The Nostalgia League continues on and two months are in the books. As the season moves into June, some teams like the 1995 and 2005 Indians continue to dominate, while the 1968 and 1976 Indians have struggled. Shortstop Lou Bourdreau is setting the league on fire with his hitting, Vic Wertz and Rocky Colavito are showing the power, and Cy Falkenberg has been dominant on the mound. Check it out!
It's hard to believe, but this is the last Corner of Carnegie and Ontario before the regular season kicks off next Tuesday in Toronto. The Indians secured one of their most successful offseasons of the year, and are now led by one of the best baseball minds in the game today. Will their offseason success translate to on-the-field victories? Jim Pete walks through the 25-man rotation, with a preview of what's to come...
On the night the Indians traded Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds for a deal that included Trevor Bauer and Drew Stubbs, the IBI's Michael Hattery was elated with the Bauer acquisition but did not know what to thing of the Stubbs pick up. After some time to think about it, one thing struck him as interesting, that being they were two high ceiling players being given up on by their draft teams a little too soon and that Stubbs could be in for a comeback season.
The Indians brought out the minor leaguers on Tuesday after they got blasted on Monday night, and while they lost the game 7-6 to the A's, top prospect Francisco LIndor put on a defensive display. Zach McAllister scuffled a bit, but Chris Perez returned and looked pretty nasty. The Indians lost the game, but if there ever was a game in which I was left impressed after a loss, this was it.
A month is in the books in the IBI's Nostalgia League, a simulated league that pits the 18 greatest Indians' teams against one another over a full 162 game season. Eric Wedge's teams always got off to horrid starts, but not in this simulation as the 2005 Indians lead the Speaker Division and the 2007 Indians lead the Boudreau Division after one month of play. The Rock leads the pack with 15 homers, Albert Belle leads with 31 RBI, Otis Nixon leads with 20 stolen bases, and Luis Tiant leads with 73 strikeouts. Check it all out!
The Cleveland Indians had a rough visit to Salt River Field on Monday Night, as the Colorado Rockies managed to make Arizona look like the thin air of Colorado. The pasted the Indians, scoring 18 runs on 26 hits on the night, and just beat up on the Indians' Brett Myers, David Huff and Rich Hill.
With his sweet swing and mature demeanor, Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall may be a potential star in the making and a fixture at third for many years to come. Is it possible that Chisenhall could blossom into the next left-handed hitting slugger like Jim Thome? That's a question the IBI's Jim Berdysz asked and tries to answer....
Opening day is always a great day to be alive, and for the Nostalgia League it means the beginning of some exciting matchups in this nine-part series simulating some of the greatest Indians teams of all time against one another over a full 162 game schedule. On opening day in the league 378,815 fans jammed into three parks on the shores of Lake Erie to see 9 games with 18 teams. Luis Tiant squared off against the juggernaut offense of the 1999 Indians, Bob Feller squared off against the 1995 Indians....and more!
The Cleveland Indians announced the beginning of their final roster moves on Monday afternoon. While there are still some questions as to who will make up the final 25-man roster when they break camp next weekend, most were answered in a flurry of moves. Scott Kazmir was officially named the fifth starter, but won't be added to the roster until prior to his first start on April sixth. Here's a list of the moves made so far.
The Cleveland Indians have made dramatic improvements over the offseason, which turned what likely would have been a lost year into one of curiosity. The Detroit Tigers remain loaded, and may have the three best players in the American League, let alone the AL Central, and the Kansas City Royals have the most talent, and could be ready to take a Tampa Bay Rays-type move from a few years ago. I haven't even mentioned the White Sox or the Twins yet. Who wins the division?
Ubaldo Jimenez took the hill on Sunday afternoon for the Cleveland Indians in one of his last outings before the Indians break for camp at the end of the week. Jimenez was nothing short of spectacular in the outing, and while it's hard to look too much into a spring training start, it was good to see Jimenez do something good for a change. Join IBI's Arthur Kinney with the latest Indians' spring training recap.
Daisuke Matsuzaka initially accepted a demotion the Triple A Columbus after Tribe manager Terry Francona told the right-handed starter that he wasn't going to make the 25-man roster last week. This weekend, things changed quickly as the Indians announced on Sunday night that he was being released from his minor league deal. Is there a renegotiation going on, or is Matsuzaka moving on?
Have you ever wondered which Indians' team was the greatest of all-time? IBI contributer Rick Lamborn decided to tackle that topic. To do it, he has compiled 16 of the greatest Indians' teams, and utilizing Out Of The Park Baseball 13's baseball simulation game, he's done just that. Can Bob Feller dominate some of the 90's hitters such as Manny Ramirez and Kenny Lofton? Can Lou Boudreau lead his team to the ultimate prize? Tune into the Nostalgia League to find out...
The Cleveland Indians will be breaking camp in a week, and while most of the roster seems set, there may be more players in the mix than initially thought. Here's a detailed look at the Indians remaining position battles in Goodyear over the final week of spring training. The only question left is, will the players that deserve to make the roster, actually make the roster? Take a trip to Arizona with this week's Tribe Happenings...
The bats were as scorching hot as the Arizona sun Saturday in Peoria as the Indians and Mariners combined for 15 runs off 34 hits with the Tribe doubling up Seattle 10-5. Scott Kazmir struggled for the first time in Cactus League play this spring, but isn’t expected to lose much ground in the race for the fifth starting rotation spot, which is expected to be decided between him and Carlos Carrasco this week.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!
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