Tribe Fans Want Fight From Organization

Cleveland isn’t known for the success of its sports teams, but most fans want nothing more than to rise up and win against all odds.

Football is probably the most equal playing field for smaller markets with teams like Green Bay and New Orleans winning recent Super Bowls, yet even in that socialistic of sports, Cleveland can seem to put a legitimate contender on the field, which shows how poor the management has been since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999.

The NBA has had one smaller market team have success in the last 20 years. The San Antonio Spurs have won four titles in that span, and Oklahoma City seems poised to take over the mantle of small market contender.

The Spurs success has been tied to superstar Tim Duncan staying with the franchise, and the Thunder hope Kevin Durant does the same thing.

In that league, most of the bigger name players want to be in larger markets, the better to make their “brand” more popular. Cavalier fans are very familiar with that idea.

The Indians need to embrace the role of underdog and become a feisty pit-bull of a franchise, instead of one always talking about its problems. Former Browns’ GM Phil Savage must have had the Tribe management in mind when he spoke about the “woe is me” complex Cleveland sports fans have.

A little over a week ago, Indians’ president Mark Shapiro had a town hall meeting in which he spoke to a group of fans. He talked about trying to win this season, but of course, had to bring up the point that the franchise will lose money this season, a comment the organization seems to include no matter what public statements it makes.

First of all, the fans don’t care if the Indians lose money. They want to see a winning team.

It’s time to stop the negativism and become an organization that will fight, scratch, and claw to beat the big boys of the American League. It’s basically the same philosophy the Tampa Bay Rays have taken on since Joe Maddon became manager.

It’s why Jack Hannahan of all people, has become a fan favorite. He doesn’t take crap from anyone.

This change would mean trying to win every game, and jumping on problems immediately, not waiting a month to take care of them.

The Rays are always tinkering with their roster, mostly the last few spots of it, trying to pick up a hot hand, someone who may just be able to make one game’s difference in the standings. They aren’t the only team that does this, bigger market teams do the same thing.

On the other hand, the Indians have an outfielder on their roster that has just 4 hits in his last 42 at bats, and he’s been on the team the entire season.

The Cleveland bullpen has struggled lately as well, save for mainstays Chris Perez, Vinnie Pestano, and Joe Smith. No changes have been made there, either.

However, over the weekend, the St. Louis Cardinals, the defending World Series champions, switched three members of its’ relief corps. If the World Champs can do it, why can’t the Tribe?

Manny Acta fits right in with this attitude. After the horrible call made by Mike DiMuro on Wednesday night in Yankee Stadium, in which his starting third baseman was ejected, Acta defended the umpire’s blown call! Something about having a tough angle and a lot of fans in the way.

That’s just sad, and Tribe fans were justifiably angry with the lack of emotion from the manager.

This isn’t to say the fiery skippers have a better winning percentage, but for a franchise looking for some support from its fan base, a manager who acts like I don’t care the deck is stacked against me, we’re going to win anyhow, would be much more accepted by the ticket buying public.

After the incident, GM Chris Antonetti, and VP of Communications Bob DiBiasio were all over the airwaves trying to spin the skippers’ inaction and also deflect criticism for a team that has lost 20 of 32 games before winning the last two in Baltimore.

The GM just spouting more of the catch phrases the front office is famous for: “Core talent”, talking about the inequities of “the system”, etc.

The Indians front office should take this tact. Sure, it’s going to be tough to do, but when we win, we can stick it in the face of all of the disbelievers. Unless the organization gets a cleaning over the winter, that’s not going to happen, which is sad.

Cavs Take a Gamble in Draft

Apparently, Dan Gilbert’s new Horseshoe Casino has the entire Cavaliers’ organization in the gambling spirit, because GM Chris Grant did not take the safe route in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The safe pick would have been to take Thomas Robinson after the Cavs first choice, Bradley Beal was taken at #3 by Washington.

Robinson was the best player remaining on the board, and figured to be one of the three players left for the Cavaliers after Anthony Davis was made the first pick in the process by New Orleans.

The former Jayhawk wouldn’t have filled a need, since the Cavs have Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson, but you can never have enough big men.

Plus, Robinson was regarded by many scouts to be the safest pick in the draft.

However, Grant threw caution to the wind and went with the wing player the Cavaliers really need, guard Dion Waiters from Syracuse, who didn’t start for the Orange.

It’s not a huge reach because most mock drafts had Waiters going in the 7-10 range. But, there are plenty of questions about the new Cav’s game.

He’s a good shooter, strong, and can finish at the rim. He can create his own shot, something very few Cavaliers can do. A few people have compared his game to Dwyane Wade.

On the other hand, Waiters doesn’t seem to go to the basket that often, averaging only 2-1/2 free throws per game. He’s also just 6’4″, so will he be able to guard the #2 guards who have two to three inches on him.

Also, he played in Syracuse’s famed zone defense, so can he defend at the NBA level?

That’s a lot of questions for the fourth pick in a very, very deep draft.

Grant did make a solid move later in the evening, dealing the 24th choice in the first round and two second round picks to move up to #17, and taking the second best center this year, North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller.

Zeller is a legitimate 7 footer, and can run the floor, which should fit well with Kyrie Irving leading the fast break.

He’s also a good shooter, with range to around 18 feet and he’s good from the charity stripe as well, shooting 76% last year.

He does need to gain strength, though, like pretty much every collegiate big man. He will also have to learn to pass out of the double teams that will await him in the pro game.

All in all, it’s a pretty good gamble in the middle of the first round. Several mock drafts had the big man (The New Z?) going in the 10-12 range, so to get him at 17 is a good deal.

Cleveland also received G Kelenna Azubuike in the deal. He’s suffered through injuries the last two years, playing only 12 games combined. He did average 14.4 points per game for Golden State in 2008-09.

He tore his patella tendon in 2009, and had complications with the surgery to repair the injury. If he’s healed, he can be a rotation player for Byron Scott this season.

Another move worth the gamble.

Grant’s legacy is most definitely tied to the Waiters pick. If the guard develops into some version of Wade, he will be hailed as a supreme talent evaluator, if he doesn’t and Robinson turns into a solid pro, he will be vilified.

There have been reports that several scouts feel Grant made one helluva pick.

We’ll let what happens on the court make that decision.

Grant is hoping he hits blackjack at the Horseshoe.

Cavs Need Players, Not Projects

Thursday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers take the next step in building the future of the franchise.

Last year, they drafted Kyrie Irving with the first pick in the draft, and he was named NBA Rookie of the Year, and shows every indication that he will be an all-star in the league for many years to come.

They also added PF Tristan Thompson, who improved greatly from the beginning of the season to the end, but should still improve greatly (as should Irving) in his second year in the NBA.

He’ll be a starter in the league, but it would be a stretch right now to say he could ever be an elite player.

There is no question the Cavs need more talent. A look at their roster right now doesn’t show a lot of keepers.

Certainly, there is Irving and Thompson. Anderson Varejao is a quality NBA big man, but is also going to be 30 years old this September and has been injured the last two years. Alonzo Gee showed last year he can be a contributor, but looks to be more of a sixth man type.

Samardo Samuels is a good reserve big man, and Donald Sloan came to the team after Ramon Sessions was dealt, and looks to be able to back up Irving at point guard.

GM Chris Grant and Byron Scott hope Omri Casspi can help off the bench, and Daniel Gibson can contribute, but has a history of missing games due to injuries.

So, overall, the wine and gold seem to have a good bench, but they need to help the starting lineup. Thankfully, they have two first round draft picks to help address that.

That’s why Grant probably isn’t looking for projects with the 4th selection on Thursday night. He needs someone who can step right in and start on opening night. That’s why the Cavs are looking at Florida’s Bradley Beal, Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Kansas’ Thomas Robinson. They will get one of those players at four.

Connecticut C Andre Drummond has been mentioned by some draft gurus as the Cavaliers’ pick, but he’s a project who probably will not be ready to contribute in the 2012-13 season. Plus, he’s a boom or bust pick. Could be Dwight Howard, but could be DeSagana Diop.

Beal is the scorer the team needs, especially since Antawn Jamison is no longer with the team. They need someone who can put the ball in the basket. At 6’4″, he has a 6’7″ wing span, but isn’t considered an explosive jumper. All in all, he could make Cleveland set at the guard position for the foreseeable future.

Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t really a scorer, but can do everything else well. At 6’7″, he’s athletic, can run the floor, and is a good defender. He’s a good all around player, but isn’t a good shooter. He likes to take everything to the basket because he’s not confident in his jump shot, which he would need in the NBA.

Robinson is 6’9″, is strong and can jump. He doesn’t have polished post moves at this point. He does have the ability to get to the line and is a solid jump shooter. He’s a more offensively polished Thompson.

Besides Drummond, another guy who makes us raise an eyebrow is Harrison Barnes. Barnes was supposed to be the best freshman coming into college two years ago, but has never really dominated in the college ranks. He seems afraid to be great, which isn’t a good attribute for an NBA player.

Thursday night will be the next step for Grant and the Cavs’ organization. They need to find players who can start and be stars in the NBA going forward. This isn’t the time to take a player who may be good in three to four years.

Tribe Paying for Off-Season Sins

After last weekend, when the Pittsburgh Pirates took the last two games of a three game set at home, Cleveland Indians’ fans were irate about the lack of relief pitching and lack of production at the plate.

The Tribe won the next four, and all was right with the world.

Then, the Indians lost the last two games of a road series against the lowly Houston Astros and fans once again are concerned about the lack of relief pitching and lack of production at the plate.

See a trend here?

The Indians problems are not going away, and the team is paying for not addressing the huge need for a quality right-handed bat in the off-season. They reportedly did not want to give free agent OF Josh Willingham a third year on his deal, and that is proving to be a huge mistake for GM Chris Antonetti.

Wouldn’t Willingham look nice with a “C” on his hat, especially with his .274 batting average, 14 home runs, and 47 RBIs. By the way, those last two statistics would lead Cleveland in those categories.

Manny Acta’s squad is struggling, particularly against southpaws, because the players on the roster for that purpose in particular aren’t doing the job, and the front office is being extremely, perhaps overly patient.

The only role player on the team to hit lefties that can be considered doing his job is INF Jose Lopez, hitting .262 with 2 HRs against left-handed pitching. Check out these numbers:

Shelley Duncan             .211, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Aaron Cunningham    .167, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Jason Donald                .095, 0 HR, 1 RBI

In addition, Carlos Santana, one of the two switch-hitters among the everyday players in batting just .209, without a dinger and 10 RBI.

It makes you think that Lou Marson, with a .240 average (6 for 25) should be in there when a lefty takes the mound for the opposition.

Among the regulars, just Asdrubal Cabrera (.316, 3 HR, 12 RBI) and Michael Brantley (.281, o HR, 10 RBI) have respectable numbers.

So why doesn’t the front office make any changes? Isn’t the definition of insanity the act of doing something over and over again and expecting a different result?

Cunningham is quickly becoming this year’s version of Austin Kearns, as a player who no one can explain is still doing on the major league roster.

Apparently, Cleveland tried to deal for Kevin Youkilis, but with Chicago giving up two players from their major league roster, it was more than the Tribe (and we) would go.

The former Red Sox player wouldn’t have solved the Indians’ issue, but he would have been a start. Although he has struggled since last year’s All Star game, he is a proven hitter, with a lifetime .286 batting average.

Besides, if he would produce more than Lopez, Duncan, and Cunningham, isn’t that an improvement?

The Tribe front office spin is they would need more than one bat, which they do, but is that a reason not to take any action?

Sometimes it appears the Indians’ management is in some kind of fantasy world, spouting out stats like Casey Kotchman is 7 for 21 in his last six games.

So what! He’s hitting .230 over the last month and .225 overall. He’s just not producing enough for a contending team, especially at a position where hitting is needed.

By the way, over the last 30 days, check out these batting averages for the role players on the Indians:

Duncan .189
Lopez .186
Cunningham .150

Besides getting no production out of the right-handed hitters on the squad, the bench isn’t doing anything either. That makes it concerning for the starters going into the heat of the summer. Acta can’t give them a day off, because whoever he puts in, isn’t able to hit.

The Cleveland Indians have made their proverbial bed, and now are forced to lay in it. Unfortunately, the front office is comfortable, because they don’t seem anxious to get a new mattress.

Here’s What Tribe Won’t Do.

There is plenty of speculation on whether the Cleveland Indians will be buyers or sellers when the major league trading deadline comes around at the end of July.

Most likely, because of the division they are in, they will look to add to their current roster to stay in the AL Central Division race. It looks very much like around 85-88 wins will get you a division title and a trip to the playoffs. That means if they hang around the .500 mark for another month, which isn’t that absurd, they will definitely be in the thick of it.

It is funny to hear talk show hosts speculate on who the Indians would deal in order to improve the team. Here is a partial list of players who aren’t going anywhere.

Chris Perez
In the off-season, this was a possibility and one that was suggested here and by others. Now, it would be idiotic to deal a guy who is having a very good season, probably getting another All-Star berth.

Perez and Vinnie Pestano, another player it would be silly to deal, represent the only reliable pitchers currently in Manny Acta’s bullpen. If it seems like the Indians can only win when the duo pitch, it should. Perez has saved 10 of the last 13 victories for Cleveland.

When the Indians have the lead after seven innings, it’s a solid bet that Pestano and Chris Perez will close it out for the Tribe.

Any of the Indians Solid Hitters.
It makes no sense for GM Chris Antonetti to deal one of the few players currently hitting on the ballclub. This would mean SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B Jason Kipnis, CF Michael Brantley, and RF Shin-Soo Choo. Especially because all of them will be back in Cleveland for the 2013 season.

Think about it, it really doesn’t help the team by trading a player who is productive to fill another hole. That is unless there is someone to take that player’s spot.

For example, if someone was interested in Jack Hannahan (probably there isn’t a big market for him, no offense to him), you might consider dealing him because you have Lonnie Chisenhall.

Let’s say Antonetti dealt Choo for a right-handed power hitter. Who plays rightfield?

The object of a deadline trade is to strengthen the team as a whole, not fill one spot by creating another.

Trade Francisco Lindor
Last year, Antonetti dealt two of his best pitching prospects to get Ubaldo Jimenez from Colorado. We can debate the merits of the deal for hours, but unlike the time the Indians traded back-to-back Cy Young Award winners, they will not trade their top prospect two consecutive years.

So-called experts who talk about trading the shortstop currently at Lake County, are showing they are idiots.

Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein saw Lindor in spring training and said in a few years, people will wonder why he wasn’t the first player taken in last year’s draft. He’s playing and succeeding (making the Midwest League all-star team) in a full season league, and he won’t turn 19 years old until November.

Besides, the player you likely will get in any deal this year will be an older player (early to mid 30’s) who can still contribute. You don’t trade a player with Lindor’s future to get a guy like that.

Antonetti is looking for a right-handed stick (a familiar need) and some help for his pitching staff. The Tribe have some useful players in the minor leagues to get some veteran help.

However, he is unlikely to disrupt his major league roster or trade a guy like Lindor to help get players of that ilk. It’s simply too high of a price.

James May Win, But NBA Needs Likeable Stars

The folks at ESPN have to be giddy today with their chosen franchise, the Miami Heat, just one win from the title the network so wanted them to win last season.

The “Heat Index”, the site crafted by the four letter network, will be glowing in neon colors after the team that superstars put together hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Isn’t it odd that when the Lakers had two of the biggest stars in the history of the sport, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, ESPN didn’t have a website dedicated to them?

And with the rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a very young team, you may be looking at the only title LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh get in Miami. With the experience gained in this year’s playoffs, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and crew could be a tough out in the post season for the next few years.

However, the commish, David Stern, has been a little surly lately. When Jim Rome asked him about the draft lottery being rigged, Stern was angry, asking the broadcaster when he “stopped beating his wife”, the question no acceptable response can be given.

Rome simply asked what many people believe, which, of course, is why he asked.

What is odd to us is Stern’s cavalier attitude (no pun intended) about these opinions. You would think that if a small percentage of fans thought the outcome of the sport was predetermined, the man who runs the league would be upset, and address those concerns. Stern doesn’t seem to care.

This is not to say games are rigged. It would take a whole lot of cooperation from players and officials to make that happen. But the commissioner doesn’t take opportunities to allay the fears of the fans.

For example, many basketball fans suggest official Joey Crawford is a tad overzealous in calls for the favored team. Would it kill Stern to cut back on his slate in the playoffs? He shows up at all the big games, game sevens, etc., and therefore his calls are magnified.

The referees don’t help Stern either. There are many fans who believe the Thunder are getting the short end of the stick from the zebras. And it’s not just people in Cleveland either.

Especially when you have a situation last night when Westbrook went to the basket several times, yet shot just three free throws. In the meantime, James went to the line after pushing James Harden out-of-the-way.

The Thunder may not win this season, but they will be among the favorites next season. The San Antonio Spurs have won four championships in the last 15 years. Stern will tell you this is proof that small markets can compete in today’s NBA.

However, ask fans in Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Denver if they think their teams will ever have a chance to be a team that matters in the NBA. They would sadly answer no.

That’s bad for the league.

In football, despite the troubles of the Browns, every team has a chance to win the Super Bowl with good talent evaluation and some luck. In the past few years, we’ve seen downtrodden franchises like the Saints and Cardinals get to the championship game.

Even baseball has seen more parity. Yes, the Yankees make the playoff in most seasons, but have only won one World Series since 2000. That’s the nature of the sport, the best team can lose a series to the worst team at any time during the season.

Stern believes in the power of superstars. He’s marketed the game around them since the time of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. However, he needs them to be likeable stars, which Bird, Magic, and Michael Jordan were.

The Heat trio are hated by most fans throughout the country, it’s not just a Cleveland thing.

Does David Stern realize this? He needs guys like Durant, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and others to pick up the mantle of great players who most fans like.

They may have to save the league again from the me-first guys on the Heat.

McCoy Trying to Get Out of Cleveland

By and large, fans of the Cleveland Browns have Colt McCoy’s back. He is the kind of athlete people on the North Coast like.

He’s works hard, seems like a good guy, etc.

They even want to believe that McCoy’s problems as an NFL quarterback come from the poor performance of the offensive line, a lack of a solid running game, and wide receivers that drop the football.

The Browns front office didn’t make the decision to draft Brandon Weeden in the first round because they wanted to sell more jerseys in the team shop. The coaching staff obviously saw things in practice and game films to show he can’t and won’t ever be able to succeed as a starting QB in the league.

Team president Mike Holmgren alluded to this in his press conference last week when asked about the Browns’ receiving corps, saying they were open more than you think. A not so veiled reference to the fact that McCoy couldn’t get the ball to them when they were open, maybe because he was already in check down mode, or maybe because he felt he didn’t have the arm strength to get the ball there on time.

Regardless, the organization has played it the right way, saying there would be an open competition for the starting spot, and speaking about McCoy’s toughness and his ability to grow with experience.

However, it is fairly clear that McCoy is trying to orchestrate his way out-of-town, and he is doing it through his family, which although they don’t want to admit it, is one of the reasons the Browns soured on him.

Last year, when the quarterback suffered his concussion against the Steelers, McCoy’s father, Brad McCoy went public with negative comments about the Browns training staff, and was upset that his son was sent back into the football game.

He was naturally upset that his son suffered an injury, which is fine, he should be, but he should have kept his beef out of the media and handled it privately.

He didn’t do Colt any favors, either. Here he is trying to be a leader of a professional football team, and his daddy is taking up for him in the newspapers. It probably started giving Holmgren and Pat Shurmur ideas that he didn’t have the toughness required to handle the sport’s toughest position.

Now, McCoy’s younger brother, Case, a quarterback at the University of Texas, commented on Twitter that his brother will go someplace else and the Browns will go downhill. The guess here is that the younger McCoy didn’t make that up out of thin air. His sibling is frustrated about losing his job, and although there is nothing wrong with that, once again, he’s not handling it correctly.

It appears that McCoy isn’t the naive young man his fans feel he is. There are still a good portion of Browns’ fans who feel the passer received a raw deal from the team. This is exactly the reason, GM Tom Heckert has to send him elsewhere.

The Browns can’t afford to have a substantial group of fans calling for McCoy the first time Weeden has a bad game. Which, if you listen to the McCoy zealots, will be exactly what happens.

On the same hand, McCoy has figured it would be best for him to change teams as well. That’s why he’s using his family to force Holmgren and Heckert’s hand.

All of this means that fans can pile their McCoy jersey on top of those of Brady Quinn, Kelly Holcomb, and Tim Couch. He’s probably thrown his last pass as a Brown. Here’s hoping the next team that employs McCoy gets just him and not his entire family.

Passive Tribe Need to Make Moves

The Cleveland Indians are a conservative organization when it comes to making roster moves during the regular season. It is difficult to tell whether that is the philosophy of GM Chris Antonetti or manager Manny Acta.

Some clubs, like the Red Sox, are always tinkering with the last four or five spots on the roster, trying to squeeze out wins anyway they can. However, the Tribe prefers the patient approach.

The season has reached the middle of June and there are now less than 100 games remaining in the season. And we go with this theory when it comes to players: The “Can’t be Any Worse Theory”.

That being said, here are several moves the Tribe could make right now that do not involve trades (because you need a partner to do something like that).

1. DFA Aaron Cunningham, purchase the contract of OF Trevor Crowe.
Cunningham is hitting .185 with a 479 OPS. Acta has to find it difficult to give the outfielder any playing time outside of a defensive replacement for either Johnny Damon or Shelley Duncan. Crowe hasn’t shown anything but being a marginal major leaguer in his time in Cleveland, but he has a .245 lifetime average in 653 at bats. He’s been hurt, but is hitting .307 (849 OPS) in Columbus this year.

He can take Cunningham’s place as defensive replacement and back up CF easily, and provide at least some offense.

2. Option Josh Tomlin to AAA, recall Zack McAllister.
We’ve always liked Tomlin and advocated for his call up in 2010, but that season and most of 2011, he was a solid starting pitcher, going at least six innings in most of his starts, and allowing less than a hit per inning.

This year is a different matter. He’s given up 68 hits in 56-2/3 frames, and his consistency is no longer there. He’s had four solid starts in which is ERA is an excellent 2.54. In the rest of his appearances, he has an 8.58 ERA.

Tomlin has marginal stuff and has to be pinpoint in accuracy to get out big league hitters. Let him rediscover his control at Columbus.

Meanwhile, McAllister did a solid job in four starts in Cleveland and has a 2.98 ERA at AAA with 47 strikeouts vs. 18 walks. If he can keep the Tribe in the game most nights, then he should be up here.

DFA Shelley Duncan, call up Jason Donald or Russ Canzler
Again, this is another tough decision. The front office likes what Duncan brings to the clubhouse and we have always supported Dunc because he’s had a track record of hitting lefties.

However, he’s lost the plate discipline he had early in the year (13 walks in 19 April games, 5 walks the rest of the season), and he’s hitting just .222 vs. southpaws.

Donald’s defensive issues aside, he’s hitting .283 at Columbus (.383 OBP) and hit .318 in 39 games with the Tribe last season.

Canzler deserves an extended shot in the bigs after a 931 OPS last year in AAA. He’s hitting just .263 this season with the Clippers, but sometimes guys just get too comfortable (read: bored) at AAA after success there.

There are other moves the Tribe could make as well. Tony Sipp should be sent out, but the Indians just sent LHP Scott Barnes back to the minors, and they don’t have another lefty ready at Columbus.

And anytime the Johnny Damon experiment is ready to be ended would be alright too. It’s tough for Acta to have to put out lineups on a nightly basis where his LF and 1B are out makers.

As we wrote, the Indians are very judicious in making roster moves, so don’t look for anything soon.

The AL Central race looks to be one that goes to the wire, so you can’t give away any games. If you can make your roster stronger with even small moves, the Indians need to do just that.

Can A Manager Have Favorites?

With Jack Hannahan coming off the disabled list soon, it appears that Lonnie Chisenhall will be on his way back to Columbus when that happens.

The question is did the youngster get a fair shot while he was on the roster?

Chisenhall hasn’t set the world on fire since his recall on May 28th, hitting just .216 in 37 at bats. But is his lack of production based on the way he was used?

He came up and started his first two games, before being put on the bench in his third game with the big club. He was used as a pinch-hitter in that game.

He has pretty much been in the lineup for two days, then out the next since then. For a player used to playing every day in the minor leagues, you have to wonder why he wasn’t used that way in Cleveland.

Manager Manny Acta has sat him down against left-handers, even though Chisenhall has hit .271 with 3 home runs in 48 at bats vs. left-handed starters in his career.

Yes, Chisenhall has issues with the strike zone (54 whiffs vs. 8 walks in 249 at bats) in his young career, but shouldn’t he get the opportunity to be in the lineup everyday?

It could be because Acta feels more comfortable playing veterans like Jack Hannahan, Jose Lopez, and Casey Kotchman if it all possible.

Think about it, what young player did the skipper give a full shot to unless there was no alternative?

The only one you can name is Jason Kipnis, who seemed to be an everyday player from the moment he was called up to the Indians.

Carlos Santana might qualify as well, but Lou Marson was hitting .191 at the time of Santana’s big league debut, so Acta didn’t have a huge choice.

A lot of managers have preferences in terms of playing time, but most of them have to do with production. As the season plays out, we will see if this is true for Manny Acta.

It would appear to most fans that Acta doesn’t care for the games of Matt LaPorta and Chisenhall. Granted, neither one is knocking down fences with the regularity of Babe Ruth, but the Tribe have some guys currently getting a lot of playing time without production.

For example, LaPorta’s career stats (.237 batting average, 697 OPS) are better than what Shelley Duncan is doing this season, .208, 649 OPS). Wouldn’t you give the former a legitimate chance to play LF, 1B, and DH?

Instead, he was sent back to Columbus today.

This is not to suggest that LaPorta is the answer to the Tribe’s right-handed hitting woes. It is merely to suggest he may be a better alternative than Duncan right now.

The Hannahan situation could be resolved by playing him at first base and shelving the Kotchman experiment. We are now 60 games into the season, and the veteran glove man is still hitting .215 with a 605 OPS.

Why not let Chisenhall play third regularly with Hannahan at 1B, and give Lopez some at bats at DH?

Hannahan is a good glove and should be able to do a solid job defensively at the other corner.

Again, we aren’t saying this move would vault the Tribe to the best record in the AL, but shouldn’t the manager be thinking of ways to put the best lineup on the field?

Remember, we had to watch a month of Orlando Cabrera hitting like a pitcher last season, while Cord Phelps couldn’t play more than one day in a row.

It’s alright for a manager to have guys he can turn to when the going gets tough, but stifling the development of young players at the expense of average players isn’t good for the organization.

Looking for Right Handed Bats?

As the baseball season approaches the middle of June, it looks more and more that the American League Central Division is very much up for grabs, meaning the Cleveland Indians have as good a shot as any team.

Right now, the pitching has been the biggest problem, ranking 12th in the league in ERA, but if recent outings by Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson are any indication of the future, that area may take care of itself.

Jimenez has begun to throw strikes, throwing 13-2/3 innings in his last two starts, walking just one batter. Keep in mind, prior to those two outings, he led all AL pitchers in allowing bases on balls. Clearly, whatever Scott Radinsky worked on in delaying the big righty before these starts worked.

Masterson hasn’t received any run support, but has pitched well in his last two efforts, allowing just 4 earned runs in 13 innings.

If these two have turned the corner, it means the biggest need for the Tribe is a right-handed stick.

It doesn’t figure that the Indians are going to get Albert Pujols, or someone of that ilk. In order to figure out who may be available, the first thing to look at is who has fallen out of contention.

A quick look at the standings show three teams currently more than 10 games out of first place, and all three are in the National League: Chicago, Colorado, and San Diego.

The next thing to look at is the players contract situation. It’s unlikely a team will deal someone with a reasonable deal for a short-term. That’s why the Josh Willingham trade rumors don’t make sense, unless the Twins can get a boatload of high level prospects.

Looking at the Cubs’ roster, the name that stands out is Alfonso Soriano, now 36-years-old, but with two more full seasons on a bloated contract. The more a team assumes dollar wise, the less they will have to give up in terms of prospects.

Soriano isn’t a high batting average or on base percentage guy (lifetime .274, but hasn’t hit that high since 2008), but he does hit for power, with ten straight 20 home run campaigns. And he looks like he’s on his way to an 11th with 12 HR’s this season.

It’s unlikely the Indians would want to add those kind of dollars for 2013 and 2014, but remember Travis Hafner’s deal comes off the books at the end of this season. Oh, and Soriano happens to play LF, a gaping, sucking hole for Cleveland.

A lower cost option from Chicago could be OF Reed Johnson, who can play all three OF spots. He’s a lifetime .283 hitter, whose average against lefties is .310 for his career with an 823 OPS. He would fit in nicely as a platoon player.

The Rockies don’t look like a good fit for the Indians, because the guys they might be looking to deal are left-handed hitters (Todd Helton, Jason Giambi) or in Michael Cuddyer’s case, just recently signed.

The Padres have two intriguing possibilities in OF Carlos Quentin (formerly of the White Sox) and utility OF Chris Denorfia.

Quentin, 29, is signed to a one year deal, and has had the Tribe’s interest before. Then GM Mark Shapiro tried to get him from Arizona after the 2007 season when he was eventually dealt to the White Sox.

In 2008, Quentin was a legitimate MVP candidate until he broke his hand late in the year against the Indians.

He has belted 2o home runs every year since that 2008 campaign, and although he doesn’t hit for a great average (.255 lifetime), he gets on base good enough via walks and getting hit by pitches (he’s been hit at least 15 times in each of the last four years).

Denorfia can play all three OF spots and is a lifetime .274 hitter (743 OPS). However, against left-handers, he’s a .306 hitter with a 798 OPS. He’s another guy who could fit in a platoon situation.

What can the Tribe give up? They do have good organizational depth in the bullpen and the middle infield. They won’t consider dealing last year’s first round pick and top prospect SS Francisco Lindor, but they do have two players at Class A Carolina in Tony Wolters and Ronny Rodriguez who have good futures.

And don’t forget 2B Cord Phelps, who continues to put up solid AAA numbers, but is blocked by Jason Kipnis.

More teams will drop out of contention by the end of July as the trading deadline nears. But if GM Chris Antonetti wants help right away, he can find some nice possibilities on the three teams mentioned here.