Cleveland Sports Forum

Nick Swisher won't be "crushed' if he can't open season with Cleveland Indians


[Me neither]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Nick Swisher says being in the Indians' lineup on opening day is still his goal, but he has come to terms with the fact that he might not make it.

"Obviously, my goal is to be ready for opening day," said Swisher. "Sure I want to be ready to go then. But if I'm not, it's not going crush me. Like it would have four months ago. "Right now, my entire body is getting stronger, which is great. In general we're just going to wait it out, see how we feel and move on from there. Obviously we're very optimistic [isn't he always?], but we just have to play it out."

Swisher, who started running the bases on Wednesday, said last year taught him a lesson.

"I've had the itch to play, but I'm not going to do what I did last year," he said. "I played through so much pain last year and it just didn't work. So I'm going to make sure everything is as close to 100 percent as we can get until we're back out there."

Swisher had surgery on both knees on Aug. 20.

"It's an unusual surgery," said Swisher. "A lot of factors played into it. It wasn't like I just slid into second base and snapped a ligament and that's the only thing that needed to be fixed. From where I was the doctors said, 'This is an uphill battle. You're really going to have to work hard to get back to where you want to be.' I feel really good about where I'm at right now. I'm proud of myself because when you get in a situation like this you can shut it down or fight hard to get back.

"I still got a lot of games left to be played in this body and I'm going to ride it until the wheels fall off."

When Swisher first had the surgery he felt he'd be 100 percent by the start of spring training. "I still got a lot of games left to be played in this body and I'm going to ride it until the wheels fall off. I'm in the middle of August and I haven't trained this hard since I was 20 years old," said Swisher. "In general I thought it would be a little bit faster, but it hasn't been. I'm cool with that now. I've come to grips with where I am. I just want to keep grinding."

STO changes: SportsTime Ohio announced changes to its Indians coverage for the upcoming season.

Former Tribe right-hander Jensen Lewis will replace Jason Stanford as analyst. Andre Knott will replace Katie Witham as the in-game reporter.

Finally: Jason Kipnis was scratched from Thursday night's lineup against Seattle because of back spasms . . .Mike Aviles, nursing a tender right elbow, is expected to play Friday night against the Angels at Goodyear Ballpark . . .The Tribe's game against the Angels on Friday night is a sellout. Indians.com will carry the game.

Re: Swisher

Who cares!!

Sit back. Collect your check. STFU.

Apparently Francona would prefer Sands to Aguillar:



GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians manager Terry Francona made an unsolicited point of bringing up non-roster invitee Jerry Sands on Sunday morning. In answering a question unrelated to the utility player, the manager began heaping praise on the bench candidate.
That is how much of an impression Sands has made on Francona this spring.

"Jerry Sands has had a really good camp," Francona said. "You've got to be a little careful, because of his wrist, and we've tried to do that -- not overwhelm his workload -- but I think he's had a really good showing here in camp."

The 27-year-old Sands -- signed to a Minor League contract in December -- underwent season-ending surgery to repair a strained tendon in his left wrist last July, ending a 12-game stint with Tampa Bay. The first baseman and corner outfielder spent time with the Dodgers (2011-12), in addition to the Rays ('14), hitting .240 overall with a .289 average (.851 OPS) against left-handed pitching in 82 career Major League games.

So far this spring, Sands has hit at a .385 (10-for-26) clip through 11 Cactus League games. Francona has seen enough to feel Sands could impact the big league club. "I would be surprised if he doesn't," Francona said. "Whether it's two weeks from now or, who knows? I'd be surprised if he doesn't."

Think I had missed this update:



GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians manager Terry Francona does not want shortstop prospect Erik Gonzalez to concern himself with where the spotlight is pointing.
On Friday morning, when Gonzalez was optioned to Double-A Akron as part of the latest round of Spring Training roster reductions, Francona's message to the young infielder was to only worry about things under his control. That means making sure not to focus on the fact that shortstop Francisco Lindor (Cleveland's top prospect) garners most of the attention these days.

"I know Francisco gets a lot of publicity in camp -- as we totally understand," Francona said. "But I told [Gonzalez], 'Just play. Don't spend any energy fretting or worrying about who's perceived to be in front of you. When you get to the point where you can help us win, we'll find a spot.'"

Beyond Gonzalez, the Indians optioned outfielder Carlos Moncrief to Triple-A Columbus, and also reassigned outfielder James Ramsey and lefty Nick Maronde to Minor League camp, prior to Friday night's game against the Angels.

The 23-year-old Gonzalez, who is ranked 11th on MLB.com's Top 30 Indians prospects list, appeared in 12 Cactus League games this spring and spent the bulk of his time at second base in order to get consistent at-bats. Last year, the lanky shortstop hit .309 with 34 extra-base hits and 62 RBIs in 105 games between Class A advanced Carolina and Double-A.

"For a kid that has barely got to Double-A, I love the way he carries himself," Francona said. "He has an air of quiet confidence about him."

Francona said he was also impressed this spring by the 25-year-old Ramsey (sixth among MLB.com's Top 30 Indians prospects), who was acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Justin Masterson on July 30 last season. In 95 games between Double-A (St. Louis) and Triple-A (Cleveland) last year, Ramsey hit .295 with 16 homers, 41 extra-base hits and 52 RBIs

"We enjoyed immensely getting to know him," Francona said. "He's about as nice a kid as you're ever going to meet. He's a really good teammate. I thought it was important for him, being new, to come into Major League camp, get to know everybody -- the staff, the players, how we do things. Now, he needs to go out and play."

Francona added that it will be important for the 26-year-old Moncrief (No. 23 among MLB.com's Top 30 Indians prospects) to work on his offensive consistency at Triple-A.

"He's got a lot of good tools," Francona said of Moncrief, who hit .271 with 49 extra-base hits and 63 RBIs at Triple-A last year. "Trying to maintain that constency with his swing is something that he's still working on. I think we all hope he finds it. He looks like a Major League player. He's got the body, he's got the speed, he's got the arm."

So the roster now holds 16 pitchers, including Floyd so that means 15 fighting for 12 spots. And 16 position players including Swisher and Walters, which means 14 aiming for 13 spots.

There are still lots of non-roster invitees in camp, but I don't think too many actually are in the running for roster spots: Marcum pershpas, can't imagine he actually keeps Bruce Chen. Sands, apparently, from what we just read. Conceivably Destin Hood for an OF spot. Lindor still has not been formally rules out. Some other reliever possibilities like Roth and Manship.

Can Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez coexist for the Cleveland Indians?

The Cleveland Indians have a dilemma, albeit a dilemma other teams certainly envy, at the shortstop position. Rising phenom and highly touted prospect Francisco Lindor has made a splash in Spring Training, showing off his defensive prowess while clubbing three homers, including a flashy inside-the-parker. He is batting .303 overall. Meanwhile, Jose Ramirez has solidified his place as the Indians’ Opening Day shortstop, hitting .313 and flashing the leather that earned him a 7.0 UZR and 18.9 UZR/150 in 68 games at shortstop in 2014, placing him among the elite at his position defensively.

While Ramirez is likely to hold off Lindor in the short-term, at least until late June when he likely loses Super Two eligibility, it seems the Indians will have an interesting decision to make at shortstop in the near future.

The way I see it, they have three options.

#1: Move Ramirez to Third

The Pros:

Lonnie Chisenhall is nothing short of horrendous at third. Steamer projects a -4.9 Def value for Chisenhall per Fangraphs – the Def value weights both UZR and defensive runs saved. Meanwhile, Ramirez is projected to have a 9.0 Def, eighth best of all active shortstops. Clearly, Ramirez could be a huge upgrade defensively over Chisenhall. Also, should Chisenhall look more like the player that hit .218 with four homers after the All-Star break than the behemoth who batted .332 with nine homers in the first half, Ramirez would provide consistency and speed that Chisenhall lacks.

The Cons:

Ramirez will likely never have the pop Chisenhall has at the plate and, should Chisenhall follow up last season with improved consistency, he could be a top five offensive player at his position. Additionally, putting Ramirez at third permanently would block the ascending Giovanny Urshela, who hit double-digit homers in Columbus last season and is a defensive stud in his own right.

#2: Move Ramirez to Second

The Pros:

Jason Kipnis, like Lonnie Chisenhall, is poor defensively. He put up a -4.2 Def while healthy in 2013 and a -6.4 mark in 2014 while fighting a bad oblique. Even with regained range and mobility, Kipnis figures to be a bottom five defensive second baseman in all of baseball. Given the way he is driving the ball to the opposite field this spring, it appears Kip’s bat is headed in the right direction. Accordingly, he is a candidate to move to the outfield for the Tribe, the position he played in college and early in his Minor League career before moving to second. At minimum, this is a move the Indians could make easily in two years, when Nick Swisher’s contract expires and Brandon Moss hits free agency. I don’t believe it would be a particularly tough transition for Kipnis. Ramirez would then slot in as the everyday second baseman.

The Cons:

Kipnis has spent the better part of his professional career adjusting to second base and, at 27 years of age, he could certainly still grow defensively. In addition, as we saw with Carlos Santana last season, changing positions can be incredibly difficult even when a player has past experience at the position. The stress of relearning the position also negatively impacted Santana’s performance at the plate. Should Kipnis regain the confidence and opposite field power he displayed as an All-Star in 2013, the Indians will be unlikely to change his position, especially given the unique combination of power and speed he brings to a traditionally weak offensive position.

Trade Ramirez

The Pros:

Ramirez would have tremendous trade value should the Indians think about moving him to make room for Francisco Lindor. He is young and has proven he has the ability to play at the Major League level. At 22 years old, he is likely to improve significantly at the plate over the next few years. The sky truly is the limit for Ramirez. The Indians could move him in a blockbuster deal if they were willing to package a prospect or two to land a star or they could look for a one-for-one swap similar to the Brandon Moss/Joey Wendle deal.

The Cons:

Ramirez is an incredibly talented, defensively gifted young player. Generally, you want to keep those guys around any way you can, especially as a small market club. Terry Francona has shown a willingness to get his players at-bats when they perform – see Lonnie Chisenhall last season following his hot start at the dish – and he has been an outspoken supporter of Ramirez from the start. Given Ramirez’s age, potential, and defensive prowess, it would likely take a big package to wrestle him from the Tribe.

Of course option 4 is to make Ramirez a super sub and deal Aviles.

"Jerry Sands has had a really good camp,"

He's had a better spring than Dooley Womack!


THE Dooley Womack?

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Manager Terry Francona, General Manager Chris Antonetti and their staffs met after Monday's 8-3 victory over Oakland to begin the business of picking their final 25 players.

The regular season doesn't start until April 6 and the Indians will probably use almost all that time to pick the 25 players that open the season at Minute Maid Park against the Atros in Houston.

Remember this is a team that likes to stretch every player to the max to get the most they can out of them. It is one of the reasons Francona gave an unsolicited plug for minor-league free agent Jerry Sands on Sunday.

Sands, by the way, drove in a run in Monday's victory.

"Some of it comes down to what we do with the last spot on the team," said Antonetti. "Do we go with an extra reliever or extra position player? Some of it is also impacted by what we do with the fifth starter and how often we'll need the fifth starter in April.

"Especially with the way April plays out with the number of off days there are. You might see some interesting roster configurations."

The Indians will need a fifth starter on April 12 against Detroit. They won't need him again until April 21. Give Francona that many days with a vacant roster spot and he could carry eight to nine relievers with no problem.

Tick tock: In late February the big league locker room at the indians spring training complex was packed with players. It's getting much roomier now with roster cuts and Francona knows these are anxious times for the players still on the bubble.

That is especially true with the pitchers competing for the two open spots in the rotation: Zach McAllister, Josh Tomlin, TJ House, Danny Salazar and Bruce Chen.









Terry Francona pleased with Zach McAllister

Terry Francona was pleased with the four innings Zach McAllister pitched Monday against Oakland. Francona added that a decision would be coming soon on whether McAllister opens the season in the rotation or bullpen.

When asked about a timetable for making the final decision on those two spots, Francona said, "I would say the sooner the better -- always. We just told the guys this morning, that we would try to let them know as quickly as we can.

"But in all honesty I don't know how many teams are set two weeks before camp breaks."

Francona said they'll talk to some players in the near future who might not make the team unless there's an injury "just so they'll know. We want to try and talk to as many guys as we can as soon as we can, but you can't do it until you know."

McAllister threw four solid innings Monday against Oakland. House will start Tuesday night against the Giants.

When asked about the decision on the two open spots, Antonetti said, "We're closer to making it than we were four weeks ago. Each guy has a story to tell.

"We've been encouraged by the way Danny has thrown the ball recently. TJ House has thrown the ball really well in camp. He had a tougher outing the last time out, but prior to that had been throwing really well.

"Josh Tomlin, besides the setback with his shoulder, has pitched well in camp. Zach has thrown the ball really well, too. I'm confident each one of them will help us at some point this year."









Zach McAllister ready to start, relieve

Zach McAllister threw four solid innings Monday against Oakland for the Indians. He is competing for one of the two open spots in the rotation. If he doesn't win one of those sports, he'll pitch out of the bullpen.

Limping: It doesn't sound as if second baseman Jason Kipnis will be in the lineup until the end of the week.

Kipnis missed his fifth straight game Monday with back spasms. Francona said the spasms are not related to the oblique strain he suffered last season.

"When he feels good enough we'll get him back to working out before he plays," said Francona. "Giovanny Urshela tried to come back too quick from back spasms and it really set him back We don't want to do that."



David Murphy hasn't played since Friday when he twisted is right ankle. Murphy stepped on a pitcher's foot in a race to first base.

"I went to step on first and stepped on the pitcher's ankle," said Murphy.

Good sign: Salazar was averaging 95 mph Saturday against Colorado. He topped out at 96 mph.

Pitching coach Mickey Callaway said that's a sure sign Salazar is healthy because he was still throwing 92 mph in April last year.

"I thought he was pretty good," said Callaway, referring to Salazar's start Saturday. "He really sold all his off speed pitches with his arm speed. That's something we hadn't seen yet and something we've been stressing.

"So he got a little more swing and miss with his change up and stuff down in the zone."

We meet again: Trevor Bauer will face the Angels for the second time in as many starts Wednesday when he starts a B game in Tempe, Ariz.

Friday night Bauer allowed nine hits, including three doubles, four triples and a homer in 3 1/3 innings against the Angels. The four triples were hit in the same inning.

Bauer and catcher Roberto Perez will be the only big leaguers making the trip to Tempe.

Finally: Kyle Crockett, who left Friday's game with a tight right hamstring, threw a scoreless eighth inning against Oakland on Monday. . .Bryan Shaw threw his first scoreless inning of the spring as well.

Cy Young-winner Corey Kluber and the Indians were said to be "not close" to finding common ground on a long-term deal when Kluber's agent and team higher-ups met in Goodyear, Ariz., last week, people familiar with the talks said.

Kluber's agent, B.B. Abbott, declined comment on the meetings, or the tenor of the talks other than saying, "The lines of communication between myself and the Indians are and will continue to be open."

Abbott met last week with Indians owner Paul Dolan, team president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti, who also declined to comment. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported the meeting.

The Indians have a history of signing their best controllable players to long-term deals, going back to the John Hart era, and did so with Michael Brantley last winter, agreeing to a four-year, $25 million deal.

Kluber had a spectacular 2014 season, almost out of nowhere, which dramatically raised his value. Yet, in some way he isn't in a great bargaining position, as a pre-arbitration player with four more years of team control who turns 29 on April 10.

Kluber is thought to be open to a deal, and Abbott has a history of doing big deals before free agency, and even the occasional one before arbitration, as he did when White Sox star Chris Sale signed a record five-year, $32.5 million deal before he'd hit arbitration.

However, Kluber is in a little bit tougher spot, as he'd be nearing 33 when he hits free agency as things stand, since the Indians have him for four more years. He has made just over $1 million to date in his career and is set to be paid $601,000 in 2015 in his last year before arbitration.

Kluber, who declined a week ago to talk about negotiations, was 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts last season, enough to beat Mariners superstar Felix Hernandez for the Cy Young Award.

Virtually no incentive I can see for the Indians to sign him now.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Whether to extend Corey Kluber and for how much is arguably the largest question looming over the Indians as this season begins.

The sides met recently to discuss the matter, but both Indians general manager Chris Antonetti and Kluber’s agent, B.B. Abbott, did not want to discuss the issue much beyond saying mutual admiration and interest exists between the parties.

Abbott, though, did say, “If he considers this, he is doing it with his eyes wide open. He knows this will be the only time to sign this kind of multi-year deal.”

This is where the complication sets in. Kluber seems as if he should be young because he only emerged big-time in the last two years, winning the AL Cy Young last year. But he turns 29 in April. Abbott mentioned that another of his elite clients, Chris Sale (who finished third for the AL Cy voting last year), signed a long-term extension with the White Sox, but did so at such a young age that if even if Chicago picks up both options, Sale will only be 31 as a free agent.


Kluber is not even arbitration eligible until next offseason. So, in theory, Cleveland could go year to year with him and not gamble he will hold together into his 30s. As a two-time Cy winner following the 2009 season, Tim Lincecum asked for $13 million as a first-time arbitration eligible before settling on a two-year contract. The Indians fear Kluber could ask for that much or more and their market size would have trouble handling his salary, especially as it escalated in future years (assuming continued success).

Kluber could go year to year, but he would risk he never is as good as he was in 2014. Also, he would be a free agent after the 2018 campaign and head into the next season at age 33. That would put him at a similar age as James Shields was, when Shields struggled this winter to find a good long-term deal before agreeing to a four-year, $75 million deal.

For now, the sides continue to chat with no clear signs of settling, but also with seemingly no animus. As Antonetti said, “Corey represents all the attributes we are looking for in players in the way he prepares, in the way he leads, in the way he interacts with teammates. His success is not accidental. It is a direct reflection of his work ethic.”

Risk is all on Corey. Long term contracts for pitchers are almost always failures for the team.

season 50,000 times, sees Cleveland Indians in the AL playoffs

By Ryan Lewis Published: March 25, 2015


The Indians have garnered plenty of attention this spring as one of the title contenders in the American League Central. Now it's the machines' turn, and the numbers agree, though there's a different name atop the division lead.

In February, ESPN's David Schoenfield ranked the Tribe as the fourth best team in baseball and the best in the American League.

Las Vegas has the Indians at 84.5 wins, tied with Detroit for the AL Central lead. Kenny White, Chief Operating Officer of Don Best Sports and one of the top voices in Vegas, told the Beacon Journal he sees the Tribe at 87.5 wins and Michael Brantley as one of the top hitters in all of baseball.

Yesterday, Sports Illustrated picked the Indians to win the World Series—though to be fair, that happened in 1987 as well and a 101-loss season followed. And it happened in 1996, which turned out to be a 99-win season, but you could also say it was the only year in a three-year span that the Tribe didn't make the World Series.

Now, PredictionMachine.com via a simulation program called "The Predictalator," created by Paul Bessire, has played the 2015 MLB season 50,000 times. According to its numbers, the Indians are one of five AL teams with a better-than-50-percent chance of making the playoffs.

In the AL Central, the Predictalator likes the Kansas City Royals more than most of the experts and the Chicago White Sox less. It has the Indians with the best chance in the division to make the playoffs at 52 percent, better than the Royals' 51.4. But it gives KC the best shot of winning the World Series (5.3 percent to 4.5).

The Detroit Tigers are third in both categories at 47.8 percent to make the playoffs and 4.3 to win it all. The White Sox are all the way down at 11.8 percent to make the playoffs.

In the East, the Boston Red Sox are the only team above 33 percent to make the playoffs (73.6). And in the West, it's the Seattle Mariners (67.6) and Los Angeles Angles (59.2).

Overall, PredictionMachine.com has the Indians losing to the Angels in the AL Wild Card game and later the Washington Nationals beating the Mariners in the World Series.

Predictalator ... somehow that reminds me of Wild Thing telling Parkman that if he gets a piece of it, he can name it ...