The Buffalo Bisons are the 2004 International League champs after defeating Richmond last night 6-1 to win the Governors Cup series three games to one......The Governors Cup adds to the impressive collection of league titles the Indians farm system has collected this season. Along with Buffalo, Kinston, Mahoning Valley, and the DSL Indians all won their respective league crowns. Winning four of seven leagues is quite an accomplishment. I'm just guessing here but that has to be close to a single-season record for one farm system.
After the Bisons win, Grady Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta, Brandon Phillips, Fernando Cabrera, and Francisco Cruceta were all informed they were being promoted to Cleveland, according to the Buffalo News. No big surprise there as all five are already on the 40-man roster. Cruceta is expected to start for the Tribe on Tuesday.
The next wave of talent coming up through the system to the Indians just arrived. Sizemore and Phillips were in the lineup today for Kyle Denney's first major league win. And there's another wave of promising hitters (Garko, Aubrey, Gutierrez) that are still maybe a year away.
Congratulations to Mark Shapiro and his staff. They have assembled excellent talent, and they have them playing winning baseball while they're developing them as prospects. The Indians needs to go 8-5 down the stretch for them to hit my 80-win projection. Whether or not that happpens, the team has made a move into the ranks of possible contenders for 2005. That's what ownership and management promised three years ago. But Shapiro has also been true to his promise to do it the right way; by building a farm system that could keep the team stocked, financially healthy and competitive over the long haul.
Posted by dan at September 19, 2004 03:23 PM