Does Straw Solve The Leadoff Puzzle?

At the trade deadline, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff made on trade that didn’t involve getting a prospect when they moved reliever Phil Maton and a minor league catcher to Houston for centerfielder Myles Straw.

So far, so good for Straw, who has played 21 games for Cleveland, batting .318 with a .389 on base percentage. For the entire season, the right-handed hitter has a .273 average and gets on base at a .349 clip.

That figure is slightly better than his career mark of .342, over 217 games.

If Straw can continue to get on base at this clip, could he solve the leadoff problem the Indians have had since Grady Sizemore was injured?

Since Terry Francona arrived in 2013, it seems like the Tribe has been searching for a leadoff hitter. That season, Michael Bourn was the primary lead off man, doing the job in 124 games. Bourn had the look of a guy who should fit in the top spot, and in the previous seasons to ’13, he did have close to a .350 OBP.

Bourn got on base just 31.6% of the time, a figure that ranked 5th among the everyday players. He led off 104 times the next season (2014) with a .314 OBP, which was 4th best on the team.

Remember, those squads included on base machine Carlos Santana, but Francona favored having the switch-hitter with more pop in his bat (47 HR in these two seasons) lower in the lineup.

In 2015, Jason Kipnis was the primary guy at the top of the order, taking over the role in late April and was the leadoff man for 121 games. It was the smart move as he was second on the team in OBP, behind only Michael Brantley, who was the primary #3 hole batter. He also contributed 59 extra base hits, including 43 doubles.

When Cleveland won the American League pennant in 2016, Francona used kind of a platoon situation at the top of the order. Against lefties, Rajai Davis played center and when he played, he hit first. When a right-hander started, Tyler Naquin played CF, and Santana was the leadoff man in 85 games.

Santana had his usual excellent on base percentage, ranking second on the team at .366. Davis didn’t really get on base that much, even against southpaws, but it was old school thinking putting a speed guy at the top of the order.

Francisco Lindor moved into the leadoff spot in August of 2017 (in total, he led off 63 games), but he ranked 5th in OBP, behind Santana, Brantley, Jose Ramirez, and Edwin Encarnacion. Francona liked the pop, but really the Indians took off after Lindor started hitting first, going 42-9 after the move, including the 22 game winning streak.

Lindor stayed at the spot until early last year until even though his on base percentage didn’t really fit the spot, his best year was .352 in ’18, and dropping into the .330 range from then on. We always felt Lindor should hit lower in the order, and advocated for Santana to be there.

Francona tried to use Cesar Hernandez there to start last season, but switched back to Lindor late in the season in an effort to get him going offensively.

He used Ben Gamel and Jordan Luplow early this season before going back to Hernandez, but the second baseman’s ability to get on base waned, dropping to .307 before they got Straw from Houston.

Mike Hargrove used to say if you have a leadoff man and a clean up hitter, you have the basis for a solid lineup. With Franmil Reyes in the #4 hole, perhaps Straw gives the Indians a traditional leadoff hitter. Someone who is perfect for the role, and not a better fit somewhere else.

It’s early to be sure, but the early returns are promising for Myles Straw. He could fill the leadoff role perfectly in 2022.

An Intriguing Week For The Tribe, To Be Sure.

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline at the end of July, Tribe fans had to know it would be an eventful week, and it lived up to the billing.

Yes, team president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff made some deals, but the big news was the announcement that Terry Francona was leaving the team for health reasons, and would not be back this season.

Francona’s health has now caused him to miss parts of the last two seasons, and we hope that he gets the medical attention he needs and will be back in the dugout for Opening Day 2022. And if he chooses to retire, his next stop will be Cooperstown.

Many Indians’ fans have decried the trades as throwing in the towel on the season or as ownership cutting more payroll.

Let’s face it, the Tribe has an uphill battle to make the post-season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t keep battling for interim skipper DeMarlo Hale, and although Cesar Hernandez and Eddie Rosario were among the highest paid players on the team, it’s not exactly like they were having all-star caliber seasons.

Hernandez did have a career high in home runs, but his on base percentage was down almost 50 points from a year ago and almost 40 points from his career mark. And his defense noticeably dipped as well. So, the team will get a look at youngsters Owen Miller and/or Andres Gimenez, although when the latter comes up it should be to play shortstop.

Would we be shocked if either provided more offensively than Hernandez? We would answer only slightly.

As for Rosario, everyone was excited by his signing because of the way he hit against Cleveland as a member of the Minnesota Twins. That Eddie Rosario didn’t show up this season, certainly in terms of power. His slugging percentage is almost 100 points less than his days in the Twin Cities.

He was second on the team in RBIs when he was injured, so he did contribute there.

Still, the team’s production at both positions was below league average, and in the case of Rosario, he was unlikely to be back in 2022.

Both of those moves were predictable, but the other two deals weren’t to us. We figured a reliever might be moved, but most thought it would be Bryan Shaw. However, it was underutilized (at least to us) Phil Maton that went to Houston for a very intriguing piece in CF Myles Straw.

Straw was the Astros primary centerfielder, hitting .262 with a 665 OPS. He’s got speed, currently 4th in the American League in steals. Oddly, Straw didn’t like hitting in Minute Maid Park, compiling a .297 batting average and 739 OPS on the road. Hopefully, that’s the guy the Indians will see.

What does Straw means for the future of Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and even Daniel Johnson in a Cleveland uniform? We would certainly like to see more of Johnson, who after starting the season 0 for 9, actually has gone 9 for 35. Not great, but an Indians who gets a hit in every four at bats isn’t exactly common.

Trading Jordan Luplow thins out the crowded (not production wise) outfield, and that was the biggest surprise. Luplow had tremendous number vs. southpaws and we would have liked to seen him get a full time chance because his minor league numbers showed he could hit righties.

The pitcher Cleveland received from Tampa for Luplow, Peyton Battenfield, has 95 strikeouts in 67-1/3 innings this season in the minors, so it could be the Tribe really wanted the arm. This year showed they needed some pitching depth in the high levels of the minor leagues.

Are the Indians a better team than they were on Wednesday? It remains to be seen, but they didn’t exactly break up an offensive juggernaut. Maybe Straw provides better hitting than what Tribe centerfielders have contributed so far. Maybe Owen Miller starts to show the stroke he had in the minors.

While not truly giving up on the season (see, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals), the front office is looking toward 2022. And based on the last month, which saw a nine game losing streak, why not?

Contention Or Not, Strategy At Trade Deadline Is Same For Tribe

It would be easy to say the 10 game stretch after the All Star Game will determine how the Cleveland Indians approach the MLB trading deadline at the end of July. After all, the Tribe will start the proverbial second half of the season with series against the A’s, Astros, and Rays.

Many people will say a lack of success against those teams, with three of the top five records in the American League will put the Indians in selling mode.

However, we don’t think it will make much of a difference either way.

First, who would GM Mike Chernoff be willing to sell? Eddie Rosario would be a candidate, but he is hurt right now, and it doesn’t appear he will be ready to play before the deadline. And whether the Tribe is still in contention or not, they may try to move 2B Cesar Hernandez in order to see what Owen Miller, Ernie Clement, or even Andres Gimenez can do in the last two months of the season.

The signing of veteran catcher Wilson Ramos to a minor league contract, may mean the front office is working on a deal for one of their catchers, either Roberto Perez or Austin Hedges, we would bet the latter is more likely.

And veteran reliever Bryan Shaw, although he hasn’t pitched as well lately as he did earlier in the season is still having a fine season (2-3, 3.08 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings), might be an interesting piece in the bullpen for a team with World Series expectations.

One thing that isn’t discussed enough is the glut of prospects Cleveland has that need to be protected in the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings in December. They have more players than spots that will likely be available on the 40 man roster, and that might play a part in what they do at the end of this month.

Chernoff and team president Chris Antonetti will likely take the same tact they have the last two seasons, meaning they will look for young, controllable players who may be able to help this year, but will be key parts of the 2022 and 2023 Cleveland Indians.

The one difference if Terry Francona’s squad comes through those first ten games after the Midsummer Classic in good shape, is that the brass might look for a pitcher who can help stabilize the starting rotation right now.

Zach Plesac is back, but it would appear the Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale will not return until next month, so getting an arm who can provide quality innings right now might be in play. But we would not expect a rental piece.

The Tribe might also make decisions on some players who have been around the organization for awhile as well. It appears Daniel Johnson will get an extended look while Rosario is out, and the Indians need to make a decision on Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and Yu Chang.

Chang has been sent to Columbus, so perhaps that decision has been made.

It wouldn’t be a shock to us, if either Zimmer or Mercado is cut loose at the end of this month.

We could also get our first glimpse of Nolan Jones after August 1st. The Tribe would probably like to get a good look at him during the rest of this season to get an idea of what they have going into 2022.

We believe that Antonetti and Chernoff will be busy before the deadline, but it won’t be a “fire sale”, and whether the team is still in contention or not, the aim will be the same.

Bring in young, controllable players who can help in the future while weeding out players who likely wouldn’t be back next season.

That’s essentially what they did in getting Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor the past two years.

Some Praise For The Tribe: Getting Hernandez and Rosario A Plus

It has been reported that Indians’ president Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff had to ask Paul Dolan for additional funds to sign free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario. If that’s true, it should be a troubling situation for fans of the team.

Thankfully, the ownership gave them the okay.

However, on face value, it was good to see the front office improve the 2021 edition of the Tribe. Adding 2B Cesar Hernandez and Rosario certainly give the lineup a better chance to score runs.

Hernandez gives Terry Francona a legitimate leadoff option. He has a lifetime .352 on base percentage, and was slightly higher than that a year ago at .355. We know people don’t like the label of “ballplayer” in describing players, but that’s what Hernandez is, he knows how to play the game.

Rosario gives the Tribe a left-handed power bat they needed. A lot of pop from that side of the plate left with the departure of Carlos Santana and the trade of Francisco Lindor. But Rosario is a hitter who has a 162 game average of 28 HR, 90 RBI, and a 788 OPS.

And as a Twin at least, he loved hitting at Progressive Field, belting 11 homers in 45 career games, batting .353 with a 1031 OPS. He tormented the Indians for years while in a Minnesota uniform.

You would have to think the top five in the batting order is now set, with Hernandez and Rosario joining Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes, and Josh Naylor. This quintet should be very productive, especially if Naylor become the kind of hitter we think he will be.

However, we believe you need seven solid hitters to have the kind of offense needed to make the playoffs. That means two of the other four batters have to come through.

Right now, we believe those four are Roberto Perez at catcher, Andres Gimenez at SS, and whoever emerges in rightfield and centerfield.

We would love to see rookie Daniel Johnson claim one of those spots, and you have to figure Jordan Luplow with be somewhere in the mix, especially against left-handed pitching. We would still like him to get a shot at playing full time, because as we have said in the past, he didn’t have huge platoon splits in the minors.

By the way, we also think the Rosario signing probably forces Naylor to first base.

Now, as for the comment about needed to go to ownership to get extra money to sign Rosario.

As vociferous critics of the Dolan ownership, this just makes us shake our head. Even with Rosario, the payroll would appear to be around $50 million to start the season. Outside of Tampa Bay, who else is competing with a payroll that low?

It is another reason we believe one of the catchers, either Perez ($5.5 million) or Austin Hedges ($3.28 million) will be moved before the season gets underway. It doesn’t make sense if you want to reduce spending on players to have one of the highest paid guys in uniform on the bench in every game.

It would also be a reason that the club is listening to offers for recently acquired Amed Rosario. If the Tribe is going to slot Gimenez in at short, A. Rosario is likely headed for a super utility man with Cleveland, and perhaps a candidate for an outfield spot, probably CF.

However, it has been reported both Oakland and Cincinnati are interested in the former Met, so maybe the Indians can strengthen another area, rightfield, bullpen, an added starting pitcher, in a deal.

The Tribe’s season will come down to scoring enough runs and can their very young rotation hold up over a 162 game (or whatever the season will be) campaign.

They did get better in the former last week. However, is it enough?

Success Of Lindor Deal Rests On The Young Wild Cards

When the rumors started about the possibility of the Cleveland Indians trading Francisco Lindor rather than sign him to a long term deal, some folks were giddy about the possibility of getting several top prospects from a team.

We didn’t think that would be the case. We always figured it would be a top prospect, a major league player who wouldn’t be close to the player the Indians were giving up, and some younger prospects.

Which is exactly what the Tribe received. The only problem was that was the haul for Lindor and Carlos Carrasco.

Our opinion is if you keep giving up $20 bills in exchange for a $10, a $5, and a couple of dollar bills, you will eventually wind up with out any money, definitely less than you started with.

Whether this deal turns out to be a plus or not really depends on how the two youngest players pan out, right handed pitcher Josh Wolf and left-handed hitting outfielder Isaiah Greene.

The problem is neither have any track record in professional baseball, Wolf is 20-years-old and has pitched just eight professional innings. While Greene was just drafted last season, and because of the pandemic, has yet to play in the minor leagues.

These two may wind up becoming top prospects in a few years, or they may never get to play for the Akron Rubber Ducks. That’s what a little track record the duo has.

They are pretty much draft picks, which by the way, Cleveland could have received had they kept their all-star shortstop in 2021, and given him a qualifying offer.

To us, Andres Gimenez is the best player to come from New York. A 22-year-old left-handed bat, Gimenez is very good defensively, and was a Top 100 prospect in both 2018 and 2019 from Baseball America. Unfornately, he fell out of that ranking prior to 2020.

He has a bit of an issue with strike zone judgment, walking just seven times vs. 28 strikeouts, and he has good speed, stealing eight bases in 49 games in ’20. The Mets moved him around, he played SS, 2B, and 3B, but he will probably open the season at short for the Tribe.

Gimenez’s strike zone control may not be great, but compared to Amed Rosario, he’s Ted Williams. Rosario last season walked just four times, against 34 punchouts. In his big league career, he’s played 403 games, and still hasn’t walked 100 times. In fact, he’s taken just 67 free passes.

He did hit .287 (755 OPS) in 2019 with 15 homers, but took a step back in the shortened season. Can he comeback? Of course, we will play 2021 at age 25, but projections for the 2021 have him not producing numbers better than Gimenez.

By contrast, at age 22, Lindor hit .301 with 15 homers (794 OPS) and won the Platinum Glove, and at age 25, which was 2019, he hit .284 with 32 bombs (854 OPS) and won his second Gold Glove.

And again, they added a starting pitcher who as little as two years ago won 17 games, and the year prior to that won 18.

So, the Indians really weakened themselves offensively, defensively, and in the pitching area as well. That neither Gimenez nor Rosario is Lindor isn’t their fault, but forgive Cleveland baseball fans if they aren’t saving their money for playoff tickets in 2021.

Team president Chris Antonetti said the team will reinvest some of the money saved in the deal, and if they didn’t they would have one of the lowest payrolls in the game.

The Tribe still has a big gaping hole in the outfield, so the possibility remains some of the middle infield prospects the team has, six of their top 15 are SS/2B, for some help in this area.

We also feel the Indians will move one of their catchers (Roberto Perez and/or Austin Hedges) before the season begins too.

It figures to be a season of transition for the Cleveland Indians, and let’s hope that time period is limited to just one season.

Cold Reality Of Winter To Start For Tribe Fans Soon.

Ever since the Cleveland Indians lost their best of three series in the Wild Card round of the American League playoffs, the organization has been sending a depressing message surrounding the financial state of the franchise.

Be it from the year end press conference with team president Chris Antonetti or the weekly messages sent through the media about the off-season, the front office is making it very well known another reduction in the payroll is coming for the Tribe.

We understand that Major League Baseball teams all lost revenue due to the shortened season and without ticket sales. That is indisputable. What we don’t know is how many teams have been pounding this message to their fan base.

Ticket sales were lost as well as concessions and parking dollars, but keep in mind the Indians paid approximately $70 million less in salaries, and with the schedule kept within the Central Divisions of both leagues, travel expenses were also reduced greatly.

We have said this before, but we wonder how much spending will be down around the sport this winter. It could be tough for some average players, and there could be more players non-tendered rather than offering them arbitration, but our guess is there will be teams trying to make a splash in the free agent and trade market.

None of those teams, by the way, have a World Series title drought equal to the now 73 years without a title that Cleveland has.

What is particularly distressing about this talk by the organization is the success the franchise has enjoyed since Terry Francona became manager in 2013, and the record the Tribe has put together since 2016.

After making the World Series that season, Cleveland has won at least 91 games in every full season, and has made the post-season in four of the last five campaigns. The year they missed out? They won 93 ballgames.

You might think that since the Indians have been in contention for a long period of time, this is a club starting to show some age. However, of the top ten players in WAR on the 2020 Indians, only four are over 30 years old, and three of those players, Cesar Hernandez, Brad Hand, and Carlos Santana, are either free agents and/or have a club option for 2021.

The fourth player is pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who recently has been mentioned in trade rumors.

We should also mention that of this quartet, only Santana will play the 2021 season at over 35 years old. Hernandez and Hand will be just 31.

The other players who are in the top ten in WAR for 2020 (ages in parenthesis)? Shane Bieber (26), Jose Ramirez (28), Zach Plesac (26), Francisco Lindor (27), Tristan McKenzie (23), and James Karinchak (25).

It would seem this group could be the basis of a contending team for quite a few more years. Instead of adding to the group and bolstering the team to get into the playoffs, we hear about payroll reduction and the probable trade of one its best position players (Lindor) and a long time veteran starting pitcher who is still among the game’s best (Carrasco).

Somehow, Indians’ fans are very accepting of this, and we don’t know why. Perhaps young fans have more patience with the process, because, frankly, they can wait 10 years for a title.

With Tampa Bay in the World Series, we have heard fans justifying the cut in spending on players, but who knows when the Rays will get back. Tribe fans thought the Indians would be back soon after 2016, but we are still waiting.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been in three of the last four Fall Classics. The Red Sox have won four World Series since the turn of the century. The tried and true way of winning in baseball is accumulating very good players and hold on to them, which Cleveland organization can do, if they so desire.

It may be a cold, angry, and depressing winter for fans of the Cleveland Indians if the payroll will be slashed again. That’s nothing to look forward to.

An All Too Familiar Refrain From Indians

Even when you know bad news is coming, it still can make you sad when you hear it.

That’s how we felt when Cleveland Indians’ president Chris Antonetti spoke on Tuesday and talked about the “daunting” financial reality of the team.

He also spoke about the “reality” of the financial loss the Indians suffered during the shortened 60 game schedule, losing money from ticket revenue, concessions, and parking about other things.

So many things go through our heads on this.

First, we understand this was a difficult season for every major league baseball team. We are sure they didn’t make as much money as they usually make.

On the other hand, they didn’t have to pay any player his full salary either and the costs of travel were also greatly reduced because there were fewer trips as well as shorter ones.

The Cleveland Indians are definitely not the only team who can make these claims.

Secondly, since the off-season just started and the team has just introduced some new season ticket options, this seems like an odd way to solicit potential ticket buyers.

Your team president pretty much told everyone the payroll will be trimmed again, and one of the team’s best players will likely be traded. We are sure this news isn’t making anyone reach for their checkbooks.

We understand that the ownership is being honest, in fact, brutally so, and are trying to be transparent about the financial state of the franchise. However, there is a difference between being truthful and beating someone over the head with the truth.

It’s likely the supporters of the team know what the owners want to spend on players with the trades over the past few years of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Mike Clevinger, as well as the loss of Michael Brantley to free agency.

In theory, many people thought those moves were made to free up money to spend on either younger impact players. That didn’t turn out to be the case.

We know and understand the Cleveland Indians cannot spend on players the same amount of money that the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers spend. But why can’t they spend what the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers can?

And although we don’t live in those cities, so we don’t know the message the ownership provides to the fans, we would doubt it isn’t the constant “woe is us” message Indians’ fans receive from the ownership here.

We would agree with declining the club option for Carlos Santana and although we would pick up Brad Hand’s option with the hope of trading him, he wouldn’t be terribly angry if they simply let the southpaw go when the World Series ends.

Unfortunately, it seems like the same modus operandi will be in place. The Indians will trim these salaries and not spend them on players to help the remaining players.

Remember, this isn’t a rebuilding situation for the Tribe. They made the playoffs from 2016-18, missed in 2019 even though they won 93 games, and made the post-season this season.

They have a cadre of young, controlled starting pitchers, led by 25-year-old Shane Bieber, the likely AL Cy Young Award winner. Their best two position players are 27 and 26, and both would rank in the top 25 players in the sport.

Why wouldn’t you want to make a push and try to bolster the roster around these players? Maybe the Indians will be better in 2021, but it puts a lot of pressure on everyone, including apparently many young, inexperienced players to perform at a very high level.

This is probably just the first in what should be many such talks from the Indians’ organization telling their customers not to get high expectations.

It’s a dreadful situation if you are a fan of the Tribe.

Tribe Got Talent, Just Not What Was Needed

The Cleveland Indians did pull off a deal before the Major League Baseball trading deadline, in fact, it was a mega-deal, perhaps the biggest in the game.

It was the type of deal a rebuilding team makes, the kind that accelerates the process of returning to the post-season.

However, the Indians currently reside in first place in the American League Central Division. We are sure the Twins and White Sox, the other two teams vying for the division lead are thrilled that the Tribe dealt their #2 starter, Mike Clevinger, to the San Diego Padres.

Team president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff got a lot of talent in the transaction, they usually do. But the Indians need help right now. And once again, this seems like a trade made for the future.

Clevinger and OF Greg Allen and a player to be named later to San Diego for OF/1B Josh Naylor (whose brother was the Tribe’s first round draft pick in 2018), P Cal Quantrill, C Austin Hedges, and three minor leaguers who were in the Padres’ top 15 prospects according to Baseball America, SS Gabriel Arias (#9), LHP Joey Cantillo (#11), and INF Owen Miller (#15).

Cleveland has a glaring weakness in the outfield, where they collectively have a batting average under .200, but didn’t address it with a proven bat.

We like Naylor, a left-handed hitter, but he has 289 big league at bats. He does have great numbers away from Petco Park, a lifetime 807 OPS, and his reputation is that of a guy who works the count and doesn’t strikeout a great deal. He should get time in LF. He hasn’t faced a lot of southpaws (51 AB’s), but has 16 hits in those opportunities.

Quantrill, a right-hander, should claim a spot in the Tribe bullpen, and could convert to the rotation next spring. A former 8th overall pick in 2016, he has a 2.60 ERA in 17 innings this year, with 18 whiffs.

Hedges is 27 and has been around for six seasons in San Diego. He’s an excellent defensive catcher, which is what the Tribe wants in the position, but can’t hit. He has a career .199 average (616 OPS). He’s not eligible for free agency until 2023.

As for the prospects, Arias and Cantillo haven’t played above the Class A level. Arias has some pop in his bat (17 HR last season), but strikes out a lot (over 128 in his last two minor league seasons). Cantillo is a power arm, with 144 punchouts in 111 innings in 2019.

Miller is older (23) and has a lifetime minor league batting average of .307 (808 OPS), and primarily is a second baseman. He probably would have been at the AAA level this year, if there was a minor league season.

Still, fans should be disappointed that Naylor was the only thing done to correct a huge weakness on a contending team, especially when the Indians gave up perhaps the best pitcher on the market. While Clevinger was the Tribe’s #2 starter, he’s an ace for most teams in the league.

Meanwhile, Cleveland still has a gaping hole in CF, and apparently, the organization spun the wheel and it landed on Oscar Mercado, who will get another opportunity according to some.

The Indians made a deal from depth, because they can replace Clevinger with Zach Plesac, who will start Tuesday night in Kansas City and they still have Triston McKenzie in the rotation. And they have Adam Plutko, Scott Moss, and Logan Allen, among others in reserve.

However, they didn’t get the professional bat they desperately needed, and that’s why there is a tinge of regret in the move. Perhaps Naylor fills the void, but again, no one will know right away.

What the Tribe did was add more prospects to an already strong farm system, particularly at the lower levels. And while Arias has some ability, Cleveland is filled with prospects who play middle infield spots, including four of their top ten players.

Remember the old kids game, Kick the Can? That’s what it seems the organization is doing, kicking the can down the road of contention. They are getting like the Browns in terms of promising to try to be all in next season.

It’s a strange move by a team in first place. Instead of making a deal to put them over the hump in 2020, the Indians looked toward 2021 and beyond.

A Good Week For The Tribe, Will It Extend To Monday?

It is August 29th, and the Cleveland Indians are in first place in the American League Central Division. You can’t ask for more than that.

And after a tough weekend at home against the Tigers a few days ago, losing two out of three, and then a dismal first game of a key series against Minnesota, the resilient Tribe came back, won a game where ace Shane Bieber struggled early, and then brought Mike Clevinger back in the rubber match.

Clevinger struggled at the outset too, but the last four innings he pitched Wednesday night were as well as he threw the ball all season, and Tyler Naquin delivered a huge hit to trigger a three run rally in the bottom of the 8th, and Cleveland took the key series.

In the past few seasons, the Indians have gone on long winning streaks, a 14 game skein in 2016, and of course, the 22 game stretch in late 2017.

They’ve done it again, this time winning 10 straight on the road, dating back to a 2-0 frustrating loss to the White Sox on August 7th.

So, the Tribe sits at 21-12 on the season, in a year with eight teams making the playoffs, so a .500 record gives you a chance for the post-season, and you would think 35-25 gets you in for sure.

Based on that, if the Indians go 14-13 the rest of the schedule, which is just over the break even mark, they will hit that mark.

According to Baseballreference.com, the Tribe has a 99.9% chance of making the post-season, and if they have one of the four best records in the AL, they will host all three games of the series.

Right now, Cleveland has the third best record in the league, just two games behind Oakland for the best mark.

There is plenty of speculation concerning the Major League Baseball trading deadline, which comes Monday afternoon at 4 PM. However, there is no debate on what the club needs to address at that deadline.

It’s hitting particularly in the outfield. Outside of Tyler Naquin, the numbers are ugly so you may want to divert your eyes:

Domingo Santana: 11 for 70, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 590 OPS
Oscar Mercado: 5 for 45, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 278 OPS
Delino DeShields: 12 for 43 (not bad), but just one extra base hit, and a 656 OPS
Jordan Luplow: 5 for 40, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 505 OPS
Greg Allen: 4 for 25, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 598 OPS
Bradley Zimmer: 6 for 37, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 603 OPS

Clearly, help in needed. Have all of these guys received a clear shot? No, but the abbreviated 60 game schedule makes that impossible. Also, that none of them have been productive has hurt as well. Terry Francona might have been able to stay with some of them longer if others were hitting.

Can Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff find someone to help out Naquin in terms of production?

Seriously, when it comes to CF, anybody you bring in would be an upgrade over the quartet of Mercado, Zimmer, DeShields, and Allen. As for LF, Luplow has shown signs of life, particularly against southpaws, but let’s face it, Santana has been a disappointment.

Sandy Alomar Jr. said yesterday Naquin will get some opportunities vs. LHP, but perhaps it’s time to give Daniel Johnson another shot. The rookie was 1 for 12 with five strikeouts, but maybe getting some reps at the alternative site helped him.

We know the Tribe has pitching depth, both in starters and in the bullpen. They also have depth in middle infielders, although that would have to involve a player to be named later type deal.

Cleveland has 13 pitchers in their top 30 prospects (according to Baseball America), including some arms we’ve already seen (Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen, and James Karinchak). They also have 11 middle infielders, including Yu Chang, currently on the big league roster.

They also have Bobby Bradley and Jake Bauers, who seems to have fallen out of favor with the organization.

What will the front office do? We will find out in less than 48 hours. Tribe fans will be on the edge of their seats waiting.

All In All, Tito Is Definitely An Asset For Tribe.

There was a recent debate on social media about the Indians’ success since 2013 (three American League Central Division titles, four post-season berths in total) and what factors are the biggest reason for it.

We know there are critics out there, but there should be no denying the front office structure the Tribe has is top notch, and Chris Antonetti has done an outstanding job running the baseball operations.

Have they been perfect? Of course not, no one is.

On the other hand, the Cleveland organization has not had to go through a period where they had to bottom out, lose 100 games, and trade their best players for prospects to speed up that process, like the Cubs, Astros, and currently, the Tigers, Orioles, and Pirates.

Another factor for this success is Terry Francona.

Yes, Francona’s kind of an old school manager. Does he bunt too much? Yes. Does he cling to veterans at times? He does have that tendency.

And if you have performed for him in the past, he has a fierce loyalty to you.

He’s still one of the best managers in the game, and likely will be inducted in Cooperstown some day because of his managing, and he will likely deflect praise for that honor, because that’s what Tito does.

Francona ranks 18th all time in career wins by a manager, and only Dusty Baker has won more among active managers. And of the 17 skippers with more wins than Francona, 12 of them are enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and our guess is Bruce Bochy will make that number 13 sooner or later.

In a normal season, he had a real good chance of passing Lou Boudreau as the Indians’ all time winningest manager too. With 91 more victories, he accomplishes that.

His winning percentage is behind only Hall of Famer Al Lopez and Oscar Vitt among Tribe skippers.

And while many may take umbrage with his in-game strategy at times (and we confess, it drives us nuts sometimes too), he sets a tone in the clubhouse for what is expected from the players.

In this unique 60 game season, we believe one edge the Indians have is the consistency Tito shows to his players. His mindset right from the get go has been there are only 60 games, and the Indians will look at it as when the first game is played on July 24th, as if they are tied for first place and heading into the homestretch.

Many teams have gone to hiring younger men to relate to today’s players, like Rocco Baldelli in Minnesota, Aaron Boone in New York, and Tito’s old foil in Cleveland, Kevin Cash in Tampa. But even though he’s 61 years old, Francona still relates to Frankie Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

Lindor’s prank on the skipper early this week exemplifies the relationship between the star shortstop and the manager.

Yes, Francona does get irritated with certain players, most notably Trevor Bauer a year ago, but those players also know their boss has their backs. We’ve heard people complain that he should get on players for making mistakes or for not hustling.

He does, but he does it privately, not in the media. That earn respect, and the players return it to him by playing hard. You don’t see players dog it that often in Cleveland.

We aren’t saying the Indians aren’t the only Major League team who will come into the season with the “no excuses” mantra, but we will bet there will be teams who won’t treat it as seriously as others because it’s not a “real season”.

Yesterday, he said he wants his players to be ready to “be prepared to kick somebody’s ass”.

Francona doesn’t allow for excuses, for himself and his players. He understands there won’t be a feeling out process in 2020. However, that doesn’t mean he will have the same level of patience as the typical fan.

All in all, fans of the Indians should feel grateful that Terry Francona is guiding this team. Long time supporters of the club should remember a list of people who weren’t even close to him.