Chris Assenheimer: Some questions about the Tribe’s second half … and some answers, too
Chris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram
The Indians limped into the second half Friday an unlucky 13 games out of first place in the Central Division, 12 games under .500 and threatening to go from first to worst, as they lingered in the basement — behind the freaking Royals — of a division they won less than a year ago.
You may think there aren’t many questions confronting the Indians over the remainder of the season other than maybe, “How much worse can they get?” But here are a few things to ponder as the Tribe puts the wraps on a 2008 to forget:
THE QUESTION: Will the Indians remain competitive, as they were heading into the All-Star break against Tampa Bay (the majors’ top team at the time), or was that just an aberration?
THE ANSWER: I’m going with aberration. The Rays came in riding a losing streak, and though the Indians played well, they can’t win on a consistent basis with the lineup they’re running out there. The real question here will be whether they can stay out of the division basement, no small task, with the Royals producing, sadly enough, a similar product.
THE QUESTION: Will Cliff Lee be the second straight Indians pitcher to win the American League’s Cy Young Award?
THE ANSWER: Probably not. The league’s top pitching honor almost always goes to someone on a playoff-contending team, and surprisingly enough, that’s not a description that fits Lee. And though, as AL All-Star manager Terry Francona said, no one else’s numbers measured up to Lee’s at the break, he’s got to keep that going while pitching for a team playing for next year, and even that most likely won’t be enough. He’s a lock for comeback player of the year though, after spending a large part of last season banished to the minors.
THE QUESTION: Will the Indians trade anyone else?
THE ANSWER: Hey, if they’re willing to deal their ace CC Sabathia for a pack of prospects, why not? I know I just answered a question with another one, but the point is general manager Mark Shapiro has said before that very few players on his roster are untouchable, and one of the ones considered to have previously fit that bill is pitching for Milwaukee these days. If anyone goes, the most-rumored candidates have been Paul Byrd and Casey Blake. Blake’s having a nice season, but losing him or Byrd would not be a substantial blow … though what are you going to get for two mediocre players like these?
THE QUESTION: Will Grady Sizemore become the first Cleveland player since Albert Belle in 1995 to lead the league in home runs, doing so out of the leadoff spot?
THE ANSWER: If he does, it would be quite an accomplishment for a player who bats first and, at the age of 25, is already one of the majors’ elite performers. There’s no reason to believe that, with the Indians out of contention, Sizemore’s production will sag in the second half. He plays the game the same way every night no matter what the situation — all out. He might not lead the league in homers, but he’s on pace to hit 39 of them, while stealing 38 bases, which would make him the second player in Cleveland history —Joe Carter in 1987 — to produce 30 or more homers and stolen bases in the same season.
THE QUESTION: Will we see Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez before the season is complete?
THE ANSWER: Both are expected to play again in 2008, Martinez sooner than Hafner, who continues to linger on the disabled list with a mysterious shoulder ailment. Neither will be back in time to rescue the Indians, who suffered mightily without the pair — in usual form — in the middle of the lineup. It will be interesting to see if Hafner returns to the offensive funk that has engulfed him since the end of last year.
THE QUESTION: Will prized prospect Matt LaPorta make his big league debut?
THE ANSWER: If the Indians continue to linger at the bottom of the division, which is almost certain, he had better. Sure, he’s still on the Double-A level, but the power-hitting mega-prospect is expected to be promoted soon and was just chosen to play for the U.S. national team in the Beijing Olympics. Fans want to see the high-profiled bounty from the Sabathia trade, and they want to see him yesterday.
THE QUESTION: Will the Indians find a closer for next year?
THE ANSWER: They’re going to try and find out with Japanese import Masa Kobayashi, who will fill the role until the end of the season. But the 34-year-old Kobayashi, a veteran of nine JPL seasons, is en route to reaching a career-high innings total, and at this stage, is probably better suited for the setup role he held before closer Joe Borowski was released and Rafael Betancourt failed miserably as his replacement. Odds are good the Indians will be searching for a closer on the free-agent market this winter.
THE QUESTION: Will Ryan Garko prove he can hold down the starting job at first base?
THE ANSWER: I’m not so sure he hasn’t already proved the opposite. Garko could go on to have a wonderful second half and finish with respectable numbers, but where was he when the Indians’ offensive inefficiencies harpooned their season? He was mired in a miserable slide, producing in just one stretch throughout the first half. The Indians have to have more production from first base, and are trying to find out if Garko is the one to give it to them. So far, he hasn’t built a strong enough case.
THE QUESTION: What happened to Franklin Gutierrez?
THE ANSWER: What looked as though it could be a breakout year has been anything but for a guy that was handed the starting job in right field when the Indians chose not to re-sign Trot Nixon or Kenny Lofton. He’s had a whole half to figure out things at the plate — such as actually making contact with a breaking ball — and still doesn’t get it. It will be back to platooning — at best — for Gutierrez, who now has to contend with Shin-Soo Choo, a better hitter with a better arm.
THE QUESTION: Has Asdrubal Cabrera made the proper adjustments in the minors?
THE ANSWER: If tearing it up at the plate for Triple-A Buffalo is any indication, then, yes. But the reason this slick-fielding middle infielder was sent down in the first place is because he didn’t counter adjustments made by big league pitchers in the opening half. The jury is still out in that department. Cabrera could be the shortstop of the future, with Jhonny Peralta moving to third, but not if he can’t hit at least satisfactorily on the major-league level.
THE QUESTION: What will the Indians find out by playing Andy Marte on a regular basis?
THE ANSWER: That they made a mistake in trading for him. In flashes, the former can’t-miss prospect shows what all the hub-bub over him once was, but he doesn’t look anything like a starting third baseman for a championship-caliber club, and with the Indians at least considering playing Peralta there, there’s no room for Marte and his sub-.200 batting average.
THE QUESTION: Will manager Eric Wedge lose his job?
THE ANSWER: Not a chance. Shapiro hand-picked this guy and will point to injuries and performance issues that were out of Wedge’s hands this year — and he’ll have a good argument. After all, Wedge is the defending AL manager of the year, and brought his team within a win of the World Series in 2007. The temperature on Wedge’s seat won’t start getting warm unless the Indians have a few more seasons like this, and there’s no guarantee he will take the fall even then.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Chris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram July 20th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 2% |
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