The Switch Hitting Infield Of The Tribe

There is no question that Cleveland Indians’ manager Terry Francona loves flexibility. He loves relievers who can pitch to both right-handed and left-handed hitters, and he uses the platoon advantage more than any other skipper in the game.

Even though he is the best in the sport at that, we believe he loves switch-hitters because then he doesn’t have to worry about it.

The infield he will manage this season has that trait covered. They all can hit from both sides of the plate.

With the signing of Cesar Hernandez in the off-season to man second base, most nights, Tito will pencil in the four switch-hitters at the four infield positions–

1B: Carlos Santana
2B: Hernandez
SS: Francisco Lindor
3B: Jose Ramirez

The left side of the infield features two of perhaps the 20 best players in the game in Lindor and Ramirez. The shortstop is well regarded as one of the best five in baseball, and let’s not forget that Ramirez has two top three MVP finishes in the last three seasons.

Lindor, who won’t turn 27 until after the 2020 season (if there is one), is pretty even from both sides of the plate, having a 857 career OPS from the right side and a 832 OPS from the left side.

His slugging percentage is virtually the same from either side, but he’s a bit more patient hitting right handed. He does hit more home runs from the left side though.

Ramirez, who turns 28 in September, is more lethal from the left side of the plate (career 850 OPS), but is still very good from the right side (808). He also hits for a better average from the right side, but his slugging percentage from the left side is .494, 27 points higher than when he is facing southpaws.

The two superstars are also equally effective at home or on the road, but slightly better at Progressive Field.

Santana, the eldest of the group at 34, is actually a better hitter right-handed, which is odd because you think of most of his big hits as an Indian has come from the left side.

The first baseman has a 834 lifetime OPS from the right side, mostly due to a .277 batting average, which is 40 points higher than from the left side. And he’s even more of an on base machine against lefties, .382 OBP vs. .360 vs. right-handers.

To us, he has always looked like he had a shorter swing hitting right-handed.

His batting average and OPS against RHP did improve last season, but he still was more effective against lefties.

The newcomer, Hernandez, just turned 30 a week ago, and he fits in with the others in that he is very similar from both sides of the dish, 736 career OPS vs. righties and 726 vs. left-handers.

His ability to get on base is the same from both sides, but his numbers show he has a little more pop (.385 slugging vs. .372) hitting from the left side.

The primary back up for Francona would figure to be Mike Freeman, a left-handed hitter who did a solid job for Cleveland last season, hitting .277 with a .362 on base percentage.

With the extra players expected to be on the roster for this season, we would bet right-handed hitting Christian Arroyo will be eligible for most games. Once a top 100 prospect, Arroyo has been hampered by injuries and has accumulated just 228 big league at bats. Still, he’s just 25 years old.

Yu Chang and rookie Nolan Jones, the Tribe’s top prospect, will also likely be on the traveling party this season.

With three all-stars, the Cleveland infield should be among the best in the game. That is, if there is a baseball season at all.

These Indians Are Flying Under The Radar.

Exhibition games (we love that baseball calls them that) have started in both Florida and Arizona, and that means fans can start analyzing box scores.

They don’t mean a heck of a lot because we don’t know what opposing pitchers are working on, nor do we know if hitters are trying to hit the ball the other way, or trying a different approach.

Anyway, here is a look at four players on the Indians’ spring training roster who seem to have been overlooked coming into training camp, but have real possibilities of making the final 26 man roster at the end of March.

Jake Bauers. Bauers is a former top 100 prospect (2017 and 2018 with Tampa Bay) who came over in the deal which sent Yandy Diaz to the Rays.

At AAA, he had a 780 OPS, mostly built on a .363 on base percentage.

He was getting a lot of playing time in the outfield at the start of the season, but was hitting just .245 with a .316 OBP at the All Star break.

And he seemed too patient, which didn’t help his cause. For example, when he was ahead in the count 3-1, he was just 3 for 14.

Terry Francona had a talk with Bauers at the end of the season about being more consistent in his work habits. We will see if the left-handed hitter, who isn’t yet 25 years old takes it to heart.

He probably has the inside track to come north with Tyler Naquin hurt, but he is going to have to produce to insure that.

Jefry Rodriguez. People forget that it was Rodriguez who was the first starting pitcher called up when Mike Clevinger was hurt in his second start of the year.

In his first four starts, he went at least 5-2/3 innings and allowing less than three runs in each. In his last three outings, he didn’t get past the fifth and then was shelved with a shoulder strain.

The right-hander won’t turn 27 until July, and if he is healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find him in the rotation to start the season, beating out one of this trio–Adam Plutko, Zach Plesac, or Aaron Civale.

Mike Freeman. The veteran did a solid job as the Indians’ utility man a year ago, but as usually happens to 32-year-olds who aren’t regulars he was designated for assignment when the season ended to open up a roster spot.

Freeman hit .272 with a 752 OPS in 75 games a year ago, and provided the Tribe with professional at bats. He’s adequate with the glove, can play a decent shortstop, and can even do a decent job in left field.

He’s fighting an uphill climb, with Christian Arroyo out of options, to head north with the team, but at the worst, he will be ready if needed at Columbus.

Phil Maton. Outside of the first half of last season in San Diego (21 games, 7.77 ERA), the soon to be 27-year-old (on Opening Day) has been a serviceable big league pitcher.

He had a 4.19 ERA in 43 innings in 2017, and a 4.37 ERA in 47-1/3 innings in 2018, and had a 2.92 ERA in eight appearances with the Tribe last year.

He has fanned over a batter per inning in his career, but has also allowed more than a hit per inning.

Still, we think he stands a good chance of opening the year in Cleveland.

These guys could be keys for the 2020 Indians, but no one is really talking about them right now. We will see if that changes as exhibition play continues.

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

An Eventful Sunday For Tribe

Sunday was an eventful day for the Cleveland Indians, although not all of it was positive.

First, their modest four game winning streak was ended by Kansas City, so the team returns for a nine game home stand after a 5-2 trip.

They come back for a series against the American League’s best team, the Houston Astros, trailing the Minnesota Twins by two games in the Central Division, and leading the wild card standings by three games over Oakland and 3-1/2 over Tampa.

Oh, and one of their starting pitchers threw a conniption fit on pitcher’s mound.

Was it the big deal it became on social media? No, but it wasn’t a good look for Trevor Bauer, who threw a baseball against the screen between the Royals’ dugout and home plate, and fired another one over the centerfield wall.

The right-hander showed remorse almost immediately, apologizing to Terry Francona as he reached the mound, and doing the same in the dugout and after the game issued a statement saying he had no excuse for his actions.

Still, is this any different than a pitcher punching a wall or knocking over the Gatorade cooler after a bad performance? We believe Bauer is being truthful that the frustration was directed at himself and the sport, not at any of his teammates.

We would think everyone in the clubhouse knows Bauer and gets that he cares about performing his best above everything, and he feels he let his team down.

Our guess is this: If you like the competitor in Bauer, you don’t have a huge problem with what he did, and if you dislike him for his off the field beliefs, you think he is the locker room cancer.

And it is doubtful this changed his trade value, other teams know about this personality trait, nor does it change our mind about dealing Bauer. We still wouldn’t unless you can get a legitimate starter in return or in another deal.

Besides the loss and the Bauer stuff, the Indians also made a minor deal, sending Class A OF Ruben Cardenas to Tampa Bay for relief pitcher Hunter Wood and infielder Christian Arroyo.

Wood, who will turn 26 in a couple of weeks, is a righty, and has a lifetime 3.20 ERA in a little over 70 innings pitched with the Rays, and strikeout close to a batter per inning. He will be sent to Columbus for now.

Arroyo is a former top 100 prospect as recently as 2016, while in the Giants organization, but has been plagued by injuries the past three years, playing 59, 68, and 49 games the past three seasons.

He has a 984 OPS in AAA this year, and never struck out more than 73 times in a minor league season.

We look at this move similarly to the move which brought Oscar Mercado here at the trade deadline this time last year.

If he can stay healthy, and he’s on the 60 day injured list right now, he could be in the mix for a big league job next season, particularly because it is doubtful Jason Kipnis will be back.

He just turned 24 years old, and is a right-handed hitter.

It’s not the big move people wanted (they still have time), but it’s the kind of under the radar move the Tribe front office has made in the past.

So, for the last day before the schedule starts to get tougher, it sure was eventful for the Cleveland Indians.