Cleveland Indians Offensive Stars: Buy Or Sell?
By Joe Russo
If the Cleveland Indians demolition of the Cincinnati Reds in the Ohio Cup is an indication of things to come, the Tribe’s offense is ready to shake off a slow start and break out in a big way. Which performances are the real deal and which ones are only products of the worst pitching staff in baseball?
1. Rajai Davis, Back on Track?: Buy…but not at full price
Davis had one of the best four game stretches of any player in the league this season. After batting .274 in April, May had not been kind to Davis. Heading into the series opener against Cincinnati, his slash line had plummeted to a dreadful .210 / .248 / .330. After his torrid four game series against the Reds, that line has risen to .259 / .323 / .440 thanks to going 9 for 16 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, 6 walks, and 10 runs scored.
I say buy only because it isn’t like Davis is a .210 hitter and was bound to settle back to his typical standard of play. Is he going to put up those types of video game numbers all year? Of course not. But Davis was bound to recover from his prolonged slump eventually and with Tyler Naquin back in Columbus and Michael Brantley hurt, Davis will be needed for some punch at the plate.
2. Carlos Santana, Leadoff Hitter? Buying it, reluctantly
It hurts to type this, and not just because of the six pins and metal plate put into my broken finger last week. I was not a fan when Terry Francona tried Santana out at the leadoff spot earlier in the year. His hallow batting average and strikeouts just didn’t scream leadoff hitter to me. Well, it looks like I was wrong.
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At the top of the order, Santana is batting .278 in 54 at bats. That’s compared to .194 (15/77) in either the 4th, 5th, 6th, or 8th spots in the lineup. He’s drawn 10 walks compared to 7 strikeouts and until Thursday’s two home-run performance, had hit more home runs out of the leadoff spot as well.
If Santana maintains a .278 / .391 / .463 line with his customary high walk rate, that sets up the likes of Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor far better than what Tribe fans saw earlier in the year.
Granted, part of that was due to Rajai Davis’s struggles, which may have been remedied as well. Let’s hope Santana’s time in the leadoff is enough to keep him rolling, whether he stays at the top of the order, or not.
3. Francisco Lindor, Face of the Franchise? Buying Big Time
I love Michael Brantley, Dr. Smooth, the most consistent player the Indians have had in some time. But his balky shoulder and second trip to the DL before the end of May has left a void. Enter Francisco Lindor.
After his stellar rookie campaign, it would have been reasonable to expect a little regression in his second season. There’s a reason it’s called a Sophomore Slump. The league adjust and pitchers figure things out now that the hot shot rookie has enough of a book to get attacked.
Lindor, however, has been even better than he was in 2016. He’s hitting .362 in May thus far and slashing overall .362 / .397 / .507. He’s already notched as many doubles, home runs, RBI’s, and hits as the month of April and that’s only though Thursday’s sweep of the Reds. He’s hitting .329 / .382 / .439 with 3 home runs, 19 RBI’s, 8 doubles, and 51 hits on the year.
It’s time to let Lindor’s big personality to genuine love of the game to shine through as the face of the franchise. I remember the first time I saw him play live a few weeks after he and Gio Urshela got called up.
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The way he seemed to be the happiest out on the field was evident and infectious. Add to the fact that he plays a premium position at the highest level, and you have a great centerpiece to build upon not just on the field, but off of it as well.