Tribe Has Many, Many Questions Heading To Goodyear

The people who run Major League Baseball seem to want to delay the season, but the players didn’t agree, so it appears spring training will start in about 10 days in Goodyear, Arizona.

What does the season hold for the Cleveland Indians? There are probably more questions surrounding the Tribe that for any other team in the sport.

It would not be surprise to us if the Tribe won anywhere from 75 to 90 games in the 2021 season. That’s how much uncertainty we have.

The starting lineup has few people entrenched. Jose Ramirez will play 3B, Cesar Hernandez will be at second, Eddie Rosario will be in the outfield, Franmil Reyes will be the DH, and Josh Naylor figures to be in there somewhere, outfield or 1B.

Roberto Perez and Austin Hedges will share the catching spot, and we would guess Jordan Luplow will be in the lineup whenever the Tribe plays a left-handed starting pitcher. Oh, and Shane Bieber will be the Opening Day starter, if he is healthy.

At first base, Terry Francona has a bunch of candidates. We believe Naylor is the frontrunner, but Jake Bauers, who spent all last season in the satellite camp, is out of options. He hit .226 (683 OPS) when we last saw him in 2019. There is also Bobby Bradley, who will turn 25 during the ’21 campaign. He hit 33 HR in AAA in ’19, but struck out 20 times in 49 plate appearances in the bigs.

Bradley hasn’t been on a Top 100 prospect list since 2017, so this spring is probably make or break for both him and Bauers.

At shortstop, which player obtained in the Francisco Lindor deal does Francona go with? Andres Gimenez or Amad Rosario?

Gimenez is 22, a left-handed hitter and had a 732 OPS a year ago. Rosario is 25, a right-handed hitter, but had a bad year in ’20, hitting just .252 with a 643 OPS. Gimenez is the better defender, while Rosario could also be a candidate to play centerfield.

As we said, the outfield is up for grabs with half the positions open. Rosario will play everyday and Luplow at least vs. southpaws.

Centerfield would seem to come down to Oscar Mercado, who had a solid rookie season, but was terrible last season, hitting .128 with a 27:5 strikeout to walk ratio, the perpetually tantalizing Bradley Zimmer, who outside of the first half of his rookie season (2017) has had contact and production issues, or could A. Rosario be in the mix?

And what about Daniel Johnson, who had a 868 OPS in the minors in 2019? He’s mostly played rightfield, but can and has played in the middle of the outfield.

We would rather see Johnson out there, at least as part of a platoon with Mercado, than Zimmer, who continues to struggle making contact.

Or does Johnson platoon in RF? Or does Naylor, if Bauers or Bradley win the first base job?

The thing to watch when exhibition games start (at the end of this month!) is who is hitting, and who are they hitting against?

And don’t forget the utility infielder spot. Does Yu Chang have the inside track for the spot? Don’t forget the Tribe brought back veteran Mike Freeman as an invitee, and although many don’t like him because Francona uses him like a security blanket, he is perfect in that he doesn’t require regular at bats to keep his swing ready.

The only question behind the plate is whether or not both Perez and Hedges open the season with the Indians. Both are among the highest paid Indians, and does the front office want to have two highly paid guys paying the same position?

That seems to be an odd question, but that’s life as we currently know it for supporters of the Cleveland Indians.

While many regard (and rightly so) the starting pitching staff as the strength of the team, but there are many questions there as well. We will discuss those next week.

Just think, next week, baseball fans can start getting reports about on the field activity. Finally. After a crazy 2020, that’s something to look forward to.

Is Tribe Selling Hope Or Success?

We have always said the two things professional sports franchises can sell their fans are a championship contending team or hope of future success. That’s why the Indians are having a tough time with their fan base, particularly those who have been around longer.

First, we understand the Tribe has a good farm system, but we also understand that’s a highly speculative thing. As the late, great Pete Franklin used to say, until proven otherwise, prospects should be called suspects.

As it stands right now, the Cleveland Indians probably aren’t in the mix for an American League Central Division title. They could be in it for a wild card if they can muster enough runs. They ranked 13th in the AL in scoring last season, and they no longer have three of the top five on last year’s squad in OPS (Francisco Lindor, Cesar Hernandez, and Carlos Santana).

Can someone emerge from the organization to replace that run scoring capability? Of course, anything is possible. We like Josh Naylor, who will play somewhere, and certainly Daniel Johnson deserves a real shot at everyday at bats.

However, that’s the real question. Assuming Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes are the best two hitters in the everyday lineup, who is the third best hitter? Is it Naylor? Or does a Jordan Luplow finally become a hitter who can be productive against right-handed hurlers, meaning he can play in most games?

There is no question the strength of the Indians is their starting pitching staff, led by Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, but without Carlos Carrasco as a veteran anchor, the rest of the starting rotation doesn’t have much of a track record.

For example, barring an injury issue, Bieber will start Opening Day in Detroit on April 1st. Who pitches the rest of the series? You could assume Zach Plesac goes in the next game, but he’s thrown less than 200 innings (171) in his big league career.

As for the rest of the rotation, Aaron Civale has pitched 132 innings. Triston McKenzie has logged 33 frames, Cal Quantrill has 135. Does Adam Plutko sneak back into the mix? If he does, he’s the old man of the group at 217.

None of these guys have pitched an entire major league 162 game season. So forgive us if we are a tad skeptical if they can pitch at a high level from April until the end of September.

The good news is more starters should be ready soon. Guys like Scott Moss, Logan Allen could get shots in 2021, and don’t count out Sam Hentges, Eli Morgan, and Joey Cantillo, who came over in the Mike Clevinger deal.

Where the lack of hope comes in is does anyone have any faith in anyone staying in Cleveland past the time they will be a free agent? Does anyone believe Jose Ramirez will be here beyond 2023, when his club options expire?

Lindor and Clevinger both alluded to how this organization does business now. If a player is about to make big money, they are traded. Maybe it’s just those two, but my guess is this is discussed in the clubhouse, and that will make it difficult for the front office to convince any player to take less money to sign long term.

That makes it difficult to get attached to players and/or a team. Why do people gravitate to the Tribe teams of the late 1990’s? Kenny Lofton played here nine years in a decade span, Omar Vizquel was here 11 seasons, Jim Thome 12 years before coming back for a swan song. Charlie Nagy was here for 12.

When players are part of an organization for that long, they become family.

We understand the sport has changed, but are simply saying having a revolving door in the locker room doesn’t help build an identity with the fan base. That’s why trading Carrasco hurt many. He was here for ten years.

Just remember this. The last Indians who played more than 10 years in Cleveland and never played anywhere else retired in 1956! That was Al Rosen.

Tribe OF Has To Be Better, No?

It is difficult to imagine the Cleveland Indians’ outfield will be worse in 2021, after all it was dreadful to be honest during the 60 game 2020 season.

As a whole, the Tribe outfield ranked last in the American League in WAR, and individually by position ranked 12th in leftfield, and 14th in both right and centerfields.

The most used player out there was Tyler Naquin, who played in 40 games, hitting .218 with 4 HR and 20 RBI and a 632 OPS. Naquin is arbitration eligible and if we were running the team, we would non-tender him, making him a free agent. It doesn’t seem like it, but the left-handed hitter will turn 30 years old in 2021.

Making the second most appearances out there is Delino DeShields, who batted .252 with 7 RBI and a 628 OPS. He’s another candidate to be non-tendered, and as with Naquin, we would support that move. DeShields will be 28 next season, and has never demonstrated an ability to hit.

Oscar Mercado was a rookie sensation in 2019, but never got it going last season, winding up with a .127 batting average, 348 OPS, and a single homer. Striking out 27 times compared to five walks didn’t help either. We don’t hold a lot of hope for the right-handed hitter because of his command of the strike zone, but he’s worth a look.

Josh Naylor wound up playing in left after coming over from San Diego, and could be a regular there this season, but he could also be a candidate at first base, and might be the favorite there.

Jordan Luplow should be in the mix for 2021 at least as a platoon piece, as he hit .270 vs. LHP last season and has a 982 OPS vs. southpaws for his career. He got off to a spectacularly bad start to the season, but hit .313 with a 983 OPS from September 1st on.

In reality, if Naylor moves to first, Luplow should be the only player guaranteed a spot to be on the roster when the Indians visit Detroit on April 1st for Opening Day.

Daniel Johnson received 12 big league at bats, none after August 3rd, getting just one hit. However, after hitting .306 in 84 games at Columbus in 2019, he should have received more of a look, especially because the players being used were quite frankly, dreadful.

He should receive a full blown shot at the job in ’21, and probably should be a starter from day one.

It will also be interesting to see how much of a chance, the Tribe’s top prospect, Nolan Jones gets. Jones has been working in the outfield in the instructional league, as he is a third baseman by trade, and the Indians have Jose Ramirez.

Jones will be 23 next season and is a left-handed bat, and shows a good knowledge of the strike zone in his minor league career, drawing 96 walks in 2019 between Lynchburg and Akron.

He has yet to play in AAA, but you have to wonder how much stock the organization will put in participating in the satellite camp this past summer for the minor league prospects.

You also still have holdovers Bradley Zimmer, who still hasn’t shown anything offensively since his rookie season, and Jake Bauers, who spent the entire 2020 season in the satellite camp. We would think both of them would have to have a tremendous spring training to open the year with the big club.

You also would think Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will be looking for outfield help in the likely trade of Francisco Lindor as well.

No matter what happens, it’s time for the organization to change course on the current make up of these three spots and move on. Over 162 games, we doubt the Indians can handle such dismal production from the outfield.

Tribe Got Talent, Just Not What Was Needed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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