Chris Kline: Hey everyone, happy to be here for a pre-Thanksgiving chat. Kicking some Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah!, so let's get right after it . . .

Chris Kline: Tom, Miller's gotten stronger and his secondary pitches, better, the further he gets away from his injury. He still needs to learn the value of his changeup--just within what it takes to back off when he needs to back off and show something less than 87 mph--but even that came a long way under Akron pitching coach Scott Radinsky's tutelage in 2006. Radinsky will move up to Triple-A this yr to work further with Miller. He's still got No. 1 stuff, and as long as he keeps showing durability, it's all in there.

Chris Kline: Gutierrez had too many ABs in the majors to qualify for this list this time around. He's not a starter in Cleveland, and most scouts and front office people I've talked to over the last two years think his ceiling is as a 4th outfielder--decent role player.

Chris Kline: Elk Grove, You guessed right. Reports on Ramirez's skills behind the plate were brutal, and the Indians knew that when they made the deal. The bat is the selling point, but Ramirez lacks a true position. His ceiling could be a utility player similar to Olmedo Saenz.

Chris Kline: Not for the top 10. Our reports on him from college graded out one above-average tool--and being his arm strength. But the Indians like his bat and overall athleticism, most likely at second base rather than short.

Chris Kline: Not sure where I got the marathon man title, but geez, Dennis--ceiling-wise out of this group I like Brown the best. Francisco is a nice player, and was protected on the 40-man bc he's the most versatile OF that's major league ready. And his bat continues to speak for him. Choi is interesting--nice year, but where does he fit in? I like Nottingham more than Santos, just a more complete arsenal of pitches . . . Wright is an enigma of sorts after coming down with mono. He wasn't particularly impressive in instructs, and basically is a commandcontrol guy with average stuff across the board. Ditto for Gaub--except his stuff mysteriously disappeared--but he's shown three plus pitches in the past. Tough to tell what either one is until they gear it up for real next season.

Chris Kline: Is Carmona really still a starter? I really didn't like the way he was handled last year after the club dubbed him the No. 6 starter (the first callup to Cleveland) out of spring training. If he was truly considered one of their top arms, why move him around to so many different roles during his first exposure to the majors? You think they'd have used Sowers or Miller in the same way had they been ready? It's just curious . . . Miller I already addressed . . . Lofgren is probably a No. 4 who can eat innings.

Chris Kline: Yo George, what's going on? Both have upside--Tseng was the No. 4 prospect in the Alaska League as an amateur in 2005, and he pounds the bottom of the zone anywhere from 90-93 mph, touches 95. V. aggressive and goes right after hitters. Also features slider and splitter--the latter of which could be his best pitch. Front office officials raved about him in instructs . . . Smit is lesser-known, but has good range and hands. There is a lot of projection left, but his bat and defense should allow him to stay at shortstop.

Chris Kline: Villanova represent! Slocum moved to the pen for the first time in his life in the Arizona Fall League last year, and it appears that was the best thing that happened to him. He was criticized as a starter in the system for working slowly and not being aggressive enough with his stuff. That changed as he worked in shorter stints, which carried over when they moved him back to the rotation. But beyond the mental stuff, his fastball velocity spiked to 96, and his slider became a more useable pitch. Still needs to work on the changeup, which will ultimately determine if he's a rotation candidate or a reliever.

Chris Kline: I like McBride's upside more than Wright's, and McBride had a huge instructional league, proved he was healthy and raked. In terms of the 30, you have to buy the book. And just to address all these 'Where does so-and-so rank in the top 30" questions here and now--even before the Barfield trade, I anticipated the club would make moves, so I actually wound up writing 40 full reports, so not even I know who will make it and who won't . . .

Chris Kline: Top 10--because he rakes.

Chris Kline: I think I might be Frank Herrmann's biggest fan. Since they straightened out his mechanics and simplified his arsenal--and Lake County pitching coach Ruben Niebla had a ton to do with that--I think the Tribe realized it had something. He's a sleeper. And for me, a prospect.

Chris Kline: Butia took a backseat this spring when he quit the game briefly--and his makeup took a major hit, obviously. He hit in Lake County, but now will have to work for everything--nothing is going to be handed to this 2004 fifth-rounder.

Chris Kline: McBride.

Chris Kline: Michael, I think they're pretty good for some type of role--but the key thing is to get Sipp consistent work. He still hasn't faced Triple-A hitters, but I think you'll see him at some point in 2007. He has weapons to attack RH and LH hitters--this guy is NOT just a lefty specialist. That said, it's nearly impossible to groom closers in the minors . . . but there are some in the organization who feel he could be an Eddie Guardado-type lefty down the road.

Chris Kline: Nate, I go Crowe, simply because I like the overall game better. Sweeney will hit for more power, but both should hit for comparable average . . . Crowe just brings more to the table in terms of plate discipline, speed and he's more of an on-base machine. Up tempo player that brings energy to the park every day . . . More cerebral than Sweeney also.

Chris Kline: I think what was originally projected of Marte slipped somewhat over the last two years--during his season in Double-A Greenville in 2004. He's a quality major league third baseman, but Hodges is a polished 3B who could be a nice insurance policy if things don't work out with Marte. You also have to consider Marte's age--he's still v. young and learning nuances of hitting. I think he'll be fine over there, just not the MVP-type player he was touted as being early in his career.

Chris Kline: I love the World Wide Web. And I love the fact that there is a question from Bertram in Taiwan, who apparently knows enough about Tseng not to bother . . . the HuffZito comp is strictly college path--not stuff. Huff has a good mix, and while there have been Sowers comps thrown all over the place, I don't think his ceiling is that high. V. polished arm who could move quickly--command is the key.

Chris Kline: Jay, I don't think he fell as much out of the loop as Gutierrez had last year in terms of being palatable with the brass, and the strikeouts don't seem to be as much of a concern as you'd think--at least to everyone I talked to. But being objective about it, he had a nice August in part because he scrapped what changes they were trying to incorporate in his stance--by going back to what he'd done the last two years and finished strong. Still, it seems like he's always going to strike out a lot and it's something they're willing to live with. The upside is still considerable.

Chris Kline: Well, thanks, Jon From Peoria--same to you. I don't think Lewis will add any velocity--he was 87-89 in college, occasionally hitting 91. So that's likely the ceiling there in terms of fastball velo. But with that kind of command and deception, he doesn't need it. He just needs to continue to build up strength and stay healthy.

Chris Kline: Well, I'm listening to Cuban music right now, but I gotta go Zeppelin.

Chris Kline: Ellsbury.

Chris Kline: Pena: Bat with big upside. Not a CF. Butia: Needs to keep hitting. Denham: Will he hit?

Chris Kline: You're not as senile as everyone thinks you are, Joan. I guess I addressed a question that had something about Miller's surgery--sorry! Just jazzed up heading into this . . . Martin is back on the screen--awesome second half . . . was sent home from instructs early from fatigue and initial reports I got out of there weren't good. But the general thinking was that he rushed himself back too quickly and just had some fatigue and mild soreness. He'll be ready to go in the spring.

Chris Kline: Pesco: command issues. Smith: gamer who continues to prove himself, stuff shows flashes, but pitches well even when it's not there. Lewis: middle reliever. Ness: possibility he could be a middle guy, but needs a changeup.

Chris Kline: Cleveland's depth is that much better, but there are also body and bat questions with Cabrera. He has very long actions to everything he does defensively and needs to adhere to a strict conditioning program if he's going to be a factor.

Chris Kline: How about Matt Whitney? You really can't get down on him or Aubrey too much though--we're talking about injury problems that when they were able to take the field, it took them two hours (at least) of prep time stretching or sitting in a whirlpool before going out for early work, then another hour postgame to recover. Head, on the other hand, he just didn't make adjustments.

Chris Kline: McBride is the highest-rated catcher.

Chris Kline: Hot topic of the day! J-Lew made the list, just not the top 10. His changeup is among the best in the system, but his slider got him in trouble last yr. He scrapped it altogether in favor of a loopy curveball, and now can expand the zone vertically--which is something he never did. He can tend to rush his delivery--he hastens his overall tempo, his arm drags and he loses leverage, leaving pitches up in the zone as a result. He's also moving to the pen in '07.

Chris Kline: Not too far, but yes.

Chris Kline: I don't think so. I think a lot of teams would like to have a No. 4 of Lofgren's quality. The system isn't weak, it's just lacking blue chippers--it's very deep with guys who project as solid everyday players.

Chris Kline: Clubs were worried they couldn't pull him away from a career at Boeing, but the Indians stuck with him to the Cape Cod League and have watched him develop into something over the last two years. The tools have always been there, he just never really got a legit chance. And while I know there isn't much of a track record in his case, he's so intelligent and so driven, I'm not going to bet against him.

Chris Kline: For me, Lofgren is one of the top lefthanders in the minors. The stuff is exceptional, but so is the heart, so is competitive fire, and so is the intelligence. He's at least another year away.

Chris Kline: Tracy, I'll kick it to the West Side, though I really have no idea what that means. Thanks for all the great questions--apologies I couldn't get to them all, but we're pushing deadline for a double-issue and for the Prospect Handbook, so have to run. I appreciate you all taking the time on a day before a holiday.