By Bobby Gerome ‘21
After trading Francisco Lindor to the Mets, many have questioned what the Tribe should do going forward. The simple answer: do not rebuild, reload.
Everyone knows that last season’s team was solid for the worst division in baseball, but was not built for the success that Cleveland saw in years past. Looking back, as much as fans would have liked to see Lindor, Carrasco, Brantley, Encarnacion, and the many others lost over the past few years stay in Indians uniforms, fans have to get real with themselves. The success seen in 2016 happened five years ago, the team’s shot at winning it all was then, it did not happen, and those days are gone. The Indians now have many young prospects who with time will become good major league players. Tribe fans may not be happy with the results this season, but will be happy in a couple of years when the team is contending again.
While there are many areas on the roster that need improvement, there are a few spots where the Indians are in a good place. First, the pitching. Let’s take a look at what the Tribe has lost in the past two and a half years when it comes to pitchers: two time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, current NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen. The entire rotation from the team that went to the World Series is gone, but the Indians still have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Current AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber still has three years left on his contract, Zach Plesac and Adam Plutko have proven themselves to be solid starting pitchers, plesac with a 3.32 ERA and Plutko with a 5.06 ERA, Aaron Civale also proved himself to be a starter to keep with his 3.7 ERA. Finally, 23 year old Triston McKenzie showed signs of being a future Cy Young winner in his first season in the big leagues. The starting rotation is good, no work needs to be done. It just goes to show how good the Indians’ farm system is when the team can lose two Cy Young winners and still have a World Series calibre starting rotation.
Outside of pitching, there are many other spots where the Indians are set. First is at DH. Franmil Reyes may not have had the season in 2020 that he had in 2019, but the man is still a home run machine. The 25-year-old is projected to hit twenty one home runs in 2021, and is under contract for another five years. The second spot where the Indians are fine is in the infield. Yes, losing the best shortstop and probably future Hall of Famer Francisco Lindor is a huge hit to this team, but the Tribe have hope. Jose Ramirez, at the time this article is being written, is still an Indian. If he stays on the team, everyone knows how good he can be. Regardless of what happens with Ramirez, incoming prospect Nolan Jones can play either third base or shortstop. The prospect will be getting his first experience in the big leagues, and while the hype around him may not be as big as the hype around Lindor when he was coming up, the stats are very similar. Lindor hit .280 in the minors, and in 79 fewer games, Jones hit .283 in the minors and had 15 more home runs than Lindor. The 22-year-old’s stats of course have to translate from the minors to the majors, but the rookie seen today could be the face of the franchise in a couple of years. Even if Ramirez were to go, he could be replaced with good talent as well. Yu Chang has shown great promise both in the minors and as a big leaguer, last season, Chang had a .308 OBP in just 11 at bats. The farm system also has more shortstops than the Tribe could ever ask for. Angel Genao and Fran Alduey are both shortstops in the top 30 international prospects list and can both have bright futures as Indians. Andres Gimenez is another shortstop who is ranked the 66th best prospect in baseball who can make an immediate impact on a team. With all of that, the Tribe also just signed 15 international players to play in the minors. Out of those fifteen, eight are shortstops.
With all of that being said, here is where the Indians need to improve: the bullpen, first base, and the outfield. Losing Brad Hand in the bullpen is a big blow for the Tribe, and as of now James Karinchak appears to be the new closer. Outside of the Wild Thing, the bullpen is not that strong. Improvements need to be made there for the future, but for now, the team will approach this season the same way they approached last season, by relying whoever the starter is to throw for six innings, and hoping the bullpen can hold a lead at the end of the game. At first base it is between Josh Naylor, Bobby Bradley, and Jake Bauers. All three of them will get playing time, and this is a make-or-break season for all of them. How they play this season will either determine that one of them is the guy for the future, or show the front office that the team needs to find a new first baseman. Finally, the team does not need new outfield prospects, but rather, the team needs to determine who to move forward with in the outfield. It already appears that Oscar Mercado is the center fielder for the future, but there are four other guys fighting for the next two spots. These men are Tyler Naquin, Jordan Luplow, Delino Deshields, and Daniel Johnson. All four are good in the field, the two that end up getting the jobs will be the two that get on base the most. The weak point of this team last year was the hitting, and anyone who improves, and is consistent hitting the ball this year will stay on this team in the future.
The Indians do not need to blow up the team and rebuild, they need to reload the team with all of the young prospects obtained, and wait for the magic to happen. Have trust in this front office. Cleveland has proven time and time again that the Tribe’s farm system is one of the best in the game. The front office knows what it is doing, and will make the right moves to set this team up for future success. This season will probably not be very successful for the Tribe, but give it a year or two, and the Indians (or whatever they are called then) will be contending.
