I recommend you don't look at the American League team batting stats, they're embarrassing. Only two teams are hitting below 239 as a team, one those is at 229 and the other at a pitiful 213. At least the one with the lowest batting average has scored a few more runs than the runner up in average. The first place team in the AL Central is hitting just about 050 points higher than the team currently in second place and if they had more than one stellar pitcher would have more than a two game lead

Good post - and this is the complete team batting statistical breakdown:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/team/_/st ... /league/al

Of course I do need, in fairness to restate this:

1. Lindor...well looking at his stats with the lack of reps he's had is ridiculous.
2. Jose Ramirez is having a freakishly bad April
3. Carlos Gonzalez....see above with Lindor
4. Kipnis....see above with Lindor
5. The Hanley experiment was a bust
(6. Catcher is a hitting blackhole (I didn't leave that out HB)) - although that likely won't improve much - but I will say that if you look around MLB it is not exactly a golden age of good hitting catchers. Good luck naming some..there is Realmuto and??? Evidently the "metrics revolution" points to defense first and offense distantly, distantly second.

So statistics don't tell the whole story. And until Lindor, CarGo and Kipnis get enough reps to really get a grip on what they will do then the stats aren't really meaningful.

In fact, to spin it positively, their record is quite good considering the disastrous circumstances offensively and that stud pitcher Clevinger only made a couple starts...oh and Kluber has been mediocre at best.

It can't get worse, so might be fun to see how they fare as all this starts to even out.

Yandy Diaz

Yandy Diaz has 7 home runs in just 109 plate appearances for the Rays this season. He had just one homer in 299 MLB plate appearances with the Indians in 2017-2018. When the Rays traded for Diaz many thought they would teach him to lift the ball and that would be an easy explanation… if it was true.

Diaz has a 2.9-degree launch angle this season, while he had a 4.4 mark in 2018.

He does have a career-high 30.1 percent flyball rate, with a 56.2 percent groundball rate. So what explains the power gains? He has a 31.8 percent HR/FB rate. That means that he hits the ball in the air about a third of his at-bats, and so far a third of those fly balls have left the yard. The problem? That is a very high number and tough to sustain.

The only hitter with a HR/FB over 30 percent in 2018 was Christian Yelich (35 percent). Going back to 2010, there have been just six hitters to finish a season with a HR/FB rate over 30 percent. Can Diaz join this group? Yes, but the chances are slim.

While the power has been a huge plus to Diaz’ game, it is still tough to trust the power is for real until we see him begin to lift the ball more. I am not saying to sell Diaz, as I am actually quite high on him, but the power pace seems unsustainable.

Ok, so he does he get the ball in the air with that launch angle? Something doesn't make mathematical sense to me.

But forgetting the math and the launch angles and all that, Yandy is having an all star start to his season and those of you who really like him are looking a lot smarter than me and maybe the Indians front office. Bauers is not a bad-looking player and could develop, too, but we let a good bat get away

He was traded for money.

you mean the $ that went from Tampa to Seattle? So you don't think the Indians actually considered Bauers an even exchange? They said so, but that doesn't mean they meant if.

Trade never happens unless Tampa sends $5M to Seattle.

Anybody know why the DL became the IL?

Corey Kluber has a non-displaced fracture of his right ulna bone.

6:58 PM - 1 May 2019

Dr. Brandon Bowers @blbowers12
1 hour ago
Bad news. Ulna is one of two bones in the forearm, forms the "pointy" portion of elbow. Non displaced indicates ulna is fractured, however, has not shifted. Surgery not usually required in this case, but further evaluation will provide more clarity. Don't expect him back soon.

-

This is total pie in the sky crap, but I wonder if, in the long run, this may not help. He obviously has not been himself since postseason last year. he's pitched a ton of innings in recent years. I wonder if a little time off might not help. But again, probably nonsense. But one can hope.

unfortunately this is going to be a lot more time off than Corey needs to get his pitching act together. Some guy with a similar fracture last May didn't pitch the rest of the season. Jefry Rodrgiuez has now won a full season in the Tribe rotation. And I don't know Hu they have as the 7th starter until Clevinger returns. Cody Anderson has started working to increase his innings but he's topped out at 3 IP so far.

The way he was pitching he wasn’t doing us any good any way. Heal up, rest up, come back better hopefully.

Agree HB - a good note is that we didn't lose someone pitching well. Replacing what he WAS doing shouldn't be hard.



But with Clevinger already out, the Minnesota Twins are really looking at opportunity this season now!

Twins aren’t going anywhere. They have a shot at the division whether we have Kluber or not. Jon Heyman predicted the Twins would win our division before the season started. We’ve gotten off to our customary crap start under Tito which doesn’t help.