Written by Al Ciammiachella

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Giovanny Urshela, 3B-CAR: 4-4, 2B, R.

Going into yesterday's action, Urshela was hitting just .211/.277/.263 for high-A Carolina. What a difference a day makes, as the 20-year old 3B is now up to .262/.319/.348 overall after his 4-4 outing yesterday evening. Urshela is still young for the league, having been promoted from Lake County despite hitting just .238/.262/.347 with 9 HR and 46 RBI last season. The main reason he's considered a prospect is not his bat, it's his glove. Like Kyle Bellows at AA Akron, Urshela has the potential to win a Gold Glove at 3B someday, and his glove is way ahead of his bat at this stage of his development. There's a lot to like here, as he's been playing in very difficult hitting environments as one of the younger players in his respective league for the past two seasons. He added some muscle in the offseason and should continue to fill out as he matures, but is now a solid 6', 200lbs at the hot corner. If his bat improves, then worst-case he could be a Jack Hannahan type in the show. If his bat ever catches up to his glove, then he could end up being something special.

Jeremie Tice, 1B-CAR: 3-4, 2 HR (4), 4 RBI, 2 R.

@BigOleChunkyBoy has been feasting on opposing pitchers of late, recording at least one hit in 9 of his last 10 games and putting up a blistering .389/.476/.833 line (1.310 OPS!) with 4 HR and 11 RBI in that timeframe. Overall, Tice has worked his season line all the way up to .310/.420/.621 after a slow start, which has him 5th in the Carolina League in OPS. He's a 25-year old who is pretty much limited to DH in the field, so he has to flat-out rake to be considered a prospect, but he's holding up his end of the bargain so far. There's not a lot of room above him in Akron, so he's really going to have to force the issue if he's going to get called up to AA this year. A couple more weeks like this will be awfuly hard to ignore though, so if he can stay hot then the Indians will have to see what he can do against competition more his age and experience level.

 

• David Huff, SP-COL: L (0-1), 4 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 7 H, 2 K, BB. Huff's 1st AAA start after beginning the year on the DL didn't go so well, but wasn't a total disaster either. He's still a depth option at the major league level, or a throw-in trade chip.
• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K. Hagadne has still not allowed a run in AAA, and has struck out 7, walked one and allowed 4 hits in 7 1/3 IP for the Clippers. Anyone who wached Raffy Perez work last night has to wonder if Hagadone will be back with the Indians sooner rather than later.  
• Matt LaPorta, 1B-COL: 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB. LaPorta is hitting .364/.427/.667 (1.093 OPS) with 5 HR and 12 RBI in 17 games for the Clippers. He has also struck out 17 times and walked just 7, showing a little of that major league LaPorta is still there. With Casey Kotchman hovering around .150, it's only a matter of time before someone decides that LaPorta should get another shot to not hit major league pitching.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2B, R. Both of Chisenhall's hits came off a lefty, and he's now hitting .250 (9-36) off of LHP this year. Not spectacular, but not such a horrible platoon split that he can't be left in the lineup against lefthanded pitching. Supermannahan is going to turn back into Clark Kent at some point, and Chiz will be ready to step in when that day comes. 
• Andy LaRoche, SS-COL: 1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R. LaRoche has dealt with some injuries after having a solid spring with the big club, and has only played in 7 games for the Clippers. He's hitting just .150/.320/.300 overall
• Steven Wright, SP-AKR: 7 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 8 H, 5 K, BB. The knuckler was dancing again yesterday, as Wright pitched well in an extra-inning victory for the Aeros.
• Cody Allen, RP-AKR: 2/3 IP, 2 K. Following up the soft stuff of Steven Wright with Allen's heat almost isn't fair. He struck out the only two Baysox hitters he faced.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: W (1-0), 2 IP, ER, H, K, 3 BB. Bryson blew a save opportunity, but limited the damage despite three walks and ended up the winning pitcher. Exhibit A as to why pitcher wins are next to meaningless as far as determining performance
• Chun Chen, DH-AKR: 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 3 K. Chen has been on fire of late, posting a .405/.444/.524 line in his last 10 games. His power generally comes in spurts, so I'm expecting a 2 HR game any day now.
• Adam Abraham, 1B-AKR: 2-2, 4 BB, R. Abraham has hit in 6 of his last 7, and the 25-year old needs to keep hitting if he wants to establish himself as more than an organizational guy.
• Thomas Neal, RF-AKR: 2-5, RBI, 2 K. Back-to-back multi-hit games for Neal, who has gone for a .324/.405/.378 line in his last 10 games. Still waiting for the power to materalize though.
• T.J. House, SP-CAR: W (2-0), 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 3 BB. Remember yesterday when I suggested a #FreetheTJs movement on twitter? House backed me up, following up the strong T.J. McFarland performance with a win of his own. Let's get Mac up to Columbus and The House up to Akron sooner rather than later, please.
• Shawn Armstrong, RP-CAR: 2 IP, H, 4 K. Armstrong's next run allowed in 2012 will be his first, as he's thrown 12 shutout innings between Lake County and Carolina, striking out 16 (and walking 8).
• Jose Flores, RP-CAR: S (4), IP, 2 K, BB. Flores is a perfect 4-4 in save opportunities, and has allowed just one earned run in 9 2/3's innings of work this season, striking out an impressive 12.
• Tyler Holt, CF-CAR: 2-4, 2B, BB. Holt continues to provide a spark at the top of the Carolina lineup, and the leadoff man is hitting .348/.430/.478. He's scored 15 runs in 17 games, which is a good sign for a leadoff hitter.
• Jake Lowery, C-CAR: 2-4, 2B, R. Another day, another Jake Lowery sighting. That makes it 4 games in a row that he has collected two hits, and he's accomplished the feat in 7 of his last 10 now. That's impressive no matter how you look at it. He's another guy who is pretty well blocked at AA by Roberto Perez and Chun Chen, but he's also doing his best to force the issue with the bat.
• Cody Anderson, SP-LCC: W (2-0), 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, 6 K. Anderson is a bit of a sleeper, but he's a big righty with a big arm who could end up being a breakout prospect this year. He's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and has struck out 20 hitters in as many innings of work for the Captains.
• Cole Cook, RP-LCC: 2 IP, 3 H, K. Hopefully Cook can build on this outing and put together a few scoreless appearances in a row.
• Mason Radeke, RP-LCC: 2 IP, ER, 4 K. Radeke's only blemish was a solo HR.
• Luigi Rodriguez, CF-LCC: 3-4, 2 R, SB. The race for the stolen base title on the Captains is going to be interesting. Rodriguez now has 6, but both Lindor and Myles are nipping on his heels with 6, and if #WASHTIME can come back healthy, he'll no doubt throw his hat in the ring as well. Folks, this is an exciting team to watch, and if you're in the Cleveland area and not taking advantage of that, I feel for you.
• Francisco Lindor, SS-LCC: 2-3, 2B, BB, R. Lindor has hits in 7 of his last 9, and is 8 for his last 36. I keep having to pinch myself to remind me that he's still just 18.
• Robel Garcia, 2B-LCC: 1-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 K. Remember yesterday when I said Garcia's power would come around? He made me look good (not easy to do) with his first bomb of the season yesterday.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 1-3, RBI, K.  Lavisky has been running hot and cold this year, but looks like he's back to a hot streak as he's now 8 of his last 30. More importantly, he's walked 4 times in his last 5 games, which is an encouraging sign that his approach is improving.