2006 Cleveland Indians Preview

The Cleveland Indians definitely had a season to remember in many ways in 2005. The team was ranked first overall in team pitching (3.61 ERA) and fourth overall in team batting (4.88 runs per game and a .271 team batting average). With such impressive overall statistics like these, one would make the assumption and, 99% of the time, be absolutely correct that the team would make the playoffs. That, of course, was not the case for the Tribe this past season. This is all terribly frustrating for Indians’ fans, not to mention the fact that the team won 93 games and still missed the playoffs.

How then, with a year as consistently productive as 2005, do the Indians improve and take the next step into the post-season? Well, with the subtraction of a few key players, the Indians were forced to spend some money and make some trades and, apparently for the time being, have created a team potentially more formidable than last year’s, one that won’t make the rest of the American League excited.

Key Losses: Kevin Millwood, the team’s ace for 2005 and the AL leader in ERA (2.86), was lost in free agency to the Texas Rangers. This came as no surprise though to the Indians’ management; they knew that with a good season Millwood would soon elevate out of their price range. Also, in what was essentially the biggest transaction of the year, the Indians dealt Coco Crisp, catcher Josh Bard, and reliever David Riske to Boston for number-one prospect Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, and a cool $1 million.

Key Additions: To replace Coco, the Indians then traded reliever Arthur Rhodes (something that also freed up salary space) for left fielder Jason Michaels. Michaels has a lot of potential (the dreaded “p” word has made another appearance) and it was evident when he drew the same number of walks (44) as Coco in 300 less at-bats. In Marte the Indians received a franchise player at the position they were weakest at: third base. Marte is expected to be in Cleveland by the end of 2006 and could arrive sooner if Aaron Boone stumbles again out of the gate.

To fill the void left by Millwood, the Indians signed two veterans: Paul Byrd of the Angels and Jason Johnson of the Tigers. Byrd provides excellent veteran leadership and Johnson was second only to the Tribe’s Jake Westbrook in ground ball out to fly ball out ratio. The key to the pitching staff will be if C.C. Sabathia or Cliff Lee can step up and solidify their identities as being ace pitchers (it also doesn’t hurt that they are both lefties).

Projected Lineup:

Grady Sizemore, CF: An emerging star that can hit for power and fly around the bases. If he improves his on-base percentage and cuts down on the strikeouts, he will be a household name to baseball fans everywhere by the end of 2006.

Jason Michaels, LF: It’s tough to say what Michaels will do considering he has never been given a full-time major league gig. If he continues to get on base the way he did in Philadelphia, though, he will have no problem in Cleveland.
Jhonny Peralta, SS: He was the Indians’ surprise player of 2005 and needs to continue to hit well to allow Travis Hafner to see the fat pitches he saw last year. Other than that, Peralta is a solid shortstop. Omar who?

Travis Hafner, DH/1B: The Indians are considering playing Hafner at first more, which could be a problem when taking into account his current physical ailments. As long as his production remains solid while he plays first, no one would have any gripes. He has truly evolved into one of the more feared hitters in all of baseball.

Victor Martinez, C: Victor is, hands down, the best catcher in baseball. He had the best batting average of anyone in the second half of the year and rumor has it that he may play some first base. A chance to rest his legs could make Victor even better.

Ronnie Belliard, 2B: A solid second baseman, Belliard silenced his critics when he had a good second half in 2005. Notoriously known as a first half hitter, he should again be integral to the team’s success if the second half swoon is absent in 2006.

Casey Blake, RF: Blake was dealing with a lot of personal issues, which was coupled with the move to a new position. A new year will do him a lot of good.

Ben Broussard, 1B: This year is a tryout for Broussard; he needs to live up to the hype he entered the system with or he will be out. There are many viable options for first base coming from literally every angle and Broussard will be feeling the heat. It’s all a matter of whether or not he can take the pressure.

Aaron Boone, 3B: Boone’s situation is similar to Broussard’s. With an excellent option ready to take over at third, Aaron can’t afford to get off to such a horrible start in ’06. He literally has nowhere to go but up and has no more excuses, as he now has a full year under his belt after tearing his ACL.

Projected Win Total: 101

Playoffs: Yes, coupled with a berth in the ALCS.