There has been quite a bit of chatter about the Indians moving on from some of the bargain veterans that have played big roles for the team thus far in 2011. As prospects like Cord Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis continue to play well at AAA, pressure, both internal and external, has mounted for their promotions. Such moves would be at the expense of players like Orlando Cabrera and Adam Everett, like Jack Hannahan. Hannahan is hitting .172 in May with a .467 OPS, dropping his season average down to .245. He has also been a bit sloppy at third and, while, he is still certainly above average at the hot corner, his high water has likely crested and the reign of King Jack might soon be over. Cabrera started off hot with a .333 average and an .808 OPS in his first 11 games as an Indian. However, his OPS since then is .592 and his on base percentage since May 3rd in .189. O-Cab offers a great deal of clubhouse leadership and might very well stick around longer than the others in a platoon role with one or more of the youngsters. Not a lot has been asked of Everett and some might think his versatility around the infield and .333 batting average have been pleasant surprises. Understand that Adam does not yet have a hit with runners in scoring position and his kick at third last Sunday allowed the Angels to score three unearned runs en route to a 6-5 victory.
If Chisenhall (.280) and Phelps (.298) continue to hit at Columbus, we will likely see them both before the All-Star break with Cabrera hanging around as insurance. The Chiz-Kid yoked a mammoth home run during the Clippers' last home game, but it was only his third of the year. His lack of AAA power, he's slugging at just .439, may be a caveat. Jason Donald would be a nice option, but he is once again not an option after landing on the International League disabled list with a knee issue. He will be unavailable until June.
With Travis Buck ascending to the lake and Donald lingering on the DL, Columbus will need to add a bat from somewhere. Bubba Bell, the 4th outfielder as season's outset, has moved on to the Mets organization and Jordan Brown has been traded to Milwaukee. Jared Goedert, who can play left field, did homer on Friday and added two hits on Saturday to raise his rehab BA to .250, but he has not played since and will probably remain at Akron until his 20-day rehab assignment is up. The best outfield option at AA is Jordan Henry (.300) who has stolen 15 bases in Aeros' first month. Still, the organization would like to keep him playing everyday so you might see the Clippers add a free agent.
That's enough for now I guess. We'll figure it out.
Cheers.
