Indians: Tribe one of the best teams offensively in a key stat

Starting the season 1-3 is not how any Indians fan hoped things would go. Granted, it’s four games, so stay the pitchforks people, it ain’t over yet. That said, it’s been a rough start. No one should’ve expected otherwise.  Terry Francona has always been a manager of late-start teams while he’s been in Cleveland. If this team isn’t picking up the slack in June, then you can worry. For right now, this is expected.

Now, some people are so adamant about being right, they’re going to ignore the historical significance and try to scream you into submission. Baseball is a 162 game season. Trying to decide if a team is good or bad after four games is like decreeing or writing off a team after one drive in football. You can’t just make a final judgment after one touchdown or three-and-out in football.

Yet, they’ll try in baseball. Never mind the fact that, other than golf, baseball is the one sport that requires a rythm that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Don’t focus on the fact that baseball worries more about winning or losing series as opposed to games. Completely ignore the fact that you won’t know until July who really is or isn’t a competitive team because baseball players are the streakiest athletes ever.

So remember all that before you start crying out that the sky is falling.

Also, remember this, the Indians are doing something in their at-bats that should give you hope; they’re not striking out. Heading into yesterday’s set of games, the Indians had struck out the fewest times in the AL. That may not sound like a big deal but it is. You’re not always going to find the pitch you want. Days of going 1-4 at the plate are very common in baseball. Sometimes you don’t get the pitches you want or need all game. That’s why, again, it’s not about individual games but the entirety of the series that really matters when evaluating a player’s performance.

The Indians aren’t striking out. They’re putting the bat on the ball, eventually, that’s going to pay off. This team is disciplined and discipline really does matter. It’d be foolish to make a sweeping decree that this one fact is why the Indians will be a playoff team this year because it’s only been four games.

Yet, if they can continue to be disciplined, work counts in their favor, they’ll start finding the pitches they want.