Indians 2011 Season In Review
A GOOD YEAR FOR ATTENDANCE: The Tribe hosted 569,969 fans (8,028 per game) at Victory Field in 2010 - which marks the fourth consecutive year that the Tribe has turned in an average of at least 8,000 fans per contest ... The Indians saw more than 11,500 fans attend a game on 11 different occasions and also witnessed a sellout crowd (14,500+ fans) three times.
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, IT'S HOW YOU FINISH: On May 7, after the teams first 30 games, the Indians found themselves with the second-worst record in all of baseball, including the Major Leagues, with a 9-21 mark ... The only team in baseball to own a worse record than the Tribe after their first 30 contests was Low-A Rome, who accumulated an 8-22 record ... However, beginning on May 8 the Indians went on to compile the best record in the International League with a 67-47 mark the rest of the way ... The Indians would also go on to finish in second in the International League's West Division, doing so for the first time since 2006 ... 2011 was also the first season since 2006 that the Indians finished above the .500 mark.
HAGUE WINS HITS TITLE: INF Matt Hague finished the 2011 season with an International League best 165 hits, becoming the first Indianapolis batter to lead the league in hits since Junior Noboa in 1989 ... Hague's hit total was the highest single-season hits total by an Indians player since D.T. Cromer's 166 base knocks in 1999 and ranked fourth among Indians hitters in a single season over the last 40 years, trailing only Cromer, Dallas Williams (168 in 1983) and Champ Summers (170 in 1978) ... Hague in addition to setting a new single-season career-high for hits in 2011, also notched career-high marks in games played (141), at bats (534) and doubles (37).
MONTHS TO REMEMBER: OF Alex Presley and INF Matt Hague each put together historic individual offensive months during the 2011 season ... Presley in 28 games in the month of May compiled a .345 batting average with 40 hits, 23 runs scored, six doubles, two triples, three homers, 13 RBI and eight steals ... Hague followed Presley's showing with jaw-dropping numbers in the month of June as he hit .402 with 43 hits, 17 runs, 11 doubles, five homers and 17 RBI in 28 contests ... The 43 hits for Hague in June were the most by an Indians hitter in a single month during the Tribe's affiliation with Pittsburgh (since 2005) with only Presley (40 -- May 2011) and OF Rajai Davis (40 -- May 2007) also reaching the 40 hit mark in a single month during that span.
NO JUNE SWOON: Indianapolis followed up a strong 17-12 record in the month of May with an 18-11 mark in June, tying with Gwinnett for the International League's second-best record in June ... The team's .621 winning percentage in June also tied with June 2010 (18-11) as the best winning percentage in a month since May 2006 (.630) ... The Tribe ranked either first or second in the International League in nearly every offensive category in June, including first in hits (283), triples (13) and slugging percentage (.438), while also tying for first in doubles (65) and sacrifice flies (12), in addition to second in runs scored (144), RBI (134), steals (27), on-base percentage (.347), hit-by-pitches (16) and extra-base hits (97) ... Indianapolis also tied Pawtucket for fewest strikeouts in June with just 191 punchouts.
VICTORIES AT "THE VIC": With a 37-35 record at Victory Field this season, the Indians have now totaled a .500 mark or better at home in each of their last eight seasons ... Indianapolis has finished with below a .500 record at Victory Field just twice since the park's first full season in 1997 ... In 72 home contests this year, the Tribe compiled a .266 batting average , scoring 293 runs ... In their six years as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Indianapolis owns a 266-239 record at Victory Field.
ROAD SCHOLARS: The Indians finished 2011 with a 39-33 record on the road this season, marking the first time since 2006 that the club has gone above .500 on the road ... The team's .542 winning percentage in away contests was also the second highest in the Victory Field era, with their .597 winning percentage on the road in 2000 being the only better mark ... The Tribe was also better on the road compared to at home in most offensive categories, including runs (329), hits (647), doubles (149), homers (48), RBI (312) and slugging percentage (.395) ... INF Matt Hague was the team's best hitter on the road in 2011, batting .316, while adding 43 runs, 24 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 42 RBI.
BY THE NUMBERS: Overall, 60 different players wore an Indians uniform in 2011 ... The average age of the Tribe's Opening Day roster, which featured eight Triple-A rookies was just under 25 years-old ... A total of 16 players made their Triple-A debut with Indianapolis in 2011 ... OF Andrew Lambo at the age of 21 was the youngest Indians player this year, while RHP Nelson Figueroa was the oldest (37).
HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR: INF Matt Hague was named to the International League's Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star Teams, while OF Alex Presley and closer Tim Wood joined Hague on the IL's Post-Season All-Star Team ... Indianapolis was the only club to have three representatives on the 2011 Post-Season All-Star roster ... Hague led the International League in hits (165), while also placing in the league's top ten in doubles, total bases, batting average and runs scored ... Presley prior to his promotion to Pittsburgh on June 28 led the International League in base knocks (98), while also ranking second in total bases (146), tying for third in batting average (.336) and steals (18), fourth in runs (52) and fifth in on-base percentage (.389) ... Prior to being traded to the Texas Rangers' organization, Wood led the International League in saves with 23, and had been successful in all but three of his save chances ... In his 26 save opportunities with Indianapolis, Wood compiled a 0.64 ERA (2 ER in 28.1 IP), while holding opponents to just a .126 batting average (12-for-95).
CONTRIBUTING CALL-UPS: In total, an astonishing 31 players wore both an Indians and Pirates jersey at some point during the 2011 season ... Ten Indians players were also promoted and made their Major League debuts for the Pirates this year ... After playing in 87 games for the Tribe, OF Alex Presley was promoted to Pittsburgh on June 28 and made a strong early impact, batting .333 with 12 runs, eight extra-base hits, nine RBI and nine walks for an on-base percentage of .402 from June 28 to July 22 ... INF Chase d'Arnaud made his Major League debut on June 24 for Pittsburgh and stole 12 bases over a total of 48 contests ... After his call-up, INF Josh Harrison hit .272 and played in 65 games, the most for any Pittsburgh rookie ... INF Pedro Ciriaco was called up by the Pirates a total of six times over the course of the year, and hit .303 in 23 games for the club ... LHP Daniel Moskos in 31 relief appearances for the Pirates went 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA, while fellow reliever Chris Leroux compiled a 1-1 mark and 2.88 ERA ... RHP Jared Hughes in his first eight games in the Major Leagues relinquished just four hits in eight scoreless frames for the Pirates.
SPEEDY SQUAD: Indianapolis led the International League in triples this year with 25, while they also paced the IL in steals for a large majority of the year, eventually finishing second with 133 thefts ... OF Gorkys Hernandez set a new single-season career-high with nine triples this season, which tied him for first in the International League ... Overall, a total of six players swiped ten of more bags this year for the Tribe, the highest number for an Indians club since 2008, when nine Indianapolis players recorded double-digit steals.
HAGUE NAMED 2011 MVP: INF Matt Hague was named the 2011 Indianapolis Indians' Most Valuable Player ... The infielder led the International League in hits with 165 and games played (141), while also placing third in doubles (37) and total bases (244), sixth in batting average (.309) and tying for sixth in runs scored (70) ... The Washington native was also voted to the International League's Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star Teams ... Hague also led the Indians in 2011 in games played, at bats (534), runs, doubles, total bases and walks (47).
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: RHP Jared Hughes was named the Indians' Rookie of the Year ... Hughes, who began the season with Double-A Altoona, shined right away in his relief role with Indianapolis after being promoted on June 10 ... The right-hander in his first 15 appearances with the Tribe accumulated a 1.65 ERA (3 ER in 16.1 IP) ... Overall in his 35 outings, Hughes recorded a 3-1 record and 2.11 ERA (10 ER in 42.2 IP) and ranked third among Indianapolis relievers with 45 punchouts ... The California native did not relinquish a run in 27 of his 35 appearances with the Tribe, and allowed just four of the 27 runners he inherited to score.
MOST VALUABLE STARTING PITCHER: LHP Justin Wilson was named the Indians' Most Valuable Starting Pitcher ... Wilson, who pitched most of the year as a starter before being converted to the closer role in the final month, recorded a team-high ten wins, which ranked in a tie for fifth in the International League ... At one point between May 12 to June 12, Wilson accumulated a 6-0 record and 4.03 ERA (17 ER in 38.0 IP) in a span of seven starts en route to becoming the IL's first eight-game winner of the year ... Overall this year, Wilson compiled a 10-8 record and 4.13 ERA in 30 outings, fanning 94 batters in 124.1 innings of work ... The southpaw also finished the year in a tie for third on the club with his 94 strikeouts in 2011.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: OF Gorkys Hernandez was named the Indians' Defensive Player of the Year ... Hernandez was superb as the everyday center fielder for the Tribe, setting a single-season career-high with 11 outfield assists in 2011 ... During the season, Hernandez committed just four errors in 317 total chances and was also recognized by Baseball America as having the International League's "Best Outfield Arm" ... In 126 contests for Indianapolis, the Venezuela native also batted .283 with 48 runs, 25 doubles, nine triples, one homer, 40 RBI and a team-high 21 stolen bases.
HENRY SMOCK RELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEAR: LHP Justin Thomas was named the Indians' Henry Smock Relief Pitcher of the Year ... Thomas led the International League and established a new single-season career-high with 63 appearances for the Tribe in 2011, which also ranked as the second most by an Indians reliever in the Victory Field era (since 1996) ... Overall, Thomas compiled an 8-2 mark and 3.89 ERA (30 ER in 69.1 IP) in 2011 for Indianapolis ... The southpaw held down left-handed hitters all year, holding them to just a .188 batting average (19-for-101) ... Thomas also ended the year strong, not allowing a run in 12 of his final 13 outings.
APRIL POTM: OF Alex Presley was named the Indians' April Player of the Month ... Presley batted .333 (30-for-90) with 13 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 12 RBI and five stolen bases during the season's first month ... The outfielder posted two seven-game hitting streaks during the month of April, including one to begin the season (April 7-13) ... The left-handed slugger ranked among the International League's best with nine multi-hit games, while also placing fifth in hits (30) and seventh in batting average in April ... Presley also reached base via a hit or walk in 20 of his 24 games played in April, and recorded at least one hit on 19 different occasions.
MAY POTM: RHP Cesar Valdez was named the Indians' May Player of the Month ... Valdez made a team-high 13 appearances in May and compiled a 1.00 ERA (2 ER in 18.0 IP) ... The right-hander also fanned 16 batters and walked just five, while opposing batters mustered only a .159 batting average against him ... His 1.00 ERA in the month paced the Indians, while his 16 strikeouts were second-best among Tribe relievers ... Valdez also led the team with four holds in the month of May and ended the month with five straight scoreless outings.
JUNE POTM: INF Matt Hague was named the Indians' June Player of the Month ... Hague was one of the top hitters in Minor League Baseball in June, recording a .402 batting average with 17 runs scored, 11 doubles, five homers and 17 RBI in 28 games ... The infielder also struck out only eight times in 107 at bats in his 28 contests in June ... Hague's 43 hits ranked him fifth in Minor League Baseball in the month of June, while his batting average placed him seventh among full-season Minor League clubs ... The 43 base knocks by Hague were also the most in a single month by an Indianapolis hitter since the Tribe's affiliation with Pittsburgh started in 2005.
JULY POTM: OF John Bowker was named the Indians' July Player of the Month ... Bowker batted .316 in the month of July, adding 17 runs, eight doubles, seven homers and 20 RBI in 27 games ... The left-handed slugger tied for second in the International League in home runs, while also ranking fourth in extra-base hits (15), tied for fifth in hits (36), seventh in slugging percentage (.570) and eighth in RBI ... Bowker, who was also named the Tribe's POM in August of 2010, became the sixth Indians player since 2005 to have been named the Tribe's Player of the Month twice in his career, joining former players Steve Pearce (August 2007 & April 2010), Andrew McCutchen (May 2008 & May 2009), Brian Bixler (June 2007 & July 2009), Bryan Bullington (July 2005 & April 2007) and Yurendell de Caster (June 2005 & July 2006).
AUGUST POTM: INF Jordy Mercer was named the Indians' August Player of the Month ... Mercer accumulated a .313 mark during the month of August, in addition to 26 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, three homers and 15 RBI ... The 26 runs led the International League in August, while he also tied for sixth in doubles and tied for eighth in hits (35) ... Mercer also finished the month with a bang, belting home runs in each of the final three contests of the month ... Following the season, Mercer was also named to the Team USA roster for the 2011 Baseball World Cup and Pan-American Games.