| Patrick Daher. 9th January, 2008 - 1:50 pm
 There was a time back in the mid to late 90s when former Indians' GM John Hart would not be reluctant to give up blue chip prospects for proven veterans who could turn playoff fringe Indians' teams into World Series' contenders. There was Jeromy Burnitz for Kevin Seitzer in 1996, Brian Giles for Ricardo Rincon in 1999, and Richie Sexson for Bob Wickman, Jason Bere, and Steve Woodard in 2000. Hart had the quick trigger and rarely was gun shy in unloading prospects from his farm system. The message at the time was “Now or never.”
Fast forward seven years later and current Tribe GM Mark Shapiro is taking a different approach. Shapiro, who learned under the tutelage of Hart, now has the Indians stockpiling their farm system and holding onto them to develop. The prospects that the Indians used to rid themselves of are now being acquired. The trend started to change when in 2002, Tribe Ace Bartolo Colon was shipped to Montreal for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips. Many people questioned the move at the time, but if you look at the results several years later all these players have turned into above average MLB players.
Last year, the Indians were on their way to the World Series if not for a 3-1 collapse at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. That is a pretty astonishing feat considering everybody in the Indians' lineup outside of Kenny Lofton and pitcher C.C. Sabathia were having their first taste of the playoffs. Guys like Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Fausto Carmona, Jhonny Peralta, and Rafael Perez have been given time to grow in the farm system and the dividends have shown.
This offseason has been relatively slow for the Indians. It is hard to imagine them making a deal similar to the Tigers where top prospects were sent in exchange for veterans Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. The Indians do not have the bargaining potential to battle for free agents that big market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, and Tigers have. Shapiro and Tribe brass are banking on prospects in the farm system to step up and solidify weaknesses on the team. Here are a few prospects who could be making some noise with the Tribe this year.
1. Asdrubal Cabrera INF – Played in 45 games last year and took over 2B duties for Josh Barfield. Natural position is SS but was switched to 2B because Peralta. Showed great defensive skills and had a knack for getting the clutch hit. Batted .283 with 22 RBI’s. Will start at 2B for the Tribe this year.
2. Aaron Laffey P – Made six starts last year. Went 4-2 and showed poise and a good understanding of mixing pitches. Will compete for the 5th spot in the rotation with Cliff Lee.
3. Adam Miller P - Is one of the top pitching prospects in all the Majors and has been clocked at 100mph. Injuries have been a concern recently coming off elbow surgery. Tribe wants him to be a starter but a logjam of starting pitchers might force him into the bullpen. Either way he will most likely join the Indians at some point this year and have an impact.
4. Ben Francisco OF – Had a cup of coffee with the team last year playing in 25 games. Showed good power and RBI potential. Will compete for a starting outfield spot with Franklin Gutierrez.
5. Ryan Mulhern 1B – Played in 130 games at Class AAA Buffalo Bisons. Hit 16 homeruns and drove in 76 RBI’s. Has great power and is a right handed power hitter. Something the Tribe is lacking. Most likely will be called up at some point this season to see what he could do at the Major League level.
All signs point to the Tribe contending for the playoffs again in 2008. With a solid core and prospects in waiting, the Tribe will challenge the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels in the playoffs. The message and direction of the organization has changed and may now read: “Patience.” |
