Written by Brian McPeek

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They micro waved them.

That’s what the Indians and GM Chris Antonetti did to fan expectations and to the development at the major league level of guys like Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall.

They took them out of the warming oven and threw them directly into the microwave.

In a stunning turn of events (and apparently philosophy) the Indians traded prized pitching prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz to the Colorado Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez. You know the numbers and you know the reputation of Jiminez. This season he’s battled some hip flexor and groin issues but clearly he’s one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB when he’s healthy.

But you also know that the farm system is the life blood of the organization, especially a small market organization. In getting rid of their two biggest prospects in this deal the Indians have upped the ante. They clearly are putting their onus on developing Kipnis and Chisenhall into productive hitters this season. If you needed any more proof of that look no further than the Tribe also trading Orlando Cabrera to the Giants for Thomas Neal. That deal wasn’t about Neal. It was about clearing the way for Kipnis to play every day.

That’s what’s stunning to me after thinking about this deal: the Indians have a sense of urgency and accountability. They served notice of both Saturday night.

They are saying the major league coaching staff is now accountable for making Kipnis, Chisenhall (and Phelps as well) into major league players now. They’ve also served notice again to their young players that it’s time to get moving, get productive and get to helping this team now. Carlos Carrasco wants to regress into an immature pile of monkey crap he can do so. But his spot will likely be filled by David Huff until he finds that maturity he apparently lost. Cord Phelps is overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation? Fine. Go back to Columbus and watch Kipnis get his shot.

Time to grow up and get better. This may be a small market but the Indians and Antonetti are saying they have major league expectations.

I like that. It’s different and it’s refreshing. Invigorating really.

However, let’s not overlook the risks.

A team dependent upon its farm system as opposed to its ability to break the bank for free agents needs those kids to come through. They rely on that talent to stock the major league club year after year. I understand that. I agree with that and I believe that’s the only way teams like KC and Cleveland can survive. And initially when I heard of the deal I was shocked that the prospect pipeline appeared wiped out with this deal.

But then I remembered who I am and what we’ve talked about before about needing prospects to actually be major league caliber players or dealing them for major league talent. And I remembered the risk there is with prospects who, despite accolades and dominance at one level never are impactful at the major league level. I remember not dealing Jaret Wright and Albie Lopez (both of whom had some initial major league success before ultimately becoming ‘meh’) for Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson probably killed any World Series chance the mid 90’s Tribe had.

It comes down to needing elite major league talent to win in the major leagues. Ubaldo Jimenez is that. And despite the promise shown by Pomeranz and White you truly have no idea if those two will ever even approach the level of success Jimenez, who’s in the prime of his career, has achieved.

White looked good in his early season time here. Then he got hurt.

Not a major injury, but that’s likely coming as it seems to with all pitchers. Same with Pomeranz. I’m not saying I like parting with those kids but I’m saying there’s plenty of slips between the cup and the lips with young pitching. Almost all of them get hurt. Some wash out on their own. Some make it but never get close to the ‘ace’ level that Jiminez is.

I’m on record as saying I’ll take actual major league talent all day over minor league gloss.

It's a farm people. Farmers don't personally eat all the crap they grow. They feed others for other shit they need. And when they run out of lettuce for themselves they grow more from seed (Admission- I have no idea if lettuce comes from seed. I know it comes from Giant Eagle. And Giant Eagle gets it from a farm. Probably in Mexico).

Read this from Jeff Passan and see if it hits home. It does for me. Especially this part (emphasis added is mine):

“Here’s the thing,” the scout said Friday. “If you have a chance to get a known quantity, someone who has been there and done that, you do it. Do you understand?”

Ubaldo Jimenez is 27 years old. He arrived in 2007 with an odd delivery in which his arms seem to cantilever in the wrong direction. Somehow he coaxed 100-mph fastballs from that funk. Last year, his fastball, splitter, slider and curveball played together with harmonic beauty. Jimenez started 13-1 with a 1.15 ERA – one of the best starts in history and the blossoming of a toolset that reminded scouts why they value projection over production.

It’s that sort of dreaming that has birthed the prospect revolution. It’s funny: The majority of scouts employed by baseball teams file reports on amateur and minor league players, and the scouts bellyache about the overvaluation of the very prospects whose existence necessitates their employment.

Baseball’s prospect fetish is more pragmatic than some font of avant-garde theory. In a nutshell: Prospects are cheap. Whether it’s the Indians, with their revenues in the bottom 10, or the New York Yankees, everybody likes a sale. So the smartest teams horde prospects and use them judiciously – sometimes to trade for the best player on the market, like the Indians did with Jimenez, and other times to complement their major league team, as they’ve done with third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall(notes) and second baseman Jason Kipnis(notes).

It’s no surprise the Indians left both out of the Jimenez trade. Top position-playing prospects have found success at a far greater rate than their pitching counterparts. Over the last 10 years, Baseball America has placed a pitcher among its top 50 exactly 200 times. It’s only fair to exclude Nick Adenhart’s two years on the list, as he died early in his major league career. Of the remaining 198, just 67 made the Good list. Which means 131 times – almost exactly two-thirds – the pitcher ended up at best middling starter or a reliever with a worthwhile career and at worst on the Bad list.

And the vast majority were Bad, 96 of 131. In other words, nearly half the time a pitching prospect ranked in Baseball America’s top 50 over the past decade, his career bombed.

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That’s powerful and compelling stuff in terms of prospects and proven major leaguers.

What the Indians are also saying is their scouting department is responsible and accountable for re-stocking that farm system that looks a bit bare this morning. They can’t make these deals without possessing prospects people covet and value highly. And it truly looks like the Tribe has recovered nicely the past few years in that department now that Bud Grant is running the show.

Chisenhall, Phelps, Kipnis, White and Pomeranz are Tribe picks. They will need to continue to hit on more of these guys than they miss.

Fans are far more fickle. It’s funny because 99% of them wouldn’t know Drew Pomeranz and Alex White from Drew Carey and Alex Trebec. My friend Tom Oktavec perfectly summarized the fan viewpoint via Twitter yesterday when he said:

“Go get some legit help to win NOW! Don't trade any prized prospects! Sincerely, Cleveland Indians Fans”

How awesome and accurate is that?

The more I look at the approach the more I like it. It’s aggressive, it’s bold and in the last four days the Indians have upgraded their major league talent nominally with Kosuke Fukodome and in a big way with Jimenez. And major league talent, not ultimately minor league promise, wins major league baseball games.

And regardless of how the deal turns out the Indians have shown they’re willing to take bold steps to compete and that they’re also willing to be accountable for the results.

If they’re wrong it will hurt for years. If they’re right they can win for years while replenishing the prospect cabinet.

Pretty simple. Pretty scary. Pretty cool.

Almost Forgot About the Browns

It’s crazy the difference a day can make in sports. Saturday morning, with the Indians having lost to the Royals 12-0 and looking dead in the water, I would have led off this column with the Browns. I would have referred to the Indians’ obituary and the fact that training camp started Saturday in Cleveland and that it was time to turn our attention (again) to the team we’re ridiculously in love with despite them stomping on our faces with their boot heels year after year.

Then last night happened and the spotlight went back to the Tribe.

That’s fine. The Browns can wait and the Indians have actually given us far more in terms of quality and winning than the Browns have in the last 20 years.

But football is back. Real football stuff is back like training camp, concussions and not understanding why the Browns haven’t made much of a splash in the biggest, craziest free agency period in NFL history.

Armed with tons of cap room and looking at hundreds of players in free agency the Browns seem content to hang onto the cash and take stock of what they have themselves. A backup safety and a 3^rd string RB haven’t really captured the imagination of the fans and it’s a bit hard to take.

You know what it says to me when the Browns aren’t making a splash and spending some money? It says, “Thank you for the season ticket donation. We’re researching all options and methods to make you proud and to get better but please don’t count on that happening this season.”

Maybe that’s off base but I can’t but feel the Browns could have improved a few other positions on the field via free agency last week.

As it is I’m pretty comfortable with the DL and the DBs. I can at least see they are trying to get bigger and nastier up front while being physical and hard-hitting in the defensive backfield. I get that. I see them working and I see a plan.

Same with the offense. I see the plan. I like the TEs and I like the depth at RB. The Brandon Jackson signing fits. The kid is a fine 3^rd down back and one of the best in the business at blitz pick up. Got that and see you working Tom Heckert. The OL is a work in progress. Shurmur favorite John Greco was acquired Saturday night from St. Louis to add more depth.

But damn, there’s nothing out there in the way of receivers and linebackers? Nothing better than what you have (or don’t have) here already? Those two positions are thin and weak for the Browns. I would have loved to see them go out and grab a couple guys who elevated the talent level even if they aren’t household names. The aging Scott Fujita is a vital cog in the Browns LB corps. So too is the undersized D’Qwell Jackson who hasn’t played in years and who might be the only linebacker in the league who records 100 tackles this season, all of them 3-5 yards past the line of scrimmage.

I was excited after the draft but I’m now waiting for something else to get excited about. Brodrick Bunkly and John Greco aren’t going to get it done.

Maybe the Browns brass is waiting for some guys to get let go or fall victim to numbers later on in camp. But it’d be nice to see some urgency on the club’s part. Another year of wasted ticket money just doesn’t sit well.

That’s far more my fault than theirs, but it’s disappointing none the less.

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