civ - we do all know that Naquin showed flashes but ultimately kept getting injured. That couldn't have helped.

Cincy is one of the best hitter parks in all MLB and that probably didn't hurt him either - but he has stayed generally healthy this year.

I remember HB would always pimp him - but again it was the health.

I will say it's not all that uncommon that when someone gets dumped it brings a whole new urgency to their career.

Gammons: Not long after Jackie Robinson changed the world, Larry Doby changed the American League




By Peter Gammons Jun 30, 2021 49
In mid-April, the day before Major League Baseball celebrated the 74th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking through the grim, historic lines of segregation in what was called “the national pastime,” Larry Doby Jr. and C.C. Sabathia were at Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, N.J. for the project to restore the historic stadium.

They were there with people like Willie Randolph, Harold Reynolds and Omar Minaya, significant figures pushing for awareness of history and civil rights in a sport whose players, 74 years on, are roughly 8 percent Black, a significantly lower percentage than in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Doby-Sabathia relationship was especially significant.

Robinson was one of the most important Americans of the 20th century; when he took the field on that April 15 day it was a year before the U.S. military was integrated, seven years before Brown vs. the Board of Education, 17 years before the Voting Rights Act.

Yet on July 5, relatively few fans will stop to recognize the 74th anniversary of the integration of the American League, when 23-year-old Larry Doby, himself a son of Paterson, pinch hit in the seventh inning of a game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

Two days earlier, Bill Veeck, who in 1946 bought the Cleveland Indians, had worked out a deal to acquire Doby, the Newark Eagles’ second baseman. After the first game of an Eagles doubleheader on July 3, Doby was escorted to a train by Louis Jones, who worked for Veeck, and rode to Chicago. Jones did not escort him to the downtown Del Prado, where the Indians stayed; he was taken to the largely black DuSable Hotel on the South Side, near Comiskey Park. It would be the “separate but equal” norm for years, which Doby was compelled to follow, in spring training and in several American League cities.

The next morning, Doby went to the park. “He wasn’t entirely sure (player-manager) Lou Boudreau was expecting him,” says Doby Jr. “But Boudreau walked him around the clubhouse and introduced him to everyone.” Doby Sr. later recalled that as he walked down the line reaching out with his hand, most were cold-fish handshakes; four players refused to shake his hand; two turned their backs on him. When the team went outside, Joe Gordon asked him to play catch, his first real personal connection. Gordon was the star second baseman on his way to Cooperstown; Doby was also a second baseman. In time they became close friends.

Doby pinch hit in the seventh inning and struck out, and for the rest of the season played in 29 games, had 33 plate appearances, and began his transition to the outfield.

Just over a year after Doby’s uneasy introduction to his teammates, the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer featured a picture of Indians pitcher Steve Gromek embracing Doby, after Doby’s third-inning homer off Johnny Sain provided the winning run of a 2-1 victory that put the Indians within one win of a World Series, in front of a Municipal Stadium crowd of 81,897.


Gromek and Doby’s famous embrace. (Getty Images)

The picture, in the words of the New York Times’ Richard Goldstein, “was a signature moment in the integration of Major League Baseball.”

Doby’s home run was the first by a Black player in World Series history. Doby and Satchel Paige soon were the first two Black players to receive World Series rings. Their presence spanned generations of the game’s history in a city that made it possible.

The Dodgers’ Branch Rickey was the most appropriate engineer for the plan, Robinson the fierce, great and monumental man and Brooklyn the right place at the right time. So, too, Veeck was the right American League owner, Doby the right man and Cleveland the right city to change that league — and hence baseball. Both leagues had been integrated, even if it would be years before the Yankees, Phillies, Tigers and Red Sox had a Black player. The New York Times editorialized, back in 1987, “In glorifying those who are first, the second is often forgotten … Larry Doby integrated all those American League ballparks where Jackie Robinson never appeared.”

The Indians hadn’t won the World Series since 1920. They have not won one since that 1948 title. Soon they will relinquish the name “Indians.” But the franchise that Veeck restored was peaking, and did so partly because of its inclusivity; in 1954 Cleveland had the second-highest winning percentage in MLB history (111-43, .721) with as many Black players — four — as many as there were American League teams with a single Black player.

“He (Jackie Robinson) was first,” Doby later said in Jet Magazine, “but the crap I took was just as bad. Nobody said, ‘we’re gonna be nice to the second Black.” In 1997, when the All-Star Game was played in Cleveland, Robinson’s 50th anniversary was duly celebrated, Doby’s 50th anniversary treated more as a local story.

Doby Jr. was born 12 years later after his father’s debut, but he understands much about one of his father’s lasting traits, what Fay Vincent called “dignity.” He knows his father was taunted, that an opposing infielder spat on him. But Larry Doby, pioneer, always told his son that he “never was booed” during his time in Cleveland, a bustling, industrial boomtown with a diverse history, an important stop on the Underground Railroad — code-named “Station Hope” — because Ohio was contiguous to two large slave states (Virginia and Kentucky) and only 250 miles from Canada.

Sabathia arrived in Cleveland in 2001, when he was a 20-year-old from California. He pitched eight years for the Indians, and while he pitched longer and won more games for the Yankees en route to tying Bob Gibson as the second-winningest Black pitcher (behind Ferguson Jenkins), he still feels “Cleveland is a part of me. I used to hear a lot of stories about what Larry Doby meant and shared the pride the city had in his breaking the barrier. I got to know Bob Feller, and loved to hear his stories about playing with Satchel Paige, and barnstorming with him.”

Sabathia is a part of the tradition that Doby Sr. began when he walked into that Comiskey Park clubhouse 74 years ago. He has been a kind, socially active leader for years, was a major voice in baseball as players engaged with the Black Lives Matter movement, and is a key figure now in retirement in the Players Alliance, which has emerged as an important force of service and conscience. His son Carsten is not only an exceptional high school baseball player but such an exemplary student that he has been actively recruited by Harvard, among many other colleges.

“While Jackie obviously is one of the most important figures in history, I hope people realize what others like Larry Doby have done,” says Sabathia. “I want people to understand that I am proud of my time in Cleveland.”

That city was the home of Jesse Owens. In 1975, it was home to the first Black manager, Frank Robinson. It is the effective home of LeBron James, whose I Promise program in Akron is an American model. The first of five times Cleveland was honored as an “All-American City” by the National Civic League was 1949, months after Veeck, Doby, Paige, Gordon, Bob Lemon and the Indians became the first integrated team to win the World Series.

Not only did Doby not get booed in Cleveland when he and Paige changed the American League, but the 2.62 million fans they drew in 1948 held up as the all-time single-season attendance record for 14 years. The Yankees did not pass 2.62 million until 1980.

In that 1947 rookie season there were numerous racist incidents. One teammate refused to loan Doby his first base mitt when Doby needed work there. He heard the racist catcalls from the stands in many cities. His son asked him about what he faced, and Larry Jr. says “he didn’t like to talk about them. He’d say, ‘today is today, there is no need to re-live some of the past,’” says Junior.

Doby was born in South Carolina and attended segregated schools as a child. His father drowned when he was young, and when he was 14, he moved to Paterson, New Jersey. He was an extraordinary athlete at Paterson’s Eastside High School, but when his team won the state football championship and was invited to play in Florida, the promoters would not allow Doby to come. The Eastside players voted to forgo the trip.

Like Robinson, Doby experienced bigotry and discrimination during his military service in World War II. Jackie was disciplined for refusing to sit at the back of a military bus. After moving on to the Negro Leagues, Doby was drafted into the Navy and was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago. When he got off the bus, the black and white troops were immediately separated. Jackie and Larry were prepared to fight for their country, but the military remained mired in Jim Crow.

When Doby returned home, he joined the Newark Eagles in 1946, along with Monte Irvin. They won the Negro League World Series over Paige and the vaunted Kansas City Monarchs.

Veeck had been owner of the Triple-A Milwaukee Brewers, and as far back as 1942 he proposed that baseball integrate, an idea that initially went nowhere. He looked into buying the Phillies, and to a lesser extent the Boston Braves, and made it clear that he would sign star players out of the Negro leagues. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis would not allow Veeck into the owners club; Landis’ history of racism is the reason his name has now been removed from the World Series Trophy. In 1946, Veeck purchased the Indians. At that time, the Indians had no radio rights playing in a league with the Yankees, whose broadcast revenues dwarfed all teams outside of New York.

Cleveland, according to the 1950 census, was the seventh-largest city in the U.S., smaller than Baltimore or Detroit, larger than Washington or Boston. Veeck immediately got a radio deal. He stopped playing half the Indians’ games in League Park, with its 22,000 seats, and played all games in Municipal Stadium, which could seat more than 80,000.

All through that 1946 season, Branch Rickey was helping Robinson prepare to break the barrier. In April 1945, Happy Chandler replaced Landis as Commissioner; Chandler not only did not oppose integration, he later was willing to take owner, fan, politician and player abuse for accepting Robinson. Seven weeks after Robinson’s debut, Veeck brought Doby to the team and integrated the American League, regardless of objections, and understanding that immediate excellence would be difficult.

The vitriol came from all corners, including those who wanted to disparage Doby’s playing ability. Rogers Hornsby saw Doby play one game, and said, “Bill Veeck did the Negro race no favor when he signed Larry Doby to a Cleveland contract. If Veeck wanted to demonstrate that the Negro has no place in major-league baseball, he could have used no subtler means to establish the point. If (Doby) were white, he wouldn’t be considered good enough to play with a semi-pro club.”

Doby hit .156 that half-season of 1947. He and Robinson did talk to one another. Jackie was Rookie of the Year, and the other National League teams, other than the Phillies, integrated soon after. Of the first seven National League Rookies of the Year, six were Black. From 1947 through 1965, NL rookies of the year included Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Dick Allen. In 1966, the American League finally had its first Black Rookie of the Year, Chicago’s Tommy Agee.

Hornsby, and many others, were blinded by the lack of light. Doby’s preparation for the major leagues was a one-day train ride to Chicago. With a winter to train and find his bearings and a spring training culminating in a monster home run, Doby was ready for 1948. On July 7, virtually one year from Doby’s signing, Paige was signed by Veeck at the age of 42. Of course, there were skeptics. Sporting News publisher C.C. Johnson Spink wrote “Veeck has gone too far in his quest for publicity. If Paige were white, he wouldn’t have drawn a thought from Veeck.”

Well, on the morning of Oct. 4, 1948, the Indians found themselves tied with the Boston Red Sox and had to go to Fenway Park to play a 155th game. Fortunately for the Indians, Boston manager Joe McCarthy pitched 37-year-old swingman Denny Galehouse against 20-game winner Gene Bearden. Boudreau homered in the first inning, and the Indians breezed to an 8-3 win and prepared to play the Braves in the World Series. Galehouse pitched two more innings in the major leagues in 1949, and was released.

That Indians team was very good. It had a run differential of 272, best of any team in the 154-game era. Cleveland that year had six future Hall of Famers — Feller, Lemon, Boudreau, Gordon, Doby, and Paige. But, more important, in the New York Era, Veeck found a way to beat the Yankees, and the signings of Doby and Paige were what made it possible.

First, consider that from 1947 through 1959, the Yankees only failed to get to the World Series twice, each time because of Cleveland, in 1948 and 1954. The Yankees won 103 games in ’54 and finished eight games behind the Indians.

Second, consider the power of New York. The Cardinals beat Boston in the 1946 and 1967 World Series. In between, either the Yankees, Giants or Dodgers won pennants and played in the World Series, whether the franchises called the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Los Angeles or San Francisco home.

If Spink later missed it, Paige was 6-1, with a 2.48 ERA for those ’48 Indians. His first start, July 21, drew 66,245 fans. In other starts he drew 68,248, 72,464, 73,484 and, on Aug. 20, when he threw a crucial three-hit shutout, 78,382.

The next two seasons, Doby made the All-Star team, the first of six midsummer appearances. In the 1950 All-Star Game, Doby started in center field between Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Many years later, when Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he insisted that Negro League stars should be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Doby was runner-up for MVP in 1954. Half the American League teams — the Yankees, Senators, Tigers and Red Sox — still hadn’t integrated entering that season. Even in the 1950s, in his prime, Doby still endured taunting and racial threats, and faced the prospect of physical harm on the field as well. As columnist Sam Lacy of the Baltimore Afro-American wrote in 1952, “Statistics show that eight colored players in the two major leagues were hit by pitches a total of 68 times during the 1951 season, an average of 8 ½ per man. No other player was hit as many as eight times in the season.”

But Doby grew close to many of his teammates, some of whom would not stand for any ill-treatment of him.

During a spring training in Tuscon in the early fifties, Doby and star third baseman Al Rosen hailed a cab after a game. The cab driver told Rosen, “I can take you, but I can’t take him.”

Rosen said, “what if I told you I’m Jewish?”

The cabbie replied, “then I can’t take you, either.”

Rosen got out of the cab, approached the cabbie, punched him in the nose and said, “I don’t think I want to ride in this cab, anyway.”

As time wore on, acceptance and respect became widespread. After he retired in 1959, in Cleveland, there was talk that Doby would become baseball’s first Black manager, but Indians management in 1975 decided to make Frank Robinson that pioneer. Come 1978, Veeck was in his third year owning the White Sox, and when he fired Bob Lemon, he replaced him with Doby.

In a corresponding move, the White Sox brought their Double-A manager up to be on Doby’s coaching staff. His name? Tony La Russa. “He was a great man,” La Russa reflected earlier this year. “He was competitive, and he had a proud, confident streak to him. He clearly was a man who stood for something. He was really good to and for me at that point of my career. He communicated really well with the players, he communicated generously with me. He’d take me to dinner, we talked about a lot of things, and I was fortunate to learn how much there was to the person. I think about people who should be in the Hall of Fame or who they were and what they left others, and I think of Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and Felipe Alou.”

The Doby White Sox fared no better than the Lemon White Sox, except that after being fired, Lemon replaced Billy Martin with the Yankees. Lemon’s Yankees beat the Red Sox in their 163rd game and went on to win the 1978 World Series.

Doby worked one additional year in the Chicago front office after being replaced as manager; then Veeck sold the team to the Jerry Reinsdorf-Eddie Einhorn group, and Doby left. He worked in basketball, in the private sector and as a special assistant to American League President Gene Budig in 1995. In 1993, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson changed baseball, he changed America. But so did Larry Doby, and he did it with just a train ride to the American League and little idea who those new Indians teammates were when he walked around the Comiskey Park visiting clubhouse that July 5, 1947.

This coming July 5, I will look toward a picture of Larry Doby on a wall and raise a glass to his face, and his heart. I will prop “Veeck as in Wreck” up on a table, and toast it. I will play Michael Stanley’s “This Is My Town” and think about Doby and Herb Score, Lemon and Sabathia. As a kid who grew up hearing New Englanders ask “where were you when you heard Denny Galehouse was starting?” I shall raise a glass that he did, and that the 1948 Indians beat the Red Sox and changed baseball, 12 years before the Red Sox finally gave in to the notion that all men are created equal.

The Cleveland Indians play in St. Petersburg that night, hopefully with all their players wearing 14. Perhaps every player in both leagues should wear 14 that day. But all of us who care about the game can remember Doby, and when I see Carsten Sabathia preparing for the Area Code Games this summer, I’ll think that he, like so many others, is standing in a line started by Larry Doby.

(Photo of Larry Doby Jr. with the statue of his father outside Cleveland’s Progressive Field: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Guys not gonna lie - that Al Rosen/cabbie story had me choked up! Good for him!

I’ll second that!

Ok, you can't make this up.

Tyler Naquin (wrist) is out of the Reds' lineup again on Wednesday.

Tyler Naquin has been sidelined all this week due to right wrist soreness, though the Reds still seem optimistic that he won't require a stay on the injured list.

TFIR wrote:civ - we do all know that Naquin showed flashes but ultimately kept getting injured. That couldn't have helped.

Cincy is one of the best hitter parks in all MLB and that probably didn't hurt him either - but he has stayed generally healthy this year.

I remember HB would always pimp him - but again it was the health.

I will say it's not all that uncommon that when someone gets dumped it brings a whole new urgency to their career.

Yours truly was the Naquin pimp !

rusty2 - noted! Welcome back.

Examining what a Bryan Reynolds trade might look like between the Pirates and Indians




By Zack Meisel and Rob Biertempfel 2h ago 18
You couldn’t cultivate a better trade target in a lab. Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds is everything the Indians want and need. He hits for average and power, conquers lefties and righties, and would flaunt the team’s best mustache since John Axford seven years ago.

Most important, from Cleveland’s perspective: Reynolds has yet to reach the arbitration stage of his career and is under team control through the 2025 season.

The Pirates began retooling their big-league roster and restocking the farm system when general manager Ben Cherington was hired in November 2019. Cherington already has dealt Starling Marte, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon for prospects. With the trade deadline less than a month away, could Reynolds be on his way out of Pittsburgh? The Athletic’s Pirates beat writer Rob Biertempfel and Indians beat writer Zack Meisel consider the question.

Why Reynolds?
Biertempfel: The Pirates have let teams know it would take a hefty package to acquire Reynolds, a switch hitter who’s batting .312/.400/.534. That doesn’t mean the Pirates are actively shopping Reynolds — they are not — but it does indicate that Cherington at least is willing to pick up the phone if it rings. “That makes sense,” MLB Network Radio analyst and former GM Jim Duquette said. “But I don’t think anyone gives up a ton for the guy unless he starts hitting for more power.” Perhaps. Then again, Reynolds already has slugged 14 homers this season, two shy of his career high, so maybe more power is coming. And if it’s a perfect fit, maybe some team would be willing to put together a big offer, right, Zack?

Meisel: If they opt to listen, if Cherington decides to indulge his old Cleveland pal Chris Antonetti and answer his call, Reynolds fits the description of precisely the type of player the Indians would covet. They’re more motivated to add someone who could help for several years than a player who could aid them only in 2021. Yeah, sure, there’s the tiny hurdle in that Reynolds would probably cost an arm, two legs and a few essential organs. But, Rob, I ask you: Any chance the Pirates and Indians could make something work?

Are the Pirates motivated to deal?
Biertempfel: Before we can discuss what the Pirates might want for Reynolds, we should decide if trading him is even an option. I’ve gotta warn you, Zack, with Reynolds, I am on Team No Trade (at least for another year or two). You’ll have to work to convince me otherwise.

There’s a very strong case for keeping Reynolds. He’s 26 and after this season will be a Super Two qualifier with four years of arbitration eligibility. A superb defender, Reynolds handled PNC Park’s vast left field with ease and this season became the everyday center fielder.

Reynolds will be 30 when he reaches free agency after the 2025 season. It’s unfortunate that the Pirates probably won’t be playoff contenders during his peak years. Much of Cherington’s rebuild has centered on acquiring teenage prospects: shortstop Liover Peguero, pitchers Brennan Malone and Eddy Yean, outfielder Hudson Head and infielder Maikol Escotto — high-upside guys, but all on the very early part of their career arcs. There’s good talent at Double-A Altoona this year, but not enough for the Pirates’ window of opportunity to open until 2024 or even a year or two beyond.

“I don’t think the Pirates honestly care about (winning) now or even next year,” an evaluator told me. “My guess is they think they’re three to five years away, and when they get good again, he’ll be a free agent and they most likely won’t pay to keep him. So, perhaps a Double-A outfielder and other pieces could make (a trade) doable now.”

The evaluator paused and laughed. “Try to unravel all that,” he said.

I will concede that Reynolds won’t be around for long (if he’s even still around) when the Pirates are great again. In the meantime, though, they need him to bring legitimacy to their lineup because they are not deep with bona fide big-league outfielders. Gregory Polanco is likely to depart after this season, and they don’t have anyone at Triple A who looks to have what it takes to be a regular, reliable starter. Reynolds wound up in center field this year because the Pirates had nobody else to do it. If the Pirates trade Reynolds now and don’t get some kind of immediate help in return, I don’t know if ownership will free up the money it would take to get two capable outfielders on the free-agent market this winter.

That all said … whaddaya got? Why would Reynolds be a perfect fit in Cleveland, and what might the Indians be willing to offer for him?


What would the Indians have to give up to snag Bryan Reynolds? (Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
Time for the offer
Meisel: Reynolds’ outfield versatility is an asset for a team that doesn’t have much in place in the outfield at present or in the future. Eddie Rosario is likely a placeholder in left. Harold Ramirez, now the right fielder with Josh Naylor sidelined, is intriguing but largely unproven. There’s a hole in center. The Indians’ top outfield prospect, George Valera, is a few years away.

Biertempfel: Ah, I remember Ramirez well. Five years ago, the Pirates traded him, Reese McGuire and Francisco Liriano to the Blue Jays for Drew Hutchison. It was a blatant dump of Liriano’s salary, and it’s worked out horribly. Hutchison pitched in six games for the Pirates, posted a 5.56 ERA, then vanished. In eight games against the Pirates, Ramirez has hit .357/.419/.964 with five homers in 28 at-bats.

Meisel: To satisfy your first requirement, the Indians could fork over Oscar Mercado or Daniel Johnson (feel free to take Bradley Zimmer, if you’re so inclined), a couple of major-league-ready outfielders who have flashed some potential. Mercado had an impressive rookie showing in 2019 but struggled last season. He rejoined the big-league roster this week. Johnson has proved all he can prove in the minors. Evaluators rave about his arm. He can play all three outfield positions. And he should be able to handle right-handed pitching.

Biertempfel: If any of those three were The Answer for the Indians, you wouldn’t be sniffing around on Reynolds. Still, I suppose one of them could form the base of an offer, a short-term starter for the Pirates until better options come along, but the other one or two player(s) in the deal would have to offer more potential.

Meisel: No doubt. Those guys would be included simply so the Pirates don’t have to host a promo night in which a lucky fan roams center field for nine innings.

What makes these teams a good match, in my mind, is this: The Indians need to move some low-level prospects, the sort of players the Pirates would covet more than most teams, given their timeline and recent track record with trades. Cleveland has a 40-man roster crunch coming. The Indians have more players they need to protect before the Rule 5 Draft than they have spots available with which to protect them. So, they’d greatly benefit from packaging a few guys in a trade.

The Indians’ farm system, overall, has been on the rise. The Athletic’s Keith Law, in fact, ranked it No. 2 in the sport entering this season. But much of that talent is in the lower levels, and the Indians have maybe even surprised themselves a bit this season that they’re at least in the hunt. So a player like Reynolds, who can help correct a glaring weakness immediately but also would be around for years to come, is a perfect fit.

And the Indians should be in position to take a gamble and deal away some enticing, but unproven, prospects.

Biertempfel: OK, I’ll take some big swings right away. Catcher is arguably the biggest need in the Pirates’ system, so the first name that caught my eye, of course, was Bo Naylor. A top-five prospect, he’s just 21 and won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until next year. He also is off to a slow start (.179/.267/.265, 36 percent strikeout rate) at Double A.

The Pirates also are stockpiling arms, so I could envision Cherington targeting right-hander Daniel Espino, a hard-throwing 20-year-old who’s in Single A. Espino made the Indians’ top-10 prospects list and is two years away from Rule 5, so I get that this is a difficult ask, but remember that Reynolds is a switch hitter, high-average guy, smart and gritty player with four — four! — years of team control, versatile and inexpensive. That doesn’t come cheap.


Would the Indians be willing to trade Bo Naylor? (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Meisel: The Indians really like Naylor, and he’s in line to be a conveniently timed heir to Roberto Pérez’s throne. Despite his offensive struggles this season, Naylor will be the organization’s lone representative in the Futures Game. Perhaps a different catcher — Yainer Diaz or Bryan Lavastida — could be a secondary piece in a deal? I’m not saying Naylor is untouchable, but there are other position groups from which the team would prefer to deal.

The Indians have loads of young starting pitching they could part with, with Espino, Tanner Burns, Logan T. Allen, Josh Wolf, Lenny Torres and Xzavion Curry all pitching in the lower levels, and Ethan Hankins and Carlos Vargas recovering from Tommy John surgery. So, there’s some surplus there (not that you can actually have too much starting pitching, as the big-league team has learned this year).

Espino might be the best of that bunch. Baseball Prospectus listed him as the sport’s 100th-best prospect entering the 2021 season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if his name appeared on other outlets’ rankings in the coming years. His fastball regularly touches 100 mph.

You sure you wouldn’t prefer one of Cleveland’s 796 intriguing infield prospects? There’s Andrés Giménez and Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman and Owen Miller and Brayan Rocchio and Jose Tena and Angel Martinez and Aaron Bracho and Carson Tucker and Gabriel Rodriguez and —

The outcome: No deal
Meisel: Ope.

Biertempfel: I don’t feel a deal is here. I suppose some of it would come down to how much the Indians are in love with Reynolds. Does Antonetti agree with Duquette, who rates Reynolds as an above-average guy with not enough power? If so, the combo of a fourth outfielder and very good pitching prospect would be as good as the offer gets. Or does his view match Reynolds’ de facto status with the Pirates — that is, an indispensable piece of a rebuild — and really juice up the bid with some top-10 guys?

One last thing. Many folks in Pittsburgh already believe ownership has no desire to win. Trading Reynolds now would trigger the fan base in much the same way it reacted when Andrew McCutchen was dealt in January 2018. There would be even more anger, disgust and empty seats at PNC Park.

Wait a sec … who did the Pirates get for McCutchen? Oh, yeah, Kyle Crick and an unknown outfielder named Bryan Reynolds. Can lightning strike twice? If I were the Pirates GM, I wouldn’t want to possibly wager my job on it.

Meisel: You shut that down awfully quick. I can see why fellow fake GMs groan about having to deal with you.

Anyway, the Indians have plenty of pitching and infield depth they can part with, so if you’re feeling antsy as the deadline draws nearer, don’t hesitate to reach out. Or, perhaps we can revisit this over the winter, when the Pirates have a better sense of what they want and the Indians have some clarity on which minor leaguers they believe in.

You make the call
If you were in Cherington’s position, would you consider moving Reynolds for a package of prospects? If you were in Antonetti’s shoes, would you part with Naylor? Let us know in the comments section.

This would likely take Naylor, one of our middle infield studs (Arias, Rocchio, Bracho etc) and a starting pitcher (Espino?)

Reynolds is worth that type of package and I highly doubt the Tribe goes there. Although maybe the Pirates would take Triston instead.

So no deal.

You don't think they'll jump and down at the idea of adding Mercado to an OF that has Gamel and Tom already?

Would you?

The Indians’ All-Stars, rough patches and roads to recovery: Meisel’s Musings


By Zack Meisel 2h ago 2
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber is the reigning All-Star Game MVP, but he’ll finally have to relinquish that title next week.

“I guess, technically, I held it for two years because there wasn’t an All-Star Game last year,” Bieber said.

Bieber was named an All-Star on Sunday for the second time in his brief career. (Really, he’s 2-for-2, considering he didn’t debut in 2018 until the end of May, and the league didn’t hold a midsummer classic in 2020.) Bieber and José Ramírez (third appearance) were selected to the roster by their peers. Terry Francona will serve on American League manager Kevin Cash’s coaching staff.

Two years ago, Bieber was a last-minute addition to the AL roster, and he parlayed that opportunity into an award- and pick-up-truck-winning performance, as he struck out the side in his one inning in front of a ballpark packed full of Cleveland fans.

This time, at Coors Field in Denver, Bieber won’t pitch.

“A little bit less anxiety and nerves,” he said. “It was an absolute whirlwind (in 2019).”

Even though he hasn’t pitched since June 13, Bieber ranks second in the AL in strikeouts with 130. His 3.28 ERA matches his mark from 2019, when he finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting in his first full major-league season. Ramírez, the heartbeat of Cleveland’s lineup, leads the team in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The fact that the Indians’ two representatives have both missed time recently because of injuries properly symbolizes the team’s season to date. Bieber has been sidelined for three weeks with a right shoulder strain. He said he hopes to start throwing this week. Ramírez has avoided the injured list thus far, but in the last two weeks he has endured a bruised foot from a hit-by-pitch, fouled a ball off his face and suffered a bone bruise on his elbow after diving for a ground ball.

The latest malady has removed Ramírez from Francona’s lineup just as Franmil Reyes and Roberto Pérez returned to action. At some point, we’ll see how the lineup performs at full strength, instead of with Bradley Zimmer or Ernie Clement batting sixth.

The Indians need the offense to shoulder the load while the starting rotation remains shorthanded. That hasn’t happened during the club’s six-game losing streak, during which the Indians have totaled 15 runs.

It’ll require more offensive output to support Cleveland’s starting pitchers, who rank 24th in the majors with a 5.10 ERA.

The big three: 3.50 ERA, 7.6 H/9, 1.2 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, 8.9 K/9
Everyone else: 7.66 ERA, 9.9 H/9, 2.0 HR/9, 4.9 BB/9, 9.1 K/9

(The big three are Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale.)

Cleveland’s offense, by month

April: .206/.282/.380
May: .226/.299/.382
June: .252/.307/.427

The Astros, absent Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker for part or all of the series, completed a four-game sweep at Progressive Field on Sunday afternoon. Battling the Astros without Bieber, Plesac and Civale is no easy task, but Houston’s pitchers silenced Cleveland’s bats. And the Indians’ schedule will remain unforgiving, as they face the following opponents this month: the Rays, Royals, A’s, Astros, Rays again, Cardinals, White Sox. All but the Royals and Cardinals are legitimate pennant contenders.

Cleveland’s All-Stars, by year

2021: Shane Bieber, José Ramírez
2020: No game
2019: Carlos Santana, Shane Bieber, Brad Hand, Francisco Lindor
2018: José Ramírez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Yan Gomes
2017: José Ramírez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller
2016: Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber
2015: Jason Kipnis
2014: Michael Brantley
2013: Jason Kipnis, Justin Masterson
2012: Asdrúbal Cabrera, Chris Perez
2011: Asdrúbal Cabrera, Chris Perez

Francona suggested Sunday that a case also could have been made for Civale or one of the club’s ace relievers. Five relievers made the AL roster: Boston’s Matt Barnes, New York’s Aroldis Chapman, Chicago’s Liam Hendriks, Houston’s Ryan Pressly and Detroit’s Gregory Soto. Every team must have at least one representative on the roster.

All-Star worthy relievers?
Emmanuel Clase
1.01
35.2
40
.206/.275/.228
James Karinchak
2.48
36.1
62
.121/.257/.250
Matt Barnes
2.68
37.0
62
.171/.230/.279
Aroldis Chapman
4.71
28.2
49
.208/.341/.406
Liam Hendriks
2.57
35.0
53
.183/.213/.351
Ryan Pressly
1.54
35.0
45
.190/.221/.238
Gregory Soto
2.94
33.2
40
.205/.315/.311
Quote to note
“I was a little bit scared the first game, but after the second game it was all fine. I went to Akron and I was crushing baseballs there. I felt like I was ready to go.” — Franmil Reyes, on completing his recovery from an oblique strain

Final Thoughts
1. Bo Naylor was home one day last week, taking care of his older brother, when James Harris, the Indians’ vice president of player development, called to ask about Josh Naylor, who underwent surgery Friday to repair multiple fibula fractures and ligament tearing in his right leg and ankle.

Harris said, “Well, you know, it’s not all bad news,” and informed Bo he had been chosen to participate in the MLB Futures Game. Bo said he was in awe, and mentioned Josh “wanted to jump out of his seat.”

Josh participated in the Futures Game as a member of the Marlins in 2016 (in San Diego) and as a member of the Padres in 2017 (in Miami). He went 3-for-4 in those two showcases.

Bo is off to a sluggish start at the plate this season, posting a .192/.271/.285 slash line at Double-A Akron. The Indians are hopeful he can eventually follow Pérez as the franchise’s long-term catcher.

2. There is no recovery timetable for Josh, though he is expected to initiate that process this week. Bo discussed his brother’s path back: “He’s ready. I was definitely curious to see how he would react. … I’ve gotten to talk to him on the side, and he’s driven. He’s definitely got a huge supporting crew behind him, which I feel is one of the biggest things for him. He’s going to need that throughout this whole process. But with everyone behind him, he’s definitely got a chip on his shoulder to get back and be better than he was before it all happened. I’m looking forward to seeing him every step of the way. He’s going to have my family, the fans, everyone else behind him supporting him, which is going to be amazing. He’s ready. He’s ready, for sure. He’s going to get through it as best as he can.”

3. With his next home run, his 15th of the season, Cesar Hernandez will match a career high. He hit only three homers last season. And yet, because he’s hitting far fewer singles and doubles this year, his slugging percentage has not increased despite the power surge. In fact, this is pretty remarkable:

2019 SLG: .408
2020 SLG: .408
2021 SLG: .408

4. Speaking of slugging, Zimmer has totaled only three extra-base hits since the start of the 2020 season. In 151 plate appearances during that span, he owns a .202/.364/.252 slash line and has struck out in one-third of his trips to the batter’s box. His walk rate has improved to boost that on-base percentage, and he has also been hit by a pitch a Brandon Guyer-esque 12 times.

Daniel Johnson has not registered sparkling numbers at Triple A this season, but he couldn’t possibly be a downgrade at the plate, especially if restricted to a platoon role.

5. On this day 74 years ago, Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the AL when he pinch hit in the seventh inning of the Indians-White Sox game at Comiskey Park.

RHP Zach Plesac (right thumb)
Expected return: July 8
Plesac threw a bullpen on July 5 under the expectation that he’ll return to Cleveland’s roster for an “abbreviated start” on July 8, Francona said. That start will consist of about 60 pitches. On July 13, Plesac is scheduled to throw a sim game in Arizona, after which he’s slated to start July 18 in Oakland (with a pitch count around 85 pitches by then). (Last updated: July 5)

RHP Aaron Civale (third finger sprain)
Expected return: TBD
An MRI revealed that Civale sprained the middle finger on his throwing hand, and he has since begun throwing lightly up to about 45 feet. “Just to get moving again,” Francona said. (Last updated: July 5)

RHP Shane Bieber (shoulder strain)
Expected return: TBD
Although the Indians were optimistic about the results of Bieber’s MRI on June 30, it was determined he’ll still need to go another week or two without throwing a baseball. The team expects him to start preparing the muscles in his shoulder to throw a ball in the coming days. (Last updated

The Cleveland Indians’ losing streak: What’s gone wrong and what lies ahead




By Zack Meisel 5h ago 38
CLEVELAND — In August 2012, with Clevelanders shifting their attention from Brent Lillibridge to Brandon Weeden, and Jack Hannahan to Montario Hardesty, the Indians lost 11 consecutive games. And a week after that skid mercifully ended, the Indians started a nine-game slide.

It was torturous to watch, a punchless lineup — the leading home run hitter, Carlos Santana, socked only 18 — and a hapless starting rotation, which registered a 5.25 ERA as a unit. That team mustered a franchise-worst 5-24 mark in August, and that was after closing out July with four straight defeats. That stretch ultimately cost Manny Acta his job and paved the way for Terry Francona to become manager.

For the first time since August 2012, the Indians have fallen short in nine consecutive contests. The ninth loss in that 11-game nightmare resembled a 10-car pileup on the highway. The Indians scored three times in the 10th, only for Chris Perez to retire the first two batters in the bottom of the inning and then proceed to serve up five runs, capped by a Miguel Cabrera walk-off blast.

The ninth loss in the Indians’ current streak was a different type of gut-punch, but similarly noteworthy. Five Rays pitchers combined to hold Cleveland hitless for the full seven frames of the second game of a doubleheader.

Seven-inning no-hitters are technically considered “notable achievements,” so the Indians narrowly escaped becoming the first team in major-league history to be officially no-hit three times in one season. Instead, they are the first team to be no-hit twice and, um, notably achieved against. Quite the feat.

But that’s the footnote to the Indians’ nine-game losing streak, which has erased any pressure the White Sox might have felt in the AL Central. Those 2012 themes have resurfaced: an underwhelming lineup, an overmatched rotation and zero margin for error.

And now, with the 2021 season careening off the tracks, the Indians find themselves with decisions to make.

The rotation of doom
A few years ago, Cleveland players regularly sported red “Rotation of Domination” shirts in the clubhouse, an ode to the production provided by Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin. The Indians’ starting pitching factory has been the envy of many teams throughout the league for the last half-decade or so, but the assembly line needs repairs.

Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac were three of their most indispensable players entering this season. Losing any of them to injury would have been a crushing blow to the team’s fortunes, let alone all three and at the same time. The Indians were already relying on more unproven entities in the rotation than they have in years.

To complicate matters, with no minor-league season in 2020, the Indians have been forced to push their young starters more rapidly than they would prefer. That said, have any of them made much progress this year?

Bieber, Civale and Plesac have combined for a 3.50 ERA this season. The rest of the team’s starters: 8.00 ERA.

Bieber, Civale and Plesac have averaged 6 1/3 innings per start. The rest of the team’s starters: 3 2/3 innings per start.

Bieber, Civale and Plesac have allowed 7.6 H/9, 1.2 HR/9 and 2.5 BB/9. The rest of the team’s starters: 10.2 H/9, 2.0 HR/9 and 5.0 BB/9.

Overall, Cleveland’s starting pitchers own a 5.30 ERA this season, a tick higher than the 2012 rotation’s mark.

Would you wager your next paycheck on any of the healthy starting pitchers (excluding Plesac, who will be limited to about 60 pitches Thursday) logging more than, say, three innings in his next start? What about four innings? Maybe Cal Quantrill?

Brad Peacock will likely join the mix at some point after the All-Star break. The team was encouraged by Triston McKenzie’s last outing for Triple-A Columbus. He’ll eventually receive another chance.

The Indians (as any team would) pride themselves on placing players in the best positions to succeed. Many of these young pitchers have been tossed into unfair situations. That said, the results have been rather jarring. A 5.50 ERA is one thing, but a collective 8.00 ERA has really hampered the team.

The lackluster lineup
The Indians’ run totals, per game, during the nine-game funk: 4, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 8, 1, 0.

Bradley Zimmer has done his part to help pace-of-play initiatives. Watch how quickly this at-bat against Rich Hill unfolded.

First, a 67 mph slider.

Then, a 69 mph curveball.

And, finally, another 69 mph curveball.

Three pitches, none moving with enough speed to get pulled over on I-90. Hill presents an uncomfortable at-bat for any lefty. (They’re hitting .154 off him this season.) But Zimmer sports a slash line of .207/.361/.241, with that microscopic slugging percentage reflecting the fact that he has totaled three extra-base hits in 158 plate appearances in the last two years. One would think if he doesn’t reverse course, this would be his final season on the 40-man roster. Zimmer, a 2014 first-round pick, will turn 29 in November.

Zimmer is far from the only culpable party. For as red-hot as Amed Rosario was in May and part of June, he owns an 88 wRC+, suggesting he has been 12 percent less productive at the plate than the average major-league hitter. Bobby Bradley still boasts an .818 OPS and his power is sorely needed, but he has cooled off lately, and his strikeout rate has crept up to a more predictable level of 31.1 percent. He struck out five times in six hitless trips to the plate Wednesday. The team also continues to receive next to nothing from its catchers, who rank last in the majors with a .171 batting average, last with a .246 on-base percentage and second-to-last with a .297 slugging percentage.

Cesar Hernandez isn’t built for a top-of-the-order role in 2021, though beggars can’t be choosers. Hernandez has 14 home runs, one shy of a career high. And yet, his slugging percentage is lower than his mark from last year, when he finished with three homers.

Hernandez in 2020: 9.2 percent walk rate, 21.8 percent strikeout rate, .408 slugging percentage
Hernandez in 2021: 9.5 percent walk rate, 22.1 percent strikeout rate, .404 slugging percentage

Ah, but he’s having a drastically different season.

Hernandez in 2020: .283 average, .355 on-base percentage, 110 wRC+
Hernandez in 2021: .223 average, .303 on-base percentage, 92 wRC+

His defense has also tumbled.

Hernandez in 2020: 6 defensive runs saved, 92nd percentile in Statcast’s outs above average, Gold Glove Award
Hernandez in 2021: -6 defensive runs saved, 4th percentile in Statcast’s outs above average, “What On Earth Was That? Award”

This organization has been searching for years to unlock the formula for consistently developing position players. Will anyone from the group of Zimmer, Bradley, Oscar Mercado and Daniel Johnson emerge as a long-term solution? The Indians need some answers by early October.

Moving forward
The “buyer or seller” prompt for this team is not so cut and dry. The Indians don’t have much to sell, no matter how far they plummet in the standings between now and July 30. After all, their team payroll sits at a league-low $53 million, per Spotrac.

The Indians could dangle Hernandez or Eddie Rosario, but those guys won’t fetch much. If Owen Miller hadn’t looked so overmatched in his first big-league cameo, they might be more inclined to deal Hernandez, even if they embarked on a July surge.

Their strategy with the “buying” side of the equation won’t change too drastically. They were never interested in outbidding other teams for rentals. No one player was going to put them over the top this year. This was intended to be the retooling year, the recalibration to set them up to contend in the years ahead. On that front, they haven’t solved a ton. The young players haven’t exactly cemented themselves as capable major leaguers. But the priority on the trade market has been long-term acquisitions, players with three or four years of team control. The Indians entered this year thinking as much or more about 2022 to 2025 as 2021.

That sort of deal will still be there over the winter, though probably not before the team must make difficult 40-man roster decisions and the league and union sort out their CBA differences. The Indians need an outfielder or two or three. They might need a first baseman. They could use some starting pitching help, as president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti discussed Wednesday.

“I don’t think (Bieber, Plesac and Civale) returning will necessarily impact our desire to continue to add pitching to the organization,” he said. “Whether we’ll be able to do that and whether the opportunities will present themselves is really hard to forecast, but I anticipate we will be active on that front.”

Nothing should be off the table at the deadline, even for a team in limbo. The nine-game losing streak has delivered a right jab to the Indians’ 2021 aspirations, but it hasn’t altered the bottom line for this season. They need answers. They need to witness some development. They need evidence to help them make the many decisions that lie ahead.

Indians nearing lease deal amid uncertainty about future in Cleveland: Sources
By Zack Meisel, Jason Lloyd, and Bill Shea

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Amid concerns about the Indians' future in Cleveland, the club is nearing an agreement on an extension to the Progressive Field lease, sources tell The Athletic.

The team, city and stadium landlord Gateway Corp. are discussing a lease deal. The current agreement ends after the 2023 season, the ballpark's 30th in the heart of downtown Cleveland.

However, worries about the Indians' future aren't limited to just the ballpark. The club finds itself at a crossroads with its controversial nickname set to be retired in 2022, payroll being slashed to its lowest figure in a decade and questions lingering about its future ownership.

Owner Paul Dolan has interest in adding a minority investor, with Stanley Middleman, the founder and CEO of New Jersey-based Freedom Mortgage, emerging as a candidate. Middleman, 67, has discussed purchasing a minority share in the Indians, sources tell The Athletic.

There are other interested suitors, but it's unclear how far discussions have gone with Middleman or other parties.

When contacted by The Athletic, both Middleman and Dolan declined to comment.

With Cleveland home to multiple professional sports franchises — the Indians, Browns and Cavaliers — uncertainty exists over the city's ability to sustain all three. Despite that, none of the teams are looking to move.

"The franchise isn't going anywhere," an Indians official told The Athletic, a sentiment Dolan also has shared within the organization.

Two of the priorities on Dolan's agenda — a lease extension and infusion of cash from a minority partner — would ease those concerns.

For more on the Indians' future and ownership, read The Athletic's full coverage in the Go Deeper section.

(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)