The Indians still are without a definite designated hitter for the 2013 and have apparently been linked to two former Indians players, Travis Hafner and Jim Thome. In what is a sad state of events for Hafner, both players are essentially at the same point in their career, despite Pronk starting his career over a decade after Thome. Both players have seen decreases in playing time in recent years with neither player playing in more than 100 games since 2010. If the Indians did sign one of the two former Tribesmen, he should be expected to have at least two stints on the disabled list and not be able to play in more than three consecutive games and never in the field.

As much as bringing either former great back into the fold would warm the hearts of Indians fans, the move just doesn't make sense logically at any price. Picture this prospective situation: Pronk/Thome plays DH for game one of a series with Mark Reynolds at first and Carlos Santana catching. The next game would feature Reynolds at DH, Santana at first and Lou Marson/Yan Gomes at catcher. The third game would see Reynolds and Santana back at their prospective positions with either Nick Swisher or the Pronk/Thome combination at DH. Either way the Indians would handle the situation, the new DH would be likely to play in 60 or less games.

The Indians have no obvious great in house options, but given a chance there are a few players who could surprise if given even those 60 games that the Indians would otherwise be overpaying for. Below is a chart that takes a weighted average of the last five years for both Hafner and Thome and the last three seasons (mostly minor league) for two other players. The numbers have been standardized to see what they would produce in 60 games.

These numbers are incredibly close and are all probably over estimates of how these players will perform. The question is, how much are the Indians willing to pay for a player that will at most hit ten home runs and strike out 50 times. The two options listed below are Yan Gomes and Chris McGuiness in that order. McGuiness has never played above the AA level, but is a rule 5 pick, meaning he has to be on the 25 man roster or be relinquished to his old team. If the Indians sign either Hafner or Thome there will likely not be room on the roster for McGuiness. 

Gomes on the other hand should make the roster either way and unlike McGuiness, has had some Major League experience. He is also more versatile, being able to play catcher, first or DH, making him fit in well in the Santana/Reynolds rotation.

No other teams have been linked with either Hafner or Thome to this point. In fact, the Orioles, Astros and Yankees have all announced that they have no interest in the 42 year old DH, despite having holes on their rosters. Because of that, both players have no market driving their price up, although either could decide to retire rather than play for the league minimum. The Indians can't afford to take on a pity player, monetarily or in roster space.

If the Indians do decide to pick one of the two aging players, Thome seems to be the better fit. It would allow him to retire as an Indian (again) cementing his place in the Hall of Fame as a Clevelander, making him even more worthy of the statue being built for him in centerfield. He also is miraculously less injury prone than Hafner despite the longer career and has produced more in the past few seasons. The final benefit of bringing Thome back would be an increase in jersey and ticket sales for nostalgia's sake. This would help pay for his salary, but will not likely last longer than the first month or so, unless he produces enough to deserve his place on the team.

Doug Jones was the first great closer for the Cleveland Indians and maintains the Indians record for most career save opportunities. He happened to come around at the perfect time for closers as for the first time in baseball history, pitchers were put into save situations simply to earn the save, rather than teams using the best pitcher in the most important situation despite the inning. Jones came to the Tribe in 1985 after being released by Milwaukee. After two good seasons, Jones became the full time closer in 1988 and posted one of the best relief seasons in Indians history. Over the next three seasons, Jones set marks in the top ten for save chances each year and saves twice. When he saved 43 games in 1990 it was an Indians record (broken four seasons later by Jose Mesa)

In 1991 Jones struggled over his first 31 games before the Indians decided to turn him into a starter. After making three straight all-star teams and garnering MVP votes in two of the past three seasons, Jones dropped to a 5.54 ERA (his worst ERA as a closer was 2.56 in 1990). This struggle was enough for the Indians to give up on the 35 year old pitcher and he left the team through free agency to Houston. He then pitched eight more seasons between five other teams, with some great seasons and others where he struggled.

In 1998 the Indians traded right handed reliever Eric Plunk to the Brewers in exchange for an elderly Jones and the Indians were able to take him to his first career playoff appearance. After becoming famous with the Tribe and having his best seasons in Cleveland, Jones had finally returned and had another good partial season. At the end of the season, he joined the Athletics for two years, making the playoffs one more time before retiring.

In his career, Jones remains one of the top closers in Indians history and ranks in the top ten in save conversion percent and top five in total saves (just ten behind Bob Wickman). 

2013 is going to be the first season in the history of professional baseball when there are an odd number of teams in each league, making it the first season with interleague play all year. This has lead to a few peculiarities in the Indians schedule this year that make it a little different than the norm.

• Instead of the regular three game series, the first of the interleague series will take place at the end of April (4/30) in Cleveland against the Philadelphia Phillies. It will consist of two, two game series concluding in Philadelphia later in the month (5/14).
• Instead of playing the normal six games against Cincinatti, the Indians will play consecutive road and home series against the Reds (and new centerfielder Shin-Soo Choo) from 5/27-30. This is the first time in my memory that the Indians have played a team on the road, then immediately played them at home. The Battle for Ohio will be played in just four games in 2013.
• Other NL opponents include three game series against the Nationals (6/14-16), Marlins (8/2-4), Braves (8/27-29) and Mets (9/6-8).
• Because of the new scheduling, the Indians will be playing many more four (and two) game series than normal. They have 12 four game series scheduled along with four 6 game series. There were 8 four game series in 2012 and no scheduled two game series. This will make it a lot harder to judge teams by their series win/loss record as there should be a lot more series ties.
• The Indians will be playing against the Houston Astros as an American League team for the first time ever  on 4/19.
• The All-Star break will be four games for the Tribe this year, spanning from 7/15-18. It should be a good vacation for almost every player as the Indians attempt to trade away every player who ever had a chance at playing in the contest.
• The Tribe won't play the Angels and their new outfielder Josh Hamilton until 8/9, making them the last American League team for the Indians to play their first game against.
• There will only be 14 total games against the Red Sox and Yankees, including just seven home games that will all be over before the end of April. These are two of the best selling series for the Indians, so it will be interesting to see if people will show up during the normally cold month of April to see the AL East teams. Last season the Indians averaged just over 11,000 fans per game in April excluding Opening Day, partially because there were no high profile games.
• The season closes out in the cold open air of Minnesota, in what could be a very depressing four game bout if neither team makes any more improvements before the season starts.

Otto Hess was one of the early pitchers for the Cleveland Blues and Naps, pitching alongside Addie Joss, Earl Moore and Bob Rhoads for the original Cleveland teams. Like the others listed, Hess had an incredibly low career ERA, WHIP and BAA, but unlike the others, he was very inconsistant. His 1904 and 1906 seasons were two of the greatest years ever by an Indians pitcher (his 333 IP in 1906 ranks among the top ten all time), but he had a very below average year in 1905 and wasn't able to pitch 100 innings in his other three seasons.

In his career, the good seasons have outweighed the bad, mostly due to the incredible amount of innings thrown in those two great seasons. He remains among the top ten best Indians ever in ERA and innings per game (7.1). His great rate stats do show through, but his wildness is also apparent as he hit 51 batters in less than 1,000 innings pitched. He also ended his career losing more games than he won (each of the other three pitcher peers listed above had a career winning percent of above .545).

 Hess retired after the 1915 season after being released by the Boston Braves. He had originally been let go by Cleveland in 1908 and played in the minor leagues for a few years trying to make his way back to the pros. Hess is the only player in Major League Baseball history to be born in Switzerland. Otto Hess died in 1926 at the age of 47.

If you are a regular reader of Burning River Baseball, you may come to feel that I hate all utility players and think to yourself, "why does he hate them, it's their job and somebody has to do it." Well, I don't hate utility players, just their improper use.

In general, of the 25 spots in a baseball roster, twelve are pitchers, nine are the starting lineup and another is the back-up catcher (another subject which I have discussed ad nauseam). This leaves three open places for what is typically, a reserve outfielder, middle infielder and corner infielder. Some teams choose to distribute these spots differently based on the unique talents of their reserves, but this is the general idea. Among those three reserve players the team needs to cover a few points.

First, every starter on the team must have a back-up in case they get hurt or tired. This back-up can be another starter as long as that starter has a back-up on the bench. Also, between the three players available there should always be a pinch runner and a pinch hitter (on past Indians teams, a right handed pinch hitter) for late inning duties. The back-up catcher shouldn't be considered in any of this as if the catcher gets injured there is usually no other option.

As most teams cannot afford to field a roster of 25 starting caliber players, utility players are usually a significant drop off from the regular on the field talent. This means the role is taken by one of three types of players, old players who used to be good, players in their prime that will never be good and young players who are still unknown. As with any player, the cost increases with age as they will no longer play for the league minimum and are less flexible as far as minor league options are concerned.

It is my opinion that any team that is not a billion dollar organization should use young players for the majority of their utility positions. This may seem not that extreme of a statement, but the Indians have been overpaying for aging veterans and never-will-be's longer than I can remember. Most recently Jack Hannahan was paid over $1M to make 18 errors at third base in 2012 as a defense-first minded third baseman while Lonnie Chisenhall sat in AAA. While Hannahan was not technically a utility player in 2012, he was originally signed as one and his back-up, Jose Lopez, was even worse. If Chisenhall had at least been used as utility corner infielder at the beginning of 2012, he could have worked on his defense behind the master (.949 fielding percent Jack Hannahan) and the Indians could have saved the entire $800,000 paid to Lopez (because they still had to pay Chisenahall anyway). Using Chisenhall as a utility player all season would have given the Indians their back-up at third, short and first (through Hannahan) as well as an extra pinch hitter.

The main purpose behind this line of thinking is the money saved. Reserve players only play a few games a year each and are not that important to the ultimate fate of a team. They are also usually replacement level players. Since this is the case, there is no reason not to use replacement players from within your own system. Another benefit of using younger players is speed. Using the example already mentioned, while Chisenhall is no speed demon, he is faster than Lopez, but here a different example suits better. 

Shelley Duncan was the primary starter in left field in 2012, leaving Johnny Damon as the utility outfielder. The Indians have done this type of thing over and over again in recent years, signing aging outfielders like Austin Kearns (the second time), David Delucci and Jason Michaels. In every case, a future Indian has lost playing time when he almost certainly would have produced more at a smaller cost. With Michaels it was Ben Francisco; Delucci, Franklin Gutierrez while Kearns (and Damon) kept back Ezequiel Carrera. All three of the outfielders held back were better fielders and base runners than their replacements and all were pushed to the sidelines for some unknown reason. Two of the three were even traded away as throw-ins during mega deals because there was "no room" for them on the roster. The Phillies and Mariners obviously saw their value even if the Indians couldn't. 

There are hundreds of examples over the years where the Indians would have been better served by using a younger player as a utility player instead of a veteran, but there is no point in listing them all. The whole argument boils down to the decrease in cost to the team in payroll and the increase in major league playing time of the developing player. If the Indians did follow this system, they should give each young player a two year maximum at the utility position. After this time a decision would have to be made. There are exactly three possible solutions, two of which could have great benefit to the team.

First, they could trade the young utility player. This has been the Athletics operating mode for the past decade, taking undervalued players, giving them enough playing time to look good and selling them high to other teams. One of the few times the Indians did this right was when they traded Kelly Shoppach to the Rays for top pitching prospect Mitch Talbot. Shoppach had been a young reserve for a few years, got enough starting time to impress and was sent away for another teams top pitching prospect when the Indians found a better option.

Second, promote the utility player. When something really special comes along (like Chisenhall) he should be moved into the starting role as soon as possible. When this is done, the team still has control of the original player and can use him as a trade piece to other teams before losing him. The Indians did a terrible job of this during 2012 as they held on to Hannahan during the regular season, even after Chisenhall was made starter. Once the season was over he was released and the Reds signed him for $4M. If they were willing to pay that much for him, they certainly would have been willing to trade something for him earlier in the year.

Finally, the utility player can be released. If a player has been around, playing in 60 or more games a year for multiple seasons and hasn't proven himself, he probably never will. If this is the case, give up on the player and release him, giving a different young player a chance. This is what the Indians should have done with Matt LaPorta years ago. LaPorta has been used as a reserve DH/1B the past few seasons when it was made obvious his ceiling is much lower than previously thought. If there is no trade market for the player, then just release them. This is not only best for the team as it frees up a roster spot and gives another young player a chance, but it is best for the player being released as well as he is free to find a job somewhere else whether it be with another team or Taco Bell.

So, there you have it. I don't hate utility players for being utility players. I just dislike it when the Indians waste money, then complain they don't have any and when they sit on tremendous talent in the minor leagues and just let it waste away (Brad Mills who? Remember Brad Snyder? Nick Weglarz is still in Akron at age 25).

The Indians picked up Harrah in 1978 from the Rangers in exchange for third baseman Buddy Bell. He then spent the next five seasons for the Tribe, building up some impressive numbers and adding himself to the list of top ten Indians third basemen. Harrah was among the Indians top hitters every year he spent with the team, including the strike shortened 1981 when he lead the team in hits and runs scored. The next season (Harrah's best), he joined Andre Thornton as the Indians representatives in the 1982 All-Star Game.

In 1983, the Indians picked up new starting third baseman, Brook Jacoby, making Harrah expendable and he was traded to the Yankees for George Frazier and Otis Nixon. He then finished his career with the Rangers, the same team he made his name with. Most recently, Harrah was the bench coach for the Colorado Rockies in 2002, but has since been away from baseball.

Some of the greatest Indians players of all time have been first basemen, including the team's first MVP and current home run king. The position has changed much over the years with the oldest players on the list being defense first speedsters and the later players being big bashers, focusing on home runs and runs batted in.

10. Doc Johnston - Years Starting 1B - 1913-14, 1918-21

Johnston was the second best of the early style first basemen, stealing 89 bases and hitting 39 triples with the Indians. While he played more games than almost any other player on the list, his rate stats simply don't stand up, especially his incredibly low .314 slugging percent (3rd worst of the ten and 100 points lower than the leader).

9. Tony Horton - 1967-1970

Horton took over for Whitfield and brought the Indians into the 1970's, before being replaced himself by Rookie of the Year Chris Chambliss. Horton holds a tenuous place on this list with no outstanding numbers or feats to speak of.

8. Pat Tabler - 1983-1986

Tabler was never much of a power hitter, but he still managed to acrue some nice stats during his six years with the Tribe. His near .300 average ranks fourth among players listed and he had more than 600 combined runs and RBI.

7. George Stovall - 1904-05, 1907-11

Stovall was the Indians first long term first basemen and had the best speed numbers, stealing 110 bases and 40 triples during his time with the team.

6. Frank Whitfield - 1963, 1965-66

Whitfield is just one of four Indians first basemen to hit more than 90 home runs in his career, but had awful rate stats compared to the other three. He was one of the top offensive players on a particularly bad Indians team, leading the offense along with Leon Wagner and Rocky Colavito.

5. Luke Easter - 1950-1952

Easter was part of the powerful Indians teams of the early 1950's and contributed heavily, despite a relatively short time with the Tribe. Easter hit over 90 home runs and 340 RBI in just six years with the team. His three years as a starting first baseman rank among the best ever in Indians history.

4. Ed Morgan - 1928, 1930-32

Morgan directly preceeded Trosky and put up some impressive numbers of his own during his time. His best year was 1930 when he hit safely more than 200 times and knocked in 136 runs, a number that remains in the top ten best Indians seasons. In his career among third basemen, Morgan ranks second in average, third in walks and fourth in RBI.

3. George Burns - 1924-1927

Burns was the first Indians MVP and put up some impressive numbers despite a short time with the team. Burns career numbers are on the same level as Morgan's, but far below those of the top two members of this list. Most impressive was his .327 career batting average, leading all Indians first basemen.

2. Hal Trosky - 1934-1941

The Indians have had two first basemen that stand heads above the rest and Trosky is the first. The original home run king for the Tribe, Trosky held the single season home run record from 1936 to 1953 (when it was broken by MVP Al Rosen) and was second in career home runs from the time he retired until Albert Belle broke the team record during the mid 1990s. Among all first basemen ever, Trosky ranks first in doubles and second in games, runs, home runs, RBI and walks, proof of both his long career and extreme talent.

1. Jim Thome - 1997-2002

Thome spent the first half of his career as the Indians third baseman, but had his best seasons playing first base during the last half of his time with the Tribe. He currently holds team records for home runs and strike outs, with more than 1,000 more of the latter than the next worst first baseman. Thome returned to the Indians in 2011 and pushed his walk total over 1,000 as well, placing him far in front of every other Indian in that stat as well. Not only is Thome the best first baseman in team history, but there is a strong argument that he is the best offensive player in the history of Cleveland baseball.

Borderline: Mike Hargrove, Vic Wertz, Vic Power, Paul Sorrento, Lew Fonseca

Since it's such a special event, Burning River Baseball will be covering the World Baseball Classic, especially following team USA as they look to win the tournament for the first time ever. We will also play particular interest in those players who are currently with (or have been with) the Cleveland Indians.

In the qualifying rounds, the Indians had a lot of players who deserve one last mention even though their teams have been eliminated. Eric Berger played the ace for team Israel against Kieran Lovegrove and South Africa. In the European qualifier Martin Cervenka made the roster as a reserve catcher for the Czech Republic. Finally, in the South American qualifier, Paolo Espino and Giovanny Urshela starred for Panama and Colombia respectively. Yan Gomes was a huge part of the Brazilian qualifying team, but will not be playing in the big tournament as he pushes to win the back-up catcher role on the Indians in Spring Training.

On to those actually in the tournament, Puerto Rico will feature current Akron Aeros manager Edwin Rodriguez as their manager while former Indian Carlos Baerga will coach first base. New Indian utility player, Mike Aviles looks to start wherever the Puerto Ricans choose to use him as the versatile infielder is the most experienced infielder on the team. Current Akron Aero reliever Giovanni Soto along with former Indian Fernando Cabrera will look to shore up the bullpen.

Asdrubal Cabrera looks to take a starring role for team Venezuela, continuing the Indians tradition of great Venezuelan short stops. The Venezuelan team has two short stops (Cabrera and Elvis Andrus), two third basemen (Pablo Sandoval and Miguel Cabrera) and Marco Scutaro to make up their infield, so it is possible that Cabrera will be moving back to his old position of second base, while Andrus takes short. The Venezuelans infield is incredibly strong overall and looks to be the greatest strength of the team. 

Carlos Santana will take on the starting catcher duties for the Domincan Republic, hitting low in a lineup full of All-Stars including Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera. The Domincans are not only the favorite in Pool C, but are one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.

Finally, making up a strong part of the American bullpen will be Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez. They will represent the Bullpen Mafia among what looks to be the strongest roster to date for team USA in this tournament. They will be joined on the team by former Indian Brandon Phillips and former MVPs Joe Mauer and Ryan Braun.

The rest of the teams are devoid of Indians players. Pool A consists of favorite Japan against China, Cuba and Brazil and will take place in Japan, while Pool B will feature South Korea defending their 2nd place finish from 2009 against the Netherlands, Australia and Chinese Taipei. Pools C & D will take place on the North American continent and will feature Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Spain (Pool C) along with the USA, Mexico, Canada and Italy (Pool D).

Vean Gregg came up faster than just about any other pitcher in team history, recording the greatest rookie season in Indians history. Gregg became the Indians ace in just his first season in 1911 and won 23 of his 26 starts. His 1.81 ERA that season lead the American League and ranks among the top ten best ERA seasons in Indians history. His WHIP also lead the league that season. He never replicated that amazing season, but he did continue on a torrid pace, going 20-13 each of the next two seasons with an ERA under 2.60.

In 1914, Gregg's ERA jumped above 3.00 for the first time in his short career and the Indians decided that had enough of him, trading him to Boston for Fritz Coumbe and two other minor players. The Red Sox eventually converted Gregg to a reliever and he was never the same pitcher as he was with the Naps. Gregg was kept out of the Majors in 1917, and from 1919 through 1924, playing one final season in 1925 at the age of 40 with the Washington Senators. 

Despite his very short career, Gregg is still an important part in Indians history, ranking in the top five in Indians history in ERA and winning percent. He also should be considered one of the best aces in Indians history as his three years at the top of the Cleveland staff are comparable to any other aces best three years in team history. Vean Gregg died in 1964 at the age of 79.

Catcher has never been the most talented position on the field, often times filled with a player who has a focus on working with pitchers and defense rather than offense. In Indians history, there have been many popular and long tenured catchers, including the position player with the most years in a Tribe uniform in Indians history. 

10. Harry Bemis - Years Starting Catcher - 1902-06

Bemis was Cleveland's first long-term catcher, coming in the franchises second season and staying for the next decade. Over that time, Bemis played well for a catcher, but started a trend for the Naps/Indians that continued through the next century with catcher being the weakest offensive position on the team.

9. Steve O'Neill - 1913-23

O'Neill had the longest non-injury marred carreer of any Indians catcher, but simply wasn't very good. In a day of high batting averages and little power, he had neither, batting just .265 over his career with 11 home runs in more than 1,300 games played. O'Neill was a pitcher-first catcher, calling a great game for the first Indians team to win a World Series in 1920. O'Neill, Sewell and Myatt are all tied for tenth for longest career as an Indian.

8. Joe Azcue - 1964, 1965-67

Azcue was one of the shortest tenured catchers on the list, but hit a surprising amount of home runs compared to his longer termed counterparts. While he is the worst on the list at hitting doubles, Azcue hit so many home runs that he comes in fifth in slugging percent. His .266 average is average among Indians catchers while his counting stats are hard to compare due to his short career.

7. Frankie Pytlak - 1934, 1936-38

Pytlak took over for Sewell in 1934 and started on and off until he was ultimately replaced by Rollie Hemsley in 1940. His .286 batting average over that time is the second best as an Indians catcher in team history, but most of his hits were singles, hurting his power and production numbers. Pytlak played less than 700 games with the team, placing him seventh among catchers when considering time spent with the Tribe.

6. Luke Sewell - 1926-32

Sewell started the early 1920's as the Indians back-up catcher, behind Glenn Myatt, but quickly passed him and was the starter for the rest of his time with the team. Sewell played a very long time with the Tribe, but was never that successful at making contact. His most impressive numbers are his high RBI and run totals for a catcher.

5. Johnny Romano - 1960-62, 1964

Romano was one of the Indians few power hitting catchers and, like many others, stuggled hitting for a high average. In 1962 Romano was the top offensive player on the team with 25 home runs and 81 RBI. Late in his career he was replaced as starter by Azcue, but he continued to produce as the back-up catcher.

4. Ray Fosse - 1970-72, 1976-77

Fosse could have easily been number one on this list had it not been for the 1970 All-Star game. Pete Rose barrelled into Fosse, separating his shoulder, after which his numbers drastically dropped. Even still, Fosse hit 50 home runs as an Indian and won two Gold Gloves.

3. Jim Hegan - 1947-56

Hegan was the longest tenured batter in Indians history, playing in Cleveland for 14 seasons (like the longest tenured pitcher, Bob Feller, Hegan took three years off for military service). He is just one of four catchers to hit at least 90 home runs and leads all Indians catchers in career RBI. Hegan was most famous for working with pitchers during his time, like Feller, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia. 

2. Sandy Alomar, Jr. - 1990, 1992-98, 2000

Alomar was the star catcher for the powerful Indians teams of the 1990's. As an Indian he won the Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove and made six All-Star teams. He ranks second all time among catchers in home runs and doubles, despite playing in almost 600 less games than the longest tenured catcher. Like many others on this list, Alomar battled injuries his whole career, and only played in 100 or more games during four seasons of his entire career.

1. Victor Martinez - 2004-07, 2009

Martinez didn't stick around as long as some of the other catchers on the list, but he still managed to become the first Indians catcher to break 100 home runs and holds the record for highest batting average by an Indians catcher. Martinez was so good offensively, that the team started using him at first base on his off days towards the end of his time in Cleveland to keep his bat in the lineup.

Borderline: Glenn Myatt, Ron Hassey, Carlos Santana, Duke Sims, Kelly Shoppach