Expectations
This is a hard one. Cleveland was one of the best teams in the league last season, but they also got a few career years which are unlikely to duplicate (Ron Blomberg for sure, but also perhaps Bill Steen and Pat Malone). On the other hand, they discovered some elite talent that will be available all year (Tris Speaker and Bob Feller). So maybe that balances out, and a championship push is possible?
Best Case
Blomberg remains an MVP candidate (unlikely) and the offense solidifies behind Speaker, Chuck Knoblauch, and Lance Berkman and the pitching staff is a net gain (perhaps Steen or Malone regress, but Cy Young steps forward, for example).
Worst Case
Blomberg collapses, leaving only Speaker as a true offensive force (if he actually is one) with the rest of the big bats from last season (John Ellis, Jake Stahl, Knoblauch, Johnny Bates) all regressing towards mediocrity. There is a lot of pitching depth here, but of course there is the danger of injury or total collapse, but it feels like someone will produce here.
Key Questions
- Who plays 3B? This is a question of scarcity: nobody has seemed able to step up.
- What happens in the OF? Both Speaker and Kenny Lofton offer strong defense, is it possible to move one of them to LF or RF effectively?
Trade Bait
Sure. One way to solve the OF situation is to trade some of them for a 3B.
Roster Evaluation
| POS | Elite | Strong | Solid | Meh | Weak | Unknown |
| C | Santop | |||||
| 1B | Blomberg | Stahl Ellis | Berkman | |||
| 2B | Knoblauch | |||||
| 3B | Strang | Longoria | ||||
| SS | Vaughan | Sewell | ||||
| LF/ RF | Bates | Doby | ||||
| CF | Speaker | |||||
| SP | Malone Young | Coveleski Steen | Feller | |||
| End | Adams | Gearrin Reed | ||||
| RP | Harder | Street Marberry Ventura |
Pretty accurate, and pretty optimistic: especially if Speaker performs anywhere like he did in his debut 100 PA’s. The Spiders just need a few players to lean left, and they have a shot at a championship.
Talent Ratings
| WBL | Minors | |
| Raw Power | 1B/OF Ron Blomberg 1B/OF Lance Berkman | 1B/OF Paul O’Neill |
| Batting Eye | IF Sammy Strang | IF Bobby Avila |
| Contact | OF Tris Speaker | OF Kenny Lofton |
| Running Speed | 2B Chuck Knoblauch | OF Kenny Lofton OF Randy Winn 1B Bill Phillips |
| Base Stealing | OF Johnny Bates | OF Kenny Lofton |
| IF Defense | 3B Evan Longoria | IF Jim Gantner |
| OF Defense | OF Tris Speaker | OF Rowland Office |
| Stuff | P Bob Feller | P Billy Gumbert P Wes Whisler |
| Control | P Mel Harder | P Edward Mujica |
| Velocity | RP Cory Gearrin | RP Joe Smith |
Best In The Minors
| Rank | Age | POS | Name |
| 1 (45) | 22 | 1B | Aubrey Huff |
| 2 (93) | 21 | P | John Keefe |
| 3 (96) | 26 | P | Hank Gastright |
| 4 (99) | 23 | SS | Joe Sewell |
| 5 (133) | 20 | 1B | Bill Phillips |
| 6 (186) | 23 | P | Huston Street |
| 7 (194) | 24 | P | Wade LeBlanc |
This is a barren system, probably one of the worst in the WBL. Sewell and Street start the season in Cleveland. Beyond them, especially given that Huff is blocked positionally, it’s not clear where help might come from.
| Most | Least | |
| Age | P Stan Coveleski, 37 | IF Johnny Hodapp, 18 |
| Height | P Toby Borland, 6’6″ P Ron Reed, 6’6″ | OF Herbie Moran, 5’5″ |
| OPS | 1B/OF Ron Blomberg, 1.061 (WBL) | IF Brandon Phillips, .468 (—) |
| HR | IF Roy Howell, 49 (—) | IF Rick Burleson, 0 (WBL/AAA) |
| SB | OF Johnny Bates, 41 (WBL) | Many with 0 |
| WAR | 1B/OF Ron Blomberg, 5.8 (WBL) | IF Brandon Phillips, -3.7 (—) |
| W | Pat Malone, 17 (WBL) | Ron Reed, 1 (WBL) |
| SV | Stew Cliburn, 39 (—) | |
| ERA | Bill Steen, 2.93 (WBL) | Willis Hudlin, 6.41 (AAA/AA) |
| WAR | Pat Malone, 5.0 (WBL) | Willis Hudlin, -0.8 (AAA/AA) |