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Cleveland Indians Scribbles: With Danny Salazar faltering, Zach McAllister belongs in rotation -- Terry Pluto (photos)

Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer



GOODYEAR, Arizona -- Scribbles in my Indians notebook:

1. After watching Danny Salazar get shelled for seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings on Thursday, I began thinking about Zach McAllister in the rotation as the fifth starter. McAllister is out of minor league options. At the start of spring, he seemed to be ticketed for the bullpen. But now, he appears to be the best option for the open spot in the rotation. But the Indians have not made a final decision on the last spot in the rotation.

2. McAllister has a 2-1 record with a 3.21 ERA in Arizona. Until he develops a second to pitch to go with his fastball, I wonder if he can be a successful long-term starter. But in April, where there are times when the Indians only need four starters (because of rainouts and off-days), McAllister could be a short-term answer. He can make the spot starts, and then help out in the bullpen.

3. It wasn't supposed to be like this for Salazar. Against the Reds, he gave up two homers, and also hit two batters. The box score shows that he had six strikeouts and no walks. The truth is that he didn't really know where the ball was going. He talked about his fastball being too high, his changeup floating over the heart of the plate. His spring ERA is 8.18 and he's done nothing to deserve the fifth spot in the rotation.

4. Terry Francona admitted that "the results were not what we wanted ... we wanted him to pitch better." While insisting that Salazar still has talent -- "the stuff is there," -- the manager talked about the need for Salazar to throw his fastball low in the strike zone. You can see the disappointment in the face of Francona. He knows that the 2013 Salazar really could help the Indians become one of baseball's surprise teams, as Sports Illustrated has predicted.
But if you can't handle this, how are you going to handle facing (Miguel) Cabrera during the season?

5. In 2013, Salazar opened the season at Class AA Akron and pitched his way up to Cleveland, He had a 3.12 ERA in 10 starts for the Tribe -- all pressure packed in the final three months of a season that led to a 92-70 record and a wild card playoff appearance.

6. Salazar started slowly last season. He pitched little in the spring of 2014 because of "general arm soreness." He opened in the rotation and was 1-4 with a 5.53 ERA in eight starts. He was sent back to Class AAA. Salazar returned to the Tribe after the All-Star break, and was 5-4 with a 3.50 ERA.

7. The Indians had Salazar arrive in Goodyear on January 11 to begin an early throwing program. The idea was to get him off to a faster start. No luck with that.

8. Before the game, I asked Francona what he hoped to see from Salazar. He talked about throwing his fastball low, "and not just guiding his breaking ball." He discussed the pressure of battling for a rotation spot at the end of spring training: "But if you can't handle this, how are you going to handle facing (Miguel) Cabrera during the season?"

9. Right now, Salazar's confidence is in sad shape. He needs to go to Class AAA to regroup. Veteran Gavin Floyd injured his elbow again and had surgery. No one is sure if he'll pitch this season. Josh Tomlin has a 4.50 ERA in eight innings, but he's allowed 13 hits and has not looked sharp.

10. The Indians could end up with Salazar, Tomlin and Bruce Chen as three starters in Columbus. While the 37-year-old Chen has been told he won't make the opening day roster, perhaps he'll help out as a starter early in the season. So far, Shaun Marcum is staying with the Tribe. He is coming back from arm problems. Marcum has a 58-44 record in the Majors, and he's 33. So they could have some experienced starters to help out.



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Dolans happy

25. Cleveland Indians
Team value: $825 mil.
Revenue: $207 mil.
Operating income: $8.9 mil.

The Indians have finished among the bottom three in MLB attendance each of the past three seasons.

Dolan overspent on Gavin Floyd.

He can make money all he wants, as long as the team is competitive. And it surely is.

These days, griping about management has no ground to stand on. Antonetti has proven to be far better than Shapiro
in my opinion.

As well the hiring of Tito makes this now an OVERachieving organization. Top to bottom. Kudos!

What a coincidence. An article about the Tribe finances with actual facts:

Numbers show Cleveland Indians’ spending in line with other MLB teams of similar size

By Ryan Lewis
Beacon Journal sports writer


How much the Indians are spending on their payroll and how much they should be spending on their payroll are some of the most-talked-about, baseball-related topics in Cleveland. So let’s allow the numbers to have the floor, if only for a minute.

Forbes released a report, The Business of Baseball, last week. In it, the data show the Indians are spending roughly what they should be on their roster, at least compared to the rates of other teams’ spending.

Forbes’ report includes the total value of the franchise, the 2014 revenue and the operating income for all 30 MLB teams. All of these numbers can be cross-checked with each team’s estimated 2015 Opening Day payroll to see how much money teams are making and how much of it is going into signing players.

The major, unknown variable in all of this is how much on a team-by-team basis it costs to run each franchise. Because there will be differences, some margin of error has to be considered. However, for the most part, the hard data are rather useful.

Forbes values the Indians to be worth $825 million, the 25th most in baseball. The team made $207 million in 2014 (26th) and has an operating budget of $8.9 million, which is 21st. The team’s payroll for 2015, per multiple estimations, is roughly $83 million, which ranks it 26th.

If you were to sort the 30 franchises in order of total current value, there is a correlation between how much that team made in 2014 and what percentage of that revenue is spent on payroll. The lowest percentage teams are the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Tampa Rays, which had revenues between $175 million and $188 million and are spending 32 to 36 percent of it on payroll.

The Indians eventually fall in line with the order, at 40 percent. As they continue to rise in value and revenue, teams for the most part gradually increase their spending rate, from the mid-40s (Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers) and into the 50s (Chicago White Sox, 54 percent).

The higher valuation a franchise has, the more financial flexibility that team would have compared to its revenue, which explains the increase.

It is important to note the Forbes report does not show how much each team should be spending on its payroll outright, because different ownership groups have different financial starting spots aside from revenue earned.

But it can show the rate at which teams are turning revenue and operating income into payroll. And for what is going in, the Indians fall in line with similar-sized teams in terms of what is being put out.

Number notes

Looking at numbers, would you believe the Indians and the New York Yankees essentially operate at the same rates?

The Yankees are the highest-valued franchise, worth a record $3.2 billion. And they made $508 million in 2014, or just over $300 million more than the Indians. But they are spending $211 million of it on payroll, which is within 1.5 percent of the Indians’ rate, and have an operating budget of $8.1 million, less than a $1 million difference from the Indians’ $8.9 million.

Basically, these numbers (in a vacuum, of course) say the Yankees and Indians are going through the money they earn at pretty much the exact rate. The Yankees are simply going through a lot more of it.

According to Forbes, the Detroit Tigers, valued at $1.125 billion and with a 2014 revenue of $254 million, are operating $20.7 million in the red. The Tigers are cited to have a payroll around $166 million, or 65 percent of its 2014 revenue, the highest rate in baseball, largely thanks to the sizable contracts of Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and others. The Philadelphia Phillies, despite being one of the 10 most-valued franchises at $1.25 billion, are $39 million over budget.

The five teams with the most operating income are the St. Louis Cardinals ($73.6 million), Chicago Cubs ($73.3), San Francisco Giants ($68.4), Boston Red Sox ($49.2) and Pittsburgh Pirates ($43.6).

Forbes values Major League Baseball as a whole entity at $36 billion. The average baseball team is worth $1.2 billion, up 48 percent from a year ago, the largest one-year increase since Forbes began tracking team values in 1998. Half the teams in baseball are valued to be worth at least $1 billion.

Most valuable teams

The Yankees’ $3.2 billion price tag is tied with the Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable U.S. sports teams. The Spanish soccer club Real Madrid, worth $3.44 billion, is No. 1 globally.

And in the case of the Giants? Winning equals cash. The Giants doubled in value from 2014 to 2015 and sit at $2 billion. The three World Series rings won by San Francisco helped double the club’s revenue to $387 million.

Forbes cites many of the new television deals being struck as the driving force behind baseball’s recent boom. Broadcasting and cable money last year accounted for $2.88 billion, more than $1 billion higher than five years earlier. Many teams have signed lucrative local contracts. Last season, MLB began new national deals with ESPN, Fox and TBS that will pay a total of $12.4 billion over eight years. Per Forbes, that’s more than double the last contract.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media is another solid revenue stream. That “digital arm” is owned by all 30 teams. In 2014, it generated an estimated $800 million in revenue and $400 million in operating income. In total, Forbes says, it could be worth more than $10 billion.

The final, interesting number from the report is that the average MLB team last year had a revenue of $262 million ($55 million more than the Tribe). That’s up 11 percent from two years ago and up one-third from five years ago.

Baseball, at least financially, is growing each year. That means each franchise, each season, theoretically should be able to spend more and more on its payroll. The Indians might not be accused of overspending any time soon but, according to Forbes’ data, what the team is spending on its roster compared to what it’s making is pretty much right on track with similar-sized teams.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter

So, please stop calling Paul a cheap bastard.

Thanks,

Mrs. Dolan

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians finalized their rotation Sunday, naming TJ House and Zach McAllister the Nos. 4 and 5 starters.
The right-handed McAllister will start the home opener against the Tigers on April 10 and the left-handed House will take the ball in the series finale April 12. House and McAllister join Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer in a rotation likely to evolve throughout the season.

"[House] had a pretty good second half [last season] and showed up in real good shape," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We just feel like he's very deserving of that spot.

"Zach just came in and kind of blew the doors off, which we all thought he might, knowing his work ethic."

McAllister's precise role will be in flux, somewhat, as the Indians have three off-days in the season's first two weeks and five in the first month.

"He's going to pitch the fourth game and, because of the unique April with so many days off, and we don't know about weather, we want to use him as a weapon as much as we can," Francona said. "So if that's out of the bullpen a little bit, we may do that. And it's not like he's going to have to earn every start. We basically need a fifth starter once until the 21st, and that's if weather is good. Zach is throwing the ball so well and he's stretched out, give him the start and then we'll figure out how he can impact us from there."

McAllister has a 3.22 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 innings this spring. House had a 5.60 ERA in five appearances, including three starts, heading into Sunday's start against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch.

The decisions on House and McAllister mean Josh Tomlin will start the season at Triple-A Columbus, where the Indians earlier this week optioned hard-throwing righty Danny Salazar.

"We all see him helping us as a starter," Francona said of Tomlin, who has a 4.50 ERA in eight innings this spring. "I know this isn't the news he wanted. I do think with some starts under his belt he'll be better situated to have success when we do need him."

Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway on Sunday also informed non-roster invitee Anthony Swarzak that he has made the team's bullpen, while Jeff Manship will start in Triple-A.

"We were surprised there was the opportunity to sign him," Francona said of the right-handed Swarzak. "I mean, he's a guy who has started, but the last two years threw [182] innings out of the bullpen. That's phenomenal. So you have a guy who not only can get outs but can go multiple innings, has started in the past without being stretched out and has that rare ability to throw a lot of innings."

Still in contention to be a part of the Opening Day staff is 28-year-old right-hander Austin Adams, depending on whether the 25th roster spot goes to a pitcher or position player.

"We wanted to tell him he'd done a really good job but we still don't know," Francona said.

So the bullpen consists of RH: Allen, Shaw, Atchison, Swarzak; LH: Hagadone, Crockett, Rpycznski

No resolution on the outfielders, at least not announced.

Another o-fer for Murphy today. Maybe a mystery injury lands him on the DL and they give somebody else a chance.

TFIR: Don't confuse Dr. KENM with the facts!
He is sure of two things:
Dolan is cheap.
We don't need Manny.

Hoynes article on the roster suggests that Murphy and Raburn are on the team and there's one possible other spot for Sands or Holt or Aguillar or one more reliever. But the lack of any explicit statement about the position players still holds out hope that at least one of those washed up OFs may be let go.

TFIR: Don't confuse Dr. KENM with the facts! He is sure of two things:
Dolan is cheap. We don't need Manny.

He is entitled to his opinion.

But Forbes is not in the business of opinions. They could care less about MLB. Those are facts.

I actually enjoyed this quote:

The Yankees are the highest-valued franchise, worth a record $3.2 billion. And they made $508 million in 2014, or just over $300 million more than the Indians. But they are spending $211 million of it on payroll, which is within 1.5 percent of the Indians’ rate, and have an operating budget of $8.1 million, less than a $1 million difference from the Indians’ $8.9 million.

So, thanks to kenm, I am now more sure than ever that the Indians have integrity and are on the right path.

I don't think there's much question that Kip is a huge key to this season.

Looking back, putting Ramirez at SS totally solidified the defense. Now, if Moss can contribute like it looks like he can, and Kipnis gets back to 2013, this team is looking good. BTW, great to see Bourn looking so good in the spring as well. Another key.




Cleveland Indians excited about Jason Kipnis - for good reason: Terry Pluto
on March 29, 2015 at 2:40 PM, updated March 30, 2015 at 7:10 AM


GOODYEAR, Arizona -- There was a dive and a belly-flop play on a ground ball to his left. Then Jason Kipnis bounced to his feet and threw out a runner at first base.

Also this week, the Indians second baseman quickly turned a double play.

He lashed a base hit up the middle, and later rifled a 430-foot homer off the center field wall.

"That's Kip," said Tribe Manager Terry Francona, who now smiles whenever he talks about his second baseman. There was some anxiety about Kipnis when training camp opened.

Last season, he had a major oblique injury. Then, he suffered a late-season hamstring injury. On December 16, he had surgery on his left ring finger, which he hurt when lifting weights.

In the middle of camp, there was some back soreness and he was held out of games.

"Now, everything feels great," said Kipnis.

More importantly, he is playing like the Kipnis of 2013.

"He has so many ways to beat you," said Francona. "He is a very good bunter. He can steal a base. He is back to hitting the ball with authority to the opposite field, and he can pull the ball with power."

Jason Kipnis back in the lineup Jason Kipnis went 1-for-3 and made a diving stop at second base Thursday against the Reds in his return to the Indians lineup. Kipnis missed a week of spring training with back spasms.

WHAT CHANGES WERE MADE

Kipnis talks about how last season's oblique injury "is far in the rear view mirror."

But the lessons that he learned the hard way last season are right in front of him every day. That's because he's determined to not have a repeat of 2014, when he batted a career-low .240 (.640 OPS) with six homers and 41 RBI.

It was a frustrating, humbling experience for a 2013 All-Star and a favorite of the Tribe fans.

He weighs about 10 pounds less than a year ago. Kipnis is still listed at 195 pounds in the Tribe media guide, but said he was close to 210. He's at 200 right now, his weight when he was an All-Star in 2013.

"Last winter, I wanted to add strength," he said. "But in the process, I bulked up. I got stronger, but stiffer."

Is that why he pulled the oblique muscle in his right side in late April?

Who knows?

But it probably didn't help. In his quest to hit for more power, Kipnis lost some of the flexibility and athleticism that made him such a terrific all-around player.

WHAT THE CONTRACT MEANT

On the day the Tribe opened the 2014 season, Kipnis signed a seven-year, $52 million extension. He is under contract through 2019 and the team has an option for 2020.

"You don't want to take the contract for granted," said Kipnis. "You want people to think that it was a smart idea for the team to give it to you -- you want it to be a win/win for both sides."

When Kipnis injured the oblique, he pushed hard to come back quickly. He missed 28 days.

"Probably came back too fast," he said.

Was the contract part of the reason?

"Sure, part of it," he said. "And I wanted to play. I wanted to help the team. I wanted to give all I had to earn it."

In retrospect, Kipnis said he should have sat out another week or two.

"But even that, I'm not sure how much good it would have done," he said. "Some of the muscles were pulled away from the bone. What I learned was that it takes a long time to come back from this thing. I'm just glad it's over."

WHAT THE INJURY DID

The oblique injury was to his right side. A left-handed batter, Kipnis uses the right hand on the bottom of his grip and he twists with his right side when he swings.

And it hurt when he did it -- every time -- for a few months. That led to big problems with his swing, even when the oblique finally began to heal.

"I couldn't hit the ball to left field or when I did, I didn't hit the ball very hard," he said.

Kipnis said he kept playing because it's natural for athletes to think that if they are at "70 or 80 percent" physically, they can still help their teams. High-level athletes also are trained to push through pain, to stay on the field.

Kipnis pulled a hamstring on September 18, and that virtually ended his season -- although he had a few more at bats.

When a player doesn't move naturally, it can lead to different injuries.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN

Kipnis hit so many weak ground balls to second base or high soft pop ups. He lost his natural swing, the one that vaulted him through the minors in 2 1/2 seasons, hitting .296 (.861 OPS).

It's important to keep in mind that Kipnis always hit. He batted .384 in two years at Arizona State and was the PAC-10 Player of the Year in 2009. He never had a season like 2014 ... not anywhere, any time.

"I'd go 0-for-4 against some guy and wonder how that happened," he said. "I'd miss some fastballs that I normally hit. That's why I'm excited now. I'm starting to be fastball efficient."

Fastball efficient?

"That means when you get a good fastball to hit, you hit it," he said. "One way to not have to deal with breaking pitches is to hit the fastball when it comes."

Kipnis will be 28 on April 3. He is in the prime of his career. In 2013, he batted .284 (.818 OPS) with 36 doubles, 30 steals, 17 homers and 84 RBI.

"Last year tough in so many ways," he said.

He got into debates with fans on his Twitter account, and regrets that.

"I found out some people just write things to get a reaction," he said. "I used to read everything (in the papers and on-line), now I skim it. I don't want to get caught up in this."

Kipnis started to say that he "doesn't have a chip..." on his shoulder, but he sort of does. He was driven to prove the scouts wrong, because he believed he should have been a first-round pick out of college.

He was determined to show he could move from the outfield to second base, an adjustment he made in the minors -- one that is a challenge.

"Kip is an impact player and things went wrong for him (last season)," said Francona. "We need him to be a good player. I don't see any reason why that won't happen."

TFIR wrote:

TFIR: Don't confuse Dr. KENM with the facts! He is sure of two things:
Dolan is cheap. We don't need Manny.

He is entitled to his opinion.

But Forbes is not in the business of opinions. They could care less about MLB. Those are facts.

I actually enjoyed this quote:

The Yankees are the highest-valued franchise, worth a record $3.2 billion. And they made $508 million in 2014, or just over $300 million more than the Indians. But they are spending $211 million of it on payroll, which is within 1.5 percent of the Indians’ rate, and have an operating budget of $8.1 million, less than a $1 million difference from the Indians’ $8.9 million.

So, thanks to kenm, I am now more sure than ever that the Indians have integrity and are on the right path.

The thing you are not understanding from the article and what you have not perhaps understood for a decade is that the Dolans have always linked their salary structure to their revenue. Ie if their revenue is little they will have a little salary structure. They have never been under the impression that you need to spend to increase revenue. They are perfectly fine doing it their way which is ok but is not exciting and certainly not the way to to bring a World Series to the city. They also should change the name of the team. It is rascist.

I concur that Kipnis is THE key to the offense.

I am not so sure about Bourn, he still has not stole one base. He needs to be able to run to be a significant offensive contributor, unless he started adding some power like Kenny Lofton did, but no signs of that yet.

Starting pitching is considered our strength, which it sure was the end of last summer, but there's one starter who has had more than 1 2/3 good seasons [Kluber] and no one outside Corey who has one solid full season. So the potential is there but the degree of certainty is very low.

Cleveland Indians Scribbles: Nick Swisher to play Wednesday, will still be on disabled list
-- By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

on March 31, 2015 at 2:21 PM, updated March 31, 2015 at 2:42 PM



GOODYEAR, Arizona -- Scribbles in my Indians notebook:

1. Terry Francona said that Nick Swisher will play in his first big league spring game. He will be the designated hitter on Wednesday against the Giants. Recovering from surgery on both knees, Swisher has played in a few minor league games.

2. The Indians will take Swisher with them to Houston to open the regular season, but he'll be on the disabled list. After those three games, Swisher will return to Goodyear to continue his rehabilitation program on his knees -- and play in some minor league games in Arizona.

3. At some point, Swisher will play in some games at Akron, Columbus, etc. The goal is for him to be able to play back-to-back games in the outfield, and for his knees to handle the load. They don't see Swisher as a strict designated hitter. Francona is not giving any firm date for Swisher's return because the key will be how his knees react as the work load continues.

4. As the season opens, Francona said he plans to use a few different players as DH. Brandon Moss will probably open in right field, with David Murphy or Ryan Raburn as the DH. Murphy and Raburn form a natural LH/RH platoon. Moss will also do some time at DH.

5. Francona is so pleased with Roberto Perez that he said Perez can handle some of the catching duties when the Indians face lefty pitchers. "Roberto was made to catch," said Francona. "He makes it look easy." Then the manager can either give Yan Gomes a day off, or use Gomes as a DH. Gomes batted .331 (.878 OPS) against lefties last season.

6. Francona on Gomes as a catcher: "He's so athletic. He has good hands. Good reactions. Good everything."

7. Francona on Michael Bourn: "(This spring) shows his legs feel good. Our goal is for him to be in a good spot to start the season, and he's more than ready to go."

8. The Indians still have not filled the last roster spot. If it's a pitcher, it will be Austin Adams. If it's a position player, it will either be Jesus Aguilar or infielder Michael Martinez.