What's new in 2013: The bench

This is the final installment of this article series, which will break down the bench and utility players of 2013 compared to 2012. Parts one through three of this series dealt with the lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen.

The Indians’ signing of Michael Bourn threw us all for a loop this week, and sidetracked this series a little. But spring training is now upon us and it seems appropriate that we conclude this series now with a breakdown of the 2013 projected Tribe bench players compared to last year. Bourn adds a new dynamic to this team which allows a lot more versatility both with the starting lineup and the bench since Swisher will now be moving to first base and Reynolds will be slotted as the primary designated hitter.

The bench last season hit only .219 combined and had various players come and go throughout the course of the year due to poor major and minor league signings last offseason. Only backup catcher Lou Marson survived on the Tribe bench for the whole season. This offseason, the Indians signed a much better group of non-roster invitees as well as added super-utility infielder Mike Aviles. Inconsistent playing time for the utility players last season also led to their poor offensive output. Some blame former Tribe skipper Manny Acta for poor player management, others blame lack of talent. Who knows, maybe it was a combination of both. However, the Indians have been on a mission this offseason to improve this roster as much as they possibly can and the bench hasn’t been immune to these upgrades.

Lou Marson 2012 vs. Lou Marson 2013:

Going into 2013, Lou Marson is still projected to be the primary backup catcher come opening day. He does have some mild competition this year in the form of newly acquired catching prospect and utility player Yan Gomes, whom the Indians acquired from the Blue Jays along with infielder Mike Aviles for relief pitcher Esmil Rogers early in the offseason. Gomes doesn’t pose a huge threat to Marson, however and will more than likely be slotted as the third catcher and play at Triple-A Columbus or possibly make the bench as an alternate utility infielder/outfielder.

Going back to Marson, though, the catcher has established himself on the roster after being traded to the Tribe by the Phillies in the Cliff Lee deal in 2009. Since then, Marson has served mainly as the Indians’ backup catcher to Carlos Santana. Although he’s not a great offensive player overall, he has had hot streaks here and there including June of last season where in place of the concussed Santana, Marson hit .383 over the span of 14 games. That said, Marson’s defense is his most valuable asset. In 2011, Lou caught 30 potential base-stealers, one of the tops in the big leagues that year. Marson struggled last season only catching 11 base-runners. Look for Marson behind the dish again this season relieving Santana of his catching duties from time to time in order for him to DH or play first base.

Jason Donald/Brent Lillibridge 2012 vs. Mike Aviles 2013:

Asdrubal Cabrera is beyond a doubt one of the top shortstops in the game today; however, his lack of consistent offensive output (particularly in the second halves of the past couple seasons) has left Cleveland grasping for answers. Some suggest a change in conditioning regimen, which has been a problem for the two-time all-star, but it could also be that Cabrera has never had a legitimate backup on the bench to give him a break on occasion. The Indians have attempted to give Cabrera some relief by way of Jason Donald, Brent Lillibridge, and even bringing up prospect Juan Diaz last season, but inconsistent offense and defensive shortcomings from all players forced the Tribe to keep Cabrera at short as much as possible just to keep the team somewhat competitive. Donald was traded to Cincinnati this offseason in the Trevor Bauer deal and Lillibridge elected free agency after the 2012 season and signed with the Cubs.

As a first order of business this offseason, new Tribe manager Terry Francona worked with general manager Chris Antonetti to reel in former Red Sox shortstop and utility infielder Mike Aviles from Toronto. Aviles, being a starting-caliber player, can finally give the Indians and Cabrera some flexibility at shortstop and also provide some cushion for second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall. Aviles and the Tribe avoided arbitration this offseason with a two-year, $6 million deal with a club option for 2015. Some speculate as to whether this indicates a looming trade of Cabrera in the near future since Aviles’s contract lines up with the projected arrival date for prized shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor, who spent last season at single-A Lake County. For the time being, though, Cabrera will be the Indians’ starting shortstop for the foreseeable future and Aviles will serve as the uber-utility man on the bench.

Jose Lopez 2012 vs. Ryan Raburn 2013:

Back in the dog days of summer 2012, Indians fans should be familiar with the term “Lopey Time”, coined by WTAM 1100’s Nick Camino. That phrase became a regular hashtag on Twitter as former Mariners all-star infielder Jose Lopez took his place on the bench as the Tribe’s alternate utility infielder. Lopez had a decent start with the Tribe after a slow start to April and being called up again in the middle of May hitting .269 with three homers and 23 RBI. His game slowed down in July, however, hitting only .220 with no homers and only two RBI. Cleveland designated Lopez for assignment in early August and was eventually signed by the White Sox to finish the season. This offseason, Lopez signed a deal with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.

Despite a brutal performance in 2012, utility player Ryan Raburn offers a lot of upside to the Indians this season as a minor league signing and has a very good chance of making the bench this season if he rebounds and has a good showing this spring. A career Detroit Tiger, Raburn has been known to offer versatility and some power off the bench. Minus the two off-years he had in 2004 and 2012, Raburn is a career .273 hitter who averages between 10-15 home runs a year. Raburn was Detroit’s starting second baseman for a while, but was the odd-man out after the Tigers traded for Omar Infante and starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins. Barring any better utility player acquisitions, Raburn has a leg-up to make the bench in my opinion.

Duncan/Cunningham 2012 vs. Ezequiel Carrera 2013:

With the additions of Nick Swisher, Drew Stubbs, and Michael Bourn, the Indians’ Left Field Crisis of 2012 seems like nothing more than a bad dream at this point. But it was indeed real and very much a problem for the Tribe last season. Shelley Duncan and Aaron Cunningham served as the left field platoon along with veteran outfielder Johnny Damon as well as the main backup outfielders for much of 2012. The Duncan, Cunningham, and Damon trio only hit a mere .200 last season, which in part, led to the team’s eventual collapse in August. All of the players are no longer with the Tribe as the team released Damon last season, Duncan signed with Tampa Bay, and Cunningham is now with the Rangers organization.

Ezequiel Carrera, or “Zeke” as he has become known, has been waiting for his break in the majors for a few seasons now. Last season, I believe he finally made a decent case for himself. Carrera’s offensive success from the minors finally started translating into the majors as he hit .272 over 48 games after being called up in early August. Despite being a left-handed hitter, Carrera has actually had more success against southpaws hitting .333 last season compared to his .245 average against right-handed pitching. Zeke’s ability to play all three outfield positions and good speed off the bench should also help him in his campaign for the fourth outfielder spot in 2013.

Utility Depth 2012 vs. Utility Depth 2013:

The quality of the utility depth for the Tribe in 2013 is directly proportional to the quality of the non-roster invitees. And might I say that in addition to that success that the Indians have signed several major league deals this offseason. The minor league signings have been commendable and far superior to the ones they assembled before spring training last season. Andy LaRoche, Felix Pie, and Cristian Guzman have been replaced by Jason Giambi, Ben Francisco, Scott Kazmir, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. All the non-roster invitees this season will have the opportunity to make the team this season, but unlike last year, they will be evaluated in spring training on whether or not they can actually contribute rather than trying to fill various major roles on the roster since many of those roles this season are already filled.

This year’s projected starting roster is one that is more versatile and potentially much more productive than what we were looking at this time last year. All four areas of the roster (the lineup, rotation, bullpen, and bench) have all been vastly improved this offseason. With the nice mixture of veterans, and young players as well as their versatility, the possible combinations and scenarios for the roster this season are endless. And who better to decide the roster than Terry Francona?

On paper, it looks like a perfect storm that could break at any moment, so brace yourselves Cleveland!

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