Jerrud Sabourin, 1B-LCC: 2-4, 2 R, BB, K

Sabourin did not appear on my offseason top-51 prospect countdown. He probably won't make the cut next year, either. He's a 22-year old 1B in low-A, so he's a little older than most of his competition in the Midwest League. Still, he's a guy you cannot help but pull for, and I love seeing him do well. Sabourin walked on to Indiana's baseball team, then was an undrafted free agent that the Indians signed last year. He's a guy who is going to have to prove himself at every level, a guy who's not going to be handed a job at any stage of his career. The first time I ever saw a Sabouring AB, he crushed a grand slam off of former Indian Josh Judy in a AAA spring training game against the Reds. He's hitting a solid .298/.365/.351 in 16 games for the Captains so far, and the lefty is doing his best to hold down 1B despite his undrafted status. Again, he's not an elite prospect by any stretch of the imagination, but he's one of those guys you just can't help but pull for.

• Chris Ray, RP-COL: IP, K. Ray has now worked in 8 games for the Clippers, throwing 9 1/3 innings, allowing 3 ER while striking out 7 and walking 2. He's a depth option should injuries bite the big league club, but doesn't have the upside of Hagadone or C.C. Lee, and should be behind both of them in the bullpen pecking order.
• Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 0-3, 2 BB. The Clippers recorded just 3 hits yesterday, but Phelps managed to reach base via the walk and has been on base at least once in the last 10 consecutive games for Columbus.
• Eric Berger, SP-AKR: L (0-3), 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 3 BB. Another solid start, but another loss for Berger who got precisely zero runs of support from his Aeros teammates. After a rough 1st start, Berger has now thrown 9 innings in his last two outings, allowing 4 ER while walking 3 and striking out 10.
• Bryan Price, RP-AKR: 2 IP, 4 K, BB. Dominant outing for Price, who has now thrown 10 1/3 innings this year, allowing 2 ER while striking out an impressive 14 and walking just 3.
• Cody Allen, RP-AKR: 2 IP, 2 K. Allen is now up to 11 innings between Carolina and Akron, allowing just one earned run, one walk and sixteen strikeouts.
• Nick Weglarz, LF-AKR: 2-3, 2B, BB, K. Wegz is starting to pick up after a slow start. He's only hitting .211 overall, but is 8 for his last 24 with a HR and 2 2B. Akron only had 4 hits yesterday, and Weglarz came up with two of them.
• Chun Chen, 1B-AKR: 1-4, 2B, K. Another guy who had a bit of a slow start, Chen is hitting a robust .366/.409/.439 in his last 10 games. His bat was borderline elite for a catcher, but as a 1B it's going to have to improve to play at the position.
• Mike Rayl, SP-CAR: W (2-2), 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 5 K, 3 BB. Rayl's last three starts have been impressive, as he's gone 2-1 with 14 K, 4 BB and allowed just 2 ER in 18 2/3 IP.
• Jose Flores, RP-CAR: S (3), IP, H, 3 K. Flores has been lights-out for the Mudcats so far in 2012, throwing 8 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 10.
• Tony Wolters, SS-CAR: 2-4, R. Wolters recorded his first multi-hit game of the season, and is batting just .127/.179/.159 in 15 games for the Mudcats. The Carolina League was expected to be a significant challenge for the 19-year old middle infielder, but I'd hoped that he would be hitting over the Mendoza line going into May.
• Jake Lowery, C-CAR: 2-3, 2 RBI, BB. Lowery is hitting an impressive .345/.419/.491, and the challenge for the young backstop will be to keep up this pace throughout the season, as he started out hot for Mahoning Valley last year but tailed off towards the end of the season.
• Francisco Lindor, SS-LCC: 1-5, HR (1), RBI, BB, 2 R, SB. Lindor smoked his first professional home run, and according to Baseball Prospectus prospect guru Kevin Goldstein (who was in attendance), it was a no-doubter off the bat. Lindor has cooled off a bit after a hot start, hitting just .209/.292/.302 in his last 10 games.
• Luigi Rodriguez, CF-LCC: 3-5, HR (1), 3B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 R, SB. Luigi and Lindor each hit their 1st full-season HR's back-to-back yesterday, which could be a nice preveiw of things to come at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario down the road. Goldstein did tweet though that Rodriguez had some trouble in CF, taking bad routes to balls and misplaying a couple of singles hit in front of him. The converted 2B is still learning to play the OF, so there's bound to be growing pains and I'm not overly concerned just yet.
• Bryson Myles, RF-LCC: 3-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB. Myles was struggling to start the season, but has been absolutely on fire of late, hitting .378/.400/.622 with a HR, 9 RBI and 5 SB in his last 10 games.
• Leonardo Castillo, 3B-LCC: 2-5, 2B, 2 R, K. Finally starting to show signs of life after a putrid start to the season, the 18-year old Castillo has hits in 5 of his last 7 games to raise his season line to .141/.188/.156 in 17 games for the Captains.

Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, SB, CS

Phelps extended his hitting streak to twelve games yesterday afternoon with this impressive four-hit performance, raising his overall season line to .355/.385/.516 in 14 games for the Clippers. Phelps...struggled once he was called up to the Indians last year, there's no doubt about that. The Stanford product hit just .155/.241/.254 in 71 big league at-bats, and looked overwhelmed at the plate for the most part. The switch hitting infielder is still just 25 though, and the book is far from closed on his major league potential. I still see a potentially valuable, offense-oriented utility infielder down the road here, and best-case scenario could mature into a 2nd-division starter at 2B. He's not a great defender, but can play 2B, 3B and even SS in a pinch. He's even a good enough athlete to appear in LF on a limited basis. Better players than Phelps have struggled in their initial exposure to major league pitching, so those who are writing him off already are a being a bit hasty. I'm not promising future success or saying he's going to make an all-star team down the road or anything, but I still think he has a shot to be a useful bat on a major league team. It might not be for the Indians, as Jason Donald, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis are ahead of Phelps in the infield pecking order, but he could be a useful trade chip with another solid season in AAA.

• Scott Barnes, SP-COL: L (0-2), 5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 4 K, BB. After a nice 1st start where he gave up just 1 ER and struck out 7 over 6 innings of work, Barnes has struggled the last two times out, give up 8 ER over his 10 IP. The good news is that after walking 4 his last night out, Barnes' control was better this time out, issuing just one free pass.
• Steven Wright, SP-AKR: W (2-1), ER, 4 H, 7 K, 4 BB. That's the 2nd straight outing where Wright has struck out 7, as the knuckler was clearly knuckling last night against Bowie. Wright lowered his ERA to just 1.56 on the season in his 3rd start.
• Cody Allen, RP-AKR: IP, ER, H, 2 K. Allen gave up a solo HR for his first ER allowed on the season, but also picked up 2 more K to give him 14 in 9 IP between Akron and Carolina. He's now allowed a whopping two (2) hits in his 9 innings of work.
• Chun Chen, 1B-AKR: 2-5, 3 1B, R. That makes three games in a row with at least two hits for Chen, and he's now 8 for his last 13 at the dish.
• Thomas Neal, RF-AKR: 2-4, 2 1B. Neal is up to .250 after a bit of a slow start in Akron, and is trying to work his way back up to Columbus.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 3-4, 2B, RBI. Known more for his defense than his stick, Bellows is repeating the Eastern League and is now hitting .281 on the season for the Aeros after last night's 3-hit performance. Guy's with one plus tool will always have a chance to prove themselves, and Bellows has a plus tool in his glove.
• Jared Goedert, LF-AKR: 2-4, 2 1B, BB. Goedert just keeps on keepin on. He's collected 2 hits in 4 straight games now, and in 6 of his last 9 games. That's pretty impressive, even though the power hasn't really come around yet this year (just 1 HR).
• Mike Rayl, SP-CAR: W (1-2), 6 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 4 K. Rayl has now given up just 1 ER, 5 hits and 1 BB while striking out 9 in his last 13 2/3 innings of work for the Mudcats. The lefty isn't overpowering, but when he's locating his fastball he's awfully tough to hit.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-CAR: 2-4, RBI. BBJA collected the only RBI in a 1-0 Mudcat victory, and is hitting .375/.468/.550 on the season. The .550 SLG is impressive, but for Aguilar I'm actually more impressed with the .375 AVG as he's always been a guy whose raw power exceeded his pure hitting ability. So far, it looks like the hit tool is catching up with the power.
• Ronny Rodriguez, SS-CAR: 2-2, BB. Along with Aguilar, Rodriguez was one of two Mudcats with more than one base hit yesterday. In the field, he was back at SS with Tony Wolters getting a day off.
• Will Roberts, SP-LCC: 6 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 5 H, K, 2 BB. Roberts didn't miss many bats yesterday, but still pitched well in a no-decsion. He's now allowed just 4 ER in 18 2/3  IP in his three starts this year.
• Cole Cook, RP-LCC: 2 IP, ER, 4 K, 3 K. Cook has been having some trouble adjusting to his new role in the bullpen, but pitched effectively yesterday in a Captains victory. He's striking out more than a batter per inning this year, with 8 K in 7 2/3 innings of work.
• Luigi Rodriguez, CF-LCC: 3-4, 2B, BB, R. Continuing his hot start for the Captains, Rodriguez is hitting .367/.429/.531 in his 12 games this year. He's managed at least one hit in 9 of his last 10 games, and has multipile hits in 5 of those contests.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 2-5, R, K. Lavisky was 0 for his last 8 heading in to yesterdays game, and picked up a pair of hits to snap out of the mini-slump. He's hittting .273 and slugging .455, but has sitll yet to draw a walk in 44 at bats on the season.
• Bryson Myles, RF-LCC: 2-4, 3 RBI, K, CS. Caught stealing for the first time this year, Myles still collected three RBI in the Captains victory.
• Nick Bartolone, LF-LCC: 2-4, RBI, 2 R, K. Forced into LF when RF Jordan Smith had to exit the game, the middle infielder picked up a couple of knocks and an RBI despite the strange position defensively.

• Corey Kluber, SP-COL: W (3-0), 6 IP, ER, 6 H, 7 K, BB. Kluber has been one of the better pitchers in the org so far this season, posting a 2.81 ERA and recording an eye-popping 25 K in 16 IP. He's started three games, winning all three, and his control has been better this year as he's allowed just 6 BB.
• C.C. Lee, RP-COL: 1 2/3 IP, BB. In what can only be described as a shocking performance, Lee faced 6 batters last night and didn't strike out any of them. I hope he's feeling ok.
• Matt LaPorta, 1B-COL: 1-3, BB, R, K. Back in the lineup the last two days after missing a couple of games after he was hit by a pitch, LaPorta is hitting .316/.372/.684 with 4 HR and 7 RBI on the season. My esteemed colleague River Burns penned a nice article on LaPorta yesterday, check it out if you haven't already.
• Russ Canzler, LF-COL: 2-4, 2B, R. Canzler is off to a slow start, and is now 8-35 in his last 8 games for the Clippers.
• Matt Pagnozzi, C-COL: 2-2, HR (1), 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R. The veteran catcher is 2nd on the team with 7 RBI on the season, and has come up with several big hits for the Clip Show.
• T.J. McFarland, SP-AKR: L (2-1), 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB. Kind of a misleading stat line for McFarland, as two of the runs charged to him scored after he was lifted from the game. They're still "his" runs of course, but there's nothing more frustrating for a pitcher than not being given a chance to clean up your own mess.
• Chun Chen, 1B-AKR: 2-4, R. Chen is getting hot, as he's now 7 for his last 16 with a pair of doubles.
• Roberto Perez, C-AKR: 1-3, 2B, K. The defensive whiz has hits in 7 of the 9 games he's played in for the Aeros, and is up to .242/.265/.364 on the season.
• Jared Goedert, LF-AKR: 2-4, R, K. Goedert has hit in 7 straight, and is 11-24 in that timeframe with a HR and three doubles. He's trying to at least force his way back to Columbus, and is hitting .371/.463/.543 on the year.
• Clayton Cook, SP-CAR: IP, ER, H, BB. Cook was lifted after facing just 5 hitters in one inning of work, and the Indians and Mudcats have both been silent as to why thus far. Baseball Prospectus' Jason Parks was at the game, and tweeted that Cook's delivery looked off and his fastball velo was just 86, so it looked like he could be hurt. More to follow.
• Francisco Jimenez, RP-CAR: 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 4 BB. Jimenez came on in relief of Cook and limited the damage for 3 innings.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-CAR: 1-2, 2B, BB. Aguilar just keeps on hitting, and is now at .361/.465/.556 on the season for the Mudcats.
• Ronny Rodriguez, 2B-CAR: 1-4, 2B, R, 2 K. Interestingly, Rodriguez and Wolters have flipped positions for this series, with Ronny playing 2nd and Wolters manning SS. With top prospect Francisco Lindor considered the SS of the future, I have to think the Indians are keeping their options open to try and get the best possible player at 2B long-term.
• Bryson Myles, LF-LCC: 1-3, HR (1), RBI, R, K. Myles popped his 1st HR of the season last night, and is now hitting .214/.261/.333 for the Captains. He's 3-3 in stolen base attempts, and has driven in 4 runs.
• Jordan Smith, RF-LCC: 1-4, 3B, R. Smith has yet to go hitless in a Midwest League game. Three of his last four hits have gone for extra bases (2 3B and a HR).
• Francisco Lindor, SS-LCC: 1-3, BB, K. The Captains only managed four hits yesterday, but Lindor had one of them. He's "cooled off" a little, but is still hitting .309/.345/.418 on the season.

The Ohio State University announced yesterday that sophomore guard Jordan Sibert and sophomore forward J.D. Weatherspoon have elected to transfer.

Sibert started the 2011-12 season as Ohio State’s sixth man -- coming off the bench in place of Lenzelle Smith, Jr. to provide a spark offensively. Unfortunately Sibert struggled with his shot, shooting just 30% from the field while averaging just three points a game. After seeing significant minutes through Ohio State’s first 17 games, Sibert was relegated to mop-up duty in favor of Sam Thompson shortly after conference play began.

"I've decided to transfer after discussing my future goals with family and my coaches," Sibert said. "I would like to find a school where I can make an impact on the court. I will miss my teammates, my coaches and the fans. I will always be a Buckeye."

Weatherspoon saw very little playing time last season, only notching 10+ minutes in five of Ohio State’s most severe blowouts of the year. The high-flying forward averaged three points and and one rebound a game while shooting almost 60% during his tenure at Ohio State.

"J.D. has done everything we've asked," Matta said. "I can relate to a young man's desire to play. I was in his shoes during my collegiate career. His teammates and our staff appreciate the hard work J.D. has put in to make our team better. We wish him nothing but the best."

The transfers leave Ohio State with just nine scholarship players remaining on the team.

Follow @davidreg412

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 3-5, HR (4), 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

Gotta be honest...I'm starting to get sick of writing about Chisenhall in this space. He picked on former Rockie Jeff Francis again last night, collecting all three of his hits off of the southpaw. He's up to .380/.404/.720 on the season, with an out of this world 1.124 OPS. In his last 4 games, Chiz is 9-18 with a HR and 4 2B. He has 2 or more hits in 6 of his last 7, and is 14-31 with 3 HR in that timeframe. In 18 AB against LHP in Columbus this year, he's hitting .389/.389/.833 with 2 HR and 2 2B. Listen, I like Jack Hannahan as much as anyone; he's an amazing fielder (despite having booted a couple of balls already this year) and a great story, but Chisenhall is definitely the future at the hot corner, and you're going to have a pretty difficult time convicing me that he's not the present as well. He's collected 517 at bats above AA, and at some point if you want him to prove that he can hit major league pitching...well, he's going to have to hit against major league pitching (apologies to former 17-game winner Jeff Francis). If the Indians are serious about contending for a playoff spot this year, then Chisenhall needs to be in the lineup. He represents their best chance to win now, as well as in the future.

• Trevor Crowe, LF-COL: 3-4, 3B, 2B, RBI, R, K, CS. I'm also sick of writing about Crowe, but for a different reason. Hopefully some other team in dire need of an OF is fooled by this hot start and offers the Indians something of value for Crowe.
• Justin Toole, SS-COL: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K. Toole was in A ball late last week, and is now hitting .500 (4-8) with a 2B and 2 RBI for AAA Columbus.
• Bryce Stowell, RP-AKR: W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 7 K. Don't look now, but Stowell is sounding an awful lot like the guy who took the system by storm back in 2010. He's thrown 5 innings on the season without allowing a run while striking out 11, walking none and has given up just two hits.
• Cody Allen, RP-AKR: 2 IP, H, 2 K. Called up from Carolina, Allen is unphased by Eastern League hitters so far. Between the two levels he's thrown 8 innings, struck out 12 and allowed just one hit.
• Chun Chen, 1B-AKR: 3-4, 2B, R. Chen has been off to a bit of a slow start at the dish, hitting just .250/.385/.313. Not sure if the position change has anything to do with it, but he's now played 6 games at 1B, DH'd twice and been behind the plate just once.
• Adam Abraham, 1B-AKR: 2-3, BB, 2 R. Abraham is 3-6 in his last two games after opening the season 1-12.
• Jared Goedert, LF-AKR: 2-4, R, K. Goedert has hit in 7 straight for Akron, and is 11-24 in that timeframe. With the Indians issues in the outfield, they're trying him in LF to see if he can hit his way to the bigs.
• Roberto Perez, C-AKR: 1-4, K. Perez gunned down Orioles top prospect Manny Machado attempting to steal 2B. You don't run on Roberto.
• Tyler Holt, CF-CAR: 2-4, 2B, R, CS. Holt has cooled off a little, but is still hitting .389/.463/.556 with a pair of doubles and a pair of triples on the year. Holt is repeating the high-A Carolina League, and is showing that he wants to be in Akron sooner rather than later with his early-season performance.
• Jeremie Tice, 1B-CAR: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI. Tice has hits in 4 of his last 5 games, and has been on base at least once in every game he has started for the Mudcats this season.
• Felix Sterling, SP-LCC: 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 4 K, 3 BB. Three solid starts for Sterling to open the season, and three no-decisions. He's thrown 16 innings on the year and has a 2.81 ERA, 14 K and 6 BB.
• Alex Monsalve, C-LCC: 1-2, HR (2), RBI, 2 BB, R. Monsalve is 5-12 in his last 3 games, and is hitting a solid .270/.426/.486 overall for the Captains.
• Jordan Smith, RF-LCC: 1-4, 3B, R. ll Jordan Smith does is hit. He has at least one knock in every game he's played in this season, and is up to .323/.344/.581 overall for the Captains. His future is up in the air defensively, but there are fewer and fewer questions about his bat every day.
• Robel Garcia, 2B-LCC: 2-4, RBI. Garcia is young, talented and RAW. He's hitting just .195/.233/.220 on the season for the Captains with 14 K and one walk, but he's going to get an opprtunity to play every day because his ceiling as a player is so high. He turned 19 just a few weeks ago, so some struggles in the Midwest League can be expected.  

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles - Sunday, Sept. 9 - 1 pm

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday, Sept. 16 - 1 pm

Week 3: Buffalo Bills - Sunday, Sept. 23 - 1 pm

Week 4: at Baltimore Ravens - Thursday, Sept. 27 - 8:20 pm

Week 5: at New York Giants - Sunday, Oct. 7 - 1 pm

Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday, Oct. 14 - 1 pm

Week 7: at Indianapolis Colts - Sunday, Oct. 21 - 1 pm

Week 8: San Diego Chargers - Sunday, Oct. 28 - 1 pm

Week 9: Baltimore Ravens - Sunday, Nov. 4 - 1 pm

Week 10: BYE

Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys - Sunday, Nov. 18 - 1 pm

Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers - Sunday, Nov. 25 - 1 pm

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders - Sunday, Dec. 2 - 4:15 pm

Week 14: Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday, Dec. 9 - 1 pm

Week 15: Washington Redskins - Sunday, Dec. 16 - 1 pm

Week 16: at Denver Broncos - Sunday, Dec. 23 - 4:05 pm

Week 17: at Pittsburgh Steelers - Sunday, Dec. 30 - 1 pm

It is impossible and stupid to extrapolate teams' 2011 performance to the 2012 season, but it appears that the easier portion of the Browns' schedule is earlier in the season.  Before the Week 10 bye (a late bye this year), Cleveland has 5 home games and plays some of the more "beatable" teams like the Bengals, Bills, and Colts.

Logically, there is little chance that this year's Browns team will be as bad as 2011.  They lost practically nothing, and have at least 3 picks in the Top 37 to shore up some weaknesses.  And as bad as they were last season, their young Defense was solid and they could have easily won 9 of the 12 games they lost, including 5 of the 6 they lost in the division.

Naturally, that means nothing.

Going through game by game is almost the definition of uselessness, but if teams stay about as good as they were last year (which injuries and player losses/acquisitions laughs at), it feels like about a 6 win season.  This may or may not change after the draft.

Anyway, plenty of 1 pm games this year, so lots of chances to enjoy morning Bloody Marys.  It's usually safe to assume they'll be needed.

Luigi Rodriguez, CF-LCC: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R, 3 SB

Rodriguez has true leadoff hitter potential, as he has an above-average hit tool, a solid approach and is a true burner with 70-grade speed. He's not yet an elite baserunner, but his speed allows him to outrun most mistakes that he makes on the basepaths. The converted 2B has the potential to be an above-average defender in CF, but still needs plenty more reps in the OF in order to improve his reads and instincts. He's hit in 8 of the 9 games he's played in for the Captains so far, and is hitting an impressive .368/.419/.533 on the season. Most of the SLG is going to come from doubles and triples, as he has below-average power. He's already hit three doubles and a pair of triples this season, and is 4-6 in stolen base attempts so far this year. He's an exciting prospect, and will be a fun guy to follow through the system. He's still just 19 years old, so we're talking about a kid who's still pretty far from the majors but is finding success in what is traditionally a difficuly league for hitters.

Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 2-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R

Lavisky got off to a slow start for low-A Lake County last year, and hit just .207/.251/.391 with 8 HR in 49 games for the Captains. Moved down to short season Mahoning Valley when the New York-Penn League got underway in June, Lavisky had similar struggles with the Scrappers, hitting .201/.276/.328 in 68 games. The Indians were aggressive with the young catcher, assigning him to the Midwest League straight out of high school, and despide his struggles at the plate Lavisky recieved solid marks for his defense. Early in 2012, he's showing signs that his 2011 season is going to be just a memory, as he's hitting .323/.313/.581 for the Captains. He has at least one hit in 6 of the 7 games he's played in, has driven in 10 runs and socked 6 extra base hits. On the concerning side is his 8/0 K/BB ratio, but as long as he's hitting .300 with power, I don't think his walk rate is the most important thing in the world. He still projects to be a power hitting catcher with plus defense (think Jason Varitek with a better arm), and remains one of the top prospects in the organization.

• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, R. Chiz has hits in 8 of the Clippers 11 games so far this year, and is hitting a robust .333/.362/.600. He even picked up his 2nd walk of the season yesterday.
• Beau Mills, 1B-COL: 1-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB, R. Mills popped his 1st HR of the season yesterday, and is hitting .278/.350/.444 in 7 games for the Clippers.
• Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 1-5, 1B. Phelps has a 9-game hitting streak going, and is 15-41 over that timeframe. Overall, he's hitting .349/.391/.488 on the season, the 2nd straight year he's gotten off to a hot start in AAA.
• Trevor Crowe, CF-COL: 3-4, 2 2B, R, K. Crowe has been red-hot for the Clippers, hitting .429/.529/.750 on the young season with a pair of HR and 6 RBI in 9 games.
• Justin Toole, SS-COL: 2-3, RBI. Toole was called all the way up to Columbus on the 14th, and picked up a pair of hits and an RBI while playing SS yesterday.
• Eric Berger, SP-AKR: L (0-2), 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 K. A much better start for Berger this time out, but he still ended up with the loss. He has 9 K and walked one in 9 IP in his two starts for the Aeros.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: 2 IP, 2 K, 2 BB. Bryson has just a single earned run in three appearances with the Aeros, and has struck out 10 and walked 3 while allowing just 2 hits in 5 1/3 IP.
• Jared Goedert, 3B-AKR: 2-4, 2B, R. Goedert scored the only run that the Aeros managed to push across yesterday, and has hit in 6 straight games. Overall, he's hitting .355/.459/.548.
• Roberto Perez, C-AKR: 2-4, 2 1B, 2 K. Perez also picked a runner off 1B. He's hitting .231/.259/.346 with a HR, all while providing elite defense behind the plate.
• T.J. House, SP-CAR: 6 IP, 4 R (0 ER), 4 H, 8 K, BB. Another outstanding start for House, although his defense did let him down to the tune of 4 unearned runs. He's now struck out 17 and walked just two in 13 innings of work this season.
• Jake Lowery, C-CAR: 2-4, R, 2 K.  Lowery has hits in 8 of 9 games this season for the Mudcats, and has been on base at least once in all 9. He's 12 for his last 27, and is hitting .382/.447/.559 overall in his first taste of full-season ball.
• Ronny Rodriguez, SS-CAR: 1-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, R. Rodriguez popped his 1st HR of the season yesterday, and is hitting .259/.333/.481 in 8 games for the Mudcats.
• Anthony Gallas, LF-CAR: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, K. The local product has only appeared in 5 games for the Mudcats, but is hitting a solid .267/.353/.600 with 3 2B and a 3B.
• Jeremie Tice, 1B-CAR: 1-3, HR (1), RBI, BB, 3 R. Tice, out of the College of Charleston, is hitting .207/.361/.414 for Carolina.
• Patrick Tolentino, C-LCC: 1-1, HR (1), 2 RBI, R. Tolentino's 1st at-bat outside of the complex leagues was a pinch-hit home run in yesterday afternoon's crazy 22-12 loss. Congratulations!
• Jordan Smith, RF-LCC: 3-5, HR (1), 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 R. A full stat sheet for Smith, who finally managed his 1st professional HR after not hitting one in Mahoning Valley last season. He's hitting an impressive .333/.357/.556 overall, and has a hit in all 6 games that he's started for the Captains.

Tim Fedroff, CF-AKR: 2-4, 2 2B, R, K.

After reaching Columbus in the 2nd half of last season, Fedroff was assigned back to AA Akron to start of 2012. He's doing his best to show the Indians front office that they made a mistake, as he's hitting an eye-popping .500/.621/.636 in six games for the Aeros. Fedroff has hits in every game so far this season, and has already recorded a pair of 3-hit games. He led the Eastern League in hitting last year in his time at Akron, and seems poised to do so again if he's not moved up to Columbus soon. The OF situation in Columbus is crowded, but it is crowded with AAAA players who are pretty much known quantities at this point. Fedroff is still a prospect. He's a bit of a tweener in that his bat isn't considered powerful enough to play in a corner OF spot and he's not quite a good enough defender to consistently handle CF at the big league level, so he's never been considered a top guy in the organization. But all this kid does is hit, and at some point he's earned a chance to prove himself at a higher level. He's a career .293 hitter in over 1400 minor league at bats, and I'd much rather see what he can do against AAA pitching than say, Chad Huffman.

• Scott Barnes, SP-COL: L (0-1), 5 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 K. Barnes still managed to miss bats last night, but didn't have very good control, walking 4 in just 5 IP.
• C.C. Lee, RP-COL: 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 K. Lee has now recorded 8 K in 5 1/3 innings of work for the Cippers. The only runs he's allowed came on a 2-run HR back on April 8.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2 1B. Chiz is now 12-36 (.333) on the season, but still has just 1 walk against 6 K. One of the reasons he didn't start 2012 with the Indians was his plate discipline, and he hasn't really been showing that he's improved that aspect of his game just yet.
• Steven Wright, SP-AKR: W (1-1), 5 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 7 K, 4 BB. Wright's knuckler was clearly knuckling last night as he recorded an impressive 7 strikeouts in less than 6 innings of work. In his 2 starts this year, Wright has thrown 11 1/3 innings and allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 12 and walking 6.
• Nick Weglarz, DH-AKR: 2-4, RBI, K. He's on fire! Weglarz went from hitting .000 to hitting .136 with three hits in his past two games. Again, Wegz has always been a slow starter, and I remain convinced that he's going to hit.
• Jared Goedert, LF-AKR: 2-4, 2 1B, K. Goedert is hitting .308/.438/.385 for the Aeros in the early going, and is 6 for his last 15. The power has yet to show up though, as the slugger has just 2 XBH on the season (both doubles).
• Mike Rayl, SP-CAR: L (0-2), 7 IP, ER, 2 H, 5 K, BB. Rayl just wasn't good enough to win last night. He threw 7 innings of one-run ball, and has now registered 10 K in 11 innings of work for the Mudcats this season.
• Tyler Holt, CF-CAR: 2-4, 2 1B, 2 K. Holt's BABIP was a perfect 1.000 last night. He's cooling off a little after a sizzling start, but is still hitting an impressive .393/.469/.571 in 7 games for the Mudcats. Last night's 2-4 effort snapped a 7 AB hitless streak, his longest of the season.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-CAR: 1-3, 1B, BB. In a night where hits were hard to come by, Aguilar managed to get on base twice. He's collected at least one hit in all but one game so far this year, and is hitting an impressive .407/.467/.630. More importantly, he has 3 walks and just 3 strikeouts, showing an improved approach from last season.
• Jake Lowery, C-CAR: 1-4, 1B, 2 K. Like Aguilar, Lowery has hit in all but 1 Mudcat game this season. He's at .346/.414/.538 on the young season, and is showing that he can be a middle of the order run producer from behind the plate.
• Will Roberts, SP-LCC: L (1-1), 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 7 K, BB. The University of Virginia product is off to a solid start this year, throwing 12 2/3 innings while allowing just 3 runs on 9 hits with 9 K and 4 BB.
• Cole Cook, RP-LCC: 2 1/3 IP, H, 2 K, BB. Bouncing back from a rough outing to open the season where he allowed 5 runs (2 earned ) in just 1 1/3 IP, Cook has made back-to-back appearances without allowing a run. For now he's working exclusively out of the bullpen, and has thrown 4 2/3 innings allowing the 2 ER on 6 hits while striking out 4 and walking 3.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 1-3, 2B, K. Lavisky is one of my favorite players in the entire organization, and he's now hit in 5 straight games to open the season. He's recorded at least one 2B in his last four consecutive outings, and is hitting .381/.364/.619. Only concern is the 7 K and 0 BB, but I'll take it.

T.J. McFarland, SP-AKR: W (2-0), 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 K, BB.

McFarland has started the season off right, throwing 11 innings while allowing just one run, striking out 6 and walking three. McFarland quietly had a solid season in Akron last year, going 9-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 137 1/3 innings for the Aeros. After the year he was sent to the Arizona Fall League, which is the top offseason league for advanced prospects all around baseball. It's typically a hitter's league, but McFarland was outstanding in the dry desert air, going 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA. He threw 28 1/3 innings in the AFL, striking out 22 and walking 13. McFarland isn't a big strikeout guy, but gets a ton of groundballs with his outstanding sinking fastball and does a nice job pitching to contact. He has excellent control, and when he's commanding his fastball well he keeps it down in the zone and is awfully tough to hit. McFarland is never going to be a dominant ace that anchors a staff, but he can be a solid, innings eater in the middle of a big league rotation. The lefthander is still just 22, and should be in Columbus at some point this season and in Cleveland as early as 2013.

Francisco Lindor, SS-LCC: 3-4, 2B, R

I can't tell you how excited I am about the Francisco Lindor experience. Remember, he's going to be just 18 for the entire 2012 season. A lot of the kids drafted in the upcoming June Rule 4 draft will be older than him. He's getting his first real professional experience in a full-season league that is notoriously tough on hitters. He's facing the best pitching of his life on a nightly basis. And all he's doing is hitting .353/.371/.529 with 3 SB in the first week of the season. Wow. I've been high on Lindor since before he was even drafted, and was extremely excited when the Indians selected him with the 8th overall pick last June. But even I didn't expect him to be this good, this fast. He's going to struggle at some point this season, he's going to hit a rough patch where he goes 0-15 or something like that, but he's already shown enough to have talent evaluators around baseball drooling over his potential. Since his opening day 0-4, Lindor is hitting an even .400 while playing solid defense at the 2nd-hardest defensive position on the field. I still think he spends all of 2012 in the Midwest League and there's really no reason to rush him, but I'm going to run out of superlatives really soon when trying to describe just how good Francisco Lindor is and could eventually be.

• Corey Kluber, SP-COL: W (2-0), 4 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K. Kluber's only mistake was a 2-out, 3 run HR in the 5th that came after a walk and a HBP. He's been missing a lot of bats in the early going, with 18 K in 10 innings pitched. Control is still an issue though, as he's also walked 5 in those 10 innings of work.
• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: IP, 2 K. Dan Wheeler is living on borrowed time. Really can't see how Hagadone isn't a better option right now than the veteran.
• Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 2-4, 3B, R. Phelps is hitting a solid .313/.371/.469, and has reached base in every game so far this season for the Clippers.
• Russ Canzler, 1B-COL: 2-4, RBI. Last night was Canzler's 1st multihit game of the season, and the defending International League MVP has yet to record an extra-base hit this year.
• Chad Huffman, RF-COL: 2-3, HR (2), RBI, BB, 2 R. One of several AAAA players currently populating the Clippers roster, the soon to be 27-year old Huffman is a non-prospect at this stage of his career.
• Bryce Stowell, RP-AKR: IP, 2 K. Stowell has 4 K in 2 perfect innings of work for the Aeros. Look for him in Columbus before too much longer.
• Preston Guilmet, RP-AKR: IP, H, 2 K, BB. It wasn't a save situation, but Guilmet recorded the final 3-outs of a 6-1 Aeros victory. It was his 2nd appearance of the season, and the first in which he allowed a baserunner or recorded a strikeout.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 2-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 BB, SB. Amazing what a difference a day makes early in the season, as Bellows saw his OPS jump over 400 points in a single day. The slick-fielding 3B even managed to swipe a bag. He's shown a very solid approach this year, walking 7 times against just 4 K.
• Juan Diaz, SS-AKR: 2-5, RBI, K. Added to the 40-man this offseason, Diaz is hitting .304/.357/.348 for the Aeros in the early going.
• Nick Weglarz, LF-AKR: 1-4, R, 2 K. The notoriously-slow starter recorded his first hit of the season last night, and is 1-18 (.056) on the season.
• Elvis Araujo, SP-LCC: L (0-2), 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H, 7 K, 0 BB. All in all, not a bad start for the big lefty. Araujo has started two games for the Captains this year and has pitched 9 innings, allowing 4 ER and 8 H while striking out an impressive 14 and walking just one. He's one of the highest-ceiling pitching prospects in the organization, and it's good to see him healthy and effective early in the season.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 K. Lavisky has collected 2 hits in three straight games now and is up to .389/.368/.611 on the season. His 6/0 K/BB ratio is less encouraging, but I'll take the 4 2B in 4 games as a good sign. I'm still really high on Lavisky and think he can put up big #'s this season.

Call me perplexed to say the least. I know the Indians have been trying to get their hands on a left fielder for some time now. Their efforts to nab Bobby Abreau (or at least, the rumored efforts) were well documented.

But I just don't get it.

I don't get, other than the slow start (after five...stinking...games) offensively, why the signing of Johnny Damon makes any logical sense.

You will sit there and say, but look at the offense, it needs a boost. For five games of lackluster performance? There's talent there, we know it. The can all hit, just give it more than half a week.

I guess I have no reasons to be upset, other than this is one of those moves that I simply just don't like. Is there a solid reasoning behind my dislike? No... In fact Johnny Damon hasn't played less than 140 games... Well, ever. Aside from his first season at 21-years-old with Kansas City when he played in 47 games at the end of the year. He has always collected at least 130 hits. He can produce from all accounts as he was doing it last year with Tampa Bay in a DH role.

I'm a little perplexed as to how it makes sense defensively as I'm sure everyone is, but if he hits, then let's go along the lines of the Prince Fielder/Miguel Cabrera thinking that, who gives a flying fruit fly. Aaron Cunningham will get cut, which means the backup center fielder is... Jason Donald, an infielder by trade. That isn't a horrible thing as Donald could probably be serviceable and it would only be for a few games here and there, but it's a little crazy, don'tcha think?

Then there is the element of the contract. It seems as if the Indians are "renting" Damon. Almost as if they want him to come in until Grady Sizemore returns. They're giving him the ability to opt out of his contract with the Indians on a "specified" date after Grady Sizemore returns. If he returns, I guess? He also has a full no-trade clause, not that the Indians would be trading him, unless of course they start to suck and some team would want him. But at that point, he'd probably be open to a trade to a team that will win.

But he could always opt out too. 

My biggest beef? Probably the fact that there's a perfectly capable player in Columbus ripping it up. I'm not talking about Chisenhall and certainly not Matt LaPorta.

But did we forget about Trevor Crowe? Never mind... You probably did. I mean, I can't blame anyone who has. But he might actually be blossoming into that first round pick the Indians thought they were getting. And no, I'm not going just based off six games in Triple A. I'm essentially arguing against myself if I were to do that.

However, Crowe is off to a great start. He's 7-for-18 with a pair of home runs and three walks. Beyond his numbers in just a few games though, we know he can do several things. We know he can play center field and play it well. We know he can run a little bit on the basepaths. And we know that if he is healthy, he can actually play baseball a little bit. He is not only healthy, but in spring, Manny Acta talked highly of the guy.

Almost as if it was a different Trevor Crowe. One who has matured and perhaps finally started to "get it" as a ball player. Plenty of players can suddenly "get it" after a few years of scuffling or mediocrity. I mean, the guy wasn't a first round pick for the hell of it, at some level he could play and he's always had a productive minor league career.

Maybe I'm a little too attached to the idea of giving Crowe a shot (for the record, I wanted to in spring, over Cunningham). Maybe I just don't like the name Johnny Damon when I hear it. Maybe I also think that Shelley Duncan needs to be given a chance offensively in left field. Again, he's done nothing to show he can't be a productive left fielder, putting up the numbers we think Damon is capable of (for a cheaper price tag, with no frills, AND maybe just maybe Duncan is a better defender because he can actually run around and make catches!?). I know it is a stretch to say Shelley Duncan is a better fielder than anyone, but a 38-year old Johnny Damon with 42 games in the outfield in two years may just be the one exception.

The Indians are acquiring a guy who's played just 42 games in the outfield in the past two seasons to play left field. They're replacing a guy in the offense that has actually been somewhat productive with someone who has not had a lick of game action since last season. And they're replacing their backup center fielder with a backup infielder.

I guess it all makes no sense to make perfect sense in the world of Cleveland. But if it works, I'll gladly eat my words.