The Memorial Day Checkpoint

Many people around MLB feel like Memorial Day is a good time to gage where teams stand and see which teams are or are not legitimate. And while we should all take a moment out of our days to be thankful for the men and women who have served—and are serving—this great country, the day off also allows for some time to talk baseball.

Granted a whole lot can change between the unofficial start of summer and its unofficial end of Labor Day, but since we're all fairly invested in the Tribe, I think it's safe to say that this team is pretty legit.

Now I know the White Sox opened up a can of whoop-you-know-what on us over the weekend, but how many games were you really expecting the Indians to win in a series the team played without its 3-5 hitters? How many teams can loose all three of those key bats and still have a decent offensive attack?

Strangely enough, the answer is...the Indians. After losing 9-3 on Friday night, Acta's Fun Bunch came out and scored seven runs on Saturday, six on Sunday, and now eight today. And I'll say this, a team that has Jose Lopez in the cleanup hitters spot should not be scoring seven runs a game. That's incredible.

But right now, we're seeing a few guys step up and put the team right on their back—Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis. Those two players have done so much for the team in the past few days, both offensively and defensively.

If you haven't seen this catch Brantley made on Saturday in Chicago, watch it and be reminded of Kenny Lofton in the 90s.



And how can you say enough about Kipnis? The JK-Kid is still in his first full season in the big leagues  and in his first three game stint as a No. 3 hitter he's gone 7/13 with four runs scored and six RBI. Not to mention he hit two home runs off of Jake Peavy in Chicago. Plus, Kipnis has hit an incredible .500 (12-24) in his last six games. Those are some serious numbers folks, and I think it's a fantastic sign of things to come.

With Lonnie Chisenhall back up from AAA to replace the injured Jack Hannahan, I think the future is now for the Indians infield. It's just my unprofessional opinion, but I think Chisenhall's swing looks a lot more compact and smooth than it did towards the end of last season on this home run.

But, of course, the last three games, the starting pitching has really let the team down. I can't even get into the enigma that is Ubaldo Jimenez without wanting to scream, but Derek Lowe definitely had the clunker for which he was probably due. And even though we won the game, the team needs more out of Josh Tomlin than five innings with four earned runs.

The good thing is that Masterson has come on as of late, pitching seven strong innings and only giving up one run in his last start against Detroit on Thursday. Also, as bad as Ubaldo has been, you've got to feel at least moderately good about Lowe, Gomez and Tomlin for the rest of the rotation.

So what's the point of all this? Well, yes the Indians do have offensive problems—even with Asdrubal and Santana back later this week, the Indians still have way too many lefties in the lineup and an albatross in left field. Maybe Matt LaPorta will be able to fill that void, but I doubt it. Either way, I'm sure President Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti have been working the phones, trying to find some kind of bat to put out there.

But for now, as Chris Perez so tactlessly put it, let's just enjoy this first place baseball team. I fully expect the Motor City Fat Cats to get their act together and start mashing the ball with good pitching, but for now, let's hope we can beat up on the cellar dwellers of the AL Central to create some more separation in the division.

More to come, Tribe fans.
~MAS

Hey, Chris Perez? Shut up and pitch

I have been as critical as anybody about the Indians closer, Chris Perez, but I've also been very happy to eat crow each and every time he's proven me wrong. After all, I was one of the idiots with the knee jerk reaction after Perez's Opening Day debacle to say that Vinnie Pestano would be the closer by mid-July.

Although there's still a very, very slim chance that could happen, I really wouldn't count on it. And I honestly couldn't be more happy about that. Since he blew the save on Opening Day, all Perez has done is go 13 for 13 in save situations with a 1.72 ERA—including a flawless 9th inning yesterday where Perez struck out the side on 10 pitches, nine of which were strikes. It was probably the most dominant performance from a closer I'd ever seen in person at the Jake.

Now, the Indians attendance problems have been well documented, but on a day where the Indians drew nearly 30,000 fans for the second straight game and had their largest crowd since Opening Day, why in the wide, wide world of sports would Perez go off on the fans?

I realize, as Perez said on his Twitter, that the closer was only answering the questions he was asked, and I also appreciate his candidness and honesty in answering the questions, but you know what? I think a few of his comments went too far.

Okay, I'll admit that I hold this perhaps unpopular opinion, but on principle I'm usually just fine with booing home players if you're a fan in attendance. You paid for the price of admission to see an entertaining product on the field, so if that product stinks I have no problem with letting them know it. And if the closer blows a save, he deserves to get booed—and I will boo the guy 10 times out of 10.

To his credit, Perez acknowledged the fact that after blowing the save on Opening Day he deserved to get booed. And I agree with Perez when he said that it was ridiculous when two guys reached base and fans booed earlier this week when he pitched against the Mariners. Perez didn't even end up giving up a run in that inning, and the Indians ended up winning the game. In situations like that, preemptively booing is uncalled for—especially because no harm was actually done.

But beyond that? Can't say that I care if Perez is "pissed off" over getting booed at home.

You know why? Because Perez has 4.5 million reasons to suck it up and get over it.

Professional athletes are paid ridiculous amounts of money to be entertainers. As Adam the Bull from 92.3 The Fan said on his Twitter last night, All-Star players get booed in New York and all over the country all the time. So if Perez can't stand the fact that fans might not be so encouraging every time he takes the mound, maybe he's in the wrong business.

And additionally, to say that Carlos Beltran chose to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals over the Indians because of fan support or lack thereof is positively absurd to me. Yes, Beltran turned the Indians down—as well as Roy Oswalt and Carlos Pena—but there were a number of factors with those things. Oswalt was being a general jerk and only wanted to play for maybe two teams. Pena wanted to go back to a familiar environment with the Rays, in part because his family was located in Tampa. And with Beltran, he didn't want to switch back to the American League—a switch that can be difficult (ahem, Albert Pujols)—after playing in the NL since mid-2004.

So for Perez to insinuate that Beltran was swayed to the Cardinals over the Indians because of the fans just sounds foolish. He's really saying that despite the similar amounts of money offered, any logical person wouldn't sign with the defending World Champions? Yeah, I'll let Dr. Evil handle this one for me.

So here's the deal, Perez says he's in for the long haul, to bring a Championship to C-town, and I believe him. He's sure as hell pitching like it. But you know what? If you don't want the fans to boo you, it's probably not a good idea to assail them in the press.

I'll say this—I'm still going to cheer on Chris Perez and hope that he continues to prove me wrong. I'm still going to go down to the Jake as much as I can, and I hope you will too. But if the team stinks that night, they're going to hear it from me.

And I will not apologize for that.
~MAS

Making a Splash in Round One

Trent Richardson. Could be the best Browns
RB in a very, very long time.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Why hello there old man!
Brandon Weeden, new Browns QB
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I've gotta say, this is not what I was expecting out of the Browns today.

Did I want Trent Richardson? Hell yes. Did I think they'd trade up to #3 to get him? Absolutely not. Am I happy they did? 1000% yes. (And that's not a typo.)

Now, Brandon Weeden. With all the WRs still on the board after the end of the first round—including Stephen Hill—this might have been a much better pick than I might have initially thought.


I certainly wasn't expecting Weeden to be taken at #22—I don't think anyone was. (Well, maybe aside from Tom Heckert, Pat Shurmur and Mike Holmgren) But I'll say this, tonight the Browns have gone after exactly who they wanted.

Clearly, the attempt to trade for RGIII wasn't a smokescreen—the Browns have determined Colt McCoy is not a franchise quarterback. I can't blame them for that, especially based on Colt's size and lack of arm strength.

The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff has been campaigning for Weeden to come to Cleveland for a long time now, and this video from ESPN's Sports Science series is a big reason why.




So yeah, Weeden can take out clay pigeons, but what does that have to do with what he does on the field?

Well, for one thing, Weeden beat Andrew Luck, RGIII, and Ryan Tannehill last season. I don't think that's insignificant.

I also don't think it's insignificant that we're replacing a guy who's 6 ft. with a more prototypical quarterback type—6 ft. 4 in. 220 lbs. and a lazer rocket arm.

What's not to like?

I'll be honest—I was totally prepared to go into this season with Colt McCoy as the quarterback with better weapons around him, and then pick a franchise quarterback in the 2013 Draft. Weeden's age (29, when the season opens) means that he must come in and start right away. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if he'll prove to be the best quarterback in the "common era" (since 1999).

I certainly hope he ends up being able to be mentioned in the same conversation with Bernie Kosar.

~MAS

Draft Day 2012 - Just Get It Right, Browns

Oh the NFL Draft...What will you bring us tonight?
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

So maybe I never got around to posting that season preview for the Tribe, but when hasn't this here blog been more focused on football?

I'm sure you're all dying to know who I'd like the Browns to pick and who I think the Browns will pick.

But to be honest with you, I'm not going to go over the whole first round or to pick #37, where most have been on any number of websites.

Obviously, I'm no scout. I'm no draft prognosticator. But I am a Browns fan, and I'm a football fan—I watch a whole lot of it. So when it comes to who I'd like the Browns to draft tonight, I'll leave it at this:

I'd love for them to draft Trent Richardson, but if we draft Justin Blackmon I won't be too upset.

If you remember, Blackmon had an absolutely stellar night in January when he and Brandon Weeden faced off against (future) #1 pick Andrew Luck and Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. That night, Blackmon caught eight passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. That night, I sat watching the game with my mom and we both were like, "Get that guy in a Browns uniform." And there were plenty of others on my Twitter timeline who were saying the same thing.

Is Blackmon a Calvin Johnson or AJ Green? Again, I'm not a scout, but I just don't think he is (and, for the record, the draft people don't seem to think so either). But they are comparing Blackmon to Terrell Owens, and that's a comparison I can totally see.

Does that make him worth the #4 pick? I'm not entirely sure that it does. T.O. was the key to the Eagles advancing to the Super Bowl in the 2004 season, even playing with a broken leg in that Super Bowl in Philly's losing effort. But because he's not the elite game changer, I'd go with Richardson.

I'll admit it, I was hardcore on the Blackmon bandwagon and prepared to draft him until a report came out that Richardson had knocked over Browns running backs coach, Gary Brown, at his Alabama Pro Day.

Take a look over on the right. Is that not the kind of guy you want running the ball late in the season against the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers? Is that not someone you want Colt McCoy to be able to turn around and hand the ball off to 20-25 times a game? Is that not the kind of guy you want in pass protection? And is that not the kind of guy you want catching passes in the flat?

I think I've made my point.

Yes, you can get a running back lower in the draft. But I don't know that we'll be able to get someone who embodies the history of Cleveland Browns football any better than Richardson—even if Jim Brown called him "ordinary" today (I think that's total garbage).

ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi has been saying that if the Browns don't pick Richardson, it's going to be "Jump off the 480 Bridge time." I wouldn't go that far, but I do hope they won't trade down. We have 13 draft picks this year. It's time to stop all the stockpiling of picks and just pick some players that will have an impact.

So do I care who they draft? Of course I do. I'd really prefer it if we didn't take a defensive player with the #4 pick. But the most important thing is that they just get it right because damn it, I'm tired of 10+ loss seasons.

I'll probably have something for you all later tonight after the Browns second pick, so stay tuned.
~MAS

Start Me Up (part 1) - Play Ball!

I absolutely love Opening Day.

The fresh cut grass...the sound of vendors selling products all around the stadium ("It's the BEER GUY!")...the taste of a hot dog with stadium mustard and onions...I wish I could be there.

But since I'm located in New York, I'll have to settle for watching this game in my room.

Unfortunately, I don't have much time to do a full preview today, since I've been backlogged with all kinds of stuff for the baseball beat here at Columbia, but I will leave you with some quick predictions for now and I'll fill in the details later this weekend when I'm not so busy.

If it interests you at all, I'll be tweeting (@SilverBullets21) my thoughts as the games go on.

But without further ado...

2012 Indians
Record: 79-83, 2nd place AL Central.

I want to be wrong so badly, but this team just has too many "what if?" questions for me to feel any kind of confident that the Tribe will make the playoffs. I reserve the right to revise this prediction later this season if the Indians make some moves, but right now, I just don't believe this is a playoff team. I don't see them being a Wild Card team either—not with the big boys of the AL East and now the Angels and Rangers in the AL West.

That being said, I'm going to watch this team and root for them to win every game. It's just that the realist in me is is preventing the prediction from being any more optimistic in that prediction.

As I said before, look for me to fill in some of those details later this weekend, but until then, enjoy Opening Day! I know I will.

~MAS

Notice of Concern: Ubaldo Jimenez

The Tribe might have been better off letting
Ubaldo Jimenez stay in a Rockies uniform
last season.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

When the Indians traded three of their top ten prospects in reliever Joe Gardener, then starter-now reliever Alex White and flamethrower Drew Pomeranz to the Rockies last summer, I said I was conflicted.

I said that I wanted starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, but I wasn't sure about trading Pomeranz for him—especially because Pomeranz had done nothing but exceed everyone's expectations in his first professional season.

And now that Pomeranz has made the Rockies rotation out of Spring Training, White has made the Rockies bullpen, and Gardener is expected to be at the major league level at some point this season, I can't help but think the Indians made a very bad deal.

Just so we're clear, I would be saying this even if Ubaldo hadn't gotten himself suspended five games for beaning Troy Tulowitzki on Sunday afternoon. (Ubaldo's appealing the suspension, so he most likely won't miss his first start on Saturday versus the Blue Jays.)

In any case, yes, it's true that Ubaldo could regain his form and be an effective top of the rotation starter again. Yes, Spring Training does not count. But how can it not be a concern that his velocity is down to 93-94 MPH, from about 96 MPH in his heyday with the Rockies?

And how can it not be a concern that he's so immature that he felt like throwing at Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning instead of trying to make Tulo look foolish by striking him out?

And how can it not be a concern that overall this spring, Ubaldo compiled a 1-4 record with a 7.43 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 15 walks in 23 innings?

And how can it not be a concern that even when Ubaldo had his best start of the spring—a five inning outing against the White Sox—he still made 90 pitches and was behind in the count way too often, which didn't allow him to go his scheduled six innings?

Drew Pomeranz, on the other hand, had a stellar spring—and I may be selling him short by just saying "stellar," because he was truly outstanding. He went 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA in 17 innings. That's right, folks, he gave up just one earned run in 17 spring innings. He gave up 11 hits, walked just four, and struck out 11 this spring as well.

You see the problem here?

Yes, it's just Spring Training, but Pomeranz has a chance to be better than Ubaldo this season, already! It's positively absurd that the Indians former top prospect could be better than the pitcher we traded him for this year, but it's well within the realm of possibility.

This trade stung when it happend all those months ago, but it could sting even more if Ubaldo doesn't get his you-know-what together and start pitching like an ace. I'm sorry, but when you trade a prospect who you figure is going to be great for a pitcher who you believe can regain his form, you need it to work out.

And nobody needs this trade to work out better for the Indians than GM Chris Antonetti. This was his first big move as GM, and so far it's the biggest stinker—it's definitely worse than the Grady Sizemore signing mess and the OF situation that's come out of it.

But don't get me wrong—I'm rooting for Ubaldo, and you should be too. This is Major League Baseball. There's no givesies-backsies. So right now, all of us Tribe fans better be hoping, wishing, and praying for Ubaldo to pitch like the 2010 Ubaldo Jimenez that amazed everyone in the league.

Otherwise, the Indians may have made one of the worst trades in the history of baseball.

A Look At... The Indians 25 Man Roster

Well hello there favorite blog followers. I know I've been a bit absent on here for the last month, but with an expanding role at Spec, there's been a little less time—along with a not too much to talk about—to write on here. But lo and behold, I'm back and fired up for the Indians season to start.

Here's the deal, though—are the Indians really ready to compete for the 2012 AL Central crown with their current 25 man roster?

Let me put it simply—NO.

You know how the Indians have their "What If?" campaign? Yeah, that's very nice to have for marketing, but if you ask me, it's not the way you put a team together.

I've already weighed in on the Grady Sizemore injury, but that is really what got them into this mess. Yes, friends, it really came to the Indians reportedly trying to deal for Bobby Abreu—a 38 year old, washed-up has-been, who hit .253 with just eight HRs and 60 RBI. Now if Abreu were just injured or something, maybe he'd have a better cae for wanting to resurrect his career someplace else, but the man played 142 games!

But the sad part—and I mean really sad part—is that Abreu would've been a whole lot better than what we've gotten out of the crop of players that were supposed to compete for the LF job this spring.

No one, and I mean no one grabbed the bull by the horns and took that job away, which means—if things stay as they are right now–Shelly Duncan will be the opening day, regular left fielder for the Cleveland Indians.

Now, I like Shelly Duncan. I think he did a good job this spring, leading the team with six HRs and 19 RBI. But let's face it—the man is 32, and he's been a part-time player for his entire career! It's unrealistic, and perhaps a bit unfair, to all of a sudden rely on him to be a productive, everyday player.

And that brings me to the real purpose of this post—I'm going to go through the 25-man roster and place a "?" next to players I'm at least a little concerned about going into this year. You may or may not agree, but, let's see what we have, huh?

(By the by, the list comes from mlb.com Indians beat writer Jordan Bastian's blog.)

Indians rotation

1. RHP Justin Masterson
2. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (?)
3. RHP Derek Lowe
4. RHP Josh Tomlin
5. RHP Jeanmar Gomez (?)

Indians bullpen

CL Chris Perez
RHP Vinnie Pestano
LHP Tony Sipp
RHP Joe Smith
LHP Rafael Perez
RHP Dan Wheeler (?)
RHP Jairo Asencio

Indians projected lineup

1. Michael Brantley, CF (?)
2. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
3. Shin-Soo Choo, RF (?)
4. Carlos Santana, C
5. Travis Hafner, DH (?)
6. Casey Kotchman, 1B
7. Jason Kipnis, 2B
8. Shelley Duncan, LF (?)
9. Jack Hannahan, 3B (?)

Indians bench

INF Jose Lopez
INF/OF Jason Donald
OF Aaron Cunningham (?)
C Lou Marson

To be quite honest with you, I actually have less question marks than I expected.

Clearly, the biggest question is Ubaldo Jiminez—and he certainly didn't help his case by drilling Troy Tulowitzki yesterday afternoon. But he also had a pretty bad spring, with an ERA over 7. That's awful. The only way he's going to be able to combat the perception that he stinks is if he starts to pitch like someone who deserved to be traded for Drew Pomeranz and Alex White. And right now, that's not looking so great as Pomeranz will be in the Rockies rotation, and White will be in their bullpen. 

I put a mark by Jenmar Gomez simply because he hasn't been in the majors for a full season yet. But based on his Spring Training, I think he's going to be alright.

When you move to the position players and the lineup, there are more questions, but not too many. 

Michael Brantley simply needs to step up and keep his development going in the right direction as a major leaguer. I think he'll be able to do that. Keep in mind he's only 24.

Shin-Soo Choo could get rid of that question mark right away this season if he comes out and looks like the Choo everyone got to know between 08-10. He reportedly looked in fantastic shape during Spring Training, and should be able to get back to his .300 average, with 20 HRs and 80 RBI form. 

Hafner, though...he has the biggest question mark of all—besides the non-listed Grady Sizemore, of course. Can he actually stay healthy for a full season? I doubt it. But if he can play 140 games with a .280 average and, say, 25 HRs? I think the Indians would be way more than pleased with that. And so would I.

I've already gone over Shelly Duncan earlier, so I'll skip to Hannahan. He only has the question mark denotation because of his offense—I expect his defense to be solid. But will he be the man who figured out how to hit after his son was born in August of last season, or will he be the hitter he's been for the rest of his career. Again, the guy is 32, so it's a bit unfair to ask him to do something he's never been able to do before. But maybe he'll hit enough to get by. At least until Lonnie Chisenhall is ready to take his place from AAA.

As it stands right now, the Indians have done absolutely nothing to improve the offense since the end of last year, and are relying on people staying healthy the whole season, or doing things they've never done before in order to contend in the AL Central. 

So here's the deal—if there are so many questions about people who will be playing most of the games for the Tribe, there are just too many "What If?" questions for the Indians to be thought of as serious contenders in the division. 

I'll have more for Thursday as we get ready for Opening Day. And even though I just hit you with all that negativity, I'll explain then why the Indians could still be fun to watch this season.

Just three more days, Tribe fans. Can't wait!

~MAS