Hello everyone,

Yes, Sipp is moving quickly - he is ticketed to start the year at AA Akron, but the Indians think that highly of him to invite him to the ML Spring Training Camp this spring with only two professional seasons under his belt.  

Another reason why I think Sipp might deserve a B- or even a B grade, though I can understand if John wants to see more of him before deciding on a higher grade, since he's only been in the Indians' organization for two years.  Just my 2 cents on that! :-)

Take care and have a great day!

I looked up Radke's career stats and they look somewhat similar to Carmona's.

Radke was a bit better in terms of H/IP and The Baseball Cube doesn't show Radke's HR rate in the Minors, but with the Twins, he gives up over a H/IP, his K rate is lower than one K per 9 IP in both the Minors and the Majors, his HR rate is high in the Majors (20-30 HRs for around 200 IP,) yet he's still an effective #2 guy for the Twins (was their #1 until Santana took over a few years ago.)

Like I mentioned before, it wouldn't surprise me if Carmona followed Radke's career path, except with better velocity.

Plus, he's only 21, so his chances of learning how to strike more people out is certainly possible.  There were complaints about Colon not striking out enough people with the Indians at one time as well for the stuff he had.  Even now, his strikeout rate has fallen from 2000-2001, his best strikeout years, yet he's still quite effective getting groundball outs, which is supposedly Carmona's speciality, much like Radke's as well.

Plus, if Carmona is only the #3 or #4 starter on the Indians, I think he will do quite well in that role as he won't have as much pressure on him as Radke had with the Twins being their ace or their #2.

Personally, I'd give him a B- or even a B, especially since his walk rate and control are quite good and he's only 21 years old.  He still needs to improve his H/IP and K/IP as you suggested, but did have less than a H/IP at AAA in 2005 and has also done it a few other times in his Minor League career.  If he can maintain the good command, he still may be able to succeed even without a high K/IP rate like Radke, Byrd, and other similar pitchers have done.  

Just my opinion and 2 cents. :-)

Take care and have a great day!

Sipp - his walk rate did increase as a reliever, but it's such a small sample size of 17 appearances out of the pen (sound familiar? :-) that I don't think it would be a long-term problem, especially when you see he had great command as a starter.  He hadn't been a reliever since his college days 2-3 years ago.  It probably took him some time to get used to the role again.

I still think a B- or a B would be more appropriate, especially with his strikeout numbers.  Granted, it was in A ball, but he was a college product, so it's not like he spent 2-3 years in Rookie ball.  It was only his second professional season.

The Indians obviously think very highly of him - he was invited to the Major League Spring Training Camp after only two professional seasons.  That in itself should warrant at least a B- grade.

As for Weglarz, you make good points, but then how do you account for Drennen getting a B?  Drennen hit 8 HRs, but Weglarz pretty much matched or outdid him in other areas, was a year younger than Drennen, and came from a cold-weather climate?  Drennen played HS ball in San Diego, so it's reasonable to presume that he should be more advanced, yet his numbers aren't really that much better than Weglarz's (in fact, some of his numbers, like his walk rate, are worse than Weglarz's.)

As for Gutierrez, he definitely should be on the list.  I think the biggest problem with Gutierrez is his lack of power - I see him hitting maybe 20 HRs eventually, but for now, 10-15 HRs might be his max.    

Plus, many people here are forgetting he did have a wrist injury for most of 2004 and was still recovering from the surgery in early 2005.  That's why he couldn't play the outfield in the early part of 2004 and was relegated to DH duties only.  

However, around the AA All-Star Break, he disappeared and did not return after that.  I remember because I listened to several Aeros games on the radio and people kept bringing up, "when will Gutierrez return?"  

Granted, that doesn't entirely explain his lack of offensive production, but it does explain some of it and hint that he is probably a better hitter than that.  Only a full healthy season will let us know for sure.

Personally, my grades for the Indians' prospects you mentioned would be as follows,

Miller - B - He didn't have arm surgery like Meyer, plus Miller is roughly 3 years younger than Meyer.  Plus, Miller, despite not having his good stuff back after his return, still had very good command.  Meyer had horrible command problems, along with the loss in velocity.  Therefore, I think putting Miller two slots ahead of Meyer is certainly reasonable.

Sipp - B- - As I mentioned, he hadn't relieved in 2-3 years, the sample size is way too small to say his control wasn't good as a reliever (17 relief appearances - that's roughly 2 weeks worth of pitching,) plus his strikeout numbers are outstanding at all three levels he pitched and his H/IP are all very good at all three levels.

Plus, the Indians invited him to the Major League Spring Training Camp - obviously, there's something there they liked.  They didn't have to invite him to Spring Training Camp, especially for a 45th-Round draft choice with only two professional seasons under his belt.  The B- grade is warranted in my opinion.

Gutierrez - C+ - I'll give you this one, though I am still encouraged by his improving plate discipline, even if it's a small sample size.  Combined with his tools and his young age, he should definitely make this list.

Some members of LetsGoTribe, the Indians Blog, are wondering how Snyder can rate so high when his plate discipline is actually worse than Gutierrez's?  Granted, his power numbers are better, but his BB/K rate isn't as good as Gutierrez's and his defense isn't as good as Gutierrez's (not the same range or arm.)  

Therefore, I think a B- isn't totally out of the question, especially when Snyder received a B.

Weglarz - I think he deserves a B-, especially when Drennen received a B.  

Drennen:

168 ABs, 40 H, 8 HRs, 29 RBIs, 18 BBs, 37 Ks,
.238/.325/.435

Weglarz:

147 ABs, 34 H, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs, 17 BBs, 42 Ks,
.231/.313/.347

Except for the HRs and RBIs, which affects the slugging percentage, the other numbers are comparable, and in the BB rate, Weglarz's was actually slightly better than Drennen, who had a reputation of advanced hitting and plate discipline when he was drafted.

Combine that with the fact that Weglarz is from a cold climate and Drennen is from a warm climate, along with the fact that Weglarz is a year YOUNGER than Drennen, and I think John's initial grade of a B- for Weglarz is the most appropriate.

Just my 2 cents. :-)

Take care and have a great day!

Thanks for the correction.  I was off slightly, but not by that much. :-)

Take care and have a great day!