Matt LaPorta recalled; will it open up the Indians' prospect logjam?

Did you ever get blamed for something you didn't do? Matt LaPorta must have felt that way on June 7th, when the Indians sent the former keystone of their CC Sabathia deal two summers ago to Columbus.

What was his response?

LaPorta, who played both first base (7 games), left field (10 games) and DH (1 game) during his ridiculous return to Columbus, had an incredible line of .362/.457/.638. Yeah, that 1.094 OPS had to have some eyes open in Shapiro's office. LaPorta had multi-hit games in seven of his 18 games, had a ten game hitting streak at one point, and hit in 14 of the 18 games. It's also worth noting that LaPorta had less walks (10) than strikeouts (12), and had 16 RBI in 18 games. Not a bad pace. LaPorta also managed an error-free tenure at both fielding positions in 82 chances (70 at first, and 12 in the outfield).

So why the sudden turnaround from his mostly horrific start to the season in Cleveland?

Oh, if you're Mark Shapiro, you'll say that when he was sent down, he was more motivated to perform. Yeah, that's all fine and good, but I'm sure some of it had to do with the fact that LaPorta got regular at bats. Theoretically, he'll get that opportunity now in Cleveland. Of course, you never know with this regime.

The Indians idiocy in the upper management never ceases to amaze me, as this piece by Tony Lastoria at Indians Prospect Insider can attest to. This should be the platform piece whenever a discussion needs to be made about how moronic the braintrust can be in Cleveland. Look no further than Matt LaPorta's situation, as well as the Josh Rodriguez.

Hopefully this initial move of sending Rusty Branyan to Seattle opens the floodgates for the youth movement to begin to be applied at all positions. LaPorta now will likely be the full-time first baseman. With Valbuena down, Josh Rodriguez or Cord Phelps should find their way to the bigs at second. Jason Donald is a fine candidate to hold the fort down at short, although I wouldn't at all mind seeing Rodriguez, Phelps and Donald in some sort of rotation while ACabs gets healthy. With a hopeful Jhonny Peralta deal in the future, taking a look at Jared Goedert at third would be ideal with Lonnie Chisenhall knocking on the door by July of next year, if not sooner. Goedert is currently on a five game hitting streak, with three homers and six RBI during that same span. Overall, he's hitting .329, with seven homers and 16 RBI in his Columbus tenure, after hitting .329, with seven homers and 32 RBI to start the year in Akron.

In the outfield, with the Austin Kearns tenure about to end (I'm sorry Mr. Pluto, but if Austin Kearns is a long-term answer for the Tribe, than the entire management team should be fired today), it's time to bring up some of these kids. Let's see what Jose Costanza brings to the team. Bring up Michael Brantley. Granted, both lack power, but their speed could make things interesting.

Point being, it's time to see what we've got. Enough of the post-ACab/Sizemore charade of trying to compete. It's over folks, for this year.

But next year could be promising, but only if Mark Shapiro and his seemingly overrated bunch start doing the right thing. Perhaps the Branyan/LaPorta move is the first sign that good things may happen.

Blue Light Special at V-Mart

There's not much to mention on the V-Mart front, other than the fact that there has been a surprising silence since early this morning. The Rays apparently dropped out of talks with the Indians when Cliff Lee left the building. There were rumors that the Rays were willing to open up the coffers a bit to get both Lee and Martinez. V-Mart alone isn't nearly as enticing. The Red Sox have already apparently turned down a one-for-one deal that would have given the Indians Clay Buchholz. If they won't deal Buchholz, who has yet to find much success in the majors with any consistency, then I can't see a deal being made. The Mets also seem to be in the mix, especially with Omar Minaya under the gun. A deal for V-Mart could right the ship a bit for the bewildered GM. There are supposedly a few other teams knocking on the Indians door, but as of right now, nothing appears serious or imminent. As for the Indians...

I can't wait until 2011, can you? That's supposedly when the Indians will catch wind in the Mark Shapiro rebuild 2.0. Can't you feel it Cleveland? Grady Sizemore will be firmly in his prime, and about to play in his contract year. Matt LaPorta will be dominating the majors with his power. Michael Brantley will be making everyone forget about Kenny Lofton in the outfield, leading off and stealing bases at will. Carlos Santana will be busy playing the guitar, and becoming the next great catcher in the majors. Hector Rondon, Carlos Carrasco and David Huff will be three of the top starters in the majors. Jason Knapp will be knocking on the door as the top pitching prospect in baseball. Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera will have developed into to top middle infield tandem in baseball. Andy Marte will be attempting to top 40 homers for the second season in a row.

Just close your eyes, you can almost see it, can't you?

Of course, for most of you, I had you at Grady Sizemore about to enter his contract year. Sure, he'll be in his prime alright. He'll be prime pickings for Shapiro to dump him for several prospects that will allow the Indians to spin perennially into the abyss of rebuilds that will likely occur under the constraints of the Dolans and the economic marketplace.

Will there ever be lightning in a bottle for this team? Maybe, but I know it's getting less and less fun waiting for it to happen.

More on the VMart watch tomorrow...

Are the Indians faithful ready for LaPort-ucci?

The Cleveland Indians have promoted OF Matt LaPorta and infielders Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield from Triple-A Columbus in a likely effort to bolster their offense and defense.  To make the moves, RP Joe Smith was placed on the 15-day DL, OF Trevor Crowe was sent down to Columbus, and IF Tony Graffanino was designated for assignment.

LaPorta, the crown jewel in the CC Sabathia deal last July and one of the Indians top prospects, has been promoted to Cleveland a day later than he likely should have.  Yesterday, David Dellucci was called up to replace Travis Hafner instead of the power-hitting LaPorta.  I know, what's the big flippin' deal.  It's only a day.  Well, a day IS a big deal when you are calling up David Dellucci ahead of a player as offensively gifted as LaPorta is.  His talent isn't the kind that you worry much about right or left handed pitching match-ups, unless you are Eric Wedge. 

Sure, Dellucci responded by going four for five with two doubles, but he had to be hearing the large footsteps of LaPorta's.  They are likely really loud now.

LaPorta brings the same type of offensive package that the departing Hafner once provided the Indians' organization.  The power-hitting OF/1B/DH can provide a run-producing bat in the middle of the lineup in a way that no other immediate Tribe player can.  He also may be a quick answer to the Indians' struggles with runners in scoring position.

LaPorta also gives the Indians some flexibility with regards to where they can play him.  Although LaPorta isn't going to be confused for Grady Sizemore any time soon, the big slugger can play the outfield, as well as first base and DH.  This could allow a whle bunch of playing time to a player that is long overdue.

Of course, Wedge had to go and say that he's a "complement" to David Dellucci.  Really?  LaPorta is a compliment to Dellucci?  Can you smell the platoon already?  Wedge, who is absolutely fixated on platoons, seems prepared to platoon the two players in left field.  What's not known is how LaPorta will fit into the first base and DH-situations.  It's likely that even with the potential outfield platoon, that LaPorta will find more at bats at his other positions.  A lot of that could depend on the other players brought up in today's moves.
Luis Valbuena will be making his Indians debut in the near future as well.  I have to believe that the Valbuena move is a direct wake-up call to Jhonny Peralta's 2009 struggles.  The potential is there to put Valbuena at second base, and move the slick-fielding Asdrubal Cabrera to his natural shortstop position.  Such a move would likely make the Tribe's defense much better in the infield  With Mark DeRosa at third base now, Peralta could be on his way out.  Although I don't think the Indians are there yet, this could be the early writing on the wall.  It also could be the first move that sees Peralta move to third next season.

Valbuena has proven to be more versatile than originally thought.  The second baseman has found time not only at his original position, but also at short and even some third base this year.  Valbuena will initially take over the role that Tony Graffanino has initially played as the Tribe's top utility player.  Whether or not he plays a bigger role could unfold over the next couple of weeks.

Barfield will step in as the Crowe/Speed replacement.  I still can't help but feel that there is more to Barfield than he will ever find in Cleveland.  With that said, I appreciate Barfield has been willing to move whereever the Indians have sent him without whining and complaining about it.  Remember, he came to Cleveland with a whole bunch of hype surrounding him, and a Dad that is highly involved, and a former major league slugger as well.  Barfield can play some defense as well, and if he finds his way into the lineup, won't be a liability in the field.

Of course, what happens in the future depends soley on Joe Smith, Travis Hafner and Jamey Carroll.  Smith should be back soon, although I think the likely move there will be Rafael Perez or Jensen Lewis getting sent down.  Travis Hafner could be out for the original 15-days, or longer.  If he comes back, it's doubtful that LaPorta will stay with the club, unless he forces their hand.  Carroll is the utility guy here, and if he's healthy, you'd have to imagine that Valbuena and/or Barfield would be in jeopardy.  Personally, Carroll is expendable to me.  I'd rather have Barfield OR Valbuena in the lineup any day of the week.

Either way, it should be interesting watching this new blood in the Tribe lineup as early as today.  Hopefully, they'll be as effective as Tony Sipp was to the pen.  Hopefully, Eric Wedge won't under-utilize these guys the way he has done in the past.

I won't hold my breath though.

Same ole' Shapiro, David Dellucci called up to Cleveland

Mark Shapiro and the Cleveland Indians have done it again.  With the Indians sputtering at 8-14, Shapiro has decided to call up the much-maligned David Dellucci to fill in the hole left by Travis Hafner's move to the 15-day DL.

David "Freakin" Dellucci.

Sitting in triple A is one Matt LaPorta, who the Indians were hailed for acquiring last season in the deal for CC Sabathia.  LaPorta is struggling in Columbus with a paltry .352 average, a .430 OBP, an 1.103 OPS, five dingers and 14 RBI.  He's walked only eight times, to match his strike out total.

I suppose Shapiro and Wedge didn't want those numbers taking over for Hafner.  I mean, why bring up a guy who is tearing the cover off the ball to strictly be a hitter at DH, when you can call up David Dellucci.

In fairness to Dellucci, he started a rehab assignment in Columbus on April 20 and has hit .414 in 7 games.  He was 5 for 10 with runners on base and 3 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

With that said, if good ole' double D plays like the garbage we've seen in the past couple of years, all things are fair in love and war.  Of course, knowing Shapiro, he'll find a way to replace Dellucci with Jason Michaels.

Here's to you Mr. Shapiro!  Thanks for playing right out of your playbook again.

An off day with Matt LaPorta's big league dreams

A lot has happened in the past two days since last I posted, and I'm not talking about the Swine Flu pandemic that is sweeping the nation.

Tops on my Tribe list is one Matt LaPorta, who should find himself in the Tribe line-up come Friday.  With Travis Hafner going on the DL, and the Indians calling up Rich Rundles as a temporary fix, who's going to take Hafner's place in the line-up?  Personally, I'm ready to see LaPorta make his debut.  Unfortunately, and don't throw up yet, David Dellucci is the likely candidate to make the big club.  Let's put it this way.  If Shapiro is going to be the same precautious GM that we've grown to abho...er...love, than Dellucci will get the call.  If he's going to start taking chances with these prospects he's gotten for his big name trades, we'll find out later today, or early tomorrow.  Okay...go ahead an throw up, I think we know where this is going.  Here's the rest of the Tribe's off-day news, including some information on Hafner.

• The Indians won one of the ugliest baseball games ever played, 9-8, appropriately on a walk-off error by the Red Sox.  Tony Sipp may have been the only player in the game unscathed by the bad pitching and defense that was paramount in this game.  He pitched to five batters in 1 1/3, striking out three.  Thusfar in 2009, Sipp has gone three innings, giving up no-hits, one walk while striking out six.  Here's a great piece on Tony Sipp from Anthony Castrovince.  Eventually hitters will start figuring him out, then we'll see how HE adjusts.



• The Indians lost a game that they should have won to the Red Sox, 6-5.  Fausto Carmona looked like his old self until the seventh inning reared its ugly head.  Still, Carmona was about as unhittable as he's been since 2007, at one point retiring 12 hitters in a row.  He would ultimately give up two runs with two outs in the seventh, and get bounced from the game, but he continues to improve.  If he stays healthy, I have to believe Carmona is back.  Mark DeRosa bobbled an easy double-play ball that would have ended the eighth inning, and Boston ended up tying the game, then winning it in the tenth.  You win some, you lose a lot more.



• Travis Hafner went on the DL with a sore shoulder after playing in only 17 of their first 22 games.  There were some moments there when Hafner looked like his old self, but you have to belief this is chronic.  Of course, this could be part of the recovery.  Play four or five days a week, rest, sore shoulder, DL, so on and so forth.  More likely however, the days of Hafner even having a glimmer of his old self may be gone.  We already knew that though, didn't we.



• Adam Miller had surgery on his finger Tuesday.  It's the first of two surgerys.  The first was the flexor pulley system, followed in three months with the tendon.  When it's all said and done, his finger should bend normally.  Of course, at any point, he may need a third surgery to remove scar tissue.  If this happens, his career could be over.  Let's hope he's on the road back.



• The Indians are finding a multitude of ways to lose.  Paul Cousineau of The Diatribe rolls out the carpet with a bit of homage to Clint Eastwood...



• I'm also working on an alliance with Tony Lastoria, in which I will take a much, much smaller part in a partnership that will have me reporting on several Kinston Indians games this year.  I once had the dream of throwing up minor league reports up here, but realized early on that there wasn't anything I could put up that would be remotely close to what Tony does a Indians Prospects Insider.  There aren't many major league sites as good as his.