GM Mark Shapiro says the young Indians, for the time being, won't be getting any younger. That means catcher Carlos Santana is going to stay at Class AAA Columbus a while longer.
Carlos Santana will remain in Columbus for now to continue working on his defensive skills. “Remember, he converted to catcher,” said coach Sandy Alomar Jr. (right). “His transfer is too long. He’s got a strong arm and the faster he gets the ball in the air, the better he’ll be. It just takes time."
INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: Wonder how shocked Miguel Cabrera was Tuesday after getting thrown out at second base trying to stretch a leadoff single to center into a double? Trevor Crowe made a strong throw to the bag and Mark Grudzielanek made the tag.
In the last three years, starting center fielder Grady Sizemore has three assists in 275 games. Sizemore had none this year, one last year and two in 2008.
It was Crowe's first assist this year. He had four in 32 games last year from left field.
Ticket to ride: Manager Manny Acta promised Frank Herrmann a trip to the Indians' bullpen sometime this season. It has nothing to do with Herrmann's degree in economics from Yale and everything to do with his 3-0 record and 0.31 ERA (one runs in 28 2/3 innings) at Class AAA Columbus.
"Frankie will get a shot this year," said Acta. "He's earned it. A 0.31 ERA, even in Little League, is a pretty good number."
Acta recently called Columbus catcher Carlos Santana to check on the progress of the Clippers' pitchers. Santana knew Herrmann well because he caught him at Class AA Akron last year.
Stat of the day: Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Detroit was just the third time in 25 games that the Indians have won while scoring three or fewer runs.
-- Paul HoynesDETROIT, Mich. -- Mark Shapiro is disappointed at how the Indians have performed in the first two months of the season. It's certainly not the start he envisioned in his last year as general manager, but he's not ready to begin trading veterans and go with as young as a roster as possible.
As Shapiro said, "We're already one of the youngest teams in the big leagues," said Shapiro.
The Indians have four rookies on the 25-man roster in shortstop Jason Donald, catcher Lou Marson and right-handers Mitch Talbot and Hector Ambriz. Trevor Crowe, Shelley Duncan, David Huff, Matt LaPorta and Tony Sipp have less than one year's service time. Justin Masterson, Chris Perez and Luis Valbuena have just over one year's time, while Shin-Soo Choo, Jensen Lewis and Rafael Perez have more than two years, but fewer than three.
Shapiro said he's not trying to trade his veterans at the moment, even though the Indians went into Wednesday's game against the Tigers with the fourth-worst winning percentage in the big leagues. With Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera dealing with potentially season-ending injuries, things aren't likely to get much better.
"The season's natural cycle will dictate when we consider some alternatives [trades]," said Shapiro. "We're not mandated to make any trades for monetary reasons.
"We'll look at each trade [possibility] as an opportunity to acquire talent and it's budgetary impact. But the acquisition of talent will be the primary driver."
The people available for trade, as in the last two fire sales, will be those in the final year of their contracts or approaching that status. Jhonny Peralta, Austin Kearns, Mark Grudzielanek, Russell Branyan, Mike Redmond, Kerry Wood and Jamey Wright fit the bill.
Jake Westbrook, eligible for free agency at the end of the season, would probably be the most attractive of the group if he continues to pitch as he did in Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over the Tigers. Still, there's a good possibility that the Indians will keep Westbrook and try to re-sign him at the end of the year.
Since the decks aren't being cleared just yet, catcher Carlos Santana will stay at Class AAA Columbus despite his .318 (54-for-170) batting average with 11 doubles, 10 homers and 43 RBI. Shapiro said he should get to Cleveland sometime this year.
Shapiro said Santana still has to improve defensively, especially when it comes to throwing out runners. He's throwing out 19 percent (7-for-29) of the runners he's faced. Sandy Alomar Jr., the Indians' first base coach and catching instructor, says Santana has to work on his transfer, getting the ball from the glove to his throwing hand.
"Remember, he converted to catcher," said Alomar. "His transfer is too long. He's got a strong arm and the faster he gets the ball in the air, the better he'll be. It just takes time.
"Lou [Marson] does it very well. He has a real quick transfer. But he's been catching since he was in high school."
Marson has thrown out 35.2 percent (12-for-24) of the runners he's faced. It's the best mark for a catcher in the AL.
Back on the mound: Huff will start against the Tigers Thursday. It will be his first game since he was hit above the left ear Saturday at Yankee Stadium by an Alex Rodriguez line drive.
"We're all human," said pitching coach Tim Belcher. "You still have to wait and see if a guy is a little apprehensive. But it wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't. David is a professional athlete and he's a competitor.
"It's no different than being a race car driven who flips his car. They get back in the car the next day. It's not fun when it happens, but you can't do your job if you don't go back out there."
Finally: If manager Manny Acta doesn't find one or two pitchers to bridge the gap between his starters and late-inning relievers, look for Joe Smith, Frank Herrmann or Jess Todd to get the call from Columbus.