I'd add to this in a perfect world they add a stud hitter outfielder. Making Harold Ramirez a 4th outfielder who can also platoon with Zimmer.

But with the rotation for next season pretty set with very young guys there is payroll space.

(Hopefully in the offseason Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber get extensions)

What’s next for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins? Assessing their possible paths back to contention



By Zack Meisel and Dan Hayes Aug 18, 2021 17

MINNEAPOLIS — The AL Central standings are a sad place. It’s like watching one of those pet adoption commercials. Cue the soul-twinging Sarah McLachlan song and scan the records and run differentials of four of the five teams.

Remember when the Royals were the talk of the American League after an April blitz vaulted them atop the division? Well, they’re now in the basement, in lockstep with the Twins, who were finally supposed to break through in October this season.

The Tigers have actually taken steps forward, but they remain below .500, which is good enough to jockey for second place in this dreary land. They battled with Cleveland last weekend for the right to be able to squint really hard just to sort of make out the blurry image of the White Sox, who sit miles ahead in the standings.

It’s Chicago’s division this year, and maybe for the foreseeable future, with their young, talented lineup and group of controllable veteran pitchers.

So where does that leave Cleveland and Minnesota, a pair of clubs caught in limbo, who just squared off at Target Field with rosters that barely resemble the ones from last season or even a few months ago? On the heels of the Twins’ 8-7, extra-inning win over Cleveland on Wednesday, our The Athletic Minnesota and Cleveland beat writers Dan Hayes and Zack Meisel tackled that topic.

To get us started: Dan, just how much of a setback is 2021 for the Twins?

Dan Hayes (Twins beat reporter): Oh boy. This is going to be uplifting, isn’t it? Can’t we just enjoy the summer weather with a cold beer and steaks at Murray’s instead? Fine. Have it your way, Zack. There’s no question this season has been a setback, enough so that the Twins were willing to trade José Berríos at the deadline. You don’t trade away your best starting pitcher with a year of team control left if you think you have a shot in 2022. The Twins did the math. This season has been over since June, and they knew they wouldn’t re-sign Berríos before he became a free agent. Then they made a calculated decision to add a bunch of nearly big-league ready talent at an optimal time. The moves they made at the deadline will likely have them back in contention sooner rather than later. But they’re also going to have to rebuild their rotation starting now. They have some talented options, but that doesn’t happen overnight.

Where does this season leave Cleveland?

Zack Meisel (Cleveland beat reporter): Pretty much where they were when they started the season, just with further confirmation of what we already anticipated. Look, the rotation is in great shape moving forward, with a quintet of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie, and some intriguing depth behind those guys (Eli Morgan, Cody Morris, Logan T. Allen). The lineup, though, is full of unproven or uninspiring (or both) options.

So, for the soon-to-be Guardians, the plausibility of contention in 2022 hinges on how they fill the holes in the batting order this winter. Guys like Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, Yu Chang, Daniel Johnson and Bobby Bradley have another six weeks to convince the front office they’re worthy of a spot. Owen Miller and Andrés Giménez have six weeks to grab pole position for an infield spot heading into spring training.

But there’s a ton of work for the organization during the offseason. They’ll have a steady flow of prospects arriving in the majors next year and the year after — Nolan Jones, Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman, to name a few — but they need some immediate upgrades, especially in the outfield, to boost their 2022 outlook. And they know that.

This team should be better in 2022. They could contend. But just how formidable they will be depends on president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and, of course, owner Paul Dolan.

Hayes: The Twins are in the same boat in that the front office will determine how quickly this turns around. Their position player side is pretty rock solid for a team that added four of its top 10 prospects at the deadline. One of the silver linings to a crappy season is that the Twins have been able to evaluate a bunch of rookies like Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Ryan Jeffers, Bailey Ober, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcála. Larnach was sent down Monday, but he can contribute next season. Kirilloff had wrist surgery last month, but he will contribute next season, too. Jeffers, a catcher, has done a good job learning a new pitching staff and the league while hitting for power. Ober looks like he can be a member of the rotation when the Twins get back to contention. You’re adding those guys to a strong group of veteran holdovers such as Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson, Mitch Garver, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler.

Given how much they considered offers for Buxton and Kepler at the deadline, we shouldn’t be surprised if the Twins continue to shake up their core this winter and try to solve some of their pitching issues.

Meisel: Hey, I know a team that would be a perfect fit for Kepler. He would even get a Tom Hanks-narrated welcome video.

Hayes: The Twins are better off on the position-player side in the upper minors with Austin Martin, Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda all close as well as the previously mentioned group that’s mostly here. They have lots of outfield depth and Buxton will be a free agent after 2022, while Kepler is a great defender with good power on a very team-friendly contract.

There are a lot of young, interesting arms on the verge of the big leagues: Joe Ryan, Drew Strotman, Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic, Josh Winder and Matt Canterino. But the Twins would be best served to bring in more veteran arms to help build out the staff.

Meisel: These seem like a couple of teams in somewhat similar situations and with similar plans to build back up, which makes sense, given Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey’s ties to Cleveland. How they arrived at this point, of course, is quite different.

The Indians were bound to have a year of transition; dealing Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco was the final step in the recalibration process. They have the youngest roster in the league after having one of the oldest a few years ago.

I’ll never understand how they started this season 41-31, but like for the Twins, these last two months of the season are all about development and evaluation. The Twins started the year with much loftier expectations than Cleveland. Could you have imagined, say, during spring training that we would be having this conversation this summer?

Hayes: Not like this, no. This season has been an abject disaster for the Twins. There’s no rhyme or reason to the way things fell apart in April. It was all very odd, and that one month sank them. Kenta Maeda pitching through injury did them no favors given how J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker pitched. Buxton’s injury in May crushed them. Alex Colomé forgot who he was. There was a COVID-19 disaster that destroyed them for two weeks. The season was over by May 15. And then the turnaround came after the deadline. All it took was trading Berríos and Nelson Cruz as well as an injury to Taylor Rogers and the Twins woke up for a bit. As mentioned before, some good has come from it with development. Seeing Nick Gordon show he can be a major leaguer has been nice, and his energy is refreshing. But Twins fans have had to endure a lot of pain to reach this point, and there’s probably more ahead with such a young rotation guiding them the rest of this season.

Meisel: Speaking of pain being inflicted upon a fan base, Cleveland owns the majors’ longest title drought, stretching back to 1948. Who knows when they’ll break that hex? I do think they’re set up well for the near future, though. By 2023, they could have Jones, Arias, Freeman, Bo Naylor, George Valera and Brayan Rocchio all in the position player mix — where all of those middle infielders will play, I have no idea — or traded for proven talent. But the pitching staff could be postseason material as soon as next season, so they can’t let that go to waste, especially as Bieber reaches the arbitration stage of his career and José Ramírez enters his final two seasons of team control.

They have a new team name on the way. They have ballpark renovations coming. They continue to insist their bottom-barrel payroll will increase this winter, possibly with help from a new minority investor. All of those signs point to a more aggressive attempt to contend next season.

But the White Sox aren’t going anywhere. And the Tigers and Royals think they’re not too far off, either.

Hayes: Yep. The division should be pretty interesting the next few years. How quickly the Twins and Indians get their acts together could make it even more so. As for the rest of this season, well, I’m headed to the minor leagues to work on some stories. Enough said.

Cleveland Indians’ catching future, offseason checklist, and a spicy George Valera take: Meisel’s Mailbag



CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 10: Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Ervin Santana #54 of the Kansas City Royals during the sixth inning at Progressive Field on July 10, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.

By Zack Meisel 4h ago 14
Let’s get right to your questions …

(Questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

Cleveland’s catching situation is the problem no one talks about much. Do you see the roster having new catchers next season? — Eric F. … How much time is left on Roberto Pérez’s clock with Cleveland? Obviously, his defense is tough to replicate, but injuries and his plate performance have left a lot to be desired over the past two seasons. — Sam R.

It’s something Pérez has wondered as well. He insists he just needs to be healthy to return to his 2019 production levels, but he can’t seem to escape the injured list. The Indians kept Pérez and Austin Hedges, both defensive-minded catchers, this year for nearly $9 million. Would they do it again next season for about $11 million?

Pérez has a $7 million club option or a $450,000 buyout. Hedges has one more year of arbitration eligibility, in which he’d likely earn about $3.5 million.

Bo Naylor, the club’s top-ranked catching prospect, is likely suited to be an option in 2023. He has slashed just .189/.276/.357 this season. Naylor and Bryan Lavastida are at Double-A Akron. Lavastida has excelled with his bat (.311/.403/.484), and the organization has considered trying him out at first base to increase his versatility.

No matter what the Indians do, if that pairing is the future, they need a stopgap for another season, and they’d benefit from at least one of their catchers proving semi-useful at the plate, not just behind it.

If you could recommend buying one Cleveland minor leaguer’s first Bowman Chrome card, who would you recommend, and why? — Ben G.

Want a bold prediction, a super-spicy, Trinidad Scorpion pepper-level take? George Valera will be the burgeoning face of the franchise in five years. He’s slashing .255/.415/.542 at High A, and he has yet to face a pitcher who is younger than he is. His walk rate (19.4 percent) is elite — Valera has nearly as many walks as strikeouts — especially for a 20-year-old who has a limited track record because of injuries and the pandemic. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about his off-the-field presence, too. He’s bilingual and a clubhouse leader, an impressive kid who should start to garner more widespread attention from prospect evaluators.

How many players away is this team from legitimately competing for the division, the pennant and the World Series? And what positions would likely need to be upgraded? I assume the corner outfielders at a minimum. Thoughts? — Arjun K.

Well, if they can compete for the division, they can compete for everything else, because the White Sox are as equipped to win a title as any team, and they figure to be just as formidable in 2022.

If what we’ve witnessed recently from Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie is the new norm, then the pitching staff should be postseason-caliber next season, provided they avoid another barrage of injuries. They’ll also have some intriguing depth options, starting with Eli Morgan, Logan T. Allen and Cody Morris.

That’s all to say that addressing the lineup is, obviously, the front office’s priority this winter. Myles Straw is the only outfielder who has earned a spot for next season. We can pencil him in at center field, José Ramírez at third base and Franmil Reyes at designated hitter. After that, who knows? Amed Rosario could play somewhere, but it probably shouldn’t be shortstop. Cleveland could keep one of the other outfielders, maybe Bradley Zimmer, in a reserve role. But there are a bunch of lineup spots in need of an upgrade. Is Bobby Bradley the long-term solution at first base? Who will catch? Will any of the infielders — Owen Miller, Andrés Giménez, Ernie Clement, Yu Chang — state a case to start in 2022? Where do Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias fit?

There’s a lot of work for Chris Antonetti and company to complete to construct a capable batting order. And they’ll also need to answer this: Who will be filling out that lineup card each day?

With the 40-man roster crunch, the club’s insistence that the payroll will increase, and its motivation to field a competitive product to coincide with the first season as the Guardians (hello, merchandise sales), you’d think the front office will act aggressively to solve some of those lineup concerns. Add a couple of bats, have a couple more blossom at the right time and this team could pique Cleveland’s interest. There’s a lot to figure out, though.

Who are the top candidates on the roster for future Random Jersey Sightings? — Ruben C.

Why limit it to players when I spotted a navy, mid-aughts Luis Isaac uniform on the main concourse at Target Field this week? A bullpen coach jersey is a new one.

There have been a bunch of guys who swung through Cleveland for only a minute this season, including René Rivera, Ryan Lavarnway, Ben Gamel and D.J. Johnson. And before you interject with, “There’s no way anyone would purchase their jersey,” just know we had a Melvin Upton Jr. sighting earlier this month, and he never even made it to the end of spring training with Cleveland in 2018.

There’s one that would top them all, though: Pablo Sandoval was, technically, a member of the organization for about three hours on July 30, after the Eddie Rosario salary dump. If you happened to secure a Sandoval jersey in that timeframe, I offer you unparalleled kudos.


How many outfielders do you think Cleveland will carry on its 26-man roster next year, and how many of them are already on the team? — Rob L.

Five is typically the magic number. Straw is a lock. After that, um, well, there are no certainties or anything resembling a certainty. This is why Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, Daniel Johnson and Harold Ramirez need as much playing time as possible in the next six weeks. It’s difficult to offer all four sufficient at-bats, though.

It’s probably safe to assume one of those guys will remain on the big-league roster. Maybe another winds up in Triple A to start the year. They won’t all stick. There won’t be enough 40-man roster space. And Zimmer, Mercado and Ramirez will be out of options next season.

If I’m the Indians, Michael Conforto is someone I’m targeting in free agency. What are your thoughts? — David W.

He’s really interesting: a 28-year-old outfielder who hits for power (until this year), walks at a decent clip, doesn’t strike out an exorbitant amount and has experience at all three defensive spots. He fits better in a corner, which makes sense for Cleveland anyway because Straw hauls in every fly ball hit to his zip code.

Will Conforto’s career-worst 2021 hinder his earning potential at all? It’s difficult to project what he’ll fetch in free agency, but it’s still probably more than Cleveland has ever doled out to a player.

This free-agent class is loaded, but it lacks marquee outfielders. Conforto, Charlie Blackmon, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and Starling Marte are the best of the outfield bunch. Among them, Conforto is the only one under the age of 32.

Conforto’s projections for 2022, per FanGraphs’ ZiPS model: .266/.371/.482 slash line, 26 HR, 91 RBIs, 28 doubles, 3.3 WAR

In other words, he’d be as proficient — and, probably, expensive — as any Cleveland outfielder (non-Michael Brantley division) in a long time.

Is it realistic to think the Indians could extend José Ramírez this offseason, then pull off a blockbuster deal centered on Jones and either Arias or Giménez? — Michael J.

They can certainly think along those aggressive lines. They’ll have to move some of these middle infielders at some point. Trade value is fleeting. The key is, they’ll need to correctly predict which young players will flourish. So far, what we’ve seen from Miller and Giménez has been rather uninspiring. It hasn’t been a huge sample, but there are also others (Arias, Tyler Freeman) who will soon push for opportunities.

As far as a Ramírez extension — we’ll cover this in more detail in the near future — the front office will likely hold conversations with him, Shane Bieber and maybe even Reyes in the spring. With some extra financial wiggle room, perhaps they’ll strike a deal or two. It’s always difficult to handicap this, because players’ preferences evolve, and it’s tough to know whether the two sides can find middle ground.

I was surprised the team and Bieber never made much progress last spring. He’ll be eligible for arbitration this offseason. He’s three years from free agency.

Ramírez is a tricky case since this would be his second extension, and perhaps his final big chance to cash in on all of his production over the years. If Cleveland winds up keeping him beyond 2023, his last year of team control, it would certainly make some infield prospects expendable.

If the Indians have a fully healthy rotation in 2022, they’d have Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, McKenzie, and Quantrill as the presumed starters. What would they do with Eli Morgan? Would he go to the bullpen, or down to Triple A? — Ben G.

As was reinforced this season, depth is critical. There’s almost always room for a sixth and seventh (and sometimes eighth and ninth) starter to rack up a bunch of big-league innings. Morgan could fill that Adam Plutko-type role, dashing to Cleveland from Triple-A Columbus whenever necessary. Aside from a clunker against Oakland last week, Morgan has fared pretty well for the past two months.

“Eli’s pitching really well,” Quantrill said. “His numbers, I don’t think, are doing justice to the level of competition he’s playing at.”

Beyond Morgan, the team will have to determine how or if Logan S. Allen, Scott Moss, J.C. Mejia and Sam Hentges fit into the 2022 picture. Morris, Logan T. Allen, Konnor Pilkington and Peyton Battenfield could also enter the mix at some point during the year. The elder Allen, Mejia and Hentges will be out of minor-league options in 2022.

Tell us more about Cody Morris. — David W.

Morris’ stock is rapidly rising. The front office is quite intrigued by the 24-year-old, who had 21 appearances in A-ball prior to this season. A lat strain delayed his 2021 debut, but in eight starts (seven at Akron or Columbus), he has posted a 1.11 ERA, with 11 walks and 54 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. He has limited opponents to a .476 OPS and his fastball has averaged 95.5 mph.

He has been on a limited pitch count, hence the low innings total. The Indians will have to add Morris to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft in December. He’s a safe bet to pitch for the club in some capacity in 2022.

Are the Indians going to cave to PETA and put a veggie dog in the hot dog races? — Stacey Y.

The three competitors are all named after condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Onion), so how does a veggie dog even factor into this equation? Just pretend each intern-filled costume is made of soybeans instead of beef trimmings.

(Photo of Roberto Pérez: Ron Schwane / Getty Images)

Triston McKenzie’s resurgence, Cleveland’s dangerous duo and Franmil Reyes’ GPS: Meisel’s Musings



CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 21: Starting pitcher Triston McKenzie #24 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field on August 21, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

By Zack Meisel Aug 22, 2021 12

CLEVELAND — As Triston McKenzie walked off the mound one batter into the eighth inning on Saturday, he rotated his head like an owl, left to right and then left again.

Those who composed the largest crowd of the season in Cleveland offered the rookie hurler a standing ovation. Two months ago, McKenzie pitched in front of a crowd free from pandemic-related capacity restrictions. He said he was overwhelmed and the Mariners chased him from the game in the first inning.

On Saturday, more than 31,000 packed into Progressive Field and witnessed another McKenzie gem. So as he retreated to the dugout after a leadoff walk in the eighth, the 24-year-old who authored a sterling debut in an empty ballpark last summer basked in the long-awaited moment.

“How often do you get a standing O?” he said. “It’s kind of a euphoric feeling that people are, like, physically there, recognizing it.”

Over his last two outings, McKenzie has limited the opposition to one run on three hits and one walk across 15 innings. He returned to the Indians rotation in July after that mid-June debacle triggered a monthlong stay in Triple A. Since, he has made eight starts. Six have been stellar, highlighted by the last two, which included a near-perfect game in Detroit and a complete stymying of transcendent talent Shohei Ohtani in Cleveland.

McKenzie vs. Ohtani on Saturday:

First inning: strikeout swinging (curveball)
Third inning: strikeout swinging (curveball)
Sixth inning: strikeout swinging (curveball)

“I kind of felt bad for him,” McKenzie said, “just because I don’t think I threw any nasty pitches like that to anybody else.”


Angels hitters offered at 19 of McKenzie’s secondary pitches. They swung and missed on 12 of those swings. Another five of his curveballs and sliders resulted in called strikes. In all, he threw 68 of his 95 pitches for strikes.

It’s been a simple formula for McKenzie: Work ahead in the count and force the opposition to guard against any of three pitches, all of which he’s finally throwing with conviction following a 10-start stretch marred by walks and nibbling around the strike zone and clobbered fastballs.

“I tried to get all my walks out early (this season),” he joked.

McKenzie has issued only two walks in his last four starts, spanning 28 innings. He has now held the opposition to a .178 batting average this year. Three of his four longest outings of the season have come in August.

That sort of ascent is worthy of a standing ovation, even if McKenzie opted not to tip his cap to the appreciative fans.

“If my hat fell off, my hair was going to look bad and they probably would have all laughed at me,” McKenzie said.

Related: McKenzie takes us inside his midsummer turnaround

Quote to note
“I said, ‘VanBo, can you get me a GPS?’ He goes, ‘What do you need a GPS for?’ I said, ‘I’m lost at the plate, bro.’” — Franmil Reyes, on his plea to hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo after his recent offensive woes

Final thoughts
1. Myles Straw broke for second base as Reid Detmers delivered a pitch in the bottom of the third inning on Saturday afternoon. Amed Rosario smacked the slider to the right side of the infield where, normally, David Fletcher would have been in position to corral the bouncing baseball and initiate a double play.

Fletcher, however, had rushed toward the bag to cover Straw’s stolen-base attempt. He tried to halt his momentum and snag the baseball, but it skipped into right-center field. Straw, who had singled to start the inning, scampered to third base. Rosario reached first safely.

Straw and Rosario have sparked much of the offense Cleveland’s lineup has delivered this month. In a world filled with walks, strikeouts and home runs, the pairing is a bit of a throwback to an age of contact and speed and making fielders uncomfortable.

In a way, José Ramírez made their mad dashes moot when he socked a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers in the ensuing at-bat. But that’s sort of the point: The two speedsters have served as the club’s catalysts the last three weeks, since Straw joined the Indians in a trade with Houston.

Straw’s slash line the last three weeks: .318/.387/.447
Rosario’s slash line the last three weeks: .386/.411/.614

“They do set a tone,” acting manager DeMarlo Hale said.

Straw ranks in the 97th percentile in whiff percentage and the 96th percentile in chase rate, so he’s a safe bet to either put the ball in play or at least irritate the opposing pitcher.

“It’s very helpful to have somebody with a lot of contact like he does,” Rosario said. “Most of my base hits or doubles turn out to be an RBI.”

Straw also ranks in the 96th percentile in sprint speed. Rosario ranks in the 98th percentile in sprint speed. Straw, Rosario and Ramírez have combined for 48 stolen bases this season.

2. Reyes snapped a 1-for-32 skid with a solo home run on Wednesday. He hit another on Friday, when he tied a career high with five RBIs.

“He’s deadly when he gets hot,” Sam Hentges said.

Reyes recently watched video of his batting stance with assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez. They noticed his hands were out of place and his footwork was “out of balance.” It all added up to imperfect timing, causing his bat to arrive late to its contact point with the ball. Reyes said he reached a stage early in the week in which he felt nervous stepping into the batter’s box, because he felt he had made the necessary tweaks to his approach, but he wasn’t reaping the rewards.

“Every time I hit it,” he said, “it was like a groundball to third base, getting jammed (on) groundballs to the pitcher. … I’d swing and miss and look to the dugout and see all my teammates cheering for me (and) it was kind of embarrassing. It’s hard to explain, because obviously you can’t feel like that. When everybody looks at you like the big boy and you’re there just hitting groundballs to the pitcher and to third base with ugly swings, it was tough. But now I feel really powerful, stronger. Now, if you throw those pitches in the middle, I feel great.”

3. CC Sabathia visited Cleveland this weekend for a series of events, including the dedication of a field at Luke Easter Park in his name. Sabathia slugged a pair of homers during his tenure with the Indians — one in Cincinnati, one at Dodger Stadium — and his affinity for hitting, he said, gives him a greater appreciation for what Ohtani has accomplished this season.

“We watch the Little League World Series right now,” Sabathia said, “where the best guy on the team is the pitcher, he hits all the home runs, he’s the best player. Ohtani’s literally playing the Little League World Series in the big leagues.”

4. Sabathia, on the 2007 Indians, who stumbled against the Red Sox in the ALCS after building a 3-1 series lead: “I think in 2007 we were the best team in the league, and I always say if I pitched the way I was supposed to, we win the World Series.”

Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award that season as he registered a 3.21 ERA across a league-leading 241 innings. In his two postseason starts against Boston, however, he surrendered 12 runs on 17 hits and seven walks in 10 1/3 innings. Cleveland lost both games.

The next season, the Indians traded Sabathia to the Brewers for a package that included a player to be named later, which turned out to be Michael Brantley. Sabathia said a couple weeks before he was dealt, he was at dinner with Cliff Lee.

“I was like, ‘Dude, you know I’m out of here, probably, in a couple weeks. You have to win the Cy Young. You have to keep going.’”

Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA that season to capture Cleveland’s second consecutive AL Cy Young Award.

Fun and games: A day at the Little League World Series with the Cleveland Indians


By Zack Meisel Aug 22, 2021 14

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — In the shadow of a Casey at the Bat statue standing beside the scoreboard at Howard J. Lamade Stadium resides a grassy hill.

The top of the hill offers a bird’s-eye view of the Little League game unfolding below, but the hill hosts another activity, which explains the array of cardboard littered across the terrain. It’s a mecca for the second-most popular pastime in Williamsport, the Little League baseball haven: sliding down the hill on a scrap of cardboard.

Franmil Reyes secured a slab barely wide enough to fit his backside.

“Franmil, you don’t want a bigger box?” Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations shouted to the slugger.

“No, Papi,” Reyes replied. “I’m good.”

With a crowd of kids watching, laughing and assuring him there was a better technique, Reyes plopped down on the grass, used his feet to create some momentum and leaned all the way back while gripping the front of the cardboard like the reins on a sled. As he deliberately scooted down the hill, he said, repeatedly, “It hurts. It hurts.”

“Hearing all those kids say, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s Franmil Reyes,’” Reyes said, “it’s something really special for me.”

The Indians flew to Williamsport on Sunday morning for their Little League Classic game that evening against the Angels. They bused over to the Little League complex, arriving at 11:30 a.m. as kids, parents and camera operators lined the entrance. José Ramírez directed the team to the ballpark in what he, Reyes and Amed Rosario dubbed the “Home Run Car,” a baseball-shaped golf cart equipped with a Little League cap cover that looked like it was straight out of Mario Kart, a game Ramírez knows better than anyone.

The team, dressed in its navy jersey tops, split into groups. Some players joined Little Leaguers in the stands to take in a few innings of the Hawaii-Nebraska tilt. Others joined the New Jersey- and Ohio-based teams in an area a short walk from the field for bouts of pingpong, KanJam, ladder toss, cornhole and Wiffle ball.

Reyes learned he’s better at pingpong than he realized. He also defeated Rosario in a round of cornhole. After Reyes sank his fourth toss in five attempts, Rosario accused him of cheating.

“What an experience,” Reyes said, after conquering 12-year-olds in pingpong. He also noted that Ramírez, widely considered the top trash talker on Cleveland’s roster, “was talking a lot of stuff” while competing against his teammates and the Little Leaguers.

During a pingpong volley, a New Jersey player asked Ernie Clement what position he plays. Clement answered: “All over the infield. And the outfield, actually. The more positions you can play, the better.”

Throughout the day, big leaguers and Little Leaguers conversed, exchanging tales about their favorite players, their siblings and their non-baseball dream jobs.

Or, as one kid suggested, simply, to Zach Plesac: “Throw hard and hit bombs.”

There was plenty of that on the Wiffle ball field. When Oscar Mercado made a leaping catch at the wall, Reyes and Rosario hollered as if he had prevented a game-tying home run at Progressive Field.

Triston McKenzie batted lefty, his hair sticking out from all sides of his yellow Tennessee hat. His younger brother, T.J., plays for Vanderbilt, and the son of the school’s pitching coach plays for Tennessee’s Little League team.

“Letting them see you be an actual human being,” McKenzie said, “as opposed to the guys they see on the screen, all (goes) into how they view you and how they view growing up as a baseball player is.”

On a play at third, Clement and Myles Straw joined forces to yank a Little Leaguer off third base so they could tag him out.

Reyes and Ramírez urged Mercado to take a few hacks with the plastic bat. When Mercado stepped up to the plate, Rosario crouched behind it in his skinny jeans. After a foul ball, a ball, a swing-and-miss and another close pitch, Rosario rung up a called third strike.

Straw deployed an elaborate, exaggerated windup and sidearm motion to pitch to Clement.

“Look at the movement on that ball,” McKenzie told a few Little Leaguers.

A player from the New Jersey team smacked a one-hopper to third base, where Straw threw across the diamond to Daniel Johnson at first. Reyes’ bellowing voice demanded a decision on the close play. Rosario cupped his hands around his ears, the typical managerial motion for requesting a replay review.

Each Cleveland player sported a hat representing a different Little League team. As a group of Indians players walked toward the famous hill, Reyes passed the team from New Hampshire whose players were wearing matching maroon caps. Reyes lifted his hat in the air as a nod to their team.

“Those kids were the superstars,” Plesac said. “We were just the players coming to see what’s up.”

When they arrived at the hill, Cleveland’s players signed autographs and posed for pictures with kids. Antonetti started the sliding proceedings. First, he consulted a kid for advice on the best approach. He attained a wide piece of cardboard, took a few steps and launched himself down the hill on his chest, with his feet propped together in the air. When he reached the bottom, he flipped over onto his back.


Rosario attempted to follow suit but instead bellyflopped and made minimal progress down the hill until Straw supplied a healthy push. Mercado stood on a small scrap of cardboard, as if he were considering surfing down the hill. “I don’t see this going well,” a kid muttered. Mercado’s actual slide didn’t go well, as he broke his sunglasses.

As McKenzie and Johnson prepared for their turns, Antonetti told them: “If you go tentatively, it’s not going to go well.”

McKenzie made it most of the way down the hill before his momentum ceased. Johnson’s cardboard didn’t follow him down the hill, so he did a log roll for the final third of the trip.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like at that age for me to meet Shohei Ohtani, to meet Mike Trout,” Mckenzie said, “just to meet a big leaguer in general.”

McKenzie actually sought out Ohtani in the Angels dugout on Sunday afternoon. He asked Ohtani if he was going to wind up with 45 or 50 home runs this season. (He entered the game with 40.) Ohtani joked that the final number will be smaller because McKenzie struck him out in all three of their duels on Saturday.


The Angels and Indians line up for the Little League Classic. (Zack Meisel / The Athletic)
The big leaguers can get starstruck, too. About 90 minutes before first pitch Sunday night at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Reyes and McKenzie posed for pictures and chatted with Alex Rodriguez, part of the national broadcast crew for the Little League Classic. Austin Hedges waited in the ballpark stands for several minutes, baseball and Sharpie in hand, as Rodriguez wrapped up another conversation.

When Reyes grew up in Sabana Grande de Palenque in the Dominican Republic, Vladimir Guerrero and Juan Uribe would host softball games that occasionally included other major leaguers. Reyes remembers being about the same age as the Little Leaguers, marveling when David Ortiz joined them.

Said Plesac: “You can see the dreamer in their eyes.”

McKenzie has really grown up this season. From being overwhelmed a couple months by a large crowd to responding positively to an even larger crowd; and from leading the league in walks to going almost walk free in his last 3 starts, we now see why he's been rated as the team's top prospect.

He might have the stuff to be the No. 2 starter in this solid rotation. Although he has 3 other solid competitors to be No. 2 behind the defending Cy Young winner

Makes it easy now to see the logic behind making this season an "audition season".

1. White Sox are BEYOND loaded.
2. We were able to give extended trials to guys like McKenzie and Quantrill. Run them out there and keep running them out there even if they are sucking. Let them work through it. For obvious reasons the leash is far shorter if you are in a race.
3. Same for the hitters such as Zimmer. Extended trials even if they are sucking - something might click as it did with Quantrill and McKenzie.

The Cleveland Indians were not wrong to trade Gio Urshela
by Darren Klein20 hours ago Follow @Grunttalksmlb


The Cleveland Indians were right to let Gio Urshela go, but should they have let Andrew Velazquez go?

It has been well documented that the Cleveland Indians had third baseman Gio Urshela before he grew into the player he currently is with the New York Yankees. In 2017, Urshela was even the starting third baseman in the American League Division Series for Cleveland against the Yankees.

Urshela had just two hits and one RBI in the series, but his defense is the reason why he was on the field. Urshela was always a fantastic defender, and that would be putting it modestly. Since his debut in the Bronx he has improved all facets of his game tremendously.


Letting Urshela go was a no-brainer at the time because Cleveland was set to move their best hitter Jose Ramirez to third base. They were in contention at the time and simply didn’t have the space to occupy Urshela on the roster after the 2017 season.

With Cleveland, Urshela had only seven home runs and 36 RBI in 423 at-bats. It wasn’t just the lack of power, he also had a low on-base percentage of .273. He got picked up via trade by the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations where he played in just 19 games before they gave up on him as well.

Of course, of all teams, it was the New York Yankees that saved his career. Since arriving in New York, Urshela has hit 38 home runs and 145 RBI with an OBP of .344 in over 900 at-bats. It’s an incredible turnaround that hitting coach Marcus Thames deserves a lot of credit for. Today, Urshela is arguably a top 10 third baseman in all of baseball. In hindsight maybe Cleveland wishes they kept Ramirez at second base, especially since they need all the help they can get offensively.


But what about more recent moves that have been more key than Urshela? We fast forward to the latest player they have let get away too soon. Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez. This is an interesting situation considering Velazquez only got 12 at-bats with Cleveland during the 2019 season over five games, but again it looks like the Yankees may have found a diamond out of Cleveland.

The Yankees invited him to Spring Training and he was assigned to Triple-A earlier this season. He was very productive in Triple-A, hitting .283. He was known mainly for his defense, but the bat seemed like it would never come around.

Due to Gleyber Torres getting injured, the Yankees gave the Bronx town kid a call up a few weeks ago. He grew up a Yankees fan and this whole experience has been a dream to him. He helped beat the Red Sox with four RBI, and he hit his first home run against the Twins this weekend. He also made a great play to end the game against the Red Sox. He has been a much-welcomed spark for the Yankees, and now the question is can he becomes Gio 2.0?

With all things considered, the Cleveland Indians still made the right decision letting both of them go because there was no evidence to suggest that they could turn it around offensively. Even in stops after Cleveland, the Tribe’s concerns were verified with struggles for different teams. Somehow, the Yankees just knew how to fix the problem.

Furthermore, the jury is still out on Velazquez and it will be interesting to see what happens as he gets more at-bats. Regardless of how Velazquez and his future with the Yankees plays out, it’s always a joy to watch a player play in his home town. Even if it is New York.

they can't keep everyone; more significant loss is Christian Arroyo who was a better prospect before he came to Cleveland and has a much longer track record since he left.

Not only can't you keep everyone but you aren't always going to make the right decision who to move on from.

The Clint Frazier/Bradley Zimmer choice is STILL not resolved!

In addition to the win some/lose some we get guys like Quantrill (recently) Clevinger, Kluber from other organizations and they turn it around here - meanwhile the San Diego etc fans cry foul.

For awhile it looked like Clint Frazier was finally a Cleveland 1st round OF pick who was going to succeed. Who knows now.
Naquin is finally having a good year after he had to get signed to a minor league contract.
Zimmer is looking servicable if not close to star quality.
Is Frazier having health issues again or just not playing very well?
In the minors Will Benson had a very good month or so in Akron and is now cooled off again.
And Quentin Holmes hit 300+ in May and below 200 since in Lynchburg.

Frazier has suffered vertigo off and on this summer with no known cause - still getting tested last I heard.

that was his health issue last year, or the year before too. Started with a bad concussion.

I forgot to include Lonnie Chisenhall among bad luck 1st round picks. Started in the IF, wound up in the OF. As soon as he starting hitting well he developed debilitating calf injury and retired very young.

Cleveland Indians: The curious case of Amed Rosario and what to do with him in 2022
by Steve DiMatteo29 minutes ago Follow @steve_dimatteo



Cleveland Indians, Amed Rosario
In the midst of an exceptionally hot stretch, Amed Rosario is proving to be a great pickup for the Cleveland Indians – but what will they do with him in 2022?
Amed Rosario is on quite a tear for the Cleveland Indians at the moment, enjoying a 10-game hitting streak while batting an incredible .391/.419/.598 in the month of August with two home runs and 14 RBIs.

But that doesn’t really tell the whole story, because Rosario has been raking for a while now.

Since May 1, Rosario, who was acquired in the Francisco Lindor trade with the New York Mets, has been a .309 hitter, with six home runs, 20 doubles, and 12 stolen bases. On the season, he’s maintaining a 104 wRC+, which is right above league average – not having much power to speak of will do that to you.

But even as Rosario continues to do nothing but hit, there is a good chance he will essentially be a man without a position next season. Defensively, he maintains a -2 Outs Above Average, which puts him 24th among all major-league shortstops. It’s clear Rosario’s defense hinders the Indians’ infield and there are much better defensive options coming up through the system – mainly Gabriel Arias, who will no doubt be in a Guardians uniform come 2022.

And in the outfield, Rosario is out of luck in center, where he actually started the season. With Cleveland’s acquisition of Myles Straw at the trade deadline, the team found its center fielder of the future.


So what are the soon-to-be Guardians going to do with him?


The most likely scenario for Rosario is that he’ll inhabit the vaunted super utility role, in which his bat will always be in the lineup, but it’ll just be a toss-up as to where he plays in the field. Because he doesn’t excel at any one specific position, he might as well just play them all and provide that much-needed versatility.

Interestingly, the advanced stats don’t paint the greatest picture of Rosario from an offensive standpoint, either. According to Statcast’s Baseball Savant, Rosario has a barrel rate in the bottom 5% of the league, along with below-average numbers in xwOBA, average exit velocity, xSLG, and chase rate. And despite hardly ever drawing a walk, Rosario has at least cut down on his strikeouts this season, keeping his rate just under 20%.

Long story short, when Rosario makes contact, he makes it count, even if he’s not blasting much out of the ballpark on a consistent basis.

This season is shaping up to be similar to Rosario’s 2019 year with the Mets, in which he hit .287/.323/.432 with 15 home runs, 72 RBIs, 30 doubles, 19 stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. Without that power and a below-average on-base percentage, he’ll likely settle in nicely as a league-average hitter over the course of his career, which I imagine the Guardians will be happy to have.

However, the other option is that Rosario’s trade value has never – and might never be – higher than it is right now. His name was thrown around in rumors in the offseason when the team figured Andres Gimenez would hold down the shortstop position, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that happen again. Rosario is just 26-years old and arbitration-eligible next year; he doesn’t become a free agent until 2024, so there is that added value of team control if Cleveland opted to consider the trade route.

Ultimately, expect the Guardians to find a way to keep Rosario’s bat in the lineup moving forward. Though he doesn’t necessarily possess many elite hitting stats, Rosario makes excellent contact, hits the ball all over the field, and is capable of going on extended heaters like the one fans are witnessing right now. These are the tools that made him a one-time top prospect in baseball, and they are much tougher to find than one might expect.

Rosario may not be the everyday shortstop moving forward, but he might just end up being able to play multiple infield positions and the entire outfield, which is still a major question mark beyond center.

Rosario is the type of bat that fills out a lineup perfectly, and the Guardians would be foolish to part ways with him next season, unless it was part of a package that brought back someone like, say, a Bryan Reynolds from Pittsburgh.

But that doesn’t seem very likely, either. The reality is that Rosario will probably be in Cleveland next year, a scenario the Guardians will happily accept. And they’ll just have to find a way to get him into the lineup, another scenario they will be more than fine to contend with, especially if Rosario continues to hit at a .300 clip.

Did you guys see the catch Straw made last night?

Rick Manning continues to gush over Straw's defense. Last night he stated that Straw has instincts defensively that "you can't teach".

This is high praise coming from a Gold Glove level fielder like Manning was. In addition Manning watches Straw every single game so this is not from someone who doesn't have evidence.

Straw is a steal and Rosario is turning out to be one too - really a throw in for a guy in Lindor was was long gone - and thankfully! Do we want a contract like his on the books???

This is why I am proud to be a fan of this franchise. Along with Tampa and Oakland this team does creative things to keep this team constantly watchable. And competitive.

No endless 5-6 year rebuilds (Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City and on and on). Remember, even the Chicago White Sox were totally sucky for year after year.

No thank you to that.