Jackets Make a Deal for Power Play Help
January 15, 2009Browns: Ryan, Daboll and Seely to Join Mangini
January 15, 2009Sunday night I couldn’t sleep, and while normally I am down for a good Pac-10 Sunday night hoops game or Bret (don’t call me Jason) Michaels Rock of Love on VH-1, I switched over to Channel 3’s Sports Tonight with Dave Chudowski. He happened to have on the great Mark Shapiro, Tribe GM. I caught a couple of tidbits that were very telling:
1. Anthony Reyes is as close to a lock for a rotation spot as it can get – Shapiro said barring injury, he sees Reyes as the 4th starter and was extremely impressed by his command coming over from St. Louis last year. He went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts before being shutdown with a sore elbow. Don’t forget that just a few short years ago, Reyes was the #1 pitching prospect in the Cardinals organization and was deemed untouchable by former GM Walt Jocketty. If Reyes stays healthy, he can become the Indians bizarro Jeremy Guthrie – as in they waited so long for him to blossom, then dropped him, then he found himself in another organization.
2. Aaron Laffey may have the inside track for the final rotation spot – While Shapiro mentioned what Scott Lewis, Zach Jackson, and Jeremy Sowers did down the stretch, he was sure to point out how successful Laffey was in 2007 and in 08 before his elbow started giving him problems. He mentioned the left-hander’s success at every level of the organization and that his athleticism is superb.
I for one have always been an Aaron Laffey fan. When the Indians were in a battle with the Tigers down the stretch in 07, Laffey provided stability as the fifth starter when Cliff Lee was sent down to find himself (seems funny now doesn’t it?) He made a relief appearance in game six of the ALCS against Boston which saved the pen for game seven, going 4.2 scoreless in Fenway. He’ll be just 24 years old in April and like many of the Tribe pitchers, is a ground ball specialist.
3. David Huff is a future “top of the rotation guy.” – That’s not me talking, that is Shapiro. He said we should “watch out for David Huff.” (SIDE NOTE – Who remembers the great Mike Huff, former tribe outfielder who was all speed and no bat?) I think the plan is to let him dominate in Columbus and make him force his way up to the big club. Who knows, with Carl Pavano’s recent history, Reyes’ health always a potential issue and Laffey coming off of his own problems, Huff could be a guy in the mix by the all star break if not earlier.
4. Travis Hafner is primed to get back to his old form – So says our trusty GM. Shapiro said during the winter, nobody on the team worked harder and more regularly than Pronk did on his rehab. He hopes to get something close to the Pronk of old minimum this season and said he has hit his entire career, whether it be in the minors or up here in Cleveland.
To me, its not even Hafner’s shoulder that worries me, its his head. What if he starts slowly again and the rumblings about him being hurt start getting louder and louder? Is he going to go into a funk again and become a rally killer, or will he snap out of it? Pronk is the single biggest key to this offense. If he can get back to his old form, the Tribe could be lethal.
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Another quick Tribe note. In a town hall meeting Brecksville earlier this week, Tribe President Paul Dolan made an interesting statement in regards to adding more payroll: “The team we’re fielding this year is well over budget, which means we’ll probably lose money unless we make the playoffs.” Good for Paul Dolan. He is setting the bar high for his organization and while you want to call him cheap, he stepped up as much as he could this winter. In these economic times, he could have slashed payroll and blamed it on the times. Instead, he went the other way. Now it’s on the players to deliver.
16 Comments
I like the idea that the rotation’s stability depends on one of three pitchers with potential coming through, not two of three.
Re Hafner, I need to see it to believe it. It’s now been a couple of years since he was the guy we remember. But if he’s right, he will be the fulcrum of the lineup. How potent will our hitters be if DeRosa, Victor, and Jhonny all get better pitches to hit as pitchers tiptoe around Haf? And wouldn’t all those runs help the starting pitchers relax. Then, maybe Brantley or LaPorta will be ready to move up … Geez, when do pitchers and catchers report?
im a huge cavs and browns fan that happens to be a diehard cardinals fan, and im just telling you right now, anthony reyes will give you many, many headaches. he will look great and then give up a bunch of home runs.
I for one am ready to demand a reduction in the level of suckitude Hafner has been putting out the past couple years, that or I submit the renaming of Pronkville to “TheGuyWhoUseToBeAbleToHitItHere-Township” or something along those lines. (This is assuming Pronkville still exists in the first place, I regrettfully did not do my due diligence and actually check…)
What do you guys seeing the lineup being? Here’s what I got:
CF-Grady
3B-DeRosa
C/1B-Victor
SS-Peralta
DH-Hafner
RF-Choo
1B/C-Garko/Shoppach
LF-Francisco (that’s fun to say)
2B-Cabrera
Slivers in his ass-Delucci
im sure other organizations have done it, but with the current chatter about how much of a recluse randy lerner is, it was nice to hear that the indians organization was holding town hall meetings with dolan and shapiro in attendance and that dolan himself was making a few phone calls to former season ticket holders to tell them to take another chance.
I have a good feeling about this team this year as long as the starting rotation holds up. I finally feel we have a legitimate bullpen with a legitimate closer. When was the last time that could be said about an Indians team? 97? I am still not sure how David Delucci is still on this team and how Shapiro can let him take up a roster spot? Hopefully one of the young outfielders will force their way up to cleveland like sizemore did and we can finally be done with the worst FA signing of Shapiro’s tenure.
1. I will remain very skeptical of hafner until he starts having quality at bats on a consistent basis. I will give him the first few months of the season to warm up (figurtively. you wont catch me at any april baseball games) but I will expect results or he can ride the pine. Without him the offense is solid as evidenced by the amount of runs we scored last year, but he is just wasting a spot in the middle of the lineup unless he can produce.
2. We have great depth at starting pitching. I am not worried about the back end of the rotation as much as I am Cliff Lee and Fausto returning to form. Call me a pessimist, but I need to see those guys coasting through innings before I can have hope for a playoff run. I know Cliff is working hard and Fausto has age on his side, but we need those guys to be in top form to win 90+ games this year.
3. Larry Dolan’s quote is astonishing. I was skeptical when Dick Jacobs left and Dolan unloaded some payroll, but he is committed to winning now. WE NEED A SALARY CAP but until then its refreshing to know we are gonna just lay down when other teams are spending big. It helps to have a mastermind like Shapiro making quality and efficent signings.
I’d have penciled the lineup exactly as you did, Boomhauer.
Hafner has the potential of being a HUGE albatross if he doesn’t turn it around. I’d be happy if he could be a decent average hitter with 20-25 HR power, as long as he produces. What he’s put out the last couple of years (has he set a record for RBI ground outs to 2B yet?) has been unacceptable for a DH.
Mike Huff! I’ll never forget his head first slide into 3rd for a triple on opening day at the stadium in ’93, the last opening day at the muni. I think it was one of three hits the Tribe had that day. 🙁
“Francisco (that’s fun to say)”
You smell like beef and cheese.
Elf night at the Jake? Wouldn’t that be something.
At least when Hafner comes out, we could scream “PRONK IS COMING!! I KNOW HIM!!!”
Then when he strikes out, we can say “You’re not the real Pronk – You sit on a throne of lies.”
Good old Mike Huff “Huff I’ll blow your house down”
He was entertaining but he was no Turner Ward
It’s still hard to believe that we were a .500 team last year despite Victor and Pronk having terrible seasons, and the “efforts” of a horrible bullpen. Has anyone ever fallen from grace as fast as Rafael Betancourt did last year? He went from being one of the best set-up men in baseball to being one of the biggest bullpen liabilities.
Anyway, my lineup looks like yours Boomhauer, but I’m hoping that it will create itself naturally. In other words, I hope that someone steps up and earns their spot instead of players competing and both sucking up the joint (see the Michaels/Delucci crapfest of two years ago). I really hope Mark DeRosa can continue to put up the numbers he put up last year, but my gut tells me that is just about impossible.
Why isn’t Jake Westbrook included in the rotation? I realize he probably wont be ready for the opener, but I havent heard any reason he wont be ready during the season. He has been the most consistent pitcher we have and I look for him to regain his spot.
I look for us to have a great pitching staff in 2009, and enough offense to contend strongly for the AL pennant.
Go Tribe.
[…] he went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA. I for one, was a big time Reyes kool-aid drinker. As I wrote back in January: Don’t forget that just a few short years ago, Reyes was the #1 pitching prospect in the […]