MLB Preview 2015: Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians 2014 record: 85-77
Team Overview:
When looking at the Indians roster, there seems to be a lot to get excited about. There is talent entering, or currently in its prime at almost every position and after a strong season last year, if they can roll into 2015 this team will be a must follow. The stud emerged in Michael Brantley last season as his he flashed 5-tool talent and produced across the board. If he can produce in the same way this season I would bet they can go far with the power behind him in Carlos Santana. Santana started slow last season but put up 27 homers. I think he will get his average up and see better pitches now that the team added lineup protection behind him. The Indians added Brandon Moss and he would look to play right field and produce behind the two studs. The outfield is rounded out by center fielder Michael Bourn who is the biggest question mark in the lineup. He will need to be a better lead off hitter if this team wants to go far as they have the bats behind him to move him around. With a strong 3-4-5 the team will have a long search for a number 2 in the infield. Many believe Jose Ramirez and eventually rookie phenom Fransico Lindor can rotate short stop and that spot due to both having little experience and high upside. That will be fun to watch for but I think it could be 2nd baseman Jason Kipnis. Kipnis missed 33 games last season, and most were early on due to an oblique injury. He never seemed to be the same for the rest of the year but I remember the 2013 Kipnis who has a prominent average and stole 30 bags to go with 17 home runs. He is still young at 28 and should be fully healthy this season. Lonnie Chisenhall rounds out the infield and may round out an impressive lineup top to bottom. Yan Gomes will certainly catch and I like him as the sixth hitter, as he, as well as many others on the team had a break out year in 2014. The second question mark behind Bourne is DH Nick Swisher. He has hit in the past, but he hasn’t been consistent in over 2 years. The team has the option to move Chisenhall to DH at times and put Mike Aviles at 3B. Aviles can play any infield position and provides a righty bat for lefties Kipnis, and Chisenhall. There is another option at DH in Jesus Agulair who can platoon as a righty power bat. He can also play first base as Carlos Santana has dabbled as a third baseman. Lindor is a defensive star at shortstop and if he can prove he can hit it will push Ramirez out of short more than he may like. Ramirez has high upside, but not quite as high as Lindor. There is a possibility that Ramirez also moves around the infield, and provides matchup problems throughout, given the strong and deep mixes of righties and lefties. This team has plenty of depth and talented options to sort out in 2015.
Did I mention there pitching staff also has loads of break out potential? Corey Kluber broke out last season with a Cy Young winning year. I think he is clearly a top tier pitcher and will be able to repeat a stellar year. They will look to follow him up with Carlos Carrasco, who didn’t have as many starts as Kluber but he impressed to a similar degree. If the Indians found a 1-2 punch in Kluber/Carrassco this team may have something special.That is because the rotation is rounded out with what is expected to be the future leaders of the rotation. Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar, and TJ House are all coming into their second MLB season in a rotation. The trio is all under 25, and while they all struggled at points, the arrow was pointing up for all three heading into 2015. The team also has Zack McCallister, Josh Tomlin and signed Gavin Floyd this offseason to compete for a fifth spot and if the youngsters struggle at any time. McCallister is only 27 himself, and he should be a bull pen candidate as well. Speaking of the bullpen it will not be a major weakness either. Cody Allen will come into his second season as the closer and having guys like McCallister and Floyd being able to come in for long relief adds to a solid list of short inning relievers. It may not have the flash of the Royals bullpen but it is certainly the second best in this division and could be a top ten pen in the league.
What To Watch For?
Not to beat the dead horse but the pitching is what can take this team to the next level. The progression of Bauer, Salazar and House,and possibly even McCallister will be the difference between a run at the World Series and another post season on the couch. Danny Salazar started last season in the rotation and didn’t seem ready to handle the load. After a mid season stint in the minors Salazar came back and was pretty tough in his final starts of 2014. He strikes out a high percentage of hitters and if he can control his fastball he will be dominant for the next 5-10 years. Trevor Bauer is a former #3 overall pick and is 24 years old. He started 22 games for the Indians last year and had his ups and downs. Bauer also misses a lot of bats and has a screwball that many people don’t see anymore. I would expect him to continue to find himself as a top MLB pitcher. House doesn’t have the pedigree of the other two but he is only 25 years old, and posted a 3.35 era in 18 starts last season. If the Indians can continue to progress him, then he is a fifth pitcher that many teams would love to have. While he is the biggest question in the rotation that also explains why the team has Floyd and Tomlin to compete with him, and Floyd was a spot starter in Atlanta last season and typically held his own. If 3 of the 6 can emerge this rotation is top to bottom deadly, and that will be a must watch when seeing how far the Indians can go.
Where Do They Rank?
I will be watching this team closely. If you can’t tell I struggle to find major holes in the team, and with Terry Francona entering season 3 as the skipper it may seem that he does have that magic touch that he brought to Boston in 2004. It may be a bit bold but I am ranking the Indians 1st in the AL central and although I have not given out many betting tips this is a team that may have value when it comes to betting on them to win their division.
