I figure I need to get on with the rest of these positional previews before anybody else gets hurt. However, should somebody gets hurt, that will make my future predictions very entertaining, and gives me one less person to mention. Ok, and now on with the biggest acquisition of the off-season.
Casey Kotchman will be the Indians starting first baseman against both righties and lefties. It's not the sexy name that one would have liked coming out of last season, Kotchman is an average defender who bats left-handed with a high OBP, and low strikeout rate. His previous stops in the bigs include the Angels, Mariners, Braves, and Mariners. With all that movement he is still only 28 years old, and is still improving. Now the downside is that he is only 2 years older than Matt LaPorta, has had very high and very low seasons, and all the movement has to cause a red flag. Looking at who those teams will be starting at 1st this season, I see Albert Pujols, Justin Smoak, Freddie Freeman, and Carlos Pena. Now if Kotchman isn't preferred over either of those guys(excluding Pujols), then what can we reasonably expect? I like the move for added depth, and I like it from a veteran playoff experience perspective. However, if you are trying to sell me that the offensive/defensive production is going to vastly improve by starting Kotchman, I am not buying it. And the reason I am not buying it....
Who will be backing up Casey Kotchman? Well the list will include the possible starting first basemen before the Kotchman signing, and that includes Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan, Russ Canzler, and Carlos Santana. Prior to the Sizemore injury I would have said that Shelley Duncan and Carlos Santana would be on the club backing up Kotchman. Now that the injury has happened, I am thinking there is an outside chance that LaPorta makes the MLB roster, but he will most likely be playing in the outfield if he does, he would be the 4th option at 1st should that be the case.
The first base situation is sticky, because Carlos Santana will get some starts there on rest days so that he can still be moved back to catcher should Lou Marson suffer an injury. We will get more into the catcher situation next, but Marson has earned several starts this year, and Acta isn't taking Santana out of the lineup. So with a possible 4 eligible 1st Baseman, one of these guys will DH and will still have plenty of subs should Santana need to move back to catcher during a game. So let's remove Santana from the discussion, and lets just rank these guys by their offense and defensive abilities.
Defensive - Kotchman (.998), LaPorta(.993), and Duncan(.980)
Offensive - Kotchman, LaPorta, and Duncan(based on career numbers).
However just using the eye ball test, I think it is easy to see that LaPorta isn't as good in a platoon roll as he is when he is getting everyday at-bats. Duncan is a GREAT pinch hitter in any league. I need to look-up his pinch hitting stats, but he seems to hit over .300 with power in that roll, even when Acta finds ways to utilize him in AL games. So barring the Sizemore injury it would seem to make sense to move LaPorta to AAA to get him those everyday ABs. However, in AAA we now have the International League batting champion Russ Canzler. What in the world do we do with him? I can't tell you anything of him defensively, but he is like LaPorta in that in AAA he crushes everything offensively. The best option for the Indians, is for Chisenhall to make the big league club, and have Canzler play 3B, and LaPorta play 1B when Sizemore comes back. Now this is really all semantics, because this is me hoping for a good season from the Columbus Clippers too. Like I said in the 3rd base preview, I suspect Chisenhall will not make the big league club and he will be in AAA. Still Canzler can play a few positions and so can LaPorta, so expect to see them all over the diamond if they are both in AAA.
Prospects to watch:
Russ Canzler
Jesus Aguilar
That's all for the revolving door at first base. This position is the offensive X-factor for this team. It was a weak spot last season, and this year it has to carry it's weight. If any of these guys can step up, I suspect we can make a playoff run, if not then we are still going to be behind the 8-ball, and mostly because of lack of production at this position. Just so you can fully understand how much of a weakness 1st base is for the Indians in comparison of other clubs, let me list the other first basemen in the AL Central this season...Prince Fielder, Eric Hosmer, Paul Konerko, and Justin Morneau(maybe). Let me give you a listing of other AL first basemen, and think where among them you would rank Casey Kotchman...
Mark Teixera, Carlos Pena, Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Lind, Chris Davis, Albert Pujols, Justin Smoak, Daric Barton, and Mitch Moreland.
I know it is tough to compare anybody to the elites, but the bottom line is that the other playoff contenders are getting elite production from this position, and the Indians are just trying to get by. We will see if it works.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
And Another One Bites the Dust
So after a night of watching a great UFC PPV, I decided to get all caught up on all things Tribe. Unfortunately it is looking like the Indians are going to have to persevere to start the season. Not only was it revealed that Grady Sizemore will for sure not be ready for opening day after suffering a strained back, but now All-Star Closer Chris Perez is likely to miss 4-6 weeks after throwing a bullpen session today.
It isn't all darkness however, because the Indians while not making any big signings this off-season did address depth all over the diamond. Basically, management has accepted the fact that the Indians are cursed with a whole slew of injuries to key players. If Sizemore misses opening day, there are short-term replacements ready and intriguing to fill in. Obviously Michael Brantley will slide from Left to Center, and then you got a large list of short-term LF options, Shelley Duncan, Jason Donald, Matt LaPorta, Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs, Fred Lewis, and Russ Canzler. I think the smart money if you had to pick a favorite from this group would be Shelley Duncan. He is a veteran, he was going to make the opening day roster anyways, and he closed out last season strong. The wild-card is Matt LaPorta. He has an opportunity to not go straight to Columbus should he perform well in the spring. And IF he gets the early outfield starts, can he take advantage of the opportunity? This was a top tier prospect, he has major league experience, and he has one more opportunity to seize his spot on this team for the next few seasons.
The loss of Chris Perez will also hurt, since like Sizemore there isn't a sure replacement based on talent and track record. However, if he misses some time (shouldn't be more than a week or two into the season), then we will get to see if Vinnie Pestano can be a future closer in this league. Pestano has the make-up to do it, and has been successful in 8th inning, so I think we would like to see what can happen. Plus, the Indians bullpen is full of flexibility, you got Tony Sipp, Joe Smith, and Rafael Perez who can all split up the 7th and 8th innings with Pestano rejoining them once Perez comes back. Like the outfield, the Indians have a ton of new players with experience as closers should they not want to shake up the bullpen rotation. The two likely candidates would be Chris Ray or Jeremy Accardo. Chris Ray was once an All-Star closer for the Baltimore Orioles, so he has experience in that role with success.
Overall its a tough start to a season where the potential was based on health. However at least now we can say that baseball season is finally here.
Go Tribe
It isn't all darkness however, because the Indians while not making any big signings this off-season did address depth all over the diamond. Basically, management has accepted the fact that the Indians are cursed with a whole slew of injuries to key players. If Sizemore misses opening day, there are short-term replacements ready and intriguing to fill in. Obviously Michael Brantley will slide from Left to Center, and then you got a large list of short-term LF options, Shelley Duncan, Jason Donald, Matt LaPorta, Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs, Fred Lewis, and Russ Canzler. I think the smart money if you had to pick a favorite from this group would be Shelley Duncan. He is a veteran, he was going to make the opening day roster anyways, and he closed out last season strong. The wild-card is Matt LaPorta. He has an opportunity to not go straight to Columbus should he perform well in the spring. And IF he gets the early outfield starts, can he take advantage of the opportunity? This was a top tier prospect, he has major league experience, and he has one more opportunity to seize his spot on this team for the next few seasons.
The loss of Chris Perez will also hurt, since like Sizemore there isn't a sure replacement based on talent and track record. However, if he misses some time (shouldn't be more than a week or two into the season), then we will get to see if Vinnie Pestano can be a future closer in this league. Pestano has the make-up to do it, and has been successful in 8th inning, so I think we would like to see what can happen. Plus, the Indians bullpen is full of flexibility, you got Tony Sipp, Joe Smith, and Rafael Perez who can all split up the 7th and 8th innings with Pestano rejoining them once Perez comes back. Like the outfield, the Indians have a ton of new players with experience as closers should they not want to shake up the bullpen rotation. The two likely candidates would be Chris Ray or Jeremy Accardo. Chris Ray was once an All-Star closer for the Baltimore Orioles, so he has experience in that role with success.
Overall its a tough start to a season where the potential was based on health. However at least now we can say that baseball season is finally here.
Go Tribe
Saturday, February 25, 2012
And Baseball Season has arrived
Before I could finish my position by position analysis, Grady Sizemore is already hurt with a sore back and will miss the season opener. More to come...
Friday, February 24, 2012
We are all Kipnisses
So for the outlook for the Indians at second base it is pretty clear, and that is Jason Kipnis will be manning 2nd base for the next several years. He was a August call-up and this is was a guy who for the first time in a while for the Indians, just got his promotion and 'got it' right from the word go. Once he got his first MLB hit, he became a machine offensively, and a new catalyst for the lineup. The phrase "We are all Kipnisses" became a trademark around the ballpark, and a pleasant jab at #6 for the Miami Heat. Kipnis was the master of late game heroics, and performed best when the pressure was on, most notably against the Tigers when the Indians were still in contention.
It wasn't all parades and fireworks for Kipnis though. There is still a lot of room for growth from him. He is still relatively new to the position as he was a converted Outfielder, so defensively I am looking forward to seeing him improve game-by-game and unfortunately we saw some durability concerns with him in his short rookie stint last season as he missed several games. This guy is a middle infielder who plays with the same hustle and fearless attitude that Grady Sizemore plays with in center. Luckily for Kipnis, there are no walls to run into at 2nd base. However I am looking forward to seeing how many games we get out of him in his furst full season, and as always the key with a young guy will be how he adjusts to major league pitching. The pitchers in the American League now have plenty of tape on him, and they will start to attack his weaknesses at the plate, so let's see how quickly he can adjust.
His backup is most likely going to be Jason Donald. Donald I have mentioned several times just because he can play every infield position, hits right-handed, and Manny Acta is familiar with him. The intriguing option is the VERY recent signing of Christian Guzman. I don't know how much Guzman has left, but he is a switch hitter, and having been a former SS for most of his career, 2nd is definitely a spot I expect to see him getting a lot of time if he makes the club. My assumption is that the Indians will get him everyday ABs in the minors, and then call him up should there be an injury to A-Cab, Kipnis, or Donald.
I am not going to post any prospects for 2nd base. The player of the future is manning 2nd right now in Jason Kipnis so watch him and become a Kipniss.
It wasn't all parades and fireworks for Kipnis though. There is still a lot of room for growth from him. He is still relatively new to the position as he was a converted Outfielder, so defensively I am looking forward to seeing him improve game-by-game and unfortunately we saw some durability concerns with him in his short rookie stint last season as he missed several games. This guy is a middle infielder who plays with the same hustle and fearless attitude that Grady Sizemore plays with in center. Luckily for Kipnis, there are no walls to run into at 2nd base. However I am looking forward to seeing how many games we get out of him in his furst full season, and as always the key with a young guy will be how he adjusts to major league pitching. The pitchers in the American League now have plenty of tape on him, and they will start to attack his weaknesses at the plate, so let's see how quickly he can adjust.
His backup is most likely going to be Jason Donald. Donald I have mentioned several times just because he can play every infield position, hits right-handed, and Manny Acta is familiar with him. The intriguing option is the VERY recent signing of Christian Guzman. I don't know how much Guzman has left, but he is a switch hitter, and having been a former SS for most of his career, 2nd is definitely a spot I expect to see him getting a lot of time if he makes the club. My assumption is that the Indians will get him everyday ABs in the minors, and then call him up should there be an injury to A-Cab, Kipnis, or Donald.
I am not going to post any prospects for 2nd base. The player of the future is manning 2nd right now in Jason Kipnis so watch him and become a Kipniss.
Monday, February 13, 2012
All Aboard the A-Cab
Shortstop may be one of the most simplistic positions to analyze for the Cleveland Indians. In the present Asdrubal Cabrera will be the everyday shortstop, a switch hitter, and a daily Web Gem for those ESPN guys on Baseball Tonight. The future at shortstop is almost just as definite, in that most suspect a few years that this past season's #1 draft pick Fransisco Lindor will be the next mainstay at SS in what is turning out to be quite the impressive dynasty at that position.
Asdrubal Cabrera was clearly the MVP of the Indians offensively last season by hitting with a .273avg and a .332 OBP. Not that impressive right? Well we did miss the playoffs, but other than that, the A-Cab's homeruns increased from 3 to 25. That's impressive. The team is noticeably different with A-Cab on the field and in the lineup than when he missed 60+ games in 2010. Like many Indians, his health is the key, most would believe that he can only post up better numbers if he has another healthy season, especially if some of the big hitters can stay healthy to give A-Cab better pitches. My only concern is where in the lineup do you place him? If you put him at #2, you have to move Kipnis down, at #3, Choo is further down, at #4 Santana is down. It's a good problem to have, but it will be interesting to see how Manny Acta sets his Opening Day lineup card. My guess is that it will be A-Cab hitting 2nd, and Kipnis will be down a bit.
The projected opening day backup has to be Jason Donald. If I have already talked about him it shouldn't be a shock, because he can play most every infield position. However, I am not wanting to see him play SS anytime this year, because that would mean Asdrubal is injured, and for us to reach the playoffs, Jason Donald needs to get his reps at 3rd and 2nd this year. So expect Donald's competition at 2nd and 3rd to dictate if he opens on the MLB roster, not just because he can play SS too.
Prospects to Watch:
Francisco Lindor
Dorssys Paulino
Asdrubal Cabrera was clearly the MVP of the Indians offensively last season by hitting with a .273avg and a .332 OBP. Not that impressive right? Well we did miss the playoffs, but other than that, the A-Cab's homeruns increased from 3 to 25. That's impressive. The team is noticeably different with A-Cab on the field and in the lineup than when he missed 60+ games in 2010. Like many Indians, his health is the key, most would believe that he can only post up better numbers if he has another healthy season, especially if some of the big hitters can stay healthy to give A-Cab better pitches. My only concern is where in the lineup do you place him? If you put him at #2, you have to move Kipnis down, at #3, Choo is further down, at #4 Santana is down. It's a good problem to have, but it will be interesting to see how Manny Acta sets his Opening Day lineup card. My guess is that it will be A-Cab hitting 2nd, and Kipnis will be down a bit.
The projected opening day backup has to be Jason Donald. If I have already talked about him it shouldn't be a shock, because he can play most every infield position. However, I am not wanting to see him play SS anytime this year, because that would mean Asdrubal is injured, and for us to reach the playoffs, Jason Donald needs to get his reps at 3rd and 2nd this year. So expect Donald's competition at 2nd and 3rd to dictate if he opens on the MLB roster, not just because he can play SS too.
Prospects to Watch:
Francisco Lindor
Dorssys Paulino
Monday, February 6, 2012
Only a Manahan can handle 3rd Base
For the second breakdown of a position lets take a peak at the hot corner. Last season we were graced with a pleasant surprise in the form of Jack Hanahan. He started off in April extremely hot offensively, and produced a couple of Web Gems on a weekly basis. I can't remember the last time the Tribe had a legitimate 3rd baseman who had no liabilities defensively. Due to injuries, and a struggling offense, Hanahan was forced to the bench for top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall. Hanahan still made some starts at 3rd, and even at 1st the rest of the season. Chisenhall played well for a rookie, but you could tell there was a drop-off in defensive reliability and he was struggling to get comfortable in the batter's box. Now he did get drilled in the face early in his big league career which slowed him a bit, but in certain games you could see the flashes of his offensive potential. Then around the All-Star break Jason Donald finally got called up to play some spot starts. Donald did what he normal does and that is be a consistent presence both defensively and offensively from the right side of the plate. Jason Donald was supposed to start the year at 3rd, but when he suffered a Spring Training injury, that left the door open for Hanahan who was so hot in April that when Donald got healthy he was forced to back up Chisenhall in Columbus.
Fast forward to this season, like all positions on the Indians roster they added depth to the 3rd base competition to enter Spring Training. Those who were added was Russ Canzler(Tampa Bay), and Andy LaRoche (Pit, Atl, and Arizona), and Jose Lopez.
My projected Opening Day starters:
Jack Hanahan: I just think he gets the job out of the gate unless Jason Donald is just a lightning rod offensively in spring training. The Indians will be featuring 4 sinker ball pitchers out of their rotation this season, and with that you need to have some sound defense. Hanahan is the best of the 3rd base candidates, and as of now this isn't supposed to be one of the more productive offensive positions. If he hits above .230 and plays great defense, he should be starting....for now.
Off of the MLB bench: Jason Donald: He is right handed, and can play almost every position. Manny Acta tends to favor players he is familiar with, so while Andy LaRoche is the runner up, and maybe none of the backups make the team if Russ Canzler does, I think Donald has the best since he is versatile enough to do it all, and bat right-handed.
Lonnie Chisenhall: I think this kid has the stuff to be a future cornerstone of our infield, but he needs a bit more seasoning both defensively and offensively. Defensively he has a ways to go to catch up to Hannahan or at least get closer. And offensively, his exposure to the big leagues was good, because he was up long enough for his holes to be exposed. He can get everyday at-bats in AAA and work on those holes, once fixed then he could be like adding a hot bat come midseason.
Andy LaRoche and Jose Lopez: I think LaRoche makes the team in some capacity, even if it's to start in the minors. However something tells me that Lopez will not, and with little space on the AAA roster he may turn down his minor league contract. Depth is always a great problem to have, and veterans don't need the everyday AB's to contribute or improve. So I suspect that AAA is the home of Chisenhall and Canzler to start the year, as they will need the playing time and could be the corners during a post-season run in the bigs.
Minors to Watch:
Jared Goedert
Leonardo Castillo
That's all I got for 3rd Base projections. Let me know what you think.
Fast forward to this season, like all positions on the Indians roster they added depth to the 3rd base competition to enter Spring Training. Those who were added was Russ Canzler(Tampa Bay), and Andy LaRoche (Pit, Atl, and Arizona), and Jose Lopez.
My projected Opening Day starters:
Jack Hanahan: I just think he gets the job out of the gate unless Jason Donald is just a lightning rod offensively in spring training. The Indians will be featuring 4 sinker ball pitchers out of their rotation this season, and with that you need to have some sound defense. Hanahan is the best of the 3rd base candidates, and as of now this isn't supposed to be one of the more productive offensive positions. If he hits above .230 and plays great defense, he should be starting....for now.
Off of the MLB bench: Jason Donald: He is right handed, and can play almost every position. Manny Acta tends to favor players he is familiar with, so while Andy LaRoche is the runner up, and maybe none of the backups make the team if Russ Canzler does, I think Donald has the best since he is versatile enough to do it all, and bat right-handed.
Lonnie Chisenhall: I think this kid has the stuff to be a future cornerstone of our infield, but he needs a bit more seasoning both defensively and offensively. Defensively he has a ways to go to catch up to Hannahan or at least get closer. And offensively, his exposure to the big leagues was good, because he was up long enough for his holes to be exposed. He can get everyday at-bats in AAA and work on those holes, once fixed then he could be like adding a hot bat come midseason.
Andy LaRoche and Jose Lopez: I think LaRoche makes the team in some capacity, even if it's to start in the minors. However something tells me that Lopez will not, and with little space on the AAA roster he may turn down his minor league contract. Depth is always a great problem to have, and veterans don't need the everyday AB's to contribute or improve. So I suspect that AAA is the home of Chisenhall and Canzler to start the year, as they will need the playing time and could be the corners during a post-season run in the bigs.
Minors to Watch:
Jared Goedert
Leonardo Castillo
That's all I got for 3rd Base projections. Let me know what you think.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Outfield Browdown: As of February 2nd
Here is the summation:
Projected MLB Starters:
LF - Michael Brantley
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin Soo Choo
Bench Options: WHO KNOWS???????
I choose to breakdown the outfield first, because as the health of the outfield goes, so goes the Indians season. That isn't to discount any of the other players or positions on the roster, but out of the 3 projected starters, there are two MVP caliber players and an up-and-coming lead-off hitter of the future for any MLB team. The asterisk is going to be health. Can Grady Sizemore stay on the field long enough for 'Grady's Ladies' to even have time to take their seats? Can Shin-Soo Choo rebound from his first off year since being a professional hitter? Can Brantley continue his improvement?
Grady Sizemore - For anybody who has followed the Indians knows that Grady Sizemore has become almost a mythical creature for us fans. We all know that he has the potential to be a game changer both offensively and defensively, and is probably one of the more unheralded players to ever play the game due to his location in Cleveland rather than Boston or New York. He has the ability to be a 30/30 player, hit over .300, and be in the running for a gold glove by the end of any season. However like a Sasquatch, you can never really be sure if or when you will ever see him. He was once the guy you could never get out of the lineup, and now he is the Bob Sanders of the Cleveland Indians (the X-Factor that just can't get and stay healthy). This season is either more of the same, or a back to the future sort of thing with Grady. In Spring Training we will all know how the season will go. Will he be on a normal schedule with the rest of the MLB players? However if you see him on any sort of "schedule" that is discussed before the season even starts, then we will know that he is not going to be healthy. 'Healthy' to me means that a player has no 'schedule' for planned rest. Grady isn't as old as Jim Thome, he is still young, and should play everyday that he wants to. That is a healthy Grady.
Shin-Soo Choo - Everyone will have at least one bad season over the course of their career. Choo had a tough time out of the gate, and then got a DUI. That slowed him from getting on track even further, and then it looked like as interleague play that Choo was getting on track for the first time, only to be injured in San Fransisco. Such is the way the season went for Choo who then could never stay fully healthy. Bad seasons happen to the best of professional athletes because they are human. However the difference between a Charles Johnson and a Ivan Rodriguez is that after a bad season how does the athlete respond? Choo has always had his head on straight, and his priorities in-line, so I think this won't be the trend and that you will see a healthy and motivated Choo heading into and out of Spring Training. When going good, Choo is the second coming of Grady Sizemore. Although don't expect diving plays in the outfield, instead Choo will erase outs with his arm, and watch the baserunners when they round 2nd or 3rd, most of them don't even bother going forward once Choo has the ball in his hands.
Michael Brantley - Barring any more trades or Cespedes acquisition, Brantley will be starting in left field and batting somewhere around the 7 spot when Sizemore plays, and leading off when Sizemore does not. Brantley hit around .290 for most of the year, and then dropped off significantly in August. What makes me like Brantley so much, is that he doesn't only drive a good OBP and Avg. for a lead-off guy but Brantley draws a lot of pitches every at-bat and wears down pitchers. I wish I had a stat guy, because I remember several times during the season that Brantley would just foul pitches off, over and over again and drew some at-bats into 7-10+ pitches frequently. That wears down pitchers, and also helps the rest of the lineup, especially if it is early in the inning. The biggest problem with the Indians offense last season was strikeouts. Adding a healthy Sizemore will not help that at all, but Brantley playing doesn't hurt the strikeout rate as he traditional will put the ball into play. He is still young, and may end up being the best piece of the Sabathia deal if he can stay consistent all season, and not fall off come August again.
Bench - I got no clue who is going to make the club on the bench as a reserve outfielder. Here is a rundown of the new Indians who will be competing for one of 2 outfield spots on the bench. I put them in order of whom I think will make the MLB squad out of camp.
Shelley Duncan - can hit for power from the right side, and Manny Acta is familiar with him.
Russ Canzler - More on him when we review first base, but he can play OF which makes him versatile.
Aaron Cunningham - Right hander with some pop, but my hope is he gets regular ABs in AAA and gets called up for more than a platoon job.
Fred Lewis - Is it just me or does it seem like he hits for the cycle once a year? Might as well hit one for us.
Felix Pie - Always had potential, but never fully realized. Serviceable OF in spot roles.
Ryan Spilborghs - Will have to wow everyone out of the gate to make the team, will he accept a minor league start to the year?
If you watched Tribe games last year you will notice that Ezequiel Carrera is not on this list. Why is that? He was only called up due to the mass of injuries last season. He should be the AAA CF to start the year, and we will see him again soon, but he was rushed in his promotions last season.
Minor League Watch List:
Jordan Smith
LeVon Washington
Next up will be 3rd Base. Sorry for the length, but there are a lot of outfielders. And the Indians seemed to use free agency to beef up the depth of the outfield with a bunch of guys who are are replicas of one another. The biggest loss may be Travis Buck who did play well for us last season, and seemed to be getting healthier than he was in prior years. However, we did add 5 outfielders to almost identical contracts, so we should be able to make things work.
Projected MLB Starters:
LF - Michael Brantley
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin Soo Choo
Bench Options: WHO KNOWS???????
I choose to breakdown the outfield first, because as the health of the outfield goes, so goes the Indians season. That isn't to discount any of the other players or positions on the roster, but out of the 3 projected starters, there are two MVP caliber players and an up-and-coming lead-off hitter of the future for any MLB team. The asterisk is going to be health. Can Grady Sizemore stay on the field long enough for 'Grady's Ladies' to even have time to take their seats? Can Shin-Soo Choo rebound from his first off year since being a professional hitter? Can Brantley continue his improvement?
Grady Sizemore - For anybody who has followed the Indians knows that Grady Sizemore has become almost a mythical creature for us fans. We all know that he has the potential to be a game changer both offensively and defensively, and is probably one of the more unheralded players to ever play the game due to his location in Cleveland rather than Boston or New York. He has the ability to be a 30/30 player, hit over .300, and be in the running for a gold glove by the end of any season. However like a Sasquatch, you can never really be sure if or when you will ever see him. He was once the guy you could never get out of the lineup, and now he is the Bob Sanders of the Cleveland Indians (the X-Factor that just can't get and stay healthy). This season is either more of the same, or a back to the future sort of thing with Grady. In Spring Training we will all know how the season will go. Will he be on a normal schedule with the rest of the MLB players? However if you see him on any sort of "schedule" that is discussed before the season even starts, then we will know that he is not going to be healthy. 'Healthy' to me means that a player has no 'schedule' for planned rest. Grady isn't as old as Jim Thome, he is still young, and should play everyday that he wants to. That is a healthy Grady.
Shin-Soo Choo - Everyone will have at least one bad season over the course of their career. Choo had a tough time out of the gate, and then got a DUI. That slowed him from getting on track even further, and then it looked like as interleague play that Choo was getting on track for the first time, only to be injured in San Fransisco. Such is the way the season went for Choo who then could never stay fully healthy. Bad seasons happen to the best of professional athletes because they are human. However the difference between a Charles Johnson and a Ivan Rodriguez is that after a bad season how does the athlete respond? Choo has always had his head on straight, and his priorities in-line, so I think this won't be the trend and that you will see a healthy and motivated Choo heading into and out of Spring Training. When going good, Choo is the second coming of Grady Sizemore. Although don't expect diving plays in the outfield, instead Choo will erase outs with his arm, and watch the baserunners when they round 2nd or 3rd, most of them don't even bother going forward once Choo has the ball in his hands.
Michael Brantley - Barring any more trades or Cespedes acquisition, Brantley will be starting in left field and batting somewhere around the 7 spot when Sizemore plays, and leading off when Sizemore does not. Brantley hit around .290 for most of the year, and then dropped off significantly in August. What makes me like Brantley so much, is that he doesn't only drive a good OBP and Avg. for a lead-off guy but Brantley draws a lot of pitches every at-bat and wears down pitchers. I wish I had a stat guy, because I remember several times during the season that Brantley would just foul pitches off, over and over again and drew some at-bats into 7-10+ pitches frequently. That wears down pitchers, and also helps the rest of the lineup, especially if it is early in the inning. The biggest problem with the Indians offense last season was strikeouts. Adding a healthy Sizemore will not help that at all, but Brantley playing doesn't hurt the strikeout rate as he traditional will put the ball into play. He is still young, and may end up being the best piece of the Sabathia deal if he can stay consistent all season, and not fall off come August again.
Bench - I got no clue who is going to make the club on the bench as a reserve outfielder. Here is a rundown of the new Indians who will be competing for one of 2 outfield spots on the bench. I put them in order of whom I think will make the MLB squad out of camp.
Shelley Duncan - can hit for power from the right side, and Manny Acta is familiar with him.
Russ Canzler - More on him when we review first base, but he can play OF which makes him versatile.
Aaron Cunningham - Right hander with some pop, but my hope is he gets regular ABs in AAA and gets called up for more than a platoon job.
Fred Lewis - Is it just me or does it seem like he hits for the cycle once a year? Might as well hit one for us.
Felix Pie - Always had potential, but never fully realized. Serviceable OF in spot roles.
Ryan Spilborghs - Will have to wow everyone out of the gate to make the team, will he accept a minor league start to the year?
If you watched Tribe games last year you will notice that Ezequiel Carrera is not on this list. Why is that? He was only called up due to the mass of injuries last season. He should be the AAA CF to start the year, and we will see him again soon, but he was rushed in his promotions last season.
Minor League Watch List:
Jordan Smith
LeVon Washington
Next up will be 3rd Base. Sorry for the length, but there are a lot of outfielders. And the Indians seemed to use free agency to beef up the depth of the outfield with a bunch of guys who are are replicas of one another. The biggest loss may be Travis Buck who did play well for us last season, and seemed to be getting healthier than he was in prior years. However, we did add 5 outfielders to almost identical contracts, so we should be able to make things work.
Spring Training Countdown...23 Days
That's correct, 23 days until the entire Cleveland Indians roster will be in Arizona to begin their Spring Training. Up until then as I get generic study breaks and to help me get my mind off of the CPA, I will try to breakdown the roster acquisitions and current depth chart by position. Using my limited knowledge of the farm system too, I will attempt to give a name for each position that I think will be either a fast riser or an impact Minor League player to watch out for.
The Indians have always been a very cautious team with their minor league prospects, never wanting to rush them to the bigs if they can avoid it. With that said the player to watch from this blog, may not move up very far, but will hopefully put up some impressive numbers barring injury.
Later today we will start with the most fun position, the outfield.
The Indians have always been a very cautious team with their minor league prospects, never wanting to rush them to the bigs if they can avoid it. With that said the player to watch from this blog, may not move up very far, but will hopefully put up some impressive numbers barring injury.
Later today we will start with the most fun position, the outfield.
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