It looks like the Tigers are gearing up to destroy one team and one team only. The team that knocked them out this year, Cleveland. Trading for Renteria was blattently a move to overcome the Indians ie 97 world series and Batting avg against the Tribe is through the roof. Anybody think the Indians can repeat the magic of 07?
2007-11-01 01:58:23 · 16 answers · asked by josh_huth 3 in Sports ➔ Baseball
one of the rumor mills has Cleveland attempting to sign either Carl Crawford or Jason Bay for LF. I have no idea how credible that is but it is part of the MLB rumor blogs. Renteria is not necessarily the player he once was. I put the 1997 World Series loss more on Mesa than I do on Renteria. Good pitching generally shuts down good or even great hitting, witness the ALDS and the ALCS. Those games came down to pitching. Cleveland and Detroit's fates will rest on their pitching. I am not saying they do not have to hit or have decent fielding but as we saw, when Cleveland's pitching collapsed so did the rest of the team. I do not see it as being key what Detroit does. The better question is how to we improve our deficiencies? Left field is a good place to look. Other questions: does Hafner struggle again in 2008? Does Carmona come out looking like a 19 game winning Cy Young candidate or does he look like the pitcher that folded under pressure in the ALCS? Does Asdrubal Cabrera continue to shine? Many factors went into making the Indians what they were in 2007. Keep in mind that the 2007 Indians were predicted to place FOURTH in the AL Central, far behind Detroit and the White Sox. One also has to wonder if the Indians can recover completely after their ALCS collapse. I have found it difficult to do as a fan so I wonder about the players who may be second guessing themselves all over the place. The letdown had to be incredible. As a fan, I feel a huge letdown because I know what it took to get there and the chances of repeating that are not high especially if we lose Sabathia. Byrd, to me, has become a distraction due to the HGH situation and he can easily be replaced with Aaron Laffey in the rotation. Adam Miller is another factor in this equation. He started out on fire in the minors, got hurt and his ERA climbed upon his return. Can the guy even stay healthy? In any event, Renteria does not faze me. It should not faze you either. Again - ask yourself what happens in Detroit if our pitching is solid again and we shore up left field with a player such as Crawford or Bay? Cleveland needs a heavy hitter whose bat is clutch and does not go cold for long spells. There were times when Indians hitting seemed to go into hibernation for long periods of time. Had Detroit not been skidding when we were, Detroit could have easily overtaken the Central. Cleveland cannot afford long hitting slumps - or they will find themselves on a downward slide. I hope Cleveland goes for a Crawford or even a Jason Bay. They need something like that. Michaels et al. do not cut it, sorry. The stats clearly bear that out. Our platoon in left performed less than other teams one starter.
2007-11-01 03:12:09 · answer #1 · answered by alomew_rocks 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry my Indians friend. We are going to be fine. Everyone is coming back next year excluding some players that we technically can replace i.e. Trot Nixon, maybe Paul Bryd. We have some great players coming up. I don't know if you remember Shin Soo-Cho and how good he played after we traded for him in 2006. He was awesome. Also there are about three left field candidates. Then competition breeds competitiveness which breeds performance. As far as signing Crawford I don't think so even with the extra money made by post season play and the season tickets for 2008 that were sold b/c of the playoffs I don't see the Indians being able to fork out that kind of money. (come on we are still the Indians.) Jason Bay is interesting though b/c as many of you don't know he is Grady Sizemore's best friend. So could he come to Cleveland at a lower price to be with his buddy who is locked in for about 4 more years? Interesting. Pitching won't be a problem actually we will probably see a trade with Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers both in the minor leagues and the Indians only having one spot open assuming Paul Byrd is not resigned. And ANYONE who thinks Edgar Renteria is going to help the Tigers is foolish. He's passed his prime they are getting all of these older players like Sheff last year that are still productive but productive in a middle of the road player type way. I was acctually excited to hear about that signing b/c I beleive it solidfies out postseason spot next year.
2007-11-01 11:40:51 · answer #2 · answered by John-Mark Y 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that Renteria alone will help the Tigers affect the Indians. Now, with that in mind, they both may make the playoffs, but the Indians are a solid team and if they can hold on to Sabathia, I don't see a reason why they can't prosper for a number of years.
Oh, and to the person that thought the Indians season was a fluke. hehe, good one. You must not have watched any Indians games this year
2007-11-01 09:27:16 · answer #3 · answered by brettj666 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Tiger fan and I say you guys will only get tougher and meaner. Renteria does NOT fit all of our needs. If we get a GOOD left fielder that can bat(like Johnny Damon) and another top line starter(like Santana),then I would say you should worry..The Tigers have some holes to fill before we are a team that can do the things we did in 2006.
2007-11-01 09:41:06 · answer #4 · answered by Johnny Z. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Tigers are trying to win the division. I really doubt if they are zeroing in on Cleveland specifically.
As to the main question: Yes. Of course. The Indians have a GREAT chance of winning it again and if they do even a better chance of going to the Series. Now the main players have the post season experience they need. A little successful, a little unsuccessful, they are better prepared for the changing momentums of a short series.
2007-11-01 11:48:13 · answer #5 · answered by Sarrafzedehkhoee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Indians are definitely good enough to make the playoffs. Of course once they get in they will repeat the magic of 07 and choke like always.
2007-11-01 13:04:14 · answer #6 · answered by krupsk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe the intention of the Tigers is solely to destroy the Indians. I believe it is to get back to and win the World Series. If the Indians are destroyed in the process than so be it!
2007-11-01 09:41:53 · answer #7 · answered by AKA FrogButt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically, all teams stand a chance next year but statistics pretty much eliminate most of them. If you consider only the probabilities, Cleveland has a really good chance of winning their division in 2008. And so does Detroit.
2007-11-01 09:48:50 · answer #8 · answered by FRANsuFU 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes just the Sox on a mission like the Pats
2007-11-01 12:38:41 · answer #9 · answered by Michael M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they do but it won't be as easy next year. Minnesota and Chicago were not supposed to be that bad this year which is what really opened the door for Cleveland.
Look for it to be a much closer divisional race next year.
2007-11-01 10:42:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋