Author: CWinsJim

As I begin my last day at Cleveland Indians Spring Training in Goodyear, I wanted to share some observations from the last three days both about the players I have watched and the overall camp. Having spent a week at each Spring Training since 1982 with the Tribe, I feel I have some reasonable qualifications to provide insight and comparisons.

This camp has been very well run as far as a fan can observe and it has had some very nice qualities for a fan interested in the future of the Indians as well as the present. Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti have allowed some of our top young prospects to play in the main Spring Training games for at least an inning or two. This has allowed me to see Lindor, Wolters, and Naquin without guessing where they might be and finding them in the minor league camp. In past camps, you would have to fight to even see them in game situations on the practice fields. I believe that this is valuable experience for these high ceiling prospects by allowing them to play in front of larger crowds with the major league team. That allows them to sit on the bench and observe the veterans like Swisher, Bourn, and Cabrera as well as talk and interact with them during a game. I think this is good for the fans and the organization going forward.

Tyler Naquin has stood out among the youngsters simply because of his diminutive size and his “all out” style of play. He is a threat on the bases, with the bat, and with the glove. Probably not destined to be a super star, but it is very hard to picture him not making it to the big leagues at some point and having an impact.

Everyone knows the expectations of Lindor and I am sure he will meet them at some time. It is clear (actually similar to all the three youngsters mentioned) that he is not ready now and will not be ready for a year or so. But his bat stands out and he is smooth in the field. His defense will not make you forget Omar but it will be as solid as we currently see on the major league level and a bit more.

On the “bubble” side of the roster, I do not see David Huff remaining with the Tribe. He has been given numerous chances and still might prove to be a serviceable major league pitcher but not with Cleveland. I am purposely not reading the papers so I am sorry if this or other observations might be old news.

Trevor Bauer looks solid for the future and the future might be later this year. He did a decent job in the outing I watched despite giving up quite a few runs. He has major league stuff but needs to be sharp with his command to have a chance to be dominant. I think he was squeezed on some of his calls in the outing and was around the plate for the most part. That all being said, he is not ready now and might not be this year. But I have no doubt he will break into the starting rotation in the not too distant future.

Cord Phelps has made strides even since I arrived and is hitting and fielding with more confidence. I have felt for a long time that his greatest weakness is letting his emotions get the better of him when trying to play for the major league club, even in spring training. I am not sure he can do much now to salvage a roster spot, but I would love to keep him in the organization at least one more year. Not sure if that is possible.

Vinnie Pestano, probably the most loved pitcher in our pen, showed the same kinks in his armor in his first outing of the Spring (lack of command). In his second outing he had good velocity, decent command, and hitters looked more uncomfortable hitting against him. Although almost no one is concerned about Pestano, I will be much happier once he has some success this season. I have concerns but believe Vinnie will prove me wrong.

Matt Albers and Brian Shaw have settled in nicely and I think will be solid additions to the pen. I think getting them as a part of the Reds / Diamondbacks trade is huge for this year. They are not dominant but good major league pitchers.

Carrasco has had a couple of outings since I arrived and I am convinced he will help this year. But don’t expect him to break camp with the big club. I think he needs a little more time. That being said, with the way pitchers go down, he will be a major factor in how the Tribe does this year.

This is one year when I am not sure who will be the bench players at the start of the season. Maybe Francona has decided so I am sorry if this is old news but there will be an internal struggle whether to keep veterans (Giambi, Rayburn, Gomes or Marson) or the younger players (Phelps, etc.). The only bench spot assured in my mind is Mike Aviles who is a fantastic addition to the Tribe this year. Maybe the DL will swallow up a couple of those guys but hard to tell.

The last possible bullpen spot might also cut off one of the position players if they keep 13 pitchers to start the season. Hagadone and Huff are still in the running but Hagadone is much more likely.

Quick hits:

Don’t worry about Michael Bourne’s spring. Meaningless.

Brantley and Chisenhall are ready to contribute at a high level this year.

Still worry about Jimenez. And keep worrying.

Masterson should be better than last year but not up to 2011 standards.

That’s all for now.

Stay tuned for more observations going forward.

It is not easy to become a major league manager and even harder to stay one. Sometimes success can come from good fortune and sometimes from hard work. But to be looked upon as an elite manager, you need to lead some really successful teams and win the ultimate prize as a World Series Champion.

I am writing this at Spring Training before one game that matters is actually played. I don’t want a slow start or a fast start or, worse yet, a full season to pass before this is written. Terry Francona IS an elite manager! And, better yet, he is the Cleveland Indians manager!

Now you might say I am simply stating the obvious after Francona’s success with Boston or that I am delirious as a Tribe fan considering his lukewarm performance with Philadelphia. Although either could be true, let me explain.

Terry ( or Tito as he prefers to be called honoring his father) is a person driven by his heart and his character and not by his ego. He understands the gift he has been given to play and manage in a game he loves. A game he was around as a little boy. His father gave him the chance to experience the game but did not define his success.

This is why it should be no surprise to anyone but sky nose pointing residents of Boston or New York that Francona hand-picked his return to the game in Cleveland. He knew and had an emotional connection to the city and the management of the Indians. To some, that may seem like a silly reason to take on a team flashing a 68-94 record in front of your face. It obviously is not to Tito.

I have personally seen and heard plenty this spring about Francona, and this, coupled with what I just explained, is why I think he is an elite manager. His success as a manager is far from over. That is the way it is with those rare few.

Let’s briefly look at some things we know about Tito. First, until the season he left, he held together a team of young players and star veterans that crushed much of the competition and outcompeted the rest. He handled more outsized egos and quirky personalities than some managers see in a lifetime. But the Red Sox, through the good years before the collapse in 2011, played together and played with heart. Francona admitted he lost the team and promptly left. That ability to look in the mirror and not always point a finger comes through in his actions as a manager.

Francona has shown this spring on multiple occasions that he is willing to tell players where they stand early and make decisive moves. Some positive and some negative. On the positive side as new starter Bret Myers struggled early, Tito pulled him aside and assured him a spot in the rotation in return for him relaxing and doing what it took for him to get ready for the season. If it worked, only time will tell. Another when Masterson struggled in inning one Sunday, he pulled him aside to help Masterson focus his energies in the right direction. I have no idea what was said, but I did see the result. Four strong innings followed.

On the negative side, after what I detailed last night as a performance confirming he was not ready, Francona pulled Matt Capps into the office and told him it wouldn’t work right now. The cards were left in Capps hands to decide to accept a minor league assignment. I believe a similar discussion was made with Dice-K. Although these are not the kind of discussions the players want to hear, they are ones that build respect and trust.

As Indian fans have witnessed, the roster was enhanced and upgraded to an exciting group after Tito was hired. Holes were plugged with quality in most cases (outfield /bullpen) and silly putty in others (starting pitching). But no one can deny the 2013 Tribe is dramatically improved. Now I think the credit has gone a bit far citing “The Francona Effect”, but his influence has been all over these changes. Antonetti and Dolan have made the moves, but without trust in Francona they would have thought long and hard about making them. Plus, players would be more reluctant to come here.

Often Francona is mentioned as a “player’s manager”. I think there is a great deal of misconception about this term. A player’s manager does not necessarily always complement the players or only give positive reinforcement. A true “player’s manager”, which I think does describe Francona, is one with the ability to relate on a player’s level and be honest and clear about where the player stands with the team. Better yet, one that makes it clear to the player as early as possible where they stand. If a manager always complements a player and then simply “cuts him”, there is an immediate distrust built between not only that player and the manager but other players and the manager once this is revealed. That may not translate to problems at first, but it inevitably does result in problems with players. I think Tito is clearly showing the players very early that he will be honest and let them know when they do or do not fit into the team’s plans.

The final piece of being a true elite manager is the ability to make the players think that they are even better than their talent would predict. This characteristic is the only one I am not certain Francona possesses. This team, in contrast to the many “stacked” teams in Boston, will be a great test of that skill. My hunch is that Francona will clearly reveal his talent in this area as the season progresses. As much as I hated Sparky Anderson (because for a time I was an Indians fan residing in Cincinnati), I always admired his ability to believe in his players even when they were beginning to doubt themselves. He was often a terrible “in-game” manager, but his teams won despite that in part because of his skill at bringing the best out of his team.

It is not by chance that I have not once mentioned in this blog about whether he knows to bunt in this situation or steal in another. I didn’t even mention the ability to know when to pull a pitcher from a game. Because, by it’s very nature, a baseball manager is a manager of men more than a manager of each game situation. I doubt Tito will be “outmanaged” often, but his other skills are what set him apart.

So, it is for all these reasons (and a few more not mentioned), that I honestly believe that Terry (Tito) Francona is one of a select few elite managers in baseball. It isn’t enough by itself to make the Cleveland Indians winners in 2013, but it certainly won’t hurt.

Well we may not know yet if the major league roster can make late inning comebacks but the young bucks for the Indians (with invitees) have roared back twice in two days. Nice to watch but relatively unimportant in the big scheme of things.

More importantly Masterson was pelted with rocket shots in the first inning but recovered nicely. Analyzing his performance with more aplomb reveals a first inning of misplaced fastballs mixed with nothing off speed. From the second inning on he had better command and enough off speed to keep the same hitters off balance that rocked him in the first. I wondered if the plan was to only bring the heat in inning one and throw more off speed later.  But it was clear manager Francona had a lot to say to him after that inning. Terry looked to be giving positive advice and support. Maybe what he said worked. In any case, Masterson saved the outing with his performance after the first.

Cleveland winners today:

Tyler Naquin who ran like a race horse with blinders on out of the batters box to leg out a bouncer that had already safely deflected off the shortstops glove into left field. Nice job impressing the fans and the manager with that one!

Brian Shaw with two solid innings out of the pen to end the game in a tie. He looked good doing it as well with a good fastball and timely off speed pitches.

Losers:

Matt Caps who simply doesn’t look ready coming back from shoulder problems. Stuff is there pretty much but command is not. I would love to hide him in the minors for a month or so because I think he could help us as his command sharpens.

 

It was certainly great to see Carrasco begin to make Terry Francona think about his starting rotation in a slightly different way. It might just be a bit more crowded with some quality than he thinks. There is no denying that Scott Kazmir is making a strong push to crack into the Tribe’s rotation, but Carrasco made a strong statement last night. He said “don’t forget about me”. That quote might not have come out of his mouth but it sure did from his arm.

Carrasco last night showed what every pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery must show …. Command. It is always the last thing to come back after the surgery and wasn’t all there at first. Even in this outing. But it showed itself as the innings progressed to the point that he actually looked dominant. Now that may seem shallow given the lineup the Giants threw at him, but it is no less impressive if you watched the performance critically.

I had no radar gun so it is not clear what his velocity was to me, but he threw quality strikes in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings. This resulted, as it often does, with hitters not able to center up on the ball. Now I know Matt Carson saved damage with a couple of dynamite catches, but don’t we think the Indians outfield will do that from time to time this year?

Of course we should not be deceived, he needs to show this some more. And, if I were making the decisions, I would give him some time at triple A first to keep progressing. But I really feel Carrasco will have a major impact on the Indians this season and beyond. Good for him!

Winners and Losers last night: Winners

Matt Carson with two really fine catches to take extra bases away. He also hit the ball hard. But it is a harsh reality that this 31 year old reserve will likely play in triple A again. But that performance won’t hurt his chances with another team or us going forward.

Delvi Cid for having perhaps his finest moment as a pro with a two out, two on game winning triple. Another young man stuck in mud in the minors but has always had speed.

Rich Hill for continuing his dominance this spring. Tribe needs a solid left hander in the pen.

Carrasco. …. Of course

Lonnie Chissenhall by continuing to smoke the ball despite only 1-3 night.

Giambi. Another home run doesn’t hurt his chances.

Losers

Nick Haggadone. Despite getting the pitch he needed to get out of the inning, he skated by after marginal command got him into trouble. He still has a way to go.

Cord Phelps for continuing his maddening propensity for not being able to hit in the clutch in any Major League performance. Even Spring Training has not cured that malady. Also, he again was a part of a marginal play when a pop foul dropped between him and the first baseman. Not all his fault but …..

Ryan Rayburn. Cooled off a bit.

Matt Albers. Any marginal performance is not good for him right now. That’s what it was.

We will see how today goes. Catch ya later.

I have been continuously excited about the Tribe bullpen for two years. I was sitting on the bleachers at the practice field in Goodyear raving to my friend about Vinnie Pestano’s potential before he ever made a pitch for the Tribe. So my bias is definitely positive when it comes to the pen for Cleveland. I was also happy the front office brought in and traded for several solid potential additions.

I will be watching them all carefully this week because I am slightly concerned for 2013. We all know that the Indians starting pitching is the greatest question mark. But what if the Indians most consistent area for two years starts to crack? I don’t think you need much imagination to figure out the likely result.

Big league bullpens are notoriously inconsistent from year to year. Sometimes even when the pitchers are not changed the results can change. They are built from the back forward. So this year we have seen the closer go down for the second spring in a row and our lights out setup man be “lit up” in the WBC. Now I still am optimistic that the back end will come through in the end but I see some concerning cracks.

Chris Perez was pretty solid all season in 2012, but had some command issues along with some mental focus issues. The mental focus issues were reflected both on the mound and in his off field commentary about fans and management. I have been assured by a close source that his main focus is all about winning. If so, he should be fine. But spring injuries are not always easy to overcome so some questions remain.

Pestano, everyone’s favorite bullpen pitcher for the Tribe, had some quite bothersome command issues to finish last season and the WBC failure looked similar. As I said at the start, I too love Pestano. Spring Training performances generally should be overlooked. But the USA baseball meltdown is more of a psychological concern than a normal Spring Training outing. The key here is that Pestano must let this failure go like any bad regular season performance. It will not be as easy to do as some think. And Vinnie really cares. That is one of his strengths. So I will be watching Vinnie closely and all the candidates for the Tribe bullpen. They need to remain a strength for the Indians to compete in 2013.

I will continue my observations and commentary tomorrow after watching the game tonight.