Yardbarker: Kelly Shoppach

Morning Update: Carmona To Start Saturday

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:44:31 -0500

Fausto Carmona is slated to come off the Disabled List on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. Casey Blake's interest heats up with New York Mets' GM Omar Minaya and Kelly Shoppach could be the full-time catcher to Cliff Lee even when Victor Martinez returns from an injury.

Overhyped: Andy Marte and John Van Benschoten

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:24:47 -0500

The following young men have been hyped as "Can't Miss Prospects", but they've obviously been overhyped and they surely are missing. The Suspects- Andy Marte and John Van Benschoten. Marte has been hyped by the Braves, Red Sox, and Indians but he's quickly falling off the map batting .198 with an ugly .594 OPS over 4 seasons. He's been linked to Edgar Renteria, Kelly Shoppach, Guillermo Mota, Coco Crisp, David Riske, and Josh Bard, but doesn't hold a candle to any of them. Van Benschoten is a former 1st round pick but has this horrific carrer line- 2-12, 8.66 era, 2.07 whip, and more walks than strikeouts...ouch! For the full article about these two flubs click on URL.

Complete Lee Leads To Series Win

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:35:20 -0500

Cliff Lee leads the Cleveland Indians to a Series win over the Seattle Mariners with a complete game and Kelly Shoppach has a big day at the plate.

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

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:39:55 -0500

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.

MLB Top Weekly Performances - Catchers

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:32:57 -0500

The Screaming Sports team break down the top fantasy performers of the week. It begins with the top three catchers and concludes with the top three relief pitchers. Navigational links appear on the bottom of each article.

Omar squeezes Tribe in return to Cleveland

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:58:27 -0500

"He's not a prima donna like a lot of players of today. Us middle-aged guys grew up with players that actually loved to play the game and it's great to see a guy who plays baseball because he loves baseball." The words of Tribe fan Glenn Sawyer, as quoted by MLB.com. He was of course talking about Omar Vizquel, who returned to the place he knows as "The Jake" to receive the accolades of Tribe fans of all ages and, while he was at it, drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze. The bunt put Omar's San Francisco Giants up 3-1 in the 9th inning of a game that ended 3-2 and brought back memories of the good old days when he wore a Tribe uniform on those great teams of the 90's. For the first 7 innings, Omar showed that time is indeed catching up with him. Vizquel was 0-for-3 to that point and had left the bases loaded in the 7th with the score tied 1-1, having lifted a lazy fly to Grady Sizemore. But in the ninth Vizquel flashed back to the days when he was the grease for the big machine that was the Tribe offense, laying down a perfect suicide squeeze that Casey Blake couldn't handle - not that he would have been able to do much except throw Omar out at first had he fielded it cleanly. For good measure - with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out and the Tribe down 2 runs in the 9th - Omar went deep into the hole at SS, did a patented Omar spin-and-throw which had just enough on it to throw out at 2B a guy who would never have gotten a glove on the ball. Yes, Jhonny Peralta. If the ball goes through, it's 3-2 Tribe with 1 out and 2 on instead of 2 out and 1 on. So, perhaps taking away some deserved credit from SF starter Jonathan Sanchez (though he did pitch his gem against the hitless wonders in Cleveland uniforms), the hero tonight is Omar Vizquel. And there's no surprise there. While a part of me is happy for Omar, the rest of me is ticked. Perhaps I'm pissed off because I looked up to see my stupid dog inexplicably pissing on the living room floor in the top of the 8th as the Tribe bullpen began to piss away the game away. That didn't help. But mostly I just can't keep watching the same old thing - a good (or at least gutty) performance by tonight's starter Aaron Laffey, a bullpen that blows the lead then widens the deficit and a so-called offense that is just plain offensive. The game ended - classically - with a strikeout by Kelly Shoppach with the tying run in scoring position. It was just one of 11 K's on the night as the Tribe continues to pile up unbelievably high K totals night after night. Earlier in the ninth, Ryan Garko put up one of the ugliest at-bats of the year, following up two singles to start the inning with a 3-pitch K that was just awful. I could go on about Shoppach's throwing error that allowed the second SF run to score. Or the 3 K's overall by the guy who "would be a starting catcher on most other teams." But why go on. It's the same old thing night in and night out. By the way, anyone wonder why the Tribe continues to pile up has-beens at Buffalo. The latest two to join the Bisons are reliever Juan Rincon and infielder Tony Graffanino. The duo joins starter John Halama and corner infielder Morgan Ensberg as recent retreads to join the Bisons as Tribe signees. Are they piling up warm bodies to take the positions of some young guys they may bring up when the trading begins. We know Asdrubal Cabrera will be on his way back up before too long. Who else may be heading down I-90? Or are they piling up these C-listers to fill out the major league roster when the purge begins? And won't that be fun? It'll be 2003 all over again. Whatever the case, I've spent way too much time tonight thinking about a team that clearly doesn't deserve this much of my attention.

Reevaluating The Tribe: Offense

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:42:04 -0500

Joe Sheehan had an article today arguing that the Indians should keep Sabathia, and make a run at the division. Someone should probably get Sheehan and Tyler Kepner together for a little chat. The article mentions various metrics, including their run differential (+15) and EqA (11th in the AL).

For most teams, in most years, that'd be sufficient. But for the 2008 Indians, I don't think it is. This team is so different than it was three months ago that we really need to determine a new baseline for its expected performance. Since they have a pretty important decision to make over the next five weeks, I thought I'd attempt to do that.

Today, I'll break down their offense, position by position, in order to figure out how many runs they should be expected to score the rest of the way. Tomorrow I'll look at the pitching staff, and then we'll have a better idea of how good the Indians, as currently constructed, really are.

(The percentages for each position are for the player, rather than for the player at that particular position. So the numbers for each position don't add up to 100%, but all the numbers add up to 900%.)

Catcher PECOTA: Victor Martinez (85%), .293/.369/.458
Kelly Shoppach (25%), .230/.305/.413

YTD: Martinez: .278/.332/.333
Shoppach: .230/.304/.416

Martinez's line is worse than his 10th percentile PECOTA. His SLG is down 172 points from last year. It's very hard to know how good he will be if/when he comes back, but for our purposes it doesn't even matter that much, since Shoppach will get the majority of ABs from here on out. At least he's easy to project.

Rest of way: Shoppach (55%), .230/.305/.413
Martinez (30%), .285/.345/.420
Fasano (15%), .223/.283/.389

First base
PECOTA: Ryan Garko (80%), .272/.343/.460

YTD: Garko: .255/.339/.368

They don't even have an excuse here. .194 ISO last year, .113 ISO this year. He's not hurt, he's not old. But hey, at least he contributes in the field and on the basepaths, right?

Rest of way: Garko (90%), .265/.340/.445

Second base
Asdrubal Cabrera (80%), .263/.324/.383
Josh Barfield (15%), .260/.304/.393
Jamey Carroll (15%), .246/.328/.319

YTD: Cabrera: .184/.282/.247
Barfield: .000/.000/.000 (6 ABs)
Carroll: .281/.369/.349

Another complete and total collapse. Cabrera was playing way over his head last year, but PECOTA knew that, and didn't exactly expect him to win the batting title. There are pretty low offensive expectations for good-field second basemen, but a .529 OPS isn't going to cut regardless of positional value. (That's not to completely write Cabrera off, as he won't turn 23 until November. But he hasn't exactly been an asset in 2008.)

Rest of way: Carroll (75%), .247/.330/.320
Velandia (20%), .325/.310/.386
Barfield (10%), .260/.300/.390

Shortstop
Jhonny Peralta (90%), .266/.341/.431

YTD: Peralta, .243/.292/.429

At one point, I believe Peralta had 11 homers and 19 RBIs. Not 19 RBIs on those home runs; 19 RBIs total. That is hard to do. He has been better with runners on base lately, but he's still making outs 70+% of the time. He's also awful at short. Seriously, this infield has had one of the worst 12 week stretches you'll ever see.

Rest of way: Peralta (95%), .262/.334/.430

Third base
Casey Blake (80%), .264/.333/.432
Andy Marte (25%), .245/.309/.418

Actual: Blake: .266/.340/.430
Marte: .146/.196/.167

This is the fifth position we've looked at, and the first one where the starter hasn't completely collapsed. Incredible, really.

Blake has actually contributed about a half run more than his slash line would indicate, as he's hit .422/.500/.781 w/RISP. This led to some announcer claiming that the reason for this clutchiness was that he concentrates harder in those situations. Which seems entirely reasonable to me, really. It's not like he hit .190/.271/.294 w/RISP last year. No, that never happened.

Rest of way: Blake (95%), .265/.335/.430
Marte (15%), .243/.307/.415

Left field
PECOTA: Jason Michaels (50%), .266/.336/.401
David Dellucci (50%), .250/.343/.430
Ben Francisco (35%), .272/.328/.437

YTD: Michaels: .207/.258/.276
Dellucci, .225/.312/.399
Francisco, .302/.353/.479

Man, I had completely forgotten about Michaels. Hadn't thought about him in weeks. What a train wreck he was. Francisco has been one of the few bright spots for the offense, so much so that he went from AAA to hitting third every night in about a month.

Rest of way: Francisco (95%), .274/.330/.443

Center field
PECOTA: Grady Sizemore (95%), .277/.367/.490

YTD: Sizemore: .266/.372/.514

This is the second--and final--position from which the Indians have gotten the expected amount of production. Sizemore was covered last week. He's still good, if confusing.

Rest of way: Sizemore (95%), .275/.368/.493

Right field
PECOTA: Franklin Gutierrez (70%), .267/.330/.448

YTD: Gutierrez: .239/.289/.353

Gutierrez is a fantastic defender. Too bad he's a corner outfielder with a .289 OBP.

Rest of way: Gutierrez (65%), .263/.325/.440
Choo (60%), .255/.325/.378

Designated hitter
PECOTA: Travis Hafner (80%), .275/.384/.492

YTD: Hafner: .217/.326/.350

This has been a disaster, yes, but not quite as surprising as some of the others. The decline began last year, and it was expedited this year. "Old player skills" rearing their ugly head. Or maybe it was his shoulder. Probably both. Kind of incredible how he kept the walk rate up.

Rest of way: Dellucci (70%), .246/.339/.426
Hafner (15%), .260/.365/.440

To recap:
PECOTA: .267/.343/.438
YTD: .245/.323/.390
Rest of way: .262/.334/.424

Prior to the season, PECOTA thought the Tribe would score 5.15 runs per game. Based on their "Rest of way" slash line, that expectation needs to be knocked down to 4.79.Tomorrow I'll look at the pitching staff, where they've only lost their #2 and #3 starters, and seen a guy who PECOTA expected to have a 4.95 ERA become the favorite for the Cy Young.

Photo: Home Run Derby.

MLB Injury Extra: Replacements (Week 12)

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:58:22 -0500

Screaming Sports' Drew Thibodeau breaks out another Screaming Sports original. With so many valuable fantasy studs going down with injury, Drew decided it was time to take a look at several replacements. So if you're one of the many fantasy GM's who have been ravaged by injury, then this piece is exactly what the doctor ordered.

MLB Top Weekly Performances - Catchers

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:16:06 -0500

The Screaming Sports team breaks down the top three players of the week at each fantasy position. They begin with fantasy catchers and move on to every other position (navigation is at the bottom of the article).

MLB Weekly Sleepers - Week 12

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:01:07 -0500

Screaming Sports' Andrew Thibodeau breaks out his fourth edition of MLB Sleepers and runs down a quick list of potential needles (in a haystack - get it?) for the upcoming week. So, who could surprise some unsuspecting opponents this week? Only one way to find out ... click it.

More Injuries for the Tribe

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:23:07 -0500

As if having Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner on the disabled list wasn't enough to endure, the Tribe have officially placed Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield on the 15-day DL. Recall that Barfield has had all of six at-bats since being called up to the bigs. The injury to the second baseman is being described as "left long finger pain." While this opens up a ton of opportunities to joke about fans and their "left long finger," I'll leave that for you guys in the comments. Martinez, who has been experiencing nagging hamstring troubles since the opening weekend, is being shelved with right elbow inflammation. The odd thing is in the two players that the Indians are calling up to take their spot on the 40-man roster: catcher Yamid Haad and infielder Jorge Velandia. Neither is a top prospect, nor are players that many have even heard of before. Velandia, a shortstop, has split the season between Triple-A Syracuse (Toronto) and Buffalo. He's 33-years old and is quite the journeyman, having played for Oakland, San Diego, New York Mets, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. Haad has been in the league for 14 years and has played in 18 total games at the big league level. He's currently hitting .159 for Triple-A Buffalo. Wow. I'm lost for words there. Odds are that we won't see much of either of these guys. In fact, Wyatt Toregas is currently listed as a catcher on the 40-man roster, so he'd likely be the immediate backup for Kelly Shoppach. Jamey Carroll is now the full-time second baseman, and will have to avoid all injury as the other infielders (aside from Velandia) are all corner men. While the two guys that have been added to the roster will likely not make an impact, this move definitely makes things a lot harder to take. Would a team that's attempting to stay in the hunt call up guys that are not expected to make an impact? Or is this simply due to the lack of options that we have in our farm system? Hopefully, Cabrera gets his swing back soon and this is all in the rear view. Wishful thinking?

Martinez Stiff Neck; Marte Playing

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:17:43 -0500

Martinez's Stiff Neck and Andy Marte's increased playing time

Silent Tribe offense should have Shapiro talking

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:33:36 -0500

The Tribe's offensive woes in the early going have been well-documented. Six runs over the last four games (three of them losses) against three guys named Moe and one named Joe. Blanton that is. In yesterday's win, the Tribe scored its two runs on a booted double-play ball and a bases-loaded walk, All that after the Tribe scored 17 runs in the first two games of the season. It's no coincidence that the offensive nosedive coincided (all right it was off by one day) with the sidelining of Victor Martinez, the Tribe's cleanup hitter. In the five days that Victor has missed, manager Eric Wedge has used five different lineups - three of them with Jhonny Peralta batting third. That didn't work out so well. In one of those games, the left-field platoon of Jason Michaels and David Dellucci hit third. What is this, 2003? Your doctor advises you to heed early warnings signs. Tribe GM Mark Shapiro should consider this an early warning sign. There is not enough offense on this team, with or without Victor. Victor is by far the Tribe's most productive and consistent hitter, But even if the injury bug doesn't bite him again this year (an iffy proposition for a catcher) he will have his periods where he can't hit a lick. Everybody does. Clearly there's not enough punch on this squad to overcome slumps or injuries. Franklin Gutierrez, after going 3-3 on Opening Day, is 0-for15. (Not coincidentally he joined my fantasy team the day after Opening Day, so I have him at 0-15). I think Gutierrez will come around, but what if this is his adjustment year? What if it takes a while to make those adjustments? Andy Marte, both in the field and at the plate, showed yesterday why he is destined to be a never-will-be. He was slow in the field and managed one sickly single. But the real problem -- the place where a major upgrade is needed -- is left field. The Dispeptic Duo is 0-for-16 while sharing left field this year, although Michaels did go 1-for-4 subbing for Gutierrez in right field yesterday. At their peaks, Michaels and Dellucci are mediocre at best. Neither is playing, or has in the recent past, played anywhere near their peak. Despite a recent flurry of passed balls and wild pitches, and a quiet stick for the most part, I'm still glad the Tribe held on to Kelly Shoppach. A solid backup catcher is a necessity. But it's clear to me it's time to surrender some of the Tribe's minor-league depth to improve the offense on the big club. We could wait for the journeymen in left to wear out their welcome and hope Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo can do better in their place. But in that case, the Tribe will be relying on three untested players to carry two-thirds of the outfield load. Not too many teams are in the trade market right now as they wait for their teams to shake out and size up their needs. But Shapiro should be beating every bush and upending every stone to find somebody who can contribute something out of the left field position. If the price of a veteran with a real bat is too rich for Shapiro's blood, than it's time to bring up Francisco and let the chips fall where they may.

Indians Martinez should avoid DL

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:02:17 -0500

It appears Cleveland Indians catch Victor Martinez won't spend any time on the disabled list. In Monday's season opener against the Chicago White Sox, Martinez came up lame while trying to advance to second. Initially it didn't look good at all and people instantly thought pulled hamstring and he'd be out for a while. Well lets see what has changed.

Blog Podge: Fantasy Baseball Update

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:42:00 -0500

With opening day in the books, do you still like the fantasy team you drafted? Did one of your key players get hurt? Or worse yet, were you banking on a Barry Zito bounce back year?