5 Cleveland Indians stocks that are up at Memorial Day 2021

4. Cleveland Indians OF James Karinchak

Except for a hiccup in Minnesota May 23, James Karinchak has been excellent out of the bullpen, as he’s struck out an amazing 42 batters in 22.2 innings. He has six saves to go along with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP.

While Emmanuel Clase throws the triple-digit heat, Karinchak is probably Terry Francona’s best bet out of the bullpen. His fastball, paired with his nasty curve, can get the Tribe out of some tough jams, as we’ve already witnessed.

Clase has converted 7-of-8 save opportunities, but putting runners on base has been a problem for him. CBS Sports’ Scott White contends Terry Francona has more trust in Karinchak, evidenced by sending him out for back-to-back saves last week.

Of course, the 25-year-old blew the Twins game in extra innings, but Karinchak was out there again, collecting another save in the penultimate game of the series against the Tigers.

I don’t think the Indians will have a designated closer, but I believe White to be correct, in that Francona trusts Karinchak more at this point.