Cleveland Indians 2009 Preview and Outlook
With 61 of the 65 college basketball teams now seeing their seasons end, and despite not quite spring-like weather here in Central Indiana, baseball season has come to the forefront of my sports mind. Since we don’t have a major league squad in Indianapolis, my interest goes east to Ohio’s two teams.
Unfortunately, the media has already predicted major attendance drops for the national pastime, but with attendance records actually broken the past few seasons, the jury is still out on that capricious assessment.
I will preview the two teams I’ll follow this season, beginning with Cleveland today. (Cincinnati will follow later this week)
The Indians have an even-odd year thing going in terms of success the past half-decade, so 2009 looks promising if that holds. They won the division in 2007 and exceeded all expectations in 2005, while ‘04, ‘06 and last season were grave disappointments.
But it could be tough for the Tribe, as they face their first full season without C.C. Sabathia; an injury that will keep number three starter Jake Westbrook out another few months; Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner trying to regain prior form; and Cliff Lee needing to prove his 2008 Cy Young season was no fluke. For Lee, if spring is an indication, his disastrous 2007 that landed him in Buffalo seems more akin to his success level. “Fans of the Feathered” surely hope not.
Last year’s surprisingly effective fifth starter, Aaron Laffey, will start the season in Columbus (that’s the new Cleveland Triple A team, as they now “control” eastern Ohio baseball from Lake County to the Mahoning Valley and west to Akron and Ohio’s capital city) due to the emergence of Scott Lewis and Saint Louis’s 2006 World Series hero Anthony Reyes. Reyes, after going 4-15 for the Cards in 2007 and 2008, had an ERA under two in six late season starts for the Indians last season.
The decision to make Lewis — a 25 year old native Ohioan who attended Ohio State — the fifth starter was enabled by Laffey’s ineffectiveness, including a six runs-in-two-inning outing last week. Laffey, who will still be just 23 on Opening Day, probably had the edge at the beginning of camp, but was too inconsistent to hold the spot. He had an ERA near seven this March.
If you had to place an early bet on which starter would be the first recalled, it may not even be Laffey, but lefty Jeremy Sowers. A day after he was demoted, Sowers threw five scoreless innings in a minor-league game. Sowers was a bright spot in a dismal 2006 for Cleveland, winning seven of his 11 starts, but has lost 15 of his 20 the past two seasons with an ERA near six. The 25 year-old first round pick from Vanderbilt had an ERA just under five with the Tribe this spring.
Reports are that ex-Yankee Carl Pavano has shown an excellent change-up and good bite on his slider, but his fastball has not yet hit 90. The big league average is 90 mph, thus Pavano really needs to get it up there if he expects to compete against the best teams. But the good news is Pavano has been healthy after 2007 elbow reconstruction surgery, which is good since Jake Westbrook will push for this spot upon return.
“Jake Westbrook threw off the mound in a bullpen session and you’d never guess that he had reconstructive elbow surgery last June 12,” Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto noted last week. “His fastball was in the upper 80s. He is beginning to throw a few breaking balls. Something can always go wrong, but so far, this is very promising.”
Westbrook’s goal is to be starting rehabilitation games in the minors by May, and to be back with the Tribe by June 12 — the one year anniversary of his surgery.

“If that happens and he is anything close to the guy who had a 3.12 ERA in his first five starts last season (or 46 wins between 2004-06), the rotation can suddenly look a lot better,” Pluto added.
Offensively this spring, Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore have been crushing the ball, hitting over .400 with power. Asdrubal Cabrera, thankfully, looks far more like the 2007 version, or the guy who hit .320 after the All-Star break last season, than the 22 year-old who opened the 2008 season at .184, and therefore had to spend a month in Buffalo to regain his focus at the plate.
First baseman Ryan Garko has shed 15 pounds, and showed up early to spring training to learn the outfield in order to potentially spell starters Shin-Soo Choo, Sizemore and Ben Francisco. Twenty-four-year-old Super prospect Matt LaPorta, who the Indians obtained in the Sabathia trade last summer, is being groomed for a quick promotion. LaPorta, a first baseman by trade with questionable defense, will spend time in right and left as well. It appears the idea is to prepare the phenom to play different spots as needed in Cleveland.
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Tags: AL Central, cleveland indians, grady sizemore, MLB
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I will be the first to comment: nice job backgrounding the Indians potential minor league pitching starters. I for one think Shin Soo Choo will be a legitimate star. You yankee fans and yankee american lovers don’t seemt to understand that Korean baseball is miles ahead of US baseball–I would go for at least four Korena players to be placed on Indians starting roster. thats the thewinning way.
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JRod Reply:
March 31st, 2009 at 7:23 pm
@BIG My, GREAT point. Shin Soo Choo is a hell of a player and you are spot on with your respect for Korean baseball. I am looking forward to seeing more Koreans come over here, and hoping the White Sox add them to our already strong stable of old white American guys and Cubans.
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You both make valid points, however I if we can get the best Americans to actually play, we can win. All the other nations played all their best players, and yet we still made the semis and had the tying run at bat in the 8th inning vs. Japan.
Look at all this incredible list of players who did NOT play:
Pitchers:
John Lackey
Tim Lincecum
CC Sabathia
Josh Beckett
Cole Hamels
Brandon Webb
John Lester
Cliff Lee
Justin Verlander
Joe Saunders
Scott Kazmir
Brad Penny
David Price
Roy Halladay
Chris Young
Derek Lowe
Chad Billingsley
Clayton Kershaw
Rich Harden
Jonathan Papelbon
Joe Nathan
Joba Chamberlain
JJ Putz
Hitters:
Matt Holliday
Grady Sizemore
Mark Teixera
Chase Utley
Ryan Howard
Prince Fielder
Joe Mauer
Ian Kinsler
Mike Young
Stephen Drew
BJ Upton
Justin Upton
Evan Longoria
Derek Lee
Josh Hamilton
Chris Young
Howie Kendrick
Vernon Wells
Brandon Philips
Jay Bruce
Joey Votto
Torii Hunter
Brad Hawpe
Ryan Ludwick
Troy Tulowitski
Johnny Damon
Rick Ankiel
Ryan Zimmerman
Dan Uggla
Lance Berkman
Bill Hall
Matt Kemp
James Loney
Andre Ethier
Scott Rolen
Troy Glaus
Orlando Hudson
JJ Hardy
Corey Hart
Nate McLouth
Chipper Jones (injured early)
Dustin Pedroia (injured early)
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JRod Reply:
April 1st, 2009 at 5:08 pm
@AJ, written like a true Indians fan. Cliff Lee and his five good months of pitching are on there, Buerhle and Danks are nowhere to be found. Grady Sizemore is on there, but no Carlos Quentin or Jermaine Dye.
KVB…where’s the outrage!?
And what about AJ Pierzynski? We want other nations to like us right? Why not send our greatest ambassador and most likeable player? It’s just ludicrous.
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Well That’s how it is going to be if the WBC is during the American spring training. I mean there is a reason it is called the World Series and that makes starting the season on the right foot more important to some of these players, great as they may be.
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True, Jrod. And there were many others I left off as well. I surely was not slighting the ChiSox. I dislike the Tigers far more actually.
Cliff Lee has a 78-39 career record. Danks has only had five good months as well. I did not realize Quentin was born in America.
In any event, this list was not intended to be exhaustive.
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JRod Reply:
April 1st, 2009 at 8:27 pm
@AJ, I know man…I was kidding around. KVB used to be able to team up on our Indians fan friends in Indy and now that I’m living in Dallas I am going through withdrawal as the baseball season nears.
Lee is a solid pitcher who seemed to turn the corner next year and while I am sure last year was high water mark, he can be a very good #2-type starter for years to come. I don’t think he’s a #1 though. I actually think he is a lot like Buerhle with a higher cieling, but we’ll have to see about his consistency.
And don’t mess with my boy Danks. His last name is German for “badass” and I think he is going to pitch great this season.
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