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.

White Sox Wipe Out, Tribe Sweep Chicago

The Indians finished their recent home stand in style, with a three game sweep of the lowly White Sox, taking their current win streak to five games and stretching their lead in the division to 4.5 games over Detroit. All in all it's been a very successful conclusion to the month of May.

Here are a few talking points from this series:

Offensive Turnaround

In the month of April, the Indians struggled to get much momentum going on offense. The lineup had a combined batting average of .231 for the first month and scored just 95 runs. That placed them 25th in the league for runs scored, behind offensive juggernauts like Texas, San Diego, and Cincinnati. And yes, that is sarcasm (apologies to Rangers, Padres and Reds fans).

May has been much kinder though and the hits have come back to Cleveland with a vengeance. With one day remaining in May, the Indians lead the big leagues with 170 runs scored this month. Their .282 batting average is also top of the majors. The Tribe's overall record in May has been distinctly average (only 14-13), but the offensive revival has really helped pick up some of the slack caused by a malfunctioning bullpen.

In the sweep of the White Sox, our ball club outscored Chicago 25-10, and recorded 40 hits, many coming from our most important contributors, like Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Brantley and Francisco Lindor.

What a difference a month makes.

Greg Allen and the Outfield Logjam 

I have been an unabashed Greg Allen fan for a while now, and seeing him perform so well lately has been immensely rewarding. Since Allen rejoined the team at the start of this month, he's been a reliable figure in the outfield. So far in 2018 the rookie has slashed .270/.303/.381 but he's really grown in confidence as the month has progressed.

Since the 18th of May, Allen has started to show signs of figuring things out at this level. His slashline of .316/.366/.447 is impressive and this offensive output has been matched by his abilities on defense. For example, Allen made a great diving grab in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game, robbing a hit from the White Sox with his athleticism. His speed is also a huge weapon for him offensively, and even though we haven't seen many stolen bases from him yet in the majors, Allen's record in the minors suggests he should cause opposition pitchers havoc on the basepaths.

Allen's performances in the sweep of Chicago mark his best series to date; in 14 plate appearances Allen collected 5 hits and scored 4 runs, as well as picking up the first stolen base of his major league career (and hopefully the first of many to come).

Unfortunately, Allen may find his time in Cleveland coming to an end. Bradley Zimmer, Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer, the Tribe's trio of injured outfielders, are all currently rehabbing their bodies back to health in Columbus. Each of these veterans started Wednesday's Clippers game against Buffalo, so it's only a matter of time before they make their way back and sadly, a rookie like Allen will probably be the one to make way.

Perhaps Allen could stick with the club, and I think his performances and contribution to the team merit him staying up. For a more in-depth analysis of the overall situation in the outfield, Michael Bode over at Waiting For Next Year has done a wonderful job summarizing everything, and you can read that here.

At the very least, Allen has certainly made it a difficult decision for the front office to send him back to Triple-A.

Here's are some short notes about the series:

• Corey Kluber continues to be an absolute force at Progressive Field this season. His victory in Wednesday's 9-1 rout was his eighth of the campaign, and he has a 5-0 record with a 1.26 ERA in five starts at home. Kluber has also not walked a batter in his last 28.1 innings. 
• Michael Brantley is riding a 19-game hit streak, which is currently the longest in the majors. Brantley is hitting .366 (30-for-82) with 6 homers, 19 RBI and 20 runs over this span.
• News broke on Tuesday that Jose Ramirez was supposedly nearing a suspension for using a substance banned by MLB. This false report from the Dominican Republic has been categorically refuted by Ramirez himself and all of the upper management as well. Hopefully that is the last we hear of that. Don't try and take our MVP down!

Cleveland now carry their winning ways to Minnesota for a four-game series with the Twins. Indians pitching prospect Shane Bieber is expected to make his first start in the majors on Thursday night, and he celebrates turning 23 years-old as well. Bieber has a 5-1 record with a 1.10 ERA over 10 starts between Akron and Columbus, with 61 strikeouts and only 3 walks. He takes the hill tonight and fans are eager to see this exciting prospect in an Indians uniform for the first time. Happy Birthday Shane and best of luck in your debut.

Opening Day Roster Taking Shape

The Indians had a burst of roster activity yesterday when Terry Francona informed reporters that Rajai Davis and Erik Gonzalez will both be on the Opening Day roster. Davis will be the veteran outfield presence off the bench, with the ability to run and steal on the basepaths, and Gonzalez will be the Tribe's utility infielder, after he impressed this spring.

Gonzalez is the beneficiary of Giovanny Urshela's recent hamstring injury, meaning he will begin the season on the disabled list. Recovery is expected to take a couple of weeks. Both men have enjoyed successful pre-seasons but offensively, Urshela (.500/.512/.857 in 42 at-bats, 1.369 OPS) had the edge on Gonzalez (.300/.364/.350 in 40 at-bats, .714 OPS). Urshela's injury is bad luck indeed but the window is now open for Gonzalez to make the most of this opportunity.

There were some other moves and updates:

• Mike Napoli has been released but plans are in place to resign him. Discussions have taken place about Napoli starting the season at Triple-A Columbus but credit to him, Napoli doesn't want to block a prospect's path to the majors by eating into their playing time. A decision will be reached within the next few days if he decides to try his luck elsewhere. 
• Greg Allen was reassigned to Triple-A Columbus to start the year, as expected. The club want him playing everyday at this stage in his career, not just getting one at-bat a week off the bench. I like this decision and it will benefit Allen's development long-term. He shouldn't be rushed and the Indians don't necessarily need him right now.

• Right-handed reliever Alexi Ogando was re-assigned to minor league camp and will start the year in Columbus as well. The 34 year-old pitched 10 innings this spring with 13 strikeouts and 5 walks, with a 1.80 ERA, and by all accounts made a good impression with the management. Apparently the organisation plans to use him as a starter for the Clippers. Francona said, "We want to get him stretched out at Triple-A. The reason being he can always pitch out of the bullpen, but if he starts to get stretched he has a better chance and he can use all his pitches, including his change up." If Ogando can be utilised as a starter, he could be a very valuable depth asset in the rotation.
• No decision has been made on outfielders Tyler Naquin and Rob Refsnyder yet, but Naquin is considered by most to be the leading candidate. I only wrote recently about the 26 year-old and his chances of breaking camp with the team. The choice on who to choose will likely depend as much on their performances as it does on the health of  Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer, and if they are ready to open the season. The decision on how many relievers to start the year with will also probably have an impact on Naquin and Refsnyder's immediate future.
• Finally, left-handed pitcher Ryan Merritt, who is out of options, is still wondering where his place will be. He'll likely hear what Francona's decision will be today. Merritt has not enjoyed the best spring training, throwing 9.2 innings and surrendering 17 hits and 10 earned runs, for a bloated 9.31 ERA, to go along with 10 strikeouts and just 1 walk. Alarmingly he gave up 4 home runs in this short period of time. I've always liked Merritt a lot but I think his future will be somewhere else.

That's a lot of excitement for one day, and I expect we'll start to see the final decisions come through over the course of this weekend. 

Thursday's trip to Seattle to start the season can't come soon enough.

Sonny Days Or Gray Clouds Ahead?

Sonny Gray is a quality pitcher. At the time of writing, everyone wants a piece of Sonny Gray. He's the hottest girl in school, and guys are lining up to ask him to prom.

He had a rough go of it in 2016, thanks to injuries and inconsistency, but so far this season he looks close to the Sonny Gray of old, the All Star pitcher from 2015. The 27 year-old is probably the most fawned over player on the trade block this month and the Oakland A's have a bevy of suitors willing to part with some golden nuggets in exchange for his services. Contending clubs left and right are putting together prospect packages for Gray, and the Indians are rumored to be one of those clubs. Whoever snags him will have to pay a heavy price however, as demand for starting pitchers this summer is high. A lot of clubs are in the market to upgrade their rotation, and the A's ace represents a significant upgrade for many.

Today I thought I'd run through some potential trade ideas the Tribe could fashion together to entice Oakland to part with their ace pitcher. It's no secret that Cleveland's rotation has been out of sorts this season, with only Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco performing well (although Mike Clevinger is developing nicely). The addition of an arm like Gray's would certainly boost the Indian's chances of success in the postseason.

On paper he looks to be a good match for the Tribe; he's under club control until 2020 and is having a strong season: a 3.72 ERA in 84.2 innings of work, with 79 strikeouts, all for a 113 ERA+ and a 5-4 record. He's been improving as the season has progressed, and his last 3 weeks have been superb, including a 6 inning, 2 hit shutout victory against the Indians on July 14th.

I'll rank the following potential deals with different grades, ranging from "In A Heartbeat" to "Over My Dead Body." Simple enough? Let's begin:

Trade Scenario 1

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade C Francisco Mejia

How about a straight up trade of Oakland's best pitcher for Cleveland's best prospect? I really like Sonny Gray, and have for a few years now, but I am firmly against giving up Mejia for him. I consider Gray a top of the rotation kind of guy but he's not elite enough to surrender a prospect who could become a marquee catcher for the next decade. With Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez struggling to prove themselves as long-term solutions (their sublime defense aside), Mejia's value is currently much higher to the Indians than it would be for the A's. In the very near future, catcher is looking like a position of real need for the Tribe so it doesn't make sense to jettison the one man already under control who could solve the problem. Catchers that can hit like Mejia don't come around very often; at Double-A Akron, the young backstop is slashing .336/.385/.552 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 10 home runs, 35 RBI and 5 stolen bases. Scouts and experts absolutely rave about the kid's hitting skills, and grade him high defensively too.

Mejia is the sole trade chip the Indians can dangle in front of Oakland that could persuade the A's to ignore the treasures offered by other interested clubs, but if I were Indians Team President Chris Antonetti, I would not be willing to risk losing a future star like Mejia. Even for an admittedly great pitcher like Gray.

Trade rating: Over My Dead Body

Trade Scenario 2

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade CF Tyler Naquin and RHP Triston McKenzie

This is more like it. Naquin narrowly missed out on winning the AL Rookie of the Year award last season and McKenzie is widely ranked as the Indians' number 2 prospect overall, and their top pitching prospect. The real jewel in this deal would be McKenzie but Naquin is a nice bonus. He's not had the best 2017 campaign so far, spending most of his time at Triple-A Columbus, but he's still young enough to retain some of his former value.  The potential is still there. Would the A's go for someone like Naquin? Given their history of taking guys seemingly off the scrapheap and getting production from them, I think they'd be more open to the idea than perhaps you might think.

Many fans consider McKenzie a 'hands-off' prospect in the same category as Mejia but I have other feelings. My thinking is this: McKenzie could be a superstar, but trading him for a pitcher already established as above-average when the rest of your team is so agonizingly close to competing for a championship, it's a no-brainer. Yes, there's some risk involved with Gray's injury history, so the Indians need to be absolutely sure he's back to full health. If the A's were willing, the Indians could trade McKenzie for Gray in a straight swap, but considering the young pitcher hasn't even reached Double-A yet, Oakland would almost certainly need a sweetener. Naquin could be that guy.

Trade rating: In A Heartbeat

Trade Scenario 3

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade CF Greg Allen, LHP Brady Aiken and SS Erik Gonzalez

Despite Brady Aiken being ranked above Greg Allen on most prospect boards, I actually think the loss of Allen is more significant in this trade. I absolutely love Allen. If Zimmer wasn't blocking his direct path to the majors, he'd be on track to contribute for the Indians within the next two years. As it currently stands, he still could, but Zimmer has started his career in the majors so well that it looks like Allen will have great difficulty forcing his way onto the big club roster. As a result, the young outfielder has become a pretty good trade chip, one that could come in very handy to acquire a player of Gray's caliber.

Aiken and Gonzalez aren't exactly throw-ins either. Aiken, despite his struggles this year (a 4.10 ERA and 14.1% strikeout percentage at A-ball Lake County), is still considered a top prospect and the former first round draft pick has time on his side to redeem himself.

Gonzalez has featured in 25 major league games this season and has performed well, and is likely to see an increase in playing time until Jason Kipnis returns from the disabled list. This is his opportunity to put himself in the shop window, as the Tribe's infield is already crowded with talent. Similar to Allen, it will be difficult to break into an established group of All Stars, so Gonzalez's future as a major league infielder could lie elsewhere.

The major difficulty with this trade is it's attractiveness. You just know that clubs like the Yankees and Astros have more frills to woo Oakland with, so I don't expect a deal like this would be tempting enough. However it's a win-win for the Indians if they could pull it off and persuade the A's to embrace it more than the other offers out there.

Trade rating: In A Heartbeat

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As I've mentioned, the competition for Gray's services is steep. The Yankees in particular are desperate to give their fans October baseball and they need starting pitching, and have a deep collection of prospects they could throw at the A's. The Astros rightfully think this could be their year and have a top 5 farm system to seduce Oakland with, including monstrous prospect Derek Fisher. Even the upstart Brewers are reportedly going all-in to acquire Gray, and could pull off a July trade deal similar to the CC Sabathia acquisition back in 2008.

I always enjoy the hot stove season and the race for Sonny Gray will keep things extra interesting this year. Do I expect the Indians to land him? I honestly think that the other interested teams have flashier prospects, and could be more willing to chuck everything at Oakland to make a deal. Cleveland has some tempting players on offer but I just don't see them risking all of that future talent on one 27 year-old pitcher, still recovering from a bad 2016 campaign. I would love to add Gray to the rotation, don't get me wrong, but there's definitely a limit, and it looks like a 5'10, 180lb switch-hitting 21 year-old Dominican catcher who absolutely rakes.

Thanks for reading.

Center Of Attention: A Discussion

For the first year in a long time the Indians' roster is fairly settled across the board heading into spring training. The lineup is strong and the pitching is top notch but there is always room for improvement. One particular area of uncertainly is in center field; with Michael Brantley penciled in left field (once healthy) and the effective platoon partnership of Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer in right field, it's the men in the middle who currently present the outfield's biggest question mark. In this post I'm going to have a look at the Indians' current options ahead of the 2017 season.

The Current Crop

Currently atop the center field depth chart sits Tyler Naquin. The 25 year-old finished third on the AL Rookie of the Year ballot last season after exploding onto the scene during spring training. Naquin took his opportunity last spring and ran with it; he played in 116 games and batted .296/.372/.514 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 14 home runs, culminating in an impressive 135 WRC+ and 2.5 WAR. Naquin was especially effective against right handed pitchers and slashed .301/.372/.526 in 289 at-bats (in fact he only faced a lefty 32 times). Not too shabby for a rookie and he'll be forever remembered for that unforgettable inside-the-park homer against the Jays. If he goes on to have a Hall of Fame career in Cleveland, you can already picture that fist pump immortalised as a statue.

Yet despite Naquin's prowess at the plate (and my wishful thinking), his defensive abilities leave something to be desired. This was noticeably obvious in Game 6 of the World Series but Naquin's flaws in the field were evident throughout the regular season as well. According to Fangraphs, Naquin graded as the second worst defensive center fielder in the majors with a -17 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). Now I don't entirely trust defensive metrics as I feel action in the field, especially somewhere so open like the outfield, can be hard to quantify with accuracy, but the numbers don't make for pretty reading. Even the casual fans among us noticed that his routes to the ball were rather, err, wobbly all season. Even so, he rarely looked like a complete novice out there, despite what the numbers would indicate. When you weigh up the pros and cons, overall I felt that Naquin's bat compensated for his mistakes in the field.

Naquin's closest rival is Abraham Almonte, who this time last year was the clear favorite to play center field on Opening Day. That was before it emerged Almonte had violated the MLB Drug Policy and was suspended for 80 games, paving the way for Naquin's emergence. Almonte returned to the team on July 3rd and played in 67 games, slashing .264/.294/401 over that span and played solid defense. He had a decent stretch as a starter in August and September but was eventually relegated to a pinch hitting role as the regular season came to an end, due to his postseason ineligibility.

Unless Naquin struggles right out of the gate (he was looking more and more susceptible to high fastballs as 2016 progressed) and Almonte gets off to a fast start, I can't see the 27 year-old Dominican becoming the permanent center fielder for a while. He'll likely platoon with Naquin and probably play some left field until Brantley is ready to take over full time again. I grew to really like Almonte in 2015 when his addition to the club jolted the team to life but his 2016 suspension left a sour taste in the mouth, even if it turns out he was innocent. Almonte will be hoping for a lot of reps this spring so he can stake a claim for center field but I can't see Naquin regressing to such an extent that he's not gonna be the everyday guy out there to start 2017.

The Outsiders

Naquin and Almonte should feel pretty secure in their jobs but they will face some outside competition this spring; some men will have their eyes on that center field spot whereas other will satisfy themselves with a place on the roster.

Austin Jackson signed a minor league deal with the Tribe just prior to his 30th birthday and the veteran outfielder will be hoping for a late present, a spot on the Opening Day roster wrapped in a box with a bow on top. Jackson only managed 54 appearances in 2016, thanks to a left knee injury that ruled him out of action from June onward. He's a career .272 hitter and has primarily featured in center field during that time. I think Jackson could be a very useful addition to the team. He'll start the spring with a point to prove, to show the league he can still be a productive everyday player for a top ballclub. He certainly lends some much needed depth to the outfield at the very least but he'll likely need an injury from a rival or a drop in performance to firmly earn his place.

As it currently stands the only other outfielder on a minor league contract with hopes of making the team is Daniel Robertson (unless Wily Mo Pena wants to return to center field!). The 31 year-old journeyman outfielder has primarily featured in left field so won't realistically be expected to figure much in center. Robertson played in just 9 games last year for the Mariners in 2016 but had a decent season at AAA Tacoma. With all of the Indians' other outfield options, I don't see Robertson featuring for the Indians on Opening Day and unless injury strikes, I don't imagine we'll see him figure at all in 2017.

The Prospects

Last but not least we come to the prospects. These guys have been cooking nicely down on the farm but are they ready for a big league job?

The honest answer is no, they probably are not. The top dog for the center field job is Bradley Zimmer, who has been developing nicely in recent years. I've already covered Zimmer and his chances of making the team in part two of my spring wishlist, which you can read here. I think Zimmer will need a bit more maturing in Columbus this year before he's fully prepped for the show. A September call-up should be his goal in 2017, although a nice showing this spring wouldn't hurt his chances.

Greg Allen is the Tribe's dark horse to take over center field in the next year or so and the young speedster received a spring training invite for his sterling work in the minors last season. The 6th round pick from the 2014 MLB draft announced himself in a big way in 2016, leading all of minor league baseball in runs with 119. That's completely insane considering he has yet to reach the AAA level. The switch-hitting 23 year-old began the year at A+ Lynchburg before getting a promotion to AA Akron in late July but his performance didn't suffer at all. Between the two leagues he slashed .295/.416/.413 with 7 home runs, 44 RBI and 45 stolen bases (the highest in the Indians' entire system). You may as well call him Barry Allen as he's so frickin' fast on the basepaths.

Allen had 77 walks to 78 strikeouts, a fantastic ratio and the polar opposite to Zimmer (77 walks to 171 strikeouts). So far in his career Allen has displayed all the attributes of a perfect leadoff hitter. He plays a superb center field too, collecting the 2016 MiLB Gold Glove award for that position, an impressive feat given Rawlings only award this to one guy in the entire minor leagues. Overall I think the dude is a surefire stud and fans should be paying attention to Allen in 2017. He'll likely start the year in Akron but don't be surprised if he gets promoted to Columbus sooner rather than later. Here's hoping we get to see a September cameo from him before the season concludes.

The final center field prospect is Yandy Diaz but realistically he's unlikely to compete for that position this year, if ever. I took a look at Diaz when I analysed Zimmer and despite how versatile and effective Diaz has been throughout his career thus far, his time in center has been limited. He played all of 2 innings there in Columbus, the first time he's featured in center in his professional career. Whilst I think Diaz may have a future in the outfield ahead of him, it's more than likely going to be in the corners.

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Who do you think will claim the center field mantle in 2017? Can Naquin rediscover his early 2016 form and fend off the future advances of prospects like Zimmer and Allen? Or will Almonte and the other veterans elevate themselves during the spring and force their way into Francona's plans? Or could the position feature a revolving door of candidates, rotating in and out of center field depending on whether they're hot or cold?

Whatever happens the center field position should be a topic of conversation all year long.

Thanks for reading.