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Cleveland Indians: Columbus Clippers Game Observations

By Jeff Mount

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Our own Jeff Mount recently attended a Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians Triple-A affiliate) game and decided to share his thoughts not only on the Clippers, but in general of the minor league game experience. Here is what he took from the contest. 

I attended the Columbus Clippers game last night with my wife.  Following is a capsule of impressions from the game.

  • It struck me that nearly the entire Clippers lineup had either already been in Cleveland or seemed destined to be there soon. The infield was Giovanny Urshela, Francisco Lindor, Zach Walters, and Jesus Aguilar.  The outfield was James Ramsey, Tyler Holt, and Carlos Moncrief.  Only catcher Adam Moore, a 31-year-old journeyman, could be said to not be a prospect, but he entered the game hitting .368 and threw out a base stealer at second base, so given the current state of the Indians’ catching, maybe he will get a look.
  • Lindor led off, which he did not do in Akron last year. This may be preparation for his role in Cleveland, given Michael Bourn’s struggles. It may also explain his slow start, but he had two hits and could have had a third with some help from the official scorer.   Leadoff may be his best opportunity to make an immediate impact for the Indians, even if we have to wait.
  • Urshela made a good running catch on a foul ball down the line, threw out a runner at first on a nubber down the line, and nearly threw a man out from the third base coach’s box, only to bobble the ball. The two plays he made I would have been surprised if Lonnie Chisenhall had made successfully.  Urshela, hitting right handed, also crushed a ball off the right-field wall for a double.  He was hitting .323 before the game.

    • Moncrief hit two homers off the top of the scoreboard, made a running catch down the right field line, another catch crashing off the fence, and showed a cannon arm which would have been more impressive if the cutoff man had not had to leap to keep it from going into the stands. Moncrief’s numbers have never matched his tools, probably because he swings at too many bad pitches, but the tools are impressive.

    The loudspeaker played a song called “I Know I’m Sexy” every time

    Tyler Holt

    came to the plate. That is either a strange sense of humor or really poor judgment on somebody’s part.  Holt had a triple tonight.  Every time I see him play he does something good.

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    Walters played second, possibly because that is the position that is open. He only made one play, but he seemed comfortable.  It seems like he could help in Cleveland, with his right-handed power and versatility.

    Ramsey is playing left; it seems like he would be playing center if they thought he was a prospect. I was excited about him when he got here last year, but he seems a lot less smooth this year.

    Every player on the Clippers has a Twitter feed. I can’t help but wonder how many followers a Triple-A player has.

    As much money as minor league baseball is bringing in these days, it seems ridiculous that they still only use three umpires.

    They ran a pitch clock throughout the game, but no penalties were called. They gave pitchers twenty seconds but stopped it when they went into the stretch.  They let it run out without doing anything when men were on base.  They set the clock at 2:25 between innings, which was more than enough, given that television wasn’t involved.  This seems like it could be implemented without much problem on the major league level.

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