Spring Training is careening toward its fiery end, and the Opening Day roster is starting to solidify. As that happens, here's a look at what's going on in Tribe Town and beyond:
Yesterday's game: Reds 13, Indians 2
Well, let's not play the Reds again this spring. Though something close to the Opening Day lineup played today, the Indians got their collective bathroom demolished thanks in large part to an atrocious showing by Danny Salazar. Odds are he pitched his way out of the rotation even harder than Josh Tomlin did the day before.
- LGT recap (Jason Lukehart)
- Cleveland.com recap (Paul Hoynes)
- Indians.com recap (Jordan Bastian and Mark Sheldon)
Indians news & notes
Indians right to give Lindor more time in minors | Cleveland.com - Despite having a great spring, Francisco Lindor was bound to wind up back in the minors, and that's probably the right move according to Terry Pluto. Aside from the fact that Lindor is just 21 years old, Pluto notes that the Indians believe prospects are more likely to perform better when promoted mid-season. Also, there's the service time issue, as well as that Jose Ramirez dude, who's pretty decent.
Evaluating the prospects: Cleveland Indians | Fangraphs - An excellent and in-depth look at the Tribe's top prospects, nearly 30 deep, including video for the top three: Lindor, Clint Frazier, and Bradley Zimmer.
The window is wide open... don't fall out | Waiting For Next Year - The Indians rebuilding cycle historically has taken about six years, meaning the window is wide open now half a dozen years after the Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez trades. WFNY argues that this window might be open for longer than any of those historical windows have been.
Potential 25 man roster of the future | Burning River Baseball - After the latest round of roster cuts, BRB reviews who's left and discusses how they might fight onto the Opening Day roster.
Atchison aging well, will be key to bullpen again | Did The Tribe Win Last Night? - DTTWLN looks back at the unorthodox career path of Scott Atchison, and discusses why he's likely to win repeat membership in the Terry Francon Circle of Trust in 2015.
Indians hope Triple A time will help Lee | Indians.com - C.C. Lee was part of the latest round of guys sent sent down to the minors, but Terry Francona is optimistic that he can be a useful member of the bullpen in the future.
Rotation race likely to last into final week of spring | Indians.com - Salazar and Tomlin may have seemingly pitched themselves out of the rotation, but they each have the opportunity for another go. Zach McAllister and T.J. House appear to have the upper hand, so the pressure is on them to keep impressing. Wait, pressure? In Spring Training? Tito says:
"I laugh when people say, 'Well, you're putting pressure on a guy.' Well, if you can't handle the last week of Spring Training, there's a pretty good chance when [Miguel] Cabrera's hitting, it's not going to be any better."
Tidbits from around MLB
- Fangraphs posts their 2015 positional power rankings for left field and right field
- Scott Boras accuses the Cubs of indulging in the "opiate" of player control but not promoting Kris Bryant
- David Ortiz pens an essay wherein he whines about being tested a bunch for PEDs
- Unsigne #1 pick Brady Aiken writes about his recent Tommy John surgery
- A resolution to teh Josh Hamilton case is expected before Opening Day