Let's talk 40-man roster. As of today, two men (Josh Tomlin, Shin-Soo Choo) are on the 15-day disabled list. Of the remaining 38 players eligible for work in the bigs, 34 of them are active with the Indians right now. That number will go to 35 of 39 by Saturday when Mitch Talbot is activated to make the start against Minnesota. Most likely, the Tribe will transfer Tomlin to the 60-day DL to open the spot, as the young right-hander has been shut down for the season.
In the 11-2 victory that brought the boys back to within a game of .500 (I am still fervently hoping for 82-80, which would require a 5-2 finish), we were treated to players thirty two, three and four on the depth chart. #34 is, of course, Zach Putnam (8.31 ERA, 1.62 WHIP). For a lengthy rant on Putnam, see yesterday's post.
#33 would be Cord Phelps. Phelps, who came in to pinch run for Travis Hafner after Pronk knocked his 1000th career hit, went 0-for-1 to drop his season average to .138. Cord was considered "more major league ready" than Jason Kipnis when the former was promoted in early June. Oh, how the tables have turned. Phelps has not cracked a hit in almost three months, a span of 24 at-bats. He has been allowed just 2 AB's since September 3rd. Kipnis, on the other hand, launched his 7th homer tonight and has produced a staggering .917 OPS during his debut season. Phelps' OPS is about half of that.
#32 belongs to Corey Kluber. The low ranking has much more to do with his season numbers at AAA (7-11, 5.56), than the two appearances that he has made for the Indians. Despite putting five men on his 2.1 innings, Kluber has pitched his way out of trouble. Corey has not surrendered a run, while fanning three. He will get a look for the fifth rotation spot, or even the long man role, next spring.
Speaking of which, it's so early, but I cannot resist. Who will be the Tribe's starting five in 2012? Three guys are in for sure. Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Tomlin will form the top 3. Who's out? Well, Carlos Carrasco is lost for the season after Tommy John surgery. Although he started quickly and drew rave reviews from many (including me), David Huff is 0-4 with a 7.11 (.306 OBA, .912 OOPS) in September. Manny Acta has obviously lost confidence in the lefty and Huff (4-17 over the past two seasons) would have to dazzle in Goodyear, if he even makes it that far. So three are in, two are out and everyone else is in play. Jeanmar Gomez looks to have cracked the code of MLB pitching (5-0, 1.80, 0 HR since his last recall) and should have the inside track on the #4 spot, although that is far from a sure thing. Zach McAllister (especially if he can add another quality start this season), the aforementioned Kluber and Mitch Talbot will all be in the mix. What's that huge elephant over there? Oh, yeah. Him. In my opinion, the organization should thank him for 2007 and cut ties with Fausto Carmona. This will probably not happen, so Fausto (34-58, 5.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP excluding '07) will be in contention as well. We shall look at this more as the off-season progresses, but do not place any money on Carmona making the 2012 opening day roster.
Here's to seeing #31 (Luis Valbuena) tomorrow.
Cheers.
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