Small or mid-market teams attempting to compete in the unbalanced competitive world of Major League Baseball need to either have no concern for their bottom line, or be very, very savvy when acquiring and developing players.
After all, as the Indians have shown repeatedly, a small team playing small-payroll ball will be able to hold onto their top players for only brief periods of time, so they better have a high hit rate when they invest high draft choices and developmental resources.
The Cleveland Indians' execution of that strategy doesn't appear to have created much hope for the 2011 season, as most experts are prognosticating that the Tribe will be non-factors in the American League.
Which brings us to Trevor Crowe. The Indians offered a press release this afternoon concerning their 27-year-old outfielder, the team's first-round pick in the 2005 draft:
Indians OF TREVOR CROWE will seek surgical consultation on Wednesday in New York (Dr. David Altchek) on his right shoulder. Crowe has not participated in any Cactus League games for the Indians in 2011. Crowe has not responded to an aggressive rehabilitation and treatment program. He will return to Cleveland following the consultation.
