Written by Tony Lastoria

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In his weekly roundup of the happenings in the Indians minor league system, Lastoria focuses on a middle infielder that we could be seeing here in Cleveland in the near future. Joe Inglett has flown under the radar of most Tribe fans to this point, yet continues to produce down on the farm.

(for games from Sunday May 14^th through Saturday May 20) 

Minor League Player of the Week: 

Joe Inglett (SS- Buffalo): .591 avg (13-22), 4 2Bs, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, 5 walks 

After being demoted from Buffalo to Akron a few weeks back, Inglett has taken the re-assignment in stride and his bat has sizzled.  For most players, demotions put players in a funk, but this was not your typical demotion.  Inglett already has proven he can hit at any level in the minors, as at the start of this season he owned a career .303 average in six seasons in the minors, and he was hitting .321 for Buffalo at the time of his demotion.   

But, the reason for his re-assignment was simply to get an extended look at him playing short-stop.  His pathway to a big league job with the Indians will be as a utility infielder, and while he has proven to be a  solid 2B and outfielder, his ability to handle shortstop is a big key in him getting consideration for a utility job.  Currently, he is in the middle of a six week tour of duty in Akron to prove his abilities at shortstop, and to date, all reports have been positive.  Offensively, Inglett has proven his case by hitting .533 with a ridiculous 1.427 OPS at Akron.  Combined at Akron and Buffalo, he is hitting .431 (50-116) with 4 HRs, 12 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Defensively, some reports have surfaced that he has handled shortstop well. 

Honorable Mention: Franklin Gutierrez (OF- Buffalo), Ryan Goleski (OF- Kinston), Sean Smith (SP- Akron) 

Buffalo Update: 

Team Stats:  The Bisons went 4-3 for the week, and currently stand at 23-22 on the season in 3^rd place in the Northern Division of the International League (IL)…. Offensively, Buffalo has picked it up recently and are tied for 2^nd in the league in hitting with a .258 average, and they are 4^th out of 14 teams in pitching with a 3.23 ERA.   

League Top 10’s: Lou Merloni was 8^th in hitting (.316) and 7^th in OPS (.894) before his callup to the Indians….Ben Francisco is 8^th in stolen bases (11)….Ryan Garko is tied for 1^st in RBIs (28) and 4^th in walks (23)….Jason Dubois is tied for 1^st in RBIs (28)….Jeremy Sowers is tied for 1^st in wins (6), 2^nd in ERA (1.07), and 1^st in IP (59.0) ….Ben Howard is 1^st in saves (10). 

Player Notes: Right-handed reliever Tom Mastny continued his dominant ways in his Herd debut last Wednesday, going 2 IP with 5 Ks.  To date at Buffalo he has a 2.25 ERA with 7 Ks in 4 IP and a 0.75 WHIP, and at Akron he had a 1.09 ERA with 30 Ks in 24.4 IP and a 0.93 WHIP….Eddie Mujica has pitched in two games since joining Buffalo and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA (3 IP).  Combined at Akron and Buffalo, in 24 total IP he has yet to yield an earned run….Jeremy Guthrie returned to the Bisons starting rotation last Wednesday night, and went 5 innings and did no allow a run on 4 hits and a walk (2 Ks)…..If anyone cares, Ramon Vazquez is 5 for 8 (all singles) in two games at Buffalo….Franklin Gutierrez went 13-27 for the week to raise his average to .292….Newcomer Eider Torres has struggled at Buffalo, as the 2B is hitting only .175 (7-40) in 10 games….Jake Dittler is going to find his way on the waiver wire really soon if he does not improve on his 1-7 record, 5.56 ERA and 1.61 WHIP….Potential callup to fill the Tribe bullpen Hyang-Nam Choi is 2-2 with a 2.59 ERA and has 36 Ks in 31.1 IP as well as a 1.15 WHIP, and other potential bullpen candidate Andrew Brown is 2-0 with  2.22 ERA with 23 Ks in 24.1 IP as well as a 1.52 WHIP.  

Noteworthy Year-to-Date Stats: 

Franklin Gutierrez (OF): .292 avg, 14 2Bs, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs, 9 stolen bases, .799 OPS

Jason Dubois (OF): .279 avg, 10 2Bs, 6 HRs, 28 RBIs, .829 OPS

Ryan Garko (1B): .261 avg, 8 2Bs, 4 HRs, 28 RBIs, .792 OPS

Ben Francisco (OF): .255 avg, 7 2Bs, 6 HRs, 20 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, .736 OPS

Andy Marte (3B): .242 avg, 10 2Bs, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, .648 OPS

Jeremy Sowers (SP): 6-1, 1.07 ERA, 59 IP, 32 Ks, 1.12 WHIP

Jason Stanford (SP): 2-3, 3.23 ERA, 39 IP, 32 Ks, 1.13 WHIP 

Akron Update: 

Team Stats:  Akron continues to roll going 1-6 this week, and are currently are 23-18 on the season good for 2nd place in the Southern Division of the Eastern League (EL)….Offensively, the Aeros are ranked 1^st in the league with a .274 batting average, and on the pitching front are ranked 9th in the league out of 12 teams with a 3.52 ERA. 

League Top 10’s: Kevin Kouzmanoff is 1^st in hitting (.411) and 1^st in OPS (1.009)….Eider Torres was 7^th in hitting (.298) and 3^rd in stolen bases (15) before his callup to Buffalo….John Van Every is 10^th in RBIs (23) and 7^th in OPS (.849)….Adam Miller is tied for 2^nd in wins (4) and 9^th in strikeouts (42)….Eddie Mujica was 3^rd in saves (8) before his callup to Buffalo. 

Player Notes: Left-handed starter Rafael Perez continues to get stronger as the season rolls on, as he went 5 IP the other night and allowed only 1 run on 1 hit, while striking out 3 and walking 1.  On the season he is 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA, although the ERA is very inflated due to some poor starts earlier in the season…..SS Brandon Pinckney has played well since his callup from Kinston.  At Kinston he was hitting .224 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs and a .611 OPS in 67 at bats, but at Akron is hitting .281 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs and a .761 OPS in 32 at bats….Ryan Mulhern is currently mired in a slump that has seen his average dip to .266, and he has taken over the team strikeout lead (51) over Brad Snyder…..Michael Aubrey is up with the Aeros, and in two games is 1 for 8 with an RBI….Right-hander Sean Smith has dominated since his callup from Kinston.  In four starts at Akron he is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA, with 21 Ks in 24 IP and a healthy 1.00 WHIP. 

Noteworthy Year-to-Date Stats: 

Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B): .411 avg, 9 2Bs, 2 HRs, 18 RBIs, 1.009 OPS

Jonathan Van Every (OF): .278 avg, 11 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 4 HRs, 23 RBIs, .849 OPS

Ryan Mulhern (1B): .266 avg, 9 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs, .740 OPS

Brad Snyder (OF): .235 avg, 4 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, .705 OPS

Adam Miller (SP): 4-3, 4.21 ERA, 47 IP, 42 Ks, 1.21 WHIP

Ron Bay (SP): 3-3, 3.63 ERA, 44.2 IP, 42 Ks, 1.37 WHIP

Nick Pesco (SP): 2-2, 4.64 ERA, 33 IP, 30 Ks, 1.36 WHIP 

Kinston Update: 

Team Stats: Kinston is playing the best ball out of the four minor league Indians affiliates as they went 6-1 on the week, and currently are 29-12 on the season which is good for 1^st place in the Southern Division of the Carolina League…..Offensively, Kinston ranks 1st in the league with a .279 team batting average, and are 2nd in pitching in the 8-team league with a 2.94 ERA. 

League Top 10’s: Brian Barton is 1^st in hitting (.339), tied for 2^nd in HRs (6), 1^st in OPS (1.035), and 7^th in stolen bases (10)….Ryan Goleski is 7^th in hitting (.310), 1^st in HRs (7), 1^st in RBIs (34), and 2^nd in OPS (.985)….Trevor Crowe is 10^th in hitting (.301), tied for 9^th in RBIs (23), 5^th in OPS (.878), and 2^nd in stolen bases (17)…..Brian Finegan is 6^th in stolen bases (11)….Stephen Head is 10^th in HRs (5) and 2^nd in RBIs (30)….Argenis Reyes is tied for 9^th in RBIs….Chuck Lofgren is tied for 1^st in wins (6), 2^nd in ERA (1.67), 10^th in IP (43), 9^th in strikeouts (38), and 10^th in WHIP (1.14)....Joe Ness is 6^th in ERA (2.31) and 8^th in strikeouts (39), and 7^th in WHIP (1.11)….Aaron Laffey is 7^th in ERA (2.41) and 6^th in WHIP (1.04)….TJ Burton is 7^th in saves (5)….Scott Lewis is 6^th in strikeouts (45)…. Jensen Lewis is tied for 1^st in wins (6). 

Player Notes: Before a spot start last Wednesday in which he gave up three earned runs in 2.2 IP, left-handed reliever Reid Santos had yet to allow an earned run out of the bullpen in 21.2 IP and had held opposing batters to a .136 average….Catcher Wyatt Toregas continues to hit well in Kinston and rebound from a disappointing 2005 campaign at Lake County.  He is hitting .330 with 3 HRs and 16 RBIs in 88 at bats….Michael Aubrey finished hit rehab assignment at Kinston, playing 8 games and logging 28 at bats.  In all, he hit .286 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs with a 1.024 OPS.  He is now at AA Akron…. 

Noteworthy Year-to-Date Stats: 

Brian Barton (OF): .339 avg, 8 2Bs, 1 3B, 6 HRs, 21 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 1.035 OPS

Ryan Goleski (OF): .310 avg, 4 2Bs, 7 HRs, 34 RBIs, .985 OPS

Trevor Crowe (OF): .301 avg, 10 2Bs, 1 3B, 3 HRs, 23 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, .878 OPS

Argenis Reyes (2B): .292 avg, 7 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 0 HRs, 23 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, .718 OPS

Stephen Head (1B): .257 avg, 8 2Bs, 5 HRs, 30 RBIs, .746 OPS

Matt Whitney (3B): .229 avg, 7 2Bs, 5 HRs, 18 RBIs, .760 OPS

Chuck Lofgren (SP): 6-2, 1.67 ERA, 43 IP, 38 Ks, 1.14 WHIP

Jensen Lewis (SP): 6-2, 4.25 ERA, 42.1 IP, 30 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

Joe Ness (SP): 3-0, 2.31 ERA, 35 IP, 39 Ks, 1.11 WHIP

Scott Lewis (SP): 1-1, 0.56 ERA, 32 IP, 45 Ks, 0.75 WHIP 

Lake County Update: 

Team Stats: The Captains went 3-4 for the week, putting them at 21-21 on the season and in 6th place in the Northern Division of the South Atlantic League (SAL) standings….Offensively, the Captains are ranked 11th in the league out of 16 teams in hitting with a .244 average, and are ranked 5th in pitching with a 3.59 ERA.  

League Top 10’s: Jose Constanza is 6^th in walks (24)….Matt Davis is 1^st in saves (11)….James Deters is 6^th in IP (51.0) and 9^th in strikeouts (49). 

Player Notes: If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound?  That’s our Lake County Captains.  Seriously.  This might be the worst collection of talent at the A level or higher for the Indians in some years.  Absolutely no talent worth going to see or following, aside from maybe a few pitchers like Carlton Smith, Cody Bunkelman and James Deters.  Offensively, there is not one person who is major league caliber, although outfielder John Drennen just returned this past week, so he is the one bright spot.  Hopefully once the 1^st half of the season wraps up in late June we’ll see some changes.  The June Amateur Baseball Draft is around the corner, and the short season leagues start soon, so the Captains could get a much needed influx of talent once rosters are re-configured. 

Noteworthy Year-to-Date Stats: 

James Deters (SP): 2-3, 4.41 ERA, 51 IP, 49 Ks, 1.31 WHIP

Albert Vargas (SP): 4-3, 4.01 ERA, 42.2 IP, 27 Ks, 1.17 WHIP

Carlton Smith (SP): 1-1, 2.61 ERA, 20.2 IP, 16 Ks, 1.16 WHIP

Cody Bunkelman (RP): 1-1, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP, 19 Ks, 1.85 WHIP