According to ESPN, a pitcher named Hector Rondon will be starting for the World's future team, and he's from Cleveland's system. He's in Class A+ Kinston right now. His line from Baseball Reference suggests nothing special, but he does show positive signs of development (although his K/BB seems to be slipping a touch, never a good sign). Have any of you folks heard of him? BR doesn't do ERA+ for minor leaguers, and I'm not sure what kind of Park Factor we have in Kinston (although I'd heard, in general, the Carolina league is a pitcher's league).

Unless we can put together a Colorado Rockie-esque 2007 winning streak, we have moved into the unfortunate "Take Stock, Move Inventory, and Reload" phase of the 2008 season.

I have seen a lot of chatter on this site about trading for sluggers to improve the offense in 2009 (Matt LaPorta is my favorite of these, but perhaps more of a 2010 fix), but there has not been, or I have missed, any discussion about what I think might be the most pressing need of the 2009 season and beyond: a dominant closer.

Looking at the first 84 games of this year, we have converted 14 of 27 save opportunities.   If we had a decent closer (assume an 80% save rate), we would have already won 8 more games this year, and would find ourselves 4 games out of first. 

In all fairness, Borowski does have an 80% career save rate, and he has not been given many opportunites to save games in the past month.  However, it appears his age is finally getting the better of him as his ERA and arm have begun to give out.

So what's the arm-chair GM move to make ?  Go for a closer or go for a bat?  Or just go for value and hope for the best?

My dream scenario is to get both by trading CC plus a reliever to Milwaukee for:

 AA Matt LaPorta: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Matt%20LaPorta&pos=RF&sid=t559&t=p_pbp&pid=453181 

AAA Luis Pena: http://www.nashvillesounds.com/clubhouse/Default.asp?playerId=204

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out in the next few weeks.

Fat lady.  Songs.  Door.  Ass.  Toast.  We’re done for.  The 2008 Cleveland Indians season is done.  And it is a colossal failure.  As of this morning, the Indians are 10 games below .500 at 37-47, 11.5 games out of 1st place in the AL Central, and in last place in the division behind the decades-long slumping Kansas City Royals.  The good people at Baseball Prospectus have the Indians chances of making the playoffs (PECOTA-adjusted) at less than 1%.  The cool people at Coolstandings.com have the Tribe’s playoff chances at a slightly cooler 2.5%.  The Indians captain, Victor Martinez, is on the DL indefinitely.  Their fearsome DH has been relegated to a similar status by a bum shoulder and a nasty case of "being very un-dude".  Their hangover inducing, ice-cold young pitcher is also out.  And their reliable, innings-eating sinkerball machine has been sunk off the coast of TJ.  The Indians season is done like a late-night frozen pizza left in the oven overnight after you passed out on the couch watching re-runs of Man vs. Wild on Discovery.  Pack up your bags and go home.

  But is it really?  Is it over?  No.  Every season begins with the goal of winning the World Series.  For the last 60 years that is what the Indians have tried, and failed, to do every year.  This year is no different.  The 2008 Indians will not be World Champions.  But that goal of winning a World Series does not exist as a singular monolith separate from the actions of those events and people which surround it.  It is in actuality a product of those events and people.  In baseball terms, this is the stuff of player performance, development, coaching, and organizational decisions.  And while the World Series is a convenient threshold denoting the end of one season and ushering in the beginning of another season, all of those things which go into a World Series are not so easily compartmentalized.  Players’ abilities are continuous variables, measured out in discrete plate appearances and games, but constantly changing in processes of growth and decline.  Likewise, an organization is a dynamic system, with players entering, leaving, underperforming, and exceeding expectations.  And the performances of one season bleed into the next.  The games played in Cleveland, and Buffalo, and Akron, and even all the way down in Winter Haven will have some impact on the organization going into next season and beyond.  They will help decide the fates of all the moving parts which make up the Indians organization.

I came of age as an Indians fan in the late 80s and early 90s, just in time to catch a decade of stunning major league baseball in Cleveland.  But I did not begin to truly appreciate baseball on more than a season-to-season basis until 2002, when it became clear the run of fantastic teams in Cleveland was coming to an end.  And it was then that I became aware of the true depth of being a baseball fan.  That the success of players was not a given.  That in order to really appreciate the players on the field in Cleveland, it helped to have a sense of where they had come from and how they had gotten there.  What decisions had been made to make them part of the current set of players striving for the goal of World Series glory?  

And that is where the organization stands now.  Obviously we are on the brink of changes, both large and small, which will go a long way in determining who we have and what chances we have at the 2009 World Series and beyond.  And as a fan, that means that while the 2008 season has ended, the 2009 season has begun.  We are now beginning a 78-game, late Summer, pre-Spring Training in which the performances of players across the organization will be tracked in order to determine what role and future they have with the Tribe.  The ability of players will continue to change as improvements are made, strength is gained, pitch recognition improves, or age begins to sap away at these abilities.  

And baseball will be played.  In Cleveland. In Buffalo.  In Akron.  In Kinston.  In Eastlake.  In Mahoning Valley.  In Winter Haven.  Even in the Dominican.  Players will take the field, the dirt will be groomed and watered down, someone will yell out "hot dogs!" while someone else yells "cold beer!".  Fireworks will get shot off.  Kids will laugh and smile.  And games will be won and games will be lost.  But baseball will still be played because the season of baseball never ends.

When Casey Blake is traded in the mini fire sale about to occur, can we please call the Marlins and inquire on what we need to get Dallas McPherson.  The guy is rotting AAA batting over 300 and hitting 29 HRs.  Since Marte apparently will never approach 100 AB this season, can we start him the net 70-75 games and see if he can produce at the ML level.  Shhh...I know Hodges is on his way, but when was the last time the Tribe rushed someone up.

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While the Indians continued to show just enough to not occupy last place all by themselves, the Indians minor league teams actually had a pretty nice weekend.  A brief recap of some of the highlights:

Buffalo 2, Scranton 1

Buffalo 3, Scranton 0

Buffalo 7, Scranton 5

Buffalo swept the first 3 games of a 4-game set with Scranton.  Jordan Brown, who has been decidedly mediocre so far in Buffalo, had a strong weekend, going 4-7 with a 2B, 3B, HR and BB.  He's had multiple hits in four of the last five games, including 2 HRs, raising his season total to 3.  JAAAAson Cooper also had a big weekend, going 6-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 2 BBs.  Asdrubal has cooled off somewhat, but did hit a 3B while picking up two walks in the series.  On the mound, Tom Mastny pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in two outings, walking 2 and K'ing 2.  Juan Rincon made his debut yesterday, pitching a scoreless frame in the Bisons victory.

Akron 16, Reading 6

Akron 2, Reading 7

Akron 7, Reading 6

Akron took two of three from Reading.  Everyone remember where you stuck your Trevor Crowe bandwagon?....it might just be time to start thinking about it.  Crowe's not particularly young, has been injury prone, and has a very questionable performance record.  But he's gotten a lot of attention and is currently going nuclear. Over the weekend he went 5-12 with a 2B, 3B, 2 HRs, 3 BBs, 0 Ks.  Crowe's gone through hot stretches in the past, but they've mostly been marked by lots of singles.  Over his past 10 games, Crowe has hit 4 HRs while putting up a .512 BA.  In the 25 games he's played in June, his line is .400/.472/.629.  That's still a small sample of games, but if Crowe could somehow turn back into a high-OBP, gap power, speedy guy...that could look mighty good in front of Sizemore in the Indians lineup...(oh prospects, why must I fall for you every time?).  Bronson Sardinha (5-12, 2B, 2BBs) and Jose Constanza (7-12, 2B, BB), who are actually about the same age as Crowe, also had big weekends.  JD Martin had the best pitching performance, throwing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief on Sunday while striking out 3. Martin actually has not allowed an earned run across his last 7 outings, covering 15.1 innings with 20Ks and only 4BBs.

Kinston 10, Frederick 1

Kinston 3, Frederick 0

Kinston 6, Potomac 1

Kinston joined Buffalo in winning all three of its games.  The big offensive performance on Friday night was powered by Beau Mills, who went 3-4 with 2 HRs (11) and a walk.  Jason Denham (5-11, 2 2Bs, BB, SB) and Nieman Romero (6-10, 2B, 2 BBs) were the other big offensive performers.  Most of the success was pitching driven, though.  Josh Tomlin (6IP,1H,0R,0BB,5K) and Hector Rondon (6IP,2H,1R,3BB,6K) carried Kinston to two of the three victories.  A combination of reliever pitched 5 innings of 2-hit, 0-run ball in Kinston's other victory.

Lake County 6, Lakewood 2

Lake County 4, Hagerstown 6

Lake County 3, Hagerstown 4

Lake County wasn't as successful as its other full-season cousins, losing 2 out of 3 in close games.  As always this season, the story in Lake County is all about pitching.  Kelvin De La Cruz  (5.2 IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 7K) and Ryan Miller (6IP, 2H 0R, 3BB, 4K) dominated their respective starts.  Chris Archer '(4IP, 3ER, 5BB, 5K), after more success of late, was done in by his on-going control problems this time around.

I realize Bartolomania is sweeping LGT.  But I wonder if a better model for the Sabathia situation may be the Rick Sutcliffe trade of 1984  Mainly, of course, there is the issue of contraction, which immediately makes the Colon trade non-replicable.  But I see some other similarities.

For one, Sutcliffe was also in his walk year (he re-signed with the Cubs after the season) and he was about the same age as CC (27, about to turn 28 at the time of the trade).

Also, and this could be significant, Sutcliffe departed the Tribe as part of a package.  And I don't mean with Tim Drew.  George Frazier, despite the infamy imposed on him in the 1981 World Series, was a pretty decent reliever.  And Ron Hassey was a productive player everywhere he went in his long career.  I have a feeling that the best CC deals out there could involve a larger package, if for no other reason than to protect the acquiring team if CC bolts.

Finally, the Indians were not a bad team in 1984, or at least they had a nucleus of solid players and some prospects on the brink.  After all, the Indian Uprising was right around the corner.  It wasn't a blow-up situation like 2002.  And this can be seen in the incoming players.  Sutcliffe, et. al. didn't bring in prospects that were due to blossom 2-4 years later.  Mel Hall was already a regular in the majors.  Carter had gotten some playing time and would become a regular in 1985 and a star a year later.  I think that's what we're looking for now, a chance to cash in on our nucleus in 2009-2010, rather than an attempt to reload for 2011 and beyond.

I'm not very good at putting together mock trades.  But my conjecture is that we're looking less at Sizemore-Lee-Phillips and more at something along the lines of Hall-Carter.  And it will be for CC plus somebody and somebody else.  (Hassey notwithstanding, I don't think Shoppach is going anywhere.)

When the trade is done, we should know what Shap really thinks of this team.  If we get deep prospects, that means he has given up on the core and we can expect to see Peralta and Garko and Gutz and the like heading out of town.  If he brings in players like Hall and Carter (circa 1984), then he is still committed to the near future.

     I'm probably setting myself up for a bit of good-natured ridicule, but I thought I'd introduce myself and speak out in favor of a friend of mine. Sal Fasano.

    To be honest, some of the comments I've seen here are very much like the ones I've read wherever he's gone.  Not the AAA clubs of course, for they're often glad to have him...but whether it's the Rockies, the Orioles, The Yankees or even now the Tribe...there's no getting around the usual mockery.  Hey, everyone's entitled to their opinion and god knows Sal's not headed for Cooperstown. His penchent for facial hair has prompted Moustache Night, in Syracuse and a remarkable photoshop job by the scoreboard folks at Yankee Stadium.  He's fully aware that more people know him for his Fu Manchu than how he calls a game.

   I've known Sal since High School. I've followed his career as any friend would, and catch his games when I can. When he joins a new team I tend to look at blogs like this to see how he's accepted and unfortunately it's clear he's come to your team at a very difficult time. By no means does a guy who's backing up the backup catcher hold any allusions of turning things around for his new team, but believe me when I say that you have a guy on your bench who will give everything he's got to make the Indians a winner on every given day.

    Sal is not out there collecting a paycheck because he' thinks he's entitled to one. He understands how very few men ever get to play at the major league level and understands that his role is unique.  As notorious or humorous as his reputation may be among these blogs, there's a reputation among general managers and other players that continues to bring him back to the Show when it looks like he's forever exiled to Syracuse or Durham.  Pitchers love having Sal behind the plate and his value will probably find a more suitable venue as a coach in the years ahead.

   Listen, I don't mean to rain on the parade. I enjoy the stuff about Sal as much as anyone. (With some clubs, he's achieved Chuck Norris heroics), but I felt inclined to say something because I know that he's going to be here for a few weeks....and I felt he could use someone getting his back.

    One last thing. The stories about Sal being a regular guy off the field are far from spin. I have no doubt that if you all met Sal over a pizza or in the stands of a football game you'd come away really liking the guy.

     He's grateful to be an Indian and he'll bust his ass for you guys.

     Thanks,

     Acme Hardball

Indians rumors of the week: Seems as if the only Indians anyone ever talks about hitting the market next month are Sabathia and Paul Byrd. But one NL executive says the Indians have also let teams know they would talk about several of their bullpen arms -- starting with Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez -- and enigmatic 25-year-old outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

Anyone think there is some truth to this? if so, thoughts?

Why did I get this earring?

The Indians' 2008 season is almost certainly unsalvagable in a short-term sense. We all know it's been soul-sucking up to this point; but where do we go from here? How are we supposed to process this? You need to look internally and recognize what's happening inside of you, unless you're thinking of Sal Fasano. In that case, just embrace it and enjoy it.

Shock and denial (disbelief)

come on in guys, the numbness is fine

by mrich on May 26, 2008 10:16 PM CDT up actions  

 What in the sweet chocolate Christ happened here.

 by fleerdon on Jun 25, 2008 8:27 PM CDT

Typified by feelings of unreality, depersonalization, withdrawal, and an anesthetizing of affect. The person feels unable to come to terms with what just occurred. Thoughts you may be having:

• This isn't my fault or Shapiro's fault. It's no one's fault. This is happening to someone else.
• Regression is a powerful force and sometimes it moves up. Call it progression. I can't wait for progression. I never want to eat again.
• We're going to look back on this and laugh when we sweep for the championship. God, this bleach actually tastes pretty good!
• Looch is probably really fun to hang out with.
• I read on CastroTurf that Pronk's swings look way better. Once he's healed, pop the champagne.
• I'm not going to watch games until my sex drive returns. Then I'll start watching again. [pause] Did I just hear the STO theme??! It's TRIBE TIME NOW!
• Hamilton sounds optimistic tonight.

If this sounds familiar then you're just beginning the process. It's going to get worse before it gets better and for that I and Chris Antonetti apologize.

I am a manifestation of Todd Hollandsworth.

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