Four takeaways from the Cleveland Indians choosing their 60-man pool.
The Cleveland Indians finalized their 60-man pool of players eligible to compete for the Tribe in this unique 2020 season.
When the Indians resume play, Terry Francona will have a roster of 30 players to juggle, however, that number drops to 28 after two weeks of games. After four weeks of game, the numbers shrinks to 26.
So what happens to everyone else? The other 30 will be sent to the Tribe’s alternate training site, in this case, to Lake County’s Classic Park.
To start this second version of Spring Training, which commences July 1 at Progressive Field, there will be 40 players training at the big-league park, while 15 members of the roster will be tapped to train at the home of the Captains.
Spring Training 2.0, or perhaps “Summer Camp” will commence July 1, while MLB is eyeing a date of July 23rd or July 24th for Opening Day. Schedules have not been released yet, as it’s interesting that the union and the owners are still engaging in negotiations.
Remember, Commissioner Rob Manfred implemented a schedule after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement. The ongoing talks still give hope to an expanded playoff field, although I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Here’s the four biggest takeaways from the Tribe’s roster, as the 60-man player pool has been set.
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.
2. The Pipeline lives
Player development is huge for the Cleveland Indians, a small-market club that won’t sign any big-item free agents.
It took some time…pretty much the first decade of this century, but the Tribe has had much more success drafting and developing their own players, with Francisco Lindor as the crown jewel.
Well, just because the minor league season appears to be scrapped, the Tribe isn’t giving up on their youngsters, based off the final roster submitted by the front office.
At Classic Park, Daniel Espino (2019 first rounder) and Ethan Hankins (2018 first rounder) will get some work on the bump in Lake County. These were high school pitchers who are still years away from helping the big league club. It’s true that players now-a-days do a ton of training on their own, but there’s something to be said about nurturing Youngers in the organizational sphere.
The same is true for catching prospect Bo Naylor and George Valera. These guys have virtually no shot of actually playing at The Corner this year, but they made the 60-man player pool.
Some executives view this as a smart thing to do, as prospects will continue to get work, while there are some who worry about young players being rushed into action should the coronavirus spread throughout a team.
Just before Spring Training, MLB.com released its prospect rankings and Naylor was third, Valera, fifth and Espino, sixth, respectively.
In addition to the the younger prospects, players such as Triston McKenzie just need to play. McKenzie missed all of 2019 with injury and was supposed to make his first start in Goodyear just before COVID shut it all down.
With the glut of pitching the Tribe already possesses, it’s unlikely Mckenzie will be on the big-league bump this season, but the future will be now very soon for the right-hander.
3. Patience a virtue, but not in 2020
Sixty games promises a major league season like no one’s seen. The shortened season promises to bring all kinds of crazy to the bullpen, as Terry Francona just can’t afford to sit and watch relievers struggle, especially considering the expanded rosters to start the season.
I just covered how some starters may turn into relievers, but then, there’s the relievers we’re looking forward to seeing, including Anthony Gose and Cameron Hill.
4. A lost season for guys on the roster
The year of 2020 is a lost season for thousands of professional ballplayers, particularly in the minor leagues, but even players on the big-league roster won’t be to get in their work.
Take the Tribe’s outfield, for example. Oscar Mercado and Franmil Reyes are everyday players, while Delino DeShields promises to play some, too. Don’t forget Jordan Luplow, who’s basically Babe Ruth against left-handed pitching.
That means there’s going to be a lot of players who will be in uniform, but you just might not see a ton of on the field. Those players include Tyler Naquin, Greg Allen, Jake Bauers and Bradley Zimmer. Of that quartet, one will probably platoon with Luplow (Naquin and Bauers hit left-handed).
Then there’s someone like Daniel Johnson. This prospect spent all of last year at Class AAA and there’s not much left for him to prove at the minor-league level. He’s been invited to camp, but unless everyone else disappoints, the truth is there may not be playing time for the former National.