SB Nation User Blog: indiansfan

It's Time to Begin Working Toward 2010!

indiansfan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:53:42 -0000

Hello everyone, I think there is little question that this 2009 season will end in only one way, without making the postseason. I think these two Indians articles (here & here) from TheClevelandFan.com mention several ways that we should prepare for 2010, most of which I agree with (the only ones I'm questionable about are whether Radinsky should become the bullpen coach or the pitching coach and whether I want Victor to be the everyday catcher as Cousineau is wanting, though I think I can understand that Victor's trade value would be higher if we did decide to trade him if he plays virtually everyday at catcher, plus the fact that LaPorta would have a permanent spot at 1B, so I could maybe warm up to the idea, but I fear that Victor's bat wouldn't be as consistent if he's playing at catcher everyday, and certainly, his bat will be needed at peak condition if we're going to make a run in 2010).

Just a few highlights I wanted to discuss:

- It's pretty likely there will be no comeback this year - 1-8 in our last 9 games, sweeps at the hands of the Brewers at home, the Cubs on the road, and a near-sweep by the Pirates on the road has pretty much decided that the 2009 season will be without a postseason run for the Indians. Add to that the fact that Pavano has fallen off considerably performance-wise and Sowers is still an ineffective starter, and I think it's obvious that we shoul be looking toward 2010.

- Like the authors of those pieces, the time for guys like Herges, Aquino, and Vizcaino, has come and gone (and the last two are no longer here) - it's time to begin figuring out things for 2010. That means that all possible candidates, including all relevant Minor League pitchers (this includes Herrmann, Wright, Stiller, Putnam, etc.) to get some time up here during the rest of this season to see if they can be viable 2010 options. It's better if we start learning about them the rest of this season than to give them "try-outs" in 2010, a season in which we expect to contend, and the possible final seasons of Lee and Martinez.

- I also agree with the idea of removing Chuck Hernandez as the bullpen coach. It's debatable how much fault lies with him in regards to the 2009 bullpen, but it seems that his skills do not include being able to get guys to repeat their deliveries and to avoid walking people - the guys in this bullpen are walking guys at an exorbitant rate that do not match up with their career norms (this includes guys like Wood and Perez), so it would seem that Hernandez has had some effect, at least in that he has not been able to "fix" them and get them back to pitching at or near their career norms in terms of their command. Additionally, I'd hate to have Scott Radinsky, who is highly-touted and is "on the rise" in most people's eyes, as well as very familiar with many of our up-and-coming pitching prospects, get away as someone else's pitching coach; I'm torn between having him as the pitching coach or as the bullpen coach, but utilize him in some fashion before he gets away (which seems likely to occur sooner rather than later).

- Like Cousineau mentioned, move Sowers into a long-relief role; his skills would seem to match perfectly in that role, and we haven't had a true "long reliever" for a while, and while in past seasons, we may not have needed one, that has not been the case in 2009, and if we rely on more young pitchers in 2010 (Huff, Carmona, maybe Lofgren or even Rondon), it would seem likely that a long reliever may be beneficial to have. Plus, if Sowers could fill that role, at least he wouldn't be a total loss as a first rounder (like Guthrie, Denham, Dittler, Smith, etc.), unlike many of the first-rounders have been in recent years.

- I also agree that we should look to trade, not just DeRosa (that's pretty obvious to most everyone), but also Pavano (we likely wouldn't get much, but he's not a long-term fixture either, and his trade value will likely continue to drop) and even Shoppach (the article mentions why he still would have some value, despite providing inconsistent offense and poor defense), even if that means including him with DeRosa. The main reason is that Toregas is likely every bit of Shoppach's equal defensively (if maybe not even a hair better than Shoppach), and while Toregas likely wouldn't match Shoppach's power offensively, it's conceivable to think that Toregas would provide a more stable BA (he seems to have a better grasp of the K zone, specifically when it comes to K, even taking into account the AAA to ML transition), and thereby, be no worse offensively (and perhaps a bit better). Not to mention the fact that Toregas would be cheaper and be under control for longer. Plus, as Cousineau mentioned, you could mix in Gimenez from time to time as your 3rd catcher if you wish to give Victor and/or Toregas off.

- I also agree with the idea of bringing up guys like LaPorta and Brantley - let them get their feet wet consistently at the ML NOW. Don't wait until 2010 for these guys to get extended ML playing time. Sure, they'll likely go through some struggles, as did LaPorta his first time around (and LaPorta should have gotten more playing time the first time he was up here), but it's better if they learn to overcome those struggles NOW, rather than try to do it on-the-fly in 2010 while we try to make a run at the AL Central in what could be Lee's and Martinez's final seasons here. It's likely that guys like LaPorta and Brantley will be counted upon pretty heavily to come through in 2010 if we are truly going to make a sustained run at the postseason - it would seem reasonable to conclude that having them work out the "kinks" now at the ML level would help to better prepare them to contribute more meaningfully and consistently at the ML level in 2010.

- I also agree that Gimenez should get more consistent playing time if he's being groomed for the super-utility role (which will be needed after DeRosa is traded away). Gimenez should be getting regular ABs at AAA until DeRosa is traded, then have him move around and get consistent ABs up here once DeRosa is traded. Letting these guys sit on the bench (Gimenez now, LaPorta before, even Valbuena before until Cabrera was injured) is not going to help them get acclimated to the MLs.

- I also agree about Carmona, Lewis, and Westbrook - there's NO point in rushing these guys back. Even if all three were to come back and consistently pitch at the top of their games (this is more unrealistic than the bullpen actually finding itself and pitching decently for an extended stretch), it's not likely this team would reach the postseason. And, as Cousineau mentioned, all three (and especially Carmona and Westbrook) will be vital to the Indians' postseason chances in 2010 and beyond - there's no reason to set timetables or to rush them back in the hope that we can get ourselves "back into the race," being "only" 12 games out.

The Indians need to realize, if they haven't yet, that 2009 will NOT result in a postseason birth - pretending that this season will turn around and playing like we're "still in the race" is not the best course of action if we truly want to compete in 2010 and beyond. Continuing to pitch "retread" pitchers, having players in roles that they are not best suited for (Francisco getting regular ABs, Shoppach continuously catching Lee - I understand Lee has pitched well with him, but I don't think that Lee will fall apart if Shoppach doesn't catch him continuously, plus it's debatable whether Shoppach will be here long-term), and having players who are expected to be future contributors either sitting on the bench for most games and/or down in Columbus facing AAAA players that they likely won't see at the ML level is not going to help the Indians make the most out of what remains in a disappointing 2009 season. The main objective for the rest of this season should be to make ourselves stronger for 2010 so that we can make the postseason next year when we have a more realistic chance of making it, rather than try to convince ourselves that we are still in the race and are just a "hot streak" away from getting back into the thick of it. The way the Indians are playing, a "hot streak" of that magnitude is NOT realistic, regardless of whether we get back Cabrera, Westbrook, Lewis, Laffey, Carmona, Betancourt, etc. After all, we are very close to the beginning of July, virtually half the season is over, and the trading deadline is only about a month away, and you have at the very least, one viable trading chip (DeRosa), who has been a pretty significant part of the offense to this point. Would it be better to keep him for that so-called "hot streak" or better to trade him for a piece or pieces that can help you in 2010 and beyond? I think the choice is the latter, being that our chances of putting everything together for that so-called "hot streak" are slim, in my opinion.

What happened to Brantley?

indiansfan — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:04:01 -0000

Hello everyone, I haven't had a chance to read through all the game threads, so perhaps someone mentioned this and I missed it, but I am curious - what happened to Michael Brantley? I've noticed that he's been missing from the Columbus lineup the last three games, and while I can see him getting a day off, I know there has to be more to his absence than just getting a day off when he misses three straight games. Is he injured, was there a death in the family, or is there another reason?

Has anyone heard anything and when will he likely return to the Columbus lineup? Any information would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

A few thoughts and questions on recent ESPN articles!

indiansfan — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:57:13 -0000

Hello everyone, I hope everyone has a great holiday season!

Amidst this busy time, I had a chance to read a couple of recent ESPN articles and think they could have relevance to the Indians for next season.

The first one, located here , is from Buster Olney's blog. It talks mostly about Sabathia getting a large amount of money at some point, but the downtrodden economy is slowing down any moves by all teams from being made. It also goes on to mention that guys like Bobby Abreu and K-Rod will likely not get as much as was expected just a few months ago.

Therefore, my question is, would it seem more realistic that we could pick up a guy like Fuentes, Abreu, or even K-Rod, being that the dollar amount mentioned for K-Rod is now "only" $10-$11 million/year, something that the Indians could probably afford if they really wanted to go that route (though I question whether K-Rod can remain healthy with that violent delivery of his and whether he can maintain good enough command with such a delivery long-term)?

Granted, those dollar amounts may not turn out to be true, but they seem more realistic than just a few short months ago, and if K-Rod will only get that much, Fuentes probably would be under $10 million/season - would he be the better option over Hoffman or would it be better to try instead for Hoffman, even if he is only here for one season?

And it seems Abreu might only get $8 million/season - again, the Indians could come up with that amount of cash if they wanted to - would you want Abreu for that or do you think he wouldn't be the best way to spend our money?

The other ESPN article involves the Mariners signing Russell Branyan to a 1-year, $1.4 M contract (so much for him coming here). However, that article also mentions that there are GMs inquiring about both Putz and Beltre - my question is, could the Indians be one of those teams, and if so, what would be a reasonable package to acquire both of them, and would you do it?

Beckett (strained oblique) pushed back to Game 3 of ALDS; Lester gets opener

indiansfan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:00:29 -0000

Beckett (strained oblique) pushed back to Game 3 of ALDS; Lester gets opener

Hello everyone,

ESPN is reporting that Josh Beckett injured his oblique in a bullpen session and will not start Game 1 of the ALDS against the Angels. Tentatively, he's now scheduled to start Game 3 of the ALDS when the series moves to Boston.

Since Dice-K started in Sunday's first game and would only have 2 days' rest, I presume Jon Lester will start Game 1 (maybe it will be Wakefield, but it's likelier to be Lester).

Turns out, Lester will start Game 1, but I forgot the Red Sox-Angels series skips a day on Thursday, so Matsuzaka can go on full rest in Game 2 on Friday, and will.

This could be a big blow to the Red Sox, since oblique injuries often linger, especially when the weather starts changing like it often does this time of the year in the NE.

Beckett injures oblique in bullpen session, pushed back to Game 3

indiansfan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:47:38 -0000

Hello everyone,

Since Dice-K started in Sunday's first game and would only have 2 days' rest, I presume Jon Lester will start Game 1 (maybe it will be Wakefield, but it's likelier to be Lester).

This could be a big blow to the Red Sox, since oblique injuries often linger, especially when the weather starts changing like it often does this time of the year in the NE.

Did The Indians' Medical Staff Miss Something About Borowski's Injury?

indiansfan — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:03:15 -0000

Hello everyone,

I was reading in the Plain Dealer on Sunday (the article was called "Still Looking For Work" by Paul Hoynes on Page C6) about how Borowski was auditioning for several teams (10 was implied) and threw for Boston and Detroit in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday. You can also see the online version of that article here.

Borowski claims that his arm feels "attached to his body again" and that his stuff seems to be crisper after Brett Fischer's Sports Therapy massaged and loosened up a knot under his right lat muscle.

My question is: Should the Indians' medical staff have figured this out and tried to loosen or dissolve that knot under his right lat muscle?

It sounds like Borowski told everything that was going on with him to Fischer's, something perhaps he didn't do with the Indians' medical staff, but even so, shouldn't the Indians' medical staff have examined that area and perhaps figured out that that knot may have had something to do with the sudden decline in his stuff from 2007 to 2008? After all, lat muscles are pretty important to all pitchers, so I'd think that they would have examined his lat muscles - how then did they not discover the knot and at least try to dissolve it or loosen it up?

I'm not trying to blame the Indians' medical staff, but for the many accolades they have received about their medical care and keeping the Indians healthy throughout most of the past seasons, I would have thought they would have discovered this and tried to dissolve or loosen it and see if that might have helped Borowski pitch better before releasing him.

Even if the season had still been lost with Borowski bouncing back, at the very least, we might have been able to pick up another promising prospect if Borowski had pitched more like he did in 2007. It's likely someone would have been interested in him, being that most contenders' bullpens have issues (including the Red Sox's, Yankees', Rays', Brewers', Cubs', Cardinals', White Sox's, Twins', etc. - everyone virtually except for maybe the Angels' bullpen), so the possibility of gaining another worthwhile prospect was probably at least decent, provided Borowski's stuff rebounded and he had decent control like he did in 2007, which may have been possible if the Indians' medical staff had discovered and loosened that knot and the Indians allowed Borowski to pitch after that before releasing him.

Just a question to consider and my 2 cents.

Latest Farm Report with Ross Atkins!

indiansfan — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:46:26 -0000

Hello everyone,

On the latest Farm Report, Ross Atkins talked about two players in particular:

3B Wes Hodges - had 7 RBIs, a go-ahead Grand Slam that turned out to be the game winner against Binghamton (NYM,) and a clutch 2-run single up the middle after a quality, tough at-bat. He's also playing good defense at 3B. The main points with him are to continue to get him to focus on the process and not think he's ready for the Majors right now.

LHP David Huff - he's progressing at the rate the Indians thought he would. His command of his three pitches has improved; is doing well after a good stint at Kinston and in the Arizona Fall League. The Indians will reevaluate him after 5-6 more AA starts to see where he is at, so it sounds like a possible promotion to AAA Buffalo is not out of the question if he can demonstrate he's ready over the next 1-2 months.

Minor League Report 4/5!

indiansfan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:03:44 -0000

Hello everyone,

Indians (MLB) - lost to the Oakland Athletics 6-1.

Cabrera and Garko each have 2 hits, but the offense as a whole is not generating much. Outside of a Hafner RBI 2B to score Cabrera in the 1st, they did not produce much. Peralta was 0-4, while the bottom part of the order (Gutierrez, Blake, and Shoppach) went a combined 0-11 with 3 Ks. Jason Michaels, batting in the 3rd spot today, drew the only walk, versus 10 Ks as a team for the Indians' offense.

Meanwhile, pitching-wise, Sabathia with another poor outing, and another poor outing in Oakland, as he's now a career 1-4 with a 7.12 ERA (lone win coming in July 2003): 5.1 IP/6 H/4 R/4 ER/4 BB/2 K/1 HR (solo to Ellis,) 1 HB (Sweeney); 61 S/46 B; 6 G/8 F (7.59 - in my opinion, the big question is, will the pressure of not resigning with the Indians and being up for FA affect him the whole year as he tries to "work" for a large contract?)

RHP Rafael Betancourt didn't pitch well today either, giving up 4 H and 2 runs (both earned) in 0.1 IP. Conversely, Lewis went 0.2 scoreless and hitless IP and Kobayashi had a scoreless inning, though he gave up 2 hits.

Conversely, LHP Dana Eveland was stellar for the A's in his Oakland debut: 7.0 IP/6 H/1R/1 ER/1 BB/7 K; 62 S/39 B; 5 G/9 F (1.29 - put up a line one would expect from Sabathia.)

Indians vs. A's at 4:05 P.M. EDT - LHP Cliff Lee vs. RHP Joe Blanton.

AAA Buffalo - their game with Norfolk (BAL) postponed due to rain - no makeup date announced.

AA Akron - lost the suspended game from Thursday against Harrisburg (WAS) 8-5 in 10 innings - 1B Luis Jimenez hit a game-winning 3-run HR off RHP Timothy Burton.

The regularly scheduled game - lost to Harrisburg (WAS) 8-5 (again!) - 50 degrees, partly cloudy - 5 MPH wind out to LF:

SS Josh Rodriguez - 1-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (1-throw) (.125)
DH Michael Aubrey - 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB (.333)
3B Wes Hodges - 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI (.333 - 2-run shot the opposite way to right-center field.)
RF Ryan Goleski - 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K (.333 - back-to-back with Hodges.)
C Chris Gimenez - 1-2, 1 2B, 1 K (.286 - his 2B followed the back-to-back shots of Hodges and Goleski in the 3rd.)
2B Brandon Chaves - 1-2, 2 BB, 1 CS (1-2B) (.200)

LHP David Huff - 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (2-run); 4 G/7 F (6.75 - a bit of a rough outing for his first AA start.)
RHP J.D. Martin - L (0-1) - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (2-run,) 1 PO (2B); 2 G (9.00 - one mistake, but otherwise, not bad for his first healthy outing in a while, especially the K/IP rate.)
RHP Sung-Wei Tseng - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (2-run); 3 G/2 F (9.00 - also struggled with the long ball in his AA debut.)

Harrisburg:

RHP Shairon Martis - 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR (2-run to Hodges & solo to Goleski,) 1 WP; 5 G/5 F (9.00)
RHP Jim Ed Warden - S (1) - 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K; 1 G/1 F (6.75 - 1s are wild for the former Indians' reliever, who nailed down the save today after blowing the one on Thursday.)

High-A Kinston - both the suspended game from Friday, April 4 and the regularly scheduled game on Saturday against Winston-Salem (CHW) have been rained out. No makeup dates announced.

Low-A Lake County - lost to Lakewood (PHI) 7-6; 58 degrees, partly cloudy - wind in from RF at 12 MPH.

LF Lucas Montero - 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS (1-2B) (.462)
3B Jeff Hehr - 2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (.417)
DH Chris Nash - 1-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 K (.308)
RF Matt Brown - 2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB (.364 - also threw out a runner at 3B.)
1B Dustin Realini - 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K (.250)
CF Adam White - 1-4, 1 R, 2 K (.333)

RHP Christopher Archer - 5.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K; 7 G/4 F (0.00 - very impressive 2008 debut for the 19-YO, 5th-Rd. 2006 pick out of Clayton HS, NC. Had great stuff when he was drafted, but has had issues with command; today was a solid outing toward harnessing that stuff.)
RHP Garrison Campfield - (BS-1), 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 HB; 1 F (36.00 - UGH!)
RHP Jonathan Holt - (BS-1, L 0-1), 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR (3-run); 2 F (40.50 - another UGH outing!)
RHP Kyle Landis - 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K; 2 F; 0/2 IR scored (0.00 - only solid outing out of the bullpen today.)

Take care and have a great day!

Down on the Farm Report from Ross Atkins!

indiansfan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:40:20 -0000

Hello everyone,

The first farm report from Ross Atkins revealed the following:

- Looking for ML protection at AAA Buffalo; really came in handy last year. Have much protection at Buffalo this year, especially in the rotation and with position players. Laffey and Sowers, along with Adam Miller. You also have Francisco and Barfield.

- AA Akron and High-A Kinston have several power-hitters and many good offensive players; the position-player front for both teams is strong. You have athleticism and a quality prospect at almost every position. Hodges, Rodriguez, Mills (who will start at Kinston,) Goedert, Todd Martin, Crowe (who will start at Akron.)

- Good, young pitching prospects; 5 exciting ones at Low-A Lake County, including 6'5", 19-YO LHP Kelvin De La Cruz and RHP Santo Frias.

- Looking forward to getting "under the lights" after spending a week in Spring Training games for the Minor Leagues and 6 weeks in Spring Training total.

- Buffalo, Akron, and Lake County begin Thursday, while Kinston begins Friday.

Buster Olney's recent article on Sabathia in ESPN The Magazine!

indiansfan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:29:59 -0000

Hello everyone,

While reading the other thread on "experts'" opinions on who will win the divisions and make the postseason, I came across this ESPN Magazine article from Buster Olney on C.C. Sabathia, including his early childhood, his competitive streak, and where his emotions have gotten the better of him (not during his early years with the Indians, but rather, his childhood playing days.)

You can read the article here.

It's also a main reason why Buster Olney picks the Indians to win the American League (or the World Series? Not sure - I got the latter impression first, then got the former impression later,) and based on Olney's picking record from last season (the best of the ESPN experts according to crazymoloh's post in the other thread - 4 correct choices for division winners and 5 correct choices for playoff teams,) it could be a very good sign (hopefully! :-)

Just my 2 cents.