Indians Decade in Review: 2010 and the start of the Manny Acta era

The Cleveland Indians had a rough start to the decade in 2010 with a new manager at the helm and a team in a transitional phase.

The Cleveland Indians entered the 2010 season seeking a fresh start as a new decade got underway.

The team moved on from Eric Wedge at the end of the 2009 season after two disappointing years following a near trip to the World Series in 2007. His replacement? That would be Manny Acta, who came to Cleveland after a disastrous tenure with the Washington Nationals.

A fresh start for both sides.

Jake Westbrook got the start on Opening Day and the rest of the lineup looked like this:

1. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
2. Grady Sizemore, CF
3. Shin-Soo Choo, RF
4. Travis Hafner, DH
5. Jhonny Peralta, 3B
6. Matt LaPorta, 1B
7. Mark Grudzielanek, 2B
8. Lou Marson, C
9. Michael Brantley, LF

Of those starters, only three ended up appearing in over 100 games. Injuries and a lost year led to plenty of guys getting a chance to show their talents on the field.

This team featured both young players and those with experience and some fans may have been holding out hope for a return to the postseason. Big seasons from the likes of Sizemore, Hafner, and Cabrera could bring back some of that 2007 magic.

Only that was not the case. Let’s take a closer look back at how the decade started. While the results weren’t all that great, some great careers got started back in that 2010 season some fans choose to forget.

The Good

2010 was all about young guys getting their starts.

Carlos Santana made his debut in June of that year and ended up with the third-best WAR (2.0) of any position player on the team. He posted that in only 46 games.

Michael Brantley made his debut at the end of the 2009 season, but 2010 was when he started getting regular playing time. His -1.2 WAR was not much to write home about, though the experience he got helped him raise that mark to 2.1 in 2011.

The 2010 season saw the man then known as Fausto Carmona, now Roberto Hernandez, make his first and only All-Star Game. He finished with a 3.77 ERA and started 33 games. This came after he struggled mightily in 2009 and the extra experience of being older than we thought probably helped a bit.

Shin-Soo Choo also had a nice year, leading the way with a respectable WAR of 5.9. But nothing the team did on the field matched the top positive from the year.

A bad record in 2010 meant the Indians were busy at the trade deadline. The most notable move came when the team moved Jake Westbrook, continuing the trend of trading top pitching. The trade was a three-team deal, but only one player involved matters to Indians fans.

That player is Corey Kluber.

The San Diego Padres sent him to Cleveland and got Ryan Ludwick from the St. Louis Cardinals. Kluber was not a top prospect at the time and fans may have been wondering if the Indians would ever be good again.

Getting that unknown prospect goes down as one of the best trades of not only the decade, but of the century.

The Bad

Unfortunately, there were too many negatives in 2010.

Travis Hafner had another rough season, hitting only 13 home runs in 118 games. The once great power hitter only drove in 50 runs and his contract looked like one the team would have a rough time moving.

Though the biggest disappointment had to do with the team’s center fielder. Grady Sizemore rarely missed a game from 2005-2008. Then he made 106 appearances in 2009. Not a full season, but nothing to panic about.

Then came 2010 when he only played in 33 games, marking the beginning of the end of his time with the Indians. The surgeries began at the end of 2009 and he had injuries all over his body. This all came in what was supposed to be his prime. Sizemore was supposed to be the future in the outfield. His body began breaking down when he was only 26 years old.

Two key players were struggling in Hafner and Sizmore. Yet there was supposed to be hope with young guys like Matt LaPorta and Trevor Crowe.

LaPorta came over in the CC Sabathia trade and was hyped as a top prospect. He got regular time at first base and ended up slashing .221/.306/.362 with only 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. Not great numbers, but he got a pass with it being his first full season.

2010 also marked Crowe’s first full season with games played in all three outfield spots, including center field when Sizemore was out. The former first-round pick did finish the year with a 0.7 WAR, so he made progress. Just nothing that was game-changing.

Another losing season meant the focus was on development and not a World Series berth.