Mark Teixera right, Cleveland Indians top AL clubs in power rankings
ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira thinks the Cleveland Indians are the best team in the AL, even though their record doesn’t reflect his opinion.
The Cleveland Indians are starting to hit their stride, with the club’s starting pitching finally starting to deal as many thought it would.
But are the Indians the best team in the American League?
The organization’s record certainly doesn’t indicate it.
Heading into Aug. 14, The Tribe’s record stood at 63-52, which is the third best mark in the AL behind Houston (72-45) and Boston (67-50).
ESPN.com’s power rankings pay respect to the Tribe’s recent resurgence, but the four-letter network’s list doesn’t count out the accomplishments of Houston’s miles-long lead in the standings, or the one-two punch of Chris Sale and David Price at Fenway Park.
ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira differs from his company’s rankings, though, as the former Yankee first basemen believes the Indians are the best team in the AL, ranking the Tribe third in his own power rankings, behind the red-hot Dodgers and the NL east leading Nationals.
Mark Teixeira moving up my analyst power rankings. #Indians pic.twitter.com/fImTrAcJeq
— Nick Dudukovich (@DukeofNick) August 14, 2017
Teixera’s reasoning has everything to do with the rotation’s August surge.
Corey Kluber is striking out batters at an historic rate. His streak of 14 games with at least eight strikeouts is second only to Randy Johnson, who accomplished the fete in 15 games in both the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Carlos Carrasco, who had been the Tribe’s most consistent pitcher all year, until it took him five tries to get win No. 11, got back on track with an eight-inning, two hit performance against the Rays Saturday night.
Danny Salazar is pitching like an ace for the time being, with a 1.42 ERA in his last start. Even Trevor Bauer is putting it together, going 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in his last four outings.
And then there’s the lineup. Francisco Lindor wasn’t deserving of an All-Star nod, but got one anyway. Since the mid-summer classic, the Tribe’s shortstop is demonstrating why New Balance wanted to make him the face of their brand. Lindor’s average is .319 since the break. It was .252 before.
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The addition of Jay Bruce brings pop to the lineup, and will soon give manager Terry Francona some balls to juggle in the outfield. It could mean bench time or a demotion for someone, but if that means more times for the best players, so be it.
Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall, who was having a career season until a calf injury offered brought his stellar campaign to a dead halt, has begun rehabbing, while Jason Kipnis avoided another trip to the DL.
Meanwhile, the Astros are dealing with injuries, most notably to Carlos Correa, and fans were devastated by the team’s lack of moves before the trade deadline. A five-game losing streak, which saw the Astros get swept by the lowly White Sox, recently came to end.
Power rankings are fun for debate, but ultimately, they never matter because all of this stuff gets sorted out come October.
Next: Outfield shakeup likely to come
However, Teixeira was a big-time talent who knows how devastating a dominant staff can be for batters to face. The Tribe’s rotation was the reason all the pundits picked Cleveland to represent the junior circuit in the World Series, and Teixera’s statement reminds of all of that.