NewsInbox: Rondon to bullpen right move?
Beat reporter Anthony Castrovince answers fans' questions
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
05/18/09 3:10 PM ET
You might be surprised to learn that Rays manager Joe Maddon submitted a query into this week's Inbox. Unfortunately, Maddon's submission was disallowed, because it contained two question marks. (Crickets.) All right, all right. Let's see what's on your minds. I don't agree with the decision to move Hector Rondon from the rotation to the bullpen in Double-A. This kid could significantly impact our rotation as early as this year. Moving him now will only mess up his mind and his arm.-- Mark F., Columbus, Ohio The Indians didn't just take a chance with Rondon. They also moved Steven Wright, Zach Putnam and Frank Herrmann to relief roles down on the farm to see if they might be options to help the big league bullpen. And let's not forget that Aaron Laffey move. It's an uncharacteristically bold approach for an organization so protective of its young arms. I'm with you, Mark, in that I don't think the Indians should have tinkered with Rondon. As bad as the bullpen has been, this rotation also needs all the backup options it can get, and Rondon might have been just such an option this season. He still could be if the Indians quickly decide this relief experiment just isn't right for him. But while I don't agree with the Rondon decision, I do at least give the Indians credit for getting aggressive and recognizing that they are playing in a division where a win total in the upper 80s should suffice this season. The question, however, is not just whether this club has what it takes to make that climb (that's a big, big question right now) but also what impact this year's moves will have on the future of the rotation. "We have a very careful process of balancing and understanding the importance of the future and respecting that in all of our decisions," general manager Mark Shapiro said last week. "Yet the goal is to win championships in this ballpark, and there's a time when that focus shifts to taking advantage of that window of opportunity." We're 7 1/2 games back in the division, which is manageable. But what is the largest amount of games a team has been under .500, only to be "revived" and come back to win the division?
-- Marlin L., Oakland I covered the Reds for MLB.com in 2005, and we were in Houston on Memorial Day. On the front of the sports page that week was a picture of a tombstone, with a headline of "Grave Circumstances." The article underneath said the '05 Astros were on life support, with no hope of survival.
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-- Brendon D., Brunswick, Ohio When the Indians started talking about all the different lineups they could use this season, you knew someone was going to come out on the short end of the stick. Right now, it's Garko. Wedge has taken to playing Asdrubal Cabrera at short, Jhonny Peralta at third, a veritable platoon of Luis Valbuena and Jamey Carroll at second and Mark DeRosa at first because he feels it's a better defensive alignment. Hard to argue with the left side of the infield, but I'm not sold on DeRosa at first. Right now, Garko benefits, ever so slightly, from Travis Hafner being on the disabled list, but that won't last much longer. It's my opinion that Garko should be getting starts over Ben Francisco, who, Sunday's big game aside, hasn't had a consistently impactful presence in the lineup in about a year, and certainly over David Dellucci. How much longer will Matt LaPorta be with the Tribe?
-- Dylan M., Akron, Ohio LaPorta's in the midst of an open audition, and I suspect he'll be given every opportunity to make the most of it, unless the Indians decide to send him down when Hafner comes back. The Tribe didn't call LaPorta up on a whim. Now that Wedge has begun giving him more consistent playing time, I think he'll have at least a few weeks to show what he can do at this level. While his numbers to date are nothing to get excited about, LaPorta has put up some good at-bats and hasn't looked overmatched. If it's my team, I'd consider designating Dellucci when Pronk returns, because LaPorta clearly has more upside on both the offensive and defensive ends. Trading Draft picks is common in the NBA and NFL, but it's virtually never done in Major League Baseball. Why?
-- Brian L., no location given You didn't give your location, Brian. Bark twice if you're in Milwaukee. MLB has a rule preventing such swaps, and I believe the intent is to keep clubs from trading top-tier picks simply to avoid paying top-tier signing bonuses. But teams avoid those bonuses anyway by passing up higher-profile players for more signable players, and they have nothing to show for the discrepancy in talent selected. It's like giving away a prize earned by ineptitude the season before. For that reason, I'd like to see MLB allow such trades. Why is Valbuena getting playing time in the Major Leagues over Josh Barfield?
-- Ryan M., Parma Heights, Ohio Clearly, the Indians feel Valbuena has more Major League upside than Barfield, who was in danger of becoming a regular on Interstate 71 the minute the Tribe told him he'd be in this utility/pinch-running role this season. While you can certainly make the argument that, because of last year's finger injury and this year's role, Barfield hasn't been given much opportunity to show the Indians he's progressed as a Major League hitter, the fact is he dug himself a hole with his showing in 2007 in the big leagues and at the beginning of '08 in Triple-A. Unfortunately, such reputations are hard to shake. Barfield, a hard worker and a great guy, will just have to make some offensive strides at Columbus to get back to consideration for regular at-bats at this level. He might need a change of scenery to get a real chance again. I don't believe the Indians' problem is a Wedge issue but a coach issue. As I view it, they all share the same personality -- very calm, almost lethargic. I do not see a coach with any fire, either in the dugout or on the bases. And without a vocal leader on the team, who kicks butt?
-- Jeff K., California Being around this club on a near-daily basis, I've long been surprised at the public perception of Wedge as a "calm, lethargic" personality. He can be a pretty intense guy behind the scenes, and I guess that just doesn't translate to what you see on TV. This being baseball, not football, I've always thought the notion of vocal leadership tends to be a tad overrated, anyway. The Indians need more players who lead by example.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
