Projected AL Central Finish: 5th

Lineup:

1.                     Sizemore cf

2.                     Cabrera ss

3.                     Choo rf

4.                     Peralta 3b

5.                     Hafner dh

6.                     Branyan 1b

7.                     LaPorta lf

8.                     Valbuena 2b

9.                     Marson c

Rotation:

1.                     Westbrook

2.                     Carmona

3.                     Huff (LH)

4.                     Masterson

5.                     Laffey (LH)

Bench:

·                       Redmond c

·                       Rodriguez if

·                       Marte cif

·                       Crowe of

Bullpen:

·                       Wright

·                       Lewis

·                       Sipp (LH)

·                       R. Perez (LH)

·                       Smith

·                       C. Perez

·                       Wood (closer)

Catcher: Lou Marson will be the opening day catcher but he will need a very strong showing to hold the majority of playing time throughout the whole season. Carlos Santana is the switch-hitting catcher that the Indians see as a future Victor Martinez. Santana’s bat is ready for the Show but he will work on his game-calling skills in the minors. Veteran Mike Redmond was signed to mentor the young catchers during spring training.

Infield: Today the Indians signed Russell Branyan to play first base. He will get most of the playing time but Matt LaPorta will also get time there as he is their first baseman of the future. Luis Valbuena sufficed as their second baseman and will likely get the job again. On the other hand, prospect Jason Donald is not far from being the Tribe’s second baseman. Asdrubal Cabrera stepped up as their starting shortstop and hit .308 while scoring 81 runs in 131 games. Jhonny Peralta had a healthy season but struggled to get onbase and only hit 11 home runs.

Outfield: Grady Sizemore looks to bounce back this year, on and off the field. Grady missed a considerable portion of the season and returned to hit only .248. The Indians need him to hit the ball well given his power and speed. Sizemore also did a poor job in the stolen base category as he was thrown out 8 times with only 13 successful steals. Shin-Soo Choo was the lone bright spot on this roster last season. He played in 156 games and almost reached the .400 OBP level (finished at .394). He’s a run producer and displayed great base-stealing skills, succeeding 21 out of 23 tries. Matt LaPorta is the favorite to start in left but Michael Brantley and Trevor Crowe are other young guys looking for at-bats.

Rotation: Jake Westbrook hopes to have a full campaign for the first time since 2006 when he won 15 games. His veteran presence in the clubhouse could be very helpful for the young rotation. A strong first half could make him the next Indians’ starter to be dealt at the deadline (C.C. Sabathia in 2008 and Cliff Lee 2009). Fausto Carmona was allowed to make 24 starts despite a season ERA of 6.32. David Huff led the team in wins as a rookie. Justin Masterson will get a full season as starter which could stabilize his numbers. Aaron Laffey, Carlos Carrasco, and Anthony Reyes are young hurlers in hopes of winning the 5th spot. Jeremy Sowers and Mitch Talbot will also battle for the last spot in the rotation but both are out of options. 

Bullpen: Tony Sipp and Joe Smith impressed out of the bullpen last year. Jensen Lewis failed to repeat his success of ’07 and ’08. Kerry Wood did fine but not great in his first year with a team not named the “Cubs.” Wood may get traded at the deadline to a contender which would create an opportunity for Chris Perez to take over in the closer role. For any hopes of contention the AL Central, the Indians need lefty reliever Rafael Perez to return to form. He will have many late-game appearances against lefty sluggers Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, Johnny Damon, Rick Ankiel, and so on.

2010: The front office is entering a new regime- new GM, new president, new manager. The team has traded away major pieces over the last two years and Cleveland fans should expect the same this year. Jhonny Peralta, Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook don’t have much value right now but could be put on the block for salary relief and a minimal return. The big question is whether or not the Tribe will trade Grady Sizemore. Either way, Manny Acta will have a difficult first season in Cleveland while trying to balance playing time between young prospects and stop-gaps, culminating in a last place finish.