MaineDolFan
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« on: February 15, 2006, 05:05:32 pm » |
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In 2005 Chicago had it's hands full towards the end of the season holding off the wild Indians charge for the division title. Boston, equally, had to fend off the tribe for the wild card. Who would have thought that 93 wins would not have been enough to win the central? That was the Tribe's fate in '05. I think they are poised for good things this season.
Starting pitching:
The Indians are throwing some pretty good arms out there, and it starts with the 18-5 Cliff Lee. The lefty gave up a good chunk of home runs last season (22), but other than that - I really liked what I saw.
Some would argue that C.C. Sabathia should be the ace, but at 26 years old - success might have come a little too quickly for the fireballer. He did well keeping his emotions in check last year when things weren't working, something he needed to work on from the '04 season, and it paid off. I expect the 4.03 ERA to lower slightly and there is no reason to think he can't build off his 15 wins from last year.
Paul Byrd is a bit of a question mark, but the three slot is a place where he should prosper. 12 wins is a little low for this slot, especially in a division with the White Sox and Twins, but the real story is within his 3.74 ERA. His herky jerky delivery, after all these years, still messes up batters' timing.
Westbrook and Johnson round out the rotation. They certainly could use a little more production at the five slot this year, the back end of the rotation will get tweaked in spring training.
Andy Marte is a kid that I was hoping Boston would manage to keep. I expect Marte to start the season at AAA and quickly take over third base for Boone, possibly by mid-June. Boone's a little long in the tooth and although he popped 16 home runs last year, his bat was a little quiet. I truly believe that Marte is going to be a horror show in the majors. He has it all, speed and defense along with a big bat.
I LOVE Jhonny Peralta at SS. He has a lot of power (24 HR in 2005) and a very good .342 OBP to go along with his .292 batting average. Peralta, very soon, could be mentioned in the same breath as the elite short stops in the game. Along with Marte, they are going to provide the Indians with a lot of power for years to come.
Second base is another headache for batters, Ronnie Belliard is really starting to get his groove on. 17 home runs, 78 RBI's and he drew 35 BOB's. Belliard's 13 errors from 2005 need to come down, that is a lot of miscues for a vital defensive position like 2B. He is capable of it, playing a lot of virtually mistake free years for the Brewers.
Ben Broussard gives the Indians some nice power at 1B, and a reliable glove. He won't wow you with his .255 batting average, but 19 home runs and 68 RBI's isn't bad. Casey Blake could come in from left field and platoon with Ben.
The outfield took a shot in losing Crisp, but they shouldn't see much of a decline. When Jason Michaels isn't drinking a 5th of vodka and playing duck-duck-goose in his car with local law enforcement, he is a solid bat. Nothing to speak of power wise, but his .304 batting average and sick .399 OBP translates into runs scored.
Grady Sizemore is an all-star in the making at CF. This kid is ready to explode, coming off a .289 season, 22 home runs and 81 RBI's. Sizemore made his MLB debut after the '04 all-star game and just gets better. Expect his batting average to knock on .300 this year and he should easily approach 30 home runs. He drew 52 BOB's and swiped 22 stolen bases as well, all to go along with a cannon for an arm.
Blake will get the call in RF, although you should see Franklin Gutierrez soon. He spent a lot of time in single A ball, and could use time in AAA, but the Indians are very high on him. Jason Dubois is a nice role player.
The Indians power will be anchored by Travis Hafner. In 2005 the Tribe's DH pounded his way to 33 HR's, 108 RBI's, a .305 batting average and drew 79 BOB's. His OBP was a close to league leading .408 with a SLG at .595.
Cleveland will score a lot of runs in '06.
The Indians bullpen is going to be interesting. The 91 year old Bob Wickman is coming off a banner year: 2.47 ERA with 45 saves. Cleveland also picked up Danny Graves, who has potential to contribute. A key pickup was Guillermo Mota, while sending Riske to the Sox. Riske's numbers are solid, but had trouble with the long ball. Indian fans had a short leash for Riske, Mota will fare well in his place. Mota doesn't throw as hard as Riske, but after a an off season of rest he could return to the house of horrors that used to set it up for Eric Gagne in L.A.
Matt Miller was tearing it up before getting hurt and shutting it down for the year, posting a 1.82 ERA over 29 innings and showing some real zip on his two seam. All systems seem to be go in his world.
Fernando Cabrera, a late call up, posted great numbers in his short time. In August in September, right when the Tribe went on a tear, Cabrera tossed 30.2 innings, K'ing 29 and a sparkling 1.47 ERA. Needless to say, the Indians are very high on this kid - as they should be.
Was Cleveland over their head in 2005? I don't think so. The AL Central is going to be a wild division, I think that the Twins are a talented team and the White Sox aren't going away. That all said, Cleveland should post a record in the 88-92 wins area.
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