Around The Farm: January 3, 2013 (1.4.13)

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

Here is the rundown of what Cleveland players in fall and winter ball did yesterday:

Dominican Winter League

• Jose Ramirez (SS): 1-for-4, 1 BB. Ramirez went to the plate five times Thursday night and, in classic Ramirez form, reached base twice. He remains one of the hottest hitters in the organization and will be a thrill to watch in 2013. Read More…

From Indians Baseball Insider, January 4, 2013

 

The Dark Side of the Moon: A 2012 Cleveland Indians review (12.31.12)

Another year has come and gone, yet Cleveland is still waiting for its first World Series title since 1948. The team did not come together as planned, but there were still bright moments during the journey. The bright moments kept rolling in after the season, after the team made a huge splash in free agency and on the trading block.

2012 is over, and as we look back on it one more time here on New Year’s Eve, it is time for an Indians Baseball (Baseball!) Insider year-end recap piece. To avoid a generic, boring article, however, I framed the year around Pink Floyd’s famous The Dark Side of the Moon album.

Why an album released in 1973 instead of an album from 2012, you ask? Because it is one of my favorite albums by my favorite band! This is more fun for me!

Let’s go! Read More…

From Indians Prospect Insider, December 31, 2012

 

IPI Digest: 12/23/12-12/29/12 (12.29.12)

On Sunday, Chris Antonetti joined the thousands of last-minute shoppers trying to pick up one final item before Christmas Day. Luckily for fans, Antonetti was not shopping at Target or Wal-Mart, but for a legitimate major leaguer in Nick Swisher.

IPI/IBI was there to cover every angle of the Swisher signing, as well as bringing the level of coverage of the minor league system you have become accustomed to.

Here are all of the pieces that went up on IPI over the past week: Read More…

From Indians Prospect Insider, December 29, 2012

 

Around The Farm: December 27, 2012 (12.28.12)

Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

Here is the rundown of what Cleveland players in fall and winter ball did yesterday:

Dominican Winter League

• Carlos Santana (DH): 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB. This is the sort of outing everyone wanted to see out of Santana this winter. If he is spending his time in the Dominican working on adjustments, hopefully this is a sign that it is working. Read More…

From Indians Prospect Insider, December 28, 2012

 

Signing Swisher means Indians must contend NOW (12.23.12)

It is very easy to get excited about Nick Swisher coming to Cleveland, but since he is unlikely to hold his value for the long-term, the team better contend for the playoffs in 2013.

Swisher, 32, is the middle-of-the-order bat Cleveland desperately needs. He has hit at least 20 home runs in eight straight seasons, owns a 118 OPS+ and .256/.361/.467 line for his career, and averages over 3.0 fWAR per full season, easily making him one of the most valuable players in baseball since 2005.

Yet this move does not come without risks. Giving 32-year-old players four year contracts at $14 million per year (with a vesting option for a fifth year) is dicey, especially on at end of the deal. Teams expect to take a loss on the back-end of free agent contracts, hoping that the benefits at the beginning offset those losses, but that is harder to swallow in a small-market like Cleveland. Read More…

From Indians Prospect Insider, December 23, 2012

 

IPI Digest: 12/15/12-12/22/12 (12.22.12)

There were no mega-deals involving Cleveland over the past week, but IPI kept you up-to-date on everything that happened with the big league club. The biggest news of the week was possibly the name change the site is undergoing, but you can read more about that under the “Monday” heading.

Here are all of the pieces that went up on IPI over the past week: Read More…

From Indians Prospect Insider, December 22, 2012