Written by Tony Lastoria

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We move on to prospects #25-21 in the Indians farm system and the highlight of today's list is Trevor Crowe at #21. Crowe, the Indians first round pick in 2005 out of Arizona, bounced back last year from a horrible 2007 campaign that caused him to plummet in the Indians prospect rankings. Crowe is in big league spring training with the team right now, has an outside chot at the final roster spot, and worst case will be the first outfielder called uo this season if and when the Indians need one.

For those interested, I will be making an appearance on SportsTime Ohio today to talk Tribe prospects on All Bets Are Off With Bruce Drennan.  I should be on sometime in the 4-5pm hour. 
 
Also, my 2009 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More book is now available.  Click on the hyperlink for all the details, and to order it just go to my website and click on the form to the top right to complete the order with a check or credit card.  If you wish to send a check or money order by US Mail, please contact me at tlastoria@indiansprospectinsider.com and I will verify the order and provide my full mailing address for you so send payment.   
   
We continue today with #25-21 in the Indians Top 100 Prospect Countdown.  Here are the earlier rankings:   
   
100. Brian Juhl (C)     
99. Brad Hinkle (RHP)     
98. Mark Thompson (SS)     
97. Adam Davis (C/INF)     
96. Adam White (OF)     
95. Jerad Head (INF/OF)     
94. Brock Simpson (1B/OF)     
93. Ryan Blair (OF)     
92. Dustin Realini (INF/OF)     
91. Shawn Nottingham (LHP)     
90. Cirilo Cumberbatch (OF)     
89. Michael McGuire (RHP)     
88. Sung-Wei Tseng (RHP)     
87. David Roberts (RHP)     
86. Jason Smit (INF)     
85. Marty Popham (RHP)     
84. Jose Constanza (OF)     
83. Adam Abraham (INF)     
82. Isaias Velasquez (2INF)     
81. Gary Campfield (RHP)     
80. Heath Taylor (LHP)     
79. Rich Rundles (LHP)     
78. Dallas Cawiezell (RHP)     
77. Robbie Alcombrack (C)     
76. Carlos Moncrief (RHP)     
75. Nate Recknagel (C/1B)     
74. Karexon Sanchez (INF)     
73. Roman Pena (OF)     
72. Kyle Landis (RHP)     
71. John Drennen (OF)     
70. Todd Martin (1B)    
69. Santo Frias (RHP)    
68. Michael Finocchi (RHP)    
67. Kevin Rucker (OF)    
66. Matt Meyer (LHP)    
65. Bo Greenwell (OF)    
64. Paolo Espino (RHP)    
63. Jonathan Holt (RHP)    
62. Vinnie Pestano (RHP)    
61. Kevin Dixon (RHP)   
60. Randy Newsom (RHP)   
59. Chris Nash (1B)   
58. Carlton Smith (RHP)   
57. Lucas Montero (OF)   
56. Steven Wright (RHP)  
55. Michael Aubrey (1B)  
54. Delvi Cid (OF)  
53. Clayton Cook (RHP)  
52. T.J. McFarland (LHP)  
51. Wyatt Toregas (C) 
50. Chris Jones (LHP) 
49. Chen-Chang Lee (RHP) 
48. Matt Brown (OF) 
47. Ryan Edell (LHP) 
46. Neil Wagner (RHP) 
45. Danny Salazar (RHP) 
44. Jared Goedert (2B/3B) 
43. Josh Judy (RHP) 
42. Jeremie Tice (3B) 
41. Joey Mahalic (RHP) 
40. Erik Stiller (RHP) 
39. Ryan Morris (LHP) 
38. Mike Pontius (RHP) 
37. Ryan Miller (LHP) 
36. Frank Herrmann (RHP) 
35. Bryce Stowell (RHP) 
34. Stephen Head (1B/OF) 
33. Chuck Lofgren (LHP) 
32. Trey Haley (RHP) 
31. Rob Bryson (RHP) 
30. Tim Fedroff (OF) 
29. Matt McBride (C) 
28. Eric Berger (LHP) 
27. Alexander Perez (RHP) 
26. Cord Phelps (2B) 
 
25. Jeanmar Gomez - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 02/10/1988 - Height: 6'3" - Weight: 168 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2005	17	DSL Indians	R	5	3	1.33	13	10	1	61.0	47	9	2	9	46	1.3	6.8	0.92
2006	18	GCL Indians	R	4	3	2.48	11	9	0	54.1	50	15	2	12	34	2.0	5.6	1.14
2007	19	Lake County	A	11	7	4.80	27	27	0	140.2	152	75	19	46	94	2.9	6.0	1.41
2008	20	Kinston	A+	5	9	4.55	27	27	0	138.1	154	70	14	46	110	3.0	7.2	1.45
		Career		25	22	3.86	78	73	1	394.1	403	169	37	113	284	2.6	6.5	1.31

History:  Gomez was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in April of 2005.   

Strengths & Opportunities:  In his first four seasons in the Indians farm system Gomez has been very good showing considerable upside with his growth potential in size and stuff.  He has a good feel for his three pitch mix of a fastball, slider and changeup.  His fastball consistently clocks in at 89-91 MPH topping out at 93 MPH, and his velocity continues to increase each year with good potential for future strength gains because of his plus arm strength.  His curveball has true 11-5 break, and shows good potential.  His changeup is an average pitch with sink and fade, and he has good command of it.  He has proven to be very durable as the Indians have never had to back him off any of his starts. 

Gomez has shown a penchant for being a slow starter as in 2007 at Single-A Lake County in 13 starts before the All-Star break he went 5-6 with a 6.51 ERA and then in 14 starts after the break was 6-1 with a 3.27 ERA.  He followed that up last season at advanced Single-A Kinston where in 14 starts before the All-Star break he was 2-6 with a 5.27 ERA and then after it in 13 starts he was 3-3 with a 3.82 ERA.  He really finished the season strong in August going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in six starts, and his success stemmed from him being able to command his fastball to both sides of the plate and being able to consistently throw his secondary pitches for strikes which has allowed him to throw off-speed pitches in fastball counts. He also worked a lot in bullpen sessions with pitching coach Greg Hibbard to improve the velocity of his slider by improving his mechanics to ended up making it sharper with much better late break.  Prior to the adjustments, he would fly open and expose his arm slot which caused problems in getting proper velocity on his pitches and in turn he ended up overthrowing a lot.  Now that he is throwing with his arm more out front he is throwing much easier and getting much more life on all his pitches.  Gomez also continues to improve in some of the mental aspects of pitching such as reading swings. 

His command and control is still only average and it is something the Indians are working with him to improve and they feel he has the ability to have plus command/control in the future.  He has been pushed in the system the last two years where he has been one of the youngest pitchers in the league both seasons, and shown an ability to hang in there and compete even though the numbers always are not very good.  Being so young, inconsistency is one of the major growing pains for pitchers his age, and is something he will need to get a handle on going forward.  The breaking ball is a big key with Gomez developing into a quality starting pitcher.  Being an over-the-top guy his slider may be scrapped at some point since it does not work up at that arm slot and is very hittable, so he will need to find another vertical pitch like the overhand breaking ball or split-finger.  If he develops a top to bottom vertical pitch to go with his fastball, it could vault his prospect standing significantly.  

Outlook:  Due to his youth and inexperience pitching at a higher level, Gomez has often spent a lot of time learning on the job.  This coming season he will continue to work on improving his mechanics on the mound, repeating his delivery, and throwing strikes more consistently.  He is the third amigo in the Latin Trifecta which also includes Kelvin De La Cruz and Hector Rondon, and he should move up to Double-A Akron in 2009 and be in the starting rotation. 
 
24. Josh Rodriguez - Shortstop/Second Baseman
Born: 12/18/1984 - Height: 6'0" - Weight: 185 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2006	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	45	157	26	42	11	4	4	24	14	33	2	.268	.337	.465	.802
2007	22	Kinston	A+	133	493	84	129	20	9	20	82	68	95	21	.262	.351	.460	.811
2008	23	Akron	AA	137	532	75	128	22	10	7	49	77	122	12	.241	.335	.359	.694
		Career		315	1182	185	299	53	23	31	155	159	250	35	.253	.342	.415	.757

History:  Rodriguez was a 2nd round pick in the 2006 Draft out of Rice University.  Going into his draft year, he was considered the top shortstop available in preseason draft rankings, but his draft stock plummeted somewhat when he suffered a serious elbow injury in the fall of 2005. The injury limited Rodriguez to designated hitter duty for most of the 2006 season at Rice, and when he returned to the field late in the year he was moved to third base so he would not have to make any long relay throws which could further damage the tendon in his elbow.  His nine triples at advanced Single-A Kinston in 2007 tied a franchise record, and is he one of only two players in Kinston history to put up at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season (Jon Nunnally). 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Rodriguez is a patient hitter with gap power who drives the ball well, has some thunder in his bat, and is a great athlete with a knack for hitting.  He has great elements of a really good hitter and has done a really good job with his routine work and preparing himself.  The raw power is there, even though it did not show in his numbers last season.  The ball jumps off his bat, and he has the potential to be a middle of the diamond 20-20 (HR-SB) player in the major leagues eventually.  He drives the ball out of the park to all fields, and actually most of his power comes to right and right-center.  He is not big, but he has above average bat speed and is an extra base hit machine with the ability to stuff a stat sheet.  The Indians have challenged him to get on-base more, and he did that in walking 77 times last season, although his batting average suffered and he struck out more. 

Rodriguez has an excellent throwing arm, and is versatile enough to play anywhere in the infield and even some outfield.  He has impressed scouts with his defensive abilities, showing good projection as a quality defensive infielder in the majors with plus arm strength and good lateral range to his left and right. While he is a very good shortstop, some feel he would become a better prospect at second base because of his dynamite bat, strong arm and range.  The Indians like his play at shortstop, but to improve his versatility started to play him a lot more at second base where he practically split the season between shortstop (74 games) and second base (62 games) at Double-A Akron last season.  By the conclusion of last season, he graded out as an above average defender at second base and at least an average defender at shortstop with power and the ability to steal a base.  He is still learning the intricacies of playing second base and has some experience playing there before as he played a lot of second base his first two years at college before moving over to short his junior year, and the more he plays at second base the more natural he becomes.  He has the ability to be an everyday major league shortstop or second baseman, and at a minimum the Indians know he has the athleticism and the bat to one day help a major league team as a super utility player. 

Rodriguez has been a very streaky hitter in his three years in the Indians organization.  Last season, after a solid first half showing where he hit .266 with 6 HR, 41 RBI and a .757 OPS in 94 games before the All Star break, he slipped considerably in 43 games after the break where he hit .183 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, and a .551 OPS.  His swing is a work in progress, and the inconsistency with it has been a big reason for his up and down performance at the plate.  He has made some adjustments at the plate to avoid being so pull conscious by shortening his swing and using the entire field, and he has loosened his hands and started working from the top of the ball down instead of from the bottom of the ball up.  That said, he is still having some trouble finding the proper timing and amount of load in his swing so he can see a ball out of a pitcher's hand a little better.  He is still learning, and he needs to continue to maintain his revamped approach of being shorter to the ball and getting on top of the ball. He still needs more work on recognizing pitches and being more efficient as a situational hitter.  Also, if he ends up a utility player, he needs to be able to show the ability to handle third base in spot duty which is a position he has had some experience playing in the past. 

Outlook:  Whether he remains at shortstop or moves to second base, Rodriguez fills a position of great need in the Indians system.  His subpar performance in 2008 was disappointing considering the Indians need for quality middle infielders, particularly in the upper levels of the system.  Still, he profiles as a very good super utility option for the Indians to use perhaps sometime in 2010.  It remains to be seen where he opens the season, but given some of the Indians acquisitions over the winter with Luis Valbuena who seems slotted to play second base at Triple-A Columbus to start the season along with a long list of veteran shortstops they have signed, it appears Rodriguez will open the 2009 season by returning to Double-A Akron as the everyday second baseman.  He should still get considerable time at Triple-A Columbus. 
 
23. Zach Putnam - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 07/03/1987 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 225 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2008	21	U of Michigan	C	9	0	2.58	12	12	0	76.2	62	22	4	23	78	2.7	9.2	1.11
2008	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	0	1	3.72	3	3	0	9.2	7	4	0	5	8	4.7	7.4	1.24

History:  Putnam was a 5th round pick in the 2008 Draft out of the University of Michigan.  Coming into his final year at Michigan last year, Putnam had a strong track record before going through a minor shoulder problem and then strep throat which sidelined him for a few weeks and ended up with him losing almost 20 pounds.  He was slated to go in the late first or first round supplemental and slid to the fifth because of the minor injuries in 2008 and signability concerns, so was an extreme value in that round. 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Putnam throws five pitches for strikes, with his power fastball and devastating split finger both rated as plus pitches.  His fastball consistently sits at 92-93 MPH and touches 96 MPH with good arm-side run and heavy sink to it.  His second best pitch is his splitter which is nasty and already considered a major league out pitch, and was widely considered one of the top secondary pitches in college last year.  He also throws a slider which is an effective third pitch that really came on last year and has become another go-to pitch in his arsenal and has the makings of a third plus pitch in his arsenal.  His curveball sits in the low 70s and has some good depth to it with the potential to be an average pitch.  His fifth pitch is a changeup, but in college was more of a show pitch just to give hitters a different look and is a well below-average major league pitch.  The curveball or changeup may be scrapped in order to have him concentrate more on refining his other much stronger pitches. 

Putnam is considered around scouting circles as the ultimate college player because of his awesome two-way ability as a power pitcher and potent bat.  He played some third base in college and is an excellent hitter who projects professionally as an outfielder with an excellent arm for right field.  As a hitter, he showcases raw power to all fields and very good bat speed.  At 6'2" 225-pounds he has a big frame to go along with very strong legs and broad shoulders that give him an ideal body to be a workhorse in the starting rotation. Now that he will concentrate solely on pitching, his velocity may creep up a little which is not uncommon for multi-positional players who pitch.  He is an aggressive, power pitcher who shows excellent composure in tight games and is a notorious big game player who has that knack of coming through in the clutch with a big hit or quality start against another team's ace. 

Putnam has some mechanical issues with his delivery where he doesn't use his lower half well and drags his back leg, and as a result this has affected his command.  Straightening up his delivery will be a primary focus early in his professional career.  Putnam also needs to develop a better feel for both his slider and curveball.  While he has an advanced feel for pitching, he may have peaked physically. 

Outlook:  Down the road, Putnam may profile more as a dominant late-inning reliever, but with his five-pitch arsenal the Indians will give him every opportunity to stick as a starter where he has top/middle of rotation potential.  He is slated to start the 2009 season either at Single-A Lake County or at advanced Single-A Kinston, and because of his advanced pitching approach will likely open the 2009 season in the starting rotation at Kinston. 
 
22. Josh Tomlin - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 10/19/1984 - Height: 6'1" - Weight: 195 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2006	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	8	2	2.09	15	15	0	77.1	56	18	5	15	69	1.7	8.0	0.91
2007	22	Lake County	A	10	3	3.30	26	15	0	103.2	103	38	10	19	89	1.6	7.7	1.18
	22	Kinston	A+	1	1	3.58	6	5	0	27.2	24	11	0	12	20	3.9	6.5	1.30
2008	23	Kinston	A+	9	5	2.98	40	9	3	102.2	82	34	10	16	109	1.4	9.6	0.95
	23	Buffalo	AAA	1	0	3.86	1	1	0	7.0	6	3	2	1	3	1.3	3.9	1.00
		Career		29	11	2.94	88	45	3	318.1	271	104	27	63	290	1.8	8.2	1.05

History:  Tomlin was a 19th round pick in the 2006 Draft out of Texas Tech.  He grew up in East Texas and went to Angelina Junior College before transferring to Texas Tech.  A sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 2006 sidelined him for six weeks and ultimately hurt his status for the draft where he slid to the Indians in the 19th round.  He signed with the Indians quickly and made an impressive professional debut that year in Mahoning Valley holding opposing batters to a .196 batting average, and finished first in the NY-Penn League that year in starts (15), second in wins (8), and third in ERA (2.09).  Last year at Kinston he finished 2^nd in the Carolina League in ERA and was 10^th in strikeouts (1^st among relievers).  He also participated in the Arizona Fall League this offseason (2-3, 6.43 ERA, 8 games, 28.0 IP, 36 H, 3 BB, 28 K). 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Tomlin has had some great stats his first three years as a professional, but his questionable role, average tools, and so much depth in the system have often pushed him aside. Not anymore.  He has a four pitch mix of a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.  His fastball consistently clocks in at 89-91 MPH, and touched as high as 93 MPH last season.  One of the more interesting developments with him last year was his increased fastball velocity where when he pitched out of the bullpen he was consistently popping in on the radar gun around 92-93 MPH.  His slider sits at 83-84 MPH and he has made great strides where it has good depth and tilt and has become a strikeout pitch for him.  His curveball and changeup are both average pitches, and the curveball sits around 75-78 MPH. 

The Indians have been very impressed with Tomlin's work ethic and how quickly he has made adjustments, especially with the rapid improvement in the depth and command of his slider. It is a tribute to Tomlin's athleticism since he is a converted shortstop, but also mostly to due to his great makeup and upbeat attitude. There are always improvements to be made, and he has worked diligently with Kinston pitching coach Greg Hibbard on improving his slider command and velocity as well as staying taller to throw the ball more on a more downhill plane towards home plate.  He also is still working on some improvements with his delivery and harnessing the control of his fastball a little more.  He needs to get out in front of the ball, finish his pitches, and stay balanced by using his legs more. 

Outlook:  It is not certain if Tomlin will be a starter or pitch out of the bullpen in the future, but his versatility to pitch in any role has only enhanced his value and he is happy to pitch wherever the Indians need him.  He will open the 2009 season at Double-A Akron in a yet to be determined role in the bullpen or starting rotation. 
 
21. Trevor Crowe - Outfielder
Born: 11/17/1983 - Height: 6'0" - Weight: 190 - Bats: Switch - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2005	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	12	51	9	13	2	1	1	6	6	8	4	.255	.345	.392	.737
	21	Lake County	A	44	178	18	46	8	2	0	23	18	25	7	.258	.327	.326	.653
	21	Akron	AA	3	10	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	.100	.100	.100	.200
2006	22	Lake County	A	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
	22	Kinston	A+	60	219	51	72	15	2	4	31	48	46	29	.329	.449	.470	.919
	22	Akron	AA	39	154	20	36	7	2	1	13	20	24	16	.234	.318	.325	.643
2007	23	Akron	AA	133	518	87	134	26	4	5	50	62	71	28	.259	.341	.353	.694
2008	24	Akron	AA	49	198	45	64	16	2	4	28	27	29	13	.323	.404	.485	.889
		Buffalo	AAA	35	146	25	40	12	2	5	13	15	43	5	.274	.350	.486	.836
		Career		377	1479	256	406	86	15	20	164	196	250	102	.275	.361	.394	.755

History:  The Indians selected Crowe in the 1st round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Arizona.  His junior year in college, Crowe hit .403 with 83 runs scored, 25 doubles, 15 triples, 9 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 54 RBI, and a 1.192 OPS.  He was named the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Baseball Co-Player of the Year and was a Golden Spikes Award Finalist representing the best player in college baseball.  He hit .350 with a .992 OPS as a sophomore, and .316 with a .789 OPS as a freshman. 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Crowe has the ability to hit for average with some pop, but his biggest strength is his very good plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.  He has a very good approach at the plate, and is a student of the game that understands his skill set as a player.  He has a very advanced bat, which allowed him to be moved quickly through the lower levels of the farm system.  He has a contagious swagger, and is a very high energy and explosive player who has an engine that never stops.  The Indians feel he will hit for more power in the future, and prior to nixing the second-base move in 2006 felt his best comp as a major leaguer was Brian Roberts of the Orioles.  Even as an outfielder, Roberts is exactly the offensive player the Indians envision Crowe being if he reaches his ceiling.  His approach makes him a potential leadoff or two-hole hitter for the Indians down the road. 

Crowe has been a hot and cold player during his time with the Indians.  In 2006, after a sensational Kinston campaign the first half of the season where he hit .330 with a .924 OPS in 60 games, he only hit .234 with a .643 in 39 games with Akron the second half of the season.  In 2007 he hit .212 with a .566 OPS up until the start of July, and then from July 1st on hit .310 with an .838 OPS.  In 2008 he hit .400 (42-for-105) with 10 doubles, 4 home runs and 24 RBI in 25 June games, but the rest of the time hit .259 with a mid-.700 OPS.  Crowe has yet to put it together for a full season, although injuries have been most to blame.  In 2005, he was hampered with a few nagging injuries, in 2006 he missed parts of the season on the disabled list for a strained oblique and ankle sprain, and in 2008 he missed 35 games the first two months of the season with a herniated disc in his back that had been bothering him since spring training and missed about two weeks in July again with an injury to a muscle in his rib cage area. 

Defensively, Crowe grades out as an average center fielder with a fringe above average arm.  While Crowe has good speed, he really does not have the quickness or range to play center field in the big leagues which will push him to left field.  The Indians have moved him around the last two years among all three spots in the outfield in order to get him ready for a major league opportunity where he likely breaks in as a fourth outfielder.  He is such a good athlete and hard worker, and has shown he can play all three outfield positions very well.  Going forward, the focus will be on him becoming more defensively sound at the corner outfield positions, improve his base-running, and keep putting up quality at bats.  The Indians still want to see him continue to shore up his approach from the right side of the plate, and he needs to show more consistency by not being such a streaky hitter. 

Outlook: With the Indians trade of outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to the Mariners in the offseason, the door has been opened for Crowe to be a part of the big league team sometime during the 2009 season.   Since he is already on the 40-man roster, Crowe will be the first outfielder the Indians call upon if a need arises, even before Michael Brantley or Matt LaPorta.  He will open the season in the outfield at Triple-A Columbus, but an injury to any of the outfielders in Cleveland this spring could see him break camp with Cleveland. 

Photos courtesy of Ken Carr 

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