Time to replace the big boy?
Bob Wickman has made a career of giving us Tribe backers heart disease. Every save is an adventure, and he has dropped 2 of his last 3 save chances. He’s getting along in years, and I wonder if it’s time to consider moving on to another closer. I think it is, and I have the perfect candidate.
Fausto Carmona.
I was originally against Carmona going to the bullpen. I thought he would be a great middle-of-the-rotation guy for the future, behind CC and Cliff along with Sowers. But check out Carmona’s line with the bases empty (the situation he would be in when starting the 9th inning): 17 innings, 0.53 ERA, 16 hits, 5 walks (too many) and 14 Ks. I say it’s worth a shot.
See, I have all the answers. The problem is, Shapiro never calls me!
Talkin' Tribe 
Best wishes for the second half, James.
Mark
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com
Though i would agree that Wickman is a bit old-in baseball standards-you seem to blow out of proportion the “adventures” when he takes the mound. Yes, giving up game winning grand slams ARE NOT what anyone wants to see out of a closer, but after being out nearly all of 2004, then rebounding like he did in 2005, one could say that there haven’t been many quality save opportunities haven’t this year. Maybe that has exposed something and it was time to shop him…ok, but it seems like you have taken 2 blown saves and turned Wickman into something worse than Jose Mesa and we KNOW what an “adventure” that was
mhbeti – You have to admit that even BW’s converted saves were adventurous this year. I do like the guy; I’m just not sure he still has that nastiness you have to have as a closer. Now that Carmona has blown his first pressure situation, we’ll see how he bounces back. I hope Bob does well in Atlanta.
To respond to all the Bob Wickman bashers, give it a break. Wicky has moved on to do what he does best CLOSE games. I cannot believe a guy like Wickman is disrespected the way he was here. Tell me, does anyone remember Jose Jimenez. He stunk as a closer, then Bob came back an all was right in the world. At least until he was traded to Atlanta. The guy had a 90% save rating while with the Tribe, what more did you want. I got news for you, without his 45 saves last year, we would not have won 93 games. As for the gentlemen that wanted Carmona to be the closer, you unfortunately got your wish. Thanks to your insights and Shapiro talking to you, this kid will get his head screwed up because he is not ready to close. All that moving around in the bullpen and rotation could possibly turn him into the next Danys Baez. Remember him, EXACTLY! Now that is not to say that down the road this kid will turn around,but you never know. Just keep bashing the Big Boy as you all call him, because he is better right now than his replacement. – Canton’s own Wickman’s Warrior
OK, oh3pre, I’m man enough to admit when I’m busted. You are exactly right about Fausto; he was clearly not ready. As for Wickman, he has a great track record, and he has the most saves in Indians history. I think most of us were frustrated because the saves he did get for us this year were heart attacks waiting to happen, and he blew a couple key games when there was still hope for a good season for us. I hope things go well for him.
Let us also remember that last year he had Bobby Howry setting him up. It can be argued that losing Howry is the worst thing that happened to the bullpen this year. If he were here this year, he probably would have handed more leads to Wickman, who probably saved some more games (and with less dramm). It’s all “what might have been,” of course.
I feel no ill for Wickman; I just thought it was time for a change. And we all see how the change I was hoping for turned out. Ugh!