Can CarGo And Kipnis Provide A Lift?

It would not be an understatement to say the Cleveland Indians’ hitting has been disappointing to date.

Granted, only 15 games have been played (so tonight will mean 10% of the schedule is through), but there aren’t many categories the Tribe doesn’t rank near the bottom.

They are 14th in runs scored per game. The Tribe ranks last in the AL in on base percentage, which many people thought would be a hallmark of this season’s edition of the Indians’ offense, the ability to take pitches and work counts.

They are second from the bottom in slugging percentage, meaning extra base hits aren’t coming either. And for those old school statistic people, Cleveland is the only American League team hitting under the Mendoza line, sitting at .194.

We have been told help is on the way, with Carlos Gonzalez and Jason Kipnis now activated, and hopefully the return of Francisco Lindor, maybe as early as next week. However, will that be enough?

It has been well documented that Gonzalez has struggled away from the thin air of Coors Field for several years. Will he make adjustments to his approach now that he is not playing 81 games per year at altitude? And if he does, will the adjustments work in a new home park and a new league?

No doubt, Kipnis will be an upgrade over what the Tribe has had at shortstop, but that’s not where he plays. He plays second base, where Brad Miller has given the team decent production.

On the other hand, the longtime Tribesman has had an OPS hovering around the 700 mark in each of the last two years. If that trend continues, how much extra production will he be providing?

That leaves Lindor, which will be a dramatic offensive boost over the historically bad combination of Eric Stamets and Max Moroff at the position. Those two (and we know Moroff has played second as well) have combined for a 4 for 64 mark (.063) and 35 strikeouts.

One player will not turn around the hitting. If you don’t believe that, then analyze why Mike Trout has only been to the playoffs once in his big league career.

An obvious help would be for Jose Ramirez to start hitting like he has for much of the last three seasons. The good news is Ramirez isn’t striking out excessively, just 10 times in 61 plate appearances.

His walks are down greatly, with just two in 2019, compared to 106 all of last season.

We think Ramirez needs to go back to basics. He is overanxious right now, leading to not walking and a lot of pop ups.

He needs to get back to an all fields approach and we think he will be fine.

So, basically the Indians are in a spot where Gonzalez and Kipnis have to be above average hitters so the Tribe can start to generate some runs. If they aren’t, the front office is going to have to get to work quickly.

Leonys Martin has been very good after a slow start, and Carlos Santana has gotten off to a quick start, thankfully, because that is not his norm.

We have always said, a good big league lineup has six to seven solid bats.

Right now, you would have to say the front office’s plan this off-season hasn’t worked, but there is still time.

Let’s hope the faith they have in some players isn’t misguided.

Ugly Numbers Continue For Tribe Offense

We thought the offense of the Cleveland Indians might struggle this season even with Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis in it. Needless to say, not having them available would be a problem.

However, no one could have foreseen this much of an issue.

After five games, the Tribe has scored just 13 runs. What’s even worse, is that 10 of those 13 tallies have occurred in the eighth inning or later. And of those 10, half of those have come with Cleveland on the wrong side of a lopsided score.

So, the vaunted starting pitching isn’t getting a chance to hold a lead, because the offense isn’t scoring any runs.

In the season opener, the Indians were shutout, and in game two, they scored a run in the 4th inning and Trevor Bauer allowed one an inning later.

Opening Day in Cleveland saw Mike Clevinger get one run of support in the seven innings he was on the mound.

What this means is the starters have been under immense pressure not to give up any runs. Think about this, no Tribe starter has taken the mound with more than a one run cushion through five games.

It hasn’t been a matter of clutch inning thus far for the Indians, it has been hitting period. Only two position players, Carlos Santana and Hanley Ramirez have batting averages of over .200.

H. Ramirez and Leonys Martin are the only Cleveland hitters with more than one extra base hit. Ramirez has the only two homers hit by the team, while Martin has two doubles.

And the strikeouts continue to pile up, with 58 in the five games, and what’s worse, only 16 walks drawn. Five of those walks came in the home opener, in which the Indians scored five runs, their high water mark of the season.

On the good side, the hitters did make the White Sox’ Carlos Rodon work, getting to the 100 pitch mark in just six innings. But they only had one walk to show for it.

Since the extra base pop hasn’t been there, you might think it would be a good idea to play small ball, do some bunting, play some hit and run. However, there isn’t anyone (besides Santana) getting on base to start some runners, and of course, you have the whole contact issue.

Hanley Ramirez has fanned seven times, but he has the two dingers. Martin and Eric Stamets have also struck out that many times, and the latter doesn’t have a hit yet. Max Moroff has 10 at bats, and has been punched out six times, while another player with limited at bats, Jordan Luplow, has seven AB’s and has whiffed five times.

Those numbers are unbelievable.

It’s not as though the team is hitting in bad luck, they just aren’t hitting period. When almost half of your outs are coming by not putting the ball in play, that’s a developing problem.

If they were putting the ball in play, and opponents were either defending the hitter perfectly or hard hit balls were being converted into outs, it would be a different story.

The pessimism is based on a lack of track record for many of these guys. No one know what Jake Bauers can do, nor Luplow for that matter.

Putting the ball in play would be a start though. The strikeouts are very alarming.

Tribe’s Kipnis Dilemma

In game seven of the 2016 World Series, Indians’ fans thought Jason Kipnis won the team’s first world title since 1948 with a drive down the right field line.

The ball went foul, the Tribe lost, and Kipnis’ career may have reached its apex.

The native of Chicago, had a great Series, going 9 for 31 with two home runs, including one which put the fourth game away for Cleveland, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead.

The Tribe second baseman was outstanding that year, hitting .275 with a career high 23 home runs and 82 RBIs (811 OPS). It was his third season like that in a four year span, with only 2014 as the exception.

He was 29 years old that season.

Since that time, Kipnis had an injury plagued 2017 campaign, playing just 90 games, and hit just .232 (705 OPS) in just 90 games. And the Indians got hot when, he was hurt, and Terry Francona shuffled Jose Ramirez to second base, and playing Yandy Diaz and Gio Urshela at the hot corner.

When he returned, Francona moved him to centerfield for the playoffs, keeping Ramirez and Urshela, a better defensive infield, right where they were.

Last season, at age 31, it didn’t get much better for Kipnis. His OPS was 704, with a .230 batting average, 18 homers and 75 ribbies. He did stay healthy, and was able to play 147 games.

When the front office acquired Josh Donaldson on August 31st, Kipnis again moved to the outfield, and Ramirez moved from third back to 2B.

Now, Kipnis is coming off two consecutive seasons where he has not performed to the level he established early in his career, where from 2011-16, he made two all star teams and was a key offensive cog for the Indians.

Unfortunately for management, Kipnis’ compensation, which was based on his early success for gone from a little over $4 million in 2015 to $13.7 million last year, and he will make $14.7 million in 2019.

Talk about getting less bang for your buck!

That’s the dilemma for Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff. They would love to deal the player, because he’s not performing up to his salary, but because his production has dropped since 2016, no one is interested.

We are sure they tried to make deals where they move another player with more value and attach Kipnis, taking back less in return, but to be sure, management didn’t want to (nor should they have) give up anything of value.

And he’s the player they have tried to phase out in each of the last two seasons.

What has changed for Kipnis is the pop in his bat. His extra base hits have declined from 59 in 2015 and 68 in ’16 to 37 in 2017 and 47 last season. His walks haven’t changed much.

Plus, it’s clear to most people that Ramirez is the superior defensive second baseman. Kipnis isn’t terrible, but Ramirez is better.

If the Tribe had a solid lineup, Kipnis’ declining production wouldn’t be as much as an issue, but they don’t, so he becomes a liability. And if his numbers continue to go down, as he will be 32, he becomes a player who shouldn’t be getting everyday at bats, and right now, he’ll be in there everyday.

The Indians need to have at least six solid hitters to have a good offense this season. As we said, they have three. If Kipnis doesn’t get off to a good start, it will represent another tough decision for Francona and the front office.

Tribe’s Off-Season “Plan” Makes Sense

We thought the Cleveland Indians would have made a major move by now, and by the time you read this, perhaps they have.

What is puzzling is the way a possible major trade by the Tribe front office is being viewed by many baseball fans here.

Part of it is reflex. Many people (including us) lived through the desert from 1960-1994, where the Indians where pretty much a joke throughout the sport, struggling to make payroll, and seemingly without a plan on how to be competitive.

The other part is the nagging thought that the Dolan family wants to cut the team’s payroll. Now, it is fair to say they don’t want to increase the budget for major league player’s salaries, we will stay firm to our belief that the Cleveland payroll will still be somewhere over $120 million in 2019.

After reaching the World Series in 2016, and having the best record in the American League the following year, last year’s team showed signs of regression.

Cleveland has the third oldest position player roster in the AL, and 4th oldest in all of the majors a year ago, behind the Mariners, Giants, and Angels. Every regular was over 30 years old except for Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor.

It’s tough to figure on any increased production for any player who has entered his 30’s. We aren’t saying it’s impossible, but it certainly isn’t likely.

So, the conundrum the front office has is improving the everyday lineup, and to do that, they likely have to deal from the strength of the team, the starting rotation.

Think about it. Comparing last year’s team to a possible 2019 lineup, where do you see improvement?

1B–Yonder Alonso was a disappointment and would not figure to get better.
2B–Jose Ramirez will be better than Jason Kipnis (but see below)
SS–Lindor, enough said
3B–We like Yandy Diaz, but he isn’t going to have a better year than Ramirez
LF–If Kipnis is the nominal starter there, he’s not hitting better than Michael Brantley
CF–A platoon of Leonys Martin and Greg Allen, might be an improvement
RF–Jordan Luplow? Are we sure he’s better than the Melky Cabrera/Brandon Guyer platoon?
C–Roberto Perez won’t likely hit better than Yan Gomes did a year ago.
DH–Edwin Encarnacion is turning 36 next month.

That’s three spots where you can legitimately think of increased production with people currently on the roster. Doesn’t bode well for a more balanced and better hitting attack in 2019.

So, if you can trade a starting pitcher like Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer and improve your team at one or possibly two spots, doesn’t that make sense?

And if it’s Kluber, and you gain some cash to upgrade another position through free agency or my by getting a player another team wants to unload because of salary, isn’t that the right move?

This isn’t the NBA, where other teams will give you a good player for the expiring contract of a mediocre player. So, no one is going to give you a young, ready to play prospect for Jason Kipnis.

The front office knows they need to make the everyday line up better, and they are trying to make a trade from a position for strength.

It might be tough to swallow, but it absolutely makes sense.

Gomes Move Is First Step To Reallocating Payroll

The Indians dealt another key member of the team over the last five seasons on Friday, moving catcher Yan Gomes to the Washington Nationals for two minor leaguers (the 7th and 8th prospects on Baseball America’s mid season report.

Immediately, the criticism began from the Tribe is cheap faction in fandom. We say let’s see. If the Indians’ payroll is not close to where it was last season, then there is a valid argument.

However, as we have said all along, if Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff want to improve the 2018 Indians, they will need to clear some cash from the books, and that would give them the flexibility to add some players.

The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes said it is difficult to contend while you rebuild, and while we agree in most cases, when you have two of the league’s top ten players in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, it is a bit easier.

Gomes will turn 32 next July, so he is past his prime. While still an excellent defensive catcher and handler of a pitching staff, here are his OPS since coming to Cleveland in 2013:

2013: 826
2014: 785
2015: 659
2016: 527
2017: 708
2018: 762

Last season was Gomes’ best offensively since ’14, so logic tells you he was going to slip back a bit in 2019. He’s not a guy who has real strike zone judgment either, his career high in walks being 31 in 2017.

In our opinion, that doesn’t lead to a player sustaining decent offensive numbers as he ages.

With Gomes making $7 million this year and with club options for ’20 ($9 million) and ’21 ($11 million), the brass figured they didn’t want to pay that kind of money for a season that probably won’t be as productive as last, so they dumped his salary.

That doesn’t mean there is a “fire sale” going on, it simply means the Indians are doing what we said they need to do since the off-season began, and that is reallocate the payroll.

They have a lot of money tied up in players who no longer are producing up to the level of their contracts: Edwin Encarnacion ($21.7 million), Jason Kipnis ($14.7 million), and Yonder Alonso ($8 million).

All of these guys are on the other side of 30 years old, and there performance has declined. Let’s say the Indians could manage to trade all three of them, plus Gomes, and that would clear over $51 million in salary, and if they plan to have a payroll close to 2018 level, it gives them a lot to spend.

If they decide to deal a starting pitcher, again, it is a move designed to reallocate funds and also a trade made from strength.

With the emergence of Shane Bieber, and the coming arrival of Triston McKenzie, there may be no better time to move a starter.

We would hate to see Corey Kluber dealt, but he will be 33 in April. If you can move him and get a young hitter and another young pitcher in return, you have to think about it.

You still have Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Bieber, and you can get another veteran starter with the money you save to hold you over until McKenzie is ready.

Remember too, the three pitchers Cleveland was obtained since the end of the season (Chih-Wei Hu, Walker Lockett, and Jeffy Rodriguez) all have starting experience in AAA.

So, don’t make any rash judgments on what the front office is doing until they are finished. We aren’t someone who think the Dolan ownership does no wrong, but right now, we believe the front office is just moving soon to be dead money in favor of younger players with upside.

And that’s what they should do.

Tribe Roster in ’19 Will Look Very Different.

Little by little, the Cleveland Indians we have come to know are leaving the team. Some we knew quite well, others passed through quickly.

Lonnie Chisenhall, one of the longest tenured players in the organization signed a one year deal with the Pirates on the same day Josh Donaldson, who spent less than a month with the Tribe, signed with Atlanta.

And of course, there have been rumors of trades, mostly regarding more players who have been with the Indians since Terry Francona was hired prior to the 2013 season.

Players like Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, and Yan Gomes are primarily mentioned.

While not all of them will be traded (we think), there is no question the 2019 edition of the Cleveland Indians will look very different from the past.

Obviously, no matter what occurs in the next couple of months, the Tribe will be led by Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, both of whom finished in the top six in the American League MVP voting, and regardless of a trade, a stout starting rotation.

We have read comments from fans and media alike calling this a fire sale, or the Indians cutting payroll, but we don’t believe that’s the case.

Any moves made will involves redistributing the money the ownership can spend, because right now, they have a lot of money tied up in players in the decline phases of their careers.

Take Gomes, for example. He is scheduled to make slightly over $7 million next season. He’ll be 32 during the 2019 season, and had his best offensive season (762 OPS) since 2014 (785 OPS).

Why not trade him now after a good offensive season, in addition to his excellent defense and handling of a pitching staff? And you give yourself some additional money to address other areas of need.

As for Kipnis, it’s a matter of moving a player who appears to have peaked in 2016 and is owed a lot of money next season. It is doubtful the veteran will bring a lot in return because of his bloated salary. In fact, the Indians may have to kick in some cash to make the deal.

Even if they have to throw in $4 million, that still gives the organization an extra $10 million to upgrade other areas.

And we still believe Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff will move one of the starting pitchers to bring in the biggest prize, a young controllable bat who can add depth to the batting order.

We still believe Carrasco will bring the biggest return.

It may not end there either. The front office would love to move Yonder Alonso and/or Edwin Encarnacion freeing up more cash to spend, not to keep.

While we have seen some moves around baseball already, our guess is the Tribe will look to deal off some veterans before adding the new faces to the roster.

However, we reiterate that what the front office is doing to reallocating the payroll to try and prop the window open for several more years. At the end of the season, we came to the realization that everyone in their normal lineup was over 30 years old, save for Lindor and Ramirez.

That’s not a recipe to get better, especially offensively.

That’s the off-season goal of the front office in our opinion, to get surround the two MVP candidates with players with upside.

That, and rebuild the bullpen.

Champion Tribe Still Has Offensive Questions.

It’s been a baseball season filled with ups and downs for the Cleveland Indians, but since they reside in the American League Central Division, Terry Francona’s squad coasted to the division title, the first team to clinch that spot in the big leagues this season.

We have said it all season, the Tribe lineup is very top heavy, and the team is in the top three in the AL in runs scored because of SS Francisco Lindor, 3B/2B Jose Ramirez, LF Michael Brantley, and to a lesser extent DH Edwin Encarnacion.

Beyond that quartet, there have been some hot streaks by other players, but you know it has been a tough season for many of the Indians’ hitters, when Melky Cabrera’s signing was important.

Over the last month, Lindor and Ramirez have regressed from their superman status offensively, Lindor kind of being a normal human being, while Ramirez has been in a slump.

That has made it difficult for the Indians to maintain a solid offense for the last four to six weeks.

If Josh Donaldson can be even close to the player he was in 2015 and 2016, he brings an additional impact to the lineup. And that is needed because the Indians rank in the lower third of the league in WAR at several positions.

They are second last in the AL in centerfield, fourth from the bottom in rightfield, and rank 10th (out of 15) at second base.

That’s why the front office gambled on Donaldson. That moves Ramirez to second, an upgrade, and Jason Kipnis, who isn’t having a great year, to center, where his off year is better than what the Tribe has had to use in the middle of the outfield.

Bradley Zimmer started the year out there, but struck out 44 times in a 114 plate appearance, before getting hurt and ending his season with a .226 batting average and a 611 OPS.

He was platooning with Rajai Davis, who is still active, and has an even worse OPS at 567, with just 8 extra base hits in 210 plate appearances.

By contrast, Roberto Perez, having a miserable year at the plate by anyone’s standards, has 10 extra base hits.

Greg Allen took over and by comparison has looked better, but he’s has a 613 OPS and a .241 batting average and 13 extra base hits.

Management traded for Leonys Martin from Detroit before the July 31st trade deadline, but he fell ill after playing six games, and that sent president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff scrambling.

The fear here is that the Indians will be one of those teams who are so deficient in certain areas that it offsets the greatness of Lindor and Ramirez, and the starting pitching, which claims three of the AL’s top ten in ERA, and four of the league’s top ten in strikeouts.

The Tribe’s likely first round opponent, the Astros, lead the league in ERA and in strikeouts. Meaning runs will probably be tough to come by, so even if the top of the order is hitting, someone will still need to step up to win the series.

Maybe it will be Encarnacion or Donaldson. Perhaps Kipnis will hit in the playoffs like he did in 2016, when he belted 4 homers and knocked in eight.

Unless the pitching staff is throwing shutouts, they will need more than Lindor, Brantley, and Ramirez. And remember, those three didn’t really hit well a year ago.

There can’t be anymore moves made, so the players on the roster are going to have to step up. The question is will they?

Things To Watch After Tribe Wraps It Up

Sometime in the next week, the Cleveland Indians will clinch the American League Central Division title, their 10th since the three division set up was established in 1994.

They will also be making their 11th post season appearance in that time frame, trailing only the powerful, big market Red Sox and Yankees in the American League.

These are heady times for baseball fans in northeast Ohio, especially when you consider this team has several of the best players who have ever worn the Indians’ uniform.

Even after the Tribe wraps up the division crown, they will be very interesting to watch through the end of the season. Here are some things to watch–

Josh Donaldson. The former AL MVP will return to the active roster next week in Tampa, and then the seismic position shift will begin, assuming Donaldson’s calf holds up.

When he is ready to play the field, Jose Ramirez will move to second base, and Jason Kipnis goes to centerfield. That is, if Kipnis continues to swing the bat like he has over the last week to ten days.

If he slumps again, Terry Francona could go back to Greg Allen, who is a better defender, and has provided some timely hits since Leonys Martin fell ill.

The Bullpen. With Cody Allen back on the beam (hopefully), who will be in the bullpen for the post-season is still up in the air.

The first order of business is getting Andrew Miller healthy and back in the mix. We doubt he can carry the same load he did in 2016, but if he can give Francona an inning of quality relief two or three times in a series, that would be big.

Also to be determined is what other right-handers will the skipper want. Adam Cimber should be one, because of his success vs. right-handed hitters, but will the manager really want to bring Dan Otero or Neil Ramirez into a playoff game?

Our guess is that was why veteran Jon Edwards was given a look see after striking out 56 in 39-2/3 innings at Columbus this year.

And that makes it kind of curious that Ben Taylor wasn’t brought back for another look. The 25 year old made six appearances early in the year, and fanned 70 in 57-1/3 innings at AAA this year.

The Bench. There won’t be a need for 13 pitchers come October, so we figure two spots on the bench will open up.

In our estimation, Francona will go with four starters and seven arms out of the bullpen, so who gets those roster spots?

If Kipnis is in CF, one spot will go to Greg Allen for his defense, and Rajai Davis will be there as a pinch runner, but will that mean Yandy Diaz makes the roster this fall?

Remember, a year ago, Diaz was bypassed in favor of Giovanny Urshela’s glove.

This year, Diaz may be in the lineup vs. left handed pitchers, replacing Yonder Alonso, who is batting .212 with a 607 OPS against southpaws.

For a team coasting into the playoffs, the 2018 Cleveland Indians have a lot of things that are unsettled. We are sure the Tribe management would like things to crystalize in the next three weeks.

The Tribe’s Giant Leap of Faith

Well, we certainly can’t say Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff played it safe, can we?

The Cleveland Indians’ front office took a giant leap of faith that Josh Donaldson’s injured calf will be healthy enough to get through two months in acquiring the former American League MVP just prior to the September 1st deadline.

Donaldson hasn’t played in the big leagues since May 28th, yet the Tribe management is willing to blow up the existing lineup for a player hitting .234 with a 757 OPS this season.

Ironically, Donaldson’s last two home runs for the Blue Jays came on May 3rd, at Progressive Field in a doubleheader against the Indians, hitting them off of Nick Goody in game one, and Adam Plutko in the nightcap.

In his three previous seasons, his lowest OPS was 939 in 2015, his first year in Canada, when he won the MVP, leading the AL in runs scored, runs batted in, and belted 41 home runs.

His career post-season numbers, in 31 games, are a .292 batting average, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and an 836 OPS. Even in the ALCS loss to the Indians in 2016, Donaldson still was 6 for 18 with a dinger.

When he is ready to play, and that’s not a given, it appears the Tribe will move Jose Ramirez to second base, and Jason Kipnis will move to the outfield for the second straight fall.

That’s a drastic departure because Terry Francona said a few weeks ago that he wasn’t going to move Ramirez to the keystone to get Yandy Diaz’ bat in the lineup.

With Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez in a bit of a tailspin, it was clear the Indians’ offense needed a boost. Greg Allen was hot for awhile, but our fears that he still isn’t reliable were shown to be true.

That doesn’t mean Allen doesn’t have a future, because we believe he does.

The Tribe outfield defense isn’t great anyway, so it appears management will punt on it totally to get Kipnis’ recently rejuvenated bat in the lineup, with Ramirez moving to second.

When will the transition start to take place? It is thought that Donaldson needs some more minor league at bats, so will Francona wait until Donaldson is ready to play in the majors, or will he get valuable action at their new positions for Ramirez and Kipnis.

When Kipnis is in center, our guess is he will play five or six innings, and if the Tribe has a lead, Greg Allen will take over.

It has been reported that Kipnis is not real happy about having to move to the outfield, and this is where Francona needs his greatest strength, his relationship with his players.

If Donaldson is healthy, there is no doubt his presence in the lineup makes the Tribe batting order more potent. The offense has been top heavy all season long, with the team not getting a lot of production past the fifth spot in the order.

Donaldson’s presence lengthens the order, potentially dropping Yonder Alonso into the 6th spot, and if Kipnis keeps hitting, the lineup has some depth.

The biggest selling point Tito has is it makes the team better, and if winning is the ultimate goal in that clubhouse, this move helps.

Still, it’s a huge gamble because of Donaldson’s calf. We have seen what Lonnie Chisenhall’s problem has done to his career over the last year, so there is no guarantee it won’t flare up on the newest Indian.

Antonetti and Chernoff have pushed all the chips to the center of the table again. Now, the question is will their new hand be a winner?

Tito’s Patience Being Put To Test

One of Terry Francona’s best (and most famous) assets as a manager is his patience. Fans simply don’t understand this. As soon as a player has two hitless games, they are ready to try someone else.

It doesn’t work that way over the ups and downs of a 162 game, six month, Major League Baseball season.

Heck, right now, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are going through a down period. Lindor is 10 for 47 during the past two weeks, and Ramirez is 4 for 22 over the last week.

No one thinks they should be replaced or platooned, they are among the best players in the game.

Every player has ups and downs during the long season, and Francona understands that, and gives players who have performed for him in the past the benefit of the doubt.

And really, that’s the way it should be.

However, sometimes Francona’s famous patience develops into stubbornness. We are sure that’s a benefit for him in the clubhouse. Players want to know the manager has their backs, and aren’t going to go away from them at the first sign of trouble.

Jason Kipnis and Cody Allen are two players who should have Tito thinking that it might just be time to go in a different direction.

Both have been with the Indians since the day Francona accepted the managerial job in the fall of 2012, Kipnis coming up in 2011 and Allen in ’12.

Kipnis made his first All Star team in 2013, and he and Carlos Santana were the best offensive players on the roster. Allen led the team in appearances (yes, even more than Bryan Shaw!) as the primary set up man for Chris Perez.

Both were key players on the American League Championship team in 2016, Kipnis’ home run in Game 5 of the World Series, put away to contest that put the Tribe one game away from a world title.

Allen formed a tremendous back end of the bullpen duo with Andrew Miller, and saved six games in the post-season.

Unfortunately, Kipnis hasn’t been the same player since that World Series. He battled injuries in ’17, and hit just .232 (.291 OBP) with a 705 OPS a year ago, and this season, his number are worse, at .218 (although he is walking more–.307 OBP) and a 654 OPS.

Remember, he played the outfield in the ALDS because the Tribe was rolling with Jose Ramirez playing second, his natural position, and the combination of Yandy Diaz and Giovanny Urshela at third.

Why not give that a look again?

As for Allen, his strikeout rate is at a career low, his walk rate and home run rate are at a career high. He has pitched in over 67 games five consecutive years, and perhaps his arm is showing a little fatigue.

Francona leaned on him a lot early in the season when the bullpen was in shambles with Miller out. Perhaps that’s taken it toll too.

With Allen, there aren’t really alternatives. The only other right-handers in the ‘pen are Dan Otero and Adam Cimber, who struggles vs. left-handed hitters.

But maybe it’s time to give Allen a week to 10 days off, and see if an improvement occurs. After all, the Indians have all but put away the Central Division. Until then, Tito has Miller and Brad Hand to close, and he has used Hand in that role since coming over from San Diego.

Patience is a virtue. However, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

That’s the fine line Terry Francona sits on these days. It’s probably not a comfortable seat.