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.

Indians Picked Apart By Pirates, Lose Series

Pittsburgh arrived at Progressive Field this week in the midst of a successful run, and after winning their first two games the Pirates had stretched their winning streak to 11-straight games. Thankfully the Tribe responded with a win of their own on Wednesday, to avoid an unpleasant series sweep.

Pirates Plunder Tribe, But Bauer Battles

Corey Kluber took the mound on Monday to start the series and he got roughed up in the Tribe's 7-0 loss, to the tune of 7 runs, 3 of them earned, spread over 9 hits.

Since Kluber's last start on 12 July, the Indians' ace received an injection in his right knee the following day that resulted in him sitting out the All-Star Game. Despite the time off to recuperate, Kluber's preparations for Monday's game could not have been worse; rain caused the game to start an hour later than planned and another rain delay in the third inning disrupted his rhythm even further. Finally, the heavens opened once more after the sixth inning that resulted in the game being called.

Kluber might not have been helped by his defense Monday night, with Yonder Alonso in particular catching the yips in a costly moment, but it was obvious the 32 year-old starter wasn't feeling 100%. Here's hoping he can sort himself out soon and this nagging knee injury doesn't linger. The last thing the Indians need is their reliable Kluber breaking down during the second half of the season.

Tuesday's game saw rookie starter Shane Bieber called into action but he struggled mightily, and the blazing Pirates tore him apart early. Bieber was taken out of the game after just 1.2 innings, having given up 7 earned runs on 7 hits, two of them home runs. It was the worst start of his young professional career so far, a miserable day at the office by all accounts.

Similar to Monday night's fiasco, yet again a Tribe starter was let down defensively. Tyler Naquin, playing a shallow center field and out of position, misplayed a line drive hit by Corey Dickerson that resulted in a triple, scoring two runs. Instead of being caught for the final out of the inning, Naquin's misjudgement inadvertently put young Bieber in a hole he couldn't crawl out of, and the Pirates capitalized and forced the rookie from the game. The Tribe offense chipped away at the Pirates' lead throughout the rest of the evening but could never force home more than one run every inning or so, and Pittsburgh emerged victorious, 9-4.

Wednesday was an entirely different story. In a pitcher's duel between Trevor Bauer and the Pirates' Jameson Taillon, it was Bauer who shone brightest. The dynamic 27 year-old right-hander had everything working for him, especially that hammer of a curveball. Bauer lasted 7 innings and gave up just 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 10 Pirates in a dominating performance. Taillon managed to match Bauer in length but not in quality, as the Indians' offense tagged the Pirates starter for 7 hits, the key hit being a two-run single by Edwin Encarnacion in the third inning. Yonder Alonso added some insurance late on, when his two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning extended the Tribe's lead to 4-0. New boy Brad Hand was, errr, on hand to seal the win, earning the save (his 25th of the season, but first in Cleveland).

Overall, the visit from the Pirates was largely disappointing for Indians fans but Wednesday's performance in the glorious sunshine was encouraging in many ways, and helped reduce some of the negativity from earlier in the week. Bauer's continued excellence in his breakout season has certainly been a welcome distraction from the telltale signs of decline possibly creeping into Kluber.

Outfield Help On It's Way?

With the trade deadline just around the corner, the Indians are still rumored to be in the hunt for some help in the outfield. With Bradley Zimmer out for the season, and rookie Greg Allen still finding his feet at the major league level, the Tribe could benefit from some quality and experience in center field.

They should look no further than Adam Jones.

The 32 year-old (soon to be 33) five-time All Star has spent the last decade in Baltimore, a mainstay of their lineup, but with the Orioles now in full rebuild mode, perhaps the Indians could entice him away to help in their bid for World Series glory.

Jones will be a free agent at the end of this season, finishing up his six-year, $85.5 million contract, so it makes a lot of sense for Baltimore to trade him. His best years are almost certainly behind him so they would be wise to cash in whilst they can.

He does possess full no-trade rights however, but given his long-held desire to win a championship (he's yet to reach a World Series), it's possible he could leave Baltimore behind and accept a trade to a contender. Cleveland have a vacancy in the outfield and can offer the sort of playing time the Indians' rivals cannot.

The Tribe currently rank 28th in the majors with a .571 OPS in center field this year, so Jones would be a welcome addition offensively. So far this season the veteran is batting .277/.304 /422 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 411 plate appearances. He's not been amazing by any means, and he's not the star acquisition he would have been five years ago, but even a consistent, league-average player would be a huge upgrade to the Indians outfield at this present time; Jones' 100 OPS+ would be much appreciated in this lineup desperate for production from any outfielder not named Michael Brantley.

Defensively he's always been a reliable presence, and brings a sense of leadership on the field as well. The good news is the Indians stand a legitimate chance of adding Jones this month, as everyone is well aware he is purely a rental, and therefore won't cost top prospects. The Orioles will still expect a good return of course, but at least the club won't have to sell the farm for Jones. The Indians already dealt their biggest trade chip anyway...

The most concerning competition the Indians face for Jones' services is Philadelphia, who are also keen to upgrade their outfield in their push for the postseason. Unfortunately, Jones has some history here, as Andy MacPhail, current Phillies president, was general manager of the Orioles in 2008 when he acquired Jones from Seattle. Read into that what you will, but it isn't a good thing for the Tribe.

There's still a chance a guy like Jones, who has built a life for himself in Baltimore over ten years, might not want to move after all (he even owns the house of Baltimore legend Cal Ripken Jr.) It might be more complex than anticipated for the face of the Orioles franchise to leave for a new city.

Nevertheless, I think trading for Jones would be a smart decision and he could become a valuable contributor in the months to come. If the club are able to put a deal together to bring him to Cleveland, then I would be a happy man.