Trevor Crowe

[chiefwahoo]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/116894076639640.xml&coll=2

Something to Crowe about
Talented Tribe prospect steadily finding role in minor leagues
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer reporter

Trevor Crowe reads the sports section, watches “SportsCenter” and listens to sports-talk radio.

He’s like any other minor-league baseball player in that regard. But when Crowe happens to be the subject of such reports, he’d rather be somewhere else.

“I try to stay out of the media as much as possible,” Crowe said.

“If you read too much about yourself when things are going well, you start believing you’re that good. And when things turn, and you read how bad you are, you start believing that.”

It seems like a good approach, but few professional athletes are strong enough to live in a media void. So when Crowe was asked Monday about being mentioned as part of a trade that would have brought Manny Ramirez back to Cleveland in late November, he said, “Even I heard that one.”

The Boston Red Sox reportedly were willing to trade Ramirez for Crowe, Adam Miller and Fausto Carmona. They are the top three prospects in the Indians minor-league system.

“My agent called me and told me that,” Crowe said. “I told him, ‘Just let me go get ready for the season.’ ”

The deal never happened because Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro felt the cost was too high. Crowe now is preparing for spring training in February, where he will attend camp with the big-leaguers. He’s in Cleveland now working out in the team’s winter development program.

While trade rumors made Crowe go mute, the topic of not playing second base was welcomed.

The Indians, with a hole at second after they traded Ronnie Belliard in midseason last year, moved Crowe from center field to second base late in the season at Class AA Akron.

The Indians love Crowe’s speed and bat, but they already have Grady Sizemore in center field. Crowe, 23, played second base in high school in Portland, Ore. If he could make the change, the Indians would have solved a big problem.

“Second base was definitely a struggle for me,” Crowe said. In center field, Crowe said, “All you have to do is run it down and throw it in.” At second base, details like pitch counts, bunt coverage, turning the double play and positioning kept flashing through Crowe’s mind.

“All I was thinking about was picking up a ground ball and throwing it across to first base,” Crowe said. “There’s a lot more going on than people think.”

After the regular season, Akron manager Tim Bogar told Crowe to act like the second-base experiment never happened. A relaxed Crowe hit .349 (15-for-43) with six doubles, two triples, two steals and 12 runs in the Eastern League playoffs.

In the Florida Instructional League, the Indians made the decision to keep Crowe in the outfield.

He went to the Arizona Fall League, facing the best prospects the big leagues have to offer, and hit .329 (26-for-79) with 14 runs, 14 RBI and .449 on-base percentage in 21 games.

Crowe’s second-base worries officially ended when the Indians acquired Josh Barfield from San Diego.

Ross Atkins, Indians director of player development, won’t say where Crowe will start this year.

If he opens at Class AA Akron, it would not be a surprise since he played only 39 games there after starting last year at Class A Kinston, N.C.

“The hardest thing with Trevor is slowing him down like we did with C.C. Sabathia and Adam Miller,” Atkins said. “We’ll do what’s best for him.”

Three to go: Pitcher Matt Miller reached a one-year deal with the Indians on Monday to avoid arbitration. Also, outfielder Jason Michaels and the Indians reached a preliminary agreement on a $4.25 million, two-year contract, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, Michaels, who hit .267 with nine homers and 55 RBI last year, gets a $100,000 signing bonus and salaries of $2 million this season and $2.15 million in 2007. The Indians have a $2.6 million option for 2009.

Michaels must pass a physical for the deal to be finalized. Because of that, he and the Indians will swap proposed arbitration salaries today. Also, relievers Rafael Betancourt and Jason Davis filed for arbitration Friday and are scheduled to exchange salary figures with the Indians today.

Pitcher Brian Sikorski, designated for assignment to make room for reliever Keith Foulke on the 40-man roster, was outrighted to Class AAA Buffalo on Monday. Sikorski received an invitation to spring training.

To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

 

[crazedcav333]

How fast is this guy? I'm a firm believer of using pinch-runners in late innings. Would he fit the profile?

 

[chiefwahoo]

How fast is this guy? I'm a firm believer of using pinch-runners in late innings. Would he fit the profile?

Maybe, but he won't be sniffing the big league roster for a while unless there are injuries. I would expect him to be a September call-up.

 

[cavincali]

All these prospects and only so many positions.

 

[Mac]

We need to keep the prospects because when the guys that play their position in the majors are up for free agency, we don't have an owner that will pay for them to stay

 

[cavincali]

We need to keep the prospects because when the guys that play their position in the majors are up for free agency, we don't have an owner that will pay for them to stay

Kind of like churning water. Man it would be nice if he maned up for a couple of years and got a series title.

 

[chiefwahoo]

Kind of like churning water. Man it would be nice if he maned up for a couple of years and got a series title.

I'm not one to defend Dolan, but would you rather have us go on a spending spree for garbage free agents like the Yanks, Cubs, Mets, and Red Sox? I'd rather see them do what they are doing now. If they iron out the bullpen problems they will be very tough to beat this year.

 

[cdt]

If Hafner is allowed to walk this team should be disbanded..

 

[cavincali]

I'm not one to defend Dolan, but would you rather have us go on a spending spree for garbage free agents like the Yanks, Cubs, Mets, and Red Sox? I'd rather see them do what they are doing now. If they iron out the bullpen problems they will be very tough to beat this year.

I would like to see him spend the money to retain all of our good players. What happened this offseason didnt bother me, they put the money out and the players didnt want to come.

 

[crazedcav333]

IMO, getting Barfield, Borowski, Fultz, and Foulke made this a good off-seasom. If we keep doing that AND keep our core players, we're in good shape.

 

[Cleveland56]

I would like to see him spend the money to retain all of our good players. What happened this offseason didnt bother me, they put the money out and the players didnt want to come.

They did last year too with Giles and Hoffman. I am sure he will make fair offers to our guys (Hafner, CC, Westbrook) in the next few years but the truth is, two of them will probably leave. Blame MLB, not Dolan.

 

[cavincali]

They did last year too with Giles and Hoffman. I am sure he will make fair offers to our guys (Hafner, CC, Westbrook) in the next few years but the truth is, two of them will probably leave. Blame MLB, not Dolan.

We SHOULD keep two.

 

[Cleveland56]

I hope so but when you see contracts that people are getting out there like Zito ($120+), Vernon Wells ($120+), and the moves the Cubs made - it's hard to be optimistic. There is always someone who will pay more....

 

[SportMcAllister]

I would like to see him spend the money to retain all of our good players. What happened this offseason didnt bother me, they put the money out and the players didnt want to come.

You mean like Jacobs did with Belle, Thome and Ramirez?

 

[cavincali]

You mean like Jacobs did with Belle, Thome and Ramirez?

Well, yeah. When the talent was kept and money wasnt a problem the Tribe was dominant.