Yardbarker: Cleveland Indians

First volley of projections for 2010 Indians

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:25 -0500

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP Could Sowers finally be the number-four starter of our dreams? Browse more photos » ACTA Sports has begun taking orders for The Bill James Handbook 2010, which customarily will include James' projections for every major league player. (Full disclosure: ACTA occasionally sends me a review copy of one of their books, and I am totally in the bag for them.) Jame...

On Belcher, Rest of the Staff and Free Agents

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

"As I mentioned, I think it was just a matter of him making the commitment to be on the field. It was not just the Cleveland Indians, but the whole baseball industry waiting for the moment to have a guy like him because we think he is a special guy."

That was Manny Acta on Tim Belcher, the newest pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

According to Mark Shapiro and Acta, Belcher comes well recommended, well respected, well known and well equipped.

Just read some of those quotes courtesy of Prospect Insider.

Let's tackle some questions though. I raised the concern about him having experience as a coach.. Well even though he was a special assistant, he did plenty of teaching as Shapiro will explain in this one.

"He was a pitching coach at I want to say at almost every level in the minors. He filled in at Triple-A, Double-A and A-ball, but throughout the eight years being here he has been a pitching coach both at Instructional League and spring training and filled in at almost every level throughout the farm system."

So yeah, he's done it before. Not in a full-time role, but he isn't walking into something blindly.

Alright so let's here from the man himself.. How is he going to help?

"I am familiar with this staff. I have been involved heavily in spring training with the big league side each of the last eight years. In varying degrees I have a relationship with really every pitcher in our organization from Kinston up, and some significant relationships."

And what is his philosophy as far as the position is concerned?

"I am not a guru. I think one of the things that too many people make the mistake about is I think that coaches at all levels in all sports get way too much credit when things go well and way too much blame when things don't. It is essentially the players on the field that have to perform and to have success in order for your team to be successful. Coaches in all sports in my mind are there to facilitate. If there are changes that need to be made you facilitate by providing the right information, enough information, and timely information for a particular player to get better."

I'm big on the hire so far. I'm reading nothing but good things. Of course it is all from the Indians, but with all the talk of how other teams wanted him at different points, you know there is mroe than just the Indians liking him there. This is someone who's patiently waited for the right situation as well. He's not just some guy who is getting thrown into the fire and taking the first good job that came his way.

Look at John Farrell. He was in a front office-type position before taking the job in Boston and now look at him.

Let's see if Belcher can follow down that path.

What's next though?

Well according to Mark Shapiro and Manny Acta, they're closer to names on the rest of their staff than "We all think." And as for the bullpen coach goes, it sounds like they're aiming for someone who's had experience in the pen... Which fits Scott Radinsky.

481 innings all out of the pen in Radinsky's career. Scott would be a nice guy to have in the pen as it would essentially be two pitching coaches on one staff as, this guy was in consideration for the pitching coach job and some believe he'll be there one day.

That's still unknown though, so we'll back off.

Acta is a busy man lately. He's everywhere... It sounds like he'll be in Cleveland soon and that's probably when they'll finalize the rest of the staff in that period.

"I am going to spend a couple of days here at home and will interview some more people and then I will fly up to Cleveland and spend about a week over there. Then I have to fly to some other places. I will probably go see some of our players in Venezuela, probably go see Jake Westbrook in Puerto Rico, and some of our players in the Dominican, so it is non-stop until Goodyear."

I'm sure a lot of his travels has to do with him getting to know his players now that he's their new manager, but I don't even know if there is another manager that would take this much initiative this quickly.

For the next three months, the guy is going to be going everywhere, it's amazing.

The Indians made another move yesterday that went by the wayside with the hiring of Tim Belcher.

They hired Ramon Pena as their new Director of Latin American Operations, replacing Lino Diaz.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Ramon’s experience, track record and influence join our organization,” said John Mirabelli, Indians director of scouting, in a statement. "We are excited to add Ramon and feel he could impact our organization in a very positive way.”

Pena has been with the Mets, under GM Omar Minaya and you can bet with Shapiro's relationship with him, he comes well recommended and Shapiro respects that. Before his three years as special assistant to Minaya, Pena spent many many years in the Tigers organization and he has a track record.

He's signed studs such as Jair Jurrjens and Francsico Cordero. This guy has some good influences.

As for the guy he's replacing, Lino Diaz, brother of former Tribe catcher Einar Diaz, he's still in the organization. He will be, what is being described as someone who is "helping transition the Latin Players to playing in the United States."

Finally....

This happened yesterday... With it being really the first big day of the offseason, trades happening, free agents filing, all sorts of fun stuff.. The Indians had two players file for such.

One is Jamey Carroll, who we all know and the other is Tomo Ohka. Bahaha.

Shapiro says that Carroll will be under consideration for that open utility role the Indians have, but they seem to be fixed on going internal and young with that.

However, I don't think Carroll will come as expensive was we originally thought.

Let's remember this economy sucks and last year, baseball felt that.

Players like Orlando Hudson and Orlando Cabrera signing late and for one year deals. What is Jamey Carroll going to garner? Certainly not the millions he would have a few years ago. If the Indians did want to get Carroll back, I don't think he'd come at a steep price. However I don't think the Indians are in a position to bring back a veteran at that spot.

While this team needs a veteran, one like Carroll may not be the answer.

Cleveland Indians name new director for Latin American Operations

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:28:05 -0500

Ramon Pena, who signed over 40 big league players, is the Indians new director of Latin American Operations.

Cleveland Indians name Tim Belcher pitching coach for new manager Manny Acta

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:57:15 -0500

For the last eight years, Belcher, 48, has worked with the Indians as a special assistant to the baseball operations department.

Tribe Hires Tim Belcher as Pitching Coach

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:49:00 -0500

The first surprise of the Cleveland Indians new coaching staff was it's first one.

Tim Belcher has been hired as the new pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

Potential 2009 Free Agents

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:46 -0500

Potential 2009 Free Agents Here's a press release (PDF) from the MLBPA listing the players eligible to file for free agency beginning today. Jamey Carroll and Tomo Ohka are the only potential free agents currently on the Indians 40-man roster.

Carlos Santana Named Eastern League POY

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:11 -0500

In what is a relatively bad day for Indians fans, we can at least take solace in the fact that we have one of the top prospects in baseball in Carlos Santana. The young catcher continues to rack up awards, with his latest just being released today as Santana was named Topps/Minor League Player of [...]

Larry Dolan Buys the Tribe 10 Years Ago Today

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:05 -0500

Not that it will help ease the pain today when we look through the images of CC Sabathia and the Yankees celebrating yet another MLB championship, but exactly ten years ago today, Dick Jacobs sold the Cleveland Indians to Larry Dolan for a whopping $320 million. A quick look back at the New York Times article [...]

It's all going according to plan....so far

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:34:00 -0500

Remember when I suggested Sandy Alomar Jr. for this coaching staff a few posts ago?

That as purely speculation and wild hope.

But it turns out that there may be some ideas from the Indians to do this.

ESPN's Buster Olney broke the news that the Indians are working on Alomar for their staff, and Hoynes says it might be in a catching instructor/bullpen coach role.

Which would be a slight upgrade to his catching instructor/bullpen catcher role.

However New York has made changes on their staff and could easily promote him to keep him around. However they did fire his Dad.

So it's going to be interesting to see if we can pry him away. A catching instructor/bullpen coach role would be perfect for Sandy. He'll get to potentially work with Carlos Santana.

Now there is a chance the Indians still go with someone like Scott Radinsky or Dave Miller as their bullpen coach, if they hire one or neither as their pitching coach. The first two coaches that Acta is aiming to get: Pitching Coach and Infield Coach (Torey Lovullo would probably do that if he was hired, seem coincidental?)

Manny has been doing some things while the World Series has been going on, but now that it is officially over, he can probably ramp up the search and get into it.

And Hoynes throws in this tidbit at the end of the last link.. The staff may be split 50-50 on in-house hires and outside hires. I don't know how accurate that is, because Acta and crew are going to hire who they want to hire, regardless of where they came from. We have no clue.

Anyway, like I said, this is the point when things will start to accelerate as far as the coaching staff. All of Acta's time will now be devoted to finding people for his staff, so expect a flurry of activity in the next week or so.

Let me end this by saying Grrrr to the Yankees and their World Series win. Why do we hate the Yankees? Because it's fun. I will say this though.

I seriously undercut CC a lot. I said it was going to be a mistake just like it was for many star players (mostly pitchers) who went to New York and their careers took a nose-dive. We all know the CC that gets over-emotional and starts to overthrow and get all uncontrollable. Well we didn't really see that from him this year in the postseason and in a way, I'm proud of him.

I thought it was a decision he was going to regret and I thought it was going to end in disaster. It didn't and in a way, as much as I don't like the Yankees and have a little loss of respect for C after those comments he made a few weeks ago, I'm glad it worked out for him.

But that's enough about that. The real reason I was cheering for the Phillies.

This hilarious shirt.

Philly fans are awesome.

What the Hell Were You Thinking? Travis Hafner Edition

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0500

*Over the next couple of weeks, Jorge Says No! will take an in depth look at some of the worst contracts in baseball. We'll evaluate why the player was signed, what went wrong, and future implications of the contract. Behind every bone head decision, there has to be a reason for it...right?*Why Re-Sign Hafner: There are plenty of reasons why the Indians wanted to give Hafner a contract extension. From 2004-2006, Hafner was one of the best hitters in the AL and gave the Indians fantastic p...

The Indians and Free Agent Starter Pitchers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:35:30 -0500

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP Staff ace Justin Masterson. Browse more photos » 12 different pitchers started games for the 2009 Cleveland Indians. The staff was led in starts by Fausto Carmona who took the mound 24 times despite spending part of the season with Indians' farm clubs. In creating the rest of the 2010 staff and it's depth options, all of those 12 pitchers will not be in the p...

What the Hell Were You Thinking? Jake Westbrook Edition

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0500

*Over the next couple of weeks, Jorge Says No! will take an in depth look at some of the worst contracts in baseball. We'll evaluate why the player was signed, what went wrong, and future implications of the contract. Behind every bone head decision, there has to be a reason for it...right?*Before the 2007 season began, the Indians signed Jake Westbrook to a contract extension from 2008-2010. During that time period, Westbrook has made just 5 starts for the Indians as the team has plummet...

Grady Sizemore’s Elbow is Ship Shape

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:16 -0500

While I was hoping for some Cavaliers talk from Terry Pluto this weekend, one takeaway from his Indians post was at least refreshing from a “what else can go wrong in Cleveland” way. All-Star center fielder, and perennial 30/30 guy, Grady Sizemore is reportedly 100 percent from a health standpoint and continues to work out in [...]

3 more taken off the 40 man roster (Scott Lewis is one)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:14:23 -0500

3 more taken off the 40 man roster (Scott Lewis is one) Today the Indians outrighted left-handed pitcher Mike Gosling, left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis, and infielder Niuman Romero to Triple-A Columbus. The 40-man roster is now at 33 players, though right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook and right-handed pitcher Anthony Reyes are still not included as they are still on the 60-day disabled list. Both of them will be added at the roster deadline in about three weeks.

Indians Inattention

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:29:46 -0500

Think Indians fans had a hard time sitting still while they watched former aces C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee square off in Game 1 of the Series last night? You can’t possibly imagine the lengths the players went to in an effort to avoid thinking about it at all. Shin-Soo Choo looked for the best place to hide just in case the South Korean military came to collect on those two years of service. Fausto Carmona watched Major League and took notes during the “Crisco, Bardol, Vagisil” scene. Travis Hafner tore his house apart desperately trying to find 2006 again. Grady Sizemore rocked hair curlers while a pair of nurses “re-habbed” his injuries. Kerry Wood kept calling Sizemore’s cell asking if he could tell the nurses about his scars. Manny...

2009, The Thank You Cleveland World Series

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:21:00 -0500

If there is a single fan base that will suffer the most at the start of tonights game, it most certainly will be the Cleveland Indian fan. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are the two defending AL Cy Young award winners. They both are slated to pitch games 1,4, and 7 of the World Series. They both won their awards in an Indian uniform but never lead them to the World Series.

In 2007 the Indians led by CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona won the AL Central and with the help of some handy midges defeated the Yankees in the ALDS. Unfortunately for them that would be as far as they would go. Unlike in 2009 CC Sabathia did not pitch 16 innings while just giving up 2 runs, he instead took two losses. Meanwhile, Cliff Lee didn't discover his brilliance until 2008 and didn't even pitch in the playoffs.

At the start of the 2008 season the Indians were the AL Central favorite and had a rotation which consisted of both CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Unfortunately for them, Fausto Carmona shat the bed and after a few key injuries and the spontaneous shrinking of pronk, the Indians shopped and sold CC.

2009 started off much like 2008 for the Indians. Cliff Lee like CC in 08 struggle some out of the gate, in part due to some horrendous run support, and the Indians dug themselves a very early hole. At the all star break as the Indians had already began to accept their poor reality, the Indians once again sold off their defending Cy Young Award winner to the highest bidder.

Now just a few months removed from the Lee deal, Indians fans are forced to watch potentially 3 games in the World Series in which the only starting pitchers are former members of their rotation. It must suck to be an Indians fan.

Image Courtesy of the Very Depressed Waiting for Next Year

Breaking News: Acta Is the Man?

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:57:00 -0500

Jon Heyman is breaking news via Twitter.

He is saying that the Indians are going to hire Manny Acta as their manager.

More on this as it develops, but what's causing this if it happens to be true?

Was Houston making a press for Cleveland's current favorite? Did Bobby V tell the Indians Thanks but no Thanks?

Did something happen with Don Mattingly that has effectively ended the interview process?

Only time will tell, but if Heyman's report is true, Manny Acta will be the next manager of the Cleveland Indians.

BBA AL MVP Award

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:37:00 -0500

So the Cleveland Indians haven't had a legit MVP candidate since Travis Hafner's awesomeness a few years ago.

If Grady Sizemore is healthy and this team can contend, he'd be up there.

But I can't really make any Indians comparisons here, so let's just get into the voting.

Here is the final award for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance award voting.

In a landslide, Zack Greinke took home the AL Cy Young Award. As if you didn't see that coming.

The MVP voting is a different animal as we get ten slots. I'll keep the remarks brief.

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10. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE

What? I have ten votes, why not spend one on an Indian? This team would realistically suck even worse without Cabrera.

9. Miguel Cabrera, DET

Despite getting drunk and getting into an argument with his wife, he really was the Tigers core player on offense.

8. Bobby Abreau, LAA

You know this team really took on a different sort of identity with his addition. I'll throw him a bone.

7. Aaron Hill, TOR

Dude went from having a concussion and possibly a lost career to being an absolute mammoth. And he's some shrimp that plays second base? How does someone like him hit 36 home runs? Makes me think I'm almost good enough to make a minor league roster somewhere, anywhere. I love baseball.

6. Evan Longoria, TB

I think eventually, maybe as soon as next year, Longoria will be a lock for the top five year in and year out.

5. Jason Bay, BOS

There was one point in the season that J-Bay was hitting everything insight and knocking in all the runners ahead of him.

4. Derek Jeter, NYY

I'd like to barf now.

3. Kendry Morales, LAA

Who saw this coming? Apparently the Angels as they had the balls to let Tex walk and replace him with this stud for a way cheaper price.

2. Mark Teixeira, NYY

Offensively and defensively he really changed the Yankees. Perhaps his offensive presence also has enabled A-Rod to be the jerk he has been in the playoffs.

His defense though has boosted that team way up.

1. Joe Mauer, MIN

I might riot if this guy doesn't win the real MVP award. He missed a month and still managed to lead the free-world in average, OBP and hit his career high in home runs and RBI.

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There is way too much I want to talk about for the manager job, so check out the other post.

Bobby V – Nutcase or Genius?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:39 -0500

Cleveland Indians manager candidate Bobby Valentine Anyone who has had the chance to view Bobby Valentine press conference yesterday have to wonder exactly what they just saw (video is above). I know I was. Valentine, a longtime baseball man who is respected and revered by some and disliked and reviled by others, put on a show [...]