07-07-2010, 09:25 PM
I'm gonna talk a lil bit about why I think the Ohio will run the MLB in the coming years... feel free to agree, disagree, etc. Just a little practice piece, I wanna be a sportswriter in the future. It's long -- Sorry.
The talk of the major leagues is the Cincinnati Reds. Where did they come from? We don't know, but they did. Joey Votto is a MVP candidate and Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera are leading the team from a veteran standpoint. Votto, Phillips, Rolen, and Gomes are the younger guys.
The rotation is solid, with Leake and Cueto leading. Chapman will be there soon and the Reds will be a force not only in 2010 but in years to come.
On the flipside, the Cleveland Indians are terrible. That's what the fan sees, they get beat up, the record is awful, the Indians are terrible. But what an Indians fan sees is entirely different.
Grady Sizemore is considered one of the best young players in baseball. He's a complete player, he can field, he can hit, he can run, he does it all. However, he's on the 60 Day DL, and been there for a while, and likely won't return this season. He's Cleveland's 2 or 3 hitter. Asdrubal Cabrera is a promising young shortstop, contributed to the '07 near AL Champ team as a rookie. Consistently bats around .300, and fields well. Oh yeah, he's hurt too. Might not be back this season. So the Indians called up a catcher and the rookie bats 3rd, while Shin Soo Choo moves to 2nd. By the way, he's hurt now too whilst batting .286, 13 homers.
Let's talk about that Cleveland pitching staff. Mitch Talbot (who you will catch on the SportsCenter highlight tonight, should such a small market city like Cleveland get on the big old ESPN!) He's 8-7, with a 3.86 ERA. Lack of run support. From a team missing it's 1, 2, and 3 hitters. Fausto Carmona is 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA. Not too bad. Down the line you have a few pitchers -- Masterson, Westbrook, Laffey, Huff -- who could use some work. Having bad years, though all of them have shown signs of being good pitchers. As far as bullpen pitching Frank Herrmann, Chris Perez, Tony Sipp, and Rafael Perez have all looked pretty good for the most part.
Pull out your crystal ball, let's go to the future. Enter Carlos Santana. Not the one who can tear a guitar up, the rookie catcher who's batting 3rd, as a matter of fact, has hit in the 3 hole in every game he's played in the MLB.
How has he done? .286 average. 5 Homers. 9 Doubles. 24 Games.
Not bad for a rookie pushed into the 3 hole of a handicapped team. Matt LaPorta was the key player in the CC Sabathia trade. He came up his first time and didn't perform at all. They sent him back to 3A where he lit up the scoreboard, since coming back he's hit 4 homers in 8 games. He's out right now after taking an elbow to the head, but he was looking promising. Michael Brantley is seen as the OF and leadoff man of the future, he hit .315 with 3 Homers at 3A Columbus.
Three pretty promising players, wouldn't you say? Then the Indians claimed Jayson Nix off waivers. He's played 12 with the Tribe... .325 and 5 homers. Will he keep it up? Time will tell. Also in 3A, 3rd baseman Jared Goedert is batting .325 with 12 homers. He's not even considered the best 3rd baseman in the system as Lonnie Chisenhall is said to be the man in the coming years, I'm not gonna fill your head with 2A stats. We'll see what he does in 3A and MLB.
Some more talent could come if the Indians trade Jhonny Peralta, who has shown talent but also hits for a low average, Travis Hafner could be traded who is powerful but can't seem to duplicate his 2006 and 2007 seasons. Kerry Wood may also be traded.
So the lineup for the future could look like this - LaPorta at 1st, Nix at 2nd, Goedert at 3rd, Santana at C, Choo in right, Sizemore in center, Brantley in left. If these guys continue at the pace they're at now and has shown, and that these guys show in 3A the Indians could be a very good team. We don't know what the future holds, but I will tell you this -- Carlos Santana is here to stay. He is the real deal.
The Indians rotation could use a boost, but Talbot and Carmona look to be the anchors here in the near future and would be All Stars this year if they got the run support. Take a look at the stats and compare with that lineup, factor in anything else you need. I truly believe, even without my optomistic Chief Wahoo brand glasses on, that even with the worst case scenarios the Indians will be a force in the next couple of years. As will the Reds...
2012 World Series... Cleveland vs. Cincinnati -- Can you see it?
The talk of the major leagues is the Cincinnati Reds. Where did they come from? We don't know, but they did. Joey Votto is a MVP candidate and Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera are leading the team from a veteran standpoint. Votto, Phillips, Rolen, and Gomes are the younger guys.
The rotation is solid, with Leake and Cueto leading. Chapman will be there soon and the Reds will be a force not only in 2010 but in years to come.
On the flipside, the Cleveland Indians are terrible. That's what the fan sees, they get beat up, the record is awful, the Indians are terrible. But what an Indians fan sees is entirely different.
Grady Sizemore is considered one of the best young players in baseball. He's a complete player, he can field, he can hit, he can run, he does it all. However, he's on the 60 Day DL, and been there for a while, and likely won't return this season. He's Cleveland's 2 or 3 hitter. Asdrubal Cabrera is a promising young shortstop, contributed to the '07 near AL Champ team as a rookie. Consistently bats around .300, and fields well. Oh yeah, he's hurt too. Might not be back this season. So the Indians called up a catcher and the rookie bats 3rd, while Shin Soo Choo moves to 2nd. By the way, he's hurt now too whilst batting .286, 13 homers.
Let's talk about that Cleveland pitching staff. Mitch Talbot (who you will catch on the SportsCenter highlight tonight, should such a small market city like Cleveland get on the big old ESPN!) He's 8-7, with a 3.86 ERA. Lack of run support. From a team missing it's 1, 2, and 3 hitters. Fausto Carmona is 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA. Not too bad. Down the line you have a few pitchers -- Masterson, Westbrook, Laffey, Huff -- who could use some work. Having bad years, though all of them have shown signs of being good pitchers. As far as bullpen pitching Frank Herrmann, Chris Perez, Tony Sipp, and Rafael Perez have all looked pretty good for the most part.
Pull out your crystal ball, let's go to the future. Enter Carlos Santana. Not the one who can tear a guitar up, the rookie catcher who's batting 3rd, as a matter of fact, has hit in the 3 hole in every game he's played in the MLB.
How has he done? .286 average. 5 Homers. 9 Doubles. 24 Games.
Not bad for a rookie pushed into the 3 hole of a handicapped team. Matt LaPorta was the key player in the CC Sabathia trade. He came up his first time and didn't perform at all. They sent him back to 3A where he lit up the scoreboard, since coming back he's hit 4 homers in 8 games. He's out right now after taking an elbow to the head, but he was looking promising. Michael Brantley is seen as the OF and leadoff man of the future, he hit .315 with 3 Homers at 3A Columbus.
Three pretty promising players, wouldn't you say? Then the Indians claimed Jayson Nix off waivers. He's played 12 with the Tribe... .325 and 5 homers. Will he keep it up? Time will tell. Also in 3A, 3rd baseman Jared Goedert is batting .325 with 12 homers. He's not even considered the best 3rd baseman in the system as Lonnie Chisenhall is said to be the man in the coming years, I'm not gonna fill your head with 2A stats. We'll see what he does in 3A and MLB.
Some more talent could come if the Indians trade Jhonny Peralta, who has shown talent but also hits for a low average, Travis Hafner could be traded who is powerful but can't seem to duplicate his 2006 and 2007 seasons. Kerry Wood may also be traded.
So the lineup for the future could look like this - LaPorta at 1st, Nix at 2nd, Goedert at 3rd, Santana at C, Choo in right, Sizemore in center, Brantley in left. If these guys continue at the pace they're at now and has shown, and that these guys show in 3A the Indians could be a very good team. We don't know what the future holds, but I will tell you this -- Carlos Santana is here to stay. He is the real deal.
The Indians rotation could use a boost, but Talbot and Carmona look to be the anchors here in the near future and would be All Stars this year if they got the run support. Take a look at the stats and compare with that lineup, factor in anything else you need. I truly believe, even without my optomistic Chief Wahoo brand glasses on, that even with the worst case scenarios the Indians will be a force in the next couple of years. As will the Reds...
2012 World Series... Cleveland vs. Cincinnati -- Can you see it?