1: Who will lead the pitching staff in 2010? Over the past two seasons the Indians have traded away two Cy Young Award winners in CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. The result of those trades is that the pitching cupboard, in particular the rotation, seems quite bare. In 2009, the Indians finished the year ranked 29th in the majors with a 5.09 staff ERA, even with half a season of Cliff Lee contributing. Subtract Lee (who only went 7-9 with an Indians uniform on) from the mix and the starters combined for a 41-65 record on the year. Fausto Carmona was a 19-game winner in 2007, but has battled injuries the past two seasons. Jake Westbrook has put together solid years in the past, but missed all of the 2009 season. Justin Masterson has shown promise in his young career, but has yet to put it all together. The only hope the Indians have this year is if one or more of these pitchers becomes a solid contributor throughout the season. If not, the 2010 season will look an awful lot like 2009.
2: Will DH Travis Hafner be able to regain his early career form? In 2004, Travis Hafner appeared to be emerging as one of the preeminent sluggers in the major leagues. In 2006, the man referred to as “Pronk” hit 42 home runs, batted .308 and had an OPS of 1.097 in only 129 games. However, 2007 saw his numbers decline and 2008 and 2009 saw him battle injuries that allowed him to play in only 57 and 94 games respectively. Hafner, apparently healthy for 2010, is ready to show that he can still swing. But coming off of three inconsistent seasons at the plate and dealing with an increasing list of health problems, it seems unlikely Hafner will recover the swing that had his star shining so bright just five seasons ago.
3: Will SP Jake Westbrook be able to contribute in 2010? As previously mentioned, the Cleveland staff was amongst the worse in the majors in 2009. Riddled with inconsistency and dealing with the loss of their ace via trade, the staff simply could not get it together. Enter Jake Westbrook. Westbrook, 32, is a three-time 14 game winner who missed most of the 2008 and the entirety of the 2009 season with injury. If he can somehow stay healthy and put up solid numbers, it would go a long way in making the Indians a competitive teams in 2010.
4: How will the acquisition of 1B Russell Branyan benefit the team? The 2009 season proved to be a career year for left-handed slugger. Branyan finished his only campaign with the Mariners with 31 home runs and 76 RBIs in 116 games. Acquired by Cleveland in the offseason, Branyan is slated to be the everyday first baseman for the Tribe. This signing moves promising prospect Matt LaPorta back out to LF and gives the Indians a left-handed bat with some power. It is unlikely that Branyan will match his 2009 numbers, as he has battled injuries and inconsistency his entire career, but the Indians will be grateful for any extra runs he may produce as they will likely be playing in high scoring games thanks to the spotty pitching staff.
5: Where will the Indians finish the season? The Indians play in one of the more competitive divisions in baseball. With the Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota vying for the division title, Cleveland will be battling Kansas City for the 4th spot in the standings. Manny Acta, fresh off an unsuccessful stint as skipper of the Washington Nationals takes over a team that went 65-97 in 2009, equaling the Royals for worst in the AL Central. If the Indians want to stay out of the division basement in 2010 they will have to see great strides in the pitching performance. You can find the Indians at +2500 to win the AL pennant and +5000 to win the World Series and Bookmaker.com.
