So Long Lonnie, We Hardly Knew Ye

Lonnie Chisenhall was the first Indians prospect I felt like I truly discovered.

In 2007 I was still relatively new to the wonders of the national pastime and my knowledge of the club’s farm system was limited to say the least. So in 2008, when the Tribe selected Chisenhall with the 29th overall pick in the MLB draft, I sat up and started to pay attention.

Here was this 6’2 third baseman from North Carolina, touted as the future of baseball in Cleveland. I read every article I could find, every scouting report from every expert analyst about this left-handed hitting lad. I scoured the web to find an autographed baseball card I could purchase for an affordable price (I couldn’t). To my British ears, even his name was interesting, it exuded something distinctly American. To put it best, you aren't running into many Lonnies where I come from.

It was another three years until we saw him appear in an Indians uniform, when he was promoted to the big club in late June 2011.

The Tribe were in the midst of a stagnant season under Manny Acta and the situation at the hot corner was in need of dire attention. Veteran third baseman Jack Hannahan was mired in an awful slump and the decision was made to introduce the club’s top minor league prospect, the then-22 year-old Chisenhall. He made his debut on a Monday night in Arizona, and went 2-for-4 in a Tribe victory.

Eight years later, the Lonnie Chisenhall era that never really materialized has come to an end.

It was announced yesterday that Chisenhall, a free agent at the end of the 2018 campaign, has signed a 1-year deal to join the Pittsburgh Pirates, to roam the outfield at their admittedly gorgeous PNC Park. According to reports he is set to earn $2.75 million guaranteed with some health and performance-related clauses attached to earn more.

When I look back at his time with the Indians, unfortunately I’m left with the feeling that Chisenhall never really achieved the lofty expectations bestowed upon him over a decade ago.

In Lonnie’s defense, very few vaunted prospects do.

To this point, the 30 year-old has had a respectable career, with a batting average of .268 and 64 home runs. Chisenhall eventually transitioned from his home at third base and found unexpected success in the outfield during the second half of his career in Cleveland. In recent years he has formed an effective partnership in right field as part of a platoon, often with Brandon Guyer, and has posted a career .757 OPS against right-handers, compared to a .699 mark against lefties thus far.

Sadly, it has been these recent years when we’ve seen Lonnie the least. He has had a terrible time with his health, constantly shuffling back and forth from the disabled list. Since 2017 Chisenhall has missed significant time thanks to injuries with both of his calves, reducing him to just 111 games played over the past two seasons. When he was on the field he did relatively well (.297/.368/.503 slash line for a 127 OPS+) but Terry Francona and the Indians ultimately couldn’t rely on him. Chisenhall’s final at-bat as an Indians player came on July 1 this year, a groundout. Two days later he went on the DL again and never returned to the roster.

For me, the most disappointing aspect of his tenure in Cleveland was his inability to seriously nail down a place in the lineup for an extended period of time. Whether it be related to his performance or his injuries, it was a rare occurrence to expect Chisenhall as an automatic fixture in the lineup.

Nevertheless, I’ll look back fondly on Chisenhall’s time with the club, and will follow the next stage of his career in 2019 with the Pirates. Lonnie always struck me as a very likeable and polite man, a player you couldn’t help but like.

Best of luck to him in all his future endeavors.

Gomes Propels Indians To First Series Win

On Sunday afternoon, at a frigid Progressive Field, the Indians sealed their first series win of 2018 in walk-off fashion, when Yan Gomes took a Brandon Maurer pitch over the left field wall for a 2-run blast that knocked out the Kansas City Royals in a grueling 3-1 Tribe victory.

With one out in the ninth inning and Erik Gonzalez pinch running at first base, Gomes battled Maurer in an epic at-bat, fouling off pitch after pitch. With a full count, Gomes watched a low pitch and absolutely golfed it. I was certain the ball would die in the wind, as so many fly balls had done previously throughout the series, but it kept carrying, over the heads of the Royals outfielders, before ricocheting off the fans in left field.

It was a euphoric finish to what had been an arduous afternoon of baseball. My arms were raised in joy as the crowd went wild, but they were also raised in relief. I don’t think I could have endured extra innings, of having to watch more scoreless baseball.

A moment that stood out to me: as Gomes completed his postgame interview with Andre Knott (SportsTime Ohio’s sideline broadcaster), he walked back to the dugout to collect his catcher’s gear. With his chest protector safely tucked under his arm, Gomes turned around to catch the replay of his walk-off blast playing on the big screen in center field. As Tom Hamilton called the winning play, Gomes gave a nod of modest satisfaction, with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. It was a classy moment for the Brazilian backstop, and endeared him to me even more.

Let’s take a peak at some of the talking points from the Tribe’s first home stand of this season:

Cleveland In April: Where Fly Balls Go To Die

This entire series was heavily affected by the weather conditions and both team’s offensive output suffered as a result. To any fans reading this who were in the stands, I salute you.

The Indians’ offense have hardly started 2018 on a tear but their first home stand really ground things to a halt. It was evident right from the start of the home opener on Friday afternoon: anything hit in the air was not going far.

The strength of the wind knocked down everything, and outfielders often found themselves having to break inward on line drives, instead of ranging back as they usually would. The wind helped the ball settle nicely into their gloves, whereas most of those hits would have resulted in extra bases on a normal day. Jason Kipnis in particular had a couple of long fly-outs over the weekend that could have been doubles at the very least in normal conditions. Sunday’s rubber game was reported to be 32℉, the coldest regular season game in Progressive Field history, even though the sun was shining all day.

Brantley Returns and Offensive Woes

Michael Brantley made his return to the club just in time for Friday afternoon’s home opener, and made an instant impact.

After Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco scuffled in the first inning and put the Indians in an early 2-0 hole, Royals’ starter Danny Duffy followed suit and found himself in hot water too. Duffy couldn’t find his location and Brantley made him pay in his first at-bat. With the bases loaded and the Indians trailing 2-1, Brantley stepped into the batters box and lined a single into right field to score two runs and put the home side ahead 3-2. It turned out to be the last runs of the day, as Carrasco and Duffy began a pitchers duel from the second inning onward, and the Indians held on for the win.

In fact, the Indians didn’t score another run until the eighth inning of Sunday’s game. That’s 23 consecutive innings, the longest scoring drought in Terry Francona’s tenure as Cleveland manager. That’s a measure of just how bad this series was for the Tribe offense.

Despite their anemic hitting, the Indians prevailed, outscoring the Royals 6-4 for the two-to-one series win.

Here are some other snippets of note during the series:

• Tyler Naquin was sent down to Triple-A before Friday’s opener, to make room for Brantley’s return. However, Naquin never made it to Colombus, as Lonnie Chisenhall hurt himself early in Saturday’s game (calf strain) and was placed on the 10-day DL. Estimates are predicting Chisenhall could miss 4-6 weeks, so Naquin has been gifted another opportunity to impress. I expect he will split time in right field with Brandon Guyer, and spell Brantley in left field as the veteran eases his way back into regular everyday play.
• Mike Clevinger got the start on Sunday and was superb over 7.1 innings. Despite being far from sharp (often pitching behind in the count), Clevinger really battled, both the elements and the Royals. The right-hander scattered 9 hits, issued 2 walks and struck out 4. This outing was a career high for him in terms of length, both in innings pitched and total number of pitches (110). 
• Trevor Bauer pitched an absolute gem on Saturday, and was very unlucky to lose, as the offense couldn’t back him at all in a 1-0 loss. Kansas City’s lone run came from a Lucas Duda solo shot, the only mistake Bauer made over 8 stellar innings. Bauer’s off-speed pitches were especially nice to watch, and he struck out 7 Royals, only giving up 3 hits and 2 walks over 100 pitches. His maturity on the mound has impressed me a lot so far this year.

Cleveland now have a 4-5 record and will remain at home, as they host Detroit for a four game series. The Tribe are expected to send Corey Kluber to the mound in a bid to continue their winning ways, and gain some early momentum in this young season.

Lightning In A Bottle Lonnie

Lonnie Chisenhall has had a remarkable start to 2017. After coming off the disabled list to begin his campaign on April 13, Lonnie has been hitting the absolute crap out of the ball. Want to see what I mean?

That's him crushing his 6th home run on Saturday night in Houston. Crushing to dead center! Chisenhall has 6 homers already this year. He had 8 in total in 2016, and 7 in total in 2015. His career-high is 13 back in 2014, when he had 533 plate appearances. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Lonnie smashes that number, setting a new career-high in the process. He is currently sporting a .283 ISO (Isolated Power) which is almost double what he has produced in previous years. It's only late May so obviously too early to use that number as a predictive measure of his power output for the rest of 2017. But we'll keep a close eye on him to see if he can maintain this extra-base hit rate into the summer and beyond. I'm quietly confident he can keep this up.

At the time of writing he's slashing .261/.333/.543 (AVG/OBP/SLG) over 33 games, for a .877 OPS and a 130 WRC+. And he's done most of this playing in center field, filling in admirably in the absence of Tyler Naquin, Austin Jackson and Abraham Almonte. Since Bradley Zimmer's promotion I thought Chisenhall would go back to his usual spot in right field, but he featured in center again last night against the Reds. Lonnie's versatility is an added bonus that I think many fans don't fully appreciate. Let's be clear though: he's not winning a gold glove any time soon, but the fact he can at least hold his own in that great expanse between the corners is a blessing for the Indians, especially now the injuries have started to pile up.

Lonnie's Achilles' heel has always been his inability to hit left-handed pitchers (career .240 BA), which lead to his platoon player status in recent years, albeit a very effective one, particularly with Brandon Guyer in 2016. However this season has seen him hit lefties very well, when given the opportunity. In 12 games he's batting .308, and even though this is a super small sample size, it's encouraging, especially given Guyer's absence from the lineup recently. Put it this way: he hasn't been a black hole at the plate against lefties, so there is some comfort to be taken from his performance against them thus far.

I think the odds of Chisenhall fulfilling the expectations that came with his first round pick selection back in 2008 are now very slim. The good news is that he doesn't necessarily have to reach those heights in order to contribute to this Indians team. What he's doing right now is working and as long as he's having a positive impact in the lineup, then as far as I'm concerned he's meeting all of my expectations. This recent power surge is just an added bonus, and a very welcome one. Keep it up Lonnie.

ALDS Review - Boston Brushed Aside

I have been conspicuously absent on England Tribe this season. I've been following the Indians all year long but quietly, hidden offline, limited to checking box scores every morning.

I'm a bit sad I haven't found the time to write more, especially when you consider what an amazing season the Tribe have had thus far. The last time Cleveland made the post-season was 2013 and England Tribe was there for every big moment. This year, not so much.

With Arsenal taking up most of my time, even when it comes to blogging, I just haven't had the chance to keep this site going.

But October baseball has returned to the corner of Carnegie and Ontariro and so I have returned also, out of the darkness of blog purgatory. So here we go, with an ALDS review of Cleveland's stunning sweep over the heavily favored Red Sox:

Unlike 2013, there was no single game Wild Card duel this time around, as the AL Central champion Indians advanced straight into the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Boston Red Sox, AL East champions and owners of one of my favorite major league players and MVP candidate Mookie Betts.

However for this series, it wasn't hard to bury my admiration for Betts because this was easily the most important series of games in my short lifetime as an Indians fan.

Game 1 - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - Progressive Field

With Progressive Field absolutely rocking at the return of post-season baseball to Cleveland, it was vitally important the Indians made the most of their home field advantage and they did so in style, crushing 3 home runs in the bottom of the third inning to distance themselves from a stubborn Boston squad that did everything they could not to concede first blood. Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor launched solo efforts in that turning point of an inning before skipper Terry Francona's masterful use of his bullpen saw the game out, as the Indians emerged 5-4 victors.

Relief ace Andrew Miller was brought into the game with 2 outs in the fifth inning after Tribe starter Trevor Bauer had done an admirable job holding the Boston behemoth lineup at bay. Miller took the ball much earlier than he was used to but he never looked back. The giant lefty dominated for 2 innings, striking out 4 and conceding just 1 hit and 1 walk. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen took the reigns after Miller's superb performance, and the duo held the lead until the end despite making the home crowd sweat a bit, especially when Allen battled through a 5 out, nail-biter of a save.

Game 2 - Friday, October 7, 2016 - Progressive Field

Progressive Field witnessed the battle of the aces but it was the Tribe's 2014 AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber who got the best of Boston's 2012 AL Cy Young champ David Price in a comprehensive 6-0 win.

In the end Price was a shadow of his former self and appeared to succumb to the post-season pressures that have plagued his October career. The Indians got off to a hot start, hanging 4 runs on Price before the second inning had finished, with a Brandon Guyer RBI and a Lonnie Chisenhall 3 run homer putting a good distance between the two teams.

Kluber on the other hand, making his first post-season start and battling a nagging quad injury, showed no signs of nerves on the big stage. The 30 year-old right hander was magnificent and the Sox could hardly touch him. After game 1 made good use of Cleveland's top bullpen arms, it was imperative Kluber provide innings at the very least in game 2. As is the ace's habit, Kluber went the extra mile and pitched seven stellar innings, with 3 hits, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts over 104 pitches. Not bad for a guy coming off an injury, as Kluber routinely pitched inside to the frightening Boston lineup and kept them off balance all game. It was exactly what the Indians needed from him and Kluber delivered.

Game 3 - Monday, October 10, 2016 - Fenway Park

Before the ALDS began, it was only in my wildest dreams I could imagine the Indians taking a 2-0 lead to Fenway Park, forcing Boston into an elimination game they surely never expected to be facing, at least so soon. Well the Indians went one step better and picked up another win to take an unlikely series sweep and progress to the ALCS.

Josh Tomlin took the mound for the Tribe and did sterling work, limiting the Red Sox over 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and struck out 4 before handing the game to the bullpen, who have been such a strength for the Tribe this season.

Yet again Andrew Miller stood up when it mattered, striking out 3 over 2 clean innings, the only blip being Dustin Pedroia scoring on a sac-fly that was tabbed on Tomlin. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen combined, nervously at times, to go the rest of the way, keeping the Sox at arm's reach.

Tyler Naquin, a strong AL Rookie of the Year candidate (and a guy I tipped to break out in 2016), got the offense started for Cleveland in the top of the fourth inning, lining a single into right field that plated 2 runs to give the Tribe a lead they never relinquished. Coco Crisp, picked up in a late August trade with the A's, probably wasn't expected to contribute much this post-season but the veteran outfielder clubbed a deep home run over the Monster in the top of the sixth inning to stretch the Indians' lead to 4-1. It proved to be just enough as the Red Sox couldn't draw even.

After the final out, a fly ball gloved by Lonnie Chisenhall in right field, the Indians celebrated in front of a stunned and silent Fenway crowd. I don't think anyone gave the Tribe much of a chance in this series but they shocked the baseball world by not just beating Boston but sweeping them out of the playoffs.

---------------------------------------------------

The Indians will now battle the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League pennant, and their first match-up will be on Friday in the ALCS opener. It's likely Corey Kluber will get the nod for the Tribe and should now have sufficient rest before taking the mound. There's rumors Danny Salazar, battling his way back from a forearm injury, could be activated in time for the series, providing a late boost to the Tribe rotation.

This ALDS victory is one to be savored for sure, a huge playoff win over a rival who have so often gotten the better of us in the past. In 2007 when I was only just learning what baseball really was, that ALDS series against the Yankees went straight over my head. I didn't know how massive it was at the time, how rare these playoff wins can be. Now in 2016 I fully appreciate everything about this Boston sweep and will cherish it for some time.

Yet again the Indians will enter a series as underdogs, as the Jays are already tipped to advance to the World Series. But history has shown that people don't always learn from their mistakes, and those who have already written off this gutsy Indians team may just have a surprise coming their way.

Thanks for reading.

Spring Training 2016 Part 1: Position Players

Spring Training is finally underway and MLB teams are playing baseball again. It is glorious. The wins and losses don't count but there's still a lot of important baseball to watch and discuss.

Your 2016 Cleveland Indians have a few questions to be answered before the season gets started in just under a month's time. Let's take a look at some talking points:

Who The Hell Is Playing The Outfield?

With the news last November that Michael Brantley underwent shoulder surgery, the already uncertain Indians outfield suddenly found itself without it's most important player. He's in camp seemingly ahead of schedule but the club are being cautious with his return. Although he could potentially be healthy for Opening Day, it's probably better in the long run if he makes a slow return during April before stepping up activities into May.

Then came the revelation that Abraham Almonte, likely the Tribe's starting center fielder, will miss the first 80 games of the season after testing positive for performing-enhancing drugs. And just like that, Cleveland's outfield situation went from bad to worse.

Which leads us to the biggest and most concerning question entering the 2016 season: who have Cleveland got to man the outfield?

With the center field job open, there's one candidate who can take this opportunity and run with it. Mr Tyler Wesley Naquin, come on down and collect your prize.

Naquin, the 15th pick in the 2012 draft out of Texas A&M, is now 24 years-old and will be 25 by the end of April. He bats left-handed, throws right-handed, and is currently ranked by Baseball America as the Indians' 6th best prospect. Naquin spent 2015 between AA Akron and AAA Columbus, playing 84 games with a .300/.381/.446 (BA/OBP/SLG) batting line, clubbing 7 home runs, 27 RBI, to go along with 13 stolen bases and 40 walks. He missed a lot of time due to injuries, first missing a chunk of time after colliding with the outfield wall in late July and then missing the rest of the season after mid-August with a hip injury.

Naquin is still a bit of an unknown developmentally. Will he a power hitter? His career numbers thus far don't indicate that will be the case. Can he steal bases? Yes, he can, but he's not exactly a speedster. What Naquin does do well is get on base and play a solid outfield defensively. His abilities don't get fans quite as excited as his fellow outfield prospects Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier, but Naquin could become a reliable option and more importantly, he could be that right now, whereas Zimmer and Frazier are still a year or two away in their progress.

This is where Naquin has the advantage. He has the experience Zimmer and Frazier lack, and now with Almonte and Brantley suddenly absent, this is Naquin's chance to show the club he can be an option in the future, and a good one at that. I'm rooting for him, and it'd be nice to see a homegrown draft pick become a key contributor to the team. If he has a successful Spring, then the skipper will have little choice but to keep him on the roster and make him a starter on Opening Day. It won't be the end of the world if he doesn't make the team out of camp, since he still has options to play at AAA, but it will definitely feel like a huge opportunity missed. Naquin just has to impress over these coming weeks. Easier said than done.

The alternatives to Naquin are a bit less inspiring. The likely candidates to play center field and man left field until Brantley returns are Rajai Davis and Collin Cowgill. Both players are good defensively but I'd probably lean towards Davis over Cowgill. Davis has the major league deal and his threat on the base paths gives him the edge. The Indians have invested nearly $5 million in him so you might as well see what he can offer. James Ramsey could also be an option here, after having a decent 2015 at AAA Columbus (.243/.327/.382 with 12 homers).

The dark horses for the outfield spots are Will Venable, recently signed to a minor league deal, Joey Butler, Robbie Grossman, Michael Choice, Shane Robinson and Zach Walters. Murderer's Row they most certainly are not...

Out of the bunch I'd like to see what Venable could bring, and I've rated him in the past. Whoever proves their worth, Terry Francona will have a wealth of platoon options this season. At the very least this Indians outfield has some depth to it.

On a positive note, right field has a sense of stability. After transitioning from third base midway through 2015, Lonnie Chisenhall looks to have made right field his own and despite his streaky bat, his defense is more than respectable.

There's Some New Guys In The Infield

The Indians signed Mike Napoli back in mid-December to be their everyday first baseman but recently upgraded third base with the addition of Juan Uribe, on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.

Uribe joins the Tribe after a 2015 season in which he traveled a lot. Juan split his time between three teams last year, playing in LA for the Dodgers, before enduring a stint in Atlanta, and finally ending up in New York with the Mets, going all the way to the World Series with them. Uribe had a batting line of 253/.320/.417 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI, with a 104 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR.

Uribe will be 37 years-old by Opening Day and even if he hasn't got much left in the tank, his bat is still an improvement at third base over the young Giovanny Urshela, even if his glove isn't quite as good. Urshela flashed outstanding defense at the hot corner in 2015 but his offensive production still needs some work. With the signing of Uribe, it's almost certain that Urshela will open the season at AAA Columbus. This is probably for the best, as he can develop his bat away from the bright lights and pressure of the MLB stage. I'm a fan of Urshela and hope he can improve enough in 2016 that when Uribe likely departs after this season, Gio will be ready to step into his shoes.

I think the Indians will have no problems at all seeing Napoli and Uribe slot into this team. Both men bring a tonne of veteran experience and can be great mentors to the other young infielders on the club like Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez and Jesus Aguilar.

Part of me would have liked to have seen the Tribe add David Freese over Uribe but Freese probably would have cost more and wanted a longer deal. I'm happy with the Uribe addition and I hope he can bring some much-needed offense to this lineup. Plus, there's something loveable about Uribe's face.

----------------------------

That'll do for the first part of this Spring Training preview/analysis/chit-chat. Up next I'll be taking a look at the questions surrounding the bullpen and the rotation, and who's in contention for those open spots.

Thanks for reading.

Photo credits to Jordan Bastian at MLB.com and Jonathan Quilter at Columbus Dispatch.

Fixing The Indians This Off-Season: Part 1

With the MLB Winter Meetings right around the corner I thought I'd put myself in the shoes of new Indians General Manager Mike Chernoff and President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti and create my own plan for the Indians' off-season. This is complete wish fulfillment but I'll try and stay as close to reality as possible (so they'll be no 'Hey, how about a trade for Mike Trout' stuff here.) Here's a few moves I would like to see happen between now and Spring Training 2016:

Upgrade The Outfield Part 1: Internal Solutions & Free Agency

The Indians' outfield during the 2015 season was a Frankenstein-like monster, with the only real bright spot being Michael Brantley. Despite an incredible comeback season by Jason Kipnis, Brantley was once again the best hitter in Cleveland and is the star player on this team outside of the rotation. Over 137 games, Brantley batted for a .310 average, 379 OBP, .480 SLG and a .859 OPS. He hit 15 homes runs, 84 RBIs, stole 15 bases and drew 60 walks, all contributing to an outstanding OPS+ of 130, a team high among batters with at least 200 at bats.

Brantley did all this whilst playing hurt and getting very little help from the rest of the Indians lineup. Not only does Brantley need help but his injuries eventually led to him being shut down towards the end of the season and he's since had arthroscopic shoulder surgery that will see him miss 5-6 months, almost certainly ruling him out for the beginning of the season. His rehab from that kind of surgery could be lengthy, so I'm not expecting a 100% healthy Brantley until late May/early June at best.

So the Indians are in a tricky spot, especially since the front office decided not to retain outfielder Ryan Raburn for $3 million, buying him out for $100,000 instead. Excluding Brantley, the current outfielders on the Indians 40 man roster right now are:

Abraham Almonte
Lonnie Chisenhall
Michael Choice
Tyler Naquin
James Ramsey
Jerry Sands
Zach Walters

A major league outfield looking for a division title that list does not make. Half of those guys are still Triple-A players and as much as Almonte endeared himself to me after coming over to Cleveland via trade, I'm still not entirely sold that he's a long term answer. I'd be willing to give Ramsey a chance to shine at the MLB level, but only if we already had the luxury of three healthy, productive outfielders (we don't). And Lonnie, well we know he's had his ups and downs, but he was remarkably decent in right field in 2015 which was a pleasant surprise. Can he stick there? On his previous experience with consistent production at the plate, the odds are he won't but I'd be willing to see if he can finally put it all together one final time. Cleveland has two potential star outfield prospects in Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer but realistically neither of them will contribute to the major league team in 2016, and they would have to post exemplary numbers in the minors for the Indians to even consider rushing them up the ladder to the big league club.

What can the Indians do to fix the outfield then? The club usually have a limited budget for free agents (rumored to be around $15 million this winter) but the market for outfielders is quite deep this off-season. There's a lot of guys who are likely out of the Tribe's reach but here's some outfield help I've singled out that could be picked up:

Nori Aoki
Dexter Fowler
Gerardo Parra
Rajai Davis
Drew Stubbs

Nori Aoki will be 34 on Opening Day but he's been very consistent over the course of his four year career in the majors since arriving in the States. He's averaged a .287/.353/.386 battling line (BA/OBP/SLG), has great speed (81 stolen bases over four years) and plays good defense. Katrina Putnam over at Wahoo's On First believes the club could get Aoki for somewhere in the range of $10 million over 2 years and I'd be happy with that. I'd probably prefer a 1 year deal with Aoki not getting any younger but if a 2 year deal is what it would take to get him, I'd sign him to it there and then.

However, if I had to make just one free agent signing this winter, a big splash of a signing, I think I'd go for Dexter Fowler. The premium outfield free agents like Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon and Justin Upton are all going to fetch a price tag out of the Indians' range but Fowler might be in reach. He recently declined the Chicago Cubs' qualifying offer of $15.8 million for 1 year but if the Indians could put together a deal of around $15 million per year over 3 or 4 years, that might tempt him to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Committing between $45-60 million over that time frame is a risk that a small market club like the Indians are likely hesitant to make but Fowler could be worth it.

The switch-hitting center fielder has a career OBP of .363 and showed signs of power last year, hitting 17 home runs, a career high. He has great speed as well, stealing 20 bases in 2015 and plays a passable defense, although defensive metrics don't rate him. Fowler will be 30 years-old on Opening Day so he still has some youth left, plus he's remained remarkably healthy during his career, playing in a career high 156 games in Chicago last season. Apparently the Indians would only lose a second-round draft pick, not a precious first-rounder, if they acquired Fowler (due to him declining the qualifying offer) so that's a bonus too. Fowler could be a terrific leadoff hitter for the Tribe and if the club are willing to push the boat out just a little bit, I think they could bring him on board.

If the Indians don't want to spend that much and would also like somebody a bit more defensively-minded, then Gerardo Parra would be a suitable alternative. Parra is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder who can play across the entire outfield and he's also handy with the bat. He's a career .277 hitter and finished 2015 with a .291/.328/.452 batting line, despite his production falling off quite a bit after his mid-season move to Baltimore. Still, the 28 year-old Parra presents a significant upgrade and is within the Indians price range, reportedly around $27 million over 3 years. Both Fowler and Parra will have plenty of suitors during the off-season but if we could sign either one, I would be incredibly happy.

Rajai Davis and Drew Stubbs are strictly back up options, who I would both like to see offered minor-league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Davis could provide a bit of pop off the bench and can still steal a base (20 SBs in 2015) and I really liked Stubbs in 2013 and would like to see him given another chance, despite an awful 2015 (a batting line of .195/.283/.382). Neither of these guys are the answer to Cleveland's outfield woes but some veteran insurance for depth can't hurt.

-------------------------------

That's a wrap for Part 1. In the next segment I will look at how the Indians could explore some trades to fix the outfield, probably involving a starting pitcher or two leaving the club.

Thanks for reading.