Season Preview: Cleveland Indians

Last Season: 80-74, 4th in ALManager: Lou Boudreau (7th season in Cleveland, 7th total)Offseason: Though they missed out on the Vern Stephens sweepstakes, the Indians still made a couple of trades with the Browns to bolster their roster. For a trio of young players and prospect, plus some cash, the Indians netted Wally Judnich and Bob Muncrief. Judnich will come off the bench and is a natural center fielder. Muncrief was an All-Star on the '44 pennant winners and can be the fifth starter as needed. Then they made another trade and receive Johnny Berardino, who will be a utility infielder for the team. Later on in the offseason, Cleveland got young Allie Clark, who will start in left field on Opening day, from the Yankees; Thurman Tucker, who will start in center, from the White Sox; and reliever Russ Christopher from the Athletics.Catcher: Jim Hegan is capable of being an every day starter with only occasional days of rest. Hegan's bat is not as strong as the other top catchers, but his pitch calling and defensive ability behind the plate has received high praise from Cleveland's talented pitching staff. The Indians do not have a plan if Hegan goes down. Rookie Joe Tipton will spell Hegan as needed but Cleveland hopes that is not often.Infield: Cleveland rolls out the same infield that they did in 1947. First baseman Eddie Robinson is the weak link, though he showed some promise in his rookie season last year. The other three starters in this unit appeared in over 150 games apiece last season. Joe Gordon's first season since being traded from New York went very well, as he bounced back from his first post-war season in '46 that saw him hit .210. Ken Keltner had a disappointing campaign, missing the All-Star Game for the first time this decade outside of his time in the Navy. However, he is gaining some pop in his bat and remains a fine defensive third baseman. Boudreau rounds out the group at shortstop. He finished third in MVP voting and led the league in doubles for the third time in his career (all three times with 45). Owner Bill Veeck reaffirmed Boudreau's role as player-manager, putting faith in the 30-year-old to call the shots from the field.Outfield: Save for Robinson, the Indians infield is the most steady in the majors. However, the outfield is anything but. Newcomer Tucker is the only Opening Day starter that is not a rookie, but he has never been an everyday player. Clark flashed in the 24 games he played for the Yankees in the late season, hitting .373, earning him a chance to start in left field. Another rookie, Larry Doby, will start in right field until he has proven he is ready to move to center. Unlike Clark, Doby underwhelmed in his majors debut last season. However, Doby has a proven track record in the Negro National League and no longer has the weight of integrating the American League on his shoulders as enters season two. Cleveland's fluid outfield includes Judnich; Dale Mitchell, who hits for a high average but had a mediocre glove and no power in his first full season last year; and both Hank Edwards and Hal Peck, who both played in over 100 games last year for Cleveland in the corner outfield.Rotation: It took until the final week of the season, but Bob Feller earned 20 wins for his fifth consecutive full season, leading the league in victories each time. In his six full seasons, he has led the league in strikeouts each time, as well, though for the first time he failed to hit 200 last year. Needless to say, Cleveland has one of the best rotations in the majors even if they had a random assortment of starters to pair with him. Luckily, they do have a solid crew that can win games even when Feller is resting his arm. Bob Lemon got his first start last year on July 31st after spending most of the season in the bullpen, but he returns as the second option thanks to a 10-3 record as a starter. Al Gettel and Don Black were both decent men at the middle of the rotation last year, and Muncrief will only be used as needed since the Indians will want to start Feller (and Lemon) as often as possible. Rookie knuckleballer Gene Bearden may also make starts as needed if one of the starters falters or if there is an injury.Bullpen: Christopher was a big addition to this bullpen, which already had plenty of options. Ed Klieman appeared in a league high 58 games on the mound, finishing off 34 of them for the Indians. Now, he and Christopher can split this duty. Former starter Steve Gromek transitioned well to his new role last year and can still make the occasional start when needed.Outlook: The Indians are on the upswing, and their infield and bullpen can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the American League. That doesn't even mention their best player, Feller. This year's success will count on Cleveland's outfield, which is a complete question mark, to sort itself out and for the bottom of the rotation to win some games even when the two Bob's aren't pitching. If they can do this, Cleveland could win the pennant, something they've only done once (1920) in franchise history.