GOODYEAR, Ariz. — With three games remaining on the Cactus League schedule, it’s time to pass out the spring training awards for performances both good and bad during the exhibition season.
Best Position Player
Travis Buck, outfielder: Buck has been reborn with the Indians, following a disappointing injury-filled ending to his four-year tenure in Oakland.
Once the club’s top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall left the scene, Buck took over as Cleveland’s most productive player this spring to win a roster spot as one of two extra outfielders.
With a recovering Grady Sizemore out of the picture to start the regular season, it could be a more significant role for Buck, who is leading the Indians in nearly every offensive category — batting .420 (21-for-50) with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 17 games through Friday.
Worst Position Player
Lou Marson, catcher: Marson, who opened last season as Cleveland’s starting catcher, will most likely win the backup catcher spot on the roster thanks to his defensive superiority over the other candidates, Luke Carlin and Paul Phillips. But he still hasn’t been able to figure out big league pitching, batting just .143 (4-for-28) with three RBIs and eight strikeouts in 14 games through Friday.
Come to think of it, Marson hasn’t been able to figure out Triple-A pitching, either, hitting a measly .202 in 37 games after being demoted in 2010.
First baseman Matt LaPorta has given Marson a run for his money in this dubious category, batting .163 (8-for-49) with two homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games through Friday.
LaPorta has not prepared well in what is big season for the key cog in the CC Sabathia trade.
Best Starting Pitcher
Josh Tomlin, right-hander: Though he didn’t get as many opportunities as the rest of the starters, Tomlin made the most of his, outpitching counterparts Jeanmar Gomez and David Huff, to win the final spot in the Indians’ rotation.
Not only was Tomlin (1-0, 1.13 ERA in three exhibition games, one start) better than those two, he was the best starter Cleveland ran out all spring, though ace Fausto Carmona has pitched well, too.
Tomlin, who beat the Yankees in his big league debut last year (one earned run, three hits in seven innings), appears on track to continuing the success he enjoyed in a late-season stint (12 starts) for Cleveland in 2010.
Worst Starting Pitcher
Mitch Talbot, right-hander: This guy was so bad this spring that he was bumped to the fifth spot behind Tomlin, and looks as though he’s a few bad performances in the regular season away from the waiver wire and a possible trip to the minors.
Talbot (1-1, 8.61 ERA, six starts) got off to a miserable start to the exhibition season, then after two promising outings, reverted back to his ineffective form Friday night, allowing seven runs and a whopping 14 hits over six innings of a 7-4 loss to the Brewers.
Best Relief Pitcher
Tony Sipp, left-hander: His has been tops among a number of quality performances from Indians relievers this spring, with the setup man going 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA and two saves (two opportunities) in nine games through Friday.
Closer Chris Perez has also been a strong candidate in this category, allowing just a run in eight appearances, while striking out nine over 8 1/3 innings through Friday. The hard-throwing right-hander looked in midseason form from Day One, and the ninth inning appears to be in very capable hands with Perez, just as it was in 2010, when he saved 23 games and posted the second-lowest ERA (1.71) among American League relievers.
Justin Germano, a non-roster right-hander who is closing in on a job in the bullpen, also deserves mention here. He has not allowed a run over six games, covering seven innings through Friday.
Worst Relief Pitcher
Jensen Lewis, right-hander: Lewis arrived at training camp with a new contract and what appeared to be a secure roster spot. He promptly pitched his way off the team and into the minors by allowing 10 runs, 13 hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings of six appearances.
It has been downhill for Lewis since a breakthrough season in 2007, and there is no guarantee he sees the major league level this year.
Decision days
Manager Manny Acta said he would announce the winners of the final roster spots over the next couple days.
Thanks to an injury to right-hander Joe Smith (strained abdominal), there are three openings in the bullpen between right-handers Frank Herrmann (0-0, 2.08 ERA, eight games), Germano (0-0, 0.00, six games), Vinnie Pestano (0-1, 1.35, seven games) and Jess Todd (0-0, 1.35, six games).
Acta will also choose a utility infielder from a pool of three players, Adam Everett (.324, two RBIs, 18 games), Luis Valbuena (.239, four homers, nine RBIs, 19 games) and Jayson Nix (.167, HR, two RBIs, 11 games), as well as a backup catcher, in the race between Marson, Carlin (.158, HR, RBI, 11 games) and Phillips (.407, HR, two RBIs, 11 games).
Back out there
Grady Sizemore (microfacture surgery left knee) was scheduled to return to center field for the second time this spring Saturday night, playing five innings in the Indians’ exhibition game against the split-squad Giants at Goodyear Ballpark.
Sizemore had played in two big league games this spring through Friday, going 0-for-4.
Roundin’ third
Today, 4:05 vs. Dodgers at The Ballpark at Camelback Ranch (Glendale, Ariz.), WTAM 1100-AM (live). Tomlin (0-0, 1.13) vs. Chad Billingsley (0-1, 3.43).
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
