INDIANS 5/18/03

THE BOTTOM LINE
By: Jason Wachs

I hate double standards! I hate the fact that just because certain baseball players get paid more than others they have to play! I hate the fact that the Indians are being compared to the Tigers!

The Tribe has lost twice as many games as they have won, and nobody, especially the team, seems to care. Well guess what Mr. Wedge…I do! I understand we are rebuilding, and I understand that we are going to be bad. That doesn’t mean that the team shouldn’t give a crap about it. Half of this team doesn’t care about how bad they play, or how stupid they look, and it stats at the top of the food chain with the manager.

Mr. Wedge did do a good thing by benching Milton Bradley for not running out one fly ball, but he did something equally bad by letting Matt Lawton play after doing this all season. Not only has Lawton continuously not run out fly balls and pop outs, but also he doesn’t run to the ball in the outfield, and he makes half-ass throws on a regular basis. I don’t care if Matt Lawton gets paid six million dollars more than Jody Gerut (Which is a whole other issue); you pay both of them the same combination no matter which one of them starts anyways.

Wedge is doing nothing to help the bullpen out, by leaving three thousand people in it. Each pitcher gets to pitch once every four days if they are lucky, and with that time span in between appearances there is no way any of them can stay fresh. The starters are going longer into games than expected, so their needs to be an accommodation made for the relievers. An idiot could figure that out! (Which would include you Wedgie!)

I know I am coming off as hating Eric Wedge, but I don’t. I actually think he was by far the best choice for the managerial position this season; he just needs to get control of his team and let them know whose boss.

Now onto the issue of the Indians/Tigers comparison. The Indians have increased their lead to 4.5 games over the Tigers, but the fact that I am even mentioning this hurts me. I have no choice. This is talked about as if it were a race for the pennant on Cleveland radio shows, and ESPN the Magazine even got in on the act by slapping Clevelanders in the face by only making them 1.5 point favorites over the Tigers! Hey Detroit: Just wait until we sweep you next week!

LATEST TEAM NEWS

The team is 7-8 in May, which represents a vast improvement over past months. Overall production has improved, and the young starters have started to improve in mainly every category. The overall production has been inconsistent, but there has been some sort of production at nearly every point over the past few weeks.

Be sure to keep an eye on 1B Ben Broussard. He was engaged in a heated battle for the first base job during spring training, but the injury bug struck and he was unable to open the season in the big leagues. After a few rough weeks in Triple-A, Broussard has begun to pick things up and could make a decent impact. He homered in his first game back to the big leagues, and could challenge Hafner for the starting spot once he is ready to return from injury.

The worst case of inconsistency has struck the pitching staff, which always seems to have a different set of pitchers step up each week, but never manages to assume a fully effective role. Most of the rotation and all of the bullpen has shown various results, and the team will be in trouble if the entire staff slumps at once. That is bound to happen if this type of production continues, and such a slump could last a month or longer. SP C.C. Sabathia has done a solid job in anchoring the staff, but he will need some help from the other members of the rotation and bullpen.

INJURIES

RP Dave Elder – Elder has been sidelined with tendonitis in his rotator cuff. He is not a major fantasy player, even in leagues that count holds. It should be another few weeks before he returns.

SP Jason Bere – Bere has been absolutely dominant in his rehab assignment, continuing on the success that he encountered during spring training. This is a highly encouraging development, even considering his struggles last season. He will need to continue this level of production against upper-level opponents, but the early returns lead to encouragement for the future of the staff. It is unclear who Bere will replace in the rotation, but it will likely be SP Jake Westbrook or SP Jason Davis. Keep an eye on this situation, and keep in mind that Bere will likely be making his first major league start this season on Thursday against Detroit.

1B Travis Hafner – Hafner broke his toe and is not eligible to return until May 25. Ben Broussard has replaced Hafner at the major league level and could cause problems upon Hafner’s return. Hafner will be sent on a rehab assignment before being recalled to the big leagues.

3B Ricky Gutierrez – Gutierrez has made a remarkable recovery, and has yet to experience any setbacks in his in-season recovery from neck surgery. This was an extremely dangerous situation, yet he has already begun to play in extended spring training. If he is able to return as expected later in the year, Gutierrez could win the starting third base job.

OF Karim Garcia – Garica’s recovery has progressed well, and he could be back within the next few weeks. If this injury is the reason for the decrease in Garcia’s power earlier in the year, then now is the cheapest his fantasy value will be all season. He’s likely available as a FA in many leagues, and is worth watching upon return.

RP Mark Wohlers – Wohlers is not a legitimate fantasy option, at least at this point. He has been rumored as a possible replacement for Danys Baez should the young closer continue to struggle, although that seems highly unlikely at this point. Wohlers will likely return to a setup role when he is ready, and that could be as early as June.

HOT/COLD LIST

Hot
DH Ellis Burks
C Josh Bard
SP Jason Davis
SP C.C. Sabathia
SP Ricardo Rodriguez

Cold
OF Matt Lawton
2B Brandon Phillips
1B/OF Shane Spencer
RP Danys Baez
SP Jake Westbrook

TIP OF THE WEEK

This was mentioned a bit earlier, but is worth mentioning again. Keep an eye on Jason Bere, especially in deeper AL-only leagues. His amazing production could turn out to be a flaw, but it certainly won’t hurt to keep an eye on a surprisingly productive pitcher such as Bere, even if his success came in the minors. He could turn out to be a diamond in the rough, and those types of finds help to propel fantasy owners to the top of their leagues. It isn’t a wise choice to pick him up yet, but it is a good idea to watch his name in the box scores.