Major League Baseball
2012 Season
Brian
 |
Indians: 81-81 2nd in Central |
Defense might win championships in some sports, but baseball ain't one of them. But the Tribe will need solid infield D to corral the plethora of ground balls the Indians' pitchers are sure to produce. The Bullpen Mafia should be strong again, and entertaining on Twitter, but any lead they will be holding will be small, as the Indians offense looks to be mediocre at best. I'm thinking the Tribe will be respectable, but also discouraging as no moves were made to dramatically upgrade the offensive lineup. The .500 prediction could be +/- 8 wins, unfortunately. |
World Series:
Angels
over Giants |
Tom
 |
Indians: 76-86 3rd in the Central |
There are a lot of "if's" coming this season from the Indians, not just their new marketing slogan What If?, but also from the front office. "The questions will always be 'Will they be healthy? Will they play up to their expectations? If they do, we have every reason to expect this team will compete and possibly to compete into October.” according to Paul Dolan of the Indians. To many if's for my taste, it feels like a built in excuse should things not go well this year. I really hope the Indians stay healthy and compete, but ultimately there are to many holes in the outfield, and in the lineup to see them making a run into September let alone October. |
World Series:
Reds
over Angels |
Doug
 |
Indians: 80-82 2nd in Central |
The Indians went into the off-season desperately needing a right-handed stick to bolster the lineup. For whatever reason, be it the Dolans' shallow pockets or a wrong-headed assumption that the roster was fine as is, that need was not met. The Indians should be competitive in a fairly thin division, but having "Quadruple-A" players at key positions will not get you the cigar at the end of October. |
World Series:
Angels over Giants
|
Kevin
 |
Indians: 86-76 2nd in Central |
There seems to be an allergy to free agency in Cleveland these days. Granted, the Indians at least showed some "effort" to add players, but in the end it just won't be enough. Making the post season as a wildcard isn't out of the realm of possibility, but that is the ceiling for the Tribe this year. |
World Series:
Tigers over Phillies
|
SamVox
 |
Indians: 86-76 3rd in Central |
For those fans still hanging their proverbial Tribe hats on the number 455, Paul Dolan is the antichrist. The owner will never eclipse their memories of the 90s, the size of our payroll, and the trades involving CC, Lee and a tearful Victor. Still, by default, the Indians remain Cleveland's preeminent franchise while the Browns flounder and the Cavs sell you the draft lottery. So I'll ask you: What if we hadn't invested over $100 million in Hafner, Carmona, and Westbrook? What if LaPorta didn't have a hole in his bat? What if Antonetti had actually scouted Ubaldo?... |
World Series:
Rangers over Giants
|
Ryan |
Indians: 85-77 2nd in Central |
The Tribe needs Ubaldo Jiminez to be closer to his 2010 self in order to win the division, unfortunately I think what we saw in 2011 is what we may get in 2012. I look for Choo and Santana to bounce back from their disappointing 2011 and help keep the Tribe in contention for most of the season. The starting pitching has a chance to be solid, just not spectacular. The offense is still missing a right handed power bat which will hurt. The Bullpen Mafia needs to great again which I think they will. In the end Detroit just has too much and the Tribe misses out on October for the 5th straight year. |
World Series:
Tigers over Giants
|
Sean
 |
Indians: 82-80 3rd in Central |
Here we go, Opening Day, when all fans have optimism even after the Indians posted the worst spring record in the league. I will bite on the optimism, and hope for the best with an 82-80 record. But really, who cares...heading to The Jake on opening day I think of old Moonlight Graham telling Ray "This is my most special place in all the world, Ray. Once a place touches you like this, the wind nevers blows so cold again. You feel for it, like it was your child." Go Tribe! |
World Series:
Phillies over
Angels |