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See Jane Style:
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 09:12 p.m. EDT, Aug 29, 2009
The Indians are all about prospects as they finish 2009 and head to 2010.
Who are the prospects who could affect the team in the next couple of seasons?
-- Pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been more than solid since joining the Triple-A Columbus rotation after the Cliff Lee trade, going 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA.
In 421/3 innings, Carrasco has struck out 36 and walked seven. For the entire season, he's thrown 157 innings, walked 45 and struck out 148.
Carrasco threw 50 innings in winter ball, and is throwing as well now as he has all season. His fastball has reached 96 mph, and he uses a change-up well.
At 22, he's in AAA, which puts him well ahead of the curve. There are some in baseball who think he's the best prospect in the International League.
''Driven, smart, young, powerful. . . .If you look at his strikeouts and walks and keeping the ball in the park, he's doing it at 22, well above average in that league,'' Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins said.
Arrival date: 2009.
-- Center fielder Michael Brantley.
A polished outfielder who is hitting .267 with a .347 on-base percentage in Columbus, Brantley figures to be a September call-up, though the Indians need to figure where he will play in the future given they have Grady Sizemore in center.
Arrival date: 2009.
(Incidentally, what's the harm in bringing up Brantley in September and telling Sizemore to have his elbow surgery immediately? This gives Sizemore an extra month to heal, and gives the Indians a month to see Brantley.)
-- Pitcher Hector Rondon. He's only 21 and he's already reached AAA, a very good sign.
He's 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in Columbus, which follows his 7-5, 2.75 marks for the Double-A Aeros. It'd be tough to be more consistently good.
Rondon seems to get it. Only twice in his past nine starts has he given up more than two runs. In those nine starts, he has struck out 50 and walked 10.
He doesn't have Carrasco's arsenal, but his fastball is more deceptive. He appears to be a solid potential future starter.
Arrival date: 2009.
-- Catcher Carlos Santana, who has been outstanding for the Aeros. He's hitting .289 with 21 home runs and 89 RBI. Santana is slugging .523 and has an on-base plus slugging percentage of .933.
The Indians have to figure how to handle this switch-hitting catcher — whether he will start the 2010 season in the majors or AAA.
He is not extremely fluent in English, which is a concern when handling major-league pitchers. And he sometimes overswings at hittable pitches, but the thinking is that his batting average will improve once he stops doing that.
But he can really, really play.
Arrival date: Some think 2010, but his talent could force the issue in '09.
-- Outfielder Nick Weglarz. His .227 average does not reflect the way the team views him, which is as one of its better prospects.
Weglarz is a Travis Hafner-type, a big, strong guy with power. He played through back and shin injuries this season, which affected his production.
''The other things that don't show up in a stat line are his elite competitiveness, and the strides he's made defensively and running the bases,'' Atkins said.
Arrival date: 2010.
-- Pitcher Steven Wright. He blossomed (10-0, 2.48 ERA) after moving from the rotation to the bullpen. He's a former second-round pick who has a good cutter, which gives him a chance to be a middle of the bullpen guy. Arrival date: 2010.
-- Jeanmar Gomez, a tall, lanky (6-3, 170) powerful starting pitcher with potential.
Gomez has opened some eyes by going 10-4 with a 3.09 ERA in AA, including a perfect game. He's only 22, and in 1132/3 innings, he has given up 39 earned runs, struck out 116 and walked 40.
This has been by far his best minor-league season.
He has relied on his slider a lot, so the team would like him to work on his fastball — which is in the 90-to-94-mph range. The positive: Atkins said the Indians expect Gomez to keep growing, which should add strength.
Arrival date: 2010 or '11.
-- Outfielder Matt McBride. Former catcher who moved to the outfield after needing shoulder surgery. He's hitting .298 with 12 home runs for the Aeros.
''He has a powerful line-drive swing that creates a little more backspin than most can at that level,'' Atkins said.
Which is important, because line drives with backspin carry farther than line drives with topspin. McBride ranks 11th in all the minor leagues with 94 RBI and is tied for ninth with 40 doubles.
Arrival date: 2011.
-- Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall. Last year's No. 1 pick advanced to AA in his first full season with the Indians. Chisenhall hit .278 (OPS of .838) with 18 home runs in Kinston. Atkins likes his discipline, and likes the fact that at 21, he's in AA.
Arrival date: 2011, though he could force the issue sooner.
-- Outfielder Jordan Brown. He hit .334 with 12 home runs and 34 doubles in Columbus, and has one of the purer swings in the organization. Brown could be another September call-up.
Arrival date: 2010.
The Indians also are very high on two other players acquired in the Lee trade: catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Mike Donald. Both, though, play positions where the team has someone entrenched or has another prospect.
Other players are already in the majors.
Andy Marte has gone 12-for-29 the past eight games (.414) after a slow start. Matt LaPorta figures to be an everyday fixture in the lineup next season. Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera have solidified the middle of the infield.
Add them to the core that includes Shin-Soo Choo and Sizemore, and that's the look of the future Indians.
How good they are is up to them.
UA, KSU
Local changes
We're in the midst of a sea of change in local college athletics.
While the University of Akron prepares to open a new football stadium on campus and welcome a new director of athletics, Kent State prepares to say goodbye to Laing Kennedy, its A.D. the past 15 years.
Kennedy will retire in May. His announcement the past week gives Kent State time to find the right guy to follow him.
It was a predictably emotional week for Kennedy.
''A week ago, looking to Monday and starting to talk with my immediate staff and letting them know. . . .I found that very hard,'' Kennedy said. ''Monday night and Tuesday, I felt very good about it, felt very calm.
''The president's support has been magnificent, and I'm very grateful for that. But by Tuesday we were getting back into staff meetings, going to football practice and talking with Doug [Martin]. . . .You get back into the daily routine.
''So we have to get back to work. We have some things we want to do here.''
Kennedy knows there will be time for reflection as the year progresses, but he did not hesitate when asked the biggest thing he's learned in his years.
''Patience,'' he said. ''Because that historically was not one of my strong suits. Knowing that you have a good person doing an excellent job and now is the time to be calm and patient.''
UA's Tom Wistrcill will take over full time in early September, but he's already made a lot of friends by e-mailing a message to fans that linked to a YouTube greeting.
''There's lots to be done,'' Wistrcill said in the video. ''We need your involvement. We need your support. And I look forward over the next weeks and months to working with each of you to achieve the goals we know we can achieve.''
Starting on top
UA's vaunted soccer team starts the year in the heights — the Zips are ranked first in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, second by Soccer America and third in the coaches poll.
This after leading scorer Steve Zakuani decided to turn pro and goalkeeper Evan Bush graduated. But coach Caleb Porter and assistants Dave Giffard and Jared Embrick brought in the nation's best recruiting class.
''We feel we're one of the best teams in the country and we don't have to back anything up,'' Porter said. ''We're going to take the field and expect to win, hope to win, each and every game. We don't need that pressure and incentive to want to win or have to back anything up.
''We already have that motivation.''
The Zips' season a year ago ended too soon when a home NCAA Tournament game was moved to Northwestern, against the wishes of the Zips. The team played in a blizzard and lost 1-0.
''They were left with a bitter taste,'' Porter said. ''Which means we're a program that has very high standards. A lot of programs that aren't on the cusp with the elite would have celebrated that last season as monumental.
''We did not.''
Porter knows his team has depth, and he also knows that brings playing-time challenges. He's seen no issues the first week of practice, and said the team and staff are ''excited more than anything'' about the rankings.
The Zips are responsible for one other change in college soccer.
By the start of the season, the NCAA will have a new rule on tournament games.
Now the game will be played at a home city, not necessarily on the home field.
So if a team's field is deemed unplayable — like UA's last year — the game can be moved to another local field.
No more ''home'' games in Chicago.
Random thoughts
-- The Browns lost one of their best when Dino Lucarelli announced his retirement this past week. Lucarelli had worked in many capacities for the team, including sales when he refused to join Art Modell's move to Baltimore.
He most recently was the Browns' alumni director. Finding a majority opinion from that group is a challenge, but most ex-players would agree Lucarelli was as good a man as the team had in the front office.
Fortunately, Lucarelli will remain as a consultant — while he also enjoys spending more time with his 16 grandchildren.
-- Jerry Jones hangs his scoreboard in his new palace too low. A punt hits it. What does the NFL do? It deems a ''do-over'' will be the rule if a punt hits the scoreboard in the regular season.
A do-over?
U2 is paying to raise the board for a concert. Why can't the league just raise it for games?
Just wait until the first time a team returns a punt for a touchdown after the previous one hit the scoreboard.
Too bad the Browns didn't have do-overs these past few years.
-- Michael Vick was on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles for six plays the other night. SI.com published a story with 10 thoughts on the six plays.
Six plays.
Ten thoughts.
Is it me, or is something out of whack there?
Just wondering
Until next time. . .there you have it.
The Indians are all about prospects as they finish 2009 and head to 2010.
Who are the prospects who could affect the team in the next couple of seasons?
-- Pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been more than solid since joining the Triple-A Columbus rotation after the Cliff Lee trade, going 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA.
In 421/3 innings, Carrasco has struck out 36 and walked seven. For the entire season, he's thrown 157 innings, walked 45 and struck out 148.
Carrasco threw 50 innings in winter ball, and is throwing as well now as he has all season. His fastball has reached 96 mph, and he uses a change-up well.
At 22, he's in AAA, which puts him well ahead of the curve. There are some in baseball who think he's the best prospect in the International League.
''Driven, smart, young, powerful. . . .If you look at his strikeouts and walks and keeping the ball in the park, he's doing it at 22, well above average in that league,'' Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins said.
Arrival date: 2009.
-- Center fielder Michael Brantley.
A polished outfielder who is hitting .267 with a .347 on-base percentage in Columbus, Brantley figures to be a September call-up, though the Indians need to figure where he will play in the future given they have Grady Sizemore in center.
Arrival date: 2009.
(Incidentally, what's the harm in bringing up Brantley in September and telling Sizemore to have his elbow surgery immediately? This gives Sizemore an extra month to heal, and gives the Indians a month to see Brantley.)
-- Pitcher Hector Rondon. He's only 21 and he's already reached AAA, a very good sign.
He's 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in Columbus, which follows his 7-5, 2.75 marks for the Double-A Aeros. It'd be tough to be more consistently good.
Rondon seems to get it. Only twice in his past nine starts has he given up more than two runs. In those nine starts, he has struck out 50 and walked 10.
He doesn't have Carrasco's arsenal, but his fastball is more deceptive. He appears to be a solid potential future starter.
Arrival date: 2009.
-- Catcher Carlos Santana, who has been outstanding for the Aeros. He's hitting .289 with 21 home runs and 89 RBI. Santana is slugging .523 and has an on-base plus slugging percentage of .933.
The Indians have to figure how to handle this switch-hitting catcher — whether he will start the 2010 season in the majors or AAA.
He is not extremely fluent in English, which is a concern when handling major-league pitchers. And he sometimes overswings at hittable pitches, but the thinking is that his batting average will improve once he stops doing that.
But he can really, really play.
Arrival date: Some think 2010, but his talent could force the issue in '09.
-- Outfielder Nick Weglarz. His .227 average does not reflect the way the team views him, which is as one of its better prospects.
Weglarz is a Travis Hafner-type, a big, strong guy with power. He played through back and shin injuries this season, which affected his production.
''The other things that don't show up in a stat line are his elite competitiveness, and the strides he's made defensively and running the bases,'' Atkins said.
Arrival date: 2010.
-- Pitcher Steven Wright. He blossomed (10-0, 2.48 ERA) after moving from the rotation to the bullpen. He's a former second-round pick who has a good cutter, which gives him a chance to be a middle of the bullpen guy. Arrival date: 2010.
-- Jeanmar Gomez, a tall, lanky (6-3, 170) powerful starting pitcher with potential.
Gomez has opened some eyes by going 10-4 with a 3.09 ERA in AA, including a perfect game. He's only 22, and in 1132/3 innings, he has given up 39 earned runs, struck out 116 and walked 40.
This has been by far his best minor-league season.
He has relied on his slider a lot, so the team would like him to work on his fastball — which is in the 90-to-94-mph range. The positive: Atkins said the Indians expect Gomez to keep growing, which should add strength.
Arrival date: 2010 or '11.
-- Outfielder Matt McBride. Former catcher who moved to the outfield after needing shoulder surgery. He's hitting .298 with 12 home runs for the Aeros.
''He has a powerful line-drive swing that creates a little more backspin than most can at that level,'' Atkins said.
Which is important, because line drives with backspin carry farther than line drives with topspin. McBride ranks 11th in all the minor leagues with 94 RBI and is tied for ninth with 40 doubles.
Arrival date: 2011.
-- Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall. Last year's No. 1 pick advanced to AA in his first full season with the Indians. Chisenhall hit .278 (OPS of .838) with 18 home runs in Kinston. Atkins likes his discipline, and likes the fact that at 21, he's in AA.
Arrival date: 2011, though he could force the issue sooner.
-- Outfielder Jordan Brown. He hit .334 with 12 home runs and 34 doubles in Columbus, and has one of the purer swings in the organization. Brown could be another September call-up.
Arrival date: 2010.
The Indians also are very high on two other players acquired in the Lee trade: catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Mike Donald. Both, though, play positions where the team has someone entrenched or has another prospect.
Other players are already in the majors.
Andy Marte has gone 12-for-29 the past eight games (.414) after a slow start. Matt LaPorta figures to be an everyday fixture in the lineup next season. Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera have solidified the middle of the infield.
Add them to the core that includes Shin-Soo Choo and Sizemore, and that's the look of the future Indians.
How good they are is up to them.
UA, KSU
Local changes
We're in the midst of a sea of change in local college athletics.
While the University of Akron prepares to open a new football stadium on campus and welcome a new director of athletics, Kent State prepares to say goodbye to Laing Kennedy, its A.D. the past 15 years.
Kennedy will retire in May. His announcement the past week gives Kent State time to find the right guy to follow him.
It was a predictably emotional week for Kennedy.
''A week ago, looking to Monday and starting to talk with my immediate staff and letting them know. . . .I found that very hard,'' Kennedy said. ''Monday night and Tuesday, I felt very good about it, felt very calm.
''The president's support has been magnificent, and I'm very grateful for that. But by Tuesday we were getting back into staff meetings, going to football practice and talking with Doug [Martin]. . . .You get back into the daily routine.
''So we have to get back to work. We have some things we want to do here.''
Kennedy knows there will be time for reflection as the year progresses, but he did not hesitate when asked the biggest thing he's learned in his years.
''Patience,'' he said. ''Because that historically was not one of my strong suits. Knowing that you have a good person doing an excellent job and now is the time to be calm and patient.''
UA's Tom Wistrcill will take over full time in early September, but he's already made a lot of friends by e-mailing a message to fans that linked to a YouTube greeting.
''There's lots to be done,'' Wistrcill said in the video. ''We need your involvement. We need your support. And I look forward over the next weeks and months to working with each of you to achieve the goals we know we can achieve.''
Starting on top
UA's vaunted soccer team starts the year in the heights — the Zips are ranked first in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, second by Soccer America and third in the coaches poll.
This after leading scorer Steve Zakuani decided to turn pro and goalkeeper Evan Bush graduated. But coach Caleb Porter and assistants Dave Giffard and Jared Embrick brought in the nation's best recruiting class.
''We feel we're one of the best teams in the country and we don't have to back anything up,'' Porter said. ''We're going to take the field and expect to win, hope to win, each and every game. We don't need that pressure and incentive to want to win or have to back anything up.
''We already have that motivation.''
The Zips' season a year ago ended too soon when a home NCAA Tournament game was moved to Northwestern, against the wishes of the Zips. The team played in a blizzard and lost 1-0.
''They were left with a bitter taste,'' Porter said. ''Which means we're a program that has very high standards. A lot of programs that aren't on the cusp with the elite would have celebrated that last season as monumental.
''We did not.''
Porter knows his team has depth, and he also knows that brings playing-time challenges. He's seen no issues the first week of practice, and said the team and staff are ''excited more than anything'' about the rankings.
The Zips are responsible for one other change in college soccer.
By the start of the season, the NCAA will have a new rule on tournament games.
Now the game will be played at a home city, not necessarily on the home field.
So if a team's field is deemed unplayable — like UA's last year — the game can be moved to another local field.
No more ''home'' games in Chicago.
Random thoughts
-- The Browns lost one of their best when Dino Lucarelli announced his retirement this past week. Lucarelli had worked in many capacities for the team, including sales when he refused to join Art Modell's move to Baltimore.
He most recently was the Browns' alumni director. Finding a majority opinion from that group is a challenge, but most ex-players would agree Lucarelli was as good a man as the team had in the front office.
Fortunately, Lucarelli will remain as a consultant — while he also enjoys spending more time with his 16 grandchildren.
-- Jerry Jones hangs his scoreboard in his new palace too low. A punt hits it. What does the NFL do? It deems a ''do-over'' will be the rule if a punt hits the scoreboard in the regular season.
A do-over?
U2 is paying to raise the board for a concert. Why can't the league just raise it for games?
Just wait until the first time a team returns a punt for a touchdown after the previous one hit the scoreboard.
Too bad the Browns didn't have do-overs these past few years.
-- Michael Vick was on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles for six plays the other night. SI.com published a story with 10 thoughts on the six plays.
Six plays.
Ten thoughts.
Is it me, or is something out of whack there?
Just wondering
Until next time. . .there you have it.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canton, OH
Posted 09:39 PM, 08/29/2009
YAWN. . .
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 11:03 AM, 08/30/2009
Oh the memories!
He was Mr. Automatic for the Chiefs (and later for the Vikes, I think).
Yawn Stenerud was the prototype for modern-day NFL kickers.
And kudos to Dino Lucarelli for not making the treasonous trek to Baltimore. We're proud of him!
Bethesda, MD
Posted 01:11 PM, 08/30/2009
Big market teams must be salivating and calculating just how long it will be until this talent pool is developed and ready for prime time.
Teams like the Indians are basically AAA teams for the Yankees, Red Sox et al. Now and then we put up a good showing to make it all look legit.
Hope you are looking froward to watching ex-Indians battle it out for a title. In a few years expect to see Grady, Choo, and Cabrera in the World Series too. Is see Grady in a Red Sox uniform, Choo in a Yankee. Put don't worry we got plenty of talent to develop to replace them.
Having to watch the Yankees in post season is a predictable bore, not to mention a steroidial circus. One by one these guys are eventually put out to pasture, aka Jason Giambi, where they get recirculated threw markets like Oakland.
Posted 05:22 AM, 08/31/2009
What they need to do is realize Grady's arm is below average when healthy. Put Grady in LF, Brantley in CF next year. LaPorta should then play 1B and Marte goes to 3B where he played all season long in the Minors.
Posted 09:58 AM, 08/31/2009
GOOD...the NCAA screwed the SocceROOs last year and they owe us.
Kandi, SL
Posted 03:04 PM, 08/31/2009
Thanks for the news on the NCAA changing their rule, Patrick. Interestingly, this is the first that I've hear about it -- nothing in the soccer-specific press, nothing from the Akron athletic department. You got a scoop!
