Sports Illustrated Should Rethink Its Cleveland Indians Pick
Fans of the Cleveland Indians know it’s too good to be true. Sports Illustrated picked the Tribe to end its 66-season World Series championship drought by winning the Fall Classic this October…but unfortunately, the organization has already suffered some major setbacks.
For the Indians to win–and the crux of the SI piece–Tribe pitchers have to excel in 2015. But outside of Corey Kluber, the team’s starting rotation has a lot to prove at the MLB level.
For the Indians to be considered a World Series favorite, Danny Salazar probably needs to have a major impact. There’s just one problem. He’s already been demoted. SI had Salazar penciled in as the fourth starter, and despite the fact he showed up to Goodyear well over a month before he was supposed to report, he couldn’t get himself right, posting a 8.18 ERA in 11 innings.
The loss of Gavin Floyd can’t be overlooked. SI already knew Floyd would miss significant time (probably the entire season) after suffering a setback to a bone in his elbow, yet the magazine still tapped the Indians to win the pennant.
Floyd was given $4 million for a reason. When he CAN pitch, he can be a 12-game winner.
But now that he’s been lost, and Salazar has been optioned to the minors, Zach McAllister has been reclaimed from the bullpen, while lefty T.J. House holds down the last spot.
House looked promising as a rookie last year, going 5-3 with a 3.35 ERA. The southpaw really opened eyes in August, when he posted a 2.89 ERA. In September, he was basically unhittable, posting a 1.50 ERA.
House is promising, and Tribe Town wants to see more, but House isn’t a lock to hold down a spot in the rotation.
McAllister has dazzled this spring with a fastball that’s constantly been in the upper 90s. He’s even been clocked at 99 mph a few times in the Cactus League. But he still really only has 1 1/2 pitches–his fastball, and whatever offspeed stuff he’s working on.
The Indians hope that McAllister, like teammate Carlos Carrasco, learned from being sent to the bullpen last season. The Tribe doesn’t want these guys to think too much. They throw hard. That’s their meal ticket. But can they get Terry Francon’s eight-man bullpen the game with Indians winning?
Carrasco and Trevor Bauer have also impressed this spring, but can they win? The Indians won 85 games last year, and Carrasco was second on the rotation with eight wins. Eight!
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The point is the Tribe really needs a pitcher to step up and be that No.2 pitcher that helps solidify the rotation behind Kluber for an entire season. Not just one or two months.
The Tigers are more vulnerable this season, but Detroit still has David Price and Justin Verlander.
Verlander may not be the ace he was of a few years ago, and he’s opening the season on the DL, but when he comes back, he’ll form a one-two punch with Price that nearly every team int he big leagues would clamor for.
Even the White Sox, with Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija, have projected to win a combine 27 to 30 games in 2015.
Pitching will tell the tale of the 2015 Indians. If–and it’s a BIG IF–Carrasco, Bauer, McAllister and House step up, it may be one Tribe fans never forget.