"Catcher, first baseman or DH, the Indians know one thing about Carlos Santana.

"I'll tell you what Santana is. Santana is a very good middle-of-the-order bat. Wherever you put him, he's going to produce," said manager Manny Acta to reporters on Wednesday at the winter meetings.

The Indians wish they had that much of a grasp on Ubaldo Jimenez. Is he the lead dog starter he looked like in the first part of the 2010 season for the Colorado Rockies? Or is he the mechanical mess they acquired in a trade that shook the organization on July 31?

This winter they have taken similar, but not identical steps to discover more about two of the players that will help determine if the Indians can improve on their 80-win performance last season. Santana and Jimenez have spent most of the off-season in their native Dominican Republic. Indians trainer Nelson Perez was sent there to oversee their conditioning sessions. "