Progressive Field lease extended until '36
The Cleveland Guardians aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
The Indians announced on Thursday that the team and the city of Cleveland struck a deal to extend the Progressive Field lease for at least 15 more years. The soon-to-be Guardians will now remain in Northeast Ohio until at least 2036, and the deal also includes options for 10 additional years.
“We have world-class cities in Ohio who have the arts, the theater, who have all kinds of amenities, all kinds of great, great things,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. “It’s not just the cities. You look at how many people consider themselves Indians fans. How many people consider themselves Reds fans. They go way out well beyond the cities themselves. It’s just important for all of us for these teams to stay here, and it’s important for these teams to do well.”
The organization also announced on Thursday morning that Progressive Field -- the 11th-oldest ballpark in the Majors -- will soon be undergoing renovations.
“There are multiple areas that we plan on addressing,” Indians owner Paul Dolan said. “We have conceptual renderings of what that will be out at some point in time. … But the idea is to make the ballpark a better experience for our fans.”
Part of the renovation plan includes the Terrace Club in left field, which will be upgraded to better suit the needs of fans, steering away from the original formality of the space. The upper concourse will also be a main area of focus, considering it hasn’t been touched since the ballpark was built in 1994, according to Dolan. The team is also hoping to be able to improve the spaces on the dugout level, among a handful of other ideas.
While the team is guaranteed to remain in Cleveland for the next 15 seasons, the plan is to get the renovations done within the next five years.
“Quicker is definitely the answer,” Dolan said. “You want to utilize these dollars in the earlier part of the lease so that we can enjoy the benefits that come from those improvements. And they’re needed now. So, I would imagine that in the first five years you’ll see these improvements, if not sooner.”
The deal includes $435 million for these upgrades, which will come from the state, city, county and team. This will not result in new or increased taxes for residents. The plans will be reviewed and will need to be approved by the city and county councils in the coming months.
“There’s $200 million in improvements that have been allocated during this lease process,” Dolan said. “Those would go toward, as the term suggests, improvements to the ballpark. There are also moneys that the team and the public will dedicate toward maintaining and repairing what is an aging building.”
These are changes that are not only beneficial for fans, who will soon have a better experience at Progressive Field, but Dolan said it was also crucial for the success of the team.
“First and foremost, we’ve carried the weight of the occupancy cost of this building,” Dolan said. “That’s dollars that we’re allocating to the maintenance and repair of this building that going forward would’ve been an enormous burden on our ability to field a competitive team. So, being able to reallocate dollars to the team itself and the product on the field is an essential part of making this franchise successful.”
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8133What new center fielder Myles Straw can offer the Cleveland Indians
Aug 7, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Myles Straw (7) makes a catch on a ball hit by Detroit Tigers second baseman Harold Castro (not pictured) during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory
By Zack Meisel 1h ago 3
CLEVELAND — Astros general manager James Click called Myles Straw about 10 minutes before the trade deadline on July 30. Straw was at breakfast with teammate Kyle Tucker.
(The first thing we know about Straw: He’s either a late sleeper or he enjoys some early-afternoon pancakes.)
When Straw noticed the name that popped up on his phone, he said: “Oh man, I’m getting traded.” Sure enough, Click informed him he was being dealt to Cleveland. The Astros drafted Straw in the 12th round in 2015 out of St. Johns River State College in northeast Florida. He knew little about his new team, so he consulted Michael Brantley, who spent a decade with the organization.
Another thing we know about Straw: He admires Brantley.
“He said I’m going to like Cleveland,” Straw told The Athletic. “If Mike tells me, I trust that guy.”
Cleveland’s front office has been fond of Straw for a long time. Team president Chris Antonetti said the club has tried to trade for the center fielder for more than a year.
Now that he’s here, what else do we know about the 26-year-old? Let’s dive into the numbers — and ask the man himself — to gain a better sense of what Straw can provide.
Straw is the antithesis of the prototypical hitter in 2021. In a world full of free-swinging sluggers who tend to walk, strike out or hit a home run far more than any other outcome, Straw does none of those things particularly often.
Whiff rate: 98th percentile
What that means: He rarely swings and misses. His whiff rate is 13.1 percent; the league average is 24.5 percent.
Chase rate: 96th percentile
What that means: He almost never indulges when a pitcher throws an offering out of the strike zone. And on the off chance he does, he makes contact with those pitches far more often than the average hitter (72.5 percent of the time versus 58.6 percent of the time).
“That’s always been my game,” Straw said, “since Little League, back when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was able to put the ball in play.”
So, pitchers know he’ll usually make contact, but they have to throw strikes because he won’t expand the zone. That strike zone awareness explains his walk rate, which sits at a decent 9.8 percent. That contributes to a tolerable on-base percentage of .338.
And yet …
Strikeout rate: 69th percentile
What that means: That’s good, not great. Straw strikes out in 18.3 percent of his trips to the plate. The league average rate is 22 percent. But for a guy who doesn’t swing-and-miss much and rarely chases pitches, it’s a bit perplexing that it’s not a more impressive figure.
While he boasts elite contact skills, Straw almost never hits the ball with authority. He did, naturally, slug a home run in his sixth plate appearance with Cleveland after socking one every 198 plate appearances during his Astros tenure.
Myles Straw has hit four home runs in his big-league career. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
Hard-hit rate: 2nd percentile
What that means: Only one hitter in the league makes hard contact less frequently: Angels infielder David Fletcher. That doesn’t mean Straw can’t be a productive hitter. Fletcher has logged a career slash line of .296/.344/.386. He rarely hits home runs but doesn’t strike out much and has collected 22 doubles this season. (His name even found its way onto an MVP ballot last fall.)
Average exit velocity: 10th percentile
What that means: Only eight players in the league have compiled a lower average exit velocity than Shaw.
There are ways to contribute offensively without stinging the baseball, though. It helps that Straw uses the whole field. He pulls the ball only 26.4 percent of the time; the league-average rate is 36.6 percent. He has an almost identical split between hitting the ball up the middle (36.3 percent) and to the opposite field (37.3 percent).
Straw is a small guy (5-foot-10, 178 pounds) with a swing tailored to slap singles or doubles across the field. Then he lets his legs do the rest.
“There’s always a chance for an extra base,” he said.
Sprint speed: 96th percentile
What that means: Few players are faster. He can convert singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He can advance an extra base when someone else does the base-knocking. He can beat out infield grounders and apply pressure to the opposing defense.
Straw has swiped 19 bases, which ranks fifth in the majors. One evaluator’s suggestion: consider those stolen bases as singles Straw converted into doubles, which would boost his meager .335 slugging percentage to a much more formidable .389.
The stolen bases shouldn’t dwindle upon his relocation to Cleveland, where Sandy Alomar Jr. has a knack for knowing when to encourage speedsters to dash an extra 90 feet.
“He’s a cheat code,” Straw said. “Not much more to say than that. The guy is super advanced. I was actually warned about it from Houston, coming over here, that he’s one of the best in the game. The information I’ve gotten the past couple days, it’s almost overwhelming how much stuff he’s told me, which is great.”
Then, there’s Straw’s defense.
Outs above average: 96th percentile
What that means: The Statcast metric measures each fielder based on the cumulative effect of the plays they make (or don’t make) in the field. Straw, who said he has played center field since he was a kindergartener, rates among the best in the league.
He has been worth three defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs, and before making a wayward throw Saturday night had never committed an error in his career. He demonstrated his fielding ability in his third game with Cleveland, as he made a sliding catch while sprinting toward the center-field wall to erase a potential extra-base hit and preserve a tie in the ninth inning Monday in Toronto. The grab earned over-the-head applause from Bryan Shaw, the primary beneficiary.
Straw said he enjoys studying the metrics involved with those sorts of plays, including catch probability. (His highlight-reel snag on the Toronto carpet, by the way, had a catch probability of 15 percent, per Statcast.) He noted that Teoscar Hernández’s poke carried an exit velocity of 103.6 mph, with a launch angle of 23 degrees, so “usually that’s a pretty good chance of high off the wall or something close.”
“I’d like to always think I have a chance on a ball in the gap,” Straw said. “Those are always fun plays for an outfielder.”
Aug 7, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Myles Straw (7) makes a catch on a ball hit by Detroit Tigers second baseman Harold Castro (not pictured) during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory
By Zack Meisel 1h ago 3
CLEVELAND — Astros general manager James Click called Myles Straw about 10 minutes before the trade deadline on July 30. Straw was at breakfast with teammate Kyle Tucker.
(The first thing we know about Straw: He’s either a late sleeper or he enjoys some early-afternoon pancakes.)
When Straw noticed the name that popped up on his phone, he said: “Oh man, I’m getting traded.” Sure enough, Click informed him he was being dealt to Cleveland. The Astros drafted Straw in the 12th round in 2015 out of St. Johns River State College in northeast Florida. He knew little about his new team, so he consulted Michael Brantley, who spent a decade with the organization.
Another thing we know about Straw: He admires Brantley.
“He said I’m going to like Cleveland,” Straw told The Athletic. “If Mike tells me, I trust that guy.”
Cleveland’s front office has been fond of Straw for a long time. Team president Chris Antonetti said the club has tried to trade for the center fielder for more than a year.
Now that he’s here, what else do we know about the 26-year-old? Let’s dive into the numbers — and ask the man himself — to gain a better sense of what Straw can provide.
Straw is the antithesis of the prototypical hitter in 2021. In a world full of free-swinging sluggers who tend to walk, strike out or hit a home run far more than any other outcome, Straw does none of those things particularly often.
Whiff rate: 98th percentile
What that means: He rarely swings and misses. His whiff rate is 13.1 percent; the league average is 24.5 percent.
Chase rate: 96th percentile
What that means: He almost never indulges when a pitcher throws an offering out of the strike zone. And on the off chance he does, he makes contact with those pitches far more often than the average hitter (72.5 percent of the time versus 58.6 percent of the time).
“That’s always been my game,” Straw said, “since Little League, back when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was able to put the ball in play.”
So, pitchers know he’ll usually make contact, but they have to throw strikes because he won’t expand the zone. That strike zone awareness explains his walk rate, which sits at a decent 9.8 percent. That contributes to a tolerable on-base percentage of .338.
And yet …
Strikeout rate: 69th percentile
What that means: That’s good, not great. Straw strikes out in 18.3 percent of his trips to the plate. The league average rate is 22 percent. But for a guy who doesn’t swing-and-miss much and rarely chases pitches, it’s a bit perplexing that it’s not a more impressive figure.
While he boasts elite contact skills, Straw almost never hits the ball with authority. He did, naturally, slug a home run in his sixth plate appearance with Cleveland after socking one every 198 plate appearances during his Astros tenure.
Myles Straw has hit four home runs in his big-league career. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
Hard-hit rate: 2nd percentile
What that means: Only one hitter in the league makes hard contact less frequently: Angels infielder David Fletcher. That doesn’t mean Straw can’t be a productive hitter. Fletcher has logged a career slash line of .296/.344/.386. He rarely hits home runs but doesn’t strike out much and has collected 22 doubles this season. (His name even found its way onto an MVP ballot last fall.)
Average exit velocity: 10th percentile
What that means: Only eight players in the league have compiled a lower average exit velocity than Shaw.
There are ways to contribute offensively without stinging the baseball, though. It helps that Straw uses the whole field. He pulls the ball only 26.4 percent of the time; the league-average rate is 36.6 percent. He has an almost identical split between hitting the ball up the middle (36.3 percent) and to the opposite field (37.3 percent).
Straw is a small guy (5-foot-10, 178 pounds) with a swing tailored to slap singles or doubles across the field. Then he lets his legs do the rest.
“There’s always a chance for an extra base,” he said.
Sprint speed: 96th percentile
What that means: Few players are faster. He can convert singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He can advance an extra base when someone else does the base-knocking. He can beat out infield grounders and apply pressure to the opposing defense.
Straw has swiped 19 bases, which ranks fifth in the majors. One evaluator’s suggestion: consider those stolen bases as singles Straw converted into doubles, which would boost his meager .335 slugging percentage to a much more formidable .389.
The stolen bases shouldn’t dwindle upon his relocation to Cleveland, where Sandy Alomar Jr. has a knack for knowing when to encourage speedsters to dash an extra 90 feet.
“He’s a cheat code,” Straw said. “Not much more to say than that. The guy is super advanced. I was actually warned about it from Houston, coming over here, that he’s one of the best in the game. The information I’ve gotten the past couple days, it’s almost overwhelming how much stuff he’s told me, which is great.”
Then, there’s Straw’s defense.
Outs above average: 96th percentile
What that means: The Statcast metric measures each fielder based on the cumulative effect of the plays they make (or don’t make) in the field. Straw, who said he has played center field since he was a kindergartener, rates among the best in the league.
He has been worth three defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs, and before making a wayward throw Saturday night had never committed an error in his career. He demonstrated his fielding ability in his third game with Cleveland, as he made a sliding catch while sprinting toward the center-field wall to erase a potential extra-base hit and preserve a tie in the ninth inning Monday in Toronto. The grab earned over-the-head applause from Bryan Shaw, the primary beneficiary.
Straw said he enjoys studying the metrics involved with those sorts of plays, including catch probability. (His highlight-reel snag on the Toronto carpet, by the way, had a catch probability of 15 percent, per Statcast.) He noted that Teoscar Hernández’s poke carried an exit velocity of 103.6 mph, with a launch angle of 23 degrees, so “usually that’s a pretty good chance of high off the wall or something close.”
“I’d like to always think I have a chance on a ball in the gap,” Straw said. “Those are always fun plays for an outfielder.”
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
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8134Freaking steal.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
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8135Cleveland Indians: Wilson Ramos proves Cleveland’s catchers can still hit
by Kyle Edmond2 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7
Cleveland Indians, Wilson Ramos
Wilson Ramos proves Cleveland Indians catchers can still hit
Entering Saturday night (Aug. 7) the Cleveland Indians had virtually no offensive production from the catcher position all season. The team had played a total of four different players behind the plate and none of them had been able to get it going at the plate. In fact, catchers for the Tribe this season entered batting .180/.246/.313 with 132 strikeouts and just 41 RBI, arguably the worst position group on the team at the dish.
Enter Wilson Ramos. On July 6, Cleveland signed Ramos to a minor league contract after he was released by the Detroit Tigers on June 20. For the Tribe, Ramos was just an insurance policy with Rene Rivera being released a few days later. Fast forward a month to Aug. 6 and the move paid off for the Tribe.
Once again, Roberto Perez hit the injured list and the team was in need of another catcher. With Ryan Lavarnway on the inactive list, playing in the Olympics with Team USA, Cleveland selected the contract of Ramos, and just in time to face his former team, Detroit.
At 33-years old, Ramos’ stop in Cleveland marks his seventh major league team across a 12-year career at the big league level. An All-Star appearance in 2016 with the Washington Nationals and again in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramos has been had a strong career with recent flashes.
Those flashes have been appearing in Cleveland’s Triple-A Columbus over the last month as well. In 60 at-bats for the Clippers, Ramos was able to slash .317/.328/.517 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI. He also struck out just six times while drawing a walk. Luckily, his bat made a quick transition to Cleveland when he was called on.
In his first game with the Tribe, Ramos was placed seventh in the batting order and proved to have the best night of anyone in the lineup. He went 3-for-4, including a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth that ended up being Cleveland’s lone run in the 2-1 loss. Ramos was also able to aid a pitching unit that gave up just two runs, seven hits and a single walk.
To put into perspective how rare the offensive outburst was from the catcher position, Ramos’ three hits was just the third time this season a catcher has had three hits in a game for the Tribe and just the 12th time a catcher has had a multiple hit game this season. Rene Rivera had two three-hit games, one in May and one in June. Roberto Perez had two hits back on July 10, Ryan Lavarnway had two on June 17 and Austin Hedges has logged two hits in a game seven times this season.
The point, though, is that in one game Wilson Ramos did something for the Tribe that only Rene Rivera has been able to do this season. Hit the ball for a base hit three times in one game. The fact Perez has just one multiple-hit game is concerning in itself.
The strong night from Ramos shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’s been a solid hitter over the course of his career, having a slash line of .271/.319/.432. The above average career numbers paired with a hot start in Columbus indicated that a surge at the plate could come with his call-up. However, it raises questions for the rest of the season for the position and beyond.
A late scratch on Aug. 4 with right shoulder inflammation, it’s hard telling when Perez will be able to get back in the lineup. If Ramos can keep up this play they might not want to rush Perez back at all. So far this season, he’s been the worst offensive catcher to play a game in a Cleveland uniform, slashing an awful .136/.246/.318 with only 15 RBI on two doubles and six home runs.
Obviously Perez’s draw is his defensive ability and high baseball IQ, but when the offensive production isn’t there at all, it’s hard to keep him on the roster. Given that Ramos can match much of Perez’s ability behind the plate, a continued showcase of better skills at the plate could make for a difficult decision by the front office.
With a club option for $7 million next season, Perez could be on the chopping block, especially for a team looking to save money. He’s only a year younger than Ramos, but Ramos is making about $5 million less this season. Should Ramos be able to even just match Perez in all areas, it might push the front office to cut ties with Perez and keep Ramos instead to save money for essentially the same production, maybe even an improvement.
by Kyle Edmond2 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7
Cleveland Indians, Wilson Ramos
Wilson Ramos proves Cleveland Indians catchers can still hit
Entering Saturday night (Aug. 7) the Cleveland Indians had virtually no offensive production from the catcher position all season. The team had played a total of four different players behind the plate and none of them had been able to get it going at the plate. In fact, catchers for the Tribe this season entered batting .180/.246/.313 with 132 strikeouts and just 41 RBI, arguably the worst position group on the team at the dish.
Enter Wilson Ramos. On July 6, Cleveland signed Ramos to a minor league contract after he was released by the Detroit Tigers on June 20. For the Tribe, Ramos was just an insurance policy with Rene Rivera being released a few days later. Fast forward a month to Aug. 6 and the move paid off for the Tribe.
Once again, Roberto Perez hit the injured list and the team was in need of another catcher. With Ryan Lavarnway on the inactive list, playing in the Olympics with Team USA, Cleveland selected the contract of Ramos, and just in time to face his former team, Detroit.
At 33-years old, Ramos’ stop in Cleveland marks his seventh major league team across a 12-year career at the big league level. An All-Star appearance in 2016 with the Washington Nationals and again in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramos has been had a strong career with recent flashes.
Those flashes have been appearing in Cleveland’s Triple-A Columbus over the last month as well. In 60 at-bats for the Clippers, Ramos was able to slash .317/.328/.517 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI. He also struck out just six times while drawing a walk. Luckily, his bat made a quick transition to Cleveland when he was called on.
In his first game with the Tribe, Ramos was placed seventh in the batting order and proved to have the best night of anyone in the lineup. He went 3-for-4, including a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth that ended up being Cleveland’s lone run in the 2-1 loss. Ramos was also able to aid a pitching unit that gave up just two runs, seven hits and a single walk.
To put into perspective how rare the offensive outburst was from the catcher position, Ramos’ three hits was just the third time this season a catcher has had three hits in a game for the Tribe and just the 12th time a catcher has had a multiple hit game this season. Rene Rivera had two three-hit games, one in May and one in June. Roberto Perez had two hits back on July 10, Ryan Lavarnway had two on June 17 and Austin Hedges has logged two hits in a game seven times this season.
The point, though, is that in one game Wilson Ramos did something for the Tribe that only Rene Rivera has been able to do this season. Hit the ball for a base hit three times in one game. The fact Perez has just one multiple-hit game is concerning in itself.
The strong night from Ramos shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’s been a solid hitter over the course of his career, having a slash line of .271/.319/.432. The above average career numbers paired with a hot start in Columbus indicated that a surge at the plate could come with his call-up. However, it raises questions for the rest of the season for the position and beyond.
A late scratch on Aug. 4 with right shoulder inflammation, it’s hard telling when Perez will be able to get back in the lineup. If Ramos can keep up this play they might not want to rush Perez back at all. So far this season, he’s been the worst offensive catcher to play a game in a Cleveland uniform, slashing an awful .136/.246/.318 with only 15 RBI on two doubles and six home runs.
Obviously Perez’s draw is his defensive ability and high baseball IQ, but when the offensive production isn’t there at all, it’s hard to keep him on the roster. Given that Ramos can match much of Perez’s ability behind the plate, a continued showcase of better skills at the plate could make for a difficult decision by the front office.
With a club option for $7 million next season, Perez could be on the chopping block, especially for a team looking to save money. He’s only a year younger than Ramos, but Ramos is making about $5 million less this season. Should Ramos be able to even just match Perez in all areas, it might push the front office to cut ties with Perez and keep Ramos instead to save money for essentially the same production, maybe even an improvement.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
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8136With a club option for $7 million next season, Perez .....
Hahahaha...oh wait....that was supposed to be serious.
Hahahaha...oh wait....that was supposed to be serious.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
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8137Cleveland Indians: 5 bold predictions for the rest of the 2021 season
by Steve DiMatteo5 hours ago Follow @steve_dimatteo
Cleveland Indians, Cal Quantrill
Here are five bold predictions for the Cleveland Indians as they make their way down the home stretch of the 2021 season.
The Cleveland Indians might not make the playoffs in 2021, but there are plenty of intriguing storylines to keep you watching. Will the team actually stay in the wild-card hunt? How will the infield shake out? Is Cal Quantrill finally living up to the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick?
With so much to consider, here are five predictions for the rest of the season (and one bonus prediction!):
Cleveland Indians prediction #1: Cal Quantrill wins AL Pitcher of the Month for August
We’re all aboard the Cal Quantrill hype train over here, and the former first-round pick has started August on fire, as he’s yet to give up an earned run in 13 innings. In his last start against Detroit on August 6, Quantrill went seven innings, striking out 10 in a 6-1 win. Quantrill’s emergence has been a glorious byproduct of the rotation’s decimated state this season, and he should find himself right back in the same spot next year.
Cleveland Indians prediction #2: Cleveland stays in the wild-card race until the end
The youth movement is on to some extent, but this is still a good team. With Quantrill, Zach Plesac, and an improving Triston McKenzie in the rotation – and the possibility of getting back Aaron Civale and maybe Shane Bieber – to go along with a solid bullpen and decent, healthy lineup, the Indians should remain in the wild-card hunt. They might even make it a little interesting by early September.
Cleveland Indians prediction #3: First base becomes as much of a question as ever
When Bobby Bradley was called up earlier this season, he provided an instant offensive boost, hitting eight home runs with a .254/.321/.634 line in June. But he’s hit .177 since, striking out a ton and displaying some of the bad habits that continue to keep first base open for competition. Bradley does have a 115 wRC+ this season, but Cleveland has already been giving Owen Miller some time at first, and there’s the question of where Josh Naylor ends up when he eventually returns from injury. Jhonkensy Noel is years away – the 20-year-old is currently mashing at Low-A Lynchburg – but he’s quickly developing into the first baseman of the future for the soon-to-be Guardians.
Cleveland Indians prediction #4: Jose Ramirez gets to 40 home runs
It has been an interesting year for Cleveland’s third baseman. The 28-year-old Ramirez is hitting .254/.341/.525 with 24 home runs, 65 RBIs, a 129 wRC+, and his usual elite eye at the plate. These are solid numbers, if not a bit off his usual pace that makes him a perennial AL MVP candidate. Ramirez hasn’t had as much help in the lineup this season, and he’s been hampered by some nagging injuries. However, the three-time All-Star is fully capable of going on a tear at any given time, and is a career .302 hitter in the months of September/October. He closes out seasons strong, giving him a great shot at 40 homers to end the year, which would be a career-best mark.
Cleveland Indians prediction #5: Nolan Jones won’t be called up to the Majors
Jones is one of Cleveland’s top prospects, so there is naturally a growing call for him to be sent up to the Majors. But the 23-year-old is hitting just .227 in his first year at Triple-A Columbus, though he does have a .345 OBP and 10 home runs. Still, the Indians still have plenty of decisions to make in the outfield and Jones wouldn’t see any time at third base either for obvious reasons. There just isn’t any true urgency to bring him up in 2021, and it would seem very likely that he starts 2022 in Columbus as well.
by Steve DiMatteo5 hours ago Follow @steve_dimatteo
Cleveland Indians, Cal Quantrill
Here are five bold predictions for the Cleveland Indians as they make their way down the home stretch of the 2021 season.
The Cleveland Indians might not make the playoffs in 2021, but there are plenty of intriguing storylines to keep you watching. Will the team actually stay in the wild-card hunt? How will the infield shake out? Is Cal Quantrill finally living up to the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick?
With so much to consider, here are five predictions for the rest of the season (and one bonus prediction!):
Cleveland Indians prediction #1: Cal Quantrill wins AL Pitcher of the Month for August
We’re all aboard the Cal Quantrill hype train over here, and the former first-round pick has started August on fire, as he’s yet to give up an earned run in 13 innings. In his last start against Detroit on August 6, Quantrill went seven innings, striking out 10 in a 6-1 win. Quantrill’s emergence has been a glorious byproduct of the rotation’s decimated state this season, and he should find himself right back in the same spot next year.
Cleveland Indians prediction #2: Cleveland stays in the wild-card race until the end
The youth movement is on to some extent, but this is still a good team. With Quantrill, Zach Plesac, and an improving Triston McKenzie in the rotation – and the possibility of getting back Aaron Civale and maybe Shane Bieber – to go along with a solid bullpen and decent, healthy lineup, the Indians should remain in the wild-card hunt. They might even make it a little interesting by early September.
Cleveland Indians prediction #3: First base becomes as much of a question as ever
When Bobby Bradley was called up earlier this season, he provided an instant offensive boost, hitting eight home runs with a .254/.321/.634 line in June. But he’s hit .177 since, striking out a ton and displaying some of the bad habits that continue to keep first base open for competition. Bradley does have a 115 wRC+ this season, but Cleveland has already been giving Owen Miller some time at first, and there’s the question of where Josh Naylor ends up when he eventually returns from injury. Jhonkensy Noel is years away – the 20-year-old is currently mashing at Low-A Lynchburg – but he’s quickly developing into the first baseman of the future for the soon-to-be Guardians.
Cleveland Indians prediction #4: Jose Ramirez gets to 40 home runs
It has been an interesting year for Cleveland’s third baseman. The 28-year-old Ramirez is hitting .254/.341/.525 with 24 home runs, 65 RBIs, a 129 wRC+, and his usual elite eye at the plate. These are solid numbers, if not a bit off his usual pace that makes him a perennial AL MVP candidate. Ramirez hasn’t had as much help in the lineup this season, and he’s been hampered by some nagging injuries. However, the three-time All-Star is fully capable of going on a tear at any given time, and is a career .302 hitter in the months of September/October. He closes out seasons strong, giving him a great shot at 40 homers to end the year, which would be a career-best mark.
Cleveland Indians prediction #5: Nolan Jones won’t be called up to the Majors
Jones is one of Cleveland’s top prospects, so there is naturally a growing call for him to be sent up to the Majors. But the 23-year-old is hitting just .227 in his first year at Triple-A Columbus, though he does have a .345 OBP and 10 home runs. Still, the Indians still have plenty of decisions to make in the outfield and Jones wouldn’t see any time at third base either for obvious reasons. There just isn’t any true urgency to bring him up in 2021, and it would seem very likely that he starts 2022 in Columbus as well.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
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8138Fading quickly from wild card Hitting has ceased again
Starting pitching is looking better with 1 gaping hole
Bullpen is less consistent
Superstar manager on tbe IL
Result: Anout a 50:50 chance to edge out the Tigers
Starting pitching is looking better with 1 gaping hole
Bullpen is less consistent
Superstar manager on tbe IL
Result: Anout a 50:50 chance to edge out the Tigers
Re: Articles
8139Cleveland Indians: What is Zach Plesac’s ceiling and how does he reach it?
by Darren Klein20 hours ago Follow @Grunttalksmlb
Cleveland Indians, Zach Plesac
The 2021 season has had highs and lows for Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac. He’s shown flashes of being one of the better pitchers in the American League, but he’s had rough outings that have ballooned his ERA. So the question is, what exactly is his ceiling and what will it take for him to get there?
Plesac is arguably the second best pitcher on the Cleveland Indians staff, but he does face stiff competition from starter Aaron Civale who is surprisingly similar to him. Pleaac has pitched 256 innings with 197 strikeouts an an ERA of 3.76 in his career, while Civale has pitched 229 with 191 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.53.
They are also both similar to Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Yonny Chirons who has pitched 234 innings with 199 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.65. The only difference is that the Rays have now moved him to the bullpen, and that won’t happen with Cleveland’s two pitchers.
Plesac does have a lot to clean up, especially when it comes to his maturity. Last year, he went out with former Tribe pitcher Mike Clevinger during the height of the COVID pandemic, and had to rot at the alternative site for around a month.
This year he suffered from a fracture in his thumb after he aggressively ripped of his jersey. He was frustrated with a poor outing, but it’s just another example with a lack of maturity. This injury caused him to miss over a month of the season. Before his injury he had an ERA of 4.19 and since he returned it has increased to 5.88. This is concerning because his uncle, Dan Plesac, was an accomplished MLB pitcher so the pedigree should be there. Zach should know how to conduct himself at this stage in the game.
Back to his pitching last year he showed a lot of promise in the shortened season over the 55 innings he pitched with 9.3 strikeouts per nine, 1.0 walks per nine and an ERA of 2.28, although is FIP was 3.39. He was due for some regression, and this season that has hit him in the worst way.
His ERA is now near five at 4.64 after a horrendous start, and his strikeouts are way down at just 5.5 per nine. His pitch usage is basically the same with his fastball, slider, change up and curveball. His fastball averages 93 and won’t blow anyone away.
Civale has the same pitches with an addition of a cutter and his fastball averages 92 miles an hour. This season Civale has out pitched Plesac overall with an ERA of 3.32 and 76 strikeouts in just shy of 98 innings opposed to Plesac who’s ERA is 4.64 with 52 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. Before the season started it seemed clear that Plesac was the better pitcher, but currently the arrow is pointing up for Civale.
For Plesac his celling could be a two or three starter in Cleveland’s rotation moving forward, and solid number two for any MLB club. Plesac’s command has been off this season and has resulted in him getting hit harder. His hard hit percentage has increased by eight, his exit velocity is up two miles per hour, his strikeout rate is nearly cut in half and his walk rate is up 33%.
Plesac has to start locating his breaking pitches much better to get back to the pitcher he was in 2020. He has all of the ability in the world he just has to get his head on straight and regain his confidence.
A sit down with Dan Plesac could go a very long way in helping with his temperament. Not every ball player has the ability to have a family member who was also in the big leagues, especially one with continued success in the public eye as an analyst. With Dan’s personality, Zach would only benefit from continuous conversations with him.
Plesac is not the only player, and he will not be the last, to deal with temper tantrums. However, he needs to nip that in the rear before he reaches his true potential as a professional baseball player. There is a difference between what players such as Paul O’Neill used to display and what Plesac has. If he can turn the anger into passion and I think Plesac will be at the top of his game for years to come.
by Darren Klein20 hours ago Follow @Grunttalksmlb
Cleveland Indians, Zach Plesac
The 2021 season has had highs and lows for Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac. He’s shown flashes of being one of the better pitchers in the American League, but he’s had rough outings that have ballooned his ERA. So the question is, what exactly is his ceiling and what will it take for him to get there?
Plesac is arguably the second best pitcher on the Cleveland Indians staff, but he does face stiff competition from starter Aaron Civale who is surprisingly similar to him. Pleaac has pitched 256 innings with 197 strikeouts an an ERA of 3.76 in his career, while Civale has pitched 229 with 191 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.53.
They are also both similar to Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Yonny Chirons who has pitched 234 innings with 199 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.65. The only difference is that the Rays have now moved him to the bullpen, and that won’t happen with Cleveland’s two pitchers.
Plesac does have a lot to clean up, especially when it comes to his maturity. Last year, he went out with former Tribe pitcher Mike Clevinger during the height of the COVID pandemic, and had to rot at the alternative site for around a month.
This year he suffered from a fracture in his thumb after he aggressively ripped of his jersey. He was frustrated with a poor outing, but it’s just another example with a lack of maturity. This injury caused him to miss over a month of the season. Before his injury he had an ERA of 4.19 and since he returned it has increased to 5.88. This is concerning because his uncle, Dan Plesac, was an accomplished MLB pitcher so the pedigree should be there. Zach should know how to conduct himself at this stage in the game.
Back to his pitching last year he showed a lot of promise in the shortened season over the 55 innings he pitched with 9.3 strikeouts per nine, 1.0 walks per nine and an ERA of 2.28, although is FIP was 3.39. He was due for some regression, and this season that has hit him in the worst way.
His ERA is now near five at 4.64 after a horrendous start, and his strikeouts are way down at just 5.5 per nine. His pitch usage is basically the same with his fastball, slider, change up and curveball. His fastball averages 93 and won’t blow anyone away.
Civale has the same pitches with an addition of a cutter and his fastball averages 92 miles an hour. This season Civale has out pitched Plesac overall with an ERA of 3.32 and 76 strikeouts in just shy of 98 innings opposed to Plesac who’s ERA is 4.64 with 52 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. Before the season started it seemed clear that Plesac was the better pitcher, but currently the arrow is pointing up for Civale.
For Plesac his celling could be a two or three starter in Cleveland’s rotation moving forward, and solid number two for any MLB club. Plesac’s command has been off this season and has resulted in him getting hit harder. His hard hit percentage has increased by eight, his exit velocity is up two miles per hour, his strikeout rate is nearly cut in half and his walk rate is up 33%.
Plesac has to start locating his breaking pitches much better to get back to the pitcher he was in 2020. He has all of the ability in the world he just has to get his head on straight and regain his confidence.
A sit down with Dan Plesac could go a very long way in helping with his temperament. Not every ball player has the ability to have a family member who was also in the big leagues, especially one with continued success in the public eye as an analyst. With Dan’s personality, Zach would only benefit from continuous conversations with him.
Plesac is not the only player, and he will not be the last, to deal with temper tantrums. However, he needs to nip that in the rear before he reaches his true potential as a professional baseball player. There is a difference between what players such as Paul O’Neill used to display and what Plesac has. If he can turn the anger into passion and I think Plesac will be at the top of his game for years to come.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
8140Making sense of the Cleveland Indians’ upcoming 40-man roster crunch and the potential ramifications
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 09: Bradley Zimmer #4 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run off Justin Wilson #34 of the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at Progressive Field on August 09, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Reds 9-3. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel 1h ago 5
CLEVELAND — There could be a ton of turnover on Cleveland’s roster over the next six months as the club attempts to sort out who belongs and who does not.
As we’ve mentioned throughout the season, the 40-man roster will largely factor into the front office’s thinking this winter as Chris Antonetti and company work to piece together a competent roster for 2022.
The Indians dealt Jordan Luplow and DJ Johnson to the Rays for Peyton Battenfield, who is not eligible for the Rule 5 draft this year. That deadline trade cleared two 40-man roster spots. The Astros coveted Yainer Diaz, and he likely would have gone unprotected this winter, so Cleveland included him in the Phil Maton-Myles Straw trade.
Those sorts of maneuvers happen all the time. The Indians originally acquired Maton from San Diego because the Padres needed to clear a 40-man roster spot. They obtained Christian Arroyo and Hunter Wood from Tampa Bay in a similar manner two years ago. (That trade might come back to haunt them as outfield prospect Ruben Cardenas, whom they sent to the Rays, continues to mash minor-league pitching.)
The 40-man roster crunch is more prevalent than ever before, though, thanks in part to the lack of a minor-league season in 2020. Here’s a breakdown of Cleveland’s situation:
The 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players.
12 major-league position players: Myles Straw, Bradley Zimmer, Harold Ramirez, Oscar Mercado, Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez, José Ramírez, Franmil Reyes, Austin Hedges, Wilson Ramos, Ernie Clement, Owen Miller
14 major-league pitchers: Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, Eli Morgan, Justin Garza, Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak, Nick Sandlin, Nick Wittgren, Emmanuel Clase, Bryan Shaw, Blake Parker, Sam Hentges, Francisco Perez
13 minor-leaguers/injured players: Roberto Pérez, Bobby Bradley, Nolan Jones, Daniel Johnson, Yu Chang, Gabriel Arias, J.C. Mejia, Logan Allen, Alex Young, Scott Moss, Cam Hill, Kyle Nelson, Carlos Vargas
60-day injured list: Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Josh Naylor
• Bieber, Civale and Naylor don’t count against the 40-man roster at the moment, but the IL disappears during the offseason, so they’ll need to rejoin the roster when the season ends (or before then).
• Cleveland holds a $7 million option on Pérez for next season, or a $450,000 buyout; they’ll obviously exercise José Ramírez’s $12 million club option.
• Ramos, Shaw and Parker can become free agents at the end of the season.
• Hedges, Rosario, Wittgren, Bieber, Zimmer and Reyes are eligible for arbitration.
There will be plenty of opportunities to clear out some of the clutter and create space on the 40-man roster for prospects who are Rule 5-eligible, via non-tendering certain arbitration-eligible players, letting free agents depart, or trading or designating for assignment fringe major leaguers or Triple-A players.
Remember, though: A team still needs 26 active major leaguers, so not every eligible or deserving prospect can be protected.
A refresher on when players are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft: Any player who originally signed before his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fifth professional season. Any player who signed after his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fourth professional season. The annual deadline to protect players usually falls in late November, a couple of weeks before the Rule 5 draft (and, this year, shortly before the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire).
Eligible prospects this winter include:
Triple A: Richie Palacios, Oscar Gonzalez, Cody Morris, Robert Broom, Alex Call
• Palacios earned a promotion to Triple A this month after tormenting Double-A pitching, so he’s a safe bet to be added to the 40-man roster this winter.
• Call, acquired from the White Sox for Yonder Alonso, will turn 27 next month.
• Broom had allowed only nine earned runs in 90 innings entering 2021 but has surrendered 16 earned runs in 31 innings this season. Still, you never know if a team might covet a soon-to-be 25-year-old with a funky, sidewinding delivery.
Double A: Bryan Lavastida, Jose Fermin, Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, Steven Kwan, Will Benson, Joey Cantillo, Adam Scott, Konnor Pilkington, Juan Hillman
• Cantillo hasn’t pitched this season because of an injury, but he has sparkling minor-league numbers.
• Benson was left unprotected last year, but no team selected him; he’s having his best season.
• Kwan, who will turn 24 next month, has logged a .341/.407/.558 slash line at Double-A Akron this year.
High A: Aaron Bracho, Jose Tena, George Valera, Quentin Holmes
• Bracho, the 12th-ranked player in the system per The Athletic’s Keith Law and the No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has limped to a .187/.280/.316 slash line this season.
• Holmes hasn’t produced enough at the plate during his career to entice another team.
Low A: Jhonkensy Noel, Alexfri Planez, Johnathan Rodriguez
• Noel’s numbers are absurd — a .386/.415/.689 clip at Low-A Lynchburg — but he turned 20 last month and has a limited track record.
Locks: Rocchio, Freeman, Valera
Safe bets: Palacios, Morris, Pilkington, Lavastida, Cantillo
Tougher calls: Benson, Kwan, Gonzalez, Scott, Tena
Cleveland’s front office — and they certainly aren’t the only organization facing this challenge — must not only evaluate and rank their own players, but also consider how other teams might assess them. Is there a particular type of player a team might think it can stash on its roster all season, as the Indians have done with Stephan (or as the Orioles did in 2017 with former Cleveland farmhand Anthony Santander)? Are there players who teams might deem capable of making a big-league leap in 2022?
“It’s part of the hypothesis,” assistant general manager Carter Hawkins said. “The Rule 5, it’s oftentimes a crapshoot. We never go in there knowing who’s going to be taken. If we did, we would have protected that guy. So, it’s a challenge that we’re trying to tackle this year and thinking about different trends in the Rule 5 draft and how other teams might be looking at our players. Those types of industry information are real factors in that process. But it’s certainly a little bit more art than science sometimes, which is uncomfortable.”
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 09: Bradley Zimmer #4 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run off Justin Wilson #34 of the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at Progressive Field on August 09, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Reds 9-3. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel 1h ago 5
CLEVELAND — There could be a ton of turnover on Cleveland’s roster over the next six months as the club attempts to sort out who belongs and who does not.
As we’ve mentioned throughout the season, the 40-man roster will largely factor into the front office’s thinking this winter as Chris Antonetti and company work to piece together a competent roster for 2022.
The Indians dealt Jordan Luplow and DJ Johnson to the Rays for Peyton Battenfield, who is not eligible for the Rule 5 draft this year. That deadline trade cleared two 40-man roster spots. The Astros coveted Yainer Diaz, and he likely would have gone unprotected this winter, so Cleveland included him in the Phil Maton-Myles Straw trade.
Those sorts of maneuvers happen all the time. The Indians originally acquired Maton from San Diego because the Padres needed to clear a 40-man roster spot. They obtained Christian Arroyo and Hunter Wood from Tampa Bay in a similar manner two years ago. (That trade might come back to haunt them as outfield prospect Ruben Cardenas, whom they sent to the Rays, continues to mash minor-league pitching.)
The 40-man roster crunch is more prevalent than ever before, though, thanks in part to the lack of a minor-league season in 2020. Here’s a breakdown of Cleveland’s situation:
The 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players.
12 major-league position players: Myles Straw, Bradley Zimmer, Harold Ramirez, Oscar Mercado, Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez, José Ramírez, Franmil Reyes, Austin Hedges, Wilson Ramos, Ernie Clement, Owen Miller
14 major-league pitchers: Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, Eli Morgan, Justin Garza, Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak, Nick Sandlin, Nick Wittgren, Emmanuel Clase, Bryan Shaw, Blake Parker, Sam Hentges, Francisco Perez
13 minor-leaguers/injured players: Roberto Pérez, Bobby Bradley, Nolan Jones, Daniel Johnson, Yu Chang, Gabriel Arias, J.C. Mejia, Logan Allen, Alex Young, Scott Moss, Cam Hill, Kyle Nelson, Carlos Vargas
60-day injured list: Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Josh Naylor
• Bieber, Civale and Naylor don’t count against the 40-man roster at the moment, but the IL disappears during the offseason, so they’ll need to rejoin the roster when the season ends (or before then).
• Cleveland holds a $7 million option on Pérez for next season, or a $450,000 buyout; they’ll obviously exercise José Ramírez’s $12 million club option.
• Ramos, Shaw and Parker can become free agents at the end of the season.
• Hedges, Rosario, Wittgren, Bieber, Zimmer and Reyes are eligible for arbitration.
There will be plenty of opportunities to clear out some of the clutter and create space on the 40-man roster for prospects who are Rule 5-eligible, via non-tendering certain arbitration-eligible players, letting free agents depart, or trading or designating for assignment fringe major leaguers or Triple-A players.
Remember, though: A team still needs 26 active major leaguers, so not every eligible or deserving prospect can be protected.
A refresher on when players are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft: Any player who originally signed before his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fifth professional season. Any player who signed after his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fourth professional season. The annual deadline to protect players usually falls in late November, a couple of weeks before the Rule 5 draft (and, this year, shortly before the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire).
Eligible prospects this winter include:
Triple A: Richie Palacios, Oscar Gonzalez, Cody Morris, Robert Broom, Alex Call
• Palacios earned a promotion to Triple A this month after tormenting Double-A pitching, so he’s a safe bet to be added to the 40-man roster this winter.
• Call, acquired from the White Sox for Yonder Alonso, will turn 27 next month.
• Broom had allowed only nine earned runs in 90 innings entering 2021 but has surrendered 16 earned runs in 31 innings this season. Still, you never know if a team might covet a soon-to-be 25-year-old with a funky, sidewinding delivery.
Double A: Bryan Lavastida, Jose Fermin, Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, Steven Kwan, Will Benson, Joey Cantillo, Adam Scott, Konnor Pilkington, Juan Hillman
• Cantillo hasn’t pitched this season because of an injury, but he has sparkling minor-league numbers.
• Benson was left unprotected last year, but no team selected him; he’s having his best season.
• Kwan, who will turn 24 next month, has logged a .341/.407/.558 slash line at Double-A Akron this year.
High A: Aaron Bracho, Jose Tena, George Valera, Quentin Holmes
• Bracho, the 12th-ranked player in the system per The Athletic’s Keith Law and the No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has limped to a .187/.280/.316 slash line this season.
• Holmes hasn’t produced enough at the plate during his career to entice another team.
Low A: Jhonkensy Noel, Alexfri Planez, Johnathan Rodriguez
• Noel’s numbers are absurd — a .386/.415/.689 clip at Low-A Lynchburg — but he turned 20 last month and has a limited track record.
Locks: Rocchio, Freeman, Valera
Safe bets: Palacios, Morris, Pilkington, Lavastida, Cantillo
Tougher calls: Benson, Kwan, Gonzalez, Scott, Tena
Cleveland’s front office — and they certainly aren’t the only organization facing this challenge — must not only evaluate and rank their own players, but also consider how other teams might assess them. Is there a particular type of player a team might think it can stash on its roster all season, as the Indians have done with Stephan (or as the Orioles did in 2017 with former Cleveland farmhand Anthony Santander)? Are there players who teams might deem capable of making a big-league leap in 2022?
“It’s part of the hypothesis,” assistant general manager Carter Hawkins said. “The Rule 5, it’s oftentimes a crapshoot. We never go in there knowing who’s going to be taken. If we did, we would have protected that guy. So, it’s a challenge that we’re trying to tackle this year and thinking about different trends in the Rule 5 draft and how other teams might be looking at our players. Those types of industry information are real factors in that process. But it’s certainly a little bit more art than science sometimes, which is uncomfortable.”
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
814110 on that list id like but that’s impossible including Tena and Kwan
Dont want to lose an OF we can’t afford to So Benson and Gonzalez too?
Dont want to lose an OF we can’t afford to So Benson and Gonzalez too?
Re: Articles
8142AL Pitching Prospects On The Rise
Daniel Espino
As I mentioned on Twitter a few days ago, if I ranked the top-5 pitching prospects strictly on their ceiling, Daniel Espino would be in that five. The 20-year-old right-hander from Panama has been showcasing that lofty upside all season in Low-A and High-A, even if all his stats don't blow you away. Currently, Espino sits with a 4.30 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 11.9% walk rate, and 37.9% strikeout rate. One of those four stats is highly impressive while the other three aren't. But it's not the stats that have Espino moving up my rankings and others as well, it's his filthy arsenal.
https://twitter.com/indiansPro/status/1 ... 99301?s=20
Espino's arsenal has allowed him to miss bats at a high clip all season, especially since moving to High-A where he has a ridiculous 43.2% strikeout rate. He's been clocked in triple-digits many times this season and generally sits in the mid to upper-90s with explosive life through the top of the zone. This is easily a plus fastball and could settle in as 70-grade if Espino's command of it ticks up over time. And as impressive as his fastball is, his secondaries are nearly as impressive. Espino mixes in a sharp mid-80's slider, mid-70's curve, and mid to upper-80's changeup. The slider is definitely a plus offering, and both the curve and changeup flash above-average or better in any given outing.
All Espino needs to do is improve his command and control to develop into a frontline starting pitcher at the highest level. And him being in the Cleveland organization gives me plenty of confidence that his command/control profile will improve over time.
Peyton Battenfield (RHP - CLE)
I may not be quite as high on Peyton Battenfield as my Fantrax Toolshed co-host, Chris Clegg, but Battenfield is certainly a name on the rise to target in dynasty leagues right now. After serving mostly as a reliever through college and in 2019 in the Houston organization, Tampa Bay moved him to the rotation this season. The move has worked magically so far. In 67.1 innings between High-A and Double-A, Battenfield has compiled a 2.09 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 4.3% walk rate, and 36.2% strikeout rate. That 31.9% K-BB% is stellar, regardless of level. It's also one of the main reasons why Battenfield is so intriguing moving forward, especially in the infamous Cleveland pitching factory following a deadline deal. Call me a sucker for an elite K-BB%.
https://twitter.com/indiansPro/status/1 ... 50823?s=20
Battenfield will attack hitters with a four-pitch mix featuring a low to mid-90's fastball, cutter, curveball, and changeup. None of the four project as plus offerings all are average to above-average offerings that are aided by his plus command and control. This is the type of pitcher that Cleveland usually works their magic on. If they can get Battenfield's stuff to tick up a bit as they have with countless pitchers before him, he could crack my top-100 before too long. His lack of prior prospect pedigree and slightly older age (24 tomorrow) will likely keep his dynasty value in check though. And that's a beautiful thing for those of us looking to trade for him.
Logan T. Allen (LHP - CLE)
The younger and better Logan Allen in this system has enjoyed an impressive first professional season. In 72.2 innings between High-A and Double-A, Allen has posted a 2.11 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6.7 BB%, and 31.6 K%. As with Battenfield above, Allen's arsenal doesn't blow anyone away, but his above-average to plus command and control gives him a solid floor to work with in arguably the best organization for pitching development.
That's not to say that Allen doesn't have good stuff. He does feature a plus changeup with plenty of fade and sink along with a curveball and low-90's fastball, both of which are at least 50-grade offerings. I'd even say that his fastball is a 55-grade pitch given his command. The upside isn't substantial here, but he's certainly worth trying to trade for while his price tag is still likely pretty reasonable.
Daniel Espino
As I mentioned on Twitter a few days ago, if I ranked the top-5 pitching prospects strictly on their ceiling, Daniel Espino would be in that five. The 20-year-old right-hander from Panama has been showcasing that lofty upside all season in Low-A and High-A, even if all his stats don't blow you away. Currently, Espino sits with a 4.30 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 11.9% walk rate, and 37.9% strikeout rate. One of those four stats is highly impressive while the other three aren't. But it's not the stats that have Espino moving up my rankings and others as well, it's his filthy arsenal.
https://twitter.com/indiansPro/status/1 ... 99301?s=20
Espino's arsenal has allowed him to miss bats at a high clip all season, especially since moving to High-A where he has a ridiculous 43.2% strikeout rate. He's been clocked in triple-digits many times this season and generally sits in the mid to upper-90s with explosive life through the top of the zone. This is easily a plus fastball and could settle in as 70-grade if Espino's command of it ticks up over time. And as impressive as his fastball is, his secondaries are nearly as impressive. Espino mixes in a sharp mid-80's slider, mid-70's curve, and mid to upper-80's changeup. The slider is definitely a plus offering, and both the curve and changeup flash above-average or better in any given outing.
All Espino needs to do is improve his command and control to develop into a frontline starting pitcher at the highest level. And him being in the Cleveland organization gives me plenty of confidence that his command/control profile will improve over time.
Peyton Battenfield (RHP - CLE)
I may not be quite as high on Peyton Battenfield as my Fantrax Toolshed co-host, Chris Clegg, but Battenfield is certainly a name on the rise to target in dynasty leagues right now. After serving mostly as a reliever through college and in 2019 in the Houston organization, Tampa Bay moved him to the rotation this season. The move has worked magically so far. In 67.1 innings between High-A and Double-A, Battenfield has compiled a 2.09 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 4.3% walk rate, and 36.2% strikeout rate. That 31.9% K-BB% is stellar, regardless of level. It's also one of the main reasons why Battenfield is so intriguing moving forward, especially in the infamous Cleveland pitching factory following a deadline deal. Call me a sucker for an elite K-BB%.
https://twitter.com/indiansPro/status/1 ... 50823?s=20
Battenfield will attack hitters with a four-pitch mix featuring a low to mid-90's fastball, cutter, curveball, and changeup. None of the four project as plus offerings all are average to above-average offerings that are aided by his plus command and control. This is the type of pitcher that Cleveland usually works their magic on. If they can get Battenfield's stuff to tick up a bit as they have with countless pitchers before him, he could crack my top-100 before too long. His lack of prior prospect pedigree and slightly older age (24 tomorrow) will likely keep his dynasty value in check though. And that's a beautiful thing for those of us looking to trade for him.
Logan T. Allen (LHP - CLE)
The younger and better Logan Allen in this system has enjoyed an impressive first professional season. In 72.2 innings between High-A and Double-A, Allen has posted a 2.11 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6.7 BB%, and 31.6 K%. As with Battenfield above, Allen's arsenal doesn't blow anyone away, but his above-average to plus command and control gives him a solid floor to work with in arguably the best organization for pitching development.
That's not to say that Allen doesn't have good stuff. He does feature a plus changeup with plenty of fade and sink along with a curveball and low-90's fastball, both of which are at least 50-grade offerings. I'd even say that his fastball is a 55-grade pitch given his command. The upside isn't substantial here, but he's certainly worth trying to trade for while his price tag is still likely pretty reasonable.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
8143‘My stuff plays’: Inside the mind of Triston McKenzie, who finally feels he belongs in the bigs with Cleveland
Zack Meisel 47m ago 2
CLEVELAND — Triston McKenzie heard a familiar voice after he finished his spot start in Detroit in late May.
Flaco, you’re done pitching? Thank God. I don’t want to face you anymore.
That was Miguel Cabrera’s message after McKenzie logged five scoreless innings against the Tigers. Cabrera recorded a pair of flyouts against the Cleveland rookie.
“That guy’s a veteran,” McKenzie told The Athletic this week. “That guy’s a Hall of Famer. That gives me confidence in myself and lets me know I’m not out there as a man on an island.
“My stuff plays.”
Cabrera was McKenzie’s first major-league strikeout victim, the adrenaline-fueled culmination of the first inning of the right-hander’s debut last August in an empty Progressive Field. That night, McKenzie described Cabrera as “a living legend.” He couldn’t wait to dash home, flip on MLB The Show and attempt to replicate besting the imposing slugger in a virtual setting.
During his monthlong cameo in the big leagues last season, McKenzie flashed moments of brilliance. This year, however, has been more turbulent. He has bounced between Triple A and the majors. He has made early exits. He has lost sight of the strike zone.
He is also not yet a year removed from his major-league debut. So as McKenzie works to rectify what has plagued him this season, there’s one key he’s unearthed in recent weeks, with the help of some star players in the opposing dugout: He believes in himself.
“All my struggles this year have been internal,” said McKenzie, 24. “There was nothing that showed I wasn’t ready to perform at this level. There was nobody on the other team who was absolutely dominating me to the point where I felt, like, ‘I can’t get that guy out.’ I had to go out there and see that, ‘OK, your stuff isn’t necessarily bad, you’re just not helping your case.’”
His final encounter in his start last week in Toronto reflects that discovery and demonstrates his progress. McKenzie entered the seventh inning at 80 pitches; he knew it would be his final frame, and when he breezed through the first two hitters, he knew Santiago Espinal was the only hurdle standing between him and a productive outing.
By that point in the evening, McKenzie and catcher Austin Hedges had unlocked what was working. Blue Jays hitters were consistently late on McKenzie’s fastball, leading to a bevy of foul balls and weak contact. He mixed in a nearly even split of sliders and curveballs. Facing Toronto’s fearsome order for a third time, the tandem had altered McKenzie’s sequencing and pitch selection to keep hitters off-balance.
McKenzie missed low with a first-pitch curveball to Espinal. Then he induced a swing-and-miss on a 1-0 slider.
“Earlier in the game,” McKenzie said, “we attacked him heavily with fastballs.”
In his first two trips to the plate, Espinal saw seven pitches. Six were fastballs.
“I showed my curveball more early in the game,” McKenzie said, “and then once we got into the fifth, sixth, seventh inning … that’s when we started trying to incorporate (the slider), either in hitter’s counts or use it in spots that we didn’t use it early in the game.”
McKenzie tossed a 1-1 curveball up in the zone. He missed his intended location, but still surprised Espinal with the offering to secure a called strike.
Could he have thrown that pitch with conviction, say, two months ago?
“No,” McKenzie said. “It’s development, the catchers understanding where I am in my development, just being able to attack guys no matter the count and not feeling like, ‘Oh, he’s 2-0, he’s been falling behind, let’s just stick with what I know he can throw, which is the heater.’ And if it’s not a strike, they can take their walk.
“In the Chicago game (on July 31), I gave up the grand slam to (Seby Zavala). He’s just like, ‘He’s not throwing strikes. But not only is he not doing that, he’s only throwing me fastballs.’
(McKenzie missed with two fastballs before Zavala socked a third heater into the seats.)
“So when it is in the zone, they’re only sitting on one speed. I feel like we’re at the point now where, even if it’s not necessarily the very best pitch — the very best curveball or slider — it’s making hitters think, ‘Oh, that’s not a fastball.’”
Triston McKenzie has made 16 starts in the majors this season and five starts at Triple A. (Kevin Sousa / USA Today)
As McKenzie sat on the dugout bench Monday afternoon, he peered toward the visitors dugout where some Reds players milled around before pregame activities. All season, McKenzie’s mantra has been to attack hitters, to be more aggressive in the strike zone. But to achieve that, he needed to trust that he could conquer those same, seasoned big-leaguers he’d watched as a high schooler in south Florida.
“Coming up, being a rookie, being a young guy,” he said, “and looking across the field and seeing — ‘Oh, that’s Joey Votto.’ ‘Oh, that’s Jesse Winker.’ ‘Oh, that’s Nick Castellanos.’ All right, I’m going to try to paint a fastball away, and I miss and it’s 1-0 and it’s like, ‘I don’t want to just throw Castellanos a fastball down the middle just because.’ Yeah, it’s ‘attack guys,’ but these are big-league hitters. You try to put yourself in this small window or small bubble to be perfect and that’s not realistic.”
And that’s why the 1-0 slider and the 1-1 curveball, 80-some pitches into his recent outing against the Blue Jays, reflect McKenzie’s growth. This is still a process, he’s quick to stress. He’s far from a finished product. But he’s certainly more in command. He’s dictating more of the action.
“It’s just trusting myself, trusting the calls that Hedges or (Roberto) Pérez put down,” McKenzie said, “and understanding that, regardless of if they hit it or not, my stuff plays at this level. If they hit it, that’s because they’re good hitters.”
McKenzie threw Espinal a 1-2 fastball, located at the upper corner of the zone on the outside part of the plate at 93 mph. Espinal fouled it back.
“I felt like they weren’t on my heater the whole game,” McKenzie said. “Even that shows it. It was up-and-away which, for him, is a decently easy pitch to get his bat to. So, we went heater up again.”
McKenzie delivered another 1-2 fastball, this one slightly higher, a tick above the zone and a tick faster at 94 mph. It marked his 90th and final pitch of the game and it prompted another swing-and-miss to cap another encouraging performance.
“I knew we could go back to that same spot and we could get a strikeout,” McKenzie said. “At that point, it was putting a stamp on what the outing was.”
After authoring a seven-inning masterpiece against the Royals last month in his first major-league start in four weeks, McKenzie walked past Kansas City’s players as they boarded their bus near a parking lot behind the ballpark.
McKenzie had limited the Royals to one hit and one walk. Salvador Perez, a few days before participating in the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, looked at McKenzie and said: “You’re fucking nasty, bro.”
“It meant the world to me,” McKenzie said, “to know, that’s a perennial All-Star catcher, and he’s saying, ‘I respect you as a pitcher.’”
Zack Meisel 47m ago 2
CLEVELAND — Triston McKenzie heard a familiar voice after he finished his spot start in Detroit in late May.
Flaco, you’re done pitching? Thank God. I don’t want to face you anymore.
That was Miguel Cabrera’s message after McKenzie logged five scoreless innings against the Tigers. Cabrera recorded a pair of flyouts against the Cleveland rookie.
“That guy’s a veteran,” McKenzie told The Athletic this week. “That guy’s a Hall of Famer. That gives me confidence in myself and lets me know I’m not out there as a man on an island.
“My stuff plays.”
Cabrera was McKenzie’s first major-league strikeout victim, the adrenaline-fueled culmination of the first inning of the right-hander’s debut last August in an empty Progressive Field. That night, McKenzie described Cabrera as “a living legend.” He couldn’t wait to dash home, flip on MLB The Show and attempt to replicate besting the imposing slugger in a virtual setting.
During his monthlong cameo in the big leagues last season, McKenzie flashed moments of brilliance. This year, however, has been more turbulent. He has bounced between Triple A and the majors. He has made early exits. He has lost sight of the strike zone.
He is also not yet a year removed from his major-league debut. So as McKenzie works to rectify what has plagued him this season, there’s one key he’s unearthed in recent weeks, with the help of some star players in the opposing dugout: He believes in himself.
“All my struggles this year have been internal,” said McKenzie, 24. “There was nothing that showed I wasn’t ready to perform at this level. There was nobody on the other team who was absolutely dominating me to the point where I felt, like, ‘I can’t get that guy out.’ I had to go out there and see that, ‘OK, your stuff isn’t necessarily bad, you’re just not helping your case.’”
His final encounter in his start last week in Toronto reflects that discovery and demonstrates his progress. McKenzie entered the seventh inning at 80 pitches; he knew it would be his final frame, and when he breezed through the first two hitters, he knew Santiago Espinal was the only hurdle standing between him and a productive outing.
By that point in the evening, McKenzie and catcher Austin Hedges had unlocked what was working. Blue Jays hitters were consistently late on McKenzie’s fastball, leading to a bevy of foul balls and weak contact. He mixed in a nearly even split of sliders and curveballs. Facing Toronto’s fearsome order for a third time, the tandem had altered McKenzie’s sequencing and pitch selection to keep hitters off-balance.
McKenzie missed low with a first-pitch curveball to Espinal. Then he induced a swing-and-miss on a 1-0 slider.
“Earlier in the game,” McKenzie said, “we attacked him heavily with fastballs.”
In his first two trips to the plate, Espinal saw seven pitches. Six were fastballs.
“I showed my curveball more early in the game,” McKenzie said, “and then once we got into the fifth, sixth, seventh inning … that’s when we started trying to incorporate (the slider), either in hitter’s counts or use it in spots that we didn’t use it early in the game.”
McKenzie tossed a 1-1 curveball up in the zone. He missed his intended location, but still surprised Espinal with the offering to secure a called strike.
Could he have thrown that pitch with conviction, say, two months ago?
“No,” McKenzie said. “It’s development, the catchers understanding where I am in my development, just being able to attack guys no matter the count and not feeling like, ‘Oh, he’s 2-0, he’s been falling behind, let’s just stick with what I know he can throw, which is the heater.’ And if it’s not a strike, they can take their walk.
“In the Chicago game (on July 31), I gave up the grand slam to (Seby Zavala). He’s just like, ‘He’s not throwing strikes. But not only is he not doing that, he’s only throwing me fastballs.’
(McKenzie missed with two fastballs before Zavala socked a third heater into the seats.)
“So when it is in the zone, they’re only sitting on one speed. I feel like we’re at the point now where, even if it’s not necessarily the very best pitch — the very best curveball or slider — it’s making hitters think, ‘Oh, that’s not a fastball.’”
Triston McKenzie has made 16 starts in the majors this season and five starts at Triple A. (Kevin Sousa / USA Today)
As McKenzie sat on the dugout bench Monday afternoon, he peered toward the visitors dugout where some Reds players milled around before pregame activities. All season, McKenzie’s mantra has been to attack hitters, to be more aggressive in the strike zone. But to achieve that, he needed to trust that he could conquer those same, seasoned big-leaguers he’d watched as a high schooler in south Florida.
“Coming up, being a rookie, being a young guy,” he said, “and looking across the field and seeing — ‘Oh, that’s Joey Votto.’ ‘Oh, that’s Jesse Winker.’ ‘Oh, that’s Nick Castellanos.’ All right, I’m going to try to paint a fastball away, and I miss and it’s 1-0 and it’s like, ‘I don’t want to just throw Castellanos a fastball down the middle just because.’ Yeah, it’s ‘attack guys,’ but these are big-league hitters. You try to put yourself in this small window or small bubble to be perfect and that’s not realistic.”
And that’s why the 1-0 slider and the 1-1 curveball, 80-some pitches into his recent outing against the Blue Jays, reflect McKenzie’s growth. This is still a process, he’s quick to stress. He’s far from a finished product. But he’s certainly more in command. He’s dictating more of the action.
“It’s just trusting myself, trusting the calls that Hedges or (Roberto) Pérez put down,” McKenzie said, “and understanding that, regardless of if they hit it or not, my stuff plays at this level. If they hit it, that’s because they’re good hitters.”
McKenzie threw Espinal a 1-2 fastball, located at the upper corner of the zone on the outside part of the plate at 93 mph. Espinal fouled it back.
“I felt like they weren’t on my heater the whole game,” McKenzie said. “Even that shows it. It was up-and-away which, for him, is a decently easy pitch to get his bat to. So, we went heater up again.”
McKenzie delivered another 1-2 fastball, this one slightly higher, a tick above the zone and a tick faster at 94 mph. It marked his 90th and final pitch of the game and it prompted another swing-and-miss to cap another encouraging performance.
“I knew we could go back to that same spot and we could get a strikeout,” McKenzie said. “At that point, it was putting a stamp on what the outing was.”
After authoring a seven-inning masterpiece against the Royals last month in his first major-league start in four weeks, McKenzie walked past Kansas City’s players as they boarded their bus near a parking lot behind the ballpark.
McKenzie had limited the Royals to one hit and one walk. Salvador Perez, a few days before participating in the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, looked at McKenzie and said: “You’re fucking nasty, bro.”
“It meant the world to me,” McKenzie said, “to know, that’s a perennial All-Star catcher, and he’s saying, ‘I respect you as a pitcher.’”
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
8144The Cleveland Indians should shutdown Shane Bieber for the rest of the season
by Kyle Edmond16 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7
Cleveland Indians, Shane Bieber
With playoff hopes diminishing, the Cleveland Indians should shutdown Shane Bieber for the rest of the 2021 season.
With the loss to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night (Aug. 10) in extra innings, the Cleveland Indians fell to 55-56 on the season and are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. While Cleveland’s schedule is easier the rest of the season than it has been the last two months, the club is now 10.5 games back in the AL Central and eight back in the Wild Card. With postseason hopes flickering, it might be time to make some big decisions.
As it currently stands, the Tribe have five players on the injured list. Bobby Bradley was just recently added, joining Roberto Perez on the 10-day injured list. Aaron Civale is on the 60-day list and is working his way back, throwing a 30-pitch bullpen on Aug. 7. Josh Naylor is out for the year after his injury, leaving just Shane Bieber to talk about.
Bieber’s road back to the starting rotation hasn’t been the smoothest. He was initially placed on the 10-day list back on June 14 before being moved to the 60-day on July 25. The whole time, the team has kept his “expected return” date on the website as TBD, leaving the door open for really anything.
Well, he recently took another pause in his progress, being shutdown for a few days after playing catch. He’s sense returned and stretched out his throwing to 100 feet on Aug. 7 and the team is hoping to have him on a mound soon. However, we’re getting to a point in the season where we have to start asking if it’s worth it.
The Cleveland Indians have just 51 games left on the schedule for the 2021 regular season. While there are definitely some series that could be sweeps for the Tribe, the window to make a playoff push is closing. The window for Bieber to return in time to impact that is even more narrow.
At this point in his progression, Bieber still has a lot of steps to go. He hasn’t even thrown off a mound yet, so that’s step one. Then there’s throwing a few bullpen sessions to get his pitch count up followed by at least one simulated game. Figure that takes around two weeks, which puts us with just over a month left in the season and he still needs a couple rehab starts.
The good news is that the Triple-A regular season will end at the same time as the MLB schedule this year, on Oct. 3, so that could be on the table for a rehab assignment. However, is it really worth it to put Bieber on a rehab assignment to get only a few starts from him at the end of the season at best?
Bieber has had a tough road to this point as it is, so why would a team that really doesn’t have postseason hopes try and push the envelope? Now, it should be clarified by what I mean when I say shutdown. This wouldn’t have to be a full-on, not throwing shutdown. But keeping him on the injured list and just working on getting 100% healthy might be the better option.
With that being said, if between now and the time he could be ready for a rehab assignment the Cleveland Indians go on a run and are within striking distance, think five games back in the Wild Card, then the team can reconsider. What we’re saying is that right now the focus shouldn’t be on Bieber pitching this season, but making sure he is 100% his Cy Young form come Opening Day 2022.
The club showed their cards at the trade deadline when they moved so many pieces that most likely weren’t going to return for 2022. This team is looking to the future right now. If there’s some success in the here and now, that’s really just a plus at this point in the season. Building for the future is the most important thing.
Using that mentality, keeping Bieber on the injured list for the rest of the season makes the most sense. It allows him to ensure he’s back next year at full capacity, but it also allows the team to continue to evaluate the other options. Civale is close enough to bring him back this year, meaning that three spots in the rotation will be occupied by prospects vying for the final two spots in the 2022 rotation.
We’ve talked about the potential of Cal Quantrill and he isn’t the only one showing flashes. Both Triston McKenzie and Eli Morgan have shown flashes that the team can continue to monitor through the rest of the season.
While it would be great to see Bieber back in action again this season, it just doesn’t make sense for what the club is trying to do. The focus is on 2022 and if the postseason is out of reach, which it already is close to being, then the best move with Bieber is to keep him on the injured list until Spring Training.
by Kyle Edmond16 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7
Cleveland Indians, Shane Bieber
With playoff hopes diminishing, the Cleveland Indians should shutdown Shane Bieber for the rest of the 2021 season.
With the loss to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night (Aug. 10) in extra innings, the Cleveland Indians fell to 55-56 on the season and are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. While Cleveland’s schedule is easier the rest of the season than it has been the last two months, the club is now 10.5 games back in the AL Central and eight back in the Wild Card. With postseason hopes flickering, it might be time to make some big decisions.
As it currently stands, the Tribe have five players on the injured list. Bobby Bradley was just recently added, joining Roberto Perez on the 10-day injured list. Aaron Civale is on the 60-day list and is working his way back, throwing a 30-pitch bullpen on Aug. 7. Josh Naylor is out for the year after his injury, leaving just Shane Bieber to talk about.
Bieber’s road back to the starting rotation hasn’t been the smoothest. He was initially placed on the 10-day list back on June 14 before being moved to the 60-day on July 25. The whole time, the team has kept his “expected return” date on the website as TBD, leaving the door open for really anything.
Well, he recently took another pause in his progress, being shutdown for a few days after playing catch. He’s sense returned and stretched out his throwing to 100 feet on Aug. 7 and the team is hoping to have him on a mound soon. However, we’re getting to a point in the season where we have to start asking if it’s worth it.
The Cleveland Indians have just 51 games left on the schedule for the 2021 regular season. While there are definitely some series that could be sweeps for the Tribe, the window to make a playoff push is closing. The window for Bieber to return in time to impact that is even more narrow.
At this point in his progression, Bieber still has a lot of steps to go. He hasn’t even thrown off a mound yet, so that’s step one. Then there’s throwing a few bullpen sessions to get his pitch count up followed by at least one simulated game. Figure that takes around two weeks, which puts us with just over a month left in the season and he still needs a couple rehab starts.
The good news is that the Triple-A regular season will end at the same time as the MLB schedule this year, on Oct. 3, so that could be on the table for a rehab assignment. However, is it really worth it to put Bieber on a rehab assignment to get only a few starts from him at the end of the season at best?
Bieber has had a tough road to this point as it is, so why would a team that really doesn’t have postseason hopes try and push the envelope? Now, it should be clarified by what I mean when I say shutdown. This wouldn’t have to be a full-on, not throwing shutdown. But keeping him on the injured list and just working on getting 100% healthy might be the better option.
With that being said, if between now and the time he could be ready for a rehab assignment the Cleveland Indians go on a run and are within striking distance, think five games back in the Wild Card, then the team can reconsider. What we’re saying is that right now the focus shouldn’t be on Bieber pitching this season, but making sure he is 100% his Cy Young form come Opening Day 2022.
The club showed their cards at the trade deadline when they moved so many pieces that most likely weren’t going to return for 2022. This team is looking to the future right now. If there’s some success in the here and now, that’s really just a plus at this point in the season. Building for the future is the most important thing.
Using that mentality, keeping Bieber on the injured list for the rest of the season makes the most sense. It allows him to ensure he’s back next year at full capacity, but it also allows the team to continue to evaluate the other options. Civale is close enough to bring him back this year, meaning that three spots in the rotation will be occupied by prospects vying for the final two spots in the 2022 rotation.
We’ve talked about the potential of Cal Quantrill and he isn’t the only one showing flashes. Both Triston McKenzie and Eli Morgan have shown flashes that the team can continue to monitor through the rest of the season.
While it would be great to see Bieber back in action again this season, it just doesn’t make sense for what the club is trying to do. The focus is on 2022 and if the postseason is out of reach, which it already is close to being, then the best move with Bieber is to keep him on the injured list until Spring Training.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
8145I get the logic here but I don't really agree and it's not because of any playoffs.
I still think, and this is done often, that if Bieber makes some starts in September it would go a long way towards his peace of mind and the team's peace of mind if he is able to do that.
There's no test like game action.
I still think, and this is done often, that if Bieber makes some starts in September it would go a long way towards his peace of mind and the team's peace of mind if he is able to do that.
There's no test like game action.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain