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Cleveland Indians: Three Up And Three Down In Fantasy Baseball

By Evan Hablitzel

Apr 5, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) is congratulated by designated hitter Carlos Santana (41) after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Cleveland won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) is congratulated by designated hitter Carlos Santana (41) after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Cleveland won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Three up, three down — a Cleveland Indians fantasy baseball update on players’ latest trends.

The Cleveland Indians hold several players with high value in fantasy baseball leagues, along with several who may linger on the waiver wire. Becoming a success in your fantasy baseball league requires a great deal of commitment and time.

Early season returns are in and several players are raising eyebrows with their production, while others struggle. It’s important to remember the MLB season is 162 games long.

An overreaction can be damning. With a grain of salt, here are three up and three down in terms of fantasy baseball for the Indians (all statistics are through Saturday via baseball-reference.com).

Three Up

Francisco Lindor, SS 

Dating back to April 9th: AB- 28, R- 6, H- 11, 2B- 3, 3B- 0, HR- 1, RBI- 1, AVG- .326, OBP- .411

Shocking — Francisco Lindor is performing at a high level. With four home runs already on the young campaign, he could quickly could develop into a 20/20 guy with a Golden Glove.

Unfortunately, he’s probably not available in any fantasy leagues, so it is time to get your (Cleveland Cavaliers‘ executive) David Griffin on and play general manager.

Jose Ramirez, 2B

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Dating back to April 9th: AB- 25, R- 5, H- 11, 2B- 2, 3B- 0, HR- 2, RBI- 8, AVG- .253, OBP- .327

Jose Ramirez is my dark horse candidate for American League MVP. He does everything a fantasy baseball team owner could possibly want, including: Gap-power, RBI ability and a high on-base percentage, which leads to a plethora of base-stealing opportunities.

At the time of publishing this post, Ramirez was owned in 94.8 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues and I expect that number to rise.

Lonnie Chisenhall, OF

Dating back to April 9: AB- 12, R- 4, H- 5, 2B- 1, 3B- 0, HR- 2, RBI- 7, AVG- .417, OBP- .417

“Lonnie Baseball” is making an epic return from the disabled list. His contributions to the Indians both offensively and defensively are noticeable to the naked eye. Chisenhall at the moment is owned in just 4.9 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. Now may be the time to scoop him before somebody else does.

Three Down

Trevor Bauer, SP

Month of April: GS- two, W/L: 0-2, IP- 10.2, SO- 13, BB- two, ERA- 8.44, WHIP- 1.59, BAA- .326

I am done with Trevor Bauer. He will never be anything more than a fringe, Back-End of the rotation guy with a confrontational personality. Being mean and animated on the mound is fine, but Bauer should first survive an entire season without being removed from the rotation.

Surprisingly, at this moment, he is owned in 23.2 percent of ESPN leagues. If you own him, drop him immediately, and find a superior replacement (it won’t be difficult).

Yan Gomes, C

Dating back to April 9: AB- 18, R- 2, H- 1, 2B- 0, 3B- 0, HR- 1, RBI- 1, AVG- .072, OBP- .189

Poor, poor Yan Gomes. The former American League Silver Slugger winner is entirely lost in the batter’s box. His stellar spring training was a cruel, cruel tease.

Continuing to perform at a high-level with the pitching staff will buy his bat some time, but no signs of improvement seem to be on the horizon. Gomes is currently owned in 3.6 percent of ESPN leagues. Drop him and claim a player who will provide any form of production as it can’t get much worse.

Edwin Encarnacion, 1B

Dating back to April 9: AB- 24, R-2, H- 6, 2B- 0, 3B- 0, HR- 0, RBI- 0, AVG- .190, OBP- .303

No, I am not advising to drop Edwin Encarnacion from your fantasy team. However, his slow start definitely places him in the “Three Down” category. His .190 batting average and .303 on-base percentage are not great, but the situational hitting is the problem.

Next: J-Ram Is A Legit MVP Candidate

Encarnacion is 2-for-18 (.111) with runners on base, and 0-for-11 with guys in scoring position. That trend will not last. All 98.6 percent of ESPN team owners who own Encarnacion should sit-tight and wait for an offensive explosion.

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