Nine Cleveland Indians Would Qualify for Free Agent Compensation Picks

It’s way too early for the Cleveland Indians to be thinking about free agency—only four Tribe players are not under team control for the 2012 season, and there will (hopefully) be a pennant run at Progressive Field between now and November. But the latest updates of the Elias free agent rankings are still noteworthy.

Every offseason, the Elias Sports Bureau designates the top free agents on the market as either “Type A” or “Type B.” If the Type A or B player’s team offers him arbitration after his contract expires and the player rejects, his former team is compensated for its loss in the coming year’s amateur draft.

In every case, the team that unsuccessfully offered arbitration to a ranked free agent gets a “sandwich pick” between the first and second rounds of the draft. In addition, whoever signs a Type A free agent must give its first-round pick to the player’s former team (unless the signing team has one of the first 15 picks, in which case they lose give up their second-round pick).

According to MLBTradeRumors.com’s latest Elias Rankings Update, nine Cleveland Indians players would qualify as either Type A or Type B picks if their contracts expired tomorrow. (more…)

Ballpark vs. Ballpark: Comparing Great American Ballpark to Progressive Field

While the Cleveland Indians were getting slaughtered last night (et tu, Toronto?), I was deep in enemy territory—specifically, southern Ohio, home of the Tribe’s intrastate rivals, the Cincinnati Reds.

I had the pleasure of taking in a Reds game in person at Great American Ballpark, where Cincinnati beat up on the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-3. It was my first time visiting Great American, and naturally I found myself comparing GABP to my beloved Progressive Field.

Here are three ways in which Great American has the edge over Progressive Field, plus three things that the venue formerly known as “The Jake” has over Cincinnati’s ballpark. Starting with GABP’s advantages:

1. The outdoorsy atmosphere. In Cleveland, when you’re at the stadium, you’re at the stadium. You can see the skyline behind the bleachers and you can look down at the street from the top of the nosebleed seats, but you definitely don’t feel like you’re part of the outside world.

In Cincinnati, it’s completely different. Finding your way to your section, much (if not most) of the path is truly open-air. Multiple entrances to the stadium feel fully integrated into the surrounding sidewalks. Walking behind the outfield, you’re right on the Ohio River—not the most scenic body of water, but it’s a lot easier on the eyes than a row of snack stands. (more…)

What Should Cleveland Indians Expect From Toronto Blue Jays?

It was a rough weekend for the Cleveland Indians, who dropped two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays. As a result, the Tribe has dropped to 31-19—they don’t have the best record in baseball anymore (just the best in the American League).

The Indians will look to make up some ground this week as they head to Toronto for a three-game set with the Blue Jays, who—surprisingly enough—currently stand at 27-26, just three games behind the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox.

To get a better idea of what to expect from the Blue Jays when they take the field in the series opener at Rogers Centre (yes, that’s how they spell it) tonight, I talked to BlueJaysRant.com‘s Thom Tsang about Toronto’s chances of contending this year, the amazing Alex Anthopoulos, and Jose Bautista’s insane hitting ability.

Here’s what Thom had to say:

WAHOO BLUES: As of today, the Blue Jays are over .500 and within two games of a playoff spot. Do they have a chance to contend? Where do you see them finishing in the standings?

THOM TSANG: Contending in 2011 isn’t really in the Blue Jays’ plan – though the fact that we’ve been able to keep close with our divisional rivals is a nice story so far. The reality, however, is that we simply do not have the talent and depth to contend for a playoff spot this year. We’ll finish either 4th or 5th this season. The farm is on the way, though, and the team could well be a wild card challenger in 2013.

WB: Alex Anthopoulos is earning a reputation in some circles as one of the best GMs in baseball. Do you agree with that assessment? (more…)

Attention Manny Acta: Matt LaPorta is a Good Hitter

Filling out the Cleveland Indians’ batting order must be a hard job for Manny Acta.

It’s not just that everyone in the lineup is producing—it’s that, for many Tribe hitters, statistics to date aren’t necessarily reliable for predicting future performance. Michael Brantley, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Jack Hannahan are looking better than ever before. Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore have gotten fairly lucky (when healthy—another factor), while Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo have been struggling because of bad fortune.

There’s a lot of gray area here, and I don’t think there’s a single right way to fill out the lineup card. But there’s one thing Acta continuously does that seems to be to be objectively wrong: putting first baseman Matt LaPorta in the No. 8 slot. (more…)

Interview: Bradley Woodrum Previews Rematch With Tampa Bay Rays

Cleveland Indians fans might not be too excited about this weekend’s series in Tampa Bay. The Rays (26-23) took two of three games from the Tribe (30-17) when they visited Progressive Field earlier this month, and the three starters the Indians will face—David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson—are among the American League’s best pitchers.

But it’s almost worth having to play another series with Tampa to have another excuse to talk to Bradley Woodrum, who writes about the Tribe’s weekend opponents for DRaysBay, one of my favorite other-team blogs. You may also know him as a contributor to FanGraphs and CubsStats or as the creator of the best baseball-related Youtube videos in the history of the internet.

As the Indians and Rays gear up for a rematch, Bradley was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the Tampa Bay’s chances of overtaking their AL East rivals, how the Indians can manage to score some runs this series, and the proper lingo for being beaten by the Rays. Here’s what he had to say:

WAHOO BLUES: As someone who doesn’t actually have a stake in Cleveland baseball, what do you think about the significance and sustainability of Indians’ hot start? Do you see any parallels with the 2008 Rays?

BRADLEY WOODRUM: One of the great peculiarities about the 2008 Rays was that the team came straight from an unbroken history of zero success to the World Series. The Indians at least reached the ALCS in 2007, albeit with a nearly entirely different roster. Outside of that though, the team certainly does have similarities: A young roster with cheap veterans sprinkled in, a slew of under-30 starting pitchers, and a somewhat surprisingly elite bullpen.

Does this team have the ability to sustain their success? Well, I doubt they can stay this hot, but the only two teams with nearly the same talent in the talent level (the White Sox and the Twins) started so cold it now seems unlikely they will ever thaw. I think the Central is theirs for the taking.

WB: I suppose we can talk about your team now. The Rays have fallen to third place, and while they’re not too far behind, Boston is finally catching fire. What do you think about Tampa Bay’s playoff chances? Should the Rays try to upgrade at the Trade Deadline? (more…)

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