Tribe Talk: 2018 Cleveland Indians Offseason Plan: Opportunity Knocks

By Alex Hale, @TheCLESportsGuy


For the Cleveland Indians, 2017 ended in heartbreak that leaves the franchise at a crossroads. The window for the Indians to finally end a now 70 year World Series drought is still open, but is slowly closing. With the emergence of the Minnesota Twins and their rumored aggressive position this offseason, the Indians can either continue to go for it or prepare for the future rebuilding effort. The Indians have numerous Free Agents hitting the market this offseason including main stays Carlos Santana and Bryan Shaw, not to mention key trade acquisition Jay Bruce. The Indians have numerous options they can go in order to continue to improve their team and continue their reign in the AL Central.

When it comes to the Indians, the big question continues to be the amount of money that is available with the Indians. From estimates of expiring contracts and other big contracts off the books, it’s fair to estimate that the Indians have around the range of $25-$30 million to spend this offseason (with minority investor and revenue from 2017, it could be higher). The Dolan's have shown with the recent winning, they are willing to spend a bit more if it meant improving the team. This would mean the Indians would have the money to at least be able to afford one of Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana and still be able to fill out the rest of the roster with supporting pieces.

As I do every year, I’m going to take off my writer cap and place myself in the shoes of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff and say what I would do if I were in their shoes. The Indians fell short in 2017 and look to return to the World Series in 2018, it’s time to look at my 2018 Offseason Plan.



2018 Indians Offseason Plan

Re-sign 1B Carlos Santana: The Indians are in unfamiliar territory unlike previous years, the Indians are in the position in attempting to keep their own Free Agents and have multiple top tier Free Agents they would like to try to keep in Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana. Unfortunately for the Indians they won’t be able to afford to keep both after the Indians picked up Michael Brantley’s $12 million option. If forced to choose between Bruce and Santana, it’s a no-brainer for me, Carlos Santana is the top priority for the Indians. Although Santana normally struggles in the first half of the season, time after time he turns it on in the 2nd Half and played a major role in the Indians success in the 2nd Half last year. On top of that Santana has improved year after year defensively at 1B and was a finalist in 2017 for the Gold Glove award for First Baseman. Santana always is a force with the bat and has a great eye at the plate that really can’t be taught. The Indians might have to slightly overpay, but in a win-now mode with a great chance to win their 3rd straight AL Central title and contend for the AL crown against the Astros, the Indians must be willing to do what it takes to re-sign him.

Contract- 3 years, $54 million with a Mutual Option for a 4th year

Re-sign RP Joe Smith- The Indians biggest strength over the past few years have been in their bullpen, but it seems that the Indians most polarizing reliever Bryan Shaw will be leaving for greener pastures in the offseason. This would leave the Indians without one of their most consistent and reliable relievers (contrary to popular belief) and looking to replace him. Fortunately for the Tribe, they don’t really have to look that far for that replacement. In a lot of ways, Joe Smith is a better reliever than Shaw, but is a totally different reliever. Aside from Smith being a side arm pitcher, Smith doesn’t throw as hard as Shaw and it would leave the Indians without a hard throwing righty they can rely on. But the key for keeping Smith is his efficiency over the years to get batters out. With all of his ties to Cleveland and knowing he’s in a winning situation, it shouldn’t be hard to convince Joe Smith to stay and maybe get a discount out of it.

Contract- 2 years, $8 million

Re-sign CF Austin Jackson- Amazing what a change of scenery can do for a player. A year ago the Austin Jackson could barely get a Minor League deal after struggling with the White Sox in 2016, he arrives in Cleveland and establishes himself as a great spot starter in the Outfield both defensively and rediscovering his batting approach, resulting into one of his best offensive seasons in the Majors. Not to mention AJax had the catch of the year against Boston. For the Indians and their struggles with the Outfield staying healthy, it’s imperative that they re-sign Austin Jackson because of his ability to contribute on the field and at the plate. It would be costly for a 4th Outfielder, but in a “win-now” approach, if it’s not breaking the bank, it’s worth it.

Contract- 2 years, $12 million with a Team Option for a 3rd year

Sign RP Matt Albers- Remember this guy? Matt Albers was once a reliable option out of the bullpen in 2013 for the Indians and outside of one bad year in 2016, he’s been lights out since he’s left. Albers would be the perfect Bryan Shaw replacement that allows Joe Smith to still have the same role. Last year in Washington in a situation where the Nationals had no real reliable option in the bullpen, Albers was the most reliable reliever. He throws in the mid-90s which is something the Indians should be looking at when it comes to finding a Bryan Shaw replacement. The Indians lack a reliever who throws with velocity outside of Andrew Miller. While Albers doesn’t throw 100, he might be the most effective reliever who throws with good velocity the Indians are going to find. Other options the Indians could consider are Fernando Rodney, Brandon Morrow, Juan Nicasio and Addison Reed.

Contract- 1 year, $4 million

Sign 3B Eduardo Nunez- This could be a longshot, but with the 3B market being run by Mike Moustakas and Todd Frazier, this might not be as far fetched as one may think. The Indians did have interest in acquiring Nunez at the trade deadline, but the Red Sox acquired him and his bat caught fire. Rumors point to the Red Sox might prefer a power bat like a Todd Frazier at 3B, which could really open the door for this possibility. Let’s address the elephant in the room first, the Indians already have Giovany Urshela and Yandy Diaz to go with Jose Ramirez already projected as the starting 3B. Nunez would provide the Indians a proven starting 3B that would give the Indians the option to move Jose Ramirez to 2B full time next to Francisco Lindor. Nunez could also give the Indians options with him as he can play 2B and the Outfield. Nunez would give the Indians a reliable offensive bat with great speed and solid defense. This move would require a secondary move and likely a controversial one with fans.

Contract- 3 years, $24 million

Trade for OF Marcell Ozuna- The Indians after losing Jay Bruce would be best served to go out and find a potential trade option to replace him with. Marlins new Owner Derek Jeter is making it very clear early on that he has plans to completely rebuild the Marlins immediately. After the Marlins trade Giancarlo Stanton, I would think their next move would be continuing to rebuild their farm system by trading Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna really evolved this past season winning a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove, developing into one of Baseball’s new rising stars. He’s under team control until 2020 and would give the Indians the perfect replacement for Jay Bruce for right now and moving forward. In a perfect world that would mean Michael Brantley, Bradley Zimmer, and Marcell Ozuna could be your everyday Outfield and for the Indians, that would actually be an improvement to when the season ended last year.

Trade Details- Indians trade 3B Yandy Diaz, SS Yu Chieng-Chang, OF Will Benson and SP Brady Aiken to Miami Marlins in exchange for OF Marcell Ozuna

Trade away 2B Jason Kipnis to Milwaukee Brewers for RP Jared Hughes and SP Kodi Medeiros- In the midst of the Indians trying to add pieces to improving their team in the hopes of winning a Championship, their greatest decision might be in the business of losing a key part of their team. Jason Kipnis is one of the key leaders of the Indians and in ways is the lifeblood of the locker room. In 2017 though, Kipnis couldn’t stay on the field and when he was on the field, hardly produced. It would be an extremely difficult decision to move him and it would have to be for the right offer. The Brewers are led by GM David Sterns, who has some ties to the Indians have been in the market for a veteran 2B and currently have Neil Walker going into Free Agency. Fortunately for the Indians, the Brewers could provide the Indians a solid reliever to offset the loss of Bryan Shaw. Preferably the Indians should target Jared Hughes who has been a very effective reliever over the past few years dating back to his days with the Pirates. Hughes could easily settle into Shaw’s role and fill it nicely, but Hughes alone doesn’t get the deal done. Kodi Medeiros was a top prospect for the Brewers a few years ago, but has struggled through the farm system. This could be an opportunity for the Indians to add a lower ranked prospect who has struggled and potentially fix him. If so the Indians would get the value needed to make it worth trading Kipnis away.



A Hypothetical Scenario

Kipnis for Donaldson?- This would be a dream scenario if the Indians can’t re-sign Jay Bruce and the Marcell Ozuna trade doesn’t work out. The Blue Jays have been slowly trying to rebuild the team, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. For Mark Shapiro, he’s going to want at least a veteran presence that he can depend on for leadership. Kipnis would be the type of leader that Shapiro already is familiar with and would have under team control over the next couple of years with Donaldson approaching Free Agency in 2018. For the Indians they don’t really go after guys who are approaching Free Agency so this would be something bold by the Front Office. But if there’s a player who fits what the Indians might be looking for to be the missing piece, Donaldson fits perfectly. A good defender over at 3B, who back in 2015 was the AL MVP. Even missing 49 games this year, Donaldson still hit 33 HRs and drove in 78 runs. Adding Donaldson to a lineup with potentially Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, and maybe a healthy Michael Brantley gives the Indians a legitimate lineup to challenge the Astros. I would go as far as saying the Indians should explore Josh Donaldson even if it meant giving up a couple of prospects instead.

Trade Details- Indians trade 2B Jason Kipnis and SP Shane Bieber to Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for 3B Josh Donaldson

This plan would be a bold strategy that would definitely improve the Indians on paper, but would test the Indians team chemistry early on. This is where the benefits of having Terry Francona as Manager come into play. With mostly any other manager, the team chemistry concern would be a major factor for most fans, but this is Tito’s specialty. As much as I might criticize Tito, this is where I know I can make these moves and feel good about the team going forward. With these moves the Indians lineup would look like this.



Potential 2018 Indians Lineup

3B- Eduardo Nunez
SS- Francisco Lindor
RF- Marcell Ozuna
DH- Edwin Encarnacion
2B- Jose Ramirez
1B- Carlos Santana
LF- Michael Brantley
CF- Bradley Zimmer
C- Yan Gomes



That’s a lineup that’s even more balanced than what it was a year ago, and as long as things fall into place, this lineup could be good enough to truly challenge the defending World Champion Houston Astros. The Indians strength again would be in their pitching and with the moves made would fortify their bullpen and easily offset the loss of Bryan Shaw. The Indians head into 2018 with major competition and the path back to the World Series won’t be easy, but with these moves, the Indians might just stand a fighting chance to return back to the World Series and this time win it. Bottom line for the Indians is the window is still open, in order to reclaim the AL crown, they must be able to take some chances and do what is necessary to get back to where they want to be. This offseason offers what they need and the opportunities just might fall into place for them. It’s up to the Tribe to execute on them.

This Week In The Show 11.14.16: 2016 MLB Awards For An Unforgettable Season

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy


Another season is in the books and the Chicago Cubs have ended their 108 year drought and for the first time since Tinkers to Evers to Chance and “The Merkle Boner” the Cubs are World Series Champions.  Now that the games are done, we’ve entered into Awards Season where Major League Baseball will announce their most outstanding players and managers throughout the 2016 MLB Season.  Now before I get into my picks, let’s look back to my Preseason picks to see where we started from and how we got here.

My MLB Awards Preseason Picks

AL MVP and Dark horse- SS Carlos Correa HOU, OF Mookie Betts BOS
NL MVP and Dark horse- 1B Paul Goldschmidt ARI, SS Corey Seager LAD
AL Cy Young and Dark horse- SP Chris Sale CWS, SP Danny Salazar CLE
NL Cy Young and Dark horse- SP Clayton Kershaw LAD, SP Shelby Miller ARI
AL ROY and Dark horse- OF Tyler Naquin CLE, OF Aaron Judge NYY
NL ROY and Dark horse- SS Corey Seager LAD, SP Lucas Giolito WAS


First off, a couple of observations…man did I have too much faith in the Diamondbacks or what?  Goldschmidt had a great year, but Shelby Miller?  I apologize with my stupidity on that one.  I also bought into the Correa/Houston hype train as well.  Overall though looking at the season, I don’t think I’m too far off on a few of these.  So now that I’m done with laughing at myself and seeing where we started at the beginning of the year, we can jump into my picks now that we’ve seen how the season has happened.

AL MVP: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox- My Preseason Dark horse pick after having an outstanding 2016 season is my pick for the AL MVP.  Betts followed up his first full MLB Season by hitting .318 (2nd in AL) and launching 31 HRs with 113 RBIs on top of his 26 steals.  We could easily dive into the other stats that make him worthy, but Mookie established himself in 2016 as the new face of the Boston Red Sox and quite possibly the best position player in the American League.  While there can be an extremely strong case for Mike Trout to win the MVP again, the difference here is Boston won its division.  Mookie was consistent all year long on a contender to easily be my pick with this award.

Honorable Mention Mike Trout LAA, David Ortiz BOS, Mark Trumbo BAL, Corey Kluber CLE, Jose Altuve HOU

NL MVP: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs- After a sensational rookie year, expectations were extremely high for Kris Bryant and he delivered in 2016.  Bryant avoided the dreaded, “Sophomore Jinx” and hit .292 with 39 HRs and 102 RBIs, establishing himself as quite possibly the best 3B in Baseball.  What stands out to me is his OPS (On Base + Slugging Pct), which was a .939 OPS.  Anything above .900 is impressive, but Bryant cut down on his strikeouts in 2016 (199 in 2015 to 154 in 2016) and was clutch for the Cubs all year long.  While I think you can make cases for some others, unlike the American League this one seems a bit more clear of a decision.

Honorable Mention Nolan Arenado COL, Anthony Rizzo CHC, Daniel Murphy WAS, Corey Saeger LAD

AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians- After a rocky 2015 season, Corey Kluber reestablished himself as one of the best, if not the best starter in the American League.  For the 3rd straight year, Kluber went struck out over 200 batters, and after going 9-16 in 2015, went 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.  But what makes Kluber my pick goes beyond the numbers, the Indians all year relied on the arm of Kluber struggling through injuries in the rotation, plus inconsistency at the back of the rotation.  It seemed every time the Indians needed him to come up big, Kluber delivered.  You can’t teach that clutch ability Kluber brings that goes beyond the numbers.  Yes, you can make strong cases for Rick Porcello and Zach Britton.  But the circumstances throughout the year for the Indians and relying on a pitcher who came through almost every time, that makes Corey Kluber the choice for his 2nd AL Cy Young award.

Honorable Mention Zach Britton BAL, Rick Porcello BOS, Andrew Miller NYY/CLE

NL Cy Young: Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs- After 2 years of solid pitching in the rotation and being a question mark in the Cubs rotation going into the year, much like Cubs teammate Jake Arrieta came out of nowhere to be one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League.  Hendricks burst onto the scene going 16-8, leading the Majors in ERA at 2.13.  Hendricks ability to be able to locate his pitches made him almost a Greg Maddux type starter who teams just couldn’t seem to figure out.  The emergence of Hendricks was crucial for the Cubs who had Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta already.  I think a case could be made for Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw before his injury was going to win another Cy Young.  I will add I think Jose Fernandez might get quite a few votes here because of his dominance in the year before his tragic death.

Honorable Mention Max Scherzer WAS, Clayton Kershaw LAD, Jose Fernandez MIA

AL Rookie of the Year: Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees- Yes, Gary Sanchez only played in 53 games this year, but those 53 games made us all think what he’s going to do in 162 games.  After being the one of the Yankees most hyped up prospects for at least the last 4 years, Sanchez finally got playing time in the Bronx and made the most of it.  In his 53 games, Sanchez would hit 20 HRs with 43 RBIs, hitting .299 and had an OPS of 1.032.  One can imagine if he played 162 games, he may not have just won the Rookie of the Year, but might’ve gotten MVP consideration.  His emergence made what looked to be after the Trade Deadline a “Rebuilding” Yankees franchise and had them in Wild Card contention until the last week of the year.  While Michael Fulmer on Detroit had a strong rookie year, Sanchez was just that outstanding in the time he had this year.

Honorable Mention Michael Fulmer DET, Tyler Naquin CLE

NL Rookie of the Year: SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers- After showing promise in the last month of the 2015 season, the Dodgers had very high hopes for their #1 prospect in 2016.  Seager didn’t just live up to them, but exceeded them.  You could make a strong case that without Seager, the Dodgers aren’t even a playoff team.  Seager showed that he is the face of the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw, giving NL West teams headaches for years to come.  He hit .308 with 27 HRs, 72 RBIs, and quietly also hit 40 Doubles, which for someone in their first full year is quite the accomplishment.  While teammate Kenta Maeda could make his own case along with Trea Turner, Seager emerged as the newest superstar in a young SS crop that is taking over Major League Baseball.

Honorable Mention Trea Turner WAS, Kenta Maeda LAD

AL Manager of the Year: Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians- I really don’t need to explain this, do I?  I mean I’m not even going to put an honorable mention here, because this one should be a unanimous vote.  With the low expectations going into the year for the Indians, the loss of Michael Brantley for the year, and the injuries to the pitching staff late in the year, no one could’ve done much better with what Tito had to deal with.  Without question, Terry Francona is your AL Manager of the Year.

Honorable Mention N/A (THIS ISN’T A CONTEST)

NL Manager of the Year: Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers- Yes, Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs had an outstanding year capped off with a World Series Championship…but we expected the Cubs to be a World Series contender in 2016.  After Don Mattingly and the Dodgers parting ways, the Dodgers made a rather bold hiring in Dave Roberts.  At one point in the year there was doubt that the Dodgers would win the division and with everything that could’ve gone wrong that did go wrong, the fact that Roberts got the Dodgers to be NL West Champions is nothing short of masterful managing.  So yes, Maddon in a way deserves the award, but looking at the circumstances for the Dodgers, Dave Roberts is my pick.

Honorable Mention Joe Maddon CHC 


As we head into the offseason, we should take these awards as a way to look back at what was an unforgettable Baseball season that I think has re-energized what was a dormant fanbase that really only a few fanbases appreciated and now has Baseball emerging once again as what it is, the great American Pastime.  For some it was full of heartbreak, some cheered, some crying, and some started to imagine what the future holds in the 2017 Baseball season.  Well before you know it, Winter pass by and welcome in the Spring and guess what?  We get to do this all over again.

Tribe Talk: It's Only The Beginning

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

They weren’t supposed to be that close to a World Series Championship.  The injuries that depleted their roster would make us just lucky to be in the playoffs, let alone winning the first American League pennant since 1997.  The players that emerged were supposed to be fringe prospects that could be serviceable, but you couldn’t count on them.  The coaching was suspect and with a down year could potentially put a future Hall of Fame Manager on the hot seat.  Yet…after all of that, the Cleveland Indians were 1 WIN AWAY from winning the Franchise’s first World Series since 1948.  And while the loss in the World Series to the Cubs stung, the Indians and their fans shouldn’t hang their heads down over this.  What they did was nothing short of miraculous and shouldn’t be forgotten, given everything that happened.  In 2016 we learned more about the character of the Cleveland Indians franchise than we did by the pure potential of the team in terms of talent.  In this Season Wrap-up we will see how the Indians got to the doorstep of winning the Fall Classic.

We go back to March when Spring Training started, the Indians were looked at by many as a team with a great Starting Rotation, a solid bullpen, but an offense that was extremely suspect, especially with Michael Brantley not scheduled to return until May.  The Indians had added Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis to add some veteran presence along with the power and speed they provided.  The Indians would add Juan Uribe to provide someone to start at 3B, along with his winning attitude that he’s brought everywhere he’s been.  What the Indians didn’t expect was the Spring Training emergence of Tyler Naquin who would torch pitching throughout March, earning his spot on the Opening Day roster.  Going into the regular season, expectations were low, I had the Indians finishing fourth in the division.  Little did we know the craziness that awaited us in the Regular Season…

The Indians started the year at home against the Boston Red Sox, a team a lot of analysts had picked to win the AL East.  That series would have 2 postponed games and the Indians would struggle out of the gate.  The Indians were primarily led by Josh Tomlin who went 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA.  Corey Kluber would start out the year in April going 1-3, leaving a lot of people to wonder if the Indians were going to get the 2015 Kluber, who pitched well, but just had no luck in terms of run support.  Michael Brantley would return late in the month of April, but would only be on the roster for 11 games before suffering a setback that would keep him out the rest of the season.  The Indians would go 10-11 in April, leaving many fans to wonder if 2016 was going to be just another mediocre year.

The Indians would show signs of life in May going 16-13, but it wasn’t until June that the Indians started to really come together.  The Indians would go on a 14 game winning streak that lead to a 22-6 month of June clearly putting the Indians atop of the AL Central.  The Indians were finally getting the 2014 AL Cy Young Corey Kluber back and Josh Tomlin was quietly off to one of his best seasons ever and would be one of the biggest AL All-Star snubs.  The Indians rotation was coming together, the Indians bullpen was hitting their stride and finding some new impact relievers like Dan Otero to bolster the depth.  The biggest story though in the month of June was the emergence of Jose Ramirez, who had burst onto the scene as a clutch hitter who was capable of filling the role left by the loss of Michael Brantley.  By June, the Indians had been platooning Ramirez with Juan Uribe at 3B and by July would become the full-time 3B as the Indians would release Juan Uribe.

In the month of July the Indians were at a crossroads, they had a solid offense that would probably propel them to an AL Central Championship as Mike Napoli became the Indians cleanup hitter and allowed the rest of the lineup to find their own roles to create a consistent balanced lineup.  But the Indians were missing something, a lefty reliever that they could rely on.  As the Trade Deadline approached, the Indians searched many options, but decided to go bold and push their chips in acquiring from the Yankees RP Andrew Miller AND Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy…or so we thought.  As the Andrew Miller trade was finalized that sent prized OF prospect Clint Frazier to the Yankees, Jonathan Lucroy would use this opportunity to exercise his No Trade clause, rejecting playing for the Indians.  This would force the returning Roberto Perez to platoon with veteran journeyman Chris Jimenez at Catcher.  But through this process, the Indians Front Office made a statement, “We’re ready to win NOW”.  That message hit home with the locker room who would use Jonathan Lucroy’s rejection as fuel that would propel them to the AL Central Crown, finishing the regular season at 94-67.

But the end of the year caused some roadblocks for the Indians going into the playoffs.  Danny Salazar had gone through shoulder problems in the 2nd Half that would put the Indians down one in their rotation.  Then Carlos Carrasco got in the way of a line drive that would break his hand, ending his season.  The Indians would go on to rely on Kluber, Josh Tomlin (after a horrible month of August), Trevor Bauer and Terry Francona’s “bullpen days” that would utilize the entire bullpen to get them through the game.  Going into the postseason, very few had the Indians really making it past the first round against the Red Sox.  Even Indians beat writers doubted their chances.

In the playoffs the Indians as they had come to show all year long showed the resilience that became their identity.  Against almost impossible odds to even stop Boston and the David Ortiz farewell tour, the Indians made quick work sweeping the Red Sox.  The Indians would then go on to face former team President Mark Shapiro and his Toronto Blue Jays.  With Corey Kluber and a revitalized Josh Tomlin, the Indians took two wins in Cleveland.  But a certain drone incident would set the team back again as Trevor Bauer’s pinky would be severely cut and in Game 3 wouldn’t make it out of the 1st inning because of his cut being reopened.  The Indians would somehow with their bullpen win Game 3 and would lose Game 4 with Corey Kluber starting.  That left Game 5 in the hands of rookie SP Ryan Merritt, who had one other career start late in the year at Kansas City.  Merritt would shock everyone, dominating an extremely talented Toronto lineup before turning it over to ALCS MVP Andrew Miller and the bullpen to close out the series and send the Indians to the World Series.

Now we all know how the World Series went down, the Indians against overwhelming odds and almost every analyst saying the Cubs would easily win this series, would somehow have a 3-1 lead against Chicago.  While the Indians would blow that lead, Game 7 of the World Series was the definition of the Cleveland Indians.  Down 6-1, the Indians wouldn’t quit and claw their way back before Rajai Davis, who had struggled all postseason would hit a game tying Home Run off Aroldis Chapman, who before Davis hadn’t given up a Home Run since he arrived in Chicago.  The Indians would one swing away from their first World Series Championship since 1948.  Even down 2 in the 10th, the Indians would continue to fight, scoring one and have the winning run at the plate before the Cubs finished the series once and for all.

Rajai. Davis.

Cleveland. Legend. #Game7 pic.twitter.com/PptzTVwcu5

— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2016

So what did we learn in 2016 about the Cleveland Indians?  The Indians may not have the superstars like most teams, but the Indians have a will to win that can’t be measured.  Every time you count this team out, they fight until the bitter end.  While the ending wasn’t what we all had hoped for, the Indians seem like they’re in the same position as the Royals were after coming up short in 2014.  Like those Royals, the Indians not just have the bullpen, but the resilience that makes you never count them out of a game.  I fully expect the Indians to come into the 2017 season hungry to finish what they started in 2016 and to be honest, no matter what they do in the offseason, I wouldn’t put anything past these guys.  In 2015, I said their struggles throughout the 2015 season was exactly what they needed.  The Indians had guys like Jason Kipnis and Corey Kluber step up as a leaders and hold the team accountable.  It started to rub off on the new blood of the core like Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor who have finally seemingly have the left side of the infield plugged in for years to come.  Most of the team is under contract and will be back together for 2017 and will be ready to finish their mission.

While the Indians have decisions to make on bringing back Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli, I’m going to save my offseason predictions.  I mean nothing really happens until the Winter Meetings, but rest assured, you’ll see what I’d do and more importantly how the Indians have plenty of money to spend this offseason.

Guys…the Indians weren’t supposed to get here.  All the series of events throughout the season screamed that the Indians were lucky to even get to the playoffs.  Yet somehow, someway the Indians were 1 swing away from a World Series Championship.  This is only the beginning Tribe fans, the future is indeed bright for the Cleveland Indians.  WE WILL BE BACK…I guarantee it.

Tribe Talk: The Improbable Fall Classic #Indians #Cubs #WorldSeries

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

Six months ago, 30 teams started on their quest towards the World Series and now we’ve reached the final two.  What makes this year unlike previous years, this year’s World Series features a matchup that no one could’ve predicted…Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago Cubs.  What some refer to as the, “Apocalypse World Series” really looks like one of the most intriguing matchups in recent years for the World Series.  These are two teams who have gotten to this point in completely different ways with completely different managers running them.  Look beyond the obvious, “big market vs. little market” and you’ll see that these two teams create quite the World Series where both teams seem to cause problems for each team’s weaknesses.  With that said we’re going to dive into the differences between both teams and finally who I believe is going to win the World Series.


Manager

This is a matchup between two of the best managers in the game today.  Joe Maddon might be the best strategic manager around who has shown he can win with almost any team put in front of him.  Terry Francona is the best clubhouse manager in the game today, who masterfully gets the most out of each of his players.  What separates the two this year in this matchup is the way Francona has worked with the hand he’s been dealt and how he’s helped lead his team through all the adversity.  Joe Maddon and the Cubs have had little to no adversity as they’ve cruised throughout the whole season to this point.  Francona in a way deserves an edge over Maddon because it seems he’s evolved as a manager to more than just a clubhouse manager, but adding more strategy into his game, which had been lacking in previous years with the Indians.  I think even if the Indians faced adversity, Francona would lead them through it, while for the Cubs I don’t know against a battle tested team like the Indians that Joe Maddon might get them through it.  With that said I’m giving the slightest of edges to the Indians because of the amazing job Francona has done to this point.

Edge- Indians


Lineup

I’m not even going to hide the edge here, the Cubs have the obvious edge here, especially with the return of Kyle Schwarber after his Torn ACL he suffered the first week of the season.  The Cubs have said he’ll be used as a DH, but that gives the Cubs a great hitter for the DH role as before his announced return this might’ve been a question mark for the Cubs.  The Cubs are led by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant who can get hot at any time and torment pitching staffs.  Not to mention the emergence of Javy Baez and Addison Russell offensively throughout the National League playoffs.  The Indians in contrast have a scrappy lineup that when they’re hot, it’s hard to stop them as they feed off of each other.  It’s going to take one Indians bat to get hot for the rest to follow suit.  So far Carlos Santana, Mike Napoli, and Jason Kipnis haven’t really done a whole lot, but just enough to get by.  The Indians can’t afford to let that happen in the World Series.  While I believe their ALCS offense was a fluke, it showed the Indians offense knows how to score when they need to score.  In a lot of way that’s all that matters, but purely by overall pure talent and potential, you have to give the Cubs the edge.

Edge- Cubs


Starting Rotation

Game 1 will feature a stellar matchup of Jon Lester vs. Corey Kluber that already shows a lot of promise for this series.  If we simply go by names, the edge will go to the Cubs, but the Indians rotation actually poses a real challenge for the Cubs.  What the Indians rotation features is 4 starters all of which are completely different.  With the return of Danny Salazar, the Indians get a much needed boost in the rotation and a flame-throwing starter with an excellent changeup.  The Cubs rotation relies on veteran pitchers who either are entering the last of their prime years or are rejuvenated careers.  While the Cubs rotation can be deadly, I’ve gotten the sense that they’re potentially vulnerable against the right opponent.  The Indians ability to work the count when they’re on can cause major problems that the Indians can thrive on.  But in terms of who has the edge overall, you could make a case either way to who has the edge, so in terms of fairness let’s call this even here.

Edge- Even


Bullpen

We all know about the Indians bullpen, but the question is in comparison how good is the Cubs bullpen?  The Cubs obviously have Aroldis Chapman as their main guy in the bullpen, but the question is who is after him?  The Cubs do have former Indians prospect Hector Rendon as their flame-throwing righty, but Rendon has been average in the postseason.  Travis Wood and Rob Zastryzny have been their top two relievers, but honestly there’s not much proven depth after Rendon for the Cubs.  This is where the Indians ability to work the count and get starters out of the game will be their biggest key to winning the World Series.  The Indians, much like the Royals of last year have their, “Big 3” relievers in Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller.  That doesn’t even count Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, and ALCS hero Ryan Merritt to back them up.  The Indians bullpen is extremely deep and more importantly battle tested.  This isn’t even a contest in terms of who has the edge, that goes to the Indians.

Edge- Indians


Prediction

A drought will come to an end when this is all said and done.  The question is who?  To give a historical aspect to this, I look to the 1990 World Series between the Oakland A’s and the Cincinnati Reds.  The A’s were the defending World Champions and looked destined to repeat as World Champions with an outstanding lineup, strong rotation and a solid bullpen.  It took some magic from the Reds lineup along with the outstanding performance of Jose Rijo and the Reds dominant bullpen to shut down the, “Bash Brothers” offense which would end up being a Reds 4-0 sweep of the A’s.  On paper without looking too much into it, it’s easy to pick the Cubs, but the Indians are that team that is so resilient that they’ll overcome any challenge.  On top of that, the Indians are the underdog…exactly where they want to be. 

The youth and exuberance of the Indians, especially through times when they’ve been down will cause major problems for the Cubs.  While the Cubs seem to be that, “Team of Destiny” remember they didn’t get to this point last year.  Their NLCS victory celebration is one of a team that still doesn’t understand what it means to get to this point.  While the Indians celebration was fun, what sticks out is the Indians never celebrated on their home field.  That leaves that feeling of something is missing in the celebration.  From the beginning in my MLB Playoffs Preview, I had the Indians defeating the Cubs in the World Series.  I’m sticking by that and will go further, the Home Field Advantage that the Indians of 1995 and 1997 never had will be a major player as Cleveland will win the World Series at Progressive Field after Game 6 bringing home the Indians first World Series Championship since the 1948 Indians led by Lou Boudreau.  I believe that Francisco Lindor will be your World Series MVP emerging as one of the best young Shortstops in the league.

Pick- Indians in 6

All the ups and downs, triumphs and tragedy throughout this season has led us to the improbably World Series.  A 7-game series to decide who will be crowned as World Series Champions.  I can guarantee that this World Series will be like one you’ve never seen before and this is can’t miss television.  They don’t call this the Fall Classic for nothing, and I have a feeling we’re going to have some memorable moments in store for this one.

Tribe Talk 9.27.16: Dear Tito, I'm Sorry

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

Dear Tito,

I’ve been a die hard Indians fan since I was 4 years old and attended my first Indians game on July 18th, 1995 when Albert Belle hit a grand slam off Lee Smith.  I grew up only knowing the Indians because the Browns left and the Cavs were in the Pre-LeBron era.  I grew up only knowing the Indians and having a Championship contending team.  I would consider myself one of the rare Cleveland fans who would prefer an Indians World Series over a Browns Super Bowl.

The moment you took the job in 2013, I was excited to get someone with a Championship pedigree.  I guess I would consider that year the “honeymoon” phase of my connection with you as my team’s manager.  It was a magical year that got us into the Wild Card Playoff game that we would eventually lose to the Tampa Bay Rays.  I was upset because I had tickets to go to Game 3 of the 2007 Division Series and I would finally attend my first Indians playoff game with my Dad, who has adopted my love for the game.  I mean before me, my Dad wasn’t a baseball fan, but now he loves his Indians.  I was upset that we weren’t going to have that moment and after a disappointing 2014 season, part of me doubted I would get another chance for some time.

I guess that’s what has made me so critical of the way you manage this team.  Understand, I want nothing more than to see my Indians in the playoffs fighting for a World Series Championship every year.  Last year, I saw a team that had what seemed to be a lost identity with a few good players like Brantley, Kluber, Salazar, Carrasco and Kipnis and a potential young star like Fransisco Lindor, but the direction of the team seemed foggy.

I started the year slating the Indians to finish in 4th Place in the AL Central.  I had no faith in you as a manager, but I guess that’s where you thrive the best, when everyone counts you out.  While I must give credit to Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff for bringing in guys like Andrew Miller, Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, and even Dan Otero throughout the past year to play crucial roles for this team, it was you Tito who made all the pieces come together.  Even though we struggled out of the gate, you made sure these players didn’t lose sight of the goal you had for them.  We’ve had numerous injuries all year, players who struggled on the mound and while at times I’ve called your faith in players, “arrogance” there has always been a method to your madness.

From the moment this team really started to emerge as the AL Central frontrunner during their 14 game winning streak, you got them prepared for this moment to finally take back the AL Central crown for the first time since 2007 and last night, we finally got there.  It took magical moments and comebacks along with strength and overcoming adversity to get this team to where they are today and for that Terry Francona, I’m man enough to admit I was wrong and…I’M SORRY.

Congratulations to the team and hopefully this is only the first step on one October Cleveland will not forget for a long, long time.

All the Champagne

Members of the @Indians won't let Tito finish his interview giving him the "bath of his life." pic.twitter.com/ID2XvqMyjB

— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) September 27, 2016

Your Biggest Critic
Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

PS- Don’t think this doesn’t change me being critical of you in the future, Tito.  But I gotta think you wouldn’t want to have it any other way…congrats Coach.

Tribe Talk 5.19.16: For Terry Francona, It's Playoffs or Bust

By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

From the day Terry Francona was named the Cleveland Indians manager, there has always been this hope that Francona is the guy help build this core of players up to their potential.  In 2013, his first year as manager, he did lead the Indians to the Wild Card game, only to get shutout by the Tampa Bay Rays.  Let’s be honest looking back at that season, the Indians were extremely lucky, especially winning 10 straight games to lock up a Wild Card spot.  Since 2013, the Indians have just barely been a .500 team, even though they’ve developed one of the best pitching rotations in baseball.  While it’s been fun to watch the Indians beat down the Detroit Tigers finally and also beat down on a horrific Cincinnati teams, we are missing Francona and the Indians are struggling against pretty much everyone else.

So the question is, am I asking for Terry Francona to be fired in May?  Well before we go on, I’m not advocating that whatsoever, in fact I’m giving Terry Francona until the end of the year to prove me wrong.  But I feel I have a strong case to back what I believe and that at the end of the day, sadly I’ll be right on this case.  Let’s get another thing straight, I’m not calling Terry Francona a bad manager, in fact he’s a very good manager, BUT he’s not a fit for the Cleveland Indians.  I know a lot of fans love him, but in order to understand where I’m going with this, let’s see Francona’s history.

We all talk about the teams Francona had in Boston, where he won 2 World Series titles.  What the Indians fans IGNORE is that Terry Francona was before that the manager for the Philadelphia Phillies.  On this Phillies team you had names like: Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, Mike Lieberthal and Curt Schilling.  The Phillies had bonafide superstar players and some young developing players behind them like Doug Glanville, Pat Burrell and Randy Wolf.  You would think on a team like that, the Phillies would’ve been competitive?  In fact, it was the opposite as the Phillies under Francona’s tenure never finished better than 3rd place.  One could say that the Phillies in the late 1990s were in the same division as the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.  My argument against that is they had the superstar players to overcome that, something else wasn’t working.  After 4 years, Francona was let go by the Phillies in 2000 after finishing in last place in the division.  The Phillies would hire Larry Bowa to replace him and in 2001, the Phillies jumped up to finish in 2nd place.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Let’s go over some of my main issues with Francona to give you a better idea of my frustration level.

Francona’s misuse of the Bullpen- For a man who loves to carry 8 relievers, he sure as heck doesn’t use them all.  Is Dan Otero still on the Indians or better yet is the guy alive?  I’ll start with the fact that Francona doesn’t even believe in matchup situations or even has an understanding of how the bullpen roles work.  I’ll give you an example, late last season versus Minnesota the Indians were up in the 8th with 1 out and Joe Mauer was up at the plate with the game tied.  The Indians had Kyle Crockett and Cody Allen warming up.  Basic logic says to play the matchup and bring in Crockett, who has proven to be effective against lefties.  Instead Francona defies logic and brings in Cody Allen in a non-save situation.  Fortunately, in the 8th after a long battle with Mauer, Allen got a double play to get him out of the inning.  But when he started the 9th he was over 10 pitches, which for a closer is around the number they would like to pitch in a save situation.  Instead, Francona put his closer in a non-save situation and overused him, Minnesota would score 2 in the Top of the 9th and finish it off for the win.  Francona clearly has trust issues with relievers and overuses the same few relievers over and over to the point of you can start seeing some of the wear and tear grow on them from year to year.  That’s just horrible bullpen management for a guy who carries so many relievers.  The fact is Francona relies on basically 3 relievers: Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw and Zach McAllister.  All 3 have already over 17 appearances in the year, the next highest are Jeff Manship with 14 and Joba Chamberlain with Dan Otero at 12. 

To compare them:

Allen/Shaw/McAllister- 2-5, 4.32 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 46 IP, 12 Holds, 8 HRs allowed (combined)

Manship/Chamberlain/Otero- 0-0, 2.07 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 36 IP, 3 Holds, 0 HRs allowed (combined)

The stats don’t lie, stop being stubborn and use the other guys that are actually effective and not rely on your guys.

Francona is not a Team Builder, he’s an Ego Manager- Let me explain…you look at the situations in Cleveland and Philadelphia, those situations were for managers to go in, but not just manage but to help develop a culture and winning attitude.  That includes holding people accountable, not being afraid to take charge, and most importantly call out players when you need to.  Now we look at a Boston where the team was pretty much bought so all Francona had to do was manage egos and put the lineups together and not screw up.  Francona worked in Boston because what they asked him to do there was what he’s good at.  He’s not a guy who develops players and teams, he keeps their egos in check, that’s it.  The body language he shows in press conferences is extremely laid back no matter what happens.  Francona could lose 100-0 and talk in a very calm demeanor, acting like it wasn’t a big deal.  If I lost 100-0, I’d be pissed that we showed no heart and I’d make sure people knew about it.  Sometimes you got to assert yourself to your players that we don’t accept play like that.  Players won’t like it immediately but in time, if done right, players can respect that.

Lack of Urgency in Team- When the Indians have had a chance to really put themselves way over .500, they’ve choked at the opportunity EVERY time.  They’ve already had multiple golden opportunities to put themselves potentially 4-5 games over .500, that for this early is a great help later in the year.  Every time the Indians seem to get, “allergic” to the idea of going way over .500 and lose a few games and fall back to under .500.  If I was Francona I’d be livid about this last year and lay the law down that this kind of play in these kind of games is totally unacceptable.  I will say the addition of Francisco Lindor has brought a renewed energy to the team that seems to partially eliminate the calm demeanor of Francona and has allowed the Indians to play at a higher level at times.  Someone in the organization should light a fire under Francona to put some urgency in him so the urgency can go back to the team.

Biased Use of Veterans over Young players- This is the most damning of all to Francona.  Whether it be in 2014 when he could’ve played Jesus Aguilar more late in the year, refusing to embrace Kyle Crockett as his lefty specialist, or as of most recently, the misuse of Tyler Naquin.  It’s obvious to me that Francona doesn’t know how to utilize young players.  Don’t believe me, look at Philadelphia and Cleveland’s situations with Francona.  Very similar and both were mishandled.  What really frustrates me is that after the energy and play that Francisco Lindor has had since his arrival in the Majors that Francona still hasn’t learned.  What concerns me even more is the Indians have 2 other top prospects on their way to the majors in the next year in OFs Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer.  I fear like Naquin, Francona will opt to sign veterans to 1 year deals and play them instead.  Don’t believe me?  When Naquin started the year, when a lefty started for the other team Francona opted for COLIN COWGILL.  Think about that…why not left Naquin play through his early MLB struggles and get better for it.  They had a golden opportunity with Michael Brantley hurt and whiffed on that.  Then they sent him back to AAA and even after Michael Brantley was placed on the DL again, they sent him down and kept Michael Martinez up.  That for me is the final straw.  While Naquin’s defense has struggled, Naquin in 27 games was hitting .317.  While he struck out a lot, he was playing well and had some early struggles he was working through.  Again Francona instead will rely on Lonnie Chisenhall, Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd and use Jose Ramirez in the outfield as well.

Terry Francona is quite possibly the most arrogant manager in Baseball today.  I respect the fact that he has his beliefs and he sticks to them, but if you’re just a mediocre team over the past 2 years with a pitching staff like he had, you need to re-evaluate things.  I encourage Terry Francona to try to make a few adjustments throughout the season, but as much as people love Francona, my fair warning is when the Indians next generation of young players arrives over the next year, Francona will ruin their growth by having them in the majors but opting for veterans instead.  Look at Jesus Aguilar, everywhere he played up to Cleveland, he was a middle of the order bat who had good patience at the plate and really was looking to be the Indians future 1B.  Instead Francona in recent years in the September call-ups wouldn’t play Aguilar and other young players even when the Indians were out of contention.  In Cleveland, we don’t have the deep pockets to buy players like Boston does, we rely on PLAYER DEVELOPMENT.  As great as our Minor League development team is, other than Lindor, Francona has ruined a lot of those guys at the Major League level.  Cleveland needs to get away from this, “Honeymoon Phase” with Terry Francona and wake up, for Terry Francona in 2016, it’s Playoffs or Bust.  A .500 team isn’t good enough anymore, you deserve better Cleveland.

Sometimes folks you need to hear the truth about the Indians, whether you want to accept it or not is up to you.  For 3 years you’ve worshipped the ground Francona walks on and he gives you a .500 team.

Don’t settle for mediocrity anymore and send a message to Francona, PLAYOFFS OR BUST.

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