Cleveland Sports Forum

Swisher playing on Wednesday April Fools Day. Could make a fool of himself.

Murphy and Raburn form a natural LH/RH platoon

Natural platoon in ST has one extra base hit and OPS of nearly 500. Let's hope ST doesn't mean anything.

Sounds more like a squad than a platoon.

For those who have not seen this:

http://phys.org/news/2015-04-njit-mathe ... eball.html

their 83 win projection for the Tribe would be No. 6 in the AL. There are still only 5 playoff teams, right? These guys certainly don't buy into the AL Central hype; they project only division teams to finish with winning records.

Cleveland Indians ownership, front office deserve credit for wisely signing young players -- Terry Pluto



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You can add Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco to the list.

It's a list that added the names of Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes in 2014.

In 2013, it was Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher.

All of those players signed healthy, multi-year contract extensions to join or remain with the Indians.

Kluber's five-year, $38.5 million guaranteed deal is the largest ever given to a pitcher not eligible for arbitration. It can last as long as seven seasons and be worth up to $77 million.

This is a big, big deal for the Tribe ... and Kluber.

Kluber will be 29 on April 10. He was on a $610,000 contract after winning the Cy Young Award.

He was wise to sign a long-term deal because of his age and the fact that he would not have been a free agent until after the 2018 season.

The Indians were smart to set a new market for pre-arbitration eligible pitchers because it makes a statement to the rest of the team that they will reward a player who produces early in his career.

Kluber's agent talked about a contract that could keep him here for the remainder of his career. This deal is a major step to that happening.

The exact numbers on Carrasco's deal have not been reported, nor has it been officially announced. But it's a four-year extension in the $22 million range. The team also has club options after 2018. Carrasco is 28, right in his prime.

But the bottom line is the Indians just guaranteed Kluber and Carrasco about $60 million.

This comes after they guaranteed Kipnis, Brantley and Gomes more than $90 million last season.

In 2013, they signed Bourn and Swisher to four-year deals worth a combined $104 million.

Yes, these contracts are spread over several seasons, but it's still big money.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

The Tribe ownership is not suddenly turning into Mike Ilitch with the Detroit Tigers, who seems to have no limits for his team's budget.

They still will probably be ranked around 25th in payroll this season. It will probably go up in the next few years when the salaries increase with the recent extensions.

But after losing more than 90 games three times between 2009-12, the Tribe's ownership took a deep breath and signed Bourn and Swisher.

The Dolans have been burned by big money deals in the previous decade. They signed Jake Westbrook to a three-year, $33 million extension starting in 2008, and he injured his arm and needed elbow surgery.

Travis Hafner signed a five-year, $57 million extension that began in 2008, and he never hit more than 16 homers in a season. The DH had major shoulder problems and other injuries.

As Paul Dolan told me in a long interview, he knows that most long-term deals to veteran players usually "don't end up favoring the teams."

The contracts to Bourn and Swisher will probably fall into that category, but they also were something that needed to be done after the dismal 2012 season (68-94).

The Indians probably won't throw huge money at veteran free agents from others in the near future.

SIGNING KEY PLAYERS

But they are being aggressive with their younger players. You can add Carlos Santana to the list of young players who committed to the Tribe. He signed a five-year, $21 million extension in 2012.

So look at the names: Kipnis, Kluber, Carrasco, Santana, Gomes and Brantley.

Those are six key players. The soonest anyone can leave is Santana, as the Tribe has a club option for $12 million in 2017.

Yes, veteran slugger Brandon Moss signed a $6.5 million deal for 2015, but he can't be a free agent until after the 2016 season.

Team president Mark Shapiro and General Manager Chris Antonetti are following the same formula as John Hart did with the Tribe in the early 1990s -- signing up young talent years before free agency.

And not every contract paid off, as I wrote in Glory Days In Tribe Town (written with Tom Hamilton). Among those who received extensions were Scott Scudder, Dave Otto and Jack Armstrong.

Not every deal was a home run -- or even a broken bat single -- for the Tribe.

The ability to sign Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez to long-term contracts early in their careers allowed the Indians to postpone free agency for an extra year or two. It also set up a relatively stable roster of key players in the middle 1990s.

The Indians are trying to do the same now. They are chasing their third consecutive winning season. The last time that happened was 1999-2001.

Antonetti talked about how Terry Francona and his coaching staff have created a baseball setting where the players want to stay put at least for the next few years. That means a lot in terms of have a team that can contend during each of the next few seasons.

Cleveland Indians Owner Paul Dolan knows all about SI jinx, but believes Tribe is real contender -- Terry Pluto


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the magazine predicting they will win the World Series?

"I wasn't shocked ... I was scared," said Paul Dolan, laughing.

Along with his father Larry, Paul Dolan is in his 16th season as owner of the Indians. He grew up a Tribe fan and he remembers what the Sports Illustrated cover did to the Tribe in the spring of 1987.

There was a huge picture of Chief Wahoo along with Joe Carter and Corey Snyder on the cover.

"BELIEVE IT! Cleveland is the best team in the American League."

The magazine forgot something. Two members of the 1987 rotation were slated to be Phil Neikro and Steve Carlton. Their combined ages would have been 90!!!

Any surprise that team finished 61-101?

"A friend suggested that we bring back Snyder and Carter for opening day," said Dolan. "I said to him, 'Are you crazy? Don't you remember how that turned out?' His point was that it was time for us to beat the jinx. I said maybe we'll bring those guys back if we make it to the World Series. I don't want to mess with any of that (jinx) stuff."

It's not just Sports Illustrated. Here's a list:

ESPN's stat geek Dave Schoenfield has the Tribe ranked as the best team in the American League.
ESPN's Buster Olney has them at No. 8 and winning the Central Division.
Grantland's Jonah Keri has them at No. 5 in all of baseball and winning the Central Division: WATCH OUT DETROIT, CLEVELAND'S COMING
MLB's Peter Gammons predicts they will face Seattle for the American League title in the playoffs.

There are more bold predictions about the Tribe, but you get idea. Big things are expected. All this for a team that was 85-77 last season.

Dolan agrees with the experts who expect the Tribe to contend.

"This is a team that should be in the hunt (for a Central Division title)," said Dolan. "We should be in the picture."

Dolan admitted that "it's nice to get the national attention. We had the best rotation (in the American League in terms of ERA) after the All-Star break, and people think it should carry over to this year. We feel the same way."

ABOUT THE BALLPARK

The Indians have made a massive investment in Progressive Field, changing the upper deck in right field. They have added more areas for kids to play, and "gathering places" for adults to watch the games.

"The park is in good shape physically, but it's 21 years old," said Dolan. "The world has changed in the last 20 years, and we have to conform to how it is now. We have opened up the park to give great views of the city. You can watch the game from different angles and spaces. There are a lot of unique spots. Yes, millennials like this concept, but so do a lot of others."

Dolan said the Indians did three years of research. They visited some of the new ballparks. They interviewed fans. They created focus groups.

"We wanted to see the trends that adults like and also to appeal even more to families," he said. "I think our kids clubhouses will be really popular. We have localized the food. We have a large bar. It's just going to make the entire experience at the ballpark so much better."

About 6,000 seats have been removed, and others will be added. Capacity will drop from 42,404 to 37,630. The Tribe averaged 18,428 fans per game last season.

Shapiro was at the lead of the renovations. When the ballpark opened, most people had smaller televisions with standard screens. At times, it was hard to follow the ball on the screen. No one was watching the game on computers or smartphones.

Now, there is a significant group of fans who like to congregate together, maybe in front of a huge television set. They are texting friends. They are taking pictures of each other, and action on the field. The "open concourses" should appeal to these fans.

The Indians also are celebrating more of their history. In addition to the Bob Feller statue, the Tribe will have statues for Larry Doby and Jim Thome. There will be plaques around the park honoring the top 100 moments in ballpark history.

All of the improvements will be privately funded, a cooperative deal between the Indians and Delaware North Companies Concessions. The Indians have not given the price of the improvements. I've heard it's in the $25 million range. A key point is no public money.

"We didn't ask for any public money because it's not part of the community's obligation," said Dolan. "It's our responsibility under the lease."

ABOUT STABILITY

Dolan mentioned that the Indians are "one of the most respected organizations in all of sports." He's referring to his front office, led by President Mark Shapiro, General Manager Chris Antonetti and Manager Terry Francona.

"When we bought the Indians (in 2000), we also bought an organization," he said. "We liked how the team was run. It goes back to (former general manager) John Hart. We've had very progressive people who are always looking for that edge to help us win."

Shapiro has been with the team for 24 years. He was general manager from 2002-10, and then moved up to president. Antonetti has been with the team since 1999. He became the general manager in 2010. His top assistants are Mike Chernoff (started in 2003) and Ross Atkins (started in 2001, and was a minor league pitcher for the Tribe before that).

Scouting director Brad Grant is in his eighth year of running the draft, and has been with the team for 22 years.

The business side of the operation is packed with people with more than a decade in Cleveland, such as Dennis Lehman, Bob DiBiasio, Ken Stefanov, Mike Seghi, Sara Lehrke, Bart Swain, Marlene Lehky and Curtis Danburg.

"Patience is the hardest lesson for an owner to learn," said Dolan. "It's a zero-sum game. When someone wins, someone loses."

He means you can't create a brand new market or product to change the game. The game is baseball, more than a century old. The business models and rules may change, but only two teams go to the World Series each year -- and only one wins.

ABOUT HITTING BOTTOM

The 2012 season was perhaps the worst in Dolan's 16-year tenure. The team finished 68-94. It was the third time in four years that the Tribe lost at least 93 games.

Rather than blow up his front office, Dolan backed them. Then a remarkable thing happened. Terry Francona wanted to return to managing after taking a season off. The man with two World Series rings from Boston had one team in mind -- Cleveland.

Francona wanted to work for "people who can be trusted." And those people were Shapiro and Antonetti. This reminded Dolan that his faith in the front office was correct.

"Terry would have had many opportunities to manage," said Dolan. "But the only one that interested him was Cleveland because of his relationship with Mark and Chris. He also had some emotional attachment to the team because his father (Tito) played here. This was a unique opportunity to hire someone who we might not have otherwise had a chance to get."

Dolan said Francona changed his view of what a manager can do.

"I was of the school that managers don't make much of a difference, or that they can be harmful," he said. "Terry is a difference maker. Last season was set up for failure with all our injuries, defensive problems and other things. But we won 85 games and entered the final week still in contention (for a playoff spot). He has the ability to relate to and motivate players that is unprecedented in my experience."

ABOUT SIGNING BOURN AND SWISHER

Dolan gave Antonetti the green light to drive on the free agent highway after the dreadful 2012 season. It wasn't simply because Francona became the manager. Dolan knew the fans were moving from anger to apathy.

"There was a credibility issue at the time, and it was noticed by us," he said, adding he knew there is "a well-known risk whenever you do these kind of big deals." But he also knew that something had to be done.

Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher signed four-year deals for a combined $102 million.

"It's disappointing that Michael and Nick had injuries last year," he said. "But signing them helped us make the playoffs in 2013. They helped the attitude of the entire organization and sent a message to the community that we were back on track.''

Francona led the Indians from a 69-93 record in 2012 to 92-70 in 2013. The Indians were a wild card team, but lost to Tampa Bay in a one-game playoff.

Dolan has "no regrets" about the contracts to Bourn and Swisher.

"It's rare that long-term, free agent contracts work out well (over the long term) for the team," said Dolan. "For the big free agents, there is a lot of money chasing limited talent -- the odds are not in your favor. But we understood that when we signed Nick and Michael, and we still believe they can bounce back this season."

ABOUT RISKY LONG-TERM DEALS

Long-term contracts to veteran players have not turned out well for the Dolans.

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 problems 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. In the final year of his contract, Westbrook was traded to the Cardinals as part of a three-way deal that brought Corey Kluber to Cleveland.

"Last spring we were under a lot of pressure to sign Justin (Masterson)," said Dolan. The Tribe offered Masterson a three-year, $45 million deal. His agent wanted at least $53 million for three years.

"We assessed the risk and decided it was not worth it," said Dolan. "We turned out to be right. Justin is a wonderful person, and I hope he turns it around."

Masterson signed a $9.8 million contract and had a dreadful 2014 season (7-9, 5.88 ERA). He was traded to St. Louis at the end of July. The Cardinals didn't re-sign him. He is now with Boston.

I asked Dolan what would have happened if Masterson had taken that deal. They would have about $43 million tied up in Swisher, Bourn and Masterson this season.

They signed Gavin Floyd to a one-year deal, knowing that he had major arm problems in his recent past. He was hurt again, and will probably miss the season because of elbow surgery.

Dolan simply said, "There's risk with any of those type of deals. You know that going in."

ABOUT LONG-TERM DEALS FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

The second type is the long-term deals for young players. When they ran the Indians, Hart and assistant general manager Dan O'Dowd pioneered these type of contracts. The idea is to give players more money up front but tie them to contracts that postponed free agency for a year or two.

Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga were the first two to agree, and then players such as Charles Nagy, Jim Thome and others followed.
We didn't ask for any public money because it's not part of the community's obligation. It's our responsibility.

Last spring, the Indians signed Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes to those type of deals. Corey Kluber won the Cy Young Award, but unlike the Tribe's previous two winners (CC Sabathia in 2007, Cliff Lee in 2008), he is not close to free agency.

"I know all the jokes about us trading Cy Young winners," said Dolan. "But Corey is under control for four more years. I don't foresee him being traded."

Kluber wasn't even eligible for arbitration and can't be a free agent until after the 2018 season. The Indians have discussed an extension with him. Not sure where it stands at this point.

"I won't comment on that situation," said Dolan.

But the owner then praised Kluber: "He embodies everything we value. There is his leadership in the clubhouse. There is his work ethic and character. And of course, there is his work on the mound. We'd love to get something done (in terms of an extension)."

Dolan mentioned how it took "three years" for the Indians to convince Brantley to sign an extension before it happened last spring.

Brantley finished No. 3 in the 2015 MVP voting. Here's how his contract looks:

2015: $5 million
2016: $7.5 million
2017: $7.5 million
2018: $11 million (team option)

ABOUT ROSTER STABILITY

The Indians entered last season with Asdrubul Cabrera and Masterson in the final year of their contracts. Both were traded. They lost no significant free agents in the off-season.

In 2015, none of the key Tribe players can become free agents after the season. The only veterans whose contracts end are Mike Aviles and Floyd.

While not all players are "signed," they are under control. That means they can't become free agents until they go through three years of being arbitration eligible.

Kluber (through the 2018 season)
Brantley (through 2018)
Yan Gomes (through 2021)
Carlos Santana (through 2017)
Cody Allen (through 2018)
Carlos Carrasco (through 2017)
Brandon Moss (through 2016)
Trevor Bauer (through 2020)

Dolan credits his front office with assembling a lot of young players who "should be the core of a good teams for several years to come."

ABOUT CHIEF WAHOO

In the past, I've talked to Dolan about my conflicted feelings when it comes to the Tribe's logo. 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 in my interview with Dolan last year and on some talk shows since.

I still like that idea, and mentioned it again in a story last season.

"We say what we've said all along," said Dolan. "We fully understand that some are offended in some manner by it. But we also recognize that it is the most beloved symbol of the Indians franchise to many fans. We want to balance those."

Dolan added that "we don't emphasize Chief Wahoo. It's not all over all the uniforms. It's not all over the stadium. But it is part of our heritage and we have no plans for a change."

ABOUT FANS BUYING HABITS

When it comes to team jerseys, they rank like this in terms of sales in 2014, according to the Tribe:

Home white "Indians" script
Road "Indians" script
Road gray "Cleveland" in block lettering
Home "Indians" in block lettering

Baseball caps:

Block C navy road cap
Chief Wahoo home cap
Block C red home cap

Top three players jerseys:

Nick Swisher
Jason Kipnis
Michael Brantley

Top three T-shirt sales:

Brantley
Swisher
Kipnis

ABOUT DYNAMIC PRICING

"I understand that some fans don't like it," said Dolan. "It does give fans a chance to buy cheap seats for some games -- and it gives fair market value for other games."

Dynamic pricing for tickets works like prices for hotels, rental cars and airline tickets. It fluctuates with demand.

"(For high demand games) either we will collect (the high prices) or the secondary market collects it," said Dolan. "Most teams in sports are using this."

According to the Indians, all 30 MLB teams use some type of variable ticket pricing -- based on opponents, weekend games, etc. Twenty-four of 30 teams use the Tribe's form of dynamic pricing where prices can change daily. The other six teams set different prices for games at the start of the season -- and don't change them.

ABOUT ATTENDANCE

Dolan said the Indians "are ahead of last year's pace" in terms of advanced ticket sales. He doesn't want to talk numbers.

A year ago, the Tribe had about 8,000 in season ticket sales. Preseason sales are the base of attendance. I've heard they are up about 15 percent, making them above 9,000 season tickets. The Indians say their average season ticket price is the second-lowest in baseball.

For example, if the Indians have 10,000 in season tickets, they start the year with 810,000 in attendance. That's 81 home games with 10,000 tickets sold.

So having between 7,000-8,000 season tickets the last few years is a big reason why the Tribe has ranked near the bottom in MLB attendance. Fans can wait to the last minute to decide to attend games, or stay home and watch the team on television.

The Indians' radio and TV ratings have soared the last two seasons. They ranked No. 5 in TV ratings last season among the 30 teams.

"People are excited and interested in our team," said Dolan. "They are very passionate. The ratings reflect that. We have to see if we can now convert them into ticket buyers."

Two consecutive winning seasons, an elite manager in Francona and expectations of a good season has the Indians "thinking that they'll start to see some improvement" at the gate.

The Indians drew 1,437,343 in 2014. They ranked 29th out of 30 teams. Dolan believes once fans come to the stadium and experience the new improvements, it will be another attraction -- along with a team that is predicted to be a contender.

"We have to start a real sustained period of winning," he said. "This can be our third winning season in a row. It's a good young team that should really engage the fans."

I watched a preview show on MLB channel today, and almost all the "experts" had the Tribe either winning the division or getting the WC.

Why did they say that?

I watched a preview show on MLB channel today, and almost all the "experts" had the Tribe either winning the division or getting the WC.

I think civ said it earlier but this team is the type of team that could soar, or crash, mostly depending on the starting pitching.

Carrasco, Salazar and Bauer are guys with great upside. But they could also crash and burn.

Personally, I wouldn't predict them to win the division OR get into the wildcard. But I do think they are contenders and with the SP falling into place could be a real force.

Plain Dealer sports staff all reject Tribe as Central winners in their picks; one or two votes for Tribe in the wild card. The other three of four leave us out of the playoffs. Typical Cleveland under-optimism.

Good some realism in the Cleveland media. Not sure where this fake optimism is coming from. Probably the national media wants to create another narrative of Cleveland getting hurt again.

Yeah, we're beat down as Cleveland fans. Hard to be optimistic. That's why I only predicted 130 wins instead of 135.

With their pitching the Indians will be in the thick of things for a long, long time....

By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal

Right out of the chute the Indians see a left-handed starter, and right out of the chute the left-handed starter gives the Indians fits.
They better get used to it, because their’s is a lineup that screams to the opposing teams, “If you’ve got any left-handers, here we are.”

There they were on opening night, April 6 in Houston — and there was Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel on the mound.
Keuchel, it must be said, is a very good pitcher. Last year, he won 12 games for an Astros team that lost 92 games. He showed why on opening night, leaving the Indians hitters’ flailing weakly in the Texas twilight in the Tribe’s 2-0 loss.

Worse yet for the Indians was that as good as Keuchel was, Corey Kluber was even better — but the Indians still lost. Kluber, who held Houston hitless for the first 5 2/3 innings, pitched into the eighth inning and allowed two runs on three hits — but lost.

Left-on-left symphonies will be the background music in many Indians games season. On opening night in Houston, five of the nine hitters in the Indians’ starting lineup were left-handed hitters. Two were switch hitters.

There were only two pure right-handed hitters in the lineup, and only one of them is considered a regular: catcher Yan Gomes. The other right-handed hitter [sic] was Ryan Raburn, who was the designated hitter.
The first three hitters in the Indians’ lineup were all left-handed hitters: Michael Bourn, Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley. The two other left-handed hitters were Brandon Moss, hitting sixth, and Lonnie Chisenhall, hitting eighth.

The two switch hitters were Carlos Santana, hitting fourth, and Jose Ramirez, hitting ninth.

Fortunately for the Indians, about 70 percent of the pitchers in the major leagues are right-handers, so this Left-Handed Thing isn’t going to be an issue every day. However, on the days it is an issue, it threatens to really be an issue.
That was the case in Houston. The Indians’ left-handed hitters did virtually nothing, and their offense produced exactly nothing.

Last year, the Indians’ lineup leaned to the left, but not quite as much as this season. Last year, switch hitter Nick Swisher brought a little more balance to the lineup. Last year, the Indians hit .252 vs. left-handers and .254 vs. right-handers.

Keuchel cruised through most innings, setting the tone by setting down the first three hitters of the game — the three left-handers at the top of the Tribe’s lineup — in order, on nine pitches. To be fair, the Indians’ right-handed hitters and switch hitters didn’t do much, either. But it’s the left-handers, guys like Kipnis, Brantley, Moss and Chisenhall, who are expected to do much of the heavy lifting in the Tribe’s lineup.

Ironically, last year Brantley and Chisenhall were two of the Indians’ better hitters vs. left-handers. Brantley hit .307 vs. left-handers and Chisenhall .294. The Indians’ best hitter vs. left-handers was Gomes at .331. Overall the Indians were a .500 team (25-25) vs. left-handed starters and 60-52 vs. right-handed starters.

Keuchel simply dominated the Indians’ lineup, left-handed hitters, right-handed hitters and switch hitters. Keuchel pitched seven innings, and only two of the 21 outs he recorded left the infield.
Eight of the 21 outs recorded by Keuchel were strikeouts (three) or dribblers hit right back to him (five).

Keuchel was at his best when the Indians had their one serious scoring threat. In the top of the seventh inning, the Indians had runners at first and second with no outs, but the next three Indians hitters failed to hit a ball more than 60 feet. Moss struck out, Raburn grounded out to Keuchel, and Chisenhall grounded out to Keuchel for the third out.

It was a particularly ugly night for Raburn, who in three plate appearances vs. Keuchel grounded out to the pitcher twice and hit into a double play.


But it was the inability of Indians left-handed hitters to do any damage against Keuchel that set the table for the defeat. Tribe left-handed hitters hit .077 (1-for-13) vs. Keuchel and .063 (1-for-16) for the game.
When Keuchel was done after 103 pitches and seven innings, Houston manager A.J. Hinch went to his bullpen for — big surprise! — another left-hander, former Indian Tony Sipp.

Sipp breezed through the eighth inning, retiring the side in order and striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Houston closer Luke Gregerson, a right-hander, nailed it down by retiring the side in order in the ninth. Three pitchers combined to retire the last nine Indians in the game.

So the Indians, who had one of the quieter offseasons in the majors, begin the 2015 season just as quietly.