MVN - Most Valuable Network

The Sunday Drive with Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach, the Tribe M*A*S*H unit, new prospects and Manny

There has been much speculation recently on what’s going to happen with Victor Martinez once he is healthy. Martinez could return to his old position at catcher, where the wear and tear on his body will likely start derailing his overall performance. Martinez could return to first base, where he’s proven he’s better-than-average defensively, and will likely prolong his career. Martinez could also split time between the two positions.

Of course, there are a lot of variables in the ultimate decision on whether or not to move Martinez to catcher. First, do they have a viable catcher to take over for Martinez, who has become an outstanding defensive catcher. Second, would Victor Martinez be a better option at first base than any other player they potentially would have to play first base. Finally, would a VMart-Shoppach tandem be better than a VMart-(insert your name) tandem?

The first question has to be whether or not Martinez has a viable backup to take over the catcher position. In this case, we are talking about Kelly Shoppach. I don’t know that there is any evidence that Shoppach couldn’t take over the full-time roll behind the plate for the Indians. If you happen to be one of the few that look at the cup half-full, Martinez going on the DL has given the Indians a steady glimpse at what Shoppach could do should they move VMart to first base next season.

Shoppach had been receiving regular playing time for most of the season, but didn’t become the regular catcher until Martinez went down for good on June 11th. His average for his first start after Martinez went on the DL was .225, with three homers, and seven RBI. Shoppach has dwarfed those numbers as a full-time starter, moving his average up over 50 points to .277, with 12 total homers and 33 RBI. Defensively, he’s on par with Victor Martinez with the glove, and has a better arm overall. In 2006, Shoppach threw out 11 of 30 stolen base attempts for a 37% clip, while in 2007, Shoppach threw out 13 of 36 attempts for a 36% clip. Ironically, this season, Shoppach is struggling getting guys out stealing, nailing only four of 26 possible base runners. That seems to be the exception, not the rule. So check that off the list. Shoppach would be solid behind the plate.

The candidates for first base to start next season could be a varied bunch. You have to start with Ryan Garko, who is the current first basemen. There are some who thought that Garko was destined to become the player he was in a brief stint with the Tribe in 2006, when he averaged an RBI ever time he breathed (yeah, I was one of them). There are others that felt last season was the best you could expect from Garko. Then there is the realistic possibility that Garko is neither, but something a bit worse. He surely has shown that he wears his nerves on his shoulders. His fielding, which was questionable to start with, seems to be even more questionable this year. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Garko is a streaky player who is hard to count on.

Some would speculate that Andy Marte could move to first. Don’t. I have a hard enough time talking about him being on the roster at this point. But to ponder if he’s better than VMart at first would be too much to take. The Indians could experiment with a player like Ben Francisco or Franklin Gutierrez, but that’s not likely. First off, they’re too good in the outfield defensively. Secondly, they don’t seem to fit at first base, and would likely be considered an offensive liability because of their lack of power. You could experiment with a guy like Jhonny Peralta at first base, which may be the only option that makes any sense at this point. Of course, Wedge and Shapiro have already said Peralta’s their shortstop, so let’s not add to that discussion.

In Buffalo, there are a couple of guys in Jordan Brown, and Michael Aubrey who both have some potential. Brown is one of those guys that plays well everywhere, but is likely not going to make it in the majors as a first baseman because he has never developed any power. Aubrey has the power, and seemingly has the ability, and just might be healthy. He’s 26, and I just don’t think the Indians have plans for him to be their starting first baseman. At the same time, are any of these guys going to be better than VMart at first? The easy answer is no.

Finally, there’s Matt LaPorta. I still think that the Indians would like to see LaPorta develop as an outfielder. He would answer all the Indians’ power needs in the outfield. Besides, LaPorta won’t be with this club to start the season. He may show up somewhere down the line, but not to start the season.

To mention Beau Mills right now wouldn’t even be fair. He’s at high A ball right now, and shouldn’t be a factor until 2010.

Defensively, there aren’t any better options than Shoppach-Martinez. Offensively, you could make a case that there are potential better options to go along with VMart. At the same time, you could make a better case that Shoppach would provide more offensive consistency than Garko, or anyone else you could mention at first base.

With that said, unless there are some changes in the offseason to address first base, my early vote is for Shoppach to stay at catcher full-time, and for VMart to move to first base. At the very least, VMart won’t have nearly as much pounding at a time when most catchers see their statistics begin to diminish.

Of course, what happens if we need a DH?

There is a whole reservation full of Indians ready to get back into action.

Josh Barfield should begin soft-toss hitting this week. He could be with the team to take some BP when the Indians play the Blue Jays, and would then move to a rehab assignment at the end of the week. The Indians are really hoping to get a good look at Barfield this season, to find out if he’s going to be a factor next season. My take on Barfield is that he really could make a big difference to the club as the season progresses next year. He’s done nothing with the Indians to give me any support to that thinking, but neither did Brandon Phillips. No, I’m not saying Barfield is the next Phillips. Alright, maybe I am. I have more confidence in this guy, then I do in Andy Marte. Personally, I hope they both prove to be more than meets the eye.

Victor Martinez is already taking soft-toss. He’s throwing long-toss, and will take some batting practice in Toronto as well. He’ll also be throwing to bases from behind the plate soon, as well as start running the bases. The Indians already have plans to send him down to a rehab assignment at the end of next week, unless there are unseen setbacks. This should be a big boost to the club.

Travis Hafner will have his shoulder tested this week. If you didn’t know, Hafner’s last test was postponed because his father passed away. The Tribe Report, of course, offers its condolences to the Hafner family. Hafner’s test was rescheduled for this week, and there’s a feeling that it could be healthy enough to resume some soft-toss hitting. For this to happen, Tribe doctors would have to see the shoulder at 75% or better. I don’t know about any of you, but I’d prefer to wait until Pronk is at 100%. Why mess with him this year. Get the shoulder healthy now, so we just might get to see him healthy THEN.

Rob Bryson, the promising reliever acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers, has an injured shoulder. One report has stated that he has a slight tear of his labrum. My first thoughts immediately went to the Milwaukee Brewers trying to send the Indians an injured pitcher. It does seem kind of curious that he has a bum shoulder after only six appearances for Cleveland. Of course, if the Indians gave him a physical, they should have caught it. Either way, shut the kid down, and get him healthy. Reports are that this kid has a high ceiling, and I want to see it all pay off.

There is growing buzz on catching prospect Carlos Santana. Offensively, many scouts have pointed to him being as sure a thing as there is for a high-A ballplayer. Of course, I have never seen him play, so I could tell you this Carlos Santana from the guitar player. Hopefully, this is the case. He was leading the minors in runs scored, can hit from both sides of the plate, walks more than he strikes out, and has a gun for an arm. The reports are that he can’t receive the ball very well, but that’s something that can improve. As VMart.

Manny Ramirez is in Los Angeles. Seriously, doesn’t that make a whole lotta sense at the end of the day? Manny is a B-Movie all to himself. Manny has announced that he wants to retire a Dodger, after he said he wanted to retire a Red Sox, after he said he wanted to retire an Indian. Ramirez, of course, hasn’t discussed contract at all with L.A., and becomes a free agent at the end of the year.

Let the games begin. Something tells me that Manny’s days in La-La land are going to get more and more interesting as the year progresses. Am I the only one that thinks putting Manny in LA is akin to putting Manny in, say, a candy store?

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 5:39 pm and is filed under Jordan Brown, Mark Shapiro, James Pete, Ben Francisco, Beau Mills, VMart, Carlos Santana, Rob Bryson, Michael Aubrey, Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, Andy Marte, Tribe report, Josh Barfield, Cleveland Indians, Jhonny Peralta, Matt LaPorta, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Tribe Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.