No One Seizing Tribe’s OF Openings

The Cleveland Indians started spring training with nine outfielders vying to make the Opening Day roster.

The front office seemed to think bringing in numbers would be the thing to do, and out of all these candidates, someone will step up and show themselves worthy of making the major league roster.

Halfway through spring training, it feels like it is more like attrition than players actually going out and winning a job.

We know spring training number are what they are, but if you are trying to win a big league job, shouldn’t you be putting up at least respectable numbers?

Check out these stats–

Greg Allen–2 for 21 with two walks. OPS: .317

Bradley Zimmer–5 for 25 with 10 strikeouts. He does have three doubles and a HR. He’s drawn one walk.

Jake Bauers–4 for 28 with 11 strikeouts and no walks. He has fanned in each of his last seven at bats.

Coming into camp, we figured Oscar Mercado would be in centerfield and Franmil Reyes and Domingo Santana would alternate between DH and one of the corner outfield spots.

Santana isn’t having a great spring either at 5 for 25 with 10 strikeouts, but he has more of a track record in the bigs. And Delino DeShields (5 for 22, 536 OPS) also has the ballclub made, even though he continues to prove to us that he can’t hit.

Jordan Luplow also will come north, mostly due to obliteration of left-handed pitching in 2019, but he’s just 4 for 18 on the spring, although he’s started to get it going in recent days, including a home run off a right-handed pitcher on Friday.

It has been pointed out by several pundits that maybe only five outfielders will come north, with the extra spot being used by keeping both Christian Arroyo (7 for 19) and Mike Freeman.

That would mean Allen, Bauers, and Zimmer will all open the season in AAA.

It also means Luplow would seem to get the bulk of the playing time in one corner spot, with DeShields playing occasionally somewhere. And we know Freeman can be pressed into duty in left field, if need be.

Luplow has shown he could hit righties in the minor leagues, so we have no problem getting a full shot to play everyday, and Terry Francona can always use Freeman in LF against a real tough right-hander.

What is tough to accept is the seeming lack of progress from those who should need to have a good spring to make the squad.

Bauers was given a pep talk about preparedness by the coaching staff before the end of last season, but it hasn’t translated. Zimmer continues to have contact issues, which is mind-boggling with the speed he has.

To our eye, Allen should be better than he has shown. He’s shown flashes at the big league level, but can’t sustain it.

And with Daniel Johnson and Ka’ai Tom needing to establish themselves at the AAA level, you have to wonder what the future holds for that trio.

Bauers can play first base, but Allen and Zimmer are strictly outfielders. Does the organization move one of them when spring training ends?

There’s still time, but it is running out quickly. Can any of this trio put something together to impress Francona and his staff?

Can Someone Step Up In Tribe Bullpen?

Coming into spring training everyone was excited to see the new power arms in the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen.

James Karinchak struck out everyone in the minor leagues, and then came up in September to whiff eight hitters in 5-2/3 big league innings. Then, they added Emmanuel Clase from Texas in the Corey Kluber deal, and he comes to Cleveland with a 100 MPH cutter.

Certainly, they would combine with Brad Hand to give the Tribe a formidable back end of the bullpen, allowing Terry Francona to shorten games.

Things always look good on paper, though.

Now, Clase is out for 8-12 weeks with an upper back muscle pull, so there is an opening on the roster to come north with the team on March 26th.

Right now, these pitchers would seem to have a roster spot locked up: Hand, Karinchak, Nick Wittgren, and Oliver Perez.

We would include Adam Cimber, but he’s on the shelf right now too.

With Francona usually wanting eight relievers, that would leave four spots open in the bullpen.

The concern right now is the performance of some of what folks considered the leading candidates to fill those spots.

Hunter Wood has spent parts of the last three years in the big leagues, and has been a decent performer out of the ‘pen. He’s allowed six earned runs in an inning and a third in two appearances with two walks.

Dominic Leone is a reliever brought in over the winter with major league experience and he has pitched three times in Arizona, and been knocked around each time.

James Hoyt received some high leverage appearances in September last season, so you would think he’s got an inside track to open the season in Cleveland, but he needs to start getting people out. He’s allowed seven hits and four runs in 3-1/3 frames.

The most effective of the veterans is a guy we mentioned in a piece a week ago. Phil Maton has allowed just one run in five outings.

Does this open up the competition? Yesterday, Jefry Rodriguez, thought to be a starter, was used in relief vs. the Angels. He pitched a solid first inning, but got cuffed around in his second inning of work. He hasn’t been particularly effective either, allowing eight runs in 4-1/3 innings.

Although it is early, we are sure that Francona, Carl Willis, and new bullpen coach Brian Sweeney wouldn’t mind seeing people getting hitters out.

Does this open the door for some non-roster invitees to claim a spot? We understand it’s not the usual way the Indians do business, but on the other hand, they really can’t afford a bad start to the 2020 season.

For example, Kyle Nelson could provide a third lefty out of the bullpen. The 23-year-old southpaw struck out 69 hitters in 47-1/3 innings in the minors a year ago, including 16 in 12 AAA frames. He’s made just one appearance in a major league game this spring though.

We have seen more of 25-year-old Cam Hill though. Hill had a 4.74 ERA at Columbus last season, fanning 36 hitters in 24 innings. He’s made three appearances this spring, allowing just one run.

This is a season to check out exhibition box scores, to see what relievers are pitching early in games, when the regulars are still playing, and if any new names are appearing. If you see that, it could mean the staff is searching for some answers, should the veterans continue to struggle.

What Fans Really Want From Owners.

What is the role a professional sports team owner? It seems in Cleveland we talk about the ownership of the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers a lot, and our thought is what do fans want from the owners?

We believe most fans want the owners to stay out of the day to day operations of the team. Hire a good front office staff and get the heck out of the way.

That’s the strength of the Indians. The Dolan family have had two men in charge since they purchased the team–Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti.

Really, since Richard Jacobs bought the team in 1986, there has been stability at the top, starting with Hank Peters, on to John Hart, to Shapiro and Antonetti. That’s 34 years where the head of baseball operations has come from within.

Now, some will debate whether or not that is a good thing or not, but there seems to be a continuous plan on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

However, there is the matter of payroll for the players, the folks fans pay to see on a regular basis.

Really, this doesn’t come into focus unless the team is in contention mode.

No one really complains that the Browns have had plenty of salary cap space over the past ten years because they’ve been quite frankly, terrible.

We heard a local radio personality complain the Haslams are reluctant to spend money, pointing out the significant dollars under the cap, but we feel most people think it would be worse if they were up against the threshold and they continually finished 5-11 or 6-10.

The Cavaliers are trying to get out of the luxury tax in the NBA and no one is raising a stink about this. Why? The Cavs are rebuilding. It’s a non-issue.

Look at the situation the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently in. Their payroll will be around $50 million this season, but there is no uproar because the team is firmly in rebuilding mode. If this was the situation the Indians were in, the same would be true in northeast Ohio.

Fans want teams to spend when the time is right. Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers went above and beyond when LeBron James was here in terms on exceeding the salary cap in an effort to win a title. That’s why the ticket buying public support him.

And we have no doubt Jimmy and Dee Haslam will spend if and when the Browns are a playoff team to try and get the team to its first Super Bowl. Unfortunately, it’s been 30 years since the Cleveland football team has been in that situation.

That’s the frustration fans have with the Indians. They are most definitely in contention, making three post-season appearances in the last four seasons. Yet, for whatever reason, they are reducing the amount of money to be spent on players.

And we do understand the lack of a salary cap in baseball, which you wouldn’t think plays into the Indians’ situation, but it does because big market teams can conceivably spend hugely.

Fans want owners to want to win, particularly in a market where there has been one professional sports title in the last 56 years.

All of the other things are nice, but championships are what really matters to the fans. It would be nice if all of the owners of professional sports teams understood this.

Early Good, Bad, And Ugly For Tribe.

We realize that it is very early in the exhibition game schedule, they’ve been playing games for a week now, but it is never too early to examine some of the results to this point.

For proven veterans, spring training statistics shouldn’t really be examined. For example, if Francisco Lindor was hitting .182 in the middle of March, no one should be alarmed. He’s a known commodity, but for young players and guys who fighting for the last two or three spots on the 26 man roster, it’s worth taking a look at.

Remember that a good three hit day, or a hot week can change everything, and so can an 0 for 15 stretch with 10 strikeouts.

That said, here are the good, the bad, and the ugly after a week of games in the desert.

The Good. Any concerns about Franmil Reyes’ loss of weight should be going away. The big man has started 6 for 13, with two homers and just one strikeout. Lindor and Jose Ramirez are a combined 11 for 23 with four doubles and a home run.

Bobby Bradley, a longshot to make it, has done what he needs to do. The left-handed slugger is 5 for 11 and has struck out just once.

Oscar Mercado is 3 for 10 and has two walks, an area where he needs to improve if he wants to hit at the top of the order, and another longshot, Ka’ai Tom is 5 for 12, but has struck out three times.

James Karinchak has been filthy so far, fanning four in his first two innings, although he struggled with his control a bit yesterday.

The Bad. When you are battling for the 25th or 26th spot on the roster, you can’t afford to have a bad start, so Greg Allen starting off 1 for 10 isn’t helping his cause. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Yu Chang is 5 for 15, but contact issues have been a problem, striking out six times already.

Dominic Leone, who has some big league experience with Seattle, Arizona, and St. Louis, has a chance to come north particularly after the injury to Emmanuel Clase. Unfortunately, he’s given up 11 hits, including a home run in three innings, struggling in all of his outings.

It may be tough to overcome that.

The Ugly. Losing Clase for perhaps 8-12 weeks with an upper back strain has been the toughest news from camp. He was the biggest acquisition in the Corey Kluber deal, and people will excited to see he and Karinchak in the bullpen. Now, it could be May or June before he is back.

And opens up another bullpen spot.

Losing Mike Clevinger doesn’t help either. Clevinger was in the mix as the Opening Day starter, but will probably miss the first three or four weeks of the season with a torn meniscus.

With this injury and minor setbacks for Carlos Carrasco and Aaron Civale, who knows who will start the first five games of the season for the Indians.

Again, it’s very early. But the injuries are a concern, and the players off to bad starts need to start turning it around if they want to be in uniform against the Tigers on March 26th.

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 Keys To A Fast Start.

If the Cleveland Indians want to return to the post-season in 2020, they obviously have to make up ground on last season’s division champion, Minnesota Twins.

Either the Tribe needs to decrease the 170 runs scored gap between them and the Twins or they need to widen the .44 divide in ERA. Doing both would be optimal.

Last season (according to WAR), the three worst spots for the Indians were second base, DH, and centerfield.

With that said, here are the players we consider to be the keys for the 2020 Tribe–

Cesar Hernandez. The switch-hitting former Phillie is replacing long time second baseman, Jason Kipnis. The Cleveland front office is hoping that last season was a blip on the radar in terms of the soon to be 30 year old’s ability to get on base.

From 2016-18, Hernandez’ lowest on base percentage was .356. He walked 95 times in ’18. He also tailed off in the second half a year ago, with a 759 OPS before the All Star Game, and 720 after.

Last year, Kipnis had a .304 on base percentage, and Cleveland is hoping that Hernandez can take some walks and move the offense along.

Oscar Mercado had a .318 OBP hitting mostly in the #2 hole in ’19. If Hernandez can get on base at his career mark (.352), he could fit in nicely in that spot and give more opportunities for the middle of the order to drive him in.

Domingo Santana/Franmil Reyes. To put it nicely, one of the reasons the Indians traded for Reyes at the deadline in July was the production of their DH’s were atrocious, and LF wasn’t much better.

If Santana can hit like he did in the first half (.286, 18 HR, 63 RBI, .850 OPS), then all of a sudden the Indians have two power bats in their lineup, and when you add in Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Jose Ramirez, it gives them five guys with 25+ home run power.

Last year, Minnesota had five players with 30 or more blasts.

Defensively, it could be a challenge putting one of these guys out there on a regular basis, but Terry Francona could replace them if he has a lead late in the contest.

Oscar Mercado. Cleveland’s WAR in CF was low in part due to Leonys Martin’s dreadful performance before he was released, but they need Mercado to improve upon his rookie season.

The 25 year old was pretty steady (755 OPS in the first half, 765 in the second) in his rookie year, but an improvement in his .318 on base percentage would help him be a better offensive threat.

He could wind up hitting lower in the order if the skipper determines he would rather have Hernandez’ ability to get on at the top of the order.

Bullpen Heat. Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis got better results than could have been expected from a relief corp without many hard throwers, particularly after Brad Hand developed a tired arm.

Everyone, from the fans to the front office, are banking on the impact and development of young flame throwers Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak to help shorten games.

That put less stress on the starting pitching, which is also young, at least to start the season.

Our guess is Francona will want to start them slowly, but may not be able to.

The Tribe needs to get off to a faster start than a year ago, and shortening games with the two new toys will help.

Remember, the Twins won the Central because they had an 11-1/2 game lead on June 2nd, due to them being 29-30. From then on, Cleveland went 64-33, and played at a pace that was three games better than Minnesota, and that’s with the Tribe losing their last five.

These players could be the key, along with a healthy Lindor, to getting off to that good start.

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.

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

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?

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.