Cleveland Indians: 2016 Opening Day Starters
The lineup for the Cleveland Indians Opening Day matchup with the Boston Red Sox has been released, and it’s time to play ball.
Cleveland Indians beat writer Jordan Bastian tweeted out the Tribe’s opening day lineup card yesterdsay. I was not exactly overwhelmed, but my faith in manager Terry Francona kept me optimistic.
As noted by Bastian, Michael Brantley’s absence is the most noticeable. The star left fielder has plenty of confidence in those filling in for the missing outfielders, even if the fan base does not.
Brantley is missing his first Opening Day start since 2010. Prior to this season, he had started for the Tribe outfield in six consecutive season opening games.
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No major bats were added, unless Marlon Byrd and Mike Napoli qualify for you in that department, but the electrifying three headed monster in the rotation remains intact.
The recovery of Brantley, suspension of Abraham Almonte and DL stint for Lonnie Chisenhall will give many players in the outfield a chance to step up. With the lineup officially set, it’s time to see what the order looks like one-through-nine before today’s 4:10 first pitch at Progressive Field.
Here’s a (very) short rundown of Francona’s 2016 Opening Day lineup card for the Cleveland Indians with career stats included.
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