The First Cuts Are Not The Deepest.

The Indians made their first cuts from their major league camp this morning, none of them particularly surprising. Adam Miller and Reid Santos have been optioned to Buffalo, Michael Aubrey and Scott Lewis were optioned to Akron, and Chuck Lofgren was reassigned to the minor league camp.

Adam Miller is of course the top prospect in the organization, and has been since his incredible 2004 season in which he tore through both levels of A ball at age 19 and first elicited comparisons to Bret Saberhagen. At the time, there were thoughts that by 2006 Miller would be in the majors to stay, so it is understandable to believe that Miller not even making his major league debut yet can only be seen as a disappointment. However, there are some positives.

Miller's delay has been due to injuries, not inneffectiveness. While this is not altogether reassuring, the injuries have been to his elbow and finger, which generally do not lead to long term issues, in the way that a shoulder or back injury may. Furthermore, there's now a school of thinking that a pitcher suffering injuries in his teens or early twenties may actually help him. It is no secret that pitchers' arms are fragile during this time frame, and these injuries will help limit the stress put on his developing arm. The key needs to be that these injuries do not stunt the pitcher's development. To put it another way, if Miller goes on to be a #2 starter in the major leagues for many years to come then it's a net gain over someone like Mark Prior or Kerry Wood who have had a glorious but brief career. The caveat is that these injuries may derail Miller's career permanently, as the annals are filled with fine prospects like Ryan Anderson or Roger Salkeld who never made an impact in the majors.

Reid Santos is a pitcher whose ceiling appears to be as a lefty reliever. He throws more junk than Rafael Perez, but similarly has shown a history to get both righties and lefties out in the minors. He was added to the 40 man roster in the offseason, very much at the expense of Brian Barton, who was subsequently selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Cardinals. It's an interesting challenge, one I think the Indians erred on. Santos was always likely to be drafted in the Rule 5, as lefty relievers are a common Rule 5 selection, while I think the Indians incorrectly gambled that Barton would not be. However, Barton has had a great deal of success in the minors, is a capable defensive centerfielder, and profiles as a player who at the very least will be an effective fourth outfielder for several years.

Scott Lewis is an Ohio State product who has recovered from Tommy John and was known for an unbelievable curveball. However, Baseball America relates that he lost touch on that curve last year, but still managed to have a successful season. It's surprising that he was assigned to Akron, as he had an effective season there last season. This is an important year in his development, as the Indians will almost certainly allow him to work deeper into games than he has since he's worked to recover from Tommy John surgery in late 2004.

Michael Aubrey is something of a tragic story that may still turn out happily. The Indians first pick of the 2003 draft, one that has also yielded Miller, Aubrey was seen as the best college hitter in the draft, one capable of quickly reaching the majors. Unfortunately, in 2005 he suffered a stress fracture in his back, an injury that has at times been debilitating. His optioning to Akron means he will have played there every season since 2004, but only totaled 124 games at that level. With luck, he will be able to put a full season, as he's still seen as having a tremendous bat. However, he's now entering his age 26 season having never played in AAA, and a player who is looking at Ryan Garko, Jordan Brown and Travis Hafner all being above him in the organizational pecking order, with Beau Mills rapidly closing behind him.

Chuck Lofgren has been rated the Indians 2nd best prospect by Baseball America in each of the last two seasons. He had a breakout 2006 at Kinston but followed it up with a rather mediocre 2007 at Akron. Another Indian prospect with an important season ahead of him, look for him to start out at Akron to work on his changeup before moving up to Buffalo during the season. The reason he was reassigned to minor league camp as opposed to being optioned like the others is that he is not on the 40 man roster, as the others are.