Article first published as The Miracle on Grass: Cleveland Indians on Technorati.
Perhaps the biggest story of the year is the "The Miracle on Grass," better known as the Cleveland Indians; a team that is enjoying the most improbable success. The Indians sit 24-13 the best record in the AL. The question everyone has is, can they keep this up?
When the season started, I don't think one person would have said the Indians had a chance. But low and behold here they are. But is their pace sustainable? How does a team go from the bottom of the league in standings, and in almost every offensive, defensive and pitching category, to the top 5 in the same categories.
One thing is for certain, this kind of thing doesn't happen every year. However, it is rather exciting.
In a year when Lebron James ungracefully dumped the Cleveland Cavaliers, the city really needed a story like this to take their minds off the NBA playoffs.
So what is the secret? I know a few franchises are wondering what the Indians front office did, but what I feel is the biggest change is the maturing youngsters on the team. A guy like Justin Masterson (5-0 2.11 ERA) who as been having a great year, has come into his own and is leading a team of quality players.
The stats for this year's squad is amazing, right now the Indians sit:
Top 5 Top 10:
AVG (4th, .264), R (tied for 6th, 181),
OBP (4th, .334), H (Tied for 10th, 335),
RBI (tied for 5th,174),
HR (Tied for 5th, 41),
OPS (4th, .755),
SLG (5th, .420),
2nd in power rankings
Probably the biggest acquisition of the off season, Orlando Cabrera, who has always been solid at the plate, has become a mentor to this team. Grady Sizemore is someone we all expect big things from, and guess what, he's playing bigger. He has played half the games of the starters. And yet he leads the team in doubles (10) and HR (tied with 6). I could keep going with the stats of the various starters like LaPorta and Santana, etc. Although fun, it gets boring. Bottom line is, this team is firing on all cylinders right now. And it doesn't stop there, the pitching they're getting is rock solid as well:
Top 5 Top 10:
Hits(5th, 239), ERA (6th, 3.31),
Runs (3rd, 106) HR (7th, 20),
WHIP (Tied for 5th, 1.21) BB (7th, 94)
The Tribe is getting quality starting pitching from Masterson, Josh Tomlin and Fausto Carmona, while getting a 3-2 record, 5.69 ERA over 12 starts from four other starters. Not dominating, but it does put your team in position to win. They don't walk a lot of batters, they keep the ball in the park. Back that with the late game pitching of Tony Sipp (10 Holds, 1.72 ERA), Vinnie Pestano (1.32 ERA), Rafael Perez (0.68 ERA), Carlos Perez (3.00 ERA) saving 10-11, add that to the .987 fielding percentage (Tied for 6th) and committing 16 errors (Tied for 6th) and you now have a recipe for a first place team.
From the way everything stacks up, The Indians have a great opportunity to win the division. The Detroit Tigers (22-18 & 3.5 GB) have stormed back after a dismal start to the season but I'm not convinced they can sustain the level their at.
The Kansas City Royals (20-19 & 5 GB) had a surprise start, although they have trailed off in last 10.
Then the Minnesota Twins (12-25 & 12 GB) and the Chicago White Sox (16-24 & 9.5 GB) are both struggling and show no signs of getting out of their slumps and have zero chance of getting into the playoffs.
The only thing that will stop the "Miracle On Grass" is themselves. They're in a position where all they need is to play .500 baseball, and they will find themselves going into the playoffs come October.
All stats courtesy of www.mlb.com
Perhaps the biggest story of the year is the "The Miracle on Grass," better known as the Cleveland Indians; a team that is enjoying the most improbable success. The Indians sit 24-13 the best record in the AL. The question everyone has is, can they keep this up?
When the season started, I don't think one person would have said the Indians had a chance. But low and behold here they are. But is their pace sustainable? How does a team go from the bottom of the league in standings, and in almost every offensive, defensive and pitching category, to the top 5 in the same categories.
One thing is for certain, this kind of thing doesn't happen every year. However, it is rather exciting.
In a year when Lebron James ungracefully dumped the Cleveland Cavaliers, the city really needed a story like this to take their minds off the NBA playoffs.
So what is the secret? I know a few franchises are wondering what the Indians front office did, but what I feel is the biggest change is the maturing youngsters on the team. A guy like Justin Masterson (5-0 2.11 ERA) who as been having a great year, has come into his own and is leading a team of quality players.
The stats for this year's squad is amazing, right now the Indians sit:
Top 5 Top 10:
AVG (4th, .264), R (tied for 6th, 181),
OBP (4th, .334), H (Tied for 10th, 335),
RBI (tied for 5th,174),
HR (Tied for 5th, 41),
OPS (4th, .755),
SLG (5th, .420),
2nd in power rankings
Probably the biggest acquisition of the off season, Orlando Cabrera, who has always been solid at the plate, has become a mentor to this team. Grady Sizemore is someone we all expect big things from, and guess what, he's playing bigger. He has played half the games of the starters. And yet he leads the team in doubles (10) and HR (tied with 6). I could keep going with the stats of the various starters like LaPorta and Santana, etc. Although fun, it gets boring. Bottom line is, this team is firing on all cylinders right now. And it doesn't stop there, the pitching they're getting is rock solid as well:
Top 5 Top 10:
Hits(5th, 239), ERA (6th, 3.31),
Runs (3rd, 106) HR (7th, 20),
WHIP (Tied for 5th, 1.21) BB (7th, 94)
The Tribe is getting quality starting pitching from Masterson, Josh Tomlin and Fausto Carmona, while getting a 3-2 record, 5.69 ERA over 12 starts from four other starters. Not dominating, but it does put your team in position to win. They don't walk a lot of batters, they keep the ball in the park. Back that with the late game pitching of Tony Sipp (10 Holds, 1.72 ERA), Vinnie Pestano (1.32 ERA), Rafael Perez (0.68 ERA), Carlos Perez (3.00 ERA) saving 10-11, add that to the .987 fielding percentage (Tied for 6th) and committing 16 errors (Tied for 6th) and you now have a recipe for a first place team.
From the way everything stacks up, The Indians have a great opportunity to win the division. The Detroit Tigers (22-18 & 3.5 GB) have stormed back after a dismal start to the season but I'm not convinced they can sustain the level their at.
The Kansas City Royals (20-19 & 5 GB) had a surprise start, although they have trailed off in last 10.
Then the Minnesota Twins (12-25 & 12 GB) and the Chicago White Sox (16-24 & 9.5 GB) are both struggling and show no signs of getting out of their slumps and have zero chance of getting into the playoffs.
The only thing that will stop the "Miracle On Grass" is themselves. They're in a position where all they need is to play .500 baseball, and they will find themselves going into the playoffs come October.
All stats courtesy of www.mlb.com
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