Indians Farm System preview

[consigliere]

Good preview of the system.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news ... &fext=.jsp

I'm actually working up a Buffalo, Akron, Kinston and Lake County full preview as well. For the 100 or so Indians fans who care.

[consigliere]

Others to watch: LHP Tony Sipp is the club's heir apparent at closer, but that's not the role he'll hold at Buffalo. The club would like to see him stretched out to toss a few innings at a time to give him the experience he has missed due in part to his dominance thus far. They'd like to see him work on things like controlling the running game and fielding his position. A 45th-round pick out of Clemson in 2004 who slipped due to signability questions, Sipp posted a 3.13 ERA at Akron in 2006 with 80 strikeouts in 60 innings. "He'll light people up," Atkins said.

Two weeks back, I wrote how the Indians Lack a Plan In the Bullpen. Nice to know that they still have yet to change the way they handle the kids in the bullpen in the upper levels of the farm system.

I love a lot of what the Indians do as an organization, but the two things that just make me bang my head against the wall is their refusal to give the kids a chance to win jobs in the spring and also their bullpen approach with young relievers.

There is no reason to have Raffy Perez in the Buffalo rotation. He needs to learn how to come into jams in late innings and work out of them, how to adjust to the bully routine, and how to get people out late in games. And, Sipp needs to be primarily working the 9th if he is your closer.

Is it not a surprise that since The Plan was adopted in 2002, that 5 years later we still really have not deveoped a reliever and are still searching for a closer? Relief pitching is their one area they continue to struggle developing, but when you read and hear about Sipp not pitching the 9th or Perez staying a starter, no wonder.

[DGeneral]

Taughting having one of the best farm systems in the majors is quite meaningless if you can't close the deal at the major league level. Most baseball experts know that you need a balance of core young talent and prospects mixed with quality veteran assets to compete in mlb.

The past 5 years fans have seen the nice young core but have only seen the low rent bottomfeeder journeyman to suppliment this fine young core. All the result of a cheap owner.

Any true Indians fans has to be excited by a Miller, Crowe, Garko or Sipp. It all gets spoiled however when you mix in unexciting players like Blake, Micheals and Fultz.

Yes, give the Indians credit for a good pipeline of talent. Reason for hope. Give them an failing grade for not doing what is necessary to make that nucleas successful.

[Steve Buffum]

]Any true Indians fans has to be excited by a Miller, Crowe, Garko or Sipp. It all gets spoiled however when you mix in unexciting players like Blake, Micheals and Fultz.

Except that Blake was as good as Garko last year, and Michaels is currently a much better player than Crowe.

I want the 2007 team to feature the players who perform best in 2007, not those who will go on to have the best careers. I want to believe that Garko would outperform Blake, but right now, that's wishcasting.

(I would rather have Sipp than Fultz, and Miller looks damned good, but we've been pretty lucky with starting pitching health and I don't mind having options for now.)
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[consigliere]

I've come to realize that the Indians farm system is like my grandma's china collection.

Beautiful to look at, nicely displayed, highly regarded by others who see it....but she is damn scared to take it out of the display case to use it in fear it may break, and even when she does use it she uses it once or twice a year ONLY on special, special occassions. The rest of the time, it collects dust.

[DGeneral]

Except that Blake was as good as Garko last year, and Michaels is currently a much better player than Crowe.

I want the 2007 team to feature the players who perform best in 2007, not those who will go on to have the best careers. I want to believe that Garko would outperform Blake, but right now, that's wishcasting.

Blake is a career hac that should be hidden in the bottom of the lineup so he can produce something without pressure. To adopt the Wedge mentality of getting Blake on the field as much as possible is a loser philosophy of fronting mediocrity.

Garko is a potential masher with upside. Let him have a chance to take over the 5 hole and mash instead of handing that coveted spot in the order to a hac/choke like Blake.

Michaels is another spare part worse than Blake. Get Francisco or Gutierrez up her to have a shot.

This FO-ownership has dumbed down the fanbase into thinking low rent journeymen are the ticket to winning. They consistently fail to use the talent they themselves selected and developed.

There is risk to play prospects but the rewards are much higher than trotting out mediocre fringe talent every day. You can also erase a mistake with a prospect by a ticket back to Buffalo as you grab another stiff off the garbage pile to hold his place until he's ready.