Cleveland Indians 2007 Season Preview

by Coast and Steve

It is March 18th and the Indians have a slim lead in the American League Spring Training Standings with 2 weeks remaining. Can Cleveland be on top of the standings in the AL Central with 2 weeks remaining in September? That remains to be seen, but you have to be excited that their young team is beginning to gel.

Let's take a look at the 2007 Indians' roster position by position and see how it stacks up for the '07 season.

Catcher

Victor Martinez is currently listed as the starting catcher however he will probably see action at first base. Victor Martinez is probably the best offensive catcher in all of baseball. He hit .316 a year ago with 16 homers and 93 rbi's and is a .301 career hitter. This Spring, he is lighting it up, hitting .423, best on the team. His defensive abilities don't compare to the likes of Pudge which is why he could see a lot of action at first this year.

If Martinez moves 90 feet to first, the door is open for Kelly Shoppach behind the dish. Shoppach gives the Indians a boost defensively. 11 of 30 men attempting to steal on him in 2006 were thrown out.

Look for Shoppach to play more games behind the plate this year except on the road in interleague games when Martinez will move to catcher and Hafner will be forced to play first base.

First Base

Again, look for Martinez to get a lot of action here this year but another man who will see some time is Ryan Garko. Garko had 45 RBI's a year ago in only 50 games along with 7 home runs after being called up from Buffalo. He is good offensively and young, so those number should even improve. Defensively, he had 6 errors in 45 games at first base, a number he certainly wants to cut down. Martinez on the other hand had 0 errors in 2006 at first base. Shapiro has yet to decide whether Garko will start the 2007 campaign in the show or continue to hone his skills at 1st in AAA Buffalo. More than likely first base will be a revolving door in 2007 with Casey Blake filling in.

Second Base

With one of the most underrated moves of the entire offseason, the Indians picked up 2nd baseman Josh Barfield from the Padres. In his rookie year last year, Barfield his .280 with 13 homers, 58 RBI and 21 steals. Also, Barfield was very solid defensively. He had only 9 errors in 147 games. He had a fielding percentage of .987. Barfield is having a great spring for Cleveland this year, hitting .367. This will help fill the void left by Ronnie Belliard who went to St. Louis.

Third Base

Andy Marte is the man this year at third base and now is his time to have a break out season. A year ago he was playing much of the year in AAA Buffalo and was highly regarded as one of the best third base prospects in all of baseball. He hit only .226 last year in 50 games but he improved vastly in September. The fact that he was traded twice following the 2005 season may have played a significant factor in Marte's slow start, that and the bitter spring in Buffalo along with the culture shock. However, his fielding and hitting improved last year from what it was in 2005 when he got limited action in Atlanta. Look for Marte to improve more and more this season and give the Indians a step up from Aaron Boone, a huge disappointment for the past 2 seasons.

Shortstop

In 2005, Jhonny Peralta exploded onto the scene as a rookie. He hit .292 with 24 homers and 78 RBIs. He made Indians fans semi forget about their beloved Omar Vizquel. He was regarded as one of the best young shortstops in the league. In 2006 however, his numbers dropped off significantly. He hit .257 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs. The talent is still there. This man has the ability to hit 30 homeruns and drive in 100 runs a year. Now that his sophomore slump is over and some of the pressure of filling the shoes of a future hall of famer has warn off, look for Peralta to come back strong in '07. The rumors of an eye problem last year were rectified this offseason when Peralta underwent a surgery to correct vision problems. Peralta remains a major question mark in the middle of the Tribe infield.

Outfield

Jason Michaels should be the opening day starter in left field although he did struggle a year ago. Cleveland acquired Michaels from Philadelphia after he had a season in which he hit .304. Last year Michaels disappointed , hitting only .267.

In center field is Grady Sizmore. This guy is a perfect example of a 5 tool player. He is in the top echelon of outfielders in all of baseball and is in the top 3 center fielders in the game along with Hunter and Beltran. He can hit for average, power, he has a strong arm and great speed. In 2006, Sizemore was the Indians' lone all star. He hit .290 with 28 homers and 76 RBIs as a lead off man. He had 53 doubles, 11 triples and stole 22 bases which was best on the team. He is still very young and improving. Look for big things this year from Sizemore. If his teammates help carry the load this year , he could have 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 steals. Sizemore however, must increase his average from only .290. The option to move Sizemore back in the order is a viable one if his steals and OBP can be matched by a player in the farm system.

Right field will be an on going carousel as well with free agent acquisitions David Delucci and Trot Nixon platooning at the position. Casey Blake is another option if Garko suprises and starts at 1st out of the gate. In 2006, Blake had probably his best year hitting .282 with 19 homers and 68 RBIs. Delucci hit .292 with 13 home runs in Philadelphia last year and is having an excellent spring, hitting .357 for the Tribe.

In the offseason, Cleveland acquired former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon as well. Nixon has a lot of experience, especially in the post season, and he could teach a lot to the young Indians team. Nixon has had injury problems the past few years but if he can get healthy, he could see a lot of time starting in the outfield.

The outfield corner positions will continue to be pushed by young guns playing in AA Akron and AAA Buffalo. These players include Sin-Soo Choo, Trevor Crowe, Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco and Brad Snyder. Sin-Soo Choo showed signs in 2006 after being called up from buffalo. He hit .295 and had 22 RBI in 45 games.

Franklin Guitierrez and Ben Francisco are also pushing to be on 2007 roster. Francisco is especially having an excellent Spring. He has 11 hits in 29 ABs including 3 homeruns. He is hitting .379 in the Spring, 2nd on the team.

Designated Hitter

Travis Hafner, aka. Pronk, will be the Indians' DH this year and this guy can flat out stroke. The past 3 years, his numbers have been ridiculous. If it wasn't for David Ortiz, he would be the best DH in baseball bar none. He has hit .311, .305 and .308 the past 3 seasons with 28, 33 and 42 homeruns respectively. He has driven in over 100 runs in each of those 3 seasons as well with 109, 108 and 117 RBIs. His 2006 campaign showed a major boost in Pronk's numbers, however his season was shorted to129 games after missing time with injury. Hafner is consistently getting better and don't expect him to slow down anytime soon. Another 40+ homerun and 100+ RBI season is undoubtedly in the making barring injury.

The Staff

CC Sabathia tops this list. CC seems like he has been in the league forever, but he is only 26. CC is due to have a break out type season. Last year he showed signs of greatness posting an ERA of 3.22. Sabathia needs to stay healthy this year so he can carry the load for Cleveland on the bump. Adding muscle over the offseason yet maintaining an extremely large presence on the mound may set Carsten Charles up for even bigger things in '07.

Jake Westbrook has solidified him self as the number 2 starter. He has been pretty solid for Cleveland over the past 6 years. He is an inning eater and has won 15 games in each of the past 2 seasons. He doesn't strike a lot of guys out but if he does a good job keeping the ball down he will force ground balls all day. Westbrook should pitch another 200 innings this year and will be reliable in doing it. The defense let Jake down last year and is hoping a more solidified infield will help him immensely. Entering free agency in 2008, also look for J dubs to be more determined than ever.

Cliff Lee burst onto the scene in 2005. He won 18 games that year and another 14 a year ago in 2006. He pitched over 200 innings each of the last 2 seasons. Currently, Lee is suffering a slight abdominal strain that could keep him off the rotation in early April but once he gets healthy he will be a vital part of this pitching staff.

Jeremy Sowers will be the number 4 starter when the dust settles and could begin the season as the number 3 man. Sowers was called up from Buffalo mid 2006 and pitched well. In 14 starts, Sowers was 7-4 with a 3.57 era which is very respectable for a pitcher in the AL. In 2007, Sowers' official rookie season, he could make a push for rookie of the year if he can build on his production of a year ago.

Paul Byrd will see action as the fifth starter. Byrd is a wiley veteran who is entering his 12th season. He struggled a year ago with an ERA near 5 put still was able to win 12 games. Byrd will be pushed from behind by Fausto Carmona.

Fausto Carmona will probably be in the rotation at the start of the season due to the injury to Cliff Lee. Carmona struggled in 2006 as a closer but has a huge upside and a lot of ability. If any of Cleveland's starters go down, it should be Carmona to fill the void.

The wild card for the rotation in 2007 definitely is Adam Miller. This stud of a righty was drafted by the Indians in the first round of the 2003 draft and is quickly rising within the organization. Look for him to make his major league debut in 2007.

Bully

The Indians bullpen will be another major question mark in 2007. With young arms making up much of the set up and long relief roles in the pen any one could be the closer by 2007. The Indians had the best bullpen ERA in baseball in 2005 before falling apart last year. The team will enter the season with Borowski, signed away from the Marlins, closing to start the season. This has to be an upgrade from the fat, overweight, alcoholic Wickman. Look for the eternal Roberto Hernandez to set up along with verteran Rafeal Betancourte to start the season. Familiarize yourself with the names Mujica, Mastny and Caberera as hold overs from last year after developing in Buffalo. Juan Lara is also having a good spring training and may elevate his status as the season progresses.

Predicted Opening Day Lineup

1. Grady Sizemore (8)
2. Jason Michaels (7)
3. Jhonny Peralta (6)
4. Travis Hafner (DH)
5. Victor Martinez (2)
6. Trot Nixon (9)
7. Casey Blake (3)
8. Andy Marte (5)
9. Josh Barfield (4)