Indians Fifth Starter

[Pronk48]

The Cleveland Indians have their starting rotation all decided on, almost.

Number 1: C.C. Sabathia
Number 2: Fautso Carmona
Number 3: Jake Westbrook
Number 4: Paul Byrd
Number 5: ???????????????

It's a three-way competition between Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers, and Aaron Laffey for the fifth spot in the Indians rotation.

Cliff Lee

2007 Stats: 5-8, 6.29 ERA, 66 K, 36 BB, 1.52 WHIP

Career Stats: 54-36, 4.64 ERA, 549 K, 255 BB, 1.38 WHIP

Cliff Lee was penciled into the rotation last year. He was coming off of a 14 win season. But right after Jake Westbrook came back from an abdominal injury, Cliff Lee went down with one. When he came back, he just wasn't the same and was optioned down to AAA Buffalo to find his game again.

Jeremy Sowers

2007 Stats: 1-6, 6.42 ERA, 24 K, 21 BB, 1.56

Career Stats: 8-10, 4.80 ERA, 59 K, 41 BB, 1.35 WHIP

As was Lee last year, Sowers was penciled into then 2007 Rotation. He showed a lot of promise in his short stint at the MLB level in 2006 when he went 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 14 starts. His stuff isn't overpowering, he's a finesse pitcher. And whatever it was that he had in 2006, he didn't have in 2007 and was sent back down to AAA Buffalo to find it...just like Cliff Lee.

Aaron Laffey

2007 Stats: 4-2, 4.56 ERA, 25 K, 12 BB, 1.34 WHIP

Career Stats: See 2007 Stats

Aaron Laffey is the guy who ended up the fifth starter last year. He pitched well, but he's not outstanding. He's no more that a fifth starter at best.

Right now, none of the three have a solid lock on the #5 spot. They have all had good outings, and they have all had horrible outings this spring.

It looks like Cliff Lee will start the season as the fifth starter by default due to his salary. He's the only one of the three that is being paid starter money, so it's safe to assume Indians brass would like to see him at least begin the season on the MLB roster, because they damn sure aren't paying him big league money to pitch AAA ball.

A dark horse canidate for the spot is Adam Miller, a bright young prospect that has tons of potential. He probally won't get it out of spring training without freak injuries to all three above canidates, but if those three can't hold their own at the MLB or AAA levels, then Miller is a top canidate to give it a go as early as late May.

[brewersfan19]

Cliff Lee, now there is a player that has sort of fallen off the map, huh.

He would probably make a good #5 or be the long man out of the pen and make spot starts here and there.

[Pronk48]

I don't even know what happened to him. Sabathia got the same injury the year before in the season opener at Chicago and came back fine. Westbrook got the same injury last year in ST and came back fine. Lee gets the injury and comes back horrible.

I figured okay, he's still screwed up by it. But it didn't get fixed at all last season. One start he looks like the old Cliff...the next one he's run out of the game before the second inning has ended.

I figured competition for the spot in ST would straighten him out, but he has been horrible for the most of ST. The only reasons he will "win" the 5th starter's spot out of ST is that none of the competition has looked any better, and CLiff Lee's salary.

[love_that_reefer]

While Lee hasn't been great this spring, neither has Laffey or Sowers. Cliff Lee says he feels great this spring and getting better. I say you have to go with Lee as a fifth starter. He's a lefty and did go 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA in '05 so you know he has some talent. He's better than most fifth starters.

[catman]

I'm not sure Sowers is ready for prime time. I'd give him more time in AAA with instructions to work on his off-speed stuff and control. He should be ready sometime this summer, and then he won't look back.

[browntown653]

I think last season was a fluke for Lee. I expect him to be a pretty solid #5 starter this season and at least hold the fort until Miller is ready.

[Pronk48]

Yesterday Lee pitched 5 shutout innings, all but securing the fifth starter spot in the Indians rotation. The only thing that would keep him from starting the season on the Indians would be, God forbid, and injury.

[brewersfan19]

I feel he has earned the first chance to be the #5. Lee has been a good solid pitcher for the Tribe in the past. I have always liked him as a pitcher.