The Future of the Indians (VERY LONG)

[Chris]

Fuck! I forgot we have no 3B. Wes Hodges, I guess, is the closest but...is he EVER gonna be ready? Lonnie Chisenhall, maybe? He's years away.

 

[elcheato]

Hodges is a terrible defender, if he works on it and gets better I wouldn't mind seeing him. He's been injured almost all of this year. One of the guys we got from the Phils can play 3B.

 

[Chris]

How about Andy...Marte...? :chuckles:

 

[CBBI]

Just based on the complete lack of any sort of prospect ready to step in at the position, I'd say its a virtual lock that Peralta is the starting third baseman opening day next season.

Hodges isn't ready and there's just no way anyone can be sold on Marte unless he just blows up in the last two months.

I suppose of course they could deal JP over the winter and sign someone....

 

[elcheato]

I'm glad we focused on getting pitching in these deals. The past two years we've thought we've been set on pitching, but we've been among the worst, some to do with injuries, and some to do with just flat out bums. We are loading up on them in the minors, some guys with high ceilings, some guys with mid rotation stuff, and then some bullpen guys. Even though we traded our best pitcher and hitter, it seems like we're headed into the right direction.

 

[CHEECHREBORN]

If we move LaPorta to 1st then what are we going to do with Beau Mills? I guess he could probably play one of them at DH assuming they both pan out

 

[col63onel]

Honestly, because we drafted Weglarz so long ago, I thought he was older. He's very promising.

Shapiro can get them into our farm system and into the big leagues. Gotta give him that.

 

[UDcleveland]

Here's what I'm hoping to see next year by opening day.

C - Carlos Santana
1B - Matt LaPorta
2B - Luis Valbuena
3B - Jhonny Peralta (He's better than Hodges and Chisenhall is too far away)
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera
LF - Michael Brantley
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin Soo Choo
DH - Travis Hafner

Rotation:

2a. Fausto Carmona
2b. Justin Masterson
3. Jake Westbrook
4. David Huff
5. Rondon/Carrasco fight it out

I don't see any reason not to have Santana up by then, I can only take so much more Shoppach, and Marson seems to have career backup written all over him. And as for the Brantley Weglarz debate i've been noticing, I for one am on the Brantley train. Guy has outstanding plate discipline with good speed and screams prototypical leadoff hitter. We haven't had that luxury since Lofton, and the dynamic he brought was too valuable to ignore.


By the way, has there been any definitive word that Choo is going to get an exemption from the Korean military, or does he need to serve his 2 years still as of now?

 

[Chosen1]

Wow, good work putting all of this together.

Agreed great work on putting all that info in one place..

Although I haven't been too into the Indians this year mainly because I had a 20 game tickets and they lost 10 of the games I went to (and ended up not going to alll of the games).. So i figured they would rebuild.. I just am not to optimistic with them anymore (more so that they gave away our best players). I hope they could get some players to step up (from the minors but doubtful IMO) but it hasn't happened all that much thus far so I don't know..

To be completely Honest Indians although most Cleveland fans favorite sport to watch (baseball) has been my least...

I've always been a basketball first, football 2nd guy. Thank god for the cavs! And still optimistic that mangenius can teach the browns a thing or 2 and get them playing well, but that remains to be seen. I love playing baseball but the indians games are so long and dull that I can't get into them.

Fingers crossed that cleveland sports make a turn around in the years to come. . I'm only 20 (21 in sept 11.. I know horrible birthday) But my father reminds me everyday that Clevelands cursed so I am rooting for 1 to prove him wrong and bring me a championship in our life times.. More so I can rub it in his face

 

[DougHeil]

Here's what I'm hoping to see next year by opening day.

C - Carlos Santana
1B - Matt LaPorta
2B - Luis Valbuena
3B - Jhonny Peralta (He's better than Hodges and Chisenhall is too far away)
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera
LF - Michael Brantley
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin Soo Choo
DH - Travis Hafner

Rotation:

2a. Fausto Carmona
2b. Justin Masterson
3. Jake Westbrook
4. David Huff
5. Rondon/Carrasco fight it out

I don't see any reason not to have Santana up by then, I can only take so much more Shoppach, and Marson seems to have career backup written all over him. And as for the Brantley Weglarz debate i've been noticing, I for one am on the Brantley train. Guy has outstanding plate discipline with good speed and screams prototypical leadoff hitter. We haven't had that luxury since Lofton, and the dynamic he brought was too valuable to ignore.


By the way, has there been any definitive word that Choo is going to get an exemption from the Korean military, or does he need to serve his 2 years still as of now?

Yes. I like that for next year.

Good post and thanks for putting together the stats and analyzes of the young players.

I'm not so sure we can think ahead to 2011 however considering that many of those in competition for positions like catcher, 1st base, LF, 3rd base, etc, might not be here in 2011. We have a few positions with LOTS of great talent. We can be assured of moving some of these players. There is so much depth at positions like 1st and catcher it makes your head spin.

Did anyone else notice how poised and efficient Gimenez was last night behind the plate? I can't remember a single pitch going to the backstop. That bullet he threw to second to throw out a VERY fast runner and good base stealer was amazing. It was a perfect throw. I don't recall a throw by Shoppach or Victor like that in years. This is what I mean by soooo much talent at some positions. I do agree that Santana will probably be the starter come 2011, but you never know. Many of these minor leaguers will be on other teams in 2011. I just hope the FO and Manager of the team make the right choices. I fear though that Wedge is going to be here, which is a huge fear.

 

[KIisKing]

Could Welgrez be a DH with Brantly in LF and LaPorta at 1st?

Also there is no way Wedge is back.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

I thought I read there is a good chance we are going to lose Choo to his country's military. From what I can find, he hasn't said anything about it yet, and there are a couple ways out of it:

Allow me to be a typical Cleveland sports fan. I think the Tribe has found a budding star in Shin-Soo Choo. He's a .310/25/100 guy. And in two years he'll be holding a gun for the Korean military instead of a bat for the Indians. Figures.

-- Josh H., Mansfield, Ohio

Your cynicism is understood in these parts, Josh. It's an innate part of the Cleveland condition.

Choo could avoid the obligation by becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or he could avoid it by helping South Korea to a baseball championship in the 2010 Asian Games (but that is, obviously, easier said than done). And while no one is saying it publicly, there is always the possibility that Choo simply does not return to his native land, thereby avoiding conscription.

Whenever the topic of his military obligation comes up, Choo says he's not thinking about that yet. And the Indians haven't shown the slightest bit of concern about the situation. The "typical Cleveland sports fans," as you call them, are the ones fretting, but this might amount to much ado about nothing.

http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/01/mailbag_choos_military_service.html

 

[CHEECHREBORN]

Here's what I'm hoping to see next year by opening day.

C - Carlos Santana
1B - Matt LaPorta
2B - Luis Valbuena
3B - Jhonny Peralta (He's better than Hodges and Chisenhall is too far away)
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera
LF - Michael Brantley
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin Soo Choo
DH - Travis Hafner

Rotation:

2a. Fausto Carmona
2b. Justin Masterson
3. Jake Westbrook
4. David Huff
5. Rondon/Carrasco fight it out

I don't see any reason not to have Santana up by then, I can only take so much more Shoppach, and Marson seems to have career backup written all over him. And as for the Brantley Weglarz debate i've been noticing, I for one am on the Brantley train. Guy has outstanding plate discipline with good speed and screams prototypical leadoff hitter. We haven't had that luxury since Lofton, and the dynamic he brought was too valuable to ignore.


By the way, has there been any definitive word that Choo is going to get an exemption from the Korean military, or does he need to serve his 2 years still as of now?

I'm digging that lineup, and I hope that it is what we are seeing next year. I will disagree slightly by putting Marson at catcher for next season. From what I have been reading they say he is slightly ahead of Santana at this point, but I am all for giving both of them playing time. I might get shunned for this, but if we could start Marson for the season to get him some value (and now this is only if we are confident in Santana's ability to contribute in the majors); we then trade Marson and maybe another prospect (probably a first basemen) for an established top of the rotation pitcher.

 

[elcheato]

I thought I read there is a good chance we are going to lose Choo to his country's military. From what I can find, he hasn't said anything about it yet, and there are a couple ways out of it:



http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/01/mailbag_choos_military_service.html

Shapiro has said Choo most likely will not return to do his military duty. There are many ways around it.

And it's beyond me why he hasn't been exempt yet, I don't see the logic in putting the best player from your country into the military, I'm sure they could live with one less person.

 

[ice cream man]

Shapiro has said Choo most likely will not return to do his military duty. There are many ways around it.

And it's beyond me why he hasn't been exempt yet, I don't see the logic in putting the best player from your country into the military, I'm sure they could live with one less person.

Our team being pathetic certainly does not help his cause.

If he applies for citizenship in the US he can get out of it. That's all I've heard.