Cleveland Indians: 4 takeaways from the 60-man roster

1. So you think you’er a starter

The Cleveland Indians will rely heavily on their starting rotation, as it’s still the strength of the team moving forward.

That said, the Indians are carrying nine starters on the 40-man roster. The starters are pegged to be Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac. Adam Plutko, Logan Allen, Jefry Rodriguez and Scott Moss will be there as well.

The Indians have had their pitchers ramping up on their own time in an effort to prepare them for this 60-game sprint, but should anyone need more time, Terry Francona can easily limit the number of pitches they throw by simply going to the pen.

Tampa made “The Opener” a common phrase and baseball, and the Indians are more than capable of replicating the success the Rays had by way of the pitching depth on their roster.

In the early part of the schedule, what’s to keep Tito from throwing Clevinger three innings, followed by Scott Moss? This assume the former Reds farmhand pitches like we all expect, but employing this strategy, at least in the first couple weeks, may reap benefits later on.