The book on ... Russell Branyan.(evaluation of Cleveland Indians third baseman)(Brief Article)

In recent seasons, teams trying to make trading deadline deals with the Indians were turned away when they asked for third base prospect Russell Branyan.

The Indians got burned when they traded prospects Brian Giles and Jeromy Burnitz, who both have gone on and hit at least 38 homers in a season. The Indians believe Branyan has even more power.

Branyan's batting practice sessions in the minors were McGwire-like sideshows, routinely including 500-foot blasts. But Branyan, a 6-3, 195-pound Georgian, is no 5 o'clock hitter. In the minors, he homered once every 12.6 at-bats. In a call-up with Cleveland last season, Branyan slugged 16 homers in 67 games. In two exhibition games in Venezuela this spring, he hit two balls out of the stadium that together were estimated to travel more than 1,000 feet.

The only thing Branyan does at a faster rate than homer is strike out. In 1999 and 2000, at Class AAA Buffalo and Cleveland, Branyan struck out 375 times--44 percent of his at-bats. The Indians have been trying to get Branyan to cut down on his swing but hope he won't sacrifice power. In fact, Branyan hasn't lost ...