Marte Meanderings

The picture you see here is of Andy Marte probably booting another ball. That is pretty much been the norm for Marte, since as I am typing this article he has made 2 errors against the Yankees. Once voted the top fielding third basemen in triple A, he is now a mess. I watched him play first on Saturday and he looked uncomfortable and immobile. He is hovering around the mendoza line and besides for one weekend, his power numbers are nothing to shake a glove at. The Indians stuck him in the outfield earlier this grapefruit season to shag balls during practice. That experiment must not have worked out too well since he hasn't played out there yet this spring.

Marte is a complete liability in the field and at bat, so I cannot conceivably see him playing much, if at all during the season. The Indians beat reporters all seem to feel he will break camp with the club. I hope this is not because of Brandon Phillips because at least Phillips showed some signs of promise at bat and played quite well in the field. Wedge has really said nothing positive about him, so Marte making the team seems to be a front office request. He has no trade value, so the Tribe will be starting the season with a 24 man roster if he is retained. The Indians position issues luckily have figured themselves out on the field in the past, so that is what to expect in respect to our 3rd base phenom. As for now, all we can tell him, in the immortal words of Manager Lou Brown is, "Come on Marte, get in front of the damn ball! Don't give me this "olé" bullshit."

On Bended Lee

Many of the Indians news outlets reported today that Cliff Lee seemed pretty happy with his performance yesterday versus the Phillies. Now I know Marte played el matador with the baseball at third as usual and the outfielders decided to run to each other, but 6 runs on 11 hits is not what I would call impressive even in a spring training game. It seems that old Clifford is not too enamored with his roll as fifth starter on the team and it comes through in the various interviews I have heard. Cliff has pitched well in the past, earning 18 victories in 2005 and having a stellar ERA in 2006 of 3.79. He also has chucked his glove into the stands in Toronto in 2004 and waved to the Jacobs Field fans while being booed against Boston in 2007.

The depth within the Cleveland organization when it comes to starting pitching seems strong, so the Tribe may be weighing their options with Lee. He seems to have solidified the 5th starters' spot for the beginning of the season, but will probably be on a short leash a la Jeremy Sowers from last year. The Indians also may trade Cliff sometime during the season if they feel Aaron Laffey is a better alternative. I cannot see Lee going back down to Buffalo for any extended amount of time, even though he has an option. Left-handed starters who have won 18 games do not grow on trees, but if Lee is discontent with whatever roll he earns, the Indians are not the type of organization to let him stay around and sulk. Hopefully he will keep his pitches down, his glove on his right hand, and hear cheers while leaving the mound.

Left (out) field

Today, Paul Hoynes reported that teams have been asking about certain Indians outfielders. With the way Ben Francisco has hit pretty much throughout spring training and his minor league career, one would assume he would be on the 25 man roster. Indians Manager Eric Wedge has had encouraging things to say about Francisco, but the conversations usually end with Wedge saying he needs to work on his defense. What Wedge really means is Ben has an option and the Indians have two veterans and a 3rd base project blocking his way to the majors. The intrigue will be if Shapiro pulls the trigger on trading Jason Michaels to create room for a David Dellucci/Ben Francisco platoon. Wedge loves his veterans, so there may be some confrontation on this issue. Dellucci is virtually untradeable having 2 years and $7 + million left on his deal. Also entering the crowded ring in May will be Shin-Soo Choo coming off of Tommy John surgery. He is out of options so a decision will have to be made rather quickly, similar to the Marte situation now.

Exiting Michaels may be the best alternative instead of waiting around for an injury or experiencing substandard corner outfield production. These sort of issues have conveniently sorted them selves out for the tribe, though, over the past year. The bullpen last year started off with hillbilly Jason Davis and El guapo Roberto Hernandez. Davis was out of options and successfully pitched himself off the team. Hernandez was flat out terrible, so in came Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis. Dellucci got hurt and Nixon was garbage, so the Tribe inserted Franklin Guitierrez and traded for the ageless Kenny Lofton. The play on the field sorted out the lineup for Wedge, eventually placing Michaels on the bench in the playoffs next to him. Michaels is a useful player, but so much as to block potential offense firepower the Indians may need in a beefed up AL Central.