27-year old righty swinging Jason Donald was going to be the Indians’ starting 3B this year but he broke his hand in spring training.  He then spent a big chunk of the season in the minors before getting called up.  Donald is making up for lost time now.  He has played in 37 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 41 for 128 (.320 avg, .769 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Donald has now played in 125 games in his first two years with the Tribe and he is 116 for 424 (.274 avg, .714 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 5 homers, 30 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Donald is going to make the Indians in 2012, likely as a utility man.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez got off to a rough start for the Indians after coming over in a deal with the Rockies, but he’s finishing the year strongly.  In his last five starts, Jimenez is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 9 games (all starts) overall with the Indians this year and he is 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.  Jimenez has pitched in 30 games (all starts) overall this year for the Rockies & Indians and he is 10-11 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.  The Indians didn’t just trade for Jimenez for this year though as he is signed through 2012 with reasonable team options for the 2013 and 2014 season.  Jimenez has now pitched in 147 games (146 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 60-47 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.  The Indians were smart to make the deal with the Rockies because I have a feeling that Jimenez is going to rebound big time in 2012.

Jack Hannahan has been injured most of September, which has given 22-year old rookie 3B Lonnie Chisenhall the chance to play everyday and he has been outstanding so far this month.  Chisenhall has played in 13 games so far this month for the Indians and he is 13 for 49 (.265 avg, .816 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers and 9 RBIs.  He has now played in 56 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 43 of 175 (.246 avg, .702 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 7 homers, 17 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  One thing the Indians will want Chisenhall to work on over the winter is his plate discipline, as he has walked only 6 times so far this year while whiffing 39 times.  If he finishes the last couple of weeks strongly, I think he will be penciled in as the starting 3B when spring training opens next February.

The Cleveland Indians have lost 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Shin- Soo Choo for the rest of the year due to an oblique muscle.  Choo played in 85 games this year for the Indians and he was 81 for 313 (.259 avg, .733 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 8 homers, 36 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.  Choo now played in 530 games in his first six years with the Indians and he is 567 for 1,926 (.294 avg, .865 OPS) with 301 runs scored, 67 homers, 306 RBIs and 64 stolen bases.  Hopefully 2012 will be much better for Choo as he will start it with a clean slate.

27-year old lefty starting pitcher David Huff has pitched well for the Indians so far this year.  He has pitched in 8 games (7 starts) for the Tribe this year and he is 2-4 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  Huff has now pitched in 46 games (45 starts) in his first three years with the Indians and he is 15-23 with a 5.41 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.  If he looks good in his last couple of starts in 2011, Huff could be in solid shape as far as making the starting rotation in 2012 due to Carlos Carrasco undergoing Tommy John Surgery.