Furthermore, Ben Franscico is hitting .367 in Spring Training with 3 HR's, all while playing a solid OF. Franscico has versatility in that he can play all 3 OF spots and has speed on the basepaths. Sounds like an interesting option off the bench, right? Wrong. Enter Trot Nixon, a broken down used-to-be who's been battling injuries and old man disease since the 2004 World Series.

But the greatest potential tragedy this Spring would be if Ryan Garko does not start the season with the Indians. The kid is ready. He proved that last year when he nearly had as many RBI's as games played. He is a hitting machine, with a few deficiences defensively. So what?

Let's remember, Jim Thome wasn't exactly Brooks Robinson at 3B his rookie year, but, with the help of his live bat, the team managed to get through it just fine.

Garko has a great attitude, is a good teammate, and has the potential to be an amazing big league run producer. But everytime his name comes up, Shapiro and Wedge talk about him like he's Brandon Phillips's evil twin. It seems like a twisted, misguided form of motivation. At least, that's what I hope they are doing.

And If Hector Luna makes the big league squad, I will seriously start to question the sanity of our front office. Does anyone remember the Vazquez debacle last year?!?!?! Luna is not a quality utility guy, he is a Peralta clone. That is if Johnny was fatter, couldn't hit, and was slightly retarded. If you are going to award roster spots to utility infielders over offensive talent like Garko, they better flash Omar-like leather. And last time I checked, Luna was a below average infielder who lacks speed and has limited range. Gee, where have I seen that before?

It can be frustrating as a fan at times. However, the silver lining is we will see this young talent soon enough. Nixon will get hurt. Byrd will continue to be terrible and over the hill. The bullpen will need fresh arms. And Garko's bat will be too much to deny. We will see these young studs at some point this season, the only question is, when?