Cleveland Indians Archive

  • Fantasy Spotlight: Asdrubal Cabrera
    July 18, 2011

    Heading into this season, Asdrubal Cabrera had never hit more than six homers in a season and had a career high in RBIs of just 68.  With those type of paltry numbers, you could be forgiven in thinking that Cabrera isn’t much of a fantasy stud, yet he had other plans for this year.  On Monday, Cabrera hit his 17th homer of the season, bringing his RBI total up to 58 for the year and continuing his amazing season in the heart of the Indians order.  For those who grabbed Cabrera in a fantasy draft, they have been heavily rewarded, as Cabrera has suddenly become one of the most valuable players in fantasy considering he plays the usual light-hitting shortstop position.

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  • MLB Power Rankings
    May 9, 2011

    The Philadelphia Phillies are again the top team in ESPN’s MLB Power Rankings.  The Phils have not been totally dominant, but their pitching has carried them in many cases.  Ball Baer of Crashburn Alley notes their offensive struggles.  “The offense continues to be inconsistent, scoring a meager five runs in three games against the Braves,” Baer writes.  “With Carlos Ruiz on the shelf, the bottom-third of the lineup is a veritable black hole.”  Cole Hamels has been especially effective on the mound for the Phillies this season, save for one rough outing to begin the year.  The addition of a cutter to his repertoire has been a big difference-maker.

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  • MLB Power Rankings
    May 4, 2011

    The Philadelphia Phillies retained the top spot in this week’s ESPN MLB Power Rankings.  “Roy Halladay has allowed only one home run in 46.1 innings,” ESPN.com notes.  “He also threw an amazing 18 straight strikes to begin his last start, a complete-game, 2-1 win over the Mets on Saturday.”  The Phillies are 18-9 on the season and have the best rotation in the major leagues.  Halladay has been as good as expected, while Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels might even be exceeding their own respective expectations.  Cliff Lee has been hit hard at times, but he’s going to come around, and it’s not like he’s getting shelled regularly.

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  • MLB All-Underrated Team
    April 20, 2011

    ESPN’s David Schoenfield outlined his All-Underrated team.  He notes Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo as the most underrated player on his team.  “I think he’s our most underrated MVP,” Schoenfield writes.  “One of the best all-around players in the majors last season (second in the AL in Baseball-Reference WAR, eighth in FanGraphs WAR).  And to think Cleveland stole him from Seattle for Ben Broussard.”  Fantasy owners certainly know who Choo is and his worth in the fantasy game, and are also well accustomed to his streaky nature.  Still, I must agree that he’s one of the more underrated players in the game right now.

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  • MLB Power Rankings
    April 18, 2011

    The Colorado Rockies are the new top team in ESPN’s MLB Power Rankings.  “Owners of baseball’s best record, the Rockies are being driven by the amazing Troy Tulowitzki, who already has seven homers this year,” it says in the rankings.  “Hits like a young Nomar Garciaparra, fields like a young Cal Ripken.”  That’s some serious praise for Tulo, but it’s well deserved.  He’s looking like the early MVP favorite in the National League.  The Texas Rangers fell one spot, dropping to second on the list.  The loss of Josh Hamilton is going to hurt, but this club can hit even without their best player.

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  • When Does Spring Training Matter?
    March 16, 2011

    The debate over whether preseason matters is one that runs rampant as each league’s season gets going.  In the NFL, the best players in the league barely even play in the games.  ESPN’s Buster Olney currently has an interesting article up discussing for whom spring training matters this year and for whom is does not.  Olney notes that for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the spring matters a lot.  “Arizona is 5-16 this spring, and in most years, the staff members wouldn’t care,” Olney writes.  ”But the Diamondbacks are coming off a terrible year in which their general manager (Josh Byrnes) and manager (A.J. Hinch) were fired, and manager Kirk Gibson has been drilling the team relentlessly.”

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