25-year old switch-hitting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has had a great season for the Indians but he has really slowed down with the bat lately.  In his last 17 games, Cabrera is 10 for 67 (.149 avg) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base!  Cabrera has played in 140 games overall this year for the Tribe and he is 152 of 560 (.271 avg, .788 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 22 homers, 82 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  Cabrera came into this season with career highs of 81 runs scored, 6 homers, 68 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, so 2011 has to be considered a huge success for him.  The Indians hope he gets back on track in the last couple weeks of the year with his bat.  He has been amazing as a defensive player this year and he might with the Gold Glove at SS, which adds big time to his value to the Indians.

34-year old lefty swinging outfielder Kosuke Fukudome was supposed to give the Indians’ lineup a spark when they acquired him from the Cubs near the trade deadline.  That has not been the case so far though.  Fukudome has played in 15 games for the Tribe so far this year and he is 16 for 61 (.262 avg, .626 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He has now played in 102 games overall this year for the Cubs & Indians and he is 96 for 354 (.271 avg, .723 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 3 homers, 18 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  The Indians probably should be using Fukudome in a platoon now that Shin-Soo Choo is back in action.

With the Indians a legitimate contender for the first time in a few seasons, they curiously called up two of their best prospects for a post season run.  22-year old lefty swinging 3B Lonnie Chisenhall and 24-year old lefty swinging 2B Jason Kipnis have essentially been thrown in the fire.  Chisenhall has played in 22 games for the Tribe so far and he is 16 for 72 (.222 avg, .666 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs.  He has whiffed 21 times already this year while walking only six times.  So, Chisenhall will have to work on his plate discipline going forward.  Kipnis has played in 7 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 6 for 27 (.222 avg, .794 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs.  He has whiffed 10 times while only walking 1 time so far this year, so he has been up there hacking.  The Indians will likely protect both Chisenhall and Kipnis by limiting how much they play against lefty starting pitchers.  Jason Donald (2B) and Jack Hannahan (3B) will likely play against lefty starting pitching for now but that could change if the kids get hot.

28-year old lefty swinging CF Grady Sizemore looked great in April for the Tribe. Since then though, he has been awful. Sizemore has played in 34 games in May and June so far this year and he is 23 for 133 (.173 avg) with 13 runs scored, 3 homers, 11 RBIs and 0 stolen bases. Sizemore has now played in 45 games for the Tribe this year and he is 40 for 178 (.225 avg, .743 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 7 homers, 20 RBIs and a stunning 57 whiffs. Sizemore used to be one of the best all-around centerfielders in all of baseball, but not anymore as the surgeries have taken a big toll on his body.

28-year old lefty swinging RF Shin Soo-Choo and 25-year old switch-hitting C Carlos Santana are slumping big time for the Indians so far this year. In 2009 and 2010, Choo played in 300 games in which he was 340 for 1,133 (.300 avg) with 168 runs scored, 42 homers, 176 RBIs and 43 stolen bases. Choo blames his DUI for his struggles at the plate and that’s a bunch of hog wash. He has played in 65 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 58 for 245 (.237 avg, .670 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 5 homers, 24 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Choo’s struggles have hurt the Indians some as he has batted third most of the year.

Carlos Santana has batted cleanup most of this year and he has hurt the Indians with his bat. He played in 46 games for the Indians last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 39 for 150 (.260 avg, .868 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 6 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. This year though, he has had a rough time. Santana has played in 63 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 47 for 218 (.216 avg, .712 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 7 homers, 26 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

Think of what the Indians record would be right now if Choo and Santana have been playing up to their ability all year long?