One of the spots up for grabs in Spring Training for the Cleveland Indians is the fifth spot in the starting rotation. The candidates are a trio of southpaws: Cliff Lee, Aaron Laffey, and Jeremy Sowers. Lee is the veteran of the group, and Laffey finished the season holding that spot. Sowers pitched very well in 2006, but struggled early in the season and spent most of the summer in Buffalo.
With yesterday’s three scoreless inning performance against the Tigers, a frontrunner has emerged, and it’s Cliff Lee. Although he struggled in his previous outing against the Reds, in which he didn’t get out of the first inning, the veteran has a 3.86 ERA in 4-2/3 frames. This might not sound all that impressive, but the other two candidates for the spot both have ERA’s of 18.00 in four innings of work. Laffey has walked nine batters in his three stints on the mound this spring, not a good thing for a ball club who preaches throwing strikes.
Lee had problems last year after starting the spring with an abdominal pull. It through his entire season into disarray, but in reality his struggles started in 2006. Following the 2005 season, Lee was regarding as one of the best young lefties in the game, some even rating him ahead of his teammate, C.C. Sabathia. He put together an outstanding season, going 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA, and he allowed just 194 hits in 202 innings of work.
The next season, his hits allowed increased by 30 in about the same number of frames, but he still posted a 14-11 mark with a respectable 4.40 ERA. He won 46 games over a three-year period, and at worst would have been considered an above average starting pitcher. Last year, Lee settled into a rut, one he could not get out of all year, and was sent to Buffalo after the All Star break. He seemed to throw fastball after fastball, and hitters took advantage of his refusal to mix pitches.
A return to even his ’06 form would be a huge plus to the Tribe. He would give them five starters who have won 15 games in a season at least once in their career. How many major league teams can say that? It would also give Buffalo a starting rotation some big league teams would love to have in Sowers, Laffey, Adam Miller as the top three starters. This is the type of depth in pitching that allowed the Indians to win the division last season.
Cliff Lee threw down the gauntlet to his competitors. Now, it is up to Laffey and Sowers to respond. There is nothing wrong with a little competition within a team. They say the toughest thing is not getting to the major leagues, it’s staying there. Lee got a taste of failure in 2007, if he can put it behind him and learn from it, the Tribe will reap the benefits of not dealing him in the off-season.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 
while i think cliff lee is probably the best bet to come north with the 5th spot in the rotation, i’m still just a little dismayed with his prima donna-like attitude he displays anytime someone questions him about his standing with the team. his favorite phrase of late has been "whatever", just like all these bratty little teeny boppers running around with their pierced belly buttons and eyebrows do when someone of authority questions them about their attitudes. personally, i would like to see just a little more humility out of mr. "five and flee". otherwise, i wouldn’t be surprised to see him get traded to someplace like pittsburgh or tampa bay who have no chance in hell of making the playoffs this year. then we’ll see whether or not he’s happy with staying home in the post-season. whatever???