FRANK_THOMAS__RIGHT__ALL-STAR_GAME.JPG
Frank Thomas (right), celebrating his two-run homer with Indians second baseman Carlos Baerga at the 1995 All-Star game, is making his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot this year.
(Al Behrman/Associated Press)
Hey, Hoynsie: What players did you vote for on your Hall of Fame ballot this year? – Alex Keene, Pepper Pike.
Hey, Alex: First a little history. Every member of the BBWAA with 10 years in the organization can vote for the Hall of Fame. This year's ballot was loaded with great players. Along with a talented class of newcomers and the growing list of steroid-tainted candidates, the traditional 10-vote limit per voter seemed too small for some BBWAA members so a committee is being formed to discuss the matter.
As of now, each voter is still limited to 10 votes. Out of the over 500 ballots cast last year, only about 20 percent of the voters voted for 10 players on their ballots. I almost always vote for 10 players.
Hey, Hoynsie: Do you see any possibility that the Indians can work some magic and trade for David Price? – Tom Cassity, Toledo.
Hey, Tom: As talented as Price is, I think the cost would be so high that you would gut the rest of the roster. In two years Price would leave through free agency and the Indians would have a huge mess on their hands.
Hey, Hoynsie: Tribe attendance last year was mediocre, but revenue from ticket sales was reportedly up 20 percent. Shouldn't this be talked about more? -– John Bartter, London, England.
Hey, John: The attendance was a lot worse than mediocre. The Tribe finished second last in the big leagues with an estimated 1.6 million in attendance, but the fact that a Tribe ticket carried more value last year is encouraging.
By cutting out freebies and using the "dynamic ticket pricing' system to encourage fans to buy tickets earlier at cheaper rates, the Indians were able to boost revenues. Should the Indians ever get back to the days when they drew between 2.5 million and 3 million fans a year, combined with national and local TV money, it could help them have a much more productive offseason than they've had this winter.
Hey, Hoynsie: Should Tribe fans be concerned that new closer John Axford's career stats are worse than those belonging to departed closer Chris Perez? – Alex Gentilis, Cleveland.
Hey, Alex: I'd be more concerned if Axford has a dog named Brodie. Hey, I couldn't help myself.
To me a closer has to do one thing – save games. Axford has saved 83 percent (106-of-127) of his save opportunities, while Perez has saved 85 percent (132-of-156) of his save chances.
The concern for me is that Axford, except for the first three games of last season, has been out of the closer’s job for a full year. Closers don’t ease into a game, they come stomping in with both feet. I’m curious to see how Axford reclaims his old job after a year's absence.
Hey, Hoynsie: Is Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka the domino that must fall before Ubaldo Jimenez signs with someone? – Jory Grad, Toronto.
Hey, Jory: You hit the Tanaka on the head and the Ubaldo as well.
Hey, Hoynsie: Are the Dolans the best owners of a professional sports team in Cleveland? I'd have to say yes! – Gary Marano, Brunswick.
Hey, Gary: Financially, they have the smallest pockets and compete in a business which requires the biggest because there is no salary cap. At times that can be a maddening combination.
But there is something to say about consistency, stability and trusting the people you hire to do the jobs they were hired to do.
Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians seem to be signing sore-armed pitchers, just like they did in the 1970s. How many have had arm surgery? – Gary McCullough, Parma.
Hey, Gary: Where pitchers are concerned, it's harder to find ones who haven't hard surgery than ones who have had a procedure. Enter a big league locker room and I'd say the majority of pitchers there have had some kind of elbow or shoulder surgery.
The thing the Indians training staff excels at is rehabbing those pitchers to a point where they can be productive again.
Hey, Hoynsie: Where did the Indians rank in terms of payroll in 2012 ad 2013 and where will they rank in 2014? – Brian Heldman, Hudson.
Hey, Brian: In 2012 the Indians ranked 24th in opening day payroll among MLB 's 30 teams at $65,430,300. In 2013, they ranked 23rd with a payroll of $80,605,733, the lowest in the AL Central.
On opening day 2014, they should be in the same vicinity as they were in 2013 with a payroll between $80 million to $85 million.
Those numbers were compiled from Cot's Baseball Contracts at Baseball Prospectus.
Hey, Hoynsie: What do you think the chances of Carlos Santana being an effective third baseman are? – Brenden Pawlak, Chardon.
Hey, Brenden: When I first heard that Santana was going to play third base in the Dominican Republic this winter, I thought if Miguel Cabrera can play third anybody can play third. Of course, a two-time MVP and Triple Crown winner can play just about wherever he wants.
Santana definitely has enough arm to play the position and he seemed nimble enough around the bag when he played first and had to come out from behind the plate on bunts. I wonder about his reaction time because that's what third base is all about, but it sounds as if the Indians will continue the experiment in spring training so we’ll know more then.
Hey, Hoynsie: Is the fact that Asdrubal Cabrera is still on the team related to lack of interest in him or do the Indians believe they can revive him like they did with Ubaldo Jimenez? – Michael Reihard, Warren.
Hey, Michael: This is Cabrera's walk year as 2013 was Jimenez's walk year. If players have to be revived with free agency so close at hand, the fault is their own.