Two weeks ago, when Tribe GM Mark Shapiro decided to keep his manager and coaching staff in place for the rest of the season, he painted himself into a corner. With Eric Wedge now on notice that his job was in jeopardy, it is very likely the stubborn skipper will now go with the tried and true for the balance of the season in an effort to save his job. While the fans and many of the baseball intellegencia would like to see some younger blood in the lineup, it is doubtful that will occur.
This means a return to the leadoff spot for Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera hitting second (Wedge was quoted as saying it was a great combination in 2007), and sticking with non-producers like Ben Francisco and Jhonny Peralta. Someone has to put an end to this, and soon because the Indians grow unwatchable day by day.
Instead of looking at players who may or may not help the 2010 edition of the Cleveland Indians, we continue to see the same players who contributed to the team being 21 games below the .500 mark. And this, of course, is the true mule-like part of Wedge. Doesn’t he realize that he’s not winning with these guys?
Look at Sunday’s lineup. We knew that Travis Hafner wasn’t going to play to rest his shoulder, so who would replace him in the lineup? Perhaps Chris Gimenez would get a chance to get some at bats against Seattle southpaw Eric Bedard? No. The manager pulled out his tried and true option of playing whiff machine Kelly Shoppach behind the plate with speedster Ryan Garko patrolling the outfield, a move that helps neither the offense and defense.
It just makes you want to shake your head.
Yesterday, it was reported by Paul Hoynes that Wedge has changed his tune slightly on Andy Marte, who is having a great year at Columbus. The manager is now considering using the former top prospect, who still is just 25 years old, at…drum roll, please…FIRST BASE! This coincides with his theory that everyone needs to play that position. Plus, it keeps Peralta in the lineup and removes Garko, who is swinging the bat better than the current third baseman.
Marte is hitting .320 with 14 HR and 57 RBI and a 917 OPS thus far in the International League, by far the best he has ever done at that level. It has been reported that Jon Nunnally, the Clippers’ hitting coach, shortened his swing, accounting for the improvement. Despite his past failures, he deserves the opportunity to see if the change will work at the big league level. His age indicates his career is far from over. With Peralta struggling, he should get an everyday look at the hot corner.
Also, Matt LaPorta, the centerpiece of the C.C. Sabathia deal last year, is also hitting well at Columbus, batting .310 with 11 HR and 44 RBI and a 919 OPS. LaPorta can play LF, which is currently manned by the underachieving Francisco, who by the way, has knocked in seven runs since June 1st. Keep in mind, Shin-Soo Choo drove in that many in one game! LaPorta’s presence in AAA is one of the great mysteries of people who watch the player development programs throughout baseball.
These moves may be made before the Tribe heads to Toronto for a series starting tomorrow night. However, if Marte and LaPorta get called up, will they play? That’s the million dollar question for Eric Wedge, who is desparately trying to win as many games as he can by the end of the season.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 