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| Corey Kluber |
You might have recently read that there is no Major League talent on the Clips squad. First off, I had better clarify that I was referring to the line-up. Obviously Zach McAllister has an MLB future and fringe Major Leaguers like David Huff, Chris Ray and Frank Herrmann speckle the pitching staff. But what about Cord Phelps and Ezequiel Carrera, who both made contributions on the North Coast in 2011? What about Mr. Salami? It's very simple. All three players have fallen off significantly in 2012 and none looks as if he is prepared to make a significant AAA impact, let alone an impact with the Indians, anytime soon. In his first two seasons in Columbus, Carrera batted .287 with a .720 OPS (not bad for a top of the order hitter) while swiping 46 of 53 bases (87%). This year? .254, .650 and 9 of 14 (64%). How's about Cord Phelps? In his first two AAA campaigns (153 games, basically one full season), he hit .303 with 45 doubles, 8 triples, 20 homers and 94 RBI, good for an .875 OPS. 2012: .272 & .785. Oh, and the grand slammer? Canzler was coming off of back-to-back seasons of a .930+ OPS and an IL MVP award in 2011. The homer tonight was just his 4th of 2012 and, even rolling that into the numbers, his OPS is still a lowly .693. Baseball is a tricky game, the most cerebral of all sports. Phelps and Carrera were never really given a shot to make the big club in the spring and Canzler lost out to Aaron Cunningham despite strong numbers and fan favorite status. While none of these players have regressed skill-wise, neither have any shown themselves to be mentally strong. With sports psychiatrists difficult to afford on a AAA salary, yeah, don't expect help anytime soon.
Again, we weren't talking about the pitchers and Corey Kluber (5-6, 3.73) tossed another strong outing this evening. Yep, that's 7 innings of shutout, 4-hit ball with a walk and 5 K's. Since a disastrous start against Scranton on May 21 (1.1 IP, 7 ER), Corey is 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. One has to believe that Kluber has positioned himself in front of Kevin Slowey (3-3, 5.14) and on par with Huff (3-2, 3.74) on the depth chart. Given the downward spiral of Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin, the Tribe might need Kluber sooner rather than later.
The Clips play two in Gwinnett tomorrow, resuming a suspended game @ 5:05p with a full game to follow. Let's go with Chris Seddon (7-3, 3.59) on the bump.
Other Minor Points of Interest --
Akron
The Aeros won 3-2 in 12 innings with two big right-handers helping the cause with strong relief outings. 7'1" Loek van Mil (1.42 ERA), who would become the tallest player in Major League history if he ever makes it, threw 2.1 perfect innings, fanning a pair. Van Mil, acquired from Minnesota in early May, is a bit old (28 in September) to be pitching at AA, but the numbers are impressive. As are those of Bryce Stowell (1.93). Bryce put two men on the 9th, but escaped unscathed. Stowell has punched out 25 in 14 innings this season.
Carolina
Jesus Aguilar (.288) singled, doubled and scored a run for the Mudcats. Despite coming into the season as the organization's top power prospect and an .822 OPS, Aguilar has just 5 home runs on the season.
Lake County
The Captains game went 13 innings and didn't finish until almost midnight. They lost 9-7. Francisco Lindor (.280), honored as a Midwest League All-Star, went 1-for-2 with a double, RBI, and run scored. He also walked 6 TIMES! Elvis Araujo (2-5, 4.45) got the start and was roundly beaten over 4 and a third. Araujo allowed 6 earned on 7 hits and 2 walks, without recording a single strikeout. Elvis has a 10.93 ERA over his past 4 starts. Jack Hannahan played third base through the first 9 innings, going 1-for-5 with an RBI and 3 K's. Cap'n Jack is 1-for-12 (.083) with 6 punch outs over his first 3 rehab games. Maybe give him a few more.
Cheers.
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