Cleveland Indians
2015 Win/Loss Record:
81-80, 3rd in American League Central
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2013
Last World Series
Championship: 1948
Key Arrivals: Rajai
Davis (OF), Mike Napoli (1B)
Key Departures: Mike
Aviles (UT), Ryan Raburn (OF), Ryan Webb (P)
Manager: Terry
Francona, 4th Year W/L
258-227
(1287-1142 in 15 years with Phillies, Red Sox and Indians)
(1287-1142 in 15 years with Phillies, Red Sox and Indians)
Overall Review: It seems the city of
Cleveland will forever be cursed when it comes to their professional sports
teams. The Cavaliers have never won the NBA Championship, the Browns have not
won an NFL title in more than 50 years, and the Indians are closing in
on 70 years without winning the World Series. The Indians made the post season
as a Wild Card entry in Terry Francona’s first year as a manager in 2013, but
have slipped slightly each of the past two seasons.
In 2016, the Indians may be
headed for the basement in the AL Central, but that doesn’t necessarily mean
they will have a bad team. It just means that the division is probably the best
in baseball, top to bottom. And with the exception of the Royals, who will win
the division crown again, any of the other four teams can finish in any of the
four other spots.
Offense: At 22 years old, shortstop
Francisco Lindor may very well already be the best player on the team. In only
99 games in 2015, Lindor had an impressive .313 batting average, hit 12 home
runs and added 51 RBIs, stole 12 bases and finished second in the voting for
the AL Rookie Of The Year. He is also an excellent glove man on defense and
some Gold Gloves may be in his future.
First baseman Carlos Santana was
the best power threat last year for the Indians when he hit 19 home runs and
drove in 85 runs. But his average was low, at .231. Michael Brantley hit .310
in 137 games, while hitting 15 home runs, driving in 84 runs and stealing 15
bases. Newcomer Mike Napoli will play first base and try to stay healthy in
2016. In only 35 games last season with the Texas Rangers, Napoli batted .295,
while hitting five homers and adding ten RBIs.
Pitching: The Indians have a very young
starting rotation. On Opening Day, all five of the starting staff will be under
the age of 30. That will last for about a week when staff ace Corey Kluber will
hit the milestone. In 2015, Kluber had a rather disappointing record at 9-16,
but he had a decent 3.49 ERA and with some run support, could very easily have
recorded more wins. He also struck out 245 batters in his 222 innings of work.
Carlos Carrasco will slot into the number two spot. Last year, he posted a
14-12 record, had a 3.63 ERA and struck out 216 batters. Danny Salazar also won 14
games (while losing ten) and his ERA was at 3.45. He recorded 195 strikeouts.
Rounding out the rotation will be Trevor Bauer (11-12, 4.55, 170) and Cody
Anderson (7-3, 3.05, 44 in only 15 starts.)
In the bullpen, Cody Allen will
return to the closer’s role for the third year in a row. After saving 24 games
in 2014, Allen improved that number to 34 last year, while winning two games in
relief, posting a 2.99 ERA and whiffing 99 batters in 69 1/3 innings. He will
get help from set-up man Bryan Shaw, who last season made 74 relief
appearances, had a 3-3 record with a 2.95 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
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| Cleveland's Francisco Lindor |
Prediction: While the other teams
around them seemed to help themselves in the off-season, the Indians didn’t do
much—either through free agency or trades—to improve upon last year’s 81 wins.
It’s pretty much a “what you see is what you get” scenario for the Tribe. All
signs point to a last place finish in the AL Central, but with the continued
maturation of the starting pitchers, they could find themselves challenging for
a Wild Card spot if everything falls into place.
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