With the shortened training camp for Major League Baseball, teams were allowed to carry 28 players on the roster, instead of 26, which would have been one extra player than in previous seasons.
Somehow, the Cleveland Indians have a lot of duplication among those 28 players, and with so many struggles offensively, it seems like the front office should give Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr. some options.
First, look at the catching position. We know and understand the organization values defense and handling pitchers above everything else at that spot. It has worked for them since Francona took over, as he’s used primarily Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez.
However, right now, the roster has three catchers who basically do the same thing. When healthy, Perez is the primary backstop, and we would say he’s the best hitter of the bunch, hitting a career high 24 home runs last season.
Right now, he’s hitting .167 (494 OPS) in 22 games. He’s not walking as much as normal, and hasn’t driven the ball, but that could be because of his shoulder problem, which put him on the injured list once this season.
The primary backup is switch-hitting Sandy Leon, who is hitting .150 (568 OPS) although he has drawn 12 walks in 2020. They also added Austin Hedges, another defensive whiz, in the big San Diego trade at the deadline. He’s batting .156 with a 559 OPS, and has fanned 22 times in 78 plate appearances.
They seem to be basically the same player, the only discernible difference is Leon has the ability to hit left-handed.
The same seems to be true in centerfield, where the Tribe is carrying two right-handed hitters whose primary job is to provide good defense in the middle of the diamond.
Delino DeShields Jr. has received the most playing time out there, and quite frankly, he can’t hit, batting .247 with just two extra base hits and a 587 OPS. Oscar Mercado had a decent rookie season in 2019 (761 OPS), but this year has just 63 at bats, with a .143 batting average.
Mercado is two years younger, and his rookie season was better offensively than anything DeShields has done in his five major league seasons with Texas.
Our point in bringing this up giving more options for the Tribe manager, either Tito or Alomar. Wouldn’t the team be better off having a left-handed hitting option in center, maybe giving another shot to Daniel Johnson, who went 1 for 12 in five games early in the season?
Also, Johnson is 24 years old, and perhaps he could lay some foundation for a roster spot in 2021. And as we always ask, what are the odds he would be worse than the duo currently patrolling that position for the Tribe?
As for the catching situation, is there a need for three, especially since the Indians rarely pinch-hit for one of them early in a game. And if there would be an injury, they can always bring Bo Taylor back as a second catcher.
What could be done with that extra spot? You could have a second reserve infielder. Last week when Jose Ramirez’ hand was bothering him, Mike Freeman played third base, and the Tribe was left without another option.
Or perhaps another outfield bat to choose from, especially with the club platooning at least at two spots. It could give the skipper an alternative for a favorable matchup earlier in the contest.
Again, none of this would probably be necessary if the outfield was providing any type of production, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and more options.
We are sure the Indians would love for someone to emerge with a hot bat, even if it’s just for a couple of weeks. It doesn’t hurt to have more choices for who that will be.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 