How does a guy with numbers like that continue to start? Then, as I watched the Indians take their hacks in the bottom halves of the first few innings, I thought to myself, how do these guys actually get playing time? So I figured I'd come on here and break it down. Let's take a look at a position by position breakdown of the Cleveland Baseball Indians, and comment on whether they're an MLB-caliber player.
Catchers:Lou Marson is the starter most nights. Marson is a career .225 hitter with 7 RBI's in his career.
MLB worthy? No.
Mike Redmond, who is primarily Marson's backup, has been in the majors for 13 years. His best season was a 1 HR/38 RBI/.294 AVG year.
MLB-worthy? No.
First base:
Russell Branyan is the everyday first baseman. He's played nearly 1,000 games in his career with 168 Home Runs. He's also a career .233 hitter.
MLB worthy? Only as a power bat on your bench.
Second base:
Mark Grudzielanek is the starting second baseman on most nights. He's a career .290 hitter who has more than 2,000 hits in his career.
MLB worthy? Yes.
Luis Valbuena was the Opening Day starter but is now the primary backup due to not understanding what 'defense' is. He's a career .232 hitter with more strikeouts than hits in his career.
MLB worthy? No.
Shortstop:
Jason Donald is now the starting shortstop due to Asdrubal Cabrera breaking his forearm. This year marked his MLB debut, and is 3-for-22 on the season thus far.
MLB worthy? No.
Third base:
Jhonny Peralta is the everyday third baseman. Career .264 hitter with 100 Home Runs.
MLB worthy? Bad teams would start him, so yes, he qualifies.
Designated Hitter:
Travis Hafner can be described very easily. He was amazing when he first came up and was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Then he got hurt three years ago and hasn't been the same. He's still a decent bat towards the bottom of your lineup, but nothing like the 40+ HR guy we saw initially.
MLB worthy? Yes
Shelley Duncan is the backup DH. Doesn't get hardly any playing time, and is a career minor leaguer.
MLB worthy? No.
Left field:
Austin Kearns is the starting left fielder. He's a guy who's been in the majors for a decade now, and has only started a full season once. Typically, he's been a platoon player his entire career.
MLB worthy? Debatable
Matt LaPorta is the backup left fielder. He's a career .240 hitter who was supposed to be the next big thing but has yet to pan out. Also was supposed to be a big power bat, but has 8 HR's in his career.
MLB worthy? No.
Center field:
Usually manned by All-Star Grady Sizemore, Trevor Crowe is now the current starting center fielder. Sizemore has been bothered by injuries for the better part of two years now, and Crowe has taken over the spot. Crowe's only ability is to steal bases. Other than that, he's got no power and can't hit for a solid average.
MLB worthy? No.
Right field:
Shin-Soo Choo is the starting right fielder and is a five tool talent. He hits for average, he has power, he can steal bases, he can play defense, and he has an amazing arm. There isn't a single team in the majors who wouldn't want Choo.
MLB worthy? Absolutely.
Starting Pitchers:
Jake Westbrook is the 'ace' of the staff. He had Tommy John surgery back in 2008 and missed the better part of two full seasons. He's an ace on this staff, but he'd be an end of the rotation guy on better teams. Career record of 65-66 with an ERA above 4.50.
MLB worthy? Yes
Fausto Carmona is the only other starter in the rotation who has proven he can win games on a consistent basis. Only problem is that he's only done it once out of four seasons. When he can command his pitches, he's tough to beat. Generally, he can't though.
MLB worthy? Yes.
Justin Masterson has one win in his career with the Indians. He is capable of throwing one pitch, and one pitch only--a sinker. His career ERA is almost as bad as his career record.
MLB worthy? No.
David Huff's career ERA is 5.51 over his 31 starts. Enough said.
MLB worthy? No.
Mitch Talbot is at the end of this Indians rotation pitching in the majors for the first time in his career. So far, he's 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA. He has very solid stuff, and could turn into a solid young pitcher over time.
MLB worthy? Too early to tell, but all signs point to yes.
The Bullpen:
Kerry Wood is the closer. When he's not hurt, he usually pitches well.
MLB worthy? Yes.
Chris Perez, the love child of Ricky Vaughn and Kenny Powers, appears to be the closer of the future. He has electric stuff, and gets the job done most of the time. He does have a wild side though.
MLB worthy? Yes.
The youngster Tony Sipp has become a solid 7th/8th inning guy for the Tribe. He's usually good for a walk an inning, but overall he does what he needs to do.
MLB worthy? All signs point to yes.
Aaron Laffey is a starter turned long innings bullpen guy. He still should be starting (see: Justin Masterson), but isn't. A solid bullpen guy and a solid fill-in starter.
MLB worthy? Yes.
Rafael Perez is one of the worst relievers I've ever seen. Shouldn't even be allowed in Single A ball, let alone the Majors.
MLB worthy? No.
Hector Ambriz, while young, is already proving to people that he doesn't have the capabilites to go an inning without giving up a run.
MLB worthy? No.
Jamey Wright has pitched 1,700 innings in his career, and has given up nearly 1,000 runs. You do the math. How in the hell has he been around long enough to pitch 1,700 innings?
MLB worthy? No.
Final Countdown:
MLB worthy players on the Indians: 9
Potentially MLB worthy players: 2
Debatable players: 2
Non-MLB worthy players: 12
So there you have it. Over half of the entire Indians roster is filled with guys who have no right being in the majors. Essentially, this is a glorified AAA team. The Dolans dragged the team into this hole, and until they sell the team to someone who is willing to spend money, they'll be at the bottom of the barrel for a while.
Hope for the Indians? Long gone, for the foreseeable future.
1 comment:
you know with Cleveland's luck Choo will get recalled for his service in the South Korean military just as Cleveland looks like its getting it turned around.
Post a Comment