Sunday News: Looking forward, looking back

Rosen, 1953 MVP and four-time All-Star, dies at 91 | MLB.com

Rosen left an indelible mark on and off the field | indians.com

Al Rosen, Who Missed Triple Crown by a Step, Dies at 91 - NYTimes.com

Al Rosen, 1953 AL MVP with the Cleveland Indians, dies at age 91 - MLB - SI.com

Former Giants GM Al Rosen dies at 91 - SFGate

Cleveland Indians great Al Rosen passes away at age 91 - Let's Go Tribe

One of the greatest players in franchise history, and that was just a portion of his remarkable life. Al Rosen had his playing career cut short due to injuries, retiring at the age of 32, just three years removed from his MVP season. After building a successful career for himself off the field as a stockbroker, he was brought back into the game by George Steinbrenner as a part of the group that tried to purchase the Indians 1972. He later joined Steinbrenner in New York, then had successful tenures as a baseball executive with the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants.

For a more detailed profile on his Indians career, check out our Top 100 Indians profile on Rosen.

Other Indians News

Carrasco scratched, sent home with flu-like symptoms | indians.com

Carlos was the latest player to come down the flu this spring, and so Bruce Chen got the start in yesterday's game. Brandon Moss was also held out for another game, but should be back in the lineup today.

Does Gavin Floyd miss mean Cleveland Indians can't evaluate pitchers? Hey, Hoynsie! (photos, video) | cleveland.com

Hoynse does a pretty good job answering the headline question, which is rather silly to begin with. If you're going to evaluate a front office, don't base your evaluation on one pitcher. If you are limiting your criteria to pitchers coming off injury, the Indians struck gold with Scott Kazmir a couple years ago, and tried to repeat the feat with Floyd. It didn't work out. They brought Shaun Marcum in last season, and probably won't pitch in the majors until at least late Spring. The Indians have gotten a reputation over the last decade or so as an organization that will give injured pitchers a second chance, and that's why they've been able to sign so many high-profile rehabbing pitchers.

But the relevant question is what the Indians will do in the wake of the Floyd injury. Last season they had a revolving door at the back end of the rotation, but it wasn't because of injury. The Indians started camp with eight pitchers on the 40-man roster who have pitched in a major-league rotation, plus two pitchers with extensive experience (Chen, Marcum) who are in camp on minor-league contracts. Compared to a year ago, the Indians do seem to have better depth, though again they may have to tinker a bit before they find the right combination.

Brotherly love: Juan Gomes following in Yan's footsteps | indians.com

Yan isn't the only Gomes in camp this spring; his brother Juan, drafted by the Indians last year, is also in Goodyear. Juan is a long-shot to make the majors (he's already 23, and was drafted in the 37th round), but at the very least the two brothers will have spent a memorable spring together in Arizona.

Latest 25-man/40-man roster

(Click here for embiggened version)

Injuries are starting to pop up, with some much more serious than the others:

• Gavin Floyd is likely out for the season, having re-injured the elbow that was surgically repaired last year.
• Nick Swisher still hasn't played in a game, which probably means he'll start the season on the Disabled List
• Zach Walters has a right oblique strain, which probably means that he will also begin the season on the DL
• Josh Tomlin pitched yesterday after missing some time with "shoulder discomfort"
• Giovanny Urshela has been held out of the last couple games with a tight lower back