Tribe Offense Could Use More Walking.

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few seasons about “launch angle” and the way baseball has gone with the approach of hitting over defensive shifts and strikeouts are no big deal.

Maybe the pendulum is starting to switch.

Everyone’s friends, the Houston Astros might be changing the narrative. The Astros lead the major leagues in runs scored, yet have struck out the fewest times of any team. Toronto, who has scored the third most runs, have whiffed the next fewest.

While it is true the other teams in the top five rank more toward the middle of the pack in striking out (Dodgers-19th, Red Sox-14th, White Sox-13th), of the teams that fan the most, only Tampa Bay, whose hitters have struck out more than anyone, score more than the sports average (4.48 runs/game).

The next best team is Atlanta, who have scored the 7th most runs.

Let’s compare the Astros and Blue Jays offenses to the hometown team, the Cleveland Indians.

The Astros have six hitters who get regular at bats with on base percentages of over .350, and four players have more than 35 walks. As we just saw when the swept the Tribe in a four game series here, when their hitters get to two strikes, they have a more old school approach, looking to put the ball in play.

They also have seven batters with slugging averages over .450.

Toronto isn’t a team that walks a lot, with only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. having an on base percentage over .350, although Bo Bichette and Marcus Simien are close. They do have five hitters with slugging percentages over .450.

As for the Tribe, they have only one hitter with an OBP over .350, and that’s Bradley Zimmer, which is quite shocking, but he only has slightly over 100 plate appearances. Among players with over 200 PA’s, there is no one. Jose Ramirez’ .347 figure leads the team, with Franmil Reyes (who actually has just 197 times at the dish) next at .325.

As for slugging percentage, the Indians have just three players over .450: Jose Ramirez (.518), Reyes (.597), and Harold Ramirez (.451).

We know we are stating the obvious, but the Indians simply need more good hitters. To have an offense like Houston or Toronto, they need really three good hitters. More to the point, they need guys who don’t make outs.

The next best offenses in the AL, the White Sox and Red Sox breakdown as follows–Chicago has four solid on base hitters (over .350 OBP), but only two sluggers, although Tim Anderson’s slugging percentage is .447.

Boston has just two on base guys, but five sluggers, including Christian Arroyo, who Cleveland let go last season.

Cesar Hernandez and Amed Rosario have been okay, although the latter seems to be getting a lot of love from the baseball media lately. Hernandez has a .300 on base percentage, and although Rosario has good speed, and does hit the ball the other way, his OBP is just .307 because he doesn’t walk, which was his problem with the Mets.

Hernandez has had good years of getting on base, and is tied for the team lead in walks with Ramirez at 35. As a team, the Indians rank 13th in taking walks, and that needs to improve greatly for the team to score more often.

We are a huge believer in strike zone judgment being a big factor as to whether or not hitters have a solid long range future. That doesn’t bode well for the Cleveland lineup going forward. It’s also one of the reasons we would like to see more of Jordan Luplow.

Despite being on the IL since the end of May, and having only 121 plate appearances, he still ranks third on the team in walks with 21. It’s a skill this team needs.

We aren’t saying it’s the only way to improve the offense, but it’s a start in the right direction. Walking is good, the Tribe should do more of it.

Some Areas Where Tribe Would Like To Get Answers.

Friday night, the Cleveland Indians will commence the second half of the baseball season with a three game series in Oakland, which over the past few seasons has been a house of horrors for the Tribe.

Eli Morgan, Cal Quantrill, and Zach Plesac take the hill against the A’s, which is a bit comforting in that the first two have at least given Terry Francona five solid innings for the most part, and Plesac is the only holdover from the opening day rotation.

Regardless of what happens during these critical first ten games after the break, the Tribe organization would like to get some questions answered for the rest of this season.

Centerfield. Francona has mixed and matched at this position all season long. Bradley Zimmer has played the most games in center (36), followed by Jordan Luplow (22), Harold Ramirez (20), and amazingly Amed Rosario (18).

But Zimmer has shown no offensive ability other than being hit by pitches and stealing bases. He is probably the best defender at the position though. Oscar Mercado was called up a couple of weeks ago, and so far, has done okay at the plate (843 OPS in 35 plate appearances). Is that sustainable?

When can Luplow return? Can he provide another option in the middle of the outfield?

It would be nice if someone could seize the job for the rest of the season. However, we don’t see that happening.

First Base. Certainly, Bobby Bradley is giving the Indians much better production than they received out of the Jake Bauers/Yu Chang platoon. But can the left-handed power hitter provide consistency?

Bradley started out like a house afire, going 12 for his first 32 (.375) with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Then, he went through a stretch where he went 2 for 28, striking out 10 times. In his last 44 at bats, he has 11 hits, four of them dingers.

Hopefully, Bradley can keep the cold streaks to a minimum and even when he’s not hitting balls over the walls, he can contribute offensively by mixing in some base hits and walks. That’s been a problem for him in his career.

Triston McKenzie. If Cleveland is to weather the storm until Shane Bieber and/or Aaron Civale get back, they need McKenzie to step up. The soon to be 24-year-old has had trouble throwing strikes all year long, walking 7.3 hitters per nine innings.

However, he has also struck out 12.4 batters per nine. He returned from AAA last Friday night and threw seven one-hit innings, fanning nine Kansas City hitters. He also set a team record earlier in the season, whiffing eight straight White Sox batters.

The stuff is obviously there. If the young right-hander can repeat his delivery and throw strikes consistently, he can take a huge stride toward being a legitimate starting pitcher in the majors.

And he doesn’t have to throw seven innings allowing just one hit to do that.

Defense. To be kind, the Tribe’s defense to date has been atrocious, and that of course, doesn’t help the pitching staff. Some of the reason for that was putting players in spots they really can’t handle defensively in order to get their bats in the lineup (see Harold Ramirez CF).

But Cesar Hernandez has had a tough go this season, and Amed Rosario still makes people nervous every time a ground ball is hit his way.

Hopefully, this area improves as the season goes on.

No games until Friday is a tough thing for a baseball fan. Hopefully, when play resumes this weekend, the Indians’ can start getting some clarity on these questions.

Tribe Still Has Leadoff Woes

Former Indians’ manager Mike Hargrove used to say if a team had a leadoff hitter and a cleanup hitter, everything else kind of fell into place in terms of making out the batting order.

This season, the #4 spot in the order has been one of the more productive spots for the Tribe, with an OPS of 746, ranking third for the season behind the #3 spot, occupied by Jose Ramirez, and the #5 spot, which has an OPS of 781, and has the most home runs (19) of any spot.

However, the leadoff spot continues to be troubling.

Since the job at that spot is to get on base, having a .287 on base percentage from that spot means more often than not, the game starts with one out. And only the #7 and #9 have a more difficult time reaching base safely.

Last season, Cesar Hernandez did a great job in the leadoff spot. He had a .355 OBP, pretty much in line with his career norm. However this season, that figure has dropped to .299. Ideally, a .350 figure equals being a good leadoff man. Right now, it’s a problem for an offense that struggles to score runs, ranking below average in the AL in that department.

The .299 figure is based on the entire season. After Hernandez was moved into the #1 hole by Terry Francona in May, his on base average is actually the same at .299

Granted, the switch-hitter has hit in tough luck for much of the season. He has hit an inordinate amount of line drives that have resulted in outs. So, maybe those liners will start dropping and the former Phillie will get on a hot streak.

He does have a 792 OPS vs. southpaws, but that is a result of hitting for more power right-handed. He has a .476 slugging percentage vs. LHP compared to just .337 vs. right-handers. His on base figure is comparable, .289 vs. RHP and .316 vs. lefties.

The real problem for Francona is there isn’t a viable alternative on the roster. Among players with more than 100 plate appearances, Ramirez gets on base the most at .347, but moving him to the leadoff spot creates a hole at #3.

By the way, that isn’t a reason to not hit him there. We would seriously consider it because it would also get him up to the plate more often.

Ranking behind Ramirez is the injured Jordan Luplow (.331), who actually did leadoff quite a bit before Hernandez was moved there. He still ranks third on the team in walks behind Hernandez and Ramirez. Following Luplow is Amed Rosario with a .331 OBP.

Bradley Zimmer has a .353 on base average, but that figure is skewed because he has been hit by six pitches to date. Without those, his figure drops to .288. If he could promise to keep getting hit, maybe he could bat first, but it doesn’t seem like that’s something that can be sustained.

At Columbus, Owen Miller has a .407 figure, but he struggled when given an opportunity with the big club. Both Gabriel Arias and Nolan Jones are over .350, but neither has spent a day in the majors and thrusting them into the leadoff spot puts a lot of pressure on a young player.

So, the alternatives are hoping Hernandez’ line drives start falling in or putting Ramirez in the top spot in the order, which might work when Franmil Reyes comes back. Francona could go–

Ramirez
A. Rosario
E. Rosario
Reyes
Bradley

Getting guys on base leading off an inning really helps an offense, it doesn’t take a genius to see that. It certainly would help the Cleveland offense.

Is Zimmer’s Rope Getting Shorter?

Besides trying to win baseball games, it feels like the Cleveland Indians’ organization has another objective during the 2021 season. That would be making final decisions on some players.

The Tribe decided to keep Jake Bauers on the Opening Day roster, despite Bobby Bradley having a better spring (not that spring training statistics should be meaningful), because Bauers was out of option and couldn’t be sent to the minors without being put on waivers.

Bauers didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, hitting just .190 (557 OPS) in 113 plate appearances, with just two home runs, before being traded to Seattle. (We do have to point out, he is hitting .315 with a homer in 54 at bats with Seattle).

Yu Chang is getting his first extended look on the roster, and he is struggling too, batting just .167 (488 OPS) in 102 at bats. Chang is 25 years old, and our guess is his roster spot is currently on a day-to-day basis.

Right now, it feels like Bradley Zimmer, a former first round pick in 2014, is in the same situation. Zimmer, who is a tremendous athlete, can run like a deer, and is clearly the best defensive outfielder on the roster.

Unfortunately, he also has to put a bat in his hands every once in awhile.

When Zimmer got the call to the big leagues in 2017, he hit the ground running, batting 285 in his first 151 at bats, with five home runs and a 790 OPS. However, since the All Star break that season, the 21st pick in 2014, has 370 at bats, and has hit .200 in that period, with just six dingers and 151 strikeouts.

That latter total is astounding, considering the lack of pop and the lack of walks. The only two things that stand out to us offensively is he has been hit by 10 pitches in 2020-21, in just 128 plate appearances, and he has stolen six bases.

Terry Francona loves his defense in the middle of the outfield for sure, who wouldn’t? Cleveland has gone through Ben Gamel, Amed Rosario, Jordan Luplow, and Harold Ramirez in center, and by far Zimmer is the best at going out the catching the ball.

However, we always maintain the as great as Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel were defensively, if they could not hit respectably, they would have found themselves on a bench more often than not. You have to be able to hit to play.

The best role for Zimmer right now might be as a defensive replacement late in close games where the Indians have the lead. Start Ramirez in center, and if you have the lead after six, move him to another spot and let Zimmer patrol center.

The question is will the organization give him more rope, and if they move on, who gets the next shot? Oscar Mercado is hitting just .220 at Columbus, but his walk rate has improved, and that has been a big problem in the past. We have seen opposing pitchers seemingly try to walk Mercado, only to see him keep swinging.

Daniel Johnson is batting just .223, but has banged out 20 extra base hits, leading to a .458 slugging percentage. And perhaps he has the same problem Bobby Bradley had when he was sent out after spring training. That is a feeling he should be in the bigs.

Or could Andres Gimenez be brought back to play SS, with Amed Rosario going back to centerfield. Gimenez has an 834 OPS at Columbus, but has a poor 35:8 strikeout to walk ratio.

Is Bradley Zimmer getting his last shot with Cleveland? He still can be sent to the minor leagues or he can be useful as a 26th man. Either way, if he can’t improve his hitting, he likely won’t get another shot with the Tribe.

Tribe Offense Shows Signs Of Life…In The Last Week

A week ago Saturday, the Indians made the long awaited move, calling up Bobby Bradley from Columbus and designating Jake Bauers for assignment.

Bauers was later traded to Seattle for a player to be named later or cash.

Since Bradley was called up, the Tribe has scored 39 runs in six games, although Bradley hasn’t appeared in all of them. That’s well above their average of a little over four runs per contest.

Bradley has started off hot, going 7 for 14, with a couple of home runs and seven runs batted in. In addition to the slugging first baseman, Amed Rosario and Eddie Rosario have both picked up the pace, and with Jose Ramirez, has given Cleveland a respectable top five hitters in the order.

First of all, although it is great that Bradley is off to a good start, it’s only 14 at bats, and way, way too soon to make any judgments or proclamations that he is the answer to the Tribe’s offensive woes.

At the very least, Bradley should take the at bats Bauers was getting vs. right-handed pitchers, and he has already exceeded the number of RBIs the new Mariner had in 100 at bats with Cleveland. And if Bradley stays hot, give him some at bats vs. southpaws as well.

What does that mean for rookie Owen Miller, who has struggled since his call up, going 5 for 46 with 23 strikeouts. If Miller isn’t going to get regular at bats, and it’s hard to see that he will, he might be best served going back to AAA and getting regular playing time.

Yu Chang isn’t hitting either, but he doesn’t have the minor league credentials Miller does, so he stays for now, but remember Jordan Luplow will need to be activated soon, so someone will have to go.

Then you still have the outfield problem. The Indians could really use Bradley Zimmer’s defense in centerfield on a daily basis, but Zimmer’s strikeout problems have reared up again (16 K’s and just three walks in 38 plate appearances), so it’s tough to put him in the lineup everyday.

Harold Ramirez has been steady at the plate, hitting .269 with a 755 OPS, one of the better marks on the roster. We are sure the organization would like Josh Naylor’s name in the lineup too. Naylor is hitting .251 with a 686 OPS, but his minor league numbers, particularly at AA and AAA, indicate he will be a productive big league hitter.

The solution could be simply starting Ramirez in center, and if the Tribe has the lead after six innings, Zimmer takes over in CF with Ramirez coming out of the game or moving to rightfield.

We understand some people are worrying about who will be replaced when Franmil Reyes returns to the active roster. To them, we will say things have a way of working out.

Besides, it’s not as though the Indians have a bunch of Mike Trouts on the roster. By the time Reyes is back, someone will cool off and deserve less playing time. And if that doesn’t happen, the Tribe will be in good shape for the rest of the season.

We say it all the time, sometimes it doesn’t have to be a big splash move, improving the roster incrementally works too. Even making yourself slightly better helps you in the win/loss column.

Sometimes just tweaking the roster is just what the doctor ordered.

Nothing New: If Tribe Can Score, They Can Contend

So far in this 2021 Major League Baseball season, it’s quite simple: If the Cleveland Indians score four runs in a game, they win.

When the Indians get to that figure, they are 17-1 on the season. When they don’t, they are 1-13. The only game they lost when reaching the four run figure was the second Carlos Rodon/Zach Plesac matchup in Cleveland, when the White Sox beat the Tribe 8-5.

The only game they won scoring less than four? The epic Shane Bieber/Lucas Giolito game that went to 10 innings and resulted in a 2-0 Cleveland win.

Recently, the Indians’ offense has been a little better, Friday night’s no-hitter not withstanding. In their current stretch where they’ve one 10 out of 13, the Tribe has scored an average of 4.8 runs per game, getting at least four in all of the wins.

Overall on the season, the league average is 4.41 runs, and the Tribe is sitting at 4.25, so they are still below average.

So, it’s simple right? If the Indians can have close to a league average offense, they can be a contender in the AL Central. The two favorites coming into the season, the White Sox and Twins have problems. Chicago has lost two key offensive pieces in Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert, and the Twins have injury and bullpen issues to date.

Now, the question is, can the Tribe put together a league average offense?

Right now, the Cleveland attack is very top heavy. They have two real good offensive players, with OPS’ over 800 in Franmil Reyes (914) and Jose Ramirez (891). They have only two other players with an OPS over 700–Jordan Luplow at 789, and his batting average is just .171, and Josh Naylor at 724.

To date, the league average OPS is 704, so Cleveland has just four hitters who are better than the American League average.

That’s not good, nor does it bode well for the future.

We believe Eddie Rosario and Cesar Hernandez’ track records indicate they will hit, and while Rosario has had several years where he has been above the 800 OPS mark, Hernandez is more of a 750 OPS batter, meaning he’s above average, but not on the elite level.

The key continues to be Josh Naylor. If Naylor can hit like he has so far in May (.300 with two home runs and a 930 OPS in a small sample size), the Tribe’s offense just may be good enough. Notice that his surge has tied in with the offense being better.

First base is still a disaster area with Jake Bauers and Yu Chang combining to go 18 for 104 with just a single home run. Please note we are again talking about 32 games, not 10 anymore.

And the defense, particularly in the outfield, has been poor. Harold Ramirez has provided a bit of a spark with the bat (five hits this week, including three doubles), but he’s not a centerfielder. We know Naylor isn’t going to win a gold glove in right, and Rosario is average in left.

Terry Francona has tried to play Amed Rosario at shortstop against lefties, but it seems like he makes one misplay in each game he is out there.

And Roberto Perez’ finger injury means we will see a lot of Austin Hedges behind the plate, and let’s be kind and say he is offensively challenged. We know the Indians go defense first behind the plate, and we understand that, but right now, that position provides a slight upgrade over a pitcher offensively.

We have already seen opposing teams start to pitch around Ramirez and take their chances with Rosario and Reyes, and so far, they’ve come through. But given a choice, it wouldn’t be shocking to see more teams simply not give Ramirez anything to hit in late innings.

Nothing really has changed for the Tribe. If they can score, they can contend. Their ability to push runs across remains the key to the 2021 season.

Lack Of Scoring Puts Tribe On Razor’s Edge

It is still early, very early in the 2021 Major League Baseball season. We still are just a middle past the middle of April, and the Cleveland Indians have only played 14 games, less than 10% of its schedule.

However, for many, including ourselves, who were concerned about the ability of Terry Francona’s squad to score runs, the trepidation is real.

Through the first 15 games, the Indians rank dead last in the American League in scoring. This current trip. which has included six games, have the Tribe tallying 14 runs, and two of those occurred in the ten inning win over Chicago last Tuesday, when the dumb MLB rules people gave Cleveland a runner on second to start the inning.

Wednesday night, they were no hit by Chicago’s Carlos Rodon in a game were their plate appearance got progressively worse as the night moved on.

Cleveland is last in the AL in on base percentage, 9th in slugging (mainly because they are 3rd in the league in home runs), last in batting average, and second last in OPS+.

Without a doubt, they are one of the worst offenses in the game to date.

In their 14 contests, they have scored two runs or less six times, three runs or less eight times, and four runs or less in all but three games. ‘Keep in mind, the average team in the Junior Circuit scores 4.5 runs in a game.

When you score that few runs, the other parts of your game have to be perfect. Your pitchers can’t have bad outings, and the Tribe had two of them (Zach Plesac and Logan Allen) this week. You can’t make defensive mistakes, which have cost Cleveland in both games in Cincinnati. You can’t make baserunning errors either, like Eddie Rosario’s in the 8th inning yesterday.

The entire team is living on the edge right now.

We felt going into the season, Francona had four, maybe five solid hitters in his lineup. When two of them are going through tough periods, like Cesar Hernandez and Jose Ramirez went through at the beginning of the trip, that means you have two or three hitters contributing.

That simply doesn’t cut it.

The front office had an entire season to find a centerfielder after Oscar Mercado lost the job, and they still haven’t found one. They seem to be trying to give the job to Amed Rosario, a converted shortstop who is more of platoon piece (he hits southpaws very well), and started the year using Ben Gamel there as well.

They seem hesitant to give Jordan Luplow, who also hammers lefties, a shot at a full time job out there, although the former Pirate didn’t have huge platoon splits in the minors.

The best thing you can say about the offense is they generally put the ball in play.

Former Tribe skipper Mike Hargrove used to say something to the effect of if you have a good leadoff hitter and a cleanup hitter, your lineup takes shape on its own. Right now, the Indians have no one who should hit first, except Hernandez, who has told Francona he doesn’t like hitting first.

He leads the team in walks with eight, and has a career .351 on base average.

They really don’t have a true #4 hitter either. Franmil Reyes is too streaky at this point in his career, and Eddie Rosario isn’t bad, but ideally should hit fifth or sixth.

That means Francona is left with putting together a puzzle every night, and that makes his job very difficult.

Where can the offense come from? That’s the million dollar question. Yes, there are alternatives in the minors, but we don’t a big impact will come from there.

Perhaps a change in approach by Francona? Maybe the team can be more aggressive on the basepaths, more steals, more hit and runs? They don’t strikeout, so the latter might be a plan.

The Indians have to start putting together a way to score more often, otherwise, the margin for error for this baseball team will continue to be very thin.

It’s Early, But Tribe Bats Haven’t Quelled Any Fears

First of all, let us start that it is way too early to make any conclusions about any major league baseball teams after five games.

However, if you thought coming into the 2021 season that the offense would be a problem for the Cleveland Indians, they have done nothing to make you feel differently.

Remember, the Indians ranked tied for 13th in the American League in runs scored last year and dealt one of their best hitters in the off-season. So, it’s not like there isn’t a reason for concern.

In the season’s first five games, the Tribe scored two runs or less in three of them, and let us remind you that even with Cleveland’s usually excellent pitching, winning when the team scores two runs is very, very difficult.

The average American League team scored 4.58 runs per game on average last season, and the Indians were best in the Junior Circuit in run prevention, allowing 3.48 runs per contest. So, scoring two runs usually means adding one to the “L” column.

Thank goodness for Jose Ramirez. The AL MVP runner up belted a pair of two run homers yesterday, accounting for the only runs in the Tribe’s second victory of the season.

There are some good things to take note of thus far, although you can look at them in different ways.

Cleveland is last in the AL in striking out, and even in today’s game where hitters fan a lot, that’s a good thing. The counter to that is they haven’t faced any of the game’s big strikeout pitchers. Detroit and Kansas City ranked in the lower half of the league in that category last season. In fact, the Tigers pitching staff was last.

And they’ve been drawing four walks per game, which has to be a staple of their offense. They probably won’t see a premier pitcher until they visit Chicago next week to take on the White Sox.

They have also hit some home runs. Ramirez’ two yesterday give the team seven on the season, and partially because of that, they rank 8th in slugging percentage.

However, some of the things we were concerned about have reinforced those feelings.

Terry Francona has for some reason decided the bat the centerfielder in the leadoff spot, and while Jordan Luplow has had tremendous success against lefties in his career, so it makes sense with him, hitting Ben Gamel first raises some eyebrows.

The veteran has a .331 on base percentage for his career (his best mark was .358 with Seattle in 2018), so it’s tough to find a reason for him to bat first. Luplow’s has a lifetime .379 OBP vs. southpaws as a contrast.

To be fair, we know Cesar Hernandez is a better hitter than he has shown so far (2 for 18 with four walks). But the offense can’t be solely dependent on Hernandez, Ramirez, Eddie Rosario and Franmil Reyes either.

Another problem for the attack has been the inability to get runners on base early in innings. Too often, the Tribe gets a couple of hits with two outs, making it tough to score. And they’ve also banged into five double plays, third in the league to date, so they aren’t putting a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers.

They’ve also scored only two runs before the sixth inning. So, starting pitchers haven’t been able to protect any leads thus far.

Again, it’s early, so it is way too early for concern. But the Indians could have eased the minds of many supporters with a good start at the plate.

If they can score, then they can surprise in the AL Central.

Asking Questions That Tribe Hasn’t Answered Yet

Spring training lasts six weeks because of the starting pitchers. They have to get enough time to get stretched out enough to throw around 100 pitches in a game once the regular season starts.

Because it lasts so long, there is plenty of time resolve most questions, but here are some we would like to have answers for, and maybe we will once the calendar changes from April to May.

What about centerfield? Our guess was the Tribe front office was hoping that Oscar Mercado would regain his 2019 form and seize the job, but the 26-year-old still has problems distinguishing a ball from a strike, so he will not be in Detroit today.

Bradley Zimmer has the same issue and was also sent down. So, Terry Francona’s options to start the season are veteran Ben Gamel, converted shortstop (and recently converted at that) Amed Rosario, and Jordan Luplow.

It’s not like Gamel hit his way on the roster either, he kind of walked his way on, drawing seven walks. He batted .171 (7 for 41). Luplow has been more of a corner outfielder since coming to Cleveland, although he is good enough defensively to play in the middle of the outfield.

The question to us, is why wasn’t Daniel Johnson given a look out there during exhibition play? He was 7 for 19 against fairly experienced pitching in Arizona.

You have to wonder how quick he will be back with the big club?

Outfield defense or lack of it? Compounding the lack of an experienced true major league centerfielder is that the two men who will play the majority of time in the corner positions are Eddie Rosario and Josh Naylor, neither of whom are known for their glove work.

The infield defense should be solid. Cesar Hernandez won a Gold Glove last year, and new shortstop Andres Gimenez won the job partly because of his glove. Jose Ramirez is very good at the hot corner.

However, perhaps the front office is counting on a lot of strikeouts because a team based on pitching like the Indians should back that strength with good defense.

Our guess is a lot of late game substitutions for defense in the outfield in games where Cleveland is ahead. That’s why the Zimmer decision was a bit curious. Although we never have been a fan because of his lack of hitting, he can go get it in the field.

Who’s Still Here in August? If the Indians get off to a slow start, expect the trade winds to start swirling, mostly involving Ramirez. The front office learned from trading Francisco Lindor was that they probably moved him too late, just one year before he was a free agent.

With Ramirez under club options through the 2023 season, it would seem the club could get maximum value dealing a superstar player with two full season left on a reasonable contract.

And if Ramirez is moved, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hernandez and/or Eddie Rosario also on the block.

If the Tribe is in contention, Ramirez is probably off the table, at least until the end of the season, but Hernandez could still be moved if one of the Tribe’s infield prospects shows they are ready to come up.

And if they are in contention, Eddie Rosario is probably having a big season.

The Cleveland management have put a lot of pressure on their young pitching staff for the 2021 season. Can they answer the challenge? If so, these questions won’t be discussed much, but if Terry Francona’s squad can’t muster up enough runs or the outfield defense is porous, you will hear a lot about all three.

Still Questions For Tribe: Rotation and CF

Spring training is getting down to the nitty gritty. The regular season commences a week from tomorrow in Detroit and the Cleveland Indians still have questions in the starting rotation and in centerfield.

Coming into camp, the favorites for the last two spots in the rotation seemed to be rookie Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill, who came over in the Mike Clevinger deal at the deadline last season.

However, things in baseball don’t always work out like you want them.

Both McKenzie and Quantrill have struggled in Arizona, and Terry Francona and pitching coaches Carl Willis and Ruben Neibla might be thinking of going in a different direction.

McKenzie, who has only thrown 39 innings in the past two seasons combined, has walked 10 hitters and allowed seven home runs in 14-1/3 frames. True, it is spring training, the ball tends to fly in Arizona, and the righty might be working on pitches, but those aren’t good numbers.

Quantrill has had issues with command all spring too, walking nine in his 11 innings pitched.

Complicating things in a good way has been the performance of southpaw Logan Allen. He’s thrown 9 innings in the desert, allowing just one run and fanning 11. He may have just earned a spot on the big club.

Another complication is that Adam Plutko is out of options. The right-hander has allowed five runs in 8 innings of work, but has struck out nine.

It would not be a shock if Plutko got the baseball in the home opener on April 5th against Kansas City. The others (McKenzie, Quantrill, and Allen) all have options and the way the schedule is set up for the Tribe, they really don’t need a fifth starter until the season’s tenth game, April 13th against the White Sox.

That would also allow Francona to carry an extra bullpen arm for the first week and a half of the season.

Centerfield got a little clearer when Oscar Mercado was sent to the alternative site, leaving Bradley Zimmer, non-roster invitee Ben Gamel, and converted infielder Amed Rosario vying for playing time or to make the roster.

Also, Jordan Luplow has started playing in the Cactus League games, and yesterday started in center.

The front office has to be pulling for Zimmer, a former first round pick. To date, and he has faced pretty experienced pitching, he is 9 for 30, with five walks. He has fanned nine times, which is his biggest issue, not putting the ball in play.

The veteran Gamel, a left-handed hitter like Zimmer, is 7 for 31 (.226). It would seem to be tough for him to beat out Zimmer. Rosario, who would seem to be a platoon option with either Zimmer or Gamel, is 8 for 24 on the spring, and would seem to have a roster spot locked up.

Luplow, who has crushed left-handed pitching since joining the Indians would seem to give Francona, another option in CF, if he wants to give Andres Gimenez a day off against a tough lefty, or an option in RF, should he want to do the same with Josh Naylor.

It is difficult to think the Indians will keep six outfielders, another reason it could be tough for Gamel to hold down a spot.

And don’t forget Harold Ramirez (3 for 18), another right-handed bat, and could be in play as well.

Our prediction here? Zimmer will get the nod against righties, with A. Rosario playing the middle of the outfield vs. southpaws. The possible complication? Cleveland opens in Detroit, and Comerica Park has a huge outfield. Francona might favor defense in the Motor City.