Regular Season Review: Pitchers

After previously recapping the 2018 season for the Tribe's position players, today we focus on both the rotation and the bullpen, and how those two groups fared over the course of the year.

The Starters

Corey Kluber - 33 games, 2.89 ERA, 20-7, 215 IP, 222 SO, 34 BB, 3.12 FIP, 151 ERA+
Trevor Bauer - 28 games, 2.21 ERA, 12-6, 175.1 IP, 221 SO, 57 BB, 2.44 FIP, 198 ERA+
Carlos Carrasco - 32 games, 3.38 ERA, 17-10, 192 IP, 231 SO, 43 BB, 2.94 FIP, 129 ERA+
Mike Clevinger - 32 games, 3.02 ERA, 13-8, 200 IP, 207 SO, 67 BB, 3.52 FIP, 145 ERA+
Shane Bieber - 20 games, 4.55 ERA, 11-5, 114.2 IP, 118 SO, 23 BB, 3.23 FIP, 96 ERA+
Adam Plutko - 17 games, 5.28 ERA, 4-5, 76.2 IP, 60 SO, 23 BB, 6.10 FIP, 83 ERA+

The Bullpen (stats with Indians only)

Cody Allen - 70 games, 4.70 ERA, 27 SV, 67 IP, 80 SO, 33 BB
Brad Hand - 28 games, 2.28 ERA, 8 SV, 27.2 IP, 41 SO, 13 BB
Andrew Miller - 37 games, 4.24 ERA, 2 SV, 34 IP, 45 SO, 16 BB
Dan Otero -  61 games, 5.22 ERA, 1 SV, 58.2 IP, 43 SO, 5 BB
Adam Cimber - 28 games, 4.05 ERA, 20 IP, 7 SO, 7 BB
Neil Ramirez - 47 games, 4.54 ERA, 41.2 IP, 51 SO, 18 BB
Oliver Perez - 51 games, 1.39 ERA, 32.1 IP, 43 SO, 7 BB
Tyler Olson  - 43 games, 4.94 ERA, 27.1 IP, 40 SO, 12 BB
Josh Tomlin - 32 games, 6.14 ERA, 70.1 IP, 46 SO, 12 BB
Zach McAllister - 41 games, 4.97 ERA, 41.2 IP, 34 SO, 10 BB

When four of your starting pitchers rank in the top 8 for ERA in the American League, your team are probably looking pretty good, and that has been the case for this 2018 Indians staff. Led by two legitimate Cy Young candidates, the rotation carried the team on their back as the bullpen, a source of strength in recent years, underperformed and required an overhaul mid-season.

Corey Kluber has been a dominant force on the mound for the past five years yet somehow, this is the first time he’s won 20 games. Even if you discount pitcher wins as an ancient and meaningless statistic, it’s still a remarkable achievement. Kluber’s strikeouts were his lowest total since 2013 and he surrendered 25 home runs this year, the highest mark of his career. However, it did little to deter his effectiveness and he is still among the very best pitchers in baseball. We are lucky to have him and he’ll go down as one of the Tribe greats when all is said and done.

Trevor Bauer took a significant step forward in his development last year but this season he was a revelation, and if it weren’t for his untimely injury in mid-August, he could have convincingly walked away with this year’s AL Cy Young award. As it is, he will likely lose out to the Rays’ Blake Snell or maybe even Kluber, but Bauer has still had an enormously impressive campaign, setting career-best stats in ERA (2.21), strikeouts (221 in 175.1 IP), walks (57), WHIP (1.089) and home runs given up (just 9). The hope now is that he’s recovered completely in time for the playoffs and can have a major impact, either as a starter or out of the bullpen.

Carlos Carrasco followed his impressive 2017 season with another remarkable campaign, leading the team in total strikeouts with 231 punchouts. Carrasco finished fourth in the vote for the 2017 AL Cy Young award and he should be included in the overall picture yet again, albeit a longshot to win. It seems like only yesterday that the Venezuelan was a wild and unpredictable prospect struggling to crack the rotation, so it’s amazing to think how consistent he’s been over the past four years.

Mike Clevinger made tremendous strides in 2017, his first full year in the Tribe rotation, and he has progressed even further in his sophomore season. It’s an impressive feat for any pitcher to crack the 200 strikeout mark and all of his other major statistics saw improvement, despite his walks and home runs increasing (that can be attributed to the extra innings he pitched though). Clevinger has cemented himself as a fan favorite, with his Sunshine nickname and flowing locks to match, and his performances during his three seasons in Cleveland have warranted the praise.

Rounding out the back of the rotation was a combination of Shane Bieber and Adam Plutko. Bieber is still only 23 years-old and was ranked fourth among the Indians’ top 20 prospects prior to his debut. The rookie with the outstanding command (118 SO to 23 BB, an impressive 5.13 SO/BB rate) joined the team in late May and was a reliable presence throughout the summer. He took his shares of knocks like most rookies do, but the signs are encouraging in the long run. Plutko, a 26 year-old right-hander who made the briefest of appearances in 2016, took the mound when called upon and held his own as a fifth starter, often serviceable but ultimately unremarkable.

The Terry Francona era will be defined by the incredible starting pitchers he’s had at his disposal and under his leadership the Indians’ rotation have been one of the strongest in the league each year. 2018 was no different and together the grouped ranked ninth in league ERA, fourth in the AL, with a 3.77 mark. Perhaps the story of this season will revolve around the foursome of Kluber, Bauer, Carrasco and Clevinger, as the group achieved history, helping the Indians become the first team in Major League history to have four starting pitchers record 200 or more strikeouts in a single season.

Moving on to the bullpen, it was an altogether different experience. The relief corps got off to an awful start to 2018, ranking as one of the worst groups in the entire league and it took a big mid-season trade to right the sinking ship.

The backbone of the Tribe’s bullpen has been Cody Allen and Andrew Miller but both of these star relievers suffered setbacks.

Allen, for years a reliable and calm presence, appeared rattled in many of his relief outings and anxiety crept into the fanbase as each hit and walk was given up. He also succumbed to the home run bug, surrendering a career high 11 homers, and as each ball left the yard the fans’ faith in Allen diminished a bit further. His strikeouts were down (career-low 80 SO), his walks were up (career-high 33 BB) and his ERA of 4.70 is the highest in his career so far. No longer can we consider Allen the default closer on this team, especially as the 29 year-old approaches free agency, but the Tribe’s all-time saves leader can still be a very useful late-inning reliever if he can maintain control of his breaking stuff.

Miller, one of the elite relief arms in the game, struggled with injuries all year and never looked 100%. Shoulder inflammation held him back from being the impact reliever we became accustomed to, but he also spent time on the disabled list to treat his knee and hamstring as well. A 1.86 ERA over 10 games in August showed signs of a return to form but the left-hander returned to the DL at the end of that month with another setback, for a third time. The Tribe were fortunate that their race to seal a postseason berth was simple and they could be patient with Miller’s recovery, all in the hope that he can recapture his magic in October.

With Allen and Miller misfiring, it was Brad Hand’s introduction that began the process of curing the bullpen’s issues. Hand was acquired from San Diego (along with Adam Cimber) in exchange for top catching prospect Francisco Mejia and the 28 year-old lefty made an instant impact. The two-time All Star pitched in 28 games for the Tribe and recorded 41 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. He’s been everything Indians fans expected and if Allen or Miller are able to help him out, the combination of two or even all three of them would make for an unhittable group in the playoffs.

Perhaps the only shining light outside of Hand has been Oliver Perez. The 36 year-old journeyman left-hander has snuck under the radar in 2018 to record an impressive season, with a 1.39 ERA over 51 games, with 43 strikeouts. Perez signed with the team in June after his release from the Yankees and was able to immediately insert himself into the bullpen as a stabilizing presence.

Unfortunately the rest of the group were not so effective, and the core guys who remained in the pen most of the year all suffered disappointing seasons.

In his previous two years with the Indians, Dan Otero had been a reliable option for Terry Francona but the 33 year-old suffered in 2018, like so many of his fellow relievers. All of his major statistics increased (not in the good way) and his home runs doubled from last year (6 in 2017 compared to 12 this year), as did his ERA (2.85 in 2017, 5.22 this season). The right-hander could potentially be in Cleveland for another two years, so he’ll be hoping to rebound in 2019.

Neil Ramirez surrendered 9 home runs in 41.2 innings and although his regular season performance improved from 2017 (split between the Giants and Mets), it’s unlikely the Indians will be clamoring to reacquire him in free agency.

Tyler Olson in particular crashed back to earth, after his incredible 0.00 ERA season in 2017. The left-hander was never going to repeat that sort of production but he’ll be very annoyed with himself at his bloated 4.94 ERA.

Adam Cimber joined the team as part of the deal for Hand but the submarine hurler wasn’t very productive in the 20 innings he featured in for the Indians, and failed to find much of a rhythm.

And finally, Josh Tomlin. What else is there left to say about Tomlin? He transitioned from a starter into a full-time member of the bullpen in May but the change did little to help his performances. The 33 year-old made a handful of spot starts in September but you get the sense is time in Cleveland has come to an end, especially considering he is a free agent next year.

Altogether the Tribe used 24 different players in relief, most of them in the first half of the season as Terry Francona desperately searched for solutions. It got to the stage where the Tribe were forced to play anyone available, hoping someone would stick. Even Brandon Guyer pitched an inning (a scoreless one at that). Despite the addition of Hand, even he couldn't cure the bullpen's woes single-handedly, as the reliever's group ERA of 4.60 ranked as the sixth worst in the entire league, behind the cellar-dwellers like the Tigers and White Sox.

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Ultimately the Indians will rely on their vaunted rotation if they are to achieve success this postseason. Unlike 2016, they no longer have that lights-out bullpen to fall back on, and so Francona will trust in his starters to carry the load each night. If Allen, Miller, Hand and company can conjure some October magic, perhaps this group can carry Cleveland to that elusive third World Series title.

First they must contend with the Houston Astros and their formidable lineup and pitching staff. Game one gets underway tomorrow at the UK-friendly time of 2:05 pm EDT, which means I won't have to stay up all night.

Corey Kluber takes the mound against Justin Verlander, a pitcher the Indians have enjoyed success against in the past. Verlander didn't face the Indians this year but when he was still in Detroit in 2017, Cleveland took him apart over his four starts and 30 innings. The veteran allowed 19 earned runs, walking 12, and the Tribe crushed 5 home runs against him too. Confidence should be high heading into this match-up and fans will be eager to see if the lineup can repeat history and dismantle Verlander once more.

Shaw-less In Seattle: M’s Drop Tribe

It sure is nice to have baseball back.

Cleveland opened their 2018 season against the Mariners and lost a tightly contested series, two games to one. Even if the Indians didn’t win their opening series, it’s great to have them playing meaningful ball games once again.

Let’s discuss:

Bullpen Blues Already?

You know how they say, you don’t know what you got till it’s gone?

Well, I think it’s safe to say that Bryan Shaw was undervalued as a pitcher during his tenure in an Indians uniform.

Between 2013-2017, Shaw made 378 relief appearances for the Indians, to the tune of a 3.11 ERA over 358.2 innings, good enough for a 136 ERA+. Shaw was the picture of consistency for Cleveland, but sadly not always appreciated. Maybe Shaw was the victim of being in the wrong place, throwing the wrong pitch, at the wrong time, and perhaps one too many of those moments lodged deep in the fans' memories. The 30 year-old right hander moved on this winter, signing with the Rockies.

Boy did our guys miss Shaw’s services on Sunday though, as the Tribe’s relief pitchers couldn’t get the job done in the rubber game. Dan Otero and Tyler Olson, both solid options, unfortunately allowed home runs in the seventh inning to give Seattle an insurmountable lead in their 5-4 victory. Olson’s gift to Mitch Haniger, a 2-run shot, was particularly damaging. The southpaw, who had a 0.00 ERA over 20 innings last year, will not repeat that feat this season.

Are the Indians panicking about their bullpen already?

No, certainty not. It’s only one series, and the guys chosen to pick up where Shaw left off will soon have opportunities to redeem themselves. They’ll also, on occasion, suffer repeat performances just like Sunday. Such is the life of an MLB relief pitcher, and we as fans have to make peace with that fact; pitchers surrender runs.

Let’s not forget the work done during Saturday’s 6-5 victory, when a combination of Zach MacAllister, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen worked 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. There’s clearly no reason to overreact this early, especially when the team can still call upon elite arms like Miller and Allen.

However, it's the bridge between the rotation and that fearsome duo that might take a little while to settle.

To finish up, here are a few more quick takes:

• Edwin Encarnacion broke out on Sunday, slugging two home runs. His second of the game, a no-doubter high over the head of Seattle left fielder Guillermo Heredia, brought the Indians within a run of the Mariners but it wasn't to be. Still, it's nice to see Edwin start the season in style.
• Fellow slugger and new man in town Yonder Alonso made a good first impression. He kicked things off for the Tribe on Saturday, smashing a grand slam off M's starter James Paxton to give the Indians an early 4-0 lead.
• Corey Kluber got the nod for Opening Day, as expected, and was sublime in a complete game effort that unfairly resulted in the loss. 8 innings, 6 hits and 2 earned runs (courtesy of a Nelson Cruz 2-run homer), with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk. Vintage Kluber to start 2018, just a shame the offense couldn't back him.

The Tribe stay out west for their next series, travelling down to Anaheim for a three game set with the Angels. Mike Clevinger is expected to make his first start of the year, as he takes on Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Tigers Tame Tribe & DL Disturbance

Apologies for my lack of words regarding the recent Mariners series win. I was away for the weekend on my stag-do (American readers, see bachelor party). Therefore I wasn't in the best condition to be writing about baseball, even if it was largely good, victorious Cleveland baseball.

The Indians traveled to Detroit this week to kick off a 10-game road trip and didn't get off to the best of starts, losing what should have been a four-game series by two games to one, thanks to a rainout on Thursday that reduced the series to three games. The sole victory came courtesy of Carlos Carrasco, who pitched 6 strong innings in a narrow 3-2 win on Wednesday night, and he was backed by a key Jose Ramirez triple that scored 2 of those runs. Let's look at some of the news items that cropped up over the course of the series.

Disabled List Dilemmas

On Tuesday the Indians placed outfielder Austin Jackson on the 10-day disabled list with a hyperextended big toe, and relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong was called up from Triple-A Columbus in his stead. The injury occurred in the ninth inning of Monday's 7-1 loss, as Jackson planted his left foot awkwardly on the first base bag after legging out an infield hit. He was clearly in some pain but thankfully it appears this injury is unrelated to Jackson's left knee surgery he had in June 2016, that ended his season.

I was slightly surprised Jackson's trip to the DL wasn't met with a like-for-like swap, with Tyler Naquin being the most obvious choice to take the open roster spot. That could still happen but we all know how Tito loves a stocked bullpen, so Armstrong got the call this time. The Tribe are currently carrying Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte and Brandon Guyer as their core outfielders, and Jose Ramirez can fill in if necessary, as could a couple of others if forced. It seems like the skipper is happy with his lot though and he might not want to interrupt Naquin's development in Columbus for what could be just a 10-day stint until Jackson's return.

So far this season Jackson has been platooned in center field, primarily facing left-handed pitchers, and is slashing .273/.368/.485 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 1 home run, 2 RBI, and 5 walks in 38 plate appearances.

Corey Kluber took the mound on Tuesday but exited after three innings due to some discomfort and tightness in his lower back, which has been causing him grief on and off all season. Outside of this rocky start in Detroit, Kluber had pitched at least 6 innings in every appearance this season but there have still been signs that he hasn't been operating at one hundred per cent. The amount of walks he's given up have been relatively high (13 in 37.1 innings) and his ability to induce weak contact from opposition hitters has been poor, with some stats suggesting he's been the worst in the league at doing so. He's also given up 7 home runs this year - that's already half of his season total (14 HR) from 2014, the year he won the AL Cy Young. It's clear he's not been his old self and the pain in his back is almost certainly why.

The Tribe's ace pitcher has now been officially placed on the 10-day disabled list, with reliever Joe Colon taking his spot to further reinforce the bullpen. To be honest, Kluber could benefit from a bit of time off. He had an incredibly intense 2016 season, throwing a total of 249.1 innings between the regular and post seasons. It's far better to rest him now and not risk further injury later down the road when the games become more slightly more important in a potential division race. Plus, he's likely to only miss one scheduled start, so could return in mid May to slot back into the rotation.

Mike Clevinger is the prime candidate to fill in on Sunday against the Royals, when Kluber was set to pitch next. However because of the rainout in Detroit tonight, he could now feature on Monday instead, against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Clevinger has been in fine form this season with a 1.50 ERA over his six starts down at Triple-A Columbus, with 32 strikeouts and 10 walks in 30 innings. He also pitched on Tuesday so is lined up perfectly to feature on schedule. With the Indians carrying so many bullpen arms at the moment, it's likely one of Armstrong or Colon will be swapped out for Clevinger, probably just prior to when he's required. I for one am looking forward to watching the big right-hander pitch for the Tribe once more, and hope he can impress, should he get the call-up.

The Indians Have An Elite Bullpen

The Tribe bullpen were called to arms this week against the Tigers and on the whole did a stellar job.

In Monday's opening game, starter Trevor Bauer was pounded early, giving up 5 runs in the first two innings alone. Somehow he managed to last four innings in total, giving up 7 hits, 7 runs, 5 walks, and struck out 3, and it was just an awful outing overall. "It was bad," Bauer said. "I didn't command the ball well, obviously." Yeah, no shit Trevor! Thankfully Zach McAllister and Dan Otero combined to pitch the rest of the game, and mopped up 4 collective innings of scoreless ball. It was an encouraging outing from the relief duo and prevented the 7-1 loss from looking even more lopsided.

Tuesday's second contest saw Shawn Armstrong, Nick Goody and Boone Logan combine for 5 shutout innings with no hits allowed after Kluber was forced from the game with his back injury. Despite the Indians losing the game 5-2, the trio of relievers kept the team in the game all the way. Special mention must go to Armstrong in particular, throwing 2.2 innings with 3 strikeouts, and making the most of his opportunity in the bigs.

In the third game Wednesday night we saw the Indians' top guys, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, who did not disappoint. Miller pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just a single hit and striking out 4, allowing no runs as usual. Allen entered in the ninth and despite not letting the Tigers tag him for a hit, he did allow 2 walks to keep things interesting. Allen enjoyed teasing the Detroit faithful before he struck out outfielder Jim Adduci to seal the Tribe victory, and Allen's 7th save of 2017.

You could make a convincing argument that the Indians' bullpen is the strongest part of this team. The entire group have a 1.91 ERA with 96 strikeouts over 80 innings of relief. Miller has seen the most action thus far, 13.1 innings, and has yet to surrender a run and carries a 0.00 ERA. He is followed by Allen and Bryan Shaw, who each have 11 innings pitched. At the time of writing, the bullpen have gone 12 games (34.1 innings) without allowing an earned run. During that stretch they have struck out a whopping 48 hitters.

Overall I can't praise this Indians bullpen enough. They are doing everything a manager and a fanbase can ask of them.

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Because the final game against the Tigers has now been postponed the Indians will travel to Kansas City for a three game series at Kauffman Stadium. Danny Salazar will face off against Jason Hammel tomorrow night, and he has struggled for the Royals in 2017.

Thanks for reading.

World Series - Game 4 - One Win Away

Indians' second baseman Jason Kipnis grew up just outside of Chicago, less than 20 miles from Wrigley Field. Raised a Cubs fan, Kipnis always wanted to play in a World Series inside the famous old stadium. However, as an adult he seems to have put any feelings he used to have for the Cubs to one side as he is firmly focused on beating his childhood team.

"I have cousins who are full-on rooting for the Cubs... They’re Cubs fans, and that’s fine by me. I hope to have a great big smile during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and have this to hold over their head, and bragging rights every time I see them. I’d love to just have that little grin on my face knowing that I beat their team. That’d mean a lot to me."

Well Kipnis helped the Tribe get one step closer to making his words become reality as he broke open game 4 of the World Series with a monster 3 run homer into the right field bleachers to put the game beyond Chicago and give Cleveland an opportunity to win their first championship since 1948. The Indians ran out 7-2 winners on the night.

Indians' ace Corey Kluber started for the Tribe and despite gifting the Cubs an early lead on a Anthony Rizzo single in the first inning, he soon settled into his usual rhythm. Kluber lasted 6 innings and gave up 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk and he struck out 6 Cubs. Kluber now has a 0.89 ERA during the postseason, the second-best postseason mark in baseball history among pitchers with at least 30 innings in one postseason. The Dodgers' Burt Hooton is the only pitcher who bests him, when he posted a 0.82 ERA over 33 innings in 1981.

Here's a photo of my signed Corey Kluber card just because

Kluber turned the ball over to Andrew Miller to start the 7th inning and Miller struck out 2 in his 2 innings of work, setting a single-postseason record for a reliever with 29 strikeouts, beating Francisco Rodriguez's 2002 record of 28 strikeouts. Miller did see his scoreless innings streak come to an end though, when he served up a solo homer to Dexter Fowler in the 8th inning. Terry Francona opted to rest his closer Cody Allen for the 9th and Dan Otero closed it out instead with a scoreless inning for the Tribe.

The real story of the night was the Indians' lineup breaking out to put the hurt on the Cubs' John Lackey and the rest of their bullpen. The Tribe offense had 10 hits, 3 walks, and Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Lonnie Chisenhall and Carlos Santana all picked up RBI. Santana's came in spectacular fashion, thanks to a mammoth home run off Lackey in the top of the 2nd inning. Santana's third postseason homer went against a strong wind, but still nestled deep into the right-field bleachers to get the Tribe back in the game.

Overall it was a convincing performance from the Indians and they are now just one win away from winning the World Series. I still can't get over this fact and it feels strange just to say it. Sunday night's Game 5 will see the Indians send Trevor Bauer to the mound on 3 day's rest and he will face off against the Cubs' lefty Jon Lester. I'm not expecting a miracle from Bauer by any means, and whatever happens Cleveland will be going home after this game. But wouldn't it be nice to take the World Series trophy with them on the flight back?

Spring Training 2016 Part 2: Bullpen

With Spring Training finally here, we now get to see some signs of what this 2016 Indians team has in store for us.

Yesterday I looked at the position players, primarily focusing on the abominable outfield situation. Today I'm going to talk about Cleveland's relief pitchers and who can win jobs this March.

A Sigh Of Relief: The Bullpen

In 2015 the Indians bullpen posted a 3.12 ERA, the second lowest in the American League, only bested by the eventual champs Kansas City (a 2.72 ERA). The relief unit was a serious strength in Cleveland, led by Cody Allen (2.99 ERA and 34 saves), Bryan Shaw (2.94 ERA in 64 IP), Zach McAllister (3.00 ERA in 69 IP) and Jeff Manship, who was a revelation (0.92 ERA in 39.1 IP). Assuming these four men are locked in, that only leaves approximately 3-4 open spots, probably 4 given that manager Terry Francona is keen on carrying an extra reliever.

Let's look at the contenders, starting with the right-handers:

Austin Adams, Shawn Armstrong and Dan Otero are all on the 40 man roster at this time.

Adams spent most of 2015 with the big club and pitched well, compiling a 3.78 ERA over 33.1 innings. Adams attacks hitters with an upper 90s tailing fastball and has a slider that confuses hitters as it's more of a slurve. Unless he has a terrible Spring he should stand a good chance to be on the roster come Opening Day.

The same goes for Armstrong, who pitched just 8 innings at the MLB level in 2015, but performed well (a 2.25 ERA with a 12.38 K/9). He was even better at AAA, where over 49.2 innings he had an outstanding 14.50 K/9 and a 2.36 ERA with 16 saves. He'd need to be something awful this month not to be on the Opening Day roster.

That leaves Otero, who was picked up from the Phillies in December for cash and is coming off a poor 2015, pitching a sky-high 6.75 ERA over 46.2 innings. However Otero was untouchable as recently as 2014 when he was one of Oakland's top bullpen arms (a 2.28 ERA over 86.2 innings) and he's a groundball pitcher through and through, a factor possibly in his favor with our renewed infield defense. Otero will be looking to bounce back with the Tribe but he'll need an impressive Spring to get back on track.

On the outside looking in is a group of righties on minor league deals, and there might be a diamond in the rough among them. Joba Chamberlain, Felipe Paulino, Craig Stammen and Jarrett Grube will be looking to catch the club's eye this month (or catch on with someone else).

Chamberlain is on his fourth team in the last year, and he didn't pitch exceptionally well in 2015 (4.88 ERA in 27.2 major league innings). He did lose a bunch of weight over the winter but his chances of cracking the Indians roster are slim.

Paulino last pitched in the majors for the White Sox in 2014 and spent all of 2015 with the Cubs' AAA farm team in Iowa, starting 20 games and pitching to a 4.93 ERA over 104 innings with 83 strikeouts. He's aiming for a spot in the bullpen but like Chamberlain, he'll need a remarkable Spring to show the Indians staff that he can be a valuable reliever. He wasn't exactly lighting up AAA.

Stammen missed nearly all of 2015 due to a right flexor tendon tear but has been a stellar reliever in the past, and was a workhorse between 2012 and 2014 (if there is such a thing as a bullpen "workhorse"), leading MLB relievers with 242.2 innings pitched, with a 2.93 ERA over this stretch. He probably stands the best chance of upsetting the current group and winning a roster spot, provided he can prove his health.

Grube is 34 years-old and pitched half of 2015 in Mexico and the other half in AAA Columbus. He was very effective, especially with the Clippers, posting a 2.26 ERA over 79.2 innings, starting 13 games. However, despite showing he's still got some spark, Grube is most likely a depth arm at this stage in his career and will likely wind up back in Columbus as a mentor to the young arms on the farm. He'd need a phenomenal Spring to make the club but who knows, he could provide some value if he carries that AAA form to the MLB stage.

One right-handed pitcher I've neglected to mention who is almost guaranteed a spot is Tommy Hunter. The 29 year-old veteran signed with the club a few weeks ago, a one-year deal worth $2 million. He's recovering from surgery so will miss Spring Training but could be with the team by late April. With the money invested, he'll get a shot in the major league bullpen once he's healthy. The powerful Hunter pitched 60.1 innings between Baltimore and Chicago in 2015, posting a 4.18 ERA.

Now, let's look at the lefties:

The Tribe currently have Giovanni Soto and Kyle Crockett on the 40 man roster.

Soto made a brief stop in Cleveland in 2015, pitching 3.1 innings over 6 games and didn't allow a run. He spent the rest of the year in AAA Columbus, pitching 53.2 quality innings to a 2.68 ERA. I like Soto's chances to make the big club but I feel the 24 year-old could get overlooked in favor of a veteran. There's no harm in Soto earning more experience at AAA but he looks ready for MLB to my eyes.

Crockett on the other hand struggled in 2015, at both MLB and AAA levels. He had location issues and didn't look like the same pitcher as the impressive rookie in 2014. With the Tribe, Crockett threw 17.1 innings over 31 games, compiling a lackluster 4.08 ERA. In Columbus he was actually worse, a 5.97 ERA over 28.2 innings. Crockett's future is still bright but he needs a positive showing this Spring to make the big league roster. Otherwise he'll start the year in Columbus but will more than likely be back in Cleveland at some stage during the year.

A trio of veterans earned minor league deals this off-season and will compete for a lefty relief role with Crockett and Soto; Joe Thatcher, Ross Detwiler and Tom Gorzelanny will be looking to shine in Arizona.

Thatcher is 34 years-old and doesn't overpower hitters but outsmarts them instead. He split time between Houston and AAA Fresno, pitching relatively well at both stops. With the Astros he pitched 22.2 innings in 43 games to the tune of a 3.18 ERA. At this stage of his career you wonder if he'd settle for another year in Triple-A so if he doesn't break camp with Cleveland, expect Thatcher to catch on with someone else.

Detwiler, still just 29 years-old despite feeling like he's been around forever, didn't enjoy a great 2015. Split between Atlanta and Texas, Detwiler had a 7.25 ERA combined over 58.1 total innings in 41 games, including 7 starts. His days as a starter are likely over and he'll be considered strictly as a reliever by the Indians. He'll need to really turn things around if he harbors any hopes of staying long-term in Cleveland.

Last but not least is Tom Gorzelanny, the 33 year-old swingman who has been an effective arm since 2012 but took a step back last year. Gorzelanny spent most of 2015 in Detroit, throwing 39.1 innings in 48 games for a 5.95 ERA. He's another reclamation project that the Cleveland front office love so much but there's very little risk involved, as is the case with most of these guys. Hopefully his new arm slot will benefit him in his attempt to stay with the big league club.

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That's my look at the bullpen. It's a lot of guys for only a handful of spots but if I had to start the season today I'd take Allen, Shaw, Manship, McAllister, Adams, Armstrong, Stammen, and Soto. I'd possibly take Thatcher or Crockett instead of Stammen at this point because one lefty in Soto probably isn't enough.

Next up will be a look at the rotation because despite a strong core, there's some business at the back end to be taken care of before April begins.

Thanks for reading.