Cleveland Sports Forum

So Cunningham could be a Right Handed Trevor Crowe, or perhaps even a Right Handed Michael Brantley. We needed a RH OF, now we have one, or two.

Indians designate RHP Josh Judy for assignment to clear a spot on 40-man roster for OF Aaron Cunningham.

Terry Pluto

ABOUT THE INDIANS . . .

1. The reason for the additions of Felix Pie and Aaron Cunningham is the Tribe's lack of outfield depth at Class AAA. It's possible Cunningham can make the big-league roster -- he is out of minor-league options. He has 1,156 Class AAA plate appearances, hitting .304 (.869 OPS) with 32 homers. He is mostly a doubles guy, and a right-handed hitter who is good with the glove in right and left field. The Tribe likes that he has a .906 OPS against lefties in his minor-league career.

2. Like Cunningham, Pie has been a highly regarded prospect. But Pie turns 27 in February, and Cunningham is 25. Both have struggled to hit in the majors. The outfield at Class AAA Columbus was Jared Head, Chad Huffman, Ezequiel Carrera, Travis Buck and Tim Fedroff. None are considered prime prospects.

3. The Indians have had serious talks with Mike Cameron, the former Gold Glove outfielder. Cameron, who turns 39 next month, batted only .203 with nine homers and 27 RBI in 237 at-bats last season between Boston and Florida. He hit .245 (.754 OPS) with five homers in 133 at-bats after the All-Star break. Why Cameron? He could provide depth in center in case Grady Sizemore's physical problems continue.

4. The Tribe also has talked to Andy LaRoche, who is a career .226 hitter (.642 OPS) in 1,180 big league at-bats. He is mostly a third baseman. At 28, he could fill that spot at Class AAA. Cameron and LaRoche will probably receive minor-league deals if they are signed.

5. LaRoche, Pie, Cunningham, and infielder Jose Lopez (also signed to a minor-league deal Friday) were all considered promising young players at some point in their careers. But they all have flopped in their chances in the majors. The Indians are hoping one of them suddenly figures it out -- and they are adding some experience at Class AAA. And none of this is very exciting to Tribe fans. The hope is they find someone such as Jack Hannahan, who made the team a year ago when invited on a minor-league deal -- and helped all season. Others such as Buck and Adam Everett made the team, but didn't last.

6. Meanwhile, free agents Josh Willingham and Mike Cuddyer signed elsewhere. Tribe fans wanted them to sign here. Never was going to happen. If the Indians make a significant addition with a right-handed hitter, it will be via a trade, not free agency.

7. Tribe manager Manny Acta is in the Dominican Republic, where he will watch Ubaldo Jimenez and Fausto Carmona pitch in winter ball. Both wanted to do it, and both didn't pitch last winter. Both had bad regular seasons. Jimenez had always pitched in the Dominican before, and believes it helps him prepare for the majors. Carmona pitched winter ball in 2010, before his solid 13-14, 3.77 ERA season. Because he threw 210 innings in 2010, the Tribe decided he should skip the Dominican League after that season.

8. Who knows if pitching winter ball will help either guy, but they think it matters. The Indians believe having assistant strength coach Nelson Perez spending the entire off-season in the Dominican Republic to work with Jimenez, Carmona, Carlos Santana and some of the other Tribe Latino players will make a positive impact.

Tribe sent a trainer to the DR with Jiminez, not a pitching coach. Guess they care more about getting him in shape than fixing his mechanics

Cleveland Indians have concerns about health of Kendry Morales: Hey, Hoynsie!
Published: Sunday, December 18, 2011, 1:07 AM Updated: Sunday, December 18, 2011, 1:15 AM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Now that the Angels have signed Albert Pujols, do you think the Tribe will initiate trade talks to obtain Kendry Morales, who though recently injured should continue to be a good power-hitting first baseman? I believe he also has a reasonable 2012 salary of $3 million. -- Gary Beckerman, Ynez, Calif.

A: Hey, Gary: The Indians liked Morales before the Cuban defector signed with the Angels. The problem that the Indians and every other team has with Morales is whether he's healthy. He broke his left leg in a freaky home-plate celebration on May 29, 2010. He did not play in the big leagues last year.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: I looked on Indians.com during the winter meetings, and I saw that GM Chris Antonetti said the Tribe could have a big trade in the works. Then I heard from The Plain Dealer that he was kidding around. What was the point of him saying that? -- Jeremy Cronig, Shaker Heights

A: Hey, Jeremy: Antonetti never said he had a big trade in the works. He told Cleveland reporters at the meetings that he had talked about a surprising trade that the reporters couldn't guess in 50 tries.
I have no doubt Antonetti probably was approached with a "surprising" trade offer. I don't know if it was, or still is, a serious consideration.

Mostly, I think Antonetti felt sorry for the reporters covering the Indians at the meetings because they weren't making any news. I think he was kiddingly throwing us a bone.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Given the seismic shift in the AL West with the Angels' moves, I can't help but wonder if the Indians would be interested in first baseman Mike Trumbo of the Angels. He's a young, right-handed power hitter who is blocked at 1B and DH in L.A. He's got his warts, but he would fit in here, no? -- Scott S., Philadelphia

A: Hey, Scott: Trumbo would definitely fit in Cleveland. But I think it would take a lot to get him away from the Angels.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the Indians might sign Manny Ramirez to a minor-league deal? I know GM Chris Antonetti declined comment, and Ramirez has to serve a 50-game suspension, but he'd be a cheap veteran bat and insurance for another Travis Hafner injury. -- Steven Alex, Gainesville, Fla. (Really kenm, CT)

A: Hey, Steven: Don't see that happening.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: What do you think about the possibility of making Grady Sizemore a first baseman? Not to compare Grady to Mickey Mantle, but didn't he make that move when the injuries started to pile up? Grady is athletic, has good hands and would fill a big hole at first. Of course, you'll open up a spot in the outfield, but with another injury to Grady, you'll have to fill that anyway. -- Tom Walko, Findlay

A: Hey, Tom: Grady Sizemore did not return to Cleveland to play first base.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: If you had to speak solely as a fan, what would your Indians Christmas wish be? Remember, Santa can't make Albert Pujols void his contract with the Angels and doesn't have millions to lend the Dolans. -- Joe Cepec, Dublin

A: Hey, Joe: I've got two.

First, I'd wish that the Dolans would find a silent partner with tons of money intent on spending it to make the Indians a better team. Second, it would be nice to see Prince Fielder under Manny Acta's tree on Christmas Day. But it better be a real big tree.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Another round of one-year offers to the likes of [Shin-Soo] Choo and Astro [Asdrubal Cabrera]. With no mid- or long-term commitment to anyone, the day is coming when the Tribe no longer has "core" players. Just a bunch of temps. Maybe that day is already here. Tell me I'm wrong, Hoynsie. -- Wayne Smith, Wattsburg, Pa.

A: Hey, Wayne: Wish I could say you were wrong, but I can't. Not one Indian is signed for guaranteed money past 2012. General managers call that payroll flexibility. From the outside looking in, it could be called a bare-bones operation, clearing the decks to make a big move in the near future or trying to attract a new owner.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Most people I talk to think the Indians will not be serious contenders unless they acquire another strong hitter, yet all the first base options are slipping away, and the team can't even afford a mid-level free agent. If the Indians stand pat with what they have, didn't they mortgage the future in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade for nothing? -- Steven Alex, Gainesville, Fla.

A: Hey, Steven: Still can't see the Indians standing pat. Hard to believe they can't make a deal before Opening Day to help the offense more than the miniscule addition of another minor-league free agent.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Can you detail what the new controls are for the franchises that receive revenue-sharing money? -- N.B., Cleveland

A: Hey, N.B.: The new basic agreement includes language that narrows and excludes previous uses for revenue-sharing money. For instance, revenue-sharing receipts cannot be used to pay down a franchise's debt, a strategy many teams used in the past. Other language specifically says that the use of revenue-sharing receipts must be used to improve the team's performance on the field.

Rules to enforce these new measures were strengthened.

One such rule, as reported by Jayson Stark of ESPN, says a team receiving revenue-sharing receipts must have a 40-man roster that costs 25 percent more than the revenue check it's receiving.

The basic agreement also has a clause that prevents the teams from the 15 biggest markets from receiving revenue-sharing checks by 2016. That has not been the case in the past.

-- Hoynsie

Jason Kubel is expected to sign soon, but will not re-sign with the Twins, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Twins don't have the payroll to commit to a long-term deal with Kubel, nor do they have a surefire lineup spot for him after signing Josh Willingham to play right field and Ryan Doumit to DH. Minnesota is likely to turn their efforts to acquiring starting pitching instead. Kubel was limited to just 99 games this season due to a lingering foot injury, batting .273/.332/.434 with 12 homers and 58 RBI over 401 plate appearances. The Twins will receive a sandwich pick when the Type B free agent signs elsewhere. The Indians are one team known to have interest in the 29-year-old. Kubel is likely looking for a two- or three-year contract worth about $7-8 million per season.
Related: Indians
Source: LaVelle E. Neal III on Twitter Dec 18 - 9:52 PM

Nationals signed OF Mike Cameron to a minor league contract.

The deal also includes a spring training invite. Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio hears that he'll earn $1 million if he makes the Opening Day roster, while the contract includes $750,000 in performance-based incentives. Cameron, 38, batted .203/.285/.359 with nine home runs and 27 RBI over 269 plate appearances this past year between the Red Sox and Marlins. He's better off as a fourth outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench at his advanced age, but his role for 2012 will likely hinge upon whether the Nationals think Bryce Harper is ready for the big leagues.
Dec 19 - 5:39 PM

Another big one gets away.

This guy has always gave me the creeps.



Updated: December 20, 2011, 6:11 PM ET


Bill Conlin accused of molestation

ESPN.com news services

Three women and a man said they were molested as children by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin, according to a report published Tuesday on the Philadelphia Inquirer website.

The four alleged victims told the Inquirer they were molested by Conlin in the 1970s, when they were between the ages of 7 and 12. The Inquirer reported that prosecutors took statements from the four last year but could not act on the allegations because they are beyond the statute of limitations. The law in New Jersey does not allow for cases to be prosecuted that occurred and were not reported prior to 1996.

One of the alleged victims was Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin's. Blanchet is currently a prosecutor in Atlantic City, N.J., according to the Inquirer.

"This is a tragedy," Blanchet told the Inquirer. "People have kept his secret. It's not just the victims, it's the victims' families. There were so many people who knew about this and did nothing."

Blanchet also told the paper that she and the other alleged victims were speaking out because of the Penn State case, where former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky faces charges of molesting young boys. He faces a trial in 2012. She said the case brought back painful memories.

Conlin, who received the 2011 J.G. Taylor Spink Award for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing" from the Baseball Hall Of Fame, was a regular contributor to ESPN's The Sports Reporters in the early years of the show, which debuted in 1998. He last appeared on the show in late 2002.

Conlin, who is 77, retired from the Daily News on Tuesday. His attorney, George Bochetto, issued a statement to the Inquirer, saying: "Mr. Conlin is obviously floored by these accusations, which supposedly happened 40 years ago. He has engaged me to do everything possible to bring the facts forward to vindicate his name."

Indians signed INF Andy LaRoche to a minor league contract.

The deal includes an invite to spring training. LaRoche, 28, batted just .247 with no homers over 93 at-bats with the A's this past season and has a lousy .226/.305/.337 batting line in the big leagues. The former top prospect will have to have an outstanding spring in order to win a roster spot.

Source: Jordan Bastian on Twitter Dec 21 - 11:06 AM

So if the party line is that LaPorta is likely to start the season in Columbus, who will be playing 1st base for Cleveland? Duncan? -- we usually hide his glove in LF. Santana? --- with Marston as nearly everyday catcher? Brantley -- with all the boring guys we've acquired this winter fighing over LF?

Mystery man ?

Q&A: Justin Masterson, Rhapsodic Masterpiece

by David Laurila - December 21, 2011

Bob Dylan wasn’t thinking of Justin Masterson when he wrote “When I Paint My Masterpiece” — the Indians right-hander wasn’t even born yet — but it’s fun to imagine. Dylan sings about how someday everything is going to be smooth like a rhapsody, and isn’t that how Masterson pitches? Or how he lives his life? To Masterson, the world is a rhapsody and that’s why he is one of baseball’s most engaging personalities.

——

David Laurila: Is pitching fun?

Justin Masterson: Absolutely. I feel like it’s one of the most fun things, simply because, in one respect, it’s you out there by yourself. You’ve got your catcher kind of giving you a hint of what he’d like you to throw, but it’s your final decision. You’re facing this hitter — maybe it’s a clutch situation — and it’s just mano-a-mano. Once a pitch has left your hand it becomes a team game — maybe you’ll get a ground ball — but up until that point it’s just you going after that hitter. That, to me, is a lot of fun.

DL: With the game being as competitive as it is, do you ever have to step back and tell yourself that it actually is fun?

JM: Yeah, every once in a while. I’ll be getting a little juiced up out there and find myself throwing the ball as hard as I can. I’ll be like “Step back, buddy. Take it easy. Hey, we’re just having fun out here.” Maybe you make a good pitch, but a guy gets a broken-bat single — there will be a couple of tough-luck things and a run scores — and now you’re like “Aaghh!“ But do you know what? Tip your cap and go get the next guy. I mean, you’re here just having a good ol’ time.

DL: Is pitching more of an art or more of a science?

JM: I would say it is more of an art. Back in college, my buddies and I did this little thing in fine arts class. We did the art of pitching. Everyone was doing things like the art of dancing — actual fine arts stuff. I did the art of pitching. It’s just the idea that you are painting a masterpiece. You’re working a guy in and you’re working a guy out.

Sometimes you want the pitch to be down and in, and it ends up being up and away — it’s kind of a mistake — and it still works. That can be how an artist goes about it. They have this idea of what they want, but sometimes random things happen and, “Wow, that made things better.”

DL: Which artist do you pitch like?

JM: As any artist would say, I’m my own. Artists have their own way; they bring their own ideas and philosophies. But when you get right down to it, the artist I pitch like is currently on the DL, working his way back. Brandon Webb would be the guy I’ve watched and regarded as great pitcher, a heavy sinkerballer. I don’t think anyone really has the same mechanics and stuff that I do, but he was the guy I always watched.

DL: What about style? Are you a realist? An impressionist? Something else?

JM: I’d say I have more of an impressionist thought. The dots are going in. It’s just filling little things in and by the end you get this whole big picture. You didn’t really realize it at first, but then, all of a sudden, it just comes together. I’m thinking about the overall picture, what I want it to look like. With each little dot I put in there — as far as my impressionism goes — it brings everything together.

DL: What do you see when you look in from the mound? Do you see the strike zone in quadrants?

JM: I’ve thought about that. I don’t know what I see. I’ll be looking up there and yeah, you see the catcher’s glove. I think you see that in-and-out, that box within your head, the invisible box. Because you just… whether or not the catcher puts his mitt up or not, you have this area that you want to go to. It’s not physically there, but it is there in some sense of the mind.

DL: Does the area contain percentages?

JM: Mine doesn’t, really, but from the hitter’s meetings, you do see that. For me, it’s more about sticking with your strengths. Even if you have a right-handed hitter who is good at down-and-in pitches, he’s probably going to see at least one or two from me. He may crush one of them, or maybe I’ll make better pitches than he takes swings.

DL: What does the word “feel” mean to you?

JM: It means a lot. Simply because… I don’t know, I think it goes back to the idea that it’s an art and not just a science. It’s not like I need to hold it like this and like that. You get out there and the way the ball comes out of your hand is just right, or maybe it’s not just right. You try to change the grip, but that’s not really doing it, so you have to kind of slow everything down to allow the body to work together. It’s the same concept. You throw a pitch and it’s like, “You know, that just didn’t feel right”. It may have gone where it was supposed to, but it didn’t feel right. So you just kind of relax and go through it, and then “Whop! There it is!”

The way I go about it, again… it’s not just a science, As I go, it just feels right as far as the mechanics. You can go… the feel of facing the hitter could be “Okay, the first time I went sinker, sinker, sinker and I got the guy out.” Maybe this next time it will be, “Do you know what? He seems to be cheating a little bit, so let’s get that heater away.” The feel of the game allows me to not just have a single plan. As I go, I can feel out what each hitter is trying to do.

DL: You threw a game this year where all but one pitch was a fastball. Is that accurate?

JM: It was against the Twins, and it is technically accurate. However, I have a sinker — a two-seamer — and a four-seamer, so although the 104 pitches out of 105 were fast balls per se, there was a mix and match. There were four seamers, that move more straight, and two seamers, that have more movement. In essence, you can say that I was still using two different pitches, at least from my concept, but there were no off-speed pitches.

DL: Did you know when the game ended that you had only thrown one breaking ball?

JM: I hadn’t really thought about it, although there was a part of me that knew I hadn’t thrown many. I was just pitching, pitching, pitching, and all of a sudden it was Michael Cuddyer, on either a 1-0 count or 1-1 count, in his second at bat, and it was, “Slider. Yeah, let’s do a slider. Whoosh!” I put it in there for a strike, and then it was heaters, heaters, heaters.

Afterwards, someone made mention of it and I said, “You know, I don’t think I threw many off-speed pitches.” They were like, “No, we think you threw one.” I went, “You know what? I think you’re right!”

I don’t know how, or what, or why. It wasn’t my plan to throw nothing but heaters, it was just, as we were going, they weren’t taking good swings on that pitch. Why change what’s working? Each game is different, and in that game, that’s what was working. Lou Marson caught me, one of the few times he has.

DL: Do you think Marson called the game differently than other catchers would have?

JM: No, I don’t think he did. What makes Lou so great is that he understands the game really well and he understood that one so well that he was like, “Why am I going to switch it up and give a guy a chance off of a breaking ball when they’re not taking good swings off the fastball? Let’s just keep rocking the fastball until they show different.”

That was the philosophy back when I was in Lancaster, California [in the Red Sox organization]. Bob Kipper was my pitching coach out there, and he said to me, “Hey Justin, what’s your best pitch?” I was like, “My fastball,” and he said, “You throw that until someone tells you different. Watch the hitters and when they tell you that you need to mix it up, then you mix it up.” It’s a good philosophy and it seemed to hold true in that game.

DL: This was a breakthrough year for you. Why?

JM: Making good pitches. I mean, I look at 2008, when I first came into the league — things were working out pretty good. But I’ve been more consistent. If you look at [2010], even in the beginning of the season when the numbers weren’t that good, there would be two good outings and then a not-very-good outing. Then the season ended pretty well, so I think the main thing… I guess I don’t know exactly why.

DL: Is it easier to pitch when the team is winning?

JM: Absolutely. There is no doubt. It’s more fun and there is a little bit more on it. Everyone is into the game. Not that people weren’t into the game before, when we weren’t putting together good things, but every guy is in the game. It’s not like, “Oh, I hope we do well.” It’s “Hey, we want to win this!” Each guy, myself included, is doing everything they can in order to be victorious. I think that brings a good atmosphere to not only the clubhouse, but also to the game.

DL: Why were you more effective against left-handed hitters this year than in the past?

JM: I think a lot of it is the fastball, being able to not just bring it inside, but to throw it in there for a strike and kind of mix and match sinkers away. I can throw a four-seamer, which isn’t moving as much, away, and work my sinker off of that. Guys are seeing something straight and start thinking,” Okay, it’s going to be coming in straight,” but all of a sudden it starts moving and I’m getting ground balls.

Mixing and matching, going in and out, and keeping the guys off balance, has helped me against not only lefties, but also righties. It has also helped me to go deeper into games, because I’m in the zone and getting guys to swing early. I’m getting a few pop-ups here and there as well, but an out is an out.

DL: Do you and Josh Tomlin think alike on the mound?

JM: Think-wise, yes. Will we throw the same? Not necessarily. I always joke with Austin Kearns. He‘ll be like, “Hey, don’t forget you’ve got that changeup.” I don’t not throw my changeup because it’s not very good, I just don’t always feel that I need to throw it. He’ll be telling me, “Just throw it to show it,” so I’ll say, “Hey, Austin. I thought about throwing a changeup today.” He would be like: “Atta boy!” Of course, I didn’t actually throw one.

But as far as mindset goes, I know why Josh is doing what he does, and for me, I think about that. But then, sometimes, I go back to “Yes, I can get away with certain things, because my fastball is 94. I don’t have to try to be a guy with 89.” But in the overall sense, I am thinking ,“Okay, this might be a good pitch here, but I’m going to do this instead.” Sometimes I outthink myself. I’m a big thinker, no matter what, so it’s not like you will get me to not think while I’m out there. I’m out there thinking and maybe — if I’m lucky — I’m painting that masterpiece.

Carlos Beltran - OF - Giants

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Indians have joined the hunt for free agent Carlos Beltran.
The Cardinals, Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays have also expressed serious interest. Beltran, 34, batted .300 with a .910 OPS, 22 home runs and 84 RBI in 142 games this past season between the Mets and Giants. He's thought to be seeking a two- or three-year deal worth more than $10 million annually.
Source: Buster Olney on Twitter Dec 21 - 11:40 PM

Indians In On Carlos Beltran

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 21 at 10:40pm CST]
The Indians have jumped into the Carlos Beltran negotiations, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Though GM Chris Antonetti has been on the lookout for offense this offseason, this is the first time the Indians have been publicly linked to Beltran.

Beltran has two and three-year offers and hopes to decide on a new team this week, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The Blue Jays and Cardinals are among Beltran’s most aggressive suitors, Miller reports. The switch-hitter appears to be weighing a more substantial contract offer against a city he prefers.

The Indians now have Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo, Ezequiel Carrera, Shelley Duncan and the newly-acquired Aaron Cunningham in the outfield mix. Beltran would be a welcome addition to an offense that ranked 16th in MLB in runs scored in 2011.