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Aeros Gimenez, Head on same path after differing offseasons
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Jan 11, 2008
The Aeros' season doesn't start for another three months, but preparation is already under way for a select handful of Indians minor leaguers.
As part of the Indians Winter Development Program, 10 Tribe prospects stopped in Akron on Thursday night to take part in the Aeros' Winter Warmup Party. A majority of them will suit up for the Aeros come April — including catcher Chris Gimenez and right fielder Stephen Head.
But the two couldn't have had more opposite experiences in the offseason.
Gimenez spent his at the prestigious Arizona Fall League primarily playing third base for the Surprise Rafters. Head spent his recovering from surgery on his right shoulder.
Gimenez has split time between catching and playing third base, but he is looking forward to focusing primarily on catching
this season.
''I think they kind of want to hone me in on catching a little more,'' said Gimenez, who hit .231 in 30 games with the Aeros last year but batted .283 at Class-A Kinston the rest of the season. ''And that's good, because I think I just need a little more every-day experience.''
Head initially struggled in his promotion to the Aeros on Aug. 7 before heating up just before the playoffs began in early September.
''I don't know how I hurt my shoulder, but I knew I had something wrong there for a while,'' said Head, the Indians No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft out of the University of Mississippi. ''I could either shut it down right then or finish the season.''
There was no doubt in Head's mind what to do.
''I didn't want to be the guy who sat out,'' he said. ''Plus, I was getting enough hits and playing well enough with it, so I figured I could make it. But once I got to Akron I had to change something because I would be in midswing and fire would just shoot through my shoulder.''
The change was to lower his hands during his swing to reduce the strain on his shoulder. In addition to making the pain more manageable, the adjustment ended up helping him hit better. Now, he plans on sticking with his improved batting stance this season.
The surgery that came 10 days after the Aeros lost to the Trenton Thunder in the Eastern League Championship Series required inserting ''five clips'' over the tear to help it mend. Head, a left-handed hitter, said he was told an average labrum tear requires three.
''The doctor told me it was a good thing I didn't play with it much longer or it would have torn all the way,'' he said. ''And that would have been a longer recovery time.''
As it is, Head has thrown just twice and is still a week away from swinging a bat for the first time.
''I still have a lot of soreness, but I pretty much have all my range of motion back, if not more,'' he said. ''This is a surgery that might take a year before you feel back to normal. But I'm on track. By spring training, I ought to be doing everything everyone else is.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
The Aeros' season doesn't start for another three months, but preparation is already under way for a select handful of Indians minor leaguers.
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