Cleveland Indians preview The 2008 season was memorable for a couple of Indians -- Cliff Lee went 22-3 and won the A.L. Cy Young Award, and Grady Sizemore had 33 homers and 38 stolen bases -- but thoroughly disappointing for the team. Cleveland fell 10 games out of first place by June 30 and never was a factor in the A.L. Central race. But optimism reigns in their new Arizona spring training home, and a run at the division title is possible. THREE QUESTIONS 1. Cliff Lee is an ace, but can the Indians count on any other starting pitchers? Fausto Carmona is a lock for the rotation, but the Indians need him to find his dominating 2007 form. He was second in the A.L. with a 3.06 ERA that year and won 19 games. Last year, he had eight wins and a 5.44 ERA because of injuries and a complete lack of control. Progress reports from winter ball and spring training have been good, though. The oft-injured Carl Pavano also has a spot in the rotation, but he is just 9-8 in the past four years. Anthony Reyes, penciled in as the fourth starter, has the talent, and getting out of St. Louis worked wonders for him last season. Lefthander Aaron Laffey is another talented arm with a taste of major league success, but he had elbow issues in 2008. Good news on the horizon: Cleveland hopes to have veteran Jake Westbrook (Tommy John surgery) back by the second half. 2. What about Pronk? And Victor? Designated hitter Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, the Indians' primary sluggers, combined for 58 homers in 2006 and 49 in 2007. Last year, it was seven. No wonder the team never got on track. Hafner had 198 at-bats, but never looked comfortable before the shoulder issues that zapped his strength were repaired with surgery. He says he is healthy; all of Cleveland wants to believe him. Martinez's return to being a productive player is considered more of a sure thing. He had bone chips removed from his elbow, and the former full-time catcher will get playing time at first base and maybe even DH to save his body from more wear and tear. 3. What about the corner outfielders? The Tribe is set with Sizemore in center, but there isn't a ton of experience at the corner spots, with Ben Francisco (146 career games) in left and Shin-Soo Choo (159 career games) in right. In 2008, the lefthanded-hitting Choo hit .343 after the All-Star break with 11 homers and an eye-opening 1.038 OPS. For the season, he hit .317 against righthanded pitchers and .286 against lefties. He is a solid fielder, and though he doesn't have a ton of major league at-bats to his credit, he has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues. Meanwhile, Francisco was hitting over .300 as late as June 24, but a late slump -- he hit just .188 in September -- dropped his season average to .266. Should either falter, the Indians could turn to prospects Matt LaPorta, Trevor Crowe and Michael Brantley. PROJECTED LINEUP 1. CF Grady Sizemore. Perhaps the best five-tool player in the game. 2. 3B Mark DeRosa. Excellent player, better clubhouse guy. 3. DH Travis Hafner. Playoff chances could hinge on Pronk's comeback from shoulder surgery. 4. 1B Victor Martinez. Club hopes less time behind the plate means more time off D.L. 5. SS Jhonny Peralta. Much better with the bat than with the glove. 6. RF Shin-Soo Choo. Hit 14 homers with .397 on-base percentage in 2008. 7. LF Ben Francisco. Slumped after a strong first half. 8. C Kelly Shoppach. His development allows Cleveland to play Martinez at 1B. 9. 2B Asdrubal Cabrera. Hit .320 in second half after horrible first half (.184). PROJECTED ROTATION 1. LHP Cliff Lee. The A.L.'s best pitcher last season. 2. RHP Fausto Carmona. Has to throw strikes consistently after a year of wildness. 3. RHP Carl Pavano. It has been a long time since his 18-win campaign of 2004. 4. RHP Anthony Reyes. Change of scenery worked wonders last year (1.83 ERA in six starts with Indians). 5. LHP Aaron Laffey. Had a 2.83 ERA through 11 starts before elbow trouble. PROJECTED CLOSER RHP Kerry Wood. Changing leagues shouldn't hurt him. GRADES Offense: B. Sizemore is an elite talent at the top of the lineup, and DeRosa was an excellent acquisition. But are Hafner and Martinez healthy and ready to produce at their former levels? Can Shoppach repeat his 21-homer performance? Are Choo and Francisco ready for full-time jobs? Pitching: B. There's a ton of talent in the rotation, but also many questions. If Carmona finds his 2007 form, the Indians will be the favorites in the A.L. Central. It was a huge offseason for the bullpen, which added Wood and setup man Joe Smith to refresh an overworked unit. Bench: B. The Indians have options in the field, especially with the versatile DeRosa. Jamey Carroll can play all over the field, and Josh Barfield is learning the outfield and third base. Ryan Garko appears to be the odd man out in the C/1B/DH trifecta, but he can be a valuable power source off the bench if he adjusts to his new role. Manager: B. Eric Wedge went from the A.L. manager of the year in 2007 to a man without enough answers last season. He'll have more options this season, which is what every manager wants when making decisions. Expect a season much more like 2007 and less like 2008. Sporting News prediction: There is an opportunity for the Indians, as there is for every team in the A.L. Central. If things go right for the Tribe, Cleveland fans could be celebrating a division title in October. Realistically, however, the Indians have as many or more questions as any team in the division; Minnesota is the favorite. --

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