“If you’re waiting for me to make a major change in the team, you can keep waiting. That major change is not coming now; it’s not coming at 40 games; it’s not coming probably at 80 games.”
These are the words of Mark Shapiro responding to questions about the Indians’ slow start and the feeling by some that changes need to be made to the roster. The article points out that Ronnie Belliard and Aaron Boone (hitting .123) are the only two players with double-digit RBI while “core” players like Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner haven’t produced the power numbers expected of them.
Shapiro has faith in the roster he’s constructed and believes this team will start hitting, and at this point I agree. Were guys like Martinez, Pronk, Casey Blake and Coco Crisp one-year wonders last year? Well, it’s highly doubtful that all of them were but sure, a couple of the guys may have overachieved last season. Shapiro even admitted in the article that while he thinks the offense will turn around, the “jury is still out” on several guys on the roster.
As to whom he may be referring to, I’m sure Boone, Blake and Ben Broussard are, as Shapiro put it, being evaluated but I think it’ll take more than 25 games to make Shapiro change his mind about Victor, Hafner and Crisp. Though, admittedly, Coco is on a shorter leash than Martinez and Hafner.
