The Indians organization decided to make a managerial move after the 2009 season. They hired former Nationals manager Manny Acta. The Indians finished in fourth place with a 69-93 record. The Indians did not do well against their own division, finishing with a record of 34-38. The team struggled mostly against the Minnesota Twins, finishing 6-12 against them last season. The move to sign Manny Acta as the new manager of the Indians was questionable at best. After the 2010 results, I really begin to wonder whether the Indians really want to win again. Before managing the Indians, Acta finished with a record of 158-252 in Washington before being fired by the Nationals in 2009.
The Indians have a nice core group of players on field headlined by catcher Carlos Santana. Santana acquired from the Dodgers in the Casey Blake deal, played in 46 games last season before undergoing a season-ending knee surgery in August. Santana looks like he will be completely healed and in an Indians uniform come Opening Day. The Indians also have outfielders Shin Soo-Choo and Michael Brantley. Choo, acquired by the Indians from the Mariners in 2006, hit .300 with 22 home runs and 90 RBI last season. Choo has made the most out of his opportunity in Cleveland and has cemented himself as the number three hitter in the lineup. Brantley, the former draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, played in 72 games last year for the Indians. Brantley figures to get the everyday job in left field for the Tribe in 2011.
Grady Sizemore was considered one of the best young players in the game after the 2008 season. Unfortunately for Sizemore, the last two years have not been so kind. Sizemore has played a grand total of 139 games in the last two seasons. Last season, Sizemore only played in 33 games and hit .211 with no home runs and 13 RBI. It’s already not looking good for Sizemore in 2011. The outfielder is not expected to be ready for Opening Day. If the Indians want to be anywhere near competitive, they are going to need Sizemore to be healthy and productive.
The Indians rotation is predominantly made up of pieces they have acquired in trades within the last three seasons or so. Aside from Fausto Carmona and Josh Tomlin, other teams drafted Justin Masterson, Mitch Talbot, and Carlos Carrasco before joining the Indians. This rotation has a lot of potential and could very well be one of the best rotations in the American League in the next few seasons. There had been some rumors that the Indians were looking to move Carmona during the offseason. I happen the think that it would not be such a bad idea. With the exception of his career year in 2007 (19-8, 3.06), Carmona has not been the ace-type pitcher that the Indians need. Since 2007, Carmona has posted a record of 26-33 with an ERA of 5.42 in 456.1 innings. To put these numbers into perspective, pitchers Justin Masterson, Mitch Talbot, Carlos Carrasco, and Josh Tomlin combined to finish 24-32 with an ERA of 4.49 in 457 innings last season.
Another bright spot for the Cleveland Indians was the emergence of closer Chris Perez. Perez was acquired from the Cardinals in the Mark DeRosa deal in 2009. Perez was given the opportunity to close out games for the Indians because of an injury to Kerry Wood last season. Perez performed so well in the closer’s role that the organization sent Wood to the Yankees at the trading deadline. The former University of Miami Hurricane pitched 63 innings and recorded 23 saves while posting an ERA of 1.71. Perez is projected to be the Indians’ closer for the 2011 season.
This Indians team will more than likely finish in the cellar of the AL Central in 2011. It’s definitely a shame because the team has tremendous talent all around. If the Indians want to have a fighting chance for the wild card, the starting rotation will have to be a lot more consistent. In addition to consistency, players like Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner will have remain healthy throughout the season and be productive at the plate. I’m not sure that the recipe for success includes manager Manny Acta, but I guess we’ll have to let the season play out and decide whether the Indians made the correct managerial move. Until then, look for the Indians to find a way to lose games rather than finding a way to win games.
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