In his major league debut, Cleveland third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall chipped in a double and single to help lead the Indians to a 5-4 victory versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cleveland certainly hope this is a sign of things to come as the third base position has been a black hole outdone only by -.6 WAR Indians second basemen have produced.

Prior to the game, Jason Grey posted the following to his twitter feed.

Having seen Chisenhall hang tough versus Atlanta Braves left-handed pitching prospect Mike Minor, Acta’s quote was music to my ears. Here are the notes from that game.

• Took fastball tailing away down the left field line for a double
• Turned on hanging curveball off of Minor for a HR to RF; Fought back from 0-2 count.
• Hung tough with two strikes off of MInor by fighting off a plus changeup
• 1st pitch swinging at Minor fastball up; Unable to turn on it
• Had trouble getting around on fastballs; 92 MPH blown by Chis by Scott Proctor
• Chisenhall dropped his elbow and sidearmed throw on routing ground ball to 3B; Ball tailed away from 1B leading him into the runner

And while  it was only one game, I saw enough from Chisenhall from a scouting standpoint to think he will eventually develop into a better hitter versus lefties than his .200/.282/.360 line in AAA indicates. Besides, Indians third basemen have only produced to the tune of .219/.301/.318 overall including Chisenhall’s debut so there’s really no reason to play the matchup game.

If Chisenhall is Cleveland’s future at third base, he needs to play. Fortunately for the Indians, Manny Acta agrees.

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Earlier this season, I had the opportunity to view a Columbus game at Gwinnett featuring a number of quality prospects including Mike Minor, Lonny Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis. In watching Kipnis play, nothing the second baseman did jumped off the page as special. However, this has become par for the course as Kipnis has always been regarded as a performance over tools prospect who simply finds a way to fill up the stat sheet.

On a bad day, Kipis still managed a sac bunt and walk which turned a potential 0-4 day into an 0-2 with some production. And while 3-4 performances certainly play a big part in a .300 hitter, I’d argue Kipnis’ performance is just as important on the other end of the spectrum.

As of this writing, Kipnis has posted a .289/.373/.491 line including eight home runs and a perfect ten for ten in stolen base attempts. While watching the game, I jotted down a few notes to share with readers.

• Compact build; Fully developed
• Line drive swing; Awkward stance pre-load
• Did not hit a ball out of the infield (BB, SAC, 2 GB)
• Relatively patient hitter; Unfazed by deep counts
• Little success vs. Mike Minor; Did not appear overpowered at any point though
• Booted a ball to his left; Legs a little tied up and fielded ball too close to his body
• Excellent sac bunt; Looked like a drag gone wrong

Jason Kipnis taking over as the Cleveland Indians second baseman is not a matter of if, but when at this point. Unfortunately, a .606 OPS over his last ten isn’t exactly kicking down the door. Fortunately for Kipnis, Cord Phelps is his primary competition at the position who I was unimpressed with to the point of considering him a non-factor at the big league level.

For me personally, I own Kipnis in a deep dynasty league so I’m ready to see what he can do. If he can produce .285 15/15 seasons in his prime,  I will be thrilled. In deep A.L. only leagues, quality middle infielders are just too hard to come by and those numbers would place him in the top-10 overall for the 2B/SS position.

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Bryan Price (6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H) – Recently dealt to the Cleveland in the Victor Martinez deal, I was able to watch him throw earlier in the season. The 48th overall draft pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Price entered the 2009 season as a prospect with ever increasing hype and projection even as a 22-year old college product.

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Physique and Athleticism: Listed at 6’4″, 210 pounds, Price looked smaller on the mound than his listed height. 210 pounds seemed about right with him having little size through the waist and shoulders. That lack of size leaves me wondering whether he will be able to successfully add additional muscle to his frame to increase his durability as he continues his transition from a college reliever to starter as a professional. Price’s delivery was fluid and repeatable, and he rarely had to reach back for a little extra during this appearance.

Mound Presence: Rarely tested versus the Sand Gnats, Price was calm throughout and showed the ability to mix his pitches and throw them all for strikes. One obviously expects a more polished product when watching an older, major college pitcher in the Sally, and Price did not disappoint.

Fastball: In reading about Price prior to his start, I came to the park expecting to see some serious glove popping due to reports of his touching 95 MPH. In truth, Price sat at 87-88 for most of the evening touching 90-91 a handful of times. From my vantage point, the offering did not have much movement, but his ability to hit a dime on both corners led to his being able to expand the strike zone at least six inches on either side of the plate leaving Sand Gnats hitters fuming. It was a solid average offering, but he simply did not have the velocity on the pitch I was expecting to see.

Slider: At 83-84 which flashed plus with its biting movement down and away to right-handed hitters, Price used the offering as an out pitch and it was just too much for Sally hitters at this point in their development. Throughout the appearance, the pitch was consistently down in the zone and he simply did not make a mistake with the offering.

Change up: A solid average third pitch, the 82-84 offering was spotted at will by Price who threw the change consistently for strikes. With good arm action and location, the only thing missing was more movement which would have moved the pitch to plus.

With one of the more impressive outings I’ve seen in the Sally this season, Price toyed with Sand Gnats hitters and was the “man among boys” he was expected to be as an older, high round pick. While leaving impressed with his repertoire and feel for pitching, his being 22 and dominating younger competition forced me to view the outing from a half full perspective. When viewed separately, his three pitch mix is impressive, but Price is still a pitcher who topped out at 91 MPH with two breaking balls of identical velocity. He profiles as a back of the rotation starter for me at this point who may be able to exceed expectations with increased size and pitch movement.