A Look Back at the Ubaldo Jimenez Trade: Various Thoughts

After Ubaldo Jimenez was traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Cleveland Indians, various baseball writers offered up their opinions on the trade. Keith Law, for instance, seems to take the position the Indians were wrong to buy at the deadline when they acquired Jimenez because the club was really still in a rebuilding phase (at least that’s what I gathered from reading the first couple of paragraphs: I’m not an ESPN insider). Others at fangraphs.com questioned the Rockies motivations for selling on Ubaldo while both considering injuries and value.

These articles make good points. The Indians really do not have a decisive direction to go in long term. Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall are too new and too inexperienced to say for sure that some of the Indian's young pieces are turning them into a contender while they have team control and it is hard (though not impossible) to imagine Matt Laporta turning into much more than he currently is at 1b. The pitching staff has enjoyed an excellent season. Staff leader Justin Masterson has pitched well but enjoyed some luck with his low BABIP and HR/FB rates. The team is very much in the middle ground, not quite coming or going. Much of their future success could hinge on how Jimenez adjusts to the AL and if Grady Sizemore can recover from his injury troubles by next season after which he is a free agent.

Grading Lonnie Chisenhall’s Potential

First off, I would like to wish Lonnie a speedy recovery from that nasty ball to the face. It appears he suffered a fractured cheekbone, hopefully that will not keep him out of action too long.

Lonnie Chisenhall is an interesting player from a scouting and sabermetrics perspective. Some scouts love him and think he is without a doubt a future star, some say he is an average to above average player in the majors. His minor league numbers are underwhelming but his secondary statistics in the minors are somewhat encouraging. One thing everybody seems to agree on is that he has a sweet, smooth, and quiet swing. His defense projects to be average to above average which is also encouraging.

Indians Top Prospect Lonnie Chisenhall Hit In Face By Pitch

Update: It's being reported that Chisenhall has a broken Maxillary (cheek) bone in the right side of his face. The injury won't require surgery, and there are no signs of a concussion. Status is still day-to-day.

While last nights Indians-Blue Jays contest will be remembered primarily as the game in which the Indians stunning comeback from a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning was punctuated by Travis Hafner's walkoff grand slam - the more important news may have been that the team survived a serious scare when it's top prospect, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, was hit in the face by a pitch from Jays starter Carlos Villanueva.

Thankfully to say it appears Chisenhall avoided any serious injury when x-rays came back negative, and his was diagnosed with only facial contusions. It looks as though Chisenhall managed to turn his head just in time and the ball caught the edge of his ear-flap before careening to a halt against the right side of his face. He'd leave the game, but with nothing broken won't be heading to the disabled list.

Talk about catching - or perhaps avoiding - a break.

I haven't seen any official word from the team yet, but it appears Lonnie will only be day-to-day, and the teams callup of Luis Valbuena along with the presence of Jack Hannahan who has started most of the year at third base should help allow them to cover for any time the third third baseman of the future might miss.

Jack Hannahan, Indians Likely Opening Day Third Baseman

Heading into this off season, the question about who would man third base on a long-term basis for the Cleveland Indians wasn't much of a question - Lonnie Chisenhall is the future. But in the interim, the team was looking at a group of players that weren't ideally suited for the job. Mostly converted middle infielders who needed a place to play. Last years opening day second baseman Luis Valbuena wass in the mix, as was former second baseman Jayson Nix, who ended 2010 as the teams third baseman.

Up and Coming Third Basemen: Part 4

Yesterday we got the ball rolling on our latest series here at AL Central In Focus, a look into Jonathan Mayo's list of the Top 10 third base prospects for 2011. We've already profiled the Tigers Nick Castellanos (#10), the Twins Miguel Sano (#5), and the White Sox Brent Morel (#3).

The first two players were 18 and 17 years old respectively last year, and despite having raw talent in spades, are a long ways from the Majors. The third player on the list, Morel, has the makings of a solid everyday player who will provide high end, and maybe even elite level defense.

The last two players on this list however are cats of a rarer breed. They possess multiple refined skills without clear weaknesses and have demonstrated the ability to succeed in the high minors. They are both very projectable and highly talented and could challenge for all-star teams. With that in mind, lets delve into into a diamond in the Cleveland rough;

Lonnie Chisenhall