Cleveland Indians: Why They Can Win the American League Central

The Cleveland Indians are off to one of the hottest starts in baseball this season.  This is meant quite literally, as they are tied for the best record in the bigs at 13-6 with the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies.  This is not to say that the Indians have played up to the Rocks—the Phillies have been a bit inconsistent, but the Rockies (with the exception of the last four games) have been lights out all year.

Still, this is about the Indians.  With a team whose Opening Day starter allowed a whopping 10 runs, no one would have expected them to be in first place, even at this early stage of the year.  Fausto Carmona, the man that allowed those 10 runs has been incredible ever since.  In three starts since that dreadful game, Carmona has gone at least seven innings in each game, allowing a combined three runs in 21.2 innings pitched.  Being a 19-game winner in 2007, we all know Carmona shows potential, despite erratic seasons since then. 

In addition to Carmona's recent success, Justin Masterson has been... well, masterful!  He's 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA in four starts; not bad for a guy with a career 4.14 ERA.  It's no secret that they have been the two pitchers dominating the American League, but if you examine the Indians' staff as a whole, they are third (in the AL) in ERA at 3.35.  Chris Perez—the team's closer—is six for seven in save opportunities, and only recently allowed his first two runs in his last outing. The amazing pitching is just the start, however. 

The hitting has matched the pitching in every way, if not done better.  This offensive charge has been led by a "Travis Hafner rebirth."  He is batting .344 (21-66) with four home runs and 10 runs batted in.  If Hafner continues at this pace, he's definitely a choice for Comeback Player of the Year, maybe even an MVP award.  Adding to Hafner's dominance is Matt LaPorta, Asdrubal Cabrera and Orlando Cabrera, who are batting .259, .269 and .257, respectively. 

No, these are not up at Hafner's level, but they're high enough to give the Indians a collective batting average of .269, good for second in the American League.  Adding to Orlando Cabrera's benefit, this is a man who knows all about the postseason.  He's been there in almost every season since 2004, with 2006 being the exception.  Between the Cabreras' defense up the middle and Grady Sizemore's return to action, the defense has been complementing the pitching and offense in a stellar fashion.

To put it shortly—the Indians have had great offense, superb defense and amazing pitching through 19 games in 2011.  This alone makes it possible to make a postseason run, but they are playing in the American League Central, where their biggest competition so far has been the Kansas City Royals, whom I expect to drop off very soon. 

If the Indians can continue to piece together wins, they could run away with a Central division title and be one of the all-time surprises.