Tribe Talk: Cleveland Indians 2016 Preview #Indians

Its Tribe Time, Once Again
By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

As Spring Training comes to a close, that means that Opening Day is only a week away and the Indians Opening Day roster is starting to take shape.  The Indians going into the season look to be one of the dark horses in the American League and a potential threat to the defending World Champion Royals in defending their AL Central crown.  While the Indians have stiff competition from other teams in the division, the Indians certainly look ready for the challenge.  But before we talk about this year’s Indians, we need to take a second to look back at last season in order to set our expectations for this year.

2015 Indians Review

While Sports Illustrated last year crowned us as the World Series Champions, a slow start in April and the loss of Yan Gomes set the Indians back early on.  Corey Kluber would struggle to get any run support and the 2014 Cy Young winner went winless for the first month and a half but finished strong.  Jason Kipnis had a great start to the 2015, but he tailed off in the second half.  Outside of Kipnis’ strong start, the only consistent bat was Michael Brantley.  The biggest story obviously was the arrival of the much-hyped Francisco Lindor and was exactly as advertised.  The Indians defense was vastly improved and Lindor was at the head of it.  Lindor more importantly surprised people with his hitting ability, especially showing signs of power in his power.  With Giovanny Urshela and Lonnie Chisenhall providing much upgrades defensively for their positions, both need to prove more offense for the Indians in 2016 to really make some noise.  In a nutshell, the 2015 Indians got exactly what the doctor ordered.  Identifying having a good clubhouse atmosphere and finally having the core players step up as the leaders will benefit the Indians moving forward.


2016 Indians: What To Watch For

Francisco Lindor

Let’s address the Elephant in the room right now.  Lindor, along with Carlos Correa are being tabbed by National Media as the next Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter rivalry when it comes to the position.  Lindor excelled both offensively and defensively in his rookie year, and in my personal opinion was robbed of the Rookie of the Year.  As great as Lindor is, I’ll use the comparison former Indians GM Jon Hart said the night the Indians drafted Lindor calling him, “An Omar Vizquel who can hit”.  I urge Indians fans not to expect Lindor to win the MVP award this year, but I expect a Gold Glove season and a potential All-Star debut.

Pitching Staff

We all know the Indians pitching staff is among the best in the bigs, the major question is will the Indians get the emergence of a 4th starter (Bauer, Clevinger, Tomlin, or Anderson) to go with the 3-Headed monster in Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar.  While Kluber did have a bad start last year, the numbers didn’t reflect his continued effectiveness.  If the Indians can score runs for Kluber, then Kluber could easily win 20 games and get back into Cy Young Award discussions.  But a lot of people have talked about Carlos Carrasco as the pitcher who could shock people and emerge as the true ace.  Carrasco has improved each of the last 2 years, if he continues this, nothing will shock me.  But my money is on Danny Salazar to be the one everyone fears.  Salazar hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential, I expect Salazar to tap into his changeup as a bigger weapon and will emerge as one of the top pitchers in the American League.

Tyler Naquin

Well it’s now official, Tyler Naquin after being the Indians 1st Round pick in 2012 will finally debut for the Tribe on Opening Day.  Naquin has torn up Spring Training and rightfully won the job, especially after Abraham Almonte was suspended.  Naquin was known coming out of Texas A&M to be a very polished hitter who may not stand out in one area, but does everything well.  Naquin should be the Indians everyday Center Fielder in 2016.  What Indians fans should know is Naquin is a huge upgrade defensively in Center Field and compared to Almonte, an upgrade offensively.  I’m gonna be bold here, but my money will be on Tyler Naquin to win Rookie of the Year.

The New Guys

In the offseason, the Indians turned down plenty of opportunities to get offensive help through trade and instead went out and got veterans Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, and Juan Uribe to help bring not just some extra offense, but clubhouse leadership.  Napoli is the one I’d focus on.  Napoli although his numbers say he did poorly, Napoli turned things around in September and ended the year strong.  He’s shown in Spring Training he was worth the investment, Indians fans better hope he was.

Indians Financial Situation

Nobody will discuss this, but I’m putting it out there.  If the Indians are in the playoff hunt in July, Indians Owners Larry and Paul Dolan are going to have to make a very tough decision.  As we all know, the Dolan's have been very reluctant in past years to invest into the team when we needed to make a big splash.  This will be the ultimate test for the Dolan's, and if they were to finally invest in this team, the Dolan's could finally earn the trust of Indians fans everywhere.  If not, this fan base will make sure the Dolan's never hear the end of this, especially if it costs the Tribe a playoff run.

Terry Francona

Guys, I know we all love Terry Francona and what he’s brought to the Indians, but if Francona can’t get the Indians over the hump this year, questions need to be answered.  Is Francona the right guy to push the Indians where they need to go.  In my personal opinion, another .500 season isn’t good enough to keep his job.  As unpopular it is for me to say this, but Francona is on the hot seat with me and he should be with the Indians.


The Next Generation

This season for the Indians does look to be a very promising one, but the Indians fans really should take the time to go see the future of this team in the Minors while they still can.  The Indians future is extremely bright and these are a few names the fans should check out.

Clint Frazier

While Bradley Zimmer is probably the next big hype prospect up on the Indians, Clint Frazier is the “crowned jewel” of the entire Farm System.  Frazier struggled at the beginning of last year, but ended extremely well and it extended into the Arizona Fall League.  He probably is going to start the year at AA Akron, and I expect him to be there for the entire season with maybe a late season AAA call up.  Frazier’s pure hitting ability and love for the game make him a future star when he finally arrives in Cleveland.

Bobby Bradley

When fans talk about the next stars of the Indians, Bobby Bradley might be the best 1B prospect the team has had in years.  Reminiscent of a young Ryan Howard, Bradley’s pure power is amazing and if Bradley can cut down on the strikeouts, he could be right up there with the Indians next core of stars with Lindor, Naquin, Zimmer and Frazier.  I expect him to start in High-A Lynchberg, but he should arrive in Akron by year’s end.

Brady Aiken

Before I talk about Aiken, I’d like to thank the first 16 teams that picked before the Indians for passing on Aiken.  The former #1 Overall pick in 2014 didn’t sign with the Astros and later would have Tommy John Surgery due to injury.  Aiken is the best pitching prospect the Indians have had in quite possibly the past 20 years.  While he won’t start the year right away, when he does he’ll probably be in Lake County and every start is MUST WATCH.  He has a great fastball that sits in the mid/low 90s, but more importantly already has advanced secondary pitches, especially a devastating curveball.  He might not arrive until 2018, but Indians fans need to enjoy him in the minors.

Triston McKenzie

I have to make room for my favorite prospect in the Indians organization.  The Indians 2nd pick in the 2015 draft after Brady Aiken, McKenzie was signed to a $2.3 million contract to get him out of his commitment to LSU.  McKenzie his tall and extremely lanky, will need to add some bulk as he makes his way up, but his delivery is smooth and consistent.  With his current frame, he throws a low/mid 90s fastball, but that could go up as he gains some bulk.  His curveball is already advanced for his age to go with a developing changeup.  He’s years away from Cleveland, but he might be better than Aiken when its said and done.


2016 Projection

The Indians must start out strong to begin the 2016 season.  The first month will be the Indians biggest challenge and will determine the rest of the year for the team.  We all know the Indians can end strong, but can they keep it up for the 6 month journey that is baseball’s season?  It’s imperative that the Indians WIN ON OPENING DAY.  For the past 3 years, the Indians consistently fail in front of a jam packed Progressive Field.  We know Progressive Field will be jammed Opening Day and against David Price and the Red Sox, it’s going to be a tough challenge.  If the Indians can win that game, its small but it shows the improvement the Indians have made.  The AL Central is stacked with the emerging young Twins, the Chris Sale/Jose Abreu tandem in Chicago, the bottomless pockets of Mike Ilitch and the Tigers, and the defending World Champion Royals.  The Indians cannot be intimidated or let one game let them down on their quest for another playoff birth.  I expect this year the Indians to finally make that jump and put themselves in position to get in the Playoffs.  It will be a long and trying season for the Indians and its fans, but my firm belief is keep the faith in this team, these group of guys are destined to take the next step.

Final Record: 88-74, 2nd in AL Central, Wild Card Game

Tribe Talk 2.20.16: The Pros & Cons of Juan Uribe #Indians

By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

While Pitchers and Catchers reported for Spring Training earlier this week, the Cleveland Indians were not done making final adjustments to their roster.  On Friday afternoon, the Indians signed veteran IF Juan Uribe to a 1 year deal worth over $4 million.  The Indians plan on having Uribe fill in the role at 3B after Giovanny Urshela struggled offensively last year.  While I do have a lot of problems here with this signing, in fairness to the Indians we're going to give Tribe fans a fair analysis of the Indians signing Uribe with the Pros and Cons of the Indians latest move.

Pros:

- Uribe is a savvy veteran clubhouse presence-  Look at the teams Uribe has played with over the past few years, since 2009, Uribe has played with consistent playoff teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and was a member of the 2010 World Champion San Fransisco Giants (and even earlier a member of the 2005 WS White Sox).  Uribe has been with multiple winning teams and knows what it takes to get to the playoffs and more importantly, how to win in the playoffs.  Indians really have been lacking that kind of a presence since Jason Giambi left.  It's small things like having clubhouse leaders that really can make all the difference.

- Uribe is an offensive upgrade compared to Giovanny Urshela- If we look by the stats, yes Uribe is a major upgrade at 3B.  But at the same time, critics can say Giovanny was a rookie and he can always improve in Year Two.  The bottom line is the Indians are a team that can win the division, and arguably the American League pennant right now.  The Indians can't sit around forever waiting for Giovanny to learn how to hit at the big league level.  Uribe has been known to have some pop in his bat and still has the ability to hit 15 HRs a year.

- Uribe knows the division- Uribe's career really took off in Chicago in the mid-2000's and knows how competitive this division is.  While Uribe has been out of the division for a while now, the one thing about Baseball is the division normally stays the same rivalry-wise.  Having Uribe could help the core of this team clearing the biggest hurdle they have left, beating Detroit when it matters.

- It's only a 1 Year deal- No matter what happens with Uribe this year, he's only signed for 1 year.  Nobody can ever complain about 1 year deals, this buys the Indians time to continue to develop Giovanny Urshela as a hitter, and more importantly buys highly touted prospect Yandy Diaz time in the minors to continue to make strides and climb up the system.  Worst case scenario with this deal is the Indians don't live up to expectations, and Uribe becomes a small trade chip at the Trade Deadline for a contender.

- He plays the entire infield- The Indians lose Mike Aviles and gain quite possibly a better version of Aviles in Uribe.  While Uribe doesn't play the outfield, Uribe has experience at the Middle Infield positions to go with his ability over at 3B.  Francona does love his versatile fielders and Uribe is an upgrade to what Francona already had in Aviles, so this is a move you gotta believe Francona is loving right now.




Cons:
- He's a significant downgrade defensively- When Juan Uribe makes multiple errors at 3B this year, don't come complaining to me.  While he does have a career .970 fielding percentage at 3B (which to the naked eye is good), comparing the number of games he's played at 3B with some of the greatest fielding 3B in the game's history is ridiculous.  Uribe has played in a fraction of the games at 3B they played.  Plus a reminder of his days in Chicago, I remember looking at him as a comparison for Jhonny Peralta, he can hit but he can be a liability defensively.  I wouldn't rely on Uribe to play gold glove defense that Urshela offered, I would instead brace for the problems we complained about defensively at 3B last year before Urshela.

- Uribe's numbers at Progressive Field are horrible- In 37 games, Uribe at Progressive Field is hitting .180 avg with 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, and a .206 OBP.  Bottom line is Uribe has never had success at Progressive Field and that's not a good sign for a guy you're paying $4 million to be an offensive upgrade.  The argument could be made here that last year, Brandon Moss was known to hit very well at Progressive Field and that really didn't help.  Only time will tell if Uribe's struggles at Progressive Field are for real or not, but at first glance...this is questionable.

- Indians are now pretty much maxed out in payroll- The Indians before the Uribe signing were on the books for around $80 million (that's not counting potential Minor League deal bonuses).  After the Uribe deal, the Indians are now pushing around $85 million in payroll, which is really at the max budget the Dolan's would like to spend. If you count maybe 2 more Minor League deals adding to the payroll in time, the Indians could be close to pushing $90 million.  The Dolan's really don't want to go over that which kills any trades the Indians could make at the Trade Deadline.  So if the Indians need another bat, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have to make one hell of a presentation to the Dolan's explaining why the Indians need a $100 million payroll.  Money says, the Dolan's won't budge.

- There were more pressing needs- My opinion has always been about 3B, it's a defensive position first.  If you can hit, that's a bonus.  That's why the Royals stuck with Mike Moustakas through his hitting struggles and more importantly that's the biggest trait for every great 3B in the game today (Arenado, Machado, Beltre, Seager).  All the top 3B in the league are outstanding defenders.  The Indians had one in Giovanny Urshela, but are choosing offense over defense.  The Indians could've found that offense at a biggest position of need, the Outfield.

 With Brantley out for a while and we don't know how long it'll take him to get up to speed, the Indians need a more proven bat in the outfield.  Having the speed of Rajai Davis and moving forward with Lonnie Chisenhall in RF are great, but you had Dexter Fowler and Austin Jackson available.  Fowler would've given you a better offensive upgrade, but Jackson gave you better defense, solid hitting, and his familiarity with the Tigers.  The Indians should've inquired more on those two and tried to lure one of them in, even if they got a 1 year deal.

At the end of the day the Indians did what the fans asked them to do, build a better offensive team and Uribe technically will bring that to the Indians at 3B.  In my personal opinion, I'm against the signing, I think Giovanny Urshela needs time to develop his major league game and shows all the qualities of a solid MLB hitter with Gold Glove ability at 3B.  The Indians needed to learn from their mistakes last year which was when we don't have great defense at 3B, the Indians suffer.  Let's all hope Uribe can be serviceable defensively and provide enough offense to push the Indians back to the top of the Central Division.