Indians at Padres, March 14

I unfortunately missed out on Buster Posey and the Giants during my trip to Arizona, but this Sunday afternoon Indians/Padres matchup (here is the box score) gave me a chance to still see a top-10 prospect in baseball last weekend. That player would be Indians catcher Carlos Santana, who hit .290/.413/.530 with a .418 wOBA last year in Double-A. The squat 24-year-old should offer patience and pop from both sides of the plate, and, if all goes well, will help Tribe fans forget about Victor Martinez. He's close to big-league ready, and it was a treat to watch him play. Triple-A C Wyatt Toregas, a fringe prospect, started over Santana, but the latter got some playing time in the second half of the game. Santana singled and grounded out in two trips to the plate.

Another promising Cleveland prospect, OF/DH Nick Weglarz, displayed his talents in AZ. The 6-3, 240-pound Weglarz offers little to no defensive value, but he'll be a useful, three-true-outcomes-type hitter. The Canadian hulk draws walks at a dizzying rate, and possesses plus power as well.

Cleveland's top pitching prospect, righty Hector Rondon, threw 1.2 IP in this game. Rondon's slider and changeup need fine-tuning, but his fastball command makes him a nice mid-rotation starter prospect. The Venezuela native posted a ~3.00 FIP and a superb 4.8 BB% at the top two rungs of the minors last season. Rondon fared well and lived up to his scouting reports in this game, repeatedly pounding the zone with his low-90s fastball.

Lastly for the Indians, their 2009 1st-round pick (RHP Alex White) closed out the 5th inning. White, a College World Series veteran in his North Carolina days, will start the season in the High A Kinston rotation.

There wasn't much to report from the San Diego side. James Darnell and Drew Cumberland were inserted late in the contest, and I didn't get many looks at them.

James Darnell at third with Lance Zawadzki to his left