Vince Koza: It's spring, Indians fans, be optimistic

Spring training began this week for Major League Baseball.

Both the Reds and Indians pitchers and catchers have reported for duty and the rest of the players show up later this week in Goodyear, Ariz.

We know “hope springs eternal” with baseball teams during spring training, when everyone is undefeated and thinking this is going to be their season, no matter their history.

But reading Sheldon Ocker’s column in the Lima News earlier this week put a sour taste in my mouth.

“Indians have little chance of going around Tigers,” was the headline for Ocker’s column.

The Akron Beacon Journal’s Indians beat writer must have awakened on the wrong side of the bed before he wrote his story. Or somebody poured beer into his cereal. How do you write a negative column when every team is optimistic this time of year?

Reality check?

Maybe.

Yes, the Tigers won the AL Central Division by 15 games after trailing the Indians almost every day through July 20.

But the Indians were decimated by injuries. Their best player Shin Soo Choo was out. So was the entire starting outfield actually.

For most of the last two months, the outfield was Trevor Crowe, Ezequiel Carrera and Kosuke Fukudome. Ugh.

Indians radio announcer Jim Rosenhaus told me that Choo is healthy, as is Michael Brantley and Grady Sizemore and all will be ready to go, at least for spring training.

Rosenhaus was in Lima last week talking to Tribe fans, and he was optimistic.

In fact, he was optimistic a year ago, and not one person in the room believed him.

But Rosenhaus turned out to be a prophet.

The Indians began the year 30-15 and actually were competitive until the injury-plagued final month and a half of the regular season.

Rosenhaus says the Tigers should still be the favorite this season, but why not the Indians? And I agree.

Sure Detroit signed free agent slugging first baseman Prince Fielder, but they lost Victor Martinez.

Can Justin Verlander be any better than he was last season when he won the A.L. Cy Young and most thought was the league’s MVP, too?

Will Jose Valverde be a perfect 49-for-49 in save opportunties again?

I don’t think so.

Rosenhaus says the key for the Indians’ success is staying healthy and pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Indians shocked the baseball world last July in giving up two big-time pitching prospects in acquiring the hard throwing righthander. And he was a big bust.

Can Jimenez be the pitcher the Indians thought they were getting and put up Verlander-like numbers?

This time of year, the answer is yes.

Yes to everything positive. It is spring training. Hope springs eternal, remember.

World Series, here we come.

Hey the Reds, too.

I love this time of year.

(You can comment to Koza: vincekoza@maverick-media.ws)