While We’re Waiting… The battle for Columbus
January 14, 2014Browns are willing to wait to interview Adam Gase
January 14, 2014Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year is an annual must-read. Given that the national recognition rarely has anything to do with the teams or individuals whom we cover. In turn, WFNY will soon announce its choice for 2013′s Cleveland Sportsman of the Year. Here’s one of the nominations for that honor by a WFNY writer.
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What best qualifies one for WFNY Sportsman of the Year? Is it the best player or coach overall? Does being on the best team play a factor? What if I told you that one of the best candidates for the award was perhaps one start from being demoted to the bullpen or even designated for assignment, an afterthought in a busted trade? Let’s go back and check the pulse on April 17 of this past season.
“I’m going to be completely reactionary here. I’m one for patience, but this is an extreme instance. The time has arrived. We have all seen enough of Ubaldo Jiménez. What more does he have to do to prove that he isn’t a viable starting pitcher? He has horrific mechanics that a third pitching coach in three years can’t seem to fix. His velocity is a shell of what it was during his half-season peak in Colorado in 2010. The Indians cannot continue to trot this guy out there every fifth day and hope that he can somehow make it through five innings. It taxes the bullpen. The upside isn’t there. He isn’t a power pitcher anymore, he has serious command issues, and he can’t hold runners on base.”
That excerpt is from our own TD’s recap of a Tribe loss to Boston on April 17 of this past season. It was on point, and I would’ve written with the same tone myself given the assignment that day. I was strongly opposed (and quite vocal about it) to Ubaldo Jiménez and his time in Cleveland from the beginning. When we made our preseason predictions about who would be the greatest disappointment in 2013, here’s what I had to say:
“Definitely someone on the starting staff. I’ll go with Ubaldo Jiménez. My dislike for Ubaldo is long-documented, and I think the Indians will finally have enough of him come the end of May when he’s doused enough of his starts with [gasoline-laced walks]. Some people think Jiménez has something left or something to prove. I think he’s got squat.”
Truly, there’s no better person to make the case for Ubaldo Jiménez as WFNY’s Sportsman of 2013 other than his harshest critic, me. I had called Ubaldo every name in the book on Twitter except “ace” or “phenom”. Then, at some point in the month of May, that suddenly changed. Ubaldo Jiménez found himself. What followed was an All-Star type season and an emergence as the team’s true number one starter. Ubaldo Jiménez pitched the Cleveland Indians into the 2013 playoffs, and he did it over and over again when every one of their 92 wins was needed to host a home playoff game.
Giving up two of the only pitching prospects that the team had in July 2011 with Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, the Indians made a too-little-too-late deal that season1 for a starter who appeared to be damaged goods complete with velocity dips and struggles against high-powered offenses. It didn’t get any better in 2012 as Jiménez seemed to fold in every big game that he pitched while the team collapsed under the watch of Manny Acta. On July 14, Jiménez took the bump against the Jays for the 45-41 Tribe that sat three games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. He lost that start, allowing 8 runs in 2 1/3 innings. Jiménez would go on to lose five of his next seven starts as the Tribe plummeted to 10 games back after Ubaldo’s loss to the Angels on August 14.
Looking at Ubaldo’s numbers for the 2013 campaign initially, they’re not outstanding (13-9 record, 3.30 ERA, 182 2/3 IP, 163 hits, 80 walks, 194 strikeouts), but let’s dig a little deeper. In his first four starts, Jiménez allowed 19 earned runs in just 17 innings pitched. Take those four outings out of the picture, and his ERA drops to 2.61. From his fifth start on April 29th through the end of the season, there were few that pitched as well as Jiménez in all of baseball. With the loss of Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister for two months each followed by the loss of Justin Masterson for the month of September, it was Ubaldo’s steady hand that took the ball 32 times in the 162 game campaign, not missing a single start. He struck out more batters per nine innings than at any point in his career in 2013, and he greatly reduced his walk rate to within the same range as he was at when he was an All-Star and Cy Young contender in 2010. When Ubaldo wasn’t sharp, it was a product of a climbing pitch count and too many full counts that chased him from the game rather than the opposing offense knocking him around. The one thing Jiménez did even when he didn’t go long was keep the Indians in the game. Cleveland went 21-11 in his 32 outings and 8-2 in his no-decisions, including one loss where Ubaldo left with the lead.
Jiménez allowed more than two earned runs in a start just ONCE after July 14th. In his six September starts, the Indians were 6-0, and Ubaldo earned four of those wins himself, allowing just 4 earned runs in 41 1/3 innings (0.87 ERA) while walking just 7 and striking out 51. In Game 162, needing a win to guarantee a wild card spot and not just a home play-in game or a wild card berth that could have potentially taken them on the road, Jiménez was brilliant. He kept the Twins’ bats silent for 6 2/3 innings, allowing a lone run on five hits while striking out 13 batters. Ubaldo Jiménez cemented October baseball being played in Cleveland, Ohio for the first time in six years.
As time has elapsed from the end of the Tribe’s magical run, we’ve seen the Browns and Cavaliers’ respective dumpster fires burn out of control. It’s only reinforced how this year belonged to the Tribe, and it wasn’t even close. Because of where he came from (a place of zero respect and expectations), because of what he accomplished, and because of what it meant for this organization in the vacuum of 2013 as well as the foundation of confidence and relevancy going forward, there is a compelling case for Ubaldo. Still unsigned, let’s just hope his price tag falls as time goes by and he gets a chance to repeat his nomination in 2014.
- The Indians were 55-54 and three games behind the Tigers by the time Ubaldo made his first start for the team on August 5th. [↩]
22 Comments
Kirk is a wild man I must confess I never saw this one coming. The good news is Ubaldo is still out there languishing in the free agent market perhaps he’ll decide to return at a team friendly deal. My heart says it would be nice, for depth purposes, my head says na.
Is there any recent player that is more Cleveland than Ubaldo?
Jason Kipnis. Started really strong, then kind of faded away at the end but everyone still thinks “well, next year he’ll be even better!”
Kipnis illicits too many positive reactions both locally and nationally though. I would say it has to be a guy that the initial reaction is almost always negative, but there are a bunch of really redeeming qualities and the potential for greatness (whether or not it happens being a big unknown).
Oh I thought “so CLE” would be someone who the initial reaction is positive, are viewed well nationally but “amazing!” here, but ultimately fall flat in the end of the season. 🙂
Or of course someone who we think will be awesome and they basically stink. Like Andrew Bynum or Nick Swisher.
as with the definition of sportsman, you can craft the definition however you would like.
Antonetti!!!
A draft pick who performs well? That’s very un-Cleveland.
Don’t compare Swisher with Bynum. I know he didn’t hit like people hoped he would, but he at least contributed.
My all-time Most Cleveland Athlete is Keith Hernandez.
Great choice. I’d like to nominate Carlos Boozer as well.
Two authors left…this could be interesting.
because Clevelanders hate the blind?
No comprendo
https://waitingfornextyear.com/2010/07/nba-free-agency-what-about-carlos-boozer/
You are a sick individual how in the world did you link to that so quickly? That and I didn’t comment on it either. So take that people who say I post everywhere.
Anyways people can say what they want about LBJ and his leaving for me being Boozr’d will always be worse!
Oh yeah, that’s a great pick too. There’s too many options from the Browns v.2.0. I’d go with Jamir Miller.
If we’re being positive, I’d go with Dawson or Z. Both workman-like, under-appreciated types.
3.8 WAR from Swisher last year, no idea why anyone would say he “basically [stunk]”
I’d go (using recent/current players):
Cavs – Tristan (the switching shooting hands sold it. easy to mock, but FT% up 8 pts)
Browns – TJ Ward (well, he’s sort of the opposite. Locally, he’s not nearly as respected as he is nationally. But, had to pick him for the irrational negativity invoking his name seems to produce.)
I wish Thompson would get back to how he played a year ago my fantasy teams need him!
maybe he’s waiting for Andy to get hurt again
I can’t afford to have him wait…there is no tomorrow, there is no tomorrow!!!!