Barton, Gimemez Gone, Head on Board
Posted August 7th, 2007 by Stephanie Storm
Well, it took a few more days than I expected, but Aeros outfielder Brian Barton was finally promoted to Triple-A Buffalo after Sunday’s game.
Good move for him, as he certainly deserves it after batting .314 (122-for-389) with 18 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 59 RBI, 41 walks and of course, the Minor-League leading 28 hit-by-pitches in 106 games with the Aeros this season.
In fact, Barton’s numbers across the board were as consistent as one can get. He hit .303 agaianst left-handers and .317 against righties. He hit .315 in 50 home games and .313 in 56 road games.
The same day Barton said goodbye to his Akron teammates, the Aeros received infielder Chris De La Cruz from Class-A Kinston. Honestly, I’m not sure what that move is all about. I even wonder if he’ll be in town for more than a few days.
Then Monday, the team saw two more unexpected transactions as catcher/third baseman/outfielder Chris Gimenez (.221 in 30 games with six doubles and six home runs) was sent back to Kinston while first baseman Stephen Head is set to make his Akron debut Tuesday when the team kicks off a six-game home stand at Canal Park.
Head, the Tribe’s No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft out of the Univ. of Mississippi, was batting just .251 in 102 games with Kinston.
Honestly, I expected to see third baseman Wes Hodges (batting .300 in 80 games with Kinston) before Head this season. Obviously, the Tribe brass doesn’t bother to consult with me before making moves. Go figure.
Anyway, to me, Head’s promotion indicates that injured-but-still-playing Jordan Brown will spend more time in the outfield than at first base and always-injured Michael Aubrey still can’t handle every day first base duties.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:47 am
Hey Stephanie,
The Head move does not come as a surprise. It has been rumored ever since Whitney was promoted. Head has been hitting better lately. De La Cruz confuses me as well. He is playing well but he is strictly an organizational player. There is some serious chatter that Mills, Martin, Hodges and Brown may still move this year in close proximity even though Atkins recently denied it.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
According to a competing paper, A-drub just got called up to the big leagues. What do you think of that, Stephanie? Personally, I’d rather see him get lots of at bats at AAA.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I’m trying to understand the Indians signing a bunch of AAAA players to fill Buffalo for the year (Elarton, now Branyan) instead of promoting from within. Also, nice to see Asdrubal Cabrera get a nice long time to get adjusted to Buffalo. Eight games before he joins the big club as the utility guy. He’ll be better than Rouse, without a doubt, but I never realized how tough it must be to simply find a utility guy at the major league level.
August 7th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
It is a tough situation for such a young player to be put in the middle of a pennant race but if there were a lot of options we wouldn’t have had Rouse in the first place. I am sure the Tribe would love to promote from within but players have to be ready for AAA and the only two position players on the Akron roster potentially ready are Brown, who is injured, and Toregas, who has been injured. Santos looks to be the only pitcher who has a chance to move up.
BTW, if finding utility players was that easy, why are the Yankees having such a tough time finding one? They have a lot bigger budget than the Tribe.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
You know why it’s so hard to find a good utility guy at any level? Because baseball is a game that requires consistency - and it’s nearly impossible to be consistent when you have no idea when or where you’re playing let alone when you’re playing only once a week or in Rouse’s case - less than that.
Every once in awhile you’ll find a special guy who can fill that role, but I can’t even think of one right now off the top of my head in the big leagues. For the Indians, I thought that guy could have been Joe Inglett, but the injury in spring training and then the rough year at Buffalo has squashed that idea for now.
My only concern with Asdrubal being called up to Cleveland is that I believe he needs to be an everyday player. He can rotate between short and second, but with his good defense, I’d hate to see him sit five, six days in a row. That would be a waste.
As for being called up to Cleveland so quickly, I don’t have a problem with it. Remember that he spent all last season at Triple-A, so the jump to the Indians shouldn’t be too much for him.