For those who didn't like the trade...

[Hawaii007]

I believe that Escobar was a key in the minds of the Tribe braintrust but if you look at the rest of the rankings, Traber and Snyder are within the top 5 of the Tribe's organization. So the trade did what the Tribe said they wanted to do, put more depth in the farm system and if you notice most of the players are supposed to be ready in 2003-2004, that is when a lot of the current ML contracts are going to be up so there will be positions to fill. That is why I thought the trade did what they wanted to do, it filled the right field hole, it filled the middle relief hole. It was well known to get an adequate second basemen would be easy as middle infielders are easy to come by especially with the FA market the way it was this year.
And for those who wanted Strange instead of Snyder, they both have equivalent numbers, so no real big difference. Plus they needed a position player more then another spot starter middle reliever in the minors.


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[srg]

Ok cheapskates here are a few bio's:



Earl Snyder 1B/3B

By: Anup Sinha
Date: January 9, 2002

Earl Snyder 1B/3B

Cleveland Indians
Last Drafted: (36)1998-Mets
Last School: Hartford
Highest Level in 2001: AAA (19 AB)

Height 6-0 Bats/Throws R/R
Weight 215 Birth Date 5/6/76

I got to see Snyder play quite a bit in the Arizona Fall League this past October, and he looked like a big league power-hitter in the making. His bat is clearly his most attractive feature, but he showed me at least adequate defensive tools for first base and maybe even third.

Snyder is a strongly built 6-0, 215, without much room to project. He is thickly muscled in his lower body and will have to be careful not to gain too much weight.

Snyder is an aggressive hitter and he simply attacks the ball when he sees it. There?s no question what his passion is. From the right side, Snyder is fairly compact to the ball and gets "plus" extension after contact. He generates MLB-caliber bat-speed and has good overall hitting actions.

Snyder has big-time, upper-deck power, but pretty much just to the pull-fields. Snyder likes to turn on everything and I can see big league pitchers wearing him out by going away. That?s an adjustment he?ll need to make to become a #5 hitter; I think he?s capable of it, but right now that?s where his strikeouts will come.

When he?s not hitting homeruns, he?s bound to hurt someone on the field. He really puts a charge into the ball when he makes contact.

Snyder is a slow runner which probably led to his placement at first base. But his hands, first-step, and even his arm isn?t all that bad. Snyder can handle third base at least in a pinch, and I think he can be a very adequate first baseman. He played a little third for Double-A Binghamton (.281-20-75, 35 Doubles, 111 SO, 58 BB in 402 AB) and then played a lot more during the Arizona Fall League.

I think he can help the Indians very quickly as a righthanded bat, but there may not be room coming out of spring training.



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[srg]

Corey Smith 3B/OF

By: Anup Sinha
Date: January 9, 2002

Corey Smith 3B/OF

Cleveland Indians
Last Drafted: (1)2000
Last School: Piscataway HS, NJ
Highest Level in 2001: A

Height 6-0 Bats/Throws R/R
Weight 210 Birth Date 4/15/82


Corey Smith has a lot of interesting tools and the aggressive demeanor to go with it.

At 6-0, 210, Smith is very strong physically. His shoulders are broad and his arms well-developed. Smith is also strong in his lower body, but not overly thick in his legs or hips. I?m not sure how much he?ll project physically, but he might not need to.

Smith struck out 146 times last summer and there is concern if he?ll be able to adjust to the good breaking ball pitchers at the upper levels. Smith can generate near-MLB bat-speed, and the ball jumps off his bat. But he doesn?t know how or when to tone down his swing, and that will be crucial to his success.

His raw power is very good, and 30 HR potential is there. Hitting for average is possible, but will be harder to come by.

Smith only stole ten bases for low Single-A Columbus (.260-18-85), but he runs a comfortable 6.7 60 yd and is even faster with baseball distances. His first step and acceleration are very good, and I?d expect him to be a 25-30 stolen base threat.

Defense has been a struggle for Smith at the hot corner. A primary shortstop in high school, Smith has been slow to react to the hops and has made a lot of throwing errors as well. When he began his pro career, he was show-boating, but 45 errors last year had a way of reducing that.

Tool-wise, Smith has a quick first step and a very good arm. His hands need a little work, but should be playable.

I do think that Smith could step into any of the three outfield spots and be a defensive stalwart with relatively little effort. I watched him play the outfield in high school and his agility really stood out. His throws carry very well and he could have a rightfielder?s arm. For me, it?s a no-brainer, and there has been speculation for a switch by Cleveland personnel.

Smith will turn 20 in April and is headed for a big test in high Single-A Kinston. He?ll see a lot more good curveballs and it will be a challenge to strike out less than 146 times in 2002.

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[srg]

Victor Martinez C

By: Anup Sinha
Date: January 9, 2002

Victor Martinez C

Cleveland Indians
Last Drafted: (FA)1996
Last School: Venezuela
Highest Level in 2001: A

Height 6-2 Bats/Throws S/R
Weight 180 Birth Date 12/23/78

Martinez was definitely the Indians? breakthrough prospect in 2001. He always impressed with his receiving skills, but last summer got stronger and started swinging the bat like a big leaguer, too. Martinez hit .329-10-57, with 33 Doubles. He struck out just 60 times to 39 walks in 420 AB.

Martinez is a gap-hitter from both sides of the plate. He?s combined his former poke-hitting skill with his increased strength and power. It?s hard to project him to hit .329 in the big leagues, but he could hit for a decent average and a lot of doubles.

Defensively, Martinez is very active behind the plate. He has good hands, shifty feet, and can make a lot of stops. His arm is a tad below-average in strength, but his quick feet and short release make him average against the run.

At 6-2, 180, Martinez could still get stronger.

He?ll play the season out as a 23 year-old, most likely at Double-A Akron. Martinez could very well be Einar Diaz?s replacement down the road.

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[Hawaii007]

Thanks a lot SRG...anyway...as a result, that is why I don't think people should trash the trade as much as they have.

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[*TR]

Instead of vindicating the Alomar trade this information is more of indictment of the Tribe farm system. The idea that Snyder is our 5th best prospect is either ludicrous or embarrassing.

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[Bye!]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by *TR:
Instead of vindicating the Alomar trade this information is more of indictment of the Tribe farm system. The idea that Snyder is our 5th best prospect is either ludicrous or embarrassing.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's one publication's opinion. In most publications, Snyder isn't even ranked as a prospect. From what I've seen of Teamone, they aren't very good at rating prospects.

Snyder is what he is: A 26 year old 3A player who will be a bench player in the majors, if that. My guess is that he'll be on another team within a year.

They didn't rank guys like Corey Smith, Denham, Martin, to name a few. I'm guessing they only ranked players that have a chance of making the majors this year. So don't get too excited about them.



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[Hawaii007]

Unless you have the pass into the top 20 prospects I am not sure whether or not Smith et al were ranked. From what SRG listed, it seems like they did evaluate at least Smith.
Yes if you want to look at it this way that putting Snyder down as the 5th best prospect is merely a negative reflection of the farm system, but my point is that exactly, the Tribe had NO farm system in the upper minors because of all their trades under John Hart which is why this trade made sense for them because they were able to start the restocking process.
TR I am curious why you don't like Snyder so much, have you seen him play in a few games or are you basing it on stats that you have picked up?
Let's put it this way anyway, he is considered better then Danny Peoples who he pretty much replaced in the farm system and if he is a adequate corner infielder or solid bench player, that is fine, considering we don't seem to have anything like that in the farm system.


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[supersleuth]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by *TR:
Instead of vindicating the Alomar trade this information is more of indictment of the Tribe farm system.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What makes you think these two ideas are contradictory? A veteran star was traded for prospects because our system was so short of position-player prospects.


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[*TR]

Never said the two ideas were contradictory, You are right they are not.
Also yes, I like Earl Snyder MUCH more than Danny Peoples. But Earl Snyder (at 26) shouldn't be any teams 5th best prospect in any publication!

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