The outlook for 2012 was positive going into Spring Training. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo were all healthy. The worst two pitchers from last season's starting rotation (Mitch Talbot and Fausto Carmona) were nowhere to be seen. The Indians actually went out and aquired some average talent players (Kevin Slowey, Ryan Spilborghs and Russ Canzler) to fill in the gaps in the roster. It looked like everything that made the Indians good last year was still in place while improvements were made in some weak spots. So much for that.

Within the first week of camp opening both Grady Sizemore and Chris Perez sustained injuries. Sizemore will be out until May while Perez was limited to only three innings all Spring (Perez was perfect over those three innings, so that is a good sign). The offense as a whole was terrible scoring only 133 runs and batting .147. On an individual level, no player was able to stand out and take any of the open positions. Old players like Shelley Duncan and Jason Donald played poorly and were unable to secure positions on the starting roster until late in Spring. Lonnie Chisenhall and Matt LaPorta were unable to secure positions at all and were sent back to the minors (along with Trevor Crowe and Ezequiel Carrera). The new players in camp didn't fare well either as the expected starting left fielder, Ryan Spilborghs, failed to make the team entirely as did expected starting pitcher Kevin Slowey. Of the players aquired in the offseason, only Derek Lowe, Casey Kotchman, Jose Lopez, Aaron Cunningham and Jairo Asencio were able to break the 25 man roster. To top a terrible Spring off, Ubaldo Jimenez has been suspended for his first start for hitting former teammate Troy Tulowitzki during an exhibition game. He will probably appeal the penalty so he can pitch the second game of the season, but he will still miss a start at some point because of it. 

The good news is that most of that doesn't actually effect the regular season. While some of the personell decisions could have been better (Chisenhall instead of Lopez and Carrera instead of Cunningham), these shouldn't be a huge drain on the team. The Indians strongest point from last year, the Bullpen Mafia, is still intact with the exception of the two weakest pitchers (Chad Durbin and Frank Herrmann). The offense is largely the same from last year, but hopefully we will see a resurgance from Choo and Hafner and some improved numbers coming from first base from Kotchman. The starting pitching staff looks to be a huge mystery after Justin Masterson as we wait to see if Josh Tomlin was a fluke last season, if Jimenez can forget about last year and if Lowe still has it. All in all it should be an interesting and entertaining season so stay tuned to what surely will be a wild ride.

The whole season is riding on one man's shoulders. We are all Kipnisses.

The entrance of Sandy Alomar with the Cleveland Indians was a changing of an era. In 1989 the Indians traded their best player, Joe Carter, to the Padres for two young players, Alomar and Carlos Baerga, who became 2/9th of the starting line up from 1990-1996. By 1992 along with those two players, the backbone of the powerhouse 1990s Cleveland Indians had been set with players like Charles Nagy, Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton. Having a solid backstop proved integral to the Tribe as Alomar's peak seasons (1994-1998) coincided directly with the Prime of the Indians as a team. Sandy did have some problems with injuries during his career, but when his career ended, he solidly stood among the top Indians catchers of all time.

In 1990 Alomar came on strong, winning both the AL Rookie of the Year and the Gold Glove at catcher. This was his first and last such award because of the emergence of another young catcher named Pudge Rodriguez. In 1997 the stars aligned for Sandy. He was the healthiest he had ever been in his career and he really showed what everyone expected after his rookie campaign. He set career highs in home runs, doubles, RBI, hits and runs and was chosen for his fifth All-Star game. The game was played at Jacob's Field in Cleveland and Sandy put on a show for his hometown fans. In the seventh inning, he hit a two run home run to break a 1-1 tie and score what ended up being the winning run for the American League. For his efforts he was given the MVP in that game. Sandy ended up repeating his power stroke in the post season, becoming the first player to ever hit a home run in an All-Star game and every round of the playoffs including the World Series in a single season. He excelled in that World Series as well, hitting .367 and setting Indians records for most at bats (30) and RBI (10) in a single playoff series.

Sandy Alomar's playoff numbers shine for his career as well, aided by his five appearances with the Tribe. He holds the Indians record for most postseason doubles and ranks in the top five in every other couting stat except walks. For the regular season, Sandy ranks second all time among catchers with 92 home runs (trailing Victor Martinez) and fifth all time in RBI. His .277 batting average is the third best among catchers with more than 400 games played. As an Indian the only two catchers that can even compare to Alomar are Martinez and Jim Hegan.

Alomar has been inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame, but the Indians policy of only retiring the numbers of MLB Hall of Famers makes it unlikely that his #15 will be retired. Since ending his playing days he has rejoined the Indians and currently serves as the team's bench coach (since 2011). 

The Indians have set their 25 man roster for the regular season. There are a few surprises, but it is generally what was expected going into Spring Training. Shelley Duncan and Jose Lopez both played themselves into more important roles with the team while Lonnie Chisenhall, Matt LaPorta, Russ Canzler and Ryan Spilborghs were all unable to crack the top 25. Chisenhall will certainly be waiting in AAA for Jack Hannahan to make his first mistake, but the others may see their time with the Tribe cut short and have to move on elsewhere.

Position Players

 C: Carlos Santana
1B: Casey Kotchman
2B: Jason Kipnis
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera
3B: Jack Hannahan
LF: Shelley Duncan
CF: Michael Brantley
RF: Shin-Soo Choo
CIF: Jose Lopez
MIF: Jason Donald
OF1: Grady Sizemore
OF2: Aaron Cunningham
C2: Lou Marson

The only change that needs to be made before the season starts will be the placement of Grady Sizemore on the 15 day disabled list. This will allow room on the team for one more outfielder. Last week it looked like this position would be taken by Spilborghs and it still could, but by doing it this way it allows a little hope that either Ezequiel Carrera or Trevor Crowe could make the opening day roster. These two players would offer something no one else on the starting roster really has, which is speed. It never hurts to have a player who can pinch run, steal a base, get a bunt down and come in defensively in the outfield.

Starting Pitchers:

 Ace: Justin Masterson
#2: Ubaldo Jimenez
#3: Josh Tomlin
#4: Derek Lowe
#5: Jeanmar Gomez

The rotation ended up being as expected with Gomez beating out Kevin Slowey and David Huff. Masterson, Jimenez and Tomlin remain from the 2011 rotation, while Lowe will essentially replace Fausto Carmona. The injury to Carlos Carrasco provided the other opening in the starting five.

Bullpen Mafia:

Reliever: Rafael Perez
Reliever: Joe Smith
Reliever: Tony Sipp
Reliever: Vinnie Pestano
Reliever: Dan Wheeler
Reliever: Jairo Asencio
Closer: Chris Perez

The bullpen is set, with the newest invitee taking the last spot. The fact that no pitcher was able to stand out and claim the last two spots during Spring is a little disconcerting, but the core of the Bullpen Mafia remains and that should be good enough. Chris Perez will be able to start the season as closer and his set up men, Pestano and Smith have pitched well this Spring. The left-handers Rafael Perez and Tony Sipp also remain from last seasons roster.

Disabled List:

Carlos Carrasco (60 Day DL - Out for Season)

Fausto Carmona (Roberto Hernandez Heredia - Restricted List)

This is the complete 25-man roster as of April 1, 2012. There will be no further updates on this page.

Burning River has been down for the last day or so, so sorry if anyone has had any difficulty reaching the site. We were thrown back to about a year ago, but it has been fixed now and should be fine from now on.

In more site update news, All-Time Indian Bios will be a little less frequent during the regular season, changing from twice a week to once or twice a month. We will keep it going for the foreseeable future, however, with even more Indians greats. Look forward to Sandy Alomar Jr on April 4th with Joe Gordon, Mike Hargrove, Bill Wambsganss and more to follow.

Sooner than all that, we will continue to provide you with updates to the Indians 25 man roster throughout the rest of Spring Training and offer daily recaps of every game as soon as the regular season starts again. With the regular season starting we will continue to have our 'Player of the Game' awards as well as previews for every series. Thanks for sticking with us and come back often during the regular season.

Go Tribe!

Charlie Jamieson was a long tenured Indians who played through the entire decade of the 1920's. His lengthy career placed him in the top ten of many offensive statistics for the Indians including games played, at bats, doubles, triples and walks and in the top five for at bats and hits. It also allowed him to become the Indians player with the most times caught stealing in team history, showing that he was very aggressive on the basepaths, if not very smart or talented. He is considered as one of the top ten left fielders in Indians history.

Jamieson also pitched a few innings for the Tribe, throwing almost 20 innings in six games between 1919 and 1922. He wasn't too bad, giving up 10 runs (4.82 ERA)  on 19 hits (1.66 WHIP) over that time.

Charlie won the World Series in just his second year with the Tribe and was ranking highly in the MVP votes by 1923. He took over the role of starting left fielder in 1920 and didn't relinquish it until 1931. In his great season of 1923 he set records for at bats, runs and hits that remain in the top ten all time for the Cleveland Indians. He also lead the American League in hits and at bats that year, coming in sixth in the MVP voting. Jamieson has never really recieved the credit he is due, especially as a stat accumulator. He was never voted for in any capacity for the Baseball Hall of Fame and has not been inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame, even though he spent over a decade with the team playing at an above average talent level. Charlie Jamieson died in 1969.

In an effort to show how wrong we can be, Burning River Baseball presents our predictions for the Cleveland Indians 2012 season. 

We will revisit these predictions with the results when the season ends. Look out for the all MLB coming next Saturday.

With Kevin Slowey starting today, the battle for the fifth starting pitcher should be a little clearer. Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Tomlin and Derek Lowe hold the first four spots in the 2012 Cleveland Indians starting rotation while Jeanmar Gomez, David Huff, Zach McAllister and Slowey compete for the last spot.

So far, Jeanmar Gomez appears to be the most ready. He has pitched in four games this Spring and is yet to allow a run and has only allowed four hits. His dominance has not been matched this Spring by any other Indians starter except Justin Masterson who has been dominant ever since his poor debut. After his successful rookie season, the only thing keeping Gomez in the minors to start this year is the lack of flexibility in Kevin Slowey.

Speaking of Slowey, his appearances have been getting worse and worse with each outing. In four starts, he has given up 0, 2, 3 and most recently 4 runs. Slowey has never been a considered a flame thrower, but this Spring he has been terrible at missing bats. In only 12 innings he has walked 4 and allowed 19 hits. Hopefully for Indians fans, this experiment will end before the regular season starts.

The other two pitchers up for that last spot have not really had enough innings to judge. Huff has a 5.73 ERA through 11 innings and McAllister has 4.50 through 6. McAllister has yet to start an official Spring game and Huff has only started 3. The lack of innings given to these two pitchers could be a sign that the Indians are already favoring Gomez and Slowey. With Huff's contract situation not being very different than Gomez's it is hard to conceive the Indians making him the 5th starter. It definitely seems that the Indians 5th starter competition is down to a two horse race.

Slowey throwing against the Giants on 3/21

The story of Herb Score is another Indians tale of what could have been. This story, however had a much better ending than some of the other tragedies like Ray Chapman and Steve Olin. Score came out of nowhere in 1955 to win the Rookie of the Year and lead the league in strikeouts each of his first two seasons. Just when he was looking like the next coming of Bob Feller (his 9.4 strike outs per nine innings is the greatest of all time by an Indian), Score was struck by a ball hit by Yankee infielder Gil McDougald. This occured in May of 1957 and he missed the rest of that season. When he came back he didn't even resemble the fire-baller he used to be. He was only able to pitch 41 innings in 1958 and won a total of two games. 1959 was slightly better as he pitched in 30 games, but his ERA rose to 4.71 and he was only able to win nine games. In 1960 Score was traded to Chicago for Barry Latman as part of the dismantling of the Indians by Frank Lane.

Herb Score came up with fellow star Rocky Colavito and made it look like the Indians were going to continue their success of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The trade of Colavito and Score's injury derailed that train and the Indians dropped into dispair for the the next 30 years, but even through the hard times, Score stayed with the Tribe. After his extremely short playing career, he became a television, then radio announcer for the Cleveland Indians and remained in that position with the team from 1964 through 1997. This made Score the voice of the Indians during one of the most exciting periods of Indians history along with fellow radio announcer Tom Hamilton.

Herb Score died in 2008 and the Indians honored him by wearing a patch on their sleeve during the entire 2009 season. He has been enshrined in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame (class of 2006). Despite his short career, Score was still one of the greatest pitchers in Indians history.

There are two probable spots open for the 2012 bullpen and a plethora of possible pitchers to fill them. Since we are about two weeks into Spring Training, it seems like a good time to discuss the options. 

The 2012 bullpen will look fairly similar to the 2011 version with the exception of two pitchers. Chad Durbin left the team in free agency and Frank Herrmann's spot is up for grabs as well, although he could win it back with a strong Spring. To this point, Herrmann has thrown the most of any Indians relief pitcher and it doesn't look good. In 6 innings through 4 games he has allowed 10 hits and 5 runs. He does have a good strikeout to walk ratio of 6-1, but it doesn't matter if every out is a strikeout when allow almost a run per inning.

Jeremy Accardo, Hector Ambriz and Nick Hagadone are also in the running for either spot and currently hold identical 1.80 ERAs. Each pitcher has allowed a single run in exactly 5 innings pitched. Ambriz has been especially effective, only allowing two hits and striking out four. Hagadone has the highest ceiling of these three players, but is the least likely to make the team initially due to his age and the availability of minor league options.

Former AL East closers Chris Ray and Dan Wheeler have not fared so well in Cactus League play thus far, each with ERAs above 10.00. Both pitchers accepted Spring invites from the Tribe in attempt to regain their former glory. Even though their is no chance of them closing on a team with Chris Perez and Vinnie Pestano, they could still take that Chad Durbin role of veteran pitcher on this team. They will have to shape up soon however, as each pitcher has allowed 10 hits already this Spring in a combined 9 innings pitched.

The last player to mention is Corey Kluber, who has an outside chance of making the team this year. He finished the season on the Indians last year, but more than likely will be the first player cut of the group listed here. The Indians may pitch him more often as the Spring progresses, but to this point he has only thrown 3 innings and is yet to allow an earned run. He has walked 1 and struck out two.

At this point in the Spring, Accardo and Ambriz seem to be the front-runners with Herrmann and Hagadone waiting in the wings in case something happens. Ambriz has not pitched in the Majors since 2010 when he had a 5.59 ERA for the Indians, but the team seems willing to give him a second shot. Accardo had a bad season last year for Baltimore, but was once a strong closer, earning 30 saves with the Blue Jays in 2007. If the Indians decide not to go with the young guns, he wouldn't be the worst choice they could make.

Nick Hagadone throws a pitch against the Diamondbacks in Spring Training action.