2008 Cleveland Indians Picks & Predictions
May 22, 2008
The Indians have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Their bullpen and defense are both solid as well. If the offense shows up, the Indians have a team capable of winning another Central Division title. Find out if Dave thinks the Tribe will repeat in his 2008 Cleveland Indians predictions and season preview.
Pitching
C.C. Sabathia finally emerged into the ace he appeared to be last season and won the AL Cy Young award with a 19-7 record and a 3.21 ERA. While Sabathia tore through hitters in the regular season, he didn’t respond well to the pressure of the playoffs. The big southpaw will be critical to the hopes of the Indians winning the World Series if they make it back to the playoffs. Fausto Carmona was brilliant in 2007, going 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd provide experience and consistency. The final spot of the rotation is still up in the air, but it looks like Aaron Laffey will take it. He had better success after being called up last season than did Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers.
Joe Borowski, thought by many to be washed up, emerged as the AL saves leader last season. I’m not buying that he’ll be able to pull off that feat again, but he has proved to me that he can still be effective.
Offense
Grady Sizemore brings speed and power to the top of the Indians order. He may become a 30 homerun/30 steals guy this season. Travis Hafner drove is 100 RBIs for the fourth straight season and walked 100 times for the second straight. Still, Hafner had a down year by his standards and will have to be better for the Tribe to take the Central again. Catcher Victor Martinez is one of the best hitting catchers in baseball. He finished 7th in the AL with 114 RBIs. Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, and Casey Blake will all need to have better run producing years than they did last season as teams go after the target on Cleveland’s back.
Defense
Jhonny Peralta’s poor range at short could ultimately having the Tribe moving second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera there down the road. Garko has answered defensive concerns at first base. The versatile Blake is a good fit at third because of his strong arm. The outfield can best be categorized as Grady Sizemore and several spare parts. All you need to know is that Sizemore was last year’s Gold Glove-winning centerfielder. There was never a question about Martinez’s bat, but there was about his ability to stop the running game after catching just 14% in 2006. He improved to 30% in 2007 and we expect him to up that even a little more this season.
The Indians will be right in the thick of things in the AL Central this season, but it looks like the Tigers have made enough moves to catch them. Cleveland likely finishes second and challenges for the AL wild card.
Dave Price’s MLB picks are second to none in the handicapping business. No other capper on earth has mastered the art of picking underdogs as well. If you’ve never bet MLB action before, now is the time to get started with one of the industry’s finest on the bases.
Odds to win AL Central: 7/4
Odds to win AL Pennant: 6/1
Odds to win World Series: 11/1
AL Central
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