With the Instructional League still ongoing and meetings between the scouts and front office having started on Sunday the next phase of the offseason kicked into high gear on Tuesday with the Arizona Fall League.
Of the six Cleveland players that are assigned to the Peoria Javelinas, the two that will receive the most attention are Francisco Lindor and Tony Wolters. They are also the two that Akron manager Dave Wallace is eager to see.
Lindor was the final Indians' addition to the Fall League after he batted .276 between Akron and Columbus. In his final 38 games with the Clippers, Lindor batted .273 with five home runs and 14 RBI. Some thought that Lindor would have been called up to Cleveland for the final couple weeks of the regular season, but the Indians have been deliberate in his development.
"As much as I've been with Lindor, I want to watch him and pick his brain about what he learned in Columbus," said Wallace, who is serving as a bench coach with Peoria.
Wallace managed all but one of the Indians who are in the Fall League this past season. He will be of particular help to Tony Wolters, who has developed into one of the better catchers in the organization's system as he threw out 25 of 53 base-stealers this past season.
Catchers also figure prominently into the new pace of play rules that are being tried out in the Fall League since each team will be permitted three mound conferences involving pitchers and catchers or managers or coaches. For someone like Wolters, who is still learning the position, most of the strategy sessions will now need to take place in the dugout.
"I get it (the pace of play rules) but for a guy learning the position -- leadership, pitching staffs and handling the game -- that throws a wrench into it," Wallace said. "He (Wolters) has easily exceeded all of my expectations for where I thought he would be. Physically behind the plate he has the chance to be a championship-caliber catcher. The quickness is impressive."
As for the other experiments as far as pace of play -- a hitter keeping one foot inside the batter's box throughout his plate appearance, intentional walks automatically taking first base, a pitch clock at some games and maximum break times being enforced -- Wallace sees everything as trying to take as much downtime out of the game as possible.
"As long as stuff is going on they are trying to get back to quickening the pace which I support," he said. "It is going to be interesting but you can tell it is important to the people at MLB."
Besides Lindor and Wolters, the other players in the Fall League are outfielder Jordan Smith and pitchers Dylan Baker, Nick Maronde and Louis Head. Besides the Indians, players from the farm systems of the Royals, Braves, Cardinals and Rays are on Peoria.
