Chris Music brings us an Indians Preview for the second year in a row. The tssk would have probably been much more enjoyable if I had asked Chris to cover the Indians from 1995 until about 2000. Its been a rough couple of years for the Erie Warriors. Chris gives a very honest fan's view, this is worth a read. Enjoy!
--TQ
Yes there are other sports teams in Cleveland besides the Cleveland Cavaliers. Johnny from the cult film “The Room” also laments about the Tribe:
Note: For anyone who has not seen this movie, make time to borrow, or rent the DVD, or if you’re lucky a screening may be showing in your area, as this movie is still in theaters on select occasions!'
Upon reviewing my preview of the 2009 Indians, I realized that the only thing remotely correct from the preview was that it was a “year of change for baseball in Cleveland.” Management’s trading of fan favorites Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez at the trade deadline capped a very disappointing season in Cleveland, culminating in the termination of manager Eric Wedge.
65-97, Fourth place in AL Central (Won head-to-head tiebreaker with the Kansas City Royals)
2009 Recap:
Positives:
· Shin Shoo Choo: (.300, 20 HR, 86 RBI, 21 SB, .883 OPS)
· Asdrubal Cabrera (.308, 42 2B, 17 SB)
· Michael Brantley (.313 in 28 games in his first MLB experience)
· Tony Sipp (2.93 ERA, 40IP, 48K)
· Joe Smith (3.44 ERA, 34IP, 30K)
Negatives:
· Grady Sizemore (.248, 18 HR, 106 Games)
· Travis Hafner (.272, 16 HR, 94 Games)
· Kelly Shoppach (.214, 12 HR, 89 Games)
· Fausto Carmona (5-12, 6.32 ERA, 24 starts)
· Anthony Reyes (1-1, 6.57 ERA, 8 starts)
· Rafael Perez (7.31 ERA, 48IP, 1.90 WHIP)
· Masa Kobayashi (8.38 ERA, 9.2IP)
Given the Tribe’s 90+ win seasons in 2005 and 2007, followed by disappointing performances in 2006 and 2008, Cleveland fans hoped for a strong season in an odd numbered year, ala the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. In what seemed to be typical fashion during the Eric Wedge era, the Indians quickly started off the season losing seven of eight and finishing April 8-14. Unfortunately, the team was unable to bounce back from the slow start, primarily due to the struggles of the pitching staff, outside of ace Cliff Lee. Unfortunately, when Lee took the hill, Tribe bats suddenly turned into wet noodles, as he ended May with a 2-6 record, despite having an ERA of 3.16. On June 14th, after Lee pitched no-hit baseball through seven innings, defeating Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tribe clawed to a record of 29-36, only six games behind first place Detroit. All momentum was quickly lost, as the next night Indians relievers squandered a 12-7 lead, surrendering a total seven unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings. This loss began a period where the Tribe lost 13 of 15 games, leading to a 35-54 record at the All-Star Break.
With the Dolan ownership apparently losing $20M, and the team struggling to climb out of last place in the Central, GM Mark Shapiro began to shed payroll via trades which further irritated fans still lamenting over the disappointing end to the 2007 season. On June 28th, Shapiro dealt infielder Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd. Nearly one month later Shapiro began a flurry of deals over a two week period, sending:
· Rafael Betancourt to Colorado for Class A pitching prospect Connor Graham,
· Ryan Garko to San Francisco for Class A pitching prospect Scott Barnes,
· Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to Philadelphia for Class A pitching prospect Jason Knapp, Triple-A pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, and shortstop Jason Donald
· Victor Martinez to Boston for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price, and
· Carl Pavano to Minnesota for pitcher Yohan Pino
Fans and the Cleveland media were outraged at the deals namely the Lee deal, as the more highly touted prospects rumored to be offered for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay were not included in the deal. Of the players acquired Masterson was the only one who made a considerable contribution to the team, finishing the season with a 4.55 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Carrasco struggled mightily in his five starts, collecting an ERA of 8.87 and a case of whiplash from all of the batted balls sprayed into the outfield and into the bleachers. Marson was a September call-up, playing in a handful of games, and all others remained in the minor leagues.
Unfortunately there was no wild turnaround from the team like the second half 2008 Indians following the trades of CC Sabathia and Casey Blake. Early in September Grady Sizemore, who had been battling an elbow injury for several months, decided to sit out the rest of the season. Looking like the squad at the beginning of the film Major League, the Indians finished season with a 7-25 stretch to finish with a record of 65-97.
2010 Preview:
Regrettably, there are no expectations of a World Series run from this roster. Given the current economic state and the hierarchy of sports in Cleveland, the buzz surrounding the Indians is almost non-existent. Cleveland sports talk is dominated by discussing the Cavaliers playoff run, fending pokes by the national media about which city Lebron will make his hometown, and debating the personnel moves made by Browns Team President Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert. In fact, the most talked about Indians story this offseason, arguably could be the scandalous pictures of Grady Sizemore which graced Deadspin and many other websites. The hiring of Manny Acta was met with disappointment and confusion by many, given that Acta’s current career record as a manager is 158-252, and that he did not even finish the 2009 season with the Washington Nationals. Finally, given my Georgetown heritage, I must take time to congratulate MSB Alum Chris Antonetti on his promotion to General Manager, as Mark Shapiro was promoted to Team President.
Acquisitions:
· Mike Redmond (C): Likely backup catcher to Lou Marson
· Mark Grudzielanek (INF): Signed to minor league deal; potential utility infielder replacement for Jamey Carroll
· Austin Kearns(OF): Signed to minor league deal; potential backup outfielder
· Shelley Duncan(OF): Signed to minor league deal; potential backup outfielder
· Russell Branyan (1B): Potential starting first baseman, can play some third base and outfield
After the trades Shapiro made in the summer, and offseason (Shoppach to Tampa Bay), it was expected that the Indians would not be making any high priced free agent signings. The signing of Branyan was not received popular by most, given Branyan’s penchant for causing gale force winds when not making contact with the ball. Additionally, Branyan is recovering from a herniated disc in his back.
Projected Lineup, Bench, and Pitchers:
1. Asdrubal Cabrera (SS): Does not quite have the OBP desired for an leadoff hitter, but more important that Sizemore slides down in the order
2. Grady Sizemore (CF): Hopefully will bounce back from his injury plagued year
3. Shin-Soo Choo (RF): Arguably the most dangerous hitter on this team. In typical Cleveland fashion, fans have been more concerned with his impending military duty to Korea
4. Travis Hafner (DH): Tribe beat writers are reporting that Pronk cannot even throw a baseball. It’s truly amazing what the DH has done for aging power hitters….
5. Jhonny Peralta (3B): In his last year of his contract, could be poised for a big year. At the same time, rumblings out of Cleveland starting about trading Peralta at the deadline to make room for prospect Wes Hodges
6. Matt LaPorta/Russell Branyan (1B): From what has been said locally, it appears Branyan will start, but signs point to Laporta, Branyan, and Brantley splitting time over the two positions
7. Michael Brantley (LF): Had a solid debut with last season, and hopefully will eventually develop into the leadoff hitter to replace Sizemore
8. Luis Valbuena (2B): Offers solid defense and a decent bat at second base
9. Lou Marson (C): First season starting behind the plate, the team has been impressed with his ability to call a game
Bench:
· Mike Redmond
· Mark Grudzielanek
· Branyan/LaPorta
· Austin Kearns
Starting Rotation:
· Jake Westbrook: Thus far having a solid spring training coming off of Tommy John surgery in 2008. Rumblings have been made about him being traded at the deadline as well
· Fausto Carmona: Tribe fans still hoping for a return to the 2007 form
· Justin Masterson: Posted a 4.55 ERA in 11 appearances; should be a solid rotation contributor this season
· Aaron Laffey: Has been fairly consistent despite being shuffled from the rotation, to the bullpen, and down to AAA
· David Huff: Led the team in wins with 11 last year, despite having a lofty ERA of 5.61
Bullpen
· Kerry Wood (CP): Most likely will not be a fantasy stud for players looking to rack up Saves. (20-26 in Save opportunities in 2009)
· Chris Perez: Likely setup man, as he has a power arm. On occasion had instances of Rick Vaughn wildness in 2009
· Rafael Perez: Hopefully will return to the form of 2007 and 2008, when he was unhittable against left handed hitters
· Joe Smith: One of the more solid middle relief pitchers in 2009; hopefully will pick up more than 37 appearances
· Tony Sipp: As a rookie, posted the lowest ERA among Tribe relievers (2.93), and proved to be very strong against lefties
· Jensen Lewis: Struggled for most of 2009, spending some time in AAA; hopefully can return to the form of 2008 and 2007
· Jeremy Sowers: Currently out of options, and most likely will be on the team as a long-man/sixth starter in case of injury.
Prospects waiting in the wings:
· Pitchers: Hector Ambriz, Carlos Carrasco, Jeanmar Gomez (pitched a perfect game in AA), Hector Rondon, Mitch Talbot, Jess Todd
· Position Players: Catchers Carlos Santana and Wyatt Toregas, Wes Hodges (3B), Outfielders Jordan Brown, Trevor Crowe
Expectations out of Cleveland are not very high on the team, as it does not have significant star power. Thus far the Tribe has had modest success in spring training, and this corner hopes that the team can sneak up on its opponents in April and post a decent record in the first month. As management stated last year, this team is not built to win until 2011 at the earliest; as a result my prediction will be made accordingly:
Final Record: 71-91, fourth place in AL Central
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