Does Ted Sundquist Want Us More Than We Want Him?
January 16, 2009Pete Carroll: Grade-A Jerkwad
January 16, 2009With spring training just around the corner, the Cleveland Indians have officially invited 16 (non-roster) minor leagues to join them at their new Goodyear, Arizona confines.
OF: Matt LaPorta
OF: Michael Brantley
LHP: Ryan Ledell
LHP: David Huff
3B: Wes Hodges
IF: Stephen Head
1B: Beau Mills
1B: Jordan Brown
1B: Michael Aubrey
RHP: Kirk Sarloos
RHP: Greg Aquino
RHP: Tomo Ohka
C: Damaso Espino
IF: Andy Cannizaro
IF: Jesus Merchan
IF: Wilson Valdez
Obviously, the list is headlined by those at the top. LaPorta and Brantley figure to be in the not-so distant plans as a part of the C.C. Sabathia deal. Huff has a solid shot at nabbing the fifth spot in the rotation, with Aaron Laffey shaping up to be his main competition. Hodges was thought to have had a shot at third base some time this season, but that chance may have diminished with the addition of infielder Mark DeRosa.
Aubrey managed to make it back to the Indians’ system after no other teams claimed him off of waivers (released after the team acquired Carl Pavano).
Barring any mind blowing performances by those listed above, they will likely all return back to their minor league teams. LaPorta, Brantley, Cannizaro, Brown, Hodges and Aubrey are all slated to be in the lineup for the Columbus Clippers. Those wondering about the ultimate fate of Andy Marte, it appears that his days with the Tribe will be coming to an end. Obviously, the team would rather have someone like Hodges down at Triple-A to get consistent repetitions, but the DeRosa signing coupled with the extension of Jamey Carrol have lead to Mark Shapiro stating that Marte may in fact be the odd man out. Josh Barfield has one option left on his MLB tenure, so there will still be some semblance of a pulse for #29.
7 Comments
i guess i missed the fact that we arent in Buffalo anymore.
(sigh of relief)
I know Barfield has an option left, but he’s already in his mid-20s, and had a decent major league rookie year not so long ago. Just what did he do or who did he honk off so badly that he can’t even play catch with the big boys at Camp and let Wedgie see him taking swings against MLB pitchers again? Anyone know what’s going on here?
@Harv21 – I’ve wondered the same thing. I’m a big-time Shapiro/Wedge fan–I don’t know that there is a GM or Manager in the baseball that does more with less–but I am absolutely perplexed by their seeming inability to “finish off” these borderline guys. Brandon Phillips (that season where they kept him with the big league club to “polish” him and refused to play him–was it 2005?–was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.) Marte. Barfield. It’s like they get these elite prospects that are just on the cusp… and they falter. They’re great at identifying minor league talent. Shap is a shrewd trader and negotiator. Wedge is one of the best at getting his players to exceed expectations and play above their level. This seems to be the one glaring hole in their development process–it doesn’t make sense to me. If it happened once, you could understand that they may have incorrectly evaluated the guy… but they’ve got a disturbing trend here. Would love to hear other opinions on this.
Marte and Barfield have both had chances and have underachieved…this isn’t all that puzzling to me, but maybe I’m missing something.
I don’t think Barfield’s mediocre performance before being sent down was of Marte magnitude. I have a completely unfounded theory: that the staff didn’t like what Hoynes reported:he was calling his Dad for advice after games, and maybe he was listening more closely to pops than Derek Shelton. But Wedge then was praising him publicly for not pouting, working hard, having great potential. I know he hit for a pretty crappy average in the minors, but why is he buried? Is it so clear that all these other IF’s have a higher major league upside?
Well Barfield is technically on the 40-man roster so he’ll be there battling for a spot. He wasn’t listed here as these guys are the non-roster invites.
Oh. Um, never mind. I guess I still love ya, Wedgie.