Boy, the American League Central is good. Everybody except the putrid Kansas City Royals has a legitimate shot at the division crown. The 2007 Cleveland Indians are a little short on pitching, but their offense will help them stay in the AL Central race for almost the entire 2007 Baseball Season.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians Offense
They are pretty tough from top to bottom. Grady Sizemore has probably surpassed Johnny Damon as the best leadoff hitter in the game. Look for Sizemore to improve on his already impressive 2006 numbers (.290 BA, 53 doubles, 11 triples, 22 HR, 134 Runs scored) and make a serious run at the MVP trophy.
The middle of the lineup is pure power. Catcher Victor Martinez will continue with his career averages of .300 with 20 homers and 90 RBI. Travis Hafner’s own power numbers have improved every season since he came into the majors. Last year, he hit .305 with 42 HR and 117 RBI. Should Hafner continue on his upward career trend, he will be an absolute menace to American League pitching during the 2007 Baseball Season. Fifty homers and 135 RBI are not out of reach for this guy.
The additions of David Dellucci and young Josh Barfield will help to shore up the bottom of the Indians’ lineup, which was a weakness in 2006. This isn’t the best batting order in the American League Central. But it ain’t chopped liver.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians Pitching
The Tribe needed to pick up some starting pitching during this free agent winter. They didn’t. So, as of March 26, 2007, their rotation has three solid starters and two big question marks.
C.C. Sabathia (81-56 career record), Jake Westbrook (15-10, 4.17 ERA) and Cliff Lee (14 wins last year, 18 wins in ’05) make a very nice 1-2-3. After that, it’s a disaster. Paul Byrd has become very hittable (an ERA near 5.00 in 2006), and Fausto Carmona is just plain bad. The Tribe used Carmona primarily as a starter and they must have regretted every minute of it. He went 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA and a WHIP of 1.59. Unless Cleveland can tighten up their 4 and 5 starters, they won’t have a chance.
Some good news came out spring training, though. Youngsters Adam Miller and Jeremy Sowers both had strong springs working as starters. Sowers is up to 2-1 with a 3.21 ERA after his March 26 shutout of the Devil Rays. Sowers may have knocked Carmona out of the fifth spot with that performance. Miller will start the year in AAA, but look for Cleveland to call him up if and when Byrd struggles.
This 2007 Cleveland Indians bullpen is the team's real weakness. They have Joe Borowski, who saved 36 games and posted a 3.75 ERA in 2006, closing for them. He's not bad, but he is not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination. The young trio of Juan Lara, Tom Mastny and Rafeal Betancourt form a group that will be good enough to hold big leads but will be challenged in tight games. All in all, the 2007 Cleveland Indians only get only one thumbs up for their pitching.
Keys to success
The 2007 Cleveland Indians will need good seasons from pitchers Cliff Lee and Paul Byrd for them to have any chance of success.
Prediction
(79-83) Fourth Place in the AL Central.
Click on the team names to read about the Indians rivals, including the Twins, the Tigers and The White Sox.
