Charlie Klein
Key Additions:
Russell Branyan (1B/DH)
Lou Marson (C)
Jason Donald (SS)
Anderson Hernandez (2B)
Justin Masterson (SP)
Key Departures:
Cliff Lee (SP)
Josh Barfield (2B)
Ryan Garko (1B)
Mark DeRosa (UTIL)
Rafael Betancourt (RP)
Earlier on in this series of team previews, I made a comment about how if Anderson Hernandez is on your team and has a realistic shot of starting at some point down the line, your team is not contending. The same statement is true of the Cleveland Indians. This team on paper looks so bad that it probably cannot even spell the word contender.
Now I might be wishing I could have this all back in a few years, but in 2010 the Indians will have very little to offer the rest of Major League Baseball. Having shipped all of their in their prime talent away in the past two years in C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Victor Martinez, it should not come as much of a surprise that the Indians are not going to win the Central this season.
I am, however, excited to see how their young talent develops. Matt LaPorta, part of the Sabathia trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, is tearing it up once again in spring training. When he got the call-up last season he did pretty well, hitting seven homeruns and driving in 21 runs at a .254 batting average in 181 at-bats. One can expect those numbers to improve this year with more at-bats considering this lad's immense talent.
Lou Marson, part of the Cliff Lee trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last season, is expected to start behind the plate on Opening Day at the Jake. Marson did not get a whole lot of opportunities last season to impress, but this will be his year to prove himself.
And in the starting rotation the Indians have a part of the Victor Martinez trade with the Boston Red Sox in Justin Masterson. He will be their third starter in 2010. Last season with the Indians Masterson was 1-7 with a 4.55 ERA in 57.1 IP. The Indians will expect those numbers to improve as Masterson gets used to being a big league starter. And its not like they have many other options at that spot in the rotation either.
On paper the Indians starting lineup does not look that bad. IF, and it is a major if, Russell Branyan and Travis Hafner can stay healthy for a whole season, the Indians have a chance to drive in a lot of runs. I've always liked Grady Sizemore and appreciated how he gives a lot of effort to a team that does not win very much. All the same, I doubt the Indians can stay healthy for a whole season and even if they were able to, I doubt very much their ability to challenge the Tigers, Twins and White Sox for the division.
Projected Starting Nine:
1. Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)
2. Jhonny Peralta (3B)
3. Grady Sizemore (CF)
4. Travis Hafner (DH)
5. Shin-Soo Choo (RF)
6. Russell Branyan (1B)
7. Matt LaPorta (LF)
8. Lou Marson (C)
9. Luis Valbuena (2B)
Projected Starting Rotation
1. Jake Westbrook
2. Fausto Carmona
3. Justin Masterson
4. David Huff
5. Aaron Laffey
Best Reliever: Joe Smith
Closer: Kerry Wood
Predicted Finish: Fourth in the AL Central
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