Things I Believe About the Cleveland Indians

I believe Manny Acta's firing is the right thing to do. In his six seasons as an MLB manager (2 1/2 with the Nationals, 2 19/20 with the Indians), he has amassed a career record of 372-518; a .418 win percentage. Granted, the argument can be made, justifiably so, that he never had the roster talent. Yet, after a 30-15 start last season the team finished under .500, and he has never had a winning season.

I believe Manny Acta is the kind of manager who is only as good as the talent he coaches. This may seem like a defense for him, but it is in fact the opposite. My prime example is the Chicago White Sox. On paper, before the season started, the White Sox and Indians looked like very similar teams; if anything, the Indians looked to be in a better position than the White Sox. However, the White Sox have been contenders all season, and are still fighting for the AL Central crown with first year manager Robin Ventura leading the team. Ventura has been able to rally the clubhouse and get players to perform far higher than their expectations. Acta was only ever able to get a meager amount of talent out his players. A roster full of high payed talent does not always equal success; ask the Boston Red Sox. Great teams are filled with players that rise above their potential to a level that helps the team reach their ultimate goal. Manny Acta isn't that type of manager.

I believe the Indians collapse in August is the main reason Acta is gone. Before August came around, the Indians were still a decent ballclub to watch. Then the bottom fell out and they won only 5 games in August. Think about that. Out of 29 games played in one month, the Indians only won 5. The only team to post a worse month are the Houston Astros, the worst team in baseball, who won 3 games in July. A team that has two all-stars on its roster should not lose 24 games in one month.

I believe Chris Perez is a cancer to the young players on this team and needs to go. His outbursts and public displays of anger towards the fanbase of Cleveland and the organization are an embarrassment to the players working hard everyday. He's a hothead and has no place on a team filled with young players trying to set good examples not just for the team, but the city as well. He may be right on some things he says, but I can only imagine what he is like in the clubhouse. His antics against the Oakland A's fan worries me about his behind close doors behavior even more.

I believe this team has a group of talent that can, one day, rival that of the '90's. With the right coaches in place (I'll get to that soon), and some extra pieces, the Indians could be a very exciting team in the next few years, and possibly by this time next year. I think Kipnis and Santana are both future all stars, despite their slumping numbers this year. I think Chisenhall, although still unproven, can be a solid corner infielder. Michael Brantley has the potential to be a five-tool type player. Vinnie Pestano can anchor the bullpen. To me, all this team needs is a right handed hitter and a solid, #1 starter. Obviously, those are two very big needs, and not easy to come by.

I believe Choo is not worth the contract he will get next offseason, and the Indians should trade him this winter. Choo is a solid defensive outfielder, but, to me, he lacks the offensive power that right field demands. His best season was 2010, and his numbers weren't that impressive even then. 22 HR and 90 RBI aren't anything fantastic, and his numbers have declined the two years since. He's a good player, a fan favorite, but the money his agent and he will be asking for is going to be way more than his worth. Trade him while his stock is still high, and get a team's top or second best prospect in the deal.

I believe Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez are not ace pitchers. There's no denying Masterson has talent. When he's on, his slider is one of the more un-hittable in baseball; but, he's too inconsistent to be a rotation ace. He's a 2nd, maybe 3rd man. The Ubaldo Jimenez trade has been nothing short of a disaster. I didn't like it when it happened, and now we're stuck with a guy who is having mental and physical issues on the mound. Granted, Alex White and Drew Pomeranz haven't panned out for Colorado either, but I would have much rather taken my chances with them than Jimenez.

I believe the front office takes the majority of blame for this team. There was a time when Mark Shapiro was making great trades and getting the best players for this team. 2007 is the prime example of that. But, that all drastically changed with the awful Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia deals. None of the players we recieved for Lee are on the roster. Granted, the C.C. deal brought us Brantley, but he was the player to be named later. Matt LaPorta was the big chip of the deal, and, well, the Indians keep giving him second chances, trying desperately to prove to the fans the deal was justified.  The first round draft picks have been horrendous recently. Our last solid first round draft pick came in 1998. The player? C.C. Sabathia. I do think Chisenhall and Lindor can break that streak, but, it is yet to be seen.

I believe Francisco Lindor will be an everyday starter by 2014. Who is Lindor? He was our first round draft pick in 2011, and has a solid bat and all the tools to become a stud. The problem? He's a shortstop. Would the Indians deal Cabrera in the hopes that Lindor turns out as good as advertised? I can't see it happening, but, it's difficult to move a shortstop to the position he would have to move to: the outfield, but that depends on Chisenhall's development. Lindor really won't be ready for the majors until 2014; he may see some action next September. To me, that gives Chisenhall almost a full season to prove he should be the everyday third baseman. If he can't, or he's just having an OK season, I wouldn't be against trying Chisenhall in the outfield (if that void hasn't been filled), and slotting Lindor in at 3B next September. Another route would be moving Lindor to the outfield this offseason and having him get a feel for it all next year. However, that could greatly stump his growth. It's ironic, given the team now, that they could have too much talent and not enough positions in two years.

I believe that Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner need to go. We wasted money on both of these players this year, who combined for 212 AB's in 2012. I say that nicely because Sizemore didn't even suit up; not even in a spring training game if I remember correctly. I wouldn't even be up for signing them for the league minimum. Their time in Cleveland, though great at times, needs to be over.

I believe if the Indians want Sandy Alomar, Jr. as their manager next season, they need to sign him very, very soon. Alomar was very close to being hired as the White Sox manager last offseason. He was impressive on every job he was interviewed for. Even the Red Sox considered him. Alomar is going to be a major league manager before long, and in my estimation, is going to be a damn good one. For one thing, he's got history on his side. Some of the best managers in recent memory were once catchers: Joe Torre, Mike Scioscia, Jim Leyland, Joe Maddon, and Joe Girardi quickly come to mind. Granted, Acta was a catcher as well. Catchers make great coaches because they act as managers when their in the field. A good catcher has his manager's trust in calling a pitchers pitches; and sometimes sets the defense up based on the man at the plate. Alomar was always a fan favorite when he played and was one of the more humble and likable players on the team. He was on winning teams, he's a hard worker, and I think all of that would have a great impact on the young players on the roster, especially Carlos Santana.

I believe the Indians need to hire Mike Sarbaugh as their bench coach, before someone else does. Mike Sarbaugh is the manager of the Columbus Clippers, our AAA affiliate. He coached many of the players on the roster now to back-to-back league championships in 2010 and 2011. He is another man who could be a major league manager or coach in the near future. I think having Alomar as manager and Sarbaugh as bench coach is a great combination, and would be a huge boost for the club overall.

I believe, despite this abysmal season, the Indians can, and will, be a contender. Although this has been one of the worst seasons in recent memory, I think this can be seen as a blessing down the road. Hopefully the front office finally sees that the fans are fed up with mediocrity, and demand a better product. Perhaps Acta is just the first step in the process. There are good pieces in place with this team to build a winner, the front office just has to be willing to find the right guys to surround them with, both on the field and in the dugout. They need to draft better. They need to find the right prospects for Choo and Perez this offseason. They need to stop wasting money on players like Hafner and Sizemore. Most of all, they need to show us, the fans, they they DO want to win, and are COMMITTED to winning, not just say they are.