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I suppose just four words come to mind: Welcome back, Grady Sizemore.

Injured for the better part of the last two seasons, Sizemore went two-for-four at the plate, including a solo home run in only his second at-bat and a double in his third, in a better-than-expected debut for the stalwart center fielder.

The Indians rode solo home runs by Sizemore, Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner, as well as another quality start from Fausto Carmona to beat the Orioles 4-2.

The game clinched the sweep of the Orioles and allowed the Indians to maintain sole possession of first place in the American League Central after 15 games with a record of 11-4.

Last season, the Indians posted a 7-8 record after 15 contests. In 2009, they were only 5-10.

But Sizemore is the real story here, making his first start in almost 11 months to the day, returned to much fanfare and standing ovations from the hometown crowd.

They had no doubt missed the player who enjoyed nothing short of brilliant years in Cleveland from 2005-2008. 

After Santana’s solo home run in the second inning, the three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner stepped up the plate in the third inning with an out. He grounded out to second base his first at-bat.

The response? A towering shot to right-center field that left the ball park and sent a message to the Cleveland Indians faithful; Grady Sizemore is indeed back.

His next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth, he laced a Brian Bergesen slider down the right field line for a stand-up double.

So the question is how good can this lineup be with a healthy and productive Grady Sizemore be?

In short, very good. With Sizemore reclaiming the center field spot, this will move Michael Brantley over to left field, making to Tribe outfield among the best in the league. Brantley is hitting at a solid .302 clip.

With the six walks he has drawn thus far, his OBP raises to .367. While Shin-Soo Choo has not caught his stride as of yet, he has notched 10 hits in the last nine ball games, and his batting average will continue to rise.

Designated Hitter Travis Hafner has looked like a vintage form of himself with yet another home run today. It was his fourth of the season.

Last season, it took him 36 games last season to belt No. 4. He is hitting the cover off the baseball, with a .354 average and nine RBI.

After the two disastrous opening games of the season, the starting rotation is boasting an ERA of 1.91.

The bullpen has been smothering for the most part; Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez and Chris Perez have yet to give up a run, with Chris Perez converting his first five save attempts and batters only hitting well under .100 off him.

Hang onto your hats, folks. The Indians will begin a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals starting Monday at 8:10.

The Royals have also started the season hot, and are currently one game behind the Indians in the AL Central standings, holding down second place.

Although it may seem a backwards beginning to the season, I cannot help but absolutely love it.

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Grady Sizemore will return to Cleveland today, starting in centerfield, as well as leading off.  To make room on the roster, starter Mitch Talbot will be placed on the 15-day DL, in a bit of a surprising move. 

It was believed that Travis Buck would be sent down since he has an option left, but he gets a temporary reprieve.  Talbot is officially out with a strained right elbow, and likely won’t be back until the middle of May.

On May 16, 2010, Grady Sizemore was hitting .211 without a home run, and with a deplorable .271 OBP.  It would be the last game he’d play with the Indians in 2010.  Sizemore went on the DL with a sore knee, which turned into something a bit more serious.  After microfracture surgery, Grady was done for the season, and thought to be out six to nine months.

Fast-forward nearly a year. 

Sizemore is currently wrapping up a stint with the Indians’ top two minor league affiliates.  Grady’s combined statistics are fairly impressive.  He’s batting a sizzling .353, with an OBP up to Grady standards—and then some—at .450.  He has six hits (two doubles, a homer and three singles) and a 1.097 OPS.  Granted, our cross-section of games is only five games old, but compared to last season, these are surely re-assuring numbers.  Grady played all five games in center, without making an error.

So, what does this mean for the Tribe’s centerfielder?  It means exactly what you think it does. 

With Sizemore apparently fit and healthy for the first time in over a year, the Tribe management is set to bring him back up to the big league club.  It’s unknown how much he’ll play, but Manny Acta has already placed him back in center, and back in his familiar lead-off roll.

Both positions are currently owned by one Michael Brantley, who has done a tremendous job in his stead this season.  Brantley is currently hitting .333, with seven runs scored and two stolen bases, in only 13  games.  He’s played center in all 13 appearances, and in 36 chances, he has only made one error.  Brantley will officially move to left field, as well as move down in the order to make room for the Indians former All-Star.

Sizemore has already said that he couldn’t care less where he bats, as long as it’s somewhere where he’d be productive.  Might Manny Acta play around with the lineup while the Indians are torrid hot to start the season, or will he just pop Sizemore back in, and let Brantley force his way onto the club?

Either way, it’s a good problem to have.

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Remember when Grady Sizemore was one of the perennial elite players in all of baseball? Remember when he was posting these stat lines?

2005 (age 22): .289 BA, .348 OBP, .484 SLG, 123 OPS+, 22 HR, 22 SB, 5.9 WAR (T-8th in MLB, 3rd in AL)

2006 (age 23): .290 BA, .375 OBP, .533 SLG, 133 OPS+, 28 HR, 22 SB, 7.3 WAR (3rd in MLB, 1st in AL)

2007 (age 24): .277 BA, .390 OBP, .462 SLG, 123 OPS+, 24 HR, 33 SB, 6.1 WAR (T-9th in MLB, 4th in AL)

2008 (age 25): .268 BA, .374 OBP, .502 SLG, 133 OPS+, 33 HR, 38 SB, 5.1 WAR (T-20th in MLB, T-10th in AL)

I go to the trouble of writing out these stat lines because, over the last offseason, I lost sight of how great Grady was. I spent plenty of time thinking about how Grady’s time had probably passed. How quickly things change.

We were all spoiled by how great Sizemore was at such a young age. At the time, it seemed like he would lead the Tribe for years to come.

Then came the injuries. 2009 and 2010 knocked Grady off the pedestal he was on and brought him back down to Earth.

Now, in 2011, Grady’s nearly ready to rejoin the big league club. He’s currently at Akron on a rehab assignment and I was able to witness him play on Saturday.

Let me tell you, I think Grady’s back.

When I say back, I don’t necessarily mean back to his elite 2005-08 form. What I mean is that I think he can be an effective major league player again. If he can ascend back up to the ranks of the elite, all the better. But even just an average Grady Sizemore will help the Indians immensely.

In Akron on Saturday, Grady displayed the far-ranging skills necessary to play baseball at the highest levels. He beat out a grounder to 1st base to drive in a key run. He seemed like he got up to full speed without any trouble.

Later on in the 9th inning, Grady hit a shot deep into the left-center corridor for a solid double. When the sound of the bat hitting the ball sounds that good, you know you’ve witnessed something special. This wasn’t some former major league star trying to figure things out; this was Grady Sizemore showing everyone in attendance he’s ready to play.

Grady made all of the plays necessary in center field and looked ready to go. He’ll be ready to go soon enough, replacing Austin Kearns/Travis Buck/Shelley Duncan (thank goodness) in the lineup. The Tribe’s off to a fast start as it is; can you imagine the boost that a healthy Sizemore could bring to that lineup?

I don’t want to jinx it, but I like what I’ve seen from the Indians and I like what I’ve seen from Grady Sizemore. Tribe fans everywhere: I want you to get excited.

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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!

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The opening month of the season is a time for optimism around baseball, as everyone is still in the running at that point. Still, there are clearly teams that will not be in that position for long, and they need to look ahead to what moves they may make at mid season to strength their team moving forward.

There are a number of intriguing options who may find themselves on the trade block sooner rather than later, with no name larger than Prince Fielder, who has been at the center of trade rumors for what seems like years now.

So here is an update on eight of the top potential trade targets and where they are likely to end up if an when they become available this season.

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After two disappointing seasons where he only played in 139 total games, Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore seems primed and ready for a revival year. 

After only missing nine games from 2005 to 2008, Sizemore hit an unexpected injury bug in 2009, where he injured both his elbow and abdomen, and in 2010 where a microfracture surgery on his knee ended his season after only 33 games.

The 2010 offseason was devoted to a grueling rehab process for Sizemore, which left him (and Indians fans) longing for his return to the diamond for the 2011 season.

That anticipation came to fruition on March 23rd, when Sizemore first took the field for first time for the Cleveland Indians. He had previously seen action as the designated hitter on March 21st.

While he did not perform spectacularly on the field, making a couple routine plays in center, and going 0-for-4 at the plate, his return symbolized perhaps a new era in Cleveland Indians baseball. Over Sizemore’s past two injury-riddled seasons, the Tribe have gone a dismal 134-190. His return would certainly bolster an already formidable outfield with Shin-Soo Choo and up-and-comer Michael Brantley.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a whole lot of work in three innings,” Sizemore said in a recent interview, “it’s good just to be out there moving around, tracking pitches.”

Sizemore, as well as manager Manny Acta have stated that Sizemore’s return to the field will be closely monitored, and that he will not be rushed back into the fray. It has been reported that Sizemore will alternate between playing center field and being the designated hitter for the remaining Indians spring training games.

“The last hurdle will be that, diving for a ball, which will mean he’s not thinking about his knee or anything like that,” Acta told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, “I don’t think he’s going to have any issues.”

Undoubtedly, Indians fans want the Sizemore of old to return to the lineup. From 2005 through 2008, Sizemore slugged 107 home runs, knocked in 325 runs, swiped 115 bases and chipped in 16 outfield assists. 

The Indians have made the announcement that Michael Brantley will start Opening Day at center field and in the leadoff spot in the batting order, but that means the Indians are righting a previous wrong; Sizemore may have been rushed back into action too early during the 2010 season, which may have exacerbated his previous injuries, and forced new ones upon him.

Even with Sizemore out of the lineup temporarily, the Indians signed Austin Kearns as a safety valve. Kearns performed well for the Tribe last season before being dealt to the Yankees around the All-Star break. The emergence of Travis Buck also can put the Indians faithful at rest for the time being.

With a healthy and productive Sizemore back into the lineup, the Indians are that much closer to embracing relevancy and fighting for contention in the American League once again. 

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With the status of Grady Sizemore uncertain for Opening Day, and Austin Kearns’ off-the-field issues still pending, the Cleveland Indians have turned to a relatively unfamiliar face this Spring Training for stability in the outfield: Travis Buck.

Buck has logged 39 at-bats this Spring Training, tied for first on the team, while appearing in 13 games. 

He has made good use of his time with the club this spring, hitting .385 with three doubles, one home run, and five RBI. Including players with at least 25 at-bats, only Asdrubal Cabrera and Lonnie Chisenhall have a higher slugging percentage than him.

Buck was signed, with little hype, by the Indians on December 20, 2010 to a minor league deal.

The 27-year old Buck spent the first four seasons of his career with the Oakland Athletics. His finest season was in fact his rookie season, when, in roughly half the season with the big league club, he hit .288 with 34 extra-base hits, including 22 doubles and seven home runs.

Looking ahead to the 2011 season, Shin-Soo Choo is the most recently proven outfielder on the roster.  Buck could provide solid left-handed hitting depth in case Sizemore is injured again (or his progress rehabbing his knee does not move as quickly as we all hope), or Michael Brantley struggles.  Buck and Austin Kearns could certainly provide an adequate safety valve in either case.

As far as sure-handed gloves are concerned, Buck is also more than reliable. He has logged time in all three outfield positions in his pro career. Even further, in over 1,360 innings of play he has not committed an error, a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

While Spring Training is far from an indicator to how a player may perform in the regular season, Travis Buck may have punched his ticket to Cleveland for the 2011 season.

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Satire

The Indians got a bit of surprising news this morning when former Indians ace Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn announced that he was planning a comeback to Major League Baseball.

Vaughn was quoted as saying the come back is all about “winning and bi-winning.”

It was welcome news to a pitching staff that was a combined 69-93 with a 4.30 ERA in 2010.

The 45 year-old pitcher broke into baseball in 1989 with a terrific rookie year. Discovered in the California Penal League, Vaughn’s raw talent earned him a spot on the Indians spring training roster.

He had some control issues early, but once corrected, he anchored the rotation that also featured Cy Young award winner Eddie Harris. 

On why he decided to come back: “It’s always kind of bothered me that I retired a year before the Indians made their run in the 1990s.  When Lou [Former Indians Manager Lou Brown] died, I had to take a serious look at my life,” Vaughn said. “I called Jake [Taylor] and we got together over the offseason and started working on some stuff. You know, getting back into shape.”

He has also been working out with former Indians Gold Glove Award winner Willie Mays Hayes.

The workouts have been intense, but that has not deterred Vaughn: “I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man.” Hopefully that Tiger Blood will translate into victories for the Tribe.

With an inconsistent Fausto Carmona as the opening day starter, there are a lot of questions heading into 2011. There is some promise with the likes of Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and Mitch Talbot, all under 28 years old. None of them are proven starters.

Ricky Vaughn has said he’d like to compete for a job as a starter, refusing to entertain the notion that he would be relegated to bullpen duty.

When asked about the Indians pitchers, Vaughn clarified by saying, “They’re the best at what they do and I’m the best at what I do. And together it’s like, it’s on. Sorry, Middle America [American League Central].” That kind of positive thinking will be a welcomed addition to current skipper Manny Acta.

Slow starts have plagued the Indians in recent years. If Ricky’s aging arm can stand up to the rigor of a full MLB season, this might be the year they get it turned around. Wild Thing was not ashamed when he talked about what he expects from the upcoming 2011.

He said “It’s perfect. It’s awesome. Every day is just filled with just wins. All we do is put wins in the record books. We win so radically in our underwear before our first cup of coffee, it’s scary. People say it’s lonely at the top, but I sure like the view.”

Not everybody is drinking the kool-aid. The groundskeepers at Progressive Field in Cleveland were quoted as saying “They’re still sh**** [crappy].”

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In the rotation, they have (blank) and who else?

Where is Sizemore playing?

How long will Hafner be on the DL this season?

All of these questions have been asked in one form or another this offseason. That’s not what makes them interesting.

What makes them interesting is that they were actual questions raised on veteranpresence.com in the spring of 2007. Tribe fans everywhere remember that 2007 was the last year the Indians were relevant, and that was coming off a 78-84 campaign.

Yes, this was a different team in a different year. But there are parallels. Cliff Lee was not yet Cliff Lee. Who’s on third was a common refrain. In short, the expectations were low…and it turned out the Indians, and the rest of the division, weren’t who the experts thought they were.

Could it happen again? Here are five reasons why you can argue that stranger things have happened.

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Three years ago, the Cleveland Indians were one win away from appearing in the World Series before the Boston Red Sox came back to win the 2007 American League Championship Series, four games to three.

In subsequent years, the Indians unloaded their potential World Series roster with a series of blockbuster trades.

Over the next two seasons, the Indians traded away starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, third baseman Casey Blake and starting catcher Victor Martinez. In exchange, Cleveland added a wealth of young prospects, the likes of which may not be felt for this year, but at some point down the road.

Through their trades, the Indians added outfielders Matt Laporta and Michael Brantley as part of their deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for C.C. Sabathia. Laporta, the seventh overall pick from the 2007 Major League Draft and the No. 1 rated prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers at the time of the draft, is expected to start at first base this season, allowing Travis Hafner to start as the designated hitter.

In dealing pitcher Cliff Lee, who was coming off of a Cy Young season the year before, the Indians added the Philadelphia Phillies top prospect at the time, pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

As part of the Casey Blake deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tribe added stud-catcher Carlos Santana (no relation to the musician), who entered the 2009 season as the Indians No. 1 prospect in the minors.

The Santana deal allowed the Indians to trade away their best player, catcher Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox. In that exchange, the Indians ended up with hard throwing pitcher Justin Masterson.

In two season, the Indians unloaded most of their best players, electing to hold onto Gold Glove outfielder Grady Sizemore and first baseman Travis Hafner, who from 2004 through 2007 batted in over 434 runs.

Since then however, Hafner has just 123 RBIs in the following three seasons.  

Sizemore, who was considered by many to be one of the best young players in baseball hasn’t been healthy the last two seasons, only playing in 33 games in 2010 before a knee injury ended his season.

The Indians middle infield is solid as Asdrubal Cabrera and Luis Valbuena return for their third season together.

With injuries and unproven young stars, the Indians best player may be outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who last season homered 22 times and drove in 90 runs while hitting .300 in 144 games. Choo has batted .300 or better each of the last three seasons.

The ace of the Tribes pitching staff, Fausto Carmona, who last season was awarded with his first All-Star appearance, was the subject of heavy trade rumors and may be again this season.

The rest of the Indians staff remains young, full of potential, and for the most part, untested. Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and a combination of Aaron Laffey, Mitch Talbot, David Huff and Josh Tomlin all could push for the fifth spot in the rotation.

After coming off of a 34 save season in 2008 for the Chicago Cubs, the Indians signed Kerry Wood to a two-year deal. Halfway into his second season with the Indians, Wood was traded to the New York Yankees. In a season and a half with the Indians, Wood managed just 28 saves.

This year; however, the Indians will enter with Chris Perez as their new closer. Last season, Perez finished with 23 saves and gave up just 12 runs in 63 innings of work, good enough for a 1.71 ERA, third best in the league for players with over 20 saves.

The 2011 Cleveland Indians are young, talented and unproven, yet the the Tribe have some good reasons to look toward the future.

From 1994 to 2001, the Indians made the playoffs six times and appeared in the World Series twice.

After a rough rebuilding period, the Indians were one win away from making their third World Series appearance since 1995.

If history has shown us anything, it has proved that the Cleveland Indians will once again be contenders in the near future.

It’s only a matter of time.

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