Perspective

 Short post tonight following the loss to Minnesota.  Four points:

• I predicted the Guardians to go 91-71 this season and layed out in a post this winter how I thought each series would go.  Entering the Minnesota series I had the Guardians being 16-15.  They were 14-17, so not that much different.  In the Minnesota series I had them going 2-1 so we are still within reach of them being 16-18 and only two games behind the record I predicted, one that was supposed to lead to a 91-71 record.
• As I have said before, I am a lifelong Cleveland baseball fan, a diehard, really.  But I lived my entire working career in St. Louis and married and became a Cardinals fan.  Part of the reason, I guess, that I am more calm about the Guardians current situation is because, as I get older, I am less concerned about the day-to-day of the season compared to the overall result.  The other part of the reason is looking at the Cardinals season unfold.  10-23 for a proud franchise with two perennial all-stars and a bunch of other good players, a record only worse than the teams in baseball TRYING to have the worst record this year.  Basically all the lost from last year's playoff team were icons but long in the tooth veterans Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.  That should, in and of itself, not be the reason for what may end up being the worst start, by far, in this proud franchise's history.  When I start to bemoan how the Guardians are doing I think about the Cardinals and how it could be a lot worse.  
• If someone had told me that Battenfield was up in the beginning of May and no hit  the FIRST PLACE Minnesota Twins for 5 2/3 and gave us 7 innings of 2-hit, 2-run baseball with 7 Ks and 0 BB, I would have taken it.  Battenfield has been solid so far and for a guy not listed in most people's top 30 Guardians prospects this winter, I think most fans would have taken what he has given us so far and been really happy with it.
• Interestingly, looking back on the comments about how Dolan and others were thinking the team might struggle LAST year, those comments really describe how this year's team is performing.   This team should be hitting better than it is and I think it will.  We don't have Ernie Clement, we don't have Owen Miller, we don't have Austin Hedges and Myles Straw is looking more like the Myles Straw of 2021 than the 2022 version.  We should hit better and I think we will.  We just need to keep it together until we get all the cylinders firing in the proper order.

Thoughts About Our Minor League Prospects - Interesting Performances, Brayan Rocchio and How My Breakout and Bubble Prospect Candidates Are Doing So Far

 Interesting Performances - May 4th Edition

• On the heels of Ross Carver hitting 94 mph the other day, Tanner Burns hit 95 mph early in the game last night.  I don't think he held that velocity, leading to him getting hit later in the game, but it was interesting, nonetheless.  
• Last year we had a lot of 10+ strikeout games by our minor league pitchers.  In the early season you don't see that many because guys are on pitch counts.  Nevertheless, we have seen some good K games early this season.  
• Yesterday Reid Johnston struck out 9 in 4 innings for Lake County.   He had a good breaking ball and just enough fastball to keep guys off-balance.  Although he is old for this level, maybe we have another 2021 draftee who might make the majors some day.
• Joey Cantillo the other night with 13 Ks in 5 innings for Akron
• Recent hitting performances that are interesting
• Coming back from an injury, Wuildredo Antunez is heating up at Lynchburg.  Along with Collado, Benjamin, Devers, Saduy and Mejias, they make the Hillcats very interesting this year.  Maybe keeping Furman, Lipscomb, Cavanaugh and Turner, among other college guys, down at low A to beign their ML careers will actually help the development of the young guys, even if the bloated stats of the older guys mean nothing as they are too old for that league.
• Rocchio looks ready but he doesn't have a HR yet and his walk rate at AAA is only acceptable.  Still, I would like to see what he could do with extended playing time in the majors.  Escpeically as a switch-hitter and, to me, he looks good from both sides of the plate so far this season.
• Tyler Freeman is being Tyler Freeman.  Being hit by pitches and hitting pitches.  One thing I will say is that he gets a LOT of cheap hits.  His looper over the first baseman (who was holding the runner) that langed on the infield DIRT yesterday is the latest.  I think they bloat his stats at Columbus even though he has been stinging the ball, especially before his call-up.

Let's look at the progress of my breakout candidates and the guys on the bubble who I mentioned in my pre-season post:

• Ryan Webb - So far his velocity and performance have been disappointing. He has had his development slowed by injuries but with his fellow 2021 draftee Tanner Bibee in the majors and with Gavin Williams, from the same draft, on the doorstep of the majors, I expected more from Webb out of the gate.  His velocoity is not ML average right now.  Maybe as the temperature warms up...
• Dough Nikhazy - Just when I thought his control couldn't get any worse...it did.  He is a mess right now and it makes me wonder if the Cleveland Guardians Finishing School for Young Pitchers have just lost too many important instructors to be at the top of their game right now.
• Jose Cedeno - Reports from extended ST look like he is right on track for a monster season in the ACL this summer...or maybe even at Lynchburg.
• Jonathon Rodriguez - So far he is making 2022 look like an aberration and not a breakout season.  He is not hitting well and not hitting for power, surprising after the couple of dingers he hit in ML spring training games this year.
• Dayan Frias - Too early to tell but he is hitting for average but not power.  He is now playing 3B which, if that sticks, would allow him to trade flexibility and speed for muscle, improving his SLG.  Good news is that his bat is heating up, even if only with singles.
• Juan Brito - Juan being Juan.  Taking walks, hitting for average and hitting for power.  Nothing special or breakout-worthy here but at least he is dominating the strikezone.  Not surprising after his ST performance.
• Justin Boyd - Excited to see him but he still isn't off the IL.  Really wonder what is going on
• Gabriel Rodriguez - Nothing special so far from GRod.  Expected a JRod (See above) breakout season from Gabriel but he is just keeping his head above water, somewhat, so far.
• Mason Hickman - I expected the full-time move to the bullpen to take hold this year and for him to take off as a prospect but it has been the same old Mason: one tantalizingly good performance followed by a mediocre or bad one.
• Aaron Davenport - His control is a mess.  Again, is our minor league pitching development program suffering as evidenced by Davenport going backwards, somewhat, on his 2022 performance at Lake County.

In the prospects on the bubble category:

• Gabriel Rodriguez - So far, he is drifting into/trendng towards the suspect/organizational player group.
• Alexfri Planez - Can't tell yet as he hasn't played while recovering from an injury.
• Jonathon Rodriguez - Like Gabriel, trending towards suspect territory
• Micah Pries - Treading water at AAA but not exactly knocking the door down to get to majors.  His path is difficult anyway but without dominating AAA pitching, he is trending towards an organizational guy who might get a cup of coffee in the majors somewhere in his career.
• Isaiah Greene - Hurt yesterday but, before then, was REALLY not performing.
• Tanner Burns - Still treading water but, in his second year at Akron, really hasn't done anything to earn a promotion.  Compare with Bo Naylor's first and second seasons at Akron.    Jury is still out on Burns but nothing positive to report yet, in terms of domination at AA or enhanced stuff.
• Jake Fox - Started slowly at Lake County and is now out with an injury.  Let's hope this does not become a lost year for his development
• Juan Brito - Juan being Juan.  No change expected in his prospect status.
• Ethan Hankins - No data yet as he hasn't pitched
• Logan T. Allen - The one guy on this list who has made a jump.  Still, he has to maintain his fastball velocity longer into games or he could become the same, very hittable guy he was at AAA in the last half of 2022.  But there is progress there that we are all happy to see and he has now moved off this list, in my opinion.

Predicting What Our Roster Will Be Like This Winter And How We Will Get There

 OK, we are a month into the season.  Why not talk about the future for the Guardians. Specfically, why not talk about what our roster will look like when we have to set it for the 2023 Rule 5.  I think this exercise will help us plan for the rest of the season in terms of trades and other moves we will make (who will we call up, who will we leave in the minors, etc.).  Let's start with what we have and see what is coming down the road.

WHO WE MIGHT REMOVE FROM THE 40-MAN

Players who will be traded or not re-signed: Beiber, Plesac, Rosario, Zunino, Gallagher.

Players in danger of being traded or DFA'd to make room on the roster: Battenfield, Sandlin, Tena, Fry, Brito, Herrin, Palacios

That's 12 guys who we could clearly lose without hurting the core of players going forward.  That's a lot to build on in terms of roster additions, trade additions and free agent signings.

:

Other players who might wear out their welcome on this team include:

Josh Bell (opt-out)

James Karinchak 

Jhonkensy Noel (continued bad performance at AAA)

Arias 

Gonzalez

Brennan

That makes 18 guys (out of 42 on current roster, including 2 60-day DL guys) who might not be on our roster this winter when it is time to set it for the Rule 5 draft.  

Now it should be pointed out that losing ANY of those guys for nothing is not a good thing.  Any of the guys on the above list are, at least, the type of guy who would be traded for a late-season rental of a veteran.  Just because they aren't valuable to us doesn't mean they don't have value.  

WHO WE ARE LIKELY TO BE ADDING

From the list above for each guy we add we will have to remove one of them in some way. Highest ranked prospects who might be added during or after the season:

Daniel Espino (after season only)

Gavin Williams (only added to the 40-man if it is during the season)

Tanner Burns (after season only)

Really, looking at the minors right now, there are no other prospects who I think we would add.   People asked if we would add Daniel Espino after his latest surgery.  Given what happened with Santander and the fact that Espino is one of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball, I think the answer is yes, even if his development has been stunted the last two years.

So, at least at this early point in the season, I don't see us having a real problem adding up to 3 guys to the 40 man this winter and still leaving room for trades and FA signings.  Obviously we would have to lose prospects but as long as we can get equal, non-rule 5 eligible value for them, I think we are in a good place.

The trade - Version 3

 About a week has passed since the last version of the trade and a lot has happened.  

To refresh, the trade I proposed was:

Dodgers get: Shane Beiber, Amed Rosario, Myles Straw, Juan Brito and Jose Tena

Cleveland gets: Bobby Miller, Michael Busch, Gavin Stone, James Outman, Dalton Rushing, Joendry Vargas, Josue De Paula and Emmitt Sheehan.

This week Gavin Stone made his ML debut and got hammered pretty good.  This also started his ML career meaning any team that trades for him immediately has to put him on their 40-man roster.

James Outman has struck out 14 times in his last 24 ABs with no HRs, making his first month look more like an outlier.

 Michael Busch is still getting his feet wet playing part-time in LA, mostly at 2B.

Bobby Miller finally made his his AAA debut

For the Guardians, Bieber excelled again but we lost, Straw continued to be Straw on offense and defense and Rosario looks like he is just ready to break out.  Brito is hitting well at A+ and Tena is still struggling at AA, although I am convinced that part of his struggles is frustration at beng behind so many SS prospects.

In addition, Rocchio continues to show he is ML ready with his bat and could take Rosaro's roster spot and start for the Guardians right now.

So, does this trade still look good to me?  

Yes.  We are giving up a lot of major league talent to the Dodgers, all of which they need.   They look like they are starting to showcase guys like Stone, Busch, and Miller, preparing for a possible trade.  Maybe it is just coincidence but they did not have to promote Stone this season and it was odd to see them put him on the roster now as he doesn't have to be rostered until after the 2024 season.  Unless they are showcasing him.

I think the Dodgers are going to make a trade here soon and I think they are going to trade for a SS and a starting pitcher.  We need to get in line.

Would this kill our chances of making the playoffs this year?  I don't think so.  Is it stupid to stockpile more prospects?  Yes, if they weren't ML-ready AND had to be rostered right now or if they didn't fill a need we have (e.g., lack of power)..  Most of these guys either are major league ready or are far enough away that it will be years before they have to be rostered.  

And even though it seems far-fetched, if the Dodgers were ever going to trade this much of their farm system, it would be now, when they can maixmize the return they are getting instead of waiting until the end of July or doing this in piecemeal trades.

Will any Cleveland fan love this trade?  No.  Probably not anyone but me.  I just think we need to shake things up here and I think that this trade will do that.  You are gambling that Outman is more like the April guy than the May guy, but we still have Kwan, Brennan and Gonzalez and even Busch and Fry if we need outfielders.  Realize that this trade positions the Guardians well for the next 6 years with good players and then aids the next wave of 2023 draftees and 2022, 2023 and 2024 international signees.  

Thoughts for a Wednesday Night: Baseball, Francona - Lack of Sense of the Moment, Cantillo, The Roster

 BASEBALL

Two winnable games in a row that our closer blows, piling on to our setup mean doing really badly.

14-17 record.  We could have been 1 game out as the White Sox were beatng up on the Twins.

It's just baseball.  Maybe we will pull out of it.  Maybe we won't...and we won't likely know for months yet. So, we are all here because we love baseball, we love our Guardians.  If we haven't given up after 75 years (1948) we shouldn't give up now. 

Yeah, I hate us losing to the Yankees.  We had the opportunity to pour salt in the wound of the Yankees bullpen and we messed it up.

Tomorrow morning, at 14-17, we will only be 3 games out of first place.  Rejoice that we have a division that remains winnable when we are playing mediocre baseball...just like last year.  Rejoice that in the current CBA if we win the division we get to play, in Cleveland, a best-of-three series against the least best wild card team, maybe even a team that was swooning at the end.  If we win that we get to avoid the best team in the league in the next round, only getting them in the AL Championship round.  Just like last year, the cards are stacked in our favor, as much as possible, if we just win the division.  There's still time to fix this and I hope and think that we won't have to go 24-6 in September to get back to the playoffs.  We just have to play baseball.  Good baseball.  Healthy baseball.  Even lucky baseball.  But just baseball.

FRANCONA

Don't get me wrong.  We are looking at the greatest manager in Cleveland baseball history.  Most managers with great talent just have to make sure they don't screw it up.  But Francona?  He manages when he doesn't have the best talent and finds a way to make it work.  He is simply the kind of manager who you get spoiled by.  So spoiled that when miracles do not occur, you start to nitpick him.  

So that is my disclaimer to this nitpicking post.

Francona doesn't have a sense of the moment.  He manages not to get second-guessed.  He does the safe thing.  All the time.   Here are the nits I want to pick with him.

• Bunting - He is playing the odds that a struggling offense needs goes on third with one out to score runs.  He let Tyler Freeman bunt in the 10th of a recent game, somehow expecting a good result in a pressure situation from a guy who only had 3 sacrifices in 1500 minor and major league at bats.  Francona thought he was playing it safe but, in so doing, he was not trusting that his team would find a way.  He deploys the bunt, no matter whether it makes the most sense at the time.  I think he simply sees the bunt as something that WILL be successful when, in fact, the nature of the bunt automatically makes it unsuccessful (giving up an out) even if it works.
• Leaving starters in - Look, I have seen it done with all of our starters from time to time.  But Francona does this mostly with rookies.   His ideal is for a guy to give him X innings.  It is the way his bullpen sets up.  It is part of his plan.  So he convinces himself that since a guy hasn't been bombed yet, maybe he can make it through another inning.  The other night was a good example.  Bibee was really good through 5 but you could see in the 4th and 5th that his fastball velo was dropping dramatically.  So in the 6th two mediocre fastballs later and, with help from Karinchak, the game is tied.  Bibee was great and probably felt he had had a good outing.  Taking that confidence into the next start would have been great.  But now the competition will think that if they can just get him to the 75-80 pitch mark his stuff will come back to earth and they can jump him.  They wouldn't have been able to think that if Francona deployed him properly and not like he was a former Cy Young award winner.  
• Brushing off the fairy tale moment for doing the thing that is least likely to get him second-guessed.  I remember Wilfred Brimley in the Natural saying that even though he was forced to take Roy Hobbs it didn't mean he had to play him, ever.   I thought about that when, in the 9th against the Yankees on Monday the bases were loaded and there were two outs in the 9th and Peralta was in.  David Fry was sitting on the bench, waiting for his first big league AB.  Instead, he ran Fry for Bell (totally unneded substitution) and let the season-long slumping hit for Gallagher.  It almost worked but Gonzalez got too much air under his fly ball to right field and it was caught.  I mean, even if Fry strikes out in that situation it is his chance to shine.  And he has good power to right center.   Fry is a veteran.  He desrved that chance to shine.  But by pinch-hitting the slightly more veteran Gonzalez and maybe giving him confidence if he was successful, Francona took the safe way out.  He has done this sort of thing for years, not using rookies enough or in the right way.  

JOEY CANTILLO

OK, I admit it.  Instead of watching the early innings of the Guardians game tonight I was glued to the Akron game watching Cantillo deal.  And I mean D-E-A-L.  He gave up one hit and two walks.  He recorded 15 outs.  One was on a CS.  One was on an outfield assist.  The other 13 were on Ks.  In one game he more than doubled the stikeouts in his las 3 starts combined...and that was 12 Ks in 11.3 innings so it wasn't exactly, before tonigh, chopped liver.   

So was what we saw tonight a fluke.  Was Cantillo just 'in the zone' for this one game.  Or is this what he SHOULD look like in his 3rd go-round in AA if he is the prospect we all would like to think he is.  

I don't know the answer but I know, tonight, that a team that came in 16-5 with the first 5 hitters in the lineup all being in Boston's top 30 prospects, he dominated like  Justin Verlander on his last rehab start before returning to the majors.  In short Cantillo, tonight, looked like a good major league starting pticher.  A really good ML starting pitcher.

ROSTER

You never know what is going on in the heads of Antonnetti, Chernoff and Francona, but right now Brennan, Arias and Gonzalez are not producing.  You likely have to stay with the Brennan/Gonzalez duo as there is no one in the minors ready to help in RF. But they don't have to stick with Arias, who looks like a Mercado/Miller/Zimmer batting hybrid at the moment.  Brayan Rocchio and Tyler Freeman are both raking.  Fry can play 1B.  It is time to give Arias a break.  The easy thing is to send down Arias and bring up Freeman as he likely DOES deserve the next shot.  But more likely Rocchio should get the next shot.  I know it would be demoralizing to Freeman but we are looking for a spark here and all three of Arias, Rocchio and Freeman might be on the roster next year.   So it should be Rocchio for Arias.  Clearly he is better in all aspects of baseball except for shortstop defense.   Time to give Rocchio a chance.  Time to give Fry a good look.  Time for a little tweaking.  As far as pitchers, everyone seems to have their good and bad moments.  No need for changes now except to do the formal thing and make Plesac and Battenfield tandem starters.  Our reinforcements are coming in the form of McKenzie and, hopefully, Civale.  Let's see if we can make it until then.  

Tuesday Thoughts - Injured Prospects

We are now entering the second month of the minor league seeason.   These months are all important, developmentally, for our prospects.  Guys can miss 2-3 weeks with an injury and they are probably OK.  Once they start missing a month or more then it is a concern for the stunting their development.  

Let's take a look at our injured prospects.  Remember, every organization has injured prospects but I feel that the Guardians rely so much on their farm system to fill their ML roster that the development of these guys is as, if not more, important for them compared to other teams who can buy their way out of failed development of their prospects.

So here goes:

George Valera -We have heard the story of they are taking their time with a guy to make sure he is really ready. Can't wait to get him on the field as I think he could be a contributor in September.  But time is running out for that.

Ethan Hankins - Hankins has been assigned to Lake County.  They were taking it slow with him but hopefully he is ready to give his career a jump start after a lot of injury-filled seasons.  He has fallen so far in status that only 1 rating service (FanGraphs) has him in the top 30 prospects for the Guardians.

Ross Carver - A new addition to this list, Carver was just injured this past week.  He was not particularly effective early in the year although, with his prospect pedigree, he was expected to pick up his production at Akron as the weather warmed up.  

Justin Boyd - One of two prospects picked up in the Will Benson trade, it was going to be interesting to see where Boyd was deployed and how he performed.  As a Joe Lampe clone he could easily start at Lake County, if and when he is deployed, and be very successful.  His injury didn't seem like a month-long thing coming out of ST so it is concerning he hasn't been assigned to a full-season team yet.

Steve Hajjer - The second prospect we got in the Benson trade, little has been said about Haffer not reporting to a full-season club.  He should likely be in Akron although he might start the year at Lake County to ease him in

Alexfri Planez - He had an ankle sprain in ST.  Surprising he hasn't started playing.  Crucial year for him as his minor league free agent clock AND his Rule 5 clock are ticking.  He has to make a big jump this year and you can't do that in Goodyear.

Daniel Espino - No word after the ominous 'going to see a specialist' statement a week or more ago.  The most crucial guy on this list as he has superstar written all over his tools and performance.  

Cody Morris - Not truly a prospect any more, he still meets the rookie category so I am mentioning him here.  His presence in the bullpen may be crucial later in the season and we need to get him up and running by the trade deadline, at least.

Justin Campbell - No word on him although he is not far behind Espino in importance of getting him on the field pitching.  His injury sounds significant so I am crossing my fingers he avoids surgery and can come back sometime this year.

Chase DeLauter - Timetable for him is sometime in August which makes waiting around for him a litttle less stressful as we have know for months that his return is not imminent.

There are obviously more injured guys like Jake Miller, Geo Rivera, Justin Lewis, Sabrowski, Carson Tucker,  Hernandez, Villalobos, Turner, Misiasek, Mikolajchake, Polanco, Ramirez, Rodriguez, F. Santos, Carson Tucker, Teaney and Tovar.

Thoughts For A Monday Morning - A Great Afternoon For Baseball - If You Are A Frog!

 Rainy weather may put a damper on some of our teams today but let's talk baseball anyway.

GUARDIANS

This is such a long season but we have a good clubhouse, a good manager, a generally good FO. Still some red flags, though

• Clase doing it with guile more than with dominating stuff.  His FB velocity is down and he looks more hittable.  I hope we won't be seeing many more outings like yesterday, though.  This would have been a big game to win including taking the series and picking up a game on the Twins.  
• Zunino's defense is improving but not fast enough.  I wonder if his left shoulder is still bothering him.  
• Rosario has hit into 4 DPs already, Bell has hit into none.  Naylor has also hit into 4.   Looking at those stats I think the lineup should be:

1. Kwan

2. Straw

3. Ramirez

4. Bell

5. Gimenez

6. Rosario

7. Brennan

8. Zunino

9. Naylor

• It is so hard for a rookie to get his feet on the ground with only sporadic playing time.  But Gabriel Arias has struck out 18 times in 36 ABs.  Maybe it is time to bring up Freeman and send down Arias, or give switchhitter Brayan Rocchio a try.  He could slot into the #9 slot at DH with Bell playing 1B.  I think our offense needs a spark and Arias needs a break.
• Compare Josh Bell to Jose Abreu.  Right now it looks like we signed the better free agent first baseman and for less money.  Hopefully Bell continues to heat it up so that he is more likely to exercise his opt-out.  I like the flexibility this roster and this payroll would have without Bell in 2024.   I don't like our lack of financial flexibility if he doesn't produce the rest of 2023 and we are stuck with a .230 hitter at $17 million in 2024.
• This offense needs an infusion of SOMETHING.  We need to stay close to Minnesota as our injury situation is getting better, I hope, and theirs is getting a tad worse.   If we give them too much of a cushion a hot streak by us on a cold streak, fueled by injury issues, fo rthem may not give us the ability to catch up to them.
• Yeah for David Fry.  He appears to me to be a true professional with skills.  His impact will NOT, in any sense of the word, be as much as that of Logan T. Allen or Tanner Bibee so I doubt if he can shake us out of our offensive doldrums.  However, I think he would be an important part of this roster and of our playoff roster, if we get that far.

MINOR LEAGUES

• I hope Ross Carver is OK.  He was removed from the game the other night with a side injury.  It looked like his left side near his hip so, who knows.  No word yet.  The encouraging thing was that he was hitting 94.  He came with the reputation as being more breaking ball heavy but his fastball velocity is as advertised based on recent scouting reports.
• Lenny Torres Jr. and Josh Wolf have turned themselves into interesting prospects by their moves to the bullpen.  Still, though, the clock is running on these guys due to injuries early in their career and the pandemic.  Right now their ability to miss bats is hurting them from exploding up the minors.
• Ryan Webb is starting to worry me.  Fastball sitting at 90-92, touching 93.  Highly dependent on breaking balls and, so far, his results have been mixed.  When his breaking ball is sharp he is competitive at high A.  When it isn't, his fastball is not competitive at high A.  That's the point of my concern: his fastball is not competitive even in A ball.   Time will tell but yesterday he, once again, did not look good.
• Speaking of looking good, Will Dion is pitching with less fastball (88-91, touches 92) than Webb, with both at Lake County.  The difference is that Dion's command is just impeccable.  He looks so good when you watch him as he keeps these high A hitters totally off-balance.  He was fun to watch in spring training and he is fun to watch now.  How much his stuff can translate to the upper minors is to be seen but if he keeps pitching like this he may trade places with Nikhazy as the latter's mechanics look, to me, to be totally screwed up.
• I hate, absolutely hate, positively hate that MLB did not grant minor leaguers a pass on the 2020 season.  Granting players a year of service towards Rule 5 and minor league free agency for a year they didn't play is just ridiculous.  It highlights the issue with international free agent signings.  Our 40-man roster is littered with Noel, Tena and Brito, all guys who aren't ready in their development path to help the ML team but are taking up roster spots.  It looks like Tena and Brito may run out of minor league options before they are ready to help us and other guys in the minors are coming up against their first Rule 5 season.  The latest that comes to mind is Maick Collado.  He looks to be dominating low A ball but he was actually signed in July, 2019,  Even if you don't count that year he will be eligible for the Rule 5 after 2024, at which time he likely will not have cleared high A ball yet.  He simply will not be ready to roster at that time.  Juan Benjamin and Wuilfredo Antunez, both of whom, like Collado, are only 20 years old, are in the same boat.  All 3 look like good prospect and, playing in the Carolina League at 20 makes their stats look more real as they are not really overage for that league.  Still, it sucks as we will approach a Juan Brito-like situation.  I think it is time to gamble that these guys won't be able to stick  if they are drafted in the Rule 5.  We just can't keep rosterng these guys.
• Looking at the other minor leaguers this past week, here are my thoughts:
• Parker Messick is a mess.  He should be dominating the way Dion did last year and he is not.  He doesn't look athletic to me and he is not throwing that hard as he doesn't even seem to be able to beat younger hitters with his stuff...in low A.
• The AAA hitters all continue to rake.  The ABs that Freeman and Rocchio are putting up tell me it is time to give them an extended look in the majors.  The problem is that all the ABs in Cleveland are being soaked up by Rosario and Arias.  We may need a band-aid ripping off trade for Rosario to clear some roster space.  Having Gavin Williams in with the pitchers along with Gaddis makes at least a couple of games interesting every series.
• Lynchburg really has no pitching prospects that I see.  The quality of their hitters is still undetermined as many of them (e.g. Furman, Zarate, Lipscomb, Turner, Cavanaugh) are too old for the league and the more age appropriate prospects appear to be slap hitters, legging out infield hits, stealing bases and taking walks.  They have 7 HRs in 18 games and are slugging .350 with a team BA of .258.  There is not much to really comment on there until the younger guys actually start to add some power.  
• Lake County has a number of interesting pitching prospects but their pitching roster is filled with guys who are too old for their league.  Still, most of them are producing so we will know by the end of the year which ones will be called up to Akron and whether they can be productive after that promotion and what that means going forward.  Remember, the 2021 draftees do not have to be rostered until after 2024.
• On hitters for Lake County they have very little power.  Lampe looks like a good hitter although I am worried that he is a hot-head after getting ejected already this year and what I read about him before the draft.  They do have guys like Brito, Frias, Tolentino, Fox, Greene, Cairo and Valdes, all of whom are on the border of becoming true elite prospects or maybe falling off the prospect radar entirely because none of them appear to have even one truly elite skill, just a whole bunch of good skills.  given that the team has 12 HRs in 20 games, the power is what is truly lacking.  
• Akron's pitching is questionable at this time with only Joey Cantillo as a true prospect. There are a number of guys on the periphery (Burns, Smith, Leftwich, Nikhazy, Carver) who are in the same boat as most of the hitters at Lake County: their season will determine whether they are true elite prospecdts or whether they slide back to being suspects.  
• Akron's hitting is really bad.  The guys you expect to be raking, Martinez and Tena, can't even see the Mendoza line from where they are.  Halpin is the prospect leader right now and he is only hitting .240 with 2 stolen bases.  No one else is hitter more than .217.  Truly, we may not have a top 20 prospect on Akron with the exception of Cantillo, based on performance, now that Williams has been promoted.  Disappointing when you consider where these guys were rated before the season.