Tribe Talk: Eagerly Awaiting Fausto Carmona's Return, Or Dreading It?

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The Coop: I don’t know if he’s had “enough” time to work everything out, but I have been pleased with what I’ve read. Clearly, he has the raw ability to dominate minor league hitters. But what I have been happy to see is that he seems to have regained his control, command, and confidence. It would be nice for him to get a few more starts in Columbus, but I can’t say I’m unhappy with the decision to call him back.

 It’s important to understand that there are still going to be some rough outings in Fausto’s future. Fans and management have to be patient with Carmona and not expect him to immediately return to his 2007 form. I don’t think anyone should hope that he helps the starting rotation. That ship has sailed for this year.

I don’t even care about wins and losses and even ERA. I want to see Carmona get ahead in the count, locate his fastball, and have the right mental approach. The wins and losses and ERA aren’t important this year, but those intangibles that I mentioned could be huge building blocks for 2010 and beyond.

2. It has recently been suggested that Matt LaPorta deserves a promotion to rejoin the Tribe, as he is hitting .300 on the year in AAA with 10HRs, 38 RBIs, and a .909 OPS. Do you think it is foolish for the Tribe to leave an effective LaPorta in the minors while Ben Francisco struggles in the majors?

Given that 2009 is shaping up to be a lost season for the Indians, should the team consider shutting down injured Grady Sizemore for the year and bringing up LaPorta to fill in while Sizemore has surgery and recuperates?

Nino Colla: I think right now, you can't really make a move. Ben Francisco seems to be getting hot, and until he cools off I'd keep him there. I would have been all for it a week ago. Either way I don't think it will be long before LaPorta is up here and starting every day in left field. Shapiro and Wedge will want to play him every day this time around, so they want to make sure they call him up when that possibility is open.

If the Indians get to the point where they actually wave the white flag, they better sit Grady Sizemore and have him undergo his surgery. Since they know it needs to be done, do it now and have him 100 percent for not just the 2010 season, but 2010 Spring Training. There is no reason for him to keep playing if they give up on the season, especially with three guys in the minors that need an extended look.

Samantha Bunten:  While I will be happy to see LaPorta promoted when the September call-ups occur, I don’t think there is any sense in speeding up the process and bringing him up now for two reasons:

First, if his last trip to the majors told us anything, it is that he isn’t ready. I’m glad to see that he is hitting so well in AAA, but a .190 average with one HR and a .286 OBP tells me he’s not prepared to face down major league pitching just yet.

LaPorta has had 699 at-bats in the minors, and conventional baseball wisdom says most players need about 1500 at-bats in the minors before they are ready to play in the big leagues. The bottom line is that LaPorta just isn’t prepared yet.

Second, I’m not ready to give up on Francisco. He has improved significantly over the last few weeks, and I expect he will continue to improve as long as he is given regular playing time going forward.

The roster spot should be Francisco’s to lose, and right now he is making an excellent case for his right to keep it. This won’t hurt LaPorta, as he isn’t ready yet anyway, and will give Francisco a chance to turn things around—for good this time.

The only real reasons I can see for promoting LaPorta now are to pare down the overcrowded outfield in AAA-Columbus, or to fill Sizemore’s roster spot if the team were to decide to shut him down early since the season is all but lost.

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