Pitchers and catchers have reported. The rest of the players are starting to roll in and full team workouts have begun. Pictures of sunny Florida and Arizona have been posted on social media. I'm such a happy little camper right now. If only April would show up right about now, that would be great.
Last year, the Cleveland Indians sneaked their way into the playoffs. And the city was excited. And they sold a ton of tickets after being an attendance joke for the entire year. And then lost to Tampa Bay. What a joke. Everyone credits Terry Francona with getting the team turned around and heading in the right direction. I think that they are a one hit wonder. If you look at the final standings last year, Detroit won the division by just one game. ONE GAME! Cleveland was so close. Well, not really. Once the division was locked up, Detroit kind of shut it down. Plus, Cleveland ended the season on a ten game win streak (good for them). However, it was against Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota. Oh. In that case, that's not that impressive. That's like being impressed when the Harlem Globetrotters beat the Washington Generals. Come on now.
With the Tigers sitting comfortably on top of the division and the Royals clearly ready to take the next step, the Indians will be the odd man out. Not just this year, but in the upcoming years. That's my hope at least. If there is one team I despise not named Chicago White Sox it's the Cleveland Indians. Why you ask? Because of their racist little mascot. Also, Ohio. So, how does their team really stack up?
They do have a young pitching staff. Corey Kluber, Justin Masterson, and Zach McAllister are a serviceable top three. All three have combined have eight years of service under their belt. Plenty is also riding on Danny Salazar's development as well. Don't get me wrong, I think Salazar is legit. He did strike out Miguel Cabrera three times in one game before Miggy turned the table on him and did this. This young pitching staff has the stuff to keep them in games, but they will also make mistakes against professional hitters like Salazar did in that video. If they can keep three of the four of those pitchers for a long period of time, look out. That staff will be formidable against any lineup.
The batting lineup does not jump off the page at you. They don't have any big name players and at a glance, no one is that one batter that can change the game every game. Well, maybe Carlos Santana or Jason Kipnis, but they aren't players that are going to be top tier all year long. Oh, and how could I forget about Dude Bro Swisher?! Very easily. So, if there is a lineup that doesn't have big names stay in the hunt for a playoff spot? Just because there are no big name players, that doesn't mean the lineup isn't solid. They have players that put the ball in play. They have players that can run the bases. They have players that play the game the right way. Selfishness doesn't exist in the Cleveland clubhouse. One game, you could see Asdrubal Cabrera could win it for the team. The next day it could be Michael Brantley. This is one of those teams where any hitter can run into the right pitch and win the game. Because they are coached well.
While they may challenge for the division for parts of the season, I don't see them sticking out until the very end. Which is fine with me. Their future is a little hazy. They don't have the best team or the best farm system, but they are solid. They are a middle of the pack team on paper but can surprise a year here and a year there. They might end of being a team that will never fully get over the hump of being that middle of the pack team. Which, again, is fine by me.
14/120
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