What does it mean to “Play like a Brown?”
March 19, 2015Co-eds, porn stars, and the battle for Braxton Miller
March 19, 2015We have estimated in the past that only about ten percent of what we gather in Spring Training is actually useful. As such, I have been taking accounts of what I have witnessed during Spring Training. I will write what I believe, you can determine what truly matters, and I will hope to surpass the ten percent threshold.
First, I believe that we should have a moment of silence to celebrate the life and history of Al Rosen. WFNY’s Scott Sargent linked to the best obituary that I have read on his life, and Paul Hoynes has said that he believes a well-deserved commemorative patch is in the works to be worn this season.
I believe that the team actually is having fun and caring about each other. I believe…
- Water balloon fights where the front office gangs up on the manager do not happen with every team, but perhaps they should.
- Terry Francona knows how to focus on the person not the player when discussing injuries better than any coach we have had in Cleveland.
http://mlb.mlb.com/assets/images/3/4/6/113001346/cuts/453884406_fh5s2s6j_lm4xzmpt.jpg
I believe that a few players have stood out this spring. I believe…
- Tyler Holt is a better baseball player than Ryan Raburn and David Murphy.
- Raburn and Murphy will make the 25 man roster1 , but Holt will be sent to Columbus until Michael Bourn is injured.
- Losing Zach Walters this spring was a bigger loss than losing Gavin Floyd
- Bourn looks like the player that he was in Atlanta this season.
- Jason Kipnis looks like the 2013 version of himself.
- Yan Gomes is the best catcher alive not named Yadier Molina.
I believe that Tyler Holt is fast:
I believe that Francisco Lindor is too:
I believe the Indians starting rotation is both good and has depth and I believe…
- Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, and T.J. House have solidified their spots in the rotation.
- Corey pitching on Opening Day wasn’t a surprise, so it was nice to get a laugh out of the announcement.
- Gavin Floyd’s injury opened the door for Danny Salazar to impress the coaching staff for the final spot.
- The Indians will decide to go with Shaun Marcum instead and have Danny start the year in Columbus.
- Zach McAllister will be needed to start some games this year, but he’s going to be the long man in the bullpen at first.
I believe it is time for a baseball GIF:
http://i.minus.com/iQSj3H4JpQITf.gif
I also believe that the Indians defense will be much improved compared to 2014. I believe…
- Lonnie Chisenhall better start the season hitting well or we will see Francisco Lindor sooner than expected.
- Jose Ramirez will move to third base when Lindor2 comes up much like the Baltimore Orioles had Manny Machado move over to the hot corner.
- The less we see of Swisher, Raburn, and Murphy in right field, the better the right field defense will look this year.
I believe this was a nice defensive play:
I believe the Indians have good speed and power in their lineup this year. I believe…
- The Indians will have sufficient power in the lineup between Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Brandon Moss, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes, and Roberto Perez.
- Three of the above players will hit 25 homeruns this year.
- The other three will have at least 18 each.
- Nick Swisher will not have his normal power coming back from his knee surgeries and it may be awhile before we even see him play.
- The Indians will have sufficient speed in the lineup between Michael Bourn, Jose Ramirez, and Michael Brantley.
- The bullpen is going to play a significant factor into the success or failure of this season3 .
I believe the Indians will be a contender this season, and, finally, I believe it is an atrocity that we got this far without watching Michael Brantley’s swing
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37 Comments
Has Ramirez had any time at 3B in Spring Training? I agree that the offense and defense will be better, but pitching still makes me nervous, especially bullpen outside of Allen.
No. I will stick with my idea of Kipnis at 3B, Lindor at SS and Ramirez at 2B unless Chisenhall prevents it then maybe Kipnis goes back to OF say RF.
no, but he has ranged to his right so far on a few defensive plays that he has ended up behind Lonnie and throwing it across the diamond with ease (I do understand that is simplifying the transition more than it should be, but I also think he’d be better than Chisenhall at 3B immediately).
Hate you for being at Spring Training. With that out of the way:
– That’s the first time I’ve seen Lindor’s full-on stride and it’s beautiful. Big, graceful athlete right there. Also seems quite self-confident for a kid. Overall looks about as much a “can’t miss” kid as we’ve had around here since CC was whiffing guys even when he missed his spots by a mile.
– Yan doesn’t get the guy if guy’s helmet stays put. Maybe the helmet bop should be a new approved shortstop technique.
I’m not at Spring Training, but I am wearing out the MLB.TV app.
-completely agree on Lindor. everything he does, he does gracefully. he leapt to make a snag and ended up jumping a foot too high and adjusted how quickly he was bringing his glove up mid-air to grab it and laugh about himself “over-jumping” after the play ended.
-fair enough, but I mostly took that one because it had the frame breakdown of how quick his transition is from glove to throw. ridiculous how quickly he assesses the steal attempt and gets the throw off.
Walters injury: at least it’s only a few weeks
Floyd injury: meh… all the front office talk of #2 starter aside, he was always a lottery ticket
starting rotation: interesting opinion on Marcum over Salazar… can I ask why?
Unpopular opinion: I think we don’t see Lindor this year. Or at least until September. Hype aside, he is still so young, could probably use some time refining his game in AAA, its beneficially in the long-term for the team to keep him on the farm, and we have a glut of middle infield talent. But…. I agree that poor production at 3B or injury could force the club’s hand.
Any opinions on Tomlin? I think I’ve given up on my dream of him becoming a viable 4/5 starter and come to terms that he’s just replacement level, emergency talent that you really don’t want to see starting.
What about Urshela?
yeah, a lot of his techniques seem close to perfect, like a training video. All teams make unfortunate trades but the Blue Jays, man … And speaking of bad decisions, I just checked out Yan’s contract. Even if he stops improving that’s the Tribe’s second Yan steal. Given the dearth of ML catchers who are can defend, handle pitching staffs and hit, dude probably should have waited and bet on himself.
well, he battled his knee injury in the offseason just to come to camp and tweak his back. as a result, he hasn’t looked good and he’s likely going to spend another year in the minors as a reboot. the kid is 23yo though, so probably for the best to let him take it slow.
I agree on Tomlin. I disagree on Lindor because I just think he is THAT good and we didn’t mind bringing up Ramirez (so I don’t think they’ll pump the brakes on someone who might be better).
Marcum: Let’s call it a Romeo Special gut call. Francona and Mickey (and Antonetti in the offseason) have spent an inordinate amount of time talking about how they really need another veteran in the rotation to not only take the innings load, but ensure that the staff knows how to best properly keep their bodies and minds in order through the long season.
Floyd was their pick (agreed he was a lottery ticket), but Marcum was their long play from last year. Marcum’s work ethic and knowledge have always been raved about. He’s the type of veteran you want working with the youngsters.
Now, couple that with his accuracy on pitches this spring. He has had such great placement all spring. It’s noticeable. He doesn’t have his velocity or movement back yet, so I could be way off base. But, he seems exactly like the SP5 veteran who can wind up having a big year that every team seems to want/need.
note: if we do go Marcum, then it’s likely that his IP gets topped out at some point and we need Salazar or McAllister to take over at some point anyway.
Oh, and I do love how these guys actually seem to like playing together. As a numbers oriented fan, I know I’m suppose to minimize the contribution of mangers, but it’s hard to deny how much life Tito has given this organization. While our front office has always had a good reputation around baseball, it seems like Francona has helped translate that to the clubhouse. Obviously, that’s just an outsider’s opinion. But it just seems like he has made Cleveland a place players want to come. Granted, it’s not like he’s going to get big ticket free agents to ask for $20M less, but I still think he can be a deciding factor when money is close or it’s a vet trying to catch on somewhere.
There was stuff to love and hate about both Wedge and Acta. With Tito, it’s all positive.
yep, agreed again. it’s weird seeing a ST game where everyone gets excited and high-5’s the prospects that do something well. encouragement is the standard.
Yeah, that’s what I assumed.
Guess my question is he more likely injury/Chiz insurance over Lindor+ reshuffling the infield. But seeing how high you are on Lindor, I think I know the answer.
Marcum has also been vocal about getting a job somewhere else. I wonder if there would be some hesitancy to let him go and have him pull a Harang?
When is the last time we had a coach/manager of Tito’s caliber?
This guy, I guess.
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2495883/hargrove.gif
I think Zach Walters is Chis insurance if they don’t want to bring up Lindor (assuming that his oblique heals properly). I really think they are taking the cautious approach with Urshela after his offseason/ST.
He has said what pretty much any pitcher would say. He’s thankful that the Indians let him recover and that if no one offers him a starting job, he’ll take a minors spot with the Tribe over any other team. But, he wants a rotation spot and he will check on other teams to see if any are willing to give him one (if the Indians don’t).
Walters intrigues me. I wonder how valuable his high K, big power game is in today’s low run environment. Logically, I’d assume that OBP is becoming less and less important and being able to hit dingers is becoming more valuable.
I saw a quote where he talked about basically auditioning for other teams this spring. And he can walk if he doesn’t make the roster.
How has Salazar looked?
Sadly not impressive thus far. He is completely dependant on velocity.
If we don’t see Lindor this year, but watch Aviles get plenty of starts and see the usual defense from Chisenhall and Kipnis . . .
Mike Aviles played a game in CF this spring. Tito’s game is not without its flaws.
I don’t get that at all. When Lindor is up, Ramirez isn’t playing shortstop. Either they’re so confident he can play other positions now, or they’re not preparing to trade him.
Yeah, he does some wonky stuff now and then. His love of the bunt frustrates me.
yes, that is my worry with Walters.
#Roberto Perez!!!
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-08-09/news/bal-orioles-calling-up-top-position-player-prospect-manny-machado-from-doublea-bowie-20120808_1_manny-machado-double-a-bowie-top-position-prospect
Right, I guess I’m just not confident in such an easy switch for any player, but there certainly is precedence for it.
Even if it is an easy switch later on, it’s not hard to find some innings for Ramirez at 2B or 3B in the spring. I don’t see the purpose in playing him solely at SS when it’s not his long term position.
agreed. the only thing I would consider is that he is the SS starter until June. Tito may just want him to focus on that position as he knows it’s where he will be.
Kipnis gets hurt and Jose is a 2B. Chis doesn’t hit, then he might move to 3B (or heck, Lindor might go there) or if Swish cannot get back and Chis does hit, maybe Lonnie is the DH.
lots of options for how it will play out, maybe we just want to do what we know, then worry about the switch later. regardless, I don’t see Jose (or Francisco) being worse than Lonnie at 3B even without any practice.
Yeah, my biggest concern is the scenario nj0 presented below, with no Lindor this year. We’ve got room to carry him on the 25, and a desperate need for his defense. I’m worried that Tito is going to defer to the vets too much as usual on this one.
I don’t like the “what if” game, but I do wonder will happen if all four Kipnis-Lindor-Ramirez-Chisenhall play well enough to deserve playing time. In that scenario, I’d be worried that Ramirez would be the odd man out and end up playing a bench role. I also wonder about what Kipnis or Ramirez could get in trade….
i like that “what if” though I would slot them Lindor, Ramirez, Kipnis, Chisenhall in the order that I would want to keep them. I think Lonnie becomes the DH in that scenario?
Kipnis to RF, Ramirez as a Zobrist type if the former doesn’t work out.
The order was random. How they came to mind. Not a slotting.
You’re probably right in that there would be enough playing time for all of them. Though pushing Kipnis to RF results in a slew of other guys not getting PT.
I just wonder if trading a healthy Kipnis could improve us somewhere else on the diamond. Though I guess we don’t have many glaring holes. Just a thought.
That slew of other guys is mainly Murphy, Raburn, Swisher, and I wouldn’t mind not seeing any of them in RF ever again. Moss as primary DH/part time OF seems like a role I would prefer him to have anyway.
They’re all going to have career years and we won’t be able to play them all. Woe is us.