30 Clubs in 30 Days: No. 27 Cleveland Indians

It’s hard to believe the Indians are just a few years removed from that exciting ALCS with the Boston Red Sox. Since then the Tribe have not made the playoffs and have routinely been cellar dwellers in the AL Central with their partner in losing, the Kansas City Royals. In 2011 the Indians will move on from the Eric Wedge era, and have a lot of talent coming off of significant injuries. The Tribe certainly are a talented bunch but there are just too many questions for me to confidently rank them higher than No. 27.

No. 27 Cleveland Indians

Projected Rotation

1. Fausto Carmona-RHP
2. Justin Masterson-RHP
3. Carlos Carrasco-RHP
4. Mitch Talbot-RHP
5. Josh Tomlin-RHP

Projected Bullpen

1. Chris Perez-RHP
2. Joe Smith-RHP
3. Rafael Perez-LHP
4. Tony Sipp-LHP
5. Justin Germano-RHP
6. Vinnie Pestano-RHP
7. Josh Judy-RHP

Projected Lineup

1. CF Grady Sizemore
2. SS Asdrubal Cabrera
3. RF Shin-Soo Choo
4. C Carlos Santana
5. DH Travis Hafner
6. 1B Matt LaPorta
7. 3B Jayson Nix
8. 2B Orlando Cabrera
9. LF Michael Brantley

Analysis

The batting order is a group filled with a lot of talented but filled with even more questions than when the team broke camp with Willie Mays-Hays, Rick Vaughn, Jake Taylor and Pedro Cerano as the projected stars. However, that team was able to beat the Yankees in a one game playoff to reach the postseason; sadly the 2011 Tribe won’t be so lucky.

Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana are both coming off significant knee injuries but are expected to be ready for the season. Shin-Soo Choo had a fantastic 2010, hitting .300 with 22 homers and 90 RBI. Power hitter and possibly the scariest looking player in baseball, Travis Hafner can still belt it but can seem to figure out how to stay healthy or hit consistently. After they’ll be relying on Matt LaPorta who still hasn’t panned out to be the star player they thought he would be, journey man Orlando Cabrera who will provide stability but little else, and then there’s not much else to write home about.

Now I’m not as down on this group as a #27 ranking would indicate and if they can stay healthy they will be fun to watch. I just have no confidence that each one of these players can live up to their potential in 2011. Santana is clearly one of the most talented young players in the game but we have no idea how he’ll bounce back from the knee injury that ended his rookie campaign last season. Some people think Grady Sizemore can bounce back and be the all-star of old, those people must have missed the 33 games he played last year where he hit .211 with zero home runs. On top of that the chances that Grady will play a full season are slim at best.

The signing of Orlando Cabrera is a bigger move than it’s been made out to be. Cabrera has bounced around a lot but always seems to be on a playoff team and is a very respected veteran presence. Cabrera will bring a lot to this Indians locker room that hasn’t been there before and will help their young guys come around much quicker. Unfortunately Cabrera will not be contending for a batting title, which is about the only thing that can save the Indians from finishing at the bottom of the American League Central.

The Tribe’s best player without a doubt is Shin-Soo Choo who has hit at least .300 or better in the last three seasons. Choo is one of those players who don’t get a lot of love because of the team he plays for but he has silently solidified himself as an elite hitter in the game. Choo is due for another great season and could belt 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the first time to go along with his .300 average.

Now comes the painful part that all of the teams we’ve covered so far have in common: pitching. Whether it’s starting pitching or relief pitching the Indians are just too far behind. I have a lot of respect for Carmona who is the ace of the staff, but he’s a number two guy at best. Justin Masterson has some talent, but he’s not ready to form a dynamic one-two punch with Fausto; and after that everything is up in the air.

The news doesn’t get much better for Tribe fans after that, as the bullpen has even more questions than the starting rotation. Chris Perez has won the closing role after converting 23 saves last season with a 1.71 ERA. That’s a pretty good year considering he had just nine saves in the previous three seasons combined. If Perez can backup his first big season then he’ll lead what will otherwise be a decently solid bullpen. It just won’t be solid enough to offset everything else that’s going on in The Forest City. Sorry Clevelanders, 2011 will not be the year the Indians help you forget about Lebron James.