After saying a hypothetically goodbye to one of my favorite players Thursday (Asdrubal Cabrera) and crowning Jason Kipnis as one of the only players worth keeping Friday, I want to take a look at a position that has often been a gaping hole in overall production. The Indians' first basemen on Opening Day since the departure of Jim Thome in 2002 have been:
2003: Ben Broussard
2004: Ben Broussard
2005: Ben Broussard
2006: Eduardo Perez
2007: Andy Marte
2008: Ryan Garko
2009: Ryan Garko
2010: Matt LaPorta/Andy Marte/Russel Branyan
2011: Matt LaPorta
2012: Casey Kotchman
Broussard, Perez, Marte and Garko haven't been heard from in years (aside from Benny's newest solo album maybe), Branyan was just cut by the Yankees, and LaPorta and Kotchman are both still on the Indians' rosters with batting averages of .200 and .238 respectively, with a combined 11 HRs.
Here's the problem: any sort of trade that I could conjure up that would bring in a good fit for the Indians (Mark Trumbo for instance), would mean that the opposing teams' GM would have to be drunk in order to accept it. This, in my opinion, is THE biggest hole on the team. There is only one first baseman in the Indians' organization (Jesus Aguilar) that is in their Top 20 prospects, and he is struggling in Double A right now. Here's the problem: I have no faith in the Indians' ability to develop legitimate power hitters through their own organization. When's the last time we have seen someone blasting homeruns into the night on a consistent basis? If Carlos Santana finds some consistency maybe we can say him... It's been since 2008 that Indians have had a player hit over 30 home runs (thanks Grady!), and its been since 2006 that Tribe has had anyone over 35 bombs (and thank you, PED and injury-free Travis Hafner). Grady's power has never been his calling card though, and his $5 million gamble didn't pay off, so he doesn't count.
FIRST BASE! Right. LaPorta has been a major disappointment since he was supposed to be the key player in the CC Sabathia trade. He's getting a chance now to prove himself over the course of the last month+ of the season, and please remember people, he's still only 27 years old. Mark Trumbo is 26. Not all prospects will be like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. I'd be OK if LaPorta was playing first base next year for the Indians because of this: there are no better options! Before I go on, I want to say thank you to Casey Kotchman for a year of service. Your glovework was splendid, your batwork awful, and you will be sorely missed by 1,205 fans.
There are a lot of different rants in this piece tonight and I apologize for that. My thought process on the first base debacle is about as clear as Chris Antonetti's. The only free agent I would even slightly smile if the Indians went after would be James Loney, but I know there's no chance for that. There are no players in the farm system that make it seem like an answer can come from within. Maybe Aguilar will find a rhythm, but he's still a full season away from the big leagues, at best.
In conclusion, the final verdict on the revolving door that is the Indians' first baseman: Kotchman let walk. LaPorta one final year. Kudos if you read this all the way through.
I read it clear through...only a week or so late
ReplyDeleteKotchman's numbers from last year are at least a little enticing though. Maybe a total fluke, but maybe a sign of what he could actually produce in a real big league line up...I do agree tho that it is hard to tell exactly how LaPorta may produce as an every day player when he has never played every day for much of a stretch. Look at how Chisenhall continues to improve with time in the lineup