Cleveland Indians Mailbag Preview: Part One
By Joe Russo
A new Cleveland Indians regular season will be here in a few days! There are plenty of questions still surrounding the team, so let’s review some of them as we begin the Tribe’s preview to the 2016 season.
Last week, I reached out to fans that follow us on Twitter and Facebook to send in their questions about the Cleveland Indians that they would like answered ahead of the season opener on April 4th. The first batch of questions is in from your fellow Tribe fans.
Have questions of your own for parts two and three? Send them to us via Twitter or Facebook!
1. Can We Put Real Faith In The Cleveland Indians Starters In 2016?
The answer here is a very loud and very resounding yes. If there is anything on this team you can trust, it is the starting pitching.
Cleveland fans are well aware of how great Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco are, but national media and fans everywhere have taken notice. Remember, the Corey Kluber Society is still alive and well as the original drivers of that bandwagon.
There’s potential for three 200 strikeout men when you add in Danny Salazar. This group was also dubbed the best in baseball recently by ESPN, which means you need to get Jobu some rum right away to fend off any bad vibes that come with that preseason nod.
Don’t let their eighth overall ERA in 2015 fool you. Kluber himself saw a full half run shaved off his Fielding Independent Pitching number last year and the Cleveland Indians trotted out a historically bad defense for the first half of the season.
Carrasco and Kluber are already at the top of their game and Salazar looks ready to take the next step in his career. If Trevor Bauer‘s mind games sort themselves out and whoever emerges in the fifth spot between Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson provides stability, this group should live up to the hype. The Tribe would then be in the thick of the playoff hunt all year.
Next: Is The Future In The Outfield Going To The Majors In 2016?