5 Cleveland Indians whose stock is up after first 20 games of 2021
5. Emmanuel Clase, RP
Let’s be honest. No one really knew what to expect from Emannuel Clase this season. We all saw the Tweets and read the reports–he could throw really fast. Would that translate into success at the big-league level?
The answer is yes. He has four saves in five opportunities. He’d be perfect had Josh Naylor not gone Bill Buckner against the Reds, but, yeah, it happened.
He has 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings and the opposition is batting .189. Clase routinely throws 100-101 miles per hour. I got an up close look at Clase in Cincinnati and it was remarkable how effortlessly he tosses the ball into the zone.
It’s unfortunate the Indians didn’t just have a tad more offense, because the entire backend of the bullpen has been terrific. If the Indians could get a lead into the sixth, the end result should be a victory.
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Clase hasn’t been designated as the closer yet, but he’s been the ninth inning guy to this point. You never know with Tito, but it certainly looks like Clase’s taken the role.