Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

As some of you know, I like coining phrases at the beginning of each Spring Training that will come to define the season for the Indians. Following the success of last year's club and the phrase "Tribe in '05," I, like many fans, had high expectations for the team. With that in mind, I figured "Bang on the Sticks, Tribe in '06" might provide the spark the team needed to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. However, the inability to replace key components of the '05 Tribe, a shaky bullpen, and a pathetic defense combined to doom the 2006 Indians.

Following the heart-wrenching campaign of 2005, General Manager Mark Shapiro faced a difficult task with starter Kevin Millwood and reliever Bob Howry commanding significant salaries on the free agent market. The closer, ageless Bob Wickman was also a free agent, thus a more dominant replacement was also a need. Adding a right-handed bat with some power rounded out the GM's wishlist. To replace Millwood, Shapiro landed free agent Paul Byrd who proved inconsistent, failing to come close to duplicating the numbers or the leadership of Millwood. The trade that sent Coco Crisp to the Red Sox brought veteran reliever Guillermo Mota along with top third base prospect, Andy Marte. In a seperate deal, Jason Michael joined the Tribe to play left field in place of Crisp. Unable to lure BJ Ryan or Trevor Hoffman to Cleveland, Shapiro brought back Ole' Milwaukee, Bob Wickman. His final acquisitions included Jason Johnson as a fifth starter from Detroit and Eduardo Perez as the right handed bat to platoon with Ben Broussard at first base.

The signing of Byrd, Johnson, and Michaels failed to improve the club and hurt the team's chemistry, a critical element to the success of the 2005 club. When Johnson was finally put on waivers in June with an ERA of 5.96, an Indians clubhouse official said no tears would be shed over his departure due to his cold, introverted personality. Byrd managed an ERA of 9.00 during April and did his best to remind Tribe fans of the movie classic, Major League II when he brawled with Wickman following an extra innings loss to Chicago in June. Michaels gets grouped with Johnson and Byrd because of the guy he replaced: Coco Crisp, one of the most popular guys in the clubhouse and whose departure shook up the clubhouse a great deal.

The bullpen, besieged by injuries in April, imploded during the first half of the season. Guillermo Mota and Fernando Cabrera exhibited an exquisite knack for missing the strike zone regularly, a trait later passed on to Fausto Carmona. Wickman, pitching on a buzz from all the chewing tobacco he put in his lip, managed to save just enough games to make him look effective, but heart-breaking losses to the White Sox and Reds on the same road trip in June, effectively ended any hopes for the Indians recovering from their early-season misfortunes.

When the bullpen wasn't screwing things up, the defense managed to lose games almost single-handedly. With the Indians clinging to a one run lead against the Cardinals June 29th, Catcher Kelly Shoppach dropped a popup in front of the plate that turned into a two-base error to lead off the ninth. Wickman promptly gave up the game tying double, but the game still looked destined for extra innings when the hefty closer induced a two out groundball to shortstop Jhonny Peralta with a runner on third. Peralta's throw in the dirt skipped by Victor Martinez who made a wild wave of his arm in some awful attempt to pick the ball. Martinez was playing first base as a result of his horrific defense against basestealers. In a game in July, the Yankees managed to steal six bases against the 2005 all-star backstop. Though he showed improvement during the second half of the season, his status as a catcher is one question facing Shapiro this offseason. Besides Martinez, Peralta and third basemen Aaron Boone consistently found themselves out of position, exhibiting a lack of range on the left side of the infield that devastated the Indians over the course of the season.

The play of Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and the rest of the offense were one reason the team was occasionally worth watching this year. Hafner (6) and the Indians team (14) tied the Major League record for grand slams in a season. The Indians finished second in the Majors in runs scored as Sizemore led all big leaguers in extra base hits and runs scored. The two budding stars were repeatedly at the center of big innings for the Indians this season. Hafner, despite missing all of September, hit 42 home runs, finishing in the top five in walks, home runs, on base percentage, and slugging. The play of these two stars provide Tribe fans with at least two reasons to be excited for the 2007 season.

With the Indians out of contention by the all-star break, the organization was able to get a good look at some of the prospects they hope will fill in the question marks for the 2007 campaign. However, many questions still exist surrounding the bullpen, and most of the position players. Below is my general breakdown of the team of the Indians roster and how I see them contributing to the 2007 team.

Starters: C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, Paul Byrd, Jeremy Sowers
Despite the team's struggles as a whole, the starters pitched tremendously the final two months of the regular season. The Indians led the league in complete games with thirteen. Sabathia put together a solid, and more importantly consistent season for the first time in his career. Cliff Lee proved himself a capable starter but failed to build upon his 18 win campaign of 2005. He must learn how to lower his pitch count. His option picked up, Jake Westbrook returns next season, having established himself as the new Charles Nagy. Byrd failed to live up to the organization's expectations but promised at season's end to return to form in 2007. Sowers looked fantastic as a rookie and the Indians hope he can continue to display his Maddux-esqe control in 2007.

Bullpen: The bullpen will undergo a complete overhaul as the team is in dire need of a veteran closer. Wickman, traded at midseason to the Braves, has already received a two year extension from the Braves, a sign of the extreme scarcity of available closers. The market is absurdly thin and bullpen help is a priority for the majority of the league. Thus, the Indians will have to either spend significant money or get creative in resolving the question mark at the closer position. Rafael Betancourt, Fernando Cabrera, Matt Miller, and Fausto Carmona will figure prominently in the configuration of the makeup of the 2007 pen. However, it all starts with the closer position...

Infield: Aaron Boone's departure is a forgone conclusion and the position will be up for grabs between Andy Marte and Kevin Kouzmanoff, two young right-handed bats with power who showed glimpses of their potential at the end of 2006. Each player remains a large question mark because Wedge desires steady production and solid defense from the position and both players have failed to distinguish themselves. Underachieving Jhonny Peralta will return at shortstop for the Indians in '07 and the organization just hopes he can revert back to his '05 form. During much of the season, Peralta looked off balance and uncomfortable at the plate, finishing in the top five in strikeouts. His defensive range must improve, but when he does get to the ball, his fielding percentage is respectable. The duo of Joe Inglett and Hector Luna manned second base following the trade of Ronnie Belliard, and Inglett provided a spark with the bat at times. However, neither player is a proven second basemen nor does either have a lock on the position. Ryan Garko shared time at first base with Victor Martinez, and displayed timely hitting with some power. His defense is a big question and given the possibility of a youth movement in the infield, a merely adequate defensive first basemen is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, there are more questions on the infield than answers. Beyond Peralta, it is difficult to predict who will be the opening day infield for the Tribe next season. I like Garko at first but I am not sold on the current options at second and third base.

Catcher: Victor Martinez continues to hit consistently for average but his defense behind the plate proved a major liability most of the year. Kelly Shoppach is an excellent defensive catcher and a decent hitter but will not see much action unless Martinez is moved to first base.

Outfield: Grady Sizemore will be patrolling centerfield for the Indians next season and beyond. His exceptional skills combined with his work ethic give him the chance to be an all star for years to come. Jason Michaels failed to distinguish himself in his first full season as a starting left fielder. It will be interesting to see if he gets another year to prove himself. I don't believe he will. He may be better suited as a fourth outfielder, his previous occupation. Shin Soo Choo hit well in his stint with the Indians, following his arrival to Cleveland in late July. There is a possibility that he could be the rightfielder next season, but I only see that happening if the Indians acquire a power-hitting right-handed hitter to man leftfield. Casey Blake is Mr. Versatility and will get playing time at up to six positions next season. The Indians don't seem to have any minor league outfielder capable of unseating the guys mentioned above.

I suspect a busy offseason for the Indians as they try to reconfigure the team to compete in 2007. Playing in arguably the most difficult division in baseball, it will be a struggle for the team to compete for the Central crown in 2007. However, fans of the Tigers last winter were probably uttering a similar phrase. So for now, we can think to our own image of heaven and imagine: Tribe in '07.