Fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2007, the Cleveland Indians are now just days away from the start of spring training.
The Indians made some big changes to the roster this offseason, but the biggest moves came in the form of the free-agency departures of Scott Kazmir, Joe Smith and Ubaldo Jimenez. The team attempted to address these moves through a flurry of minor league signings while also adding closer John Axford and outfielder David Murphy to the big league roster.
The moves bring some optimism to Cleveland, as does the crop of young prospects who are making the trip to camp.
Multiple position battles have taken shape this offseason. The battles for the fifth rotational spot, as well as the one for third base, should provide some interesting storylines as we progress through spring training.
Over the course of this article, we’ll take you step-by-step through spring training, giving you a full breakdown of what to expect as the team makes its way toward the start of the 2014 season.
So let’s get started!
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.