Dugout Seeds: Indians To Promote Three

According to Chris Assenheimer the Indians will call up Russ Canzler, Scott Barnes, and Thomas Neal.

Canzler, Neal and Barnes will be called up tomorrow. #Indians
— Chris Assenheimer (@CAwesomeheimer) September 1, 2012

Scott Barnes (LHP) appeared in 7 games with the Indians in 2012 and went 0-0 with a 8.10 ERA (9ER/10IP). He went 2-3 with a 3.98 ERA in 31 Appearances (3 starts) with the Clippers. He was originally obtained by the Indians from the San Francisco Giants in 2009 for Ryan Garko.

Russ Canzler (RHB) spent the season with the Clippers posting a .797 with a slash line of .259/.324/.473 with 21HR and 73 RBI. He was purchased from the Tampa Bay Rays on January 31, 2012.

Thomas Neal (RHB) spent most of the season patrolling the OF in Akron. The Indians removed the 25 year old Neal from their 40 man roster this past season and to make matters worse sent him to AA Akron where he spent the entire season. To his credit, he did what he had to do to become relevant again, and that was to hit. He finished the season with a .867 OPS with a slash line of .314/.400/.467 with 12 HR and 51 RBI. He was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Orlando Cabrera on July 30, 2011. Neal is not currently on the 40-man roster but the Indians will most likely move Josh Tomlin to the 60-day disabled list to make room (h/t T.J. Zuppe)

According to Manny Acta, none of the September callups are here as a reward for a good season (good news for Canzler and Neal).

"It's a combination of it," Acta said, "but the guys that are coming up are going to be getting some at-bats; the majority of them are going to be getting some at-bats. So it's not so much rewarding but also evaluation time for us." - mlb.com

Dugout Seeds: Asdrubal Defends Acta's Performance, But Why?

Asdrubal Cabrera says Manny Acta is not to blame for the Indians poor performance and hopes that he (Acta) is not the scapegoat.

"It's not the manager's fault," Cabrera said. "He doesn't hit, he doesn't pitch, he doesn't throw and he doesn't play defense. We're bad right now. Everything is bad right now -- defense, hitting, pitchers. It's not [Acta's] fault. He does his job."

The one question I have is if a team isn't pitching, isn't hitting, and isn't fielding....and if everything is bad right now - how exactly is Manny Acta doing his job?

Judge The Indians By Their Words - Not Mine

Instead of me opining about how disappointed I am in the organizational structure of the Indians (I'll do that on www.wahoosonfirst.com) I'll allow their words to be put in print. The following is from Terry Pluto's book Dealing - The Cleveland Indians New Ballgame.

Start with the Cleveland Indians Vision Statement:

To build and sustain a championship caliber team that competes passionately, relentlessly, and professionally. And in the process, make a positive statement about its collective vision and core values.

Scouting Mission Statement:

To scout a passionate, relentless, and systematical manner in order to provide accurate evaluations to assist in procuring championship-caliber Cleveland Indians players.

Player Development Mission Statement:

To develop true professionals, each of whom reaches his full potential mentally, physically, and fundamentally through a systematic approach founded upon Cleveland Indians vision and values.