FanHouse AdamMiller

The Indians said Saturday that pitching prospect Adam Miller will likely have finger surgery on the injured middle finger of his pitching hand. He had been attempting to pitch through the injury, but he's unable to bend the tip of his finger and can't play catch without pain, so surgery seems like the only course of action.

The surgery Miller needs is a serious one for a baseball player. The pulley system in the injured finger needs to be completely rebuilt and as there's a good chance that scar tissue, which limits the motion and strength of the finger will develop. This is the second time Miller is having surgery on the finger. It will certainly end his 2009 season and it puts his whole career in jeopardy.

It's almost like he never existed. I moved to Ohio a few years ago, at the height of Pronkamania. Travis Haftner was the superhero of Cleveland, had his own candybar, and had just hit sixty-two grand slams in three games. Now you can go into any discount clothing store and find Hafner's jersey (in both "Hafner" and "Pronk" varieties) on the discount rack beside C.C. Sabathia and Casey Blake. It's not like he's injured, it's like he's gone. Like he never existed.

Well, it is 2009 and Project Donkey is back, ready to hit .117 with 0 homeruns and 2 RBI in 162 games! Tonight's Wahoo Messenger is after the jump! In PRONKVILLE~!

Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in Better Know a Prospect. In this edition we look at three players from the Indians' system, which is one of the deepest in the majors.

Matt LaPorta, OF: The 24-year-old LaPorta came over from the Brewers as the main piece in the CC Sabathia trade. One of the premier offensive prospects in the minors, LaPorta boasts a slugging percentage of .577 in 477 at-bats since Milwaukee selected him with the seventh pick in the 2007 draft. Prior to being traded, LaPorta was tearing up Double-A Huntsville, with a .288/.402/.576 line. He struggled in just 60 at-bats with the Indians' Double-A affiliate after the trade, but that's just a blip on an otherwise fantastic resume. The Indians currently have weaknesses at both of LaPorta's potential positions -- left field and first base -- on the big club, so his impact could be felt as early as this spring.

I don't know if Cleveland Indians starter Jake Westbrook has enjoyed all the time he's spent on the disabled list the last two seasons, but I know he's having a hard time staying away from it. Just a few weeks after returning from his latest stint, Westbrook felt a little soreness in is elbow after his last start against the White Sox.

The Indians were hoping that it was nothing out of the ordinary, and that Jake would be fine in time for his next scheduled start tonight in Arlington against the Rangers. He won't be, as he's been placed back on the disabled list.

This poses an interesting problem for the Indians, as they have no idea who is going to take Jake's place in the rotation while he's down.

The club will make a corresponding roster move to bring up a pitcher from Triple-A Buffalo for Tuesday's game. Manager Eric Wedge said Monday night that Tuesday's starter had yet to be determined, and, with sixth starter Jeremy Sowers unavailable because of the seven innings he tossed Sunday, it was possible the Indians would use a host of relievers for the ballgame.

"We've got to talk about it," Wedge said. "We've got a couple different options, and we've got to get somebody on their way."

Remember all the craze for Homer Bailey last year? It's weird because you rarely hear the hype on him anymore, and he's only 22. The Reds obviously think they tried to bring him aboard too early in his professional career last season, because they are running out the likes of Matt Belisle and Josh Fogg instead of letting Bailey take his lumps in the show. It makes sense, I mean, he had only 64 career minor league starts before this season.

So far this year he's been about the same command-wise as last year in the minors. In 66 2/3 innings he's struck out 54 and walked 29. The walks were the problem in the bigs last year, so the Reds would still like them to come down some more. His ERA (4.05) and WHIP (1.38) are far from impressive, either.

Verdict: I'd still stash him for help come mid-July on. He'll get things figured out soon and once the Reds realize they are out of race they'll start running out their future rotation. Rank him behind sure-things like Max Scherzer and ahead of injury risk gambles like Curt Schilling.

After the jump we'll check out a few others currently toiling in the minors.