Pressing the Panic Button

The Indians front office had to do something. One thing is clear at this point. It can't keep going this way. The Indians offense has been anything but spectacular this season. So Monday, general manager, Mark Shapiro, made a move to try and stimulate the Indians. Jason Michaels is out, and Ben Francisco is in.

Jason Michaels isn't to blame. He has never been the main cog in the lineup. He just happened to be the worst hitting outfielder at this point, and there is a young stud that plays the position. The Indians have struggled as of late. Again the run production has been feast or famine. Just when you think the bats are about to break out of it, the line up falls back into the same old lull.

Shapiro acknowledged that this one move won’t solve everything. Putting Francisco in lineup is putting a sandbag up to stop a flood. Shapiro seems to think that the answer lies within. I’m not so sure. I think it’s time for a changing of the guard at hitting coach.

Derek Shelton has had ample opportunity to prove his worth. Let’s not forget that Eddie Murray was ousted after such a drought by the Indians lineup in 2005. That is when Derek Shelton took the reigns. But since the ’06 season, Shelton-taught lineups have been anything but consistent.

In 2007 the team saw a dramatic drop off from Travis Hafner. His home run total and average were far below his previous seasons. The hitting coach could never figure out exactly what Hafner was doing wrong. 2006 saw a dramatic drop off from Jhonny Peralta. Again, Shelton never got Peralta turned around. Last season the Indians had only one hitter that batted over .300 for the whole season.

This season shows more of the same underachievement at the plate. Currently the Indians have eight players batting under the .250 mark. Six of those eight hitters aren’t even hitting .225. Four of those hitters have twenty or more strike outs. The Indians have had fifteen games where they scored three runs or less. They are 2-13 in those games.

It’s understandable that teams go through hard times at the plate. But this is becoming more of a trend then an isolated incident. This lineup on paper should be one of the most feared lineups in the game. But that is not the case. And let’s not forget the slump this lineup was in through most of May and June last season.

So what is the answer? Michaels is the scape-goat for now, but if the this slump continues, it’s time to find a new hitting coach. Firing Shelton may do the trick. There is no way this team will win the division the way they are hitting now. Maybe this team needs a fresh set of eyes to diagnose the troubles of the Tribe bats.