Factory Of Sadness
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Indians: 5 former Tribe players the team should bring back to bolster the squad

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 07: Brad Miller #17 of the Cleveland Indians jokes with teammates prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field on April 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 07: Brad Miller #17 of the Cleveland Indians jokes with teammates prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field on April 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 25: Cesar Hernandez #7 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates with his teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field on September 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Pirates 4-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 25: Cesar Hernandez #7 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates with his teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field on September 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Pirates 4-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Cesar Hernandez

Cesar Hernandez was just on the team, but his deal expired. He had a really good season, hitting .283 at the plate while averaging one RBI every three games. That’d translate to about 50 RBI’s in a normal season. His bat was every bit as effective as it needed to be on a team desperate for scoring, but it was his glove that really sold people on how good he was.

He only committed four errors all year and won the AL Gold Glove for second base. While he’s no Robbie Alomar, Hernandez is a calming veteran presence that can help establish a defense. While it’s possible someone like Jose Ramirez moves over to second base, and Yu Chang takes over at third, or vice versa, having someone like Hernandez may negate the necessity for Chang to deliver right away.

Taking the pressure off of young players is always the way to go. Chang will be 25 this season and in his 38 games in the Majors, has never really shown any consistency to make people think he can replace a major league player on an everyday basis.

Maybe Chang or any other young Triple-A player can turn into an All-Star in 2021, but the best bet is to try and re-sign Hernandez to help prevent the need to find out if someone can rise to the occasion in such a dramatic and needlessly fast fashion.

Hernandez made $6.25 million last year, and in order to return, he’ll probably have to take a minor pay cut.

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