And The Oscar Goes To...

When the Indians acquired Leonys Martin before the trade deadline last year, it was a practical move to shore up what had been a position of uncertainty for some time. No one could have foreseen what happened next, when Martin was struck down with a virus so lethal it almost claimed his life. Before the illness though, the trade signified the Indians liked what they saw in Martin and the veteran outfielder was expected to roam center field for the next year or two until a prospect was ready to take his spot.

On the same day Martin made the short journey across Lake Erie from Detroit to his new home in Cleveland, the Indians were busy adding another center fielder, a prospect who could potentially supplant Martin in the future.

His name is Oscar Mercado and he’s currently the most exciting Tribe player of spring training.

I was quietly pleased when the Indians announced they had brought the young Colombian on board via a prospect swap with the Cardinals. The fleet-footed former shortstop-now-outfielder is renowned for his elite speed and strong defense, but has dedicated himself these past two years on improving his prowess at the plate. The results have been encouraging, as Mercado hit .285/.351/.408 for the Triple-A Redbirds prior to his trade, with 8 homers and 42 RBI, plus 31 stolen bases. Once part of of the Indians organisation, Mercado slashed .252/.342/.320 in 32 games for Columbus as he adjusted to his new team and city.

At this point Mercado was considered by many to be another cog in the Indians’ outfield wheel of problems and misfits, but behind the likes of the more established trio of Tyler Naquin, Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen, and even new additions like Jordan Luplow and Jake Bauers.

Then spring training began and Mercado came to play.

The 24 year-old has been scorching hot at the plate in his 27 at-bats thus far, firmly putting him among the contenders for an outfield spot to start the 2019 season. In the first big league training camp with his new team, Mercado has a team-best 12 hits, including a double and a triple, and 3 home runs for 8 RBI. His slashline is an impressive .444/.444/.889. If he can sustain this momentum for another fortnight, Francona and the Indians will find it extremely difficult to resist picking him for the 25-man roster.

Indians beat reporter Mandy Bell tweeted Francona’s comments below:

Terry Francona on Oscar Mercado: “My goodness, he’s really giving himself a chance because he’s so athletic to begin with, but when it starts carrying over to the batter’s box, man that’s fun to watch.”

— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) March 10, 2019

Mercado appears to be stealing the show every time he’s in the lineup. Another memorable moment came on Sunday afternoon, a monster home run off Felix Hernandez during a 16-2 rout of the Mariners. I was relaxing with the game on TV, casually watching the third inning of yesterday’s game, when the crack of Mercado’s bat jolted me to attention. I saw the ball arcing deep into center field, the outfielders gazing helplessly at it, before it finally crashed high off the outfield wall for a prodigious solo homer. The right-handed hitting Mercado went 3-for-3 in the game overall, and the Indians could really benefit from a righty in a very lefty-dominated team.

Perhaps it’s too early to expect Mercado to make the leap straight from Triple-A to a starting spot on the Opening Day roster. 2018 was only his first year at the Triple-A level after all, so his experience with top-level pitchers has been limited. Also, y’know, spring training numbers have never been a great indicator for regular season performance. As much as I would love to see him start the year in the Cleveland outfield, I know deep down his development could be better served with a month or two in Columbus. The club has Mercado under control for at least the next six years, so there’s no need to rush him, especially when the AL Central is predicted to be so uncompetitive again.

Having said that, if he’s performing better than the current alternatives, shouldn’t he be given an opportunity? Would I prefer Mercado shadowing Martin in a corner outfield spot on Opening Day over the likes of Luplow and Naquin?

Absolutely.

Wherever he winds up on Opening Day, be it Cleveland or Columbus, consider the British branch of the Oscar Mercado Fan Club officially open for business. I hope the youngster continues to dazzle us with his abilities and ultimately provides the club with a meaningful contribution over the coming months and 2019 season.

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.