When is indians home opener 2011

Lefty T. McFarland will open in Kinston's rotation, but might be an option for the Cleveland pen. Adam Miller will open the year in extended spring training, but the Indians would love to fast-track this guy to Cleveland.

It's the longest of long shots, but it would be a great story. The fact that he's still pitching already is. Summary: Deep position for the Indians. Carlos Santana and LouMarson will start the season.

Santana had an impressive spring, showing he was all the way back from left knee surgery in August. Carlin would probably get the first call. Chen is an offensive-minded catcher with a strong body. He needs to improve his defense. Perez is the best pure catcher in the organization, easily the top catch-and-throw guy in the system. Alex Lavisky, from St. Edward, opened eyes in his first pro camp. He'll be at Class A Lake County.

First base. Summary: LaPorta is the biggest question mark on the team. He thinks a lot about hitting, probably too much. How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time? Duncan can defend himself at the position. Nick Johnson, once his surgically repaired right wrist is healed, could be an interesting addition. But he has to get healthy first. Jared Goedert may have gotten a shot, but he was placed on the day disabled list on Wednesday. Second base. Summary: Orlando Cabrera started playing much better at second base in spring training once his right shoulder grew stronger in mid-March.

He'll help the defense and offense in a big way. The pecking order would probably be: Phelps, Valbuena and Kipnis if the Indians need assistance early. Long range, the front office believes Kipnis is going to be the answer because he'll hit for more power.

Look for Kipnis, a converted center fielder, to play some games in left field at Columbus. Just in case the Indians need help there before they need it at second base. Third base. Summary: Jack Hannahan will open the season at third. Donald, when the broken bone in his left middle finger is healed, will challenge for the job. Help from below: Lonnie Chisenhall, after a great spring, will play third at Columbus. How long he'll be there depends on how he plays and how Hannahan and others perform in Cleveland.

Betting he's here by June, if not sooner. The Indians likeboth players defensively. If they can hit, they'll put themselves on the map. Summary: When Asdrubal Cabrera broke his left forearm last year, the Indians went into a tailspin because they didn't have anyone would could replace him. Valbuena and Jason Donald tried, but struggled. This year's Indians feature three bonafide big league shortstops and Asdrubal Cabrera is by far the least experienced. He's played games at short compared to by Everett and 1, by Orlando Cabrera.

Help from below: Valbuena will start at shortstop at Columbus. Juan Diaz, acquired from Seattle, will play short at Akron. Diaz is with good hands, but he's skinny. If he fills out, he'll probably be a third baseman. Left field. Summary: Austin Kearns and Travis Buck will get most of the playing time. Shelley Duncan can also play there. Look for Buck to get a lot of at bats in the early going.

The Indians have to find out what he can do before Grady Sizemore is healthy to play. Help from below: Nick Weglarz is their top prospect, but he injured his right knee in spring training and needed surgery. Farm Director: Ross Atkins. Park Factors: Over favors batters, under favors pitchers.

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