Cleveland Indians: Byrd signs minor league deal

The Cleveland Indians continue to make tweaks to the outfield, signing veteran Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal. His addition could add quality depth, especially against left-handed pitching.

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signed Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal in hopes of strengthening their outfield heading into Opening Day. The 38-year old veteran could potentially bring the power that they are missing in a platoon situation as his 23 home run between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants were more than any Indian hit last year. He’s likely past the point of being an everyday guy, although he did still play in 135 games last year but saw his offensive number decline. Still, it’s a good signing for a team in need of power.

As we continue our top prospects series, we take a look at Erik Gonzalez, No. 15 on our list. Gonzalez joined the Tribe as an amateur free agent in 2008 and was added to the 40-man roster prior to the 2013 season. In his time in the minors, he’s been very versatile playing all over the field but has settled in at shortstop after the promotion of Francisco Lindor. That worked well for his time in Columbus, but will also block him from making it to Cleveland as a shortstop.

The debate over what the sport should be continues as Angels’ slugger Mike Trout has chimed in on the “showboating” of baseball that came to light with former MLB pitcher Goose Gossage and Nationals’ star Bryce Harper. Trout feels different than Harper, liking the “old way” of “hit the ball and go”. Is baseball really that boring that we need all the bat flipping and showboating?

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Indians sign Byrd to a minor league deal’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘Apple’s Siri finds sadness–in Cleveland’ – ESPN

‘Indians Top Prospects: No. 15 Eric Gonzalez’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘Trout won’t champion emotions-on-sleeve era’ – ESPN

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