Some questions concerning the woeful Wahoos, who are limping back home with one of the worst records in baseball after a less-than-fruitful interleague road trip:
** Is there any reason to keep watching this team?
Not unless you like watching a Triple-A-caliber club wearing your hometown colors get thumped on an almost regular basis.
Oh, sure, there’s right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, an above-average player who is as good as it gets on this club. And there’s projected star catcher Carlos Santana, who is finally at the big league level and playing well out of the gate. Still, the Indians are bad. There’s really no other way to put it, and watching bad baseball is about as entertaining as taking in a documentary on the life and times of team mascot Slider.
** Who is going to represent the Indians at the All-Star Game in Anaheim?
If it wasn’t mandated by the league, the Indians wouldn’t be sending anyone. Choo’s numbers aren’t good enough to gain admittance as an American League outfielder, but since each club gets one, it would be shocking if he isn’t Cleveland’s pick. Rookie right-hander Mitch Talbot looked like an early candidate but has floundered a bit after a fast start. Fausto Carmona had pitched well up until his last outing, but his season record and ERA don’t qualify as star-studded statistics. It’s going to be Big League Choo, the Indians’ best and most consistent player, by default.
** What’s wrong with Kerry Wood?
A number of things. Giving Wood the benefit of the doubt, the veteran right-hander isn’t getting enough opportunities to stay sharp. But it’s tough to give the benefit of the doubt to a closer who’s making $10.5 million and has stunk up the joint nearly every time he’s taken the mound. Wood might still be ailing from an injury that left him on the disabled list to start the season. He might be disinterested in pitching for a last-place team. He might just not have it anymore.
It’s a good thing Mark Shapiro is moving out of the general manager spot and becoming team president next year. Focusing on his new duties will help him try to forget one of the worst signings of his tenure. It’s tough to hammer Shapiro too hard on this one, though. The Indians needed a closer and thought they were getting a top-shelf one in Wood. Still, that’s how a GM is graded, and Shapiro gets an “F” on this one.
** Are the Indians going to deal off veterans at the trading deadline?
They don’t have much to offer, but it’s a safe bet that someone will be headed to a better place. First baseman Russell Branyan, outfielder Austin Kearns and starting pitcher Jake Westbrook appear to be the most likely candidates to leave for a contender. Branyan can still hit homers, Kearns has been steady at the plate all season and Westbrook could help a club short on starters.
The Indians would love to unload the salaries of Travis Hafner or Wood, and come to think of it, Jhonny Peralta, but that’s not going to happen. The Indians could get the most in return out of dealing Choo, but they would be bucking their trend of waiting until their players become stars before shipping them out of Cleveland.
** What is Hafner’s season going to look like?
The franchise leader in home runs and RBIs by a designated hitter is on pace to bat around .250 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs, not exactly what the Indians envisioned from Hafner, who was deemed completely healthy for the first time in three seasons.
Pronk had begun to pick up the pace at the plate before an extended stint on the bench during the recent interleague road stretch. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to relocate the swing or slumps to the finish line. Whatever happens, Hafner hasn’t been the same hitter since he signed a lucrative long-term deal that the Indians are still kicking themselves over.
** When are we going to see more prospects from the minors?
Who cares? Sorry, but getting to see another round of outfielder Michael Brantley, catcher Lou Marson and the like just doesn’t get me all that giddy. How ’bout you?
** How is Manny Acta doing?
It’s tough to criticize a manager who is sent into a gunfight with a water pistol.
Acta talked about contending in the balanced Central Division during spring training, then lost two of his best players – Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore – to injuries shortly into the season. Even before those two went down, the Indians probably weren’t talented enough to contend in any division with a suspect pitching staff and a highly overrated offense.
That’s not Acta’s fault. No manager is going to win without talent and that’s the situation Acta is in during his dud of a debut season in Cleveland.
Contact Chris Assenheimer
at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
