PLAY BALL!
With those two simple words the National Pastime has come back. No more searching high and low for spring box scores that are filled with names of also rans or wannabe’s. As of the first pitch of last night’s Yankee-Red Sox game the game of baseball has officially started it’s 2010 season.
The fact that the season began in Boston instead of Cincinnati is a sore point for me but that’s another blog for another day. I personally think there should never be a baseball season that doesn’t start with a Reds home game, but it seems that money really does talk over tradition.
Now I know there are probably many people out there in SportsBuzz Nation who would rather look forward to the NFL draft in a few weeks but to me there is very little that matches the excitement of another baseball season getting started. Everyone starts the season at 0-0 and with grand hopes of pulling a Tampa Bay Rays or continued their excellence ala Philadelphia Phillies or New York Yankees. Even Indians fans (which I am one) and Pirates fans have hope. At least for 3 hours or so anyway.
So in the interest of what this means to us baseball lovers here in Ohio, I’m gonna take a look at just one of the local teams with which many of you readers might have some interest.
Today we’re going to look at the Cleveland Indians and their chances of survival in what’s shaping up to be a very very competitive AL Central.
Obvious contenders this year in the Central seem to be the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Running a half lap behind seem to be both our beloved (or hated) Indians and the Kansas City Royals.
Like I said earlier though right now everyone’s tied for first. So can the Indians end there? Let’s take a look at the lineup that is projected to be trotted out this afternoon at US Cellular Field in Chicago.
Bloggers note: I have no guarantee this lineup will match exactly but if I was running the bench in Cleveland (which it seems I wasn’t even asked when they were looking for a new manager, a simple oversight on their part I believe) this is what I think would work.
1. Asdrubal Cabera - SS - This kid might bring back memories of shortstops of yesteryear. Last year he was quite possibly the Indians most consistent threat hitting .308 and driving in 68 runs. With any luck that consistency will continue for years to come at the top of revamped Indians lineup's.
2. Grady Sizemore - CF -- When healthy Grady is arguably one of the best all around centerfielders in baseball. Indian nation is hoping he’s healthy. Manny Acta moved him down in the order to give him a better opportunity to drive in runs. Ideally he’d hit 4th but with his speed this is just as good a spot, I hope.
3. Shin-soo Choo - RF -- If Cabera wasn’t the most consistent performer then Shin-Soo Choo would have been. If this South Korean import can put the impending military obligation behind him and focus on baseball then he could be making his first All-Star appearance in 2010.
4. Travis Hafner - DH - Alright if we get the Hafner of 2007 then there is 40 homer potential. If the shoulder injury isn’t healed he’s an expensive bench weight. All the news coming out of spring says he’s healthy and spraying the ball everywhere. Let’s hope so.
5. Jhonny Peralta - 3b -- A former shortstop with second basemen range. Peralta’s obvious pluses are at the plate. He’s hit over 20 homers 2 out of the last 3 seasons. If he’s on early in the year, don’t be surprised if he’s gone by the end of July.
6. Matt LaPorta - 1b -- Here is piece one of the big deal to get CC out of town. Injuries pretty much derailed his early promotion last year but time will tell. Again all the rumblings out of spring say he’s healthy and ready to go. If the Indians are to succeed this year, LaPorta is going to have to be one of the pleasant surprises.
7. Luis Valbuena - 2b -- I have to say I’m not sure about this one. Luis is an obvious talent but I’m not sure the Indians wouldn’t be better off with the veteran Mark Grudzielanek. More so for offensive production than in the field. I think Luis is more than capable in the field. His abilities at the plate are still a work in progress. Hopefully more playing time will be help. I think it will.
8. Lou Marson - C -- I’m not going to waste to much space here, Lou is a defensive catcher with good skills who is there to keep the staff in check and just keeping the spot warm for super prospect Carlos Santana. Lou’s a good catcher, he’s just in a bad situation. Back up Mike Redmond seems to be Fausto Carmona’s personal catcher and if can keep Fausto pitching like he did in the spring, then the Indians are already better than last year.
9. Michael Brantley - LF -- Piece 2 of the CC’s gotta go deal. This kid came up last year and made a nice little splash in the last two months of last year. Unfortunately by then no one cared because the Indians weren’t winning and by then the Browns were back to their non winning ways as well. The son of a former ballplayer has tons of talent (you seeing a pattern here) but his Triple A numbers last year caused a little concern over whether he can keep it going over a full season. With off season addition Russell Branyan starting the season on the DL (that’s yet another quality Cleveland move, let’s sign the oft injured, missed the last 2 months of the season last year and then pass him through the physical, yet not have him show up in any games or be ready to start the season) this is giving Brantley a huge shot. The jury is still out on whether you send Brantley down when Branyan is healthy (if he’s healthy I guess). If he starts hot, I say he stays. Again let’s hope he surprises cause that means the Indians are surprising.
Overall the lineup really isn’t all that bad. If injuries don’t derail the team (Hafner, LaPorta, Sizemore) there is a chance for real production. Cabera getting on base, Sizemore moving him over and the big guns driving them in. If Brantley can start that over at the bottom of the order so Sizemore has more RBI opportunities then this team is going to score runs.
Unfortunately we haven’t hit on what could very well be the fall of the Indians --- The Pitching.
Jake Westbrook -- SP -- He’ll take the hill against Chicago on Opening Day. It will have been roughly 2 full years since he last threw a meaningful pitch against a meaningful hitter. Tommy John surgery isn’t the career ender it used to be but we’ll see if Westbrook can come back and be the number 1 starter the Indians need him to be.
Also in the rotation:
Fausto Carmona
Justin Masterson
David Huff
And
Mitch Talbot
-- Quite honestly if Carmona pitches like he did two years ago and again this spring then he could very well be the number one the Indians need to take on the likes of Verlander, Sabathia, Beckett and Grienke. If Carmona reverts to last year’s problems, then the Indians go down as his ERA goes up.
Huff, Masterson and Talbot are young and youth can be dangerous in Major League Baseball. I think Indian’s fans are about to find that out. There will be ups and downs. If the ups out weight the downs then obviously that can only bode well for the Indians.
Closer -- Chris Perez -- This is interesting because this job is Kerry Woods when he is healthy. If he’s healthy he can do it, but for the first few months we’re going to find out if Perez is ready like the Indians brass seem to think. They sent Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for Perez and here’s hoping we’ll see the Perez they are hoping for.
All and all this blogger says the offense will surprise many people, including Indians fans. Will there be some shutouts? Sure. Will they get beat by the Royals or Nationals when they can’t seem to hit a beach ball? Probably. Will they put up 10 runs on the Red Sox or Yankees? I say they will.
On the other side though, I think the pitching is going to be an adventure. More times than not the Indians are going to have to outscore their opponents and I’m not sure a lineup with Marson, Brantley, LaPorta and Valbuena in it will be able to do that day in and day out.
If Cleveland can get some solid pitching then they can surprise. More likely I see them finishing behind the Twins and Tigers. I see them fighting with the White Sox for third place.
Stay tuned SportsBuzz Nation for a turn though the Reds and Tigers lineups as well. Until then --
PLAY BALL.
(Note: this was written before the Indians fell on there face this afternoon)