Rotation in Question; Tribe Starting Five Has a Lot to Prove
Two days away from opening day, and per usual there are more questions than answers about the 2009 Indians. One thing we do know is the starting rotatio:
1. LHP Cliff Lee
2. RHP Fausto Carmona
3. RHP Carl Pavano
4. LHP Scott Lewis
5. RHP Anthony Reyes
Now 1-2 and are just fine in my eyes, as I can see Lee having another great season (15-20 wins), while Carmona should hopefully be back in form with a season that the Tribe hopes will have about 12-15 wins, if not more. Remember he had 19 wins and a 3.06 ERA just two seasons ago.
Things could easily be very sticky when it comes to the 3-4-5 of the rotation. I have no idea why so much promise was given to Carl Pavano. I don’t trust him, and yes, he could turn into one of those classic Indian “diamond in the rough” types of players, but in the end, who knows.
As for Scott Lewis and Anthony Reyes, I think these two spots in the rotation will be very fluid, and we’ll see a number of different guys in those spots throughout 2009. In the end though, the team thinks they have a decent to good rotation that can get them near 90 wins. We shall see.
Matt has covered Major League Baseball and the "other two" Pro teams in Cleveland since 1994. He has been on the beat of the Indians in full-time mode since 1996, working for various raido and print networks around the country.
April 5th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I can see Dolan investing in hi-speed trains connecting Cleveland and Columbus for all the call-ups they’ll need in the startion rotation. Lewis looked good last year, but word is out on him. Reyes’ fastball is already in decline, and Pavano looks like another Chuck Finley to me. But maybe I’ve just been scorned one too many times.