Tribe Adding Some Swing & Miss, Will It Hurt The Offense?

In today’s baseball, hitters striking out is considered a normal facet of hitting. However, it is still true that for the most part, teams that strikeout the most, generally aren’t successful.

Here are the American League teams that fanned the most in 2019 with their won loss records:

Detroit 47-114
Seattle 68-94
Texas 78-84
Chicago 72-89
Toronto 67-95

A couple of National League teams made the playoffs despite a lot of strikeouts, but the other three teams were among the four worst squads in the Senior Circuit:

San Diego    70-92
Milwaukee    89-73
Colorado    71-91
Miami 57-105
Atlanta 97-65

We ask this because although the Cleveland Indians finished third best in the AL in making contact a year ago, this season they will likely have two players in their lineup who will strikeout a lot in Franmil Reyes and newcomer Domingo Santana.

Reyes struck out in 28.5% of his at bats a year ago, while Santana fanned more often, striking out in 32.5% of his plate appearances.

The major league average was 23% in 2019.

In looking at the teams who were successful despite all the strikeouts, the Brewers and Braves, we noticed Milwaukee had only two players who whiffed more than 120 times: Yasmani Grandal (139 K’s, but with 109 walks) and Eric Thames (140).

Atlanta had four players with over 120 K’s, but three of them (Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson, and Ronald Acuna Jr) also walked more than 75 times.

Guys like Jim Thome, who strikeout a lot and walk a frequently still add to the offense greatly.

We think having Reyes and D. Santana in the lineup together can work, but Terry Francona needs to space them out in the batting order. What you don’t want is a situation where you get runners in scoring position and then don’t make contact so they stay right where they are.

When Domingo Santana had his best season in 2017 (30 HR, 85 RBI, 875 OPS), he did have a .371 on base percentage because he walked 73 times.

Before he was hampered by an elbow injury in the second half of last season in Seattle, his first half numbers showed a .354 OBP and a 850 OPS.

Santana does have a .343 career OBP while Reyes is .321.

To be fair, Reyes is just 24 years old and has only been in the major leagues for two seasons, compared to the 27 year old Santana, who has spent parts of every year since 2014 in the big leagues.

It helps the Indians, who again struck out the third least amount of times in the AL in 2019, that only one player on the current roster, catcher Roberto Perez, fanned more than 120 times (127) last season.

So, it is not as though a full year of Reyes and the addition of Santana are going to cause the Cleveland offense to be strikeout prone.

From all reports, Francona is going to put Reyes somewhere in the middle of the order, perhaps 4th, and if he does that, putting Santana in let’s say the #7 hole should be able to work out just fine.

If Domingo Santana is healthy, and returns to the player he was in 2017 and in the first half of last season, the Indians added a big time thumper to their batting order.

In today’s game, you need those guys. Look at what the Minnesota Twins did a year ago.

And they still have plenty of players who can put the bat on the ball and get on base.

The strikeouts shouldn’t be a deterrent.

Cavs Need To Adjust Their Style After The Break

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the NBA All-Star weekend with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the entire league.

They did make a splash at the trading deadline, acquiring two time All Star Andre Drummond from Detroit for pretty much a bag of balls and some warmups.

That’s not to disparage John Henson and Brandon Knight, but they were free agents to be at the end of the season, and weren’t coming back to play for the wine and gold.

With their roster set, what does the balance of the NBA schedule hold for the Cavs? What should they be trying to accomplish in the 30 or so games remaining on the slate?

GM Koby Altman was quoted as saying this season, yes, this one, has been a success because of the development of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr.

While we understand where he is coming from, no season in which a team wins just 26% of their games is a good one, particularly when they won only 23% last season, and supposedly added two first round picks.

These last 28 games should be about showing some progress on the court. No, we don’t think the Cavs should or will make the playoffs, but it would be nice if there were no more 41 point losses at home either.

And really, let’s say John Beilein’s group stunned the world and went 20-8 in the remaining schedule. Would people really be upset by that? That would be significant progress, no?

With the addition of Drummond, Cleveland is going against the grain in today’s NBA, going with more size. That’s not a bad thing, just different. But if you are going to go with it, you also have to change your style of play.

When Phoenix started the “small ball” movement, they didn’t line up and play the same style of all the taller teams in the NBA at that time, they started playing with pace and shooting more threes than the rest of the league.

The league average in 2004-05, Mike D’Antoni’s first year with the Suns, was 15.8 three point attempts per game. Phoenix took a league high 24.7.

If Beilein is going to feature Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Tristan Thompson, the strategy should be play fast off of defensive rebounds, take advantage of fast break opportunities.

If that isn’t there, and the team is in a half court situation, the object should be to work inside out. Get the ball to Drummond or Love around the paint and surround them with shooters.

Thus, a greater emphasis should be put on defense, since the best way to fast break is to get stops, grab the rebound, and run.

That may also entail using a different rotation in the backcourt, maybe moving Garland to the bench and getting a little more size at guard by using Sexton and Porter, and occasionally Cedi Osman there.

We have said all season we would like to see Osman, Nance, and Love on the floor at the same time with Thompson at center, just to see if the Cavs can play that way.

This would be a good chance to experiment with that group together.

If you are going to play with size, then you have to use a style that doesn’t allow your bigs to be run off the floor, particularly with the way the game is played.

It’s going to take a new commitment from the coaching staff and the players. Will we see some progress in terms of team goals between now and the middle of April?

Odd Reasons To Doubt Mayfield

Cleveland sports fans are sometimes a different breed. Especially when it comes to the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns are quite frankly, one of the worst franchises in professional sports when it comes wins and losses. They haven’t made a playoff appearance since 2002, haven’t won a playoff game since 1994, and have had just two winning seasons since then as well.

We know, if you are reading this, that you know this too, but it is a huge reason for the skepticism and doubt surrounding the franchise.

Why would you trust anyone in Berea, especially after 2019, when it looked like the Browns were poised for a playoff berth after a promising second half in 2018, and a trade for Odell Beckham Jr. signaled the organization was all in.

Unfortunately, a brutal early schedule got the team in a bad direction to start, and Freddie Kitchens didn’t know how to handle the situation.

It seems the current angst among Browns’ fans and media alike is directed toward Baker Mayfield, who you may recall was the toast of the town a year ago at this time.

What is weird is the mixed message you get from the Baker detractors.

For example, if Kitchens was as over his head as everyone believes and there was a conflict between the head coach and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, wouldn’t that be reason enough for the second year QB’s struggles?

There is no question we did not see the Mayfield who set an NFL for most touchdown passes as a rookie in 2019. The only statistic he improved upon last season was yards/completion.

He had a lower completion percentage, more interceptions, lower yards passing per contest, and a lower passer rating than his first season in brown and orange.

We still insist it was a different offensive system than in 2018, and this version did not incorporate what Mayfield does well, which was being very accurate.

Too many times in long yardage situations, there did not appear to be a short route available to the quarterback, so he was forced to either take a sack, or force the ball to a receiver that wasn’t open.

Also, in spite of the Pro Football Focus rankings that had the Browns’ offensive line ranked in the middle of the pack, the eye test says they were a below average group, particularly on the outside.

You could see Mayfield being skittish in the pocket if the receiver didn’t break open right away, worried that he was going to take a hit. He needs more confidence in his linemen, particularly his left and right tackles.

This will be addressed before next training camp begins.

The other weird reaction to Mayfield’s second season as Cleveland’s signal caller are the folks who worshiped former GM John Dorsey.

If Dorsey was the man, don’t you trust the player he picked first overall in 2018? He’s the guy who looked at all the passers picked in the first round and decided the best player was Baker Mayfield.

Keep that thought in mind. Dorsey wasn’t a perfect as many made him to be, but he does have an eye for talent, and he chose Mayfield. Shouldn’t that count for something?

The guess here is the Browns have their quarterback of the future and his name is Baker Mayfield.

He had a large dose of reality in his second season and we think with better guidance provided by Kevin Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, he will look more like the guy who we saw in 2018.

This is a big season for Mayfield. Our guess is he will be ready.

Tribe Roster Battles Heading To Spring Training.

For every baseball fan, these are magic words: Pitchers and catchers report this week.

That happens this week for most Major League Baseball teams, including the Cleveland Indians. Usually under the management of Terry Francona, there aren’t many questions in regards to the 25, now 26 man roster.

This season, there will be some competition for jobs when the Tribe comes north on March 28th to take on the Detroit Tigers, and we will take a look at those battles.

The Outfield. With the impending addition of outfielder Domingo Santana, there will be 10 man battling for five or perhaps six spots on the roster. It would seem that Oscar Mercado, Franmil Reyes, and Jordan Luplow have spots locked up.

We can probably include Domingo Santana in that group as well.

That leaves six players (Bradley Zimmer, Daniel Johnson, Greg Allen, Jake Bauers, Delino DeShields, and also Tyler Naquin (if his knee is ready to go) battling for one or two spots.

The left-handed hitters would seem to have an edge because if the Indians continue to use Luplow as a platoon player, they need a partner. If Naquin is ready to go, he is that guy.

We feel Francona will keep six outfielders with DeShields seeming to have an inside track too.

That leaves Zimmer, Johnson, Allen, and Bauers on the outside looking in. If Naquin isn’t ready, we would guess Bauers gets the first shot.

The Bullpen. There is much excitement surrounding the ‘pen because of the acquisition of Emmanuel Clase and the emergence of James Karinchak at the end of last season.

However, those two have combined for just 28 innings at the big league level, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see either start at Columbus because they had a bad spring training.

Brad Hand will be the closer, and we would say Oliver Perez and Nick Wittgren have spots locked up.

That leaves the two youngsters to battle with Phil Maton, Adam Cimber, James Hoyt, Hunter Wood, and perhaps Jefry Rodriguez to come north. And don’t forget Dominic Leone, a non-roster invitee who pitched for St. Louis in 2019.

We listed 10 names and Francona likes to have eight guys in his bullpen, so two of this group will open in AAA.

The new rule in which a reliever must face three hitters may put Cimber in Columbus to start the year, and Rodriguez may be used as a starter to start the year.

Utility Man. While the 40 man roster is filled with outfielders, the only other infielders besides the starters are Yu Chang, Christian Arroyo, and Andrew Velazquez.

The latter may have the inside track because our guess is the front office want the other two playing everyday in AAA, especially Arroyo, because he hasn’t played much the past two years because of injury.

However, if Arroyo, a former top 100 prospect with the Giants is impressive in Arizona, he could force himself on the big club.

All this said, there is always a chance for a surprise in camp. Perhaps no one can get Johnson or Zimmer out in games, and Francona puts them on the Opening Day roster.

And we hate to say it, but injuries could play a factor as well.

By the end of this month, games (exhibition, but still) will be played and we get to see our Boys of Summer (nod to the great Roger Kahn). It won’t be long until the Indians are home.

MWS

Getting Drummond For Virtually Nothing? Why Not?

We have commented for several years that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organization ignored height in a sport where it matters a lot.

They addressed that yesterday in a huge way, trading impending free agents John Henson and Brandon Knight, and a second round draft pick to the Pistons for one of the best big men in the game, Andre Drummond.

Yes, we understand Drummond can be a free agent at the end of the season by declining his player option, but the Cavs have his “Bird rights”, meaning they can offer him more than any other team.

And even if he leaves via free agency, GM Koby Altman basically gave up the second round pick, because Henson and Knight were leaving anyway.

That’s what you call a win/win. He’s just 26 years old.

Quite frankly, Drummond is one of the game’s best big men. He leads the league in rebounding at 15.8, and has led the NBA in this category in three of the last four seasons. He’s also scoring 17.8 points per game.

Is he a guy who can be the best player on a playoff team? That’s doubtful, but he is a productive big guy and is a deterrent around the basket, averaging 1.7 blocked shots per game.

Does he make the wine and gold significantly better right now? Again, probably not, so any fear of a lengthy winning streak starting soon and putting the Cavs with lower odds of getting a top five pick in this June’s draft are probably unfounded.

However, no one should complain about adding a good player for virtually nothing, and Drummond is a very good player.

He isn’t like the flashy players today’s NBA seem to love, but you still need quality big men to win, even today.

How does he fit in with the current Cavs’ roster? That would be up to the coaching staff and the young backcourt players.

Beilein has talked about ball movement offensively, but we really haven’t seen it. And the young players (Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, and Kevin Porter Jr.) have had issues making entry passes to the low post, which is where you want Drummond to have the basketball.

If they don’t learn quickly how to do that, then the new big man won’t be much of a factor offensively.

On the other hand, Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. are very good passers, so perhaps some imagination getting the ball into the high post to either of them, and then playing off Drummond can work.

With Tristan Thompson remaining on the roster, you may be able to give Nance some minutes at the small forward spot, which we have also advocated.

That also makes you stronger defensively, and it goes without saying that is a huge need for this squad.

The point is this is a low risk move for the Cavs. They basically gave up a second round pick for a quality big man.

When in doubt, we are always in favor of adding good players to the team. That’s what Altman did yesterday.

Can’t complain about that.

Will Cavs Roster Be Reshaped This Week?

With the NBA trading deadline coming up on Thursday, this figures to be a pivotal week for the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After a 4-5 start that had many people optimistic about the young roster, the last month to six weeks have been tough to watch. The Cavs have lost 11 home games in a row, and in the past few weeks, have been blown out at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse by three of the league’s worst teams: The Knicks, Wizards, and Warriors.

Clearly, there is a problem. While no one expected the wine and gold to make a playoff run this season, winning only nine games out of the last 42 (a half season) wasn’t what the organization was hoping for either.

Things looked a little promising after the “slug/thug” comment right before the Disney On Ice trip with road wins at Detroit and Denver, but since then, they’ve lost 11 of 12, with only four of the losses by less than 10 points.

We know the Cavs have five free agents to be at the end of this season: Tristan Thompson, John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, Brandon Knight, and Ante Zizic, plus Kevin Love would like to be moved elsewhere.

Will GM Koby Altman be able to move any of these players before Thursday’s deadline? Or will be move one, if not more, of this group with another piece in an effort to revamp the entire roster.

Let’s face it, playing two small guards (Collin Sexton and Darius Garland) isn’t working, particularly on the defensive end, although really, that should have been expected.

Cleveland’s roster compounds this situation by having just one shot blocking threat, Henson, around the basket. It is very noticeable that the defense is better when Henson is in the game, he has the best defensive rating on the team.

Really, this franchise has ignored height for much of the last five seasons. The last move to get a true center (and yes, he know the game is different now) was when David Griffin brought in Timofey Mozgov in 2015.

Even the Steph Curry/Klay Thompson Warriors had big guys like Andrew Bogut, JeVale McGee, and Festus Ezeli to protect the basket. The Cavaliers need to get an inside presence, and we feel doing so would see an instant improvement.

And this isn’t to denigrate Tristan Thompson who works as hard as any player on the floor, but in reality, he’s a defensive minded power forward. At 6’9″, it’s tough for him to handle guys like Andre Drummond and Joel Embiid. He gives up a lot of size and bulk to those players.

So, we would not be surprised if Sexton isn’t included in a deal before the week ends. It wouldn’t be about the second year guard’s effort, he puts a lot of time in working on his game, but it would have to do with the mix with Garland, and can the franchise move forward with the pair getting big minutes.

We look at teams like Oklahoma City, who traded stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George after a 49-33 season, and now they sit at 30-20.

We look at teams like Toronto (who lost Kawhi Leonard) and Utah, who have a system for success at this point. The Cavs need to develop an identity as a franchise that doesn’t include LeBron James.

Bill Fitch did this when he took over the expansion Cavs in 1970. Lenny Wilkens did it in the 80’s, and Mike Fratello the same after the Mark Price/Brad Daugherty era ended. Right now, there is nothing for the organization to hang their hats on.

The rebuild may have started after James left for free agency in 2018, but the first retooling could take place this week. It seems to be badly needed.

Can The Tribe OF Produce Enough?

With spring training opening in two weeks, it appears the Cleveland Indians are going with the quantity over quality approach when it comes to their outfield and designated hitter spots.

We combine the two because if the Tribe is going to use Franmil Reyes as a regular right-fielder, then they need a regular DH. If Reyes is the DH on most days, then the Tribe should be looking to fill both corner outfield spots, or least one and a half outfield spots, because Jordan Luplow fills at least one spot vs. left-handed pitching.

Here is a look at the contenders to make the major league roster out of camp with their projected 2020 season stats (courtesy of BaseballReference.com)

Jake Bauers (.231/15 HR/ 53 RBI/733 OPS). The left-handed hitter is just 24 years old, and his big weakness was Progressive Field. Bauers hit .279 with an 812 OPS on the road a year ago, but was putrid at home (538 OPS). He was a very patient hitter in the minors, but it hasn’t translated to the big league level.

Greg Allen (.248/8 HR/37 RBI/696 OPS). The switch-hitter will be 27 entering the 2020 campaign, and has been kind of a fourth outfielder type the last three years. However, he can’t hold a job because he doesn’t hit enough. He should be a guy who gets on base a lot, but has walked just 27 times in almost 600 plate appearances. That’s not nearly good enough. And he’s another guy who can’t hit at home, a career 532 OPS in Cleveland.

Bradley Zimmer (.239/6 HR/24 RBI/695 OPS). When we last saw Zimmer he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, striking out 44 times in 114 plate appearances. It has been reported he changed his swing, but he fanned seven times in 13 at bats at the end of last year. With his speed, he needs to put the ball in play and get on base. We don’t know if he can make that adjustment.

Delino DeShields (.247/7 HR/34 RBI/685 OPS). DeShields came over in the Corey Kluber trade, and is another player who makes too many outs. He has the biggest track record, but in over 1900 plate appearances, has a .326 on base percentage. He simply hasn’t shown any ability to hit.

Bobby Bradley (.249/8 HR/27 RBI/764 OPS). If Reyes plays a lot in right, then there is an opening at DH, and Bradley could figure in at that spot. Bradley has immense power, but has had major issues making contact. He fanned 20 times in 49 plate appearances in the big leagues a year ago. He struck out in 28% of his at bats in the minors.

We didn’t include Tyler Naquin as he will be out early in the season, and we are anxious to see rookie Daniel Johnson, who had a solid year in the minors, and should get a long look in Arizona.

However, the four guys we listed here don’t seem make anyone very confident playing for a contending ballclub. Especially when CF Oscar Mercado doesn’t have a proven track record, and you have to figure some regression from Carlos Santana, who had a career year in ’19, and Roberto Perez.

That’s why many people felt the front office should have added another proven hitter for the outfield.

The best bet might be to hope Bauers can draw more walks and learn to hit at Progressive Field. Because if Reyes is the DH, the Cleveland outfield might be the least productive in the game.

In the regular season, you need to score runs. Can the Indians do that with the outfield they currently have?

Why Do People Keep Moving The Bar For Browns?

Based on recent history, the Cleveland Browns don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt on anything they do.

It’s been 12 seasons (2007) since the team finished over the .500 mark. Out of those dozen years, 10 of them have resulted in 10 or more losses, with only the 7-9 campaign in 2014, and 2018’s 7-8-1 mark being exceptions.

So, we can understand the feeling that no matter what the Browns do, it’s the wrong decision.

However, that shouldn’t be a reason to look at the new organization set up as bad either. While we get the cynicism, let’s all take a deep breath.

It seems most of the football fans in Cleveland got enamored with the prospect of Josh McDaniels being the head coach with one of his friends from New England becoming the general manager.

There were a ton of people who thought this was a done deal, and be the cure-all for what has been ailing the Browns for the past 20 years.

When that didn’t happen, anything Jimmy Haslam and Paul DePodesta did was going to be a failure. Again, we understand that those two are reaping what they sowed, but it isn’t fair to the people they did hire, coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry.

All the criticism is in the name of the feared word: ANALYTICS!!!

Forget that Berry was a scout for six years while working for the Indianapolis Colts and then was vice president of personnel for the Browns from 2016 to 2018. People act like he was some accountant crunching the cost of concessions at First Energy Stadium and the Browns put him in charge.

What the Browns really want is a group of people who can work together. DePodesta liked Stefanski during the interviews for the head coaching position a year ago, so apparently they get along.

Berry was still with the Browns when those interviews were going on last year, and it has been reported that the new GM and the new coach shared common ideas.

There shouldn’t be any butting heads among this trio, and when was the last time we heard about that in Berea.

Also, let’s also get rid of the notion that John Dorsey didn’t make any bad draft choices or questionable personnel decisions.

While he hit on Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb in 2018, he also picked Chad Thomas in round three, and Antonio Callaway in the 4th. And picking Austin Corbett with the 33rd overall selection was a big whiff.

Meanwhile, while Berry was here, Cleveland selected Larry Ogunjobi and Joe Schobert, while Emmanuel Ogbah (5.5 sacks with KC this season) and Carl Nassib (6 sacks with Tampa in ’19) are productive football players jettisoned by Dorsey.

And don’t forget WR Rashard Higgins was in the 2016 class as well.

The fear here is what happens if or when something doesn’t go as planned. For example, a 7-9 or worse season in 2020. Then what happens?

Hopefully, the ownership can control themselves from getting rid of this group and starting over again. Right now, that has to be a concern until proven otherwise.

Or what happens if someone outside the organization tells the Haslams something and they believe this is a better way to reach the playoffs. That’s another thing that has been a problem in the past.

Let this group do their job and stop pining for something or someone fans thought was going to be the fix to the problems of the Cleveland Browns. That’s not fear to DePodesta, Stefanski, and Berry.

Key Word For Cavs? Accountability

Watching Saturday night’s Cavaliers game against the Chicago Bulls, both Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty both mentioned the same word multiple times.

The word was accountability.

Right now, the young Cavs don’t have it.

There doesn’t seem to be any personal accountability from the players themselves, and most of that seems to be because there isn’t any from the coaching staff.

This isn’t a blast on John Beilein because we believe the entire organization is invested in the development of the players drafted over the past two seasons: Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr.

So, this is something that has to come from both the front office and the coaching staff. Together.

Beilein was brought in to teach, to guide the young players in learning the game, to play a style conducive to winning, but it seems right now like while these things are discussed in film review and in practice, there are no consequences for not doing what the coaches want.

There is a fine line between letting players learn while playing and taking away playing time for transgressions, and now that 46 games have been played, perhaps it is time for a velvet glove to be used.

The wine and gold have been blown out the past three games, all at home, by the Knicks, Wizards, and Bulls, all teams in the Cavaliers’ class, that is to say, none of that trio is making the playoffs.

We could understand the lopsided defeats if they were playing the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers. Or if they lost close games to the lesser lights of the NBA. But getting smoked indicates something needs to change.

The Cavs are reverted to the same god awful defensive team they were last season, although they weren’t a juggernaut on that end of the floor earlier this year. However, looking at the box score, we see John Henson played 11 minutes and Matthew Dellavedova was on the court for five.

Doesn’t seem like defense is a priority for the team if you are playing those two just 16 combined minutes. And yes, we know Delly has had a horrific shooting year, but if defense is important he should play.

After getting blitzed in the third quarter Saturday to fall behind by more than 20 points, the 4th quarter opened with Garland taking a 30 foot shot, and no, the shot clock was not running down.

When Beilein says he doesn’t want Garland losing confidence in his shot, we are sure he didn’t mean a shot like that was okay. Why not take him out of the game at that point?

Later, Dante Exum, who has more size to guard Zach LaVine than Sexton or Garland, was doing a decent job on the Bulls’ leading scorer, but Beilein removed him to put Garland back in the game.

Look, we know winning isn’t the end game for the Cavs in 2019-20, but you have to have some success and also build a foundation for winning down the road, and that begins by having the players be accountable.

The coaching staff put Tristan Thompson on LaVine at times during the game, which isn’t fair to Thompson, who is a very good defender, but shouldn’t be expected to stop a 6’6″ shooting guard on the perimeter.

That’s the problem when you lack size though. The Cavs don’t have any guards long enough to be a deterrent to a guy like LaVine. Hopefully this is addressed soon.

It’s time to take the training wheels off some of the young guys and force accountability on them. Until that happens, get used to seeing games like the three played last week.

Tribe Needs To Play Nice With Fan Base

There are many conflicts in sports that occur outside of the playing area. Sometimes there is a difference in philosophies between the coach and a general manager.

Other times it is between players in the locker room, or a particular team and an officiating crew. We hear about them all the time.

In Cleveland, we (of course) have a different type of sports butting of the heads. It’s between the Cleveland Indians organization and their fan base.

The other night, Paul Dolan and his family were being honored with the lifetime achievement award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, and the owner chose his acceptance speech to show off his lack of comedy prowess.

He referred to his “enjoy him” comment made last spring about Francisco Lindor, who can be a free agent following the 2021 season. With Tribe fans in fear of watching the superstar walk away or be traded before the end of next season, the attempt at humor was ill-advised to say the least.

The Dolan family are reported to be very nice people. We only say reported because we have never met them, but they certainly do plenty of charity work within the community, and they also take a very “hands off” approach in regard to running the Indians.

And that’s a good thing too.

On the other hand, they seem to antagonize their fans all the time.

Before saying the line about Lindor, Dolan went out of his way to thank the fans, particularly those who buy suites. While those fans are important, there are more people who sit in the actual seats at Progressive Field than sit in “luxury boxes”.

And the ownership does refer to attendance issues a lot. They don’t seem to realize the fans don’t have to come to the games, they need to be persuaded to buy tickets.

We didn’t come up with this analogy, but the attitude is the same as a restaurant owner who says he will serve subpar food until a lot of patrons start walking through the door, and then he will serve good food.

Cutting the payroll by around $30 million during the midst of a string of 90 win seasons isn’t exactly making fans reach into their pockets to spend some hard earned money either.

The Tribe won the division with 91 victories in 2018, and the players’ salaries were trimmed. They won 93 last season, and it appears the money spent on the folks on the field will be reduced again.

The rationale both times is a drop in attendance, which dipped from 2.05 million in ’17, the year after an American League championship, to 1.93 million in ’18 and then to 1.74 million in 2019.

We hate to say it, but it is on the front office to repair the damage, and the sooner the better.

Let’s be clear. We aren’t saying to be crazy and spend a ton of cash on mediocre players, that’s not smart.

But they could lower ticket prices, give fans deals to show up to the games held in the colder weather of April. Get people in Progressive Field. The motivation should be getting more people to buy food and drink at premium prices.

The television ratings show their is great interest in the Indians, but people seem to not go to Progressive Field. The front office should find out why, and do something different to get fans downtown.

What they are currently doing isn’t working, but there doesn’t seem to be any willingness to adapt.

Fighting the fans isn’t a battle the Indians’ front office is going to win. Instead, embrace your fans, make them part of the team.

And stopping saying things that cause the ticket buyers to question your ownership.