He looked good enough to be in the big leagues to me... If they need a corner outfielder, I wouldn't feel uncomfortable at all starting him in the big leagues—he should be one of their first call-ups unless they decide to work his service clock.
says some scout quoted on BP's recent Future Shock article on Matt LaPorta.
almost 3 years ago
rolub
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And the other two Indians tidbits:
Beau Mills, 1B, Indians: “He can hit, but he looks like a DH in the making. I was surprised at how bad he was at first base because, you know, he’s supposed to be a professional athlete.”
Carlos Santana, C, Indians: “I know there are questions about his defense, but he sure looked good to me back there.”
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
the thought of mills possibly sticking at 3B seems silly, now.
i thought santana was getting rave reviews for his arm in particular, and he obviously has some athleticisititcityness. that it’s things like his game calling that needs developing.
I guess this means he won’t be following the Ryan Garko Path To The Outfield.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
I’m still shocked Ryan Garko is on the Ryan Garko Path.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Apr 3, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Based on my one game sample size, Beau Mills might be the worst fielder I’ve ever seen.
by supermarioelia on Apr 3, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking of Santana, he’s #4 on Gammon’s list of most impressive young players this spring (according to five dozen baseball people).
Acquired from the Dodgers last season in lieu of L.A. having to pay Casey Blake’s salary, Cleveland grabbed a future star (one club still loves him as a third baseman). He has a great arm, live bat from both sides and put up an OPS of more than 1.000 last season. This next generation of Indians players is extremely impressive.
And Brantely is #20.
The player to be named later along with Matt LaPorta in the CC Sabathia deal last season had a great spring. As the season wears on, Brantley, Trevor Crowe, Carlos Santana, Matt LaPorta, third baseman Wes Hodges and second baseman Luis Valbuena could all contribute. Now if they can get two out of the pitching group of Aaron Laffey, David Huff, Jeremy Sowers and Hector Rondon into the picture, this could be a prolonged time in the high life for the Tribe.
Who had the best arm you saw this spring?
Boston’s Daniel Bard got three times as many votes as anyone else. Actually, tied for second were a catcher (Carlos Santana) and an outfielder (Rick Ankiel)…
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Like there would be something wrong with managing his service clock? If he’s that good, I’m all for keeping him affordable for as long as we can.
Besides, he has yet to see a pitch in AAA.
Based on his service time what’s the earliest he could come up this year that would keep him away from arbitration the longest? I want to mark my calendar.
"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.
Service issues really shouldn’t be a big factor in considering Laporta. He’s already 24 (as of January 8), which means even were he breaking camp with the team now we’d have control of him through his age 29 season. If he were a 21-year old the situation might be different, but if Laporta can help the team in Cleveland he should be in the big leagues.
by APV on Apr 3, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
So in the latter situation it would be his age 27 season at issue, and in this case its his age 30 season. Hmmm, ok, I guess we have to consider that difference when we do the balance (two months in 2009 vs that extra year). If he turns out to be the slugger we hope he will, age 30 will still be pretty valuable.
But his walk year is not really in play at the moment. Once he spends 12 more days in the minors, his walk year is set back to 2015. To set it back another year to 2016, you’d have to keep him in the minors for an entire season plus 12 days. The chance that he will not end up somewhere in between — more than 12 days in the minors but less than one year — is so low as to not even be a serious consideration.
Would it become a consideration if we fell out of the race early, as we did in 2008? I don’t think it would be. I think at that point, with some AAA time under his belt and zero-leverage MLB playing time available, they would still feel that promoting him was the best thing to do. The only way his walk year becomes an issue is if he struggles all year.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Apr 3, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Did the scout say there was something wrong with it?
Generally agree with Adam’s take, but then again, there’s no real reason to rush him, given his total lack of AAA experience. I would say overall that arbitration is certainly the bigger concern rather than free agency, at this point.
June 2 is the 59th day of the season, with 124 after that point. That’s the target.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Apr 3, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
June 2 is the 59th day of the season, with 124 after that point. That’s the target.
informative rec.
On June 1st, I’m going to say to myself, doesn’t something important happen tomorrow? And I’ll spend all day running through my family’s birthdays.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Apr 3, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Is this really that big of a deal with the Indians? If LaPorta is worth anything in his first year and a half I expect them to buy out his arbitration years and first X years of free agency anyway. Seems to be the M.O.
Steel Nick
Yes, but whether or not he’s eligible for Super-2 directly impacts the value of the contract.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Apr 3, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions
From Lastoria’s notebook today:
The Spectacular Rondon: I watched Akron play on Thursday, and wow was right-hander Hector Rondon unbelievable. He was smoking, and while the velocity was not recorded he was hitting 95 MPH on the gun again and blowing hitters away with his nasty fastball/slider combination. He finished the day throwing 80 pitches and going six innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits, a walk, and had nine strikeouts. He threw first pitch strikes to 20 of 23 batters.
Ben Francisco's only fan on LGT
And, unlike Huff, he is already on the 40 man.
Slightly on topic, Tony and other sites have published the starting rotations down on the farm. Respectively:
Columbus – Huff, Sowers, Laffey, Saarloos, Cassel
Akron – Rondon, Herrmann, Tomlin, Wright, Lofgren
Kinston – Gomez, De La, Putnam, Berger, Morris
LC – House, Mahalic, Perez, Ryan Miller, McFarland
The fetish for AAAA wastrels refuses to die completely, as Cassel’s inclusion in the Columbus rotation dominoes Herrmann, Gomez , etc. into repeating a level they had already proved themselves at. Of course, if they are true prospects themselves they will force a promotion at some point this year, but they’ll need an extra toughness biscuit to start the season with.
Probably more pitching talent from top to bottom than I’ve ever seen on the farm, especially when you throw in relievers like Sipp, Meloan, Judy, et al. (Al being the unheralded, undrafted FA). Should be a fun year.
by mcrose on Apr 3, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hello mcrose,
I believe you’re correct – we need to see more outings like that.
That article also mentioned that Lofgren looks “more determined” and came into camp in better shape. What also can only help is the fact that his mother’s cancer is reportedly in remission, as Lofgren can put more focus and attention on baseball again. Let’s hope he can make a good comeback and live up to his potential (as mentioned, he’s still young enough to be promising).
Just my 2 cents.
The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.
I’ve been busy at a conference all week, otherwise I would have posted on this. These are, at least on the surface, pretty exciting rotations. Huff, Laffey and Sowers are all interesting. Rondon has the chance of being a real stud. I like Tomlin. Lofgren is actually still surprisingly young. Herrmann and Wright would appear to have a Brian Slocum like ceiling – but that’s not the worst thing in the world. Gomez and De La Cruz are interesting. Berger and Putnam are interesting 2008 draftees. And once again the Lake County staff is young and talented. Fun boxscore watching for the beginning of the season.
by APV on Apr 3, 2009 7:46 PM EDT up reply actions
What % chance would you say there is for Rondon making the Indians at some point this year? September call-up counts
Good chance in September since he’s already on teh 40-man, pretty slight chance before that.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
I wonder if there’s a chance he’s our Postseason David Price.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
A chance, I guess. He took a big step forward last season, and you’re asking if he’ll take an equally big step forward this season. It’s possible, but not something you’d expect.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Apr 4, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Someone on here asked once how many runs one of us would give up if we had to face major league hitters. I can say I think I would have done better than these guys did against another college team.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Hey, only 14 of Jamaal Duncan’s 25 runs were earned. How would you have liked to be the coach in the 71-1 game? Come on guys, you can do it! A couple score of runs and we’re back in this thing!
I coached a team of 13 to 15 year old players last summer. Most of them were 13, and the concept of a 13-15 team is somewhat new in Babe Ruth Baseball. We found ourselves playing against a lot of teams filled with 15 year olds.
The mercy rule kept the scores from getting past 25 runs or so, and aside from the team that started batting left handed with wooden bats, most teams were pretty restrained and good sports about it.
Still, it was a long summer.
It’s tough going out there each inning when you’re so obviously over matched, so I give these guys credit for sticking to it.
"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.
That’s rough.
I coached a league of ~8th graders over two summers with my friend. We did it in the summers after Sophomore and Junior years of high school. Two of the most fun summers I’ve ever had.
Steel Nick
The mercy rule kept the scores from getting past 25 runs or so, and aside from the team that started batting left handed with wooden bats, most teams were pretty restrained and good sports about it.
My brother was on the 15 YO end of that a few years ago. They weren’t allowed to steal, weren’t allowed to run past first on a hit, weren’t allowed to advance a base unless they were forced. They ended up batting left-handed – what else was there to do? The other coach refused to cancel the game. Honestly, if I were a player the embarrassment of the stunted offense would have hurt me more than the left-handed futility.
"…The ones who actually have some heart or some kind of pride within themselves, they took it like a smack in their face. They were remorseful today," he said.
Not a quote from a happy coach, and for good reason. I probably would have resigned after the 1st inning, or pulled out a bottle of Old Crow.
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