We’ve Played 162 (and Coaching News)

            Last night was one of the most exciting nights of regular season baseball in history.  Unfortunately, this fact had nothing to do with the Cleveland Indians; they chose instead to end their season with a whimper, rather than a bang.  One optimistic point that I took away from last night’s game is that Zach McAllister looked exceptionally less terrible on the mound.  He could be a viable option for a starting spot next season and will certainly have the opportunity to prove himself in spring training.

            In case you haven’t heard, the Indians will be replacing two members of its coaching staff next season.  Tim Tolman, who is suffering from some health issues, will step down from his position as bench coach.  Sandy Alomar, Jr. will be the new bench coach, moving from his position as first base coach.  One concern I have – Alomar interviewed for the open managerial position with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, and it’s rumored that the Chicago White Sox have interest in Alomar for their open position.  I hope that he doesn’t leave Cleveland to take a manager position with a different team.  Perhaps the move to bench coach will alleviate some of that temptation.  Tim Belcher also announced that he would be stepping down as pitching coach to spend more time with his family.  Both Belcher and Tolman plan to remain involved with the organization.  Now, as far as the vacant jobs go, I have a couple of candidates in mind (because I’m sure the Indians will be calling to ask my opinion on the subject).  I’d like to see if they could steal Charlie Nagy away from Arizona, although it would be tough, with the exciting season the Diamondbacks have had.  He did a great job with the Columbus pitching staff before he took the Major League position in Arizona.  I’d also like to see Mike Sarbaugh, manager of the Columbus Clippers, get a promotion to the Major League coaching stuff. He keeps winning titles with the Tribe’s minor league clubs, and I’m afraid if they don’t bring him to the Majors soon, they’re going to lose him to another team.

            Overall, the Detroit series was pretty disappointing for the Indians.  I know that Detroit is just simply on fire lately, but I really hoped the Indians would’ve performed a bit better.  That 14-0 game…yikes.  I wanted to see Ubaldo Jimenez finish the season strong, but that just didn’t happen.  I’ll talk more this off season about the moves I think we need to see this winter, and what I expect from the Tribe next year.