Choo Choo: RF Looks to make club out of spring training

Shin Shoo Choo, the 24 year old RF acquired from the Seattle Mariners in last seasons trade for Ben Broussard, will have a lot of competition in spring training this year. At this point, because of the acquisitions of Trot Nixon, David Delucci, and the resigning of Jason “King of blah” Michaels, it looks like he will be at Buffalo to start theseason. To me, this is pretty unfortunate as Choo, who hit .295 in 45 games with the Tribe last year, is definitely ready to at least be a sufficient fourth outfielder in the major leagues today. He is pretty similar to Ryan Garko in fact, and could easily be called another victim of circumstance. I look forward to seeing if Choo can prove himself this spring training, as I love his defense in right, and especially love his arm strength and ability to take good routes to fly balls (something the “King of Blah” should work on). I’m really starting to wonder if Mark Shapiro overrates experience, as he continues to sign these players simply due to the amount of years they’ve been in the league. My philosophy is quickly becoming let the young players play, especially if they can play defense.

Garko’s a Victim of Circumstance

Even though highly disappointing, the 2006 season saw a series of pleasent surprises and meteoric rises to major leagues success. One of these success stories was Ryan Garko, a highly touted prospect who lived on his reputation as a possibly impact major league hitter. As the season started to slowly fade into the sunset, Garko, although not excelling at Buffalo, got his chance to make his mark on the big league club. He definitely did make his mark, as he had a good year playing in 50 games, batting .292 and driving in 45 runs. Garko did a tremendous job in exceeding expectations and seemingly solidfying a starting role at first base for the 07 season. I was shocked to hear in early 2007, however, that Garko was not slated to start at first, with the team instead penciling in right fielder Casey Blake to man first base. Initially, I thought that this was a bad move, and I still have reservations about it, but I have come to realize there are multiple things to take into account when considering placing Garko at first base.

 Defensive abilities and impact on team defense

 A converted catcher, Garko is definitely not going to be winning any gold gloves. The common view on the decision to bench Garko is STRICTLY because of his lack of cohesive defensive skills, a view that touches on a part, but not the whole reason Garko will not be starting. Upper management believes that defense is one of the two main reasons (the other obviously being the bullpen) that the team underachieved in 06, and this is clearly a need of the team. It seems that the Tribe has enough offensive firepower already to sacrific another offensive minded player in favor of one who is defensive minded. Garko’s offensive skills cannot be overlooked however, and his OPS and power hitting skills will come into handy if the offense struggles, especially out of the gate. My main fear regarding the Indians is that upper management sees Garko as the heir apparent to Hafner, and will let Hafner go in free agency and plug gark into the DH spot.

How he fits into lineup

I frequently bitch about how the indians have too many mismatched pieces, and this is definitely something that I believe is true. Team Speed, the lack of a true leadoff hitter, and the lack of athleticism is something that scares me, and Garko does not really have what it takes to properly complement the current Indians lineup. Where would he bat? I guess a common answer would be 5 or 6, depending on where Wedge plugs in Vic, but I think with hafner, martinez, garko, peralta, etc. batting consecutively, your creating a too one-dimensional lineup. The fact that he bats right handed, however, is something that will always help him in the Indians organization, as the club craves a true right handed power hitter.

My skepticism

Even with all of these questions, if I was running this team, I think that I would start Garko at first out of spring training. This is almost as much because of Casey Blake as it is Garko, because I love Blake staying and consistenly starting in right field (signing all of these bland veteran outfielders just baffled me, and the thought of platooning both corner outfield positions makes me absolutely sick. Why in the world did we re-sign Jason Michaels?!) I would also love to see Choo have a good spring and distance himself from the old blahness behind him. The fact is, I would just rather see Garko play and develop his skills as a first basemen than watch Trot Nixon try to relive his glory days.

Conclusion

Last season showed us that the keys to a successful team are pitching and defense, so maybe not initially starting Garko at first isn’t such a bad idea. Hopefully we can build a strong defensive foundation at the beginning of the season, and can eventually integrate Garko into the lineup later in the season. Its hard to write this without starting to go off topic and bitch about how we have too many players that play the same positions, but I will leave that for a later post.

 

Former Tribe Starter Builds Time Machine

Yes, its absolutely true. Jason Stanford, the Indians’ fifth starter out of spring training in 2004, is back. This time, he has appeared in the form of a non-roster spring training invitee, and even better, he brought his pitching arm with him. Three years of injuries spawning from ligament damage and Tommy John Surgery have sent Mr. Stanford into a world of mediocrity and few innings worked, and this year, he’s here to try and make the roster in any capacity that he can. Althought I’m surprised the man can even throw the ball, manager Eric Wedge seems to think Stanford has a snowball’s chance in hell of making the roster. “I think he has actually put himself back on the radar”, says Wedge. Stanford is definitely going to be an entertaining one to watch in camp, and his story is one that almost makes you pull for him.

C.C.C. – Spring Training Report for Monday, February 19

No its no typo, I’ve added another C to the end of Carlston Charles. Why? Lets take a look at this photo…..

 The man looks big to say the least, I think he may partake in John Kruk’s offseason workout program.  In other news, apparently all but 6 players have reported for camp, a deadline which looms on the 22nd of February. One of these players is Jhonny Peralta, who has “devoted” himself this offseason to improving his physical condition, his range, and his defense. Lets hope he didn’t spend any time with C.C. this winter. Thanks to cleveland.com, and a big thanks to you, the reader. Hey, the first spring training game is 10 days away!!!

  

Closer Situation

Well I guess i could say that I’m surprised Keith Foulke retired, but really that would be like saying I’m surprised that the Browns lost a game. This retirement, although not expected, isn’t totally shocking. At least Foulke retiring is better than him getting injured, something that seemed a huge possibility, for the rest of the year and the team being thrown into a bullpen frenzy so early into a promising season. So I guess in that sense it is good. The move saves the club some money, and we are in a position where we can make deals at the deadline if we need to bolster the bullpen. I’m really hoping that Fernando Cabrera steps up this year, he has such promising stuff. Hopefully the WBC screwed him up last year, and this year he can take a promising step towards a future setup role and possibly even a role as the everyday closer. I am praying that Borowski isn’t consistently injured, because I don’t think that I can take Roberto Hernandez closing for very long. Heres hoping that the bullpen stays together, cause it is THE key in helping us win the division.

The Spirit

 Interesting Video I found with Slider engaging in battle with two other lame “mascots”, just trying to figure out how to post video. Enjoy.

The Beginning

Welcome to my Cleveland Indians blog, whose inception correlates with the beginning of spring training for the 2007 season. Hopefully this blog will provide insight into the season, and allow fans to reflect on the ups and downs of the season. My personal thoughts and reviews will be provided for each and every game, and stats and scenarios will be analyzed. So heres to a healthy and successful 2007 season, and to hoping that C.C. Sabathia isn’t injured in the first few days of April. Play Ball.