Cleveland took full advantage of September roster expansion to call-up a number of their prospects, including OF/1B-L Ben Broussard, OF-S Covelli Crisp, RHP Jason Davis, RHP Ryan Drese, RHP Dave Elder, LHP Alex Herrera, LHP Cliff Lee, OF-S Chris Magruder, C-S Victor Martinez, LHP David Maurer, MI-R Brandon Phillips, RHP Roy Smith, UT-R Earl Snyder, and LHP Brian Tallet.

Broussard hasn't yet demonstrated during his major league time the plate discipline he displayed in the minors. However he seems to have very little left to prove in AAA and certainly deserves a regular big league position now. I expect him to break camp with the Indians next spring.

The Indians were anxious to show off the prize they received for Chuck Finley and promoted Crisp from AA almost as soon as he arrived from the Cardinals. They demoted him at the end of August for roster reasons, so he spent 10 days in AAA at the beginning of September, but that is the only AAA time the 22-year-old has accumulated. He's hit .266 with a .324 OBP and .395 SLG on 33 H, 9 2B, 2 3B, and 1 HR with an 11:19 BB:K and 4/5 SB% in the majors. However, the team has no urgent need for him in 2003 and he'll be a much stronger player after a season at AAA, so he shouldn't be up again until next September.

Cleveland drafted Davis out of Cleveland State Tennessee Junior College in the 21st round of the 1999 draft. After spending last season with Columbus in the A South Atlantic League, Davis advanced to A+ Kinston in the Carolina League to start 2002. Over 17 starts in A+, he compiled a 68:31 K:BB with 107 H and 7 HR allowed in 99.2 IP for a 4.15 ERA, prompting the Indians to promote him to AA Akron in the Eastern League. Davis made 10 starts for Akron before his September call-up, posting a 3.51 ERA on a 45:16 K:BB with 63 H and 2 HR allowed in 59 IP. He threw one extended relief outing and has started twice this month, compiling an 11:4 K:BB with 12 H and 1 HR allowed in 14.2 IP for a 1.84 ERA. Nevertheless I still believe the 22-year-old should head to AAA for at least the first half of next season to give him more experience against high-level competition before permanently joining the Cleveland rotation.

The Indians demoted Drese at the end of August to give him a few weeks to work on some skill problems at AAA. Many people who looked at his 6.55 ERA were disappointed by Drese's rookie season. However, if you examine the stats behind that number, he compiled a 102:62 K:BB with 176 H and 15 HR allowed in 137.1 IP. The 26-year-old's strikeout numbers were good, he allowed less than a homer per nine innings, and he was only about 1 BB/9 above target levels. Drese's problem this season was with his 11.5 H/9, which is a number that can be at least partially attributed to pitching in front of the worst defense in the majors. Provided Cleveland improves their defense next season, Drese should see a decided improvement in his ERA in 2003. He certainly shouldn't lose his rotation spot over his performance this year.

In the Texas system last season, Elder pitched as a starter for both AA Tulsa and AAA Oklahoma. After acquiring him for John Rocker in the off-season, Cleveland decided to move him to the pen and sent him to AA Akron to start 2002. The Indians advanced Elder to AAA after he compiled a 42:18 K:BB with 19 H and 1 HR allowed in 36 IP at AA for a 2.00 ERA over 23 appearances, including one start. At AAA, Elder posted a 2.65 ERA on a 42:14 K:BB with 32 H and 1 HR allowed in 34 IP over 22 appearances, again with one start. Cleveland promoted him to the majors from AAA twice before September, so he now has 23 major league innings of a 3.13 ERA on a 23:14 K:BB with 18 H and 1 HR allowed. The 27-year-old should work setup successfully in the big league pen in 2003 and could save a few games.

Herrera signed with the Indians as a nondrafted free agent out of Venezuela in 1997. He's worked his way slowly through their system as a lefty-reliever and spent most of this season at AA Akron aside from a few innings with AAA Buffalo. At AA he compiled a 65:30 K:BB with 47 H and 8 HR allowed in 61.1 IP for a 3.38 ERA. While his slow pace seemed fine prior to this season when we believed he was only 22, Herrera gained three years in the age adjustments. He needs at least a full season of AAA work before he spends significant time in the majors, and I'm quite worried about his homer problem and walk rate. Cleveland has him in the majors this month to have another lefty out of the pen and get him a few more innings of work.

Like Crisp, the Indians are parading Lee out to show off the spoils of their trades this season. A month after Cleveland acquired him in the Colon deal, he advanced from AA Akron to AAA Buffalo. Lee made eight starts with Buffalo, compiling a 30:22 K:BB with 36 H and 7 HR allowed in 43 IP for a 3.77 ERA before his September cup-of-coffee. He's started twice in the majors, where he has a 1.74 ERA on a 6:8 K:BB with 6 H allowed in 10.1 IP. There's no question the 23-year-old needs to return to AAA next season, but he still remains a quality starting prospect.

Magruder's major league performance this season was below expectations, but his AAA skills still indicate he could be a productive fourth or fifth outfielder in the majors. I expect he'll spend the next few seasons bobbing between Buffalo and Cleveland, depending on the status of the Indians other outfielders. He's received quite a bit of playing time this month due to Matt Lawton's injury.

Lawton stopped playing in early September and went on the DL mid-month prior to surgery to remove a cyst from his right collarbone. Unfortunately, while removing the cysts, doctors noticed that Lawton had severe problems in his shoulder cavity. According to an article by Sheldon Ocher of The Beacon Journal, the surgeon who performed the surgery, Dr Tim Kremchek said that "Lawton completely tore the rotator cuff. When I got in there, I saw that the labrum was totally torn off, top to bottom. It had started to heal abnormally, so I had to put six screws in there and sew it back up." Lawton separated his shoulder in April and played through pain throughout the season. Now he likely won't be ready to play when the 2003 season opens as he needs 6-9 months of rehab.

Victor Martinez signed with Cleveland as a nondrafted free agent out of Venezuela in 1996. He spent two seasons with the Indians' Venezuelan Summer League team before they placed him with Mahoning Valley in the Short-season New York-Pennsylvania League in 1999. Some shoulder problems in 2000 slowed his progression through their minor league system, so he reached AA for the first time at the beginning of 2002. The 23-year-old tore up the league, surpassing his impressive A+ numbers from 2001. Martinez hit .336 with a .417 OBP and .576 SLG on 149 H, 40 2B, and 22 HR with a 58:62 BB:K and 3/6 SB% in 443 AB. He has plate discipline, power, and reportedly also admirably performs the defensive duties of a catcher. Martinez played quite regularly this month due to Einar Diaz's injury, and his numbers logically show that despite his AA accomplishments, he's not ready for the majors. The Indians need to avoid any lingering temptation to rush Martinez through AAA, allow him to continue his development at AAA Buffalo next season, and then they should have a fantastic catcher prepared to start in September 2003.

Diaz, who was plagued with injuries throughout the year, hit the DL with a strained right elbow in late August and is now out for the season. Cleveland called up Josh Bard from AAA Buffalo to replace him on the roster. If Martinez weren't in the system, Bard would likely be set as the Indians' starting catcher for the next several seasons. He reportedly possesses excellent defensive abilities, and this season at AAA he hit .297 with a .332 OBP and .436 SLG on 102 H, 26 2B, 2 3B, and 6 HR with a 20:45 BB:K in 344 AB. I fully expect Bard to start in 2003 while Martinez works through AAA, and then the Indians should deal Bard for a sizable package at the 2004 trade deadline.

Maurer signed with the Indians as a minor league free agent this off-season. He's shown considerable promise in the past but still bounced from organization to organization. This season at AAA, he compiled a 73:24 K:BB with 50 H and 6 HR allowed in 68.1 IP for a 2.90 ERA over 36 appearances, including three starts. The Indians called him up to have another lefty in the pen this month, but his stats indicate he deserves an extended tryout as a left-handed reliever in a major league pen.

After coming over from the Expos' system in the Colon trade, Phillips hit .283 with a .321 OBP and .453 SLG on 63 H, 14 2B, and 8 HR with a 14:36 BB:K and 8/10 SB% in 223 AB at AAA Buffalo. Another half season at AAA would probably give Phillips a smoother transition into the majors, but he could start now if the Indians are willing to let him experience some bumps in the bigs. Cleveland moved him from short to second at AAA and now there could be an opening at second for Opening Day 2003.

Ricky Gutierrez is scheduled to have surgery on two herniated discs in his neck in early October. If all goes well, Gutierrez could be fine for Spring Training and is signed through 2004. However, there's a possibility that he'll be unable to move his head to the extent necessary for him to continue a career in baseball after the surgery.

The Indians promoted Greg LaRocca when Gutierrez hit the DL in mid-August. LaRocca signed with Cleveland as a minor league free agent in 2001 and really asserted himself as a potential utility player this season at AAA Buffalo. He hit .293 with a .402 OBP and .432 SLG on 112 H, 28 2B, 2 3B, and 7 HR with a 48:48 BB:K and 17/21 SB% in 382 AB. The 29-year-old's held his own over 52 AB in the majors, hitting .269 with a .367 OBP and .365 SLG on 14 H, 3 2B and 1 3B with a 6:6 BB:K and 1/1 SB%, and would be a quality candidate for the Cleveland bench next year.

Florida drafted Roy Smith out of high school in the 13th round of the 1994 draft, but the Marlins released him in 1998 after he struggled as a starter. Smith then spent two years with St. Paul in the independent Northern League before signing with Cleveland in 2000. Over the past few years, he's asserted himself as a quality relief prospect. This season at AAA Buffalo, the 26-year-old compiled a 65:29 K:BB with 65 H and 2 HR allowed in 70.1 IP for a 3.84 ERA over 36 appearances, including three starts. He's only pitched a few innings this month, but I expect him to compete for a relief job in Spring Training.

Snyder likely would have benefited more from an uninterrupted season of AAA, but even with two pre-September trips to Cleveland, he probably doesn't need to return to Buffalo next year unless the Indians' roster is full without him. He's useful as a power bat without a lot of strike zone judgment who can stand at infield and outfield corners.

Cleveland drafted the 6'7" Tallet out of Louisiana State University in the second round of the 2000 draft. He began the season at AA Akron and advanced to AAA Buffalo after compiling a 73:32 K:BB with 93 H and 9 HR allowed in 102.1 IP for a 3.08 ERA at AA. Before joining the Indians in September, Tallet posted a 3.07 ERA at AAA on a 25:16 K:BB with 47 H and 1 HR allowed in 44 IP. Like Davis and Lee, Tallet definitely needs to return to AAA to start 2003, but he's yet another starting prospect in the Indians' system that could contribute to their rotation in next two years. In his two starts this month, he compiled a 5:4 K:BB with 9 H allowed in 12 IP for a 1.50 ERA.