The days of “Pronk” seem to be long gone.  The power of DH Travis Hafner that, for so long, dropped the jaws of many Indians fans and warranted a section of Progressive Field to be named after him, has been sapped.  It’s one of the most bizarre drop-offs in recent Tribe memory, and there is hardly any explanation.  At this point, saying a supervillain literally sapped away his power would stand as one of the most viable reasons for the loss of Hafner’s power at the plate.

Despite the fact that Hafner only played in 57 games last season due to injuries, he will remain as a key component of the Tribe’s lineup in 2009.  For the past two years, fans have been bewildered by Hafner’s inability to take the ball to the opposite field, and even more confused by the fact that a homer, a previous staple of the Hafner repetoire, is now merely a rarity.  If the Indians are going to be competitive in 2009 and even make a run at the division, they need Hafner to regain some shred of his old form.  They cannot afford to have a guy wasting a spot in the batting order and at this point, that is basically what he has been doing.

Here are Hafner’s stats since 2004, his second season with the Indians:

2004: .311, 28 HR, 109 RBI, .410 OBP (482 at-bats)

2005: .305, 33 HR, 108 RBI, .408 OBP (486 AB)

2006: .308, 42 HR, 117 RBI, .439 OBP (454 AB)

2007: .266, 24 HR, 100 RBI, .385 OBP (545 AB)

2008: .197, 5 HR, 24 RBI, .305 OBP (198 AB)

The decline since 2006 has been startling, and no one has any clue what is going on.  It could be injuries, but does that really explain a completely different approach at the plate?  A hitter who used to be so patient has now been swinging early in the count, failing to take walks,  and hitting into more shifts than I would ever care to see in my lifetime.

Whatever it is, Hafner needs to regroup and regain some of that Pronk power.  The bullpen will not be a problem, but an offense that will get the lead could be.  In other words, I don’t know or even really care what happened to Hafner the past two seasons.  Let’s consider this a clean slate.  The Indians need you, Travis Hafner.  I hope you can step up to the plate and deliver.