July 31 Deadline Thread

[Mass Haas]

We'll use this thread to post articles and news items from the minor leagues specific to the July 31st trading deadline.

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Buzz of trade flatters Stars hitter LaPorta

Trade for Indians' Sabathia rumored to be in works

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

Matt LaPorta was talking to his fiancee, Dara, on Friday night when she asked the question everybody around baseball wants to know.

 

"Are you being traded?" she inquired of the Huntsville Stars outfielder.

 

LaPorta didn't know. But reports by multiple national news outlets have his name as well as Stars shortstop Alcides Escobar's being rumored in trade talks that would bring 2007 American League Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee from Cleveland.

 

While Escobar may be a long shot to be traded, the buzz surrounding Brewers' top prospect LaPorta is palpable. An Indians scout was at Joe Davis Stadium on Saturday, but he would not comment.

 

Cleveland also has evaluated 21-year-old third baseman Taylor Green of High-A Brevard County.

 

Despite the intensity of the rumors, the Milwaukee organization is downplaying its pursuit of Sabathia, although assistant general manager Gord Ash did sound open to adding players to a surging Brewers team.

 

"At some point, you have to play for today and not for tomorrow," Ash said Saturday. "We're 4 1/2 games out of the playoffs in our division and (one) game out of the wild card spot.

 

"I can't comment on (Sabathia) specifically other than to say that starting pitching is at a premium, and we don't have any depth there. We would also like to add another arm to our bullpen and another left-handed bat to our lineup."

 

LaPorta seemed honored to be discussed with a player of Sabathia's caliber.

 

The 27-year-old Indians southpaw will be a free agent at the end of the year, and though the Brewers would have to re-sign him, he and Ben Sheets, who is also in the final year of his contract, would give Milwaukee a formidable 1-2 punch down the stretch.

 

"It's kind of flattering to have your name being brought up for one of the best pitchers in the game," LaPorta said. "There would be no hard feelings one way or another. This is a business, and I understand that."

 

He found out about his name being brought up when some teammates told him a couple of days ago that they'd seen his name on ESPN. That's where Escobar heard his name, too.

 

"I was surprised," Escobar said through an interpreter.

 

"But I've been playing the same way my whole career, and I don't worry about things from the outside."

 

Stars manager Don Money joked that he would be the last to hear about it if a trade happened.

 

"CNN," Money said, pointing toward his television. "That's how I'll find out about it. I listen to the TV, and I know the deadline is (July) 31st. That's about all I know."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brewers deal LaPorta

Stars' slugger part of trade for Tribe's lefty Sabathia

By JOHN FERRY

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, john.ferry@htimes.com

 

A centerpiece in weekend trade rumors, Huntsville Stars outfielder Matt LaPorta could sense something was up when he was held out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Birmingham Barons.

 

"They didn't want me to get hurt," said LaPorta, who confirmed after the Stars' 3-2 loss that he is being dealt by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher C.C. Sabathia.

 

Brewers general manager Gord Ash told The Times late Sunday that a news conference was planned for 11 a.m. today. He would not confirm the number of prospects involved in the deal for Sabathia, the 2007 American League Cy Young winner.

 

LaPorta, the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft from the University of Florida, was batting .288 for Huntsville this season with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 84 games. He has been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

 

As he got ready to pack, the 23-year-old LaPorta was unsure where the Indians would assign him and whether any other Huntsville players were included in the trade. Published reports said Cleveland was also interested in Stars shortstop Alcides Escobar.

 

"This is a business decision," LaPorta said. "I hope it works out for both teams. It is a great opportunity with another organization.

 

"The Brewers are a great organization. There is a lot of young talent. They gave me the opportunity to play pro ball and took me in the first round."

 

A first baseman in college, LaPorta shifted to the outfield in the minors with marginal success. His offensive production was stellar, however.

 

Last season he split 30 games between Rookie League club Helena and Single-A West Virginia, hitting .304 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs.

 

This summer he was a part of the Southern League's top offense, owning a .575 slugging percentage and a .307 average with runners in scoring position.

 

"It was a fun team to be a part of," he said. "Everyone here can really swing it."

 

Though Baseball America ranked LaPorta as the Brewers' top prospect, several scouts and some sources within the Milwaukee organization said he ranked no better than fourth - behind Escobar, third baseman Mat Gamel and catcher Angel Salome. LaPorta is viewed as dead-pull hitter with a penchant for strikeouts, as evidenced by his 63 this season.

 

But LaPorta also has drawn 45 walks and his first 40 games of Double-A were statistically superior to Ryan Braun's dazzling 2007 stint with Huntsville.

 

Sabathia, who was slated to start for Cleveland on Tuesday at Detroit, rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training and announced he wouldn't negotiate any deal until after the season.

 

The left-hander went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA to win the AL Cy Young last season and would give the Brewers another power pitcher to pair with Ben Sheets as Milwaukee tries to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

 

The big lefty is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA for the Indians, but has also been plagued with a lack of run support. In 11 of his 18 starts, Cleveland has scored two runs or less.

 

Milwaukee, which hasn't been in the postseason since the days of Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, fell two games short of the division title last year. The Brewers are percentage points ahead of St. Louis for the second-best record in the NL, and both teams are chasing Chicago, 3 1/2 games ahead.

 

Correspondent Brad Shepard and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

[Mass Haas]

Jim Callis of Baseball America:

 

The trade also clears up the future of Mat Gamel, another gifted hitter but a liability as a third baseman. Gamel will move to the outfield, and he eventually could take over a corner with Hart shifting to center field.

[TheCrew07]

I'm not exactly sure how trading LaPorta translates into Gamel being an OF. I think we all expect him to move if his glove doesn't improve, 1B is just as likely as the OF in my opinion.

[battlekow]

I'm not exactly sure how trading LaPorta translates into Gamel being an OF. I think we all expect him to move if his glove doesn't improve, 1B is just as likely as the OF in my opinion.

Gamel playing the OF is contingent on Hart being able to handle CF, but the LaPorta trade at least gives him a shot.

 

[shelmark]

I'm pretty positive that a move of Gamel has nothing to do with Hart being able to handle CF. Why couldn't he handle CF? A move of Gamel will result from one of 3 things....A negative evaluation at the end of the season by Don Money....Prince Fielder being traded.....Team needs an OF for next year and thinks he is athletic enough to do it.

[bullox]

Team needs an OF for next year and thinks he is athletic enough to do it.

By "Team" I assume you mean the Brewers. If the Brewers need an OF next year, it's quite likely that Hart would have moved to CF, vacating the RF position. You kind of contradict yourself there.

 

Also, CF is higher up in the defensive spectrum than RF. Sure, balls won't tail as much as they do in the corners, but there is an awful lot more ground to cover and you need to be able to get a really good read and jump on balls to succeed in CF.

 

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com's Jonathan Mayo looks at the Brewer kids moving on here.

[LouisEly]

Even though LaPorta and one of Brantley/Green are gone, the Brewers still have 18 of their top 20 prospects. And they have kept all of their top 20 prospects at the two positions that have the most trade value - pitching and catching. The cupboards are hardly bare.

 

Lots of mid-level lefty starter prospects (Hammond, Miller, Welch, Wright, Narron) that could be packaged with another corner OF prospect for a bullpen upgrade over Mota, and still retain most of their top 20 prospects.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Matt LaPorta: Why the deal was done

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

With Ryan Braun and Corey Hart entrenched at the corner outfield spots in Milwaukee, the Brewers said Huntsville right fielder Matt LaPorta became expendable.

 

Braun is a starter for the National League All-Stars, and Hart has blossomed into a solid player, so LaPorta became the centerpiece prospect of a trade with Cleveland that sent CC Sabathia to Milwaukee.

 

The deal was finalized Monday, with the Brewers giving up pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson and a player to be named.

 

"This opportunity doesn't present itself very often. When it does, you'd better take advantage of it," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash told The Times. "You have to give up something to get something, and we have an abundance of outfielders."

 

Though LaPorta wasn't the only prospect dealt to the Indians for the 2007 American League Cy Young winner, he was the marquee name.

 

Ash said discussions with Cleveland heated up the past two or three days but were ongoing for a couple of weeks.

 

Huntsville shortstop Alcides Escobar and third baseman Mat Gamel were discussed, but Ash said the organization valued Escobar's defense and Gamel's left-handed bat too much to include them in a deal. He noted that LaPorta was the Indians' top target "from the get-go."

 

MLB.com reported Stars center fielder Michael Brantley and Single-A Brevard County third baseman Taylor Green are two of the names being evaluated to conclude the deal. Indians general manager Mark Shapiro told the Cleveland Plain Dealer the Indians have until the end of the season to pick the final player.

 

"I think it would be safe to say there have been flags put on key players," said Indians scout Doug Carpenter, who was at Joe Davis Stadium to watch the Stars play Monday night. "Now it's just a matter of our pro scouting staff scouting those players, identifying them and seeing what is the best fit for the organization."

 

Carpenter said "under no circumstances" could he identify the players who are being evaluated.

 

LaPorta will report to Cleveland's Double-A affiliate Akron on Tuesday, but team officials would not speculate on when he's projected to be called up. Carpenter said the Indians were pleased they got their man both talent-wise and from a personality standpoint.

 

"We've been on him since he was on the high-school level, so there's a lot of history in regard to evaluation," Carpenter said. "He can be an offensive force at the major-league level and a good fit for our lineup when he is ready."

 

As LaPorta packed his bags early Monday, the Brewers promoted 22-year-old outfield prospect Lorenzo Cain to Huntsville. Cain is lightning-fast and an exceptional defensive player with developing power. He was hitting .287 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and 19 steals in 23 tries at Brevard County.

 

Still, it's going to be difficult to replace LaPorta, especially with the simultaneous loss of first baseman Chris Errecart to a broken hand.

 

"We lose 33 home runs in two days, of course it's going to take a chunk out of the lineup," said Stars manager Don Money. "You replace it with speed. That's kind of tough.

 

"For LaPorta to be in uniform not quite a year, he'd achieved some big offensive goals. Defensively, he still needs work, he's raw and shows an average arm."

 

Cain will be a defensive upgrade for Huntsville, but LaPorta's departure will mean less protection for No. 3 hitter Gamel, who is batting .374 so far with either LaPorta or catcher Angel Salome behind him.

 

Gamel said he hadn't thought about getting fewer pitches to hit, but while LaPorta's offense will be a big loss, his clubhouse presence won't necessarily be, Gamel said. LaPorta wasn't one of the players who came up in the system together like some of the others. Cain is one of those guys.

 

"I don't really think he shared that friendship or camaraderie we have because we've been together two or three years," Gamel said. "But we tried to make him feel like he was part of the family."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Captains' Davis played at Florida with LaPorta

David S. Glasier DGlasier@News-Herald.com

 

Lake County Captains catcher Adam Davis has some insider information on Matt LaPorta, the hard-hitting outfielder the Indians received from Milwaukee in the CC Sabathia trade.

 

Davis, who singled and scored a run Monday in Lake County's 9-2 victory over Hickory at Classic Park, played against LaPorta when they were Florida high-school standouts in Fort Myers and Port Charlotte, respectively.

 

In August 2003, both accepted scholarships at the University of Florida. Over the next three years, Davis set school records for hitting by a second baseman while LaPorta, then playing first base, proved to be one of the more accomplished sluggers in UF history.

 

When he learned Sunday that the Indians and Brewers had agreed on the deal that also brought Class A pitcher Rob Bryson, Class AAA pitcher Zach Jackson and a player to be named later to the Indians, Davis sent a text message to his former UF teammate.

 

"I told him, 'Welcome to the Indians. You're going to like it here,' " Davis replied when asked for the specifics of the message he sent to the 6-foot-2, 212-pound LaPorta.

 

The Indians selected Davis in the third round of the June 2006 draft. At 23, he's in his third pro season.

 

LaPorta, also 23, is in his second pro season. The Brewers took him with seventh pick overall in the first round of the June 2007 draft. This season, at Class AA Huntsville in the Southern League, LaPorta was batting .288 with a league-high 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 84 games.

 

"Matt is a good, smart baseball player who knows what he wants to do and is willing to put in the work to attain his goal of playing in the big leagues. He's a great guy, too," Davis said of La Porta.

 

For as long as he's known LaPorta, Davis said, the solidly built left-handed batter has had great power to all fields.

 

"It's no secret that there isn't a lot of power now in the (Indians' minor-league) system. Matt brings a lot of that to the table," Davis said.

 

The Indians assigned LaPorta to Class AA Akron. He's scheduled to make his debut for the Aeros at 7:05 Tuesday night (6:05 Central) when they host the Bowie BaySox.

 

Bryson is slated to join the Captains today. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander is changing teams but not leagues, having spent this season with the SAL's West Virginia Power. He is 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 22 appearances, five of them starts.

 

Two of those starts were against the Captains. Bryson was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings against Lake County. He will work out of the bullpen. With an above-average fastball and slider (73 strikeouts in 55 innings this season), Bryson was one of Milwaukee's better-regarded pitching prospects. Going into the 2008 campaign, Baseball America projected him to be the Brewers' closer in 2011.

[Mass Haas]

Cleveland Indians acquire big bat in minor-league outfielder Matt LaPorta

Newly acquired prospect known mostly for hitting

Brad Shepard

Special to The Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

Huntsville, Ala. -- Matt LaPorta's fan mail flowed so freely into the Class AA Huntsville Stars clubhouse that the team got its top prospect his own mailbox.

 

From the buffet line to a bathroom stall, the mailbox kept popping up in the oddest of places. But no matter where it was, it was nearly always full.

 

The Indians may have gotten rid of one of their most popular players when they shipped pitcher CC Sabathia to Milwaukee, but the player they got in return had almost a cult following among Brewers fans. He is a strong character guy who is a devout Christian and won't likely cause any off-the-field problems, and did not appear to have any issues with teammates in Huntsville.

 

Sabathia's power arm is gone from the roster, but replacing it is one of the most promising young power hitters in minor-league baseball.

 

"They've got to find a position for him because he's an average defensive player," one longtime scout said recently. "But he'll go as far as his offense takes him."

 

Over his first 114 minor-league games after being taken seventh overall in last year's MLB draft, the former Florida Gator has 32 home runs and 97 RBI.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Bryson honored to be part of Sabathia trade

William Penn grad one of four minor leaguers leaving Brewers system in exchange for Cy Young winner

By KEVIN TRESOLINI

The Delaware News Journal

 

On Sunday, Rob Bryson learned he had been promoted.

 

Then, 45 minutes later, the William Penn High graduate found out he had been traded.

 

Both reflected positively on the right-handed pitcher's baseball promise, and that thought gave him a positive push as he packed for the drive from Charleston, W.Va., to Cleveland on Monday afternoon.

 

The floundering Indians acquired Bryson, 20, and three other minor leaguers from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for CC Sabathia. The 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner will be a free agent after this season.

 

"I feel honored for the Indians to think that highly of me that they'd trade a Cy Young winner, a future Hall of Famer," Bryson said. "I'm excited."

 

Bryson, a second-year pro, was 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA but had 73 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 55 innings for the Brewers' West Virginia Power in the low Class A South Atlantic League.

 

He began the season as a starter but is now pitching out of the bullpen, where he'll also work in the Cleveland system.

 

"I'm a bullpen guy," he said.

 

After meeting today with Cleveland officials, Bryson will be assigned to the Lake County Captains in Eastlake, Ohio, just outside Cleveland. They also play in the South Atlantic League.

 

But Bryson said he expects to be promoted to the Kinston Indians of the high Class A Carolina League in the next two weeks. Kinston visits the Blue Rocks July 25-27. If he is not promoted by then, Bryson will face his old teammates as the Captains host the Power that weekend.

 

After Sunday night's home game against the Hagerstown Suns, Bryson had been informed he was being sent up to the Brevard County Manatees of the high A Florida State League.

 

"I got called into the manager's office and, after that, my teammates were all congratulating me," Bryson said. "Apparently, the trade had already happened but they hadn't told anybody yet. I had my plane ticket. I was looking forward to playing in Florida near where I went to junior college. Then I got called back in and they said I was traded."

 

Milwaukee also sent Cleveland Class AA left fielder Matt LaPorta and Class AAA pitcher Zach Jackson. A fourth player will be named later.

William Penn coach Mel Gardner, who had read reports that Sabathia was being dealt to Milwaukee for players to be named later Sunday, sensed Bryson would be one of them. Bryson spoke with him just after he received the news he had been swapped.

 

"At first, he wasn't so sure about the whole thing," said Gardner, a former Texas Rangers scout. "I told him, 'That's an honor, a tribute to you.' Milwaukee didn't want to give him up, but they're playing for now, to make a run at the pennant."

 

The Brewers chose Bryson in the 31st round of the 2006 draft, after his senior year at William Penn. Bryson was named all-state that year and in 2005. He then pitched for a year at Seminole (Fla.) Community College in 2007, and was signed by Milwaukee, which still retained his rights, just before the 2007 draft.

 

Bryson's fastball has topped out at 97 mph this season, and "he's always had good control," Gardner said. An improved slider has made him more effective.

 

"The Indians had been trying to get me since junior college," Bryson said. "It's tough to leave these guys I've been with every day for two years. Now it's kind of like my whole career is taking a turn. But it's definitely a compliment [to be traded] and I'm happy."

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America breaks down the big Sabathia trade

[Mass Haas]

From Jim Powell's blog:

 

Brewers' GM Doug Melvin told me a great story tonight about what happened to him right after he finalized the Sabathia trade. You can hear why he suddenly panicked by clicking HERE.

 

Same story, in print:

 

What's Brewin': For Melvin, trade came with heart-stopping moment

Todd D. Milewski

Dave Yeager, the athletic trainer for the Huntsville Stars, just about gave Brewers general manager Doug Melvin a heart attack via e-mail recently.

 

In a pregame interview with Jim Powell of the Brewers Radio Network, Melvin talked about how he briefly thought the trade for CC Sabathia was going to have to be nixed because of an injury to Matt LaPorta.

 

Here's Melvin, responding to a question about how trades go down:

 

"There's so much involved with deals anymore. You have to contact the players, you have to make sure the players involved aren't injured, you've got to exchange medical information, you've got to exchange contract information, you have your agreements that have to be typed up and checked out by your lawyers. It's not as easy as picking up the phone and exchanging players in Fantasy Baseball. That's what happens, and that's why with the media, they might catch wind of something but there's so much more.

 

"I never feel comfortable about a deal until the players have been told by the opposing club and the players have been told by us. Because something can happen. For example, on Matt LaPorta, I got an e-mail from our Double-A trainer, and the e-mail from David Yeager read, 'Matt LaPorta has broken his (slight pause) cell phone.' And I read the e-mail and I thought Matt LaPorta has broken his foot. And I thought, oh my God. It completely tore me up until I saw 'cell phone. You won't be able to reach him. I'll find out a number for him.'

 

"I looked at that and I said to Gord (Ash, the assistant GM), did you have the same feeling when you read that? And we had just completed the deal. And I looked on my e-mail from our Double-A trainer that said Matt LaPorta has broken - and all I saw was broken. My blood started changing colors. Anyways, it was his cell phone. The deal was completed. It was his cell phone. If it would have been his foot, it would have been different."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Whirlwind week for Tribe's LaPorta

By Andrew Gribble / MLB.com

AKRON, Ohio -- Think Indians general manager Mark Shapiro has had a busy week? Step into Matt LaPorta's shoes.

LaPorta -- the highlight and centerpiece of the trade that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers -- first heard his name swirling in the trade winds last week on a road trip in Tennessee with his former Double-A club, the Huntsville Stars.

As his name kept popping up in newspapers, and even on SportsCenter, LaPorta sat down on Saturday with Stars manager Don Money, who told LaPorta to tune it all out and just keep hitting the cover off the ball.

The next day, LaPorta, the Southern League's leading home run hitter and second-leading RBI man, was scratched from the lineup -- a telling sign that he was soon to be on the move. The horde of reporters and photographers surrounding LaPorta's locker after the game verified it. He was headed north.

That's when LaPorta's manic week kicked into overdrive.

LaPorta stayed up until 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday to pack all his stuff away in boxes only to wait at the airport for hours as the weather delayed his flight to Akron. To top it off, when LaPorta finally landed, one of his bags didn't make it -- the one with all his clothes.

Oh yeah, his cell phone has been broken for the past five days, too.

"It's been kind of crazy," said LaPorta, shrugging off the calamity with an ear-to-ear grin.

So perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that LaPorta's scheduled debut with the Akron Aeros was delayed a day after a late-afternoon thunderstorm forced the game to be moved to Wednesday as part of a twi-night doubleheader.

For the former Florida Gator who grew up shagging balls at Texas Rangers Spring Training, life as of late has certainly been hectic, but nothing to get too frazzled about.

"It's pretty cool," said LaPorta, sporting a brand new Aeros cap with a completely flat brim. "It's always neat to be a part of such a big thing going on in baseball."

It may not get any bigger than this.

While it is uncertain what will come of Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson and the mysterious player to be named later in the five-player deal, LaPorta is viewed as the guaranteed stud. He's the reason, in theory, why Shapiro was justified in parting with Sabathia, the reigning American League Cy Young Winner, three months before his contract ended.

And just to add more reason for LaPorta to feel like he will have the 6-foot-7, 300-pound left-hander riding his shoulders until he makes an impact at the big league level, Shapiro said he was "the single best player" offered to the Tribe in trade talks.

LaPorta, though, looks at it in a different way.

"It's a great honor to be traded for CC," LaPorta said. "He's an outstanding player and he's going to be great for the Milwaukee Brewers. I just don't really look at it that way. We're both ballplayers and we're both out here to do a job and I'm just thankful for this opportunity."

Added pressure is nothing new to LaPorta. After being selected in the 14th round of both the 2003 and 2006 First-Year Player Drafts, LaPorta came into professional baseball last year as the seventh overall pick.

"That's a challenge," Shapiro said. "It's one he's risen to both in college and now. It's one I don't expect will derail him, but that will be an additional challenge for him. He just needs to relax and focus on settling in and playing his game. If he does that, his talent alone will overcome that."

LaPorta has overcome the first round of pressure quite easily since his first action with the Rookie League Helena Brewers last June. Since then, the 23-year-old right-handed slugger has clubbed 32 home runs -- 20 coming this season with the Stars -- and driven in 92 runs while batting .294. He was a shoe-in for the Southern League All-Star Game, will participate in Sunday's XM All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium and is one of 60 players under consideration for the 24-man U.S. Olympic Team roster.

LaPorta, a self-proclaimed perfectionist who spends hours watching film of Albert Pujols and other favorite players, said he didn't expect to be doing this good this fast, but he really hasn't thought about it much.

"You just have to go out there and do your job," LaPorta said. "You can't worry about the expectations people put on you."

Neither Shapiro nor LaPorta will speculate on how soon he is expected to move up to the big leagues and neither will pinpoint an ideal position for the outfielder/first baseman -- LaPorta said he's equally comfortable at both.

"I try not to put goals like that on myself," LaPorta said. "Again, you can only go out there and work hard every day to get better.

For now, LaPorta has a little time to catch his breath -- and find some new clothes.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rough trip caps memorable deal; Cain speaks about deal

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

After his first day in Akron, Ohio, things can only go up for Matt LaPorta.

 

First, the former Huntsville Stars right fielder waited out a flight delay. Once he finally arrived in Akron, he learned that the baggage containing his clothes didn't arrive with him.

 

Then, the newest member of the Cleveland Indians organization rushed to the stadium, ready to greet a horde of reporters eager to watch the prospect the Indians got in the CC Sabathia trade. But rain postponed Tuesday night's game and there was a power outage at the park.

 

"It's been kind of crazy," LaPorta said.

 

Rob Sinclair can commiserate. The media coordinator for the Akron Aeros, Cleveland's Double-A affiliate, has been swamped since Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro said LaPorta would report to Akron, only 40 miles outside of Cleveland.

 

Sinclair said an estimated 35 media members booked credentials, and the ticket numbers also shot up.

 

"We've seen a dramatic jump in ticket sales," Sinclair said. "I mean, this is a Tuesday night in Akron. This is my seventh year in pro baseball, and this is the busiest I've ever been on any given day."

 

LaPorta spoke to some of his teammates briefly Tuesday night, and he was penciled in to play left field and bat third in the Aeros order. When asked if he preferred playing first base or the outfield, LaPorta shrugged it off.

 

"It doesn't make a difference to me," he said. "I think I can play both just as well."

 

Meanwhile, the Huntsville Stars replaced LaPorta with a player who feels like he has something to prove. Lorenzo Cain was among the Brewers' prized outfield prospects - at least until the Brewers drafted LaPorta in the first round of last year's draft.

 

As LaPorta escalated to become Baseball America's No. 1 prospect in the Milwaukee organization, he leap-frogged Cain, who was spending his second season in Single-A Brevard County.

 

When LaPorta was dealt Sunday, Cain got a call from Manatees manager Mike Guerrero.

 

"I was at home, and he told me he needed to see me in his office," Cain said. "He made me drive all the way to the ballpark. I was thinking, 'Oh man, I just got traded.'

 

"They signed (LaPorta) last year, and he kind of jumped ahead of me. It set me back, but I had to keep playing my game, and now he's in Cleveland and I'm here."

 

LaPorta is not quite in Cleveland, but he isn't that far away. Though he is excited about looking toward the future even though the Tribe hasn't told him when he may make it to the big leagues, LaPorta offered a fond farewell to his three-month stay in Huntsville.

 

"They were a great staff," LaPorta said. "The main guy I really worked with was (hitting coach) Sandy Guerrero. He wasn't just a coach - he was more of a mentor and a brother to me."

 

And even if LaPorta's trip to Akron didn't go smoothly, he said it was fun being part of such a memorable trade.

 

"CC's an outstanding player, and he's going to be great for the Milwaukee Brewers," LaPorta said. "It's part of the business, part of the game. We're both ballplayers, and we're out there to do a job, and I'm thankful for the opportunity.

 

"It was neat to be part of such a big thing going on right now in baseball."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Bryson brings power to Captains' 'pen

Pitcher acquired in Sabathia trade likely will be closer during time in Lake County

David S. Glasier, DGlasier@News-Herald.com

 

Trades are a fact of life in professional baseball.

 

Hard-throwing pitcher Rob Bryson understood that when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 31st round of the June 2006 draft.

Bryson signed one year later as a draft-and-follow out of Seminole Community College in Florida.

 

He understood that when he started playing for pay last season in Montana with the rookie-league Helena Brewers.

 

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander with the fastball topping out in the mid-90s and sharp-breaking slider understood that when he put up eye-opening numbers this season as a starter-turned-reliever with the full-season Class A West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League.

 

In 22 appearances with the Power covering 55 innings, Bryson was 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA and 73 strikeouts.

 

Then late last week, Bryson became aware of reports that his name was coming up in trade talks between the Brewers and Indians regarding CC Sabathia, the Tribe's All-Star southpaw.

 

On Sunday afternoon, the rumors became reality when West Virginia manager Jeff Isom called Bryson into his office after a game and told him he had, indeed, been sent to the Indians in the deal that brought the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner to the Brewers.

 

Also sent to Cleveland were slugging Class AA outfielder Matt LaPorta, journeyman Class AAA pitcher Zach Jackson and a player to be named later.

 

"It was definitely a shock to hear I'd been traded. I didn't really expect it to happen at this stage of my career, but this is a business," Bryson said Tuesday in the Lake County clubhouse at Classic Park before rain washed away the Captains' scheduled game against the Hickory Crawdads.

 

The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader of seven-inning games beginning at 5:05 tonight (4:05 Central).

 

The odd part of Sunday's sequence of events, Bryson said, was Isom had told him 45 minutes previously that he was headed to Florida thanks to a promotion to the advanced-Class A Brevard County Manatees.

 

"Once it sank in, I was excited and anxious to get started in the Cleveland organization," Bryson said. "It's definitely an honor to be traded for a Cy Young Award winner."

 

The bad news for Bryson on Sunday was he had say goodbye to a lot of guys on the Power's roster who had been his teammates for 1 1/2 seasons. The good news on Tuesday was he joined the Captains, who play in the SAL's Northern Division with the Power.

 

Bryson had started the second game of a May 21 doubleheader at Classic Park while with the Power, getting a no-decision after giving up two runs on four hits in five innings in a 3-2 Lake County victory. He was a newcomer in the locker room Tuesday, but at least he was in somewhat familiar surroundings.

 

"I'm adapting to a new group of guys and I'm sure things run differently here than in West Virginia, but everybody has been very welcoming so far," Bryson said.

 

Captains manager Aaron Holbert said Bryson will work at the back end of his bullpen.

 

"I like coming out of the bullpen more than starting. You're only going to face a limited number of guys, so you can throw your best stuff and really challenge batters," Bryson said.

 

With former Lake County closer and SAL All-Star Vinnie Pestano having been promoted to upper-Class A Kinston late last month, Bryson figures to get some work in the closer's role for as long as he's with the Captains.

[battlekow]

(click the link for a three-part audio interview with LaPorta)

 

Cleveland Indians' LaPorta a combination of poise and potential, says Terry Pluto

Posted by Terry Pluto July 08, 2008 21:42PM

Matt LaPorta was up until 4 a.m. Tuesday, packing for his trip from Alabama to Akron. In the process, he lost his cell phone, then the airlines lost his suitcase, the one with his street clothes.

LaPorta's mitt, bats, spikes and confident smile arrived at Akron's Canal Park on Tuesday afternoon -- just in time to watch the Aeros' game get rained out.

But that's probably a good idea, because the key player in the Tribe's CC Sabathia deal with Milwaukee can use a day for his heart to slow down a bit, his mind to begin to realize he's with a new team in a new ball game where fans already have him on the fast track to Progressive Field in Cleveland -- even if the Indians say they want to take things slow with their new right-handed power hitter.

"I've always wanted to be a big-league ballplayer," LaPorta said. "But I never put a time on it. I just want to play hard and let things take care of themselves."

Sounds like something a team's public relations department taught LaPorta to say, but watching him make sincere eye contact and measuring his words carefully -- you sense he really believes it.

 

The same when he says he believes players should be role models, that "little kids look up to guys in uniform." He mentioned how he wants to be a good example, and "if you help out one of 100 people [you meet], that's something."

LaPorta is 23, and he was not intimidated in the least by the estimated 30 reporters waiting for him in Akron. He played on college baseball's biggest stage at the University of Florida, where he twice was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and appeared in the College World Series. He was the Brewers' first-round pick in the 2007 draft, signing for an estimated $2 million.

But even a player with that background and 32 homers in 417 pro at-bats never expected to be traded for a Cy Young Award winner.

"I can't think about that or the expectations," he said. "CC is an outstanding player. I'm just going to bring my enthusiasm, my hard work and my bat [to the Tribe organization]."

LaPorta just hits, and hits the ball far.

At Florida, he owns school records for homers in a season and for a career. In high school, he also set home run records. In his first year of pro ball, there were 12 homers in 30 Class A games, including a homer in his first pro at-bat. Baseball America rated him the Brewers' top minor-league prospect.

"He went from a metal bat to a wooden bat without it having any effect on him at all," said Tribe minor-league director Ross Atkins. "That's really rare. He has no glaring holes in his swing. He is a high-contact, high-power hitter who gets on base."

The point is LaPorta is used to hitting in the middle of the lineup under the glare of stadium lights with fans assuming something special will happen every time he comes to the plate. He's 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and looks strong enough to swing Paul Bunyan's axe. He said he'll play the outfield, first base, whatever the Indians want.

"We project Matt as becoming an average left fielder," said Atkins. "And we believe he can be average or better at first base."

LaPorta was keeping a journal for minorleaguebaseball.com, where he has written about twice not signing after being drafted in the 14th round (in 2003 and 2006), and how friends said he was making a mistake to return to Florida for his senior year. He wrote about wanting to play once more with his college teammates, and how his decision came through some serious prayer, thanking "God for giving me the courage" to follow his heart rather than the advice of others.

That led to a monster senior season and being the No. 7 pick in the 2007 draft.

The Indians thought about sending him to Class AAA Buffalo, N.Y., since he dominated the Class AA Southern League with a league-leading 20 homers and is second with 66 RBI, his .978 OPS being third. But they decided to let him take a few whacks at Class AA Eastern League pitching, and then move up once he shows some success.

LaPorta doesn't seem especially concerned where he starts for the Tribe, he just wants to finish strong.

He bought a new cell phone, and saw that he had 78 text messages and 62 voice messages. He heard his name on ESPN's "SportsCenter," and thought that was "pretty good." But in the end, it comes down to baseball -- and swinging the bat.

"I like new things, and this is new," he said of the trade. "I'm not going to worry much about what people say, I'm just going to work on putting up the numbers [statistics] and being a good teammate."

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/07/large_laportajg.jpg(Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer)

Rain washed out the Aeros game Tuesday night in Akron, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of media members to get an interview with new Indian Matt LaPorta.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/07/medium_lamugjg.jpg(Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer)

Matt LaPorta: "I'm not going to worry much about what people say, I'm just going to work on putting up the [statistics] and being a good teammate."

[battlekow]

Brewers or Indians? Courtenay native Green in baseball trade limbo

Brian Drewry, Times Colonist

Published: Thursday, July 10, 2008

Taylor Green has only been part of a Major League Baseball organization for a few years, but the Courtenay native is already a veteran of trade rumours and speculation that come with being a professional ball player.

Thanks to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier this week, the 21-year-old has been under the microscope even though he's in Viera, Fla., playing high single-A ball for the Brewers affiliate Brevard County Manatees. The Journal Sentinel reported that Green, a 2004 draft choice of the Brewers out of the Parksville Royals of the B.C. Premier Baseball League, is one of two players the Cleveland Indians are looking at for their 'player to be named later' as part of the recent deal that saw the Brewers pick up Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia from the Indians in exchange for four Milwaukee prospects. The Brewers are hoping the move helps get them into the postseason for the first time in 26 years.

"It has been a little bit crazy these last few days, for sure, but I guess it's never a bad thing when you're name is mentioned along side a Cy Young winner," Green said yesterday, over the phone from Viera where he was preparing for last night's game against Lakeland.

There has been no official word from either the Brewers or Indians as to Green's status, but the Journal Sentinel reported that the Indians have until the end of the minor league regular season -- Aug. 31 -- to decide between Green and another unnamed prospect.

"Nobody from the Brewers has spoken to me, my name has just sort of been thrown out there, so right now I'm trying not to worry about it and I'm just trying to go out there every night and do my job as I always do," added Green.

Green has also heard the rumour that the Indians wanted more time to make up their mind because they want to see if Green, a third baseman by trade, can make the move to second base.

"Oh, I heard that one too," laughed Green. "But right now I'm still at third until I'm told otherwise."

While Green's infield defence has been impressive in his young pro career, it has been his bat that is turning heads lately. Green is fresh off an appearance in the Florida State League all-star game where he finished second in the home run derby to Tampa Bay prospect J.T. Hall. Hall edged Green by one homer in the final round.

"The derby was a lot of fun, especially since it was at our park, and I almost won it so that made it even better," said Green, who finished the all-star game 0-for-2 with an RBI.

Green's work at the plate is what is drawing the Indians' attention. He leads the Manatees in RBIs with 55 and is second on the team in batting average (.290) and home runs (10).

It also didn't hurt that earlier this year Green helped Team Canada earn a spot in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. Green and Victoria's Mike Saunders, who's playing triple-A in the Seattle Mariners' organization, helped the Canadians finish top-4 at the last-chance Olympic qualifier in Taiwan.

Next week Baseball Canada will announce the official roster for the Olympic Games, but young players like Green may be left off in favour of more experienced triple-A players.

"I can't say I won't be disappointed if I'm not named to the Olympic team because I worked hard to help the team at the qualifier and playing in an Olympics would be amazing," Green said. "But at the same time I understand that these are the Olympics and the older guys, who have also worked hard, may get the spots."

So, once again, he waits.

[Mass Haas]

Thanks to Jimmy B and his newly-moved and re-named BrewersNation blog to SportsBubbler (now Bernie's Crew). Congrats on the move.

 

Link from Cleveland.com, relevant text from Terry Pluto follows --

 

I've heard a new name as a possibility to be the player to be named in the CC Sabathia deal with Milwaukee. He's Jonathan Lucroy, a 22-year-old catcher who was the Brewers' third-round pick in 2007. He was just promoted from Class A West Virginia in the South Atlantic League to Class A Brevard County of the Florida State League. In those two combined places, he's hitting .321 with 14 HR and 49 RBI in 302 at-bats. For his pro career (all in Class A) heading into the weekend, he is a .327 hitter with 18 HR and 88 RBI in 535 at-bats, good for a .902 OPS.

I'm reasonably confident 21-year-old third baseman Taylor Green is on the list. He's hitting .291 at Brevard with an .813 OPS along with 10 HR and 55 RBI in 306 at-bats. He told local reporters he's heard rumors about the Indians wanting to see if he can play second base, but he continues to play third - his preferred position.

I hope 21-year-old outfielder Michael Brantley is on the list. He is hitting .324 at Class AA Hunstville with a .405 on-base percentage and 25 steals. He's a speed guy, not much power, but a career .311 hitter in the minors with 188 walks compared to 133 strikeouts in 1,278 at-bats - so he makes contact. Brantley's agent (Brewerfan visitor Josh -- Mass Haas notation) told The Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes that his client is not on the list, but as one GM told me, "That's not information that you'd share with an agent."

[Postseason2006]

Please no LuCroy.

[jjfanec]

I would rather give up Green or Brantley before Lucroy.

[JoeHova]

I'll be sad to see any of those 3 leave, but putting LuCroy on the list is shortsighted (if true). Salome looks good and Lawrie is supposed to be a nice prospect, but the Brewers are only a couple years removed from starting Chad Moeller at catcher on most days. If I was Melvin, I would hoard my catchers until one of them showed he was a good major leaguer.

[twobrewers]

I am kinda of surprised at the reaction.

 

Lucroy would be high on my list to trade. (And I really like Lucroy)

 

Rottino looks like he can be a decent back-up. Salome is a top-flight prospect. And Lawrie plans on playing Catcher (at this point anyways).

 

Catcher is our deepest position.