Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

Like Jeremy Sowers before him, 22-year-old Cleveland pitching prospect Adam Miller looks like the real deal. He compiled a 15-6 record at Akron last season and continues to impress the Tribe brass. When Miller pitched against the Tigers Monday, several veterans, including C.C. Sabathia, remained in the dugout to watch the kid righthander.

Normally, in spring training, vets clear out the minute they're done for the day. They head off to the outfield to run, go down to the clubhouse for treatment, etc., etc. This time, though, they all wanted a look at Miller.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Miller can bring it at 100 miles per hour, but last season, when he was coming off elbow problems, his coaches kept cautioning him to go with his changeup. Most young pitcher who can throw hard would rather die than toss changeups, but Miller did as told and he ended up developing a really nasty change. It complements his heater and sharp curve quite well, according to all reports.

Tribe skipper Eric Wedge said Miller is ready for the big leagues now, but because the Indians don't really need him at this point, they're going to let him "finish off the rough edges" at Buffalo. It means he'll spend his time polishing his fielding, holding runners close, etc.

The depth of Cleveland's starting pitching is impressive -- at least for this year. Within the next two seasons the Tribe could be down both Jake Westbrook and Sabathia. Chances are good they'll lose at least one -- if not both -- of those pitchers to free agency.

For now, though, I might be tempted to deal Paul Byrd, who only has a year remaining on his contract. A lot of teams are desperately seeking starting pitching, which makes Byrd a little more valuable than he would normally be.

Even if nobody wants Byrd, Tribe GM Mark Shapiro and Wedge can't afford to sit back and watch a repeat of 2006. That is, they sent Jason Johnson out start after start, even after he kept getting bombed by every team. They shouldn't let that happen to Byrd. Admittedly, he's better than Johnson, but Byrd is 36, and he wasn't all that great a year ago.

If the bullpen doesn't come together the way Shapiro hopes it will, Miller's status, plus the availability of Fausto Carmona, is another plus. The Indians should be able to deal for what they need. No use just sitting back and watching bad things unfold, the Indians have to be on the offensive.

Playing in the highly-competitive American League Central Division, Cleveland can't afford to slip too far behind the division leaders. For if they do, they could find themselves buried -- just as they did in 2006.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz: Outfielder Franklin Gutierriez was signed by Camilo Pasqual for the Dodgers in 2000.

Today's quiz: Name the No. 1 prospect in the Indians organization, according to Baseball America.

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-- Kevin Cuneo