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Where are they now? Former Indians in the 2009 Playoffs
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Jim Thome, a famous former Indian, fist pumps Andre Ethier seemingly because Ethier just scored, though I am lead to believe it is because they both realized the Dodgers have taken and used four former Indians to help their playoff surge. And if that doesn't work for you and you wonder why I didn't pick a better picture of another former Indian, shut up, that's why...Jim Thome was always my favorite player and it's my column, so eat your heart out. (AP Photo/Jae C, Hong)
With the Indians in end of season mode and still diligently looking for a manager to lead the charge in 2010, why not check in on some players who used to call Jacobs Field (or THE PROG!) home.
A little warning before beginning this short journey; if you are easily riled by questionable business decisions and the concept of talent being whisked away with the ease that it took the President to win a Nobel Peace Prize, this little trip may not be one you want to take. But it is in alphabetical order, so maybe you just want to read on.
1.) Ronnie Belliard- Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman
Time with the Indians- 2004-2006
Time with the Dodgers- 2009
Where is he now? Starting for the Dodgers as they prepare to take on the Phillies for the National League crown. In the series win against the Cardinals, Belliard hit .273 with three hits, two runs scored, one RBI and five strikeouts in 11 at-bats.
2. Rafael Betancourt- Colorado Rockies relief pitcher
Time with the Indians- 2003-2009
Time with the Rockies- 2009
Where is he now? At home after a hard-fought series loss against the Phillies 3-1. Betancourt pitched in three games for a total of 2.1 innings, giving up one run on a homerun and striking out three with an ERA of 3.86.
3.) Casey Blake- Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Time with the Indians- 2002-2008
Time with the Dodgers 2008-2009
Where is he now? Blake is awaiting the start of the NLCS against the defending champion Phillies. During the series with the Cardinals, Blake, just like Belliard, hit .273 with three hits in eleven at-bats with one RBI and one walk.
4.) Paul Byrd- Boston Red Sox starting pitcher
Time with the Indians- 2006-2008
Time with the Red Sox- 2008-2009
Where is he now? Probably wondering if it's worth trying to come back for another season on a team that treats you like the fat kid on the playground who only comes calling your name when they have to have one more kid to play four square. In the Red Sox's pretty pathetic showing against the Angels in a 3-0 sweep in the first round of the playoffs, Byrd did not see any time and hasn't pitched since October 3rd, when he pitched against the Indians for three innings and giving up two runs.
5.) Mark DeRosa- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman
Time with the Indians- 2009
Time with the Cardinals- 2009
Where is he now? Likely taking some time off after a sad showing by his Cardinals after a great season that he helped cultivate after being traded from the Indians before mid-season. In the series, DeRosa, like he did all season, produced- hitting a robust .385 with one RBI and one run scored in thirteen at-bats. Man, it would be nice to still have him, but I digress.
6.) Ben Francisco- Philadelphia Phillies outfielder
Time with the Indians- 2007-2009
Time with the Red Sox- 2009
Where is he now? Gearing up for a showdown with a Los Angeles Dodgers team who most in the media would love to see move on to face the Yankees in the World Series. Against the Rockies, Francisco did little, getting out in his only at-bat in the series, though he did have a highlight reel catch to rob Troy Tulowitzki of a seemingly sure fire hit.
7.) Cliff Lee- Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Time with the Indians- 2002-2009
Time with the Phillies- 2009
Where is he now? Nothing much besides becoming one of the most, if not the most, dominant pitcher in the National League and proving just why he was last year's Cy Young award winner. In his first start against the Rockies, Lee pitched a complete game shutout, surrounding only six hits and one run with five strikeouts. In his second game, some trouble in the eight stopped Lee from getting his second complete game win, pitching 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with another five strikeouts. Heck, Lee even got himself a hit and a stolen base. During the season with the Phillies, Lee was 7-4 with a dominating 3.39 ERA. Yeah, remember when I mentioned how the Cliff Lee trade was a possibly bad and at least very painful trade for the Indians? Yeah.
8.) Ryan Ludwick- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Time with the Indians- 2003-2005
Time with the Cardinals- 2007-2009
Where is he now? Yeah, remember him? Ludwick was another causality from the era where Cleveland constantly brought up young talent only to give them away and watch them become stars elsewhere (which we can all pray won't be happening again at a ballpark near you.) During the series with the Dodgers, Ludwick had yet another top-caliber offensive performance, hitting .333 with four hits in 12 at-bats along with one run, one RBI and zero strikeouts.
9.) Victor Martinez- Boston Red Sox catcher/first baseman
Time with the Indians- 2002-2009
Time with the Red Sox- 2009
Where is he now? So how did the former Indian whose trade had a way of breaking hearts more than most of the other trades the Indians have made fair in the playoffs this year? Well, his Red Sox (ow...that hurts to even type) did not really show up for the series and Martinez did not fair much better, only batting .182 with two hits in eleven at-bats and two strikeouts, though he did produce two RBI's. See Boston, he didn't work out, time to bring him back to Cleveland...right?
10.) Carl Pavano- Minnesota Twins starting pitcher
Time with the Indians- 2009
Time with the Red Sox- 2009
Where is he now? Though he wasn't with Cleveland for long and didn't make quite the impact of DeRosa, Pavano still served a good tenure with Cleveland and was merely the tail end of the trading monsoon that struck Cleveland only a few months ago. With the Twins in the playoffs, Pavano picked up a loss in his only start, though he pitched a lot like a winner, going seven innings and giving up two runs on five hits (with both runs coming from solo shots) for an ERA of 2.57.
11.) Manny Ramierez- Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
Time with the Indians- 1993-2000
Time with the Dodgers- 2008-2009
Where is he now? Though it's been a long while since Manny graced an Indians dugout, Manny will always be remembered by Indians fans for his days as a member of the Tribe. After an ordeal with some PEDs (or sex drugs...alledgedly on both accounts,) Manny came back with a vengeance and carried a hitting hot streak into the playoffs. In the series against the Cardinals, Manny had a decent showing, batting .308 with four hits in 13 at-bats, including two RBI's, three doubles and a walk.
12) C.C. Sabathia- New York Yankees starting pitcher
Time with the Indians- 2001-2008
Time with the Yankees- 2009
Where is he now? Much like Manny before and Victor being traded to the Red Sox now, losing C.C. was bad enough, losing him to the Yankees made it hurt even worse, even though he was technically lost to the Brewers first. In the series against the Twins, as he did all season with the hated Bronx Bombers, C.C. produced- winning his start against Minnesota with a 6.2 inning outing that yielded only two runs against him on eight hits, giving him a stellar 1.35 ERA for the post season thus far. Damn Yankees.
13.) Jim Thome- Los Angeles Dodger first baseman
Time with the Indians- 1991-2002
Time with the Dodgers- 2009
Where is he now? Though it's been around seven years since Thome lined up in a batter's box for Cleveland, it's hard to forget the exploits of a player that spent 12 years with your team (especially considering that most Indians players seem to stay on the team for about three years max.) Though Thome was picked up in a bail-out move by the White Sox (sound familiar?) and hasn't been fully utilized by the Dodgers, having a bat like Thome's readily available can never hurt a team. So far, Thome is 0-2 as a pinch-hitter. There was talk that Manny and Thome had been talking about coming back to Cleveland to end their careers there, but who knows if that thought might have went by the wayside since they know are both in Dodger Blue (and the rumor itself could have been false to begin with.) But hey, an Indians fan nostalgic for the 90s greatness can dream, can't he?
That wraps up are look into the playoff appearances from former Indians now striking it big somewhere else, a sadly common theme with this team in recent years and a trend the organization direly hopes to change sooner than later. What's especially interesting about this list of players is that you could almost create yourself quite an interesting little roster just by putting them together: Thome at first, DeRosa at second, Belliard as SS, Blake at third, Martinez behind the plate, Manny in right, Francisco at center, Ludwick in left with your starting rotation of Lee, Sabathia, Pavano and Byrd and Betancourt to come in for relief. Wow, that actually works really well, though I'm not sure if that's makes me happy for finding the coincidence or sad seeing that it all worked out that way.
While I sort that out in my own head, enjoy the playoffs, root for the former Indians and dream sweetly about glory days for the Tribe in the more near future. Good night folks.
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