So the Browns are 2-0 against superior teams without Kellen Winslow Jr/II.
Steve Heiden was instrumental in today's Browns win with 3 grabs for 73 yards, making him the leading receiver. He also dropped a ball while getting the Kordell Stewart treatment over the middle from a Jacksonville linebacker. He set up the Browns second touchdown drive with a perfect cross route on 4th & 1, scampering 51 yards to the Jacksonville goal line.
Shaun Rogers devoured the Jacksonville offensive line, recording a team-high eight tackles with a sack and a blocked field goal. Seen several times sucking oxygen, Rogers was the beast that the Browns beleaguered run defense needed today. Jacksonville still managed 113 net rushing yards, but many of them were racked up by David Garrard, who scrambled past some of the most unathletic linebackers in the NFL.
In response to the last point about David Garrard, I have officially renamed Andra Davis, the V Gap. You heard about the A gap or the C gap, well, he's the V Gap. If you can't figure out what the V stands for, well, it rhymes with the capital of the Canadian province Saskatchewan.
Phil Dawson was methodical as usual, burying a chip shot, a sand wedge, and a 7 iron. He hasn't missed a field goal under 50 yards this season thus far. Good for you, Phil.
Last week, in a post on a message board, I noted the seven times that DA threw an incomplete pass on first down and it was followed with a Jamal Lewis run that never went more than five yards. This week, it only happened twice. Chud must have seen my post and realized that it doesn't work. Adjustments make fans happy. Today, some adjustments were made.
Other credit goes to: Lawrence Vickers for some good blocks to open holes for Jamal Lewis.
After 67 false starts against the Giants, the Browns have committed just five penalties in two road games. Today, the one penalty was Shaun Rogers for consuming David Garrard into one of his many fat rolls a little too long after Garrard released the ball. Because we won, it's excusable. But, it was a huge play that could have cost us the game.
Derek Anderson and the Browns were a meager 3/12 on third down, while Jacksonville was 10/19. While forcing 19 third downs is nice, that's a few too many first downs to allow.
So, taking into account everything from today's game, let's trade Kellen Winslow. It's bad enough that Braylon Edwards sounds like a one of those cymbal-clanging monkeys that used to be popular as gag gifts every time DA is told to run a pass play and the ball is not thrown to him. DA plays a more relaxed and confident game when he only has to deal with one whining nagger in the lineup.
Winslow has to have some kind of value. He'll get us a decent draft pick to build our horrendous linebacking corps with. Some may consider this a rash maneuver and blame the Savage front office for not being able to handle bad boys. Let the Eric Wedge-Brandon Phillips comparison commence. However, at some point, you have to distinguish between talent and a team cancer. Winslow, as far as I'm concerned, is a bit of a cancer. While he does have lots of talent, Heiden's hands might be just as good and he can actually block. He's not the big play threat that K2 is, but he has a much better field demeanor than Winslow.
DA is a fragile-minded quarterback. That's why, unlike the way Tony Romo can handle Terrell Owens and Carson Palmer can handle Ocho "Chad Johnson" Cinco, Winslow's negative and selfish attitude affects DA more than it would affect most other QBs. For that reason, if DA is going to be our guy, then one of them has to go. Obviously this isn't a Rick Manning-Dennis Eckersley situation, but, the fact remains that DA has played his best two games of the season while Winslow sat. That's not just a coincidence.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
K2's Soulja Boys May Keep Him Out Monday
The self-proclaimed soldier, Mr. Kellen Winslow Jr./II, might not play this Monday night against the Giants. Why? Well, I'll let youuuuuuuuuu decide.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/10/winslow-has-swollen-um-parts/
From PFT: "A league source tells us that the talk among the Browns is that tight end Kellen Winslow landed in the Cleveland Clinic because his balls swelled to the size of grapefruits."
At least somebody on the team has a pair. Well, maybe he's grown a pair. I didn't think that it was the time of year for grapefruits.
This incident seems, at least on the surface, to be less blameworthy than his motorcycle escapdes that left him with a torn ACL.
This begs the question, what would cause one's testicles to grow to the size of grapefruits? We can rule out steroids as a factor, so at least K2 is clean in that regard. Maybe Bon Scott could give us a little insight. Interestingly enough, one of the running Chuck Norris jokes is that he does not teabag women, he potato sacks them. So what would K2 do? You can't really say that he grapefruits them. Could you argue that he juices them? Or, would that be what OJ did to Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman?
Either way, this could mark the first time in sports history that a player has not participated in a game because his balls were too big. Barry Bonds asks how such a phenomenon could be possible. In any event, K2 should share his testicles with the rest of the team, in a non-Kaz Tadano kind of way. This pales in comparison to the injury that Romeo Crennel coaches through every week. Not having any balls is certainly much worse than having a pair that are too big.
A true gauge of if they are big enough is to have Derek Anderson throw them to Braylon Edwards. If Braylon can actually catch them, well, then yes, they probably are too big. Maybe the Browns sideline will spend the duration of the game shaking bags of marbles to keep K2's head in the game.
However, if Winslow does play, and has a big game, maybe the Browns should play the rest of the regular season under a different name. The Cleveland Brown Giants sounds appropriate.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/10/winslow-has-swollen-um-parts/
From PFT: "A league source tells us that the talk among the Browns is that tight end Kellen Winslow landed in the Cleveland Clinic because his balls swelled to the size of grapefruits."
At least somebody on the team has a pair. Well, maybe he's grown a pair. I didn't think that it was the time of year for grapefruits.
This incident seems, at least on the surface, to be less blameworthy than his motorcycle escapdes that left him with a torn ACL.
This begs the question, what would cause one's testicles to grow to the size of grapefruits? We can rule out steroids as a factor, so at least K2 is clean in that regard. Maybe Bon Scott could give us a little insight. Interestingly enough, one of the running Chuck Norris jokes is that he does not teabag women, he potato sacks them. So what would K2 do? You can't really say that he grapefruits them. Could you argue that he juices them? Or, would that be what OJ did to Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman?
Either way, this could mark the first time in sports history that a player has not participated in a game because his balls were too big. Barry Bonds asks how such a phenomenon could be possible. In any event, K2 should share his testicles with the rest of the team, in a non-Kaz Tadano kind of way. This pales in comparison to the injury that Romeo Crennel coaches through every week. Not having any balls is certainly much worse than having a pair that are too big.
A true gauge of if they are big enough is to have Derek Anderson throw them to Braylon Edwards. If Braylon can actually catch them, well, then yes, they probably are too big. Maybe the Browns sideline will spend the duration of the game shaking bags of marbles to keep K2's head in the game.
However, if Winslow does play, and has a big game, maybe the Browns should play the rest of the regular season under a different name. The Cleveland Brown Giants sounds appropriate.
2008-2009 NHL Season Preview
Being that Mr. Rich Swerbinsky has given me the opportunity to write for his site, I will respect that the content on his site is, by default, under his possession, so I will just link the season preview column that I wrote.
http://www.theclevelandfan.com/article_detail.php?blgId=3771
http://www.theclevelandfan.com/article_detail.php?blgId=3771
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Last Week of the Season Observations
With the season drawing to a close, I thought this would be a good time to look around the league and hand out some hardware. Congrats to the Indians for achieving mediocrity over 162 games. Quite a feat considering they were far from mediocre in the first half of the season.
First, some observations.
Congratulations to the Washington Nationals. Despite the Nats missing out on a loss thanks to a game that won't be made up, their prize for futility is RHP Steven Strasburg. For those of you too lazy to look at the link, let me copy and paste a snippet of it from Fangraphs.com:
"The legend of Strasburg hit new heights on April 11th in a Mountain West Conference game against the University of Utah, when Strasburg recorded 27 outs in a one hit complete game shutout - 23 of them by strikeout. After the game, Strasburg said this:
'I was trying to get the ball in play and throw strikes. I was trying to use the defense as much as possible, but I guess it didn’t work out that way.'"
Yes, he is a Scott Boras client. And yes, he will probably be the highest-paid pick ever. But, he also got Olympic experience this season, throwing 11 innings with a 1-1 record. He also struck out 16. Having watched the game against the Netherlands, the kid is the real deal. He has three plus out pitches with his fastball, slider, and a devastating curve. He also throws about 96-97 mph regularly. In a word: sick. In two words: really sick.
Whoever pays CC Sabathia a huge chunk of money may wind up regretting it. The large lefty has exceeded last year's regular season pitch total by 233 pitches. We saw how that affected him in October. That gives CC will have thrown close to 7400 pitches over the last two regular seasons. Add another 307 in the 2007 playoffs. With one guaranteed start in the 2008 playoffs, he'll be inching near 7900 pitches in two years. He has more punchouts this season, but also 22 more walks. Not to mention more strain on his arm from throwing 8% more offspeed pitches.
While I can't foresee this contract being like a Mike Hampton or a Barry Zito, it's iffy as to whether or not CC can dominate next season as he has the last two. And it's definitely unlikely that he will do it deep in to the five or six-year deal that he's rumored to be looking for.
From the ho-hum department, Albert Pujols is a beast. After his performance tonight, Pujols is at .357/.462/.653/1.115. 37 HR. 116 RBI. An ungodly 54/104 K/BB ratio. A OPS+ of 192. Oh, and he's playing with one arm. He's been playing with a "high-grade" tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow since March, the same injury that Jake Westbrook underwent Tommy John for. Pujols is leaning toward TJ in the offseason now, according to a September 9 report.
According to Baseball Reference, the most comparable player to Pujols through age 27 is Joe DiMaggio. Other names include Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle. In other words, pencil him in for a Cooperstown plaque.
From the rare department, Asdrubal Cabrera turned an unassisted triple play during game two of the doubleheader on May 12. It was the 14th unassisted triple play of all time.
On September 2, Adrian Beltre of the Mariners and Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks hit for the cycle on the same night. It was the second time that had happened, and first time in 88 years.
From the random, pointless stat department, the only team in the American League with a .500 or better record on turf that does not play in a dome is the Texas Rangers, at exactly .500.
Another random, pointless stat: Every team in the AL East has a better-than-.500 record against the AL Central. Even Baltimore.
Tampa Bay won more games in 2008 than they lost in 2007. This seems obvious, but not when you take in to account that the Rays lost 96 games in 2007. That's a 31-game swing. They also clinched the AL East for the first time ever, and the first time someone not named Boston or New York has won the division since 1997 when the Orioles did it.
Let's hand out some hardware.
First, the traditional awards.
American League
MVP - Francisco Rodriguez
I know, I know. How can a guy who plays in 4.7% of his team's innings win the MVP? Well, it's simple. The guy has 62 saves. He's blown away Bobby Thigpen's record and provides stability to the bullpen. Find me a team where the closer got hurt and the bullpen stayed together and had a good season. It's hard to do.
Cy Young - Clifton Lee
Tonight, I debated this award. Roy Halladay has better peripheral numbers. He has 30 more Ks, a lower WHIP, more innings pitched, and five more complete games. He also has 20 wins.
But, alas, Cliff Lee is 22-3. He's lost three times in 31 starts. His ERA is lower than Halladay's and the WHIP and K/BB are very comparable. He went wire-to-wire with the ERA title. Wire to wire. Let me reiterate, wire-to-wire.
Taking in to account that Cliff Lee spent part of the 2007 season in the minors, and was not even on the Indians postseason roster, he's a tremendous feel-good story. He gets the nod.
Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria
Where would the Rays be without this kid? He provided stability and allowed them to fill another hole at 2B by moving Aki Iwamura to that position. He's got an .879 OPS and 26 HR in his first season in the bigs. He'll be a stud for years to come and this will be his first major accomplishment in the Show.
Manager of the Year - Joe Maddon
This is the biggest no-brainer of them all. As mentioned above, his team has made a 30-game turnaround. He's unorthodox, personable, and a great clubhouse leader. Great things are in store for his team with him at the helm.
National League
MVP - Ryan Howard
I've changed this award three times now. Initially, I had David Wright. But the Mets choked again. Then I thought, how about Brad Lidge? 41/41 in save opps, a 1.98.
Instead, I'll go with Ryan Howard. Why? Well, 48 HR and 146 RBI for one. For another, Howard raked in September. .345 11 32. And I know one month doesn't make a season, but let's be honest here. The Phils needed a big September. They got it and he was a big reason why. Without him, that team goes nowhere.
Cy Young - Tim Lincecum
This is a tough category. The two best pitchers are in the worst division in baseball and both pitch for teams that are not making it to October. Both Tim Lincecum and Webb have had tremendous seasons. Webb and his Diamondbacks started out guns' blazing. Webb won his first nine starts, posting a 2.56 ERA over 63.1 IP. He had another stretch of winning eight straight decisions from June 28 to August 21.
But, I'm one for the gaudy stats. Lincecum's got 265 K. That's a ridiculous number. He also had five or six starts that he could have won, getting no decisions in four games where he allowed zero or one earned run. His ERA is over half a run lower, and posting an 18-5 is an incredible feat with a team of furniture movers. Give him the offense of, say, the Cubs or Tigers, and he wins 25 games without a problem.
Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto
Not only has Soto had a tremendous year for a catcher, he's also led the Chicago Cubs a team ERA of 3.87 as a rookie catcher. In his first full season as a big leaguer, he's posted an .868 OPS. Plus, he's on the best team in the National League, in a media market with lots of exposure. That will certainly help his cause.
Manager of the Year - Lou Piniella
You know what, why not. Piniella's Cubs are poised to be the NL's best hope for a World Series and to crack that 100-year drought. No doubt he has lots of talent to work with, but the Cubs are the most dangerous team in the NL and Piniella's a big part of the attitude there.
Now, for the not-so-traditional awards:
The Golden Sombrero Award
AL - Jack Cust. Cust struck out in nearly 41% of his at bats. Honorable mention goes to Kelly Shoppach, who, if given the same number of at bats as Cust, would have struck out well over 170 times. Cust racked up four golden sombreros on the season. For those unaware, that's four strikeouts in a game. He also would have set an NHL record with 17 hat tricks.
NL - Mark Reynolds. It's always nice to set a record. Unless, of course, that record is striking out over 200 times in a season. He sets the record with 204. Impressive. Reynolds racked up four golden sombreros during the 2008 campaign.
The Trojan-ENZ Boner of the Year Award
AL - Carlos Quentin. Punching a hard wooden object is not a great idea. Quentin was hurt punching his bat after a Cliff Lee strikeout on September 5, missing the final three weeks of the season with a broken wrist. It may be a contributing factor to Chicago missing the playoffs if they do not win their two pre-playoff playoff games this week.
NL - Khalil Greene also made headlines for punching something hard. He broke his hand punching a storage chest at Petco Park during a July game, after striking out for the 100th time on the season. It ended his season.
The Sammy Sosa Freak Injury Award
Paying homage to Sammy Sosa's violent sneeze from hell, here's the 2008 award winners.
AL - Joel Zumaya would be a repeat winner if this blog existed in 2007. After the Guitar Hero fiasco, Zumaya was hurt moving boxes so his parents could escape the California wildfires with all of their belongings. More bad luck than anything else, but it was a down year for strange injuries in the AL.
NL - Kazuo Matsui takes home this award. Hopefully he'll have a figurative burning desire to be healthy next spring. I hate to copy and paste part of an article, but I can't help myself. This is in regards to Kaz Matsui's "anal fissures."
from the Astros official mlb.com website on March 14:
"The Astros' original official diagnosis of Matsui's issue was hemmorhoids, but that was changed when a vocabulary mixup caused some anxiety with Matsui's family in Japan. That prompted the club to change the official diagnosis to a more specific term.
"'The word [hemmorhoids] carries a negative connotation in Japan," Wade said. "That's why we had to go back and readjust it to anal fissure. It translates into a word in Japan that has a different meaning. That's why we flipped it over to the more graphic actual problem.'"
Honorable mention to Felix Pie's ruptured testicle. When you're a hitter, you'd definitely prefer two balls instead of one.
The Rolaids Relief Man if K-Rod Didn't Play The '08 Season
AL - Joakim Soria, I'll salute the Mexicutioner for leading the American League in saves, if Francisco Rodriguez didn't play baseball.
NL - Congrats to Jose Valverde. He led the NL in saves. And was completely overshadowed by K-Rod.
The Jenna Jameson Gag Reflex Award
The Mets win this award hands down. They may be a perenial winner of this award for the near future.
The Enron Bad Investment Award
AL - Dave Dombrowski, Detroit Tigers GM. This award goes to Dombrowski for the contract extension of Dontrelle Willis. As referenced in a previous blog, Willis made $375,000/inning at the big league level this year. He walked 32 and struck out 18. That may be the biggest crime in all of Detroit. If you've been there, you know that's saying something.
NL - Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers GM. This award goes to Coletti for the free agent signing of Andruw Jones. Let's put some perspective on this. Andruw Jones had 33 hits. That's $272,272/hit. For 14 RBI, the Dodgers paid $642,187 per RBI. He struck out 76 times in just 209 ABs. Project that out to a full season and you're looking at 175-180 K's. For his efforts this season, he gets a $6M raise. Right up there with the $4M raise for Barry Zito next year.
The "I Bought Stock in Google in 2000" Award for Good Investments
AL - Mark Shapiro, Cleveland Indians GM. Mark Shapiro locked up Grady Sizemore before he became a superstar. Grady Sizemore is locked in at $4.767M for the 2009 season. Grady tied for 6th in the AL in HR this season. The other guys make: $15M (Cabrera), $11.5M (Dye), $32M (A-Rod) $13M (Thome), and then Cust and Quentin who are still making the minimum. Sizemore was 5th in steals, 10th in OBP, and 8th in ABs, despite walking 98 times.
NL - Frank Wren, Atlanta Braves GM. He can get out from under the final year of Mike Hampton's albatross contract by buying out his $20M option for $6M this offseason. Assuming that Wren will make that decision, I'll give him this award.
The "I Got a Case of Beer for My Wife" Good Trade Award"
AL - Kenny Williams, Chicago White Sox GM. Carlos Quentin for Chris Carter. While Chris Carter absolutely raked in the California League with a .930 OPS 39 HR and 104 RBI, Quentin raked in the middle of the White Sox order. He hit 36 bombs with exactly 100 RBI, and missed the final three weeks of the season. Carter may get there one day, but Quentin is there now. And the White Sox are a strong central contender.
NL - Bob Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers GM. CC Sabathia for Matt LaPorta and three minor leaguers. Regardless of who the PTBNL is that the Indians get to select, CC Sabathia pitched the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. CC went 11-2 with a 1.65 for the Brewers. That's just ridiculous. This is one of the best July trades in a long time.
Well, that concludes the 2008 regular season. The winners, losers, and some observations of another chapter of baseball.
I can't wait to see what happens this offseason for the Indians. This is Mark Shapiro's time to show his intellect as a GM, and it needs to be on display.
First, some observations.
Congratulations to the Washington Nationals. Despite the Nats missing out on a loss thanks to a game that won't be made up, their prize for futility is RHP Steven Strasburg. For those of you too lazy to look at the link, let me copy and paste a snippet of it from Fangraphs.com:
"The legend of Strasburg hit new heights on April 11th in a Mountain West Conference game against the University of Utah, when Strasburg recorded 27 outs in a one hit complete game shutout - 23 of them by strikeout. After the game, Strasburg said this:
'I was trying to get the ball in play and throw strikes. I was trying to use the defense as much as possible, but I guess it didn’t work out that way.'"
Yes, he is a Scott Boras client. And yes, he will probably be the highest-paid pick ever. But, he also got Olympic experience this season, throwing 11 innings with a 1-1 record. He also struck out 16. Having watched the game against the Netherlands, the kid is the real deal. He has three plus out pitches with his fastball, slider, and a devastating curve. He also throws about 96-97 mph regularly. In a word: sick. In two words: really sick.
Whoever pays CC Sabathia a huge chunk of money may wind up regretting it. The large lefty has exceeded last year's regular season pitch total by 233 pitches. We saw how that affected him in October. That gives CC will have thrown close to 7400 pitches over the last two regular seasons. Add another 307 in the 2007 playoffs. With one guaranteed start in the 2008 playoffs, he'll be inching near 7900 pitches in two years. He has more punchouts this season, but also 22 more walks. Not to mention more strain on his arm from throwing 8% more offspeed pitches.
While I can't foresee this contract being like a Mike Hampton or a Barry Zito, it's iffy as to whether or not CC can dominate next season as he has the last two. And it's definitely unlikely that he will do it deep in to the five or six-year deal that he's rumored to be looking for.
From the ho-hum department, Albert Pujols is a beast. After his performance tonight, Pujols is at .357/.462/.653/1.115. 37 HR. 116 RBI. An ungodly 54/104 K/BB ratio. A OPS+ of 192. Oh, and he's playing with one arm. He's been playing with a "high-grade" tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow since March, the same injury that Jake Westbrook underwent Tommy John for. Pujols is leaning toward TJ in the offseason now, according to a September 9 report.
According to Baseball Reference, the most comparable player to Pujols through age 27 is Joe DiMaggio. Other names include Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle. In other words, pencil him in for a Cooperstown plaque.
From the rare department, Asdrubal Cabrera turned an unassisted triple play during game two of the doubleheader on May 12. It was the 14th unassisted triple play of all time.
On September 2, Adrian Beltre of the Mariners and Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks hit for the cycle on the same night. It was the second time that had happened, and first time in 88 years.
From the random, pointless stat department, the only team in the American League with a .500 or better record on turf that does not play in a dome is the Texas Rangers, at exactly .500.
Another random, pointless stat: Every team in the AL East has a better-than-.500 record against the AL Central. Even Baltimore.
Tampa Bay won more games in 2008 than they lost in 2007. This seems obvious, but not when you take in to account that the Rays lost 96 games in 2007. That's a 31-game swing. They also clinched the AL East for the first time ever, and the first time someone not named Boston or New York has won the division since 1997 when the Orioles did it.
Let's hand out some hardware.
First, the traditional awards.
American League
MVP - Francisco Rodriguez
I know, I know. How can a guy who plays in 4.7% of his team's innings win the MVP? Well, it's simple. The guy has 62 saves. He's blown away Bobby Thigpen's record and provides stability to the bullpen. Find me a team where the closer got hurt and the bullpen stayed together and had a good season. It's hard to do.
Cy Young - Clifton Lee
Tonight, I debated this award. Roy Halladay has better peripheral numbers. He has 30 more Ks, a lower WHIP, more innings pitched, and five more complete games. He also has 20 wins.
But, alas, Cliff Lee is 22-3. He's lost three times in 31 starts. His ERA is lower than Halladay's and the WHIP and K/BB are very comparable. He went wire-to-wire with the ERA title. Wire to wire. Let me reiterate, wire-to-wire.
Taking in to account that Cliff Lee spent part of the 2007 season in the minors, and was not even on the Indians postseason roster, he's a tremendous feel-good story. He gets the nod.
Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria
Where would the Rays be without this kid? He provided stability and allowed them to fill another hole at 2B by moving Aki Iwamura to that position. He's got an .879 OPS and 26 HR in his first season in the bigs. He'll be a stud for years to come and this will be his first major accomplishment in the Show.
Manager of the Year - Joe Maddon
This is the biggest no-brainer of them all. As mentioned above, his team has made a 30-game turnaround. He's unorthodox, personable, and a great clubhouse leader. Great things are in store for his team with him at the helm.
National League
MVP - Ryan Howard
I've changed this award three times now. Initially, I had David Wright. But the Mets choked again. Then I thought, how about Brad Lidge? 41/41 in save opps, a 1.98.
Instead, I'll go with Ryan Howard. Why? Well, 48 HR and 146 RBI for one. For another, Howard raked in September. .345 11 32. And I know one month doesn't make a season, but let's be honest here. The Phils needed a big September. They got it and he was a big reason why. Without him, that team goes nowhere.
Cy Young - Tim Lincecum
This is a tough category. The two best pitchers are in the worst division in baseball and both pitch for teams that are not making it to October. Both Tim Lincecum and Webb have had tremendous seasons. Webb and his Diamondbacks started out guns' blazing. Webb won his first nine starts, posting a 2.56 ERA over 63.1 IP. He had another stretch of winning eight straight decisions from June 28 to August 21.
But, I'm one for the gaudy stats. Lincecum's got 265 K. That's a ridiculous number. He also had five or six starts that he could have won, getting no decisions in four games where he allowed zero or one earned run. His ERA is over half a run lower, and posting an 18-5 is an incredible feat with a team of furniture movers. Give him the offense of, say, the Cubs or Tigers, and he wins 25 games without a problem.
Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto
Not only has Soto had a tremendous year for a catcher, he's also led the Chicago Cubs a team ERA of 3.87 as a rookie catcher. In his first full season as a big leaguer, he's posted an .868 OPS. Plus, he's on the best team in the National League, in a media market with lots of exposure. That will certainly help his cause.
Manager of the Year - Lou Piniella
You know what, why not. Piniella's Cubs are poised to be the NL's best hope for a World Series and to crack that 100-year drought. No doubt he has lots of talent to work with, but the Cubs are the most dangerous team in the NL and Piniella's a big part of the attitude there.
Now, for the not-so-traditional awards:
The Golden Sombrero Award
AL - Jack Cust. Cust struck out in nearly 41% of his at bats. Honorable mention goes to Kelly Shoppach, who, if given the same number of at bats as Cust, would have struck out well over 170 times. Cust racked up four golden sombreros on the season. For those unaware, that's four strikeouts in a game. He also would have set an NHL record with 17 hat tricks.
NL - Mark Reynolds. It's always nice to set a record. Unless, of course, that record is striking out over 200 times in a season. He sets the record with 204. Impressive. Reynolds racked up four golden sombreros during the 2008 campaign.
The Trojan-ENZ Boner of the Year Award
AL - Carlos Quentin. Punching a hard wooden object is not a great idea. Quentin was hurt punching his bat after a Cliff Lee strikeout on September 5, missing the final three weeks of the season with a broken wrist. It may be a contributing factor to Chicago missing the playoffs if they do not win their two pre-playoff playoff games this week.
NL - Khalil Greene also made headlines for punching something hard. He broke his hand punching a storage chest at Petco Park during a July game, after striking out for the 100th time on the season. It ended his season.
The Sammy Sosa Freak Injury Award
Paying homage to Sammy Sosa's violent sneeze from hell, here's the 2008 award winners.
AL - Joel Zumaya would be a repeat winner if this blog existed in 2007. After the Guitar Hero fiasco, Zumaya was hurt moving boxes so his parents could escape the California wildfires with all of their belongings. More bad luck than anything else, but it was a down year for strange injuries in the AL.
NL - Kazuo Matsui takes home this award. Hopefully he'll have a figurative burning desire to be healthy next spring. I hate to copy and paste part of an article, but I can't help myself. This is in regards to Kaz Matsui's "anal fissures."
from the Astros official mlb.com website on March 14:
"The Astros' original official diagnosis of Matsui's issue was hemmorhoids, but that was changed when a vocabulary mixup caused some anxiety with Matsui's family in Japan. That prompted the club to change the official diagnosis to a more specific term.
"'The word [hemmorhoids] carries a negative connotation in Japan," Wade said. "That's why we had to go back and readjust it to anal fissure. It translates into a word in Japan that has a different meaning. That's why we flipped it over to the more graphic actual problem.'"
Honorable mention to Felix Pie's ruptured testicle. When you're a hitter, you'd definitely prefer two balls instead of one.
The Rolaids Relief Man if K-Rod Didn't Play The '08 Season
AL - Joakim Soria, I'll salute the Mexicutioner for leading the American League in saves, if Francisco Rodriguez didn't play baseball.
NL - Congrats to Jose Valverde. He led the NL in saves. And was completely overshadowed by K-Rod.
The Jenna Jameson Gag Reflex Award
The Mets win this award hands down. They may be a perenial winner of this award for the near future.
The Enron Bad Investment Award
AL - Dave Dombrowski, Detroit Tigers GM. This award goes to Dombrowski for the contract extension of Dontrelle Willis. As referenced in a previous blog, Willis made $375,000/inning at the big league level this year. He walked 32 and struck out 18. That may be the biggest crime in all of Detroit. If you've been there, you know that's saying something.
NL - Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers GM. This award goes to Coletti for the free agent signing of Andruw Jones. Let's put some perspective on this. Andruw Jones had 33 hits. That's $272,272/hit. For 14 RBI, the Dodgers paid $642,187 per RBI. He struck out 76 times in just 209 ABs. Project that out to a full season and you're looking at 175-180 K's. For his efforts this season, he gets a $6M raise. Right up there with the $4M raise for Barry Zito next year.
The "I Bought Stock in Google in 2000" Award for Good Investments
AL - Mark Shapiro, Cleveland Indians GM. Mark Shapiro locked up Grady Sizemore before he became a superstar. Grady Sizemore is locked in at $4.767M for the 2009 season. Grady tied for 6th in the AL in HR this season. The other guys make: $15M (Cabrera), $11.5M (Dye), $32M (A-Rod) $13M (Thome), and then Cust and Quentin who are still making the minimum. Sizemore was 5th in steals, 10th in OBP, and 8th in ABs, despite walking 98 times.
NL - Frank Wren, Atlanta Braves GM. He can get out from under the final year of Mike Hampton's albatross contract by buying out his $20M option for $6M this offseason. Assuming that Wren will make that decision, I'll give him this award.
The "I Got a Case of Beer for My Wife" Good Trade Award"
AL - Kenny Williams, Chicago White Sox GM. Carlos Quentin for Chris Carter. While Chris Carter absolutely raked in the California League with a .930 OPS 39 HR and 104 RBI, Quentin raked in the middle of the White Sox order. He hit 36 bombs with exactly 100 RBI, and missed the final three weeks of the season. Carter may get there one day, but Quentin is there now. And the White Sox are a strong central contender.
NL - Bob Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers GM. CC Sabathia for Matt LaPorta and three minor leaguers. Regardless of who the PTBNL is that the Indians get to select, CC Sabathia pitched the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. CC went 11-2 with a 1.65 for the Brewers. That's just ridiculous. This is one of the best July trades in a long time.
Well, that concludes the 2008 regular season. The winners, losers, and some observations of another chapter of baseball.
I can't wait to see what happens this offseason for the Indians. This is Mark Shapiro's time to show his intellect as a GM, and it needs to be on display.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Looking Ahead To 2009
The Indians need to go 3-3 in their remaining six games to finish above .500. Quite an achievement for a team that was in complete shambles by July. They were 37-53 at one point, and got as far back as 15 games in the Central.
So, let's look ahead. The following is the roster as it stands for 2009: (note, league minimum elevated to $400k from '09-'11)
(salaries courtesy of The Cleveland Fan)
(Pos Player Salary in '09)
C Victor Martinez $5.9M
C Kelly Shoppach arbitration-eligible ($390k in '08)
C Sal Fasano veteran minimum
1B Ryan Garko $400k
1B Michael Aubrey $400k
2B Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
2B Jamey Carroll $2.5M, club option, $150k buyout
2B Josh Barfield arbitration-eligible ($390k in '08)
SS Jhonny Peralta $3.65M (signing bonus added to base salary)
3B Andy Marte arbitration-eligible $390k
LF Ben Francisco $400k
LF David Dellucci $4M
CF Grady Sizemore $4.767M (signing bonus added to base salary)
RF Shin-Soo Choo $400k
RF Franklin Gutierrez $400k
DH Travis Hafner $11M ($11.5 on some reports)
SP Fausto Carmona $2.75M
SP Cliff Lee $6M (potential bonus for Cy Young voting, contract details not fully known)
SP Jake Westbrook $10M
SP Anthony Reyes $400k
SP Aaron Laffey $400k
SP Jeremy Sowers $400k
SP Scott Lewis $400k
SP Zach Jackson $400k
RP Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
RP Jensen Lewis $400k
RP Rafael Perez $400k
RP Masa Kobayashi $3M
RP Brendan Donnelly $400k
RP Tom Mastny $400k
RP Juan Rincon $2.745M (signed to minor league likely negated contract)
RP John Meloan $400k
RP Adam Miller $400k
Obviously, not all of these guys will make the 25 man. Cutting it down to 25, of the current guys, it will look something like this.
Catchers
Victor Martinez $5.9M
Kelly Shoppach arb-eligible
First Base
Ryan Garko $400k
Second Base
Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
Jamey Carroll $2.5M
Josh Barfield arb-eligible
Shortstop
Jhonny Peralta $3.65M
Third Base
Andy Marte arb-eligible
Outfielders
Grady Sizemore $4.767M
Ben Francisco $400k
Shin-Soo Choo $400k
Franklin Gutierrez $400k
David Dellucci $4M
Designated Hitter
Travis Hafner $11.5M
Starting Pitchers
Cliff Lee $6M
Fausto Carmona $2.75M
Anthony Reyes $400k
Two of: Scott Lewis, Aaron Laffey, Zach Jackson, Jeremy Sowers $800k
Relief Pitchers
Jensen Lewis $400k
Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
Rafael Perez $400k
Masa Kobyashi $3M
Brendan Donnelly $400k
Adam Miller $400k
For salary purposes, this is my projected 25-man roster.
In total, $52,617,000
To start the 2008 season, the Indians payroll was at nearly $79 million, according to USA Today.
We'll assume that the Indians are looking to keep their payroll somewhere between $70-75M going in to the 2008 season, as I'm sure they made a substantial profit off of the 2007 season, but not much of one this year, outside of the Progressive Field naming rights deal.
I don't expect the roster to remain that way. Josh Barfield will likely be a trade candidate in the offseason. An arbitor is not going to give him much more than the $400k minimum, but the front office does not appear too enamored with Barfield anymore. On that same wavelength, Andy Marte will only be back if the Indians cannot find anyone to play third base this offseason, and even then, Jamey Carroll has been more than adequate defensively at the position. It's likely that he will not be retained, and may even be taken off the 40-man to protect a younger player in the Rule 5 draft, or open up a spot to claim someone.
In the pitching department, I'm fairly confident that Juan Rincon will not be retained. If he is, that's a problem. Masa Kobayashi is also a candidate to be non-tendered. He's signed through next season with an option for 2010, but has been awful since the All-Star break. After the break, Kobayashi has 15 appearances, covering 11.1 innings, and has posted a 10.32 ERA. While I can understand that Kobayashi had 42 first half appearances, more than he had in full seasons in Japan, a 25-man roster spot and $3M is not worth half a season of relief work.
Another non-tender candidate, and we're all hoping for this one, is David Dellucci. Sure, in 2007, he suffered a horrible leg injury, but since being signed to the three-year $11.5M contract, Dellucci has hit a pathetic .236 with an OBP of barely over .300 and an OPS of barely .700. Just atrocious numbers for a corner OF. The Indians aren't in desperate need of that roster spot, though, so Dellucci will probably play out that last year.
For those of you who have continued reading through this, here is your reward. My thoughts for who the Indians should add for the 2009 season. Beginning with a middle of the rotation starter.
SP Derek Lowe
What better replacement for Jake Westbrook in the middle of the rotation than a carbon copy with a lower ERA? He will be a free agent in the offseason for a Dodgers team that is sure to court CC Sabathia, who wants to stay in the National League and be close to home. They also have youngsters like Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley to complement Hiroki Kuroda. Though his GB% is at its lowest in the past seven years at 60.2%, he's an innings eater with postseason experience.
His contract expires at season's end, the final year of a 4/40 deal signed after leaving Boston in 2004. Lowe has made at least 32 starts every year since 2002 after being moved from the closer's role. He will turn 36 in June, but a 3/33 deal will not make him an albatross to trade in the final year of his contract and will provide a stable veteran surrounded by kids like Carmona, Reyes, and Lewis/Laffey/Jackson/Sowers.
SP Brad Penny
Think Kevin Millwood c. 2005. Brad Penny's battled a multitude of shoulder problems in 2008, posting a 6.27 ERA. But, before this year, Penny made at least 22 starts every year dating back to 2000. The Dodgers do have an option for Penny at $8.75M, but there is a $2M buyout that I anticipate them making.
In the event that they do buyout the final year and make him a free agent, he can be had for a low base salary with incentives that can escalate his contract. If done properly, it can be a low-risk high-reward contract. It's also likely that Penny would agree to a one-year incentive-based deal in order to get healthy and then cash in after proving that he can still do it. He'll only be 31 next May. I would think that a base salary of $4-5M would do this, with escalators to get it to $8.5-9M.
SP Brett Myers
Myers will be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. He's due to make $12M in 2009, so any trade would almost have to include the Phillies taking back some of his salary. He has not been the poster child of good health, but he could be a multi-faceted acquisition. He has closing experience, as well as, starting experience. He's certainly had plenty of ups and downs over the past couple of years, but he's a steady .500 guy with an ERA around 4, and that's what we'd be looking for.
SP Mark Prior
Prior had season-ending shoulder surgery back in June, after signing a $1M deal with the Padres before the season. Prior has not pitched in a major league game since 2006 with the Chicago Cubs. Think of him as a cheaper version of Matt Clement this season. They're both huge question marks. I don't think that either one of them will get guaranteed major league contracts. But, with Prior's upside, a low-risk high-reward minor league deal, or even a non-roster invite to Spring Training, should not be out of the question.
I will preface my next group of desirables by saying that I hate the idea of Jhonny Peralta being moved to 3B. His lateral movement is awful and his reaction time is not much better. As evidenced, the Indians can overcome his fielding shortcomings at short, but can they deal with them at third? Will he be more of a liability, as singles become doubles when misplayed at 3B? My answers to those two questions are resounding no's. But, it's been rumored that the Indians brass has thought about this for some time. So, here are my infielding ideas with stipulations.
If Peralta is moved to 3B:
2B Mark Grudzielanek
Grudzielanek fits many of the player stereotypes that Eric Wedge views highly. The man's a grinder. Not blessed with an abundance of talent, Grudzielanek has consistently been a .300 hitter batting in the two-hole for some really horrendous offenses. He's a Gold Glove second baseman, and a fairly cheap option. The Royals picked up Grudzielanek's option for this season at $4.5M, as they waited on Mike Aviles and Alberto Callaspo to fill holes.
With those holes filled, Grudzielanek becomes the ideal stopgap for the Indians at second base. Going off his career stats, Grudzielanek puts the ball in play almost 88% of the time. On a team full of windmills, a consistent contact hitter is just what the doctor ordered. If Grady Sizemore remains in the leadoff spot, a #2 hitter that can put the ball in play and move him around, that increases the Indians run scoring probability exponentially.
If Peralta remains at SS:
3B Chone Figgins
Look at me like I'm crazy if you wish, but I think he can be had from the Angels for a price. The Angels will become a very cost-conscious team over the next few years. Chone Figgins fits perfectly into the mold of someone that can be had. He's arbitration-eligible this offseason after making $4.5M during the 2008 campaign.
Figgins fits a few more holes for the Indians. They will have a bona fide leadoff hitter to move Grady down the order to drive in more runs. He's a dimension of speed that they have not had since the heyday of Kenny Lofton. He's a versatile player in the field, having played in the OF, at 2B, and predominantly at 3B. He's growing into the prime of his career and swings at strikes. During 2008, he's swung at just 16.6% of pitches outside the zone.
3B Casey Blake
Casey Blake is a professional. He may take some sort of discount to come back to a team that he feels loyal to because they gave him a chance to be an everyday player. The problem is that he'll be the most sought-after 3B this offseason, after hitting 20+HR between the two leagues. You know what you get with Blake and you know what kind of guy you get in the clubhouse.
I'm not mentioning the outfield, because I think it's pretty set. Outside of five guys competing for three spots, the starters are Sizemore, Choo, and Francisco. But....there's always room for improvement.
LF Raul Ibanez
It's highly possible that we'll be priced out of most of the free agent markets this offseason. If we are, our trading chips at the major league level are Kelly Shoppach, Ben Francisco, and Franklin Gutierrez. Signing Raul Ibanez makes one of those two outfielders expendable. Ibanez has consistently hit .280 or better since 2001. While he is a bit of a windmill at times, 20 HR and 100 RBI to our lineup is not a bad route to go.
The only issue I would have is that our lineup would get a bit one-dimensional with lefties Sizemore, Hafner, Ibanez, and Choo. But, Ibanez is a sound player and would only require a two-year deal while we waited on Matt LaPorta or Nick Weglarz to get to the show and be ready to succeed.
Not a glaring need, but an improvement if Francisco were to be dealt to fill another need.
The Cleveland Indians 2008 bullpen has been awful. There's no question about it. It hampered them in 2006 and has hampered them in 2008. Here are some bullpen acquisitions that they can target.
LHP Jeremy Affeldt
Affeldt reaches free agency after inking a one-year deal with Cincinnati for $3M. Signing a guy like Affeldt would lessen any pressure on Rafael Perez and give the back end of the bullpen another sound lefty, that could be used in any situation, including long relief. Affeldt's been pretty good, but it has not been worthy of a significant raise in his contract for the 2009 season. With Kobayashi expiring, and not likely to be retained, spending $7.5M for two years of Affeldt would not be a bad move. He also has starting experience.
LHP Brian Fuentes
I'm only in favor of an upgrade to Jensen Lewis if it is an obvious and significant upgrade. Kevin Gregg is not. Neither is Brandon Lyon. My significant upgrades are Fuentes, Putz, Capps, and K-Rod. Putz may be available. Capps is inked very cheap and could command a king's ransom at the 2009 trading deadline. K-Rod is unaffordable.
That leaves Brian Fuentes. However, Fuentes is likely to command a three or four-year deal worth about $10M per. With Mark Shapiro's track record, signing bullpen pitchers, or any pitcher, to a long-term deal is highly unlikely at best. Jake Westbrook's year-long injury will not help that trend. I put Fuentes here as more of a token addition. He would be a huge upgrade, but the probability is so small.
RHP J.J. Putz
Putz has certainly gone through his fair share of adversity in 2008, pitching in just 44 games and blowing eight saves in that time. His velocity did not drop, the way K-Rod's has at times this season, but Putz doubled his walk total from '07 to '08 in 28 less innings. With arms like Sean Green and Brandon Morrow in the Seattle bullpen, Putz might be a tradable commodity.
Given his struggles, the price has gone down. Also, he's on the line for $5M in '09 and $8.6M in '10, with a $1M buyout. The question becomes, is he worth $6-15M? Can he be healthy enough to save at least 30-35 games? Depending on what the cost in personnel is, this may not be a bad gamble to take. It's a small buyout, even for a mid-market team like the Indians.
Now that all of this has digested, here is my projected 2009 Indians roster, with salaries included:
C Kelly Shoppach $2M (while I don't claim to know much about the arbitration process, I'll assume the Indians offer about $1.5M while Shoppach asks for $2.5-3M)
C Wyatt Toregas/Sal Fasano $400k
1B Victor Martinez $5.9M
1B Ryan Garko $400k
2B Mark Grudzielanek $4.75M
2B Jamey Carroll $2.5M
SS Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
3B Jhonny Peralta $3.65M
LF Ben Francisco $400k
CF Grady Sizemore $4.767M
RF Shin-Soo Choo $400k
RF Franklin Gutierrez $400k
DH Travis Hafner $11.5M
SP Cliff Lee $6M
SP Fausto Carmona $2.75M
SP Derek Lowe $10.5M
SP Anthony Reyes $400k
SP Scott Lewis/Aaron Laffey $400k
RP Jensen Lewis $400k
RP Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
RP Rafael Perez $400k (signs three-year $10M extension with Indians to buy out arbitration-eligible years during '09, may add on to contract near season's end)
RP Adam Miller $400k
RP Masa Kobayashi $3M
RP Brendan Donnelly $700k (retained for one-year at $700k)
Disabled list: Jake Westbrook $10M
Salary: $75,767,000
It's on the high side, without a doubt. To summarize, add Derek Lowe and Mark Grudzielanek. Subtract David Dellucci and Andy Marte. Add a raise for Brendan Donnelly, Kelly Shoppach and the league minimum going up $10k for everyone.
Adding Derek Lowe may be a very lofty goal, but certainly an achievable one. One thing to consider is that the 2010 rotation, with Jake Westbrook, would feature Lee-Carmona-Lowe-Westbrook-???, would consist of $8M for Lee, $4.9M for Carmona, $10.5M for Lowe, $11M for Westbrook. That's nearly $35M tied up in the rotation alone. Consequently, that may make a Lowe acquisition a very hard financial pill to swallow. But it's clear that Shapiro is hesitant to trade prospects and it's also clear that he will be giving up prospects, or a Kelly Shoppach, to get a middle-of-the-rotation arm. So, the question becomes, what is more valuable? Payroll flexibility or young position players/pitchers?
Another question of signing any pitchers to a multi-year deal is that Victor Martinez and Rafael Perez will be due for raises at season's end. Kelly Shoppach as well, if a multi-year deal is not reached. That will take a repeat of this season for any ideas of extending Shoppach.
Once again, this is simply my idea. But, Shapiro's made it known around league circles that answering the closer role question is the offseason's biggest priority. Whoever that may be is sure to command a pretty penny, and make getting a proven MOR pitcher a difficult task. In my estimation, Shapiro's rated the offseason priorities as 1. closer; 2. MOR starter; 3. corner OF/IF offensive upgrade. Only two of the three are possible with the current roster and the budget that the Indians have to work within.
My projection only covers one of these upgrades, but fills the corner IF positions with in-house upgrades in Peralta and Martinez. Shoppach remains behind the plate, and Lewis remains the closer. This is because I cannot foresee a significant upgrade in the closer's role and I'm hopeful that Shapiro will not ante up for a Kevin Gregg or a Brandon Lyon, when Lewis could be just as sufficient. I don't see a long-term Fuentes deal, so that narrows it down to trading for Putz. Putz is just like signing a free agent, but giving up the personnel as well.
Any feedback to this is much appreciated! Thanks for reading!
So, let's look ahead. The following is the roster as it stands for 2009: (note, league minimum elevated to $400k from '09-'11)
(salaries courtesy of The Cleveland Fan)
(Pos Player Salary in '09)
C Victor Martinez $5.9M
C Kelly Shoppach arbitration-eligible ($390k in '08)
C Sal Fasano veteran minimum
1B Ryan Garko $400k
1B Michael Aubrey $400k
2B Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
2B Jamey Carroll $2.5M, club option, $150k buyout
2B Josh Barfield arbitration-eligible ($390k in '08)
SS Jhonny Peralta $3.65M (signing bonus added to base salary)
3B Andy Marte arbitration-eligible $390k
LF Ben Francisco $400k
LF David Dellucci $4M
CF Grady Sizemore $4.767M (signing bonus added to base salary)
RF Shin-Soo Choo $400k
RF Franklin Gutierrez $400k
DH Travis Hafner $11M ($11.5 on some reports)
SP Fausto Carmona $2.75M
SP Cliff Lee $6M (potential bonus for Cy Young voting, contract details not fully known)
SP Jake Westbrook $10M
SP Anthony Reyes $400k
SP Aaron Laffey $400k
SP Jeremy Sowers $400k
SP Scott Lewis $400k
SP Zach Jackson $400k
RP Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
RP Jensen Lewis $400k
RP Rafael Perez $400k
RP Masa Kobayashi $3M
RP Brendan Donnelly $400k
RP Tom Mastny $400k
RP Juan Rincon $2.745M (signed to minor league likely negated contract)
RP John Meloan $400k
RP Adam Miller $400k
Obviously, not all of these guys will make the 25 man. Cutting it down to 25, of the current guys, it will look something like this.
Catchers
Victor Martinez $5.9M
Kelly Shoppach arb-eligible
First Base
Ryan Garko $400k
Second Base
Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
Jamey Carroll $2.5M
Josh Barfield arb-eligible
Shortstop
Jhonny Peralta $3.65M
Third Base
Andy Marte arb-eligible
Outfielders
Grady Sizemore $4.767M
Ben Francisco $400k
Shin-Soo Choo $400k
Franklin Gutierrez $400k
David Dellucci $4M
Designated Hitter
Travis Hafner $11.5M
Starting Pitchers
Cliff Lee $6M
Fausto Carmona $2.75M
Anthony Reyes $400k
Two of: Scott Lewis, Aaron Laffey, Zach Jackson, Jeremy Sowers $800k
Relief Pitchers
Jensen Lewis $400k
Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
Rafael Perez $400k
Masa Kobyashi $3M
Brendan Donnelly $400k
Adam Miller $400k
For salary purposes, this is my projected 25-man roster.
In total, $52,617,000
To start the 2008 season, the Indians payroll was at nearly $79 million, according to USA Today.
We'll assume that the Indians are looking to keep their payroll somewhere between $70-75M going in to the 2008 season, as I'm sure they made a substantial profit off of the 2007 season, but not much of one this year, outside of the Progressive Field naming rights deal.
I don't expect the roster to remain that way. Josh Barfield will likely be a trade candidate in the offseason. An arbitor is not going to give him much more than the $400k minimum, but the front office does not appear too enamored with Barfield anymore. On that same wavelength, Andy Marte will only be back if the Indians cannot find anyone to play third base this offseason, and even then, Jamey Carroll has been more than adequate defensively at the position. It's likely that he will not be retained, and may even be taken off the 40-man to protect a younger player in the Rule 5 draft, or open up a spot to claim someone.
In the pitching department, I'm fairly confident that Juan Rincon will not be retained. If he is, that's a problem. Masa Kobayashi is also a candidate to be non-tendered. He's signed through next season with an option for 2010, but has been awful since the All-Star break. After the break, Kobayashi has 15 appearances, covering 11.1 innings, and has posted a 10.32 ERA. While I can understand that Kobayashi had 42 first half appearances, more than he had in full seasons in Japan, a 25-man roster spot and $3M is not worth half a season of relief work.
Another non-tender candidate, and we're all hoping for this one, is David Dellucci. Sure, in 2007, he suffered a horrible leg injury, but since being signed to the three-year $11.5M contract, Dellucci has hit a pathetic .236 with an OBP of barely over .300 and an OPS of barely .700. Just atrocious numbers for a corner OF. The Indians aren't in desperate need of that roster spot, though, so Dellucci will probably play out that last year.
For those of you who have continued reading through this, here is your reward. My thoughts for who the Indians should add for the 2009 season. Beginning with a middle of the rotation starter.
SP Derek Lowe
What better replacement for Jake Westbrook in the middle of the rotation than a carbon copy with a lower ERA? He will be a free agent in the offseason for a Dodgers team that is sure to court CC Sabathia, who wants to stay in the National League and be close to home. They also have youngsters like Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley to complement Hiroki Kuroda. Though his GB% is at its lowest in the past seven years at 60.2%, he's an innings eater with postseason experience.
His contract expires at season's end, the final year of a 4/40 deal signed after leaving Boston in 2004. Lowe has made at least 32 starts every year since 2002 after being moved from the closer's role. He will turn 36 in June, but a 3/33 deal will not make him an albatross to trade in the final year of his contract and will provide a stable veteran surrounded by kids like Carmona, Reyes, and Lewis/Laffey/Jackson/Sowers.
SP Brad Penny
Think Kevin Millwood c. 2005. Brad Penny's battled a multitude of shoulder problems in 2008, posting a 6.27 ERA. But, before this year, Penny made at least 22 starts every year dating back to 2000. The Dodgers do have an option for Penny at $8.75M, but there is a $2M buyout that I anticipate them making.
In the event that they do buyout the final year and make him a free agent, he can be had for a low base salary with incentives that can escalate his contract. If done properly, it can be a low-risk high-reward contract. It's also likely that Penny would agree to a one-year incentive-based deal in order to get healthy and then cash in after proving that he can still do it. He'll only be 31 next May. I would think that a base salary of $4-5M would do this, with escalators to get it to $8.5-9M.
SP Brett Myers
Myers will be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. He's due to make $12M in 2009, so any trade would almost have to include the Phillies taking back some of his salary. He has not been the poster child of good health, but he could be a multi-faceted acquisition. He has closing experience, as well as, starting experience. He's certainly had plenty of ups and downs over the past couple of years, but he's a steady .500 guy with an ERA around 4, and that's what we'd be looking for.
SP Mark Prior
Prior had season-ending shoulder surgery back in June, after signing a $1M deal with the Padres before the season. Prior has not pitched in a major league game since 2006 with the Chicago Cubs. Think of him as a cheaper version of Matt Clement this season. They're both huge question marks. I don't think that either one of them will get guaranteed major league contracts. But, with Prior's upside, a low-risk high-reward minor league deal, or even a non-roster invite to Spring Training, should not be out of the question.
I will preface my next group of desirables by saying that I hate the idea of Jhonny Peralta being moved to 3B. His lateral movement is awful and his reaction time is not much better. As evidenced, the Indians can overcome his fielding shortcomings at short, but can they deal with them at third? Will he be more of a liability, as singles become doubles when misplayed at 3B? My answers to those two questions are resounding no's. But, it's been rumored that the Indians brass has thought about this for some time. So, here are my infielding ideas with stipulations.
If Peralta is moved to 3B:
2B Mark Grudzielanek
Grudzielanek fits many of the player stereotypes that Eric Wedge views highly. The man's a grinder. Not blessed with an abundance of talent, Grudzielanek has consistently been a .300 hitter batting in the two-hole for some really horrendous offenses. He's a Gold Glove second baseman, and a fairly cheap option. The Royals picked up Grudzielanek's option for this season at $4.5M, as they waited on Mike Aviles and Alberto Callaspo to fill holes.
With those holes filled, Grudzielanek becomes the ideal stopgap for the Indians at second base. Going off his career stats, Grudzielanek puts the ball in play almost 88% of the time. On a team full of windmills, a consistent contact hitter is just what the doctor ordered. If Grady Sizemore remains in the leadoff spot, a #2 hitter that can put the ball in play and move him around, that increases the Indians run scoring probability exponentially.
If Peralta remains at SS:
3B Chone Figgins
Look at me like I'm crazy if you wish, but I think he can be had from the Angels for a price. The Angels will become a very cost-conscious team over the next few years. Chone Figgins fits perfectly into the mold of someone that can be had. He's arbitration-eligible this offseason after making $4.5M during the 2008 campaign.
Figgins fits a few more holes for the Indians. They will have a bona fide leadoff hitter to move Grady down the order to drive in more runs. He's a dimension of speed that they have not had since the heyday of Kenny Lofton. He's a versatile player in the field, having played in the OF, at 2B, and predominantly at 3B. He's growing into the prime of his career and swings at strikes. During 2008, he's swung at just 16.6% of pitches outside the zone.
3B Casey Blake
Casey Blake is a professional. He may take some sort of discount to come back to a team that he feels loyal to because they gave him a chance to be an everyday player. The problem is that he'll be the most sought-after 3B this offseason, after hitting 20+HR between the two leagues. You know what you get with Blake and you know what kind of guy you get in the clubhouse.
I'm not mentioning the outfield, because I think it's pretty set. Outside of five guys competing for three spots, the starters are Sizemore, Choo, and Francisco. But....there's always room for improvement.
LF Raul Ibanez
It's highly possible that we'll be priced out of most of the free agent markets this offseason. If we are, our trading chips at the major league level are Kelly Shoppach, Ben Francisco, and Franklin Gutierrez. Signing Raul Ibanez makes one of those two outfielders expendable. Ibanez has consistently hit .280 or better since 2001. While he is a bit of a windmill at times, 20 HR and 100 RBI to our lineup is not a bad route to go.
The only issue I would have is that our lineup would get a bit one-dimensional with lefties Sizemore, Hafner, Ibanez, and Choo. But, Ibanez is a sound player and would only require a two-year deal while we waited on Matt LaPorta or Nick Weglarz to get to the show and be ready to succeed.
Not a glaring need, but an improvement if Francisco were to be dealt to fill another need.
The Cleveland Indians 2008 bullpen has been awful. There's no question about it. It hampered them in 2006 and has hampered them in 2008. Here are some bullpen acquisitions that they can target.
LHP Jeremy Affeldt
Affeldt reaches free agency after inking a one-year deal with Cincinnati for $3M. Signing a guy like Affeldt would lessen any pressure on Rafael Perez and give the back end of the bullpen another sound lefty, that could be used in any situation, including long relief. Affeldt's been pretty good, but it has not been worthy of a significant raise in his contract for the 2009 season. With Kobayashi expiring, and not likely to be retained, spending $7.5M for two years of Affeldt would not be a bad move. He also has starting experience.
LHP Brian Fuentes
I'm only in favor of an upgrade to Jensen Lewis if it is an obvious and significant upgrade. Kevin Gregg is not. Neither is Brandon Lyon. My significant upgrades are Fuentes, Putz, Capps, and K-Rod. Putz may be available. Capps is inked very cheap and could command a king's ransom at the 2009 trading deadline. K-Rod is unaffordable.
That leaves Brian Fuentes. However, Fuentes is likely to command a three or four-year deal worth about $10M per. With Mark Shapiro's track record, signing bullpen pitchers, or any pitcher, to a long-term deal is highly unlikely at best. Jake Westbrook's year-long injury will not help that trend. I put Fuentes here as more of a token addition. He would be a huge upgrade, but the probability is so small.
RHP J.J. Putz
Putz has certainly gone through his fair share of adversity in 2008, pitching in just 44 games and blowing eight saves in that time. His velocity did not drop, the way K-Rod's has at times this season, but Putz doubled his walk total from '07 to '08 in 28 less innings. With arms like Sean Green and Brandon Morrow in the Seattle bullpen, Putz might be a tradable commodity.
Given his struggles, the price has gone down. Also, he's on the line for $5M in '09 and $8.6M in '10, with a $1M buyout. The question becomes, is he worth $6-15M? Can he be healthy enough to save at least 30-35 games? Depending on what the cost in personnel is, this may not be a bad gamble to take. It's a small buyout, even for a mid-market team like the Indians.
Now that all of this has digested, here is my projected 2009 Indians roster, with salaries included:
C Kelly Shoppach $2M (while I don't claim to know much about the arbitration process, I'll assume the Indians offer about $1.5M while Shoppach asks for $2.5-3M)
C Wyatt Toregas/Sal Fasano $400k
1B Victor Martinez $5.9M
1B Ryan Garko $400k
2B Mark Grudzielanek $4.75M
2B Jamey Carroll $2.5M
SS Asdrubal Cabrera $400k
3B Jhonny Peralta $3.65M
LF Ben Francisco $400k
CF Grady Sizemore $4.767M
RF Shin-Soo Choo $400k
RF Franklin Gutierrez $400k
DH Travis Hafner $11.5M
SP Cliff Lee $6M
SP Fausto Carmona $2.75M
SP Derek Lowe $10.5M
SP Anthony Reyes $400k
SP Scott Lewis/Aaron Laffey $400k
RP Jensen Lewis $400k
RP Rafael Betancourt $3.35M
RP Rafael Perez $400k (signs three-year $10M extension with Indians to buy out arbitration-eligible years during '09, may add on to contract near season's end)
RP Adam Miller $400k
RP Masa Kobayashi $3M
RP Brendan Donnelly $700k (retained for one-year at $700k)
Disabled list: Jake Westbrook $10M
Salary: $75,767,000
It's on the high side, without a doubt. To summarize, add Derek Lowe and Mark Grudzielanek. Subtract David Dellucci and Andy Marte. Add a raise for Brendan Donnelly, Kelly Shoppach and the league minimum going up $10k for everyone.
Adding Derek Lowe may be a very lofty goal, but certainly an achievable one. One thing to consider is that the 2010 rotation, with Jake Westbrook, would feature Lee-Carmona-Lowe-Westbrook-???, would consist of $8M for Lee, $4.9M for Carmona, $10.5M for Lowe, $11M for Westbrook. That's nearly $35M tied up in the rotation alone. Consequently, that may make a Lowe acquisition a very hard financial pill to swallow. But it's clear that Shapiro is hesitant to trade prospects and it's also clear that he will be giving up prospects, or a Kelly Shoppach, to get a middle-of-the-rotation arm. So, the question becomes, what is more valuable? Payroll flexibility or young position players/pitchers?
Another question of signing any pitchers to a multi-year deal is that Victor Martinez and Rafael Perez will be due for raises at season's end. Kelly Shoppach as well, if a multi-year deal is not reached. That will take a repeat of this season for any ideas of extending Shoppach.
Once again, this is simply my idea. But, Shapiro's made it known around league circles that answering the closer role question is the offseason's biggest priority. Whoever that may be is sure to command a pretty penny, and make getting a proven MOR pitcher a difficult task. In my estimation, Shapiro's rated the offseason priorities as 1. closer; 2. MOR starter; 3. corner OF/IF offensive upgrade. Only two of the three are possible with the current roster and the budget that the Indians have to work within.
My projection only covers one of these upgrades, but fills the corner IF positions with in-house upgrades in Peralta and Martinez. Shoppach remains behind the plate, and Lewis remains the closer. This is because I cannot foresee a significant upgrade in the closer's role and I'm hopeful that Shapiro will not ante up for a Kevin Gregg or a Brandon Lyon, when Lewis could be just as sufficient. I don't see a long-term Fuentes deal, so that narrows it down to trading for Putz. Putz is just like signing a free agent, but giving up the personnel as well.
Any feedback to this is much appreciated! Thanks for reading!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Series in Review: Fightin' Native Americans of the Cuyahoga v. Kwame's Kitties
Kwame Kilpatrick would be proud of Gary Sheffield. The thuggish mayor will spend 4 months in jail starting October 28th and his city's baseball team made him proud over the weekend. Gary Sheffield's roid rage and vocal dislike of Latin players was on display Friday night. Sheffield was unable to control Fausto Carmona as he received the WWE treatment from the big Dominican after charging the mound following a pickoff throw to first.
Words and fists were launched in the melee that sparked the Indians to a 6-5 come-from-behind win thanks to cult hero Shin-Soo Choo and Jamey Carroll, one of Rick Moranis's go-to guys in Little Giants. Urbania, Ohio would be proud. Ed O'Neill wishes Spike would take care of Carroll.
To the Tigers' fans on the porch that repeatedly told me to look at the scoreboard, instead of the standings ironically, when it was 5-2 Detroit in the top of the 8th, I hope you get caught in the crossfire on 8 Mile. These same drunkards left the game during the break between the top and bottom of the 8th. Good move guys, hopefully you fell in the Cuyahoga while looking around for bars that no longer exist in the Flats.
Before I go further, I must mention Victor Martinez's importance to this team. Outside of Wednesday's walk-off and his consistent bat in the lineup, Victor stuck up for his teammates and his pitcher, wanting to drag Magglio Ordonez and his greasy hair out to the woodshed.
We interrupt this blog post for this breaking news bulletin: Gary Sheffield is an asshole.
Moving to Saturday night, the Indians reached the .500 mark for the first time since mid-May. While this is a very pedestrian achievement for a team that was one win away from being the World Series champion, because Colorado was not beating either AL team, it is encouraging. Before Carmona returned, the team's rotation consisted of this year's Cy Young, a couple of scrubs, a retired peanut vendor, a guy with two club feet and a series of mental incapacities, and that dorky guy that everyone went to high school with at one time or another who wore black "I hate the world" t-shirts over a flannel-patterned collared shirt.
Jeremy Sowers did a fine job of limiting the damage, and the Indians did a terrific job of getting Justin Verlander out relatively early.
Shin-Soo Choo is starting to assimilate in to the American way of life. He finally realizes that the chant of "Choooooooooooo" is not the home fans booing him for hitting 3-run HRs to tie the game against our most hated rival. Not sure what they do in South Korea. I know in North Korea they shoot nukes at the opposing dugout.
Before I forget, let me give a shoutout to the three die-hard protesters that stood on the sidewalk between the Q and the Jake to hold up poorly-constructed signs about how the Indians name is derogatory. I would embrace the team just the same if it were the Cleveland Caucasians. Thank you for asking. Wouldn't it be ironic if they were shot while protesting and went home with wounded knees? Of course I'm not advocating that. I'm just pointing out the irony. Lou Sockalexis appreciates the smear campaign of his Native American heritage and how the team was named in his honor.
Sunday's game featured Whatchu talkin' 'bout Dontrelle Willis. Well, we're talking about walks Dontrelle. Technically, today's effort was better than his June 9th start against the Tribe. That day, he walked only five in his 1.1. The eight runs and three hits were really his undoing. Today, he managed to last into the 3rd inning. He walked six more today and allowed six runs in 2.1. Managing to strike out four, three of which were Grady Sizemore, who receives a Golden Sombrero for his efforts today, Willis's K/BB ratio now rests at 13/32. If Willis does not pitch again this season, his 18.2 innings average out to over $375,000/inning for his MLB season. That's as efficient as ethanol in a steam roller.
Ryan Garko tripled today. If the world stopped briefly, you now know why. He also drove in one little, two little, three little, four little, five little Indians today, with a four-hit performance. Victor Martinez scored 10.7% of his total runs for the season today. Josh Barfield was the only Indian not to reach base today. Excuse me while I make a face of astonishment.
Heading in to that place with the big green wall in left, the Indians are 78-77. They need a 4-3 road trip through Masshole Country and the Windy City to guarantee a +.500 season for the 3rd time during the Eric Wedge tenure. When asked for comment, Eric Wedge twitched his nose and then grinded it against his desk to illustrate his point.
From the things that will make me sick department: Boston will be celebrating another party while the Indians are in town this week. A Boston win at any point or a New York loss will clinch them a playoff spot. I must go vomit now.
Words and fists were launched in the melee that sparked the Indians to a 6-5 come-from-behind win thanks to cult hero Shin-Soo Choo and Jamey Carroll, one of Rick Moranis's go-to guys in Little Giants. Urbania, Ohio would be proud. Ed O'Neill wishes Spike would take care of Carroll.
To the Tigers' fans on the porch that repeatedly told me to look at the scoreboard, instead of the standings ironically, when it was 5-2 Detroit in the top of the 8th, I hope you get caught in the crossfire on 8 Mile. These same drunkards left the game during the break between the top and bottom of the 8th. Good move guys, hopefully you fell in the Cuyahoga while looking around for bars that no longer exist in the Flats.
Before I go further, I must mention Victor Martinez's importance to this team. Outside of Wednesday's walk-off and his consistent bat in the lineup, Victor stuck up for his teammates and his pitcher, wanting to drag Magglio Ordonez and his greasy hair out to the woodshed.
We interrupt this blog post for this breaking news bulletin: Gary Sheffield is an asshole.
Moving to Saturday night, the Indians reached the .500 mark for the first time since mid-May. While this is a very pedestrian achievement for a team that was one win away from being the World Series champion, because Colorado was not beating either AL team, it is encouraging. Before Carmona returned, the team's rotation consisted of this year's Cy Young, a couple of scrubs, a retired peanut vendor, a guy with two club feet and a series of mental incapacities, and that dorky guy that everyone went to high school with at one time or another who wore black "I hate the world" t-shirts over a flannel-patterned collared shirt.
Jeremy Sowers did a fine job of limiting the damage, and the Indians did a terrific job of getting Justin Verlander out relatively early.
Shin-Soo Choo is starting to assimilate in to the American way of life. He finally realizes that the chant of "Choooooooooooo" is not the home fans booing him for hitting 3-run HRs to tie the game against our most hated rival. Not sure what they do in South Korea. I know in North Korea they shoot nukes at the opposing dugout.
Before I forget, let me give a shoutout to the three die-hard protesters that stood on the sidewalk between the Q and the Jake to hold up poorly-constructed signs about how the Indians name is derogatory. I would embrace the team just the same if it were the Cleveland Caucasians. Thank you for asking. Wouldn't it be ironic if they were shot while protesting and went home with wounded knees? Of course I'm not advocating that. I'm just pointing out the irony. Lou Sockalexis appreciates the smear campaign of his Native American heritage and how the team was named in his honor.
Sunday's game featured Whatchu talkin' 'bout Dontrelle Willis. Well, we're talking about walks Dontrelle. Technically, today's effort was better than his June 9th start against the Tribe. That day, he walked only five in his 1.1. The eight runs and three hits were really his undoing. Today, he managed to last into the 3rd inning. He walked six more today and allowed six runs in 2.1. Managing to strike out four, three of which were Grady Sizemore, who receives a Golden Sombrero for his efforts today, Willis's K/BB ratio now rests at 13/32. If Willis does not pitch again this season, his 18.2 innings average out to over $375,000/inning for his MLB season. That's as efficient as ethanol in a steam roller.
Ryan Garko tripled today. If the world stopped briefly, you now know why. He also drove in one little, two little, three little, four little, five little Indians today, with a four-hit performance. Victor Martinez scored 10.7% of his total runs for the season today. Josh Barfield was the only Indian not to reach base today. Excuse me while I make a face of astonishment.
Heading in to that place with the big green wall in left, the Indians are 78-77. They need a 4-3 road trip through Masshole Country and the Windy City to guarantee a +.500 season for the 3rd time during the Eric Wedge tenure. When asked for comment, Eric Wedge twitched his nose and then grinded it against his desk to illustrate his point.
From the things that will make me sick department: Boston will be celebrating another party while the Indians are in town this week. A Boston win at any point or a New York loss will clinch them a playoff spot. I must go vomit now.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Series in Review: The Iroquois Confederacy v. The Olsens
How about that. The Minnesota Twins came in to town looking to put a dent in Chicago's AL Central lead. Instead, they lost a game in the division and got swept by a sub-.500 team.
In my last entry, I highlighted Scott Lewis's achievement in game one. Let's look at an even bigger achievement from game three. Travis Hafner remembered when the outfield wall ended and the seats began in Cleveland. It was Pronk's first home run at Progressive Field since April 17. Joe Mauer was set up on the outside corner. Scott Baker's pitch was on a tee. Glad to see he remembered how to find the seats. He'll be key in 2009.
My personal attachment as a fan to Victor Martinez runs deep. He is the heart and soul of this ballclub. His walk-off on Tuesday night was more than deserved. The first walk-off of his career came off Joe Nathan. Props to you, Victor.
Shin-Soo Choo posted an OPS of 1.037 in August. How does he follow that up? By posting a 1.113 through half of September. He was 3-for-9 in this series with 4 RBI.
Juan Rincon is as useful as a broken profilactic during a one-night stand with a woman on fertility drugs.
Jensen Lewis nailed down save #10, pitching on four consecutive days. At this point, I'm confident handing him the reins next season in the closer's role if we don't sign a Brian Fuentes or trade for a solid closer.
If I were to ask, who leads the Indians in runs scored, how many people would answer Jhonny Peralta? With a big second half of the month, he could be a .275 25 100 100 player for this team. That's impressive without Hafner and Martinez in the lineup.
The glass is obviously half full right now.
Rafael Betancourt walked four in his .2 IP in Tuesday's bullpen implosion. That's 45% of his walk total for ALL of the 2007 season.
For the worst stat of the series, the award goes to, what a shocker, Juan Rincon! In the 6th inning of Tuesday's game, Juan Rincon entered the game with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Carlos Gomez promptly singled to drive in both runs. After Gomez stole second and Denard Span walked, Juan Rincon struck out Matt Tolbert. For those efforts, Juan Rincon received a hold. As someone who is a huge fan of the holds stat, this is a crime.
Tigers come to town now for three.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
It's All About The Lewises
It's all about the Lewises, baby, uh.
Now what y'all wanna do?
Be closers? Depth starters?
Grinders, who be dippin' in the bullpen with the coaches
On the low from the Jake in the Taurus. (left in to pay homage to the house formerly known as Jacobs Field, though no one in the players parking lot actually drives a Taurus)
Tryin' to get my hands on some innings like Jack Morris
Yeah, livin' the big league life, three course meals
Bazooka, Bubble Yum and Big League Chew but still, everything's real in the field
And what you can't have now, leave when you will
But don't knock me for throwing fourteen zeroes with Clevelan'.
Ain't nobody's hero, but I wanna be heard
90% in save opps, that's my word
Swimmin' in women post-game in my downtown loft
Creatin' more great expectations than Anne Bancroft
It's all about the Lewises, what?!
I think that's enough before I display how truly Caucasian I am.
Scott Lewis, former pitcher at THE Ohio State University, now holds a scoreless streak of 14 innings in his MLB career. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that streak is the most for an Indians pitcher starting his career since 1969. As Paul Hoynes notes, the streak could go back even further but Elias's records only go that far back.
Lewis has allowed six hits over his two starts, three in each. That's a .57 WHIP.
On the backend, Jensen Lewis is now 9-for-10 in save opportunities since being handed the role during the closer-by-committee phase. He has a .9 WHIP in save opps and allowed just four earned runs, punching out 12. The former Vanderbilt Commodore is the in-house leader for the closer role next year, a role that GM Mark Shapiro expects to fill via trade or free agency this offseason.
Let's put that last sentence in to perspective. Mark Shapiro's bullpen acquisitions over the last three years include: Joe Borowski, Keith Foulke (never pitched a game for the Indians), Aaron Fultz, Roberto Hernandez, Masa Kobayashi, and some other gas cans that I'm forgetting. In terms of minor league deals, we have him to thank for Juan Rincon, Brendan Donnelly, and Scott Elarton. Rincon means corner in English, something he cannot find while throwing a baseball because he has allowed 13 of 15 inherited runners to score.
So, in a season that's become a Trail of Tears for the Indians, the Lewises have been a bright spot.
Now what y'all wanna do?
Be closers? Depth starters?
Grinders, who be dippin' in the bullpen with the coaches
On the low from the Jake in the Taurus. (left in to pay homage to the house formerly known as Jacobs Field, though no one in the players parking lot actually drives a Taurus)
Tryin' to get my hands on some innings like Jack Morris
Yeah, livin' the big league life, three course meals
Bazooka, Bubble Yum and Big League Chew but still, everything's real in the field
And what you can't have now, leave when you will
But don't knock me for throwing fourteen zeroes with Clevelan'.
Ain't nobody's hero, but I wanna be heard
90% in save opps, that's my word
Swimmin' in women post-game in my downtown loft
Creatin' more great expectations than Anne Bancroft
It's all about the Lewises, what?!
I think that's enough before I display how truly Caucasian I am.
Scott Lewis, former pitcher at THE Ohio State University, now holds a scoreless streak of 14 innings in his MLB career. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that streak is the most for an Indians pitcher starting his career since 1969. As Paul Hoynes notes, the streak could go back even further but Elias's records only go that far back.
Lewis has allowed six hits over his two starts, three in each. That's a .57 WHIP.
On the backend, Jensen Lewis is now 9-for-10 in save opportunities since being handed the role during the closer-by-committee phase. He has a .9 WHIP in save opps and allowed just four earned runs, punching out 12. The former Vanderbilt Commodore is the in-house leader for the closer role next year, a role that GM Mark Shapiro expects to fill via trade or free agency this offseason.
Let's put that last sentence in to perspective. Mark Shapiro's bullpen acquisitions over the last three years include: Joe Borowski, Keith Foulke (never pitched a game for the Indians), Aaron Fultz, Roberto Hernandez, Masa Kobayashi, and some other gas cans that I'm forgetting. In terms of minor league deals, we have him to thank for Juan Rincon, Brendan Donnelly, and Scott Elarton. Rincon means corner in English, something he cannot find while throwing a baseball because he has allowed 13 of 15 inherited runners to score.
So, in a season that's become a Trail of Tears for the Indians, the Lewises have been a bright spot.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Chapter XVI: Grimace and the Clock
Today, boys and girls, we'll look at Chapter 16, Grimace and the Clock. Of course, our main character is the affable, and rotund, Romeo Crennel. Nobody has looked more like a folk character from McDonalds since Carrot Top was actually relevant and turned in to the offspring of Ronald McDonald and inspiration for the Super Smash Bros. game, the lovable roller skating comic Gallagher. Craig Monroe tried to do his best Hamburglar impression, but it probably was not even a real leather belt.
Let's read through this picture book with the help of Braylon Edwards. Always giving back to the community. Apparently, his next gig will be as Speed Racer. Which sucks for Emile Hirsch because his only other career achievement was making out with Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door.
Enough prefacing. Braylon, would you please help us tell this fascinating story?
"Chapter 16, Grimace and the Cock."
"That's clock, Braylon. Clock. If I were to use it in a sentence, we could say, 'Braylon was clocked at 120 miles per hour on I-90 with a passenger puking in his Bentley'. I guess you were one of those people to receive "points" on your University of Michigan application, weren't you?"
"OK. Grimace and the Clock. It was a windy Cleveland night, garbage blowing all over the field. Why does this picture include Derek Anderson? And this other guy, who's he?"
That's Donte Stallworth. The Vagisil didn't help his quad and he couldn't make it to the game. Damnit, Braylon. Can't you hold on to that book?
"Sorry."
Please continue.
"As the first half drew to a close, the game was close. How? Nobody knows. The Browns had a great drive late in the 2nd and leave it to trusty Grimace to wreck it."
The drive that gave Cleveland fans hope was a 14-play 71 yard march downfield with a couple of great third down conversions by Derek Anderson, his only glimmer of brilliance on the day. The drive ended at the Pittsburgh 2 with a Troy Polamalu interception on a forced throw due to time constraints by Crennel's lack of time management skills. After getting to a 3rd & 2 situation inside the 15, Crennel and Anderson culminated the disaster by running another play with about 15 seconds left. Anderson's 6'6" frame lunged for the first down, leaving the Browns with 1st & goal, a prayer, and the span of a virgin's first time to conduct a proper play.
"Wait, wait. What's wrong with speeding in a Bentley?"
Calm down, Braylon. We've just had bad luck with Bentleys, that's all.
"After halftime, the teams traded three in third. Crennel's last decision was the day's biggest turd."
In a game where the Pittsburgh Steelers scored on two possessions, the Browns still managed to lose.
The Browns put together another 14 play drive going deep into the fourth quarter. Then came 4th & 7. 3:21 remained on the clock. Grimace, now even more super sized than at the start of the game, likes field goals in the 4th quarter. Phil Dawson gets a Big Mac for kicking the 31 yarder. The 55 mph winds kept the kick on line.
The Browns needed a three and out. They forced Pittsburgh in to one three & out during the game. A game in which throwing the ball was more difficult than getting Eric Wedge to go through an interview without using the word 'grinding' or any other form of the verb 'grind'.
Willie Parker averages 109 yards per game against Cleveland. Taking this in to account, kicking a field goal was not a good idea. John Madden advocated the field goal attempt. While I realize that he is a former NFL coach, he is about as coherent as Nick Nolte on a three-day bender, and his senility makes Lou Holtz appear, well, sane.
"Why doesn't this story have a happy ending?"
I don't know, Braylon. Maybe we should just drop it. Well, you already have.
Let's read through this picture book with the help of Braylon Edwards. Always giving back to the community. Apparently, his next gig will be as Speed Racer. Which sucks for Emile Hirsch because his only other career achievement was making out with Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door.
Enough prefacing. Braylon, would you please help us tell this fascinating story?
"Chapter 16, Grimace and the Cock."
"That's clock, Braylon. Clock. If I were to use it in a sentence, we could say, 'Braylon was clocked at 120 miles per hour on I-90 with a passenger puking in his Bentley'. I guess you were one of those people to receive "points" on your University of Michigan application, weren't you?"
"OK. Grimace and the Clock. It was a windy Cleveland night, garbage blowing all over the field. Why does this picture include Derek Anderson? And this other guy, who's he?"
That's Donte Stallworth. The Vagisil didn't help his quad and he couldn't make it to the game. Damnit, Braylon. Can't you hold on to that book?
"Sorry."
Please continue.
"As the first half drew to a close, the game was close. How? Nobody knows. The Browns had a great drive late in the 2nd and leave it to trusty Grimace to wreck it."
The drive that gave Cleveland fans hope was a 14-play 71 yard march downfield with a couple of great third down conversions by Derek Anderson, his only glimmer of brilliance on the day. The drive ended at the Pittsburgh 2 with a Troy Polamalu interception on a forced throw due to time constraints by Crennel's lack of time management skills. After getting to a 3rd & 2 situation inside the 15, Crennel and Anderson culminated the disaster by running another play with about 15 seconds left. Anderson's 6'6" frame lunged for the first down, leaving the Browns with 1st & goal, a prayer, and the span of a virgin's first time to conduct a proper play.
"Wait, wait. What's wrong with speeding in a Bentley?"
Calm down, Braylon. We've just had bad luck with Bentleys, that's all.
"After halftime, the teams traded three in third. Crennel's last decision was the day's biggest turd."
In a game where the Pittsburgh Steelers scored on two possessions, the Browns still managed to lose.
The Browns put together another 14 play drive going deep into the fourth quarter. Then came 4th & 7. 3:21 remained on the clock. Grimace, now even more super sized than at the start of the game, likes field goals in the 4th quarter. Phil Dawson gets a Big Mac for kicking the 31 yarder. The 55 mph winds kept the kick on line.
The Browns needed a three and out. They forced Pittsburgh in to one three & out during the game. A game in which throwing the ball was more difficult than getting Eric Wedge to go through an interview without using the word 'grinding' or any other form of the verb 'grind'.
Willie Parker averages 109 yards per game against Cleveland. Taking this in to account, kicking a field goal was not a good idea. John Madden advocated the field goal attempt. While I realize that he is a former NFL coach, he is about as coherent as Nick Nolte on a three-day bender, and his senility makes Lou Holtz appear, well, sane.
"Why doesn't this story have a happy ending?"
I don't know, Braylon. Maybe we should just drop it. Well, you already have.
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