Kuzul

Wake up Cleveland! There is a contender in town and I’m not talking about the Lake Erie Monsters, either!

After dropping their first two games to the Chicago White Sox, the Indians have been on fire, rattling off seven wins in a row—taking a broom to both the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. Sure, this could be just a fluke, right? Both the Red Sox and Mariners have struggled early. Plus the Tribe are supposed to finish in the American League cellar, according to almost every sports writer in America.

I’m here to tell you to jump on the bandwagon before it leaves without you! Why, you ask? Because before the season even started, the Indians organization has said again and again from Chris Antonetti to Manny Acta to Shin-Soo Choo, that the Indians plan on contending in 2011. And they apparently believe it, too.

Ok. So you’re still skeptical right? You may be thinking about the 2002 Cleveland Indians. How they won 11 of their first 12 games and then finished 74-88 in September. How are these guys any different?

The difference is that Tribe team in 2002 marked the end of an era, this one is marking the beginning of a new one. In 2002 the future looked dim, most of the day-to-day lineup consisted of veterans either on their way out of Cleveland or out of the MLB all together. In 2011 you are witnessing the birth of a new era of stars in Cleveland. They are hungry and ready to prove they belong at the top of the AL Central.

In my opinion, there are at least five All-Star caliber players on the roster right now. All young guys who the Indians control for at least the next two years, if not longer. Shin-Soo Choo, Fausto Carmona, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez, and Carlos Santana. Not to mention guys like Michael Brantley, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin who have already looked like seasoned veterans on the young 2011 campaign.

Then you have a guy like Travis Hafner who can really carry a team when healthy. I don’t know about you but that swing to drive home four in Seattle on Friday night looked pretty healthy to me! He may not get back to what he was doing four years ago, but 25 home runs and 100 RBI’s would go a long way if Pronk can stay healthy. Sure, you may say that is a big “if” but anyone who has watched the Indians over the past few years knows that something is clicking for Travis Hafner unlike anything we have seen from him for a long time.

Just think what can happen with a healthy Grady Sizemore as well. Manny Acta is going to have to make some tough decisions in the next week or two but trust me, he welcomes these “tough” decisions. Sizemore should be ready to join the club within the next 10 days and reliever Joe Smith isn’t that far behind.

The key to the Tribe’s success in 2011 will center around their starting pitching. The Indians won’t continue with seven game winning streaks all year. But with some consistent starting pitching, they can play around .500 and contend in the AL Central. Don’t believe me? Just ask Theo Epstein, he is still trying to figure out how a team with 1/3 of his payroll just swept his Boston Red Sox.

The answer is great young talent and the Indians have a lot of it!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Does the name Adam Miller ring a bell? It should.

Miller, 26, was the first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Indians in the 2003 MLB amateur draft, and just a few years ago was considered the future of the Indians pitching staff. Entering the 2007 season, Miller was Baseball America’s No. 23-rated prospect in all of baseball. The 6’4″, 200 lbs. flame-thrower was considered, at the time, to be the next Justin Verlander.

In 2009, the Plano, TX native ran into a major speed bump. Miller was experiencing tightness and pain in the middle finger of his throwing hand. He would go on to have three surgeries on that finger alone in ’09, and it looked as though Miller’s career was in severe jeopardy.

Many figured Miller would never pitch again. They said his fastball would never be the same after ligaments were reconstructed in his middle finger.

Now it looks as though Miller is poised to make an improbable comeback, getting the opportunity to give “the finger” to anyone who doubted it could happen.

“My offseason was good as I pretty much threw and lifted,” said Miller.  “At first I was just throwing two times a week at like 60 feet—nothing crazy—just to keep the feel.  I ended up taking about three weeks off from throwing just to shut it down a little but, and then I started back up throwing in mid-December [to get ready for the season]. 

“There were no restrictions, and it was a normal offseason, I guess you could say.  I am pretty much a normal guy out here for the most part.  There are some things I may not do yet, but for the most part, everything is good and I am just going out there and having some fun.”

The Indians are only restricting the number of pitches Miller is throwing in camp; otherwise, he is being treated like just another pitcher. Most pitchers are throwing bullpen sessions every other day to condition their arms for the season. Miller is throwing every three days instead.

“That’s the only thing, as right now bullpens are back to back. So instead of every other day, I am going with two days in between,” said Miller.  “I guess it is a semi-restriction, but it is pretty minor.  It actually could be a good thing, because in ’09 coming in, I think the thing that was different was the volume coming in which resulted in the finger getting sore again.”

So far, Miller explains, the finger feels good.

“I’m good and the arm feels good,” said Miller.  “Now it is just getting my rhythm back since I haven’t really pitched since ’09.  The last two years I haven’t really been able to get that feel back.  The last bullpen [on Thursday] went really well, so hopefully it is back or so you would say.”

If Miller continues his current progress, there is a great chance he will end up in Triple-A Columbus, making his improbable comeback that much closer. Tribe fans who know Miller’s story are beginning to show their support at Indians’ camp in Goodyear, AZ—letting him know they are behind his effort.

“I’m just excited to be back,” said Miller.  “It’s a lot different from last year as all I could do was cover first in spring training.  I am pretty pumped for games right now.  That’s all I care about. As long as I am throwing it’s great.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Following the Cleveland Indians‘ offseason has been like watching paint dry. New Tribe GM Chris Antonetti has followed his predecessor, Mark Shapiro, in playing the waiting game when going after players through free agency. Finally it would seem as though Tribe fans have something to get excited about.

Although not yet confirmed by the Tribe GM, it seems as though the Indians have signed veteran infielder Orlando Cabrera. Brother of former Indian Jolbert Cabrera, Orlando has had stints with the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox since departing the now defunct Montreal Expos, where he signed as an amateur in 1993.

No big deal right? I beg to differ.

Cabrera has been a solid player for almost his entire career. Last year with the Reds, Cabrera batted .263 with 33 doubles, 4 homers and 42 RBI. In 2009, with the A’s and Minnesota Twins, Cabrera batted .284 with 36 doubles, 9 homers and 77 RBI. He is also a gold-glove caliber infielder.

Still not impressed?

Since being traded from the Expos to the Red Sox in 2004, Cabrera has never missed a postseason. He has made the playoffs with every team he finished a season with during that seven-year span. The guy knows how to play at a high level and he knows how to win. What more could you ask for out of a veteran brought in to help out a young but talented team?

Now the question is where do you play him? Cabrera is a gold-glove shortstop, but conventional wisdom would say that Asrubal Cabrera is staying put. Although Orlando has only played a handful of games at second base, he has the range to be a great complement to Asdrubal.

The acquistion of Cabrera will give the Indians an opportunity to fine-tune prospect Jason Kipnis in AAA. Kipnis appears to be ready offensively but seems to need a little work defensively since only being moved to second base last year. That will leave Jason Donald and Jayson Nix fighting for the job at third.

Finally, something to look forward to this spring for Tribe fans. The tandem of Cabrera and Cabrera up the middle could be fun to watch. Nicknames anyone?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the Indians are close to signing free agent pitcher Jeremy Bonderman. The former first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics, Bonderman is no stranger to the Central Division. The right-hander has pitched for the Detroit Tigers since making his debut in 2003. 

Bonderman was 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA in 2010, his first complete season since 2007. He made just 13 starts in 2008-09 after a blood clot required shoulder surgery. Last season marked the last year of a four-year, $38 million contract he signed after the 2006 season. 

Unfortunately for the Tigers, 2006 was the last productive season of his career, going 14-8 with a 4.08 ERA and also getting a win in the postseason.

Bonderman was said to be interested in returning to Detroit, but the Tigers filled out their rotation by signing veteran Brad Penny for $3 million early last month. 

On the bright side for Tribe fans, the Indians have had great luck in buying low and selling high on veteran pitching. In 2005, the Tribe signed Kevin Millwood to a one-year deal and all he did was go out and post the league’s best ERA.

Also in 2005, Scott Elarton went 11-9 with a 4.61 ERA in the Tribe’s fifth spot in the rotation. Another pitcher familiar with Bonderman’s situation is Carl Pavano who signed with the Indians in 2009 after a miserable run with the Yankees. Pavano would finish the season with the Twins posting a 14-12 record as he contributed to a late-season playoff push for Minnesota. 

Following the Indians 2010-11 offseason has been like watching paint dry. Let’s hope that new GM Chris Antonetti has a few more tricks up his sleeve!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com