Nicknames

Nicknames

           

           You may hear me refer to some of the players by nicknames. Sometimes you can figure out who I am talking about, sometimes there isn't enough context. I am going to post a list of the player nicknames. Some have stories behind them, some don't.

Cody Allen- Chicken, Chicken Al

Fun Fact- Justin Masterson actually brought a real chicken to the ballpark and it wandered onto the turf near the warning track.

John Axford- Axman

Justin Masterson- Nasty Masty, Masty

Zack McAllister- Z-Mac

Marc Rzepczynski- Scrabble

By far, one of my favorite nicknames. A lot of people had no idea had to pronounce his name when he first came here. 

Yan Gomes- Yanny, Yanimal

Asdrubal Cabrera- Cabbie

Lonnie Chisenhall- Big Lon, The Chiz Kid, Lonnie Baseball

Jason Kipnis- Kip, Kippy, Dirtbag, Kipnasty, J Kid

Dirtbag was an affectionate nickname given to Kipnis by Manny Acta because he loves to slide in the dirt

Carlos Santana- C-san

Justin Sellers- Cellblock

He has many tattoos on his arms, thus "Cellblock" was dubbed.

Nick Swisher- Swish

Michael Bourn- Bourney

Michael Brantley- Dr. Smooth

Nyjer Morgan- Tony Plush

His alter ego's name is Tony Plush

Jason Giambi- Giambino, G, Big Papa G

Grading This Year's Performance

Cleveland Indians Grades

I'll be grading the guys on fielding, hitting, and overall play.

Nick Swisher- I will give Nick a C in fielding. He hasn't made many memorable mistakes but he does have four errors on the year, which is concerning. His hitting is somewhat of a concern too. He is batting .202 so far with 26 hits and 33 strikeouts. I'll give him a C in that category as well. His overall play would be a C.

Jason Kipnis- Although Kipnis has been out around 8 games for his strained oblique muscle, his grade is a B- in fielding. He has three errors on the season, which is substantially better than the twelve he logged last season. On the hitting front, he earns a B+ with three home runs and 22 hits. His overall play is a B.

Asdrubal Cabrera- His improvement has been slow. His fielding is a huge concern with five errors so far. I'll give his performance a D. Recently, his batting has lit up. He is currently batting .215 with 26 hits. I'll give him a B. Overall, I have not really been that impressed, so I am going to give him a C-.

Mike Aviles- He doesn't start everyday but he still is a pain in the away team's side. He has logged one error so far in 20 starts. He earns a B in fielding. His batting is a different story. He is currently batting a .302 which is awesome. He has hit in 19/22 games. He gets an A-. Overall, I'm going to give him a B+.

Carlos Santana- C-San is not looking hot so far. He has two errors on the year so I'll give his fielding a C. His batting is nothing special. In fact, he is batting .139 but he has four home runs. I'll give him a D+. Overall, he deserves a C.

Yan Gomes- This is a disappointing start to the season. Perhaps we should have waited to sign a contract with him. His fielding errors are inexcusable. He has nine errors, and he has allowed 18 stolen bases with only 25% caught stealing. Unfortunately, Gomes gets an F in the fielding category. His hitting has been good. He is batting .255 this year with 25 hits and four home runs. He earns a B in that category. Overall, Gomes gets a D. 

Lonnie Chisenhall- Lonnie's bat has been on fire but his glove hasn't. Lonnie has started ten games and he already has three errors. He gets a D. He is batting .355 with 22 hits in 22 games. He earns an A. Overall, he deserves a B.

Michael Brantley- He has been amazing. Brantley has one error this year and earns himself an A-. His batting has been even better. He is hitting a solid .276, leading the team with 34 hits and five home runs. He gets an A+. Overall, he gets an A!

Michael Bourn- Bourney has been plagued with injuries as of late. He has one error this year in 15 games. I give him a B. His batting average is .266 with 17  hits. That  deserves a B as well. So his overall grade is a B.

David Murphy- I take back everything mean I said about him. His fielding has been phenomenal! He has no errors and a perfect fielding percentage. He gets an A+! His batting average is .250 with two home runs and 24 hits. I'll give him a B+! Overall, he gets an A!

Injury Report/Performance Report

                                Injury Report

      The Tribe has been plagued by injuries recently. Jason Kipnis made contact with a ball and doubled over in pain. Kipnis, all-star second baseman in 2013, will be out for three to five weeks with an oblique strain. Kipnis is a huge part of the ball club and will be greatly missed in the time he is on the DL. 

       What concerns me more is Michael Bourn. Bourn left the game against the White Sox on May 3rd with tightness in his left hamstring. Bourn underwent surgery on his hamstring during the off-season and spent some time on the disabled list at the beginning of the season following a strain. This is the second time this season that he left the game because of his hamstring. Bourn is known for his base stealing ability, stealing 23 bases last year. However, his stolen bases are substantially lower than the 61 bases he stole in 2011. 

         Next up on the injury list is Jason Giambi. No surprise here! Giambi turned 43 in January. He started the season on the DL with a fractured rib after being hit by a pitch. On May 3, Giambi was replaced by Ryan Raburn in the lineup after complaining of calf cramps. 

Jason Kipnis is expected back in early June.

Michael Bourn is considered day to day. Although he expects to be back between today and May 8th. 

Jason Giambi is considered day to day but could be back at anytime. He is available to pinch hit if needed. 

                           Performance Report

Overall, we have not played our best. Our errors have been outrageous.

Leading the team in errors is catcher Yan Gomes.

Gomes has a total of seven errors and he has allowed 16 stolen bases. Gomes had a total of three errors and 29 stolen bases at the end of last years season.

Tied for second is Asdrubal Cabrera and Nick Swisher with four errors. Last year, Asdrubal Cabrera recorded nine errors on the year. Swisher recorded nine as well.

Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis are tied for third with three errors. Last year, Chisenhall logged nine errors. Kipnis logged a whopping 12 errors last year. Kipnis is doing much better on the field this year.

Believe it or not, Carlos Santana, who transitioned from catcher to third just last year, has only one error. 

The errorless streak continues for the following players logging more than 20 innings: Danny Salazar, Ryan Raburn, David Murphy, Nyjer Morgan, Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber, and Carlos Carrasco. 

            

2/27/14 The Indians' Minor Leaguers Gave A Major Beating T o the Reds

That's More Like It

Indians Win!!!

Top of the 1st      0-0

After Michael Bourn struck out, Mike Aviles doubled to left. He was left stranded in scoring position after Brantley grounded out and Santana popped out. 

Bottom of the 1st   0-0

 Justin Masterson was the starter for Cleveland on the mound. He allowed a single to Billy Hamilton, who advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by Mike Aviles. Masterson struck out two batters for two outs. Former Indian, Brandon Phillips, grounded out to Jesus Aguilar to end the inning.


Top of the 2nd  0-0

The Tribe couldn't bring Giambi and Aguilar home after the were walked to begin the inning.


Bottom of the 2nd    0-2

Corey Kluber replaced Justin Masterson on the mound. Kluber hit Lutz with a pitch. Chris Nelson doubled to center and advanced Lutz to 3rd. Zack Cozart doubled to center and Nelson and Lutz scored. Cozart was tagged out by Carlos Santana at 3rd. Kluber retired Soto and Miller to end the inning.

Top of the 3rd   0-2

Yet another unproductive inning for the Tribe. Bourn and Aviles struck out. Brantley drew a walk and Santana hit a single to left field. They had nothing to show for it after Giambi popped out to center field. 

Bottom of the 3rd   0-2

Tyler Naquin replaced Michael Bourn in center field. Francisco Lindor replaced Mike Aviles at short stop. Nyjer Morgan replaced Michael Brantley at left field. David Adams replaced Carlos Santana at 3rd. Carlos Carrasco took over the mound for Corey Kluber. Carrasco threw a 1-2-3 inning.

Top of the 4th   2-2

With two outs, Aguilar drew a walk and Johnson hit a two-run homer to left. 

Bottom of the 4th   2-2

Carlos Moncrief replaced David Murphy in right field. Jake Lowery replaced Matt Treanor behind the plate. Joe Wendle replaced Elliot Johnson at 2nd. Carrasco threw a 1-2-3 inning. 

Top of the 5th   7-2

The Reds started falling apart after Daniel Corcino walked Nyjer Morgan and David Adams. Erik Gonzalez replaced Jason Giambi to pinch hit. He hit a ground rule double that scored Nyjer Morgan. Moncrief walked and the Reds replaced Corcino with Ismael Guillon. Jake Lowery hit a grand slam to right field. Lowery, Adams, Gonzalez, and Moncrief scored. 

Bottom of the 5th  7-2

Erik Gonzalez remained in the game as the DH. David Aardsma replaced Carlos Carrasco on the mound. With one out, Soto singled to Moncrief. Aardsma retired the last two batters.

Top of the 6th   9-2

Lindor singled to start the inning. Nyjer Morgan doubled to right and scored Lindor. David Adams walked with two outs in the inning. While Moncrief was batting, a wild pitch scored Morgan. The inning ended after Moncrief grounded out. 

Bottom of the 6th   9-2

Josh Outman replaced David Aardsma on the mound. With one out, Navarro singled to center field. Josh Outman threw a wild pitch that advanced Navarro to 2nd. Rodriguez walked and the inning ended with a strike out and a ground out.

Top of the 7th  12-2

Luke Carlin replaced Jake Lowery as a pinch hitter. With one out, Carlin singled on a line drive to center. Tyler Naquin brought Carlin home on a 2-run homer. Lindor reached first on a fielding error. Morgan singled to center and scored Lindor. 

Bottom of the 7th   12-2

Luke Carlin stayed in the game as the catcher. Blake Wood replaced Josh Outman on the mound. The Reds were able to put one man on base with a walk. They had no luck bringing the base runner home. 

Top of the 8th  12-2

David Adams singled to start the inning. Gonzalez walks and advances Adams to 2nd. They were unable to bring the runners home.

Bottom of the 8th  12-3

Mike Zagurski replaced Blake Wood on the mound for the Tribe. With one out, Bernadina tripled on a line drive to center. Navarro walked and Rodriguez scores Bernadina with a sac ground out. 

Top of the 9th   12-3

With one out, Tyler Naquin walked but couldn't reach home.

Bottom of the 9th   12-3

Tyler Cloyd replaced Mike Zagurski on the mound. Although Diaz doubled, the Reds were unable to close the 9 run gap made by the Indians.

2/26/14 Indians fall to the Reds

This wasn't the way I wanted the game to turn out, but it is still refreshing to see the boys back on the field.

In the first inning, Trevor Bauer walked Billy Hamilton, who stole and reached third on a throwing error by Yan Gomes. He walked Phillips, who was later caught stealing. He struck out Joey Votto for the third out.

The score remained 0-0 after Nyjer Morgan, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis couldn't put a man on base.

We started the 2nd inning with Aaron Harang replacing Bauer on the mound. Harang allowed one hit and struck out one batter.

Lonnie walked and Ryan Raburn grounded into a double play to produce two outs. Gomes grounded out to end the inning.

T.J. House looked shaky at the beginning of the 3rd inning for the Tribe. Brayan Pena singled to right and advanced to 2nd after Hamilton grounded out. Votto singled and Pena reached home plate to put the Reds ahead by a point. Jay Bruce walked and Lunwicks singled to make the score 2-0.

We didn't have any luck scoring in the bottom of the 3rd.

House continued to look shaky in the 4th inning. Tony Wolters replaced Yan Gomes behind the plate.

Kipnis drew a walk but Cabrera and Chisenhall were unable to bring him home.

The 5th inning consisted of many defensive replacements for the Tribe. Erik Gonzalez replaced Asdrubal Cabrera on short. Joe Wendle replaced Jason Kipnis at 2nd. Ryan Rohlinger replaced Lonnie Chisenhall at 3rd. Nick Hagadone replaced T.J. House on the mound. Hagadone looked solid in a 1-2-3 inning including one strikeout.

Ryan Raburn started the bottom of the 5th with a bang (no pun intended). Raburn landed on 2nd base with a double. Wolters hit an RBI single that allowed Raburn to come home. Jeff Francoeur walked and Wolters advanced to 2nd. David Cooper drew a walk which shifted Wolters to 3rd and Francoeur to 2nd. David Adams grounded into a double play that scored Wolters to tie the game at 2-2. Nyjer Morgan popped out to end the inning.

In the 6th inning, Tyler Naquin replaced Nyjer Morgan at center field. Matt Carson replaced Ryan Raburn in left. Carlos Moncrief replaced Jeff Francoeur at right field. Jesus Aguilar replaced David Cooper at 1st. The downward spiral began when Skip Schumaker singled on a line drive to Matt Carson. With one out, Indians first basemen Jesus Aguilar fumbled an infield single hit by Roger Bernadina.  Ramon Santiago drew a walk that shifted Schumaker to 3rd and Bernadina to 2nd. With bases loaded, Hynes walked Tucker Barnhart, forcing Schumaker to score. Pitching coach Mickey Calloway visited the mound in hopes of calming the nerves of Colt Hynes. However, Hynes was yanked and replaced by C.C Lee after Donald Lutz grounded out bringing Bernadina home. Lee entered the game and struck out Chris Nelson to end the inning.

The Indians were behind 2-4 in the bottom of the 6th. Gonzalez singled on a ground ball to put a man on base. Wendle popped out in foul territory for the first out. Ryan Rohlinger stepped up to the plate and fouled a ball that bounced up and hit him on the cheek. He shook it off and Erik Gonzalez stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by Red's catcher Tucker Barnhart. Rohlinger got out on a sac fly to right that scored Gonzalez. Matt Carson grounded out to end the inning. The score was 3-4.

To start the 7th inning, Roberto Perez replaced Tony Wolters behind the plate. C.C Lee remained on the mound for Cleveland. With two outs, Lee walked Skip Schumaker. Lee was replaced after Chris Heisey hit a 2-run homer to make put the Reds ahead 3-6. J.C Ramirez took the mound and retired Bernadina to bring the Tribe up to bat.

With two outs, Jesus Aguilar drew a walk. David Adams was replaced by pinch-hitter Fransisco Lindor. Lindor struck out to end the inning.

Lindor remained in the game as the DH. In the top of the 8th, Ramirez walked Santiago, who stole stole second. Santiago scored off of a triple hit by Donald Lutz with one out. Nelson hit a sac fly that scored Lutz making the score 3-8. Soto hit a single but was left stranded when Negron grounded out to Ryan Rohlinger.

The Tribe went 1-2-3 after Naquin, Gonzalez, and Wendle failed to put a man on base.

The 9th inning started with the fresh but familiar face of Preston Guilmet on the mound. Chris Heisey continued his hitting streak with a double hit to Matt Carson. Roger Bernadina drew a walk with one out in the ninth. Guilmet stopped the bleeding by striking out two consecutive batters to bring the Tribe up to bat.

The Tribe had one last chance to close the 3-8 gap. Ryan Rohlinger, Matt Carson, and Roberto Perez were up to bat for the Tribe. Rohlinger struck out and Carson reached 1st on a fielding error. The game ended when Roberto Perez grounded into a double play.

I was not impressed by the majority of the pitchers.

Trevor Bauer walked 2 consecutive batters. House allowed 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and had 9.00 ERA. Hynes pitched 0.2 innings, allowed 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and had a 27.00 ERA. Lee allowed 1 hit (2-run homer), 2 runs, 1 walk, and had a 18.00 ERA. Ramirez allowed 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and had a 13.50 ERA.

Nick Hagadone and Aaron Harang shined. Hagadone pitched one inning and struck out a batter. Harang pitched an inning and allowed a hit and struck out a batter.

More Hits and Misses of 2014

HIT- Cody Allen

Cody Allen is Terry Francona's trusted arm in late-inning situations. His strikeout rate is 11.26/9. This simply means that he averaged 11.26 strikeouts per game. His ability to limit home runs (only 7 allowed in 2013) is something to be proud of. We will definitely see him on the roster this season.

MISS- Lonnie Chisenhall

He has not lived up to his potential yet. He is not producing the numbers he did in Columbus. .225 is what Lonnie ended with last season. That is disappointing to put it lightly. What happened to the Lonnie that hit 22 home runs in the minors? The answer lies within the question. He did well in the minors but not in the big leagues. If Carlos Santana doesn't transition well to 3rd base, you won't be seeing my smiling face anymore. You will be seeing Lonnie's.

HIT- Danny Salazar

This kid is going to be a key component in the 2014 season. Danny posted 65 strikeouts in 52 innings! Danny's ERA was 3.12 which is incredible for a rookie. Below are Danny's projected stats for 2014. 

2014 Projection: 173 IP, 12 W, 0 SV, 207 K, 3.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

This rookie has been compared with Jose Fernandez, Anibal Sanchez, Jeff Samardzija, and Yu Darvish! Looks like we got a phenom on our hands! 

MISS- Jason Giambi

This one really hits home for me. I hate that he is on this list but I truly believe that this is Giambi's last season. His batting average is not what it used to be. Jason ended the season with a lousy .183 in 186 at bats. His stats are getting progressively worse as he ages. He isn't doing it for the money anymore. He is doing it for his love of the game and the love of his fans. I know you guys are going to give me all kinds of grief for supporting him. He made mistakes. Did he deny making them? No, he publicly apologized (unlike A-Rod).  We will truly be losing a legend. 

Make sure and look tomorrow for my blog on 2014 player projections. I also will have a post up today on Jason Giambi. 

Projected Hits of 2014

Players to Watch This Year for Cleveland 

Lets start off with with our Ohio native, Nick Swisher. 

Here are Nick's stats before and after the All-Star break. The batting average is not what we want to see. In June, Swish went through a 0-27 slump that brought his batting average down to .237. However, he was having difficulties with his shoulder. Even with his slump, he was able to produce 22 home runs in the 2013 season. He reported that he is healthy and ready to get back on the field. We should see the real Nick Swisher this coming season.

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
1st Half	79	79	341	289	42	70	16	1	9	31	0	0	46	72	.242	.352	.398	.750	115	4	4	0	2	2
2nd Half	66	65	293	260	32	65	11	1	13	32	1	0	31	66	.250	.328	.450	.778	117	7	0	0	2	1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/29/2014.

Next is Ryan Raburn. Raburn was a silent killer last season. He posted some great numbers! 

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2013 Totals	86	67	277	243	40	66	18	0	16	55	0	0	29	67	.272	.357	.543	.901	132	4	4	0	1	0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/29/2014.

16 home runs and 66 hits in 86 games is pretty good for him. He was nothing more than average in Detroit. He provides the team with an added bonus because he can transition into many positions. He even pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout against the Tigers. Ryan has been an asset to the team. He just needed a change of scenery from Detroit. I look forward to Raburn even snatching up a starting position in the future. 

When I heard that Jason Kipnis was gaining ground on Robinson Cano, I was not surprised. This kid can swing a bat! 
What you see below are the stats of all three seasons in his career. After each season, his stats get progressively better. 

Kip definitely should be the head of the franchise. He put up 37 hits in 36 games. That is insane! 

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Awards
2011	24	CLE	AL	36	150	136	24	37	9	1	7	19	5	0	11	34	.272	.333	.507	.841	69	0	2	0	1	0
2012	25	CLE	AL	152	672	591	86	152	22	4	14	76	31	7	67	109	.257	.335	.379	.714	224	12	5	3	6	2
2013	26	CLE	AL	149	658	564	86	160	36	4	17	84	30	7	76	143	.284	.366	.452	.818	255	10	3	5	10	3	AS,MVP-11
3 Yrs				337	1480	1291	196	349	67	9	38	179	66	14	154	286	.270	.349	.424	.773	548	22	10	8	17	5
162 Game Avg.				162	711	621	94	168	32	4	18	86	32	7	74	137	.270	.349	.424	.773	263	11	5	4	8	2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/29/2014.

He has played 337 games and has 349 hits. I predict that Kip will only get better with time.  

Get used to this face because he is going to be in Cleveland for awhile.

Keep in mind that these are just a few of my predictions. Tomorrow I will post more hits along with a few misses.