The focus for the Cleveland Indians has been nothing but positive so far in 2013. With all the talk of winning baseball, the potential negatives have been shuffled under the rug a bit. With the team heading into the regular season in two weeks, is there something about this team that just doesn't feel right? This week's power poll takes a look at the potential struggles heading into April.
Right-hander Justin Masterson struggled in the first inning before settling down while Matt Carson, Cord Phelps and Chris McGuiness all recorded two hits each for the Indians on Sunday. Plus, Carlos Moncrief hit a key home run in the ninth inning to lift the Indians and clinch a 7-7 tie. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he looks back on all of Sunday's performances and offers some key takeaways from the contest.
Happy St. Patty’s Day Tribe fans! The Indians made some decisions this past week which really helped define what the opening day bullpen will be for them, and Tony breaks down how it looks like it will be set up when camps concludes in two weeks. He also touches on the plan for Yan Gomes, the surgery for Frank Herrmann and much more. He is now out in Goodyear so expect tons of stuff this week on the site!
Delvi Cid is far from what most fans would label a can't-miss prospect, but the young outfielder certainly had a can't-miss moment on Saturday. Cid's walk-off RBI-triple allowed the Indians to clinch a 4-3 over the San Francisco Giants. Along with Cid, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Giambi and Asdrubal Cabrera also had impressive performances. Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he recaps all of these performances and more as he looks back on the Indians' 13th win of the spring season.
The Indians lost their second straight game on Friday as right-hander Brett Myers allowed four earned runs in four innings of work. Despite the loss, there were some positive performances as Nick Swisher and Yan Gomes each recorded two hits apiece. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps these performances and more.
The Indians completed another week of Spring Training games this past week, and the team's record of 12-7 is now tied for second in the Cactus League. Lonnie Chisenhall continues to heat up at the plate while the Indians received some unfortunate news this week after it was announced right-hander Frank Herrmann had undergone Tommy John surgery and would be out for a year. The IBI's Steve Orbanek touches on both of these points and many more in this week's edition of the Spring Training Notebook.
It's hard not to be somewhat concerned with what happened on the Goodyear Ballpark mound on Thursday, especially in regards to big club fourth starter Zach McAllister. He struggled in his outing as did fellow righty Trevor Bauer who ran into some trouble late in the game. The IB's Arthur Kinney recaps the the action...
As has been the case in each of the past four seasons, left-hander David Huff entered this year's Spring Training as a candidate for a spot in the starting rotation. However, Tribe skipper Terry Francona has since said Huff is no longer competing for that spot and can only make the team as a member of the Indians' bullpen. So, what does the future hold for Huff? Take a look as the left-hander is featured in this week's edition of Then & Now.
Minor league spring training is in full swing, and over the next few weeks players will work their way to make a full season roster. With the new season on the horizon, Tony takes a look at the upcoming decisions with players and how several players will be handled this season. From that you can really get a good feel for their prospect value and who may stick around in the organization this season.
Ubaldo Jimenez wasn't perfect, but he was better. The Cleveland Indians will need their starting pitching to come through in 2013 for the team to make a legitimate playoff run. While you can never count on the spring training games to guarantee success, this start was certainly a step in the right direction for the Indians' righty.
The Indians have gone from a slow-ish, non-athletic team that depended on walks, to an athletic, speedy team that will depend on big hits and stolen bases. Will that translate into a winning season? The team is also ripe with new leadership, that should help foster the growing number of young players that could emerge over the coming years. Will this new brand of Indians baseball mesh together under the tutelage of Terry Francona?
On Tuesday the Cleveland Indians announced right-handed reliever Frank Herrmann underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in New York City. Dr. David Altchek performed a ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction on Herrmann, who will miss the entire 2013 season and has an expected rehabilitation period of 12-to-18 months.
Left-hander Scott Kazmir has been the talk of Indians camp. Monday's game with the Angels was aired on tape delay by MLB Network at 3 am ET in the morning on Tuesday, and for a few Tribe fans that have MLB Network or who bothered to watch it live or DVRed it, it was the first chance to actually “see” him pitch. Tony watched the game and provides some objective commentary on how he really looked in his start.
Scott Kazmir’s resume for the Indians’ starting rotation just got longer as the left-hander only allowed three hits and one walk and had four punchouts in four dominant shutout innings. Good pitching by both the Angels and Indians led to a scoreless tie at Goodyear Ballpark on Monday. The Indians move to 11-6-1 in Cactus League play this spring while Los Angeles is now 3-10-1.
Terry Francona named Zach McAllister his fourth starter after the righty has pitched well in his last two starts. Now the focus turns to the final spot in the rotation. Will it be Carlos Carrasco, who has missed over a year and has a suspension to face? Is it Kazmir who has missed a year, and seems reborn? Is it Dice K, who has a prior relationship with Francona, or is it Trevor Bauer, the future ace? You make the call...
On Monday the Indians announced several roster moves, the biggest of which was the addition of left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to the 40-man roster. His addition appears to have locked up a spot for him in the Indians' opening day bullpen. To make room on the 40-man roster the Indians placed right-handed pitcher Blake Wood on the 60-day disabled list.
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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