Who Are These Guys?

I can't figure out who the Indians are.

Two weeks ago, they swept the Devil Rays at home.

One week ago, they got swept by the Devil Rays, and eventually lost 7 straight.

This weekend, they beat Oakland in games started by Barry Zito, Rich Harden, and Tim Hudson. The Indians starters were Cliff Lee, Joe Dawley, and Jason Davis.

Looking past the events of the weekend, which don't really say much about how good the Indians are, what's more encouraging is the apparent renaissance of Jason Davis as a big-league pitcher, and the real strength of this team, the first five hitters in the lineup. And Ronnie Belliard against left-handers.

Baseball Prospectus lists VORP (Value over Replacement Player) by position. Here's where Lawton, Vizquel, Gerut, Martinez, Hafner, and Belliard rank among American League players for their position:

Matt Lawton - 17.3 (4th)
Omar Vizquel - 14.2 (4th)
Jody Gerut - 14.7 (2nd)
Victor Martinez - 15.5 (4th)
Travis Hafner - 19.5 (3rd)
Ronnie Belliard - 20.9 (2nd)

Note that Gerut for this exercise is still considered mainly a right fielder.

Now, I'll delve a little deeper into these top five hitters.

Versus right-handed pitching, the first five in the Indians' order is a nightmare:

Matt Lawton - .342/.410/.556/.966
Omar Vizquel - .350/.447/.427/.874
Jody Gerut - .349/.444/.594/1.038
Victor Martinez - .333/.388/.618/1.006
Travis Hafner - .330/.414/.670/1.085

But against left-handed pitching, the nightmare is on the Indians:

Matt Lawton - .274/.343/.355/.698
Omar Vizquel - .233/.256/.329/.585
Jody Gerut - .192/.292/.256/.549
Victor Martinez - .176/.295/.333/.628
Travis Hafner - .259/.348/.345/.693

So, you see why the Indians have the major's worst record versus a left-handed starter. The obvious conclusion is that the Indians absolutely positively need a lefty-masher. In theory, that shouldn't be too difficult to come by, and the Indians have recently acquired two of them in Ryan Ludwick and prospect Franklin Gutierrez. But Ludwick is probably out until after the All-Star Break, and Gutierrez is a good 2 years away from any meaningful contribution. A guy who was supposed to help, Alex Escobar, hasn't really provided anything at all. So you're left with Ronnie Belliard, Lou Merloni at first (!), and pray for rain.

Thank goodness Kenny Rogers pitched on Sunday.

Transactions

Recalled RHSP Joe Dawley to Cleveland

Designated RHSP Chad Durbin for Assignment

Dawley will probably get one shot at a start, but given the current starting situation, if he's half-way decent, he might stick around for a couple weeks. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the need for a 5th starter has provided a chance for a guy who, quite frankly, needs it. He's only had a couple cups of coffee with the Atlanta Braves, and has had pretty good strikeout ratios his entire professional career. He struck out 73 in 56.2 IP last year, and whiffed 136 in 140 innings in 2002, both with Richmond.

Another guy the Indians brought in is Lou Pote, formerly of the Anaheim Angels, and fresh off a short stint in Japan. Pote is more of a middle reliever, a guy who's probably at his best throwing 3-4 inning stretches. He'll most likely be the longman for this team, and may snag a spot start or two if he sticks around long enough.

The Indians have had pretty decent success in getting free talent the last couple of years, with Casey Blake and Rafael Betancourt being the best examples. So given the failures thus far of Scott Stewart and Jeriome Robertson, who the Indians traded decent prospects for, maybe they're going back to that mindset again. Russ Branyan and Rick White, who were gotten for organizational drones, are also paying some dividends. Jason Anderson was pitching well before getting injured, and the Indians are probably hoping that he clears waivers because of him being on the DL.

Cleveland sportswriters have termed this type of player acquisition "digging in dumpsters" or "bargain-basement shopping". Well, they are partially right, because sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure.

From the Injury Front

Ryan Ludwick is going to start hitting again in early June. What does this mean? When Ludwick returns, he'll probably replace Coco Crisp as the fourth outfielder, and will sub for Travis Hafner, Jody Gerut, and Ben Broussard against a left-handed pitcher. Or the Indians could get really creative and bring up Russ Branyan, send down Broussard, and platoon Branyan and Ludwick at first. Regardless, getting Ludwick back would be a real shot in the arm for the offense, which has just been plain awful against left-handed pitching.

Bullpen Move #485670

Optioned LHRP Scott Stewart to Buffalo (AAA)

Acquired RHRP Lou Pote from the Oakland Athletics for Cash

Designated RHRP Jason Anderson (AAA) for Assignment

Pote will be with the Indians tomorrow, so another roster move is probably imminant in order to clear a 40-man roster spot. The wire reports I've seen so far weren't really clear on the roster mechanics. For now, I'm assuming Stewart is still on the 40-man roster. The scary thing about Stewart is that the Indians don't really know why he's svcking this much this year. So he'll be thrown back to Buffalo to intermingle with the remnants of past failed experiments to see if he can find "it" again.

As for the on-the-field developments....I went to the game tonight, and the result didn't change that much from when I've watched the Tribe on TV. Although it was nice to see a non-Cleveland bullpen arm implode...I was wondering the Indians had cornerned the market on bullpen implosions. Casey Blake must be reading the minor-league boxscores, and seeing Russell Branyan is making a legitimate claim to be recalled, judging by his sudden power surge. Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez continue to impress. Cliff Bartosh continues to show why the Padres and Tigers exposed him on waivers last year.

EDIT: Just saw via the Bisons' website that Jason Anderdson was designated for assignment. It's still a bit frustrating that most mainstream baseball articles still don't have a basic understanding of roster mechanics.

Transactions

Placed 3B Pat Osborn (A+) on the Disabled List (hamstring)

Promoted IF Brett Parker to Kinston (A+) from Extended Spring

Placed LHRP Shea Douglas (A+) on the Disabled List (shoulder)

Promoted LHRP David Martinez to Kinston (A+) from Lake County (A-)

Demoted RHSP Fausto Carmona to Kinston (A+) from Akron (AA)

Released LHRP Marcos Mendoza from Akron (AA)

Reinstated RHSP Kyle Evans from the Disabled List (AA)

Sent RHRP Scott Sturkie (AA) to the Atlanta Braves to complete the Russell Branyan trade

Demoted RHRP Jake Robbins to Akron (AA) from Buffalo (AAA)

Released RHRP Luther Hackman from Buffalo (AAA)

Signed free agent RHSP Scott Elarton to a minor-league contract; Assigned him to Buffalo

Sent RHSP Jeff D'Amico to Lake County (A-) for Rehab Assignment

The big news here is the signing of Scott Elarton. He'll get a start or three in Buffalo, and if successful, might get a shot at the Cleveland rotation. He was dumped by the Rockies last week after posting an ERA of 9.80. Basically more grist for the mill. Since the internal starter options are either injured or struggling, I'd expect more of these kind of moves until the rotation gets stabilized a bit.

Scott Sturkie, the PTBNL in the Branyan trade, has been pitching well for the Aeros this year, and is a little better player than I expected to be going to Atlanta. He's posted very good ERAs his entire minor-league career, but is getting up there in age, and has never had good strikeout ratios. But he's still a nice guy to have floating around your system.

Transactions

Gave IF Zach Sorensen (AA) his outright release

In Other News...

Jeff D'Amico is going to make a rehab start in Lake County this Monday, and, given the lack of other healthy starter candidates, will probably return to be the 5th starter.

The lack of starting pitcher depth has been a concern for me this entire season, and now it might get worse before it gets better. Jason Stanford is probably going to be out until July, Kyle Denney may be on the shelf a month, and Jason Davis has been mostly awful this season. What is Jason's problem? Who knows, but things like this will happen with a young, inexperienced pitcher. The Indians really have no choice but to keep him in the rotation, as there really are no other viable options within the organization right now.

Victor Martinez is breaking out. He hit his 8th home run last night, and is in the process of catapulting himself into an elite group of catchers. If the All-Star selections were made today, manager Joe Torre would be very hard-pressed to leave Victor off the team. Unfortunately for Victor, the American League is loaded with offensive catchers this year. Ivan Rodriguez returned to the AL after a one year absence, Jorge Posada looks to be having a career (even an MVP) year, Jason Varitek isn't far behind Posada's start, and Javy Lopez jumped to the AL after playing his entire career with the Atlanta Braves. And this isn't counting what the catching situation would be if phenom Joe Mauer hadn't hurt his knee in the first series of the year.

Here's Victor's competition:

Jorge Posada 108 AB, .324/.456/.667/1.123, 13 2B, 8 HR
Jason Varitek 128 AB, .297/.416/.516/.913, 7 2B, 7 HR
Victor Martinez 133 AB, .293/.366/.541/.907, 9 2B, 8 HR
Ivan Rodriguez 159 AB, .340/.376/.522/.898, 8 2B, 7 HR
Javy Lopez 150 AB, .333/.388/.500/.888, 7 2B, 6 HR

Is 2004 The Year of the Catcher? It's still early, but it's looking that way.

Transactions

Signed free agent OF Raul Gonzalez to a minor-league contract; Assigned him to Buffalo (AAA)

Released OF Todd Dunwoody from Buffalo (AAA)

Nothing to see here...move right along...

A Flurry of Moves

Received RHSP Andrew Brown (AA) from the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete the Milton Bradley trade

Added RHSP Andrew Brown to the 40-man Roster; Optioned him to Akron (AA)

Transferred OF Ryan Ludwick to the 60-day Disabled List (knee)

Claimed RHSP Joe Dawley (AAA) off waivers from the Kansas City Royals; Optioned him to Buffalo (AAA)

Transferred LHSP Jason Stanford to the 60-day Disabled List (forearm)

Placed RHSP Travis Foley (AA) on the Disabled List (AA-elbow)

Promoted RHSP Fausto Carmona to Akron (AA) from Kinston (A+)

Whoa.

First things first. Andrew Brown was tabbed by the Indians to be the PTBNL from the Milton Bradley trade. Make no mistake about it, he's not a throw-in. He originally was drafted by the Braves, and sent to the Dodgers in the Gary Sheffield trade. He missed most of 2003 because of a very large bone spur in his throwing elbow, but started 2004 with a bang, striking out 58 in 40 innings, a eye-popping ratio. But he's fairly old (23) and does have durability concerns. Judging by the two players received, my first impression is that the Indians got real value for Bradley.

Next, the Indians claimed vetern starter Joe Dawley off waivers. This move was designed to provide some help for Buffalo's pitching staff, as Dawley has excelled as a AAA starter the past three years. Whether his good numbers translates to the majors is a big question mark, though. The Indians certainly need a 5th starter, as Jeff D'Amico is on the shelf, Kyle Denney was just placed on the disabled list with a knee injury, and Chad Durbin has been very underwhelming.

To make room for these two, Ryan Ludwick and Jason Stanford were both transferred to the 60-day Disabled List. Both Ludwick and Stanford are still on schedule to come back at the projected time, so this was mainly a procedural move.

Also, Fausto Carmona will get at least one start in Akron, as he was promoted to take Travis Foley's place in the rotation. Hopefully Foley is all right, but the dreaded "elbow soreness" is never a good sign.

Transactions

Outrighted RHRP Jack Cressend to Buffalo (AAA)

Placed RHSP Kyle Denney on the Disabled List (knee) (AAA)

Demoted 1B Bill Peavey from Kinston (A+) to Extended Spring Training

Everything Old is New Again

Purchased RHRP Kane Davis from Camden of the Atlantic League; Assigned him to Buffalo (AAA)

In more ways than one, last weekend was a bit of a throwback. A last at-bat victory, and two blowouts. What's the difference between last year's offense and this year's offense? In a word, patience. The organization's prime directive of plate discipline seems to be taking hold, judging by quotes like this from Sunday's recap in the Canton Repository:

“We’re all learning, and realizing that working the count is a great thing,” said first baseman Ben Broussard, who drove in four runs with two singles. “So much of this is experience, and in being comfortable in thinking that, even if they’re not going to give you anything to hit, the guy behind you will pick you up.”

Jody Gerut, even though he had a 17-game hitting streak on the line, took four walks before striking out in the 8th innings. Taking walks should not be the ultimate goal of a team, but instead the plate discipline needed to work the count should. Not swinging at a pitch outside of the strike zone opens up so many more possibilities in an at-bat than merely flailing away at the first pitch. From a piece written by Andy Call, who is the best Indians beat reporter in Northeast Ohio:

“Is it frustrating? Shoot, yeah,” the Indians right fielder said Sunday after he was walked four times, then struck out during a 10-0 victory over Tampa Bay, snapping a career-high 17-game hitting streak. “Job No. 1 is to get a good pitch to hit, and you have to be disciplined enough to stick to your game plan.”

Gerut said he saw only three reachable pitches all day Sunday, two on balls he fouled off during the same sixth-inning at-bat against right-hander Jorge Sosa. Former Indians reliever Danys Baez then struck out Gerut to lead off the eighth inning.

I think we're seeing a bit of the Indians' young hitters growing up. They're the youngest team in the American League, yet lead the AL in OBP, a spot usually reserved for a veteren ballclub. Although the Indians aren't really mentioned as a sabermetric organization, they do use several of its prinicples. Flying under the radar in this respect can be a good thing; they do avoid many of the backhanded articles written by traditionalist sportswriters who don't really understand what this sabermetric thing is about. I'll expound more on exactly where the Indians fit in the baseball continuum in the next couple of days.

Anyway, former Indians gas can Kane Davis is once again in the organization after being purchased from the Atlantic League, an independent league. Davis is probably earmarked to help stabilize Buffalo's bullpen after its best two relievers were brought to Cleveland. A successful AAA team isn't really necessary for the organization, as many International League rosters are filled with washed-up veterens who aren't good enough for the majors. But fielding a good team is important for the developmental relationship between Cleveland and Buffalo. Baltimore neglected Rochester for much of the 1990s, and the RedWings finally bolted for the Twins, while the Orioles were stuck with Edmonton.

And finally, about Cliff Bartosh and Matt Miller. I'm really trying to temper my enthusiasm about them, since both relied on their unfamiliarity to dominate the Devil Rays last weekend. Miller has an unorthodox delivery that you don't really see much anymore, and this was Bartosh's major league debut. But Rafael Betancourt had to come from somewhere, so I'm hoping that the Indians have caught lightning in a bottle again. Jack Cressend will have to sneak through waivers, and there's a good chance that someone will claim him given his success last year.

Transactions

Released RHRP Dan Rich from Kinston (A+)

Promoted RHRP Kieran Mattison to Kinston (A+) from Extende Spring

Promoted C Armando Camacaro to Akron (AA) from Kinston (A+)

Transactions

Placed RHSP Jeff D'Amico on the 15-day Disabled List (back)

Recalled LHRP Cliff Bartosh from Buffalo (AAA)

Purchased the Contract of RHRP Matt Miller and Recalled him to Cleveland

Designated RHRP Jack Cressend for Assignment

Promoted RHRP Jake Robbins to Buffalo (AAA) from Akron (AA)

Transactions

Reinstated RHRP Bob Howry from the Disabled List (AAA)

Placed RHRP Luther Hackman on the Disabled List (AAA)

Back in the Saddle

That was one the oddest 5-5 stretches I've seen in a while. I'm not going to redundantly going to recap what most of you already know. Instead, I'll go Larry King and start spouting randomness.

Scott Stewart and Jose Jimenez have showed signs of improvement. Yeah, it didn't take much to look better than they did in April, but Stewart is starting to rack up some strikeouts, and Jimenez is starting to get ground balls again. Rick White has pretty much been as advertised; eat up some innings, and has furthermore pitched out of some high-leverage situations. Now if only David Riske could get back on track....

It really pains me to see Omar Vizquel in the field. His arm strength is just plain bad now, and his range has dramatically decreased. With Brandon Phillips rebounding quite well from his abysmal 2003 season, it's probably only a matter of time until he's mentioned as Omar's heir apparent. Ironically, Omar's bat may keep him in the league a couple more years. In the right situation, he'd be a very adequate platoon partner at second base, where his lack of arm strength wouldn't be as much of an issue. But regardless, he's not going to be a starting shortstop after this season is over.

Who knew the offense was going to be as good as the bullpen was bad? Yes, a lot of this production is coming from Ronnie Belliard and Matt Lawton, but Jody Gerut, Victor Martinez, and Travis Hafner are also playing a big part as well. Casey Blake has been, well, Casey Blake, and the only real weak spot in the lineup has been Alex Escobar or Coco Crisp. Ryan Ludwick would look real nice in the lineup right now.

It's time to rekindle my annual "Free Kyle Denney!" campaign. Most baseball fans have one unheralded or virtually unknown baseball player that we really root for, and Denney has been that guy for the last two years. He's essentially the right-handed version of Jason Stanford, except that he was actually drafted. He's been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for two years now, and although Lino Urdaneta was drafted this year, teams passed on Denney, even though he's been successful his entire minor-league career. Why is that? Well, scouts tend to frown on players who aren't over six foot tall, can't throw 92-93 mph, only has one good pitch, or who don't come from a good program.

Denney was drafted out of Oklahoma in the 26th round in 1999, generally not a good sign for a college player. But Denney has done nothing but post sub-4.00 ERAs at every level since then. He's also been able to "miss bats", he's accumulated 466 strikeouts in 487 pro innings, while only walking 154, very good ratios. His only knock? He's two months away from turning 27, and he's been old at every level. But if you're the Indians, why not use this opportunity to try out Denney while contention is a year away? Stanford finally got his shot, and ironically Stanford's forearm injury could help open the door for Denney as well.

Site Update

I'm experimenting with trying to integrate the minor league rosters with the blog, just so I can limit the maintenance associated with this site. So please bear with me, and please let me know if you have any suggestions as to how I can improve your surfing experience.

Transactions

Traded C Vic Valencia (AA) to the Toronto Blue Jays for Future Considerations

Promoted C Armando Camacaro to Akron (AA) from Kinston (A+)

Transactions

Reinstated RHRP Jose Jimenez from the 15-day Disabled List

Optioned RHRP Kazuhito Tadano to Buffalo (AAA)

Transactions

Traded IF Stubby Clapp (AAA) to the Toronto Blue Jays for a PTBNL or cash