Special_K19
04-16-2003, 03:20 PM
Shapiro planning to remain patient
04/16/03
Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro isn't ready to start the shuttle between Buffalo and Cleveland.
He has a roster full of players hitting under .200 and a team that is trying to stay out of the lower reaches of the American League Central. First baseman Travis Hafner, for example, went into last night's game hitting .147 (5-for-34) with no homers and two RBI.
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Ben Broussard, who ran a tight race with Hafner for the first-base job in spring training before getting hurt, barely is hitting more than that at Class AAA Buffalo, but in years past he may have been packing his bags and heading to Cleveland.
"We're not in a position to make a rash decision," Shapiro said. "If we did something after a guy had close to 40 at-bats, that would be a rash decision. If you look throughout baseball, there are a lot of prospects and veteran players who are struggling."
To make his point, Shapiro ran down a list of players and their batting averages headed into last night's games. The prospects and young players he named included Detroit's Carlos Pena (.115), Texas' Mark Teixeira (.094), San Diego's Sean Burroughs (.167), Minnesota's Mike Cuddyer (.188), Philadelphia's Marlon Byrd (.161), Cincinnati's Felipe Lopez (.125), Toronto's Eric Hinske (.190), Anaheim's David Eckstein (.200), and the White Sox's Aaron Rowand (.188).
The veterans on the list included the New York Mets' Mike Piazza (.152), Oakland's Miguel Tejada (.200), Seattle's Mike Cameron (.191), the White Sox's Paul Konerko (.186), Detroit's Dmitri Young (.098), and the Mets' Mo Vaughn (.156).
"We want to give a guy between 100 and 150 at-bats before we make a decision," Shapiro said.
Testing, testing:
Manager Eric Wedge said right fielder Karim Garcia, who missed his fifth straight start last night, was available to pinch hit and could start tonight.
Garcia has a cyst on his left wrist that hurts when he swings the bat.
Wedge said surgery is not being considered if Garcia can't play tonight.
"If we have to give him an extra day, we will," Wedge said.
Slump city:
Omar Vizquel broke an 0-for-16 slump with a single off shortstop Deivi Cruz's glove last night in the fifth inning. Vizquel, who at one point was hitting .391 (9-for-23) after going 4-for-5 in the home opener against the White Sox, was in a 2-for-24 slump before the single. He was hitting .244 going into last night's game.
"No one can do a better job of coaching Omar than Omar," Wedge said. "He'll be fine."
Time off:
The Indians have placed left-hander Marcos Mendoza on the inactive list with Class AA Akron pending the outcome of his arraignment next week at Akron Municipal Court. Marcos was arrested Thursday by Fairlawn police for driving under the influence and willfully fleeing from a police vehicle.
John Farrell, Indians director of player development, said, "We believe this is an isolated incident. He's a good kid."
Mendoza, 22, will undergo counseling from Dr. Charles Maher, Indians team psychologist, as part of the team's Employee Assistance Program.
New opportunity?:
Mike Brown, fired as Indians pitching coach in March, is being considered by the commissioner's office to run a Major League Baseball academny in Australia for six or seven weeks. Karl Kuehl, Indians special adviser, has done the job in the past.
Can-can:
Fans have turned in almost 2,300 cans to get $6 bleacher tickets this season. The $6 bleacher tickets are available through May if fans turn in specially marked cans of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew.
Finally:
Broussard had two of Class AAA Buffalo's six hits Monday night in a 5-1 loss to Syracuse. Mike Fyhrie gave up four runs in five innings. . . . The first three innings of last night's game took 34 minutes.
04/16/03
Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro isn't ready to start the shuttle between Buffalo and Cleveland.
He has a roster full of players hitting under .200 and a team that is trying to stay out of the lower reaches of the American League Central. First baseman Travis Hafner, for example, went into last night's game hitting .147 (5-for-34) with no homers and two RBI.
Try Our Classifieds
Ben Broussard, who ran a tight race with Hafner for the first-base job in spring training before getting hurt, barely is hitting more than that at Class AAA Buffalo, but in years past he may have been packing his bags and heading to Cleveland.
"We're not in a position to make a rash decision," Shapiro said. "If we did something after a guy had close to 40 at-bats, that would be a rash decision. If you look throughout baseball, there are a lot of prospects and veteran players who are struggling."
To make his point, Shapiro ran down a list of players and their batting averages headed into last night's games. The prospects and young players he named included Detroit's Carlos Pena (.115), Texas' Mark Teixeira (.094), San Diego's Sean Burroughs (.167), Minnesota's Mike Cuddyer (.188), Philadelphia's Marlon Byrd (.161), Cincinnati's Felipe Lopez (.125), Toronto's Eric Hinske (.190), Anaheim's David Eckstein (.200), and the White Sox's Aaron Rowand (.188).
The veterans on the list included the New York Mets' Mike Piazza (.152), Oakland's Miguel Tejada (.200), Seattle's Mike Cameron (.191), the White Sox's Paul Konerko (.186), Detroit's Dmitri Young (.098), and the Mets' Mo Vaughn (.156).
"We want to give a guy between 100 and 150 at-bats before we make a decision," Shapiro said.
Testing, testing:
Manager Eric Wedge said right fielder Karim Garcia, who missed his fifth straight start last night, was available to pinch hit and could start tonight.
Garcia has a cyst on his left wrist that hurts when he swings the bat.
Wedge said surgery is not being considered if Garcia can't play tonight.
"If we have to give him an extra day, we will," Wedge said.
Slump city:
Omar Vizquel broke an 0-for-16 slump with a single off shortstop Deivi Cruz's glove last night in the fifth inning. Vizquel, who at one point was hitting .391 (9-for-23) after going 4-for-5 in the home opener against the White Sox, was in a 2-for-24 slump before the single. He was hitting .244 going into last night's game.
"No one can do a better job of coaching Omar than Omar," Wedge said. "He'll be fine."
Time off:
The Indians have placed left-hander Marcos Mendoza on the inactive list with Class AA Akron pending the outcome of his arraignment next week at Akron Municipal Court. Marcos was arrested Thursday by Fairlawn police for driving under the influence and willfully fleeing from a police vehicle.
John Farrell, Indians director of player development, said, "We believe this is an isolated incident. He's a good kid."
Mendoza, 22, will undergo counseling from Dr. Charles Maher, Indians team psychologist, as part of the team's Employee Assistance Program.
New opportunity?:
Mike Brown, fired as Indians pitching coach in March, is being considered by the commissioner's office to run a Major League Baseball academny in Australia for six or seven weeks. Karl Kuehl, Indians special adviser, has done the job in the past.
Can-can:
Fans have turned in almost 2,300 cans to get $6 bleacher tickets this season. The $6 bleacher tickets are available through May if fans turn in specially marked cans of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew.
Finally:
Broussard had two of Class AAA Buffalo's six hits Monday night in a 5-1 loss to Syracuse. Mike Fyhrie gave up four runs in five innings. . . . The first three innings of last night's game took 34 minutes.