June 19, 2013

The Diff: Update on top Cleveland Indians prospects

June 5, 2013 by 22 Comments

The Diff is your weekly Wednesday WFNY look into the amazing world of sports statistics. Amazingly, this is already the 20th one I’ve written here at the site. For a complete log of articles, click this link. Last week, The Diff looked deep into the stats of Nerlens Noel as the likely No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. This week, it’s back to my roots: Cleveland Indians prospect talk.

The Diff

During most of the 2012 baseball season, I wrote a regular feature called the “WFNY Wednesday Wahoos“. Pre-The Diff, this was my weekly adventure into the stats and prospects world, where I could share updates and anecdotal ideas about the Cleveland Indians system. It’s been a long time since I did one of those, so as a special blast from the past, I’m dedicating this week’s The Diff to a similar construct as those old Wahoos. Hope you enjoy. All statistics below are current as of games played on Monday, June 3. [Read more...]

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WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 7/18

July 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Each and every Wednesday, I try to bring you all of the news and notes from the Cleveland Indians minor league system. Enjoy.

Last Thursday, I traveled off to Lake County to get the scoop on the Captains. Also included in this week’s edition of the Wahoos is the latest on some top prospects’ hot streaks, a no-hitter, some reliever promotions and a rehabbing lefty on his way back to Cleveland soon. We’re officially less than two weeks away from the trade deadline, so stay tuned next week for plenty on more on possible trades. [Read more...]

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WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 6/27

June 27, 2012 by 3 Comments

And we’re back on normal time this week. As usual, every Wednesday I bring you all of the news and notes from the Cleveland Indians minor league system.

Last night was exciting in the ninth, but it doesn’t hide the fact the Indians have lost four straight by a margin of 28-7. Yikes. So, since the Indians declared they’re likely to make improvements from within, what possibilities are there down on the farm? General manager Chris Antonetti shared some names yesterday and I’ll provide some insight on those now.

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WFNY Friday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 6/22

June 22, 2012 by 5 Comments

Oops. For the first time since I started out the WFNY Wahoos, I missed my Wednesday goal. So today, even though it’s Friday, enjoy your weekly dose of Cleveland Indians minor league news and updates. No Tribe game last night, so this is your morning substitute.

Yes, the Indians remain 36-32 entering this weekend’s series against the Houston Astros. Yes, Cleveland still has a slight half-game lead over the Chicago White Sox and a 2.5-game lead over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, and appears on the verge of possibly entering July in first place. [Read more...]

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WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 6/13

June 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Every Wednesday, I provide tons of updates from the Indians minor league system. Today’s a special edition with a new top 10 ranking and some special insight on the MLB Draft. Enjoy.

For now this season, I hope you all have enjoyed my six or seven editions of the WFNY Wednesday Wahoos. They’ve been a great deal of fun to write each week, and I’m looking forward to continuing it for the rest of the season. Today’s post is a bit of a special one, as with the middle of the minor league season approaching quickly, I decided to expand a bit with some new features.

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While We’re Waiting… Loving the NFL Draft, Passing Time in the Minors, and Spring Game Losers

April 22, 2012 by 3 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

First up, Doug at CST has a brilliant take asking why exactly we love the NFL draft so much. As someone who gets really heavy into the NFL Draft only a few weeks before it unfolds, I couldn’t agree more with his pointing out of some of the overanalysis, “That means five months of dissecting exactly what the Browns need to reach the Holy Grail of 8-8 within the next three years. Draft talk essentially overshadows everything else this town has going sports-wise. Folks may be excited about the promise of Kyrie Irving and were pretty ticked at the Indians for not getting an impact bat in the off-season, but that talk usually circles back around to sizzling topics like Mo Claiborne’s 40- time and what Mike Holmgren will have for breakfast on the day of the draft (Wheat germ and two raw eggs, shells included, according to unconfirmed reports).” [Cleveland Sports Torture]

Tribe Minor Leaguer Cole Cook had a really entertaining blog entry about life in the minors, “Of all the skills need to succeed in the minors, passing time may be the most important. Good hands, the ability to read the ball, a resilient body – most people would correctly guess these will help one rise to the top of a heap of struggling minor leaguers. But you can have all the talent in the world, but if your brain rots in your skull as a result of sheer boredom, those talents will never hit the field. Thus – a true minor league talent, will also learn to master the talent of killing time. ” [Cole Cook's Dugout Chatter]

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The Drought is Over! Championship City! (Updated with Video)

September 21, 2010 by 14 Comments

That’s right, Cleveland fans: last night the Lake County Captains won the decisive fifth game of Midwest League against the Clinton Lumberkings, bringing home the championship for which we’ve been waiting so long.

Giovanni Soto, the player received from Detroit in the Jhonny Peralta trade, threw 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts (!), two walks, three hits and only one run allowed.  The Captains took the lead for good in the sixth inning, after the speedster Delvi Cid singled and stole second.  Then the Indians’ 2009 17th round pick Casey Frawley had a big, two-out RBI single to break the tie. [Read more...]

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Indians Acquire Zach McAllister; Jason Knapp Stars with Lake County

August 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister is the newest member of the Indians organization after being acquired as a player-to-be-named-later from the New York Yankees. The 6’5″ starter completes last month’s Austin Kearns trade and he began the year as the fifth-best Yankees prospect. He still has upper-level potential despite a rough 2010 season in the Triple-A International League.

He will turn 23 years old in December and is 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre so far this season. McAllister should immediately transition to the Columbus Clippers rotation and is highly regarded because of of his youth and previous dominance. He was 7-5 with an League-leading 2.23 ERA for Double-A Trenton in 2009, winning NY Yankees Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors.

For the Indians, completing this trade adds yet another high-level pitching prospect to the fold, a common trend over the past year. It certainly won’t hurt to have his name in a competition with Jeanmar Gomez and  Josh Tomlin among others while one other top young prospect stuck out Friday night in Lake County.

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While We’re Waiting… Summer 2010, Brantley’s Ankle and NFL Free Agency

March 25, 2010 by 15 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

Henry Thomas joins CAA just in time: “Simply put, the top three NBA free agents are all under the same representation umbrella — an advantage that will allow them to freely share information about what will be a dizzying, unpredictable free-agent signing period. The college coach who would make the biggest splash and most money if he returned to the NBA soon could be on board in the form of Calipari, via [William] Wesley. It is a nexus of power not seen since 1996, when David Falk represented free agents Jordan, Alonzo Mourning, Juwan Howard, Dikembe Mutombo and others at a time there was no maximum contract. The domino effect could result in what one rival agent described as “sweeping changes” in the NBA landscape by the time it’s over.” [Ken Berger/CBS Sports] 

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Carmona Wins as Indians Snap 11-Game Skid

September 26, 2009 by 4 Comments

Orioles Indians BaseballAs disheartening as it has been these days, Tribe fans finally had something to cheer about yesterday albeit on the heels of an 11-game losing streak and against the even-worse Baltimore Orioles. In a battle for the worst record in the American League, the Indians came up victorious as Fausto Carmona improved to 4-12 with a quality start as the Tribe ended up victorious 4-2. It has been a rare sign for the Domincan native over the past two years, but things seemed all fine and dandy as the bullpen came through in the end in leading Cleveland’s rare victory at Progressive Field.

Baseball fans all know the story of Fausto’s rise and fall from glory by now. A summer league legend after being plucked from the DR back in 1998, Carmona emerged on the big-time prospect radar with a 17-4 record and a 2.06 ERA for the Class A Lake County Captains in ’03. As a fire-balling 19-year-old, he permitted just 14 walks in 148.1 innings pitched for the Captains and followed up that performance with a decent overall final stat line in the next two years between Kinston, Akron and Buffalo. What has ensued since then however, is a mystery that can only happen in Cleveland and still leaves a ton of question marks for the future.

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Keeping up with Lake County star Jason Knapp

August 18, 2009 by 4 Comments

knappI attended Lake County’s contest Sunday afternoon with the Rome Braves and was able to witness the spectacle that is 18-year-old right-hander Jason Knapp in action. The “centerpiece” of the Cliff Lee deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, Knapp projects as a super-power arm capable of anchoring a rotation or being a shutdown closer. Although he is only 18 (turns 19 on August 31st) and is in just his first full season of professional baseball after being a second round selection out of a New Jersey high school by the Phillies in 2008, Knapp showcased some of his electric stuff as the Captains defeated the Braves 11-6.

Still limited to a strict pitch count in his second appearance since being placed on the disabled list for Philadelphia’s affiliate in the South Atlantic League, Knapp struck out five and did not walk a batter in his 3.2 innings. In the second inning he allowed his only three runs but only two of them were earned after a crucial error by the third baseman loaded the bases with no outs. He reached just over 60 pitches on the afternoon, allowing four hits to the 17 batters he faced and recording one ground-ball out  against five fly outs. There was no pitch speed indicator at Classic Park but by all means it seemed like he was hitting the mid-90s and even displayed his plus curveball in getting a called strike three to end the third.

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DL Update: Westbrook Rained Out, Lewis Shines

June 12, 2009 by 1 Comment

Tribe Decision MakersA pair of Cleveland Indians starters were on rehab assignments yesterday as Jake Westbrook was the scheduled starter for the Double-A Akron Aeros, while Ohio State product Scott Lewis started for the Class A Lake County Captains. Westbrook is currently aiming for a late-June/early-July return to Cleveland after a couple more starts in Columbus, while Scott Lewis was reassigned back in late-April to the 60-day disabled list will hopefully return by the All-Star Break after several more minor league starts.

This all could present some tough decisions for the big decision makers in the Indians organization in the coming weeks and months, as the current rotation of Lee, Pavano, Okha, Sowers and Huff is starting to come through a little bit right now as the team is playing much better than they did at the beginning of the season. Only time will tell what the Indians starting rotation will look like by the All-Star Break or even by the end of the year with Cleveland currently 27-35 and seven games back in the Central.

Over in Akron, Westbrook’s second scheduled start for the Aeros was rained out. After delivering 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball in his previous start last Saturday in game one of a doubleheader against Altoona, Westbrook was a scratch just before gametime with the rain pounding the field and the tarp firmly on the infield grass. Around an hour later, the game was cancelled as well, forcing Akron to play a doubleheader in New Hampshire next week and moving Jake’s start to Friday night against the Portland Sea Dogs. The 31-year-old Westbrook will pitch tonight at 7:05 p.m. for Fireworks Friday at Canal Park against the Red Sox Double-A team.

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Carmona Solid in Rehab Start

July 15, 2008 by 4 Comments

lakecounty.jpgFausto Carmona appeared to be pain free following his 4 innings of work at Lake County on Monday. Carmona allowed only one hit, not that you would expect single A players to do much against Fausto. What is slightly disturbing is that Fausto has to hit while at Lake County. At least he has to stand in the batter’s box. Perhaps he should make these starts for Akron. There is no reason to subject Fausto to further injury by making him hit. Misunderstanding cleared up by a reader, thanks!

Speaking of the Aeros, they were winners at Reading last night 5-3. Scott’s favorite player, you know this guy, is doing quite well there playing right field. In fact the long-monikered one is batting .302 in 66 minor league games this season. Perhaps we will get a chance to cheer for the Hawaiian warrior sometime in Cleveland…

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Borowski, Beer Night. Who’s With Me?

May 16, 2008 by 6 Comments

Joe Borowski < Dollar Beer NightI’m sensing that this has “WFNY Outing” written all over it.  Passed on by our good friend Vince Grzegorek over at C-Notes, Joe Borowski will be making a rehab appearance for the Tribe’s Single-A affiliate Lake County Captains. 

Now, if you’re thinking, “Why would I travel to see a washed-up closer,” you’re not alone.   But fear not, my friends, as the marketing geniuses in Eastlake, Ohio solved this issue right out of the gate: Dollar.  Beer.  Night.  Yes, you read that correctly.  One dollar per beer.  For the price of one gallon of gasoline, you can get three beers with a tip.  Or four beers, if you’re LeBron James.  Oh, and Joe Borowksi will be there too. 

And don’t fret.  If you’re not a beer fan, or are not of age, “Buck night” entails $1 pop and $1 hot dogs as well.  So whatcha guys think?  Road trip?

Joe Borowski to pitch Monday in Eastlake… [C-Notes]

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