2008 Cleveland Indians Outlook
2007: (96-66), 1st place
Manager: Eric Wedge (2nd Season)
Key Additions -
P Jorge Julio
P Masahide Kobayashi
IF Jamey Carroll
P Scott Elarton
Key Losses -
OF Trot Nixon (to ARI)
OF Kenny Lofton (released)
IF Chris Gomez (to PIT)
Projected Starting Lineup -
C - Victor Martinez
1B - Ryan Garko
2B - Asdrubal Cabrera
SS - Jhonny Peralta
3B - Casey Blake
LF - David Dellucci
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Franklin Gutierrez
DH - Travis Hafner
Projected Starting Rotation -
1 - C.C. Sabathia (L)
2 - Fausto Carmona (R)
3 - Jake Westbrook (R)
4 - Paul Byrd (R)
5 - Cliff Lee (L)
CL: Joe Borowski (R)
SU: Rafael Betancourt (R)
2008 Outlook:
After falling one game shy of the World Series in 2007, the Cleveland Indians will be looking to take the next step in 2008. With nearly the entire roster returning, Cleveland is one of the favorites to win the pennant in the very competitive American League.
Cleveland will once again rely heavily on the two dominant starters at the top of its rotation. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia returns to lead the staff after a dominant season in 2007. The left-handed workhorse logged 241 innings, piling up 19 victories and an impressive 3.21 ERA. Matching Sabathia’s win total was teammate Fausto Carmona, who emerged in 2007 as one of baseball’s most dominant starting pitchers. The young sinkerballer possesses some of the best stuff in the game and will have another great year in 2008. The two young aces should once again be the best 1-2 combo in the AL (sorry Seattle).
The remainder of the rotation features 3 solid, veteran arms that will nicely compliment Sabathia and Carmona. Jake Westbrook was the recipient of poor run support last year, winning only 6 games despite having a 4.32 ERA, while Paul Byrd was a 15 game winner for Cleveland in ’07. Cliff Lee will round out the rotation, and will give Cleveland a chance to win in most of his starts.
Perhaps Cleveland’s biggest question mark will be the bullpen, beginning with the closer role. Joe Borowski returns following a 45 save season, which saw him blow 8 saves and finish the year with an ERA over 5.00. The veteran pitches to contact, is not the dominant arm most managers like at the end of a ballgame, and if he struggles early, expect manager Eric Wedge to look at different options.
Cleveland does have some quality arms in its bullpen, including RHP Rafael Betancourt and LHP Rafael Perez, both of whom might assume the closer role if Borowski struggles. Cleveland acquired Japanese-League veteran Masahide Kobayashi in the offseason, and management is hoping he can be another quality option late in games. Pay attention to the closing situation in Cleveland, because if Borowski struggles, they will have to rely on some unproven arms to close games, something that could ultimately sway a pennant race.
The Indian lineup will once again feature some of the best young players in the game. It is now time to remove Grady Sizemore’s name from the emerging star column, as he is now one of the games best outfielders. The young centerfielder will once again hit leadoff, and expect him to push towards a 30/30 season in 2008. Another soon-to-be household name is catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. One of the best young signal callers in the game, Martinez hit over .300 in 2007, while slugging 25 home runs and driving in 114. That type of production will continue for the switch hitting catcher, who will once again see some action at first base to rest his legs throughout the year.
DH Travis “Pronk” Hafner saw his power numbers decline in ’07, following an explosive 2006 season, in which he hit 42 home runs. Major League pitchers are figuring out how to pitch the powerful Hafner, and it will be interesting to see if he can make his own adjustments in ’08. If so, Hafner and Martinez will produce a lot of runs in the middle of the Cleveland order.
The corner outfield positions provide some uncertainty for Wedge in 2008. Franklin Gutierrez will be the every day rightfielder, and Cleveland is hoping he is ready to mature into the 5-tool player they have projected him as. Left field will likely be a platoon between veterans David Dellucci and Jason Michaels. The Indians will be delightfully pleased if the two can combine to hit .280 and produce 20+ home runs. The Indian offense will once again be one of the best in the American League, and with another year of maturity for its lineup, there is no reason to expect anything less than the production of last season.
Fantasy Impact:
Sabathia is once again one of the top fantasy options at starting pitcher. The big lefty is as close to a sure thing as any starting pitcher on the board, due to his consistency and his durability. Sabathia has made at least 28 starts in every season of his career, and at just 27 years old, he is still improving at the big league level. Sabathia will give fantasy owners quality production in every category, so you can feel satisfied making him one of the top pitchers taken.
Even though he saved 45 games in 2007, Borowski will be a very risky option at closer in 2008. He was very shaky at times, and there is some talk Wedge might have a short leash on him as the closer this season. Do not spend an early pick on him expecting the save production from last season, because he will not likely be able to match it, and beyond saves, he is not a quality pitcher. With an ERA of over 5.00, and less than a strikeout per inning, he will not deliver the dominant stats you expect from a reliever.
A strong choice late in a draft will be Betancourt. The set-up man might get the opportunity to assume the closer role this season, and even if he doesn’t, he also had tremendous numbers out of the bullpen in ’07 finishing the year with a 1.47 ERA, 80 K in 79 innings, and a WHIP of well under 1.
Carmona should be taken somewhere in the midst of the second-tier of top pitchers. The only downside to the young sinkerballer is that he doesn’t strikeout that many batters. Besides that he is going to give you great peripheral statistics along with 15-20 wins.
While Hafner is capable of being a top-line fantasy slugger again, do not expect it to happen this season. Pitchers have made adjustments in attacking Hafner, and last season was not a fluke. He will put up decent numbers again in 2008 (30 HR, 100 RBI), but as a DH only, that production certainly does not value early round consideration. Hafner is a good option in the early part of the middle rounds of your draft.
Martinez is the top fantasy catcher and should be drafted as so in the late 2nd to early 4th round range. If you don’t draft a shortstop early, Jonny Peralta is going to be one of your top options late in the middle rounds a little later than guys like Edgar Renteria. Casey Blake could be a late round flier for you. If he goes undrafted, keep an eye on him in case he jumps out to a fast start as he is eligible at multiple positions in most leagues. Gutierrez is also a possible late round flier, who could blossom into a great late round sleeper.
2008 prediction: (94-68), 1st place
Team MVP: Grady Sizemore
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