Indians' list of 40-man roster catchers and OF'ers heading to Spring Training

Michael Brantley bats against the Detroit Tigers on September 15, 2012.Who's He?: Brantley is another regular in the outfield, appearing in 363 games for the Tribe since 2009. The lefty 25-year old was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. He was sent to Cleveland in the 2008 trade that included Matt LaPorta joining the Indians and C.C. Sabathia being traded to the Brewers.The bulk of Brantley's major league experience comes in the last few years, primarily as the team's center fielder following injuries to Grady Sizemore. Between 2011 and 2012, Brantley greatly improved his defense and became a much stronger presence in the Indians lineup. His .997 fielding percentage in 2012 was fourth in the American League. Last season, he upped his total hits, extra bases, walks, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while lowering his number of strikeouts.Hopes for 2013: With the departure of Shin-Soo Choo and the signings of Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher, Brantley will compete this spring for a spot in the newly-fixtured Tribe outfield.Lou Marson lays down a suicide squeeze bunt during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field on August 11, 2012.Who's He?: Marson has been the secondary catcher for the Indians, filling in when Santana has a day off or plays DH/1B. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and came to the Tribe in 2009 in the trade that sent Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to Philadelphia and Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Marson to Cleveland.Marson has been given a fair amount of playing time, appearing in an average of 79 games per season the last three years. In that stretch, he has a meager .216 batting average and .304 on-base percentage; he does get on base via the walk a fair amount for a backup player.Hopes for 2013: Marson will look to continue his role in catching games where Santana plays another position or is given a day off. He will work with the large group of new pitchers signed or traded for this offseason to familiarize himself with them for the 2013 season.Carlos Santana bats against the Detroit Tigers during their game on September 14, 2012.Who's He?: Santana has been a familiar face as the primary catcher for the Tribe since being called up in the 2010 season. Though he is a relatively new major leaguer, Santana is 26 years old, having been signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. He came to the Indians organization in 2008, in a trade that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers.Though mainly a catcher, Santana has also seen time as the Indians' designated hitter and first baseman. Since being called up in 2010, he has been one of the best hitters for the Tribe. In 2011 and 2012, his first two full seasons in the big-leagues, Santana's .246 batting average is misleading. In those two seasons, he has walked 188 times, to bring his on-base percentage to .358 as a switch-hitter. His 18 home runs last year led the weak-hitting Indians team, and tied Jason Kipnis for the most RBIs with 76.Hopes for 2013: Santana will head to camp as the starting catcher again, and will look to use his two full years of pro experience to continue to improve his hitting and multi-positional defense.View the list »
Catcher Carlos Santana throws to second during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field on September 18, 2012.

MLB newsletter

As pitchers, catchers and soon position players will have reported to Spring Training camp, the Cleveland Indians Examiner will take a look at the most recent active 40-man roster and non-roster invitees of camp. This is part three of a multi-part series which will display all players reporting for the Tribe camp, a brief career background, and their previous experience in the big leagues or minor leagues. Part 1 of the pitchers group can be found here. Part 2 of the pitchers group can be found here.

Related topics

Advertisement

Click "View the List" to see the first group of Indians pitchers on the 40-man roster invited to Spring Training camp for the 2013 Cleveland Indians season.

Progressive Field
41.494560241699 ; -81.685707092285

Got a question about the Tribe or baseball? E-mail at TBuchan@falcon.bgsu.edu. I will post all questions and answer them on the Cleveland Indians Examiner.

What do you think of the Indians' position players heading to camp? Leave your thoughts below in the comment section!

View the list
  • Carlos Santana bats against the Detroit Tigers during their game on September 14, 2012.Who's He?: Santana has been a familiar face as the primary catcher for the Tribe since being called up in the 2010 season. Though he is a relatively new major leaguer, Santana is 26 years old, having been signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. He came to the Indians organization in 2008, in a trade that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers.Though mainly a catcher, Santana has also seen time as the Indians' designated hitter and first baseman. Since being called up in 2010, he has been one of the best hitters for the Tribe. In 2011 and 2012, his first two full seasons in the big-leagues, Santana's .246 batting average is misleading. In those two seasons, he has walked 188 times, to bring his on-base percentage to .358 as a switch-hitter. His 18 home runs last year led the weak-hitting Indians team, and tied Jason Kipnis for the most RBIs with 76.Hopes for 2013: Santana will head to camp as the starting catcher again, and will look to use his two full years of pro experience to continue to improve his hitting and multi-positional defense.
  • Lou Marson lays down a suicide squeeze bunt during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field on August 11, 2012.Who's He?: Marson has been the secondary catcher for the Indians, filling in when Santana has a day off or plays DH/1B. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and came to the Tribe in 2009 in the trade that sent Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to Philadelphia and Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Marson to Cleveland.Marson has been given a fair amount of playing time, appearing in an average of 79 games per season the last three years. In that stretch, he has a meager .216 batting average and .304 on-base percentage; he does get on base via the walk a fair amount for a backup player.Hopes for 2013: Marson will look to continue his role in catching games where Santana plays another position or is given a day off. He will work with the large group of new pitchers signed or traded for this offseason to familiarize himself with them for the 2013 season.
  • Michael Brantley bats against the Detroit Tigers on September 15, 2012.Who's He?: Brantley is another regular in the outfield, appearing in 363 games for the Tribe since 2009. The lefty 25-year old was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. He was sent to Cleveland in the 2008 trade that included Matt LaPorta joining the Indians and C.C. Sabathia being traded to the Brewers.The bulk of Brantley's major league experience comes in the last few years, primarily as the team's center fielder following injuries to Grady Sizemore. Between 2011 and 2012, Brantley greatly improved his defense and became a much stronger presence in the Indians lineup. His .997 fielding percentage in 2012 was fourth in the American League. Last season, he upped his total hits, extra bases, walks, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while lowering his number of strikeouts.Hopes for 2013: With the departure of Shin-Soo Choo and the signings of Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher, Brantley will compete this spring for a spot in the newly-fixtured Tribe outfield.
  • Ezequiel Carrera hits a ground ball to the pitcher and reaches on an error during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on September 29, 2012.Who's He?: Carrera is another 25-year old lefty outfielder, whose big-league experience consists of parts of the past two years in Cleveland. He was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets in 2005 out of Venezeula and joined the Tribe in the 2010 trade with Seattle that sent Russell Branyan to the Mariners.In various stints with the Tribe, Carrera has proved himself to be an unpolished, but promising young outfielder. His defense has been acceptable, and his hitting has improved with experience. Last year, he was called up around August, with the season out of reach. In 48 games last year, he batted .272 with a .312 on-base percentage in 158 plate appearances. In that stretch, he walked just eight times alongside 35 strikeouts.Hopes for 2013: The recent signings of outfielders Nick Swisher and Drew Stubbs make it unlikely Carrera will see much time in the big-leagues next year barring injuries or platoon assignments. Either way, Carrera can keep himself towards the high end of the list of potential backups, bench bats and late-season callups.
  • Tim Fedroff #16 of the North Carolina Tar Heels slides safely into second base before a tag by second baseman Joey Wong #1 of the Oregon State Beavers during the Beavers 11-4 win in Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series Championship at Rosenblatt Stadium June 23, 2007.Who's He?: Outfielder Tim Fedroff is a 26-year old out of the University of North Carolina. In five seasons with the Cleveland Indians organization, he spent time in 2012 with the AA Akron Aeros and AAA Columbus Clippers. Between the two leagues last year, he batted a strong .316 with a .394 on-base percentage while playing stellar defense.Hopes for 2013: Fedroff, who's spent time with the AAA team in 2011 and 2012, will look to learn from the older veterans at Spring Training camp and continue his strong hitting and defense in the 2013 minor league season. His hitting prowess may award him with a late-season call up.
  • Drew Stubbs swings at a pitch during the game against the St.Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on August 24, 2012.Who's He?: Stubbs is a 28-year old drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2006. He was dealt to Cleveland in the three-team deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Reds this past December.In three full years with the Reds, Stubbs showed promise as a powerful, yet fast-running offensive threat, but has struggled in several areas, especially with strikeouts. His career on-base percentage is just .312 due to a low amount of walks and topping the league in strikeouts. He has averaged nearly 40 extra base hits a season in that stretch, but also averages 180 strikeouts a year while batting just .238.Hopes for 2013: Stubbs will hope he can adapt well to his new team and league for the 2013 season. Either Stubbs will become the starting centerfielder or will fill in time in other outfield spots.
  • Nick Swisher bats during Game Four of the American League Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on October 11, 2012.Who's He?: Swisher is an Ohio native, born in Columbus. A 32-year old first round pick from 2002, he was signed as a free agent in the biggest contract signing in Indians history this offseason.Swisher's strength comes in his clean health--in the past seven seasons, he has averaged at least 151 games played per year and never appeared on the disabled list. In those seven years with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and most recently the New York Yankees, Swisher has a .365 batting average with a .471 slugging percentage. He averages 27 home runs and 31 doubles a year.Hopes for 2013: Swisher, who sees time as primarily a right-fielder but also a desginated hitter and first baseman, will look to impress his home state fans either in the outfield or infield.
  • Michael Bourn hits a single in the bottom of the ninth against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field on September 14, 2012.Who's He?: Just recently signed to a four-year deal with the Tribe, Bourn is a 30-year old outfielder with seven years of major league experience. He was drafted in 2003 in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Phillies.A career center fielder, Bourn has proved a league-average hitter as a leadoff batter for the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros. While often leading the league in stolen bases and near the top in plate appearances, Bourn's relatively low walk rate has led to a .339 on-base percentage in his career. Last year for the Braves, he batted .272 in 624 at bats, improving in walks with 70, but struck out 155 times. His defensive wins above replacement led the league in 2010 and was second in the National League last season.Hopes for 2013: Bourn will likely join the Indians in 2013 as the starting center fielder, looking to adapt well to his new league and team.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, Cleveland Indians Examiner

An avid baseball fan his whole life, Tyler Buchanan follows the Cleveland Indians closely. From injuries and trades to close divisional races, Buchanan takes a look at the biggest stories and headlines involving the Tribe. Buchanan has written for Examiner.com since February 2011, also serving as...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...