Questions For Tribe Heading Into Training Camp.

Next week, the Cleveland Indians as well as other Major League Baseball teams will gather for training for 2020 abbreviated season. We can’t call it “spring” training now, because, well, it’s no longer spring.

The Tribe will carry 60 players throughout the season, but only 30 will be active on the new Opening Day, and eventually, that number will be reduced to 26.

However, much like any other season, there are questions going into camp and Terry Francona and his coaching staff can hopefully find some answers. And they will have to do so via a bunch of intrasquad games.

Can Franmil Reyes take a regular turn in the OF? If he can, then it opens up at bats for newcomer Domingo Santana, adding another power bat (and strikeouts) to the batting order.

If he cannot, Santana may have a problem making the team. And it would also mean the brass would have to find another outfielder who can swing the bat. The current pool doesn’t have anyone proven, it’s made up of Jake Bauers, rookie Daniel Johnson, Bradley Zimmer, and Greg Allen.

Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff made the moves this winter based on Reyes being able to play outfield acceptably. So, it’s a pretty big deal.

The development of Oscar Mercado. No doubt, Mercado had a solid rookie season a year ago, hitting .269 with 15 homers, 15 steals, and a 761 OPS.

However, there is a term called the sophomore slump for a reason.

The statistic that worries us is the strikeout to walk ratio, and Mercado accepted just 28 free passes vs. 84 whiffs. His on base percentage was just .318.

He started out very good in May and June, hitting over .300 in both months, but his on base average declined from May until it went up a bit in September, and you know what they say about April and September stats.

If Mercado doesn’t perform like he did a year ago, that leaves Delino DeShields, not a good offensive player, and again players like Allen and Zimmer competing for time.

Handling the Starting Pitching. There has been speculation on how teams will handle starters, who won’t be stretched out enough when the season begins.

Some think skippers will use tandem starters, such as Shane Bieber will go 3-4 innings, and then say, Adam Plutko will go three more to get the game to the actual bullpen.

We think Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis could do that while the roster is at 30 players, but we also believe they know what the strength of the team is, and they will try to get Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale, and Zach Plesac stretched out as quickly as possible.

So, you might see it the first five games, but not much beyond that.

Players Not On The Big League Roster. We’ve already mentioned some of these players, like Allen, Zimmer, Johnson, etc. and it will be important to keep them ready should injuries occur.

The Indians are reported to be carrying several top prospects, including last year’s first round pick Daniel Espino, and 19-year-old George Valera, as well as Nolan Jones and Tyler Freeman on the 60 player pool.

Their development is super important to the organization going forward, beyond the 2020 season.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because certainly Jones was thought to be ready for the majors as early as 2021, and maybe late this season.

There have been rumors of an expanded Arizona Fall League this year, so more prospects can get some playing time against players from other organizations.

That would be ideal if it can be done with the virus perhaps still looming.

No doubt, this training camp will be different, and it will also be interesting to see how it is covered and when the intrasquad games will commence.

The good news is…baseball is back!

Bradley and Chang: Forgotten Indian Prospects?

When talking about the young players on the roster of the Cleveland Indians, the conversation usually is about guys like Oscar Mercado, presumed to be the starting centerfielder, or slugger Franmil Reyes, who many figured could have hit 40 home runs in a full season.

Or people talk about the young arms the Tribe has on the cusp of being quality big league starters, namely Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac, and perhaps Triston McKenzie, who missed all of last year with injuries.

Maybe people will bring up the flame throwers in the bullpen, James Karinchak, Emmanuel Clase, and depending how “in the know” they are, Cam Hill and Kyle Nelson.

However, two players who signed and were developed by the organization seem to be forgotten. Both are 24 years old right now, but it doesn’t feel like the Indians have plans for them any more.

We are talking about Yu Chang and Bobby Bradley.

A right-handed hitter shortstop, Chang debuted in the organization in 2014 in the Arizona Rookie League, and made his mark hitting .346 with 6 HR and a 986 OPS at age 18.

He played in Lake County as a 19 year old and struggled at the plate batting .232 with 9 dingers, and struggled with strike zone judgment, fanning 103 times in 440 plate appearances with just 27 walks.

He rebounded a bit at Lynchburg in 2016 (.259, 13 HR, 70 RBI, 795 OPS, increased walk rate) and had a good stint in the Arizona Fall League, batting .304.

However, in the AFL, he fanned 21 times and walked just 3 times.

Moving to AA in ’17, Chang did belt 24 homers, but hit just .220 and struck out 134 times in 504 plate appearances. In his first year at AAA in 2018, he batted .256 and followed that hitting .253, with a combined total of 22 homers.

In our eyes, you need to have the ability to get on base and/or drive the ball to be a big league hitter. Since his stint in rookie ball, Chang’s high in on base percentage is .332 and his minor league slugging percentage is just .436.

In 84 big league at bats, he hit .186 with one homer and whiffed 22 times in 84 PA.

The lack of ability to make contact or have good strike zone judgment is the reason the Tribe signed Cesar Hernandez as a free agent and traded for Christian Arroyo late last season.

And it’s going to be tough for infielder to show anything without a true minor league season in 2020.

As for Bradley, he might be able to get a spot on a 30 man daily roster, but it appears he’s not in their long range plans as an everyday player.

The left-handed hitter was a third round pick in ’14 and dominated the Arizona Rookie League, hitting .361 with 8 HR and 50 RBI (1.078 OPS). The following year, he started at Lake County, where he belted 27 long balls, hit .269, but fanned 148 times in 465 plate appearances.

He moved to high A Lynchburg for eight hitless at bats, and stayed there in 2016, hitting 29 homers, but his batting average dipped to .239, and although he drew 75 walks, which is good, he whiffed 175 times.

He had a 890 OPS at Lake County, and dropped to 810 at Lynchburg.

That figure fell further at Akron in 2017 to 796, as he hit .251 with 23 dingers. The strikeouts dropped to 122, which is good, but so did the walks (55).

He started the next season at Akron, hitting .214 with 24 bombs. His slugging percentage went up slightly, but his on base percentage dropped. He was promoted to Columbus later that season, hitting .254 with three homers in 32 games.

He seemed to change his approach last year, and didn’t care as much about cutting down on the strikeouts, accumulating 153 at AAA, but hit 33 homers, and had a 912 OPS.

Bradley had a cup of coffee with the big club, hitting one homer in 49 PA’s, but batted just .178 and struck out 20 times.

He’s only 24, and sometimes it takes awhile for these power hitters to find their niche in the big leagues, but trading for Reyes during the ’19 season and for Jake Bauers before last season, shows us, the contact problem concerns the Indians’ brass.

Again, the lack of a minor league season retards the development of both Chang and Bradley, as the duo need regular at bats to develop.

However, it does seem like the front office lost some of their enthusiasm for these two prospects. On the other hand, sometimes players get one shot, and they have to take advantage of that chance.

Solving The Indians’ OF Puzzle

As much as the infield of the Cleveland Indians is certain, the outfield is just the opposite as we possibly head into a second spring training.

The only player who can seemingly be penciled in to an everyday spot is centerfielder Oscar Mercado, and he has just 115 games and 482 plate appearances under his belt, although Franmil Reyes will be in there someplace, either in the outfield or as the DH.

The front office seems to be relying on Terry Francona and his staff working their magic and put the puzzle pieces together and provide the team with the proper mix of hitting and defense.

Reyes is the starting point because at age 23, he belted 37 homers and knocked in 81 (822 OPS). He would seem to be the middle of the order power bat the Tribe has been looking for years.

The Indians would like him to at least play rightfield at a decent level so he can be out there about 25-50% of the time, opening up the DH spot to give other players a partial day off.

The hope is his plate discipline will improve with experience, making him an elite offensive player.

Another player is must figure in the Indians’ plans is Jordan Luplow, at the very least a prime platoon piece, and hopefully a guy who can figure in the everyday lineup.

Luplow, 26, hit .320 with 14 dingers vs. southpaws (1.181 OPS) last season, but his minor league history doesn’t show huge disparities in his numbers vs. right-handers. He did hit just .216 with one homer vs. those pitchers in 2019.

He’s solid defensively, so he should get a good opportunity to see regular playing time is he is capable against righties, but worst case scenario he is valuable for what he can do against lefties.

Newcomer Domingo Santana also figures to get plenty of playing time, but it may be based on how much Reyes can play in the outfield. The right-handed hitter is just three years removed from a 30 HR season with the Brewers, and before a hand injury last season was hitting .286 with 18 bombs for the Mariners (850 OPS).

He struggles defensively though, so if Reyes can’t play RF well, Francona will have to pick his spots playing him in the field.

As for Mercado, it remains to be seen how he plays this year. Here is his OPS by month a year ago–

May: 52 plate appearances, 819 OPS
June: 115 PA, 844 OPS
July: 103 PA, 757 OPS
August: 100 PA, 573 OPS
September: 112 PA, 827 OPS

And you know what they say about ignoring numbers from April and September. So, the question remains, did the league make an adjustment to Mercado, and can he make one of his own?

With the delay in the start of the season, it means Tyler Naquin should be ready to go as well. Naquin could form a platoon partner with Luplow in LF, similar to what he did when Yasiel Puig came over at the trade deadline a year ago.

But Naquin had solid numbers vs. LHP last season, albeit in limited appearances (837 OPS in 63 at bats). And he hit .289 vs. RHP with six homers. His weakness? He swings at everything, his walk rate has dropped from 9.9% in his rookie year to 4.8% in 2019.

And you also have Delino DeShields, who has struggled offensively for much of his career, and the last two seasons in particular, despite playing in an offensive paradise in Texas.

His career road numbers? .207 BA, 574 OPS

He figures to be the back up plan should Mercado have a sophomore slump, and be used as a defensive replacement (he’s a very good defender) and pinch-runner.

The partial season seems to hurt players like Greg Allen and Bradley Zimmer, who needed to be productive in the minors to rebuild their value, and also Daniel Johnson, who hit very well at AA and AAA in ’19, but it will be difficult for him to make an impact on the brass.

There is no question the outfield is the weakest part of the Tribe’s roster, but hopefully, Terry Francona puts the puzzle in the correct alignment and gets some production.

If and when the Indians start to play, the microscope will be on this group.

Can Tito Afford To Be Patient In A Short Season?

One of the greatest attributes Terry Francona has as a manager is his patience. Sometimes, we feel that patience can become stubbornness, and although it irritates the fan in us at times, it works out more often than not.

With Major League Baseball discussing an 81 (or so) game schedule for the 2020 season, the question is, how will Francona’s fabled patience play out with a shortened slate?

In each of the seasons that Francona has been the Tribe’s skipper, a player has received an extreme benefit of the doubt. In a half-season, it would seem Tito would have to have a shorter hook.

Going back to 2013, Francona’s first year with the Tribe, it was Mark Reynolds. The slugger and frequent whiffer got off to a great start for the Indians, hitting .301 with 8 HR and a 1.019 OPS in April.

May wasn’t too bad, with Reynolds adding five more dingers, but he batted just .218 and the OPS went down to 696.

In June, Cleveland played 28 games. Reynolds started 25 of them and batted .187 with a 541 OPS, and then out of 25 games in July, the slugger started 15 and hit .098 with a 331 OPS.

From May 1st through the end of July, Reynolds batted .181 with 7 HR, 25 RBI, and somehow stayed in the lineup. That’s three months of terrible production.

In 2014, Nick Swisher received 401 plate appearances contributing just 8 homers and 42 RBI (608 OPS). Swisher was a veteran who had a solid year with the Tribe in ’13 and was battling injuries, but maybe Jesus Aguilar, who posted a 905 OPS in AAA Columbus, could’ve received a shot at seeing what he could contribute.

And not to pick on Swisher, but that club had two other players (Jason Kipnis and Michael Bourn) who played a lot but had OPS under 700.

Bourn received the benefit of the doubt the following year until he (along with Swisher) was dealt to Atlanta in early August. The centerfielder hit just .249 without a home run, and even worse, stole only 13 bases in 18 attempts.

To be fair to Francona, he didn’t really have many alternatives, although Abraham Almonte did provide a spark (776 OPS) when given an opportunity.

In 2016, it was Juan Uribe (591 OPS in 238 at bats) before Jose Ramirez took over the hot corner. Uribe was released in early August.

You see the pattern. Over a 162 game season, you are more likely to overcome a bad month or two at a position, but will the same be true in a short season?

Certainly, the proven players will and should get the benefit of the doubt. No skipper in his right mind is going to bench Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana because they had a bad week.

But the Tribe is transitioning at a lot of positions. Let’s say Oscar Mercado gets off to a slow start over the first three weeks, can Francona afford to keep him in there if the ballclub is struggling to score runs?

Tito’s instinct might be to let the young guy work things out, and many times, it works out the right way in the long run. However, it doesn’t appear there will be a long run in 2020.

It’s also a moot point if the Indians are winning. You can afford to have some struggling players figure it out while they are playing if the team is successful. But if the Indians are scuffling, the pressure will be there to make changes before the season is lost.

No matter what, it will be a period of adjustment for every manager in the bigs, not just Terry Francona. Who adjusts best will have a leg up on the competition in what figures to be a weird baseball season.

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?

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.

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.

Some Free Agent Arms Tribe Should Check Out.

Most of the talk about the Cleveland Indians signing a major league free agent this winter has involved the outfield.

This makes sense because without a doubt the Tribe outfield is, well, rather unsettled.

Right now, the only spots realistic thinkers should put in ink would be Oscar Mercado and Jordan Luplow, neither of whom have spent a complete year in the bigs.

We haven’t forgotten Franmil Reyes, but we look at him as mainly a designated hitter, although Terry Francona has said he would like him to play in the outfield some during the 2020 season.

However, should the front office we looking at some bargains in the starting pitching pool? After all, Cleveland will be starting the season with both Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac in their projected rotation, and those two have combined for a little over 170 innings at the big league level.

If we were in charge, we would be looking at some insurance in case those two, as well as other candidates like Adam Plutko (189 major league innings), Jefry Rodriguez (98 innings), or Logan Allen (28 IP) aren’t getting it done.

With spring training less than a month away, you would think the front office could make a low cost investment on some experienced arms.

Here are some pitchers we would be interested in taking a look see in Goodyear during spring training.

Andrew Cashner. The 33-year-old right-hander was 11-8 with a 4.68 ERA for Baltimore and Boston a year ago, and has topped the 150 innings mark in each of the last three years.

As Camden Yards and Fenway Park are not the most pitcher friendly parks in the majors, Cashner was 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA on the road in 2019, with 69 strikeouts in 81 innings, and just 63 hits allowed.

He was not good (6.30 ERA) after being traded to Boston on July 13th. However, you would think he could be counted on to give a team some innings at the very least. He has 188 major league starts under his belt.

Taijuan Walker. Walker is coming off Tommy John surgery in 2018 and pitched just one big league inning last year for Arizona, but before he was traded to the Diamondbacks, what we remember about the 27-year-old righty was he dominated the Indians, going 4-0 in his career with an 0.32 ERA in 28 innings.

In his last full active year, he was 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA in 157 frames with 146 punchouts.

He’s a bit of a gamble, but it could pay off if his elbow is sound.

Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin was terrible last season (3-12, 6.01 ERA), but is just a year removed from going 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA for the Brewers in 192 innings.

The 32 year old has four major league seasons throwing more than 180 innings, so he is capable of soaking up some innings, which is always needed.

Jason Vargas. At this point in his career, the southpaw is the prototypical fifth starter, but more often than not, he takes the ball 30 times per year, and can keep his team in games.

He beat the Indians in a late September start for the Phillies last season, going 6-2/3 innings allowing two runs in a victory. In his career, he is 10-5 vs. the Tribe, and is 5-1 at Progressive Field.

As Terry Francona always says, when you think you have enough pitching, you go out and get more.

This quartet wouldn’t set the front office back a lot of cash, and would serve as protection for a very young back of the starting rotation. They could also serve as arms to help the additional innings burden on those young hurlers.

It would be worth a good look.

Improve Offense? Tribe Should Deal From Strength

The Cleveland Indians still have too many holes in their lineup for our liking. As the roster currently stands, they have three “for sure” very good offensive players.

Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are the studs. Lindor has finished in the top 15 in the American League MVP voting each of the last four seasons, and has had an OPS over 800 in four of the five years he has worn a Cleveland uniform.

Ramirez is working on a streak of four straight seasons with an OPS over 800, although many doubted he could get there in 2019 after his extremely slow start.

The other is Carlos Santana, who even if his average drops from the career high .281 last season, still has pop and can get on base so much as anybody in the game. He has a career .367 on base percentage.

There are some players who we expect will be solid, most notably Franmil Reyes, who will be just 24 next season, and should hit a ton of home runs, but can he draw more walks and cut down on strikeouts.

We would also hope for progression from Oscar Mercado, who will be 25 and should still be getting better.

There are a lot of ifs offensively with this group, and there will probably be a regression for Roberto Perez at the dish. Perez hit a career high 24 homers in 2019.

So, how do the Indians improve themselves offensively? Luckily they have depth in a category most of the major league teams are looking for, and that would be starting pitching.

With the return to good health for Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, the Cleveland front office has depth in this area.

Shane Bieber made the All Star team (won the game’s MVP) and finished 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting. And Mike Clevinger went 13-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts after missing two months early in the season.

So, when Kluber and Carrasco are back, they really are the 3rd and 4th starters coming into 2020 with Clevinger and Bieber being the aces.

You can’t forget Aaron Civale, who had a 2.34 ERA in 10 starts late in the season, and had people reminded of a younger Kluber.

Of course, you need depth in the rotation to get through a 162 game season, especially when two of the starters are over 30 years old, and the Tribe has that too.

Zach Plesac (25 next year) made 21 starts and had a 3.81 ERA, allowing less hits than innings pitched and striking out twice as many batters as he walked. And Adam Plutko emerged as a serviceable fifth starter, making 20 starts.

And don’t forget Jefry Rodriguez, who made eight starts for the Indians a year ago, and southpaw Logan Allen, who came over in the three way trade at the deadline and was ranked as a top 100 prospect.

Triston McKenzie, another top 100 arm, is also now on the 40 man roster, although he missed all of last year with an injury.

So, the Indians can afford to move a starting pitcher to get some offense, and still have depth to sustain an injury or a performance not up to the expectations the organization would have.

And that might be a more palatable way to improve the hitting rather than spending big money on a free agent.

The best trades in baseball are always made from organizational depth. The Indians have what other teams want. It’s time to reap something they need for it.

Tribe Report Cards: Everyday Players

The Cleveland Indians reign as American League Central Division champions ended after three straight seasons.

Yes, they won 93 games, and that’s very good, they did not make the post-season, so we cannot be happy about the year, and it definitely wasn’t a success, no matter how many injuries the club and Terry Francona had to endure.

We decided to put together a report card for the squad (not that they asked!). We didn’t grade the bit players, the guys who were called up in September (FYI–don’t think anyone would have received higher than a D), but we wanted to give our appraisal of the 2019 edition of the Cleveland Indians–

Players Who Gets A’s:

Carlos Santana: After missing a year signing with the Phillies as a free agent, the switch-hitter had a career year in ’19. He tied his career best in home runs, and had his highest RBI total and OPS.

He will be 34 next year, and normally, we would say he’s a candidate to be dealt, as his value with never be higher. But, Santana’s numbers improved because he changed his approach at the plate, using more of the field.

He may not hit 34 HR’s, but his ability to draw walks make him a good offensive player if he hits around .260 with 25 dingers.

Roberto Perez: Despite all the complaints about dealing Yan Gomes (see the comments about Santana), Perez took his first opportunity as a regular and ran with it, belting 24 homers with a 7754 OPS.

He should win a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess and his ability to handle what turned out to be a very young pitching staff cannot be overlooked.

Players With A “B” Grade:

Francisco Lindor: Lindor is a superstar, but his season was below the tremendous standards he has set for himself. He missed the first month of the year with calf and ankle issues, but his walk rate was the lowest since his rookie year and his struggles in the clutch seemed to be from being overanxious.

At 25 years old, we feel safe in thinking it’s a blip on the radar.

Oscar Mercado: The rookie was a spring training sensation and probably should have made the club to open the season. He had a 761 OPS, which should improve because he’s only 24 years old, and his walk rate should get better as he gains experience.

Jose Ramirez: The switch-hitter struggled badly in the first half and was red hot after the All Star break. Still, even when he wasn’t hitting, he drew enough walks, and wound up with an 806 OPS. He even came back early from a hamate bone injury and hit a pair of homers in his first game back.

Yasiel Puig: Puig was expected to give the club a power burst, but instead was an on-base machine with an OBP of .377. All in all, not what the front office expected, but still helped the attack.

Franmil Reyes: The big man struggled mightily after coming over from San Diego, but also fell short of expectations, hitting just .237 albeit with 10 HRs. He needs to figure out the strike zone to fully blossom.

Jordan Luplow: Acquired from the Pirates, he was a tremendous asset vs. lefties. We would like to see him get an opportunity to get an everyday job next spring.

The “C” Group:

Tyler Naquin: Maybe he’s a bit too low here, but has problems staying healthy. Good arm, and if you hit him at the bottom of the order, he’s an asset.

Mike Freeman: Did a solid job as the primary infield back up, but when he had to play more, wasn’t as effective.

Greg Allen: A disappointment to us. Thought he earned a regular job in spring training, but doesn’t walk, and didn’t hit enough.

Kevin Plawecki: Did a serviceable job, but we don’t think he did enough for Francona and his staff to have confidence in him. That’s why Perez carried such a heavy load and got tired in August.

We’ll give Jason Kipnis and Jake Bauers a C-. Kipnis is way too inconsistent at the plate, prone to lengthy “0 for” streaks.

We liked Bauers’ approach early, patient, hit lefties well, but as the year went on, he struck out way too much. Doesn’t walk enough, not enough power.

We will grade the pitchers next week.