Where do we start?
Let's start with Nags..
Charlie Nagy is returning to the Cleveland organization! The Indians brought back their second glory days player into a coaching role with the hiring of Charles Nagy as their Triple-A pitching coach. First Sandy and now Charlie.
Nagy will replace Scott Radinsky who was promoted to bullpen coach at the Major League level. He'll join Mike Sarbaugh who was promoted to manager after Torey Lovullo went to Boston and Lee May Jr. who follows Sarbaugh from Akron to be Columbus' hitting coach. Now Akron has some spots to fill with their hitting and pitching coaches being promoted. Joel Skinner will lead a totally new staff at Akron.
I think it makes sense. Nagy was a Triple-A pitching coach in the Angels organization. He's been with the Tribe in an assitants role to Mark Shapiro before he went to the Nagels. Nagy said this was the perfect time for him to get into coaching with his family and now he gets to do so with the organization he spent 13 years playing with. He coached for the Angels back in 2007 for a few years, but has spent 08 and 09 out of the game.
Might as well get to Rule V... One pitcher that Nagy may not be helping is Chuck Lofgren, who was selected by Milwaukee in the Rule V Draft.
He'll now get a chance to earn a roster spot at the big league level for the Brewers. I have to imagine it will be as a left-handed reliever out of the pen, especially considering the effort they've been making in bringing in free agent starters.
Chuck is excited for the opportunity, as he should be, but let's not feel as if we've lost someone yet, he still has to make the Brewers roster and stay on it all year. I can't imagine the Indians would pay back half the $50,000 grand they received (which they in turn used to pick someone else, we'll get to that), to get Chuck back.
The Brewers feel that the opportunity is there and you never know what that might translate to for Lofgren, who could use a bit of a confidence boost. He ripped it up to start the year last year and I'm fully part of the crowd that believes the way he finished was a product of fatigue because of the time off he had the previous year to deal with his mother's health that also shook his performance.
I think he can be a starter, but if the Brewers want to use him in the pen, I hope he finds a way to be successful, because I'd hate for him to be a reliever in spring training, maybe make the team, but eventually get returned to the Indians who put him back in the rotation. That can be the worst thing for a young pitcher (remember Chuck is only 23 still), to get jerked back and forth between two different roles.
Tony Lastoria said one Brewer official he talked to said that they plan on using him as a matchup lefty. They already have Mitch Stetter, who killed lefties with a .178 BA against. That is one of Lofgren's pluses though. He owned lefties last year, posting a .179 BA against. You can never have too many lefties either, so even if they have Stetter, Lofgren can be used as well and remember, he was a starter and every team can use a longman.
So Good Luck Chuck (horrible movie), I hope to see you return to Cleveland just as much as I hope to see you succeed at the major league level. While I think every Tribe fan would prefer to see Lofgren back in the system, this is one kid that I would not be upset about losing if he managed to rip it up for Milwaukee and show he belongs and it all goes back to how much heart he has. To fight as hard as he did and not give up after what he went through and to change a lot of opinions after he dipped lower on the totem pole, he deserves to make it.
I will personally accept either outcome in this situation and be happy either way.
The Indians could have done the same thing the Brewers are trying to do with Lofgren. They could have protected him and done what Milwaukee was planning to do or even throw him into the competition for the rotation.
But they didn't.. Instead they didn't protect him, they chose to open up a roster spot later by trading Shoppach and they used that extra roster spot to make a Rule V selection of their own.
Hector Ambriz became the first player to be selected by the Cleveland Indians in the major league phase of the Rule V draft since outfielder Travis Chapman in 2002. It was also the first selection of any kind since 2004, when they selected a minor league pitcher in the minor league phase.
In fact, the Indians made two picks this year, another one being in the Triple-A portion. They selected outfielder Brian Horwitz to be their fourth outfielder in Columbus. Essentially, the Indians are in need of some sort of backup at that level and Horwitz fit the bill. Little to no major league importance though. He's already 27 and has had shots at the major leagues before.
Like the Brewers with Lofgren, the Indians will be taking a starter in Ambriz and converting him into the bullpen.
I immediately think of Joakim Soria and Jonathan Papelbon.
Even more towards Soria.
Soria wasn't strictly a starter like Papelbon was, but the connection he has with Ambriz goes further than just Rule V picks. While Soria came from the Mexican League into the Padres system and then eventually into the Royals organization and Ambriz has been with the Diamondbacks since the start, I can't help but think these two situations are much of the same.
You've got a guy with two very good pitches in Ambriz and you give him a shot. He may surprise you.
Sound familiar?
Someone with two good pitches?
Yeah I'm looking at Soria. This guy is going to be very new to just about every team the Indians will face. New level, new league, new role. All he needs is two pitches.
The Indians are familiar with Ambriz though. In fact, so is David Huff. The former UCLA rotation mates will now be reunited in Cleveland. The Indians would scout Huff and see Ambriz, according to Mirabelli, the night before Huff. Ambriz went in the fifth round the same year Huff went in the Supplemental First to the Tribe.
Really, that isn't a large chunk of change for a baseball team anyway. So in the end.. I say good risk for the Indians to take.
Oh and in addition to Lofgren, the Indians lost a few other players. Last year, I never even heard of the players they lost and don't even remember their names. This year however they lost a few players in the manner of the Giants losing Brian Horwitz to us.
Double-A players to the Triple-A phase. Matt Meyer and Anillins Martinez are going to St. Louis and Florida respectively. Good luck to them in their new organizations. Meyer is attempting to change his delivery (submariner now) after a few years of disappointment. Martinez is still young, 22, so there may realistically be something there at some point.
The Indians didn't want to risk anything with their prized catching prospect, Carlos Santana, which is why they had him have surgery.
Santana suffered from a common baseball injury, a broken bone in his hand. He'll have surgery that will not impact his status for this season, but rather maybe delay his inevitable arrival to the major leagues. He is going to miss out on the winter ball the Indians wanted him to partake in to work on some things, but in the grand scheme of everything else, I think the Indians are thankful.
That isn't the biggest injury news out there though.
No news was good news as regard to Adam Miller. So news that he's undergone another surgery is in fact a very very bad things.
As if they weren't already unsure of where they were at, the Indians are even more baffled as to the future of Miller.
That's all I can think of.. His career outlook is looking as grim as ever. There is not one bit of reassuring news in this latest surgery. In the past it was well there's still a chance and he's working hard. This time around, the writing is sort of on the wall.
This guy's career may very well be over. In the past he had warning signs of soreness. This time around Miller said this "just happened."
How can that be good?
It can't be. And it just sucks all around for Adam Miller and I really feel for the kid. Santana may be fine, but Miller isn't and things aren't looking very good.
Finally.. While we are on the subject of Carlos Santana... He won the Lou Boudreau award as the Indians Minor League Player of the Year. Hector Rondon won the Bob Feller award as the Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Congrats to both. Santana continues to just rack up the accolades.
Adam Miller used to be in Rondon's position. Now it will be a downright miracle if he makes the major leagues. We all hope he does, but again, it just doesn't look good.
Original Story:
http://www.thetribedaily.com/2009/12/...
Let's start with Nags..
Charlie Nagy is returning to the Cleveland organization! The Indians brought back their second glory days player into a coaching role with the hiring of Charles Nagy as their Triple-A pitching coach. First Sandy and now Charlie.
Nagy will replace Scott Radinsky who was promoted to bullpen coach at the Major League level. He'll join Mike Sarbaugh who was promoted to manager after Torey Lovullo went to Boston and Lee May Jr. who follows Sarbaugh from Akron to be Columbus' hitting coach. Now Akron has some spots to fill with their hitting and pitching coaches being promoted. Joel Skinner will lead a totally new staff at Akron.
I think it makes sense. Nagy was a Triple-A pitching coach in the Angels organization. He's been with the Tribe in an assitants role to Mark Shapiro before he went to the Nagels. Nagy said this was the perfect time for him to get into coaching with his family and now he gets to do so with the organization he spent 13 years playing with. He coached for the Angels back in 2007 for a few years, but has spent 08 and 09 out of the game.
Might as well get to Rule V... One pitcher that Nagy may not be helping is Chuck Lofgren, who was selected by Milwaukee in the Rule V Draft.
He'll now get a chance to earn a roster spot at the big league level for the Brewers. I have to imagine it will be as a left-handed reliever out of the pen, especially considering the effort they've been making in bringing in free agent starters.
Chuck is excited for the opportunity, as he should be, but let's not feel as if we've lost someone yet, he still has to make the Brewers roster and stay on it all year. I can't imagine the Indians would pay back half the $50,000 grand they received (which they in turn used to pick someone else, we'll get to that), to get Chuck back.
"I'm very excited," Lofgren said. "It's one of those opportunities that presents itself very rarely. Very few players get taken and I'm excited I was. I'm looking forward to being a part of the Milwaukee Brewer family.The Indians obviously didn't feel that A) They had a spot for Lofgren on their team with all the starters they have and that B) His production was ready for the big leagues.
"If they want me to start, I'll start. If they want me to spot start and relieve, or go lefty on lefty, I'm good with whatever they want."
The Brewers feel that the opportunity is there and you never know what that might translate to for Lofgren, who could use a bit of a confidence boost. He ripped it up to start the year last year and I'm fully part of the crowd that believes the way he finished was a product of fatigue because of the time off he had the previous year to deal with his mother's health that also shook his performance.
I think he can be a starter, but if the Brewers want to use him in the pen, I hope he finds a way to be successful, because I'd hate for him to be a reliever in spring training, maybe make the team, but eventually get returned to the Indians who put him back in the rotation. That can be the worst thing for a young pitcher (remember Chuck is only 23 still), to get jerked back and forth between two different roles.
Tony Lastoria said one Brewer official he talked to said that they plan on using him as a matchup lefty. They already have Mitch Stetter, who killed lefties with a .178 BA against. That is one of Lofgren's pluses though. He owned lefties last year, posting a .179 BA against. You can never have too many lefties either, so even if they have Stetter, Lofgren can be used as well and remember, he was a starter and every team can use a longman.
So Good Luck Chuck (horrible movie), I hope to see you return to Cleveland just as much as I hope to see you succeed at the major league level. While I think every Tribe fan would prefer to see Lofgren back in the system, this is one kid that I would not be upset about losing if he managed to rip it up for Milwaukee and show he belongs and it all goes back to how much heart he has. To fight as hard as he did and not give up after what he went through and to change a lot of opinions after he dipped lower on the totem pole, he deserves to make it.
I will personally accept either outcome in this situation and be happy either way.
The Indians could have done the same thing the Brewers are trying to do with Lofgren. They could have protected him and done what Milwaukee was planning to do or even throw him into the competition for the rotation.
But they didn't.. Instead they didn't protect him, they chose to open up a roster spot later by trading Shoppach and they used that extra roster spot to make a Rule V selection of their own.
Hector Ambriz became the first player to be selected by the Cleveland Indians in the major league phase of the Rule V draft since outfielder Travis Chapman in 2002. It was also the first selection of any kind since 2004, when they selected a minor league pitcher in the minor league phase.
In fact, the Indians made two picks this year, another one being in the Triple-A portion. They selected outfielder Brian Horwitz to be their fourth outfielder in Columbus. Essentially, the Indians are in need of some sort of backup at that level and Horwitz fit the bill. Little to no major league importance though. He's already 27 and has had shots at the major leagues before.
"We have a need for right-handed hitting corner outfielders," said Mirabelli. "He can handle the bat. He did pretty good in a small sample in the big leagues. He's a nice all-around player. He'll go to Columbus and give us some protection."Let's get to Hector Ambriz though, who is intriguing to me in many different ways.
Like the Brewers with Lofgren, the Indians will be taking a starter in Ambriz and converting him into the bullpen.
I immediately think of Joakim Soria and Jonathan Papelbon.
Even more towards Soria.
Soria wasn't strictly a starter like Papelbon was, but the connection he has with Ambriz goes further than just Rule V picks. While Soria came from the Mexican League into the Padres system and then eventually into the Royals organization and Ambriz has been with the Diamondbacks since the start, I can't help but think these two situations are much of the same.
You've got a guy with two very good pitches in Ambriz and you give him a shot. He may surprise you.
He throws a fastball, slider, splitter and a curve, but according to Tony at IPI, the fastball and splitter are his best pitches."We looked at it like a long-shot gamble," said John Mirabelli, the Tribe's assistant general manager in charge of scouting. "So which guy out there would have a chance to impact the Major League team the most and where could we find some potential upside? This was the guy we targeted."
"Our scouts like his stuff," Mirabelli said. "He's got some power to all his pitches. He's got a very good history, all the way back to college. He's a good strike-thrower. He's been used exclusively as a starter throughout his Major League career, but our scouts think he can be effective in a Major League bullpen."
Sound familiar?
Someone with two good pitches?
Yeah I'm looking at Soria. This guy is going to be very new to just about every team the Indians will face. New level, new league, new role. All he needs is two pitches.
The Indians are familiar with Ambriz though. In fact, so is David Huff. The former UCLA rotation mates will now be reunited in Cleveland. The Indians would scout Huff and see Ambriz, according to Mirabelli, the night before Huff. Ambriz went in the fifth round the same year Huff went in the Supplemental First to the Tribe.
"I've been in baseball four years now," Ambriz said. "People say there's any opportunity, you have to take it. I just have to step in and make the team."Hopefully it works out well for us. I think it's a good gamble, especially since they got the money from losing Chuck Lofgren and if it doesn't work out, they come out at $25,000 ahead, and if Lofgren works out, it was all a wash and none of it matters.
Really, that isn't a large chunk of change for a baseball team anyway. So in the end.. I say good risk for the Indians to take.
Oh and in addition to Lofgren, the Indians lost a few other players. Last year, I never even heard of the players they lost and don't even remember their names. This year however they lost a few players in the manner of the Giants losing Brian Horwitz to us.
Double-A players to the Triple-A phase. Matt Meyer and Anillins Martinez are going to St. Louis and Florida respectively. Good luck to them in their new organizations. Meyer is attempting to change his delivery (submariner now) after a few years of disappointment. Martinez is still young, 22, so there may realistically be something there at some point.
The Indians didn't want to risk anything with their prized catching prospect, Carlos Santana, which is why they had him have surgery.
Santana suffered from a common baseball injury, a broken bone in his hand. He'll have surgery that will not impact his status for this season, but rather maybe delay his inevitable arrival to the major leagues. He is going to miss out on the winter ball the Indians wanted him to partake in to work on some things, but in the grand scheme of everything else, I think the Indians are thankful.
That isn't the biggest injury news out there though.
No news was good news as regard to Adam Miller. So news that he's undergone another surgery is in fact a very very bad things.
As if they weren't already unsure of where they were at, the Indians are even more baffled as to the future of Miller.
"We're in uncharted waters with him," said GM Mark Shapiro. "Not many people have experience with the injury. It's a setback. Until he throws again, we don't know where we are."This poor guy.
That's all I can think of.. His career outlook is looking as grim as ever. There is not one bit of reassuring news in this latest surgery. In the past it was well there's still a chance and he's working hard. This time around, the writing is sort of on the wall.
This guy's career may very well be over. In the past he had warning signs of soreness. This time around Miller said this "just happened."
How can that be good?
It can't be. And it just sucks all around for Adam Miller and I really feel for the kid. Santana may be fine, but Miller isn't and things aren't looking very good.
Finally.. While we are on the subject of Carlos Santana... He won the Lou Boudreau award as the Indians Minor League Player of the Year. Hector Rondon won the Bob Feller award as the Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Congrats to both. Santana continues to just rack up the accolades.
Adam Miller used to be in Rondon's position. Now it will be a downright miracle if he makes the major leagues. We all hope he does, but again, it just doesn't look good.
Original Story:
http://www.thetribedaily.com/2009/12/...
