Giovanny Urshela, 3B-LCC: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, R

Known more for his glove than his bat, the 19-year old Urshela struggled at the plate in May and June, combining to hit below the Mendoza Line in those two months. July was a different story though, as he put up a .313/.325/.455 line with 2 HR and 14 RBI. He’s been especially hot over his last 10 games, putting up a .359/.375/.538 line. Urshela is an intriguing prospect, as he has gold glove potential in he field and solid bat to ball ability at the plate. His power is below average right now, but he’s just 19 and will likely add some bulk as he matures. With his age, there’s really no rush and he’s likely a level at a time guy, but if he can put together a solid performance in Kinston next year, he’ll be a guy that starts to get some national recognition.

• Justin Germano, SP-COL: 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 4 K. Germano’s 1^st start after his perfect game wasn’t quite as dominant, as he couldn’t make it through the 5^th inning and ended up with a no-decision.
• Zach Putnam, RP-COL: 2 IP, 2 K. Successful outing to close the book on a rough July for Putnam, who posted a 5.40 ERA in 13 1/3 IP, striking out 13 and walking 4.
• Josh Judy, RP-COL: IP, 2 K. In his last 10 appearances dating back to June 28, Judy has allowed just 1 ER in 10 1/3 IP. He has 12 K and allowed 5 BB in that span.
• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: W (4-1), 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K, BB. Hagadone’s July numbers: 2-0, 1.76 ERA, 15 1/3 IP, 19 K, 3 BB. Lining himself up for a look in the ML bullpen out of spring training next year.
• Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 2-5, HR (9), RBI, R, BB. Phelps is hitting .294/.387/.462 on the year for Columbus, and is still an option at the major league level down the road.
• Jared Goedert, 3B, COL: 1-3, HR (6), RBI, 3 BB, 2 R. Goedert has hit in 6 straight, and is 8-20 with 6 BB and 2 HR in that timeframe.
• Beau Mills, PH-COL: 1-1, 1B, RBI. Mills is hitting just .167 for AAA Columbus, but had a pinch-hit, 2-strike, walk-off single last night in the bottom of the 13^th inning to give the Clippers the victory.
• T.J. McFarland, SP-AKR: L (7-6), 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 2 BB. McFarland closed out a solid month of July that saw him go 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA and a 29/11 K/BB rate in 38 IP. He posted an extremely impressive 3.47 GO/AO ratio and with Joe Gardner traded to Colorado, has the best sinker in the minor league system.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: IP, ER, 3 H, K, 2 BB. The power righty has now thrown 22 innings between Lake County, Kinston and Akron, and has struck out 30 hitters while walking 8. Expect to see him in the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time.
• Bryce Stowell, RP-AKR: 2 IP, 3 K. Another power righthander who’s thrown limited innings due to injury issues, Stowell has 36 K in 24 1/3 IP this year. Another AFL candidate.
• Juan Diaz, SS-AKR: 2-4, 2 1B. The 23-year old Diaz is hitting .255/.311/.365 on the season, with 6 HR and 49 RBI.
• Casey Frawley, SS-KIN: 2-4, 2b, R. Frawley had a rough July, hitting just .169/.227/.292. He did manage two of Kinston’s 5 hits yesterday though.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-KIN: 0-4. BBJA has been up in Kinston for 4 games now, and has gone 2-14 (.143) with a walk and a stolen base.
• Jordan Casas, LF-KIN: 2-3, RBI, SB. Casas has been in Kinston for 3 games, and has gone 5-10 with a 3B, RBI and has stolen a base.
• J.D. Reichenbach, RP-LCC: 2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB. Reichenbach has a 3.16 ERA in his last 10 appearances spanning 37 innings. He struck out 27 and walked 9 in that span.
• Carlos Moncrief, CF-LCC: 1-4, 3B, RBI, R, 2 K. One of the more intriguing speed/power combinations in the system, Moncrief has 13 HR and 17 SB on the season. He also has one of the best OF arms in the system, especially now that Abner Abreu is no longer an Indian.
• Brian Heere, LF-LCC: 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K. After a slow start to the season, Heere really picked things up in July, posting a .347/.405/.440 line in 75 AB.
• Danny Jimenez, SP-MVS: 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 K, BB. The crafty lefty scattered 6 hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings yesterday, giving the Scrappers offense time to scratch across a run for the 1-0 victory.
• Cody Allen, RP-MVS: 2 1/3 IP, 3 K. The 6’1, 210lb righty out of High Point has 40 K in 31 2/3 IP for the Scrappers this year, to go along with a 2.27 ERA.
• Robbie Aviles, SP-AZL: 2 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 3 K. Another solid outing for the rehabbing Aviles. Real sleeper pick from the 2010 draft.
• Moisses Ramirez, RP-AZL: 5 IP, 5 K. The short (5’11”) righty can really bring the fastball, and has 17 K in 13 1/3 innings for the AZL Indians.

The Cleveland Indians finally struck a deal for an outfielder, but definitely not the name anyone was expecting.

But it is one heck of a name. The Indians acquired Kosuke Fukudome from the Chicago Cubs Thursday morning in a swap that will net the Cubs a pair of prospects as they will take on most of Fukudome's remaining $4.7 salary. The deal has been largely reported from ESPN's Buster Olney, and confirmed by numerous other sources since.

Reportedly, the prospects heading to Chicago are Columbus reliever Carlton Smith and Kinston Outfielder Abner Abreu.

The Japanese import was a extreme disappointment for Chicago after signing him out of Japan in 2008 to a 4-year, $48 million deal. He was brought in to be a top-flight outfielder, but ended up being nothing more than a platoon player, having played mostly against right-handed pitchers this season. The left-handed hitting outfielder has a career average of .249 against left-handed hitters. 

Fukudome's best season was last year when he played in 130 games and hit .263 with a .371 on-base perctentage. He hit 13 home runs (career high in MLB), with 44 RBI and 45 runs scored. His OPS was at .809 and he was largely fueled by a stellar April, when he hit .344 with five home runs and 16 RBI.

In fact, if every month was April, Fukdome might be a MVP candidate every year. Career-wise, he's hit .345 with 10 of his 32 career home runs coming in April. From there on, his average steadily decreases to .269 in May, .216 in June, back up to .255 and .275 in July and August, but back down to .198 in September. Let's hope the Indians see some of that August production from Fukudome as he fills in for fellow Asian, Shin-Soo Choo. Although Fukudome is from Japan, and Choo from Korea, the addition may gave Choo someone on the team to relate to in terms of coming over from an Asian country. 

Fukudome's Numbers Exlcuding April: .246 AVG, .343 OBP, .704 OPS, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 28 R, 2/4 SB (272 PA)

Fukudome's April: .383 AVG, .486 OBP, .886 OPS, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R, 5 R, 0/0 SB (73 PA)

Fukudome has hit .217 during interleague play against American League pitching with a .286 slugging percentage. His lone AL home run has come against Baltimore.

Against combined AL Central teams excluding the Indians, he is hitting .207 with nine walks and 30 strikeouts. That 22 hits in 108 at-bats against the Royals, Twins, White Sox, and Tigers.

Fukudome should join the Tribe for their series with Kansas City this weekend at Progressive Field, a place Fukudome has never played at. He is 1-for-10 against the Royals with six strikeouts. He has faced two of the probable starters for the Royals, Jeff Francis (1-for-2, 2B, BB) who starts Friday and Felipe Paulino (1-for-10, 2 BB, 1 K)  who starts Saturday.

It's a very small price to pay for Fukudome who had to waive his no-trade clause to join the Indians. That, along with the Cubs picking up most of his salary most likely led to the Indians giving up what they did. Carlton Smith is likely a career minor league reliever, who had a hot April and has since regressed back to his normal standards (4.50 ERA, 46 K, 20 BB). Smith is a 25-year-old got his first taste of Triple-A ball after dominating with Akron in 2009, but has shown no separation at the last level.

Smith is a former 21st round pick of the Indians back in 2004 out of Piscataway High School in New Jersey.

The big loss is Abner Abreu, a soon to be 21-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic. Abreu had a great breakout year in 2009 when he hit .305 with 27 extra-base hits and 30 RBI for the Lake County Captains. His season was ended abrutly after 63 games after a shoulder injury. Since then, he has not been the same after hitting .252 with four home runs and a .289 OBP for Kinston last season. His biggest struggle was striking out 130 times to just 20 walks.

Recently he has caught fire, with a .352 average in July with eight home runs and 18 RBI. However he has struck out 102 times with 22 walks. Abreu is still young and still has very much room to grow, but he isn't looking like the super-prospect he could have been after his initial debut with the Dominican Summer League team in 2007.

For those of you bemoaning the Fukudome deal, give it some time. Let him come in and get an opportunity. In baseball terms, the Indians aren't looking to hit a home run, but rather looking to hit a single and turn it into a double. Fukudome isn't going to change the offense completely and he's hardly an impact bat. But his price is substantially lower than other options out there. The indians have stated time and time again they are not interested in breaking their prospect bank just to make the playoffs. If they do it with Fukudome, then they will have accomplished their goal.

All the stats above don't look too appealing, unless it's April, which it isn't. But Fukudome has shown great on-base ability with a high OBP in all four years he's played for the Cubs. He averages a .369 OBP in 513 career games. Last year he had just three more strikeouts than walks and although he isn't a run-producer, he can bring some plate discipline to the team.

And according to Jordan Bastian, this may not be the only outfielder the Indians acquire before Sunday's deadline. So don't knock it til it plays out fully.

To clear room on the 40-man and active roster, the Indians designated oft-optioned outfielder Travis Buck for assignment. If he clears waivers, he could return to Columbus, but at this time of the year, there are many teams lower in the division looking for players like him. He may not survive the waiver process.

It’s that time of year again. No, not the time where you wake up and think, I get to watch real, live football today. Rather -- today is the day you get to wake up and think, My God, I’ll take anything you give me, just give me football PLEASE TELL ME THE OFFSEASON IS OVER! That kind of frantic thought process usually starts seeping into college football fans right around the time individual conferences host their Media Days. And for Big Ten fans in particular, that day is today.

The Big Ten Media Day takes place at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, and coverage of the spectacle kicks off at 11:00 AM EST. The Big Ten Network will be televising a 15 minute press conference for each head football coach in the conference. Each coach will have an opening statement followed by a Q&A session with the participating media outlets. Here’s the press conference schedule:

11:00 AM Ron Zook (Illinois)
11:15 AM Bret Bielema (Wisconsin)
11:30 AM Danny Hope (Purdue)

11:45 AM BREAK

12:00 PM Luke Fickell (Ohio State)
12:15 PM Kevin Wilson (Indiana)
12:30 PM Joe Paterno (Penn State)

12:45PM BREAK

1:00 PM Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern)
1:15 PM Brady Hoke (Michigan)
1:30 PM Bo Pelini (Nebraska)

1:45 PM BREAK

2:00 PM Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
2:15 PM Jerry Kill (Minnesota)
2:30 PM Mark Dantonio (Michigan State)
2:45 PM Bill Carollo (Big Ten Coordinator of Football Officials)
3:00 PM Mark Silverman (BTN President)
3:15 PM Jim Delany (Big Ten Commissioner)

Ohio State will also be represented by three student-athletes -- Mike Brewster, Orhian Johnson and Andrew Sweat.

The Big Ten Network will also be streaming live coverage of the event online -- which can be found here. Check back here on Friday afternoon for my review of the event.

Eric Berger, RP-AKR: 2 2/3 IP, H, 4 K, 2 BB

Berger has quietly put together a solid season out of the Akron bullpen. He’s appeared in 26 games, throwing 46 1/3 innings and posting a 3.11 ERA. He has 52 K and 21 BB, and the 25-year old southpaw has been effective against righties as well as lefties. Righthanded batters are hitting .234 off of him, and he’s struck out 32 in 29 1/3 innings pitched. In addition to his success on the mound, Berger has the award for best facial hair in the organization, if not all of minor league baseball.

• Jenmar Gomez, SP-COL: L (10-4), 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 6 K. In two AAA starts since being sent back down, Gomez has thrown 14 innings, allowing 3 ER while striking out 11 and walking 2.
• Beau Mills, DH-COL: 1-3, 2B, K. Mills had the only Clipper hit yesterday, as they were shut out a day after Germano’s perfecto. Mills is now 3-16 with a HR and a 2B in AAA Columbus.
• Joe Gardner, SP-AKR: L (7-8), 5 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 3 BB. Gardner’s disappointing 2011 continues. The 23-year old’s K rate is way down from last year, as he’s struck out just 60 hitters in 97 1/3 innings of work for AA Akron.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 1-4, HR (2), RBI, R. People ask me for comps on players all the time, and while I don’t like to force them on kids in the minors who still have plenty of development, I’ll give you one for Bellows. Jack Hannahan. Bellows is a gold glove caliber fielder, but is hitting just .227/.294/.320. As Hannahan has shown, having one elite skill is sometimes enough to not only make it to The Show, but kick around the league for a few years.
• Marty Popham, SP-KIN: L (4-2), 5 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 8 H, 6 K, BB. Popham gave up two HR’s last night, and has struggled in his last 2 starts giving up 11 ER in just 7 2/3 IP.
• Francisco Jimenez, RP-KIN: 2 IP, R (0 ER), H, 4 K, BB. Jimenez continued to put up solid K numbers, as he now has 44 in 38 IP for the K-Tribe.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 3-4, BB, R, 2 SB, K. Holt has been hot of late, as he now has a .368/.432/.395 line in his last 10 games.
• Tyler Cannon, 2B-KIN: 2-3, 2 2B, RBI. Cannon is 5 for his last 13 with 3 2B and a 3B. He’s up to .251/.333/.471 overall in 57 games in Kinston.
• Carlos Moncrief, CF-LCC: 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R. Moncrief is putting together a solid, if unspectacular, season. The 22-year old converted pitcher has a .242/.350/.452 line (.802 OPS) with 13 HR, and has swiped 16 bags in 19 attempts.
• Alex Monsalve, C-LCC: 2-4, 2 RBI, R, CS. Monsalve’s last 10 games are a microcosm of his season; .324/.390/.324 line shows OBP skills but not much in the way of power.
• Ronny Rodriguez, SS-LCC: 1-4, HR (8), RBI, R. Ro-Ro has 8 HR in 224 AB, and will likely fill out and develop more pop as he gets older. The wiry SS out of the Dominican Republic turned 19 this past April.
• Cody Allen, RP-MVS: 3 IP, H, 7 K. Dominant outing for Allen, and the righty from High Point College now has 37 K in 29 1/3 IP for the Scrappers out of the bullpen.
• Alex Lavisky, C-MVS: 1-3, HR (4), RBI, BB, 2 R. Lavisky has a respectable .256/.341/.615 line over his last 10 games, with 3 HR and 6 RBI. I haven’t given up on him yet, and neither should you.
• Tony Wolters, SS-MVS: 2-4, RBI, BB, SB, CS. One of my favorite players in the org, and two months younger than Ronny Rodriguez. Now hitting .310/.407/.430 for Mahoning Valley after finally getting healthy and on the field.
• Elvis Araujo, SP-AZL: W (5-1), 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 3 BB. Listed at 6’6”, 215LBS, Araujo is probably bigger than that. The Venezuelan lefty turned 20 two weeks ago, and has already had Tommy John surgery but is quickly proving that he’s still a prospect. He has 36 K in 39 IP in Arizona, and has his fastball back in the upper-90’s.
• Jorge Martinez, 2B-AZL: 2-3, HR, 3B, 6 RBI, BB, R. Quite a full stat sheet for the switch hitting 2B, who’s now hitting .283/.345/.475 with 4 HR and 25 RBI in 25 games for the AZL Indians.

Justin Germano, SP-COL: W (1-2), 9 IP, 7 K

We have a little rule here on Around the Farm…throw a perfect game, and you’re the featured player for the day. Germano joins teammate Jenmar Gomez as Clippers with perfect games on their resume (Gomez got his for Akron two years ago). It was just the 5^th 9-inning perfect game in International League history, a league that dates back to the 1880s. He struck out 7, including the final hitter of the night in the bottom of the 9^th. He’s only started 5 games in AAA this year, and one of them was a perfect game. That’s a pretty good ratio. Overall, he has a 3.65 ERA with 35 K and 4 BB in 44 1/3 IP. Germano was the #2 play on SportsCenter’s top 10 this morning, and has to be enjoying the day after the best pitching performance of his life. Congratulations to the former and future member of the Bullpen Mafia!

• Cord Phelps, 2B-COL: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB. Phelps is hitting .324/.419/.432 in his last 10 games with a HR and 5 RBI.
• Tim Fedroff, CF-COL: 3-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, R, K. After hitting .338 in Akron, Fedroff is holding his own in Columbus, putting up a .277/.384/.383 line overall in his 27 games for the Clippers.
• Paul Phillips, C-COL: 3-4, R. Not only did Phillips call and catch Germano’s perfecto, he collected three knocks as well. Pretty good day overall.
• T.J. McFarland, SP-AKR: L (7-5), 5 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 6 H, 6 K, 2 BB. McFarland has been one of the best pitchers in the system over the last month. Since June 24, he has started 7 games and gone 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA with 34 K and 12 BB in 45 IP.
• Bryce Stowell, RP-AKR: IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K. The fireballing reliever is up in Akron for his rehab, and has 4 K in 3 IP for the Aeros.
• John Drennen, LF-AKR: 2-4, K. Drennen is hitting .316/.366/.395 in his last 10 games with 3 2B and 4 RBI.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 2-4, 2B, R. Kinston only managed 5 hits yesterday, and Holt had two of them. The 2B was his first XBH in his last 10 games.
• Jeremie Tice, DH-KIN: 1-3, HR (7), RBI, R, BB. Tice has been one of the more consistent hitters for the K-Tribe when healthy. In 43 games, he’s hitting .272/.352/.468 with 7 HR and 10 2B.
• Robbie Aviles, SP-AZL: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K. The rehabbing Aviles now has back-to-back scoreless outings in Arizona, each lasting 2 innings. The important thing is that he’s back on the mound and pitching to hitters in game situations again.
• Jose Ramirez, 2B-AZL: 3-4, R, SB, K. Ramirez had all 3 hits that the Indians AZL affiliate could muster yesterday, and scored their only run. The 19-year old is hitting .347/.364/.505 with a HR, 6 2B and 3 3B in 24 games in the complex league.

Robel Garcia, 3B-AZL: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, BB

Garcia has been one of the most impressive players in the Complex Leagues this year. He’s hitting .333/.396/.641 with 3 HR and 12 RBI in 21 games, and has stolen 3 bases in 4 attempts. Garcia is just 18 years old, having been born in March of 1993. Reports of his defense have been solid, as he has quick feet, good reactions at the hot corner and a cannon for an arm. Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus wrote up an encouraging scouting report on Garcia here, and he’s definitely a guy to keep an eye on going forward. His youth and projection are encouraging, and the Indians don’t have a lot at 3B ahead of him in the system.

• Mitch Talbot, RP-COL: 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB. Talbot didn’t allow a run, but he didn’t strike anyone out either. He’s now thrown 5 2/3 innings of relief for Columbus, giving up 2 ER and recording a pair of strikeouts.
• C.C. Lee, RP-COL: 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, K. Well, it had to happen sooner or later…Lee finally gave up an earned run in AAA. He’s now thrown 14 2/3 innings for the Clippers, striking out 22, walking 4 and giving up that lone earned run.
• Luis Valbuena, 3B-COL: 2-4, K. Good ol’ AAAA Louie had 2 of the Clippers 5 hits yesterday, and is hitting .311/.378/.502 for Columbus this year.
• Drew Pomeranz, SP-AKR: 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 6 K, 3 BB. Not a bad outing for Pomz, but he’s got to start keeping the pitch count down and working deeper into games. He’s thrown 91 innings this year, so likely has about 60 more before he’s shut down for the season.
• Adam Miller, RP-AKR: 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB. Miller had been cruising along in Akron, but has hit a pretty significant speed bump. In his last 5 outings, he’s given up 11 ER in just 8 2/3 IP.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: 1/3 IP, 2 R (0 ER), H, 2 BB. Two of Miller’s runs were inherited runners that Bryson allowed to score, then he gave up 2 unearned runs of his own on a Matt McBride error. Rough night for two of the top relief prospects in the org.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI. The slick-fielding Bellows is quietly having a strong 2^nd half, as he’s hitting .342/.359/.395 in his last 10 games and has his season average up to .227.
• Chun Chen, C-AKR: 1-4, 2B 2 RBI, R, 2 K. Chen is putting together a solid season, but his 83/23 K/BB rate is still alarming.
• Clayton Cook, SP-KIN: (6-7), 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 4 BB. After an outstanding 1^st half, Cook has gotten off to a rocky start in July. In 4 starts this month, Cook has allowed 16 ER in 13 2/3 IP.
• Adam Abraham, 3B-KIN: 2-4, R, 2 K. The 24-year old continues to lead the K-Tribe in OPS with his .816 mark.
• Chase Burnette, 1B-KIN: 1-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, K. Burnette was counted on to provide some pop in the middle of the Kinston lineup, but has disappointed this year with just a .622 OPS.
• Cole Cook, SP-LCC: W (5-10), 6 IP, R (0 ER), 4 H, 4 K, BB. Cook has a 4.28 ERA and a 66/30 K/BB in 101 innings for the Captains this year.
• Clayton Ehlert, RP-LCC: S (11), IP, H, K. The Captains closer has a 1.79 ERA, but just 24 K/6 BB in 40 IP this season.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-LCC: 2-3, 2B, R. BBJA has a .912 OPS on the season, and I’d really like to see him get a look in the more challenging hitters environment of Kinston before the end of the season.
• Carlos Moncrief, CF-LCC: 1-4, HR (13), RBI, R, 3 K. Moncrief is really turning into an all-or-nothing type guy, as he has 13 HR and a .445 SLG, but also 116 K and a .239 AVG in 339 AB.
• Danny Jimenez, SP-MVS: L (1-2), 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB. A 23^rd round draft pick in 2009, Jimenez has a 3.31 ERA in 35 1/3 innings for the Scrappers this year.
• Nathan Striz, RP-MVS: 2 IP, 3 K. Striz has 18 K in 18 1/3 innings for Mahoning Valley, and sports a 2.45 ERA.
• Tony Wolters, SS-MVS: 1-3, 2B, BB. Wolters is up to .304/.401/.428 in 35 games for the Scrappers, and the 19-year old is showing that he’s ready for full-season ball.
• Jake Sisco, SP-AZL: L (0-2), 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 K, 2 BB. Sisco gave up multiple runs in a start for the 1^st time in his pro career. The 3^rd round pick from this past June still has a 2.95 ERA and 20 K in 21 1/3 IP for the Arizona League Indians.

With the lockout officially coming to an end this week, the Cleveland Browns joined the rest of the league in a frenzy to sign free-agents that went undrafted this past April. Cleveland’s front office was very busy yesterday with a flurry of activity that reportedly produced 17 signings by the Browns.

A complete list of the players follows:

• Dominic Alford, (OL, Minnesota)
• Kyle Anderson (DL, Georgetown College)
• Donald Buckram (RB, UTEP)
• Andre Carroll (DL, Delaware State)
• L.J. Castille (WR, Delta State)
• James Dockery (CB, Oregon State)
• Jabari Fletcher (DL, Appalachian State)
• Evan Frosch (TE, TCU)
• Carl Gettis (CB, Missouri)
• Chris Matthews (WR, Kentucky)
• Juan Nunez (WR, Western Michigan)
• Jarrod Shaw (OG, Tennessee)
• Brian Smith (LB, Notre Dame)
• Sidney Tarver (LB, Tennessee State)
• Troy Weatherhead (QB, Hillsdale)
• Jeff Wolfert (PK, Missouri)
• Alex Wujciak (LB, Maryland)

There’s one player missing from this list that would have made a lot of Browns/Buckeyes fans smile. It was reported that Dane Sanzenbacher, Ohio State’s MVP of last season who had 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, had to make a decision between joining the Browns or the Chicago Bears. Sanzenbacher ultimately decided to join Lovie Smith and the Bears, and will start his career in Chicago this year.

Rumors and tweets are swirling about the possible landing spots for some of the several undrafted Ohio State players.

Reports tonight are saying defensive tackle Dexter Larimore will join the Saints and Devon Torrence will sign with the Vikings (who also drafted Ross Homan).

Buckeye fullback Zach Boren tweeted that his brother Justin, a 3-year starter at guard, will sign with the Ravens tomorrow.

WR Dane Sanzenbacher is reportedly talking with the Browns, Bengals and Bills.

I'll update as we go....

Read more...

Just in case you weren’t already convinced that the Indians are trying to make the playoffs this year, the front office at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario decided today to call up uber-prospect Jason Kipnis from AAA Columbus. Luis Valbuena’s short stay on the North Shore is over as he is sent back to the Clippers, and Jared Goedert was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster to add Kipnis.

After a bit of a slow start to the season, Kipnis came on strong in May and June and was hitting .279/.361/.481 after yesterday’s loss in Columbus. He’s been struggling with the bat in the month of July, hitting just .154/.250/.231 but a hectic travel schedule might have had something to do with that. Kip appeared in Arizona for the MLB Futures Game as part of All Star Weekend (where he led off the bottom of the 1^st with a HR) and followed that up with a trip to Salt Lake City for the AAA All Star Game. Prior to the all star break, Kipnis was hitting an impressive .297/.380/.506 with 11 of his 12 HR.

Let’s get this out of the way now …Jason Kipnis is not coming up here to play OF. He’s not coming up to be a utility INF, and he’s not coming up to play 3 days a week. He’s coming up to play 2B regularly, otherwise he wouldn’t have been brought up. Has Chris Antonetti personally assured me of this? No, but I think it is a pretty good guess. Orlando Cabrera will likely hang around in case Kipnis either fails spectacularly or gets hurt, but Kip will be the regular 2B for the foreseeable future.

Kipnis joins Alex White, Cord Phelps and Lonnie Chisenhall as a top-10 prospect called up to help the big league ballclub this year. White was excellent until he injured his finger, Phelps was overwhelmed at the plate and in the field, and Chiz has found some success but isn’t exactly setting the world on fire (.213/.260/.362). Kipnis was my #1 prospect going into this season, and (SPOILER ALERT!) he’s the #1 guy on my midseason list that will be published here on Sunday.

I think he’s proven everything he needs to prove in the minors with the bat, the only question will be the glove. The converted OF has taken quite well to 2B, but he’s only played the position for a year and a half. There are likely to be some growing pains in the field, similar to those we saw with Cord Phelps earlier this year. It’s tough enough moving up to the majors from AAA, but Kipnis is still learning the intricacies of his position in the field and will be playing extensively with a new doubleplay partner for the first time ever. One of the main things the Indians wanted him to work on in Columbus was turning two, so don’t be surprised if he’s not Robbie Alomar right away. Most scouts agree that he will be at least league-average defensively eventually, but I don’t think he’s going to be there right off the bat.

The cavalry continues to roll northward on I-71 from Columbus to try and keep the Indians in a tight AL Central playoff race. “Trading” Luis Valbuena for Jason Kipnis will probably end up being the biggest deadline deal the Indians make. Will it be enough? Time will tell, but I like the move and think that Kip (who will wear #22) will provide a solid bat in the bottom third of an order that has been struggling to produce of late. If he and Chiz get acclimated to major league pitching and are hitting well in August and September when Choo, White and Sizemore return…well, this could be a pretty potent lineup down the stretch.

The Columbus Dispatch reported today that the NCAA has notified Ohio State it will not be facing “Failure to Monitor” charges -- or any additional violations that weren’t cited in the original notice of allegations.

What does that mean, you ask?

Well, that simply means every article that you’ve read since February claiming additional violations against Ohio State -- like the steaming pile of shit Sports Illustrated produced, car-gate, golf-gate, or any other gate you can think of, was just the result of the national media’s hard-on for trying to screw Ohio State.

The only thing of substance that was produced from this six-month golden shower from the media was that one additional player (who’s name has yet to be released) dealt with tattoo owner Eddy Rife in a similar fashion as Tat-Five.

What this means -- come August 12 when Ohio State meets with the NCAA, everyone who wanted to see the Buckeyes get the hammer will be sorely, sorely disappointed.

You mad, America?