The Cleveland Indians bounced back from a rotten 2010 year to win 80 games last year. The Indians are dreaming they can build off that improvement and move in the correct direction. Let's have a look at this lineup to see if they have what is needed to power the team to the top of the division. If you want to know what we think about the pitchers have a look at our 2012 Cleveland Indians predictions article.
Projected Lineup
Carlos Santana (Catcher) - Santana showed a glimpse of his talent last year. Notwithstanding batting only .239 in his first full year, the 25-year-old definitely made up for it by hitting 27 homers with 79 RBI. His best seasons are no doubt in front of him, and look for him to build upon his average with similar, or even better power stats in 2012.
Casey Kotchman (First Base) - After another upsetting year from Matt LaPorta at first base, the Indians went out and brought in Kotchman to man the position. Coming off one of his best years in the major leagues, Kotchman hit a career-high .306 with 10 homers and 48 RBI in 146 games with the Tampa Bay Rays last year. It seems like Kotchman is the ultimate fit in Cleveland.
Jason Kipnis (Second Base) - In just 36 games in 2011, Kipnis did good enough to get the nod for the starting job in 2012. The 24-year-old batted .272 with 7 homers and 19 RBI. If his is able to keep up that pace over a full year, he will straight away become one of the top 2nd baseman in the American League.
Asdrubal Cabrera (Shortstop) - Cabrera surprised the entire league when he belted 25 homers in 2011. Before last year, he had hit a mixed 18 homers in his previous 1,415 at-bats. He also set a job high with 92 RBI and tied his career high of 17 steals. The future looks promising for the 26-year-old, but he could need to duplicate his 2011 stats in 2012 if he wants everybody to buy in.
Lonnie Chisenhall (Third Base) - Out of utmost requirement, Chisenhall is predicted to open the year at 3rd base, regardless of if he might not be ready. The 23-year-old hit just .255 with 7 homers and 22 RBI in 212 at-bats last year. He had just 8 walks over stretch, signaling that he might be a couple more seasons from a breakout year.
Shelley Duncan (Left Field) - It's as if Duncan will get an opportunity to start in left, with Sizemore out of the order and Michael Brantley moving to center field. Duncan is somebody to really look into; even though he batted just .260 in 76 games last year, his 11 homers and 47 RBI are worth pointing out. Given a full year, he might just surprise and hit 20-plus homers with 90-plus RBI.
Michael Brantley (Center Field) - A broken bone in his hand stopped his 2011 year early. He ended up batting just .266 with 7 homers, 46 RBI and 13 steals in just 114 games. The 24-year-old still has plenty of time to take that next step - Cleveland is just hoping it comes sooner rather than later.
Shin-Soo Choo (Right Field) - After back-to-back years with at least .300 average to go with 20 homers and 20 steals in 2009 and 2010, Choo unhappy with a sub-par performance while limited to 85 games last year. Choo wishes to revisit form in 2012 because the Indians are relying on him.
Travis Hafner (Designated Hitter) - After signing a massive contract in 2007, Hafner has been pretty average, to say the least. Coming into the season of his big contract, he owes it to Cleveland fans to do something advantageous in 2012. Last season, he played in just 94 games. This was the player who hit .308 with 42 home runs and 117 RBI in 2006? He may turn 35 in June, but the hope in Cleveland is that he has another good run in him.
Projected Lineup
Carlos Santana (Catcher) - Santana showed a glimpse of his talent last year. Notwithstanding batting only .239 in his first full year, the 25-year-old definitely made up for it by hitting 27 homers with 79 RBI. His best seasons are no doubt in front of him, and look for him to build upon his average with similar, or even better power stats in 2012.
Casey Kotchman (First Base) - After another upsetting year from Matt LaPorta at first base, the Indians went out and brought in Kotchman to man the position. Coming off one of his best years in the major leagues, Kotchman hit a career-high .306 with 10 homers and 48 RBI in 146 games with the Tampa Bay Rays last year. It seems like Kotchman is the ultimate fit in Cleveland.
Jason Kipnis (Second Base) - In just 36 games in 2011, Kipnis did good enough to get the nod for the starting job in 2012. The 24-year-old batted .272 with 7 homers and 19 RBI. If his is able to keep up that pace over a full year, he will straight away become one of the top 2nd baseman in the American League.
Asdrubal Cabrera (Shortstop) - Cabrera surprised the entire league when he belted 25 homers in 2011. Before last year, he had hit a mixed 18 homers in his previous 1,415 at-bats. He also set a job high with 92 RBI and tied his career high of 17 steals. The future looks promising for the 26-year-old, but he could need to duplicate his 2011 stats in 2012 if he wants everybody to buy in.
Lonnie Chisenhall (Third Base) - Out of utmost requirement, Chisenhall is predicted to open the year at 3rd base, regardless of if he might not be ready. The 23-year-old hit just .255 with 7 homers and 22 RBI in 212 at-bats last year. He had just 8 walks over stretch, signaling that he might be a couple more seasons from a breakout year.
Shelley Duncan (Left Field) - It's as if Duncan will get an opportunity to start in left, with Sizemore out of the order and Michael Brantley moving to center field. Duncan is somebody to really look into; even though he batted just .260 in 76 games last year, his 11 homers and 47 RBI are worth pointing out. Given a full year, he might just surprise and hit 20-plus homers with 90-plus RBI.
Michael Brantley (Center Field) - A broken bone in his hand stopped his 2011 year early. He ended up batting just .266 with 7 homers, 46 RBI and 13 steals in just 114 games. The 24-year-old still has plenty of time to take that next step - Cleveland is just hoping it comes sooner rather than later.
Shin-Soo Choo (Right Field) - After back-to-back years with at least .300 average to go with 20 homers and 20 steals in 2009 and 2010, Choo unhappy with a sub-par performance while limited to 85 games last year. Choo wishes to revisit form in 2012 because the Indians are relying on him.
Travis Hafner (Designated Hitter) - After signing a massive contract in 2007, Hafner has been pretty average, to say the least. Coming into the season of his big contract, he owes it to Cleveland fans to do something advantageous in 2012. Last season, he played in just 94 games. This was the player who hit .308 with 42 home runs and 117 RBI in 2006? He may turn 35 in June, but the hope in Cleveland is that he has another good run in him.
About the Author:
If you want to bet on baseball and win this year then sign up for the expert MLB picks at BetFirms.
No comments:
Post a Comment