2007 Cleveland Indians Picks & Predictions
May 27, 2008
The Cleveland Indians’ rebuilding project was looking great until a down year in 2006. The tribe improved 12 wins in 2004 from the previous year, and they improved another 13 wins in 2005 to give them an impressive 93 victories. But Cleveland backslid in 2006 with just 78 wins. Cleveland is still trying to recover from losing pitchers Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton off of a starting pitching rotation which had the lowest E.R.A. in the American League in 2005.
Cleveland still has C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Jake Westbrook to give the Indians a solid starting rotation, but it’s obvious that losing an ace like Millwood leaves a big hole. And with Cleveland shipping Bob Wickman off to Atlanta, the Indians’ bullpen loses all consistency. This is a tough drop off to endure after having a staff just two seasons ago which was the best in the American League. Keith Foulke, and Joe Borowski, who have both enjoyed some success closing, will try to get in done in Cleveland this year. Health could be a major issue for both players.
Hopefully, Cleveland’s bats will make up for their pitching deficiencies. Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake, and Victor Martinez give the Indians a good nucleus of young talent at the plate and in the field. I hope Cleveland can keep these boys together because they have the potential to give American League pitchers fits for years to come.
What is the one thing that young teams most generally have in common? They are inconsistent. No team has been more Jekyll and Hyde over the past couple seasons than Cleveland. In 2005, the tribe were an amazing 50-31 on the road and 43-38 at home. In 2006, there ability to win on the road was completely gone, but they were a better home team. I think these young guys learned a lot from last season’s down year. We’ll expect Cleveland to improve in 2007 at home, but I don’t think this team can come close to matching its 2005 road success, especially within their division with elite teams like the White Sox, Twins and Tigers likely to clean up at their home fields.
The Indians will be a good value bet right out of the gate in 2007 after a down year in 2006 which surely dropped the value of this team. One thing to keep in mind is that the Indians were 19-14 against the AL East last season. The Tribe will be playing the underdog roll against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox in that division which gives us some good opportunities to cash in on Cleveland as a dog. We will especially look to profit on Cleveland as a home underdog in 2007.
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