Nobody expected the Cleveland Indians to do much in 2011. Before the beginning of the season, I think most Indians fans were cautiously optimistic about the offense, assuming the offense stayed healthy, Travis Hafner produced more, Grady Sizemore came back at 100% from his microfracture, and a hitting fairy paid a visit to Matt LaPorta (or really, any right-handed batter in the Indians organization). I think Indians fans were cautiously optimistic about the bullpen, assuming everyone stayed healthy, Chris Perez continued his strong showing as Indians closer, and a couple of veterans like Joe Smith were able to guide the young Indians ‘pen. But I think Indians fans were decidedly lukewarm about the Indians starting pitching, even if everyone stayed healthy, Fausto Carmona kept his mind, and Justin Masterson grew some hair.
In short, there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong. As Indians fans, we’re accustomed to everything that can go wrong going wrong, so no one predicted the Indians riding a 9-game winning streak and a 14-game home winning streak to a 30-15 start. No one predicted them hanging on to first place for much of the summer, and then staying competitive until early September. The Indians fell short of the postseason this year, but there’s no doubt there was tremendous improvement. My year-end grades for the Indians, plus playoff predictions, after the break.
Position Players
- Michael Brantley: A Michael Brantley was the Indians’ best breakout player this year, by a longshot. He showed that he was a potential five-tool player, with an above-average glove, excellent speed and a consistent offensive approach. He also slowed a bit at the end of the season and finished the year on the disabled list, but there’s no question that losing him to injury was a big blow to the Indians. And Brantley, 24, isn’t even close to his prime yet.
- Grady Sizemore: D I’ll be honest: I’m sort of wondering if Grady Sizemore is done. It’s sad, because during the brief time he was fully healthy this year (when he first came back from the microfracture surgery) he was on fire offensively and provided a spark to the Indians lineup like he used to back in 2006, 2007 and 2008. But now, I don’t know. He’s lost a step or two, he doesn’t hit well for average or power, and he’s not really healthy very much. Is he worth the option pickup? The Indians need to be convinced that he’ll get better in 2012, or I’m not convinced he is.
- Shin Soo Choo: C I’m giving Shin Soo Choo a mulligan for 2011. He started things on a bad note with the DUI, never really got hot, and was healthy barely more time than he was hurt. But Choo is a great player and I look for him to bounce back in 2012.
- Jack Hannahan: B Jack Hanahan was picked up by the Indians to upgrade their infield defense, and if it weren’t for Asdrubal Cabrera, he’d have been their best infield defender this year. Hanahan didn’t hit much, but he was never supposed to hit much, and he wasn’t a liability, particularly with men in scoring position, and had a penchant for the clutch hit. (He also provided one of the most heartwarming stories of the year.) The Indians should strongly consider signing him to another contract as a backup infielder for 2012, to provide some leadership to a young infield.
- Asdrubal Cabrera: A- The Indians’ best all-around player had a breakout year this year, adding not only scores of defensive gems to his already large career highlight reel, but a power stroke as well, more than doubling his career home run total by belting 25 home runs. My only complaints were his offensive swoon in August and September and occasional defensive lapses. I think he’ll get over his late-season slump with another year of experience under his belt, and even with the defensive lapses, he’s still by far the Indians best player defensively.
- Orlando Cabrera: B Orlando Cabrera provided some more veteran leadership for the team, particularly Asdrubal Cabrera, but he wasn’t a particularly strong hitter and bailed halfway through the season. However, if Asdrubal Cabrera starts hitting 25 home runs a year with regularity, it’ll be in part because of Orlando’s spring training advice, so he gets some huge points there.
- Matt LaPorta: C- It’s been a couple years now, and Matt LaPorta hasn’t really settled in offensively. He doesn’t hit for average, he doesn’t hit for power, and he’s not very fast – at some point, he’s going to have to do at least one of those things. I will say that his first base defense has improved past the point where he’s a liability. He’s not going to win any Gold Gloves over there, but he’s certainly serviceable. If he doesn’t start hitting though, Carlos Santana will take that spot permanently.
- Carlos Santana: C This year, Major League pitchers figured out that like Pedro Cerano, Carlos Santana can’t hit the curveball. He also can’t lay off the curveball. Santana’s 2011 was a down year, but he’s still an excellent hitter and I expect him to make adjustments. Defensively, Santana wasn’t great, but he wasn’t awful either.
- Travis Hafner: B+ Travis Hafner had a rebound year, hitting .280 with some power and staying healthy for most of the year. Maybe he will never be the 40-HR guy he was in 2006, but he was a lot easier to watch this year than the last couple, and it seemed like his plate discipline was back.
- Jim Thome: A Jim Thome’s return was classy, productive, and brought some power to the lineup while Travis Hafner was hurt. No one can say enough about Jim Thome as a person, and apart from the home runs, he drew some walks, hit some singles and doubles, and was a great clubhouse role model for the young guys on the Indians. He was only back for a month, but what a month it was.
- Kosuke Fukudome: B+ This was a pleasant surprise. It was nice to be buying at this year’s trade deadline, rather than selling, and the Indians bought this guy for next to nothing, and he provided some solid defense, solid offense, and was a serviceable replacement for an underperforming, injured Shin Soo Choo.
Pitchers
- Fausto Carmona: B- Fausto’s record and ERA aren’t good indicators of his actual performance this year; he didn’t get the best run support or defense, and he did finish with 188.2 IP, a good workload for a starting pitcher. I look for him to be better next year now that the pressure of being an ace is off.
- Justin Masterson: A- Speaking of a guy who got no run support, Justin Masterson pitched, for the most part, phenomenally well, but didn’t have the record to show it. He finished with a 3.21 ERA, and with an improved defense and offense next year, he should be a bona fide ace for this club.
- Ubaldo Jiminez: I Jiminez didn’t really impress me this year, especially at the price the Indians paid to get him (two straight #1 starting pitcher draft picks). However, he’ll have a spring training next year to refine his mechanics, and hopefully he can work out some of the kinks that he brought over from the Rockies and emerge as a solid number two starter.
- Rest of rotation: B- This rotation surprised me. David Huff, Carlos Carrasco, Jeanmar Gomez, Mitch Talbot and especially Josh Tomlin all showed flashes of greatness and for the most part pitched effectively. The Indians should have a 5-man rotation and some depth for next season.
- Bullpen: A The Indians bullpen was without a doubt the most surprising part of the success of this team. Anchored by Chris Perez, the entire bullpen was at times unhittable, and with the exception of a couple weeks in August, there was never a time when everyone was in a slump. Vinnie Pestano emerged as a solid setup man, and Rafael Perez, Tony Sipp and Joe Smith are excellent situational guys. Add in the good long relief work from Frank Herrmann and Chad Durbin, and the Indians bullpen, if they can remain consistent next year, should be in good shape.
And finally…
- Manny Acta: A+ Absolutely no complaints with Manny Acta. He ran the team with skill, class, and decisiveness. He’s been a great influence on the younger guys, and the veterans definitely respect him too.
Playoff predictions
Not a whole lot of rhyme or reason behind these predictions, but since my World Series prediction from the spring now has no chance of happening, I figured I might as well go unconventional:
- ALCS: Tigers over Rangers
- NLCS: Phillies over Brewers
- World Series: Tigers over Phillies
It’s been a great season of baseball, both for the Indians and baseball as a whole (and September 28, 2011 will go down in the history books as the greatest day of regular season baseball ever). I can’t wait for 2012, and assuming we can avoid the imminent apocalypse, I don’t think the Indians will be half bad.
