2010 in Review: Top 9 Pitching Performances
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Some writers—no doubt emboldened by four no-hitters, two perfect games and one near-perfect game—have christened 2010 as the “year of the pitcher.” (Never mind that 1968 was really the “Year of the Pitcher,” with four no-hitters, one perfect game and a scoring environment nearly a run per game lower.)
The Indians witnessed perhaps the best-pitched game of 2010, when Armando Galarraga dispatched the Tribe with great haste. Had Jim Joyce gotten the call right, Galarraga would have completed a perfect game in just 83 pitches. Even if every Indians hitter had looked at three straight strikes, they would have spared Galarraga only two pitches of effort.
Tribe hurlers were rarely so commanding or efficient last season, but they had their moments. Here are the top nine pitching performances by Indians of 2010.
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Tribe Should Bring Back Ramirez
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Not that Ramirez.
Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have designated Max Ramirez for assignment.
As you may recall, Ramirez was once traded by Atlanta to Cleveland for Bob Wickman. At the time, it was considered quite a coup for the Tribe to obtain a 21-year-old catcher with an .857 OPS (albeit in Single-A) for a 37-year-old potbellied reliever who was missing part of the index finger on his right hand.
But just one year later the Tribe sent Ramirez, now 22 and sporting a .924 OPS in High-A, to the Rangers for the warmed-over remains of 40-year-old Kenny Lofton so that he could aid us down the stretch and retire an Indian.
Ramirez has never been much of a catcher—he wears a glove only when absolutely necessary—and he struggled to hit the past three seasons at Oklahoma City, where he posted a .700 OPS in 587 plate appearances. But he routinely got on base more than 40 percent of the time in the low minors, and in 2008 he hit .354/.450/.646 as a 23-year-old in AA for the first time.
Ramirez may never again hit as well as he did that season, and his weaknesses as a hitter might have been revealed once he began to face more advanced pitchers, but he had something special once.
And with the Indians in desperate need of right-handed power and loath to spend what it would take to bring back Manny, they would do well to sign this Ramirez to a minor league contract and see if the 26-year-old can get “it” back.
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…at least in one respect—wins.
It’s About the Money, Stupid published a lengthy post today about the pitchers of the decade, showing the leaders in various pitching categories for the years 2001–2010. C.C. Sabathia topped Roy Halladay for the most wins in the decade, 157 to 156, earning 40 of those victories in just his past two seasons with New York.
Jack Morris, whose 161 wins led the decade 1981-1990, has been famously touted by his Hall of Fame supporters as the most dominant pitcher of the ’80s on this basis, discounting the role that run support and durability—not necessarily marks of greatness—played in his accomplishment.
Morris ranks just 33rd in the decade with an ERA+ of 108, tied with such pitchers as Britt Burns and Steve Rogers; Morris trailed far behind the leader, Roger Clemens, who had an ERA+ of 147.
Sabathia fares a little better in his decade than Morris, tying for 20th with an ERA 22 percent better than the league. Although Sabathia, who failed to clinch the AL pennant for Cleveland in Game 5 of the 2007 ALCS, has yet to record a signature postseason victory like Morris’s Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, he already has one thing Morris could never claim: a Cy Young Award.
And unless Sabathia chooses to opt out of his Yankees contract after 2011, he also has five more seasons in pinstripes to add to his resume.
Rougned Odor
Emma Span of BronxBanterBlog.com awarded the Baseball Name of the Week to recent Rangers signee Rougned Odor. The 16-year-old hails from Venezuela, and also happens to be the nephew of Akron Aeros coach Rouglas Odor.
The Indians have employed the elder Odor as a minor league manager or coach for the past 10 seasons, including the last two seasons as the hitting coach for Kinston.
A quick word about that: Odor’s career minor-league batting line, compiled almost entirely below AA, is .248/.299/.324. And the Tribe employed him as a hitting coach. I guess it’s true that those who can’t do, teach. (And those who can’t teach, blog.)
And yet, despite the Indians’ continued loyalty and generosity, Odor still couldn’t deliver to them his 16-year-old prodigy of a nephew.
That stinks.
2010 in Review: Top 9 Hitting Performances
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Most Indians fans would rather not remember last season. Our best player, Grady Sizemore, suffered another season-ending injury. Our top prospect, Carlos Santana, had his season shortened by a Ryan Kalish slide. Our best pitchers in seasons past, C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, once again led their teams to the playoffs while the Indians skidded to another fourth-place finish.
All in all, 2010 was a year to forget.
But being a Cleveland fan often means taking pleasure in the trees, even when the forest is burning down around us. When Manny Ramirez hit his final home run as an Indian, I rejoiced even though the Mariners eliminated the Indians from the playoffs the very same day.
Here, then, are the top nine hitting performances by Indians in 2010.
Austin Kearns Returns for 2011
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In this winter of our discontent, a season so cold that Cleveland landmarks have become hellish icescapes, Chris Antonetti has finally thawed enough to make his first major-league free agent signing of the off-season.
Austin Kearns, the Indians’ primary LF for much of the spring and summer last season, has returned to the fold for 2011.
According to their official Twitter feed, the Indians will begin the season with Kearns in the familiar role of fourth OF and starter against LHP. Kearns’ role could increase if his lefty platoonmate—likely Michael Brantley, but there are other options—fails to stake a claim to the job.
Buck Stops in Columbus
The Indians also came to an agreement with OF Travis Buck on a minor-league deal, according to MLB.com. Buck, who bats left-handed, showed promise with the Athletics as a 23-year-old rookie in 2007, but his career has stalled due to various injuries and poor performance. He has posted a career .284/.366/.423 line in AAA, making him a dark horse candidate for the LF job, though he will likely start the season in Columbus.
Is Grady Sizemore Trade Bait?
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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has this to say about Grady Sizemore in today’s notes column:
Another fascinating name is Grady Sizemore, a lefthanded hitter coming off two years of injuries. The Indians would love to move him, but it’s unknown whether Sizemore will be able to start the season. Sizemore’s injuries have really set back what was looking to be a stellar career.
I question Cafardo’s assertion that the Indians “would love to move [Sizemore] ,” at least not until Sizemore shows that he has recovered from microfracture knee surgery. I can’t imagine clubs making a strong offer for Grady now given the drop-off in his production the past two seasons.
If Sizemore’s range has deteriorated due to the surgery, he might have to move to an outfield corner, and he might have lost some of his basestealing ability as well.
Sizemore will make $7.5 million in 2011, a steal for a center fielder with power, speed, and Gold Glove defense, but not for a left fielder with a .737 OPS. The Indians also hold an option to pay Sizemore between $9–$10.5 million in 2012—the amount depends on certain escalator provisions in the contract—or to buy him out for $500,000.
If the Tribe does deal Sizemore this winter, then they are either more pessimistic about his recovery or more financially strapped than I thought.
