Prospects in Cleveland

This one has a little something for the new readers and a little something for the old readers. It's MiLB.com's look at the Cleveland minor league system.

[N]ot all of those prospects started their careers with the Indians. The farm features an impressive balance of homegrown prospects, acquired either via the draft or as international signs, as well as talented youngsters acquired via trades.

In fact, three of the players on the Indians' current Top 10 -- outfielders Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley and catcher Carlos Santana -- came to the club last summer in a pair of deals for established stars (CC Sabathia and Casey Blake).

That's for the new Brewer fans who are checking in on the blog.

And in Under the Radar category here is the ex-Rattler tie-in for you longtime readers:

Luis Valbuena, 2B:
Yet another promising player acquired via trade within the last year, the 23-year-old came over from Seattle in a three-team trade. A left-handed hitter, he made his big league debut last year with 49 at-bats with the Mariners after hitting .303 with 11 home runs, 60 RBIs and 18 steals between Double-A West Tenn and Triple-A Tacoma. That was quite a turnaround from 2007 when he had similar power numbers but batted just .239.

Valbuena was a Rattler in 2006.