27-year old righty swinging infielder Jayson Nix looks like he might be a keeper for the Cleveland Indians. He has played in 49 games since the Indians claimed him off waivers from the White Sox and he is 48 of 182 (.264 avg, .795 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 10 homers and 21 RBIs. He is starting at 3B for the Indians since the Jhonny Peralta trade with the Tigers but he’s not a good defender there. His best position is 2B but he’s being a trooper by filling in where the Indians need him. I really am starting to like Nix the more I watch him play.

28-year old righty reliever Justin Germano came into this season with a 8-16 record, a 5.27 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 47 career games (35 starts) in the majors. So the skeptics have been out on Germano for quite a while now. But, he’s off to a great start with the Cleveland Indians. He has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Tribe so far and he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP. He has only given up 6 hits in 14 2/3 innings this season for the Indians while whiffing 11 batters. Germano is certainly making a good first impression with the Tribe and here’s to hoping he can keep up the good work.

The Indians have signed 32-year old righty reliever Saul Rivera to a minor league deal. Rivera pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs after the Indians traded him there and he was 0-0 with a 22.09 ERA and a 3.82 WHIP. He pitched in 15 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Indians in which he was 2-0 with 4 saves, a 0.53 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Rivera has pitched in 249 games (0 starts) in his five years in the majors and he is 13-15 with 4 saves, a 4.29 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. The Indians will likely call Rivera up when rosters expand if he gets off to a good start in the minors for them this time around.

The Indians have acquired 22-year old righty starting pitcher Zach McAllister from the Yankees to complete the Austin Kearns trade. McAllister came into this season as the Yankees’ #5 prospect according to Baseball America. McAllister started 24 games this year in AAA-ball for the Yankees and he was 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He has now pitched in 98 games (86 starts) in his five years in the minors and he is 38-32 with 1 save, a 3.40 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. This deal might look like a steal down the road for the Indians as McAllister has a nice upside.

26-year old switch hitting outfielder Trevor Crowe has been impressive with his hustle and defense. He has played in 82 games for the Tribe this year and he is 79 of 311 (.254 avg, .662 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 2 homers, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Crowe projects to be a 4th or 5th outfielder on a good team but he could get a lot of at bats with the Indians in the next couple of years as they rebuild. I still like Crowe despite some obvious shortcomings because of his all-out hustle.