The spring dawns anew, and the Tribe could be on the warpath again

February 15, 2011

Pitchers and catchers are reporting! Pitchers and catchers are reporting! Yes, it’s that time of year where baseball fans both get worked up into a lather of varying proportions and then are let down by the overall nothing that comes from it. I mean really, nothing much goes on for the next couple of weeks, nothing of note anyway, but damn if it isn’t awesome to see photos of our adored squads in the Florida (or Arizona) sun. After all, a lot of these guys have been down there for a couple weeks now, probably just to shake the boredom of an off-season and in the case of the guys who live in cold-weather cities, to get out of the house, into the sun, throw the ball around, and probably avoid their wives. Even if they’re baseball players, you gotta think they get a little hen-pecked at times.

But I for one am quite excited about this year, I don’t even know why. As an unabashedly and probably absurdly optimistic Indians fan that suffered through a long, miserable summer last year where my favorite player Grady Sizemore played all of 13 games, then the young stud that is Carlos Santana got hurt, I need some good news. Heck, I’ve taken to watching games from last season on MLB.TV, the good ones anyway, just to remind myself what I love about the Tribe. I got hopes, I got dreams for this team, because the AL Central is kind of crappy, even with all the money the White Sox, Twins and Tigers are throwing around. Not a lot when compared to, say, the Evil Empire or the Eastern Empire in the Yankees and Red Sox, respectively, or even the wannabes down in Philly. They just want to be the Yankees SO BAD, it’s actually a little adorable.

What does this spring mean to a fan of such a lower-middle of the pack team like the Indians? Well, I think, and have done a lot of work convincing myself of such, that they’re gonna be darn good this year. Grady is back, and he can be a 25-30 homer guy, steal some bases. Santana is a young monster, I understand why San Francisco is so hyped up about Buster Posey. Santana is pretty much the same player, just Dominican and without the third graders first name. of course, he has the first name of a legendary guitarist that nobody ever really admits to liking, but never says anything bad about, so there you go. Santana may not be the pure catcher Posey is, but the guy’s got pop, hits from both sides of the plate, and hits for average. He got caught in a slump right before he got injured and dragged his aveage down to .260, but he was climbing out. His knee’s okay, and he was getting on base at a .401 clip and posted an OPS+ of 144. I’m not frowning about that. The guy Ozzie Guillien, White Sox manager, called “that fat guy at first”, Matt LaPorta, the key piece in the C.C. Sabathia trade? I have no problem thinking he can blast 25 dingers himself, because that’s what he’s there to do. He had an off-season of preparation rather than rehabilitation, unlike last year, so that can mean good things. Plus from reports I’ve heard, he’s put some mass on his lower body, and adjusted his swing to utilize that. Aparently he was using only his upper body last year, and still launched a couple. I’m a little excited.

That outfield the Indians have built, I think can be one of the best groups in the game. If Grady is healthy. Shin-Soo Choo is turning into the best right fielder in the game- .300 batting average three years running, gap power and +20 homers, a CANNON of an arm, everything you look for in a player. Think Carl Crawford, minus a little speed and with added power. Choo can do everything pretty well, and “chew up” defenses too. Get it? Ha ha. But also, Michael Brantley, who came with LaPorta to Cleveland, I like everything I see from him. I think he could be like Brett Gardner on the Yanks- plus speed, great glove in the outfield, but I also think he can get more power out of his body than Gardner. He has the build, and all the things are there, he looks good at the plate, and in August and September, when they brought him back up, he hit about .290. That’s all I ask of him, as long as the other guys perform.

Other guys I have hope for, or at least I’m excited about, Asdrubal Cabrera. Not only does he have the most widely pronounced name ever, I’m pretty sure I heard 10 different ways to say it last year, he hits for average, around .290 or so, has speed to mess up pitchers, and is one of the best middle of the infield defenders in the league. Like Elvis Andrus down in Texas, but more consistent. Elvis is a little flashy and misses some plays he should make, as all young men do. But Cabrera worked through that, and he’s just really good. The other Cabrera at second, Orlando, is a vet, none to flashy or amazing, but finally having a consistent presence at the four spot is just nice to have for the Indians. And I don’t know who’s going to play third, so don’t ask.

The Indians pitching, though kind of, well, crappy, I have hope for. Carmona, since hitting the skids in 2008, he’s been getting better every time out. Personally, I think having a manager that speaks his native language is helpful, and the Indians have stuck with him. IF Justin Masterson can figure out how to keep the ball down a little more, and get through the sixth inning more consistently, the guy is gigantic and could be a beast. Carlo Carrasco, who was involved in the Cliff Lee deal, I watched his final start of the season and he was hitting 96 on the gun and had a dirty looking curve ball. Like the announcers were saying, the light has come on, it’s just if Carlos can use that light to illuminate his path, so to speak. He threw twice as many innings in 2010 then he did in 2009, 44 to 22, and gave up the same amount of hits- 40 in ’09 and 47 in 2010. Plus, a respectable ERA of .377, and he has all the tools to be good. With a 1-2-3 like that, and if Mitch Talbot can do his solid but not flashy, or if David Huff can bounce back from just a downright dreadful season after leading the Indians in 2009 in wins, I don’t know, I see good things. It’s their Achilles Heel, when is it not for a mediocre team, but little things have been going well, like Carmona and Carrasco posting ERA+ of 103 and 101. While not great by any stretch of the imagination, in fact average, compared to where they were, and the growth they’ve shown to get there, hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

I know, I just rattled off a bunch of names that most people have probably never even heard before. But that’s the thing, the Indians are rebuilding, and things should be coming to fruition this year. A couple of young guys in the minors in Lonnie Chisenhall (I’m so psyched to yell “LLOOOOOONNNNNNNIEEEEEE!!!) who I saw launch some bombs in Double A, as well as Jason Kipnis at second, they’re going to be very good, I can just feel it. Both of them, all they did was hit the crap out of the ball all through the minors. Now if they can avoid being 4A players, something the Tribe has the unfortunate ability to acquire a lot of, I see another powerhouse in Cleveland. And really, isn’t that what this season is about, the hope for teams that might be something, becoming something? I remember saying how little hope the Giants had last May, and look where that ended up. The word “hope” shows up a lot here, and that’s why the spring is such a magical time- rebirth and growth into greatness.

Tune in later in the week and as we move through spring training on other previews of teams. There will be no order. But I’m thinking Giants next.