If the last two days are any indication, Trevor Crowe is getting back to his old self.

That is not only good news for the Aeros, but for the Indians as well. Their No. 1 pick (14th overall) in the 2005 draft has had the Indians brass so worried, they dispatched a handful of instructors to Akron to talk/work/coach/cajole Crowe from the funk that had him hitting .154 through the team’s first 14 games of the season.

I said a few days into the season something was wrong with Crowe, and a handful of bloggers on this site suggested I was jumping to conclusions. Turns out I wasn’t the only one concerned with Crowe’s lack of hitting, stolen bases and all-around energy.

Instructors have been working with Crowe on subjects ranging from his hitting (he’s being overaggressive at the plate and not taking his usual laid-back approach that produces walks - which is crucial for a leadoff hitter), to his fielding, his base running and yes, even his mental state.

In fact, it is the later that many feel is the crux of Crowe’s problems so far this season. For more on this, please read my story on Crowe in Sunday’s Beacon Journal.

Basically, Crowe’s been so wrapped up in looking to get to Cleveland, he’s forgotten he needs to get a passing grade at Double-A and Triple-A first. Then once he started slow, he began pressing and that took him out of his comfort zone and only compounded the issue.

The good news is that deep down, Crowe’s a good kid. He’s taken the constructive criticism and made changes that have shown at the plate and on the base paths in the last two games. He’s not the type to brood and get down, but instead dig deep and work harder.

As one Indians official suggested Saturday, Crowe’s going to face adversity some time in his career, he might as well get it out of the way now.

Indians left-hander Cliff Lee graced the mound for the Aeros Friday night and did more than help them to a 5-1 win.

As is common when major leaguers make rehab starts in the minors, Lee figured he’d buy the team a nice post-game spread (meal). Sometimes the big leaguers will spring for a restaurant like Outback or Damons to cater the meal - just something to give the minor leaguers a break from the same old lockeroom food.

Then Lee got a better idea. A few of the players and team officials have been wearing these new cool black pull overs with a little Aeros logo in the middle just under the neck. They look really nice, but at $50 a pop, they’re not exactly in the budget of a typical minor leaguer.

With the help of the Aeros clubhouse manager, Lee got everyone’s size and ordered 26 pullovers for the guys. Even with a discount, the bill was a nice chunk of change. Still, talk about one cool parting gift!

The Aeros are back at Canal Park Friday night and finally, it looks like they’ll get some decent weather. Don’t worry, I’m not going to dredge up more boo-hooing over Northeast Ohio’s crappy and unpredictable weather in April.

But considering such, I’m encouraged by the fact that depsite snow, rain, heavy winds and six games already postponed (oh those double headers later in the season will be hell), the team is a decent 9-6 and in second place in the Eastren Division, just a half game back of Reading - whom the Aeros just took 3-of-4 from - at Reading, no less.

However, there’s no doubt that the hottest team in the Eastern League is Trenton at 13-2 followed closely by New Hampshire at 10-5 - but both are in the Northern Division.

Still, despite all the early-season distractions, the Aeros are in pretty good shape. Over the first three weeks of play, the team has had three players win individual leeague awards - DH Rodney Choy Foo won the EL Player of the Week award two weeks ago and OF Jon Van Every and LHP Aaron Laffey swept league honors last week as EL Player and Pitcher of the Week.

The Aeros really began to hit as an offensive unit on this last road trip, and now sits first in the 12-team league with a combined batting average of .277.

The pitchers have also handled the cold and wet weather well, and are tied for third in the league with Connecticut with a respectable 3.79 ERA.

Given the crazy circumstances in which the season started, not bad at all. Now, I can’t wait to see what May brings when the batters really begin to heat up.

I get a handful of emails a week from people asking about players and just wanting to chat about some particular baseball subject. I thought I’d include a few from the past week as some I’ve commented on via threads to certain posts, others I’ve just responded personally.

K.J. wondered what the Aeros might be doing as a tribute to the Virginia tech shootings, especially with starting catcher Wyatt Toregas being a former baseball player at Va. Tech. I plan to check with Toregas when the team returns Friday to see if there’s anything special he’s done.

K.J. figured maybe the Eastern League could provide small patches for the players to wear on their uniforms. I think it’s a great idea, I just don’t know if there’s enough money in the low minor leagues to pull it off.

Mike’s been mentioning outfielder Brian Barton alot, and I promised to talk more about him. He’s a very interesting guy in that he played college ball at the University of Miami (a hotbed for players getting drafted), yet wasn’t drafted. Cleveland signed him as a free agent in 2004, and got quite a steal.

For anyone whose seen Barton play, it’s hard to believe he didn’t get drafted. He’s an above average outfielder and has a pretty good plan at the plate. When he first came to Akron mid-way through the season last year, Barton told me it was a complete misunderstading as to why he didn’t get drafted.

He’s a very bight guy and was majoring in engineering (aerospace, I believe). When scouts asked if he wanted to play ball he told them that while he loved baseball, school was important, too. He didn’t mean he wouldn’t sign, he just wanted them to know upfront his education was important to him and his family. So everyone backed off thinking he wouldn’t sign. While his honesty is commendable, it probably cost him a decent signing bonus.

None the less, Barton has quickly risen through the Tribe’s minor league ranks, and for many, came out of no where to be ranked by baseball America as the Tribe’s 5th best prospect heading into the 2007 season. I think he kind of enjoyed not having much pressure on him as an undrafted free agent, because in his first two pro seasons, he combined to hit .324with 50 doubles, 10 triples, 26 homers and 147 RBI at Lake County in ‘05 and Kinston/Akron in ‘06.

Barton struggled a little bit to start the season this year, perhaps unfamiliar with the spotlight being on him. However, in the last week he’s begun to have better at bats (although he still leads the team with 17 strikeouts) and is now hitting a more respectable .271 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI and a team-high four stolen bases.

Mike points out that Barton also has been hit by a pitch a team-high four times. That does seem strange to me, but could be a part of his early struggles in crowding the plate while trying too hard to make something happen instead of staying within himself. Let’s watch that stat and see what happens the next week or two. My guess is that the number stays at four now that Barton’s hitting better.

Lastly, a writer lamented about Joe Ness struggling out of the bullpen in the Aeros loss last night. I like Ness, and just chalk up yesterday’s rough outing to him being a starter shoved in the Aeros rotation in an effort to get him promoted to Akron. If an Aeros starter were to go down, Ness could slide right into a starting job. Until then, he’s stuck in the pen. So, let’s give him a long leash as he adjusts on the fly to a new role.

About three weeks into the season, the Aeros are 6-4 and in second place behind Reading in
the Eastern League Southern Division.

That’s not bad considering they’ve lost six games to bad weather. I’ve been encouraged by the team’s starting pitching as well as the bullpen most games. The hitters always seem to get off to slow starts in cold weather and the delays haven’t helped them, either. So I’m not that worried about the offense yet, though I’d like to see it start rolling here as we enter the end of April.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is batting .378 (14-for-37) with two doubles and three RBI. He owns a hit in each of the 10 games he’s played, including going 3-for-5 with the game-winning RBI single in the Aeros 10-inning victory over visiting Erie Wednesday. I have to admit I’ve been somewhat impressed, especially considering he was labled a no-hit, good glove shortstop. Hopefully, after a half season of productive work at Akron, he can advance to Buffalo and continue to hit well there to emerge as a true backup behind Jhonny Peralta if needed.

Starting pitcher Aaron Laffey is 1-0 with a tidy 1.50 ERA in his first two starts. In 12 innings of work, he has allowed only two runs and has struck out eight batters. Wow! That’s a great start for a kid who flies under the radar - he won’t be able to do it much longer if he keeps this up.

I’ll probably write about this more in the paper when the team gets back in town April 27, but one of the things Aeros manager Tim Bogar was concerned about with the starting rotation was the fact that four of the five guys are lefties - J.D. Martin is the lone right-hander.

However, the hurlers seem to be diversified enough to pull it off with Chuck Lofgren being a power lefty, Laffey’s a sinker ball, double-play guy and Scott Leiws being a master locater who can paint the black at will. The only left-hander I still haven’t seen pitch is Canton native Shawn Nottingham (both of his starts have come on the road).

Second baseman Argenis Reyes is struggling at the plate, batting .167 (6-for-36). He appears well over matched, but has been solid in the field and makes a good double-play combination with Cabrera.

Reliever Kyle Collins is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in three appearances. In 3.2 innings of work, the right-hander has allowed four runs off seven hits and three walks. Opponents are batting a healthy .368 against him. He didn’t pitch well when he was in Akron last year, either. I hope the Indians brass don’t force the issue with him at Double-A, becuase he can give up loads of runs quickly and blow any lead.

Outfielder Trevor Crowe is still struggling at the plate, although I was encouraged by the fact that he worked a pair of walks in Wednesday’s game. Still, he’s hitting just .139 (5-for-36) through nine games with two doubles and three RBI. However, his walk-to-strikeout ratio is improving as he’s upped his walk total to seven and leveled out in strikeouts with nine.

Talking about strikeouts, I was surprised to see outfielder Brian Barton leading the team with 14 (the second highest is Crowe and Cabrera with nine). Now that last year’s performance has put him on the prospect map, he’s clearly pressing. He’s got a great story, so we’ll talk more about him soon.

Enjoy the sunny weekend and hope you all get out to a ball game somewhere while the weather’s nice.

Aeros catcher Wyatt Toregas spent a good portion of Monday on his cell phone calling friends and family to make sure everyone was alright after hearing about the shooting rampage that happened earlier in the day at Virgina Tech - his alma mater.

“To see the footage on TV, it really hit home,” said Toregas, who was selected by the Indians in the 24th round of the 2004 draft out of the school. “I’m thinking, ‘That’s the building I used to go to math class at. That’s the dorm I lived in during my freshman year.’ Luckily, everyone I know who are still there were all O.K.”

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is as nice a guy as you’ll ever meet. He’s a good kid, with a mature head on his shoulders. Toregas is also a rising star in the Indians minor-league system. He’s reponsible enough to know he as to be focused every game - not only for himself, but for the pitcher who depends on him every night.

Yet, there was no mistaking that the events on Monday back home shook him. Toregas was born in Fairfax, Va. He lives in Ashburn, Va. Two off seasons ago, he said he went back to live near school in Blacksburg simply because he missed the place.

Although he’s three years removed from playing at Va. Tech, Toregas still has friends on campus, including players who were red shirt freshmen when he was a senior. He said his younger sister goes to school near Blacksburg, and is on campus often.

“I still have school to finish up after my baseball career is over,” Toregas said. “I can’t envision myself not being there. Blacksburg is a beautiful place, and the people there are really good people.”

Despite the tragedy, Toregas hopes we don’t forget that.

I’m tired of writing about the weather. I’m sure you all are sick of reading about it, too.

But when a baseball game is started with wind gusts ranging between 30-40 mph, well…you get stuck talking about the weather.

So here goes Monday’s bad weather story (with only the good news being no snow involved).

Despite a wind advisory issued for a handful of Akron counties throughout Monday, the first of a three-game set with visiting Erie was still a go by the time fans arrived at Canal Park.

After pulling the tarp and getting the field lined, a huge green blob on the radar screen scared Aeros officials enough to get the tarp back out at 5:47 p.m., where it stayed until the game got underway a little over an hour late at 8:08 p.m.

Of course as soon as the tarp was pulled, the rain that officials had anticipated earlier finally started. Still, the teams played through two and half innings in heavy winds andincreasing rain with the SeaWolves leading 3-0.

With the Aeros preparing to bat in the bottom of the third inning, the umpires delayed the game - calling for the tarp at 8:52 p.m. Probably figuring why stop now since they’ve played in the rain and wind this long, Erie manager Matt Walbeck was livid over having his burned his starting pitcher - right-hander Jair Jurrjens.

The rain didn’t last long, and the tarp was pulled off once again. Still, it took the grounds crew (the MVP’s of the night) more time to dump sand all over the damp infield than anything, with the game finally continuing after a 52-minute delay at 9:43 p.m. - in what felt like 22 degrees with the heavy winds still blowing.

Alright, enough about weather. Here’s some good news for Akron fans:

Aeros designated hitter Rodney Choy Foo was named the Eastern League Player of the Week Monday. The 25-year old helped the Aeros get off to a 3-3 start (six games have already been postponed due to weather) by batting .524 (11-for-21) with a double, a triple and two home runs - including a grand slam.
Choy Foo leads the league in batting average, RBI, on-base percentage (.583) and slugging percentage (.952). His batting average also ranks as the second best in all levels of the minor leagues.
During the off-season, Choy Foo played for the North Shore Honu in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League and was selected as the second baseman on the All-Star Team after hitting .286 with eight doubles, four homers, 18 RBI and 17 runs scored in 34 games. The Waimanalo, Hawaii, native was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 26th round of the June 2000 draft.

The Aeros are off to a 2-1 start after completing their first series this season - a three-game homestand against the rival Altoona Curve. I like what I’ve seen out of the young team so far, but there is one little thing worrying me.

Although I’ve only got three games in which to disect, I’m a little concerned about outfield prospect Trevor Crowe.

Of course, as I write those words, I’m hearing a voice from the past whispering a phrase I heard a lot my first year as a baseball writer in Columbus covering the New York Yankee’s Triple-A team. Whenever I would suggest concern about a player or aspect of the team, one of my favorite former managers - the Columbus Clippers’ Trey Hillman - would calmly say, “Stephanie, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient.”

Anyone who knows me understands the word patience has only recently been added to my vocabulary courtesy of learning on the go as I raise my 6-year-old son.

None the less, and against my better judgement, I’m going to say it again - I’m concerned about Crowe. In the three games against Altoona, he was 1-for-13. Worse, Crowe walked just twice. He struck out five times. And all this as the Aeros leadoff man.

Perhaps Crowe’s just going through a slow start. Maybe the cold weather has thrown him off a bit. He could be battling the flu for all I know. Still, he just hasn’t looked like himself at the plate.

Understand, when Crowe’s going right, he’s a pesky line-drive hitter with a little pop who has a knack for getting on base. Once on, he’ll make the opposing pitcher’s life miserable. The kind of energy he brings to the game instantly rubs off on his teammates.

That’s the way Crowe played when he first joined the Aeros mid-way through last season from high Class-A Kinston where he was leading the K-Tribe in runs, hits and on-base percentage. And that’s the way he played in the Eastern League playoffs, hitting .349 as he helped Akron push the Portland SeaDogs to a deciding Game 5 in the Championship Series last year.

That is not the way Crowe has played through the first three games of the season.

Aeros second-year manager Tim Bogar has noticed it too, and admitted he pulled Crowe aside for a quick chat Tuesday. Granted, not because Bogar was worried about the Indians No. 3 prospect (according to Baseball America), but because he wanted to remind the Tribe’s first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2005 draft to simply stay within himself.

“Trevor’s the kind of kid who expects so much out of himself,” Bogar said.”When he struggles like this, he’s just trying a little bit too hard. We just got to get him to relax and have a little fun. He’s too good of a hitter to be doing what he’s doing right now.”

When the team returns from Bowie Monday, perhaps I’ll remind Crowe that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

With the Aeros off to a 2-0 start, the most surprising aspect of the 2007 team has been it’s bullpen. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect after the starting five (a solid group anchored by the likes of Chuck Lofgren, J.D. Martin and Scott Lewis) departed on any given game night early in the season.

Not only are there a handful of newcomers in the bullpen mix, but several pitchers are starters being converted to relievers such as Jake Dittler and Jensen Lewis. And the team’s closer, Bubbie Buzachero, while a veteran, brings baggage from last season (we’ll get back to this soon).

That being said, even though it’s only been two games, I’ve been pleasently surprised by the consistency of the team’s relievers so far. In Monday’s season-opening win over the Altoona Curve, the relief corps combined for four innings of no-hit ball. Then they did it again against the rival Curve in Tuesday’s victory, squashing any thought of a comeback attempt after the host scored eight runs in the third inning.

“I don’t think we’ve had a hiccup yet,” Aeros second-year manager Tim Bogar said after his squad cruised to a 9-0 win Tuesday night. “It’s pretty impressive in this type of weather, as well as with all the other circumstances (snow postponing the first four games of the season) surrounding us.”

One look at the Aeros roster last week before the season began and it appeared the bullpen could be the team’s weak link early on. Instead, it’s been just as strong as the offense (which has produced 15 runs in two games), the defense and the starting pitchers (Lofgren and Martin have allowed just one run between them).

Finally…some Aeros baseball to write about!

There’s a couple things on my mind after the Aeros finally got the season-opener in after four days of snow delays, namely the encouraging pitching performance of left-hander Chuck Lofgren in the Aeros 6-1 victory Monday.

I feel like I’ve already said a ton about Lofgren, but trust me, this kid deserves it! Consider it was freezing cold Monday night (although no snow, thank you!), he hadn’t pitched in a game in 10 days and he’s learning the nuances of a new ball park, team and manager/coaches. Yet, Lofgren quietly and without complaint or excuse delivers five innings of four-hit ball.

Sure, Lofgren allowed a homer to Altoona’s Randy Ruiz. But it was a solo shot, came sandwiched in between six strikeouts and most importantly, didn’t rattle or phase him one bit.

After the game, reporters had a hard time finding Lofgren. He had quickly showered and was on his way out to greet friends and family when a young kid came up to him with a shiny black broken bat. He told Lofgren first baseman Jordan Brown had given it him, and he was hoping Brown would sign it for him.

A lot of players would have blown the kid off, or simply told him to wait for Brown to come out. But Lofgren tells his group to hold on, goes back in the clubhouse, hunts down Brown, then spends a few minutes looking for a silver Sharpie that would show up on the bat and has Brown sign it so he can take it back out to the kid. I don’t know about you, but trust me when I say there are few people in this world that will go that far out of their way to do a favor for a kid they don’t even know - let alone many ball players. It’s more proof that Lofgren is just as special of a person as he is a player.

Overshadowed a bit by Lofgren’s big night was the 4-for-4 performance of DH and nine-hole hitter Rodney Choy Foo, whose two-run home run in the fourth inning handed the Aeros the lead for good.

Also overlooked was the performance of the Akron bullpen. Newcomer Joe Ness followed Lofgren and promptly stuck out the side in the sixth. Former starter-turned reliever Jensen Lewis and closer Bubbie Buzachero continued to shut down the Curve hitters. In all, the bullpen combined for four shutout innings while striking out six and not allowing a single hit.

In all, it was avery good opening night for the Aeros - even if took four more days than expected.