Yardbarker: Ryan Garko

Isaac gone, problems solved

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:42:37 -0500

"Louie was like a father to all of us in the bullpen. Last year down the stretch and in the playoffs we really leaned on him. He was always steady, always calm. You could ask him anything."

Again there may be reasons why the first move of the off-season was to get rid of the old guy who carries the catchers mitt around in the bullpen.

And Tribe manager Eric Wedge sure gave Isaac every chance to find another job - firing him pretty much the minute the plane touched down on the last flight of the last road trip of the season.

But to me, this move seems rather Yankee-esque.

Someone's head should roll, why not Isaac's?

Speaking of Wedge, he talked of plans for next year with the Plain Dealer. There weren't too many surprises.

He expects another solid year out of Cliff Lee next year and that Fausto Carmona - who never got it together this injury-plagued year - will be back on track next year. The rest of the rotation - in addition to a likely acquisition of a veteran from someplace - will come from the following group: Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Scott Lewis, Anthony Reyes, Zach Jackson and David Huff.

The Tribe will look for a closer, but is thinking of Jensen Lewis as a Plan B.

Wedge also said Jhonny Peralta's position will be determined by whether the team is able to get a second baseman or a third basemen during the off-season. Again, no surprise.

The manager also said Josh Barfield will get another shot at 2B, if there's an opening there.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to come out of the interview is the depth to which Ryan Garko apparently is still in the Wedge dog house:

"Instead of saying, 'I had a great year, I tied for the team lead in RBI,' he needs to say, 'I did OK, but I need to do better.' I think he's capable of being a part of this. He can be an everyday player or a role player, depending on which guy shows up. . . . It's nothing I haven't said to him."

Ya think Garko's name will be uttered on the Tribe's end of any trade talks?

Wedge Fires Luis Isaac...Awww; PEAVY AVAILABLE?!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:14:23 -0500

"It was a tough decision I had to make," Wedge said.

Luis Isaac.. 62 Years old, Bullpen coach since 1993.. He's served with the Indians organization in some capacity longer than some of us have been alive.

44 Years... Yes.. 44 Years

That's most of his life and like a little more than double my entire life.. As CastroTurf eloquently put it, four more years than Wedge has been alive!

Anyway, we say good bye to Luis Isaac. One of my favorites.. I'm not sure what was the driving force behind this decision.. It wasn't totally his fault for the bullpen's collapse, was it?!

No it wasn't, Wedge said this was more about what the Tribe needed, not what Isaac didn't bring to the table. WHAT?!

Showing a rare sign of open displeasure was Castrovince on his blog.. After reading it, I'm going to echo it..

I mean.. Why isn't Shelton the one being fired.. it was HIS OFFENSE that was so pour, even WITH Hafner and Martinez healthy.. Why isn't HE the one being fired for the regressions of players Franklin Gutierrez and Asdrubal Cabrera..

Point is.. I don't think I would have fired Shelton.. Which means I CERTAINLY wouldn't have fired Luis Isaac.

This is RIDICULOUS!

I'll really miss Luis.. He was a fun guy to listen to, even though he was hard to understand. He'd always share his Roberto Clemente story on Roberto Clemente day on the radio.. Always a great listen.

---

In other news as we look towards the off-season.. JAKE PEAVY IS AVAILABLE?!

Dear lord...

The haul would be huge, one that I don't think we are ready to make, but Peavy would make us go nuts. Like I said though, large haul, we just restocked our farm system.. Peavy is under contract for not just next year but 2010, but that just makes the price even bigger.

MLBTR took a look at our roster for their Offseason Outlook series.

Wondering why Ben Francisco was ommitted from the discussion. He is a starter as of right now in the outfield, Gutierrez would be the odd man out and Dellucci IDEALY would be realeased, but we don't know how that will work out...

Take a look at what Wedge said

"We're going to look at everything -- closer, second base, our corner positions [first and third base, left and right field], rotation and bullpen," said Wedge. "We're not going to be able to cover it all, but we're going to take a look."

I think that's a comment that prompted MLBTR to suggest first baseman like Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder.. Highly unlikely.. If this team adds a corner infielder, it will be a third baseman.. They would be really boneheaded to add someone like Adam LaRoche to this team.. We have Ryan Garko, we have Victor Martinez, Matt LaPorta can play first (and probably should). This team needs a third baseman..

It might not be there, but they need to try and if not they need to get a few people in here to compete.

A name mentioned is Freddy Garcia and I'd be very open to that possibility.. I think any "reclaimation" project of sorts that would want an incentive laden deal is IDEAL for us, both at the starting spot and the closers position.

Here are some Wedge quotes btw..

On Travis Hafner: "I'm confident we'll have a championship middle-of-order bat next year. Does that mean 2006? Not necessarily. Does that mean 2007? I think he's going to be better than that."

On Jensen Lewis and Closing: "We want to go out and get a closer so we have two options at that spot. Jensen Lewis did a good job for us on a short-term basis. I don't know how we're going to do it. I know we're going to try. We'll put our plan together. Check out what's on the free agent list. If someone has a closer, they're not going to give up on him. That's why I'm not discounting what Jensen did."

This leads me to believe Jensen Lewis will compete for the job and be the go-to option if that name they bring in (if they bring one in ) were to fail.

On Jhonny Peralta to Third: "It's not working off of Jhonny. It's working off of what's available and what's the best fit for us. At some point, I do feel Jhonny is going to end up at third base and Asdrubal will be at shortstop."

WOW.. I didn't expect that to come out of his mouth at all.. Jhonny is destined for third, because of his body, his numbers and Asdrubal's potential.. If that's the case, make the move now and don't wait until Wes Hodges is here.. DO IT NOW Damnit...

On the Bullpen Spots: "The sure things are Rafael Betancourt, Jensen Lewis, Masa Kobayashi and Rafael Perez."

Agreed..

On the Rotation: "Reyes was more impressive than anybody that came over [in trades]. I think Laffey will come back and have a good year. ... Jackson and Lewis caught our attention. We have to iron it out when we get to spring training. A big part of that will be whether or not we acquire anybody this winter. ... Sowers is in that mix too. So is David Huff."

I'm going to say that would be fair.. Laffey seems to be his favorite, as is mine.. Interestingly enough he barely mentioned Jeremy Sowers..

On David Dellucci: "As of right now, he'll be back."

Discouraging Part of that Quote: He'll Be Back..

Encouraging Part of that Quotel As of right now...

WOOHOO theres a hope.

On the Catching Situation: "To have both of them competing at catcher, one of them being able to play first base and both of them being able to DH, I like that. If someone blows our doors off [in a trade offer], we'll have to look, but right now they're both coming to spring training on this ballclub."

So.. that tells you were they stand on the Shoppach trade.. It would have to be BIG for them to even listen.. I do believe it would also have to include PIECES that will help us THIS YEAR.. Not prospects only..

On Josh Barfield: "It's hard to lock him in for the second base job. But he will come to camp and compete for a job."

Fair enough, but if Peralta moves, he has to be the favorite provided we don't pick anyone up..

Isaac gone, problems solved

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:04:44 -0500

The off-season ahead is going to require lots of activity by the Tribe's front office if the team is to make a strong run at the Central Division next year. The moves are already underway. The first one - I must say - is not one I had anticipated. Bullpen coach Luis Isaac has been whacked. We're going all the way now. Luis Isaac has been in the Tribe organization for 44 years. Have we won a championship in those 44 years? Case closed. I have no way of knowing what goes on in the Tribe bullpen, in coaches meetings and in the locker room in general. So perhaps the firing is justifiable. But Isaac seems to have been able to do whatever job was put before him for four decades. He's worked for numerous managers and managements. I've never read anything but good things about Isaac. In a Plain Dealer story about the firing, Isaac took the dismissal in stride, and one of his former charges - possible 2009 closer Jensen Lewis - had good things to say. "Louie was like a father to all of us in the bullpen. Last year down the stretch and in the playoffs we really leaned on him. He was always steady, always calm. You could ask him anything." Again there may be reasons why the first move of the off-season was to get rid of the old guy who carries the catchers mitt around in the bullpen. And Tribe manager Eric Wedge sure gave Isaac every chance to find another job - firing him pretty much the minute the plane touched down on the last flight of the last road trip of the season. But to me, this move seems rather Yankee-esque. Someone's head should roll, why not Isaac's? Speaking of Wedge, he talked of plans for next year with the Plain Dealer. There weren't too many surprises. He expects another solid year out of Cliff Lee next year and that Fausto Carmona - who never got it together this injury-plagued year - will be back on track next year. The rest of the rotation - in addition to a likely acquisition of a veteran from someplace - will come from the following group: Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Scott Lewis, Anthony Reyes, Zach Jackson and David Huff. The Tribe will look for a closer, but is thinking of Jensen Lewis as a Plan B. Wedge also said Jhonny Peralta's position will be determined by whether the team is able to get a second baseman or a third basemen during the off-season. Again, no surprise. The manager also said Josh Barfield will get another shot at 2B, if there's an opening there. Perhaps the most interesting thing to come out of the interview is the depth to which Ryan Garko apparently is still in the Wedge dog house: "Instead of saying, 'I had a great year, I tied for the team lead in RBI,' he needs to say, 'I did OK, but I need to do better.' I think he's capable of being a part of this. He can be an everyday player or a role player, depending on which guy shows up. . . . It's nothing I haven't said to him." Ya think Garko's name will be uttered on the Tribe's end of any trade talks?

End of the Year Feathers: 2008

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:12:19 -0500

Welcome to the First Annual Tribe Time Report Feather Awards for the 2008 Season!

It's been a great year, despite the success the Indians had wasn't were we thought it would be.

This site was something I put a lot of effort into, and I know not many people read it, but that's why I'm working hard, I want more people to read it. For those of you who started reading, at whatever point in the season, I thank you. For everyone who's left a comment or sent me an e-mail, I thank you as well.

Stick around, because I'm keeping this going as long as I can and I'll continue to promote it the best I can to get a wider audience. Right now though, I'd like to give out some end of the year love and outlook.

These are the End of the Year Feathers. I want to do it every year, so why not start now. Five Feathers is the best of the best that the Tribe had. One is not the worst, but the players who didn't get the job done this year. Three is average, two is below average and four is exceptional. At the end I'll give out two special feathers, gold and silver. A gold feather is to our Team MVP. A silver feather is the unsung hero of the team.

With out further ado, the first ever End of the Year Feathers. 2008 is officially over!

Hitting numbers are listed like this: AVG(Batting Average)/OBP(On Base %)/SLG(Slugging %)
#Lead AL
*Lead MLB
^Lead Team
300 ABs to be considered for Team Leads

Cliff Lee: (31 Starts) 22-3*, 2.54 ERA*, 1.110 WHIP, 4 CG, 2 SHO, 223.1 IP, 170 K, 34 BB, 12 HR
What can you say about Cliff Lee that already hasn't been said? His homerun numbers from his last two complete seasons (05-06) were 22 and 29 and this year, just 12. His walk numbers have decreased and of course his strikeouts have gone up. All this while pitching twenty more innings and having his hits land in between the numbers he put up in 2005 and 2006. What has Cliff Lee changed? His mentality really.

He's become much more focused at the job at hand and he says it himself. He goes along pitch by pitch and doesn't look ahead. That's why Cliff Lee has become successful and that is why this isn't some one year wonder. Will he win 22 games and post a 2.54 ERA next year? Probably not, but don't expect those other numbers like walks and innings pitched to take a hit. Things like his WHIP should remain the same as Cliff Lee progresses through his career. This is Cliff Lee and the way he pitches. The only change is his attitude and demeanor. It's a change for the better and as long as he isn't going back to his old ways. I give five feathers to Cliff Lee and his 2008 breakout season.

Grady Sizemore: (157 G, 634 AB) .268/.374/.502, 33 HR^, 90 RBI^, 38/43 SB^, 101 R, 77 XBH#2nd, 11 HBP
Oh Grady...Where would our faith be without Grady Sizemore? His breathtaking catches in the outfield and his sudden power surge have fans chanting Hall of Famer, and he's only 26 years old!

Even though he only hit five more home runs than he did in his career high year in 2006, Grady Sizemore's power stroke has come a long way. He's making strides at the plate as a hitter year by year and this was by far, his most productive one. He joined the 30-30 club and became the first Indian to do so since Joe Carter. If production continues to increase as he enters his prime, there is no doubt he has the potential to reach the hallowed 40-40 club.

His defense is, as always, prime stuff and he surely is on his way to yet another gold glove award. People want to know if Sizemore should move down in the order to the three hole, I want to know why? Such a lethal weapon at the lead-off spot, as proved by what is now his record of most lead-off home runs in club history. If Sizemore can give you 90 home runs from the leadoff spot and you can find that production in other places, this lineup is dangerous.

Should it be any surprise to you that Grady Sizemore has earned five feathers? Continued All-Star and future Hall of Famer, Sizemore's just starting.

Jhonny Peralta: (154 G, 605 AB) .277/.331/.473, 23 HR, 89 RBI, 3/4 SB, 103 R^, 42 2B, 68 XBH
Jhonny Peralta's year can only be summed up in one thought. How did this happen? Not so much his numbers, but his performance in the situation he was in is somewhat surprising. He put up 89 RBI mostly from the cleanup spot in the order. This was a guy who struggled to hit in the three hole when he was put in there, now he's cemented himself into the middle of the order!

Peralta had a fantastic year. After a rough start with most of his RBI's coming off the home run, he finished the year as the teams leader in runs scored, average amongst starters that started for the entire year and was second in extra base hits. Peralta still has issues with striking out, but he's nearing that .500 mark in slugging percentage which is phenomenal for a shortstop. He did lead the league in home runs at his position and he continues to flourish as a hitter.

Defensively, Jhonny still has range issues, but he had another decent year. Unfortunately decent isn't good enough with a gold-glove caliber youngster manning the reigns at second. Jhonny however gets five feathers for carrying the middle of the order through most of the year with injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.

Shin-Soo Choo: (95 G, 317 AB) .309^/.397^/.549^, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 4/7 SB, 68 R, 28 2B, 45 XBH
What can you say about Shin-Soo Choo's second half of the season? What can you say about him as a hitter? I'll admit I counted Choo out at the start of the season and even when he came back I wasn't real impressed.

But this kid is for real. The way he takes an at-bat and the way he swings. He is a pure hitter with great plate discipline and plate vision. He knows how to work a walk or take a pitch the other way for a double; he's just a good hitter.

Choo gets five feathers for establishing himself. He's going into next year as a starting outfielder; there is no doubt about that. He had a terrific second half and really put up impressive numbers, but watching him tells you the whole story. He is for real.

Carl Willis: Pitching Staff ERA: 4.44 (20th in MLB)
You might be asking yourself why a pitching coach who's team ERA is 20th in the entire Majors has earned himself five feathers.

The Indians pitching woes do not lie with Carl Willis. They lie with a multitude of reasons beyond Willis' control. This pitching staff to start the year was lights out. They had a huge streak of scoreless innings by the starters and they were returning one of the best bullpens in the major leagues.

Trades, injuries and just let downs from certain players have led to the inflated ERA, but make no mistake about it, Carl Willis is one of the best pitching coaches in baseball. He's a friendly guy, who teaches and molds his pitchers into high caliber competitors.

Two years straight now, he is the proud coach of two AL Cy Young award winners. He's brought around Fausto Carmona, Aaron Laffey and is now working another Cliff Lee-like reclamation project in Anthony Reyes.

What did Carl Willis do to Cliff Lee to make him a great pitcher? Nothing much really, he just told him he believed in him. Something he will continue to tell Anthony Reyes as he tries and molds him into a reliable starting pitcher.

Carl Willis earns five feathers for his work. He's done an outstanding job, despite whispers about firing him a few years ago. He's a great coach and a great guy and he deserves some publicity for the success his starting pitchers have been having.

Rafael Perez: (73 Games) 4-4, 3.54 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, 2 SV, 25 HLD, 76.1 IP, 86 K, 23 BB, 8 HR
Just another day at the office for Rafael Perez. A shaky start to the season for Perez, but he found himself and became the Indians most dependable reliever. He can come in and give you two innings, face a left-hander, pitch one inning against right handers. Perez's versatility is so valuable to this bullpen.

Perez will continue to grow and will probably be next year's prime set-up man. He gets four feathers for rebounding from a tough start and being Mr. Rubber Arm and Mr. Dependable.

Kelly Shoppach: (112 G, 352 AB) .261/.348/.517, 21 HR, 55 RBI, 67 R, 27 2B, .217 CS%
Kelly Shoppach's mammoth power is something to marvel at. We always knew he had power, but did we know he could hit home runs at the major leagues at that sort of pace? He lead the entire league in home runs from the catching position and he had only half the at bats than most full-time catchers! He was just two behind the National League leaders, Geovany Soto and Brian McCann.

Shoppach sort of digressed defensively, letting up a lot of passed balls and making some poor throws behind the plate to nail base runners. But he still has his arm and if he recommits himself to that aspect of the game, he can be one of the best.

Lots of questions will surround Shoppach in the off-season. He'll be a hot commodity among teams looking for a catcher. But this year, Shoppach has earned four feathers for his breakout season. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts and his defense needs to get back to that level, but he is destined for great things.

Jensen Lewis: (51 Games) 0-4, 3.82 ERA, 1.439 WHIP, 13 SV^, 66 IP, 52 K, 27 BB, 8 HR
I've been shouting from the top of my lungs that Jensen Lewis is this team's future at closer. He's got moxie and the bulldog attitude you need from a closer.

I think his early struggles were a product of lack of fire and emotion. Jensen is a guy that feeds off the pressure and the emotion of a crowd. The situations he was put in were just not like that. This guy was BORN to be a closer where he can feed off the crowd's energy and pump a fastball in there.

I'm giving Lewis four feathers for coming in and solidifying the back end of the bullpen. We'll have plenty of discussion on where he belongs, no doubt. But for now, he had a fantastic end of the season, didn't blow a save once he got the job and when he was put in tight situations, like facing Josh Hamilton with runners on, or giving up a home run in the inning, he bounced back and found himself.

Ryan Garko: (141 G, 495 AB) .273/.346/.404, 14 HR, 90 RBI^, 61 R, 36 XBH, 8 SF^, 15 HBP#3rd
You can say what you want about Ryan Garko and the year he had. But when all is said and done, you can't deny the fact that he had one of the better batting averages and he lead the team in RBI along with Grady Sizemore.

Garko's defense has also come along way. You may be surprised by this number, but he's committed just four errors this year. While he isn't a guy who covers a lot of ground, he's work so hard at becoming a respectable first baseman. Garko also has one of the best Range Factors among American League first basemen.

Offensively, his power numbers were definitely not there. He didn't have as many doubles as I was expected and of course the home runs were not there. But he got the job done anyway you look at it. The most important thing that Garko did this year was grow as a hitter. He went through a period of time where he learned a lot about himself. He became pull-happy and was in constant denial that he was doing anything wrong.

Then, a benching for not running out a ground ball and Garko was a changed man. Not only did he get back to basics, he got humbled. He realized he could admit when he was wrong and he went back to work. You may laugh at the fact that I've given him four feathers, but he deserves them the way he bounced back late in the year. We need to hold onto Garko in the long run, he could be primed for a break out in 2009.

Jamey Carroll: (113 G, 347 AB) .277/.355/.346, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 7/10 SB, 60 R
Where would this team be without Jamey Carroll? I'm going to get this out of the way right now and tell Mark Shapiro to pick up Carroll's option. Carroll earned the nickname sparkplug from me for his ability to energize this team. He was inserted into the starting lineup after Asdrubal Cabrera was sent to the minors and Josh Barfield got hurt. He quickly energized this team and is a big reason they finished the year at .500.

He is a super utility guy that this team has needed for awhile and could be a crucial cog in the team's success next year. He can play the infield, he has a decent glove and he is a scrappy veteran hitter. He can swipe a base and he is great in the clubhouse as he energized the team with some spunk.

Jamey Carroll gets four feathers for being a professional and for being one of the bright spots in Shapiro's recent additions. It was a crafty move to bring in a solid utility player in Carroll, now let's hope we make the move to keep him.

Mark Shapiro: Traded CC Sabathia for Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, PTBNL; Traded Luis Perdomo for Anthony Reyes; Traded Casey Blake for John Meloan and Carlos Santana; Signed Masahide Kobayashi; Traded Sean Smith for Jamey Carroll; Traded Jason Michaels for PTBNL/Cash; Signed Jorge Juilio, Brendan Donnelly, Juan Rincon to Minor League Deals
These are just some of the notable deals by General Manager Mark Shapiro and what he's done this year and in the off-season. By far the moves with the most impact were the trades of Casey Blake and CC Sabathia. Shapiro did a great job by taking advantage of a few free agents having good years and or good reputations to restock the farm system. It wasn't the move he wanted to make, but he still traded CC Sabathia mid-season after Sabathia rejected the Indians final offer for a contract extension.

When it became apparent that Shapiro had to deal Sabathia and Blake, he not only did it, he did it well. He got a great haul of players in return for Blake and Sabathia that has put the Indians farm system, back near the top. We all know about Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana, but the prospect of John Meloan, Rob Bryson and the much debated, talented player to be named later all panning out makes these deals important.

Let's not forget the other deals he made, including the low-risk move of bringing in Anthony Reyes, trading for a bonafied utility man in Jamey Carroll, and he added another arm to his bullpen in Masa Kobayashi. He didn't make many off-season moves, but he made up for it with his mid-season deals. Shapiro gets four feathers for restocking the system and bringing in Anthony Reyes. Next year he could get five feathers for having a stellar off-season or one for making all the wrong choices, we'll see soon enough.

Ben Francisco:(121 G, 447 AB) .266/.332/.438, 15 HR, 54 RBI, 4/7 SB, 65 R, 12 Assists#2nd
For awhile there, the Indians thought they found their solution to the number two spot in the batting order in Ben Francisco. Injuries arose though and Francisco was placed into the three hole. Obviously, not something you want to do to a rookie player, but Francisco came up after the Jason Michaels trade and lit the world on fire.

He was the only hitter in the lineup that was hitting, eager to prove himself after most think he was wrongly sent to the minors after beating out both Jason Michaels and David Dellucci in spring training. Francisco cooled off, perhaps being a fastball hitter caught up to him as the league adjusted.

Francisco gets three feathers because of his fizzle and defense. He has an underrated arm in the outfield, throwing out 12 base runners, and second best in the American League. But Francisco is still learning the nuances of left and right field. He needs to make adjustments in his second year if he wants to remain successful. A player who has always hit for a higher average in the minors will need to get his average up and learn to take the ball the other way. He's definitely a dangerous threat with his power potential and quick swing.

Fausto Carmona: (22 Starts) 8-7, 5.44 ERA, 1.624 WHIP, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 120.2 IP, 58 K, 70 BB, 7 HR
Fausto pitched enough for me to give him some feathers. With that I decided that Fausto's injury would impact his feather count. I think after he got back from the hip injury he wasn't the same Fausto. All year he seemed to have problem with his control, but earlier in the year he got the double plays when he needed them.

Once he got back, he just wasn't the Fausto we know and love. He got off to a good start if you ask me, but after he returned he just wasn't the same and that's why I'm giving him three feathers. He was average, which I think is suitable.

Carmona will be back next year and hopefully he'll be healthy and ready to be himself. We signed him to a great friendly contract that could keep him here until he is 31 years old. A frustrating year for Fausto, but wasn't it for everyone not named Cliff Lee?

Aaron Laffey: (16 Starts) 5-7, 4.23 ERA, 1.431 WHIP, 93.2 IP, 43 K, 31 BB, 10 HR
Aaron came up and seemingly earned himself a rotation spot for the rest of the year, after he filled in for the likes of Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook.

But then, something hit Laffey and he was sent down. Laffey was spectacular, sort of Fausto-esque as he filled in for injured pitchers. He was in serious contention for rookie of the year until he hit a wall and was sent down. His numbers prior to the setback were phenomenal and just looking at them now they aren't bad. It turns out Laffey was dealing with some injuries down in Buffalo and he got shut down with a month left in the season.

He was better than expected, but didn't contribute enough to earn more than three feathers. Laffey is a lock down contender for a rotation spot next year and I'd expect him to win one after not winning the fifth spot last year.

Anthony Reyes (w/CLE): (6 Starts) 2-1, 1.83 ERA, 1.252 WHIP, 34.1 IP, 15 K, 12 BB, 2 HR
Anthony Reyes made quite a statement in his little time with the Tribe. He suffered a little bit of arm issues and it caused the Indians to take the cautious approach and shut him down, but since coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals, he's been brilliant.

Reyes was looked at as a low-risk, high-reward type move by Mark Shapiro, and so far the move looks like a good one. Reyes, along with Laffey will fight for a rotation spot and he is easing all Indians' fans minds in terms of what the plan is in the rotation next year. With CC Sabathia gone, Reyes was a big pick up for this team going forward.

Reyes gets three feathers for his excellent start with the Tribe, mainly because he didn't pitch enough to earn anymore. Dave Duncan might be a great pitching coach, but Carl Willis is right on his heels and Reyes will be his next success story. Anthony is comfortable in Cleveland and his talent is finally going to be able to blossom.

Asdrubal Cabrera: (114 G, 352 AB) .259/.346/.366, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 4/8 SB, 48 R
Asdrubal Cabrera has had one rocky year. After being the fan anointed "savior" to the Cleveland Indians 2007 season, Cabrera hit a wall. He was the butt of a lot of criticism from Eric Wedge, but also the butt of a lot of praise. Cabrera's glove kept him in the lineup despite his porous hitting, but it eventually sent him down to the minors.

Cabrera got the picture in Triple-A Buffalo, hitting from the moment he was sent down and not stopping until September 28. Maybe he's a second half player, I don't know, but I'd put my money on that not being true. Cabrera has worked hard with his hitting and has started to evolve, adding in the bunt single to his arsenal. Wedge had a lot to say about Cabrera's game shape and diet, so not only did he adjust hitting wise; Cabrera took a lifestyle change as well.

He needs to put on some more muscle and become a fit youngster, but Cabrera's future is bright. He gets three feathers for his outstanding defense, including the first unassisted triple play by and Indian since 1920, and his bounce back at the plate. Cabrera has put himself in the thick of next year's lineup, it just is a matter of what position will he be playing and where in the lineup will he hit.

Masahide Kobayashi: (57 Games) 4-5, 4.53 ERA, 1.419 WHIP, 6 SV, 55.2 IP, 35 K, 14 BB, 8 HR
It was a rocky debut for Masa Kobayashi to the United States. He battled through cold weather and the strange phenomenon called Wal-Mart. Joking aside, Kobayashi had to get used to the American way and the MLB, but when he did he was a joy to watch.

He isn't Hideki Okajima like everyone thought he was going to be, but he surely established himself as a reliable option out of the bullpen. He closed some games and the results were mixed, but closing in the MLB is a different animal than Japan. Going forward, Kobayashi will be much more conditioned for the 162 game season as he was pretty much not used down the stretch.

It was the most innings he's thrown in a year as a professional. But Masa has earned three feathers for his solid year. He is primed for a better 2009 with a year in the MLB under his belt, but his 2008 was not bad at all.

Sal Fasano: (15 G, 46 AB) .261/.340/.348, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R
Cleveland Indians' fans got a look into why Sal Fasano is some what of a folk hero around the Major Leagues. Not only for his signature mustache, but his calm, cool, and welcoming demeanor was something to cherish on this team.

This is a club that lost Trot Nixon, their leader of 2007. They then lost their emotional leader in Victor Martinez, so the arrival of Fasano couldn't have come at a better time. This team was fooling itself if they were going to go with Yamid Haad as their back-up catcher with Victor Martinez out almost two months.

Fasano didn't play much, but when he did, he played as well as you could hope for in a backup catcher. His rapport with Jeremy Sowers was outstanding and he really helped him grow into a better pitcher.

Fasano probably won't be back with this team as a player in 2009, which is a shame. But his value couldn't be measured. He's got a future in this game as a manager and his knowledge for not just the game, but in life is so amazing. Fasano gets three feathers, but he really deserves five.

Edward Mujica: (33 Games) 3-2, 4.45 ERA, 1.448 WHIP, 1 HLD, 38.2 IP, 27 K, 10 BB, 5 HR
No longer the shuttle reliever between Buffalo and Cleveland, Eddie Mujica finally got a shot to prove himself. He didn't really handle it that well. Mujica got a legit shot to pitch in the big leagues with all the injuries and failure and while there were some bright spots, he wasn't consistent.

He seems to struggle when used close together; he needs a lot of rest to be effective. Mujica is out of options, so this was a big year for him in terms of his future with the club. He didn't show enough to earn a spot, but he's shown some promise and he is still young enough to fight for a job next year. He gets three feathers for his year, which wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular.

Victor Martinez: (73 G, 226 AB) .278/.337/.365, 1 HR, 35 RBI, 30 R
Victor Martinez's year was derailed by a hamstring injury on opening day and then a floating bone chip in his elbow. It hurt his power stroke, not hitting a home run until he made his recovery and was playing again in September.

This was a lost year for Martinez, but he'll be back in 2009. He gets three feathers for showing that the injury was the reason for his struggles as he really came back and provided a spark in September. He also sort of stepped up as the emotional leader for this team with no one else there. His willingness to share the catching duties with Shoppach also shows he's thinking for the betterment of the team.

Eric Wedge: 81-81 Record
Eric Wedge had a year that he probably will want to forget.

You can't blame him for the failed expectations; he was not the reason for that. A lot of the hitting woes can be placed onto the shoulders of Derek Shelton. However, this team got decimated with injuries to key cogs, so it's hard to judge just how well of a job Eric Wedge did.

It isn't an excuse, but rather a hindrance on ones ability to properly grade Wedge. So for that, he's getting the average three feather salute. Wedge did his best to make due with what he had, but you can look at some of the decisions he made, and praise him or bash him.

Start with the Ben Franciso debacle, talk about the Andy Marte situation and end with the bewilderment of Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake obsession. Wedge has made plenty of questionable calls this year. But he's made due the best he can with what he had and for the most part, when his job was to find out about what we have, he did that. He still wanted to win games, but he did find out about players like Shin-Soo Choo. For that, Wedge earns three feathers. He wasn't good, but he wasn't bad.

Franklin Gutierrez: (134 G, 399 AB) .248/.307/.383, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 9/12 SB, 54 R
It was a good omen seeing Franklin Gutierrez hit a grand slam home run on opening day, at least I thought it was. Gutierrez had a pedestrian year at the plate after his great start to the season. He had every opportunity to win the starting right field job, but just could never find himself.

Gutierrez could go into next year as the fourth outfielder or he could be traded. His talent potential is high as a kid who can do it all. He has the arm, he can play defense, we know he has some pop in his bat. He is a loaded player but he needs it to click. Luckily he is still young and hope is still around. He had a sophomore dip, especially with his numbers, but I wouldn't be giving up on him. He gets two feathers for his defense, but he needs to get better at the plate.

Rafael Betancourt: (69 Games) 3-4, 5.07 ERA, 1.420 WHIP, 12 HLD, 4 SV, 71 IP, 64 K, 25 BB, 11 HR
The thing that sticks out the most about Rafael Betancourt's down season was his home run total. Last year he gave up just four home runs. This year he gave up his fourth home run in May.

Betancourt's control from last year didn't carry over, which is understandable. But, Rafael was stubborn and constantly disregarded the words of his pitching coach Carl Willis and Eric Wedge. He would not pitch inside, as many times as he would go out there, he'd continue to throw the ball outside. Because his control was not there, that ball would no longer hit the outside corner, it would float in and get hit the other way.

Betancourt started to come around down the stretch, but his year was a huge disappointment. He will have a chance to redeem himself next year, but this bullpen will not be the same if he doesn't bounce back. He had a career year in 2007, no one expects him to replicate it. But he needs to heed the word of his coaches and try and regain a little bit of that magical control. He gets two feathers for the extreme disappointment.

Josh Barfield (Cle+Buf): (85 G, 332 AB) .243/.292(Buf)/.368(Buf), 5 HR, 25 RBI, 9/14 SB, 33 R
I took into account Josh's numbers from Buffalo, seeing as he played half his year there. He wasn't what you were hoping for, but you are talking about a player who was a significant piece to San Diego's playoff run in his rookie year. He probably doesn't think he deserves to be in Triple-A.

That isn't what Barfield is thinking, but I'm sure that explains his pedestrian numbers. In Cleveland he got his shot with Asdrubal Cabrera's struggles but promptly dislocated his finger and was sidelined for two months. I think Barfield did a good job in the off-season with recommitting to the game and seeking advice from his dad. I thought he'd have the chance and he'd run with it this year, but he simply was on the bad end of luck.

He only gets two feathers, but this isn't a reflection on his performance with the big league club. He got his real shot in September and he looked like he was starting to come on. I want to see him do well in Spring Training next year before we give up on young Barfield, he has all sorts of talent.

Zach Jackson: (9 Starts) 2-3, 5.60 ERA, 1.427 WHIP, 54.2 IP, 30 K, 14 BB, 7 HR
Zach Jackson sure had an interesting by baseball standards. Four teams, including two major league ones, a trade and a first win in legendary Fenway park against Josh Beckett.

Jackson came on strong in his second batch of starts, picking up a couple of wins. He came over in the Sabathia trade as a "throw-in" and a guy the Brewers had given up on at the age of 25. Jackson probably doesn't have much of a future as a starting pitcher, but he showed he can get outs at the big league level. He might have a place on this team as a long-man next year.

Two feathers for Jackson as I was real impressed with him down the stretch. He is definitely in the mix next year, but because he is out of options, he'll have a lot to prove. I would give him three for exceeding expectations, but he didn't pitch enough.

Jeremy Sowers: (22 Starts) 4-9, 5.58 ERA, 1.488 WHIP, 121 IP, 64 K, 39 BB, 18 HR
Jeremy Sowers' had some tough luck winning games this year.

After spending the year in Buffalo, Sowers got his shot when Jake Westbrook got hurt for the second time and CC Sabathia was traded. He really started to find himself with the guidance of Sal Fasano.

Sowers has put himself in a position to compete with the likes of Aaron Laffey and Anthony Reyes next year in spring training. But, Sowers still hasn't shown the brilliance of his rookie year, which has many skeptical if he can really be what we think he can. Two feathers for a great effort, but still, Sowers is not meeting expectations.

Brendan Donnelly: (15 Games) 1-0, 8.56 ERA, 2.195 WHIP, 4 HLD, 13.2 IP, 8 K, 10 BB, 2 HR
You may want to rag on Brendan Donnelly for the high ERA and his shaky outings. But Brendan Donnelly was battling back from a tough injury. The Indians put some stock into him and let him rehab through their organization.

We'll see if that stock pays off in the off-season as they debate whether to bring him back and see if he wants to come back. Donnelly's MLB year was okay, not impressive or eye opening. His WHIP is something to scream about but Donnelly is a pro and he's been there before.

If they can bring him back on a low-risk deal, he might be worth it as a veteran. Donnelly gets one feather for his performance, but he is much better than that.

David Dellucci: (113 G, 336 AB) .238/.307/.405, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 3/5 SB, 41 R
David Dellucci is a poster child of the 2008 year, which I've deemed as the year of "Frustration." Whether it's his play or the fact that he is still on this team, Dellucci is frustrating. He "beat out" Ben Francisco to start the year, along with Jason Michaels.

Wedge claims that Dellucci is a leader in the clubhouse, which I can buy to an extent. But if he is leader, he isn't an emotional leader. Dellucci doesn't get it done with the bat the way they play him. If he was a leader and his sole purpose was to "lead" he shouldn't be playing as much as he is.

I don't think Dellucci has a place on this team, especially not with the potential of Choo and Francisco. That would make him the fourth outfielder, but he can't run, he can't play defense and he can't play every outfield spot. That makes him utterly useless. I'd rather waste a spot for Sal Fasano as the designated leader.

Either way, Dellucci had another poor year. His OBP continues to decline since his days in Texas and he is no longer a useful player. His one feather is a combination of taking up space from Francisco, Choo and Gutierrez and the fact that he is still on this team.

Travis Hafner: (57 G, 198 AB) .197/.305/.323, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 1/2 SB, 21 R
Like David Dellucci, Travis Hafner could be a fitting poster boy to that frustration mantra, but for different reasons. Hafner's injury is frustrating, as it was one that basically made his 2008 a lost cause.

Perhaps it was good though. I gave him one feather because I didn't know where else to put him. Considering this an incomplete feather, because Hafner's grade will depend on how well he plays next year. I do believe that his strength will be back next year and once he gets his timing back, we may see a rejuvenated "Pronk." I think its forced him to get back to the basics and no longer flail at those outside pitches that pitchers make him hit. He got away from what made him a dangerous hitter and when he gets back to how he used to hit, which I think the injury has made him do, he'll be the Hafner of old.

Brian Slocum (Cle+Buf): (32 Games-11 Starts) 3-7, 5.37 ERA, 1.527 WHIP, 1 SV, 3 HLD, 87.1 IP, 82 K, 42 BB, 14 HR
I included Brian Slocum in the mix because this was an important year for him with this team. He spent most of the year in Buffalo but Slocum appeared in Cleveland a few times to get absolutely lambasted.

Slocum in my opinion has no future with this team. His time is running out, he's getting older and he is a man without a pitching role. He might come into next year competing, but he'll end up on the wire. I give just one feather for Slocum for his combined effort in Buffalo and Cleveland.

Andy Marte: (80 G, 235 AB) .221/.268/.315, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1/2 SB, 21 R
Oh Andy, Andy, Andy! Andy Marte's season is one of disgust and wonderment. First, we knew and I think most were perfectly fine keeping him around on the bench as a backup. But he simply didn't get any at bats what so ever. Then it got to a point where the team was going no where and Casey Blake was traded. Marte got his shot to prove himself.

He wasn't impressive and he didn't do what we thought he was capable of. Marte is probably a bust when it comes to high ceiling prospects. He just doesn't look like he can hit at the big league level. His glove is something to rave about, I love his defense. But he needs to hit and he is simply not doing that. He looked better once he got his shot full time, but you have to wonder about a kid who can't get it done.

He is still young, but if not now, when? Marte he has had ample time at the big league level to prove himself. Maybe he needs a change of scenery. I've given him one feather and it hurts to do so because I really like him. But, unless he comes to Spring Training in much better shape, something he didn't do this year, and starts hitting the cover off the ball. I see no future for Andy Marte in Cleveland.

Juan Rincon (w/CLE): (22 Games) 1-1, 5.13 ERA, 1.540 WHIP, 2 HLD, 26.1 IP, 19 K, 8 BB, 3 HR
Considering Juan Rincon pitched just as much for the Cleveland Indians this year as he did for the Minnesota Twins, I'm looking for improvement.

I don't really see much, other than he fixed his control problems and didn't walk as many hitters. But he still gave up runs and he still wasn't effective as he used to be.

I think Donnelly has more potential going forward than Rincon does. But, never underestimate the power of a clubhouse. Rincon has a lot of Venezuelan teammates here in Cleveland, including catcher Victor Martinez that he might be able to benefit from. I'd bring him in for a competition if he's willing. He gets just one feather because I wasn't totally impressed with what he did, like I said, he only improved in one aspect.

Derek Shelton: Runs Scored - 805, Team Average - .262
Derek Shelton's season was a rough start.

The turnaround might have saved his job, but if this team has another cold opening to the season, he will find himself on the hot seat. Shelton deserves a lot of the blame for the poor batting averages that were there at the start of the season. His sound ways of taking pitches and making the pitchers pitch to you was no longer working. Pitchers adjusted to the style of play the Indians had and they threw a lot of first pitch strikes.

Shelton did not adjust accordingly and for that he deserves just one feather. The team came on strong at the end of the year and ended up scoring an MLB top ten 800 plus runs. But it is unacceptable to start the season the way they did offensively.

Cliff Lee
Is there any other option to pick for Team MVP? It has to be Cliff Lee, who is the hands down favorite to win the AL Cy Young award and has accounted for 27 percent of his team's victories. It was Lee that was always there to stop a streak or derail a funk. He stopped multiple losing streaks on more than one occasion and when he pitched, there was a sense of immortality, as if the team wouldn't lose. He energized a defense to play well and excited an offense to support him. Cliff Lee is the hands down MVP of this 2008 team. Without him, there would be no season and there would be no good thing to look back on. He made Indians baseball watchable in the bleak periods and made it must-see TV in the bright ones. Cliff Lee is the first recipient of the Golden Feather, our Cleveland Indians Team MVP!

Jamey Carroll
This award could go in several different ways, but because the little guy is always the most liked, I bestow the silver feather onto Jamey Carroll. Carroll was big for the Indians when they didn't have a second baseman or a hitter in the two hole. Carroll stepped in and stepped up as the team's spark plug. Most memorable will be his battles with Travis Hafner over fantasy football transactions, but Carroll's clubhouse presence is also something to praise. Jamey Carroll is the silver feather recipient for the 2008 Cleveland Indians, our unsung hero!

There it is...The end of the year feathers for the 2008 Cleveland Indians. This is just the begining of our 2008 wrap-up. There is more to come!

Who Do You HATE More?!

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:40:01 -0500

Garko, SMASH!

Do you dislike? The White Sox or the Twins?

I hate the Tigers, but if I had to pick a team to go to the playoffs, It'd be the Twins, they do it the right way like the Indians do.

So it gives me great pleasure to down the Sox and help the Twins reach the post-season.

I also like them a whole lot more with Hunter gone and with the Angels. He was the one guy that always jawed with us it seemed like. The Twins are a likable team though.

The Jhonny Peralta move was the big story of course, but it was the man replacing him at short that made the headlines.

First.. Clearing it up.

"We're short-handed without Andy [Marte]," Wedge said. "We can't run Jamey [Carroll] out there all the way through."

There... Point Proven.

Still, I think its one of those cover our butts.

Bring in a few third baseman and second baseman to compete with Marte and Barfield.. If only one works out, you have OPTIONS.. So..

Moving on..

Cabrera, Orlando and Asdrubal were both shaky at short last night. Let's focus on Asdrubal though as he made a few errors and let up a few easy plays.

Weird to say the least. Not sure why he had the problem on that specific night.

Garko was huge though. Quietly he is now second on the team in RBI and could hit the 90 mark in these final two games. I'm sticking to my opinion that we need to hold onto Garko, I think hes primed to have a rebound year and the whole "singles hitter" that people like Bruce Drennan like to harp on is a fallacy.

Tonight, watch Javier Vazquez implode.. He's taken some harsh words from his manager about being able to pitch when it counts.. He'll probably do it again today.

Awwwwwwwwwwww Don't Lose

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:49:17 -0500

Its sort of demoralizing to watch the Red Sox party at your expense two years in a row on their home field.

Grrrrrrrr

Then to have the comeback we did tonight only to be squandered by our best relief pitcher.

Crapppppy.....

Bullington was nails, that was pretty awesome to see, but I still can't see him lasting till next year.

Fausto's year ends with a bit of a rough patch, but he'll be back.. Healthy, feeling good and well rested.. No doubt Fausto is primed for a better year in 2009.

How about Josh Barfield these past few games? Huh huh whaddayasaytothat?! What did I say about that.. Shame it took a Marte injury and a Cabrera suspension for him to get some time.

Pronk roped a double tonight, he's not back fully but he no longer looks attrocious at the plate. Timing will come with regular start time, which he will get next year.

Kinda keeping it short but felt like I needed to post tonight. I was kinda peeved at Josh Beckett's comments about Ryan Garko.. Garko said enough, he was spot on with everything.. Beckett just was looking for someone to blame if you ask me.. Like Garko said, about half his team wears the same type of pads.

Anyway, wanted to pass along this link for all you minor league nuts, no pun intended.

The team is the South Georgia Peanuts and their collective goal is to get back into the MLB affiliated Minor Leagues. They are managed by Wally Backman and you can watch a documentary on their season here. John Fitzgerald, the man behind this project, this was kind enough to e-mail me about it and I think its definitely worth a look-see if your looking for something to to do. Check it out!

Anyway... Let's salvage this four game series with a tie, pleaase? I don't wanna finish the year below .500.. 80 wins would be nice, ya know? It looks a lot better than something in the 70's.

Cubs make Roster Move

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:28:01 -0500

While most of the focus is on the playoff roster, the Cubs quietly made a move that effects their 40 man roster, claiming Brad Snyder off waivers from the Indians and DFA'ing Adam Harben. Snyder is a 26 year old left-hand hitting OF who spent the season at Buffalo, the AAA affiliate of the Indians. While playing left and center, he hit .246 with 13 HR's and 7 stolen bases, but he also struck out 123 times in 411 AB's. He was the 18th overall pick in the 2003 draft and at the time was ranked as the 3rd best 5 tool talent in the draft. In 2006, he was the Indians 3rd best prospect according to Baseball America (ahead of guys like Fausto Carmona and Ryan Garko). In '07, he dropped to 8th. And while he was no longer in the Indians top ten this past year, he was still considered the best athlete in the organization and the best outfielder, both defensively and based on arm strength.

So why would the Cubs make this move? Looking at their 40 man roster, as well as their OF prospects, it's easy to see why. In terms of OF's, the 40 man consists of Soriano, Edmonds, Pie, Johnson, Fukudome, and Sam Fuld. Tyler Colvin is the only real prospect in the Cubs system that is an OF and worthy of a spot on the 40 man roster. If Johnson and Edmonds are gone after this year, the Cubs only have 4 OF's. Granted, who knows what will happen in terms of FA's and trades, but adding Snyder gives the Cubs some more depth.

Conversly, the fact that Adam Harben was DFA'd isn't a major surprise. Harben was acquired by the Cubs in the trade for Phil Nevin in late 2006. He underwent Tommy John surgery later that fall and was out all of last year. The Cubs added him to the 40 man roster last November to protect him, but a 3-6 record with a 5.37 ERA didn't really need to be protected. If he goes unclaimed in the next ten days, he will be outrighted (if the Cubs so choose) to the minors and be off the 40 man roster.

Are Shapiro, Wedge to blame? One strong argument says no

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:32 -0500

Tribe fans - much like all fans - like to point fingers when things are going poorly.

The biggest targets seem to be Tribe GM Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge.

I guess there's no surprise there.

But Brian La Shier, one of my partners at MVN's Tribe Report says dropping the blame for this year's fiasco in the laps of GM Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge is unfair.

"I was asked to compile a review of Cleveland's front office and coaching staff. That sounded easy enough at first considering all the poor decisions, botched trades, and managerial shenanigans. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that Shapiro and Wedge really aren't to blame for the season getting off track so dramatically. Some of the more pessimistic fans in the crowd might want to sit this post out because (gasp!) this team was managed much better than their place in the standings would indicate."

Read the rest of Brian's comments here, in the final installment of MVN's three-part series looking at the Tribe's first half.

Meantime, the second-half of the season has gotten off to a pretty rotten start. Aaron Laffey was awful, allowing eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in Seattle Friday night, although five of the runs were unearned.

While that bothers me, a couple of other things bother me more.

David Dellucci was in the frickin' lineup again tonight. There is just no logical reason for him to be there. He's been awful, and he has no role in the future. His appearances at DH are taking ABs away from Ryan Garko and others - at-bats they need to prove that they either belong in the big leagues, or they don't.

Every decision made from here on in must be made with next year in mind. I don't see how Dellucci playing contributes to that goal.

The other thing that bugs me is the statue-like play of Jhonny Peralta at short. It was his booting of a routine groundball that opened the floodgates for the five unearned runs off of Laffey in the second. Peralta and Marte should be splitting 3B to see if either is a viable alternative there for next year, while Asdrubal Cabrera should be given the chance to make a bid for the 2009 shortstop job.

I have to admit with the four Tribeless days completed, I was looking forward to things getting started again so we could start watching the "next-year" folks - Marte at 3B, Cabrera as SS, Peralta at 3B, Raffy Perez as closer.

These moves make sense to me, but I'm not sure the powers that be see it the same way. For them - for some reason - it's important to get David Dellucci some more at bats.

Tribe's first half offense - God awful but getting better

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:32 -0500

As some of you know, I've recently been asked to join MVN's Tribe Report, where a team of three writers - myself, James Pete and Brian La Shier - provide extensive and sophisticated (well the other two do any anyway) coverage of the Tribe.

Below is the first part (my contribution) of a three-part series which will look at the Tribe's first-half and a bit of what we might see the rest of the way. The other two posts will be coming over the All-Star break.

You should check out the site. You'll be glad you did.

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I could sum up the Tribe's first-half offense with one five-letter word. S-U-C-K-S !!

But since you came to this Web site for info, I assume you are looking for a little more than that.

So here goes.

For much of the first half of the season, the Indians' offense was just plain dreadful. The team was last in the league in hitting - with a team BA in the low .230's. Those are 1968-like (Year of the Pitcher) numbers.

Watching the Tribe bat for most of the first half of the season was painful to the eyes - and the nose (the stink made it all the way through to my TV set).

Making it even tougher to watch was the fact that the Tribe had a stretch of games in late April and early May where the starting pitchers were throwing like it was 1968, but they could never get more three games above .500.

In a stretch from April 18 to May 15, Indians pitchers gave up three or fewer runs in 20 of 25 games - 7 of which were shutouts. The team was 22-19 at the end of that stretch - the high-water mark of the season.

With its low-.230's BA, the Tribe was last in the league in hitting and also at, or near, the bottom in runs scored for most of the first half.

Hobbled by injuries to, and ineffectiveness of, the three-hole and clean-up hitters - Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner respectively - most of the rest of the hitters (term used loosely) in the Indians' lineup uderpeformed. (Ryan Garko, David Dellucci, Franklin Gutierrez you know we're talking about you.)

Others - Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake and Jhonny Peralta - are performing at about expected levels .

Jamey Carroll is about the only Tribesman who is performing better than expected simply because he is now an everyday player, something no one had imagined during spring training.

No one really could say with any certainty they knew what Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo would do. Choo started out hot after returning from Tommy John surgery but has been a bit of a disappointment after the hot start.

Ben Francisco is having a solid first full season and was on fire heading into the break.

But, the Tribe's offense has gone from unbearably bad to about average in recent weeks.

In the past 30 days the team has hit a more-respectable .263 and the team BA is now at .248 - still last in the league but lot's better than the low .230's and just behind 13th-place Oakland at .250.

The turning point seems to have come in a series in Texas at the beginning of June, when the high winds and hot temperatures helped both teams propel balls out of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington . Since the first game of that series, in which the Tribe scored 35 runs in three games, Cleveland has averaged 5.08 runs a game in 36 games. That's up from 4.03 average in the first 56 games of the year.

While the Texas series seems to be the jumping off point for the offense, some folks point to the insertion of Peralta into the clean-up spot as the a catalyst. But that doesn't seem to have been the difference, at least for the team overall. The Tribe is averaging 4.9 runs a game in the 17 games since Peralta was put into the No. 4 hole, virtually the same as their output since that memorable series in Texas.

The change has done Peralta a world of good though. He's hit an even .300 in those 17 games, with four homers, 11 runs scored and 14 RBIs.

To me, the key to the Tribe's offensive surge-ette has been the decision to correct two serious mistakes.

Hafner last appeared in a game on May 25, and Martinez on June 11 - both roughly around the time the offense started to pick up. It seems clear to me that the long-overdue decisions to put two hurting and hampered players on the DL instead of the middle of the lineup has made all the difference.

How can a team expect to score runs with their No. 3 hitter (Martinez: hamstring and elbow surgery) and No. 4 hitter (Hafner: shoulder) unable to swing a bat anywhere close to normal and making weak outs in the middle of the order? Of all the mistakes the Tribe deep thinkers have made this year, allowing these two to try to play through debilitating injuries was the biggest.

Other reasons for the offensive brownout in the first half include:

- The regression of Garko who at .237 is hitting nearly 40 points below his lifetime average

- The utter failure of Gutierrez, who is hitting only .215 with three homers and is now riding the bench

- The failure of the David Dellucci/Jason Michaels platoon (Dellucci .226; Michaels DFA'd)

- Literally no contribution from Asdrubal Cabrera (hit .184 before being sent to Buffalo in June)

On the other side of the ledger, the brights spot in the first-half were:

- Blake, who has hit so well in the clutch that he has 51 RBI on only 82 hits

- Sizemore - has 21 SB's and a league-leading 22 homers, making a 30-30 season very likely

- Francisco - .288, 8 HRs, 34 RBIs and 816 OPS

Kelly Shoppach is not exactly ripping it up, but he is hitting about .250 with a little bit power in his first full-time role, which are typical starting-catcher numbers.

Peralta, another Tribesman tearing it up heading into the break, is having his typical season overall - spurts of greatness and periods where he looks like he's never grabbed a bat in his life. That usually amounts to roughly 20 homers a year and a .260-or-so average. That seems to be where he is heading this year as well, with his .257 average and 15 dingers at the break.

Carroll is at .267, has taken over as the starter at 2B and plays an intelligent game. He's able to bunt, move a runner and slap a single when you need it, which is just what you want in the No. 2 hole.

While the offense seems to be hitting its stride as the teams take a three-day break, it's hard to say what to expect the rest of the way

Were Hafner's hitting woes a result of his shoulder injury, as seems likely? Or were they just a continuation of the deterioration that Pronk had started to show throughout most of last season? Will we even see Hafner - whose shoulder is at about 50% - again in '08.

Will Victor get his power back with his elbow repaired and his hammy rested? He didn't hit a single homer prior to his injury.

The team's second- and third-highest RBI men, Blake (51) and Peralta (45), are also the most-often-mentioned players in trade rumors, with the deadline looming.

Cabrera - now ripping up Triple-A - is likely to come back up in the second half. Will he resemble the confident, competent creative hitter of last year or the early-season disaster we saw this year?

Will we see the newly acquired Matt LaPorta? What can we expect from him given he's never played above Double-A and has the weight of fan expectations on his shoulders as the key piece in the CC Sabathia trade?

Unfortunately the answers to those questions won't matter much for the rest of this season. But they will make a big difference in the planning for '09, as the Tribe and its fans wait - once again - for next year.

(note to nit-pickers: The stats in this article are through Friday night's games and do not include Saturday or Sunday due to edit time requirements .)

Gimme a break!!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:30 -0500

Well the Tribe is giving thier fans a break today, after the twin disasters in Tampa on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There's no game tonight. Thank God!

Even better, there's a Browns' preseason game to view - something to take our minds further away from the Tribe.

What can you say about the last two games?.

It's clear the Tribe has no bullpen to work with for next year.

None.

There is only one guy - Raffie Perez - who can be counted on for next year. (That's using that term loosely - since there were about six guys who could be 'counted on' in April for this season.)

There are lots of other developments with the Tribe as well.

Two new faces will be in Tribe uniforms when the torture resumes Friday night.

Newly acquired Anthony Reyes will get his first start for the Tribe against the Jays in Toronto after two impressive outings at Buffalo since his acquisition from St. Louis.

In addition, Brendan Donnelly - who has been rehabbing on the Tribe's dime all season long - will be joining the so-called bullpen. Donnelly has been impressive in eight minor league appearances since returning from elbow ligament surgery - which was done in 2007.

The good news about Reyes is that his audition for next year will count for something. He is on a one-year contract, but his lack of time in the big leagues ties him to the Tribe for 2009.
Donnelly, on the other hand, has no such obligation.

The Tribe signed the former Angels standout prior to this season in the hopes that he'd be ready right about now to bolster the pen with a fresh arm as the team was heading into the playoff stretch run.
Some stretch run.

Hopefully Donnelly will do the decent thing and accept a position with the Tribe next year if they make a reasonably competitive offer. But this is 21st Century baseball, where there word 'loyalty' doesn't exist.
The bullpen Donnelly will join is in its most chaotic state to date - having been beaten to a pulp in the final two games of the three-game series in Tampa.

Raffie Betancourt got his head handed to him Tuesday. No big surprise. On Wednesday it was Ed Mujica and Masa Kobayshi's turn.

Kobayashi has been decent in a set-up role but inconsistent (being kind) in the closer role.

Mujica had been feted recently for his run of 10 or so good outings. But his first crack at the closer position blew up in his face. He had similar blowups earlier in the year in other roles (does anyone truly have a role in this pen?). So it kind of makes you wonder if his recent effectiveness was just a hot streak.

As a result of the failures of Betancourt, Mujica and Kobayashi, Tom Mastny was sent back top Buffalo. Makes as much sense as anything else that has happened out in the pen this year, no?

Actually, except for that one memorable inning in last year's ALCS against Boston, Mastny has shown little in the past three years. His act has worn thin and I really don't blame Eric Wedge for being hesitant to use him this season - which only added to his ineffectiveness.

So what does that leave in the pen?

Not much.

We've been looking at the lame-duck portion of the schedule as a place to find answers for next year. In the case of the bullpen the answer is resoundingly negative.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention Ryan Garko's indiscretion yesterday - standing at home plate, watching his foul dribbler turn fair. I didn't see the play, but right from coaches pitch league we are taught to run it out until the umpire says it's foul.

That said, Garko's took the right tack after the game saying it was a stupid mistake that won't happen again and that he is fine with Wedge's decision to take him out of the game.

Still, with Garko struggling to hold on to his position and his place in the Tribe's 2009 plans, it's the kind of move that sticks out in management's mind.

The most ironic part about the whole Garko affair is the fact that Wedge finally called someone on the carpet publicly by removing Garko from the gain, but found himself forced to play Sal Fasano at 1B when an injury to Asdrubal Cabrera later in the game forced massive infield position changes to avoid the loss of the DH - the position where Garko started the game.

Only 49 more to go!!

Lame duck and old Byrd lead Tribe

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:30 -0500

Two guys who will have no impact on the Tribe's future had quite an effect on their present tonight.

Paul Byrd has now strung four good starts together - the latest being tonight's 7-inning 1-run outing against the Twins.

Byrd has now given up just 5 earned runs in 25 innings (1.73) over the past four games, winning three of those contests.

Byrd keeps building his case with the various contenders who may be looking to the waiver wires to find an extra arm to get themselves into the post-season.

(Let me stop right here to mention I just saw Manny lift one deep into the leftfield seats at Chavez Ravine for his first Dodger dinger - a two-run job. It was accompanied by the typical Manny 5-year-old-girl-like celebration with his new buddies in the dugout.)

With stomach turning let me continue.

Offensively, the Tribe was led tonight by another not-in-the plans veteran, fan favorite David Dellucci, who - for one night - gave Tribe fans something to appreciate. Dellucci went 3-for-4, including a 2-run dinger and a double.

Jhonny Peralta drove in the first run of the game with an opposite-field double that tied the score 1-1.

Peralta has been doing a lot of that opposite-field stuff lately and his BA is showing it.

It's almost enough - in fact his resurgence may be enough - for me to stop agitating for the front office to trade the guy. He's been hitting for about six weeks now, showing a better eye and a willingness to hit the ball where it's pitched. If he continues his conversion into a professional hitter with pop (instead of a guy just swinging for the fences) his shortcomings at SS just may be more tolerable.

(Let me just interrupt myself again to say I just watched Casey Blake lift a flyball down the left field line which landed about 6 rows deep just to the right of the foul pole at the The Ravine - much more fun to watch than the HR I mentioned earlier.)

Probably the best news for the future coming out of tonight's game was the two-run homer by Kelly Shoppach who just continues to rake and is making a case for himself to be the starting catcher next year - which would mean a move to 1B for Victor Martinez and a trade (?) in Ryan Garko's (o-for-4 .243) future.

Shoppach hit .318 (1.066 OPS), with 6 HRs and 14 RBIs in July. He's 3 for 7 so far in August.

With the a stick like that, the Tribe's FO may have to look at making him a full-timer next year, especially with Garko being such an absolute bust this year and Victor probably being better off physically playing at 1B.

And, Adrubal Cabrera had two more hits tonight and is hitting .278 since coming back to the bigs, with an OPS over .800.

Andy Marte took an 0-for-4 and has started to look lost up there again lately.

(Casey just hit a ground-rule double to right-center. He's up to about .350 with the Dodgers.)

Marte looked for a short time like he might be coming around with increased playing time, but there just doesn't seem to be any consistency there. He's now 2 for his last 28 and I would say he is well on his way to blowing his longest, and final audition with the Tribe.

Watching the trees, missing the forest

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:29 -0500

Since the Tribe bagged the season about a month ago with the CC trade most of us have been watching the team through a microscope rather than a wide-angle lens.

It only makes sense.

This season is shot.

The only thing that matters is who is making a case for themselves to be on the squad next year, when - hopefully - enough holes will be filled to put the Tribe back in a pennant race, if not the post-season.

We've been busy examining how each individual player is stacking up against his perceived competition for next year. Or worrying about certain positions where no one seems to be stepping up. (Yes Andy Marte we're talking about you.)

Terry Pluto has done a lot of that recently in the Plain Dealer, including today's paper. The same can be said for Paul Hoynes in his offering today.

On the national Web sites, Ken Rosenthal is among those who have been looking into the future of the Tribe and other teams. His most-recent offering about the Tribe examines where the pitching staff may be heading.

In the blogosphere, Paul Cousineau of the The DiaTribe has two pieces this week that deal with the future makeup of the team - one here, and the other one here.

We've delved into it ourselves recently.

It is only natural that anyone with an ounce of foresight and curiosity would try to relieve the current unpleasantness by looking ahead to see how things might work out a little better in the future.

But while we're busy worrying about whether Ryan Garko has shown enough to either get back into the picture for 1B next year or bring something valuable in trade, or whether Anthony Reyes is good enough to be a No. 3 or No. 4 starter next year, we're missing some of the best team baseball the Tribe has played since last October.

So I just wanted to take a moment to look at the entire forest. The first half of this season was so miserable to watch, we owe it to ourselves to enjoy what we've been seeing lately, even if it comes under the category of cheap thrills.

The Tribe, heading into Sunday's game, was on their longest winning streak of the year - 6 games. They've won 12 of their last 15 games and 14 of 21 so far this month.

In August, the Tribe has scored 116 runs - an average of 5.5 a game. They're scoring 6.1 runs a game in the 12 of 15 stretch and 7.6 runs/game during the 6-game winning streak.

Save one player (yes Marte, you again), the Tribe is getting offensive output across the board.

Some of those who struggled earlier in the year are making the biggest contribution in August.

Franklin Gutierrez .317 (BA) .567 (SLG) .936 (OPS) 11 RBI
Ben Francisco .316 (BA) .447 (SLG) .805 (OPS) (we should expect better power from the corner)
Ryan Garko .320 (BA) .467 (SLG) .840 (OPS) 17 RBI
Cabrera .292 (BA) .462 (SLG) .835 (OPS)
Choo .279 (BA) .508 (SLG) .888 (OPS) 8 Doubles 10 RBI

And stalwarts Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta have contributed 16 and 14 RBIs respectively, with Peralta at .877 (SLG) and 4 HR. Sizemore has been dragging a bit this month with a .758 (SLG).

The Tribe's starting rotation is contributing as well, after adjusting to the loss of CC and Paul Byrd from their ranks. Largely thanks to Cliff Lee and newly acquired Anthony Reyes, the rotation is 10-5 in 21 starts. The rotation's ERA (not counting Sowers' debacle Saturday night) is 3.56 this month.

As far as the overall bullpen is concerned, it's hard to say it has gotten better. But it is fair to say that the back end of the pen has solidified somewhat, with Jensen Lewis making the most of his audition for the closer spot.

In August, the pen is 4-2 with 6 saves (all by Lewis), but it is sporting a bloated 5.04 ERA.

The good news is Jensen Lewis is 6 for 6 in save situations and has a 0.89 ERA with 9 Ks in 10.1 innings this month.

Raffy Perez is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA, but if you eliminate two outings in which he gave up a total of 6 runs in 2 innings, his ERA for August is 0.66.

Perhaps the best news of all is the month being put up by Raffy Betancourt. After giving up 3 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning in his first August outing, Raffy Right has made 5 scoreless appearances covering 7 innings and has looked a bit like his old self.

So instead of wondering if Ben Francisco will provide more pop from the corner, or whether Peralta should play 3B or SS next season or whether the Tribe would be better off starting Kelly Shoppach at catcher or trading him for a starting pitcher let's take just a minute from our squirrel-like planning ahead and smell the roses growing at our doorstep in recent weeks.

Watching the trees, missing the forest

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:29 -0500

Franklin Gutierrez .317 (BA) .567 (SLG) .936 (OPS) 11 RBI
Ben Francisco .316 (BA) .447 (SLG) .805 (OPS) (we should expect better power from the corner)
Ryan Garko .320 (BA) .467 (SLG) .840 (OPS) 17 RBI
Cabrera .292 (BA) .462 (SLG) .835 (OPS)
Choo .279 (BA) .508 (SLG) .888 (OPS) 8 Doubles 10 RBI

Tribesman looking good under the microscope

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:29 -0500

It's been a rough week as far as posting goes.

I have been having serial outages with my Internet, requiring the "cable guy" to come out to the house twice to fix things. Or least to bring the outages down to a minimum.

My Internet provider is a huge cable company headquartered here on the East Coast and owned by a family named Dolan. Same family, different branch. This branch owns the Knicks and the Rangers as well. Need I say more?

They must go after the B-list pole climbers during the free-agent season in the telecom business.

Anyway.

There have been some interesting developments with the Tribe since the last time I have been able to log onto my computer with enough confidence to think I might actually be able to complete a full post before my service goes out.

For now anyway, it seems the Tribe has a new closer.

Compared to what we've seen most of this season and last year as well, Jensen Lewis seems almost "lights out" in the role - thanks mostly to a little more pop on his fastball, and what appears to be a bit of a stomach for the position.

In 4 outings as the closer, Lewis has allowed only 3 hits over four innings, notching 3 saves in 3 save situations.

He got into to some trouble today in the 9th, but that was mostly because he started the inning off by giving up a dunker to right-center that landed between 4 players, none of whom could really have gotten to the ball.

He may be nothing more than the guy who fills the role for the rest of this season, but he seems to be worth a long look out there.

Another trend we've noticed - Ryan Garko apparently doesn't like sitting on the bench. Since being benched for one game and the better part of another for an uncharacteristic lack of hustle, Garko has hit .406 in 32 ABs over 9 games. He's hit safely in 8 of those 9 games and has 2 hits in 5 of the games. He's also driven in 11 runs in the 9-game stretch.

In case it has escaped your notice, Franklin Gutierrez is putting up quite a month so far in August. In 43 ABs , Gutierrez is hitting .349 with an OBP of .391 and a slugging percentage of .605 for an OPS of .996. It would be nice to have a glove and arm like that in the lineup regularly next year but one month does not a season make. Still this little surge gives you a bit of hope for the guy anyway.

With a very hot August, Ben Francisco has his overall numbers up to a respectable level for an MLB outfielder - though they are definitely still too light on the power side. Francisco is hitting .345 for the month, but with only 2 HR and 6 RBI. That brings his season average to .288 with 12 homers and 45 RBI. For the season his OBP is .345 and SLG is .468, for an OPS of .813

And then there's Asdrubal Cabrera, who is hitting .289 since be recalled from Triple-A almost exactly a month ago. His OBP is an even .400, while his SLG is .431 for an .831 OPS.

To me, Cabrera has gone a long way toward showing he can make the adjustments required for success in the big leagues and pretty much erased that question mark hanging next to his name at the All-Star break.

Cabrera, more than the others, has me believing he is the real deal and worthy of a starting role (please God let it be at SS) next year.

One other guy who is clearly making the Tribe's decision for them - but not in a good way - is Andy Marte.

When Casey Blake was traded, Marte was hitting .186. Since the July 26 trade, Marte is hitting .179 with 1 HR and 6 RBI. He's also been caught out of position a few very obvious times at 3B and seems to have to think a bit too long about where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to do for a guy who wants to play in the major leagues.

I think Marte should be chalked up as a great big swing and a miss and we should just be thankful to have gotten Kelly Shoppach for Coco Crisp. That alone is a winning deal, as it has turned out.

In addition to Lewis on the pitching side, Anthony Reyes has been solid in his two starts since coming over from St. Louis and up from Buffalo. He's allowed only 3 runs and 16 runners in 12 1/3 innings. He's got, probably, 7 more starts to go so let's reserve judgment, but the early signs are good.

Jeremy Sowers has not yet been able to put it all together for a full game, but he did have those back-to-back starts where he was nursing a perfect game into the 6th inning. And, in his last two starts he was able to overcome early troubles to go on to pitch decent games, so he may have something to offer next year as well.

I think that bring us up to date. There have been some good signs since the Tribe began next year's spring training about 8 months early. Let's hope we see more in the final weeks of the season.

LOLTribe: Detroit Brawl Edition

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:24:38 -0500

So, what will probably be the next to the last LOLTribe of the regular season.. Its an AWL BRAWL edition.. I'm sorry if you don't get my references.. But I've provided a link to one of them. Bwahahaha.

An amazing picture when you look at it though..

I can't even see Jamey Carroll.

I could have gone into any direction with this one, but I had to be difficult.....

For an explanation, please watch this. FYI Mature Audiences Only.

Poor Chooster.. In this realm, he would be called SHIN SEW CHEW!!11

Many Thx Garko!

Okay so, update on the Brawl.. Check out CastroTurf's plethora of quotes from Sheffield, who is STILL RUNNING THIS MOUTH

Just... I don't get it.. He keeps going and going and going. By the by, Six Game suspension for Fausto, Four for Sheff, Three for Drubes and Victor. Vic and Cabrera will eventually serve theirs this year, and as Castrovince said Carmona will probably make one more start to avoid putting the Indians in a pickle and then finish the rest of it out next year.