BUFFALO, N.Y -- There's a leadoff hitter in the Indians' farm system that has had a tough time keeping the ball in the park.

Sound familiar?

He's not Grady Sizemore, but he would certainly love to have the Tribe superstar's leadoff spot in the lineup -- preferably sooner rather than later.

Meet Trevor Crowe -- the latest Indians prospect who has the tools to bat leadoff, but also possesses (recently, at least) the pop of a cleanup hitter.

Power, though, wasn't why the Indians selected Crowe with the 14th overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. And power isn't what the Indians will necessarily want if and when they bring Crowe up to the big leagues near the end of the season.

But since he was promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Buffalo on July 24, Crowe has shown plenty of power, totaling four homers in his first 12 games with the Bisons.

"Once I got out of Akron, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders," said Crowe, who had just four homers in 49 games with the Aeros this year and only five the entire 2007 season. "I've been playing with a little more ease than I have before."

Crowe pauses for a second, perhaps a realization that he's thinking a little too much for the reason behind his power surge.

"Also, getting out of [Canal Park.] That's a tough place to hit homers."

Crowe has been itching to get out of Akron for a while now, and it goes well beyond the cavernous alleys to left- and right-center field that highlight the Aeros' home stadium. The 24-year-old said he is much more at ease now that he's just one step away from the dream he first had at the age of 10.

"It was almost harder to concentrate on that everyday activity knowing that the big leagues are so far away," Crowe said. "Now, it's [such a short step] it seems like -- while there is still a lot of work left to do -- a lot of the work has already been done."

As expected from a first-round selection, Crowe breezed through rookie ball and both levels of Class A, landing in Akron before the end of the 2006 season.

But Crowe got to know Akron a little too well, especially for a prospect of his stature. He remained there for the entire 2007 season and, after hitting just .259, was back again in 2008.

Though the consistency he had throughout his entire career had finally betrayed him, Crowe's confidence, established at Westview High School in Portland, Ore., and honed at the University of Arizona, certainly didn't.

"When everyone is saying, 'Hey, maybe this kid isn't what we thought.' I was able to, 'No, this is a bad year. I know I'm a good player and eventually they'll see that too, but right now this is a tough time for me.'"

The tough times weren't over yet. Just a week into this season, Crowe went down with a back injury, keeping him off the field for six weeks.

When he returned from the injury, Crowe came back a different player. He focused on the mechanics of his swing and showed better patience at the plate, which enabled him to put up a .323 average before his promotion.

"He just took off," Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said.

Entering Thursday, Crowe, hitting primarily from the leadoff spot, had a .264 average with a triple and the four homers.

The numbers, of course, don't account for the hustle plays he makes in the outfield, the extra base he gets when he advances from first to third on a sharp single or the ease at which he scores on short sacrifice flies.

"It's just fun to watch him play," Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said.

Crowe's emergence as an elite leadoff hitting prospect hasn't gone unnoticed by the Tribe front office, which, no matter how many homers Crowe hits, will ultimately decide on his Major League future.

"Trevor is extremely athletic and has always shown us tons of ability," Indians farm director Ross Atkins said. "Now it's showing regularly in his performance. From June '07 to now, he's probably [been] one of the most productive players in our organization."

With Sizemore -- who leads the American League in strikeouts since 2006 and has more than 20 home runs in each of the past four seasons -- working his way toward becoming the Indians' No. 3 hitter, Crowe could get the first crack at filling Sizemore's shoes.

"He could be a guy that emerges in that role," general manager Mark Shapiro said.

Leadoff or not, Crowe just wants to get to the big leagues. It'd be a stress-free ride from there on out.

"Obviously I'd like to hit leadoff. But, the thing is, Grady Sizemore is such a good leadoff hitter, that if he wants to do it, he's going to be there," Crowe said. "All I can do is play as well as I can every day."

And keep hitting homers. That couldn't hurt, either.