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. 

I love these guys!

I Honestly Love Every Single One of These Guys Weirdos

I am first starting off with Terry Francona. Oh Terry, how you love your bubblegum. It got  to a point where he said someone unwrapped it for him. 

Wow... It's even got his name on it...


If you ever see a man with a brief case and dinner on a scooter in Cleveland, don't distract him. It's hard to carry.

Click to watch Terry talk about his scooter and hate mail

Dancing With the Tribe??

Where do you even get this? Ha! Justin is pretty pale!

I have no words.. Michael Brantley, You keep on doing you

So I'm going to help you out with some of them.

Parrot: Jason Kipnis (costume courtesy of Vinnie Pestano)

Ohio State football star: Nick Swisher

Green man: Jason Giambi

Big baby: Terry Francona

Prisoner: Sandy Alomar, Jr.

Camo man: Mark Reynolds

Human bear: Justin Masterson

Lloyd Christmas & Harry Dunne (from “Dumb and Dumber”): David Huff & Chris Perez

Mario: Lonnie Chisenhall

Two Luigis: Mike Sarbaugh & Brian Jeroloman

Nerd: Michael Brantley

Flamingo wrangler: Cody Allen

Reno 911! cop: Ubaldo Jimenez

Hot dog with beard: Nick Hagadone

Disco man: Carlos Carrasco

Ironman: Drew Stubbs

Scarecrow: Trevor Bauer

Mummies: Juan Diaz & Michael Bourn

WWE wrestler: Brett Myers

Two Gumbies: Mike McDade & Scott Barnes

Two Easter bunnies: Rich Hill & Lou Marson

Three penguins: Matt Capps, Matt Langwell & Zach McAllister

Egyptian Pharaoh: Danny Salazar

Hula dancer: Cord Phelps

Spiderman: Joe Martinez

Gene Simmons: Mickey Callaway

Waldo: Matt Carson

Angry Birds: Scott Kazmir and Bryan Shaw

Courtesy of Tribevibes.mlbblogs.com

Jason Kipnis and Vinnie Pestano

If you don't love these two after watching this, then I don't know what is wrong with you

Jason Kipnis and Josh Reddick

What ever happened to dinner and a movie first?

Vinnie Pestano, Lou Marson and Tim Belcher

I can't think of an explanation of why Vinnie is carrying a Disney princess backpack

Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis

I find this quite one-sided

Carlos Santana

Since Kip wouldn't give him love, Santana got it from another source

Jason Kipnis and Michael Bourn

Post-chest bump?

Nick Swisher and Caspar the Friendly Ghost

Access DENIED

Carlos Santana

Keep your day job Carlos

Jason Kipnis and Ryan Flaherty

Most women (including me) would kill to be where Ryan is!

My personal Favorite Pictures

I found where Terry gets his chicken. 

Hey look! Its Cody Allen! 

Carlos Carrasco: The Head Hunter

Background Information

What do Sal Maglie and Carlos Carrasco have in common? Yes, they both were Indians pitchers. They were also notorious for head hunting. The term "headhunting" is used when a pitcher throws the ball at a batter with the intent to hit them. It is extremely hard to believe that someone could get so angry and purposefully throw a ball at someone. 

Former Indian Ray Chapman - Victim of a Fatal Beanball

Ray Chapman was only doing what he was paid to do when noted head hunter Carl Mays made a terrible decision. The noise made by the ball hitting Chapman's head was so loud, that Mays thought it hit his bat. Mays caught the ball as it came back and threw it to first. Chapman collapsed to the ground with blood coming out of his left ear. Mays never left the mound even after Chapman was rushed to the hospital. Chapman died 12 hours later from a skull fracture. 

Accidental or Intentional?

Lets look at Mays' track record.

• He hit Ty Cobb every single time we came up to bat during a single game. Cobb threw his bat in the direction of Mays and cursed. That prompted Mays to curse back at him. After order was restored, Mays threw a pitch that hit him directly in the wrist. 
• He blamed the umpire for not noticing the rough spot on the ball that hit Chapman. 
• He blamed Chapman for not ducking
• Accused of purposefully losing in exchange for money

In my opinion, I believe it was both intentional and accidental. He meant to hit Chapman but not kill him. For the record, Mays never had any punishment. 

Carlos Carrasco- Confirmed Head Hunter

Incident 1: Carrasco vs. Butler

He claimed the ball slipped. I thinks it is funny that this occurred right after Melky Cabrera hit a grand slam. Even people in the dugout knew it was intentional. His form is perfect. His follow-through is the same as it normally is. Carrasco got in a shouting match with Jeff Francoeur. At the time, Francoeur was a catcher for the Royals. Now he is on the Indians 40 man roster. Tim Belcher, Indian's pitching coach, cornered Carrasco and told him that he doesn't condone that behavior. Carrasco was suspended 5 games and fined 3,000 dollars. He delayed his suspension by getting Tommy John surgery. In his first game back, he did the exact same thing.

Incident 2: Carrasco vs. Youkilis

Once again Carlos let his anger get the best of him. This was his first game back after his suspension was over. There are some obvious similarities in this incident. He was frustrated because Robinson Cano had just hit a home run to make the score 7-0. He then decided to hit Kevin Youkilis in the back. He said it slipped. Surprise surprise! Terri Francona acknowledged that it didn't look good. He was given an 8 game suspension.

You would think that we would get rid of him. This gives the Indians as a team, a bad image. It is very hard to respect someone that does that. 

In this case, I believe his so called "slips" are 100% intentional. 

Is Suspension Enough?

Personally, I can't see how a person can learn their lesson if suspension is short. You have to be out of your mind to suspend someone for 5 games after throwing a ball at someones head. That's not going to do any good. As far as Carrasco, he should be given a harsher punishment seeing as it didn't teach him a lesson.

Serious injuries caused by being hit by a pitch

• Tony Conigliaro- shattered cheekbone and lost sight in his eye
• Kirby Puckett- broken jaw and  Glaucoma (ended his career)
• Mike Piazza- concussion
• Dickie Thon- partially blinded (ended his career)
• Mike Jorgenson- hit in the head and suffered a nearly fatal seizure (ended his career)
• Mickey Cochrane- unconscious for 10 days and had a broken skull (ended his career)
• Jason Heyward- broken jaw