Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Kreitzer

Trade Cliff Lee Today

Chris Kreitzer — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:36:00 -0400

After the Tribe dropped another lifeless loss to the Tigers Friday, I have come to the conclusion that Cliff Lee needs to be moved this season. He is getting more frustrated everyday with this team and we all know that he is a hot head. Here are his comments after yesterday's defeat...

Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez started the second with singles. Gerald Laird sent a fly toward the right-field corner that Garko dove for and missed. Inge scored, Ordonez went to third and Laird pulled into second for a double.

Asked if he felt the ball should have been caught, Lee said, "Do you? I don't pass judgment on that. I throw the pitches. Where it goes it goes. It's not up to me to move the outfielders or infielders. All I do is pitch.

Duane Burleson/Associated PressA frustrated Travis Hafner reacts to his harmless fly ball to left field in the eighth inning against Detroit reliever Bobby Seay. Trailing 3-1 at the time, Hafner's fly out left three runners on base."It did seem like it was in the air a long time. I don't know if they had him shaded the other way or what. You'd have to ask him or Wedgie."

It isn't Garko's fault that he is being forced to play in the outfield. He should never play out their again, ever. Lee is frustrated, just like everyone else about his run support and this lost season. He needs to keep to himself about his views and not throw his teammates under the bus.

Since 2009 is over and 2010 looks like it won't be much better, I say trade Cliff Lee to the San Francisco Giants. Package Lee with his buddy Garko (Giants always in need for hitting) to the Giants for the no-hit wonder Jonathan Sanchez, their No. 1 Prospect Madison Bumgarner (who looks like the real deal), and a few more prospects.

Sanchez is a bit older (will turn 27 in November) and walks a lot of guys, but he is a pitcher who can be slotted immediately into the rotation.

He struck out 11 batters Friday with zero walks, missing out on a perfect game by one error. Bumgarner is a 20 year old stud who's ERA is under two and rarely walks anyone, and if you look at the Giants track record, they know a little about starting pitching.

If San Francisco acquired Lee, their rotation would be Lincecum/Cain/Lee/Zito/Big Unit, instantly becoming the best in baseball.

Who knows if this is even being discussed, but the Indians should be really targeting the Giants as a potential trade partner. The Bumgarner kid may be a few years away, but he is exactly what the system needs, an ace in the making.

The Day the Indians Died

Chris Kreitzer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:06:00 -0400

The Monday of June 15th, 2009 was an optimistic one for Tribe fans. Their team had just won six of nine games and just witnessed their reigning Cy Young award winner no-hit the first place St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings, pulling to a record of 29-36, the closest to .500 they had been for a long time. The Indians carried a 12-7 lead heading into the seventh inning over a solid Brewer ball club. Then, after the bullpen had been somewhat solid for a few weeks, the group of former 2009 Columbus Clippers gave up a collective eight earned runs over their collective relief duty and retrospectively finished the teams' chances for a comeback season (fittingly it was Major League the movie Monday, were all fans got Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn bobbleheads). Wedge went to his bullpen five times that night, and these are the folks (in order) who came out and what they did.

Greg Aquino 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB

Luis Vizcaino 1 1/3 IP 0 H 2 ER 3 BB

Matt Herges 0 IP 1 H 2 ER 1 BB

Rafael Perez 0 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 BB

Joe Smith 1 2/3 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB

Smith did a good job, but that was after Prince Fielder hit a line shot Grand Slam and took the air out of the Indians sails. Perez caught the WBC disease in early April and has been a trainwreck ever since. Looking at the first three names, would you really think any team that hoped to contend for a division would be trotting out these losers? I thought so. Why do I bring this game up? Because it started a string of 15 winnable games for the Tribe, and ended today with a loud thud. The Indians are 2-13 over those contests and look like a pathetic, hapless ball club. Their pitching staff is just terrible, and their hitters seem to be going through the motions over their latest five game losing streak. For all the Eric Wedge bashers who believe he should be canned, I can't disagree with you totally, but just look at this roster. If you look to the glorious (and looking like last in a long while) AL Central Division Championship season, their rotation was as follows...

2007

Sabathia/Carmona/Westbrook/Byrd/Laffey (with Lee down in Triple A trying to re-find himself)

2009 current

Lee/Pavano/Huff/Sowers/Ohka (with Lewis and Reyes done for the year and Carmona figuring things out in the minors)

Can anyone expect a team to win with that rotation, coupled with the abomination going out in right-center field? The team does struggle early every season, and that could be attributed to the coaching staff. The knock of Wedge moving guys around in the field and the lineup is a 50/50 problem. If the team had guys capable of playing everyday and performing consistantly, the manager would not be forced to do that (I will go over the Pros and Cons of Wedge later this month, probably more cons). Injuries cannot be made as an excuse in 2009 because they stunk when they were healthy. Would I fire the manager? No, because it really doesn't matter right now, they are going nowhere. If he is brought back in 2010, most fans will be up in arms, so I imagine the Indians will be forced to move in a different direction.

Most of the blame should be put on GM Mark Shapiro for feeling like his staff would be able to compete at previous levels. Besides Lee, there were no sure things in the rotation since Fausto struggled in 2008 and the Pavano/Reyes/Lewis/Huff/Sowers/Laffey poo poo platter contained way too many hopes and ifs. The real key to baseball is starting pitching, and no rotation guy(besides Lee) on the Indians has an ERA under five. If the Indians ever want to contend again, starting pitching has to be the focus. Bringing in has-beens like Pavano or bright flashes of success like Reyes and Lewis only mask the real inadequacies in your ballclub (no wonder why Hector Rondon was moved so quickly BACK to starting duty). They need as a front office to come up with a plan today to infuse more upper echelon pitching into Double A and above that can be effective in the next 2 seasons.

After reading Paul's article over at the DiaTribe about Cliff Lee, I am now in the camp of moving him this season. Go get some stud pitchers that may develop into something in a few years, because contending next season seems like a pipe dream, even in a winable division. If they do play better, well then that is a bonus because Lee and Martinez will likely walk the following year, so changes would have to be made. Trade Cliff now when he has his highest value. It's not like attendance is going to drop, this City gave up on the Indians back in May.

As for the White Sox series, well it was awful. The Tribe was only really in the first game, but they didn't even score a run until the ninth when they were already trailing 6-0. Sizemore still looks hurt, Martinez is in a slump, the rest of the guys looked disinterested, and the pitching continues to be piss poor. They should use the Rick Vaughn bobblehead as a "JoeBoo" to exercise the demons that are this season. It is going to be a long 3 months out at Progressive field, so let's hope to see some more of the young guys and see if they are worth a look for the future. Anyways, 2011 isn't that far away, is it?

More Tribe Picks: Jason Kipinis in Second, Joe Gardner in Third

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:13:00 -0400

The Indians finished Tuesday with a win and two more players, OF/2B Jason Kipnis from Arizona State and Right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner from UC Santa Barbara. Here is a little info on both.

Jason Kipnis The left handed hitting junior has had a great 2009, (.385 avg/.496 OBP/.729 SLG/1.250 OPS) with 16 Homers and 71 RBI in 59 games with 26 stolen bases. Hopefully they stick with him at second base. Here is what ESPN's Keith Law has to say about him...

In retrospect Jason Kipnis made a wise decision to go back to school and raise his draft value. He has great bat speed and is strong enough to hit for power, but there is a concern that he has a grooved swing with no load and a soft front side, which in turn leads to a lot of swings and misses.

He has a great eye, works counts, and isn’t afraid of hitting with two strikes, though he doesn’t change his approach at all when he does have two strikes. The big question on Kipnis is position.

He’s an average runner who is at best 50/50 to even stay in center, but may not have the power to play corner outfield. Some clubs have though of returning him to second base, where he played in high school, but his body is different and moves to high- skill positions rarely work.

He was kicked off Kentucky and had to transfer after his freshman year, so there are lingering questions about make up. Though it should be noted he had zero problems since he moved to Tempe.

Nice to see them go with a position player so high, as I imagine most of the draft will be pitching heavy.

Joe Gardner is a 6'5, 220 lb right hander out of UC Santa Barbara. Seems to be a bit of a project,as 2009 was his first season in Division 1 baseball. More from Keith Law about Gardner...

Joe Gardener transferred to UCSB and ended up being the Gaucho’s ace this year, leading his team in era by more than a run and a third. He’s very big, but lacks athleticism and looks awkward on the mound.

He sits right around 90, with a very good tailing life on the pitch, possibly thanks to his ¾ slots. His slider has decent speed but he gets around it too much. His change up has decent fade but stays up too long. His delivery isn’t pretty with a lot of extra movements and lack coordination.

He is very raw, but has size, arm strength, and a good ability to throw strikes. With a decent pitching coach there is is a chance there is even more velocity in that arm.

This draft pick points to be a guy they spend a bit of time with in the low minors since he is still just turned 21 years old. "The Gaucho" seems to be a fitting nickname for this this larger than life righty.

As for picks 4-50, Tribe Times will hit on a few players that jump out over the next two days.

Cleveland Indians Select Pitcher Alex White in First Round

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:27:00 -0400

Well, the Tribe didn't get the guy I had hoped for (Drew Storen went 10th to the Nationals), but they did select one of the five pitchers written about earlier today, University of North Carolina's Alex White. The right hander was one of the top high school prospect in 2006, but elected to become a Tar Heel instead of going pro.

Originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round, White has a six-pitch repertoire, headlined by a mid 90's fastball to go along with his split finger that will allow him to excel quickly. Many drafts sites had him as a possible top five pick, but teams have seemed concerned about his three-quarters delivery and that he is a Scott Boras client.

He is a pretty big dude, going 6'3" 200+ pounds and looks pretty imposing out on the mound. Alex will turn 21 later this year and has a real chance to contribute at the big league level sometime in 2010.

Here is what metal bat baseball (great scouting site) had to say about him:

White's electric arm throws a lively, moving low-to-mid 90s fastball from a 3/4 arm slot that can top out at 96 or 97 mph. His slider has been his go-to secondary pitch for awhile and it features good velocity and movement and he can often throw it for strikes. Recently he has begun to augment that with a strong, biting splitter. The splitter helps him deal with left-handed batters as it acts similar to a changeup. He doesn't seem to struggle pitching from the stretch. White is an excellent athlete who was good enough as a HS basketball player to draw mid-major recruiting interest. White has a strong, lean build and a good frame for pitching that could still fill out a small bit. He has really embraced his role this year as staff ace since Robert Woodard departed.

WEAKNESSES:He could stand to be more consistent with his command and overall quality of pitches from start to start, mixing in a dud or two with otherwise brilliant pitching. Even in some dominating starts he got in trouble with walks (example - 5.2 ip, 1 hit, 5 walks, 6 Ks, no runs at Clemson). His arm slot is three-quarters, but it dropped has he fatigued as a freshman but - with some muscle added to his projectable, athletic frame - he has avoided that so-far as a sophomore. The fatigue caused a poor second half and poor postseason to mar a great start to his freshman year. His arm slot will occasionally vary even when (seemingly) rested, so tightening up the muscle memory there could largely eliminate much of his inconsistencies.

In 2009, White has compiled an 8-4 record with a 4.13 ERA in 15 starts. He has struck out 109 batters in 98 innings while walking 41.

College stats are hard to dissect, though, due to the metal bats and the various ability levels. The Tribe must have liked his total package, because his numbers sure don't jump off the page.

He seems to need to work on his command, but I have a funny feeling that he won't be starting too many games next season down in the minors. With his funky arm angle and multiple pitches, White is definitely headed to the pen in 2010.

The Tribe will probably keep him in a limited starting role for the remainder of 2009 and put a cap on his innings due to his school currently competing in the College World Series. They definitely drafted for an area of need, and with the cost of free agent pitchers nowadays, they really didn't have any other choice.

It seems like a good pick, but remember this: The Indians have not selected an All-Star in the draft since 1999 (CC Sabathia), so I guess they are due.

2009 MLB Draft: Tribe Should Choose Stanford's Drew Storen

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:14:00 -0400

With the anticipation growing for Tuesday's MLB 2009 Draft (not really), it will be interesting to see which way the Cleveland Indians go.

The consensus can't-miss, once-in-a-lifetime stud $50 million Scott Boras client, San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, will be going No. 1 to the Washington Nationals.

After that (as always) the draft is a crapshoot, basically revolving on projections, signability concerns, and internal organizational strengths.

I have narrowed the Indians choices down to five possible picks at their slot at No. 15, and am almost positive I will be wrong.

Four college pitchers and one high school hurler round out the list, mainly because the Indians are in desperate need for polished young arms that can move through the system quickly (hence the college choices).

Most of them have mid-90s fastballs which is also important because the bulk of their current farm talent are location guys. Finally, some of these guys project to be relievers, a position that is definitely a gaping hole of a problem in the Cleveland system.

After pouring over hours of college and high school film, ripping up seven mock drafts, and downing a case of Red Bull, I have slimmed the Tribe's choices down to this collection of arms. Here goes, the Fab Five for 2009 of players most people have never heard of.

Drew Storen: (pictured above) High character citizen, current Stanford Cardinal closer. Indians have a tendency to draft guys from his school (Francisco, Garko, Guthrie). Could move through the system quickly. Scouts and Coaches alike have raved about him...

"That kid is everything that is right about college baseball," Georgia coach David Perno said shortly after his Bulldogs faced Storen in last year's College World Series. "He handles himself the right way, he's a great student and he throws bullets. Those are the guys you build programs around."

Because of Storen's advanced age (he turned 21 in September), the Indiana native is a rare draft-eligible sophomore. So when scouts got a gander of his early-season numbers, he rocketed to the top of most midseason draft-projection lists as the best reliever available, outdistancing Arizona's much-hyped Jason Stoffel.

"Storen could be in the big leagues by the end of the season," one MLB scout said. "His fastball was always good, but now it's popping. His curve may even be better than his fastball, but more importantly, he's learned how to use the two together. He's a pitcher now."

An informal poll of big league talent personnel produces as much praise for how well Storen carries himself off the mound as how he hurls pitches from it, a longtime trademark of Marquess-coached players.

But with Storen, the mixture of brain and brawn is particularly attractive. There are plenty of smart players and there are plenty of guys with a closer's death-to-the-hitter mentality. Rarely do the two come in the same package.

Storen has the stuff to be a starter, and it's not unheard of for a team to take a college closer and let him start as a pro.

That being said, there's a reason Stanford has him in the bullpen...his command hasn't always been sharp.

Even as a short reliever, though, his fastball-curve mix is more than enough to get hitters out, especially from the right side. Good college closers usually get drafted well and Storen should be no exception.

Eric Arnett(pictured below): Indiana University right hander has been scouted heavily by the Tribe and tops his fastball in the mid 90's. At 6'5", 230, he is an imposing prospect.

One of the biggest late risers in the Draft class, Arnett is a big right-hander who put himself into first-round consideration with a breakout junior season. He's got an above-average fastball and a slider that, while inconsistent, could be an out pitch as well.

He struggles at times with his release point and arm angle, which hurts the effectiveness of the slider. He's come a long way in a short time, and the lack of track record may make some pause, as will the high pitch counts he had late in the year.

But if he can develop an effective off-speed pitch, he's the kind of workhorse who could be a future No. 2 or 3 starter in the big leagues.

Rex Brothers: Lefty with a plus fastball from a small college (Lipscomb) but tops out at 97 mph. Here is what the MLB.com scouts say...

Brothers' fastball has been as high as 96, maybe even touching 97 mph. He gets swings-and-misses with it.

Brothers (happily pictured above) was gaining as much "helium" as any pitcher in the draft class as the spring wore on. He'd always been intriguing because of his arm strength that delivers a fastball that can touch 96-97 mph and a pretty good slider.

He took a leap up this season, thanks to a better understanding of how to pitch and the ability to find the strike zone more consistently. If that continues throughout the remainder of his season, he'll go off the board in a hurry.

Alex White (pictured below): Solid right-handed college starter with multiple pitches and good size (6'3", 220). Strange throwing motion may give him arm issues. MLB.com analysis below...

White has an above-average fastball and he threw it 89-95 mph. It sat comfortably at around 91 mph. He's got good life, with some tail and hard sink.

White was a top high school prospect in 2006, but went to UNC instead. He's still one of the better arms now, though his performance in the spring has been a little uneven. He does have plus stuff with a fastball-slider combination along with the makings of two other pitches.

He doesn't always command his fastball that well, but that could be correctable with some mechanical tweaks. With his stuff and his track record, he's likely to go pretty early on Draft Day.

Matt Purke (pictured below): One of the top high school lefties who has three solid pitches. 6'3", 180 and has room to grow. May be a tough sign and a project, but has huge potential upside. Seems to be rising across draft boards.

Purke showed velocity a tick above average, sitting at 92-93 mph. He topped out at 95 mph. It has tailing life to the arm side.

When conversations arise about the top prep lefties in the class, Purke is on the short list. With three excellent offerings and command of them, to go along with a projectable frame, Purke's name comes up early and often.

There might be a small concern about his durabilty because he's a little too slender, but that won't be enough to keep him from being taken high up on Draft day.

Who knows if any of these guys will be good or not, but my pick is Drew Storen due to the Stanford connection and his attitude and demeanor. MLB Network's coverage starts at six, so be sure to tune in.

Ellis Burks and Jason Bere will be there for the Tribe to apparently walk the picks up to some sort of designated podium or write the choices down on little pieces of paper.

They also will probably be shown on a telephone shaped like an Indians batting helmet as well. I personally can't wait for all of the excitement

Chi-Town, My Kind of Town

Chris Kreitzer — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:11:00 -0400

If I ask my friend Jon his weekend plans and I receive the reply "Chi Town" via either text or email, I know he is visiting his fiancee in Chicago. That is just his personality, simple one word answers or short phrases to explain his feelings, emotions, or even destinations.

That two word coupling worked out great for the Tribe this past weekend. When your favorite club is in desperate need of a positive series (a team littered with aging veterans and suspect pitching), just hope "Chi-Town" is on the schedule.

The Tribe looked a lot better over the weekend, taking two of three from the south-siders. Maybe it took the truly "Hot" Carl Pavano to set the tone for the series (nine inning shutout). Or possibly the return of Pronk, who homered in his first game back into the lineup, which helped charge up the Wigwammers.

The most probable answer is that the White Sox are just about as good as the Indians right now, but that is why you play the games. The Columbus contingent has been playing pretty well lately, and the bullpen, sans a shaky outing by Luis Vizcaino Sunday, threw effectively.

Let's look back at the good and the not so good against the White Sox.

Not So Good

Mark DeRosa has been a decent addition to the club, but his .329 OBP ranks 12th on the team (below even our boy David Dellucci). He does have OK power numbers (nine HRs, 38 RBI) but he's a man without a position. The team has more than enough position flexibility, so strike while the trade iron is hot and start a bidding war for DeRo.

Valbuena looked pretty good at short yesterday, so Jhonny won't have to mind the six-spot hopefully too often. His wife is hot, though.

The man with the silent H is still in a bit of a funk. He went 0-for-7 in his two starts during the series, with a big error on Saturday. Jhonny needs to be put back at third for good to allow him some stability.

Peralta tends to heat up in the summer months, so jerking him around the infield will probably not be good for his weak psyche.

Also, I would love to know the Indians' ERA with Peralta at short. I bet you it is higher than when anyone else plays there. Have Valbuena play short, and let Barfield get an audition for a week at second until Asdrubal comes back. Bounce Jhonny between third and DH with only one start a week for him at short against a team with a bunch of lefty hitters.

We all know what Ben Francisco is: a fourth outfielder that shows glimmers of greatness but more than likely is average at best. He went 2-for-12 with two walks against Chicago with two walks.

He is not a leadoff hitter (.329 career OBP), so move him down where he belongs at the bottom of the order. That way, he won't put too much pressure on himself because I have a feeling he does.

When he batted third or fourth last season, his stats went down dramatically. If you look at his stats from 2009, I almost guarantee he hits better at the bottom of the order.

Real Good

The Columbus Trio all played major roles in the victory Sunday. Chris Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a home run and moved a runner to third by hitting to the ball to the right side of the infield.

Luis Valbuena went 1-for-2 with a sac fly, a walk, two RBI and looked pretty good playing shortstop for the first time in the majors.

Trevor Crowe went 1-for-4 and made two amazing catches out in center, one of which with the bases loaded robbed White Sox rookie Gordon Beckham of his first major league hit. It was destined to clear the bases with two outs in the eighth. If the rookies play this well, (along with David Huff's first ML win), the Indians can make a run to .500.

I have developed a new found respect for Jamey Carroll. The guy goes out and does his job, whether at second or third base, never gives up on an at-bat, is playing with a sprained finger, and leads by example.

Carroll went 5-for-9 with two doubles and three RBI over two games and looks to be a very solid two-hitter for the time being. He always works the counts and usually puts the bat on the ball.

He is a guy the club should consider re-signing for 2010 because of his position flexibility and toughness. Jamey is the perfect utility infielder.

Carl Pavano continues to amaze, throwing nine shutout innings Friday to help start the series off on the right step. Pavano struck out six while only allowing two walks and three hits.

Trade rumors will start to circulate about him, but the Indians will keep him on the club up until the July 31 deadline because the rotation is just too decimated by injuries (Laffey,Reyes,Lewis) and ineffectiveness (Carmona).

If the Tribe are completely out of it, then Pavano can be shipped on out.

The Royals come to town Tuesday for a three-game series. The pitching matchups are as follows:

Tuesday: Brian Bannister vs. Cliff Lee

Wednesday: Gil Meche vs. Carl Pavano

Thursday: Zack Grienke vs. Jeremy Sowers

Should be interesting to see if the Indians can string together another series win before interleague play starts up again over the weekend. Hopefully I can text Jon "KC" and that will mean a three-game sweep of the Royals.

Down on the Farm: Lonnie Chisenhall

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:02:00 -0400

Most of the Cleveland Indians top prospects currently are playing ball in Ohio for minor league teams(LaPorta, Brantley, Rondon, Santana, etc.), or the big league club (Huff, Valbuena, Sipp), but there is a future star currently ripping up the Carolina League down in Single A Kinston that will soon be playing a lot closer to Progressive Field. With the organization still not completely settled on an infield for the future, top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall might be just be the fixture Cleveland has been looking for.

2008 First Round Selection helped the K-Tribe win yesterday with a two run homerun as Kinston defeated Wilmington 3-2. It was Chisenhall's team leading ninth home run of the season. He now leads the Carolina League with 42 RBI and is tied for second in home runs. Lonnie has posted .305 AVG .384 OBP .519 SLG .903 OPS in 48 games this season, pretty impressive stats for a 20 year old in his first full season in pro ball. Chisenhall's defensive stats stand out, but not really in a good way.

The former Gamecock made a position change over the offseason, moving from shortstop to second base. This season he has already committed 16 errors in 41 games over at the hot corner. Chisenhall was able to work all last season and spring training with former Indian and current Rookie ball Manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Travis Fryman, who had to make the same transition during his time with the Detroit Tigers. Fryman made the move flawlessly, and Lonnie seemed to take in everything his coach had to teach him. Usually your best athlete on a baseball team is put at shortstop, so I don't envision it being a problem for Chisenhall. With the Indians Farm system looking increasingly week at 2B, SS, and 3B at the higher levels, the team has a lot riding on this guy.

The Pitt Community College product has been named Carolina League Player of the Week twice already this season and has hit three grand slams already this season. He has a line drive swing that looks quite pure from the left side. Chisenhall probably needs to develop a bit better plate discipline by drawing more walks to help him move on up to Akron. I wouldn't be surprised to see him possibly moved to 2nd base sometime in his minor league career if continues to struggle at third base. He has the arm for any position in the infield, so it will be interesting to see where he projects as a Major Leaguer. As he gets older and stronger, I imagine his power numbers will increase even more.

I would consider Lonnie Chisenhall as one of the top 10 prospects in the Indians organization today. He is progressing rapidly through the system with a possible AA appearance in 2009 at the age of only 20. With current Indians' contracts up in a few years, (Martinez, Peralta), the team will be in desperate need of an impact bat. Chisenhall just maybe that guy.

Walking Wounded: Cleveland Indians Play Through Injuries

Chris Kreitzer — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:25:00 -0400

The Indians, competing with a depleted roster, dropped three of four to the Yankees this past series. They walked 11 batters today, but only lost 5-2. With Grady Sizemore on the DL, the lineup looks less than potent.

The roster has turned over so much that the celebration from Sunday's game (pictured right) almost looks like the guys are meeting each other for the first time instead of an exciting 9th inning win (Jhonny, meet Luis, Kerry meet Tomo.)

The key to Monday's game came in the bottom of the fifth with two on and no outs.

Kelly Shoppach (who has been awful lately) popped up a sac bunt and Ryan Garko was doubled at second. After Joba Chamberlain's obnoxious mannerisms over his good play, Jamey Carroll was thrown out attempting to steal, sealing the deal for any shot at a rally.

That was the ball game right there, as Greg Aquino walked the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, leading to a four-run inning. Aquino pitched out of a bases loaded jam (Sowers walked the bases loaded in the sixth), but was unable to pull the Houdini act again.

Jeremy Sowers pitched great for five innings, but became Jeremy Showers again in the sixth. This guy just can't figure things out on a consistent basis.

I attended Sunday's game which was well-played by both teams and featured a walk-off single by Jhonny Peralta. The annoying part of my experience was having to sit in the right field mezzanine surrounded by Yankees fans wearing jersey's with their favorite players' names featured on the back.

Do they know that their Bronx Bombers only sport numerals sans any lettering featured above? Apparently not. My wife and I figured that there was at least twice as many pinstripes as there were Tribe supporters out where we were sitting, which is pathetic.

She actually turned to the gentleman sitting behind us who was dressed from head to toe in Yankee gear and snapped at him when he wondered why the Indians would bring in their closer in a tie ballgame.

She said "he hasn't pitched in three games and they already went through three relievers last inning," which shut up the front runner and his snot-nosed son right there.

Now you know why I married her.

It made the victory that much more fun right there, even though it felt like we were cheering for our team in an opposing park.

Friday and Saturday's games were losses, one a great pitching performance (Andy Pettite) another a poor one (Fausto Carmona). Cliff Lee battled Friday but couldn't get any run support. Carmona was crappy, allowing seven runs (four earned) in four innings.

I didn't watch any of Saturday's game as I was "witnessing" another Cleveland heartbreak. Two up, two down for the series over the weekend.

Two Up

Victor Martinez fouled a ball violently of his knee Saturday, was back in the lineup Monday, and stroked a home run (that forced my buddy Kyle, sitting one row behind, to duck for cover, which is just inexcusable). The guy is a gamer and the team's leader.

I know the club shouldn't rush into any long-term contracts when they are sattled with Pronk's (Travis Hafner) albatross of a deal, but Martinez needs to be in an Indians uniform for the next five years.

Carl Pavano has pitched fantastic in May and has helped settle a spot in a rotation that has been decimated by injuries and ineffectiveness. This guy has shown guts and I have to give him credit, he sure proved me wrong.

Two Down

All Kelly Shoppach has done over the past four games is go 1-14 with 8 Ks. He has 39 Ks in 109 plate appearances (36 percent). That is just awful. Mark Shapiro should have traded him in the offseason when his value was at its highest. Don't be surprised to see Chris Gimenez a bit over the next week.

Carmona is completely lost and needs major revamping of his pitching delivery. The Indians should find someone to help him figure things out because our ace of the future has become Albie Lopez.

Some good news on the injury front came out today, as Jake Westbrook is scheduled to make a three-inning appearance for Akron Friday. If he has no setbacks, look for Westbrook to return to Cleveland sometime at the end of the month.

It will be huge addition to the mash unit of a club, as Aaron Laffey is scheduled to return at the end of the month as well. Scott Lewis is making progress and all three could be in the pitching mix by July 1.

With Sizemore and Rafael Betancourt on the DL, the Columbus shuttle continues. You tend to forget who is actually on the roster with guys like Tomo Ohka (my dad called him Timo Ocho yesterday) rounding out the 25.

The Clippers have been forced to sign guys off the street just to field a team. Who is Blaine Neal or Ken Ray?

The Indians move on to Minnesota Tuesday as David Huff looks to string two solid starts together against Kevin Slowey.

Let's just hope they don't lose anyone else to injury.

Indians' Mark DeRosa on the Trading Block

Chris Kreitzer — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:10:00 -0400

The 2009 version of Casey Blake is available to the highest bidder, as Jon Heyman of SI.com has reported that the Indians are shopping Mark DeRosa.

This comes as no shock to me as the move of Jhonny Peralta to third spelled the end to the former Cub as an Indian.

Apparently, the Tribe is interested in Mets top pitching prospect Bobby Parnell. Parnell is 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in 20 games of relief for New York this season. The 6'4" righty has a mid to high-90s fastball and has both started and relieved in the minors.

I would seriously consider trading DeRo straight up for this guy, as it adds a power arm to the team while allows Luis Valbuena to get an extended look this season. It also doesn't raise the white flag on the season, either.

With Carlos Delgado out for 10 weeks, the Mets desperately need a versatile guy in the infield. Mark DeRosa just may be their man.

Down on the Farm Report: Carlos Santana

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:58:00 -0400

When Casey Blake was traded to the Dodgers last July, most fans had no idea who the prospects were the Indians received for their former grinder.

John Meloan was one half of the deal, a hard throwing bullpen arm. The other has turned into, by most prospect publications, the No. 1 prospect in the organization: catcher Carlos Santana.

Most fans have heard of Santana by now, as he got to play in a few games with the Tribe in Spring Training and has been heavily talked about and mentioned. Here is what some in baseball have to say about the "smooth" switch hitter...

Comment from Ross Atkins, Indians director of player development: "Carlos is extremely gifted offensively. He has a lot of bat speed and he's disciplined. Defensively, he has above average skills when it comes to catching and throwing. He still needs to refine his receiving skills, his game calling ability and his ability to lead a pitching staff."

John Sickles of Minorleagueball.com: "...he's continued to produce power and terrific strike zone judgment while transitioning to Double-A.. I'm not sure he gets as much attention as he deserves: he's an excellent prospect, and will battle Buster Posey for "best catching prospect" plaudits once Matt Wieters graduates to the majors."

Mark Shapiro on catcher Carlos Santana's throwing ability: "He's as gifted throwing as any guy I've ever seen outside of Pudge [Ivan Rodriguez] early in his career."

Pretty high praise for the young 23-year-old Dominican. He seems to be developing into a pretty good receiver, while showing a cannon for an arm.

Santana's leadership behind the dish has help lead to success for Akron, as through May 12th the team had posted a combined 2.81 ERA, with the starting staff of Hector Rondon (29 IP, 1.24 ERA), Frank Herrmann (30 1/3 IP, 2.97 ERA), Chuck Lofgren (27 IP, 1.33 ERA), and Jeanmar Gomez (12 IP, 0.75 ERA) throwing lights out.

But what will eventually get him to Cleveland will be his bat; and he has been raking down in Akron again this season hitting .273 with a .416 OBP, .534 SLG and .950 OPS.

Those are great numbers as he has demonstrated his keen eye of the strike zone while being pitched around in the middle of the Aero lineup (22 Walks to 15 K's). He is among the leaders in the Eastern League as well, with six home runs and 22 RBI.

It will be interesting to see when young Carlos breaks in with the big league club, with Victor Martinez's 2011 free agent year looming. Santana's switch hitting swing is reminiscent of V-Marts', while sporting his #41 jersey behind the dish at Canal Park.

Hopefully this Tribe phenom will have to choose a different numeral when he gets the call up to Cleveland while his mentor mans the bag over at first.

Sweeping a "Fire" Under the Bus

Chris Kreitzer — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:21:00 -0400

You just knew going into the ninth of today's game that the Tribe would get runners on base and flirt with victory.

Then you realized they have teased us fans all year with a season-changing comeback or a last at-bat win.

As Choo flew out to end the game, I wondered to myself how long can a team find new ways to lose?

Apparently many, as the Indians were swept away by the Tigers, scoring a total of three runs in three games. Random angry thoughts from a frustrated fan...

Moves I would make to the roster today... Cut Kobayashi and Dellucci (why is he still playing, we all know that he sucks). Bring in Vizcaino (which will probably happen soon) and call up Jordan Brown/Michael Aubrey and make them your left handed bat off of the bench. Dellucci is a train wreck and there is no room for a team that is 10 games under .500 to even have a roster spot for a 35-year-old, washed-up, can't-bunt, can't-field, can't-hit outfielder.

Lineup changes I would make...Just move Peralta to third and get it over with. He is eventually going to play there next year and the defense is infinitely better with Cabrera playing short (see Friday's game). Let Valbuena play everyday as he has a flair about him and will get better as he plays more (Friday's game not withstanding). Move DeRosa to the outfield and hope he gets his bat going.

LaPorta should be playing everyday and it inexcusable that he did not play in one game against Detroit. He is accruing service time and not gaining any experience riding the pine. That is a huge blunder by Wedge.

Have Shoppach only play twice a week. His swing and plate discipline is a joke right now. Let him catch Lee and occasionally someone else. It's all or nothing with him. Give the other at bats to Garko, he at least usually gets on base.

New lineup...Sizemore-Cabrera-Martinez-Choo-Garko-DeRosa-Peralta-LaPorta-Valbuena

Still looks pretty crappy, but at least it shows some promise at the end. Francisco and Shoppach are strike out machines.

I am done hearing Grady is not a vocal leader. He needs to man up, kick a cooler, yell at some team mates and help will this team to victory. Sizemore is not a young kid anymore.

Wedge may not be the reason the bullpen blows or the team goes into hitting funks, but a club tends to take on the personality of it's manager. Here are Victor's quotes from after the game today...

"It's not Wedge's fault," he said. "I take all the blame, we take all the blame."
In case you missed it, Martinez does not think it's Wedge's fault, which means he does not think Wedge should be jettisoned.

"He's not the one playing," Martinez said. "I don't see any reason why he should pay for this."

Asked what is missing from the 2009 edition, Martinez said: "Energy and, you know, the fire, the fire to play this game."

As to why that would be, Martinez said: "Sometimes we get down on ourselves. We're really trying to do too much at one time. You can't get five hits in one at-bat. You can't get three homers in one at-bat. You have to take it pitch by pitch, at-bat by at-bat."

Isn't it the role of a manager to help promote passion and intensity to help bring a team together? If the manager is relaxed and calm when the results are abysmal, the players may follow suit. It is nice to see Victor defending his skipper, but his comments kind of throw him under the bus. That "Fire" isn't going to come from a player's only meeting. That "Fire" isn't going to come when you can't get a sac bunt down in the seventh inning or when you miss a cut off. That "Fire" isn't going to show up when have got on base once to leadoff a game all season. The only way to catch the "Fire" is to play good, fundamental baseball, create scoring opportunities, pitch with confidence, and have fun for once. Do we really need to bring back this guy or do this after every win to loosen the team up?

Whether it's bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez (who knows what he does anyways), or the Wedge-clone, hitting coach Derek Shelton, the demeanor, approach, and results of the players these men are supposed to have an impact on are well below acceptable. One or both should be canned just to let these guys here some sort of new voice.

I have a few theories concerning why the lineup looks so out of whack and have narrowed it down to these two main spokes in the bicycle in the Tour De Tribe.

Travis Hafner going on the DL was really no shock to anyone, but I didn't think the team would miss him as much as they have. The team is 3-8 since the last game he played in and are devoid of a true cleanup hitter.

Who knows if Pronk will ever stay healthy for an extended time, but the mere presence of his bat in the lineup lengthened its productivity. Choo is not a cleanup guy at all and may hinder his maturation. Here is what the cleanup hole has produced in those 11 games...

Choo: (8-35, 2 extra base hits) .229 batting average .341 on base percentage .415 slugging percentage .756 OPS 0 Home runs and 5 RBI.

DeRosa: (1-8, 0 extra base hits) .125 batting average .125 on base percentage .125 slugging percentage .250 OPS O Home runs and 0 RBI. Combine the two and here is the production out of the cleanup spot over the past 11 games...

Four hole: .209 batting average .306 on base percentage .367 slugging percentage .673 OPS.

With all the blame going to the bullpen, the cleanup spots' production has been well below average and a glaring hole to fill. Another guy is equally to blame for the teams' struggles.

Grady Sizemore might be hurt. I went to the game Apr. 26 when he collided pretty hard with Trevor Crowe. Grady got up pretty slowly and took a few moments to regroup himself.

He obviously looks fine in the outfield and on the basepaths, but maybe he hurt a shoulder-wrist-elbow during the play and hasn't told anyone or the team is hiding the ailment. We all know how the Indians love to hide injuries as we learned straight from the skipper (See Tribe Town Hall Meeting Part Two for Wedge's answer) in January.

Grady is also a gamer and would be the last to make any excuses. Here is some quick numbers for Grady.

Up until Apr. 26 season stats...269 batting average .367 on base percentage, .564 slugging percentage, .931 OPS.

After April 26th season stats...227 batting average .313 on base percentage, .424 slugging percentage, .737 OPS.

Over his past 12 games... (April 27-May 10) .167 batting average ..237 on base percentage, .288 slugging percentage, .525 OPS. Team Record (including game he had off) 4-9.

These stats are significantly terrible, even for a struggling Grady. Is he hurt or just in a slump? I know he almost took Verlander yard in the ninth Friday, but his swing is looking longer and his plate discipline has gone completely array. Time will tell.

Sizemore and Hafner are two of the most important parts of this lineup (including Martinez). As they go, so does the team.

The best thing about a team playing bad is that tomorrow is another day and yet another potential way to right the ship. The White Sox come to town and hopefully the whole Tribe will decide to show up for once.

Tribe signs Luis Vizcaino

Chris Kreitzer — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:02:00 -0400

The Indians' today signed veteran right-hander Luis Vizcaino to a minor league deal.

Will he be another potential gas can or a guy the club can actually count on? The 34-year-old journeyman reliever posted a 5.28 ERA in 43 appearances as a Colorado Rockie last year.

He was acquired this year by the Cubs and pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.

Apparently he ticked off Lou Pinella for showing up late to the first two games of the season and showed up to spring training late and overweight.

As long as he makes it to the pen by the fifth inning and gets batters out, sleep in that extra hour Louie and eat a breakfast burrito.

He is owed $4 million by the Cubs for 2009, so I imagine he signed a veteran minimum contract with the Tribe.

Vizcaino has had success in the past and throws pretty hard. I imagine he can't be any worse than what is getting thrown out there day in and day out.

Let's Blow This Thing Up!

Chris Kreitzer — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:16:00 -0400

12 runs in an inning before even registering an out with a Boston lineup consisting of Rocco Baldelli, Jeff Bailey, Nick Green and George Kottaras is pathetic.

Jeremy Sowers is a jobber and better be on a short leash as I would rather see David Huff get a shot as we pretty all much know what we have in Sowers.

The bullpen is a disaster. Masa Kobayashi is down right embarrassing and should be cut today.

Why is it so hard to find pitcher to pitch one inning?

The organization has done a terrible job home growing their own relievers, deciding rather to turn every good arm into a starter. Teams like Red Sox and Angels seem to always have internal options to go to in their minors for relief work.

The Tribe would rather go with journeyman stiffs like Vinnie Chulk and Matt Herges. I have no idea what they should do to make the situation tolerable in the late innings. They are making the decision now to turn starters in AA and A ball into relievers (Herrmann in Columbus, Putnam in Akron), but it probably is too late for 2009.

The bullpen of agony has done some good deeds for their team mates, masking the hitting struggles of Mark DeRosa, Jhonny Peralta, and Grady Sizemore. The trio has performed well below expectations and need to right their respective ships quickly or the season will be officially lost for good.

Our Indian summer may be ruined. I guess it can't get any worse.

Down on the Farm Report: Zach Putnam

Chris Kreitzer — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:33:00 -0400

With all of the transactions concerning the bullpen being made at the Major League level yesterday, an interesting move was made in Akron.

As reported at Indians Prospect Insider, 2008 5th round pick Zach Putnam was called up from Kinston to pitch in the Aeros bullpen.

He was previously starting for the Little Indians, going 2-0 with a 4.13 ERA in 24 innings where he struck out 23 batters while only walking five.

The University of Michigan Wolverine is on the fast track to the bigs as he tops his fastball out at 96 MPH, along with a slider and a solid splitter that can be used as a changeup.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound Putnam became the first in conference history to earn two spots on the All-Big Ten team, earning recognition as a pitcher and designated hitter his last two seasons in college.

He was also Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, going 9-0 in 12 starts with a 2.58 ERA in his junior year. Over three seasons, he was 23-7 in 36 starts with a 3.12 ERA. He was also a tremendous hitter in college as well.

Putnam hit .307 with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs in 55 games. He was a career .307 hitter with 19 home runs and 114 RBIs in 132 games.

He helped Michigan win the Big Ten title in each of his three seasons and play in the NCAA Tournament each year. Maybe they could use him to pinch hit for Peralta!

In 2008, Putnam threw 9 2/3 innings in Mahoning Valley, striking out eight while posting a 3.72 ERA. It shows how much the right-hander is progressing to totally skip Lake County and only spend a month in Kinston.

It will be interesting to see where his maturation goes as Double A will definitely be a test. With really no hope in Columbus right now in the pen, Putnam may be on the fast track to Cleveland sometime in 2009 after only one year out of college.

Cleveland Indians Call Up LaPorta, Valbuena, Barfield; Holy Crap!

Chris Kreitzer — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:52:32 -0400

I am thoroughly shocked by this news. For an organization that usually waits too long to shake up a club and call up rookies, they did the complete opposite.

Matt LaPorta (.333 avg, .414 obp, 1.054 OPS in Columbus), and Luis Valbuena (.321 avg, .436 obp, .975 ops) are two potential keys to the Tribe's future and will probably see a bit of playing time over the next two weeks.

LaPorta, the key player acquired in the CC Sabathia trade, will platoon at DH and in left.

Valbuena, the young infielder brought here from Seattle in the Franklin Gutierrez deal, will take the role of a super utility guy able to play second, shortstop and third.

With all of the Super 2 talk with LaPorta, I am very surprised, but not shocked.

This may just be a few week audition for him as if he struggles, he can go back down and still stay under the service time threshold.

Josh Barfield will fill in as a pinch runner, late-inning defensive replacement who will be eventually be sent down again when Jamey Carroll gets healthy.

Trevor Crowe struggled a bit in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting .182 in 33 at-bats but displayed solid glove work and speed. He still looks overmatched at the plate, so playing everyday in Columbus will be a positive.

Tony Graffanino on the other hand was terrible, batting .130 in 23 at-bats. Friday may have been the last day of major league ball for Tony, and he should be proud of his solid career.

Joe Smith was a bit of a surprise, but his 7.11 ERA may have been a strong indicator. He didn't throw a whole lot in Spring Training so the Indians will ease him back to the pen.

As for the relief corps, it now stands at Kobayashi, Perez, Chulk, Sipp, Lewis, Betancourt and Wood. Besides Wood and Sipp (3 IP), the rest looks pretty scary.

There is not much more down in Triple A to help, so look for a possible trade or a guy from Double A shooting on up to the show (Pestano, maybe even Hector Rondon?). Hmmm.

Not to say I called the players who should be called up yesterday and they were, but someone has to pat themselves on the back. It might as well be me.

Dellucci back with the Tribe, Fans Rejoice

Chris Kreitzer — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:58:00 -0400

Our savior is back! Although it has not been made official, the Indians have recalled David Dellucci from his rehab assignment in Columbus.

The Columbus Clippers/Durham Bulls game is telecasted over the Internet and the announcer said that the Clippers were playing short handed because of Dellucci returning to the Tribe as he is on his way to Detroit.

I imagine Rich Rundles will be sent back to Triple A, so the pitching staff has been trimmed to a mere 13.

With Hafner out, Double D will be filling in at DH and unfortunately out in left field. He is under contract for $4 million this season so that is the reason why he is back and playing with the big league club. Hopefully, he will bring his bat to the plate, unlike this photo. This season just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

Heartaches, Headaches, and Head Scratchers

Chris Kreitzer — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:01:00 -0400

At least the Indians finally hit a triple! The Tribe's record now stands at a disappointing 8-14 after dropping two of three to the Boston Red Sox when it had a legitimate shot at winning all three. The team collectively went 2-32 with runners in scoring positions, which is downright embarrassing. Every aspect of this team needs to be dissected and critiqued heavily. Here are some rants, without any raves.

Peralta is lost, and needs to be sat down for a few games to figure some things out.
Why a team carrying 14 pitchers trots out a reliever who is prone to the gopher ball (Lewis) for his third consecutive inning, is a mystery. Why not throw the guy (Rundles) who gets lefties out against the lefty (Van Every)?
The Indians blew a golden opportunity for a win when the Red Sox decided to sit Youklis, Drew, and Lugo on the bench in favor of Bailey, Van Every, and Green. I don't care that Van Every hit the winning home run, they are all jobbers.
Shapiro better find seven pitchers to throw out of the bullpen that he believes in, because a major league team cannot have a bench of two or three guys when the starting nine are incredibly slow and not versatile.
Lee and Carmona pitched great, and have nothing to show for it.
Reyes' fastball topping out at 85 MPH was not a good sign.
Putting a closer in a tie ball game when he had pitched the night before, makes no sense to me. I can understand if Wood hadn't thrown in a while, but it works like 50 percent of the time. I understood Wood throwing Tuesday as there really wasn't anyone left.
Moves I would make tomorrow: Cut Kobayashi, demote Graffanino and Rundles, and call up LaPorta, Valbuena, and Barfield. Make Shoppach your backup catcher again, sit Peralta down a few days, and stick LaPorta at DH with an occasional spot start in left. What is worth more, LaPorta losing a year of arbitration or your team losing an entire season? Barfield, Crowe, Shoppach, and Peralta make up your bench for the time being. Send Barfield down when Carroll comes back. I don't even want to get started on Dellucci.
If and when Pavano and Reyes keep sucking, ship the worse one out and call up Rondon from Akron...it would bring excitement, and a guy who throws heat.
I need not watch Friday's game or my blood pressure will become a health problem.
I have a horrible feeling that the same old moves will happen tomorrow (Dellucci up).
When is the point in the season when the team decides the core of this team just is not working together as a cohesive unit?
What will be the club's excuse for their bad start this year? Hafner on the DL? The WBC? The swine flu?
Should I feel optimistic that they are still only 3.5 games back?

The Tribe is thankfully off Thursday, but moves the train wreck on up to Detroit, where Carl Pavano (0-3 9.50 ERA) takes on Armando Gallaraga (3-0 1.85 ERA). Are you still in the Tribe?

Josh Barfield Sent Down for Aaron Laffey

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:54:00 -0400

The Indians' anemic offense lost its pinch runner today, as infielder Josh Barfield was sent down for new fifth starter Aaron Laffey per WTAM. This is a bit of a surprise, as the Tribe will now be carrying 13 pitchers.

I guess the position flexibility of the various members of the team will come in handy, as J-Barf never even got a start in his week with the team. Apparently Tony Graffanino is a better guy to have glued to the bench.

I expect a good start from Laffey tomorrow for no other reason than this team is due. Also, don't be surprised to see Matt Laporta in an Indians uniform in the next few weeks, as he is already hitting 8-16 and may be just the guy to help spark this slumping offense.

Tales from the Teepee: Scott Bailes

Chris Kreitzer — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:30:00 -0400

He was the Tribe’s premier lefty in the mid to late 80s, a man who set the Indians’ record for wins for a rookie reliever (eight in 1986) and threw five complete games with two shutouts as a starter in 1988.

At the same time, he never had an ERA below 4.28. In the aforementioned 1988 season, he finished with a losing record and was demoted to the bullpen before the end of the season.

“Almost Never Fails” Scotty Bailes dumbfounded Indians management and the fans alike, at times showing flashes of averageness and, at other times, looking absolutely god-awful.

Bailes had a whopping 13-year Major League career, and if that doesn’t say anything about the lack of quality left-handed pitching at the Major League level, I don’t know what does.

Bailes pitched at Southwest Missouri State and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1982 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He came to the Indians in 1985 as the “player to be named,” and made his Major League debut the next season.

In 1986, Bailes had a perfectly average season. In 62 appearances, most out of the bullpen, he finished 10-10 with seven saves and an ERA just under 5.00. As I mentioned, all but two of those wins came in relief.

Maybe it’s just me, but that seems like an awful lot of decisions for a guy who made most of his appearances in relief.

The 1986 Indians weren’t even that bad. Sure they finished in fifth place in the AL East, but they won 84 games and all signs pointed to a team on the rise.

Bailes split his time between the rotation and the bullpen in 1987, making 17 starts and 15 relief appearances, compiling a record of 7-8 with a 4.64 ERA—the definition of an “Even Steven.”

Due to the Tribe’s financial struggles, and the fact the Bailes made only $80,000—just above the league minimum, he was forced to take an offseason job as a nanny for a New Jersey family under the pseudonym “Charles," disclosing his secret only to his best friend, Buddy.

In his breakout year in 1988, he had two shutouts and five complete games, but his record slid to 9-14 and he was demoted to the bullpen.

The 1989 season brought more of the same. Despite his career-low ERA of 4.28 he finished with a losing record and the Tribe, facing yet another rebuilding process, dealt him to the Angels in the offseason for future International League Hall of Famer Jeff Manto.

"Scotty 2 Hotty" threw a few years with the Halos. He was released in 1992, and kicked around the minors for a few years before retiring in 1995.

(Remarkable to me only because he was only the second Tribe player I remember from my youth playing for another team after being dealt/discarded by the Indians, the first being Pat Tabler who was traded to the Royals the previous year.)

Shockingly, he made his comeback to the Majors in 1997 with Texas, where he pitched for two years before finally hanging it up for good after the 1998 season.

Currently Bailes is a color analyst for the St. Louis Cardinals AA affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals.

Wraping Up Arizona: Spring Training Reflections

Chris Kreitzer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:08:00 -0400

As the Tribe officially moves out of their home away from home in Goodyear and on to two meaningless paid exhibition games with the Houston Astros, it is time to take a look back on the long adventure that was Cleveland Indians spring training.

With the second installment of the WBC this season, the Cactus League was extended by two weeks and many, many games. The pitchers "got their work in." The position players "took it a day at a time." And manager Eric Wedge used countless other analogies to describe baseball games in March that don't count.

Here were some of the highlights and lowlights of the spring that was...

The Lowlights

Cliff Lee's 12.46 ERA

I never know how to judge a pitcher in exhibition baseball. Are they working on certain pitches? Is the Arizona air misrepresenting the flight of the hit baseballs? Do the pitchers really try? Besides one solid outing against the Rockies (6IP, 2ER), Clifton was shelled, but he wasn't the only one. Wedge gave his opinion about the pitching in general here.

A few of Lee's starts were just about working on spotting his fastball, while others, as he said, he just didn't have it.

Lee seems to be the kind of guy who really gets focused on each and every start through scouting and mental preparation, so obviously his normal in-season routine is fairly different.

I am not too worried about Cliff, just a bit concerned, especially when he has his first start in the band box that is The Ballpark at Arlington.

Shin Soo Choo .118 batting average.

Choo was gone for three weeks of camp due to the glorified exhibition that was the WBC. Even though his actual at-bats were of more significance than a normal Cactus League game, they were far too infrequent. When Choo experienced some tightness in his left arm (where he had Tommy John surgery), the Indians asked the Korean team to use him strictly at DH. That seems to have made the right fielder a bit rusty, making mental mistakes out in the field and over-swinging on high fastballs.

Choo should be fine, but don't be surprised to see him sitting a few days a week against left handers in favor of rookie Trevor Crowe.

Masa Kobayashi 12.27 ERA in 11 innings.

When a soft tossing reliever can't keep his 85 MPH down in the zone, it may be time for his team to move on from said pitcher.

Masa has been a disaster this spring, basically supplying batting practice for the various teams out in Arizona. If he wasn't on the hook for more than $3 million this season, he would have been jettisoned, just like Tomo Ohka was earlier in March. The way Wedge has been describing Kobayashi in the media ("Masa's pitches were flat and up," ), I wouldn't think it would take too many more clunkers to have him jettisoned off the club.

The pen seems pretty solid with Wood, Perez, Lewis, Smith, and Betancourt. The other two roles may be a revolving door most of the season.

The Highlights

Mark DeRosa .367 batting average, 3 HR, 9 RBI.

Another WBC casualty, DeRosa was able to make an impact in limited time (30 AB) spent in Goodyear. He also led Team USA in RBI, where he played, like, five positions. The former Cub has acclimated himself to the club very nicely and has immediately become a big threat in the two hole this season. This will provide much needed protection to Grady Sizemore in the order.

In only a few weeks with his new mates, DeRosa has become a team leader and eventual fan favorite. Cubs fans sure were.

Kerry Wood/Rafael Perez/Jensen Lewis/Joe Smith Combined ERA 1.87 in 33 2/3 IP, 37 K's

If these guys pitch like this in the regular season, the Indians will be in contention all year. Newcomers Wood (0 ER in 6 IP) and Smith (12 Ks in 7 2/3 IP) look like excellent acquisitions, while Perez (3.00 ERA, 9 Ks in 9 IP) and Lewis (1.64 ERA, 10 Ks in 11 IP) picked up where they left off last season. Normally, relief pitchers feed off of one another's success, so hopefully their performances will spill into the regular season.

Guys like Jackson and Kobayashi won't be relied upon as much, and the fans can start putting last season's bullpen from hell out of their memories forever.

Trevor Crowe .304 batting average, 7 SB, eventual David Dellucci replacement.

With David Dellucci and his three year, $11 million contract hovering over the Indians like a buzzard, it was nice to see a guy go out and really compete for an outfield spot who has more than one discernible skill.

The former first rounder and top prospect amassed 56 at bats this spring and played all three outfield positions very well. Double D will start the season on the 15-day disabled list, with probable time spent in Columbus, opening up a roster spot for some new blood.

Nothing against The Looch, but with the current makeup of the corner outfield having question marks, a guy with his skill-set (left handed pinch hitter) does not fit well on this current club. If Crowe hits, runs, and hustles like he did in Arizona, he will find himself on the roster as a guy who can play center field, switch hit, and run.

Look for Trevor to play a few times a week, also.

Many other positives came out of camp (young guys in Columbus, steady Grady, Victor, Fausto), along with what may turn out to be some negatives (Scott Lewis' last two starts, Shoppach's Ks, fielding issues). In short, the team as a whole hit extremely well, but pitched pretty poorly.

The only real answers will come as the season plays out and Opening Day begins a new year of baseball. Cliff Lee takes on Kevin Millwood Monday, finally putting to rest all of the reflections, prognostications, and hyperbole.

Let's PLAY BALL already!

Indians Farmhand Fodder: AAA and AA Rotations Announced.

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:53:00 -0400

Two of the four full-season Cleveland Indians starting rotations were announced today without any real surprises. Triple A Columbus will consist of Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, David Huff, Kirk Saarloos, and Jack Cassell. The last spot going to Cassell (brother of Chiefs' QB Matt Cassell) is a mild surprise as he was used primarily out of the bullpen in Cactus League action. With the way Scott Lewis has been shelled the past cactus league outings (15 runs in 6 2/3 innings), the three lefties down I-71 should stay ready to be called up soon. Saarloos is a solid veteran who could be used in a pinch.

As for Double A Akron, the rotation rounds out with Chuck Lofgren, Hector Rondon (pictured left), Steven Wright, Josh Tomlin, and Frank Herrmann. Most Tribe fans aren't too familiar with these young hurlers, so let's examine each of them and see what 2009 may bring.

Lofgren is a former big time prospect looking to regain his top status within the organization. A great piece by Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider can be found here.

Rondon is probably the Tribe's number 1 pitching prospect. The 21 year old out of Venezuela impressed Manager Eric Wedge during his first career Cactus League action as he pitched 3 shut out innings, allowing just 1 hit, 0 walks and 3 K's. His fastball has a real pop to it and he locates his secondary stuff (slider, curve). Some feel Rondon may be ready for the Majors late this summer as his fastball is often clocked in the 94-96 MPH range.

You can add phenom Hector Rondon to the list -- the 21-year-old will open at Class AA Akron. He has a fastball in the 94 mph range with an excellent change-up and really impressed manager Eric Wedge and the coaching staff. He could be ready by midseason. Terry Pluto/PD

More on Rondon to come in a future Down on the Farm Report.

Steven Wright was drafted in the 2nd round out of Hawaii in 2006. Posted a 3.66 ERA between Single A Kinston and Double A Akron in 28 starts. Seems to be a solid rotation option (with a possible bullpen future) down the road and one of the top 20 arms in the system.

Tomlin seems to be an in between starter/reliever guy who has put up some great stats (2.94 career minor league ERA) who can do a little bit of everything. He made a spot start in Buffalo last season (3 ER in 7 innings) which was a huge jump from his regular role a Single A Kinston. The 24 year old seems to have a bright future with the Tribe with his versatility and past success.

Frank Herrmann pitched at both Double A and Triple A for the Indians in 2008 and threw fairly well. Frank went undrafted out of Harvard and has rocketed through the system. He struck out 10 in a spot start for Buffalo in 2008 and will help headline the staff in Akron in 2009. Probably should be up in Columbus right now, but will have to wait his turn as the big league club sorts out their own rotation issues.

The future seems bright for the Columbus and Akron starting rotations respectively. If only the major league clubs' top five looked so promising.

Trevor Crowe Makes Cleveland Indians Roster, David Dellucci Moved To DL

Chris Kreitzer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:02:00 -0400

As speculated yesterday, Cleveland Indians rookie outfielder Trevor Crowe will break camp with the big league club. David Dellucci's nagging injuries (thumb, calf) and his one-dimensional game (hitting left handed) made the move an easy one for the Tribe.

Crowe had a great spring, batting .289 with six stolen bases. His all-out hustle and speed will be an added component to the team. Don't expect him to waste away on the bench, though, because I have a feeling that the skipper will definitely find at-bats for him a few times a week to keep Francisco and Choo (and maybe even Hafner) fresh.

We may, fortunately, have seen the last of ole' Double D, since he will be out a minimum of two weeks with a Triple A rehabilitation surely to follow. If Crowe rips it up at the major league level and Dellucci is wallowing in mediocrity in Columbus, the Tribe will probably cut bait a la Aaron Fultz last season and eat his robust $4 million contract.

Outfielders who can't field, run, or throw, and can barely hit at age 35, are not much of a hot commodity within baseball in these economic times. David seemed to be a good clubhouse guy, but an albatross out in the field.

This move reminds me a bit of when Grady Sizemore was going to be sent down in 2005 in favor of Juan Gonzalez. While Crowe will probably never be Grady, more youth and position flexibility is never a bad thing to have off of your bench.

After coming close to not making the team in Spring Training, he stepped into the starting lineup after Juan Gonzalez's injury and made it impossible for manager Eric Wedge to pull him out of the lineup.

Here is what Wedge had to say about Sizemore back then: "He plays the game hard...He plays the game the right way."

The skipper had high praise for Trevor also...

Crowe played well enough to make the ballclub,'' Wedge said. ''He has every tool that you want to see in a young player."

We will have to wait and see how it plays out. Crowe is in the in the lineup for tonight's game against San Diego (televised locally on STO), so it will be interesting to see how he responds to his good fortunes. These roster issues usually seem to work themselves out over time (Michaels, Borowski, Julio circa 2008), so this move seems to be a positive one.

All I know is that I am not upset at the idea of seeing Trevor Crowe get some major league at bats instead of a broken-down aging veteran.

Quotes courtesy of www.indians.com and www.ohio.com

Down on the Farm Report: Trevor Crowe

Chris Kreitzer — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:15:00 -0400

It may be sooner, rather than later, for Cleveland Indians prospect Trevor Crowe's major league debut.

With aging veteran David Dellucci experiencing a nagging calf injury, the Tribe may be calling on their top 2005 draft pick to fill in.

Crowe, with his ability to play all three outfield positions, switch hit, and run well would be a natural fit off of the bench for the Indians in 2009.

This Portland, Oregon native was highly touted coming out of the University of Arizona where he played with current Clipper teammates Jordan Brown and John Meloan.

Being the 14th overall selection, Crowe was immediately put on a fast track to move on through the Indians organization. By the end of his first full professional season (2006), he had already logged 154 at-bats at Double-A Akron.

A myriad of injuries and bad luck, coupled with a failed change of position experiment (move to second base) seemed to derail his top prospect standing within the organization.

Hard nosed and the eternal fighter, Crowe quickly regained respect in the front office posting a solid 2008 campaign (.302, 41 extra base hits, 18 stolen bases) between Akron and Buffalo.

Originally and probably unfairly compared to Grady Sizemore, Crowe plays and athletic style of baseball, possessing most of the prototypical five tools a baseball player should possesses.

His career minor league on-base percentage is .361 and has steadily climbed over the past two seasons. The Indians feel that more pop in his bat will come in the future as he matures and learns the game.

His ability to drive the ball to both outfield gaps will ultimately be the deciding factor of whether Crowe is an everyday player or a fourth outfielder.

Some also that he may not have the range to play centerfield on a daily basis, but from what I have scene in person, Trevor is a tough, hard-nosed kid who could definitely handle the challenge. As the current roster is made up, the Indians really doesn't have a guy to fill in in center if Sizemore needs a day off, so Crowe would be the most logical choice.

Trevor Crowe came in to spring camp a man on a mission, impressing manager Eric Wedge along the way.

"Crowe played well enough to make the ballclub,'' Wedge said. ''He has every tool that you want to see in a young player. But there is no downside to sending him back, because it will help him fine-tune his game. When he comes up—and I think he will at some point in the season—he will be a better player." (ohio.com)

That "some point" may be to start the season.

He hit .289 (13-for-45) with a homer, a triple, a double and three RBI, while going 6-for-6 in stolen-base attempts.

Crowe would also be a much needed steady outfield replacement for both Shin Soo Choo and Ben Francisco, if either struggles early on.

In his last game up with the big league club, Crowe slugged a long home run and a double, which impressed the front office.

"When Crowe hit his HR to right, which was huge, Antonetti and Shapiro exchanged a raised eyebrow glance." (letsgotribe.com)

With the lack of first round homegrown talent on the current big league roster, it would be a big win for the organization for Trevor Crowe to become a solid major league contributor.

His game reminds some of Arizona Diamondbacks' outfield Eric Byrnes, which would not be a bad thing at all.

Look for Crowe to make some type of impact in 2009 with a shot at an everyday spot in 2010.

Barfield Wins Indians' Last Bench Spot; Gimenez and Crowe Optioned to Columbus

Chris Kreitzer — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:49:00 -0400

In a not so surprising development, Josh Barfield has made the Cleveland Indians as a super utility guy.

Although he has not been exactly knocking the cover off of the ball, batting a .184, 9-49, .216 on-base percentage in 19 spring games entering Saturday. J-Barf has shown the ability to adjust to various positions around the diamond.

He seems to be playing pretty well in the outfield, and is getting more comfortable at third base. The Indians will use Barfield as a pinch runner, late inning defensive replacement with an occasional start here and there.

Manager Eric Wedge has liked what he has seen out of the former Padre.

"Josh's versatility was part of the decision,'' Wedge said Saturday. ''Also his speed, his ability to steal a base. We still feel like his hitting is coming. It has yet to translate into a game, but I feel like it will. He's probably a little better in right than in left. Of course, second base is his best position, and he needs some work at third.''

With the announcement, the Indians optioned the Chris Gimenez and Trevor Crowe to Triple-A Columbus. Both played great in the spring, so do not be surprised if you see them up with the big league club sometime in 2009.

Gimenez showed outstanding position flexibility, playing both corner outfielders, first base, and his everyday position as a catcher. He also posted outstanding stats batting .357, 10-28 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, .486 OBP, and .670 SLG in 20 spring games.

The guy is major league ready, and will force the Indians to make some pretty hard decisions on the roster very soon.

Crowe, .289, 13-45, 6 SB, also played great and played all out in every game he appeared in. Trevor is a player to watch and will be the first call up position player wise in 2009, when an injury occurs. Crowe looks to be poised to make an impact in 2009 as well.

The final bullpen slot seems down to Vinnie Chulk and Zach Jackson.

Jackson seems to still have the inside edge as a left handed long man, but Chulk has pitched great as well. Look for a decision on Monday or Tuesday.

Tribe Claims Reliever Jae Kuk Ryu

Chris Kreitzer — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:34:00 -0400

In a move to add some depth to the bullpen, the Indians claimed Korean right hander Jae Kuk Ryu off of waivers from the San Diego Padres.

Ryu was pretty bad in Cactus League play, posting an ERA above 10. To make room, the club placed Jake Westbrook on the 60-day disabled list.

The 25-year-old Ryu will be added to the ever growing list of relievers down in Columbus. It seems that the last spot in the bullpen may not be decided until early next week, and it will be interesting to see which way Shapiro and co. go with their decision.

Do they stick with Ed Mujica, who has been awful but is out of options? Or do they go with Vinnie Chulk or Matt Herges due to their experience?

Or maybe pick Zach Jackson because of his inning flexibility? The answer is coming soon.

Scott Lewis Wins Spot in Indians' Rotation, Slated to Throw Home Opener

Chris Kreitzer — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:28:00 -0400

In a mild surprise, left hander Scott Lewis has been named the final spot open in the starting rotation for the Cleveland Indians. His main competition, Aaron Laffey, was knocked around yesterday for four runs in a minor league game and was subsequently sent to Triple A camp.

Lewis, out of THE Ohio State University, is expected to actually start the fourth game of the season, the Indians home opener against Toronto.

Since there are so many off days in April, Anthony Reyes will assume the fifth spot to take a little stress off of his sore elbow injury of 2008.

This will definitely not be the last we see of young Laffey, as he will fill the de facto role of sixth starter, eventual replacement to Hot Carl Pavano and his rising ERA.

Much more on the TTO later today about the last two roster spots and how the Tribe looks closing out Cactus League action.

Sowers to the Minors, LaPorta & Brantley Re-Assigned

Chris Kreitzer — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:47:00 -0400

It seems to be a two man race for the final spot in the rotation, as lefty Jeremy Sowers was optioned to Triple A Columbus.

The Vanderbilt grad pitched alright, posting a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings of work. Sowers will most definitely re-surface sometime in 2009.

The last remaining spot is down to Scott Lewis and Aaron Laffey. Shapiro had glowing things to say about Lewis yesterday, so don't be surprised to see Scotty in the No. 5 spot in the rotation to start the season.

Laffey has been pitching better of late, and will be the first starter called upon from the minors should an injury happen, or to replace the likely implosion of Carl Pavano. Here is the list of moves per The Plain Dealer.

"Left-hander Jeremy Sowers and catcher Wyatt Toregas were sent to Class AAA Columbus.

Right-hander Greg Aquino, infielder Michael Aubrey, right-hander Kirk Saarloos and outfielders Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley were re-assigned to minor league camp. There are currently 37 players in big-league camp."

As for the Sabathia tandem (Brantley & LaPorta,) both impressed while playing with the big league club. These two will be ever compared to one another as they were both key cogs in the CC Sabathia trade last season.

Michael Brantley was able to show his versatility in the outfield, playing all three spots quite well. His numbers (.313 BA, four stolen bases) were solid, and he seemed to already possess a big league demeanor passed down from his father, former big-leaguer Mickey Brantley.

Still only 21, Brantley will go down to Columbus and work on his game even more to become possibly the Tribe's future leadoff hitter.

Matt LaPorta played great this spring as well (.361 BA, six doubles, and a 1.050 OPS,) living up to his top prospect billing. LaPorta still needs to work on his fielding, but this former Gator seems only months, not years away from helping the Indians.

The other four players (Toregas, Aquino, Aubrey, and Saarloos) will compete for spots down in Columbus. It is interesting that no teams have really showed any interest in Aubrey, as he is batting .455 this spring.

Although he doesn't have much pop in his bat, Aubrey could be a useful player on a major league team that desires a gloveman at first with little power but a solid average (a la Doug Mientkiewicz/Sean Casey/Mark Grace-type.)

The roster is now down to 37. The late innings of these games will be rough to watch, as many of the current players on the bench are career journeyman (Cannizaro, Graffanino, and Valdez to name three.)

Thankfully, only less than two weeks remain until opening day!

Can the Indians Really Depend on the Pen?

Chris Kreitzer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:32:00 -0400

Recent reports out of Goodyear have not been kind to Japanese import Masa Kobayashi. He currently is sporting a 14.40 ERA in five innings of work.

Coupled with Easy Ed Mujica's 12.71 ERA, the duo is putting up stats reminiscent of the horrid bullpen of 2008 where a total ofsix pitchers who appeared in at least 14 games had earned run averages above 5.60!

Thankfully, young options (Sipp, Meloan, Jackson) to go with non-roster guys (Chulk, Herges, Saarloos) are available to help sort out the final spots on the bench out in center field.

The thought of those two toeing the rubber this season makes many Tribe fans quiver and for good reason. It seems as the Cleveland Indians bullpen goes, so does the team's final record.

Mark Shapiro has preached many times over the years that a teams relief corps is many times a crap shoot, and by looking at the corresponding ERA's with the Indians win totals, his analysis seems correct. Here is a breakdown of the past five years of Indians bullpens and how the club ended up.

2004 (80-82, Third Place)

Bullpen ERA 4.90 (Ranked 12th in AL) opposing batting average .271

Omar Vizquel's Indian career was ending, Grady Sizemore's was just beginning, and the Tribe Bullpen was just plain sucking. Bob Wickman started the season on the 60 day DL, so the team decided to begin the season with a closer-by-committee format.

Boy, was that a bad idea. In an attempt to bolster the club's holes in the area, they traded a quartet of future big league regulars (Ryan Church and Maicer Izturis to the Angels, Willy Tavares and Luke Scott to the Astros) for Scott Stewart and Jeriome Robertson.

These ill-fated moves, along with the signing of Jose Jimenez doomed the club from the outset. Here are their scary stats...

Scott Stewart 23 games, 13 2/3 innings pitched, 7.24 ERA
Jeriome Robertson 8 games, 14 innings pitched, 12.21 ERA
Jose Jimenez 31 games, 36 1/3 innings pitched, 8.42 ERA

Another star of the bullpen was Chad Durbin, who may have set a record (later matched by Fausto Carmona in 2006) in giving up three walk-off homeruns in the first 28 games of the season.

If there ever were a bullpen from hell, this was it, as 20 pitchers threw in relief for the Indians, headlined by such names as Lou Pote, Jack Cressend, David Lee, Jake Robbins, Rick White, Matt Miller, and catcher Tim Laker. Let's just say the Indians knew things had to improve for the team to compete in 2005.

2005 (93-69, Second Place)

Bullpen ERA 2.80 (Ranked 1st in AL) opposing batting average .224

What a difference a year makes! After starting the season slowly, the Indians charged hard over the last two months and missed the playoffs by a mere one game.

The team re-signed Bob Wickman to close (45 saves, 2.47 ERA), acquired veteran lefties Arthur Rhodes (2.08 ERA) and Scott Sauerbeck (4.04 ERA), and got an amazing year out of reclamation projects Bob Howry (2.47 ERA in 79 games) and Rafael Betancourt (2.79 ERA in 54 games).

The worst regular reliever was probably Jason Davis, and he wasn't that bad (4.69 ERA). This was a bullpen built for the playoffs, but unfortunately the young supporting cast fizzled at the end of the season. Shapiro and Co. may have taken the success for granted.

2006 (78-84, Fourth Place)

Bullpen ERA 4.73 (Ranked 11th in the AL) opposing batting average .274

As Joni Mitchell once wrote, "Don't it always seem to go. That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," could very well have been the mantra of the 2006 bully.

In a desire to strengthen the position player depth in the organization, the Tribe included David Riske (3.01 ERA in 2006) in the Coco Crisp trade (Josh Bard, too) that netted the team top prospect Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach, Randy Newsom and Guillermo Mota.

In a separate move to augment the loss of Crisp, the Indians also shipped Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for the immortal Jason Michaels. These two moves, along with the loss of Bobby Howry to free agency really put the bullpen in a state of confusion.

Now granted, Rhodes and Riske were nowhere near as effective in 2006 then they were a year earlier, but maybe keeping the guys together out there who led the league in ERA in their same respective roles may have been a good idea.

Wickman got hurt, Mota was horrible (6.21 ERA), Fernando Cabrera (5.19 ERA) and Rafael Betancourt (3.81 ERA) were tired from their appearances in the WBC, Scott Sauerbeck got drunk and hid in some bushes with a woman who was not his wife (6.23 ERA), and a guy named Brian Sikorski (4.58 ERA) had to be purchased late in the season FROM Japan.

This Bullpen of Horrors almost claimed Fausto Carmona as well. After Bob Wickman was traded the Braves, the Tribe stuck the young Dominican into the closer's role.

In the span of seven days (from July 30 through August 5), Carmona recorded four losses and three blown saves for the Indians, including walk-off home runs surrendered to Boston Red Sox David Ortiz and the Tigers' Ivan Rodriguez.

Thankfully he was returned to his original role as a starter soon thereafter. The lone bright spot was eventual call up of Rafael Perez, a future bullpen star.

2007 (96-66, First Place)

Bullpen ERA 3.75 (Ranked 4th in the AL) opposing batting average .254

Mark Shapiro made it a priority to rebuild the 2007 pen by signing a quartet of pitchers (Keith Foulke, Joe Borowski, Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz) to compete for the many open spots in the bullpen.

Foulke never made it out of Spring Training, so Joe Borowski assumed the role as closer. As much as JoBo made Tribe fans' hold their collective breaths all season, he pitched with guts, saving an AL leading 45 games (as well as game 4 of the ALDS). His 5.04 ERA was a cause for concern, but that will be discussed later.

Rafael Betancourt had a downright magical 2007 season posting a 1.47 ERA in 68 games, while Aaron Fultz (2.92 ERA) pitched well in the first half of the season. Aging veteran Roberto Hernandez was a bust (6.23 ERA), but a pair of young pitchers really helped the Tribe make a run to the playoffs.

Lefty Rafael Perez (1.78 ERA in 44 appearances) and righty Jensen Lewis (2.15 ERA in 26 games) provided stability and excitement after the All-Star break.

Ultimately, it was the starting pitching that did in the Tribe in the ALCS, but the bullpen was a huge strength and looked to be one in 2008.

2008 (81-81, Third Place)

Bullpen ERA 5.13 (13th in the AL) opposing batting average .280

With the success of the relievers experienced in 2007, Shapiro felt only minor tweaking needed to be done. He brought in Japanese closer Masa Kobayashi and veteran Jorge Julio to compliment his strong corps of arms.

Kobayashi would serve as a type of insurance in the case of injury or major meltdowns like years' past. It may have been an omen of things to come when Aaron Fultz was released in Spring Training, making the Indians eat his $1.5 million contract.

The GM should have and probably internally did project the eventual decline of Joe Borowski (18 games, 16 2/3 innings, 7.56 ERA while showing at best 85 MPH fastball), but no one would have thought that the guys who had so much success in 2007 would fall completely on their face.

Julio was a flop (5.60 ERA in 15 games). Betancourt looked terrible from the beginning (6.00 ERA in 42 games befor the All-Star Break) and never looked comfortable in closing games after Borowski was removed.

Jensen Lewis's velocity was way down early and was eventually sent back to Buffalo (he rebounded late in the season, assuming the closer's role and saving 13 games).

Kobayashi showed glimpses of being average, but eventually tired and posted a 10.32 ERA over his final 15 games. Here is the list of the over-5.60 ERA for the season club...

Edward Mujica 33 games, 38 2/3 innings pitched, 6.75 ERA
Juan Rincon 23 games, 27 1/3 innings pitched, 5.60 ERA
Joe Borowski 18 games, 16 23 innings pitched, 7.56 ERA
Jorge Julio 15 games, 17 2/3 innings pitched, 5.60 ERA
Brendan Donnelly 15 games, 13 2/3 innings pitched, 8.56 ERA
Tom Mastny 14 games, 20 innings pitched, 10.80 ERA

Those have got to be some of the worst stats a bullpen has put up in the history of baseball. I wouldn't want any of those guys' autographs, let alone them pitching for my favorite team.

The team did play quite well over, going 34-21 after July 31. That success can be attributed in part to the stability of the closer's role (Lewis) and the lack of appearances of the jobbers listed above.

2009?

What will the 2009 bullpen look like and perform? The signing of closer Kerry Wood in the off season should solidify the closer's Role (assuming no lingering injuries), allowing the younger pitchers to settle into their respective spots in the Pen.

The acquisition of sidewinder Joe Smith should help as well in providing depth and a different look. If the Cleveland Indians can compete with a better than average bullpen day in and day out, the statistics above support a better record and a most probable return to post season.

Unfortunately as Shapiro has learned, relievers are probably the most unpredictable positions on the diamond. The 2005 and 2007 seasons showed that having a guy finish games (Wickman and Borowski) effectively most of the time correlates into wins.

Wood has saved 34 games in 40 chances and reportedly topped 98 MPH on the radar gun in the National League playoffs. Lewis and Perez have been lights out this spring, and Betancourt seems to be getting things together.

If these five guys can find consistency in their respective roles, 2009 should see a return to greatness for the Indians. It is also an odd year, which for some reason has proved to be good thing for these guys.

From Jim Poole to Jose Mesa, Tribe fans have suffered through some excruciating performance from the last line of defense. Hopefully this season, Tribe fans can smile and not hold their breaths when the gate swings open out in centerfield at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Heavy Rotation: Cleveland Indians' 2009 Starting Staff

Chris Kreitzer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:14:00 -0400

With still three weeks to go until the start of the 2009 MLB season, the Cleveland Indians seem to have one glaring weakness heading into the games that count for real: starting pitching.

Many fans and pundits alike seem to over analyze players each preseason to justify their prognostications. Will Player X bounce back from a rough year? Can Player Y maintain the dominance he showed on the mound?

The main questions surrounding the Tribe concern each member of the starting five (or si, or seven, or eight, or nine, or even 10!) is consistency. This group has a lot to prove come April, and many fans' hearts and minds to ease as well.

Going into 2008, most Tribe fans would agree that they felt pretty confident with CC Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, and Paul Byrd toeing the rubber four out of every five games.

The only question mark surrounded the fifth starter's spot, which turned into a three left-armed down between Jeremy Sowers, Cliff Lee, and Aaron Laffey in spring training.

Injuries to two main offensive weapons (Martinez, Hafner), young players starting off slow (Gutierrez, Cabrera, and Garko) and a bullpen from Hell (insert any 2008 relief pitcher here) and the importance of the guy starting the game with the ball can be quickly negated.

Add to that injuries to Carmona and Westbrook and you get a 47-60 record on July 31 and a look forward towards 2009.

While 2008 was a season to forget, General Manager Mark Shapiro was able to make some trades to save payroll (traded Byrd to the Red Sox), add minor-league depth (traded CC for prospects, and bring in some guys (Reyes) to compete for spots this season.

The 2009 version of the rotation will bring many more question marks, but the off season additions to surrounding cast (DeRosa, Wood, Smith) may be able to minimize any struggles the starters may face in the early months of the season. Here are the guys you will see in 2009...

Cliff Lee

Biggest Concern: Can Cliff repeat his dominant Cy Young season of 2008?

While no one expects Lee to win 22 games and post a 2.54 ERA again, he needs to establish early to opposing A.L. teams that he is one of the leagues' best and not a fluke.

The key to Cliff's success last season was his ability to minimize walks (only 34 in 223+ innings), get ahead of hitters, and locate his fastball. He was able to do all of this to alarming success and much of it can be attributed to his now-personal catcher Kelly Shoppach.

The chemistry between the two resulted in a full-time Lee/Shoppach battery for 2009, a point Manager Eric Wedge has stated numerous times during spring training. While Lee is stilling trying to get some early kinks out of his system, he has never put too much unneeded pressure upon himself in preseason (see 2008).

Last season was extraordinary, but don't think that it is the only success Lee has had in the majors as he has amassed a 76-39 career record with a 4.15 ERA. That includes a horrendous 2007 (5-8 6.29 ERA in 20 games) where he was left off of the postseason roster.

In entering his sixth full season, look for Lee to come down to earth a bit (15-17 wins, ERA in the mid threes), but be one of the most consistent guys on the mound.

Fausto Carmona

Biggest Concern: Can Fausto regain his 2007 dominance?

Injuries and walks plagued the 2008 season for the young Dominican. Still only 25, the future of the starting staff rests on one Fausto Carmona to be the guy Indians fans unnerved by a swarm of bugs clinging to his face during the 2007 ALDS.

After starting the season pretty well (3.10 ERA in 10 starts), Carmona injured his left hip and was never the same. In 22 games, Carmona average walking 5.2 batters per nine innings, a rate that will get even the best of pitcher into trouble.

The main issues he faced was commanding his slider, a pitch that needs to stay down in the zone to be effective. Also, pitching coach Carl Willis found some things in Carmona's delivery that was causing some of the issues.

Manager Eric Wedge also has stated that Victor Martinez will be catching the majority of his starts, as Martinez has had much success calling his pitches. Fausto seemed to iron out many of these problems in Winter ball and has pitched quite well in the Spring (2.45 ERA in 11 innings).

Look for big number 55 to have some stretches of inconsistency, but overall be more like the pitcher he was during 2007.

Carl Pavano

Biggest Concern: Will the Indians get anything out of this Yankee washout?

General Manager Mark Shapiro and company truly believe that Pavano as healed from all of his ailments and is poised for a bounce back 2009 campaign. I am not so optimistic.

He has looked less that average in Spring Training and reports have said that he is topping out at 88-90 MPH on his fastball which does not bode well at all. His four season in New York were a complete and utter disaster, and beyond that only had one good year (2004).

Pavano's injuries include right rotator cuff tendinitis and pain in humerus, right shoulder tendinitis, right forearm tendinitis, Tommy John surgery, car accident, and dating Alyssa Milano.

His whole right arm has seemed to be completely reconstructed. It seems that the Indians are paying this guy actually TOO MUCH in giving him $1.5 million plus incentives for 2009 as he has really proven nothing for four seasons: a non-roster invitee if I have ever seen one.

Hopefully he can eat some innings and not be a total disaster on the mound, at least until the All-Start break when Jake Westbrook is expected to return, but I wouldn't bet on it.

The Tribe is probably hoping for mostly five or six innings from Pavano, allowing three or four runs while staying competitive in the game until they can hand it over to the pen. Look for Pavano to show glimpses of good, but an overall record of bad.

Anthony Reyes

Biggest Concern: Can A-Rey stay healthy enough to maintain the promise of his 2008 performance with the Tribe?

Anthony Reyes jumped into the national spotlight in 2005 where he started Game One of the World Series in which he went eight innings, giving up two runs and earning a victory.

He has been unable to recapture his early glory, as he has amassed a career 4.91 ERA in 59 games. Reyes pitched extremely well in his brief stint with Cleveland, posting a 2-1 record and a 1.83 ERA over six starts. He was eventually shut down in early September with a sore right elbow.

The southern California native has pitched well this spring (one earned run in seven innings), attributing much of his success to USC pitching coach Tom House. All reports peg the righty as a competitor and fully healed from his prior ailments.

Look for Reyes to have a solid 2009 (12-14 wins, ERA low fours) allowing the Indians to compete in most every game he pitches.

Aaron Laffey

Biggest Concern: Which Laffey will show up in 2009.

This soon-to-be 24 year old pitched pretty well at the end of 2007 (4-2, 4.56 ERA in nien starts), to gain some confidence heading into 2008. While losing out to Cliff Lee for the fifth-starter's spot last year, everyone knew Laffey would be the first guy called upon from Buffalo.

When Laffey arrived in Cleveland, he was lights out over his first six starts (1.59 ERA) and was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Month for May where he went 3-2 with a 0.79 ERA in five starts.

He seemed to have some left arm inflammation and subsequently flamed out the rest of the year posting a 8.37 ERA over his final five starts. The Tribe ended up shutting him down for good in September to refocus his attention to 2009.

Laffey is a pitcher who relies upon his control and the ability to force batters into hitting ground balls. His spring has been up and down (7.00 ERA in nine innings) but has looked better as of late and is still displaying confidence in his stuff.

Baring a complete meltdown, look for the Maryland native to break camp with the big league club. I look for Aaron Laffey to have a good season in 2009, earning 10-12 wins and solidifying his place in the rotation.

Jeremy Sowers

Biggest Concern: Will he ever pitch like he did in 2006?

This Vanderbilt alum actually was supposed to be a big part of the rotation in 2007, but struggle mightily (6.42 ERA in 13 starts). Sowers is a soft tossing lefty who has never been able to sustain the success he has had in the minors due to his inability to differentiate his fastball from his change-up.

Jeremy was a first round pick in 2004 but seems to not be much more than a fifth starter in this organization. Has pitched decently in the Spring (3.00 ERA in 12 innings) and will be a great depth option in Columbus.

Sowers is an extremely intelligent ballplayer who still has the potential to be a middle of the rotation guy, but I just don't see it in Cleveland as Willis and company have been unable to help him improve on his flaws.

This Ohio native will probably start 10 games for the club and help out the team at some point in 2009.

Scott Lewis

Biggest Concern: Was his 2008 a fluke?

Lewis burst onto the scene in Cleveland last September posting a 2.63 ERA and earning a win in each of his four starts. This former Buckeye has had a solid spring and looks to be a pitcher the Indians will count on in the future.

The left-hander is only 25 years old and will be a top of the rotation guy in Triple A Columbus. Look for Lewis to be called upon sometime in 2009 and be guy looked upon in 2010 as well.

David Huff

Biggest Concern: Will his Minor League success translate into Major League dominance?

The answer to this question will take years to answer, but everything out of camp suggests that Huff is a player to watch in 2009.

While technically in contention for the fifth spot in the rotation, the left-hander is not currently on the 40-man roster and has only appeared in four Cactus league innings, so he will mostly likely start off as a Clipper.

Huff was the Minor League pitcher of the year for the Indians Organization in 2008, posting a combined 11-5 record with a 2.52 ERA. He is able to locate his fastball (clocked as high as 94 MPH) and walk few batters.

Look for this former UCLA Bruin to make an impact on the big league team after the All-Star break.

Zach Jackson

Biggest Concern: Is this guy a starter or a reliever?

Zach Attack is the longest shot to make the rotation out of spring, but the lefty's versatility will come in handy. Jackson started nine games in 2008 for the Tribe after being acquired as part of the CC Sabathia deal.

His solid spring (4.35 ERA in 10 innings) has earned him an outside chance at making the club as a left handed long reliever right out of spring, so I don't believe he will be starting too many games with the big league club.

He does have an option, so Jackson will be up with the big league club at some point in 2009. Look for Zach to be part of the rotation in Columbus and become a solid contributor to the ball club.

Jake Westbrook

Biggest Concern: Will Jake add anything to the Indians in 2009.

Westbrook's 2008 season ended after five starts, having to undergo Tommy John surgery and hip surgery in 2008. Jake has been a solid member of the Indians organization for eight seasons now, posting a 63-62 record with a 4.25 ERA, resulting in a three-year, $30 million contract through 2010.

Westbrook recently pitched off of the mound down in Spring Training, leaving the Indians optimistic for his return sometime after the All-Star break.

It normally takes a pitcher a full year-and-a-half to recover from the reconstructive surgery, so look for Jake to add a few quality starts in August and September, aiding in a hopeful playoff run.

Seems to be quite a bit more questions than answers circling the Cleveland Indians rotation this season. With a division there for the taking, the Tribe's starting staff will be the biggest key for a potential return to October baseball

Tales from the Teepee: Julio Franco

Chris Kreitzer — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:33:00 -0400

Special to the TTO

Back in the day at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, you could count on three things while sitting in the stands: John Adams’s drum, the troughs in the bathroom, and the “Juuuuuuuu-liiiiii-ooooooooo” chants whenever the Tribe shortstop/second baseman came to the plate.

Franco came to the Tribe in 1982 in a whopping five for one trade with the Phillies. The woeful Indians gave up prized prospect Von Hayes for Franco and future has-beens Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, and Jerry Willard.

Little did the Fightin’ Phils know, that only years later would Hayes abandon baseball altogether for a career in the World Video Boxing Association.

Franco had a solid, yet unspectacular, stint with the Indians from 1983 through 1988. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year race, losing to future Tribe DH Ron Kittle. In his Indians career, he hit for average, hitting over .300 three times in six seasons, including .319 in 1987, but had little power.

He was perhaps best known for his sweet man-perm and his bizarre batting style, in which he held the bat high, almost at eye level, and parallel to the plate before unleashing a long, uppercut swing.

Rumor has it that Hayes, bitter about being traded by the Indians, was inspired by Franco’s swing when training his protégé, Don Flamenco, after he hung up his gloves in the WVBA.

Franco’s long swing caused him to lead the league in GIDP twice during the 1980s and finishing in the Top 10 in the category a whopping seven times in 10 years. He would finish his career having hit into over 300 double plays in his career.

After the 1988 season, Franco was traded by the Tribe to the Texas Rangers for journeyman 1B Pete O’Brien and washouts Odibe McDowell and Jerry “The Governor” Browne.

In Texas, Franco would find his greatest professional success: he was named to the All-Star team three straight years (1989-1991) and was named the MVP of the All-Star game in 1990. In 1991, he hit .341 and won the American League batting title.

After an injury-plagued 1992 season, a disappointing 1993 season where saw time mainly as a DH, and the strike-plagued 1994 season, Franco bounced around the Majors and played in Asia for the remainder of the 1990s, including a second stint with the Indians in 1996 and 1997.

Franco again came to prominence in 2001 with the Atlanta Braves, where he played 1B for several seasons. He would become the oldest regularly-playing position player in Major League Baseball history, as well as the oldest player ever to hit a home run and a grand slam, as well as the second-oldest ever to steal a base.

He played briefly with the Mets before finishing his Major League career with the Braves at the end of the 2007 season. Franco attempted yet another comeback in the Mexican League before announcing his retirement in May 2008.

In the late 1980s, no one in Cleveland would have ever imagined that Franco would end up having the career that he did—multiple All-Star appearances, an AL batting title, four Silver Slugger awards, and over 4,200 hits (including the minor leagues, and the Japanese, Korean, and Mexican leagues) in 26 professional seasons.

Franco himself attributes his success late in his career to his strict diet and exercise regiment as well as to being on the juice—the Jesus juice.

by J-Neg

Check out Julio Franco's career statistics here and see how ageless he really was by the years. A little website also sponsors the page as well.