Will April prove kinder to Tribe in '06?
03/02/2006KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Spring is not only a time for rampant optimism, it is also the season of "what ifs." As in, what if the Cleveland Indians hadn't stumbled out of the starting gate last season? What if the Tribe hadn't dug themselves an 11 1/2-game hole by May 8?
What if this notoriously slow-starting team manages to avoid another April face plant like the one that essentially cost the team a playoff spot despite a 93-win season in 2005?
Taking nothing away from the World Series champion Chicago White Sox, but the Indians also have the talent to go all the way in 2006. Having that talent and getting to October for the Indians means getting off to a good start, and that's something they haven't been able to do since 2001, when the club went 14-9 in April.
Last year, the Indians' silent spring continued into May, when they found themselves 12-18 and in fourth place in the American League Central, 11 1/2 games behind the White Sox.
As has been their penchant since Eric Wedge became manager before the 2003 season, the Indians warmed up along with the weather. As the mercury rose so did Cleveland's level of play.
They were one of the hottest teams in the Major Leagues from May 8 until season's end, posting an 81-51 record (.614 winning percentage) to finish second to the White Sox by six games. Cleveland's record for that span tied St. Louis for the second-best winning percentage in baseball, trailing only the New York Yankees (82-48, .631).
The Indians, 93-69, finished with the sixth-best record in baseball and the best of any team not in the playoffs. Cleveland's regular-season record was better than three teams that made the playoffs.
As with most team slumps, the cause of Cleveland's early slide was not a result of any one performance, but a combination of numerous contributing factors, including catcher Victor Martinez hitting .207 in April. Third baseman Aaron Boone had the worst April of his career, hitting .123. Outfielder Casey Blake batted only .188, shortstop Jhonny Peralta .222, first baseman Ben Broussard .239 and outfielder Grady Sizemore .233 during the regular season's first month. Meanwhile, three-fifths of the rotation -- Scott Elarton, Jake Westbrook and Kevin Millwood -- were a combined 0-9 with a 5.76 ERA during April.
Wedge is well aware of what happened but isn't going to change what the team normally does in March. There will be no significant changes such as starting the regulars earlier in the Grapefruit League season.
"Our focus is on preparing for the regular season, for 162 games," Wedge said. "I think there's multiple factors that leads me to believe we'll get off to a better start this year."
Such as?
"The fact that we're still getting better as a ballclub, I think that the experience we've gained and some of the expectations that we've battled through, [there are] a lot of firsts that these guys have gotten out of the way that will allow them to do that much better the next time around, and they've already shown us that they can do that," Wedge said.
For the Indians, the focus is not on remembering April, but on continuing what they were doing during the second half of last season.
Odds are they will avoid such a poor start again, if only because such proven talents as Martinez, a career .293 hitter who hit .380 after the All-Star break last year to boost his average to .305, are unlikely to start so poorly two seasons in a row.
Wedge is no doubt correct when he cites experience as a factor this time. All the Indians remember what happened last spring and seem determined to avoid a repeat.
For many the individual situations have changed in their favor as well. A year ago all eyes were on Peralta, but he has since played his way out of the shadow of the man he replaced, Omar Vizquel. Sizemore has proven he is the real deal. Martinez is the best young offensive catcher in the game.
Cliff Lee has arrived as one of the better lefty starters in the league, and with C.C. Sabathia gives the Indians an excellent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. The rotation and bullpen are stronger and the bench deeper than it was last spring. There are fewer health questions and more experience than a year ago.
There's much to like about this team. It is a team with no major flaws and one certainly capable of going all the way in 2006.
Provided they can avoid another fall in the spring.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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