Tribe Talk Indians 2007

Can the Indians face facts and realize Victor Martinez doesn't have the defensive skills to catch in the big leagues. When Kelly Shoppach catches, the Indians have an ERA of about 2 runs less a game than when Martinez pitches. That is no suprise. The Indians should make the move and trade Casey Blake. That way, you can have Ryan Garko and Victor backup Shoppach. What are they waiting for. For more of my Indians coverage check out www.Clevelandleader.com.

Winter is here (well not really it seems to have taken a break in Cleveland this year) and you maybe unaware of the going-ons in the Tribe World... Not To Worry. Here is what the starters are shaping up to look like:


CF Grady Sizemore
LF David Dellucci
DH Travis Hafner
C Victor Martinez
1B Casey Blake
RF Chin-Soo Choo
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Andy Marte
2B Josh Barfield

Rotation:

LHP CC Sabathia
RHP Jake Westbrook
LHP Jeremy Sowers
LHP Cliff Lee
RHP Paul Byrd

The Rule 5 draft cost the Indians 2 prospects today. The first pick of the draft was former Buffalo Bison Ryan Goleski. Goleski was quickly traded by Tampa Bay, who had picked him, to the Oakland A's for cash. This begs the question: Why didn't the Indians trade him over there and get something for him? Goleski is a right handed hitter with loads of power. He had 27 HR's and 106 RBI while hitting over .300. He also has a cannon as he was voted the best arm in the minor leagues by Baseball America.

The Indians also lost right-hander Jim Ed Warden to the Phillies. The 27 year old is 6 foot 7. Both Warden and Goleski will have to stay on big league clubs for the entire season or the Tribe will get them back. The Indians will pick up $50,000 for each player selected today.

It looked like the Tigers were going to have a cakewalk, leading the whole game. They then made things interesting in the 9th with score 3-1 and closer Todd Jones on the hill. He induced a ground out with bases loaded. Molina grounded out to end the game.

Kenny Rogers once again pitched like the second coming of Whitey Ford and Babe Ruth (famous for not allowing runs in World Series play). Rogers went 8 scoreless innings and has not allowed a run all postseason. He was a the suspect of doctoring the ball has FOX Sports had a clip of a strange substance that may have been used to doctor the ball. The series moves on to St. Louis on Tuesday night at 8:30pm.

The Saint Louis Cardinals took game one of the World Series tonight in large part because of a homerun by Albert Pujols in third inning. With a base empty and leading by one Detroit Tiger manager Jim Leyland choose to pitch to the National League's most dangourous pitcher and it cost him dearly. That took the lead to 4-1 and the Tigers could never regain momentum or pose much of a threat against Cardinals starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.

What looked like a series had the makings of a walkover for the American League Champion Detroit Tigers now looks like it may become a dogfight. Although it looks like the Tigers have advantage when it comes to matchups one has to wonder if the wind has been taken out of their sails after a long delay waiting for the National League Series to end. The Tigers Justin Verlander took the loss for the Tigers as he pitched 5 Innings giving up 7 runs. Scott Rolen also hit a homerun for the The Cardinals.

The final score was 7-2, with the Cardinals taking the first win of the series.

World Series Matchups

The World Series is here and here at Cleveland Leader we predict that the Tigers will take the series in 5 games against the Cardinals. The difference will be the Tigers pitching. The Cardinals were already lacking starting pitching and the relief pitching is probably too tired to make any sort of difference in the series. Here is how the teams stack up:

First Base:

Detroit: Sean Casey is hurting and but the Tigers are counting on him playing the in the series. The Ex Indian hit .245 with 5 Home Runs and 30 RBI since coming over from the National League in a trade.

St Louis: Albert Pujols is the best hitter in the game right now. He hit .331 with 49 HR's and 137 RBI's in an injury shortened year. The Tigers better beware.

Edge: We think St Louis has at the edge at this posisition (suprise suprise)

Second Base:

Detroit: Placido Polanco has been the Tigers go to guy in the Post Season. He his hitting .471 and has onbase percentage over .500 in October. The Second hitter in the lineup hit .295 with 4HR's.

St Louis: We know Ronnie Belliard well around these parts. His bat hasn't been as potent since coming over to the Cardinals in the midseason trade but I think Belliard is the type of player who could shine in the national limelite.

Edge: EVEN

Shortstop:

Detroit: Carlos Guillen is a leader on the Tigers. Hitting .320 on the year with speed and power he is an offensive force for the Tigers. He will be the Tigers 1st Baseman if Casey is unable to go.

St Louis: David Eckstein is struggling through injuries. The shortstop has World Series experience but his aching body probably will force him to be a liability in this years Fall Classic.

Edge: Detroit

Third Base:

Detroit: Braden Inge is a not hitting this post season. He is a low average power hitting sort of offensive player. Defensive he'll make all the plays.

St Louis: Scott Rolen seems to be one of those players that can hit in the regular season and is a wreck in postseason. It has happened time and time again. He also has bad luck getting robbed of a sure homerun in game 7 against the Mets. His defensive is great. Scott Spezio has subbed in for him of late because he has had the hot hand.

Edge: Even

Left Field:

Detroit: Craig Monroe is another low average big power guy. 28 HR's and 92 RBI make him a real threat.

St Louis: This is left field by committee for the Cards. Preston Wilson hit .263 with 17 HR's and 72 RBI along with 12 Stolen Bases this year. So Taguchi and Scott Spezio will sub in.

Edge: Detroit

Center Field:

Detroit: Curtis Granderson has had a huge postseason. The leadoff hitter for the Tigers looks to continue the success he has had in the World Series. Putting the bat on the ball is the main concern as he struck out 174 during the regular season (not what you want from a leadoff man)

St Louis: Jim Edmonds is a throwback kind of player. Old and gritty and will do anything it takes to catch a ball. He battled injuries this year but look for him to come back strong in the spotlite.

Edge: St Louis

Right Field

Detroit: Magglio Ordonez is the Tigers Albert Pujols. A great hitter who seems to come through in clutch situations. He hit .298 with 24 HR's and 104 RBI this year.

St Louis: Juan Encarnacion is a player that the Cards probably they wish they hadn't signed. He is making 15 Million over 3 years and is doing what any average outfielder can do in the league. He hit .278 with 19 HR's this season.

Edge: Detroit

Bench Play: The Tigers and Cardinals both have classic benches. Probably a reason they got as far as they have this year. The Tigers have the luxury of having great defensive and timely bats. The Cardinals have Scott Spezio who plays in the infield and outfield and So Taguchi who will most likely play a role in the Series. Both benches are good so there is no edge going either way.

Pitching

Detroit: This is where the Tigers will take the World Champonship. They have better Starting and Relief pitching the Cardinals. Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, and Justin Verlander make up a great threesome. The Relief Pitching is deadly Todd Jones as closer surrounded by fireballer Joel Zumaya. Look for the Tigers to turn the game into 6 or 7 Innings and close it out in the end. The scary thing for the Cards is that Tigers pitching is well rested. Watch out!

St Louis: Jeff Suppan, Anthony Reyes, and Jeff Weaver are average starting pitchers. Chris Carpenter is last years Cy Young Award Winner but he can't win the whole thing by himself. The Bullpen has been solid but there are no standouts.

Team Outcome:
Season Record: 78-84
Division Finish: 4th
Offensive Ranking: Tied for 2nd in AL (Tied for 2nd in MLB) - Based on Batting Average
Pitching Ranking: 6th in AL (11th in MLB) - Based on ERA
Fielding Ranking: 12th in AL (24th in MLB) - Based on Team Fielding Percentage

Individual Offensive Leaders:
Batting Average Leader: Victor Martinez (.316)
Home Run Leader: Travis Hafner (42)
RBI Leader: Travis Hafner (117)
Stolen Base Leader: Grady Sizemore (22)
Total Bases Leader: Grady Sizemore (349)
Offensive MVP: Grady Sizemore

Individual Pitching Leaders:
ERA Leader: CC Sabathia (3.22)
Wins Leader: Jake Westbrook (15)
Saves Leader: Bob Wickman (15)
Innings: Jake Westbrook (211.1)
Strike Out Leader: CC Sabathia (179)
Pitching MVP: CC Sabathia

Its kinda of scary looking at the stats. When your team is second in the league in offensive stats and your pitching is sixth in the league you should most likely make the playoffs. However, if you just followed the team a little, you know that the Indians problems revolved around defense and relief pitching. I have stated my times that the Tribes problems when the Indians signed journeyman starter Jason Johnson for a large contract and let star reliever Bob Howry sign with another team.

So where does that lead us to 2007? Well, the offensive and starting pitching look fantastic, With bats like Sizemore, Hafner, Martinez, and young sluggers that are coming into their own the team does not need to worry about putting runs on the board. Starting pitching is a dream that most teams dream about. Lee, Wesstbrook, Sabathia, Byrd, and Sowers make a great starting five. Defense and Bullpen help, and a catcher is what the team needs to shop for this offseason.

The defense's problems will be resolved for the most part with a new catcher. Victor Martinez cannot throw out Babe Ruth if he was stealing and he has been dead for 60 years. The bullpen is going to be costly for the Tribe to fix and hopefully the Dolan's will be able to afford it and the Tribe is able to find someone to fit the needs.

For the most part the Indians outlook looks good. I am a little scared that anytime the Indians look like they are on the way to something they choke. In 2004 they melted down once they were in contention, in 2005 it looked like a World Champion team until the last week when they started to get beat by sub 500 teams in the last week, and this years expectations seemed to bring the team to play poorly. Hopefully Wedge and Shapiro will be able to fix these problems with a veteran leader that will bring this team deep into the playoffs in 2007.

Jason Johnson is a name that Indians fans will remember for a long time to come. It is not for masterful pitching performances or one big win but its how he spoiled an entire season for the Indians. I was against getting this bum from the start. They gave him millions of dollars that could have gone to Bob Howry. The Tribe could of promoted either Sowers or Carmona to be the seldom used 5th starter in April and May and see where they stood but they threw money at Johnson and the season has been ruined because of it. Since they have gotten over the Johnson hangover the Tribe looks like the team we saw in the second half of 2005. I really think that Mark Shapiro owes the fans an apology for letting the team and the city down with what was probably the worse off season movie in all of baseball this year.

The Indians Rallied back from a 4-0 deficit yesterday but lost again. More bad news for the Indians as starting right fielder Casey Blake has been put on the DL with an ankle injury and is most likely finished for the 2006 season.

Indians Left Hander Cliff Lee has agreed to a 3 year contract extension. Lee, who won 18 games last season, is thought to be a major piece of the Indians future.