Kuzul

On May 27, Ubaldo Jimenez had started 10 games for the Cleveland Indians in the 2012 season.

Of those ten games, five of them were quality starts and in the other five he allowed four or more runs. While Jimenez held a 5-4 record, his ERA was at a season high, 5.79.

In those 10 starts, Jimenez had a 33:42 K:BB over 56 innings. He also allowed 58 hits in those starts, ballooning his WHIP to 1.79.

Then, June started and while Jimenez is just 3-3 over his last seven starts, he has shown exactly what made him a huge acquisition from the Colorado Rockies at the 2011 MLB trade deadline.

Jimenez has thrown 46 innings, posted a 2.93 ERA, but, most importantly, Jimenez has a 44:16 K:BB and has allowed 38 hits, for a 1.17 WHIP.

Jimenez is throwing strikes and has turned back into the player who the Indians thought they were getting when they traded Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, two very good arms, to acquire the 28-year-old Dominican right-hander.

As the Indians head into the All-Star break and rumors have swirled about their interest in several players:

Shane Victorino – by Ken Rosenthal

Matt Garza – by Jon Paul Morosi

Chase Headley – by Jon Heyman

Carlos Quentin – by Buster Olney

While I have mentioned others in previous articles, particularly right-handed bats and pitchers like Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs and Brandon McCarthy of the Oakland A’s, the Indians may have improved their rotation with the apparent divine intervention that has taken place with Ubaldo Jimenez and his ability to pitch efficiently in MLB.

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Just like Jason Kipnis, pictured above, the entire Cleveland Indians roster tends to bat left-handed in their everyday lineup.

Outside of Aaron Cunningham, Shelley Duncan, Lou Marson and Jose Lopez, the only other right-handed hitters on the Tribe’s roster are Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera, both switch-hitters. However, in the comments section recently (and in articles), we forget that the Indians have six left-handed bats (Kipnis, Kotchman, Choo, Hannahan, Chisenhall (heading to DL) and Brantley, as well as the four right-handed bats and two switch-hitters mentioned above.

The glaring issue is that the Indians are hitting .217/.302/.333 against left-handed pitching; however, the right-handed bats and switch-hitters aren’t helping much against lefties in 2012:

—Asdrubal Cabrera: .299/.384/.483, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 13 RBI, 7:10 K:BB in 87 at-bats.
—Carlos Santana: .200/.326/.229, two doubles, no triples or home runs, 10 RBI, 14:14 K:BB in 70 at-bats.
—Jose Lopez: .255/.265/.468, four doubles, no triples, two home runs, nine RBI, 5:1 K:BB in 47 at-bats.
—Shelley Duncan: .213/.329/.377, four doubles, no triples, two home runs, seven RBI, 16:11 K:BB in 61 at-bats.
—Aaron Cunningham: .167/.306/.200, one double, no triples or home runs, one RBI, 6:6 K:BB in 30 at-bats.
—Lou Marson: .233/.303/.433, four doubles, one triple, no home runs, three RBI, 4:3 K:BB in 30 at-bats.

Overall, a .237/.330/.375 line, inflated by the fact that Asdrubal Cabrera is a star. The rest of the Indians are not even as good as this line, based on the overall numbers above. They need help to survive. Where are they going to find that help? Via trades, of course.

The following slides will show some names of players, along with their stats against lefties, that the Indians could trade for to help the Indians get back on track and strengthen their lineup.

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Though they have been competitive in 2012, holding first place in the AL Central for 43 days this season, the Cleveland Indians have struggled to get fans to buy tickets for games at Progressive Field. The Indians rank 30th (that is last for newbies) in Major League Baseball in attendance, averaging 18,298 fans over 36 home dates as the team heads into the last two games against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those 18,298 fans are 1,100 fans per game fewer than the 29th ranked Oakland A’s. Based on the average ticket price, the Indians have the seventh lowest average ticket price, $20.42, in MLB. Along with that, the Indians provide the ninth lowest fan cost index (FCI) in baseball, $173.66, which is comprised of four adult average-price tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular size hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two of the least expensive, adult-sized caps (via Team Marketing Report).

While the FCI is up just 1.6 percent (the league average was up 2.4 percent), the Indians average ticket price went up 10.4 percent, (the league average was 0.0 percent since it went up just one cent). This isn’t to say that the lack of attendance has anything to do with the prices or the play on the field, but whatever the reasons are for Progressive Field to be filled just 42.1 percent of each home game in 2012, the Indians need to find ways to fix it.

Attendance leads the revenue of a small-market team, and if the gates aren’t churning, it is very unlikely that the Indians will be able to “improve” through free agency.  Here, we’ll take a look at ways the Indians can increase attendance over the remainder of the 2012 season.

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The Cleveland Indians acquired Ubaldo Jimenez at the trade deadline last season, trading away Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Joseph Gardner and Matt McBride for the Rockies ace. Jimenez picked up a lot of attention by winning 15 games in 2009 and striking out nearly 200 batters that season, only to have his notoriety taken to a whole new level in 2010.

2010 was the season that Jimenez was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA…at the All-Star break. The second half of 2010 wasn’t anywhere near as great, but Jimenez was still a solid rotation anchor for the Colorado Rockies, going 4-7 with a 3.80 ERA.

On July 31, 2011, the Indians lost to the Kansas City Royals and were 2.5 games behind Detroit for first place. The Tribe would go on to finish the season at 80-82, 15 games behind the Tigers for first place in the AL Central. This is where the story begins for Jimenez, as his career has taken an odd turn since his arrival in Cleveland, but even moreso since the All-Star game in 2010.

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With the graduation of super-prospects Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Matt Moore to the majors in 2012, many fantasy nerds are looking for who will take their place atop the 2013 top prospect rankings. While several players who sat close to the super-three in prospect rankings are again thriving, like Jurickson Profar of the Rangers, others are not doing so hot. 

Here, you will find those struggling top prospects. These guys may or may not rebound and become what they were supposed to be, which is all part of the gamble in the makeup and scouting of amateur baseball players. I want to state now: This isn’t a ranking that says that these guys are flame-outs; it is to simply notify those who don’t follow prospects thoroughly an opportunity to see where they could buy low in lifetime fantasy leagues or to look for a new favorite team if your one hope isn’t going to reach expectations.

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When people look back at trades that worked out for the Indians, it makes it easier to forget about those that didn’t. 

Sure, the Indians haven’t had much success with Matt LaPorta after dealing CC Sabathia to Milwaukee, but how about that Eduardo Perez to Seattle for Asdrubal Cabrera deal?  That was “winning” before Charlie Sheen dropped the catch-phrase. 

Cabrera is an excellent shortstop.  He had a monstrous breakout season in 2011, making his first All-Star team and winning his first Silver Slugger by hitting .273/.332/.460 with 25 home runs, 32 doubles, three triples, 92 RBI, and 17 steals. 

Some wondered how he would fare in 2012, especially after a .244/.310/.419 line in the second half of 2011, but he is doing well so far this season.  Cabrera has posted a .316/.414/.500 line, with three home runs, 12 doubles, 13 RBI, and two steals, but most importantly, he has a 9:17 K:BB, after posting a 119:44 K:BB in 2011.

Cabrera has truly matured into an excellent hitter at a position that increases his value significantly; however, it doesn’t stop there.  Cabrera’s fielding percentage was higher than the league average last season (.976 to .972) and in 2012 his range factor at shortstop has increased dramatically, up to 5.10 from 3.99 in 2011, while the 2012 league average is 4.93. 

Cabrera has become one of the top players at his position, so what is he worth now?

Cabrera will make $4.55 million this year, $6.5 million in 2013, and $10 million in 2014.  He’ll turn 29-years-old prior to hitting free agency after the 2014 season, so he’ll have several solid seasons left, but is he worth the investment for the Indians?

Cabrera is a shortstop and the Indians top prospect is a shortstop, Francisco Lindor.  If you think you’re moving Cabrera to second base, then what do you do with Jason Kipnis?  Is Cabrera a better third baseman than what Lonnie Chisenhall could become?  Where could Cabrera play and is he worth signing to a long-term deal? 

Consider that Troy Tulowitzki is the measuring tool for shortstops.  He signed through 2020, with a team option for 2021, basically signing a 13-year, $159 million deal.  Jose Reyes just signed a six-year, $106 million deal this winter with the Miami Marlins, but he hasn’t stayed on the field consistently in his career, and even in his best seasons, he wasn’t putting up numbers like Cabrera did in 2011, but they are different types of players.

Is Cabrera a glorified Jhonny Peralta, a late-blooming talent, or is he taking the steps towards super-stardom?  If the Tribe is going to lock him up, how much is he worth?  If you’re a fan, do you think they should keep him as the face of the franchise, or hope that Lindor and the other youngsters work out? 

He seems to be worth the investment, but can the Indians afford to pay between $15 and $20 million per season if Cabrera keeps hitting like he has for the last season and a half?

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