Indians Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Indians Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The biggest thing the Indians learned in 2008 is that you can’t lose the two biggest hitters out of the middle of your lineup for three months without it dramatically affecting your record. That’s what happened to the Indians, who played most of this season with designated hitter Travis Hafner and catcher Victor Martinez on the disabled list.

Having a bullpen in a constant state of turmoil also can torpedo a season. The Indians experienced all of that in 2008, a season in which they were expected to contend for a spot in the postseason but instead were trading away their veterans by midseason.

The lost season did allow the team to further evaluate some of its younger players by giving them increased playing time.

Tribe learns lesson on standing pat

The Indians went with what they had this year, adding little in the offseason to a team that won the Central Division and came a win away from reaching the World Series.