Regular Season Review: Position Players

Success breeds expectation, and when a city and its fanbase become accustomed to winning on a consistent basis, a regular season like the Indians just had can feel slightly underwhelming.

I suppose it can be considered a positive sign of how far the Tribe have progressed when a third straight AL Central title is only greeted with modest applause, and not city-wide celebrations. We all know that champagne sprayed in September doesn’t taste the same as it does in late October, and the players know this more than anybody.

It’s not their fault that people feel this way. Ever since Cleveland’s 2016 journey to game seven of the World Series, the only results that really matter are those that occur in the postseason. Nothing else matters once you’ve come so close to having it all.

With that said, their performance over the many months of the regular season deserves recognition. Despite the lack of competition in their division, the players still had a job to do and they achieved their mission. A number of guys have really excelled in 2018, and this review will focus on them and all the other contributors that helped build this Indians club into a contender.

The Lineup

Francisco Lindor SS - 745 PA, .277 BA, .352 OBP, .519 SLG, 38 HR, 92 RBI, 129 R, 70 BB, 25 SB
Michael Brantley LF - 631 PA, .309 BA, .364 OBP, .468 SLG, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 89 R, 48 BB, 12 SB
Jose Ramirez 3B - 698 PA, .270 BA, .387 OBP, .552 SLG, 39 HR, 105 RBI, 110 R, 106 BB, 34 SB
Edwin Encarnacion DH - 579 PA, .246 BA, .336 OBP, .474 SLG, 32 HR, 107 RBI, 74 R, 63 BB, 3 SB
Yonder Alonso 1B - 574 PA, .250 BA, .317 OBP, .421 SLG, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 64 R, 51 BB, 0 SB
Yan Gomes C - 435 PA, .266 BA, .313 OBP, .449 SLG, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 52 R, 21 BB, 0 SB
Melky Cabrera RF - 278 PA, .280 BA, .335 OBP, .420 SLG, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 28 R, 20 BB, 1 SB
Jason Kipnis 2B - 601 PA, .230 BA, .315 OBP, .389 SLG, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 65 R, 60 BB, 7 SB
Greg Allen CF - 291 PA, .257 BA, .310 OBP, .343 SLG, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 36 R, 14 BB, 21 SB

The undisputed leaders of this team are Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez. This young pair have surpassed all expectations (and they were particularly high in Lindor’s case) and together they have emerged into legitimate MVP candidates. The dynamic duo continue to make their mark on history, and became the first teammates to reach 80 extra-base hits in consecutive seasons since Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio achieved it for the 1936-37 Yankees.

Lindor was voted to his third straight All Star game and somehow improved upon his performance from last season. This year he’s collected a career-high 38 home runs, putting to bed the notion that he would never develop into a power hitter, but it’s also encouraging that he’s been able to raise his batting average as well (.273 in 2017, to .277 this year). This team will go as far as Lindor carries them, in 2018 and in the years to come, and Indians fans everywhere will celebrate the day the club can tie him down to a long term deal. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Ramirez emerged into one of the most dangerous hitters in the league last season but, like Lindor, has taken things to another level in 2018. His batting average has taken a slight dip but in exchange for a significant power increase, with a career-high 39 home runs. Perhaps the most welcome progression Ramirez has made is in his stolen base numbers, stealing an incredible 34 bags this year, good enough for fifth place in MLB. Now part of the elite 30/30 club, reserved exclusively for those with that unique combination of power and speed, he’s only the third player in the club’s history to achieve the feat (Joe Carter and Grady Sizemore the others) and first AL player since 2012. Jose's mixture of energy and power make for a dangerous mix, and the fans will be hoping he sticks around for a very long time.

Michael Brantley is another feelgood story of the season, and I could not be happier for him. When the Tribe picked up his contract for an extra year, many were sceptical due to his recent struggles with injury, but Brantley’s ability to remain in the lineup has been an absolute blessing. His consistency at the plate has kept the Tribe offense ticking along nicely and the veteran left fielder deservedly made the All Star team, for the third time.

The heavy hitters of Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso might not be able to keep up with Brantley when it comes to batting average, but they have contributed the sort of power numbers we wanted. Alonso has never been a prolific home run hitter, and last season was the first time in his career he hit double digits (with 28 HR split between Oakland and Seattle), so for him to collect 23 in his debut season with the Tribe is a respectable tally. Given Carlos Santana’s slight decline in offensive performance since his departure to Philadelphia (112 OPS+ in 2017, a 105 OPS+ in 2018), Yonder has performed admirably in his place.

Encarnacion's second season in Cleveland saw a small reduction in his numbers, but that’s mostly down to missing time with injuries, limiting him to 137 games. His 32 home runs continue his streak of seven consecutive years with 30+ homers but a slight concern is his decrease in walks, down from 104 in 2017 to 63 this year. Nevertheless, Edwin has still been a very capable and important player in 2018 and the Tribe will gladly accept the 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI from their first basemen and designated hitters.

If you took a poll in the spring, most fans would probably have agreed that the odds were slim of seeing the 2014 version of Yan Gomes ever again. However, the Brazilian backstop earned his first All Star call-up during a campaign that saw him recapture some of that form that made him one of the game’s best catchers just four year ago. His .266 batting average is a vast improvement from last year (.232) and he is still the defensive presence the Indians rely upon so much. Would-be base stealers know better than to run on Yan.

Brantley aside, the rest of the outfield were formed by committee to create a Frankenstein-like monster, composed of misfits and rookies. When Melky Cabrera was added to the Indians roster, most of us assumed he would be an insurance option at best but the 33 year-old surprised us all by developing into a key contributor. In the 78 games Cabrera featured in the field, the veteran soon endeared himself to the Tribe faithful. He was partnered for the majority of the season by either the rookie Greg Allen or veteran Rajai Davis in center, who both caused havoc on the bases, collecting 21 stolen bases each, helping the Indians rank first in the entire league with 135 SB total. Allen has been a fine defender in the field this season, although his bat is still developing, and Davis has been a solid presence when called upon, since his return to the team from 2016.

Jason Kipnis endured a difficult 2018 but the 31 year-old managed to stay healthy for the majority of the year. The second baseman, converted into a center fielder in September, struggled at the plate but never let his head drop, and did manage to turn things around a bit in the season’s final weeks (.282 average in the final couple of weeks with 6 of his 11 hits going for extra bases). His 18 home runs mark the second highest total of his career but he would be the first to admit his batting average is not where he would have liked it to be. A portion of the fanbase were starting to get on his back as the season progressed but as long as he’s on the team, I’ll continue to back him.

Other notable contributors include:

• Josh Donaldson, the Tribe’s new third baseman and former American League MVP, worked his way back to full health during his few weeks with the club, and he’ll be hoping he can carry his late season form into the postseason. In 60 plate appearances for the Tribe, Donaldson hit .280 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI, with a .400 OBP and a .520 slugging percentage.
• Brandon Guyer was used predominantly in right field this year, his third season in Cleveland, usually as part of a platoon but he wasn’t as effective as we might have hoped. Guyer’s ability to attack left-handers was always his calling card but this year Francona utilized him against righties too, but the results were about the same unfortunately (.233 BA against LHP and a .176 BA against RHP). The guy still has a talent for getting hit by pitches though, with 11 balls crashing into him this year!
• Roberto Perez, Erik Gonzalez, and Yandy Diaz were the handful of bench guys able to have an impact in the few games they featured in. Only Diaz really made an impression on me (although his renowned batspeed hasn’t translated into extra-base hits yet, with just 8 XBH in 143 PA) and Perez appears to have finally put to rest any notion that he could be an everyday catcher, despite his defensive abilities.
• Bradley Zimmer, Leonys Martin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Tyler Naquin were all hit by the injury bug and missed significant time. In the case of Martin, the life-threatening illness that derailed his season caused him to make just 6 appearances for the Indians after his trade from Detroit (they were at least 6 excellent appearances). All of us wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him anchor the outfield next year. Zimmer might have some trouble reclaiming his place in center field once healthy, since the addition of Martin and promotion of Allen, and Naquin will once again have to work hard to even make the roster. Chisenhall is set to leave Cleveland as a free agent, having never really fulfilled his potential with the Indians. He’ll be hoping a club is willing to take a chance on his return to full health, and the Indians might even be tempted to keep him around if the price is right.

As the Indians enjoy their first significant rest period since the All-Star break, attention now turns towards the Houston Astros and game one of the ALDS. The reigning champions host the Tribe this Friday and the lineup will be busy studying the likes of Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, and the rest of their impressive pitching staff ahead of what many predict to be a tightly contested series.

I will have a pitchers regular season review coming up shortly. Thanks for reading.

Tribe and Twins Split Puerto Rico Series

Having not played since Friday night because their weekend games against Toronto were cancelled due to the inhospitable Cleveland weather, the Indians were raring to go when they arrived in the homeland of Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez.

Playing a two-game series in legendary Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the warmer climate appeared to re-energize this Indians squad, and the environment certainly reignited their bats (for the opening game at least!)

Why were the Indians and Twins in Puerto Rico you ask? This was organised by MLB last June, and it's the first time regular season games have been played in the country since 2010, when the Mets and Marlins visited the island.

This two-game set might have been billed as Twins home games but it was Francisco Lindor who garnered much of the attention, and rightfully so.

In fact, it was Lindor who ignited the crowd in the top of the fifth inning on Tuesday night. With game scoreless and the count full, Twins' starter Jake Odorizzi left a hanging breaking ball up in the zone that Lindor wasn't going to miss. The ball soon made it's way over the right field wall for a 2-run blast, his second home run of the season.

As Lindor started to round the bases, he motioned toward his mentor and fellow Puerto Rican Sandy Alomar Jr., and was soon pumping his arms at the crowd as chants of "Lindor! Lindor!" rang down upon him. With the raucous crowd begging for more, Lindor emerged from the dugout for perhaps the most powerful curtain call of his young career. It was quite a sight to behold, this native son delivering for his adoring family, friends and countrymen. "I'm just excited. I touched second base and looked in the dugout. Everybody's hands are up, so I put my hands up. I looked around the stadium, everybody's are up, so I keep putting my hands up and running."

Lindor's home run kick-started an offensive outburst that included solo home runs from Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley and Yonder Alonso, all toward a 6-1 Tribe victory.

On the mound, Corey Kluber delivered a fine performance in typical Kluber fashion. He was completely unflappable and unfazed by the ceremony of the game. The Indians' ace pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 run (a Brian Dozier RBI double), 2 walks, and recorded 6 strikeouts, picking up his second win of the season in the process.

Wednesday night saw another superb pitching performance, this time by Carlos Carrasco, but he was matched by Minnesota starter and Puerto Rican native Jose Berrios. The two men had one heck of a duel, as Carrasco held the Twins scoreless for 7 innings with 7 strikeouts, and Berrios went the same distance, but with 5 strikeouts.

The second game of the series was somehow scoreless all the way to the fourteenth inning, with both teams emptying their bullpens, but the deadlock was finally broken by Edwin Encarnacion, who connected for his 4th home run of 2018 to put the Indians in the lead.

Sadly, the Twins replied instantly when slugger Miguel Sano hit a home run off Indians reliever Matt Belisle, to tie the game at 1-1. Two innings later, in the bottom of the sixteenth, center fielder Ryan LaMarre sent everyone home with a sharp single to give the Twins a walk-off 2-1 win.

Despite the split result, this series was overflowing with positivity throughout, and definitely appeared to bring some joy back to Puerto Rico, still suffering and rebuilding after Hurricane Maria devastated the nation over seven months ago.

The Tribe's attention now turns to Friday's trip to Baltimore, where they will play the Orioles in a four-game series. Trevor Bauer will take the mound for game one and faces off against right-hander Dylan Bundy, as the Indians look to finish their road trip in style before returning home for a long home stand next week.

Indians Anything But Angelic, Lose Series

Despite getting off to a great start in their series against the Angels, the Indians dropped their final two games in Anaheim to finish their west coast road trip with a losing record. They currently sit at 2-4 and will face the Royals on Friday for their first home stand of 2018.

Let’s quickly run through the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Tribe’s trip to California.

The Good

Mike Clevinger kicked off his season in style, pitching a gem on Monday night in Cleveland’s 6-0 victory. Clevinger pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, with 4 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. He was especially effective pitching inside, often jamming right handed hitters, including Mike Trout.

Edwin Encarnacion hit an inside the park home run on Monday night. No need to check your eyesight, you read that correctly. You can watch the video here, and it sure is a sight to behold. I watched the game on replay whilst eating breakfast and nearly spat out my cereal when I saw Edwin flying round the bases.

Bradley Zimmer’s bat still has some way to go (2 hits in 12 PA this series) but his speed is undeniably a huge asset to this ballclub. In the third inning of Monday’s opener he practically created a run by himself. Facing Angels starter JC Ramirez, Zimmer beat out an infield single, before proceeding to steal second with ease. On a wild Ramirez pitch he took third without breaking sweat but catcher Martin Maldonado threw it into left field and Zimmer waltzed home. This is what he does so well, and combined with his defense in center field, will make him a household name in Cleveland before you know it.

Another couple of nice hits from this series: Tyler Naquin took a belt-high pitch and crushed it into right field for his first homer of 2018, in the fourth inning of Monday night’s game. Jose Ramirez, 0-15 to start the year heading into Tuesday’s game, finally got his first hit, a 2-run shot. The exit velocity was 103.4mph, coming off starter Garrett Richards. Sadly it was all the offense the Tribe could muster in that lopsided defeat.

The Bad

People are calling for the head of Josh Tomlin already. He was not sharp from the beginning on Tuesday night. Trout homered in the first inning, when Tomlin left a pitch up and in the middle of the strike zone, and Trout did what you would expect. With the Angels leading 3-2 and still in the first inning, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani connected for his first major league homer, a 3-run shot, to extend the lead to 6-2 and effectively bury the Tribe for the night. Tomlin’s inside breaking ball was actually a decent pitch but credit to Ohtani, he timed it perfectly. It eventually took Tomlin 44 pitches to escape the first inning, giving up 6 runs. In the second inning, Justin Upton solo-homered and in the third inning, former-Indian Luis Valbuena went deep on a solo homer of his own to left center field. That was all she wrote for Tomlin, 8 runs surrendered over 3 innings.

Dan Otero was not very effective in relief of Tomlin, and gave up 3 runs of his own (although Matt Belisle pitched well.) Zach McAllister saw some action but gave up a 2-run homer to Rene Rivera. Tuesday’s 13-2 loss was pretty ugly for everyone. McAllister suffered again in Wednesday's extra-inning loss, giving up the walk-off home run to Zack Cozart for a 3-2 Angels win.

The Ugly

In Wednesday’s rubber game, Corey Kluber was sent to the mound to rescue the series and was superb but received very little support from his offense. Kluber carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning but Andrelton Simmons bunted to get on base, in an attempt to start a rally. Then Ohtani proceeded to smash a Kluber pitch deep over the center field wall to tie the game 2-2, not endearing himself to Tribe fans thus far in his early career. I really wanted to like the guy too. Kluber finished the day with 7 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. Alas, a win still eludes him.

The offense, give or take a home run here and there, haven't been great overall. During their trip to Seattle and Anaheim, the offense slashed .161/.264/.338, with 21 runs scored in total, with over half of those runs coming in the Indians' two wins.

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The Indians have an off day as they fly home from out west, and will go again tomorrow in their home opener against Kansas City. Carlos Carrasco is scheduled to pitch and the Tribe will be looking to get back to winning ways.

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.

ALDS Review: Unfulfilled Potential

Fans at Progressive Field began to file out before the end of last night's winner-takes-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series. In a game of such magnitude, when the stakes are at their highest, it is inconceivable to contemplate leaving before the final out of the ninth inning. But as Game 5 neared it's conclusion Indians fans knew deep down that the well of magic had been exhausted. 2017 was not to be their season after all, thanks to a determined Yankees side that came from behind to take the series.

It's going to take some time for Cleveland to digest what happened and plan for the future. There's going to be a great deal of analysis between now and the Winter Meetings about what went wrong. I'm certainly not the man with all the answers but nevertheless, I'm going to look at a couple of talking points from this disappointing ALDS defeat and the Indians' premature end to their season.

Talking About Terry

History has proven that it's often unwise to question Terry Francona's man-management abilities as he has repeatedly made fools of those who second-guessed his decisions. But we wouldn't be sports fans if we didn't debate and discuss those decisions, always pondering the "what-ifs." For instance, why did Francona commit to Jason Kipnis in center field when Austin Jackson, a veteran of the outfield, was available? Kipnis is a fine player, a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, but a center fielder he is not, despite the epic catch he made in Game 1. This proved to be true when he made a catch in the field last night but didn't have the arm to nail a runner from 180 feet away. Not only did he lack the arm strength, but also the know-how and awareness to restrain himself from such an attempt. Kipnis is a second baseman and, if deemed ready for action, probably should have started at second. That way Jose Ramirez could have gone back to third base and Giovanny Urshela, basically a rookie, wouldn't have been risked in such high-leverage games. Kipnis started all 5 ALDS games in center and after his performances there, most would agree that he doesn't belong, despite his best efforts.

Another interesting case was Francona's decision to start Trevor Bauer in Game 1, which was rewarded with a comprehensive win. However this meant we saw Bauer feature in two games, and Carlos Carrasco in just one. Most casual fans and observers would have argued that it should have been Carrasco given that nod, and not Bauer, but then again you can't argue with the results in Game 1. Carrasco had a superb 2017 and personally I would have preferred to see him given two starts over Bauer, but that is easy to say in hindsight. Perhaps even a combination effort from Mike Clevinger, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin would have been better suited over a tired Bauer in Game 4, when he couldn't get out of the second inning after the Yankees ran up his pitch count before striking for 4 unearned runs. Perhaps Bauer returning on short rest was the cause for his Game 4 performance and ultimately the Indian's defeat (although those errors didn't help!), so you have to question if that could have been avoided. I am not an MLB manager so forgive my shortsightedness as I expect Francona had ALCS and World Series rotation planning in mind when he made his choices, but I would have opted for Carrasco.

The Walking Wounded

Injuries ravaged this Indians team all season long and they were particularly cruel to the team as October neared. Michael Brantley was never really healthy all season, despite recovering in time to make it onto the postseason roster. Lonnie Chisenhall was a similar case, in and out of the lineup all season long with a myriad of afflictions and received just 7 ALDS plate appearances.

The cruelest blow came to Bradley Zimmer, the rookie who had taken complete control of center field in 2017 and the Indians were really hurt by his absence, hence the Kipnis experiment. And of course Kipnis was injured for large portions of the year also, so perhaps his postseason struggles can be attributed to his late return. Finally, Edwin Encarnacion was felled in Game 2 and had to be helped from the field with a sprained right ankle. He wouldn't return until the decisive Game 5 and even as a DH you could tell he was struggling. The Tribe really could have used their slugger in the elimination games he missed; Encarnacion batted .258 with 38 home runs and 107 RBIs in his first season with the Indians.

The strange thing is the Indians were afflicted by injuries to the rotation in 2016 but this year the pitching staff were left largely unscathed. The biggest issue the group faced was an early back injury that bothered Corey Kluber in the season's first couple of months. In his two ALDS starts, something was clearly off with Kluber and memories of that back injury started to resurface for me. He was still out there on the mound working away, but something wasn't quite right, just like in April and May when he was forced onto the DL.

Did Kluber just under-perform or was it the injury that affected his poor postseason performances? "I don't think I need to get into details about it... I was healthy enough to go out there and try to pitch." When he says try to pitch, it makes me think something definitely wasn't right. Should he have been more honest and stepped aside to recover? Athletes at such high levels of competition rarely ever want to show weakness and remove themselves from further harm, and historically baseball has been one of the worst examples of this. We won't know for sure until time has allowed the postseason autopsy to be completed but I'd like think that the Indians wouldn't allow their ace to risk causing himself further damage, to himself and the team.

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And so history closes it's book on the Cleveland Indians' 2017 season and it's over far too early for Tribe fans. The historic unbeaten streak is undoubtedly the highlight of the season and hopefully Kluber will be awarded another AL Cy Young award. Jose Ramirez's breakthrough campaign captured our hearts and even though this team couldn't ultimately deliver, they're still a lovable bunch and their window to win is far from closed.

Congratulations must go to the Yankees, considered the underdogs before the series began. They fought tooth and nail to stave off elimination and ended up advancing to the ALCS against Houston. The only silver lining to their victory is that I saw them in the flesh this year. It won't make me very popular but I would like to see them go on and win it all now - just to say I saw the team that won the World Series!

There will be much discussion now about where this Indians team is headed and some key decisions to make about their futures; do they retain Carlos Santana? What about Michael Brantley and Bryan Shaw? Could Kipnis be traded? We'll spend the rest of the fall and all of winter debating this. Until then, try and enjoy the rest of the playoffs, even if the Indians are no longer there.

Thanks for reading.

Exceptional Encarnacion, Back On Track

When the Indians signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the off-season, fans got pretty excited. Winter nights were spent dreaming of the Dominican veteran launching 400 ft home runs over the fence at Progressive Field, this time wearing the red, white and navy of Cleveland and not the blue hue of Toronto.

After a winter of anticipation finally gave we to spring, we got our first look at Edwin and his delightful parrot trot as he rounded the bases after a home run in the Arizona sunshine. Opening Day came and went, as did the month of April. And Edwin? Well, he was okay. Actually (lets be honest) he wasn't quite what we expected. He struck out a lot, and he wasn't hitting loads of homers, just 4 actually. By the end of the first month he was batting just .200 with an OPS of .696. Something was definitely amiss and there were quiet rumblings that the Indians had signed a bum.

But Edwin didn't listen to the naysayers and kept plugging away, battling at the plate as he always does, and has done. Since the start of May, Encarnacion's approach has finally started to reap the rewards that fans were craving for. In the last month and half, Edwin has slashed .297/.398/.579 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI, raising his season OPS to a much improved .872. He's been especially hot in the last couple of weeks, slashing .370/.483/.804 over 14 games, with 6 home runs in that span.

And it couldn't have come at a better time. The Indians have been scuffling in recent weeks, their inconsistent play holding them back from making any attempt at leading the AL Central. Then along came Edwin and a trip to Minneapolis, home of the first place Twins. This was an opportunity the Tribe could not afford to pass up, to really put a marker down in the race for the division. And Edwin and the boys did not disappoint. Encarnacion, combining with some stellar pitching and some other contributors on offense, took apart the Twins in a four-game sweep to wrestle back the AL Central lead. “It’s not a surprise that he can literally carry a team,” reliever extraordinaire Andrew Miller said, and Edwin has been doing just that.

This was the kind of performance and the kind of series that clubs look to build upon, to create that wave of momentum that will hopefully carry them to October. Encarnacion has been a huge factor in this resurgence and he'll need to continue this level of performance to keep the Indians ahead in the race for postseason baseball. As a core piece in the heart of the Indians' lineup, you could argue that the Tribe's success in 2017 hinges upon Encarnacion's output. If recent activity is to be believed, then I think we'll be just fine.

How Sweep It Is! Tribe Trounce Texas

Hey kids, that is how you start a season! The Indians opened their 2017 campaign in Arlington against the Rangers on Monday and three games later they depart Texas victorious, sending an early message to the American League that they mean business. The Rangers were one of the best clubs in the majors last year, a 95 win team, but the Indians physically and mentally overpowered them in their own backyard. Let's look at how they did it.

Cleveland ace Corey Kluber got the nod to pitch on Opening Day for the third consecutive year and entering Monday's opener, he didn't have a great record, losing his two previous Opening Day games. Despite being being far from his best and struggling with a blister, Kluber avoided the loss this time around. He battled through 6 innings and gave up 6 hits, 3 of them homers, for a total of 5 earned runs. Kluber also struck out 6 Rangers and walked 3. It was not his best performance and the home runs are a bit worrying but we'll blame them on the blister. I'm still impressed he gutted it out and hung in the game for as long as he did.

It was the offense that picked Kluber up, with new boy Edwin Encarnacion rescuing his team with a clutch home run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game. Way to make a great first impression Edwin! Then in the ninth, Abraham Almonte singled home Tyler Naquin to give the Tribe their first lead of the game, which Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley extended with an RBI each, stretching the lead to 8-5, a lead the Indians would not relinquish. Cody Allen closed things out and struck out 3 batters for his first save of the year.

Carlos Carrasco took the mound on Tuesday and despite his swollen arm issues in the spring, he gritted his way through 5.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 earned runs, a walk and a homer, but struck out 7 batters as well. He really settled down after some early trouble (a Joey Gallo 2-run shot in the second) and didn't look like his elbow was affecting him too much.

It was the Tribe's other Carlos that rescued the team. Santana crushed his first home run of the season, taking Rangers starter Martin Perez deep for a solo shot in the top of the first. Then in the second, after an Austin Jackson RBI, Santana increased the Tribe's lead with a single into centre field to score Yan Gomes and put the Indians ahead 3-0. In the top of the seventh Brantley pushed one through the infield to tack on another run to make it 4-2 Tribe (after the Rangers had scored on Gallo's earlier HR) and that extra run proved to be pivotal. Allen entered the ninth to record his second save and despite a rocky start (back-to-back doubles and a Mike Napoli RBI) he shut the Rangers down by striking out the side and the Indians won 4-3.

The Wednesday night finale was a wild one. Danny Salazar pitched 5.2 innings but got off to a bad start when he was taken deep in the first inning by Nomar Mazara, giving Texas a 2-0 lead. Salazar ran into trouble again in the fifth and ended his night with a line of 5 hits given up, and 5 earned runs. He also walked 4 but struck out an impressive 9 batters.

Salazar's difficulties in the fifth inning were not helped by an uncharacteristic mistake by Francisco Lindor. A weak Shin-Soo Choo ground ball went straight to our Puerto Rican shortstop and he thought he had time to get Gallo out at second base but the Ranger beat him to the bag. Lindor still thought he could get Choo out at first with a throw but Encarnacion wasn't anticipating it, and the ball sailed into the stands to put the Rangers up 4-3. Mazara added another run before Salazar escaped the inning.

But Lindor, despite his easy-going appearance, is a fiercely competitive player and was quick to make amends. In the next inning he hit his first home run of the year to cut the Rangers' lead but he saved the best until last. Entering the top of the ninth with Texas ahead 6-4, the Indians put together a massive rally and went to work on Rangers closer Sam Dyson, quickly loading the bases. Santana forced a walk to bring in a run and cut the host's lead. Up stepped Lindor and on a 1-1 count he absolutely unloaded, crushing the ball into the right field stands for his first career grand slam, single-handedly winning the game. At 9-6 the Indians were not going to let Texas back in it, and Bryan Shaw pitched a clean bottom of the ninth to seal the win and the series sweep.

Player Of The Series

So many candidates in a thrilling opening series but I think the first award of the season should go to Carlos Santana. He had a positive impact in every game and in 12 total at-bats he recorded 5 hits, two of which were doubles and one a home run. He recorded 4 walks and struck out just the once. After three games he leads the team in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.533) and OPS (on-base plus slugging - Santana has an excellent 1.367 mark at the moment). Congratulations Carlos.

Up next is a day off, then a trip to Arizona wherre Josh Tomlin is slated to start the first game of that series against the D-Backs on Friday night, and he'll face off against Shelby Miller.

Thanks for reading.

How Not To Play Fantasy Baseball

On Friday 31st March I participated in my first ever rotisserie baseball auction draft. I've been keen to partake in one ever since I read Sam Walker's excellent Fantasyland many years ago. I've never been a big fantasy baseball player but I've always thought the auction format was how drafts were supposed to be done. This year I was lucky enough to join a group of fellow Brits in a 10 team league, complete with an auction draft, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of it. I spent all of my spare time last week researching draft techniques, brushing up on tactics and strategies, as well as all the latest news on players who don't play for Cleveland.

In this post I'll give you a rundown of the players I picked and my overall draft performance; what I did right, where I went wrong, and how you can avoid being an idiot and leaving $52 on the table. Yeah, I did that.

Without further a do, let's look at my first pick:

Miguel Cabrera, Det 1B - $30

Let's make one thing clear. Not a single draft strategy of mine set out to pick a Tiger with my first overall pick but I guess that's what fate had in store for me. Ahead of the draft my strategy was to avoid overpaying for superstars. Trout, Betts, Arenado and Altuve naturally went off the board fast but for prices that surprised me. Altuve only sold for $35 but I didn't chase him as I considered second base to have depth and my real target was Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy hits for average and power, plus he's a 30 steals man, which is rare for a first baseman. But as the bidding crept over $42, I stupidly decided not to go any further. I figured Trout only went $46, and I wasn't gonna go that high. I'm a fool and should have been more aggressive.

As more players came off the board I felt I was going to miss out on one of the elite position guys, and I decided I had to act with the 13th pick. Cabrera wasn't getting much attention and despite being a Tiger, he still performs at an elite level and he's consistent too. In his 14 year career he's hit under .300 each season just three times, the last time being 2008. When no one raised Cabrera's price above $30, I felt I'd picked up a minor steal. I considered Cabrera to be at least a $35 player so I got him at a very respectable price. May he hit 45 home runs this year but strike out in every plate appearance against the Tribe!

Charlie Blackmon, Col OF - $33

I didn't hang around with my next pick and won Blackmon for $33 with the 15th overall pick; he eventually turned out to be my highest priced player. Charlie is coming off the back of a sensational 2016 season and posted great numbers in every offensive category (.324 batting average, 111 runs, 29 homers, 82 RBI and 17 stolen bases.) Playing in the thin Colorado air of Coors Field, I have a good feeling Blackmon could repeat his numbers from last year, maybe even improve on them if the Rockies are better in 2017 (as they're predicted to be.) I had no problem at all ponying up $33.

Edwin Encarnacion, Cle 1B - $22

Next up was Indians new boy Encarnacion. Hey, I had to have one Cleveland guy on my team! Similar to Cabrera, Edwin wasn't getting a lot of love from the other draftees and I managed to snatch him up for just $22. Even though I'd already taken a first baseman, I felt having two of the very best on my team could only be a good thing, and I can play them both at the same time thanks to the 1B/3B position. Either one of them could make a great trade chip in the future should I need an upgrade in the pitching department. Edwin clubbed his first homer as an Indian in last night's Opening Day win in Texas. Here's to many more!

Andrew McCutchen, Pit OF - $12

It was when McCutchen came calling that I began to get a little more active. I started to notice many of my league-mates had already amassed quite a few players and I was lagging behind a little. I was still unwilling to overpay, especially for pitchers, and I was always on the look out for bargains. When I bid $12 for Cutch, I fully expected the bidding to continue. I had not planned to own him at all, considering he had a down year in 2016. But all of a sudden I became the owner of a brand new Andrew McCutchen, albeit unintentionally. I'm happy I got him at a decent price though and my fingers are crossed he channels his old self in 2017.

Jose Ramirez, Cle 3B - $11

Another Indians player but one I had prioritized early on. Ramirez is not only a very good player who can put up good numbers in every category, he's also incredibly versatile. He's third base and outfield eligible already, but because I knew Jason Kipnis was going to miss a big chunk of April, I had the knowledge that Ramirez is going to play a lot of second base, hopefully adding another string to his fantasy bow. If I can play him over 3 positions, I can utilize him a lot. For $11 I felt I had another steal.

Christian Yelich, Mia OF - $17

Yet another player I thought I underpaid for. I expected Miami's Yelich to easily clear $20+ so I was surprised nobody challenged my bid of $17. Giancarlo Stanton has the power numbers and gets most of the attention but personally I think Yelich is the Marlins' best all-around talent in their outfield, plus he hasn't missed as much time as Stanton has.

Kyle Seager, Sea 3B - $15

Seager was a player I targeted very early on when I was planning my tactics ahead of this draft. I was over the moon to grab him for just $15. He had a career year in 2016 and the Mariners plan to go one better this season by making the post season, and Seager will be a huge part of that. Despite my pick-up of Ramirez earlier, I plan to deploy him all over the place and keep Seager as my de facto third baseman.

DJ LeMahieu, Col 2B - $14

LeMahieu was one of the reasons I wasn't too fussed that I missed out on Altuve earlier. Don't get me wrong, Altuve is one of the best players in the league and LeMahieu isn't on that level but the Rockie will still put up very good numbers, especially batting average. I had no problem parting with $14.

Cody Allen, Cle RP - $8

You may have noticed that this is my first pitcher, and that was partly my plan. My strategy all along was not to pay premium prices for pitchers, as I feel there's a lot to gain from spending little on the under-the-radar pitchers, who will still provide great value. However at this stage I needed somebody. Well Cody Allen is a pretty good somebody and despite Andrew Miller being the Tribe's best relief pitcher, it will still be Allen called upon for save opportunities.

Elvis Andrus, Tex SS - $5

To fill my shortstop vacancy I only ever had eyes for Francisco Lindor but yet again I was being too conservative. Lindor sold pretty early on for $25 and at the time I felt I didn't want to pay more than that. Little did I know I would later have plenty of extra cash to throw at players just like Lindor! Most of the top shortstops had gone when Andrus was nominated, even Dansby Swanson, a guy I was keen on. So when Andrus came up I wasn't going to miss out, and was thrilled to pay just $5.

Matt Harvey, NYM SP - $6

When I grabbed Harvey with the 155th overall pick, the feeling that I had messed up began to dawn on me. I had way more cash than everyone else and quickly saw that players were selling for cheaper prices now, nobody was being drafted for double digit dollars. I had no problem shelling out $6 for Harvey, but I was a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn't gotten any of the top arms earlier, especially when I realised I could have easily afforded them. Still, if healthy I think Harvey should provide me with some decent points.

Brandon Maurer, SD RP - $2

I know it's only two bucks, but I still felt I overpaid slightly for Maurer. He's the Padres' closer and I still needed pitchers at this point. He was chucked out there for a dollar and I thought I'd put a bid in, to raise the price up a bit. Little did I know that nobody else was interested and all of a sudden he was mine. Hey, at least he should get me some early season saves and hopefully he can hold onto the job all year long.

Byron Buxton, Min OF - $7

Buxton is another guy I didn't originally plan for but it seemed like a lot of people were down on the former number one prospect. I'm not expecting greatness either but I think he could be decent and likely to be one of the top guys on a sub-par Twins team. At the very least Buxton should keep his job in centre field this year.

Yasiel Puig, LAD OF - $1

Perhaps my largest mistake right here. A few of the guys in my league are Dodgers fans and had been chatting about Puig prior to the draft beginning so I thought I'd chuck him out there when my nomination came round and watch the Dodgers fans fight over him, hopefully bleeding them of their budgets. Nobody bit though, not even the Dodgers fans. As the seconds ticked by, I realised, "Shit, I'm going to actually draft Puig..." But hey, for a dollar I can always cut him and won't lose any sleep about it. If he somehow chooses this year to realise the potential that he flashed briefly in 2013, then I look like a genius. I don't expect this to happen.

Ben Zobrist, ChC 2B - $4

Similar to Ramirez, I snatched up Zobrist for his versatility, and considering he's going to bat somewhere in that stacked Cubs lineup, he's gonna score runs.

Joc Pederson, LAD OF - $5

The way I see it, Joc has already repaid me, thanks to his grand slam yesterday. I figure he's a good bet to earn me points in home runs and maybe some stolen bases and that's about it.

James Paxton, Sea SP - $3

I needed another pitcher, as I had only gotten three up to this point. Paxton was still on the board and honestly I don't know what to expect from him. All of the pre-season projections I've read reckon he'll have a good year and hopefully being in a pitcher's park like Safeco will help.

J.T. Realmuto, Mia C - $4

A catcher that hits dingers and steals bases? Take my money. I was surprised he was still available so late on in the draft.

Jim Johnson, Atl RP - $1

Finally a pitcher I had planned to draft all along. I fully expected someone else to bid for Johnson but alas he was mine, for just a dollar too.

Rajai Davis, Oak OF - $1

After my mistake with Puig, I wanted an outfielder I actually planned on using and World Series hero Rajai Davis was still available. He's likely to lead off for the A's to begin the year and he'll really help me out with my steals.

Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM SS - $2

Oh Asdrubal, a once-upon-a-time favourite player of mine. I was sad when he left Cleveland. But considering I drafted him as my backup shortstop, I think I got a steal. Dude is still consistent at the plate and he's off to a great start for me already, with a multi-hit performance and a stolen base in yesterday's Mets opener.

Ian Kennedy, KC SP - $1
J.A. Happ, Tor SP - $1
Ivan Nova, Pit SP - $2
Vince Velasquez, Phi SP - $1

It was these final four picks, right at the end of the draft, where I executed my pitching strategy. My goal all along was to targets these guys, or pitchers just like them. Low cost, high reward players who come with a bit of risk but I'm happy to take that chance given the pennies I paid for them. I am especially happy with getting the ever-consistent Kennedy and the promising Velasquez.

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Final Thoughts

I had $260 to spend and I finished with $52 left over. That's a rookie mistake, plain for all to see, but a rookie is exactly what I am where auction drafts are concerned. I was pretty annoyed with myself, because I could have easily spent way more in the early rounds and gotten one of the mega stars like Altuve or Betts, who both went for less than $40.

However I'm actually very happy with the way my team came out. On first appearances my pitching looks weak but then I have some very good hitters in positions where I have depth, so my plan is to potentially trade one or two of them further into the season for a pitching upgrade (if necessary.)

Whatever the result is at the end of the season, I really enjoyed my first auction draft and I'm very keen to do more in the future. Only time will tell how my team performss but with the right moves, I think my team has what it takes to contend (or be respectable at least!)

Thanks for reading.

Bat Flips & Nerds Podcast - Indians Preview

I was recently asked to feature on the Bat Flips & Nerds baseball podcast, a uniquely British take on the American Pastime. John, Darius, Ben and Tom have been doing a fantastic job and produced some really high quality content since they launched their podcast and website just over 7 months ago. I was honoured to be asked to come on and talk about the Indians ahead of the 2017 campaign.

Give this episode a listen and be sure to check out the rest of their pods too!

Indians Officially Sign Encarnacion

It was the Christmas present every Indians fan wanted. We all wrote it down on our list:

Dear Santa,

Please sign Edwin Encarnacion for the Cleveland Indians.

Yours, 

Suitably-excited Tribe fan

And guess what? Our wish came true, and just before Christmas Day Edwin agreed to join the American League pennant winners in their battle to once again reach the World Series, and go that one step further and win the damned thing.

In a morning press conference today at Progressive Field, the Indians officially announced the signing of first baseman Encarnacion to a three-year deal, the biggest free agent acquisition in recent memory.

It's positively unheard of to see a small-market club like the Indians make such a splash in free agency, but splash they did on Edwin. He has been handed the largest contract in franchise history, reportedly raking in $65 million in guaranteed money. His contract also includes a $5 million buyout clause for a fourth-year team option worth $25 million. If that option were to be picked up, Encarnacion's contract could reach as high as $80 million in total.

That's a lot of money for a 34 year-old slugger (his birthday is this Saturday), but the Indians did just add one of the most powerful right-handed hitters in the game. In 2016 Encarnacion had a battling line of .263./.357/.529 (BA/OBP/SLG) with an outstanding OPS+ of 133. The Dominican Republic native clubbed 42 home runs, drew 87 walks, scored 99 runs and 127 RBIs last season for the Blue Jays. He spent close to 8 years in Toronto altogether, and his slugging percentage didn't dip below .500 in the past 5 years; he also hit at least 30 homers in that time span, topping the 40 homer mark twice.

Encarnacion will likely split time between first base and DH with Carlos Santana (who will stay in Cleveland after his $12 million team option was picked up for 2017). Our new number 10 (Yan Gomes has swapped to number 7) will replace Mike Napoli as the team's premier power hitter.

Some might view this acquisition as a risky move for the Tribe but given that the deal is only for three years, it's not as risky as it could have been, especially considering Encarnacion's offensive output in recent years. The acquisition of Encarnacion was made with the "win now" mentality in mind and the Indians have every right to adopt this approach coming off the back of an incredible 2016. I can't wait to see him in Spring Training and together with Santana, Lindor, Kipnis and a healthy Brantley, the AL Central should be very afraid.

Indians Add Chris Colabello

The Indians have signed a first baseman from the Toronto Blue Jays but he's probably not the one fans wanted. During the winter meetings the name on many fan's lips was Edwin Encarnacion but the Tribe have opted for his teammate Chris Colabello, signing him to a minor league deal today.

Colabello is a 33 year-old right handed first baseman who will add some depth to the position, rather than solve the problem outright. In 2015 Colabello had a very impressive start to his career in Toronto, slashing .321/.367.520 (BA/OBP/SLG) over 101 games, with 15 home runs. It was good enough for a 138 OPS+ but things came crashing down in 2016.

Early into the season, Colabello was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Was this the cause behind his breakout 2015 campaign? Possibly, although Colabello himself adamantly denies ever taking PEDs.

Speaking to Sportsnet, Colabello said: “I would never, have never and will never compromise the integrity of baseball. Ever. In my life. And whether that means taking a performance enhancing supplement—I just wouldn’t do it. I don’t do it. I haven’t done it. I won’t do it.”

On his return to action following his suspension, Colabello was sent to the minors and never recaptured his 2015 form, slashing .185/.254/.293 over 45 games between A+ Dunedin and AAA Buffalo. It was not a triumphant comeback to say the least, and did nothing to sway his critics.

The sceptic in me thinks Colabello won't match that 2015 output, not playing clean anyway. However, now he's been given another chance in Cleveland and by all accounts he comes across as a good locker-room guy and well-liked player. I'm hoping he can turn things around and if it's going to happen, it might as well be in Cleveland. The Indians have had some recent success resurrecting the careers of fading veterans, giving them the chance to shine one more time. Maybe Colabello can add his name to that list.