Baseball in Fort Wayne

When Josh Barfield shows up to Spring Training, he’ll have something in common with his new Skipper. No, the Padres haven’t named their new manager; former Fort Wayne Wizards second baseman, Josh Barfield has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff and reliever Andrew Brown. The Indian’s manager is Fort Wayne native, Eric Wedge.

This is a move I didn’t see coming. Barfield is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate in the National League and looked to be part of a solid young core in San Diego. It fills one of the Indian’s top priorities of the offseason.

“In Josh Barfield, we are acquiring a young player with upside who plays the game hard, with professionalism and is coming off a successful first Major League season.” general manager Mark Shapiro.

Kouzmanoff has a successful season in minor league ball that saw him hit .379 between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo. While with the Indians in September, he made history by becoming the first player to hit a grand slam on the first MLB pitch he saw.

Brown is a starter turned reliever who posted seven scoreless outing (of nine total) with the Indians. He held batters to a .171 average.

Best of luck in Cleveland, Josh!

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