All Time All Stars - Cleveland Indians Pitchers

This is part of an on-going series in which I attempt to update the rosters from Sports Illustrated's All Time All Stars board game created in 1973.  My intention is to update the game so I can incorporate modern day stars with the All Time All Stars.

Here are the nine guys Sports Illustrated chose for the staff in 1973:

• Stan Coveleski SP
• Bob Feller SP
• Wes Ferrell SP
• Mike Garcia SP/RP
• Mel Harder SP/RP
• Addie Joss SP
• Bob Lemon SP
• Sam McDowell SP
• Early Wynn SP

This staff has a bit of everything.  An evenly divided staff of left-handers and right-handers gives this team supreme flexibility and if we're talking about how each guy pitched, well, you name it and they've got it. There's a spitballer (Coveleski), a junk baller (Ferrell), and a some guys

Those of you who think Nolan Ryan was one
of the greatest pitchers ever might want to
take a hard look at Mr. Feller here.

with serious heat (Feller, Garcia, McDowell).
The Indians pitching staff is a lot like that of the White Sox in that it's very deep.  There aren't as many Hall of Famers in a Cleveland uniform but the great pitchers in franchise history are not from the Dead Ball Era and thus we can relate to their stats much more easily. Still, there has to be room for improvement, right? As I see it seven of these guys are definite locks.  They're listed below.

Original Locks: Bob Feller, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Wes Ferrell, Stan Coveleski, Addie Joss, Mel Harder

Bob Feller is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.  He won 20 games six times and led the league in strikeouts seven times.  The Nolan Ryan of his generation except better in my opinion.  Early Wynn never had a season that jumps out to make you believe he was one of the greats.  Still, he won 300 games in his career which included five 20 win seasons.  He also led the league in strikeouts twice, and innings pitched three times. Wes Ferrell won 20 games six times including four in a row with the Indians.  He might be the best hitting pitcher of all time as well.  Due to WWII Lemon did not make his MLB debut until he was 25.  He still won 207 games with seven 20 win seasons.  He also made seven all star teams.  Coveleski won 20 games six times and retired with a .602 career winning percentage. He led the league in ERA twice and shutouts twice. Addie Joss didn't pitch long but he retired with the second best ERA of all time. Regarded as one of the smartest pitchers of his era, Joss never posted a losing record and his career WHIP is the best in MLB history.  Harder was a career Indian, winning all 223 of his games in a Cleveland uniform. He ranks first in games and third in pitcher WAR in team history.

New guys that are locks: None

There have been several pitchers who deserve consideration but none that stack up with the incredible talent already at hand. Below are the guys, who in my estimation, are the best of the rest.

Guys to consider:

• Tom Candiotti - The knuckleballer played for some terrible Indian teams but still managed to post a winning record.  Won 151 games in his career.
• Bartolo Colon - Had a .625 winning percentage with the Indians, the big guy just never seemed to take that next step to stardom. Won a Cy Young in 2001.
• Mike Garcia - Helped round out the great Indians staff of the 1940s and '50s that included Feller, Wynn, and Lemon.  He led the league in ERA twice and was a three time all star. 
• Cliff Lee - Struggled with consistency with the Indians but won the Cy Young his last year in town.  A four time all star.
• Sam McDowell - I don't really know how to describe McDowell. It's like he was part Randy Johnson (left handed, threw really hard) and part Mark Langston in that he was never as good as his stuff indicated he should be. Led the league in strikeouts five times and walks five times. Also made six all star teams and won 20 games once.
• Charles Nagy - Spent all but his final two games with Chief Wahoo on his hat.  Was the big game pitcher for the resurgent Indian teams of the 1990s.  A three time all star.
• CC Sabathia - I love Sabathia and that admiration only grew for what he accomplished with Milwaukee after he was traded away from the Indians. Had 20 complete games in a three year stretch and is probably the best bet of all active pitchers to win 300 games. He currently has 202.
• George Uhle - A forgotten man in history.  Won 20 games three times and in 1926 threw 32 complete games out of 36 starts. 

Pick a reliever:
Who is the best relief pitcher in Cleveland's history?  I honestly have no clue. Here's who I've narrowed it down to:

• Doug Jones - I think because he was able to hang around for a long time people forgot how good he was in the first half of his career.  Ranks second in Indians history in saves.
• Jose Mesa - Look what he did in 1995. Incredible. Saved 104 games in basically three seasons.
• Eric Plunk - I always laughed at his name when I was a kid but the man got people out. He was Mesa's primary set-up man in 1995 and was nearly as effective.  He never had the peak Mesa had but had a more consistent career.
• Bob Wickman - Probably not the best candidate but he was in town forever and had a few nice seasons. Franchise leader in saves for a career.

Ok, to recap we've got seven locks with three spots to go.  One must be a reliever and the other two will be out of the starting pitching group. The poll is up so go ahead and vote!

Who will be the next 300 game winner?

Recently I was listening to a Phillies game on the radio and I heard the announcers talking about how Roy Halladay stands a good shot at winning 300 games and if he does how he'll possibly be the last to do so for a long time. Later Dave Schoenfield of ESPN.com blogged about the statement too.  They were right in acknowledging that he's had great durability and that durability will need to continue as he ages if he's to have any chance.  Pitching for the Phillies right now doesn't hurt either since they've been one of baseball's most consistently good teams in the past half decade.

As much as I'm impressed by him I don't believe Roy Halladay has the best chance of winning 300 games of active pitchers. I do believe the next 300 game winner is active, however.  I've often mentioned to friends that I thought CC Sabathia had a real shot of winning 300 after he signed with the Yankees three years ago and this little exercise will give me the opportunity to compare him side by side with Halladay.

First off, here's a little breakdown of every pitcher who's had a shot of winning 300 games since 1980:

		Total Wins	Wins before turning 30	Wins after 30	Age at 300th Win	Age of Final Win	Date of 300th Win
Randy Johnson		303	64	239	45	46	6/4/09
Tom Glavine		305	124	181	41	42	8/5/07
Greg Maddux		355	151	204	38	42	8/7/04
Roger Clemens		354	146	208	40	44	6/13/03
Nolan Ryan		324	122	202	43	46	7/31/90
Tom Seaver		311	146	165	40	41	8/4/85
Don Sutton		324	139	185	41	43	6/18/86
Phil Niekro		318	31	287	46	48	10/6/85
Steve Carlton		329	133	196	38	43	9/23/83
Gaylord Perry		314	58	256	43	44	5/6/82
Tommy John		297	98	199	N/A	46	N/A
Bert Blyleven		287	156	131	N/A	41	N/A
Ferguson Jenkins		284	135	149	N/A	40	N/A

The first thing that stands out is that every 300 game winner has pitched into their 40's and with the exceptions of Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux they've needed to in order to get the milestone.  Another important thing to note is how important it is to be successful in your twenties.  Unless a pitcher can continue pitching until he's 45 he'll need to earn about 120 wins in his twenties to have a realistic shot.  One thing that's not noted in the chart but should be pointed out is that durability is extremely important.  Missing a season can easily set you back enough so that 300 wins is just enough out of reach that a team won't be willing to sign an aging hurler with fading skills.  With that being said here are the best candidates among active pitchers for reaching 300 wins:

		Age	Wins	Wins/Yr	Wins before 30	Wins Needed	Wins/Yr Until 41*
Jamie Moyer		49	269	14	34	31	N/A
Roy Halladay		35	192	17	99	108	18.0
Tim Hudson		36	183	16	101	117	23.4
CC Sabathia		31	181	17	172	119	11.9
Mark Buehrle		33	164	14	122	136	17.0
Roy Oswalt		34	159	16	111	141	20.1
J. Verlander		29	111	18	111	189	15.8
Dan Haren		31	108	14	101	192	19.2
F. Hernandez		26	88	14	88	212	14.1
Jered Weaver		29	87	16	87	213	17.8
Zack Greinke		28	80	12	80	220	16.9
Cole Hamels		28	79	14	79	221	17.0
Tim Lincecum		28	71	15	71	229	17.6
C. Kershaw		24	50	14	50	250	14.7

*Note: I'm using the age of 41 because the average age of players earning their 300th win in the first table is 41.5

Injury and crappy bullpens have cost Tim Hudson more wins than I care to count.

• How amazing is Jamie Moyer?  He only earned 34 wins prior to his 30th birthday and now has 269 on his resume.  Sure he's 49 but what a remarkable career.  This may be his final season as he's coming off Tommy John surgery and is not as effective as he was pre-surgery (when he was 47).  
• Roy Halladay is second on the list with 192 career victories.  If he's to get 300 wins he'll need to average 18 wins a year over the next six seasons.  That's tough but not impossible, especially with the way he's been pitching the last few seasons.
• Tim Hudson is hurt here thanks to losing half of 2008 and all but seven starts worth of 2009 to injury.  I don't have data available but I willing to bet he led the majors in wins blown by bullpen from 2000-2010.  
• Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt have roughly the same shot in my opinion. Buehrle's been plagued by slipping effectiveness while Oswalt has trouble staying healthy.  The odds are stacked against them.
• Justin Verlander is a tricky one to put odds on.  He is absolutely the best pitcher in the American League right now and is extremely durable (look at those innings pitched numbers over the past five seasons: 201, 201, 240, 224, 250).  I'd like his odds better if I believed he'll still be pitching when he's 40.
• Haren is a bit of a late bloomer. He's just now entering his prime and his odds can really improve with a couple more good seasons.
• Weaver, Lincecum, Greinke, and Hamels are all in the same boat. They're young and have a long way to go.  Six years ago Barry Zito would have been in their age group but he had 102 wins so be careful when making projections.
• Clayton Kershaw is a really interesting case.  At just 24 years old he's already 16% of the way there.  Last year's Cy Young Award winner is just too far away to project with any certainty.  An injury could derail him but he's so good that if he doesn't lose too much effectiveness it would only be a minor setback.  He's a fun one to watch.

After factoring in age and career wins presented in the table above, it's clear to me CC Sabathia has an excellent chance at reaching 300 wins.  Roy Halladay is the guy closest with a reasonable chance which is probably why he's the one being talked about most. After CC and Hallday, Felix Hernandez has probably a one in three shot since he's still only 26 and may have 100 career victories by the end of this season.  Everyone else is still too young or too far away to take seriously.  When some of these guys reach 200 wins then we can talk.

Season Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

2009 Record: 80-82   .494

Run Differential: -33

When 2008 ended the Brewers had made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.  Sure they lost in the first round but it wasn't the loss to the Phillies that hurt so bad.  It was the loss to the Yankees.  Team owner Mark Attanasio offered CC Sabathia a team record contract of over $100 million but he turned it down, instead choosing to play in New York.  What could have been a great offseason immediately caused the team to turn into turmoil.  The rotation which would have had a stout 1-2 punch became Yovanni Gallardo and four punchless guys with Brewer caps.  Rumors swirled about the club offering a contract to Henry Rowengartner but he evidently is going to stay retired as a Cub.  A revival by the ageless Trevor Hoffman was not enough to save a mediocre bullpen either.  The team had hoped to bully opponents with what appeared to be one of the league's best offenses but that too went awry.  JJ Hardy never got on track though he continued to play excellent defense.  Corey Hart continued his slide causing many to wonder if he will ever be able to revert to 2007 form.  Possibly the most crippling blow was the injury to second baseman Rickie Weeks who appeared to finally be figuring it out.  Add all this up and you get a team that finished just under .500 and well out of the playoff race.

Optimism  is not a word I've heard when discussing the Brewers in 2010, but that doesn't mean this team should be counted out.

2010 Cleveland Indians team preview

2009 Record: 65-97   .401

Run Differential: -88

Cleveland fans knew it was unlikely CC Sabathia would be an Indian in 2009 and were probably sick to their stomach when he signed a $120 million contract with the Yankees.  Imagine how they felt last October when their top two former starters (Sabathia and Cliff Lee) faced each other in Game 1 of the World Series.  Such is life in Cleveland where payroll constraints now dominate roster construction in a way fans never thought possible.  What makes these two trades more sickening is that it doesn't appear as if any big time prospects were acquired for these Cy Young winners.  Aside from trading Lee, the team traded star catcher Victor Martinez and valuable utility man Mark DeRosa.  Unfortunately, the early takes on these trades are similar to those of Lee and Sabathia.  Manager Eric Wedge was also fired after consistently underperforming and mismanaging the team in critical situations.  Fausto Carmona struggled mightily and the rest of the rotation was just awful.  After just missing the World Series in 2007, Cleveland finished 2009 with the worst record in the American League.

Now Cleveland has turned the page and hopes to have the pieces necessary to begin their next mini-dynasty in the American League Central.

Sabathia a bargain for Yankees

CC followed the money.   I could sit here and harp about how disappointed I am but at least those pinstripes will make him look thinner.

7 yrs $160 million is about what Johan's making annually only with one more year.  This is a bargain as far as I'm concerned.  Getting the majors best pitcher in the prime of his career is sweet.  Having a proven track record in both the NL and AL is sweet.  Getting a guy that has 200 innings pitched at the end of August is super sweet.  With this deal the Yankees just solved two problems: Getting a #1 starter and getting more bullpen depth.  

As it stands now the Yankees rotation is:

1. Sabathia

2. Chien Ming Wang

3. Joba Chamberlain

4. Phil Hughes

5. Ian Kennedy/Kei Igawa/Alfredo Aceves

I know a lot of people are going to predict bust but I think CC is worth it.  With his size, it's true he may not make it the length of the contract.  David Wells seemed to get along just fine, as did Rick Reuschel, Bartolo Colon, .  But let's not be silly, right now CC is better than Wells and Big Daddy and that's what you're paying for.  What will he give you right now?  Over the last three season's he's averaged:

16-9 229IP  47BB 211Ks  3.03ERA  and 1.14WHIP (that's a ridiculously low 1.83 walks/9 innings!!!)   

If giving him the 7th year is what it took to make him a Yankee, then their fans shouldn't complain.  If he doesn't last they'll just eat the money at the end of the deal and move on.  Either way I doubt anyone will complain about him after the Yanks sign Burnett/Lowe and win the World Series in 2009 and 2010.