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It's almost time for baseball to begin, rejoice fans! Spring Training officially begins on Monday, and though there aren't any games or real baseball being played it's the official date that pitchers and catchers report for the Cleveland Indians, the first sure sign that the season is almost here. The Indians actually have one of the latest reporting dates for pitchers and catchers in the league, with most of the teams reporting on the 18th and 19th, but it's behind everyone now.
The Indians start the season hoping that former Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez will be able to retain the incredible form that he had back with his former team before being traded for Drew Pomeranz and Alex White last season. Past Jimenez they have plenty of depth, with guys like the newly minted Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Slowey holding down the fort.
Their 80-82 season last year was marred with inconsistency from all sides of the field after a very strong start that kept them contending in the AL Central, so their pitching will need to stay top class as the 2012 season starts to draw near in Cleveland.
Position players for the Indians will report on Thursday, while the first full team workout will be on Saturday.
For more on the Cleveland Indians, head over to our Indians blog Let's Go Tribe. You can also head over to the SB Nation MLB hub at sbnation.com/MLB.