2010 Will Be An Interesting Season

It’s spring time, a mere week and some change away from the 2010 MLB season start. Normally, this is one of my favorite times of the year, and while I will still be attending the  Home Opener at the Jake, it will never be Progressive Field, my enthusiasm is greatly tempered. I am a baseball fan, it is one of those games I can watch regardless of whose playing, unlike, say the NBA, in which I only watch when the Cavs are on. Baseball is a sport which has no clock, no set time frame in which you have to come back from, as long as you have an out available, you have a chance, there is nothing better than a “walk-off” victory. It is a game in which personal accomplishments lead to team accomplishments, 9 guys with 9 different jobs to do to achieve the goal of the team. Unlike basketball and football, even the worst teams can rise up and knock of the great teams, granted, this happens in the other sports, not nearly as often as it does in baseball. It is said that every team will win 60 games, and lose 60 games, it is what the do in the other 42 games that makes the difference.

So I am left with the task of trying to figure out what the Cleveland Indians will do in the other 42 games. What is this team capable of this season? If you have read any of the other Indian articles I have written, you know that I do not have a high opinion of the Indian’s ownership, and others don’t have a high opinion of the management. Whomever you blame for the lack of talent on this team, specifically the pitching staff, the bottom line is that this team, may score a lot of runs, and lose a lot of games. Get ready for a lot of 9-8 losses. If you go by the past few seasons awards, you would think the Indians would be a pretty good pitching team, producing 2 Cy Young awards in the past 3 season. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee had back to back Cy Young seasons for a team that was desperate for something like that. In 2007, Sabathia’s banner season, the Tribe made within 1 game of the World Series, before they choked a 3 games to 1 lead in the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox. It would have been a great chance to bring a title to Cleveland, as the Colorado Rockies weren’t that tough of a foe as the NL team in the Series. The next year, armed with the expectations of another run into the playoffs, with Sabathia coming off his career year, and Fausto Carmona coming off a 19-8 campaign with an ERA around 3, the Tribe tripped out of the gate, falling way out of 1st, and was forced to trade Sabathia to the Brewers for a group of prospects that will most likely play a big part in this season. The lone bright spot in the 2008 season was Cliff Lee, who didn’t even last the whole 2007 season in the Major Leagues, and was only the 5th starter when the 2008 season began. Lee was just dominate from his first start of the year, to his last, about as dominate as any pitcher I have ever seen. Armed with average “stuff” at best, Lee went 22-8 with an ERA of 2.54 to run away with the Cy Young. The Erie warriors record fell from 96-66 in 2007 to the very definition mediocrity in 2008, 81-81. Then came 2009, a season in which the Kansas City Royals were as good as Cleveland, or I should say, Cleveland was as bad as the Royals, finishing 65-97. First the bright spots, Shin Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera both had career years, both hitting over .300, with Choo hitting 20 homers to led the team. No the low spots, EVERYTHING ELSE. Star center fielder Grady Sizemore got hurt in the World Baseball Classic and never recovered. Travis Hafner quite literally became half the man he used to be, oddly, that coincided with steroid testing, not saying Hafner was on steroids, just pointing out the odd timing of his injuries and physical changes in which he went from looking like a WWE wrestler, to a guy hitting leadoff for church softball team. Cliff Lee had another great year, although his win total plummeted thanks to one of the more inept offenses in recent memories. By July, Lee, Victor Martinez, Mark DeRosa and Ryan Garko were traded for a bunch of second tier prospects. I will say this about the Tribe last season, they turned their bullpen from a bunch of guys who throw 89 mph and couldn’t get anyone else, to a bunch of guys who throw 97 and can’t get anyone out. The bullpen is young, and hard throwing, a recipe that can translate into a good bullpen, with a little bit of luck, whereas an old, junk balling bullpen doesn’t have nearly the upside. The bullpen is also the position on a team that can fixed the easiest, although the side effect of that is it can also be the part that fails the fastest. Prospects from the Sabathia trade made their debuts, with varying degrees of success. Matt LaPorta was called up twice, the first time, he didn’t play a lot, one of the many things former manager Eric Wedge mishandled, though LaPorta faired better the 2nd time around. Michael Brantley was a Sept. call up and played a good center field in place of Sizemore who went on the DL the month and a half of the season. Wedge was fired at the end of the season, to be replaced by Manny Acta, who was fired by the woeful Nationals, not exactly a inspired hire on paper, though one that is growing on me as I listen to Acta talk and see the way he goes about things.

What can we look forward to this season? The thing I am looking forward to the most is the possible trade of Jhonny Peralta. He was given a huge contract after his rookie year in which he hit 24 homers, and proceeded to pretty much suck every year since, finally moving from short stop, where he had the range of a 56 year old woman with no feet, to 3rd base, where he at least has a chance to be somewhat serviceable player, although his offense needs to get back to where it was. With several 3rd base prospects in the system seemingly ready to take over late this season or next, specifically Lonnie Chisenhall and Wes Hodges, and Peralta’s guaranteed portion of his contract set to expire after this season, a trade would seem to be on the horizon, and not be a trade I would be upset about. We can also look forward to arrival of catching prospect Carlos Santana, who is just a smooth with a bat as his namesake is with a guitar. The Tribe decided he needs a little time at Triple A to refine his catching skills before making his big league debut, until his arrival Lou Marson will hold onto the job until then. Grady Sizemore is healthy, Hafner is said to be healthy for the 1st time in about 3 years, Choo and Cabrera are poised to repeat their 2009 success. Matt LaPorta will be the 1st baseman, at least until Russell Branyan decides his back is healthy. Brantley will play left, until LaPorta gets moved out to left so the Tribe can play a 30 something with no future over the guys who will be here long term. We also get the pleasure of seeing the return of Jake Westbrook, who has made $22 million or so to rehab from Tommy John surgery the past 2 seasons. Westbrook becomes the de-facto “ace’ of the staff, with Carmona the #2 starter. Carmona has been a mess since the 2007 season, but seems to have made progress with Acta working with him. Then you got Justin Masterson, Mitch Talbot and either Carlos Carrasco to round out the rotation. Kerry Wood is slated to be on the DL for 8 weeks, Chris Perez, acquired from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa, becomes the closer. Perez, a former 1st round draft pick is a guy with a lot of upside and seems to be destined to be a big league closer, and is the guy I would prefer to have in that role over a guy like Wood anyway.

I believe that when you know you aren’t going to win, or even be competitive, don’t waste time on the guys who aren’t part of the future. Play the young players are the future, so they can have success earlier. On a team that will only have it’s star players for about 5 seasons because they won’t pay them when they become free agents. I believe that the Minnesota Twins have truly made things difficult by signing Joe Mauer to that 8 year $184 million contract, debunking the myth that small market teams can’t sign their stars to big contracts, instead of letting the Yankees and Red Sox steal them all. But I’m sure that after this season, we will get the privilege of seeing Grady traded for a bunch of nothing, followed by Choo and Cabrera. The fact that the big free agent signing was Branyan’s 1 year $2 million deal speaks volumes about what the organization feels about this season.  But I digress, for more on my opinion on that, you can read this article!

I will continue to watch the Tribe, they are my favorite team. I will go to the Jake and watch them. I will write about them. Maybe I am a glutton for punishment, but I love this team and will always love them. So lets all hope for lightning to get caught in a bottle, and the starting pitching to come through, and we get to have a great season at the Jake, giving us something to do after the Cavs win the NBA title!!

Let us know what you think!!!!!

All rights reserved coachincleveland.com