Spring Training

Less than four days until pitchers and catchers report! Tribe fans should have something to be excited about this year. The 2011 season was a very promising and encouraging season, even though it didn't end the way the city of Cleveland had hoped. Starting out the season with the best record in baseball surprised many teams and analysts around the league. However, injuries forced younger inexperienced players into starting roles, which is always a difficult way to make it to the fall classic. These young players surprised many with the success that they endured, which will only be that much more beneficial for the 2012 season ahead of us. With Kipnis and Chisenhall making their big league debuts and getting a lot of reps in 2011, that should enable them to really prosper in their first season starting out on the big league roster. With Cabrera and Kipnis up the middle, it reminds many of the Vizquel/Baerga and Vizquel/Alomar days. Having said that, you can have all the talent in the world, but you have to keep them healthy. This is one thing the Indians struggled with in 2011. Their roster was depleted with injuries throughout the whole season. You had Sizemore, Hafner, Choo, Kipnis, Brantley, Hannahan, Tomlin, Talbot and a few others I am sure that I missed. It is hard to win when your opening day starting outfield all goes down during the season. These misfortunes however, have only prepared their team that much more for the 2012 season. Cleveland Indians baseball is going to be like Indians baseball has and always will be with the Dolan family. No, we probably will never sign a Pujols or Fielder 'esque player while Dolan is in charge, but we are sticking with the roots of our farm system and overall team contribution. Which remember, baseball is a team game where others must do their job in order for you to do your job to the highest level. Look at teams like the D-Rays and D-Backs. They have similar approaches, and they both were successful last year as well. On the other hand, look at teams like the Nationals (signed Jayson Werth to a huge free agent contract) that are worse off than the Indians. If the Tribe can stay relatively healthy this season, there is no reason that they cannot make the playoffs as a wild card (it may be a stretch to knock off Detroit, unless Verlander and crew have an off year). Cleveland has one of the best young shortstops and catchers in the game. Kipnis and Chisenhall have the chance to enable Cleveland to have one of the best offensive infields in the game today. There is a lot of promise with the young core players the Indians have. The outfield is going to be a trial and error. Choo needs to have a year like 2010, so that we can get an extra 75 or so RBI's. If Sizemore or Brantley can put up mediocore numbers and increase their OBP, the studs behind them will bring them in. As for the pitching, it is going to be a wait and see kind of rotation. Everyone is hoping that Masterson and Tomlin were not just one hit wonders and can replicate last year's numbers. As for Ubaldo, this is the year where Chris Antonetti is either a genius or an idiot (White and Pomeranz will both most likely be in Colorado's starting rotation). After the top three, it is going to be changed around multiple times. They have three veteran free agents that they signed after awful years in 2011. However, the years prior to 2011, these three (Lowe, Garland and Slowey) were 10-15 game winners. Cleveland is hoping they are getting prior 2011 arms with these three. They also have some young arms that are sure to be thrown into the mix. You have Gomez, Huff (both have proven some success from last year), McAllister and Barnes who are all going to have some type of contribution in 2012. Having rattled off all of this information, Indians fans should lock their televisions into STO and watch when the grass is green , because they are going to be playing when the leaves are falling!