Breaking Down the Tribe’s Infield Prospects

The Indians will head into spring training with only 2 of the 4 infield positions solidified. Asdrubal Cabrera will play shortstop, and Jhonny Peralta will play third base. Beyond that they will rely on their young prospects to fill the open spots at first and second base, and hope that one of them will become the utility player they so desperately need. Let’s have a look at the infield positions one by one:

First Base: The Indians are hopeful that outfielder-turned first baseman Matt LaPorta will be ready to play first base for them by the end of Spring Training. LaPorta, they key acquisition in the CC Sabathia deal with Milwaukee from 2008, had mixed success in the majors last season for the Tribe. He has been touted as a power-hitter, which is something the Indians desperately need in their line-up, but health has been a concern during the off season. LaPorta underwent surgeries to correct a hip injury and a turf toe injury in October and has been rehabbing for the remainder of the off season. If LaPorta is not at 100% by the end of camp, the Indians will likely turn to Andy Marte to fill the hole at first base.

Marte is now in his fourth year with the Cleveland organization, and has spent the majority of that time in the minor leagues trying to work out his struggles at the plate. While Marte showed a great deal of promise at Triple-A Columbus last year (.327 average and an OPS of .963) he continued to have problems at the plate facing big-league pitching for the Indians. He enters this spring out of options, so if there is any chance of Marte staying with Cleveland, he will have to make the team as a first baseman or in a utility role.

Second Base: It seems logical that Luis Valbuena will win the starting job at second base coming out of camp this year. Valbuena had a very successful season hitting .250 in 103 games at second. He provided much excitement at the plate providing the team with 10 homers, 25 doubles and 3 triples, something that should weight heavily in his favor this spring. Where Valbuena does need to improve is hitting left handed pitching, and that is something that will have to be addressed in March in order for him to play every day this season.

Mark Grudzielanek has been invited to spring training to compete for a possible utility role, but it is not out of the question that he could become the second baseman for the Tribe considering his familiarity with the position. The Indians may look for a veteran presence in the infield to start the season, and then gradually transition Grudzielanek to the utility role after the first month of the season, making way for Valbuena to slip into the every day second base role. Also in the mix for a possible second baseman is spring training invitee Luis Rodriguez, prospect player Jason Donald (whom came over as part of the Cliff Lee deal in ‘09,) and Brian Bixler, all of whom are expected to compete for the utility role as well.

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Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera will be the Indians short stop this year barring an injury. Expect them to push Cabrera hard this spring to build on his promising numbers from 2009 (.308, 42 doubles, 4 triples, 6 homers, 68 RBI and 17 stolen bases.) Though Cabrera went through a bit of a funk early last season, it would appear unlikely that a step back this year would result in another demotion to Columbus since the Indians are not planning to contend this season. Jhonny Peralta and possibly Mark Grudzielanek would be the likely back ups for Cabrera when he needs a rest or if he gets injured during the season.

Third Base: Jhonny Peralta will be the Indians third baseman coming out of camp, but he may not be the third baseman for the entire season. Peralta had mixed results during his transition year from short to third in 2009. He batted at .254 and committed 19 errors for the club, and while some of his woes can be attributed to switching positions, it seemed that the majority of his issues stemmed from his heart not being in the switch. Peralta sees himself as a shortstop, and it is likely that since he is in his last year of his guaranteed contract, the Indians will try to find a taker for him by the trade deadline. If Peralta is traded, it is possible that Marte could become the every day third baseman if he is still with the club. Beyond that, there is not a depth at the third base position right now, so the Indians could try to get a third base prospect through trades.

Utility: Here will be the most interesting competition during spring training. Grudzielanek, Rodriguez, Bixler and Donald join Shelly Duncan and Chris Gimenez as potential utility candidates. The Indians will be looking for a Jamey Carroll-type player who can come off the bench and handle themselves at every position. Last season, Gimenez was being groomed to become this type of player, so he seems to have a bit of an edge going into camp. That being said, don’t count out Duncan or Grudzielanek either. Both are veterans with major league experience, and it is not likely that the Indians would consider keeping either of them in their farm system beyond spring training. Besides the last three spots in the starting rotation, this should be the most interesting position to watch this spring. Clearly the player who wins this job will have to stand out pretty far above the rest of the crowd considering the talent that is competing for the role.

By Robert Gonzalez
Cleveland Indians Correspondent

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