"The 2008 Indians finished up the season at 81-81 and in third place in the AL Central, largely due to a substantial number of injuries that eventually led them to trade away C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers. While injuries were a significant problem, there were several positive aspects to the Indians' 2008 season, most notably the resurgence of Cliff Lee in the rotation, as well as the continued development of Jhonny Peralta and Kelly Shoppach, who saw much of the time at catcher in the absence of Victor Martinez. The outlook for 2009 is mixed, as the Indians need bounceback years from Travis Hafner and Martinez in order to be successful, but with how wide open the AL Central could be, they still do have a shot at taking the division, though a wildcard berth is probably out of the question as that looks to come from the AL East next year.
C Victor Martinez - Martinez saw action in only 73 games last year and put up a less-than-stellar line of .278/.337/.365 during that time. Martinez is supposedly healthy to begin the year, and should be able to return to form in 2009, assuming that he has no lasting ill-effects from the previous season. When healthy, Martinez is one of the top offensive catchers in the game, usually good for batting around .300 and hitting 20 home runs a season. He is still only 30 years old and probably has another 3-4 years before he starts to decline, so look for him to enjoy a solid offensive season in 2009. Defensively, he is below-average, and his throwing problems have been well-documented. The Indians need his bat to be effective in order for him to have any value to the team, as Kelly Shoppach is a far better defensive catcher who showed great improvement at the plate last year. Nevertheless, look for Martinez to get most of the time behind the dish this year, unless injury derails him again.
1B Ryan Garko - Garko has been the full-time 1B for the Indians for the last two seasons, and while he doesn't possess prototypical power skills, he is a slightly above-average offensive player. His OPS dipped to .750 in 2008, largely due to a 20 point drop in his BABIP from his career norms and also due to a drop in his HR/FB that should normalize in 2009. Look for an OPS around .800 for him in 2009 and going forward, as that looks to be right around where his career line should end up. Defensively, Garko has good hands, but doesn't have particularly good range. He'll help out his other infielders, but won't make a ton of plays otherwise. Garko is pretty much league-average across the board, which certainly is something that a lot of teams would like to have, and he will be a solid contributor to the Indians in 2009.
2B Asdrubal Cabrera - Cabrera's true value probably lies closer to his 2007 than his 2008, where his OPS dropped to .713 from .775. Cabrera's BABIP fell by 30 points in 2008, so look for some bounceback there, as well as for him to continue to show improved plate discipline, as he showed an improved walk rate last season. Power will probably never be a big part of Cabrera's game, but as long as he gets on base at a clip around .350, he should have plenty of value to Cleveland, who has plenty of big hitters in their lineup to drive him in. Defensively, Cabrera is a bit above average, with solid range and quick hands capable of turning the double play. Look for him to show an improved offensive game over 2008, but don't expect him to blossom into a feared hitter anytime soon.
3B Mark DeRosa - The departure of Casey Blake last season was supposed to open the door for highly-touted Andy Marte to become the third-baseman of the future for the Indians. With Marte's continued struggles, it now appears that the Indians will turn to DeRosa in order to solidify their infield for the upcoming season. DeRosa is coming off two very solid season with the Cubs, in particular his 2008, where he posted an OPS of .857. DeRosa's numbers are unlikely to be quite that good going forward, but look for him to post an OPS of around .800 in 2009, as his power numbers for last year were built on an HR/FB that was significantly above his career average. Defensively, is flexible and can see time at 2B as well as 3B, but he is a very capable 3B who has a solid arm and should provide stability for the Indians there in 2009.
SS Jhonny Peralta - After a tremendous first full season in 2005, Peralta regressed in 2006, but showed improvement over the next couple of years, finally getting back to being the player that the Indians thought they had when he first came up. He posted an OPS of .801 last year, hitting 23 home runs while batting .276. Peralta's game offensively relies mostly on his ability to generate extra-base hits, as strikeouts have always been a problem for him and will probably prevent him from consistently getting his average in the .280 range or above. Even so, his power still makes him a solid offensive player. Defensively, Peralta is pretty average, with solid range and a strong enough arm. Look for him to post an OPS of between .775-.825 next season, as he should settle into this range for the rest of his career.
LF Ben Francisco - 2008 was Francisco's first full year with the Indians, and he posted a solid line of .266/.332/.438 over the course of 447 ABs. What can you expect in 2009? Probably more of the same, with a little improvement. Francisco should hit between 14-18 home runs in a normal year and probably will post a bit higher batting average and OBP, but his ceiling looks to be as a player who posts an OPS of around .800 in a given year. Defensively, he has average speed but takes good lines towards balls, allowing him to get to a couple that he probably shouldn't. He did have 12 outfield assists last year, so his arm is certainly strong enough to help out as well. Francisco is another one of Cleveland's new generation of players, and look for him to contribute as a solid corner OF in 2009.
CF Grady Sizemore - Sizemore is a star and arguably the best centerfielder in the majors at this point. A typical Sizemore line at this point is .280/.370/.500. He combines great patience, the ability to drive the ball to the gaps, home run power, and speed into a package that is almost the prototypical centerfielder. Defensively, he is well above-average, with good range and an arm that is average. We can toss around plenty of superlatives, but Sizemore is a perennial All-Star who should win an MVP before the end of his career, assuming that his teams are competitive. Look for him to put up another superb 2009 and continue to show he is one of the premier players in the game.
RF Shin-Soo Choo - Choo took over in RF for the second half of 2009 and posted tremendous numbers, with a combined line of .309/.397/.549. Choo's BABIP has always been on the high side, so the .373 that he posted there isn't as shocking as you would initially think. What was a bit unusual was his spike in power, as his HR/FB was 16.1%, which he almost certainly will be unable to maintain in 2009. Look for a line in the .280/.370/.450 range, which would still be superb for him in his second year. Defensively, Choo has slightly below average range, partly due to some poor jumps that he can get on balls from time to time. His arm is adequate, though nothing particularly special. In any case, his offensive ability should be able to carry him, as he should be a valuable member of the Indians squad in 2009.
DH Travis Hafner - Hafner had about as bad of a season as you could possibly have in 2008, with the possible exception of Andruw Jones. He posted an OPS+ of 65 after being above 165 for 2004-2006, and was injured much of the season, playing in only 57 games. Hafner's 2007 numbers had shown some decline, as he hit only 24 home runs and batted .266, but this was partially due to a BABIP that was almost 30 points below his career average. His awful 2008 can be attributed mostly to injury, on the other hand. So what can you expect out of him in 2009? Assuming he is healthy, look for him to bounce back to a level slightly above his 2007 performance, perhaps in the 25-30 home run range while batting around .280. He still has a solid approach at the plate and should put up an OPS in the high-.800s when back in good health. If he turns out to still have health issues, look for the Indians to be aggressive in promoting Matt LaPorta, who could be the successor to Hafner if they decide he is not adequate defensively.
SP Cliff Lee - After what could be described as a disastrous 2007 season, Lee bounced back in 2008 to be one of the top starters in the American League, posting a 22-3 record with a 2.54 ERA en route to winning the AL Cy Young. While at first it might look like Lee has turned a corner, it is doubtful that he will repeat the success that he had in 2008, though he should still be a very solid ace for the Indians. Why the regression? For one, his HR/FB dropped to 5.1%, nearly half of what it has been over the course of his career. His BB/9 also dropped nearly in half, which he will most likely not be able to maintain, leading to a bit of slippage as well. In the end, look for him to post an ERA in the mid-3s with a K/9 of around 6-6.5. He's certainly going to be a very good top-end starter, but 2008 is most likely going to be a career year for Lee.
SP Fausto Carmona - Carmona had a subpar season in 2008 that was derailed by injury and failed to capitalize on the momentum of his 2007 season. He posted an ERA of 5.44, giving up 126 hits in 120 innings while striking out only 58. The drop in his K-rate and return of his control problems were the prime causes of his struggles, his phenomenal sinker still kept the ball in play and on the ground. Carmona's 2007 might turn out to be the best year he has, as his walk rate spiked up to 5.52 BB/9 last season, which is certainly a bad trend to keep in mind. Look for an ERA in the mid-4s this season from him as he looks to get back on the right path and hopefully avoid the troubles of last season.
SP Aaron Laffey - Laffey is another groundball pitcher for the Indians, who is a solid #3 starter for them. He posted an ERA of 4.23 in 93.2 innings last season while seeing a significant amount of time in AAA as well. Laffey's stuff is average, but he commands it well and keeps that ball down, which helps minimize the damage that hitters can do against him. He's never going to be an ace for a team, but he certainly can help out in the middle of a rotation. Look for him to continue to be a solid starter in 2009, posting an ERA in the mid-4s while eating innings for the Indians.
SP Jeremy Sowers - Sowers probably wasn't as bad as he looked in 2008, but he certainly isn't going to be a top-end starter either. He projects as a #4/5 guy with below-average stuff but solid command who can keep hitters off-balance. In 2008, he was 4-9 with a 5.58 ERA, giving up 141 hits in 121 innings while striking out 64. Sowers did have some trouble with the home run in 2008, giving up 18, which worked out to a rate of 1.34 per nine innings, which certainly isn't what you want from a starting pitcher. That number should trend downward a bit in 2009, as his HR/FB should come back to normal. In any case, look for him to post an ERA in the high-4s to low-5s and be a back-end starter for the Indians.
SP Anthony Reyes - Reyes came over from the Cardinals in the middle of 2008 and posted a combined record of 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 49 innings. In the long run, don't expect Reyes to be quite that good again. Reyes profiles as a pitcher who can eventually be a #3 starter, possibly a #2 if everything goes well for him. Reyes K/9 dipped to 4.59 in 2008, which is well below the range of 6-6.5 that he should sit in. 2009 should be a big year for his development, as he has a shot to make the Indians rotation out of spring training, though he will face competition from other starters, such as the recently-acquired Carl Pavano.
CL Kerry Wood - The Indians signed Wood to be their closer for 2009 after he had a very good 2008 for the Cubs finishing out games. He racked up 34 saves while posting a 3.26 ERA in 66 innings while striking out 84. This was the first time that Wood had pitched more than 50 innings in a season since 2005, so he obviously has some durability concerns that will continue to linger, simply because of his history. Still, when healthy, he has shown that he still possesses the great stuff that made him a dominant starter, and had good makeup for the closer's role. Health will always be something to monitor with Wood, but look for him to have a solid 2009 for the Indians if he continues to stay off the DL."
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