The Cleveland Indians ended the first half of the season with a 49-32 record, good enough to lead the AL Central Division by a 1-1/2 over the Tigers. Even though they endured injuries to starting pitchers Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook, struggling offense from the corner outfielders, and consistent work from just two relievers, the Tribe is on pace to win 98 games this season. What do they have to do to get to the post season? Is there any help coming from the farm system? Here’s one man’s opinion.
What do they have to do to make the playoffs. The first thing is staying healthy, particularly the starting pitching. A rotation of Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook, Lee, and Byrd should provide a quality start, and a chance to win, every night. There are too many teams around baseball that can make that claim. Lee has been back to the 2005 version that past three or four starts, and Westbrook has looked strong his first two starts since returning to the mound.
The bullpen needs some work though. Skipper Eric Wedge can only count on Joe Borowski and Rafael Betancourt for quality outings at this point. Left hander Rafael Perez has pitched well, but hasn’t really worked in pressure situations. Tom Mastny started well, but has struggled recently. Fernando Cabrera is a coin flip from night to night. The current plan is to start using Adam Miller out of the ‘pen to provide some help, but this is the primary area of need for the 2007 Indians. Another solid arm like an Eric Gagne or Akinori Otsuka would be a great help. GM Mark Shapiro could use Cabrera as bait. His stuff is off the charts, but his ability to throw quality strikes is questionable. He is the type of guy that teams covet. Especially teams building for the future. Outside of two months in 2005, Cabrera hasn’t done the job in Cleveland, so it wouldn’t be a shame if he was dealt.
The production in the corner outfield spots is troubling, but the squad is playing .600 ball without huge numbers from these spots. Jason Michaels is hitting like the player the Tribe acquired before last season. The smaller playing time seems to agree with him. Trot Nixon’s production is getting more miniscule as the season goes on. However, young guys like Franklin Gutierrez and Ben Francisco have done okay in their brief looks, and both provide good defensive and add a little speed to the roster. Still, getting another solid bat, preferably a left handed hitter, would strengthen the line up.
The bullpen is still the bigger need.
Help from the farm? Besides the players we have mentionned previously, the only other possibilities are veteran reliever Matt Miller and 3B Andy Marte. Marte has belted 9 HR in 138 at bats in Buffalo, but his batting average is just .246. He will not return to Cleveland until September 1st unless there is another injury. Within the system, 21 year old SS Asdrubal Cabrera is raking at Akron, and should be moved to Buffalo fairly soon. The youngster, picked up last year from Seattle in the Eduardo Perez deal, is hitting .336 with a OPS of 915. He has always been considered a glove man, but he’s swinging the bat extremely well.
Another player under the radar is 3B Wes Hodges at Kinston. A 2nd round draft pick last year, the 22 year old is batting .324 in the Carolina League. Hodges had an injury coming out of college, otherwise he would have been a first round pick. He will probably move to Akron soon, and could make Marte a tradable commodity to help the big club. Another reliever to watch is 23 year old Jensen Lewis, now at Buffalo. Lewis started the year in Akron, and went 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 39 innings. He has a 1.04 in 8 frames at Buffalo. If the Tribe is looking for another option in the bullpen, Lewis could get a call.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 