INDIANS 6/17/02

LATEST TEAM INFO:

Mediocre seems to be the appropriate word to describe the recent play of the Indians. In their last ten the Tribe is 5-5 bumping their record to 34-35, but making no progress in catching up to division leading Minnesota. If it wasn’t for the outstanding starting pitching from all five of the teams starters the Indians probably would be sitting in last place or close to it in the Central. The pitchers are getting virtually no run support. Since the beginning of May the Indians have managed to score five runs or more only fourteen times. When they have scored five runs or more during that stretch their record is 12-2.

Chuck Finley and Bartolo Colon continue to provide quality starts for the Indians. So far this year they have given the Indians a combined 16 quality starts, but only to go 13-11 because of the lack of run support. The rest of the Indians starters have been pitching well as well. Danny Baez has been one of the clubs most consistent all year, and C.C Sabathia and Ryan Drese have turned things around after slow starts.

Johnny McDonald has played excellent in filling in for the injured Ricky Gutierrez, not only with his glove but with his bat as well. He ahs improved his average to .287, and in Friday’s game against the Rockies he went three for five with two RBI’s, and scored the game-winning run. He was a homerun away from the cycle. If he could become a little more consistent at the plate, and learn how to use his speed to steal bases he could turn into a very nice second baseman or shortstop.

LOCAL PROSPECTIVE:

General Manager Mark Shapiro has set July 15th as a date to evaluate the team, and decide whether or no to blow it up, meaning trade away veterans and rebuild with young hitting talent. Assuming Shapiro makes the right choice to blow up the Indians July 15th should be a city-wide holiday. The Indians are sitting at 34-35 in a horrible division, that doesn’t deserve to be represented in the playoffs. The Indians sit only five games back and are in second place tied with the White Sox. The Indians have played mediocre or worse teams so far this season. They haven’t played the Yankees, Red Sox, A’s, and have only played the Mariners three times. The Indians simply do not have the hitting to keep up with these ball clubs, and therefore have no choice but to rebuild their farm-system.

Right now the Indians only have two options. The first option would be to draft well, and make homegrown hitters to compliment the fantastic young starting pitching they already have. The second would be to trade. This year the Indians had one of the top drafts in the league, to compliment the 2001 draft in which they also did extremely well. As for the trading is about time to start. Chuck Finley is in his third and final year of a $27 million contract, and is 39. The first sucker we can find to take him off of our hands, even if we only get a couple of prospects would be doing us a huge favor. Next there is the issue of whether or not to sign Jim Thome. With the year Thome is having, and all of his previous success he will demand, and deserve a contract over $10 million a year, which the Indians simply can’t afford. Other veterans that other teams could be interested in would include Bartolo Colon, Omar Vizquel, Matt Lawton, and Ellis Burks. All over Cleveland people are saying that dreaded word: rebuild. It’s time for Shapiro to listen.

RUMOR MILL:

Could OF Matt Lawton be headed to the Yankees? According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Yankees are interested in Lawton, who they see as a right fielder batting leadoff. Ideally, though, Lawton would hit third in the order and play left field. These rumors are interesting and the Indians would be wise to ask for either OF Marcus Thames or OF Juan Rivera. Lawton was part of the Roberto Alomar trade and the Indians may be reluctant to give him up as he is all they have to show for the Alomar trade at this time, which is a tough topic to discuss amongst Indians fans.

Might the Indians be interested in Colorado OF Jack Cust? Cust's defense is poor and it will be hard for the Rockies to play him without a DH in the National League. The Indians have reportedly asked the Rockies about Cust's availability and were told that he was not available. Perhaps a few pitching prospects in return would enable the Rockies to deal Cust, who has been compared to a young Jim Thome and would greatly improve the Indians' offense both now and in the future.

Bartolo Colon’s name continues to be associated with the word trade as well. The word is that Cincinnati’s GM is willing to trade young outfielder Austin Kearns for Colon, but the Red’s owner won’t let him take on Colons salary. Although as the Reds realize how much they need another starter this deal or a similar one may take place.

ON THE FARM:

Class AAA Buffalo keeps winning games, and has increased their record to 44-26. Newly acquired OF Ben Broussard is hitting .290-2-6 in 31 at-bats since joining the team from the Reds, and has posted a solid .275-13-36 between the Class AAA Louisville and Buffalo. Most importantly, Broussard has drawn 8 walks and has struck out only twice since being acquired from the Reds. Recently promoted utility man Jolbert Cabrera was hitting .292 with 3 steals before taking the place of 2B Ricky Gutierrez on the big league roster. OF Todd Dunwoody is hitting .261 with 3 home runs and 5 stolen bases, and although the Indians could use another outfielder, Dunwoody wouldn’t be much of an upgrade over what they currently have. 3B Greg LaRocca is continuing his great year, hitting .302-4-24 with 11 steals. He was a candidate for promotion before the Indians decided upon calling up Cabrera. 1B Earl Snyder is lifting his average, and is now sitting comfortably at .279-12-35. Expect him to be recalled before the end of the year, but he needs to cut back on his strikeouts (50 Ks in 179 at-bats). The starting pitching has been outstanding so far this year. SP Jason Beverlin has thrown a one-hitter, and he has struck out 79 batters in 77 at-bats this season. He has posted a 7-5 record and has a 3.61 ERA. SP Tim Drew is outstanding, and has lowered his ERA more than 3 points from earlier in the year. He currently has an 8-3 record, 2.87 ERA, and has allowed only 19 walks in 91 innings pitched. He has thrown a two-hitter and a three-hitter this season, both during his recent stretch of great starts. Drew could possibly be traded for either major league hitting or hitting prospects. SP Jason Phillips has a 6-2 record, 2.80 ERA, and has allowed only 13 walks in 74 innings pitched. There is a very good chance we could see Beverlin, Drew, and Phillips all in the major leagues at some point this season. There have also been a number of relievers who have pitched well for Buffalo thus far this season. RP Jerrod Riggan was pitching well before his promotion to Cleveland, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.70 ERA. RP Dave Elder hasn’t allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings since being promoted from Akron, and he’s already struck out five batters. RP Heath Murray has only a 1-2 record, but he has a 2.60 ERA, and he has struck out 31 batters and allowed only 5 walks and 22 hits in 27 innings pitched. RP Martin Vargas is probably the most frustrating minor leaguer I’ve ever watched. One game, he looks like a future top closer. The next game, the velocity drops, and he struggles. Right now, he is on an upturn in his productivity, posting season totals thus far of a 3-2 record, 2.31 ERA, and only 2 home runs allowed in 35 innings pitched. This week he looks like potential closer material. Wait until the next report and that may drastically change.

Class AA Akron recently won 11 games in a row, bringing their season record to 48-21. The big news here are the two recent promotions, OF Ryan Church (.000, 3 Ks in 9 at-bats since promotion) and 2B Maicer Izturis (.357, 2 steals in 28 at-bats since promotion). So far, Church has declined his production and Izturis has increased his production since the promotions. Expect Church to step up and produce soon, as the former pitcher is loaded with talent and tools. OF Jason Fitzgerald is hitting .263-4-20 with 10 steals after a short visit with Class AAA Buffalo. OF Jody Gerut, acquired in the Jacob Cruz trade, is having a fine season. He’s hitting .275-9-38, with 16 steals. Gerut is tied with catcher Victor Martinez for the team lead in total bases with 114. Martinez continues to improve in all aspects of his game, posting solid numbers of .313-9-39 in 217 at-bats. 2B/OF Scott Pratt continues his hot streak, hitting .296-9-23 with 8 steals and a .502 slugging percentage. He could be promoted to Buffalo should he continue to produce. 20-year-old SS John Peralta is showing above-average defense, and he’s proving his critics wrong, hitting .271-5-25 as one of the youngest players in the Eastern League. 3B Corey Erickson leads the team with 12 home runs, but he is batting only .232 and has struck out 49 times in 164 at-bats. OF Nate Grindell is producing for Akron, posting numbers of .283-6-35. The pitching helped guide the team to the eleven game winning streak that ended Sunday. RP Jose Colon hasn’t allowed a walk in 34 innings pitched. He doesn’t throw as hard as his brother, Bartolo, and is too old for AA at 26, but his numbers are hard to deny. Expect a promotion to Buffalo for Jose within the next few weeks. RP Dan Guillory has a 1.11 ERA and has struck out 35 batters in 32 innings pitched, but he’s also allowed 20 walks. RP Alberto Garza has allowed only 9 hits in 26 innings pitched, has a 1.37 ERA, and has struck out 39 batters. His only flaw is his 19 walks allowed. RP Ryan Larson has only pitched 3 2/3 innings, but he has struck out 7 batters and has a 2.45 ERA. RP Carl Sadler is 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA and has allowed only 12 walks in 44 innings pitched. SP Brian Tallet is 6-1 with a 3.42 ERA and has allowed only 24 walks in 73 innings pitched. Tallet forms a formidable 1-2 punch, along with fellow lefty starter Billy Traber, acquired from the Mets in the Roberto Alomar trade. Traber has a 9-2 record and 3.00 ERA, and he’s allowed only 16 walks while striking out 62 batters in 84 innings pitched. Expect Traber and Tallet to be promoted to Buffalo together to maintain their competitive spirit with each other. Both could be in Cleveland’s rotation as early as next year, or possibly this season if any trades are made involving starting pitchers being traded from Cleveland, notably Colon or Chuck Finley.

Class A Kinston continues to struggle around the .500 mark with a 34-35 record. They recently lost Church (.326-10-30 at Kinston) and Izturis (.262 and 24 steals at Kinston) to Akron, which will considerably weaken an already weak team. 1B Eric Crozier is still in Kinston, and has posted a solid .313-5-35. SS Hector Luna is regarded as a possible replacement for Omar Vizquel, and he’s hitting .249-7-27. OF Alex Requena is still regarded as a prospect, but he needs to show more than speed to maintain his status as a prospect. He’s stolen 34 bases in 43 attempts, but is hitting only .222 with 61 strikeouts in 239 at-bats. Pitching has led Kinston to many victories this season. SP Fernando Cabrera has only a 2-6 record, but he has a 3.58 ERA and has struck out 72 batters in 73 innings pitched. He has also allowed only 49 hits and 26 walks. Cabrera is starting in the minors to build up stamina, but he will be moved to the back of the bullpen in the majors. SP Jason Davis also has only a 2-6 record, but he is not pitching as well as Cabrera. He has a 4.69 ERA and has allowed 95 hits in 78 innings pitched. SP Kyle Denney has a 5-2 record and 2.90 ERA in 7 starts and he has struck out 38 batters in 40 innings pitched. SP/RP Brandon Matheny is impressing coaches with his versatility. He has a 2-1 record and a 2.95 ERA. RP Marcos Mendoza has a 4-0 record, 1.02 ERA, and has not allowed a home run in 44 innings pitched. RP Aquiles Pinales has a 2.97 ERA, and he has allowed only 11 walks while striking out 29 batters in 30 innings pitched. RP Scott Sturkie has struck out only 9 batters in 22 innings pitched, but he has allowed only 6 walks and has a 0.82 ERA. RP Jose Vargas has a 0.99 ERA and has struck out 29 batters in 27 innings pitched.

Class A Columbus has a 38-32 record. 3B Joe Inglett is hitting .311-2-46 and also plays second base. SS prospect Ivan Ochoa is hitting only .167, but he has 26 steals in 31 attempts. OF Willy Taveras is hitting .241-2-17 with 35 stolen bases. His plate discipline and OBP have improved since last season, and he has plenty of time to develop. Taveras could be a starting outfielder for the Indians in another 3 or 4 years. RP Oscar Alvarez has a 0-3 record, but he has a 3.29 ERA and has also recorded a save. RP Carlos De la cruz is improving from the start of the season, and he now has a 2.42 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. SP Dan Denham is 3-4 with a 4.15 ERA, but he has struck out 55 batters in 65 innings pitched, his velocity has increased in recent starts, and he has great stuff. Expect him to be in the Cleveland rotation around the same time Taveras is called up. SP Jake Dittler has struggled as of late, and he now has a 2-5 record and a 6.17 ERA. There aren’t many bright spots to Dittler’s season thus far. SP Travis Foley is a definite sleeper. He has a 7-2 record, 2.52 ERA, and has struck out 68 batters in 64 innings while allowing only 49 hits. RP Doug Lantz has a 3-1 record and 3.35 ERA in 20 relief appearances. Lantz has struck out 38 batters and allowed only 12 walks in 43 innings pitched. RP Lee Gronkiewicz has a 3-1 record, a 2.86 ERA, and 10 saves, while striking out 33 batters and allowing only 8 walks in 43 innings pitched. SP J.D. Martin continues to impress coaches and scouts. He has an 8-3 record, 4.20 ERA, and has struck out 74 batters while allowing only 24 walks in 70 innings pitched. SP Derek Thompson is 3-4 with a 3.42 ERA. Thompson and Martin have both allowed only three home runs in 70+ innings pitched.

INJURIES:

Milton Bradley Status: Rehab
Milton returned to the team last week, and has being playing fairly well. He has made some amazing catches in the outfield to save runs, or even games. He won’t have to much of an impact on the fantasy world this year, but in the next few years as he continues to grow as a ballplayer, and learn more he should develop into an average r maybe even above average ballplayer. He reminds me of Kenny Lofton a little bit in the way he makes plays in the outfield, and his approach at the plate.

Ricky Gutierrez Status: DL
Ricky pulled his groin muscle when he round third to score the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning against Baltimore on Thursday. Johnny MacDonald has been filling in nicely for Gutierrez. In the series with Colorado Johnny went 5/12 with two triples, two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored. You never like to see a guy get hurt, but it might actually help the Indians. With Gutierrez’s fat contract he had to play, and with him out now it will give Johnny Mac some experience, and maybe even the lineup a lift.

QUICK VIEW:

Add:

Omar Vizquel-SS He leads the team in average at .310, and steals with nine. He also has an unexpected but pleasant 6 HR, and 31 RBI.

Danys Baez-SP Baez has been surprisingly the Indians most consistent pitcher all year.

Ryan Drese-SP Drese has been pihign more and more consistent as of late, and has even been striking out lots of batters.

Drop:

Ricky Gutierrez-2B Not only has he been playing poorly, but now is on the DL because of a pulled groin.

Hold:

Bartolo Colon-SP No explanation needed…I hope?
C.C. Sabathia-SP His last couple starts have been solid. In one he went eight shutout innings, and struck out seven.
Jim Thome-1B Among league leaders in HR, and RBI, and ahs been on fire lately.
Matt Lawton-OF Is on pace to have his best season of his career.
Bob Wickman-RP Solid for 35 saves plus.
Ellis Burks-OF Ellis is still hitting the ball hard, and continues to be the team’s best clutch hitter.