Cleveland Indians Roster Preview: Francisco Lindor Brings Star Power

Francisco Lindor will man shortstop for the Cleveland Indians in 2017 while acting as the face of the franchise and one of the brightest stars in MLB.

The shortstop position begins and ends with Francisco Lindor, who is not only the face of the franchise, but one of MLB’s brightest emerging stars.

Lindor dazzled during his first full season in the majors, helping the Indians win their first pennant since 1997. The Puerto Rican native then helped his home country reach the Final of the World Baseball Classic. Baseball highlight shows couldn’t show a WBC clip with Lindor’s exuberant mug appearing on TV.

The passion with which is plays, in addition to his joyful personality has caught the attention of even the most casual fan, much like Omar Vizquel did during the 1990s.

Now, entering his second full season in the big leagues, no one is expecting Lindor to slow down. Countless scribes have him pegged to win the MVP, and those are fair expectations.

Lindor posted a 6.3 WAR in 2016, which was eighth in the big leagues. He plays the most watched position on the field for a team that’s supposed to contend. If he replicates his Gold Gold performance while continue to be a .300 hitter at plate, look for the BBWAA to make good on all the predictions, delivering Lindor the MVP–the first since Al Rosen in 1953.

Everyone wants to be in the Francisco Lindor business. MLB heavily promotes his image, as does uniform supplier Majestic. He has an exclusive autograph rights deal with Topps.

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Lindor recently signed a new endorsement contract with New Balance, and while the Tribe doesn’t have to worry about losing their All-Star for a while, the front office is already trying to lock him up long term.

Remember when Mike Chernoff’s kid spilled the beans about his dad trying to get Lindor to sign a seven-year contract? The kid wasn’t fibbing.

The Indians reached out to Lindor, but he wasn’t taking the bait. He can’t be a free agent until after the 2021 season, and if he continues his current trajectory, he’ll break the free-agent market with the amount of money he can make.

Jose Ramirez was eager to sign an extension because he doesn’t have the types of endorsements as Lindor, who doesn’t feel the pressure to sign long term because he’s got the cushion of his New Balance deal, according to FanRagSports.com’s Jon Heyman.

"He’s in the same boat as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Mookie Betts and other quick stars, who are assuming little risk by playing it year to year. Lindor, who is to make $579,000 this year, signed a big endorsement deal with New Balance, giving him another reason he doesn’t have to sign long-term."

In the minors, the Indians have coveted prospects Erik Gonzalez and Yu-Cheng Chang. Chang is a highly thought of shortstop who the Brewers tried to extract from the Tribe during the Jonathan Lucroy trade talks. Chang is the the Indians’ 11th rated prospect, while Gonzalez is eighth.

Gonzalez is probably big-league ready, but he’s blocked by Lindor. He can play short and second base.

Next: Are The Experts Picking The Indians?

If the Indians are looking to make a trade during the season, they’ll have the option of moving one of their prospects.

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