First off, I just wanted to verbally thank the Twins for this. With a pitcher of Garza's ability you would have to think that regardless of what the Twins' think he needs to work on he'd be better than Ponson and/or Ramon Ortiz with or without AAA seasoning. Terry Ryan always seems to hang with the veteran choice longer than he should, and it seems he hasn't learned a thing from last years mess with Tony Batista.
The pitcher that beat out Garza for the 5th spot, Silva, had a horrific spring and struggled last year as well. Apparently the Twins see his track record and see Silva as having something left. Silva does have amazing control, but his lack of strikeouts mixed with him being very prone to the longball (38 hrs in only 188 IP last year) makes me think it should have been an easy choice for the Twins. But thats why the play the games. For the Tribe's sake I hope Silva is just slightly below average and makes the Twins take longer to realize their mistake and further themselves from the Tribe as we start the season.
3 more days...
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
SuperStar worries
As i mentioned yesterday one of the topics I wanted to focus on was Sizemore, the leadoff spot in the Tribe's lineup , and whats gonna happen when Hafner's contract runs out.
My biggest concern is not for this year or the next, but right now the Indians have a huge lack of star potential as far as position players are concerned in the minor leagues. Baseball Prospectus doesn't show any potential upcoming offensive starts to take the place of when Hafner's contract runs out in 2008. Now the Indians obviously could attempt to resign him, but there are two problems that are associated with that. One is a 32 year old player with a "old-player" skillset is a big risk to take even if it is Hafner. So the Indians will have to decide whether or not they want to take a big risk with a big contract on Hafner, or try and fill that void with someone else. However, Hafner was one of the best offensive players in the league period...his VORP total of 79.7 compared with the likes of Howard and Pujols (both over 80) and he missed the last month of the season. So Shapiro will have a pretty big decision to make when Hafner's contract runs out.
Then lies the next problem, if Hafner goes, where will that missed offensive production come from? I think Sizemore's next couple of years could tell us what we will need. If Sizemore gets even a little bit more power you can envision him being a 3 or 4 hitter in the lineup, however then you need to find someone with a good OBP to top the lineup. Trevor Crowe possibly could have those qualities, but hes a centerfielder( a position we got locked down for quite some time) and unless he starts hitting for more power himself hes not gonna be suited for a corner.
However, if Sizemore's production stays the same then we will need someone with lightower power to take Hafner's spot in the lineup. Where the Indians will find it, I really don't know. It would be pretty easy if Marte turned into the superstar he was thought to be a couple years ago, but his production has yet to match those expectations in the majors.
My biggest concern is not for this year or the next, but right now the Indians have a huge lack of star potential as far as position players are concerned in the minor leagues. Baseball Prospectus doesn't show any potential upcoming offensive starts to take the place of when Hafner's contract runs out in 2008. Now the Indians obviously could attempt to resign him, but there are two problems that are associated with that. One is a 32 year old player with a "old-player" skillset is a big risk to take even if it is Hafner. So the Indians will have to decide whether or not they want to take a big risk with a big contract on Hafner, or try and fill that void with someone else. However, Hafner was one of the best offensive players in the league period...his VORP total of 79.7 compared with the likes of Howard and Pujols (both over 80) and he missed the last month of the season. So Shapiro will have a pretty big decision to make when Hafner's contract runs out.
Then lies the next problem, if Hafner goes, where will that missed offensive production come from? I think Sizemore's next couple of years could tell us what we will need. If Sizemore gets even a little bit more power you can envision him being a 3 or 4 hitter in the lineup, however then you need to find someone with a good OBP to top the lineup. Trevor Crowe possibly could have those qualities, but hes a centerfielder( a position we got locked down for quite some time) and unless he starts hitting for more power himself hes not gonna be suited for a corner.
However, if Sizemore's production stays the same then we will need someone with lightower power to take Hafner's spot in the lineup. Where the Indians will find it, I really don't know. It would be pretty easy if Marte turned into the superstar he was thought to be a couple years ago, but his production has yet to match those expectations in the majors.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Various Wahoo Concerns
This weekend I am going to be looking into a few Tribe concerns for the upcoming season and the ongoing future of our favorite baseball team.
One involves the Indians leadoff hitter "dilemma". If Grady's bat gets any better ( and if doesnt you wont hear any complaints from me) then we will hear even more suggestions/questions about moving Sizemore down to the third spot in the lineup. Do the Indians have a future answer for the leadoff hitter? Do they have one now? If Pronk leaves after his contract expires is moving Grady down inevitable? I'll let you know.
Some of the other concerns I will address are :
- Is Garko going to get a shot at platooning this year? He really doesn't have any upside, but is his bat good enough to stick this year?
- Who should we be rooting for to make this years bullpen?
- Will Eric Wedge still be the manager when the Indians make it to the World Series again?
Stop back later this weekend for answers.
One involves the Indians leadoff hitter "dilemma". If Grady's bat gets any better ( and if doesnt you wont hear any complaints from me) then we will hear even more suggestions/questions about moving Sizemore down to the third spot in the lineup. Do the Indians have a future answer for the leadoff hitter? Do they have one now? If Pronk leaves after his contract expires is moving Grady down inevitable? I'll let you know.
Some of the other concerns I will address are :
- Is Garko going to get a shot at platooning this year? He really doesn't have any upside, but is his bat good enough to stick this year?
- Who should we be rooting for to make this years bullpen?
- Will Eric Wedge still be the manager when the Indians make it to the World Series again?
Stop back later this weekend for answers.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Hiatus is Over.
When I first started this blog I was naive and thought that traffice would come easy. As time went on and the traffic never came, so did my desire to write. However, times have changed and now all i can really think about is writing about the Indians and baseball. So as the 2007 baseball season reaches its beginning, I attempt a new beginning at making this a successful blog.
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