CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians selected Nolan Jones, their best prospect, to Class AAA Columbus on Friday along with five other players.
In his conversation with Jones, manager Terry Francona asked him if it was a problem to bounce between the third and the outfield.
“We know he was on the field, he definitely played third base and we asked him if that was realistic or if we had a burden for it,” Francona said. “He said, ‘No. I can do it. ‘ So he plays a bit off field and a third. ‘
The Indians set Jones up as a shortstop with their second pick in 2016 and moved him to third base. Last year, they started using him abroad because of Jose Ramirez’s third presence. This spring the Indians kept him in third place so that he would feel comfortable in the camp.
Jones appeared in eight games and hit .375 (3-for-8) by four runs.
Right-hander Eli Morgan, Jean Carlos Mejia, Carlos Vargas and left-hander Scott Moss were also elected in Columbus. Right-hander Kyle Dowdy and fielder Billy Hamilton were again named in the deep camp. The Indians will release Hamilton on Saturday if they cannot trade with him.
There is just less than three weeks of camp left, and here’s the problem with the players selected from the big league camp. How do they stay sharp? The Class AA and Class A teams can only report to Goodyear before the major leagues and Triple-A teams leave on March 30 due to MLB’s coronavirus health and safety protocols.
“It’s a challenge,” Francona said. ‘I mean the depth camp is there and they will play sim games and stuff like that. But I mean, that’s part of the thing we thought about when we sent guys, is their development. Nothing is perfect this spring. ”
The Indians opened spring practice with 18 players, all prospects, in their depth camp. They filled in the early part of the Cactus League schedule for the regular players.
Nr. 1: What happened to Jordan Luplow?
The Indians played their 13th game on Friday and there is still no sign of outfielder Jordan Luplow. He has been locked up since injuring his left ankle during batting practice early in the camp.
Luplow has meanwhile received an injection and is being treated for an obstruction.
“He had a good day on Thursday,” Francona said. ‘On Saturday he’s going to hit the fast machine in the cage. We might be hoping Tuesday or Wednesday to get him in a match. This is probably quite realistic as long as there are no setbacks. ”
Nr. 2: the usefulness of everything
Mike Freeman’s trade with the Reds on Friday takes one of the main competitors out of the race for the Indians’ pioneer.
The remaining competitors include Yu Chang, Ernie Clement, Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller, Tyler Freeman and possibly Amed Rosario. In January, the Indians acquired shortcuts Rosario and Andres Gimenez from the Mets for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. It appears that Gimenez won the shortstop position because the Indians asked Rosario to play a center field in a B game against the Reds on Sunday.
“At the moment, Amed is a short stop, but he’s going to the field,” Francona said. “We have not yet asked him to move around anywhere else. ”
Oscar Mercado and Bradley Zimmer also compete for the center field work.
As for the utility condition, it should come down to Chang and Rosario. Clement, Arias, Miller and Freeman performed well this spring, but will surely be sent to the minors.
Nr. 3: Finally
Here’s what Francona had to say about three pitchers selected Friday:
* Morgan: “He only had one innings, because he came a little behind everyone with a (sore) arm. But he had an innings. He has one of the best changes you will ever see. I do not care at what level. This is really a good change.
“You know, he’s a very hard worker, almost to a fault. And that’s hard to say. But we talked to him about it and we said we were excited to see him hit in his season because it will determine who he is. ‘
* Mos: ‘His neck pulls him towards the Padres on Thursday, otherwise he would go out for the second shift. So, he will take care of it first and then come back again. ‘
* Vargas: “He’s really young. We told him, ‘Hey, enjoy being young and see how good you can become.’ His sending off is not necessarily as difficult as others because he was not here to make our ball club. But he has a big arm. Now we have to see where it takes him. ‘
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks are available online today. (Fanatics.com)
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