Missed the Mark

From Indians.com

CLEVELAND -- The Indians brought Mark Reynolds in over the offseason to provide the kind of right-handed power the team had lacked in recent years. For one month, the all-or-nothing slugger lived up to expectations.

Reynolds' three-month tailspin since an amazing April led to Thursday's decision by Cleveland to designate the first baseman for assignment. The Indians have promoted reliever Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Columbus to give the bullpen an extra arm for the time being.

"He's a guy that carried us the first month of the season," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "And then from that point to here, it's been pretty rough. It was getting harder and harder to find at-bats so he could get hot, because I think we all felt like he had a streak in him."

Reynolds is now in a 10-day waiting period, during which he is likely to be either traded or released by the Indians. Other teams will have an opportunity to also claim Reynolds off waivers, which could lead to a trade or Cleveland could simply let him go.

Francona noted that Reynolds did not request to be moved, but indicated that the struggling slugger is not interested in accepting a Minor League assignment.

"He expressed that he did not want to go to Triple-A and play baseball," Francona said. "So we do know that. Now, it's 10 minutes after a game, but that's what he told us [Wednesday] night."

Through 99 games with Cleveland, which signed him over the winter to a one-year contract with a base salary of $6 million, Reynolds hit .215 with a .307 on-base percentage, .373 slugging percentage, 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 123 strikeouts. He opened the season as the Tribe's primary designated hitter, but he also helped out at first and third base.

Reynolds provided a powerful bat for Cleveland's lineup through May 6, when his batting average stood at .300. Over the first 28 games, he launched 10 home runs, collected 27 RBIs and posted a 1.026 OPS.

In the clubhouse, Reynolds was dubbed "Mega Mark" by his teammates for the tape-measure shots he was belting for the Tribe.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, Reynolds went as cold as he started hot.

"We knew when we got him that he wasn't a .300 hitter," Francona said. "He was hitting .300 and basically hitting everything in sight. And [explaining his slump] is probably not as easy as one sentence. The pitches he was hitting in April, he was either fouling, or sometimes you get one pitch in an at-bat, and he'd miss it or foul it and strike out.

"Earlier in the season, he was getting it, he was hitting it and he was doing a lot of damage."

Over the past 71 games dating back to May 7, Reynolds has posted the lowest batting average (.179) among qualified Major League players in that time period. His .532 OPS in that span rates as the second-lowest mark among big league hitters.

That three-month slump included just five home runs and 21 RBIs to go along with 96 strikeouts.

In parts of seven seasons in the Majors -- spent between stints with the D-backs, Orioles and Indians -- Reynolds has hit .233 with 196 home runs and 549 RBI in 952 games. Across the 2008-11 campaigns, he hit .231 with an average of 35 home runs, 92 RBI and 208 strikeouts per season.

While trying to balance keeping the Indians in the American League Central race with getting Reynolds going again at the plate, Francona had reduced the slugger's playing time in recent weeks. Surprising bench contributor Ryan Raburn -- who signed a two-year contract extension on Wednesday -- has garnered more time in the starting lineup.

"With Raburn swinging the bat the way he is, and [Mike] Aviles playing really well," Francona said, "it was becoming harder to get him to where he was going to be able to get hot. And then we needed a pitcher [due to Wednesday's 14-inning game].

"And I think it was becoming harder for Mark to handle not playing. It was just time to do what we did."

Guilmet offers some bullpen insurance for the Indians, who cycled through an assortment of arms in a extra-inning loss to the Tigers on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old right-hander, who appeared in one game for the Indians earlier this season, has posted a 1.95 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus this season.

For the time being, Francona noted that the Indians might proceed with an eight-man bullpen, which is something the club has done in multiple stretches throughout this season. The positional versatility of players such as Raburn, Aviles, Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana has made it easier to play short-handed on the bench.

"You always have to be cognizant of the fact that, if there's any injury somewhere, all of a sudden you're looking for that bat," Francona said. "But you have to make decisions. Obviously, going into [Thursday], from where we sit, we think we're a better team with an eight-man bullpen."

Justin Masterson, who is a leader on the mound and off the field for the Indians, does not believe the move to part ways with Reynolds will negatively affect the clubhouse.

"We've still got a lot of good guys," Masterson said. "I wouldn't say it's a huge distraction, really, for anybody. But, some may let it creep in more than others. In the end, everyone knows that if you just go out and perform and do your stuff, hopefully that takes care of it.

"It may not work out here at some point in time. But, it may work somewhere else."

Tribe Watch '13 (All Star Break)

Record: 51 - 44

Standing: Second in AL Central (1.5 games behind Detroit)

Over the weekend, the Indians TV announcers mentioned how manager Terry Francona spoke with the team and promoted the idea of finishing strong to close out the first half of the season. It appears that the Tribe took those words to heart as they took two out of three from Toronto and then swept the Kansas City Royals. Now as the team takes off for a few days before transitioning into the second half, we can examine where they currently stand. I think the best way to define my feelings is cautiously optimistic. The Indians have a better record than they did at this point last year and are relatively healthy. The weak schedule in the second half also works in their favor. But before we can pencil this team into a postseason slot, there are a few things that should be addressed. First of all, while our overall record is good, we have played terribly against Detroit, Boston, and New York. Two of those three teams are in first place in their respective divisions. For this team to be seen as legitimate contenders, we need to play better against good teams. There's also a couple players who need to do more offensively. Mark Reynolds in particular has been trending downward when it comes to hitting. We need him to play better to shore up our lineup. And of course, we could always use more pitching. The starters, which not great, have performed admirably and should be improved when Zach McAllister returns. The bullpen. however, seems like it could use some additions. Hopefully as the trade deadline nears some moves can be made to address these issues. For now, let's enjoy the time off and get ready to come out fighting come Friday when we begin a weekend series with the Twins in Minnesota. I'm looking forward to wild and fun second half. Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 3)

Record: 7-10

Standing: 4th in AL Central (3 games out of first)

The Indians got off to rough start last week as they were swept at home by the Boston Red Sox. Credit bad starting pitching, anemic offense and an emotionally motivated opponent as the key reasons why the Indians couldn't do much against Boston. The weekend helped turn things around, however, as the bats came alive on Saturday. The Indians put a 19 spot on the scoreboard against the Astros. Our newest acquisitions, Mark Reynolds, Nick Swisher, and 42 year old Jason Giambi, were all major players in that outpouring of offense. Thankfully Saturday's performance didn't result in an immediate power outage on Sunday as the Indians were able to hit four more home runs in order to win by one and take two out of three from Houston. Hopefully the Tribe can carry that momentum with them as they now continue this road trip by heading into Chicago to take on those nasty White Sox. We played Chicago very well in Cleveland and I'd love to see more of the same to start this week. Cleveland will then finish off their road trip by heading to Kansas City for a weekend series. No matter the month, games against divisional opponents are critical, so it will be vital for the Tribe to have a good week. As the Indians hope to gain ground within the AL Central standings, I'll be cheering them on all the way and I hope you will too. Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch (Week 1)

Record: 3-3

Standing: Tied for second in AL Central

I'm running short on time so this will have to be brief, but I wanted to get this out before today's home opener. As you can expect with a .500 record in their first week, there was a mixed bag of results for the Tribe as they kicked off the 2013 season. I think, however, that looking at the result of the past week, that there is more positive than negative to take away from their performance. First of all, the Tribe went .500 on the road against two teams that many predict will be at the top of the AL East, so there's no shame in that. The wins that the Tribe had were also pretty impressive in that they beat BOTH reigning Cy Young winners within the span of 6 days. The offense was certainly on display in those wins as well with the team showing both power and clutch hitting. We did get shutout two straight games, but it is was understandable because they had a long flight to Tampa and the Rays have very good pitching. As for our pitching, I was pleased by the performances of our #1 and #2 starters. For us to have any chance at competiting this season, both Masterson and Jimenez need to pitch well. The back end of our rotation and our long relievers have some question marks that give me some concern, but nothing too grave just yet. We'll need a larger sample size before we can truly make any determinations. Hopefully the Tribe can feel positive about their efforts and take that good feeling into their performance this week as the Tribe plays at Progressive Field for this first time this year. First up is the dreaded New York Yankees, who are really struggling thus far thanks to injuries and old age. On paper, we should play well against them, but when it comes to the Yankees, they are never as bad as they seem. Then it's a weekend series against the even more loathesome Chicago White Sox. Of course, divisional games are crucial no matter when in the year they occur, so let's get off to a good start by beating up on our rival. There's a lot to be excited about in Cleveland right now, so let's all get behind this team and watch what could be a very magical year. Go Tribe!

Make your Mark

This isn't a real flashy move, but it seems like a solid acquistion that will attempt to address some of the Indians' key needs.

The Indians' need for right-handed power in their lineup has become glaringly obvious over the past few seasons. If only for one year, Cleveland believes it has found a solution.

On Sunday evening, the Indians agreed to a one-year contract with corner infielder Mark Reynolds, sources told MLB.com. Reynolds will presumably take over as the Tribe's first baseman and will earn a base salary of $6 million, with another $1.5 million available in incentives. Pending the completion of a physical, an official announcement will likely come within the next few days.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti could not be reached for comment.

This seemingly takes the Tribe out of the running for free-agent infielder Kevin Youkilis, who has a one-year contract worth $12 million on the table from the Yankees to handle third base. It is believed that Cleveland offered Youkilis a two-year deal worth a reported $18 million to play first base, but the Reynolds signing potentially renders that proposal moot.

As things stand, the Indians plan on handing the keys to third base over to youngster Lonnie Chisenhall, leaving first base as the only infield spot in need of a starter. Cleveland does have a vacancy at designated hitter, so it is possible the club could try to sell Reynolds and Youkilis on a rotation at first and DH. At-bats would also be available at third base on days Chisenhall did not play.

The 29-year-old Reynolds -- non-tendered by the Orioles last month -- made $7.5 million with Baltimore last season. Amid a thin free-agent class of first basemen, Reynolds, who would have made around $9 million in arbitration, was willing to return to the O's, but not at a significantly reduced salary.

The Orioles never offered Reynolds any type of deal, and several teams expressed interest in Reynolds at last week's Winter Meetings. One of them was Cleveland, which has its Spring Training facility in Arizona, allowing Reynolds to live at home during big league camp.

Reynolds opened the 2012 season at third base, but he committed six errors in 40 chances and was moved across the diamond to first, where he worked himself into an above-average first baseman. Reynolds frequently took some good-natured ribbing for his tendency to leave his feet, but he became adept at picking balls in the dirt and making excellent scoops, resulting in a .995 fielding percentage in 108 games at the position.

Offensively, Reynolds recovered from a poor first half to post a .221 batting average with a .335 on-base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage, collecting 23 homers and 69 RBIs in 135 games.

Sixteen of his homers came in the final two months of the season after he got past the most prolonged slump of his career. Through Reynolds' first 85 games, he hit .211 with eight homers and 33 RBIs and struck out 104 times. He did draw walks throughout the season, leading the team in free passes for a second straight year, with 73, and he helped the Orioles reach their first postseason in 15 years by hitting 15 homers and posting a .517 slugging percentage in his final 50 games.

A well-liked player in the clubhouse, Reynolds played through numerous injuries during the season. He was hit by a pitch six times during the regular season and twice in six postseason games. Health was a question to everyone but Reynolds, who deflected any notion that he might need to miss time.

The Orioles acquired him from the D-backs on Dec. 6, 2010, in exchange for right-handers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.

Arguably the best season of Reynolds' six years in the big leagues came in 2009, when he hit .260 with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs for Arizona. The right-handed hitter also set a single-season Major League record with 223 strikeout that year. Reynolds is the only player in big league history to turn in at least two seasons with 200 or more strikeouts, and he has done so three times in his career.

Reynolds makes up for the high volume of strikeouts with solid power, having launched an average of 30 home runs per year in his career. In two years with Baltimore, he averaged 30 home runs, 78 RBIs and 145 games per season. Even in a down year, Reynolds' 23 long balls a year ago would have led the Indians, whose team leader had just 18 (Carlos Santana).