Indians: The New Model for Success

The White Sox must be a little ticked off at themselves. The Royals took two out of three against them this week and the Indians just keep winning. Last night, the Indians continued their winning ways by beating the Royals 3-1. And the White Sox, who not so long ago held a lead in the Central that look insurmountable, finally won a game last night to hold on to their 4 ½ game lead. But can't you just imagine the conversations going on in their locker room about the Royals?

Who knew playing the spoiler could be so much fun, huh? I'm not crazy about the idea, but it's providing a little comedy relief in a season that has been difficult and painful to watch. Conversely, this new and improved version of the Indians has been fun to watch. And now they are being discussed as the new model for small market teams.

"That's the blueprint,” Bell is quoted as saying Bob Dutton's column today. "It's just that everything has to fall into place. They've done it a little quicker than most teams could do it. You've got to get a little lucky, too."

Hard to argue with that. But if you look at the Indians they aren't full of young, unproven players—especially on their pitching staff: C.C. Sabathia, Kevin Millwood, Scott Elarton, Jake Westbrook, and Cliff Lee. That's a whole lot of experience for a team who is rebuilding. And arguably, their worst starter, Scott Elarton (10-7, 4.57) shut us down last night.

If we are going to take anything from the Cleveland Indians model for rebuilding, perhaps it ought to be their dependence upon proven starters who can give them enough quality innings to give their young hitters the chance to win games. I know that Baird has been discussing this very topic in recent weeks, but I'm hoping that the Indians' run solidifies his plans to sign good starting pitchers over the off season.

The small market teams who have competed in recent years have all followed the same model. Oakland, Minnesota, and even Milwaukee to a lesser degree. They are hardly a success in terms of contending, but they are right at .500 and look at their starters: Doug Davis, Chris Capuano, Tomo Ohka, Ben Sheets, and Victor Santos. Not a staff that is going to win a World Series, but these are veteran guys who, with the exception of Santos, are all .500 are better this season.

As for Royals fans, we'll have to settle for the spoiler role during the final two weeks of this season and begin dreaming about a much improved rotation for next season.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?