With the season just under way and little to talk/write about other than predicting the future, why not take a glimpse into the Chris-tal ball and see what it foretells – or as misguided wannabe wordsmith Kenny Lofton once said, “portels” (forget it, it’s a long story).
• Sorry to say Tribe fans, but the Chris-tal ball has a cloudy forecast, saying it won’t get back to the playoffs. It says they lose a lose Central Division race to the Tigers and, get this, the White Sox are around until the end, too. Cleveland just misses the American League wild-card berth, which goes to someone in the East, either the Yankees or the Red Sox. It also says people counting Detroit out after its 0-5 start with 157 games to play are morons.
• The C-ball sees a solid season from ace C.C. Sabathia, but not a repeat Cy Young performance. We’re looking at 15, 16 wins, an ERA in the high 3.00s and then we’re looking at Sabathia’s backside, as the big left-hander rides out of town to pitch for a California team — nearly all of them will be willing to pay more money than the Indians, who will watch another one of their big-name stars waltz away.
• Because the Chris-tal ball feels as if it’s sending out too many negative vibes, it turns its attention to center fielder Grady Sizemore, who will continue to blossom into one of the best major leaguers. Tribe fans will again have the luxury of watching Sizemore make highlights in the field, while seeing him reach the 30-30 plateau in home runs and stolen bases.
• Things aren’t as rosy for designated hitter Travis Hafner, whom the Indians are expecting to bounce back from a substandard season. Hafner produces similar numbers to 2007, no longer striking fear into opposing pitchers, but into Cleveland’s front office and manager. Pronkville is a lonely place in ’08.
• Fausto Carmona eases the pain of Sabathia’s probable departure with another big season, one that makes him a young ace when the Big C flies the coop. Ironically, it’s a similar scenario to when Sabathia laid claim to the title after Bartolo Colon was traded to the Expos. The C-ball isn’t as clear on Carmona’s future as the team’s No. 1 starter.
• The C-ball sees second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and right fielder Franklin Gutierrez coping well with big league jobs on a full-time basis for the first time in their careers. It sees acceptable ups and downs for both young players, but also the beginnings of great futures.
• Cliff Lee? It’s another rough one for the fifth starter, who heads back to Triple-A Buffalo, with Aaron Laffey filling his vacancy for the second straight season. While with the Bisons, the disgruntled Lee is traded to Baltimore, where he instantly becomes the Orioles’ second starter behind former Indians’ first-round draft pick, Jeremy Guthrie.
• Though this may come as a surprise, the C-ball sees Joe Borowski keeping his closer job and again finishing at the top of the league in saves — he led it last year, but sadly, the C-ball did not predict as much. Borowski works too hard and is too healthy to fail, no matter how many tense moments he gives his general manager, manager, teammates, fans, friends, dog …
• With few playing opportunities, projected big league star Andy Marte lasts a little over a month on the Indians’ roster before he’s replaced by Josh Barfield and claimed off waivers by the Red Sox — the team that sent him to Cleveland in the first place for Coco Crisp.
• The platoon situation in left field winds up being scrapped by midseason, with Jason Michaels spelling starter Ben Francisco against
left-handed pitching, while David Dellucci is shown the door with a whopping amount of his salary remaining. Francisco’s addition means that Michaels is on his way out as well.
• The C-ball had a clear view of Victor Martinez before he was injured on opening day for the second straight season. He was going to be even better than he was last year, which was pretty darn good — one of the big league’s best at his position. But not if he’s going to be battling injuries all season.
• The C-ball sees manager Eric Wedge and his even-keel philosophy getting tested, a season in which lofty expectations greet his team for the first time. Wedge, the AL’s manager of the year in ’07, stays true to his approach, but it’s not as successful this time around.
• The Indians bullpen is once again a strength and one of the reasons the team is still in contention until the end. Jorge Julio is no Mariano Rivera, but he’s also no Jose Jimenez or Guillermo Mota — at least that’s how the C-ball sees it.
• With plenty of pitching in the rotation and relief corps, it will be Cleveland’s offense that ultimately lets it down. Without a big year from Hafner, the C-ball doesn’t see enough throughout the Indians’ batting order.
Of course the C-ball could be seeing it wrong, nah.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
 

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