Indians announce 19 non-roster invites to spring training

The Indians have announced the group of non-roster invitees to spring training, which is just around the corner.

The list is comprised almost entirely of players already in the organization, which is an atypical occurrence for this front office. Normally they take a flyer on a handful of veterans and hope for the best. But this year — in the midst of slashing payroll — they have neglected to even sign the equivalent of Matt Joyce to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite.

Only Anthony Gose, Dominic Leone, and Beau Tyler are coming from outside of the organization to spring training.

The most notable absence among non-roster invites is Nolan Jones, who is either recovering from an injured hand, or preparing to have his service time manipulated by the Indians. Either way, he won’t be breaking camp with the big leaguers.

If you’re curious, Giljegiljaw Kungkuan (#69) is a real person. He is a catching prospect formerly known as Chu Li-Jen who changed his name to its Taiwanese aboriginal name last December.

The Indians first spring training game will be against the Cincinnati Reds on Feb. 22.