The Cleveland Indians are going into 2008 as the defending American League Central champions, defeater of the mighty New York Yankees in the playoffs, and possibly one off-hand comment about the taste of champagne away from toppling the Boston Red Sox and heading to the World Series. All of this, and hardly anyone is talking about them.
Even with one of the most dynamic young players in the league in centerfield, a veteran line-up of sluggers, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner as the ace, and possibly the next one as the number-two, the Indians are trailing in the PR polls behind the former Marlin talent-heavy Detroit Tigers. Is it justified?
OFFENSE: A-
Much like the Chicago Cubs, the Indians are happily dealing with a power-hitting leadoff man that could stand to move down a slot or two in centerfielder Grady Sizemore, the rare blend of power (24 homers) and speed (33 steals) to go with the stellar and spectacular defense. Catcher Victor Martinez knocked in 114 backing up DH Travis Hafner’s 100. Just about everyone in the lineup hits for decent average and moderate power, there’s no truly easy outs. The only questionable spot may be left field, where David Dellucci and Jason Michaels will possibly platoon, and probably should (Michaels had most of his limited success against lefties, Dellucci was non-existent against righties), but that’s a small blemish on the shiny apple by the Cuyahoga.
PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Sizemore CF 2 Peralta SS 3 Hafner DH 4 Martinez C 5 Garko 1B 6 Blake 3B 7 Gutierrez RF 8 Cabrera 2B 9 Dellucci/Michaels LF
STARTING PITCHING: A-
Another plus is the starting pitching, especially slots one through three. C.C. Sabathia is coming off a great year in which he outdueled Red Sox ace Josh Beckett for the Cy Young (19-7, 3.21 ERA, 241 innings, 209 strikeouts, only 37 walks), Fausto Carmona came from nowhere to be dominant, and looked like just as much a candidate as Sabathia (one more loss, lower ERA), and Paul Byrd put up 15 wins and did a little inning eating of his own. Jake Westbrook will do his usual solid work out of the four slot, and five is a little iffy, but if Sabathia puts his contract worries aside, Carmona has another monster year, and Byrd can maintain, this is a rotation that will rival anyone in the American League.
PROJECTED ROTATION: Sabathia, Carmona, Byrd, Westbrook, Laffey
BULLPEN: B
If there is a question mark on this team, there’s a small one over the bullpen. Joe Borowski returns as the closer, and he’s been pretty good the last two years (81 of 96 converted with Florida in 2006 and the Tribe last year), but also a bit prone to the gopher ball (16 homeruns in only 134-plus innings over that span), so it’s not always a done deal in the ninth. Japanese import Masahide Kobayashi, the first in Cleveland’s history, is an unknown quantity, but, from all accounts, has good stuff, so that’s a big we’ll see. Rafael Betancourt was spectacular out of the pen last year, and Aaron Fultz did well also. It’s a crapshoot, but it’s not against long odds.
CONCLUSION
It could come down to the slimmest of margins in the Central this year. The offenses are almost identical between the Indians and Tigers. Cleveland’s bullpen, considering the injury to Tigers fireballer Joel Zumaya, is slightly better, but Detroit’s four and five (possibly Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, or Jeremy Bonderman will go into those slots) could outduel Westbrook and Laffey (or Jeremy Sowers or Cliff Lee, whomever ends up as the solid five) just enough to pull it off. One thing’s for sure, barring injury and acts of God, the pennant race in the Central will be the closest in the American League, and the Indians will come away…with the Wild Card.
PREDICTION: 93-69, second in American League Central, American League wild card winner
