Actual Concerns about 07 Offense

sweick · 01-07-2007, 11:36 AM

We all know the Indians had a outstanding offense in 06. It's problem was that it was centered on just a few positions

DH .298/.412/.604 OPS 1.016 (Ranking #1 for DH)
1B .319/.387/.556 .943 (#8)
CF .295/.378/.541 .920 (#1)
C .297/.365/.445 .810 (#6)
RF .274/.339/.445 .784 (#20)
2B .292/.335/.410 .745 (#10)
LF .258/.311/.393 .704 (#29)
SS .254/.305/.384 .699 (#23)
3B .243/.309/.379 .688 (#27)

Yes, Hafner's likely to be good again in 07, but he's been out for substantial times three of the past four seasons. The drop from him to Garko is very meaningful. The same will be true at 1B in which *NO* candidate is likely to hit near .943 OPS. Hell, I'd be amazed at anything near .900, with .850 a more likely high. And even the greats like Grady have off seasons.

Fortunately we have improved at most of the other positions to take some of the pressures off. Our LF is going to be improved, but enough to conpensate for the dropoff at 1B? Yeah, we'll be better at 3B over the one legged Boone swinging a telephone pole, but how much better? Will Marte still struggle some? Barfield could have a second season slump and not match Belliard et al. And how much of a bounce back will Peralta give us?

No, I don't think we will have a bad offense with the talent we have, but we could have more of an average offense than we suspect. There is a need for a big bat to give us more of a cushion. Sadly, those aren't plentiful at a reasonable price (Dollars or prospects).

Good prospects like James Loney (Good glove decent hit) are hard to get without a Kous type player to trade. Which is a problem with such limited depth at AAA for our infield as a whole. Injuries could really do a number on us.

So while we look in good shape pitchingwise with both depth and experience, we need to be concerned about that offense a bit more than what I think the fans are. (Shapiro knows it, but only so much can be done at any one time.)

wildrex · 01-20-2007, 10:56 PM

peralta to me is key will we get peralta of 2 yrs ago or last years disaster

slegend · 01-22-2007, 05:27 PM

Concerns? Only Offense:

- Jhonny Peralta cannot figure out how to stop swinging at breaking pitches out of the zone. Assuming he does, Peralta learns to hit any form of a breaking pitch period. With Peralta a liability in the field with his very limited range, he needs to justify his starting job by hitting .290-.300 and knocking out 20 HRs each season. If he struggles, Cleveland has ZERO, NADA, ZILTCH prospects or vets to insert at SS.

- Jason Michaels should have been cut from the team and we should have promoted Franklin Gutz or Francisco to platoon with Dellucci. JMike was a disaster in the field last year and below average at the plate. Part-time or full-time - he adds nothing to the team.

- Andy Marte - can he hit or do we have Aaron Boone II at the plate?

- Ryan Garko and his bat will be playing in Buffalo. We need a legit RH power stick to balance the lineup.

POSITIVES: Josh Barfield, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez all have huge upside.

01-07-2007, 11:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
sweick Rookie Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 8	Actual Concerns about 07 Offense We all know the Indians had a outstanding offense in 06. It's problem was that it was centered on just a few positions DH .298/.412/.604 OPS 1.016 (Ranking #1 for DH) 1B .319/.387/.556 .943 (#8) CF .295/.378/.541 .920 (#1) C .297/.365/.445 .810 (#6) RF .274/.339/.445 .784 (#20) 2B .292/.335/.410 .745 (#10) LF .258/.311/.393 .704 (#29) SS .254/.305/.384 .699 (#23) 3B .243/.309/.379 .688 (#27) Yes, Hafner's likely to be good again in 07, but he's been out for substantial times three of the past four seasons. The drop from him to Garko is very meaningful. The same will be true at 1B in which NO candidate is likely to hit near .943 OPS. Hell, I'd be amazed at anything near .900, with .850 a more likely high. And even the greats like Grady have off seasons. Fortunately we have improved at most of the other positions to take some of the pressures off. Our LF is going to be improved, but enough to conpensate for the dropoff at 1B? Yeah, we'll be better at 3B over the one legged Boone swinging a telephone pole, but how much better? Will Marte still struggle some? Barfield could have a second season slump and not match Belliard et al. And how much of a bounce back will Peralta give us? No, I don't think we will have a bad offense with the talent we have, but we could have more of an average offense than we suspect. There is a need for a big bat to give us more of a cushion. Sadly, those aren't plentiful at a reasonable price (Dollars or prospects). Good prospects like James Loney (Good glove decent hit) are hard to get without a Kous type player to trade. Which is a problem with such limited depth at AAA for our infield as a whole. Injuries could really do a number on us. So while we look in good shape pitchingwise with both depth and experience, we need to be concerned about that offense a bit more than what I think the fans are. (Shapiro knows it, but only so much can be done at any one time.)

01-20-2007, 10:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
wildrex Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 25	peralta to me is key will we get peralta of 2 yrs ago or last years disaster

01-22-2007, 05:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
slegend New Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Haymarket, VA Posts: 8	Concerns? Only Offense: - Jhonny Peralta cannot figure out how to stop swinging at breaking pitches out of the zone. Assuming he does, Peralta learns to hit any form of a breaking pitch period. With Peralta a liability in the field with his very limited range, he needs to justify his starting job by hitting .290-.300 and knocking out 20 HRs each season. If he struggles, Cleveland has ZERO, NADA, ZILTCH prospects or vets to insert at SS. - Jason Michaels should have been cut from the team and we should have promoted Franklin Gutz or Francisco to platoon with Dellucci. JMike was a disaster in the field last year and below average at the plate. Part-time or full-time - he adds nothing to the team. - Andy Marte - can he hit or do we have Aaron Boone II at the plate? - Ryan Garko and his bat will be playing in Buffalo. We need a legit RH power stick to balance the lineup. POSITIVES: Josh Barfield, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez all have huge upside.