Indians: Chris Antonetti and Terry Francona face legacy defining season

It’s no secret that the Indians in 2021 are a team that looks like they’re going to be either surprisingly really good or surprisingly really bad. There really isn’t much in the way of a standard prediction. Many people think this offense is going to be bad, just simply because of the unproven talent on it. Others are optimistic that the talent is there, fans just don’t know it yet. If this team somehow does make it to the playoffs or at least makes a case for 90 wins, it’ll be the best job that team president Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona have ever achieved in their careers.

There’s no doubt that the Indians’ lineup is changed from years past. Gone are mainstays like Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes, and now Francisco Lindor. Now there’s Jordan Luplow, Cezar Hernandez, Roberto Perez, and as of right now, Andres Gimenz.

Names like Yu Chang, Josh Naylor, Amed Rosario, are all poised to be major players this year.

It’s not like there’s no one look forward to either, with Nolan Jones and Bobby Bradley more than likely getting the callup at some point this year, and players like Bo Naylor, Tyler Freeman, and George Valera hopefully developing into Major League players over the next few years.

This team has hope, it has potential and it has a future.

The only thing is, what do you do with the present while you wait on the future? That’s why it’s so imperative that if this team is going to succeed, it’s going to be in part due to Antonetti and Francona.

For Antonetti, it won’t be what he’ll do, but what he has done. This team has succeeded at staying competitive due to its ability to develop and identify productive players. Does Antonetti have the magic touch? Is the next crop of great Indians already on the squad and ready to take the next step?

They might be, and that’s why it’s up to Francona to really get the most out of this squad. He’s shown time and time again that he’s a really good manager and talent developer. So if the talent is there, Francona has to get the most out of it.

Granted, they both have their own legions of people helping them, so it’s not entirely on them, but at the end of the day, they are the two faces of the Indians management.

If this team is competitive this year, then we will have seen Antonetti and Francona’s greatest work yet to date. So let’s hope that Antonetti and Francona are as good as everyone thinks them to be. Otherwise, this could be a long season because pitching can only take you so far.