2012 Cleveland Indians Predictions
The Cleveland Indians were the talk of the town during the first half of the 2011 season. While they couldn’t avoid a second half collapse, they have to feel good about their 80-82 mark and second place finish in the American League Central. After all, they finished fourth in both 2009 and 2010 while winning just 65 and 69 games respectively.
Projected Pitching
Starting rotation: Ubaldo Jimenez (R) – Jimenez didn’t look like the ace he established himself as with Colorado in 2010 when he went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA. He compiled a 5.10 ERA in 11 starts for Cleveland, but I’m confident he can return to form. He won 12 and 15 games respectively for the Rockies in 2008 and 2009 with an ERA under 4.00 both years. In other words, I don’t think his 2010 campaign was a fluke.
Justin Masterson (R) – Masterson pitched with ace-quality stuff last season. He ended up 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA and gobbled up 216.0 innings and would have had a few more wins had he received a little more help from the offense.
Derek Lowe (R) – Lowe provides some veteran stability but wore down for the Braves last season and ended up 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA.
Josh Tomlin (R) – Tomlin was slowed by injury following a hot start but still ended up 12-7 with a 4.25 ERA. He has very good control and led the AL with just 1.14 walks per nine innings.
Kevin Slowey (R) – With Carlos Carrasco set to miss time following Tommy John surgery and the status of Robert Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, still up in the air, the Indians could turn to former Twin Kevin Slowey. He was 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA last season but had double-digit wins every year from 2008-2010 with an ERA no higher than 4.86.
Closer: Chris Perez (R) – The 26-year-old was pretty reliable late in games. He finished with 36 saves and a 3.32 ERA.
Projected Lineup
Carlos Santana (Catcher) – Simply put, he’s one of the best catchers in the game. He blasted 27 home runs a drove in a total of 79 runs last season.
Casey Kotchman (First Base) – Whoever hits better between Matt LaPorta and Kotchman will get the most innings at first. LaPorta hasn’t been the player the Tribe thought it was getting when he was made the centerpiece of the CC Sabathia trade. Kotchman is coming off a strong season in which he hit .306 with 24 doubles, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs for Tampa Bay.
Jason Kipnis (Second Base) – After joining the starting lineup in July, Kipnis went on to lead the team with a .507 slugging percentage.
Lonnie Chisenhall (Third Base) – Chisenhall joined the lineup in the second half of the season as well but didn’t have the same impact. Still, the Indians like the 23-year-old, who projects to be a 20-plus home run guy.
Asdrubal Cabrera (Shortstop) – The AL Silver Slugger award winner batted .273 with 25 round trippers and 92 RBIs.
Michael Brantley (Left Field) – He hit .266 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 2011. He was the most durable of the outfielders, but the Tribe would have rather seen him go down instead of Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo.
Grady Sizemore (Center Field) – Sizemore hasn’t been able to stay healthy the last couple years but has shown he can produce when he’s in the lineup. He averaged 25 homers and 77.8 RBIs per season from 2005-2009 while playing at least 106 games each of those years.
Shin-Soo Choo (Right Field) – Choo only played 85 games and struggled last season but recent history suggests he’ll bounce back strong. He hit .300 the two previous seasons with at least 20 home runs and 85 RBIs each year.
Travis Hafner (Designated Hitter) – He hit .280 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs a season ago.
Prediction – 3rd Place AL Central: Detroit is clearly the best team in the division, but Cleveland will have an opportunity to notch a second straight second place finish. Whether it will be able to hold off the likes of Chicago, Minnesota and Kansas City depends largely on the pitching staff. The Indians are listed at +1800 to win the AL Central.
