With the All Star break in full swing, this week we take a look at the only minor league affiliate that is also enjoying their All Star break: the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.
Just the Facts
Columbus (46-53) sits in third place in the International League West Division, and are 15.0 games out of first place. They have won six of their last ten games and four in a row.
Columbus has struggled at the plate this season hitting just .248 as a team, good for 13th in the International League out of 14 teams. They also rank 11th in runs (404), 10th in home runs (76), 12th in total bases (1228), 3rd in walks (386), 2nd in strikeouts (843), 6th in stolen bases (79), and 13th in OPS (.700).
On the pitching front, Columbus ranks 8th in ERA (4.22), 2nd in home runs allowed (98), 4th in walks allowed (372), 2nd in hit batters (42), 2nd in strikeouts (843) and 8th in WHIP (1.41).
Who’s Hot?
Here are some of the hottest players over the last 10 games:
Bryan Price (Right-handed pitcher)
1-1, 1.37 ERA, 19.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R/ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 22 K, .149 BAA
The light bulb appears to have gone on for Price as he is finally putting together a consistent season for the Indians. In 34 combined appearances between Double-A Akron and Columbus he is now 2-1 with a 2.72 ERA, and in 53.0 innings he has allowed 41 hits, 12 walks, and has 66 strikeouts. That five to one strikeout to walk ratio is impressive, not to mention averaging over a strikeout an inning. The Indians have a lot of right-handed relief pitching depth, but he has jumped squarely into the mix of it.
Ryan Rohlinger (Infielder)
.333 AVG (11-for-33), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, .860 OPS
Rohlinger has put together a solid season as a fill-in player at Triple-A for the Indians, hitting .264 with 2 HR, 10 RBI and .709 OPS in 54 games. His chances of making it to the big leagues are remote, but he understands his role as a versatile infielder with a chance to fill-in if needed.
Who’s Not?
Chun Chen (Frist baseman)
.200 AVG (8-for-40), 3 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K, .579 OPS
Chen was the talk of the minors after his hot April/May start at Double-A Akron when he hit .328 with 6 HR, 29 RBI and .974 OPS in 38 games, and then impressed early on in his promotion to Columbus. But over the last month-plus he has really struggled and showed why he is limited as a prospect. He lacks any real versatility in the field as he can only play first base and is a below average major league defender there, so the bat has to be much more productive to get into the big league conversation.
Jeremy Hermida (Outfielder)
.156 AVG (5-for-32), 3 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 9 BB, 10 K, .536 OPS
Hermida was signed in the offseason to a minor league deal to be major league outfield depth at the Triple-A level for the Indians; however, after a good start to the season he has bottomed out since the start of June and has probably removed himself from consideration as a major league option. The walks are nice as he has 69 this season, but he has also struck out 103 times and his power has all but evaporated with just 11 extra base hits his last 41 games.
Parting Shots
- Infielder Cord Phelps is working his way back from a right wrist injury and is expected to return from the disabled list when Columbus picks up play after the All Star break. He is hitting .267 with 9 HR, 46 RBI and .776 OPS in 65 games, and has been playing some first base and left field to add to his versatility and be a utility option for the Indians.
- Right-handed pitcher Diasuke Matsuzaka has had a forgettable season. He has been limited to 12 starts for Columbus because of an oblique strain and is just 1-5 with a 4.55 ERA. That said, after struggling in his initial return from injury, he has put together two good outings in a row totaling 14.2 innings and allowing 5 runs on 14 hits, 2 walks, and piling up 15 strikeouts.
- Right-handed reliever Blake Wood finished up his rehab assignment and was officially optioned to Columbus over the weekend. In five appearances with Columbus he has thrown 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed 2 hits, 4 walks and has 9 strikeouts. If he can just fine-tune the command a little more, he looks healthy and could be an arm that impacts the Cleveland bullpen in the second half of the season.
- Left-handed pitcher TJ House has had a rough go of it in his first exposure to Triple-A this season as he is 3-9 with a 5.15 ERA in 15 starts for Columbus. He is a starting option for the Indians and could even fill a long relief or second lefty role in the pen for the Indians in the second half. He has had two encouraging starts in a row totaling 12.0 innings and allowing 1 run on 8 hits, 6 walks and racking up 11 strikeouts.
