From the Collection: Art Houtteman, p, Cleveland Indians
Pitcher Art Houtteman was with Cleveland from 1953 to 1956. This was during the latter half of his career, but he still went a solid 34-22 with a 97 ERA+ during that run. He
Collecting Cleveland Baseball Since 1982
Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
From the Collection: Adam Plutko, p, LG Twins
Back in 2011, the top three of the UCLA Bruins rotation were Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, and Adam Plutko. As good as that rotation was–and both Bauer and Cole would get taken in the first round of that year’s draft–it would be the Plutko-led rotation in 2012 that would win the National Championship.
From the Collection: Cliff Lee, sp, Cleveland Baseball
A very cool TTM success from Cleveland ace Cliff Lee, back when sending to Spring Training was still worth the effort.
New Arrival: Bobby Bonds, of, Cleveland Baseball
Outfielder Bobby Bonds had a fantastic career in the Major Leagues, which included a single season in Cleveland. It’s a shame, though, that his career has been somewhat overshadowed by his son’s impact–both good and bad–on the game.
From the Field: Aaron Bracho, if, Cleveland Guardians
A couple of seasons ago infielder Aaron Bracho was one of the Cleveland Guardians’ best position prospects. But after two terrible seasons in High-A, his prospect status was on life-support. The dude could not hit over .200 in either season, and there was no reason to expect that 2023 was going to be any different.
New Arrival: Noah Syndergaard, p, Cleveland Guardians
Coming back to Cleveland in the Rosario trade was Noah Syndergaard. This was more about money–and Cleveland helping eat some salary–than about value back. I had heard that most Dodgers fans were sick of Syndergaard, but I did not appreciate how bad a pitcher he had become until I saw it in person.
From the Collection: Kyle Crockett, p, Cleveland Guardians
Kyle Crockett. What a bummer. Cleveland drafted him in 2013, in the 4th round out of the University of Virginia. He was rated the 113th-best prospect in the draft and immediately became one of the organization’s top relief prospects.
From the Collection: Barolo Colon, p, Cleveland Guardians
Bartolo Colon will be officially retiring from baseball on 17 September 2023. He will retire as a New York Met, who he pitched for from 2014-16. He is 50 years old. I had no idea he hadn’t retired yet.
From the Field: Dayan Frias, if, Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians minor league system has not performed to the lofty expectations of the pre-season. But, there are some bright spots. Among them, is infielder Dayan Frias.
New Arrival: Welbyn Francisca, of, Cleveland Guardians
If I was going to get excited about a player that is years away from the majors, I could do worse than shortstop Welbyn Francisca. In early 2023 the Guards signed him out of the Dominican Republic, where he was considered one of the top 50 international free agents.