Cleveland Indians Mid-Season Report Card

As the calender turns to July, half of the baseball calender is surprisingly already crossed out. 

While half of the season usually can weave out the contenders from the pretenders, many are still unsure about what the Cleveland Indians truly are. Despite the fact the Tribe holds first place in the AL Central, most believe that they will collapse during the second half.

Still, there have been many that have had great seasons, and some that have not. This slideshow will grade each player on the Indians' active roster and project their final season statistics.

Cord Phelps, 2B, Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B and Josh Judy, RHP

All three of these Indian rookies may have bright futures in Cleveland, but none of them has done enough to truly be evaluated thus far.

Cord Phelps has not been as much of an offensive improvement over Orlando Cabrera like many had hoped, but things can only get better thus far for the young second baseman.

Lonnie Chisenhall has only played in four games since making his debut earlier in the week, but has played well so far.

Josh "Judge" Judy is making his second quick stint in Cleveland, but will probably be optioned back to Triple-A Columbus soon when the Indians call up a starter to replace the injured Fausto Carmona.

Carlos Santana, C

Carlos Santana had sky-high expectations entering the 2011 season. Following up his outstanding rookie season, many think Santana has had a disappointing year, but it is quite the opposite.

Yes, his slash line has fallen across the board (.230/.358/.421 as compared to his .260/.401/.467 rookie line) but Santana is still on pace for 24 HR, 76 RBI and 108 BB which are outstanding numbers for any player in his first full season, let alone a catcher.

Santana could end up with even better numbers than the ones he's on pace for if his BA averages out to around the .250-.260 range. By the end of the year, perhaps many will begin mentioning him as an elite catcher in the American League.

Full season projected stats: .258/.390/.450 28 HR 88 RBI 5 SB

Halfway point grade: B+

Lou Marson, C

Lou Marson has only played in 33 games thus far for the Tribe, but he has still proved to be valuable.

His offense has been terrible. Marson holds a .235/.283/.316 slash line and almost no power to speak of with only four 2B and no homers.

The bright side of things is that Marson is the backup catcher and he doesn't have to be a black hole in the lineup daily. But being the backup, Marson has done exactly what was expected of him--play great defense.

Marson currently leads the majors by throwing out 53 percent of base stealers. His dWAR is .07 despite only playing in 33 games.

Since Marson is not expected to hit, I won't penalize him too harshly for his putrid offense.

Full season projected stats: .245/.303/.339 2 HR 20 RBI 1 SB

Halfway point grade: B-

Matt LaPorta, 1B

While Matt LaPorta currently resides on the DL, he has played most of the season and will continue to be the everyday first baseman once he returns.

LaPorta is still not the All-Star caliber first baseman he was pegged as after he was acquired in the CC Sabathia deal from the Milwaukee Brewers, but he has made some strides in 2011.

His .242 BA 8 HR and 31 RBI are a big improvement over his .221 12 HR and 41 RBI from 2010. Perhaps LaPorta is just a late bloomer in this league and could develop 30+ HR power sooner than we think.

For now, he is just Major League average, but good things could be on the way for the young right handed bat.

Full season projected stats: .256/.311/.450 20 HR 73 RBI 1 SB

Halfway point grade: B-

Orlando Cabrera, 2B

Orlando Cabrera was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason for the sole purpose of being a roadblock for top prospect Jason Kipnis.

Cabrera was also brought in to bring his great leadership as a veteran who has a knack for reaching the playoffs year in and year out.

Cabrera was not brought in for his offense, which is evident by his performance thus far in 2011.

A .260/.289/.351 is not a slash line that a batter who has been hitting in the second spot in the order lately should hold. Cabrera's BA and 34 RBI are inflated by his hot April, and even then they are just about average numbers.

But we can credit this Cabrera for helping another Cabrera. It was Orlando who helped Asdrubal have faith that he could hit for more power, and it has turned ACab into an MVP candidate. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Orlando cannot find power himself in his aging bat.

Since his offensive woes are killing the lineup and his defense has been less than stellar, Cabrera is only still on the roster for his leadership. For that reason alone, we will see him in Cleveland through the rest of the season in order to help push the young Indian roster towards a playoff run.

Full season projected stats: .246/.280/.345 6 HR 52 RBI 7 SB

Halfway point grade: C 

Asdrubal Cabrera, SS

Honestly, who saw this kind of season coming from Asdrubal Cabrera?

Cabrera has emerged as easily the Tribe's top player and one of the best in baseball. With a .294/.344/.502 slash line at shortstop Cabrera finds himself as a top MVP candidate. 

His 14 HR and 49 RBI lead all AL shortstops and both figures are second only to Troy Tulowitzki for the Major League lead. Cabrera's .294 BA leads also leads all AL shortstops.

All of this and Cabrera is also 12 for 13 in SBA.

Those numbers helped Cabrera be named to the All-Star game as a reserve shortstop and trailed only Jose Bautista in overall votes received from the players.

On the defensive side, Cabrera leads the Major Leagues with 10 Web Gems on Baseball Tonight. Despite his amazing plays though, his UZR is actually a terrible minus 4.2. This means that while Cabrera has looked like a Gold Glover, he is actually not covering nearly as much ground as an average shortstop. 

Still, Cabrera has meant way too much to the Indians' lineup that he has to be considered the best on the team.

Full season projected stats: .290/.341/.518 30 HR 101 RBI 20 SB

Halfway point grade: A

Jack Hannahan, 3B

After a hot April at the plate, Jack Hannahan has cooled off considerably.

On the bright side, Hannahan was not brought in to anchor the lineup. He was signed in the offseason in order to play good defense at third base and be the stopgap for top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall. Hannahan has done just that.

With Chisenhall now in the bigs, Hannahan is no longer the everyday third baseman. He will start on occasion and provide some great defense which is all you can ask of from a bench player. 

Hannahan can't hit a lick which is evident considering his .214/.305/.335 slash line, but his 4.2 UZR this far has been great. 

Full season projected stats: .220/.308/.320 7 HR 33 RBI 3 SB

Michael Brantley, LF/CF

After a slow start to his career, Brantley has really come along nicely for the Indians.

His .266/.328/.389 slash line isn't what you would love to see from a leadoff hitter, but at this point he is the best Cleveland has. Brantley has nine SB thus far in the season and had more speed that he could break out if asked. He also has had some surprising power this year with six HR.

Brantley has played average defense in the outfield this year with a .7 UZR.

Playing in 78 of 81 games this season, Brantley has been one of the most consistent and reliable batters in Cleveland's lineup. While 2011 has been considered his best season, I believe he can be even better in the second half and in the future.

Full season projected stats: .281/.342/.378 10 HR 60 RBI 25 SB

Halfway point grade: B

Grady Sizemore, CF

Once considered one of the best players of the decade, injuries have derailed Grady Sizemore's career to make him a shell of what he used to be. Sizemore joined the illustrious 30/30 club in 2008, but has not done much since.

Sizemore has lost all of his speed (0-2 in SBA) making it perplexing that Manager Manny Acta still feels the need to plug him into the leadoff spot on occasion. His OBP is also pathetic at .291.

The worst stat for Sizemore is that he has struck out 64 times in only 49 games. He's suddenly turned into Ryan Howard without the power.

While only hitting .227 Sizemore has managed a meager eight HR and 22 RBI.

Still, I'll take the glass half full approach and think Sizemore can at least develop into a reliable power hitter later this year, but his BA and Ks might not make him totally worth it.

Full season projected stats: .248 BA 21 HR 59 RBI 2 SB

Halfway point grade: C-  

Shin-Soo Choo, RF

The Indians entered the season with loads of question marks, but Shin-Soo Choo was expected to be the one reliable bat in the lineup. Instead, Choo is the one with questions surrounding him.

A DUI in May has distracted him and now a fractured thumb will cost him six to eight weeks. Even before the DUI or injury, Choo has vastly underperformed.

A .300 hitter who has been a part of the 20/20 club the past two seasons, Choo has only managed .244/.333/.353 slash line in 2011. His 11 SB are right around what is to be expected, but his five HR and 11 2B are a far cry from what was expected of the right fielder.

2011 was supposed to be Choo's year he finally became a household name and started a possible string of All-Star games. Instead, Choo could be starting a string of disappointing years.

Full season projected stats: .257/.354/.370 8 HR 45 RBI 17 SB

Halfway point grade: C-

Travis Buck, LF/RF

Travis Buck joined the Indians on a minor league deal in the offseason and has developed into a favorite of Acta.

As a fourth outfielder, there isn't much to hate about Buck. His defense doesn't kill you, and his bat has enough upside to not make you sick seeing him penciled into the lineup once or twice a week.

His OBP is his biggest downfall though. Mustering only six walks in 37 games, Buck's OBP is only .295.

Buck only has two HR and eight 2B, but he has a solid all-around game that makes him perfect as a bench bat who can play a game or two a week.

Full season projected stats: .256/.301/.389 5 HR 30 RBI 3 SB

Halfway point grade: C

Austin Kearns, RF

I find it interesting that when I looked up pictures of Austin Kearns, the majority of them were of him walking away from the plate looking disgruntled or disappointed. That's exactly what he's done in Cleveland in 2011, disappointed.

To be fair, not too much was expected of Kearns entering 2011 other than being a solid bench bat. The issue is Kearns hasn't even done that. 

Kearns's OBP is higher than his SLG (.287 OBP, .265 SLG). His BA is a pitiful .196.

Kearns only holds a roster spot because he plays good defense with no errors thus far, but his offense is not worth a roster spot. There are much better options at Triple-A Columbus to be a bench bat rather than Acta's loverboy.

Full season projected stats: .201/.290/.270 1 HR 6 RBI 0 SB

Halfway point grade: D-

Shelley Duncan, LF/RF

Shelley Duncan is another bench bat that could afford to be replaced.

While he supplies some solid right-handed power for a predominantly left-handed Indians lineup, he has failed to find much of anything to hit in 2011.

Duncan only has two HR and seven 2B on the year. His .211/.250/.356 slash line leaves a lot to be desired.

Duncan is a good leader in the clubhouse, but until he starts hitting again he's not worth much in Cleveland

Full season projected stats: .240 BA 6 HR 35 RBI 0 SB

Halfway point grade: D- 

Travis Hafner, DH

Finally healthy, Travis Hafner might now be able to resurrect his career if he continues his great 2011. He made a long DL stint earlier in the year, but is still on of the best power hitters in the Indians' lineup.

Pronk's .336/.416/.560 slash line is his best since his superb 2006 season. He only has seven HR and 29 RBI, but the aforementioned DL stint and current NL road trip have limited his at-bats.

Once inter-league play ends, Hafner should return to playing daily at DH and hitting cleanup and should contribute to a struggling Tribe lineup.

If he was healthy all year, perhaps just as many people would be talking about his great year just like they are with Asdrubal's.

Full season projected stats: .291/.389/.490 19 HR 70 RBI 0 SB

Halfway point grade: B+

Fausto Carmona, RHP

Just when you think he's turned it around...

Fausto Carmona has been the worst starter in the Major Leagues this year. His 5.78 ERA is the worst among qualified pitchers.

After his strained quad injury, it's almost a relief that he won't be pitching every fifth day for at least a week or two. Perhaps either Jeanmar Gomez or Zach McAllister could pitch well enough to push him into the bullpen which every single fan is crying for at this point.

There's not many superlatives to explain how bad Carmona has been in 2011, so I'll just not even bother whipping out my thesaurus and just give him a failing grade.

Full season projected stats: 7 W 5.28 ERA 1.38 WHIP 116 K

Halfway point grade: F

Justin Masterson, RHP

After being one of the best pitchers in baseball in April, Masterson failed to record a win in either May or June.

What is lost by many, is that it is not in the least bit his fault.

Over those two months, Masterson received a total of 22 runs of support. Unless you're pitching no-hitters, you're not gonna get many W's if that is how your team backs you up.

Masterson finally received that elusive sixth win once the calender turned to July, but Masterson still remains one of the best pitchers in the AL.

Masterson has a 2.98 ERA thanks to only giving up four homers all year. He also gets a good amount of Ks for a pitcher who mostly relies on groundouts with 80 on the year.

Despite the low amount of wins, Masterson is still one heck of a pitcher and he can only get better from here on out. He's the true ace of this club.

Full season projected stats: 14 W 3.13 ERA 1.25 WHIP 173 K

Halfway point grade: A+

Carlos Carrasco, RHP

Carlos Carrasco has finally come into his own. After a bumpy start to 2011, Carrasco has turned into a great number two starter on the Indians.

He holds an 8-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Carrasco has also only given up seven HR in 15 starts.

There's not too much to say about Carrasco, he has simply been one of the best and most consistent starters in Cleveland and had a great June. We could be seeing him shutting down opponents at Progressive Field for awhile.

Full season projected stats: 15 W 3.60 ERA 1.20 WHIP 145 K

Halfway point grade: B+

Josh Tomlin, RHP

After being named the final starter at the end of spring training, Josh Tomlin has made himself one of the best starters in baseball.

Tomlin leads the team with nine wins and holds a solid 3.86 ERA. He also leads all of baseball with a 1.1 BB/9 rate. His K/9 rate is sub-par at 5.1, but despite that his K/BB rate is 4.83 which is good for the sixth best in the Major Leagues.

He is far from flashy, but Tomlin always manages to get the job done. He'll never be a Cy Young candidate or an ace, but if you're round out your rotation with him, you're probably doing pretty good for yourself.

Full season projected stats: 16 W 3.80 ERA 1.08 WHIP 110 K

Halfway point grade: A 

Mitch Talbot, RHP

Mitch Talbot has had a rocky 2011. Sometimes he'll give you a solid six innings, other times he'll give you a miserably three.

With Masterson, Carrasco and Tomlin pitching so well, the Indians can afford to have Talbot rounding out the rotation. Still, if he doesn't become more consistent there are plenty of high-level prospects that would love to take away his rotation spot.

Talbot currently holds a 4.96 ERA and a disgusting 1.68 WHIP. He has given up eight HR in nine starts and has only struck out 30 in 49 innings. 

For now, Talbot will hold down a rotation spot. But by next year, I'd be surprised to see him in the starting five at Opening Day.

Full season projected stats: 7 W 4.68 ERA 1.53 WHIP 87 K

Halfway point grade: D

Chad Durbin, RHP

The Indians have one of the best bullpens in baseball, Chad Durbin is not the reason why.

Durbin owns a 6.61 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. 

Despite all the runs he's given up himself, when he inherits runners he is surprisingly one of the best. According to Tribe Insider on Twitter (@Tribeinsider) Durbin has inherited 21 runners so far this year. Only two of them have crossed the plate, which is the third best figure in baseball.

Durbin is the only veteran in the bullpen, so we can expect to see him throughout the rest of the season despite the fact he is easily the weakest link. 

Full season projected stats: 0 SV 5.63 ERA 1.58 WHIP 60 K

Halfway point grade: D+

Frank Herrmann, RHP

The Harvard grad, Frank Herrmann has been a solid middle reliever for the Tribe in his second season.

Herrmann's 4.44 ERA and 1.44 WHIP leave some to be desired, but the back end of the bullpen is strong enough to not have to worry about Herrmann too much.

He has struck out 21 batters in 24 innings for a solid 7.8 K/9 rate, but with all the quality bullpen depth the Indians have in the minors Herrmann could not last too long in Cleveland's bullpen.

Full season projected stats: 0 SV 4.61 ERA 1.41 WHIP 48 K

Halfway point grade: C-

Rafael Perez, LHP

Rafael Perez continues to be a reliable lefty out of the pen and is having one of his best seasons as a pro in 2011.

His 1.60 ERA is one of the best in the Major Leagues. Perez could strikeout more guys as a late inning guy, as he only struck out 21 batters in 33.2 innings.

Still, Perez manages to get outs and that is what he's paid to do. 

Perez's ERA will probably go up by the end of the season, but should still be a great situational lefty for Acta.

Full season projected stats: 0 SV 2.11 ERA 1.26 WHIP 46 K

Halfway point grade: B+

Joe Smith, RHP

Joe Smith, the Indians' sidearm reliever has had a fabulous 2011 thus far.

Smith holds a miniscule 0.99 ERA and a solid 1.32 WHIP. That ERA is due to rise, but Smith has 20 straight appearances without giving up an earned run.

Smith could afford to strikeout more batters, as he has only struck out 17 in 27.1 innings. But Smith also has yet to give up a single round tripper this year as he has been great at forcing groundouts.

Despite his amazing numbers, Smith is not the best reliever in the bullpen, but as a seventh inning guy you could do much worse.

Full season projected stats: 0 SV 2.35 ERA 1.36 WHIP 36 K

Halfway point grade: B+

Vinnie Pestano, RHP

The rookie that has spent the entire season in Cleveland's pen and has worked his way to being the top setup man to closer Chris Perez.

Pestano is one of the few guys that Cleveland has that can strike out batters with ease. In only his first full season he holds a 12.6 K/9 ratio.

His ERA stands at 1.47 and his WHIP is 0.93, numbers that should put him in talks for AL Rookie of the Year. While as only a setup man he won't make much noise in the race for the award, but if he keeps putting up the numbers he has, Pestano should be more than deserving of the award.

Full season projected stats: 3 SV 1.98 ERA 1.09 WHIP 89 K

Halfway point grade: A

Tony Sipp, LHP

The top southpaw out of the bullpen, Tony Sipp has emerged as one of the best left-handed relievers in the Major Leagues over the past few years.

2011 has been season in three years as a pro. Sipp's 2.65 ERA and 0.97 WHIP are both career highs thus far.

The one downside of Sipp's season is that kis K/9 rate has dropped significantly. His rookie year of 2009, the ratio was at 10.8, followed by 9.9 in 2010. But so far in 2011, Sipp's K/9 has dropped to 7.7.

If Sipp wants to get save chances and be mentioned along with the best setup men in the league, he'll need to get back to missing bats at a higher rate.

Full season projected stats: 1 SV 3.13 ERA 1.19 WHIP 64 K

Halfway point grade: B

Chris Perez, RHP

One of the Indians two All-Star selections, Chris "Pure Rage" Perez has emerged as an elite closer.

Earlier in the season Perez allowed more base-runners than the average closer should,  but he has still closed out 19 games. His 2.37 ERA and 1.22 WHIP are both great numbers, but his downfall this year is missing bats.

Much like Sipp, Perez has seen his K/9 drop significantly in 2011. While his career mark is 9.0, currently in 2011 it is 5.9. 

Perez always manages to get outs when it counts, though. But while he may be an All-Star closer, in order to reach his full potential he needs to start missing more bats and not letting so many men reach base in the ninth.

Full season projected stats: 42 SV 2.12 ERA 1.17 WHIP 50 K

Halfway point grade: B