Assessment of the Cleveland Indians Going Forward

The Cleveland Indians are going to be preparing for another season in baseball. In 2011, they finished in second place with an 80-82 record. While it's an improvement from the 2010 season, it's really not good considering they got off to a 30-15 start. For them, they have three aspects that are really going to be important for their future if they are to be consistent contenders. The three aspects are going to be pitching, offense, and defense.

In spite of market size, they can contend yearly and they are in one of the weakest divisions in all of baseball. It is also a fact that it is winnable and there is no true stand out like in the AL East with the Yankees or Red Sox primarily winning the division, though Tampa Bay has started looking like a good team as of late.

Starting rotation

The rotation itself looks like it could be solid on paper. Is it one that can strike fear into an opposing team? Well, that depends on who is pitching for the night.

Ubaldo Jimenez is the key pitcher that was acquired from the Colorado Rockies for pitching prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. It looked to be a major gamble and a potential acquisition for a number one starter. He was a top pitcher with Colorado and the key for him is to stay focused.

Justin Masterson emerged as a guy who could be a number two starter and a potential good middle-man rotation. His record should have been better but had little to no run support given to him. It was almost as if the team itself didn't want to play well for him. For him, it's about continuing to be the best pitcher he can and get some serious run support.

Josh Tomlin emerged as a potential starter for the next few years. He had a good start but had a bit of a rough patch. While he is not going to be the number one starter and wouldn't be for any rotation, he can be a solid pitcher that can get the job done on a regular basis and give them a chance to win. After all, that's all that could be asked.

Fausto Carmona is one that really seems to be a bit of a head case. It's like he does show signs that he could be an effective pitcher but when he melts down, he really melts down. He's not going to be the ace of the staff nor should he be expected to be as such. For him, he's only had one great year and needs to show he can be more than a one year wonder. How he is going to do that? Simply by going out there and pitching effectively.

The last spot in the rotation is going to be up in the air. Carlos Carrasco is out for the 2012 season due to having Tommy John Surgery. Had that not happened, he would have filled out the rotation. It probably will be by committee but suppose that person does better than Carrasco has done for them. Could there be changes? Perhaps there could be but only time will tell.

As a whole, the starters should go as deep as they can. It would be recommended to go at least 7 innings consistently. The reason is because if they can do that, the bullpen when they are called upon can be more effective thus giving them a better shot at winning and not have too many bad games.

Bullpen

This area in 2011 was actually a bit of a highlight. They had a strong bullpen lead with the likes of Rafael Perez, Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, and even closer Chris Perez. The only thing that could be said is that it is going to be hard to predict what happens to them as a whole or who will be there when the season comes along.

Final thoughts

As a whole, they look like they can be solid but every year is different. The key for the bullpen will be with the starting rotation and if that's not effective, don't expect it to be good at all. In the aspect of pitching, they have potential to do enough to win the AL Central. Whether it happens is another story.