5 Cleveland Indians Players Who Will Be Key To Their Success In 2017

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Mar 11, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Tyler Naquin (30) poses while on deck against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Tyler Naquin, CF

Tyler Naquin was a question mark coming into the 2016 season despite being a highly rated prospect. That question mark soon got turned into an exclamation point.

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Naquin ended the season third on the team in batting average in which players had over 100 at bats finishing the season with a .296 average.

Along with almost hitting .300, according to baseball-reference.com, Naquin added 14 home runs, 43 RBI, a slugging percentage of .514 and a OBP of .372.

Posting numbers like that did not go unnoticed. At the end of the year, Naquin finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees and Michael Fulmer of the Tigers.

Naquin caught a lot of scrutiny because he wasn’t an everyday starter. Mainly because against lefties Naquin only had 32 at bats. In those 32 at bats, Naquin only had a .250 average. Against righties however, Naquin had 289 at bats and held his own, hitting over .300.

In 2017, Naquin’s role should be expected to be bigger. With the loss of Davis, Naquin could be expected to step into an every day starting role which would mean facing more left-handed pitchers.

While Naquin did not hit terribly against them last season, if he can fall into the ninth hole in the lineup and produce like he did last year, the Indians will be in line for success.

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