About half way through Spring Training (3/6-3/13), all the news is based around injuries and cuts. Chris Perez is progressing nicely through his shoulder rehab and has started throwing on the side, but will most likely not pitch again in a game in Goodyear. Michael Brantley is also doing better and rejoined the Indians lineup on Sunday. He should have no problem making Opening Day in Toronto. Blake Wood, a waiver claim from Kansas City, had elbow surgery and was placed on the 60 Day DL. He will miss all of 2013. Frank Herrmann also had elbow (Tommy John) surgery and will be out for the entire year. Mark Reynolds has returned from his time off and finally played in a game on Wednesday. Finally, Daisuke Matsuzaka was pulled from Monday's game with cramping in his calf. The severity of this injury is not yet known.

The biggest cut so far was Ben Francisco, who was immediately signed by the New York Yankees. Most of the other cuts were minor leaguers already on the 40 man roster that were sent to AAA camp. These players never had much of a chance of going north with the big league team, but may be seen later this season. The biggest non-40 man cut was probably Matt LaPorta who never got to play in a game this Spring. With the cuts and injuries, one player did move up as well when Rich Hill was added to the 40 man roster. Hill has pitched 5 innings this Spring and is yet to give up a run, while striking out five. He could be used as the 8th man in the bullpen as a long-man or could be an extra lefty in addition to Nick Hagadone.

The Indians played pretty well this week, despite poor weather and the loss of the World Baseball Classic players. The team went 3-1-1 with one cancelation. The pitching has been especially impressive over that time with two shut outs including great starts by Scott Kazmir (0 ER allowed in 8 IP this Spring) and Justin Masterson. Ubaldo Jimenez had a nice start as well, throwing 5 innings on Wednesday (3/13) against the White Sox while allowing just two runs.

The WBC Indians have played well for their home countries, but the first one is already back, with Asdrubal Cabrera returning for Wednesday's game after Venezuela was knocked out in round one. Vinnie Pestano, Mike Aviles, Giovanni Soto and Carlos Santana all moved on to round two in Miami and will miss at least a few more games as their teams continue to strive for the championship.

Rich Hill now has a "leg-up" on the competition.

The second round of World Baseball Classic action (for Pools C and D) started today with the heavily favored Dominican Republic taking on Italy and the United States going against Puerto Rico. Across the Pacific, round two has just ended with Japan defeating the Netherlands to take the top seed going into the semi-finals. The Netherlands had to defeat Cuba (which they did 7-6) to move on, but were unable to beat Japan in either of their two matches, losing by a combined score of 26-10. With Cuba eliminated, there is now no question that the top two teams left are Japan and the Dominican Republic.

In their first game in Miami, the Dominicans came back to win against an Italian team that no one thought would get this far. Carlos Santana walked again, but was left out of the scoring. Team Italy scored all their runs in the first inning, three coming off another Chris Colabello (AA for Minnesota) home run. Edinson Volquez then settled down for the DR while Robinson Cano and Edwin Encarnacion combined to take back the lead. After Volquez was pulled, the Republic Dominica allowed just two more base runners for the rest of the game. They will get tomorrow off and play team USA at 7:00 pm EDT Thursday night. 

David Wright came through again for the Americans and has now earned the nickname "Captain America." Tonight he knocked in five of team USA's 7 runs although two were enough as a strong outing by Gio Gonzalez kept team Puerto Rico to a single run scored. Cleveland's Vinnie Pestano pitched the seventh, earning his first hold of the tournament and striking a batter out. Pestano did give up a single during his inning pitched and it came off the bat of fellow Indian Mike Aviles. Aviles started at short stop before moving to third. He was hitless in his other three at bats. Tomorrow, Puerto Rico will play against team Italy in a must win game where the loser will be knocked out of the tournament. The winner will then go on to face the loser of the DR vs USA game.

The Captain Himself

Last season, Burning River Baseball did a month by month ranking of the top minor league prospects (which can be found here, here, here and here). This year there will be even more with a top ten list coming out each month after the season starts in addition to today's. Like last season, players are only eligible to be ranked once per year and are not considered prospects once they have played a game in the Major Leagues (Chris McGuiness is also disqualified this season because for him to remain on the Indians he needs to start the season on the Major League roster). This first top ten contains the players most likely to make their Major League debuts during the 2013 season. Last season, Cody Allen, Juan Diaz and Thomas Neal each made their debuts and saw varying amounts of success. Here are a few that may do the same this year.

1. Chen-Chang Lee - RP - AAA Columbus - 2008 International Free Agent

An injury shortened 2012 season is the only thing keeping Lee from competing for a spot in the bullpen straight out of Spring Training. In more than 150 innings at the upper minor league levels, Lee has always maintained an ERA under 3.00 and has already struck out 286 minor league batters. C.C. Lee will be in camp this year as a member of the 40 man roster, but is more likely to break onto the team mid-season if he can stay healthy.

2. Danny Salazar - SP - AA Akron - 2006 International Free Agent 

Salazar pitched just 34 innings at Akron last season, but only allowed 7 runs and less than a single base runner per inning. Salazar is a very exciting young starter, possibly the best in the entire Indians minor league system. He will likely spend most of 2013 in AAA and may not make his debut until 2014, but he is already on the 40 man roster and could be a September call up this year.

3. Cole Cook - RP - AAA Columbus - Drafted Round 5 in 2010

Cook flew through the Indians minor league system last year and excelled the entire way. Combined over four levels, Cook held a 2.64 ERA through 78 innings. He looks to be a solid starter in the future and could definitely be used by the Indians this season if the starting rotation struggles. He could also be used in the bullpen early on, but the Indians should remain wary of that as he is a much more valuable player as a starting pitcher and shouldn't get used to pitching in short inning situations. If he makes the pros this year he will likely be the second player (after Drew Pomeranz) from the Indians 2010 draft to make it to the Majors.

4. Tim Fedroff - OF - AAA Columbus - Drafted Round 7 in 2008

Fedroff is the Indians top outfield prospect and could easily see time in the Majors this year as the roster works itself out. After having some struggles base running early last year, Fedroff went 9 for 9 in steals after being promoted to AAA. The greatest part about Fedroff is that he hits for a high batting average, something no Indian has been able to do since Victor Martinez left town. Having a utility outfielder who can reach base more than three out of every ten at bats could be extremely useful, so expect to see Fedroff very soon.

6. T.J. House - SP - AA Akron - Drafted Round 16 in 2008

House had a fantastic 2012, placing himself among the Indians top starting pitcher prospects, but don't expect to see him in Cleveland this year unless things go very badly. He has yet to pitch in AAA and should need at least a full season there before he is ready for the bigs. There is a chance he could be called up this September and is definitely one to watch this Spring.

7. Trey Haley - RP - AA Akron - Drafted Round 2 in 2008

Haley played at three levels last season, ending in Akron, but only threw 38 innings. He is very efficient, striking out more than 13 batters per 9 innings at his highest level while maintaining an ERA of 2.33. He was originally meant to be a starter but has been converted to relief pitcher in recent years. The Indians protected him from the rule five draft this year by placing him on the 40 man roster and brought him to Spring Training as well. He has been assigned to Columbus this year and has little chance to see the Majors until 2014 or later.

8. Eric Berger - SP - AAA Columbus - Drafted Round 8 in 2008

Berger has a much lower ceiling than the other starting pitchers listed above, but is further advanced in his development and has had fewer injury issues. Berger performed on the World stage last fall playing for team Israel and will look to lead the 2013 Clipper staff. He is unlikely to break the Indians' starting rotation this season, but could be an option at long reliever at some point during the year.

9. Chun-Hsiu Chen - C - AA Akron - 2007 International Free Agent

Chen is the Indians top catching prospect, but has yet to play above the AA level. After two years of dominance in Akron (.285 AVG and 21 home runs in 221 games) he is certainly ready for Columbus this year and could eventually (think 2014 or later) be the future back-up catcher of the Cleveland Indians.

10. Mike McDade - 1B - AAA Las Vegas - Drafted Round 6 in 2007 

McDade was a minor league, Spring Training invitee in 2013 after playing his entire career to this point in Toronto's minor league system. He had the best Spring of any Indians batter for the time he spent with the team, including an impressive walk-off hit in the Indians first game against the Reds. He is a serviceable defensive firstbaseman and has a decent amount of power. He has already hit 76 career minor league home runs, despite being just 23 years old. If the Indians tire of Jason Giambi and would like a pinch-hitter/DH/first baseman who can actually play the field, McDade could be a good fit.

This is just the upper crust of the Indians farm system. Unless the Indians pull a random player from AA this year (like they did with Juan Diaz in 2012), any new rookie is likely to come from this list. Look out for the next list of ten prospects coming out at the end of the first month of minor league play.

Bob Wickman was an unlikely man to be considered the greatest closer in Indians history, but he is the man who holds the record for most saves in team history. He was never a dominant pitcher (he had a WHIP of 1.32 for his career), but he always got the job done. It seemed that every time entered a game he would allow at least one baserunner, but he ended his time with the Tribe with the second best save completion percent in team history. In 2005 he had one of the best closing seasons ever, saving 45 games in 50 chances, just one away from the single season record.

Wickman's career began a decade before he joined the Indians when he was drafted in 1990 by the White Sox. He didn't become a closer, however, until 1998 after he had joined the Brewers (the Yankees traded him away during the rookie season of a different closer, Mariano Rivera). He came to Cleveland in 2000 in a blockbuster trade that saw future All-Star Richie Sexson and Marco Scutaro going to Milwaukee for Wickman, Steve Woodard and Jason Bere. The Brewers got the better of the deal as Sexson changed from back-up first baseman to a 40 home run hitter with more than 100 RBI every year. Wickman did pull his part of the deal and at the time it looked like Jim Thome would be around forever, so the deal made sense.

Wickman stayed the closer for a longer period than any other Indians pitcher, but after just five seasons, the Indians tired of his rosy cheeks and carefree disposition. He was traded in a deadline deal to the Braves for a catcher named Maximiliano Ramirez (who was later dealt to Texas for Kenny Lofton). 

Despite pitching for 15 years (five of those with the Yankees), Wickman only made the postseason twice and never made it out of the first round. He was a part of the 2001 Central Division Champion Indians and was the only Indians representative to the 2005 All-Star team. The Indians didn't know how much they would miss him until they brought in the next group of closers who were far less effective than Wickman. He retired after just eight games with Arizona in 2007.

Japan opened up action early this morning against the always unpredictable team Netherlands. This time, things worked out a little closer to what would normally be expected with Japan forcing a mercy rule against the Kingdom. What was surprising was that Japan scored the majority of their 16 runs with the long ball, including a home run to lead off the game by Takashi Toritani. This makes Japan the first team to qualify for the semi-finals in San Francisco. The Netherlands will get one more chance as they will face Cuba in the final elimination game of round two. Unlike the first two rounds, the semi-finals are one game playoffs, with the winner moving on and the loser going home. Japan will have a week off before their next game.

In the biggest game of the day, the United States crushed Canada late, winning by a final score of 9 to 4. Adam Jones was the hero today for hitting the two run double that gave the US the lead in the 8th inning. Michael Saunders had another good game for the Canadians and won the Pool D MVP after batting .727 over the three games with 7 RBI. He leads all players in the World Baseball Classic so far in batting average and his ridiculous 2.042 OPS.

In the meaningless Venezuela vs. Spain game, Asdrubal Cabrera went one for two before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Venezuela came back from a three run deficit after the first inning to win 11-6. Cabrera will be the first Indian to return to Goodyear after playing in the WBC. In the other unimportant Pool C game, Mike Aviles hit a two run home run scoring the first two runs for team Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic. Carlos Santana started at catcher for the third consecutive game and singled and scored in the sixth inning. The Dominican Republic won out in the end 4-2. This means team USA will play Puerto Rico going into round two.

Team USA used small ball early on, trying to take advantage of Canada's poor defense while Justin Morneau and Canada brought the big sticks.

Today was probably the most exciting day so far in this year's World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico, Italy and the Dominican Republic clinched spots in the second round, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Spain and Venezuela were eliminated and a hockey fight broke out at a baseball game.

First are the Indian updates. Carlos Santana started at catcher again for the Dominican Republic, who clinched a second round birth by defeating Spain 6-3. Santana did something other than walk in this game as hit a solo home run and knocked in another while going 1 for 5. In other Pool C news, Asdrubal Cabrera will be returning to Goodyear after an 0-3 showing during Venezuela's loss to Puerto Rico. Mike Aviles had another good game on the other side of the field, knocking in three of Puerto Rico's six runs with a sac fly and a single. Akron Aeros pitcher Giovanni Soto also playing, pitching in his first game of the tournament. He went three scoreless, hitless innings and struck out two. Former Indians Juan Rincon and Fernando Cabrera were featured in this game as well.

In International relations news, team Mexico decided to take out their self pity on the Canadian national team when they were on the verge of elimination. After catcher Chris Robinson singled on a bunt with a six run lead in the ninth inning, team Mexico pitcher Arnold Leon retaliated with two very inside balls and finally hit the next batter, Rene Tosoni. As Tosoni was walking to first, Mexican catcher, Sebastian Valle grabbed Tosoni and the fight ensued. Seven players were ejected as were at least two team Mexico fans (one of whom threw a baseball at Canada's first base coach, Larry Walker). 

The fault for the entire incident has to fall completely on team Mexico and pitcher Arnold Leon as WBC tie-breaking rules force teams to run up the score. If team USA had lost the next game against Italy, but won against team Canada, run differential would be the difference between which team advanced and which went home (or back to Spring Training). With a ten run loss looming behind them, team Canada needed to score as much as possible against Mexico to make up for this possibility. They were not trying to show up the home team.

In the final game of the night, team USA recorded their first win against the 2-0 team Italia. David Wright provided all the runs necessary with a towering grand slam to left in the fifth inning. The United States pitching was much improved over last night, and Ross Detwiler was especially worth note as he threw the final four innings without allowing a run, earning himself a save in the process.

Sunday will see the final games of round one for the Western countries and the continuation of round two in Japan. Team Japan will face the Netherlands with the winner moving on to San Francisco while the loser will need to play one last game against Cuba to try and make the finals. Pool C will wrap up with two meaningless games featuring Spain against Venezuela and Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic. The most interesting match-up will be the win or go home battle between the recently vicious team Canada and your own team USA. Vinnie Pestano was not needed in the game against Italy so he should be fresh and ready to go as Derek Holland will get the start for the Americans.

I though that Canadians were supposed to be a peaceful people. Here's my view of the fight.

The team with the most Indian presence, Puerto Rico, opened up action on Friday against Spain with Mike Aviles starting at shortstop.In the first inning, Aviles knocked in team Puerto Rico's second run with a sacrifice fly that scored Alex Rios. He also later walked and stole a base in the game that Puerto Rico won 3-0.

Although their were no Indians involved, a few other games took place including another Pool D surprise. This time team Italy destroyed Canada, forcing a 10 run mercy in the 8th inning. Nick Punto had a big day at lead off for Italy and the previously unknown Chris Colabello provided all the power, hitting the games only home run and knocking in four of their 14 runs. Colabello is currently a AA player in the Twins organization. With the win, team Italy is just one win away from advancing to the next round.

On the other side of the world, the second round of play has begun, with Japan beating Chinese Taipei in extra innings and the Netherlands getting an unexpected win against the heavily favorited team Cuba. The second round of the WBC is a double elimination round so Cuba will have to win their next two games to advance.

Saturday will see another full slate of games with five matches scheduled. Chinese Taipei will take on Cuba in a loser goes home match in Japan. The powerful Dominican Republic team will face off against newcomer Spain as Puerto Rico will play Venezeula, rounding out Pool C. Canada will be playing Mexico and the United States will face off against the upstart Italians.

Sergio Romo and Adrian Gonzalez look to lead Mexico to the next round against Canada.

Approximately 44,000 screaming Mexicans packed Chase field as the United States took on team Mexico in round one of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. All the star power (with the exception of Adrian Gonzalez and Sergio Romo) was on the American side, but the fans and final score went to Mexico. 

US starter R.A. Dickey struggled early, especially when trying to throw his knuckleball. The choice for the team USA ace was an odd one after all, considering all the first round games will be played in a dome, where there is little wind to make the knuckler dance. Mexican starter Yovani Gallardo had no such problems and was dominant through three innings.

Overall, almost every pitcher struggled with control and impatience is what really killed team USA. On separate occasions, both Brandon Phillips and Joe Mauer swung at balls far out of the strike zone while in a hitter's count. Situations like these went far to kill many chances at a rally as the Americans stranded eight runners while scoring just twice.

The Indians lone representative in the game was dynamic reliever, Vinnie Pestano. He was forced to warm up early as Dickey struggled and was ready in the bullpen by the fourth inning. After Dickey recovered, Twins reliever Glen Perkins threw the fifth and Pestano was used in the sixth. Vinnie threw the first perfect inning of the game for the US and struck out a batter, using just nine pitches after throwing considerably more than that warming up in the bullpen. Luke Gregerson (San Diego) continued his trend and retired team Mexico in order during the next inning as well.

As a team, the United States roster looked great defensively, average on the mound and a little behind at the plate. They will face upstart team Italy in tomorrow night's game and will need to improve significantly over tonight's effort if they want to win that game and move on to the next round.

One of the more exciting moments for team USA was when ex-Indian Karim Garcia missed two consecutive plays in the outfield.

The video is terrible, but if you turn your speakers up you can get an idea of the crowd noise. This was the final at bat of the game. This was the loudest sporting event I've ever been to.

Tonight, the American World Baseball Classic team will take on Mexico in their first game (and the third game overall) of round one in Pool D. First baseman, Adrian Gonzalez is Mexico's lone superstar setting up what should be a fairly easy win for team USA. The timing of the game will aid the U.S. even more as the American's ace, knuckle-baller, R.A. Dickey will be going against the second best starter for Mexico. Mexico already lost their first game in a surprise finish against team Italy.

Mark Teixeira was a late scratch for the tournament, but even without him team USA is offensively stacked with perennial All-Stars Brandon Phillips, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Joe Mauer and former NL MVP Ryan Braun. Ben Zobrist and Giancarlo Stanton may not have been around as long as some of those other players, but will likely be two of the best offensive producers on the team.

With Chris Perez out with shoulder soreness, Vinnie Pestano will remain the only representive from the Cleveland Indians on team USA. He should be considered the set-up man as Craig Kimbrel is expected to close. Heath Bell and Glen Perkins round out the big names in the bullpen.

Today saw the first games of the Western side of the World Baseball Classic with Mexico taking a surprising loss against team Italia and the Dominican Republic showing their dominance against team Venezuela. The latter match featured the first two Indians to play in this year's classic. The wildness inherent in these early round games featuring low level pitchers was evident in the two Tribesmen's results. Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera combined for six walks and two runs scored. Santana had the lion's share of the walks and now leads all WBC players (including those from the Eastern series that have already played three games) with four.

Santana played the entire game as the Dominican Republic's starting catcher while Cabrera played DH with Elvis Andrus taking the start at short. Andrus and Cabrera will likely split time in the field for the rest of the series while Santana will probably get a day off against either Puerto Rico or Spain. This game marks the first time this Spring either player has stayed in a game past the 5th inning so some care is warranted by their country teams.

Tomorrow, Mike Aviles and Giovanny Soto will play their first game for team Puerto Rico against Spain while Canada and the USA will open up against Italy and Mexico respectively. Puerto Rico is essentially in a must win situation to start the series as both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are expected to get at least 2 wins, meaning Puerto Rico must win against Spain and one of the other two juggernauts just to hope for tie.