Mitchell: Postcard from Camp

Sunday the Indians Triple-A squad took on their Reds counterparts on field 1 in Goodyear. I had brief chats with several guys who will be on the Clippers roster.

Jared Goedert said he took a few swings from a pitching machine this afternoon and felt “ok” afterward. I’m not sure he’ll be ready by opening day, but if he continues to progress, he shouldn’t be too far behind.

Jordan Brown is feeling good physically, which is better than last year when he tore his meniscus in a intrasquad game at the beginning of the 2010 spring camp. Brown is still in Major League camp, but will be on the Clippers opening day roster.

Ezequiel Carrera seemed very excited to see the Clippers broadcast crew today, the feeling is mutual, especially because that fellow is going to have to cover a lot of ground in the Clippers outfield this season. The Clippers should hit and pitch as well as anyone in the IL, but team speed is not going to be a strength.

Jensen Lewis is eminently positive, despite the disappointment of losing his 40-man spot. He said he doesn’t know if he will be a Clipper for a month of for the whole season, but “however long it is, it will be fun.”

Cord Phelps played shortstop today and he and the Indians coaching staff had to wait through 26 outs before he finally got a chance to field his position. He acquitted himself well, making a tough play to end the game. The more versatile he can be defensively, the better his chances of finding his way to the bigs.

Tomorrow it’s goodbye sunshine and welcome back to the 40′s, but it will be good to be home as the crew gets Huntington Park ready for the exhibition game on March 30th. Call the Clippers office at 462-5250 or go to http://www.clippersbaseball.com to order your tickets.