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Manny Acta reflects on the Indians' 2011 season and looks ahead to 2012 (Photo: AP) |
Hope springs eternal
The Indians had a successful 2011 campaign. Yes, they did not win a World Series, make the playoffs, or finish with a winning record, but they showed they are ready to make a leap forward next year and contend.
They certainly still have lots of question marks, but they have built a strong foundation from which to build upon going forward. For the first time in awhile they go into an offseason with a positive vibe among the fans that they could contend next year. There is also a more positive feeling among the fans that the Indians will make some moves this offseason to improve the team.
Along with some expected moves this offseason in free agency or on the trade front there is excitement to see the growth of this young team and what it can do with better health next year. The Indians finished the season with the third youngest roster (27.5 years old) in the Major Leagues behind only the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros, and finished the season with eleven rookies on the Major League roster.
The Indians also used the disabled list 22 times in 2011 - second most in the American League to Minnesota’s 25 – and lost 826 player days to the disabled list. In contrast, they only used the disabled list 14 times in 2010 and lost 673 player days to the disabled list. This season their top four established hitters Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and Asdrubal Cabrera were only in the same lineup 17 times all year (they won ten of those games).
The Indians will not be in on mega free agents like Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this offseason, but they should be in on just about any other player available in free agency or trade. It is the combination of a growing, youthful roster, improved health, and some noteworthy offseason additions that make the possibilities with this team exciting for 2012 and beyond.
Coaching carousel
The Indians announced a flurry of coaching moves at the conclusion of the season with pitching coach Tim Belcher and bench coach Tim Tolman both stepping down. The news of both Belcher and Tolman leaving their roles was unexpected, but both will remain with the organization in a more limited capacity.
Belcher stepped down so he could spend more time with his family. He will go back into the role he had with the Indians as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations prior to being named pitching coach two years ago. Tolman stepped down for health reasons as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago. He will transition to another capacity within the organization that will be determined in the coming weeks.
With Tolman’s departure, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will become the bench coach in 2012. The move to bench coach does not limit Alomar’s pursuit for any manager openings. He is a top candidate for several openings, most notably the one with the White Sox after Ozzie Guillen was let go this week.
The Indians also announced that they have picked up the 2013 club option on manager Manny Acta. Acta led the Indians to a second place finish in the American League Central this year with a record of 80-82 (.494), an 11-game improvement in terms of wins over the previous season. He is now signed through the 2013 season and owns a two-year record of 149-175 as Indians manager.
Wanted: Coaches
The pick up of Acta’s option was but a formality, and is just a show of confidence in ownership and the front office that he is doing a good job. He now has to work on adding three new coaches to his staff as he has to fill the voids left at first base coach, pitching coach and hitting coach.
Jon Nunnally was fired as hitting coach back in June and Bruce Fields took over on an interim basis. It is not known whether he will continue in the role full time, but the Indians will surely look at all options to fill the role. Jim Thome returned to the Indians this year and may decide to retire, and if so he would surely be a leading candidate if he was open to it.
At the outset of the pitching coach search the three main candidates will likely come from within as Indians bullpen coach Scott Radinsky, Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller will all likely get first consideration for the job opening before looking outside the organization. Niebla is highly regarded for the work he did this year with his pitchers in Columbus and has done a great job in previous years. Radinsky has done a great job with the bullpen in Cleveland the last two years, so both seem to be the top candidates right now.
The first base coach could come down to any number of people in the organization. The top candidate would appear to be Triple-A Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh. He is very deserving of a Major League coaching opportunity and this would be a great way to add him to the mix, especially considering so many of the players on the roster played under him the past few years. Another possibility could be Minor League Fielding Coordinator Travis Fryman, but the unknown is whether or not he is ready to be more involved since his current role allows him more time with his family.
Mixed results for Pomeranz and White
Former Indians’ left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz and right-handed pitcher Alex White had mixed results in their final starts to finish what was a chaotic 2011 season for both of them.
Pomeranz had a solid Major League debut for the Rockies where in four starts he finished 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA (18.1 IP, 19 H, 5 BB, 13 K). After a sensational big league debut on September 11th where he threw five shutout innings he was very mediocre at best in his final three starts, but overall it was a very good foundation for him to build on for next year. At this point it looks very much like barring injury that he should open the 2012 season in the Rockies’ opening day starting rotation.
On the other hand, White’s future is not so certain. He was awful in his seven starts for the Rockies going 2-4 with an 8.42 ERA (36.1 IP, 48 H, 16 BB, 24 K). His numbers were horrific in that he put up a 1.76 WHIP and one-quarter of the hits he gave up were home runs (12). He averaged close to one home run allowed every three innings!
I said it at the time of the trade that White was not 100% healthy, and he certainly pitched like an unhealthy pitcher the rest of the season. It will be an interesting offseason to see if additional issues with his finger cropped up and if more surgery occurs to “correct” things. There definitely has to be some concern on the Rockies front about his future.
For those wondering, the other two players in that deal right-handed pitcher Joe Gardner and first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride both had mixed results as well while playing for the Rockies’ Double-A Tulsa affiliate. Gardner made six starts and went 3-3 with a 2.48 ERA (36.1 IP, 31 H, 8 BB, 22 K), and McBride struggled through injuries and played just six games and hit .235 with no homers, two RBI and a .513 OPS.
The Indians paid a pretty hefty bounty to acquire right-handed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies back on July 30th. Some may wonder why updates on Pomeranz and White are necessary since both are no longer in the organization, but considering the magnitude of that deal it is very relevant to provide the information on the performances going forward of all the players involved in that deal. Whether we admit it or not, we will all be keeping an eye on White and Pomeranz to see how their careers end up in relation to what impact Jimenez has for the Indians.
Indians get #15
With the regular season coming to a close the Indians draft slot for next year’s draft was finally determined. The draft slot is determined by taking the worst record in the league and awarding them the #1 pick and so on, and the Indians ended up with the #15 pick.
While controlling where a team selects in the draft is not a goal a team shoots for, there was a bit of drama on the final day as with the Indians loss and the Washington Nationals win the Indians “earned” that #15 pick. Had the Indians won or the Nationals lost the Indians would have finished with the #16 or later pick, a difference that has some significance.
By getting the #15 pick the Indians now have a protected first round pick. Picks at #16 or later in the first round are unprotected. What this means is for a team with an unprotected pick that signs a Type-A free agent they lose their first round pick as compensation to the team they signed the player away from. Teams that have a protected first round pick do not lose the first round pick when signing Type-A free agents and instead lose their second round pick.
Of course, the Indians will never really be big players in free agency for the marquee free agents; however, being designated a “Type-A” free agent does not always mean such a player is a high profile free agent. The Indians have some interest in first base/left field right-handed bats this offseason, and two names that get brought up a lot are Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham. Both are Type-A free agents, so at least the Indians now know what the cost will be in draft picks going into any possible bargaining sessions for either player.
LaPorta to visit Haiti
First baseman Matt LaPorta will join with SportsTime Ohio’s efforts to aid earthquake relief in Haiti. Many remember the devastation caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths or over 3% of the nation’s total population and left the small nation completely devastated.
SportsTime Ohio has been heavily involved in various fundraising efforts immediately following the earthquake and has raised $175,000 thus far. LaPorta will join the SportsTime Ohio team on October 6, 2011 to visit Gressier Haiti, an area approximately ten miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. It is also home to Christianville, a mission that has a school with four campuses and 1200 students, a medical facility and several feeding programs feeding as many as 4500 people per day. The campus was decimated in the earthquake but now has rebuilt the schools and actually increased the feeding programs as well as being the home to Haiti’s only malaria lab.
LaPorta will be in Haiti for four days, and while there will tour the schools, support facilities and orphanages that have benefited from the funds raised in North East Ohio. LaPorta will see all of the relief efforts first hand and will be showcased as part of a SportsTime Ohio program to air in January of 2012, the second anniversary of the earthquake.
Henry has surgery
There was some unfortunate news on the minor league front this week. Double-A Akron outfielder Jordan Henry had right knee surgery on September 22nd for what was supposed to be a surgery to clean the knee out and repair cartilage in the knee. The recovery time was expected to be six weeks.
Unfortunately for Henry, during the procedure the damage was found to be more extensive so his doctor ended up performed micro-fracture surgery to repair it. The possibility of micro-fracture surgery was known going into the surgery, but was not known for certain until doctors went in and started operating on his knee.
The recovery time is expected to be five to six months and Henry is already out in Arizona rehabbing the knee. He should be ready by the start of minor league spring training in March, but the Indians will likely be conservative with getting him back into full time game action next year.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).
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