The Cleveland Indians are at it again, defying the odds and near the top of the American League’s Central Division, despite owning the lowest payroll in Major League baseball.
Sure they’ve been no-hit twice, but they’ve won more than they’ve lost, and with a full summer still ahead, the Tribe should, at the very least, keep up us interested.
Solid starting pitching led by ace Shane Bieber, in addition to an excellent bullpen have paved the way for the Tribe to even be in the conversation after many left them for dead after the first month of the campaign (me included).
Besides pitching, the Indians did something that haven’t done all season with regularity during the last week, which saw them jump from third into first (for a short time, anyway), and that was HIT.
Jose Ramirez reminded the league to never pitch him inside, but kickstarted another campaign to end Cleveladn’s MVP streak.
Cesar Hernadez, batting .178 on the season, is hitting .278 in his last seven games. He had three RBIs in Saturday’s drubbing of Cincinnati.
Harold Ramirez collected four hits in his first nine at-bats after being promoted from the alternate site. The outfielder had some big hits in the Kansas City sweep.
Unfortunately, there are still some players who are really struggling. Note, Jake Bauers is not on this list. His average is actually up to .204 and he’s hit safely in 6 of his last 11 games, so we’ll give him a day off from being the team’s punching bag. Here’s players whose stock is down after Mother’s Day.
1. Cleveland Indians 1B Yu Chang
Tribe fans started wondering “What if?” with Chang when the native of South Korea began mashing moonshots during the Tribe’s summer camp last July. He continued to display his ability to hit for power in Spring Training, but ever since the games started to count, Chang’s been hapless at the dish.
He’s batting .140 (.369 OPS) with zero home runs. He’s 1 for his last 17 and 3 for his last 34.
Just how bad are things for Chang at first? Let’s put it this way: If you had to choose between him and Jake Bauers, you’d take Bauers, who’s been the most hit punching bag of the early campaign for his forgettable play.
I don’t know if adding Albert Pujols make sense (I could easily be talked into it), rather, something’s going to give at first base soon, and I think the answer is Josh Naylor. Did you see some of the stretches he was making in the Kansas City series?
Put Naylor at first and continue to sort through outfielders, a place they can also continue to play Bauers if they still refuse to give up on the left-hander.
2. Cleveland Indians OF Jordan Luplow
The six homers are nice. The 4-for-40 slide is unacceptable, especially after all the talk about Luplow becoming an everyday player.
Terry Francona will likely give him a chance to work his way out of it, because those six homers through Mother’s Day look real nice.
Luplow’s never going to hit .300. Heck, he’ll probably struggle to crack .250, but if he can regularly mix in the long ball, he’ll have a spot in the lineup, even if it’s against left-handers hitters.
Speaking of lefties, Luplow was in there for Wade Miley’s no hitter and while all the Indians looked lost at the plate, some of Luplow’s at-bats looked particularly baffling.
3. Cleveland Indians SS/OF Amed Rosario
The Indians would love to find a spot for Amed Rosario. Take one look at the former top prospect step into the batter’s box and you tell yourself, “Wow, this guy looks the part.”
Unfortunately, looks are translating into success, at the dish or in the field. Certainly, you can blame the Indians for moving a guy between short and center field during the season. How many other big leaguers are being asked to do that?
You expect Rosario to make mistakes in center, but at shortstop? It feels like every other game he’s committing a blunder.
Want a big kicker? Fangraphs has him grading out better as a center fielder than at his natural position of shortstop!
Of shortstops who’ve played at least 90 innings, Rosario is toward the bottom of Fangraphs defensive metrics, ranking 25th of 32 players. He has a Defensive Runs Saved total of -2, a UZR of -0.6 and a WAR of -0.1.
For centerfielders who’ve played at least 110 innings, Rosario is around the middle of the pack, ranking 18th of 32 qualified players.
If only he could hit. You’d live with some of the defensive gaffs if he could deliver at the plate. Instead, he’s batting .189. His on-base percentage sits at .263.
4. Cleveland Indians SP Logan Allen
I didn’t see this one coming, especially after an excellent spring in which the Tribe media reported on how Allen was zooming with Ruben Niebla all offseason with an eye on becoming the next great starter in the rotation.
Allen was promising in the spring, but then fell apart in the big leagues, as he’d struggle to pitch two innings.
The Tribe demoted him to Columbus after going 1-4 with 9.19 ERA. but things actually got worse.
In his first start with Columbus, Allen went 1.1 innings and was knocked for seven earned runs.
Here’s hoping the Indians are able to fix the left-hander. Like Rosario and Bauers, he’s a former top 100 prospect who was acquired in the trade for Trevor Bauer.
He certainly carries a ton of potential, but he obviously needs some re-tooling before he can come back.
The adage in baseball goes that if you think you have enough pitching, go get more, and that’s playing out in Cleveland right now after the Tribe unloaded their veterans with the hope of leaning on younger talent.
5. Cleveland Indians RP Trevor Stephan
If you’re a frequent reader, you know I was high on Stephan coming out of spring training. As a Rule-5 pick from the Yankees, Stephan had to make the final roster or be offered back to New York.
He earned a spot, but has hit some bumps in the road during the season. He’s only appeared in seven games, but he’s getting hit hard. He’s been tattooed for four home runs in just 10.2 innings. The opposition is batting .267.
His ERA stands at 5.91, while he has a 1.59 WHIP. He hasn’t pitched in a game since April 28.
Except for this hiccup, the Indians bullpen has been stellar behind Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak, Nick Wittgren and even old timer Bryan Shaw.
Rookie Sam Hentges is also getting more opportunities, while the Tribe also finds innings for Cal Quantrill. These names have left Stephan out of the rotation, but I wouldn’t give up on him yet.