Commentary
Expanded replay getting a thumbs up
It's a new world for baseball, and so far reaction has been overwhelmingly positive
Originally Published: April 9, 2014
By Jerry Crasnick | ESPN.com


While Derek Jeter navigates America this summer collecting rocking chairs and oil paintings, his former manager will be touring ballparks in search of feedback and opinions.

As Major League Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations, Joe Torre is the point man for expanded instant replay, which ranks right up there with stadium lights, the radar gun and the hot dog steamer as a technical innovation that will stand the test of time. But there are quirks to be ironed out and questions to be answered, so he'll spend a lot of time soliciting input from managers, umpires, players and others in the game.

The information-gathering process can typically make a big league executive feel like a human piñata, but not in this case. Baseball put a lot of time and effort into marrying the human element with new-fangled technology, and the initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

"I think it's doing what we hoped it would do, and that's to reduce the number of missed calls in the game,'' said Atlanta general manager Frank Wren. "That's the bottom line. We've got a new tool, and everyone loves the fact that we have the new tool. Before we render judgment on the good and bad parts, let's see how it plays out for a while."

As Torre and MLB officials listen, learn and collect data on the impact of replay, the first 10 days of the season help provide a snapshot into the ramifications that will be driving the discourse this season and beyond. It's a whole new world out there on the diamond.

The facts

Upon adoption of replay, MLB officials released a passel of numbers to show that umpires are, indeed, proficient at their jobs. Baseball studied every game from the 2013 season -- 2,431 games in all -- and found a total of 377 blown calls. That averages out to one every 6.4 games. There were two missed calls in a game once every 90 games, and three missed calls once every 810 games.

More On Replay

There are some kinks to be worked out in the replay system and the new rule about home-plate collisions. A complicated issue arose in Tuesday night's Astros-Blue Jays game. David Schoenfield explains. Blog

Through Tuesday, replay was used a total of 51 times. Of that total, 17 calls were confirmed, 18 were overturned, 15 were left standing because of the lack of "clear and convincing" evidence to make a change, and one was used to clarify a record-keeping snafu (umpires lost track of the count while Yankees third baseman Yangervis Solarte was at the plate).

If you divide the number of games through Tuesday (115) by the number of overturned calls (18), it tallies out to one blown call every 6.4 games. So it's right in line with previous figures.

Pace of play

Marathon running times are bound to be a concern when the average game runs as long as "The Wolf of Wall Street," but replay doesn't appear to be having a major impact. MLB's 51 replay reviews averaged 2 minutes, 17 seconds from the moment of the challenge to the dispensation of the final call, but that number skews high because of a handful of laborious decisions.

A disputed catch-drop by Adam Eaton of the White Sox took 4 minutes, 40 seconds to be resolved when the umpires needed extra time to determine precisely where the baserunners should be placed. When umpire Bob Davidson ruled that Pittsburgh outfielder Starling Marte had fouled off a pitch and was not actually struck by the ball, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle challenged, and it took 5 minutes, 12 seconds before the call was allowed to stand.

The occasional technical glitch has popped up in the early going. Torre received a call from one manager who told him that a phone used by a team during the review process was ringing, but not ringing loudly enough. So MLB had to get a phone technician on the case to remedy the problem. "It's more inquiries and curiosities than complaints," Torre said.

Even if review adds a minute here and there, it will probably be quicker than the manager-umpire spat that it replaced. And the never-ending procession of glove-fiddlers in the batters' box and slow-working pitchers will always be a bigger factor in lengthy running times.

Transparency

Baseball has gone to great lengths to be open about replay and the technology involved. In the weeks leading up to the season opener, broadcast partners and media members visited the MLB Advanced Media headquarters in Manhattan for tours of baseball's Replay Operations Center. Call commissioner Bud Selig old-fashioned, but he adheres to the proposition that an educated media contingent helps make for an educated fan base.

MLB also has a Twitter account that chronicles each call that's been reviewed. It has almost 32,000 followers, or slightly more than St. Louis right fielder Allen Craig's pet tortoise, but that's sure to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming weeks.

Most telling, ticket-holders at games are privy to the same replays that fans are watching from their couch. At the risk of getting crowds riled up, baseball is allowing clips of plays under review to be shown on stadium scoreboards.

"I give the umpires a lot of credit, because we wouldn't have been able to go forward without their OK," Torre said. "From the owners' side, they don't want people at home seeing stuff they can't see at the ballpark when they're paying their money to sit in their seats. We're in the process of trying to make it a satisfactory outcome for everybody."

Nevertheless, there are limits to what teams can show on a JumboTron. In a 700-word directive to clubs, MLB outlined the dos and don'ts of replay scoreboard etiquette. For example, teams are not allowed to show replays during umpire consultations or arguments on the field. Any review of ball-strike calls is also strictly forbidden.

"Clubs should use good judgment and exercise care to utilize scoreboard replays in a manner that is not likely to incite fans, distract players or intentionally 'show up' the umpires," reads the MLB directive.

The skippers' role

Leave it to manager Joe Maddon and the Tampa Bay Rays to come up with a military-sounding buzzword for the replay review process. After Peyton Manning's penchant for shouting "Omaha!" at the line of scrimmage became a national obsession, the Rays half-jokingly labeled their replay challenge response "Operation Wichita."

Like his managerial colleagues, Maddon has a support system at the ready that allows him to spring into action. The Rays have the same high-tech replay panel in their clubhouse that's used at MLB headquarters and in every other home and road clubhouse throughout the majors. Tampa Bay's video people quickly assess replays before passing along word to bench coach Dave Martinez, who then gives a signal to Maddon from the dugout about whether to challenge or take a pass.


So far, not bad. Maddon was successful on his first two challenges at home before losing his first one on the road in Kansas City. The Rays considered three other challenges, but passed on account of uncertainty.

"We're working in black and white," Maddon said. "We're trying to stay away from gray. There will be that moment where we're gonna go with a little bit of gray. It depends upon the game situation."

We have yet to encounter a situation in which a manager fakes tripping over the dugout steps on his way out to the diamond to save precious seconds, but baseball skippers are quickly embracing the rhythms of replay. They need to be deliberate enough to get the requisite information from the dugout without acting so slowly that they let the moment pass or test an umpire's patience.

"The key from a manager's perspective is to walk out slowly and jog back," Maddon said. "I think that's the right way to do it."

Just try not to ambulate too slowly. Baseball requires that a manager submit his challenge before the pitcher takes the rubber and the batter steps in the box -- a cooperative endeavor that involves both teams. When San Diego manager Bud Black didn't come out in a timely enough fashion to contest a safe-out call on Yasiel Puig at first base, the umpiring crew told him his window of opportunity had come and gone.

Civility reigns

Replay might not cure all of baseball's ills, but it's likely to give managers a less stressful, more spittle-free existence. Consider: More than 100 regular-season games were in the books and not a single manager, player or coach had been ejected until Chicago Cubs manager Rick Renteria was tossed Tuesday for arguing a Jose Veras pitch that was called a ball.

Have we seen the last of the dirt-kicking, cap-flipping, expletive-exchanging rhubarbs that everybody knows and loves from the days of Tommy Lasorda, Earl Weaver and Lou Piniella? Sort of. Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa, who could build up a pretty good head of steam back in the day, expects tiffs of that magnitude to be severely curtailed under the new system.

"There aren't going to be any arguments," Bowa said. "You might get somebody kicked out on balls and strikes, and I can see it happening on one of those plays at home plate. But for the most part, I don't see anybody getting kicked out unless you're bench jockeying or something like that.

"I'm not saying people came to the park for the arguments, but they like that energy. I still think managers are going to fight for their players, but it's so cut-and-dried now. How much arguing can you do when they say, 'We just looked at it from five angles, and you're wrong'?"

The "strategy" element

Managers are allowed one challenge per game, and they get a second if the first one is successful. Once the seventh inning arrives, umpires are free to review any and all calls, so conventional wisdom suggests managers will contest a lot of calls in the fifth and sixth inning. Appropriately enough, when Renteria christened the new system with the first challenge, it came on a borderline out call on Chicago pitcher Jeff Samardzija in the fifth inning of the season opener against Pittsburgh.

How certain does a manager need to be to issue a challenge? Giants manager Bruce Bochy contested and lost a challenge of a pickoff in the fourth inning of a game with Arizona. A.J. Pollock, who was ruled safe on the pickoff, came around to score on a close play moments later, and Bochy was helpless to respond.

"That was just the luck of the draw," Torre said. "It was the perfect storm in the wrong direction. There's not much to say about it other than we don't expect that to be the case most of the time."

Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke decided not to challenge an "out" call on an attempted stolen base by shortstop Jean Segura in the sixth inning Tuesday against Philadelphia. Roenicke was not confident from the information available that his challenge would be successful, and he wanted to save it for the late innings when he might need it. Even though umpires have the latitude to review a play in the seventh or beyond, they also have the latitude to say no.

The exceptions to the rule

MLB's research last year showed that 86 percent of missed calls involved either tag or force plays. The new system allows managers to also contest fair-foul calls and trapped balls in the outfield, hit batters, ground-rule doubles and balls off catwalks (yes, that means you, Tropicana Field). But check swings, foul tips, balks, obstruction calls and fair-foul calls on balls over the first- or third-base bags are among numerous other calls immune from review.

“

I think it's doing what we hoped it would do, and that's to reduce the number of missed calls in the game. That's the bottom line. We've got a new tool, and everyone loves the fact that we have the new tool. Before we render judgment on the good and bad parts, let's see how it plays out for a while.
” -- Braves general manager Frank Wren

Although the new catcher collision rules aren't subject to review, safe-out calls obviously are, so umpires have an awful lot on their plate in that area. The "neighborhood" play at second base is still allowed in the name of middle infielder safety. But if an infielder's feed is slightly off the mark and a double play turns into a force, it's fair game. That became an issue last week when an apparent double play involving Pittsburgh's Neil Walker and Jordy Mercer was overturned.

And as Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton discovered during Tuesday night's game against Seattle, the act of making a catch and securing it well enough to survive a replay challenge are two different things.

During a Braves-Nationals game, a line drive by Washington's Ian Desmond rattled around in the corner before coming to rest beneath the padding in left field. While Braves outfielder Justin Upton threw up his arms in surrender, umpire Marvin Hudson allowed the play to continue, and Desmond circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez challenged the call, and the umpires subsequently changed it to a ground-rule double.

"I was watching the game on TV, and there was never a question in my mind that it would be overturned," Wren said. The Nationals, judging from their postgame comments, weren't quite so sure.

"I just think this whole replay thing is going to open up so many cans of worms that they didn't even think about," Washington broadcaster F.P. Santangelo said from upstairs in the booth. "It's gonna be interesting."

Said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin: "There are roughly 131,220 outs in a baseball season. You figure 30 teams times 27 outs multiplied by 162 games. That's a lot of outs. The calls that are missed are a small amount. But you still want to get the calls right."

Regardless of strategy or time lag or technical wizardry, that remains the ultimate focus for baseball. As Torre and the other people in MLB's hierarchy look for feedback and improvements on the game's new tool, this is the answer they're likely to get: Expanded replay isn't perfect. But it's helping them get it right, one call at a time.

T-Plush

Morgan frequently refers to himself as "Tony Plush", which he says is his "name on the field" or his "gentleman's name." Under his nickname, Morgan will occasionally make a hand signal to look like a "T" after reaching base.

Nyjer Morgan: Back where he belongs

Returning to the major leagues, Morgan is proving already he belongs in Cleveland

By Jim Berdysz

April 9, 2014

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Few people get to travel the world.

For center fielder Nyjer Morgan, he's had to endure just that in order to keep his big league career alive.

Signed to a minor league deal this offseason with an invite to spring training, Morgan has quickly impressed Cleveland with his speed, bat and unique veteran presence.

“He’s been on base more than half the time, that’s the biggest thing,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

A career .280 hitter through six years in the major leagues, Morgan has showed promise already, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with four RBI in seven games. Currently leading the Tribe with a .520 on-base percentage, the left-handed hitter has given the top of the lineup an energy boost with Michael Bourn sidelined by injury.

“That’s the only way I know how to play is with energy,” Morgan said. “It feels good just to be in this position.”

Drafted by Pittsburgh as a 33rd round pick in 2002, he played for Washington before making a name for himself in Milwaukee during their postseason run in 2011. Also known for his crazy antics through his other identity and nickname Tony Plush, Morgan has just been his reserved self so far in his time with his new team.

“I’m trying to stay humble,” he said. I’m trying to keep my buddy T-Plush from coming back from on vacation….he’s around,” Morgan said jokingly. “This is probably one of the best groups I’ve played with."

Since coming to Cleveland, the 33-year-old has been on a mission, hoping to prove he and Plush are worthy of another year in the major leagues.

That wasn't the case at this time one season ago.

Left unclaimed on the free agent market in 2013, Morgan signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Japan Nippon Professional League. He didn't dissapoint, hitting .294 with 11 homers in 108 games for the BayStars.

With Bourn dealing with injuies last year and at the start of spring training, the Tribe decided to take a chance on the veteran hitter.

“We thought in the short term having him leadoff with his energy and the ability to change the game with his legs might payoff for us, and it has,” Francona said. ”He had a really good camp, I just didn’t know if we’d have a spot for him.”

Little did the team know they would have a spot for him, right at the top of their lineup as Bourn landed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury to start the regular season.

"He's doing a great job of setting the table," Michael Brantley said. "You see the hustle and drive that he puts into every at-bat. He keeps it light in the dugout, always cheering for every player and motivating every guy."

Sometimes all it takes is another chance and Morgan is thankful for his new opportunity with his new club.

"This is probably the most comfortable I've felt in my six years in the bigs," he said. "I know myself, I know what I'm capable of doing. I'm not trying to get ahead of myself and not trying to be somebody I'm not. I know the type of player I am."

Nobody knows what the future holds once Bourn returns, but for now, he has found another place in the world to call home.

"It's not in my hands," Morgan said. "The only thing I can do is take care of my little part and do what I can for this team and the organization. Whatever role they want me to do, I'm all for it."

'Can we get some common sense?' Elliot Johnson, Cleveland Indians upset over controversial ruling

Indians outfielder Elliot Johnson on controversial play Indians outfielder Elliot Johnson talks about the play in the first inning that was ruled not a catch and upheld by instant replay.

Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians determined the basketball and football equivalents to Wednesday's hotly contested ruling at Progressive Field.

Confusion remains, however, about the baseball mandate.

What, exactly, prompted umpires to declare that Elliot Johnson did not complete a catch in right field in the first inning of the second game of the Indians-Padres doubleheader?

"It was a catch. It was an out," Johnson said. "I'm not really sure what they're going off of, but I think it needs to be clear what defines the act of dropping it, because it can get ridiculous. It can get out of hand."

In the top of the first, Johnson made a running catch a few feet before the right-field wall. Once the ball hit his glove, he took a few steps, gathered himself against the wall and turned to relay the ball back toward the infield.

As he motioned to transfer the ball to his throwing hand, the ball dropped to the ground. First-base umpire Bob Davidson ruled Johnson did not make the catch and the call was upheld after Francona issued a challenge.

Francona joked that he thought the umpires, if anything, would "call traveling" on Johnson, since he took a few strides after nabbing the fly ball. Johnson joked he needed "to work on getting that dribble down first." Then he suggested he got "two feet in and possession of the ball," the requirements for an in-bounds catch in the NFL.

The ruling left the Padres with runners at second and third and no outs. San Diego scored the game's first on an ensuing RBI groundout. The Padres won the affair, 2-1. Johnson vented to reporters after the contest.

"It just seems like it lacks a lot of common sense," Johnson said. "I mean, I caught the ball. I hit the fence there with possession of the ball. I took, I don't know, six, seven steps, if you go look at it. Can we get some common sense?

"I mean, is it going to get to the point where a guy can catch a ball, run all the way off the field, go to give a ball to a fan, a souvenir, drop it. What, now he dropped it, so we're going to pull everybody back on the field? We're going to make up where the runners go? At what point do we use some common sense? Obviously, that's getting extreme, but still."

The Rangers were subject to a similar call earlier this week, and manager Ron Washington sought further explanation from Major League Baseball. League officials issued a statement to the Dallas Morning News that read: "Umpires and/or replay officials must consider whether the fielder had secured possession of the ball but dropped it during the act of the catch. An example of a catch that would not count is if a fielder loses possession of the ball during the transfer before the ball was secured by his throwing hand."

"I know they're going to enforce that rule more this year," Francona said. "I thought he still caught it. He went back and then came forward. But I also know they're going to enforce that rule differently than they have in the past. I still thought he caught the ball. ... They're still working through things. I was pretty confident when they went to look at it that they were going to call it an out."

Johnson thought, despite the league attempting to establish precedent with the rule, that the umpires would use discretion and award him the catch.

"To me, it's a catch and a throw. It's two separate things," Johnson said. "I caught the ball and I went to throw it. Now, I did drop it, obviously. They're trying to set precedent and they're trying to enforce a rule. I understand that. I realize there are two sides to it.

"But, to me, I caught the ball. I made six, seven steps, I went to throw it. I did drop it. I didn't have possession of it. I get it. I understand that point of it, but let's use some common sense. it was a catch. It was an out. Let's move on."

"It was a catch. It was an out," Johnson said. "I'm not really sure what they're going off of, but I think it needs to be clear what defines the act of dropping it, because it can get ridiculous. It can get out of hand."

Well, yes, that i guess is one definition.

The umpire's must feel like fools or complete idiots. Toss these replays in moth balls and bring them out for the playoffs only. The game was just fine for over 100 years. Just leave the game alone.

I finally got a chance to watch that. What a load of crap. Of course that's a catch.

Second Thoughts Game #10: Indians 3, White Sox 7

Salazar makes history as Abreu and White Sox sink Tribe

By Jake Dungan (IBI)

April 11, 2014

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All good things must come to an end and such was the case for the Indians' 14-game win streak against the White Sox. Of course, with no Jason Giambi to summon from the bench, the task was somewhat tougher. Although he made history, Danny Salazar was for the most part ineffective against Chicago's lineup as he once again had to make a number of pitches just to get through the first three frames.

Player of the Game: Jose Abreu (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K).

The Cuban defector whom the White Sox signed to a six-year, $68 million deal this offseason appears to be earning his paycheck at least in the early goings of the season as he is now batting .300 with four home runs and 14 RBI, both of which either tie or lead the American League.

On Thursday, Abreu's power was on full display as he smacked a pair of home runs off Salazar and Josh Outman to pretty much help put the game in the bag for Chicago. Last season, the White Sox struggled on offense as they scored the fewest runs and hit the third fewest home runs in the league. Their acquisitions of Abreu as well as Matt Davidson and Adam Eaton help add youth and additional run-producing potential to their lineup.

So far, as far as Abreu is concerned, he seems to be taking to their cleanup spot as well as they could hope.

A Strange Start for Salazar

Danny Salazar had a somewhat impressive pitching stat line on Thursday, but not in a way that really helped his team. For the first time in the history of the modern baseball era (post-1900), a starting pitcher has recorded double-digit strikeouts while only pitching three and two-thirds innings.


Yep, that was what Salazar accomplished on Thursday as he recorded only 11 outs with 10 of them being punchouts. Sounds impressive, but considering the fact that he also allowed five runs and threw 93 pitches in that span, it's not exactly something you can hang your hat on.

There's no denying it. Danny Salazar can strike out batters. It's the process of getting those whiffs that needs some work. Throwing quality breaking pitches and conserving his pitch count are the things that Salazar needs to work on to get to that next level as a dominant starter. Both of the home runs allowed by the right-hander were off secondary pitches (A slider to Abreu and a changeup to Alexei Ramirez).

The fastball and velocity are there. It's just a matter of utilizing all his pitches effectively and throwing them all for strikes on a consistent basis.

Will the Real Asdrubal Please Stand Up

Asdrubal Cabrera has pretty much picked up right where he left off last season as the whipping boy for Tribe fans. But he hasn't helped his cause with his Mendoza Line batting mark and putrid performance with runners in scoring position so far this year (.100 average).

However, we have seen somewhat of a surge from the former All-Star shortstop in the last two games as he has gone 4-for-8 with a homer and a pair of doubles and runs scored. Is this just a temporary spike in production or is he starting to snap out of his slump?

On an interesting note, Cabrera played Thursday's game out of the leadoff spot. He led off in 7 games during spring training and batted .333. He's not the guy I'd typically want to pencil into the leadoff spot based on the type of hitter he has become, but based on his performance thus far, he's also not the first guy I'd want up to bat in a run-scoring situation either.

Facts and Notes

•The Indians, who led the major leagues in batting against left-handed pitching in 2013 with a combined .271 average, are only batting .192 against southpaws to start 2014, which is 26th in the majors.

•Rehabbing Indians center fielder Micheal Bourn played for the AA Akron RubberDucks in their home opener on Thursday and went 0-for-4 with a walk, but also reached on an error. [He was 1-7 with the Clippers]

•Indians veteran DH Jason Giambi is set to join Bourn in Akron on Friday for his first rehab assignment as he recovers from a rib injury.

•Veteran reliever Scott Atchison has yet to allow a run in five appearances (6.1 innings-pitched) and has recorded a strikeout in all but one of his outings.

Up Next: Indians (5-5) vs. White Sox (5-5) @ U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch at 8:10 ET.

The Indians have been inconsistent to start the year on all fronts and are hoping to find their groove sooner rather than later. Carlos Carrasco will go for the Tribe against White Sox ace Chris Sale. The Indians had their way with the lanky left-hander a year ago as he went 0-4 with an 8.61 ERA in four starts against them. Unfortunately, Carrasco hasn't fared much better against the Sox from the South Side as he owns a career 0-3 mark in five starts against them with a 6.75 ERA.

Hey, Hoynsie: Was the Tribe close to signing Jose Abreu, I didn't read anything about it. I was hoping they might be interested after missing out on Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes -- Louis Brujo, Cleveland.

Hey, Louis: They scouted him, but were never close to signing him at the kind of money the White Sox gave him. A lot of clubs felt the White Sox paid too much for Abreu at $68 million for six years. He’s reportedly not as athletic as Puig and Cespedes, more of a DH/first base type who is going to have to put up big numbers to justify the contract.

The White Sox have a good Cuban connection with shortstop Alexei Ramirez and outfielder Dayan Viciedo already on the big-league club. They also have a need with Paul Konerko in the sunset of his career.

[Too bad! Both Bourn and Swisher have larger contracts. I've watched this guy play for three years. He's pretty good. I told a few of my co-workers that Abreu reminds me a lot of Frank Thomas with a little more speed. He's my pre-season prediction for Rookie of the Year if he can stay healthy.]

Indians’ Carlos Santana excels in position transition, except at the plate

By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports columnist

Cleveland Indians Carlos Santana is caught in a rundown in the fifth inning by Minnesota Twins shortstop Pedro Florimon at the home opener at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)
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CHICAGO: Carlos Santana spent much of Sunday morning on the massage table or in the training room of the visitors’ clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field and it was no wonder.

On Saturday afternoon, Santana was the Indians’ starting catcher. Less than 15 hours earlier, he finished Friday night’s game at third base. On Thursday night, he was the Tribe’s designated hitter, batting in his usual cleanup spot.

Before he returned to designated hitter to rest his weary legs in the series finale, the physical demands of what Santana has done seemed to be wearing on the 27-year-old.

“Yeah, it’s hard,” Santana said. “Everybody knows after a game catching I feel a little tight, a little tired, my body doesn’t feel 100 percent. But I prepared in the offseason for that situation.”

In winter ball, Santana began the conversion back to third base, a position he hasn’t played since he broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2005-06. The switch was his idea as he sought to be more involved after Yan Gomes earned the starting catcher job.

Santana spent the bulk of spring training at third, although he caught a few games to see if he could handle the double duty required to back up Gomes.

But the regulars were usually lifted in the fifth or sixth innings in March games, lightening Santana’s load. The Indians were curious how Santana would handle all that would be asked of him when the season began.

On Saturday, Indians manager Terry Francona said Santana has exceeded their expectations.

“Yes. Best-case scenario,” Francona said. “I think what he’s done is actually phenomenal.”

Keeping busy

Going into a three-game series at the Detroit Tigers that opens today, Santana has spent six games at third, four at DH and three at catcher. He’s committed just one error, April 2 at the Oakland Athletics, when he started at third. Defensively, he has 15 assists in 51 chances and two double plays, one Saturday.

But that wasn’t the play that caught Francona’s eye. It came that day with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Adrian Nieto of the Chicago White Sox hit a soft grounder in front of the plate and Santana fielded it and had the presence of mind to get back and touch the plate to force Adam Dunn.

“That’s not easy,” Francona said. “I remember seeing [the Minnesota Twins’ Joe] Mauer getting a runner that rounded third on a play like that, but you don’t see that very often at all.”

To keep himself functioning physically, Santana said he has changed the frequency of his massages, now needing four or five a week. Francona said Santana has always been good about taking care of himself.

But Francona and Santana admit that the multiple roles have hurt Santana at the plate. He snapped an 0-for-18 streak with a sixth-inning single Sunday. He finished the day batting .186, .095 against left-handers. But his 14 walks are tied for second in the majors behind the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista (16). Santana’s on-base percentage of .386 is tied for 18th in the American League.

“There are no secrets, everybody knows it affects my hitting because I’m working so hard,” Santana said. “I play third base, the next day, a day game back to catcher, it’s hard for me.”

Struggling at the plate

One of the reasons the Indians embraced the move was because going into this season, Santana carried a career .266 average when he wasn’t behind the plate, compared to .246 as a catcher. It was even more pronounced in 2013, when he hit .284 as a first baseman/DH and .249 as a catcher.

In 13 games thus far, it hasn’t seemed to matter. Santana has batted .200 as a catcher, .200 as a third baseman and .154 as a designated hitter. Francona doesn’t expect those struggles to continue.

“He’s not swinging the bat right now like he can,” Francona said. “He’s going to, he’s a good hitter.”

He’s not happy with his average, but Santana said he’s had no second thoughts about what he’s attempting to do.

“I like playing whatever position I can. I love to play. Every time I play, I play from my heart,” he said. “I need to keep working, it’s a long season, and see what happens in the first half.”

Indians starting rotation: More innings needed

By Jason Lukehart @JasonLukehart on Apr 15 2014, 11:02a 15

The quality of the work hasn't been fantastic, but it's the quantity of the work that really needs to improve.

Starting pitching has been a problem for the Indians so far in 2014, both in terms of the number of innings pitched, and in terms of the quality of those innings. Some fans want to write that sort of thing off as a matter of pitchers still not having worked themselves into midseason form, and/or to cold temperatures during some early-season games, but that doesn't do anything to explain why the Tribe rotation has done so poorly compared to its American League counterparts, and make no bones about it, the Tribe rotation has done poorly.

Through Sunday, the rotation has a combined ERA of 5.19, second-worst in the American League; they have walked 3.63 batters per 9 innings, also second-worst (thanks to Minnesota for keeping the Tribe out of the basement in each of those categories). Their combined WHIP is 1.60, which is the worst in the AL. Not surprisingly, all those runs and all those baserunners have led to a number of short starts.

8 times already, the Indians' starter has failed to finish the 6th inning. That's the most in the American League. 6 times already, they've failed to finish the 5th*. Not only is that the most in the AL, but no other team has had it happen more than twice thus far. All told, in 13 starts the rotation has totaled 69.67 innings. That works out to 5.33 innings per game, which is (you guessed it) the fewest in the American League (it would also be the lowest average in franchise history, in the highly unlikely event that it held up).

*Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, and Danny Salazar have each failed to get through 5 innings once. Justin Masterson has failed to get through 5 innings twice in a row now, which is especially surprising, because that hadn't happened to him since April of 2010.

Danny Salazar and Justin Masterson have been the biggest culprits. MLB pitchers have gone to a 3-0 count against 4.6% of all batters so far this season (that's exactly the same league-average figure as 2013). Salazar is at 11.6%, Masterson is at 8.1%. League average on pitches per inning is ~16.5. Salazar is averaging 20.1, Masterson is averaging 19.0.

There is some good news to pass along too: Indians starters lead the AL with 9.87 strikeouts per 9 innings and are second in the AL with a strikeout percentage 23.9% (those strikeouts are nice, but combined with so many walks, it's easy to see why Tribe starters are running their pitch counts up so quickly). There's also been some bad luck working against the rotation, as they've allowed a .378 BABIP, 45 points higher than any other team's. That helps explain why the group's combined ERA is so bad, while their FIP is a better than average 3.72.

The BABIP will regress for the better, so the Tribe's ERA doesn't concern me, but they've got to be better about throwing strikes, because working so many deep counts will keep them from going deep into into games, even when they're not allowing 5 runs per 9 innings. Masterson's track record suggests he'll get it turned around, and Corey Kluber has done well over the last calendar year, but the others are yet to prove that they can be counted on to routinely go 6 or 7 innings a game.

Teams that don't get a lot of innings do make the playoffs upon occasion (the Indians had the 4th-fewest innings in the AL last year, at 5.71, and made the playoffs), but the margin for error for the rest of the team gets a whole lot thinner when the rotation isn't pulling its weight.

I posted that one, but not really buying into it.....yet.

The small sample size is heavily influenced by Salazar's 2 starts and Masterson's last 2.

joez wrote:Hey, Hoynsie: Was the Tribe close to signing Jose Abreu, I didn't read anything about it. I was hoping they might be interested after missing out on Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes -- Louis Brujo, Cleveland.

Hey, Louis: They scouted him, but were never close to signing him at the kind of money the White Sox gave him. A lot of clubs felt the White Sox paid too much for Abreu at $68 million for six years. He’s reportedly not as athletic as Puig and Cespedes, more of a DH/first base type who is going to have to put up big numbers to justify the contract.

The White Sox have a good Cuban connection with shortstop Alexei Ramirez and outfielder Dayan Viciedo already on the big-league club. They also have a need with Paul Konerko in the sunset of his career.

[Too bad! Both Bourn and Swisher have larger contracts. I've watched this guy play for three years. He's pretty good. I told a few of my co-workers that Abreu reminds me a lot of Frank Thomas with a little more speed. He's my pre-season prediction for Rookie of the Year if he can stay healthy.]

When you pay someone 68 million over 6 years then you are suppose to win Rookie of the Year.

I'm worried about Santana. As JOE points out, he's been slumping for a long time now.

When you pay someone 68 million over 6 years then you are suppose to win Rookie of the Year.

Yeah! And when one pays Nick Swisher 1b-rf 4 years/$56M (highest paid player on the team and making more than Abreu per year), and when one pays Michael Bourn cf 4 years/$48M (second highest paid player on the team and making more than Abreu per year), each should be playing all-star caliber baseball. The last I checked neither was pulling their own weight and not even hitting their own weight. Hell, Bourn is struggling to hit AA pitching. Swisher should be batting in 100 runs a year and Bourn should be scoring 100 runs a year with those salaries. At the rate they are going right now, they'll be lucky to reach those numbers in two years.

I guess I'm entitled to express my opinion on that post.

Joe, maybe it's because "the last time you checked" happened to be April 15. I mean, I know people can be quick to rush to judgement, but wow. Bourn doesn't even have an AB yet!

IMO you are still steaming because of 2013. These guys have lots of time left on their contracts. Give it more than 2 weeks into 2014.