Donaldson Debut Draws Near

News reached us yesterday that the long awaited debut of Josh Donaldson is at hand. The veteran third baseman is set to make his much-anticipated start at third base tonight in Tampa, against the Rays.

Donaldson, now activated from the 10-day disabled list, will make his first appearance in an Indians uniform since his trade to Cleveland from the Blue Jays. The Tribe acquired the 2015 American League MVP from Toronto in exchange for a player to be named later just before the calendar ticked over into September, sneaking him in under the August 31st deadline for players to be eligible for postseason play.

There has been some recent controversy surrounding the trade, with a number of other contenders unhappy with the Indians and their methods of prying Donaldson out of Canada. It seems the Red Sox, Yankees and Astros were aggrieved that the Tribe were able to speak to Donaldson directly once he was placed on revocable waivers, and even managed to work him out for a medical at Progressive Field. However, President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti is adamant no foul play took place, and any one of those clubs could have theoretically done the same thing.

Donaldson hasn't featured in an MLB game since May 28, and has been battling issues with his left calf and shoulder all season. In an effort to return him to full fitness he was sent straight to Triple-A Columbus for a rehab assignment upon joining the Indians and on September 3rd the 32 year-old crushed a grand slam in his very first rehab game for the Clippers. He has batted 2-for-10 with another home run in three games for Double-A Akron since.

Before he was shut down by the Jays in late May, Donaldson played in 36 games and batted .234/.333/.423 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 5 home runs, 16 RBI, 21 walks and 44 strikeouts. The Tribe will hope that a healthy Donaldson can have a big impact in the weeks to come, and maybe recapture a bit of the magic that made him such a force only a couple of years ago. Donaldson made three straight All Star appearances between 2014-2016, with his 2015 MVP award sandwiched in between (41 HR, 123 RBI, 151 OPS+, 8.7 WAR).

Donaldson couldn’t come to a long-term agreement with Toronto this past winter as contract talks broke down in February, with neither side able to find a suitable deal. Therefore Donaldson is set to become a free agent in the offseason, and the Tribe likely envision him as a pure rental, their one big offensive splash in an effort to capture that elusive third championship. Perhaps a deal can be struck in the offseason to keep Donaldson in Cleveland for another couple of years, but right now I think we all expect his stay to be brief, but hopefully fruitful. Regardless, it's nice to have a recent MVP in your lineup.

With the Tribe 15.5 games ahead of the Twins in the AL Central, this is an ideal time to let Donaldson regain his rhythm over the next few weeks of largely meaningless games (results-wise at least.) The idea will be to get the veteran multiple at-bats until he is ready to be a daily fixture in the lineup, all with the goal of getting him hot for October when he can do some real damage.

Donaldson is set to start at third base tonight and ease his way back into full-time play. He is likely to be available off the bench tomorrow but should be back in the lineup by Friday if everything goes well. As a result, Jose Ramirez will be shifting over to second base, which means Jason Kipnis will relocate to center field, similar to how he did in 2017.

Kipnis performed admirably during his brief time in center last year, but I can’t say I was exactly clamoring to see him return to the position. He played center field in 11 of the final 12 regular-season games and started all 5 playoff games in the outfield as well. I wrote a piece in February expressing my wish to see the second baseman remain in the infield this season, but it appears the management want to tinker with Kipnis in the outfield once again.

Is he happy about the return to the outfield? Just over a week ago, Kipnis was quoted saying; "Do I love it? No. But I don't have to love it. That's the part. I've got a job to do. It's OK as long as all of our goals are the same and that's to win a World Series."

The 31 year-old’s overall production this season has been underwhelming and a number of fans have called for Ramirez at second base for some time (with Kipnis riding the pine instead). I’ve always been a big Kipnis supporter but it's clear that 2018 has not been the type of season he would have wished for.

However, he's begun to turn things around a bit in recent weeks, and over the past fortnight he's batted .327/.404/.653 with 4 home runs, 4 doubles and 15 RBI, with 2 stolen bases as well. It's a small sample of course, but hopefully an indicator he could be hitting some form at just the right time.

The lack of a division race this year has resulted in August and September being more relaxed for the Indians and their fans, especially in comparison to their AL rivals in the other divisions, but thankfully Donaldson's introduction to the team and Kipnis' transition to the outfield still provide us with plenty to watch and discuss as the final month of the season draws to a close.

Greg Allen's Astounding August

Greg Allen has had a rollercoaster rookie season. The young outfielder has experienced plenty of up and downs in his short major league career (literally), as he's bounced between the Indians and their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus this year.

Perhaps the biggest down for Allen came with the trade deadline pickup of center fielder Leonys Martin at the start of the month. The club made a move to upgrade the position and the message to the rookie was clear.

You’re not ready.

Thankfully for the Indians, Allen did not dwell on the setback, and over the month of August the 25 year-old has excelled.

The incredibly unfortunate and life-threatening bacterial infection that has sidelined Martin appeared to be a devastating blow for the Indians. Having just acquired the center fielder, only to lose him days later, could have derailed the team's late season plans significantly.

In Martin's absence, Allen has stepped up and made the most of his increased playing time.

Since his return to everyday duties, Allen is riding a 14-game hitting streak, the longest streak by a Tribe rookie since 2010, when Michael Brantley (of course) had 19 consecutive hits. Over the course of his streak Allen has batted .400 with 1 home run, 6 RBI,  scored 11 runs, and collected 5 stolen bases.

He's made a positive impact in almost every single game he's featured in, on some of the biggest stages in the game. Most recently, that has included Fenway Park, the so-called Cathedral of Baseball.

Faced against a daunting Red Sox lineup, on course for a record-setting season, Allen has not appeared fazed by the bright New England lights at all.

In Monday night's first game of the series, Allen took Sox starter Rick Porcello deep for a 2-run homer that broke a tie game late in the 7th inning, giving the Tribe the lead. It turned out to be the difference in the Indians' 5-4 win.

Tuesday night saw Allen make more important contributions, this time in the field. The rookie made two outstanding catches to support his starter Shane Bieber, and the Indians held on again for a 6-3 win. Allen's first catch came in the 5th inning, when a long fly ball off the bat of Xander Bogaerts found Allen backtracking into deepest center field. As the youngster touched the warning track and got perilously close to the outfield wall, Allen leaped to snare the ball with his left hand before crashing into the padding. He managed to hold on for the out, cementing a highlight play he'll show his grandchildren one day.

His second catch was arguably more impressive. In the bottom of the 7th with Boston runners in scoring position and the home side smelling a comeback, Mitch Moreland connected on a low pitch and sent the ball arcing into the night sky. Allen took off on a diagonal run, again into the deepest part of Fenway Park. With his back to home plate the entire time, Allen took the ball over his shoulder with a one-handed catch, and held on as he slid into the dirt of the warning track. Boston managed to score on the sac-fly but if Allen hadn't caught that ball and been alert enough to fire it back into the infield, the Sox would have done some heavy damage on the scoreboard. Moreland isn't the fastest runner but he was probably thinking triple when he connected initially. Allen flat out robbed him.

Offensively and defensively, Allen has been an absolute joy to watch, and partnered in the outfield with the ever-consistent Brantley (August line: .354/.456/.523, 2 HR, 11 RBI) and the red-hot Melky Cabrera (past week: .333/.333/.952, 4 HR, 8 RBI), the Tribe have been firing on all cylinders.

In his post-game interviews with sideline reporter Andre Knott, Allen has been earnest and humble with his answers. Most of all, he seems to be really enjoying himself out there. Terry Francona, speaking about Allen prior to Tuesday's game, said; "Greg’s come back and done a really good job. When we lost Leonys, that was a huge hit for us. And Greg’s come up and... he has just filled in and looks like he belongs here. It makes it fun."

I've long been a fan of Allen, and his recent form has been so enjoyable to see. As Tito said, Allen certainly has been fun to watch, of that there is no doubt.

Tribe Active At Trade Deadline

This season's non-waiver trade deadline saw a flurry of activity across the league and the Indians were in the thick of the action on Tuesday afternoon.

Cleveland made two late trades, the largest of which involved the acquisition of center fielder Leonys Martin from the Tigers, along with minor league pitcher Kyle Dowdy, in exchange for shortstop prospect Willi Castro.

The final trade saw Tribe youngsters Jhon Torres and Conner Capel sent to the Cardinals in return for center field prospect Oscar Mercado.

Let's take a look at the new additions, and a quick glance at the guys who have departed for pastures new:

Leonys Martin, CF
Kyle Dowdy, RHP

All the buzz prior to the deadline indicated the Indians were in the market for outfield help and a number of names were touted as potential options. Among the players mentioned were Bryce Harper, Adam Jones, and Andrew McCutchen, to name just a few.

What materialised was perhaps unexpected, but in reality a typical Indians move. I mean, we were never getting Bryce Harper, were we?

Leonys Martin, a 30 year-old left-handed hitting center fielder, is not exactly the splashy trade Indians fans wanted. In fact, I don't remember seeing a single article before the deadline linking him to the Tribe.

However, just because Martin isn't going to sell a lot of jerseys doesn't mean he isn't a good pickup, and the decision to add him to the roster makes a lot of sense. This is a very practical trade.

Martin is widely considered a plus defender in center field, with his great range and superior speed, and the statistics back him up: he has 3 DRS in 638.1 innings in center this year and a 7.1 UZR rating, leading to a 13.4 UZR/150, which ranks him second among qualified center fielders. I've never been entirely sold on defensive metrics but regardless of that, you can sense Martin has been brought in to upgrade the outfield defense, and he looks certain to do just that. The Tribe's outfield hasn't been blessed with outstanding fielding this year, not when they've relied on the likes of Melky Cabrera and Tyler Naquin, so Martin's defensive skills are more than welcome on the club.

With the bat, Martin is not an overwhelming presence at the plate but he's more than serviceable. He's currently batting .275 against right-handed pitchers, good enough for a 113 wRC+. His overall numbers include a .251/.321/.409 batting line (BA/OBP/SLG) and he has a total of 9 home runs, 29 RBI and 7 stolen bases. Despite the modest numbers, 2018 has been one of Martin's best offensive seasons in his career thus far, and a much improved turnaround from a miserable 2017 (a .172/.232/.281 slashline in just 49 MLB games).

Cleveland is his fourth team since he departed the Rangers in 2015, as he spent the 2016 season and the majority of 2017 with Seattle before being moved to the Cubs in late August. He then signed with the Tigers in December 2017 as a free agent.

Overall, I really like the addition of Martin and the Indians' center field situation is far better now than it was before. Martin provides a significant improvement defensively and is still a better offensive option compared to what the Indians were getting previously. Obviously he's not the power bat fans might have wanted and wished for, but he's still an upgrade and at the end of the day, the team has been improved (without having to deal away top pitching prospects too - bonus!)

Kyle Dowdy, a 6'1 right-handed pitcher, appears to be a throw-in to this trade. The 25 year-old has been a serviceable but not stellar starter in the Tigers minor league system, and has posted a combined 4.74 ERA in 95 innings between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo, with 92 strikeouts and 32 walks.

Detroit received shortstop prospect Willi Castro from the Tribe, who has spent this season at Double-A Akron. He's hit .245/.303/.350 with 5 home runs and has 13 stolen bases. Castro has strong projections, with many believing he has what it takes to be a regular MLB-quality shortstop, but his path to the show in Cleveland was always going to be blocked by Francisco Lindor, so it's logical the Tribe have dealt him away via trade.

Oscar Mercado, CF

The Indians were not content with adding just one slick fielding center fielder on Tuesday, so they contacted the Cardinals and picked up one more.

The supremely athletic Mercado joins the Tribe in the midst of an impressive campaign at the Triple-A level. Mercado has been playing for the Cardinals' farm team in Memphis, and has developed into a solid looking player. He hit .285/.351/.408 for the Redbirds, with 8 homers and 42 RBI, and stole 31 bases in 39 attempts. Before he left St. Louis, he was ranked as their 10th best prospect and possible center fielder of the future. A quick gauge of fan opinion on social media indicates that the Tribe might have gotten a steal, with many St. Louis followers upset to see Mercado leave.

Mercado is a subtle but highly interesting addition, and it feels like he might not be far away from a promotion to the majors in the near-future, possibly even next season. However, with the currently-injured Bradley Zimmer already facing competition for his place in center field from rookie Greg Allen, the inclusion of Mercado makes for an intriguing positional battle in the future.

Or maybe not. With Michael Brantley, Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis and Lonnie Chisenhall all set to be free agents at the end of this season, perhaps the front office's idea is to fill the outfield with a mixture of Zimmer, Allen and Mercado when the veterans move on. Overall, I am quietly impressed by this trade and I think it has crept under the radar. Mercado looks to be a very useful player that could feature sooner than expected.

In return for Mercado, the Cardinals received two of the Tribe's young outfield prospects, 18 year-old Jhon Torres and 21 year-old Conner Capel. Both players are still in the early stages of their development, so it doesn't feel like a huge loss in the grand scheme of things.

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Ultimately, I feel the Indians can consider this month's dealings to be a success. They had two key areas that required improvement, the bullpen and the outfield, and those areas have now been addressed. Time will tell how the results pan out but you cannot fault the front office for lack of attention; they knew what was needed and they responded.

Tribe Triumph Over Tigers

The Indians returned to winning ways this weekend, taking two out of three from their trip to Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers, culminating in a dominant win in the rubber game on Sunday afternoon. In today's recap, I focus on one area of the team that has come under scrutiny this year, but might be cause for optimism going into August and beyond.

Options In The Outfield

Since the Indians were able to significantly upgrade their ailing bullpen with the additions of Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres, the attention has now turned to how reinforcements might bolster the outfield, ranked by many as among the worst in the majors.

Perhaps the Tribe's current group had heard the rumblings that replacements might be just around the corner, as Rajai Davis, Melky Cabrera, Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer all stepped up their productivity during their time in Detroit.

For the series, Davis batted 4-for-12 and the veteran had an especially notable Sunday, with two doubles and a triple, leading the Indians to a convincing 8-1 victory. He displayed prowess with his glove as well, making a couple of nice catches in center field. Davis also took time to acknowledge my praise on Twitter after the game, so if he hadn't already earned a fan for life after that home run, well he's definitely got my eternal support now.

Melky Cabrera went 4-for-9 over the series, which included his first home run of the season and his first as a member of the Indians. In the second inning of Sunday's game and just after the Tigers had tied the game at 1-1, the switch-hitter took a Jordan Zimmermann pitch over the right field wall, and the Tribe never looked back. Cabrera also made two outstanding catches in right field as well, both of them close to the wall. Since being recalled to the Indians, Cabrera has hit .407/.429/.593 (BA/OBP/SLG) in 28 plate appearances over eight games, whilst sharing right field duties with Brandon Guyer.

Speaking of Guyer, he had an important hit of his own this series, a pinch-hit 3-run homer on Saturday to give the Tribe some much-needed breathing room in their 8-3 win. In the top of the eighth inning the Indians were holding onto a slim 4-3 lead, when Guyer connected on a fastball low and inside, and drove the ball far over the left field fence to put the result beyond doubt. Guyer, the lefty-mashing specialist, is slashing .274/.391/.562 versus left-handers this year, with 5 home runs and 20 RBI.

Last but certainly not least is Michael Brantley, who went 5-for-14 against the Tigers, including a triple in Sunday's rubber game (which opened the scoring when Jose Ramirez brought Brantley home with a sac-fly). The ever-consistent left fielder is batting .302 this year over 93 games, with 12 home runs and 57 RBI, and a 117 OPS+. So far Brantley's health issues this year have been under control, and his reliable bat and plate discipline have combined to be the effective weapon we had hoped.

Obviously, one series against the lowly Tigers does not tell the entire story. It is not like all of Cleveland's outfield problems have miraculously disappeared just because a handful of guys had some good hits during the weekend. The front office is certainly smart enough to avoid getting carried away with this small sample of success, and the outfield situation is still alarming when you look at the bigger picture. Bradley Zimmer is out for the season and Lonnie Chisenhall might be joining him, plus Tyler Naquin will miss time with a hip issue.

There's no doubt the Indians should still be looking to upgrade their outfield before the trade deadline closes tomorrow, particularly in center field, and I made that clear in my last post. However, if the management's confidence in the current group continues to grow, and guys like Davis, Guyer and Cabrera can ride these hot streaks for a while longer, then perhaps the corners don't require as much attention as some might have previously thought.

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Some other brief talking points from Detroit:

• In the Indians' sole loss on Saturday, starter Mike Clevinger struggled through 5 innings and a sickness bug that had him drenched in sweat and unable to sleep the night before. Considering he was feeling so awful, his performance was admirable, giving up just 2 runs on the back of a JaCoby Jones 2-run shot that was enough for the Tigers to squeeze out a 2-1 win. Clevinger did rack up 8 strikeouts somehow, and it was a shame the offense couldn't support him.
• Yonder Alonso had a successful trip to the Motor City, crushing 2 home runs and collecting 5 RBI over 6 hits in 12 at-bats as he tormented the Tigers' pitchers. Alonso has been very impressive since the beginning of July, slashing .325/.386/.597 (BA/OBP/SLG) in 21 games, with 6 homers and 20 RBI, with a .984 OPS.
• Corey Kluber cruised to his 13th win of the year on Sunday, thanks largely to his ability to induce groundballs. Kluber was economical over 7.1 innings, getting 10 outs by letting his defense pick up the scraps. He had 5 strikeouts as well, and was keeping Detroit hitters off balance all afternoon. This was an encouraging performance from the Tribe ace, after the concerning performances in his other post-All Star appearances.

The Indians now travel to Minnesota for a three game set with the 48-56 Twins. If the Indians are able to leave Target Field with a series win or a sweep, it should be the final nail in the coffin for their AL Central rivals, essentially extinguishing any hopes they still had of catching the Tribe. Shane Bieber will take the mound for the Indians in Monday's first game, and he will face Ervin Santana, making just his second start of the year for Minnesota after finger surgery in February ruled him out for the first half of the season.