Cleveland Sports Forum

Cleveland Indians CEO Paul Dolan expects Tribe to be a playoff contender again this season

Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer



GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- This is the 15th season that the Dolan family has owned the Cleveland Indians.

CEO Paul Dolan and I talked for more than hour in the Tribe's Goodyear spring office. I've known Dolan since his family purchased the team after the 1999 season, and this was one of our most relaxed conversations.

For the Dolan family, 2013 was perhaps the best year of all. The reason?

"We were on the verge of a complete collapse at the end (of 2012)," said Dolan. "Twelve months later, the entire trajectory of the franchise has been changed. It's a 180-degree turn."

The Tribe was 92-70 last season, the fourth-best record in the American League. The team made the playoffs, losing the wild-card game to Tampa Bay, 4-0.

"I just wish we could have won that game," said Dolan. "The stadium was as loud as I've ever heard it. Maybe it's because we haven't had a playoff game (since 2007). The building was ready to explode if we could have gotten one big hit. The energy was spectacular."

Dolan paused, thinking back to 2013, how the franchise went from 68-94 in 2012 to 92-70 a year later. Even more dramatically, the Tribe had lost at least 93 games three times in four years from 2009-12.

Dolan believed the team had a chance to dig out of its 90-loss rut after the major signings of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, along with the hiring of veteran manager Terry Francona.

"But I never would have bet the turnaround could happen that fast," said Dolan.



About Terry Francona

Dolan believes the hiring of the former Boston manager, who twice won a World Series in Boston, had a bigger impact than any other off-season move.

"I used to think that a good manager would make a difference, but a marginal difference," he said. "A bad manager could mess things up. But Terry makes so much more than a marginal difference."

Dolan talked about Francona creating a "a culture of winning, a culture of hope. He does a masterful job of creating relationships with players, coaches and everyone else."

Francona was named the American League Manager of the Year. He is in the second season of a four-year contract.

After 2012, there was pressure from some fans and members of the media for Dolan to replace President Mark Shapiro and/or General Manager Chris Antonetti. I interviewed him near the end of August of 2012 (the Tribe was 5-24 that month). Even then, he insisted he had no plans to change the front office.

"I never considered it," he said. "Mark and Chris, I have a high degree of confidence in them."

The reason Francona came to the Tribe was to work for Shapiro and Antonetti. He has known them for years, and was an advisor to the Tribe from 2001-03 after being fired as manager of the Phillies. Francona even has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave early if the front office were to change.

One of Dolan's points is that if there were no Shapiro/Antonetti, there would be no Francona in the dugout.

"I love how Terry kept things so steady," said Dolan. "We had an eight-game losing streak. We had some (three) five-game losing streaks. There were days when I felt I was on the edge of a cliff. But he created an environment where players could fail, but then recover quickly. He brought a clean slate to the clubhouse."



About big moments

"Maybe the most dramatic regular season game for me was (Jason) Giambi's homer," said Dolan. That was Sept. 24, when closer Chris Perez had a meltdown against the White Sox, allowing two runs in the top of the ninth. The Indians went from a 3-2 lead to being behind 4-3.

With two outs and a runner on first, Francona sent Giambi up to bat for Matt Carson. He belted a two-run homer to win the game.

"That saved our season," said Dolan. "And because Giambi is so loved by everyone, it made it even more special."

The Indians had five games left, and they needed to win them all to make the playoffs.

"To me, that's still amazing," said Dolan. "We ended the year on a 10-game winning streak. We had to win every game to make the postseason."

After major second-half collapses in 2011 and 2012, the Tribe was 21-6 in September, 41-26 after the All-Star break.

When the team clinched on the final day in Minnesota, Dolan went into the locker room to congratulate Francona and some of the players.

"Before I knew what happened, I was doused with champagne," he said. "I was blinded by it. Then Giambi came up, hugged me and carried me around the room."

SWISHER-1.JPGNick Swisher helped change the Tribe's losing culture.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

About Bourn and Swisher

After the dismal 2012 season, Dolan allowed the front office to be bold in free agency. They signed Swisher to a four-year, $56 million deal. Bourn signed a four-year, $48 million contract.

Both had seasons below their career norms. Swisher hit .246 (.763 OPS) with 22 homers and 63 RBI. Bourn hit .263 (.676 OPS) with six homers, 50 RBI and a career-low 23 steals (since he became a starter).

So was it worth it?

"Yes, it was worth it," Dolan said emphatically. "They were part of changing the culture. When you have Swisher and Bourn in your lineup every day, you are a different club. Everyone in the clubhouse could sense that. They brought leadership and they complimented our core young players."

Swisher was a major factor in the September playoff drive, leading the team with seven homers and 17 RBI in that final month.

"We have them for three more years," said Dolan. "We expect them to play better this season. We did fire our big guns last year (in free agency) with Bourn and Swisher, and we're glad we did -- given how the market (has risen) for free agents."

Dolan said the sale of his cable network STO to FoxSports Ohio last year and the new national television revenue coming in helped pay for the signings of Bourn and Swisher.

After signing a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Tribe, Jake Westbrook had arm problems and won only seven more games for Cleveland before being traded.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

About contract risks

At the time of my conversation, Dolan didn't want to comment on contract extension talks with Jason Kipnis and Justin Masterson. He said he likes both players and wants to keep them, “but our guys (the front office) are always working diligently to keep an eye on the present and future of the team. It’s not appropriate for me to say anything else.”

The Dolans have been burned on long-term deals. They signed Travis Hafner to a $57 million extension that ended in 2012. In the last five years of that deal, he never hit more than 16 homers or had more than 57 RBI in a season as he dealt with major shoulder and other injuries.

They extended Jake Westbrook ($33 million over three years) starting in 2008. Westbrook hurt his elbow, needed surgery and won seven games for the Tribe during the three years of that deal. He was traded to the Cardinals (for Corey Kluber) near the end of final year (2010) of that contract.

"There's always risk and there's even bigger risk with pitchers," said Dolan. "Players get hurt. Players decline. The recent contracts that we gave (Bourn and Swisher) were not eight-year deals, not 10-year deals."


About contract extensions

In the last few years, the Tribe extended Asdrubal Cabrera for two years ($16 million) and Carlos Santana (five years, $21 million through 2016). This spring, Michael Brantley signed a four-year, $25 million extension.

While Cabrera and Masterson can become free agents after the season, "most of our core players are here for several years," stressed Dolan. For example, the following players are under "team control" at least through 2017, some even longer: Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, Cody Allen, Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco and Brantley.

The Tribe has contract options for Bourn, Swisher and Santana for 2017. The payroll was in the $80 million range last year, and it may be about 10 percent higher this season. But that's still among MLB's bottom 25 percent.

That can change if Masterson, Kipnis or some other players sign extensions.

Dolan didn't say it, but it's clear that the Tribe will not be a major player in free agency most years. Nor will they bid to keep pitchers such as Ubaldo Jimenez (four-year, $50 million deal with Baltimore).

About dynamic pricing

It's not going away. According to the Indians, 24 of 30 teams now use some form of dynamic pricing, meaning ticket prices change.

"It's a fact that a ticket to a Tuesday game in April is not as valuable as a Saturday game in July," said Dolan. "The demand drives the pricing. There are a lot of great bargains early in the season. This just reflects reality."

Many fans don't like or understand it. The idea is to make fans buy in advance.

"(Pro) sports is going in that direction just like the airlines, hotels and other businesses," said Dolan. "It's where the world is going."

It also means that ticket revenue was up about 20 percent last season, despite the team actually drawing fewer fans (1,572,926) in 2013 than in 2012 (1,603,596).

About attendance and interest

How could the Indians have fewer customers in the seats than in 2012, when the team was 68-94? The front office has pondered that question much of the winter. The Indians averaged 19,661 fans per game, 28th in the majors. The only teams lower were Miami (19,584) and Tampa Bay (18,645).

The Tribe and Tampa Bay faced each other in the wild-card game, so it's not just a pure win/loss issue.

The fact is after the 2012 season, the franchise had collapsed in the eyes of many. While the signings of Bourn and Swisher along with the hiring of Francona revived interest from the core group of fans -- the casual fan was skeptical. Something dramatic had to happen to prevent even the loyal fans from leaving.

Dolan knows that complaining about the lack of attendance is a losing public relations game.

"It would have been good to increase the attendance," he said. "But I really think there were other very positive signs like our TV ratings."

According to the Indians and MLB stats:

• The Tribe had a 40 percent increase in television ratings, the biggest jump in MLB. The average game had a rating of 5.5 (85,000 households), which ranked eighth.

• The radio ratings were up 25 percent, the average game being heard by 86,170 listeners, up from 67,632 in 2012.

• Radio ratings were up 86 percent among young adults (18-34) over 2012.

About ticket sales

"Our season ticket renewals have been very good," said Dolan. "That's encouraging. And we're up in single game sales. Hey, we know it's hard to think about baseball when we haven't seen our lawns in months (because of snow) in Cleveland."

The Indians never quite reached 7,500 in season ticket sales in 2013. But they are up about 20 percent, putting them over 8,000 but remaining among the lowest in the majors.

The rise has been in single game sales, especially weekends and promotions. That's up about 70 percent from a year ago.

Suppose they sell 8,000 season tickets for 81 home games. That's a total of 648,000 fans -- meaning they have to sell another 1 million tickets to even surpass the 2012 attendance.

In the glory days of the 455 consecutive sellouts from 1995 through opening day of 2001, they had about 25,000 season tickets sold per season. That also was when the Browns were gone for three years and the Tribe moved into a new stadium. The Cavaliers were mediocre. The economy of the late 1990s was strong locally. It was a set of events that probably will never happen again.


About Chief Wahoo

"We have always been sympathetic to both sides of the issue," said Dolan. "As a life-long Clevelander, I have an affinity for Chief Wahoo. But we do understand that some people are legitimately offended by it. But we have no plans to change what we are doing now."

Dolan mentioned that the Tribe has "introduced alternatives, the Block C cap is very popular."

According to the Indians, here are the top selling caps from 2013 in order:

1. The navy blue cap with a red C logo.

2. The red cap with a navy blue C logo.

3. The navy blue cap with the Chief Wahoo logo.

4. The batting practice red cap with the navy C logo.

I told Dolan that I have been conflicted about the logo for years. In an Oct. 24, 1995 column in the Beacon Journal, I suggested the franchise hire artists from four different tribes to design a new chief logo -- and then have the fans vote on them.

I have mentioned that same idea on talk shows since.

"It's an idea," said Dolan. "But right now, we have no plans to change anything."


About sin tax extension

The Indians have documentation that they have spent $63 million on "routine maintenance and capital repairs" since the stadium opened in 1994. The Dolan ownership has paid about 85 percent of it.

"We also picked up some of the city's (debt) obligation when we extended the lease (in 2004)," said Dolan. "This is not about putting money into my pocket, or the pocket of any of the owners. The sin tax helps the city and county keep (the two stadiums and Quicken Loans Arena) in state-of-the-art condition."

There will always be an argument about what teams should contribute to the places where the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers play. But the city and county gave very favorable government leases to all the teams -- just as city and county governments did for most franchises in other towns.

Those leases from the 1990s put the government in a lousy negotiating position. The Tribe's lease runs through 2023. There are four different five-year options that it can exercise.

"In effect, we are committed to 2043," said Dolan.

About ownership's future

Dolan is surprised about "how fast" the 15 years of his ownership has passed. He says the team "is not for sale," nor has he ever been in negotiations. He is open to a minority investor. He has been saying that for years.

"But we've never found one," he said. "We plan to keep the team. When we bought it, we viewed to be something we'd have for multi-generations. That hasn't changed."

The 55-year-old Dolan values stability and lets his baseball people make the baseball decisions. He keeps a low profile, which is why he rarely does long interviews such as this one.


About 2014

"I really think we can be in the playoff hunt again," he said. "We are in a great place because we have a lot of young talent that will be here for several years. We are coming off a playoff season. This is one of the most exciting preseasons that we've had in years."

Dolan admits it's "hard to know if we can win 92 games again," but insists the team is capable of being a contender. He knows that's critical to the franchise. The Indians have not had consecutive winning seasons since 2000-01. One way to build up the season ticket base is to have a few good years in a row.

"I know that," he said, mentioning how the Tribe was not able to capitalize fully on the 96-66 record in 2007 and coming within one game of the World Series.

The next year, the Tribe was 81-81, but had a dismal start (41-53) at the All-Star break. That was the last time the Indians drew 2 million fans.

"I know our fans are looking for us to at least repeat what we did last year," said Dolan. "They want to fully believe in us, and we want to give them a reason to do so. That's our goal."

Special moment unfolds for Nick, Tom Hamilton: Cleveland Indians spring training notes

Nick Hamilton gets surprise start Indians minor leaguer Nick Hamilton, son of team broadcaster Tom, got a surprise start at DH for the Indians on Monday in a Cactus League game against the Reds.

Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group

on March 24, 2014 at 11:27 PM, updated March 24, 2014 at 11:28 PM

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Nick Hamilton got a surprise on Monday. So did his father, Tom, the voice of the Indians.

Nick, a minor leaguer with the Indians, found out Monday morning that he’d be one of the extra players in the Indians’ Cactus League game against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. That’s like an aspiring violinist getting an invitation to Carnegie Hall to sit in the wings and listen.

The surprise grew bigger about 15 minutes before game time when manager Terry Francona told Hamilton that he was going to start at DH. There were some communication problems between the Reds and Indians because both front offices and staffs were sequestered in roster meetings.

The Reds, who were the home team Monday at Goodyear Ballpark, originally said they didn’t want to use the DH. The Indians got that message and sent Nick Swisher, scheduled to DH, home.

About 20 minutes before the game, Reds manager Bryan Price told the Indians that they could use the DH. Francona could have gone in a lot of different directions, but he picked Hamilton to get the start.

“There’s always a little time in spring training to have a nice special moment,” said the Indians manager. “I’m sure both of them really thought it was real cool. Our players got a kick out of it.

“I bet you it’s a day he’ll never forget and I bet his dad will feel the same way.”

The game wasn’t on radio, but the webcast was on Indians.com. Jim Rosenhaus, Hamilton’s partner, did the play-by- play with Hamilton sitting right next to him.

“I asked Hammy if he wanted to do the game,” said Rosenhaus. “He said, “No, I just want to be a dad today and watch.”

Nick Hamilton, who played at Class A Mahoning Valley and Class A Lake County, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He had long at-bat in the sixth inning against Cincinnati’s J.J. Hoover before flying out to left field.

“I started relaxing a little bit,” said Hamilton, 24, who played his college ball at Kent State. “The first at-bat I was a little amped up and was really excited to be out there. I just started to feel a little comfortable.

“I mean just being out there in this environment is a real confidence builder. These are the best players in the world out here. You just try to elevate your game, but not try to do too much.”

Asked if he wanted to be a ballplayer or an announcer growing up, Nick said, “Ballplayer . . .maybe both.”

Arms race: Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs on six hits Monday in the Indians 8-3 victory over the Reds. Carrasco was pitching for the last job in the rotation.

Josh Tomlin, his only competition, will start against Texas on Tuesday.

Carrasco retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. He was a man on a mission.

“That’s what I had in my mind. That’s the way I have pitch every five days,” said Carrasco.

Francona didn’t sound like it was necessary to wait until Tomlin pitches to make a decision.

“We probably know how we feel about things,” he said. “But there’s a respectful way to talk to players. We need to match sure we do that.”

Name to remember: It sounds like veteran right-hander Scott Atchison just might end up in the bullpen.

He pitched a scoreless ninth inning Monday. Atchison and Blake Wood are competing for the last spot in the pen. Under one scenario – Carrasco wins the starting job and Tomlin is sent to Class AAA Columbus – they both could make the pen.

“He’s exactly what we hoped,” said Francona. “He has late movement. He throws the ball in the zone and doesn’t beat himself. He’s very valuable.”

Atchison pitched for Francona in Boston in 2011, his last year with the Red Sox.

“It was my last day in Boston and I knew I wasn’t coming back,” said Francona. “I told him, ‘Atch, regardless of what happens next year, you can pitch for me any day.’ It’s funny how this game turns around.’”

Generosity: The Indians players and staff members this spring donated the most money in the big leagues to the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T) this spring. B.A.T. presented the team with the Bobby Murcer Award.

This spring more than 1,400 players, coaches and managers from the 30 big league clubs have pledged an estimated $2.5 million to B.A.T. It helps support former players, coaches, managers and staff members who are ill or have fallen on hard times.

Finally: Aaron Harang, granted his release on Monday by the Indians, signed a big league deal with the Braves later the same day.

Kudos to Tito for that situation!

He really is the master of managing personalities. Say what you will about Shapiro/Antonetti but getting Tito to come to Cleveland trumps every failed move they have made.

And they've made some (Masterson???) pretty darn good ones too.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Carlos Santana will be the club's third baseman.
Francona also said that it will not be a platoon situation with Lonnie Chisenhall, so it appears that Santana will get most of the playing time there, at least initially. He'll also serve as the backup catcher to Yan Gomes, who only figures to gain more momentum in fantasy leagues with this news. Chisenhall will likely start at third base when Santana catchers, but will otherwise receives at-bats as the designated hitter or as a pinch-hitter.

Source: Jordan Bastian on Twitter
Mar 25 - 1:38 PM

Here's the video of Tom Hamilton and son, from the Reds TV broadcast:

http://tribevibe.mlblogs.com/2014/03/25 ... league-ab/

Carlos Santana will be the club's third baseman

That says a lot about Chisenhall

I don't think there was any doubt that Santana would start at third base on opening day.

Carrasco named fifth starter, Tomlin to Columbus

This surprised me a little. I thought the reverse would be true.

Indians finalize Opening Day 25-man roster

Carrasco, Wood, Atchison in, Tomlin out

By Jim Berdysz

March 26, 2014

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It was final roster decision day inside the Indians locker room Wednesday.

The Tribe announced that right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco has made the Opening Day 25-man roster, winning the final spot in the starting rotation. He posted a 3-1 record this spring, walking four and striking out 13 in 18 innings. Aquired in the Cliff Lee trade from Philadelphia back in 2009, Carrasco had a leg up on the competition from the start, having no minor league options left.

Despite a solid spring, 29-year old righty Josh Tomlin will begin the year at Triple-A Columbus. After missing all but one game of the 2013 season, Tomlin posted a 3.54 ERA in Cactus League action, walking four and striking out 19 in 20 1/3 innings. He will presumably be the first starter called-up barring any injury to the pitching staff.

Besides the rotation, Cleveland also announced that right-handed relievers Blake Wood and Scott Atchison have made the big league club and will round out the bullpen.

Wood, 28, has impressed the Tribe with his filthy heat, giving up just one run in 9 2/3 innings and striking out 11. Healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2012, Wood is hoping to make a name for himself in the late innings this year.

Veteran reliever Atchison rounds out the eight-man bullpen after surrendering just two runs in eight innings of work this spring, striking out eight. The 38-year old owns a 3.64 ERA in his big league career.

The final Indians 25-man 2014 roster shakes out like this:

Rotation: Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, Danny Salazar and Carrasco.

Bullpen: Atchison, Wood, Marc Rzepczynski, Josh Outman, Bryan Shaw, Vinnie Pestano, Cody Allen and John Axford.

Position players: Yan Gomes, Nick Swisher, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Ryan Raburn, David Murphy, Lonnie Chisenhall, Elliot Johnson, Mike Aviles and Nyjer Morgan.

Follow Jim on Twitter @JBirdman27 or he can be reached via email at jberdysz27@gmail.com.

Well Joe Carrasco is out of options and Tomlin wasn't so Carrasco had a job lined up somewhere or would have to be released. Tomlin will be back soon enough when a starter goes on the DL. Bullpen will shrink to 7 men when Bourn comes back; don't know who in the pen has options left --- I assume Wood and/or Pestano must since the team likes to have one guy at least who they can bounce up and back as roster needs change.

Carrasco was out of options, which gave him an advantage over Tomlin. He went 3-1 with 5.17 ERA in five games, including two starts. In 15 2/3 innings, he struck out 14, walked three and allowed 14 runs, nine earned, on 24 hits.

The opposition hit .338 against him.

Tomlin went 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA in five appearances, including three starts. He struck out 19, walked four and allowed eight earned runs on 20 hits in 20 1/3 innings. The opposition hit .250 against him.

“The whole spring was really good for me and everyone,” said Carrasco. “We all have ups and downs during spring training. I had the bad game against Oakland. Then I figured some things out and was able to use it in my next start.

“I’m happy I made the team.”

Atchison made the club as a non-roster invitee. It was his third straight year’s he’s made an opening day roster that way. He made eight appearances and posted a 2.25 ERA. He struck out eight, alked one and allowed two earned runs in eight innings.

“They hinted at this a couple of days ago,” said Atchison. “This is a great staff and a great group of guys. I’m excited to be a part of it and we’re going to try and win a championship for Cleveland.”

The Indians claimed Wood on waivers in 2012 after he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow with the Royals. He made two appearances for the Tribe in September.

“The patience the Indians showed in me has meant a lot,” said Wood. “Initially, they gave me a chance. That’s what I’ve been most appreciative of.”

Wood said he found out a couple of days ago that he’d made the club.

GM Chris Antonetti said the Indians have asked a lot of Carrasco this spring.

"He's making some delivery adustments," said Antonetti. "So it's hard to be working on things and competitng at the same time. Carlos has handled that pretty effectively this spring.

"The key, and we've all seen it with Carlos, is that there are times he can go out and be dominant. There have been other times when he's been less consistent. We would like to see him gain some level of consistency."

I didn't realize that Carrasco was out of options. That certainly factored in. I like the team that was chosen. I have some question marks about the starting rotation. Otherwise, I think we are pretty solid. Love the bullpen!

I appreciate your enthusiasm Joe! It looks like a pretty decent competitive team, but I don't see any area of particular strength. They overachieved last year and limited their injuries. I think we'll need some good luck to match last year's level of success in 2014. Maybe Asdrubal in his contract year will improve significantly. That would help as would Swisher becoming a more productive hitter. Salazar may have the talent to become a top of the rotation pitcher but I wouldn't expect to burst out as a 15+ game winner in his first full season. Bullpens usually look deep at the start of the season and we have a couple pitchers waiting in the wings (Lee and Crockett) would could fill in when called on. Tigers and Royals look better to me.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Carlos Santana showed the Indians enough this spring to convince the club that he could serve as their third baseman this season. Cleveland also felt Lonnie Chisenhall played well enough in the preseason to warrant a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Indians manager Terry Francona's task now is figuring out a way to handle the playing time at the hot corner.

"Carlos is going to play third," Francona said Tuesday. "To be honest with you, I don't have a crystal ball. I'm not sure you really need to have one. Things happen. I think, at the beginning of Spring Training, I said I thought we could be the best team with Carlos and Lonnie. I'm not exactly sure how that's going to play itself out. I don't know if anybody really is [sure].

"I'd rather not commit to something [that could change]. I think Carlos has done an outstanding job of not only showing us that he can play third, but having the ability to catch a Major League ballgame at the same time. I think that's a phenomenal skill-set."

Santana, who serves as Cleveland's cleanup hitter, will get regular at-bats at third base, while also working as the team's primary backup catcher to Yan Gomes. That means that Chisenhall might see some at-bats as a designated hitter early this season, if he is not at third. Francona could also use the left-handed-hitting third baseman off the bench as a pinch hitter.

Chisenhall told Francona that he is willing to do anything the team asks of him.

"It's up in the air," Chisenhall said of his role. "They told me whatever they ask me to do, be ready. Whether that's pinch-run, play defense, start, DH, play left field, right field, whatever they ask me to do. It's one of those situations that, when I get in there, make the most of my opportunities."

Chisenhall said he did his best this spring not to worry about Santana's transition from catching to third base.

"I took away all the outside factors that I couldn't control," Chisenhall said. "It's just a better way to look at it. You get your work in and you let the game take care of itself. I said all along, I wasn't competing with Carlos. I was competing with myself and trying to get better as a player."

All Chisenhall needs to do is look to last season, when role players such as Ryan Raburn and Mike Aviles earned regular at-bats, to see that Francona will find opportune situations to work him into the lineup.

"He definitely moved the pieces around last year to make it work," Chisenhall said. "He's going to put you in a situation to succeed. He knows what it takes to have a winning team. He knows how to do that. I'll just wait for my name to be called."

So Lonnie becomes a lefthanded supersub??