Cleveland Sports Forum

Tribe banking on young leaders in Kipnis, Pestano
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 12/28/12 10:00 AM ET
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Bastian on Indians' prospects00:01:21MLB.com Indians reporter Jordan Bastian explains the importance of Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall as well as prospects in the low minors
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CLEVELAND -- They are more than Spring Training roommates, or locker neighbors inside the Indians' clubhouse at Progressive Field. Second baseman Jason Kipnis and setup man Vinnie Pestano are integral players within Cleveland's young core, representing two important pieces of the team's long-term puzzle.

They are friends, a comedy duo at times and two of the most active athletes on social media for their ballclub's home city. The Indians have run with it on the marketing front, putting an image of a gritty Kipnis on the front of their 2013 pocket schedule and promoting both players' planned participation in the upcoming Tribe Fest event in January.

Of course, it helps that Kipnis and Pestano have excelled on the field for the Tribe, and are emerging as young leaders for the ballclub on and off the field.

"There are some position players, some core players," new manager Terry Francona said, "that are obviously exciting."

Kipnis and Pestano are at the forefront of that group. There are others that Cleveland's brass are quick to mention -- Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall and, most recently added to the mix, pitching prospect Trevor Bauer -- but the bond between the young second baseman and reliever, combined with their appeal in Cleveland, is unique.

Within the baseball culture, pitchers have typically stuck with pitchers and position players with position players.

Kipnis and Pestano have shown crossing that line is perfectly acceptable, and fun.

"Sometimes things just come easy with people," Pestano said with a laugh. "We share similar tastes in music and movies, and we're both unafraid to make idiots of ourselves. When two kind of like-minded individuals get together, you just kind of have a good time."

The Indians like what they have in this promising pair.

The 25-year-old Kipnis -- selected in the second round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft and under control by Cleveland through 2017 -- played strong defense, and hit .257 with 14 home runs, 22 doubles, four triples, 31 stolen bases, 76 RBIs and 86 runs in 152 games last season.

He was one of just three players in baseball -- Ryan Braun and Mike Trout being the others -- to achieve at least 10 homers, 30 stolen bases, 40 extra-base hits, 75 RBIs and 80 runs last year. Only three other players (Joe Carter, 1987; Roberto Alomar, 1999-2001; and Grady Sizemore, 2007-08) have turned in such a season for the Indians in the team's long history.

"Something I've always done is try to be successful in every part of this game," Kipnis said at the end of this past season. "The type of athlete that I am, I'm not going to be putting up 40 home runs or something like that, but I will be able to hit some, and I will be able to do a little bit of everything. That's something I take pride in."

Pestano, 27, who is under team control through 2016, has swiftly developed into one of baseball's elite setup men. In 2012, the hard-throwing right-hander posted a 2.57 ERA with 76 strikeouts against 24 walks in 70 appearances (70 innings). In the process, he established a single-season club record with 36 holds.

Over the past two years, Pestano has posted a 2.45 ERA with 160 strikeouts against 48 walks in 137 games and 132 innings. In that time period, he is one of just three pitchers (joining Craig Kimbrel and Sean Marshall) to have at least 130 games, 130 innings and 150 strikeouts with a 2.50 ERA or lower and 50 or fewer walks.

Pestano's performance has him in a position to eventually work as a closer, which is a role currently held in Cleveland by two-time All-Star Chris Perez.

"He's an animal," Perez said. "I can say he's the best setup man in the game. He's got a great attitude. He wants the ball. That's something that you have to have to pitch late in the game. If you blow it, you have to want to go out there the next day. That's something you can't teach."

Kipnis and Pestano are also perfectionists, though. Being content with their respective showings is not in their blood.

During the Indians' second-half slide, both players experienced slumps. Kipnis hit just .214 with a .612 on-base plus slugging percentage across July and August. Pestano -- after turning in a 1.24 ERA in his first 51 outings -- posted a 6.16 ERA over his final 19 appearances for Cleveland. Each player was left with a sour taste in his mouth.

"It was a learning process," Kipnis said. "There were some high and low points where I thought I was playing well and then I thought I struggled and didn't handle my responsibilities too well. It's just a part of the process. It's something that I'll have to look back on and use."

Pestano echoed that sentiment.

"I hold myself to the highest degree," he said. "Anything less than my best isn't good enough. ... [My performance down the stretch] shows how much I still need to improve. Had we been in a race, and had I performed the way I did over the last six weeks, that would've been a big blow to this ballclub. You want to progress and you want to always be better."

Another area in which Pestano feels he can improve in 2013 is being more of a vocal leader within the clubhouse. He believes Kipnis, and others such as Brantley and Cabrera, can also take a step forward in that regard. In this new era of Indians baseball -- with Francona at the helm and some new faces expected in the locker room -- there is an opportunity for some younger players to take on leadership roles.

"When everything started to go awry in August," Pestano said, "we didn't have a clubhouse presence or somebody to step up and try to figure this thing out. We were all just kind of wandering around aimlessly. We tried team meetings, but sometimes it's tough in your first couple years. You don't know how you'll be perceived, so you kind of bite your tongue.

"Part of it needs to be not caring about it and just speaking up. That's something that me and Kip and Brantley and Asdrubal need to start focusing on more, being more of a clubhouse presence and trying to get things going in the right direction. I think we're ready for it."

Swisher signing could change Tribe's fortunes
Ohio native brings enthusiasm to franchise in need of jumpstart

By Anthony Castrovince | Archive

01/03/13 9:00 PM ET


CLEVELAND -- It was one of many rain delays the Indians and White Sox have endured in recent years, and somebody in the visitors' clubhouse at Progressive Field said aloud, "Apparently, God doesn't like Cleveland-Chicago baseball."

A White Sox player quickly countered: "No, God doesn't like Cleveland."

If you're a native son such as myself, you don't know whether to laugh or cry at such a remark. What you do know is that, if professional sports results are absolutely any indication, the guy might be on to something.

And let's be honest, that sentiment is shared by many in Major League Baseball. There was a time, when Jacobs Field was rocking, playoff spots were destined and the Indians were the only show in town, when Cleveland was a destination of the first degree.

But as that era -- and its revenues -- faded further into the rear view, Cleveland became a destination more for the guys trying to repair their careers (see: Kevin Millwood and Aaron Boone, among others) than the guys cashing in on their cachet.

Want an example? Here's one. Last summer, it was reported that Justin Upton, burgeoning superstar of the D-backs, had four teams on his no-trade list. Now, it is commonplace for players to put high-revenue teams on their no-trade list to increase the likelihood that they'll be offered money to waive the clause if one of those teams comes calling. And so it was no surprise to see the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs on Upton's list.

But the fourth team on the list was the Indians. And suffice to say it wasn't because they're in the high-revenue range.

Anyway, I bring all this up because the Indians had a press conference on Thursday afternoon. A high-profile outfielder named Nick Swisher sat there absolutely beaming (well, except when somebody asked him about getting booed at Yankee Stadium last October) and repeating "I'm so excited to be here" somewhere in the neighborhood of 97 times. A two-time World Series-winning manager named Terry Francona sat to his right and said, "I echo that." And it all felt so foreign, in a way that is undeniably encouraging to the long-suffering fans of this franchise, accustomed as they are to seeing the high-profile free agents and skippers settle in elsewhere.

Understand, of course, that there are stipulations to this situation. Francona and Swisher both have roots in this organization and area. Francona is the son of a former Tribe All-Star, is a former Tribe player himself and is a longtime friend of team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti. Swisher is Ohio-born and Ohio State University-bred, and his father, Steve, managed Francona in the Tribe's farm system.

Both, then, were natural fits. And while it is cute to talk about the so-called "Buckeye Blitz" the Indians placed on Swisher during his visit here last month (enlisting Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, among others, in the recruiting process), the fact of the matter is that the Indians gave Swisher a four-year guarantee and 56 million reasons to sign on the dotted line. For a 32-year-old attached to Draft pick compensation in the free-agent marketplace, this was an offer that could not be refused.

"All roads led to Cleveland," Swisher said with his characteristic smile.

That has rarely been the case with others in Swisher's position. And maybe his contract -- the largest given to a free agent in club history -- proves to be an isolated case.

But there is no mistaking that the culture in the Indians' clubhouse is changing, and perhaps the perception of this club around the industry will change with it.

It changes, first and foremost, with the presence of Francona, a great recruiter in his own right. And it changes with the particulars of a newly-signed TV deal with FOX Sports Ohio, which has afforded ownership a little more financial flexibility and the ability to reel in Swisher, Mark Reynolds and Brett Myers in recent days. Toss in a Shin-Soo Choo trade that looks like a win for Antonetti, who acquired high-profile pitching prospect Trevor Bauer and center fielder Drew Stubbs as the keys to the three-way deal with the D-backs and Reds, and suddenly a Tribe team largely expected to spend this winter in rebuild mode does look a little more frisky.

That's not to say the Indians are slam-dunk contention candidates. But they're moving forward, certainly, at a time when they could have retreated.

"Where I'm at in my career, it's very refreshing for me," Francona said. "I like the way we're going about it. It's fun, I'm energized. So it's a good feeling here. I walk into the office and I feel like I'm among old friends. Not that we're not going to have challenges. I know that. But going through challenges with people you respect and care about? I can handle that."

When it comes to respect, the hard truth is that, in recent years, this has been a clubhouse almost totally devoid of real veteran leadership and the respect that comes with it. Maybe guys like Jack Hannahan could speak up or show the way, but their impact was limited by their roles.

"We haven't had as many veteran players who were primary contributors," Antonetti said. "It's just very difficult to lead if you're not out there every day. With Nick, we have a guy we're bringing into the organization who has a chance to be one of our better players and provide leadership."

Francona is, of course, as respected as they come in the managerial role, and Swisher's energy and enthusiasm can be contagious.

Do either of those qualities amount to more wins? There is no way to quantify such a thing. But for a club that flirted with contention each of the last two seasons, only to come up empty in the second half (and dramatically so in 2012), those qualities count.

Even with the new TV deal in place, financial limitations remain. Even with Swisher in tow, the lineup has holes. Even with Bauer and Myers aboard, the rotation has major question marks.

But on yet another frigid winter day, the Indians brought a few smiles to the baseball town that God forgot. Maybe the tides are turning.

"This is a big deal," Francona said. "We know we have challenges ahead of us. But this was a huge deal for us."

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Clearly Francona got a commitment from management that if he came here they would spend $$$ to improve the team significantly. they have and we should all be excited. this team is much better than last year and it will show up in wins. Now let's go get another top of the rotation young starting prospect liek Bauer and take our chances!

I agree Frank that Francona wanted a commitment from management before he came here to step up to the plate, and he apparently got it.

Hey, if you look at the Orioles and Athletics last year there is no doubt that you don't have to spend like the Yankees, Dodgers and Angels to be competitive.

I don't think Francona expected that (obviously) but a certain degree of financial commitment was required and he got what he wanted.

Francona wanted to work with Shapiro and Antonetti. Francona did not ask for or receive a financial commitment from the Dolans.

rusty2 wrote: Francona did not ask for or receive a financial commitment from the Dolans.

Well I was in the room listening, too, and I heard him ask for one.

LOL, well, obviously none of us were there so we don't truly know.

It's simply my opinion that Francona would want to know, at least roughly, the financial picture. And it was one of many factors in his decision.

With his managerial experience and likelihood to receive other offers from teams that spend more freely than the Tribe I'd be awfully surprised if Francona didn't ask

Of course Francona asked for an increase in payroll and obviously he got it....

Good for him and better yet good for us! Team is much improved and A Cab and Perez are still great trade value...

Canzler DFA'd (again!) to make room for Myers and was claimed by the Yankees:

Yankees claimed INF/OF Russ Canzler off waivers from the Indians.
Canzler has now gone from the Indians to the Blue Jays back to the Indians and now to the Yankees in the span of two weeks. The 26-year-old batted just .269/.299/.398 in 97 plate appearances last season but has fared well at Triple-A and could conceivably win a bench spot

Still think there are others less worthy of being on the roster, but they'll get a chance to dump one more when Myers signs. This time maybe reliever Blake Wood?

Thomas Neal was removed to accommodate Swisher, and Canzler was DFA for Myers. No more roster moves are required at this stage as far as I can tell.

Neal and Canzler are stiffs good ridence, others are too as was pointed out...

He's no big deal, I guess, but why did the Indians bother to reclaim Canzler if they were only going to DFA him again?

They gambled and lost again. They thought he'd get through waivers since Toronto was full . Didn't count on anybody else claiming him.

What a moron Antonetti is.