groundouts. Not nice to see Brandon Phillips and Matt Lawton giving up halfway down the line.

Speaking of Lawton, he spanked a line drive homer to right-center for the Indians only runs. Hopefully, this will get him going.

Speaking of Gerut, I am on the bandwagon. Great diving catch in center last night and he showed a nice arm on a throw to second from the track early in the game. I'm sure Trish will like the butt wiggle before he steps into the box.

Can someone explain why Omar Vizquel threw home in the second inning last night when the Angels attempted a double steal with runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs. They had the guy nailed at second base and with two outs, I don't think the run scores if it crosses the plate before the guy headed for second is tagged out. With one out, it would (that's an old high school play), but with two outs, I think it would have been the end of the inning. Anyone know what's the correct ruling?

Two two-out, two-run homers is two too many.

Second and third, one-out in the second inning. Josh Bard swings at the first pitch and hits a one-hopper to third base. That was a killer.

Anyone else wondering why the Indians had the infield in with one out and runners at the corners in the 9th inning last night when they were losing 6-2? With one out, I would think the middle infield would be at double-play depth at a minimum.

Larry Dolan sat alone outside in his loge for the first six innings. He wasn't schmoozing, he wasn't entertaining, he was just a guy watching a ballgame. Kind of cool. But I did feel sorry for him that he had no one to hang with. Mr. Dolan, if you ever need someone to go to a game with, I'd be happy to spend an evening with you talking baseball. I'll even spring for the hot dogs (but you have to cover the dessert cart).

Say what you want about how the Tribe is playing, but at least they're playing quick. I stayed for all nine game and was home by 9:50 which included a stop for milk (hell hath no fury like Kelley without her "ba-ba").

Chad Paronto has been removed from the 40-man roster, that we know for sure. Depending on the source, however, he's either just been designated for assignment and is in 10-day limbo where he can be claimed by another team or he has already cleared waivers and agreed to report to Buffalo. Either way, I'd be surprised if another claims him and if they do, I don't think we're going to lose too much sleep over it. Conventional wisdom holds that Paronto was removed to clear a spot for a player not on the 40-man roster with triple-A relievers Dave Elder and Jason Boyd the likely candidates given the poor performance of the Tribe pen, their strong Aprils, and that Paronto is a reliever himself. If that's the case, who would the Indians send down from the 25-man active roster to add either Elder or Boyd? Take a look at this...

When you look at the structure of the Indians bullpen, I think it's safe to say that Danys Baez, Carl Sadler, and Terry Mulholland's jobs are safe. I also think that Billy Traber can be added to that list although I suppose it's possible the Indians could decide to send him down to Buffalo to work every 5th day in the rotation. If that's the case, replacing Paronto on the 40 and Traber on the 25 with Elder/Boyd would make sense. You would think that word would have leaked about this type of move and for that reason alone, I think Traber's job is safe. That leaves Jose Santiago, David Riske, and Aaron Myette. Santiago has not pitched as well (23 H, 15.1 IP) as his 2.93 ERA might indicate but I have a feeling that he is this teams sacrificial lamb and the Indians are going to use until his arm falls off since they have don't really have a vested interest in him compared to some of their other young relievers. I think he's safe but I would be happy to see him go. David Riske has a 5.40 ERA but he's fanned 11 in 11.2 innings and I doubt the Indians are ready to give up on him yet. He may also be out of options and would certainly be claimed if designated for assignment. That leaves Aaron Myette who hasn't done much to lay a claim to a prolonged stay on the roster, having posted a 23.63 ERA in two appearances this year. Personally, I'm a Myette fan, love his arm, and would like to see him get a few more opportunities before cutting him loose, but I would agree that he's the most likely candidate to go, right now, out of this group. But if Myette is the choice, since he is out of options and would have to be designated anyway (and thus be removed from the 40) why remove Paronto now? I mean, if the move is Elder/Boyd for Myette, why not simply designate Myette and add Elder/Boyd in the same move.

The above line of thought makes me think that this move hints at something happening outside the organization in the next few days, i.e. a waiver claim or trade. Why? Well, aside from Elder and Boyd, there's really no other non-roster guys in Buffalo that would warrant a call-up at this point in the season. If Greg LaRocca (red-hot) is being promoted, you would assume Bill Selby would be sent down and removed from the 40. Is Jason Phillips going to be recalled because of an injury in the rotation? If so, surely we would have caught wind of that by now. Dave Burba? He falls into the Phillips or Boyd/Elder mix, no? Unless, I'm completely missing something, they've opened this spot to bring someone into the organization. We'll see.

If all that is confusing, don't forget that when Jason Bere comes back in mid-May, either he or Jake Westbrook will be moved to the bullpen and one of the seven relievers will have to be sent down to make room. Perhaps removing Paronto from the 40 is in anticipation of such a move but that sounds a little premature, don't you think?

Speaking of Bere, he's scheduled to make a rehab start for Buffalo tonight. Paul Hoynes adds in the Plain Dealer that Bere is scheduled to make three rehab starts overall, two in Buffalo and one for Lake County.

Cliff Lee has been targeted for an early May return but news on Cliff has been strangely silent recently. Hmmm....

Jim Goelz was activated from the disabled list and it looks like he was traded to Boston if I'm interpreting the transactions at minorleaguebaseball.com correctly. Goelz was acquired by the Indians in the minor league portion of the 2000 Rule 5 draft and has seen limited duty with the Aeros the last three years and was 3-for-15 this season. I'm sure he was traded for the infamous PTBNL or a Waffle House combo meal next year in spring training.

Jack Cressend was promoted from Kinston to Akron as he continues his rehab. Shane Wallace was sent to extended spring training to make room for him on the Aeros roster. Shane Arthurs was activated from the disabled list to replace him in Kinston.

Jermaine Clark was claimed off waivers by the Padres and was optioned to triple-A Portland where he'll be teammates with Brady Anderson and Charles Nagy. Clark had been designated for assignment by the Rangers and the fact that he ended up with the Padres means that the Indians passed on placing a claim on Clark, which I had speculated might be a good move earlier in the week. If their lack of interest in Clark is for "reserving" Bill Selby's roster spot for a move in the next week or so, that's fine. If their lack of interest is due to the fact that they prefer Selby over Clark, I would definitely question that line of thinking.

The Brewers called up Brooks Kieschnick as a pitcher yesterday. We'll see if they use him at the plate as well. His triple-A numbers aren't all that impressive save for the K/IP ratio (8.56 ERA, 13.2 IP, 17 H, 10 W, 14 K) and he was hitless in 10 at-bats (one walk).

Wendell Magee requested and was granted a release from the Phillies triple-A team. He'll land somewhere where there's a better chance of him seeing big league playing time.

MLB.TV is available for free on a four-day trial basis from Thursday through Sunday. 42 live broadcasts will be available over the Internet for those of you with a broadband connection. The Tribe is scheduled to be shown all four days, subject to regional or national blackout restrictions, of course. For you out-of-towners, this is a good chance to check out the Indians in action.

Cleveland State will play Ohio State at Jacobs Field on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 PM. Ohio State is second in the Big 10 this season and on the fringe of the top 25 (according to Baseball Weekly). I've always wanted to check out a CSU game at the Jake and this might be my chance.

I forgot to mention last week that I noticed a little blurb in the USA Today sports page that the NFL is considering moving the draft out of New York and Cleveland was listed as one of the potential sites. Sweet.

CLEVELAND (7-20): The Indians dropped their 8th in a row, losing 6-2 to the Angels at the Jake. Brian Anderson (2-3, 4.55) took the loss as he allowed six runs in six innings on ten hits and a walk. He struck out one and allowed two, two-out, two-run homers. Ouch. Jose Santiago did not allow a run in two innings and Danys Baez tossed a scoreless final frame. Matt Lawton belted a two-run homer (#3) to drive in both Indians runs. Jody Gerut doubled. Travis Hafner doubled and walked. Ellis Burks singled and Omar singled and walked. The Tribe turned three double-plays.

BUFFALO (15-7): The Bisons wasted an early 5-0 lead and lost to Rochester 11-6. The Red Wings scored six in the 7th and three more in the 8th for the final tally. Mike Fyhrie allowed four runs on seven hits in 7.1 innings. Lance Caraccioli was pounded for four runs in .2 innings. Chad Paronto was charged with three unearned runs in one inning. Ben Broussard homered (#3) and tripled. Dusty Wathan had a pair of hits, a pair of walks, and he stole a base. Zach Sorensen doubled and tripled. Victor Martinez had an RBI single with a walk. Luis Garcia doubled. Greg LaRocca singled and walked. Coco Crisp stole a base (#6). Scott Pratt made two errors at third.

AKRON (14-12): Corey Smith drove in three runs as the Aeros pummeled New Britain 11-4. Smith (.255) doubled twice with a single and also made his 13th error in the field. Hector Luna (.215) continues to see that average climb as he banged out four hits, including two doubles, to drive in two runs. Eric Crozier singled, doubled, and walked. Luis Gonzalez singled and doubled. Maicer Izturis extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single. Grady Sizemore drove in two with a single and walk. Tyler Minges doubled. As a team, the Aeros banged out seven doubles altogether. Kyle Denney won his 4th of the year as he allowed four runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings, walking two, striking out three, and giving up nine hits. Ryan Larson threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief and Rafael Betancourt struck out five in two innings.

KINSTON (13-9): Mariano Gomez threw six innings of shutout ball to lead the K-Tribe to a 4-1 victory over Salem. Gomez (1-1, 3.62) scattered three hits and walked only one while striking out five. Victor Kliene allowed one run in three innings and was credited with his first save. Bill Peavey drove in three runs as he doubled, singled, and walked twice. Joe Inglett also doubled, singled, and walked twice. Rodney Choy Foo doubled and walked as he extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Eider Torres singled and made two errors. Brian Jenkins walked twice with a basehit. Pat Osborn singled and was hit by a pitch. Armando Camacaro singled and Dennis Malave walked. The K-Tribe left 14 runners on base.

LAKE COUNTY (17-10): The Captains rallied in the top of the 8th but lost it in the bottom of the 8th as they fell to Charleston (WV) 8-6. The good guys rallied for three runs in the top half of the inning for a 6-5 lead but gave the three runs right back in the bottom half of the frame. Sean Smith (4.94) allowed four runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings on three hits and four walks. He struck out five and served up one big fly. Juan Lara (0-3, 7.45) took the loss as he surrendered eight hits in 2.2 innings and was charged with four runs (two earned). Matt Knox (.231) doubled, tripled, and singled to drive in two runs. Shaun Larkin belted a two-run homer (#2) and also singled. Dave Wallace doubled, singled, and was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Van Every and Ricardo Rojas singled while Nathan Panther walked twice and stole a base (#5). The Captains made three errors in the field (Cooper, Rojas, Schilling) and were caught stealing three times (Larkin, JVE, and Schilling) on the bases.

Posted on 5/01/2003

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