MINOR LEAGUES Scrappers stock begins to rise with baseball draft

The Class A short-season team gets most of its players from baseball's draft.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
The system of stocking the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' roster has begun.
Baseball's amateur draft, a 50-round event that began Tuesday and continues today, is the Cleveland Indians' source of obtaining players they hope will one day reach the major leagues.
Until that happens, if ever, those players spend years trying to prove themselves in the minors.
It is no different at Class A short-season Mahoning Valley, which gets a lot of its players from the draft.
Deciding the player's level
"Our philosophy has been that the seasoned, more advanced players, we've sent to Mahoning Valley," said John Mirabelli, the Indians' scouting director.
Of the Indians' six minor league teams, Mahoning Valley is the second lowest on the ladder, just above Rookie-League Burlington, N.C.
"Most, if not all, of the high school kids, we target for Burlington," Mirabelli said. "Some of the smaller-program college guys go to Burlington. The upper-level college players have a history of going to Mahoning Valley."
The reason, Mirabelli said, is that the level of competition at Mahoning Valley is better. The Scrappers play in the New York-Penn League, which has a history of sending players to the major leagues.
"I think a lot of teams have the same sort of philosophy," Mirabelli said. "You see kids from upper-level college programs in the New York-Penn League or you see kids from extended spring training who have a year [of pro ball] under their belt."
When a player is selected in the draft, his timetable for advancing to the major leagues -- if he has enough ability to do so -- is always hard to gauge, Mirabelli said. Those opportunities, though, are rare.
"The quickest we expect for any player [to advance] is 21/2 years, and that's maybe one player in each draft," he said. "For a high school player, it will take a little longer -- 31/2 to 41/2 years.
"But we don't put pressure on them to be there on a certain date."
Up and coming
The past has proven the high quality of talent available in the draft, as evidenced by the status of four former Scrappers whom the Indians have high hopes for, Mirabelli said.
Former draft picks in 2000 included pitchers Brian Tallet (Tribe's second selection) and Kyle Evans (sixth), infielder Joe Inglett (eighth) and outfielder Ryan Church (14th).
Tallet is at Double-A Akron, while Church is at Class A-High Kinston (N.C.) and Inglett at Class A-Low Columbus (Ga.). Evans, returning after elbow surgery last year, may wind up at Mahoning Valley this season to rehabilitate.
"All four guys have chances to be major league contributors to the Indians," Mirabelli said.
The Indians hope, in time, the 2002 draft will have produced the same type of talent.
richesson@vindy.com