Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff of the San Diego Padres is now hitting in the four-hole for Manager Bud Black, who seems to be mimicking the Mike Hargrove way of alternating lefty and righty bats. His latest order moves 1b Adrian Gonzalez to third, with Kouzmanoff at cleanup. This means Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro has now provided a second NL batting order with a low-cost cleanup bat.
Kouzmanoff went west in exchange for AAA leadoff-hitting 2b Josh Barfield, who had four hits in his Buffalo debut last night. Earlier, Cinn 2b Brandon Phillips, just the second Red in history to achieve 30/30 status, moved south for a player to be named later, which turned out to be Akron RHP Jeff Stevens. Stevens is a hard-throwing reliever for whom the Cleveland organization has high hopes.
As for Kouzmanoff, in fairness it must be acknowledged he'd quite likely not be here the player he is there. Not only did the Cleveland brass have legitimate concerns about his health, most principally a seemingly-chronic back ailment---which has to be easier to manage in the sun and warmth of Southern California than in the cold and snow of NE Ohio---but the NL is not the AL when it comes to pitching.
After all, Barfield put up significant numbers in San Diego, too, before showing himself to be less-than-potent in the AL. Oftentimes evidence verifies there is a sizeable dropoff whenever a NLer tries the AL, whereas AL ordinaries become quite dangerous once they've landed in the NL.
In fact, as has been reported recently on this site, the Padres have gotten a great deal of mileage out of recycled AL castoffs, with Kouzmanoff and Gonzales just a pair of consequential examples. Josh Bard is their much-valued catcher, after showing too little offensively with Cleveland and Boston to earn his spurs as a longterm keeper. Former White Sox 2b Tadahito Iguchi is another who debuted in the AL, as is all-star rhp Chris Young. Jody Gerut is back in the bigs with SD, as is KC discard Justin Huber. Both Brian Giles and Jim Edmonds established themselves as NLers after modest achievement in the AL---though both emerged not in SD but in Pittsburgh and StL, respectively.
It happens with regularity that an ALer will change leagues and quickly excel, whereas NLers tend to struggle unfailingly when moving from that league to the other. Even Ryan Ludwick---cast aside by Texas, Cleveland and Detroit---is now a key piece for the Cardinals.
Troy Glaus, Carlos Lee and the unremarkable Eric Byrnes are now NL cleanup bats, which they certainly were not as ALers. Byrnes was the consummate AL journeyman fourth OF during his stints with Oakland and Baltimore, in fact. He is a recognized leader for the NL finalist Diamondbacks.
Back to the essential point of this entry, Shapiro has little to show for the disposal of two talents now occupying integral positions in NL lineups. Not to pick on Mark, who has undeniably done an outstanding job as Cleveland's GM---evidenced by his having been appropriately designated the sport's Executive of the Year for 2007---but why is it that so often it is the Tribe being fleeced for immediate-impact bats, while the Indians are so rarely able to secure one of substance from anywhere else (Travis Hafner being the prominent exception)?
And isn't it ironic that the organization that has populated MLB with such luminously potent bats as Albert Belle's, Manny Ramirez', Jim Thome's, Sean Casey's, Richie Sexson's, Giles' and now Victor Martinez' must either continue to develop its own---as it did in all these instances---or resort to pedestrian imports like David Dellucci, Jason Michaels, Casey Blake and Andy Marte for its corner production?
There is and has been virtually nothing to show for the relatively expedient defections of those identified on the above list (Martinez like Garko excepted), and the talent drain has been exascerbated by ill-fated swaps involving Kouzmanoff and Phillips.
Had Phillips been properly managed, there is no need for Barfield. Believing in Kouzmanoff then not only precludes Marte's consideration, but probably retains Crisp and negates Michaels, Dellucci and Blake's current prominence, simultaneously preserving more payroll for alternative usage---though backup catcher Kelly Shoppach might not be here, then.
As one thing leads to another, this list makes all the more remarkable what was accomplished by last year's Tribe. Those achievements ironically elevated Shapiro's handiwork, when, in totality, they also somewhat serve to obscure the mistakes necessitating heroic performances.
Sincere progress was made and displayed, but regrettable wheel-spinning was part of the process, machinations benefitting Cinn and SD moreso than Cleveland, unless Phillips and/or Kouzmanoff were so toxic that they'd have threatened if not compromised prospects for success in seasons like the last one.
Read the complete post at http://www.xanga.com/MALeonard/650539221/nl-now-has-two-tribe-discards-hitting-cleanup.html