Clip Show: Looking Back on the Tribe’s AAA Squad – 2009 In Review

Clip Show aims to be your weekly update for all things Columbus Clippers. Check back each Tuesday afternoon for team records, roster updates, and performance updates on some of the brightest prospects in the Tribe system.

This is the end; my only friend, the end. Mercifully, the 2009 Clippers’ season is over. There were moments of promise early in the year, but once call-ups and injuries set in as the Tribe faltered in the early season, the Clippers had their core depleted and simply did not have the pitching and consistent offense to compete in the IL. The Clippers set a franchise record for losses (85), and In the final tally for what we dubbed the “Tribe AAA Cup”—the race to stay out of “dead last” in the IL going on between Columbus and Buffalo, the former home of our AAA Squad in years past—Columbus “rallied” this week and managed to snatch this one small victory, finishing 1.5 games ahead of the Bisons. Woot!

This Week: 3-4

Current Record: 57-85, 4th place (of four) in ILW (International League West)

Roster News:

Since the season is now over, the roster issues aren’t really as important. Several players have been called up to the big club, as we’ve noted, and this little tidbit from the Clippers’ media department prior to yesterday’s season finale pretty much sums it up:

On the season’s final day, Columbus will have only seven active players from the opening day roster. Of the other 22 that started the year with Columbus, 11 are in Cleveland, six have been released or traded, four are on the DL and one is in Akron (Armando Camacaro). Camacaro joins Adam Miller as the only two players on the Clippers roster that did not appear in a game.

Here are the roster moves by date over the last week to keep you updated:

Incoming
9/1 – OF Ryan Blair recalled from Kinston
9/1 – RHP Yohan Pino acquired from Minnesota Twins
9/1 – OF Donnie Webb recalled from Lake County
9/1 – RHP Juan Salas recalled from AZL Indians
9/4 – LHP Matt Meyer recalled from Akron
9/7 – C Moises Montero recalled from Mahoning Valley

Outgoing
9/1- RHP Carlos Carrasco recalled to Cleveland
9/1 – OF Michael Brantley recalled to Cleveland
9/1 – RHP Jose Veras recalled to Cleveland
9/1 – LHP R. J. Swindle placed on temporary inactive list
9/4 – LHP Mike Gosling recalled to Cleveland
9/7 – C Lou Marson recalled to Cleveland

We’re also hearing that INF Niuman Romero will get the call today, as well. But not Jordan Brown. Sigh.

Full Season Player Reviews

It’s hard to really give guys a “full season” review, since so many have been in and out of the lineup and off and on the roster, but I wanted to take a moment and look at guys that we’ve been following who spent some significant time with the Clippers this season. We’ll try to gauge their overall performance in AAA, and perhaps consider their future prospects in the organization. Some highlights/awards:

IL Batting Champ: Jordan Brown (.336)

IL Stolen Bases Leader: Michael Brantley (tied with Louisville’s Drew Stubbs with 46)

IL Strikeouts Leader: Carlos Carrasco (148)

All bolded stats below are the players’ numbers for ALL of their time in AAA (both with Columbus and with other organizations as the case may be) in 2009. Where applicable for guys who came over in trades, their Columbus-only numbers will be provided.

You’re On Your Way:

OF/1B Jordan Brown
Age: 25
.336 avg.; 35 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR; 67 RBI, 65 RS; .913 OPS (.381/.532) – 111 games
Well, I hope he’s on his way, as despite leading the league in hitting and putting up solid OPS numbers while basically learning to play the outfield, the Tribe refused to give him a shot at a cup of coffee with the big club, even as Chris Gimenez struggled during his entire stay with Cleveland. The perceived knock on Brown is that he’s a 1B/corner OFer that doesn’t hit for consistent power and isn’t of prototypical size (6’0″, 205#). Be that as it may, considering the state of the Indians and their prospects as a team for 2010, it’s asinine to me that Brown has not gotten to sniff the Majors whilst guys like Gimenez, Crowe, and even LaPorta have (sorry, folks, but Brown’s numbers in Columbus this year are actually BETTER than are LaPorta’s). It’s hard to venture an accurate guess as to what the team’s plans are for Brown longer-term. You’d think that he really has nothing left to show at AAA, this being his second full season there and him walking away from that year with a batting title, to go with his MVP awards from both A and AA. And yet, his call-up has not come. He turns 26 this off-season, so one has to wonder if his shot is ever going to come with Cleveland, and if we won’t see him get his shot somewhere else.

OF/1B Matt LaPorta
Age: 24
.299 avg.; 23 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR; 60 RBI, 63 RS; .917 OPS (.388/.530) – 93 games
This won’t shock too many of you, as LaPorta has been in the spotlight ever since arrive in the Tribe’s organization last summer in the CC Sabathia trade. Despite an early call-up during which he was not given consistent playing time, LaPorta never really had any extended struggles in Columbus. His average and OBP were solid all year, and his slugging was pretty good as well. In addition, LaPorta has done fairly well since his return to Cleveland in August, showing that his time in Columbus was well-spent in 2009. It is doubtful we’ll see LaPorta back in AAA anytime soon, with the exception of any rehab assignments that might come his way.

OF Trevor Crowe
Age: 25
.297 avg.; 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR; 20 RBI, 27 RS; .801 OPS (.400/.401); 14 SB – 49 games
Something happened to Crowe this year while he was up in Cleveland the first time. Sure, he struggled in limited action, but when he was sent back down he started hitting and never stopped until an injury ended his season while back up with Cleveland. He’s about to turn 26, yes, so it might be a stretch to say he’s “on his way”. I get that. But, he put together a stretch from mid-June through the end of July in Columbus where opposing pitchers just couldn’t get him out. During that span, he hit in 23-of-27 games, including the first 17 in a row. In those 27 games, he had 37 hits in 108 ABs (.343) with a home run, five doubles, 14 RBI, 19 BB (.441 OBP), 18 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 14 attempts. He was then called back up, and continued to hit. The same arguments I’ll use for Michael Brantley below also apply to Crowe though, so don’t misread this as an endorsement of an every-day spot for the 2010 Tribe. I just think Crowe deserves some recognition for some kind of light coming on at the plate whether it was in his approach of through natural development.

RHP Hector Rondon
Age: 21
4-5; 74.1 IP; 4.00 ERA; 83 H, 13 BB, 64 K; – 12 games (12 starts)
Rondon tired down the stretch (14 ER in his last three starts, including a quality start last night in the finale), but there’s not much from his first foray into AAA baseball to be down on. He exploded onto the scene, throwing six innings of no-hit ball in his very first start, and had eight quality starts against four non-quality starts. He allowed two earned runs or fewer six times. The only reason he didn’t get a call up this year is most likely due to his innings-pitched total (146.1) on the year at age 21. Rondon has a shot to compete for a rotation spot out of spring training next year, but considering his age and IP total this year, it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts the year in Columbus. There’s not much reason to keep him there for very long, though, it would appear.

RHP Frank Herrmann
Age: 25
2-3; 76.0 IP; 2.96 ERA; 83 H, 13 BB, 50 K; – 44 games (0 starts)
Herrmann started the year in Akron, and struggled at times after getting called up. But, as the season wore on, he was by far the most consistent option out of the Clippers’ bullpen. In 35 games from the beginning of June to the end of the year, Herrmann worked 57.0 innings and allowed just 16 earned runs (2.53 ERA). Herrmann isn’t “young”, but considering the struggles of the Tribe bullpen this year it’s definitely possible that we might see Herrmann as a potential righty out of the 2010 Tribe pen at some point.

Keep Grinding:

3B Andy Marte
Age: 25
.327 avg.; 24 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR; 66 RBI, 48 RS; .963 OPS (.369/.593) – 82 games
You look at those numbers and probably wonder why Marte didn’t get listed under the “good” heading. Well, I give him a “keep grinding” basically for one reason: he’s burned us a few times before. Marte certainly deserves kudos for the very, very good year he had while in Columbus. I am the first to admit that I never saw it coming, but that we saw a totally different Marte this year: a guy who was more patient, and who put the ball in play much more than years’ past. We also saw a guy who was no longer trying to pull balls 450 feet down the left-field line with every swing. In short, we saw a player whose entire approach at the plate was different. The issue with Marte is that we still have a very large major-league sample size that tells us he won’t be a consistently solid major league hitter, including his current stint during which he’s hitting .238 with a sub-.300 OBP and only one home run in 101 at-bats. With the glut of 1Bs in the system and Jhonny Peralta now firmly entrenched at third base (it would seem, anyway), I can’t honestly say there’s a place on the Tribe’s roster for Marte in 2010 and beyond. I do, however, think that Marte has handled himself well throughout all of his struggles amidst huge expectations and wish him the best of luck in 2010 and beyond, be it with Cleveland or Columbus, or somewhere else. He definitely looked like a different player in 2009 with Columbus after clearing waivers and thus having basically no more pressure on him, so perhaps he can get his last fresh start somewhere else.

OF Michael Brantley
Age: 22
.267 avg.; 21 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR; 37 RBI, 80 RS; .711 OPS (.350/.361) ; 46 SB – 116 games
I’m sure there are those that believe Brantley should be in the “on his way” column, but I’ve listed him here for two very important reasons: his batting average, and his age. I believe that Brantley belongs in Columbus at least to start 2010 because his batting average needs work, and because there are more qualified players in front of him for the three outfield spots in Cleveland. I will guess that there are those of you that would disagree with my logic, but ask yourself: who is Brantley bumping out of the 2010 starting lineup, assuming health for all players concerned? Sizemore? LaPorta? Choo? For me, the answers are no, no, and no. This is not a knock on Brantley as much as it’s a comment on the talent in front of him, and the fact that since he won’t turn 23 until March of next year there’s really no rush. Brantley had a solid season in quite a few aspects of his game: he tied for the IL lead in stolen bases with 46, and was caught only five times. He got his OBP up to .350 by the end of his tenure, and walked 59 times against only 48 Ks in the leadoff spot. His defense is solid; he covers ground in the OF quite well, and his arm is not embarrassing – he also only made two fielding errors in Columbus. But, for me, until he can stay healthy and get his average up about 20 points at least for a consistent time period in AAA, it’s a stretch to believe he can be a bonafide every-day player (not even talking about a true leadoff man) in the majors.

RHP Carlos Carrasco
Age: 22
11-10; 157.0 IP; 4.64 ERA; 149 H, 45 BB, 148 K; – 26 games (26 starts)
Carrasco has gotten a lot of attention given that he’s one of the perceived “centerpieces” of the Cliff Lee trade with Philadelphia. While the numbers above won’t blow anyone away—and are the reason he’s here and not “on his way”—it is important to note that Carrasco was MUCH better with Columbus after the trade. In six starts, he was 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA, covering 42.1 innings. Opposing hitters batted a miniscule .196 off of him in a Columbus uniform, and he lowered his season ERA half a run in those six starts. He led the IL in strikeouts, and earned a call up to Cleveland last week. His first start was rocky, but it’s important to remember that he’s still just 22 years old (turns 23 in March), and that there are some solid indicators in some of his numbers, especially his K/IP and BB/IP numbers. It’s also important to note that Carrasco averaged just over 6.0 innings per start, which is solid for a guy his age working in AAA.

C Lou Marson
Age: 23
.277 avg.; 18 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR; 33 RBI, 42 RS; .721 OPS (.361/.360) – 91 games
Marson’s year, while not horrible in the above line, really was a tale of two seasons: pre-trade and post-trade. Marson struggled to maintain the successes he’d had at Lehigh Valley after arriving in Columbus. His average splits were .294/.243; his OBP splits were .382/.319. His K/AB numbers remained roughly the same (around 1 K per 5+ ABs), but he started walking much less (dropped from 1BB per 8.0 PA to 1BB per 11.3 PA). Marson is forever going to be saddled with the albatross of having been part of the Cliff Lee trade, which is especially rough considering Carlos Santana will be nipping at the heels of all of the ML catchers in the organization sooner rather than later. It’s hard to really say why Marson struggled so much after the trade (trouble adjusting? worse team? putting too much pressure on himself?), but it’s safe to say that it doesn’t bode well. Marson is still young, but with Santana approaching, it’s hard to believe Marson will have a long-term future with the Tribe.

C Wyatt Toregas
Age: 26
.284 avg.; 10 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR; 29 RBI, 22 RS; .769 OPS (.336/.433) – 60 games
Toregas finally got a call up to the Tribe after the move of Victor Martinez at the trading deadline. Wyatt will be competing most directly with Lou Marson in spring training next year for the starting catcher’s role (I can only assume Shoppach is gone, and Chris Gimenez doesn’t deserve to be in the discussion at that position). Toregas split time with all manner of other catchers (Gimenez early, Damaso Espino later) and has the best numbers of all of the catchers to play for Columbus this year (especially when you look at how much Marson struggled after coming over). Toregas has to know that his opportunity will be short and slim, as Carlos Santana is lurking in his rear-view mirror as well. Given his age relative to Marson, it makes his chances that much slimmer.

LHP Chuck Lofgren
Age: 23
6-10; 98.1 IP; 5.31 ERA; 94 H, 33 BB, 62 K; – 17 games (17 starts)
Lofgren was incredibly streaky. He struggled at first after his call up, but then put up a pretty solid stretch of games before taking a line drive off an opposing bat on August 9th that really derailed his progress. He definitely showed some signs in the middle of the year of progress, and at 23 still has room to continue developing. Consistency is what he needs to work on most.

RHP Greg Aquino
Age: 31
1-2; 31.2 IP; 3.13 ERA; 26 H, 15 BB, 27 K; – 30 games (1 start)
Aquino certainly isn’t a “prospect” given his age. But, he pitched well for Columbus all year, and didn’t pitch horribly in Cleveland in his 10 appearances (4.50 ERA). Aquino gets a “keep grinding” because he’s never going to be given preference as a bullpen prospect; he’s simply too old. But, he can definitely be counted on as a spot fill-in guy from time to time.

RHP Johan Pino
Age: 25
4-2; 65.0 IP; 2.49 ERA; 49 H, 13 BB, 58 K; – 10 games (10 starts)
We don’t really know much about Pino since he came over from Minnesota’s system as the PTBNL in the Carl Pavano deal. But, Pino was very, very good in his two starts for Columbus (the numbers above are his combined AAA numbers; he spent some time in AA in the Eastern League as well). For Columbus, Pino made two starts, going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 14.0 innings. He walked only two while striking out 14 for the Clippers. It will be interesting to see what his potential ceiling is, given that he’ll turn 26 in December.
 

The Manager Would Like To See You In His Office:

3B Wes Hodges
Age: 24 (turns 25 on 9/14)
.265 avg.; 24 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR; 38 RBI, 33 RS; .690 OPS (.307/.383) – 86 games
Hodges may get a small pass, as he did battle a shoulder injury for much of the early part of the season, which paved the way for the resurgence of Andy Marte. However, Hodges did not impress once back in the lineup. He only got on base just over .300, he slugged UNDER .400 (at a corner INF position, no less), and hit below .270. Granted, there’s no rush to have Hodges ready for 2010 or anything like that, but as he’s about to turn 25, his “prospect clock” is ticking loudly. In addition to that, at yesterday’s season ending game, Jesus Merchan played third base (Hodges DH’ed), and made a play that caused me to turn to the guy behind me and say, “There’s no way Hodges makes that play.” He’s not a total defensive butcher (though he did have 15 errors in 86 games), but he’s certainly not the kind of fielder that makes his offensive production from this year tolerable.

2B Josh Barfield
Age: 26
.252 avg.; 15 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR; 35 RBI, 27 RS; .602 OPS (.271/.331) – 73 games
Barfield is sort of a victim of circumstance. He got shuttled back and forth quite a bit, and never really got settled anywhere this year. That having been said, he’s about to turn 27 in December, and it looks as though his time has run out. That makes me sad; I remember when the Tribe traded for him (this was not one of Shapiro’s better deals in hindsight, as Kevin Kouzmanoff has been consistent but not spectacular) thinking that he would thrive in our lineup and hitting in our park. Neither happened. With the move up on the proverbial 2B Depth Chart of Luis Valbuena, it’s hard to see Barfield getting another crack after struggling in AAA this year. The team did move him to the outfield at points, which certainly doesn’t help, but that’s more of an indictment of their overall view of his worth than anything else: in other words, he’ll never be more than a utility player to them. It looks to me after watching him finish the year looking very defeated (he literally swing at all but 3 pitches in his four ABs yesterday, looking very much like a guy wanting to get it all over with as soon as possible) that Josh has entered the category of “career journeyman”. And that’s a shame; he seems like a good guy.

SS Niuman Romero
Age: 24
.254 avg.; 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR; 27 RBI, 34 RS; .626 OPS (.313/.313); 10 SB – 81 games
I include Romero here given his expected call up, and to illustrate the distaste I have that he’s getting the call whilst Jordan Brown is not. Romero turns 25 in January, and given the guys in front of him in the majors at the middle-infield spots, it’s hard to see him as an important cog in the team’s future. Plus, he doesn’t hit (AND he hit .209 in Akron before getting the call to AAA), doesn’t get on base, and doesn’t really run. He’s not even an exceptional fielder (14 errors in 81 games). And yet, he’s going to get called up and Jordan Brown is not.

OF Stephen Head
Age: 25
.246 avg.; 16 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR; 31 RBI, 28 RS; .659 OPS (.291/.368) – 74 games
Head’s issue is that he’s been blocked by a number of players over his developmental years, and now the clock has all but run out. He turns 26 in January, and showed little this season (admittedly in sporadic playing time, again due to the glut of more talented guys in front of him) to indicate future success.

LHP Zach Jackson
Age: 26
4-8; 99.2 IP; 6.05 ERA; 128 H, 33 BB, 67 K; – 30 games (14 starts)
Jackson was the epitome of “streaky” early, especially being shuffled back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. But, as the season wore on, he regressed more and more. He had an incredible May (1.42 ERA in four starts, going 3-1), but never had a month with an ERA under 6 after that. It was hoped Jackson could be a reliable long man out of the Tribe pen at some point this year, I think, but he never displayed any kind of consistency after the end of May, and his status as a bonafide prospect has suffered. At 26 (turns 27 in May of 2010), his clock is ticking as well. 

And Finally…

Overall, the product on the field wasn’t very much fun to watch, but I still enjoyed going to the games when I could. I’m also looking forward to some of the names that didn’t show up in Columbus this year, but might next year. Names like: Carlos Santana, Nick Weglarz, Jeanmar Gomez, Jerad Head, Beau Mills, Josh Rodriguez, Neil Wagner, and on and on.