Indians: 3 players to watch in the final week of the season

Three Indians players who are demanding your attention in the final week.

The Cleveland Indians are heading into their final week of play for the 2021 season. The team disappointed a bit, missing the playoffs but still impressed, cobbling together a respectable record despite most of their best players missing big chunks of time and their Hall of Fame manager being lost for the season at the mid-way point.

It’s been a fine season, but it’s not over yet. Heading into the final week of the season, some players have decided to become must-watch for fans. Sure, it’s come at an odd time but these are players who are changing the narrative on them for the season.

It may be too late to get the team into the playoffs, but it’s not too late to get fans hyped for 2022.

3 Indians to watch in the final week of the season.

Anthony Gose

Some may not realize this but Gose has had a really good season. His stats in Columbus weren’t mind-blowing but 3.55 ERA isn’t bad. It’s a fine earned run average for a major league reliever in fact. What made Gose’s 2021 so good was his run in the Olympics where he absolutely dominated. That seemed to be a turning point because since then he’s been on fire. He got called up at the end of September, and in two games, he’s pitched three innings and struck out four so far. Gose has a fastball that tops 100 MPH and if he can continue to improve, which seems likely, then the Tribe will have a pair of triple-digit flame throwers in the pen for 2022.

Owen Miller

Owen Miller was hitting .400 in Columbus before he got called up to the Indians. He hit .125 in May, then .067 in June. Terrible. Just terrible. He was hitting below .150 for the season. He was sent down and called back up in August, where hit .221. An improvement but no reason to brag. Yet, September has been vastly different. In September he’s been hitting .260, and has finally risen his batting average to over .200 for the season. This should give fans hope. After all, Amed Rosario was just as bad but he turned into one of the team’s better hitters in the second half of 2021. Also remember, Jose Ramirez was very much the same streaky hitter in 2015, hitting just .219 and making everyone wonder if Ramirez could be a major league hitter. Miller was a vaunted prospect before and he’s tarting to show hints as to why that was. Miller’s last week will go a long way in his expectations for 2022.

Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber dominated his first three innings back in his Friday return. He struck out three and threw an otherwise perfect game if it wasn’t for the fact he just pitched three innings. Still, three innings of perfect pitching and three strikeouts? Clearly, he’s still got his stuff. He’ll likely get one more start before the end of the year, in what will amount to another joint effort from him and the bullpen but that next start will give fans an even better glimpse into the recovery of Bieber. If he dominates again, even across just a handful of innings, then fans will have a bit more confidence for 2022.