Cleveland Sports Forum

Indians “Desire” To Re-Sign Mike Napoli

By Connor Byrne | November 3, 2016 at 8:36am CDT

If the Indians have it their way, there will be more parties at Napoli’s in Cleveland next season. General manager Mike Chernoff indicated before the team’s Game 7 World Series loss to the Cubs on Wednesday that the Indians would like to retain impending free agent first baseman/designated hitter Mike Napoli.

“We have a desire to have him here, and my sense is that he has a desire to be here,” Chernoff told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.“That’s something we’ll have to address once the World Series is over.”

With the season now in the books, the Indians have a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with Napoli, who will become eligible to sign someplace else Nov. 8 if he and the Indians don’t reach a deal by then. Reeling in Napoli won’t be as easy as it was for Cleveland last offseason, when it inked him to a one-year, $7MM contract in January. Napoli was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career then, having hit a below-average .224/.324/.410 with 18 home runs in 469 plate appearances divided between Boston and Texas.

The 35-year-old slugger rebounded during the regular season for the American League Central-winning Indians, with whom he slashed .239/.335/.465 with 34 homers in 645 PAs and became a fan favorite and important clubhouse presence. Napoli then collected just nine hits and a single HR in 51 postseason trips to the plate for the AL pennant winners, but that small sample of poor production shouldn’t have much of an effect on his stock.

In the event Cleveland and Napoli aren’t able to reach a new agreement in the coming days, the team will have the right to issue him a qualifying offer by the Nov. 7 deadline, though that could be an agonizing decision. If Napoli accepts, it would force the Indians to allocate a lofty chunk of payroll ($17.2MM) to him in 2017. Although Napoli was a key member of the Indians’ lineup and clubhouse this year, his limitations as a defender and baserunner significantly weaken his value. Not receiving a QO could work out better for Napoli, who would hit the open market without draft pick compensation scaring away potential suitors.

CLEVELAND --

• Indians picked up Francona's options through 2020. Skipper led Tribe to 94-win season, brink of World Series victory

• With a roster that could return virtually unchanged, and with some key reinforcements expected back, the Indians also know they have the pieces to go for it again. That process began on Friday, with Cleveland picking up first baseman Carlos Santana's $12 million team option for the 2017 season.

•The Indians are heading into the offseason with the expectation that Michael Brantley will be their left fielder next year. While this past season was filled with setbacks and surgeries for Brantley, Cleveland is confident he will be recovered and ready in time for Spring Training.

• Francisco Lindor is not eligible for arbitration until 2019, but the 22-year-old shortstop has already emerged as one of baseball's brightest young stars. That could lead Cleveland to explore a multiyear extension for Lindor this winter.

• Right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who sustained a fractured right hand on Sept. 17, should be able to start a throwing program in December. That should make for a "relatively normal offseason" for Carrasco.

• Danny Salazar, who returned for the World Series after injuring his right forearm on Sept. 9, the Indians' training staff will examine his injury-marred season and map out a throwing and training program for over the winter.

• Second base is Ramirez's natural position, but the Indians are moving forward with him as their planned third baseman for next year.

• There are no talks of moving second baseman Kipnis to the outfield.

• Similarly, Antonetti noted that Brantley is not being considered as a possibility for first base. Cleveland is viewing him as the left fielder for next year.

• Pitching depth will be on Cleveland's to-do list for this offseason. Internally, right-handers Cody Anderson and Mike Clevinger -- relievers at the end of the season -- will prepare to return as starters for Spring Training.

Written by a friend and former colleague of mine:


Chicago's Answer To The Curse: Steal First, Then Use The Purse

By Doug Poe | Submitted On November 02, 2016


Forgive me if I refrain from reveling in the lifting of the curse of the Cubs, as they reached the World Series for the first time since 1948. Had the event occurred three or four or five years ago I could share in the celebration, but this team is not the lovable losers America had grown fond of.

When you trace how the Cubs acquired this team and their manager, you realize they seem more like the hated Yankees of past decades than the traditionally lovable losers. It all started back in 2014, when controversy surrounded their hiring of one manager and the firing of another.

Joe Maddon had enjoyed years of success as the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, who had granted him a long term contract. In 2014 he bought a house in Tampa, a clear indication that he had no intentions to leave the Rays.

Maddon told reporters that he was happy in Tampa, according to baseball writer Ken Rosenthal in a column for foxsports.com from October 31,2014. That statement reinforced the idea that Maddon had no plans to move.

Then he suddenly opted out of his contract with Tampa, even though there were no managerial openings except in Minnesota after that club fired Ron Gardenhire. Speculation had already arisen about a move to Chicago, who already had Rich Renteria as its manager.

The next sequence reeks of foul play on the part of the Cubs, who suddenly were becoming somewhat less lovable losers. In a matter of days Chicago fired Renteria and announced Maddon as its new skipper, prompting accusations that the Cubs had been guilty of tampering.

They allegedly had approached Maddon about a position, even though Maddon was still under contract with the Rays. These allegations did hold substantial weight, given the recent history of Chicago's front office.

The new General Manager of the Cubs, Theo Epstein, had coveted Madden almost ten years before when he was looking for a new skipper as the head honcho with the Boston Red Sox. The club went instead with Terry Francona, who in an ironic twist is the current skipper of Madden's World Series opponents in Cleveland.

After what could be considered stealing another team's manager, the Cubs then began to buy its way out of the supposed curse. Their payroll went from 23rd in all of baseball in 2014 to the fifth highest in 2016, the biggest leap of any team during that span.

Just two years ago Chicago paid a total of $97 million in player salaries, which has since risen to $186 million. The increase is primarily because the Cubs have signed the top free agents over the past two winters, including pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey as well as outfielders Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist.

Not since the much-maligned New York Yankees of the nineties and first decade of this century has one team so monopolized free agency. One way to cure the curse is to open the purse, which the Cubs have certainly done.

While the Cubs were doubling their payroll, their World Series opponents were absent from the bidding for the huge free agents. Cleveland's payroll in 2014 was 26th at $84 million, not much lower than Chicago's $97 million. It currently sits at $114 million, making a slight bump up to 21st in baseball but still a far cry from the Cubs.

The story of the broken curse somehow seems less exciting, given the way this team and manager came together. The real feel good story should be the one about a club with one of the smallest ten payrolls battling for, not paying for, a World Series title.

Article on those FA decisions:

Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' about the Mike Napoli question -- Terry Pluto (photos)

on November 05, 2016 at 8:43 AM, updated November 06, 2016 at 7:57 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians want to re-sign Mike Napoli, and the team's cleanup hitter has indicated he'd like to stay in Cleveland.

But that doesn't mean there will be a deal. I write that knowing it's possible the Tribe could make Napoli what is known as "the qualifying offer." It's the average of the top 50 salaries in baseball -- or $17.2 million.

But I'd be shocked if the Tribe did that.

The reason for the qualifying offer is if Napoli signs somewhere else, the Indians will receive a first-round draft pick in return. So why not just make Napoli the $17.2 million offer?

The Tribe wants Napoli back, but not at that price. And at 35, Napoli could take $17.2 million for one year.

Last winter, he signed a contract with a base of $7 million, and he earned about $3 million in bonuses. There was not a lot of interest from other teams other than one-year offers.

When it comes to Napoli, here are the reasons the Indians really like him:

1. He was a desperately needed right-handed power bat. Napoli hit 34 HR with 101 RBI.

2. Those 34 HR were the most by any Tribe player since Travis Hafner's 42 in 2006.

3. Carlos Santana also hit 34 home runs. That was his career high. Napoli's presence took some of the pressure off Santana, who didn't have to be the cleanup hitter.

4. Santana and Napoli also formed a friendship. They split first base and DH duties. Rather than Santana feeling threatened, he understood Napoli's presence makes the team better.

5. Napoli is a true leader. He connected quickly with Jose Ramirez, the two often playing cards together. Ramirez was excited a veteran such as Napoli wanted to be his friend, even with the language barrier.

6. Jason Kipnis and Napoli also became close. Kipnis grew into a vocal leader as he saw how Napoli does it.

7. Napoli brought power and team chemistry. He acted as a team captain.

8. Napoli's teams tend to make the playoffs. He has been in the majors for 11 years, and eight times he's played in the postseason.

9. The Indians don't have any young power hitters ready to take over at first base.

10. The Indians picked up Santana's $12 million option for 2017. But he can become a free agent after that. Santana could be in line for a huge contract if he repeats his 2016 performance. So it may be wise to keep these two hitters together for at least one more year.

CONCERNS ABOUT NAPOLI

1. This was Napoli's best season -- ever: .239 (.800 OPS) with 34 HR, 101 RBI. Was it just one of those things that happened? He turned 35 on Oct. 31. Can he come close to doing that again?

2. In 2015, Napoli batted .224 (.734 OPS) with 18 HR and 50 RBI. In 2014, it was .248 (.789 OPS) with 17 HR and 55 RBI. Is Napoli more likely to have a season such as that in 2017?

3. The only other time Napoli hit 30 HR in a year was 2011.

4. After Sept. 1, Napoli batted only .140 with 5 HR and 13 RBI. In the postseason, he was .173 hitter (.521 OPS) with 1 HR and 3 RBI. So he really struggled.

5. Napoli played a career-high 150 games. Did he simply physically wear down? Would he be more effective next season if he plays less?

6. Napoli is a notorious streak hitter. He set a franchise record with 194 strikeouts. That makes it hard to know if Napoli was just having one of his cold spells at the end of the season, or is he entering the winter of his career?

7. The Indians' payroll was about $96 million by the end of the season. It is expected to be over $100 million for 2017. But do you give $17 million of that to Napoli?

8. The Indians will try to sign Napoli to a more modest contract. It may take a while for Napoli to assess his value on the free-agent market, and will likely want a multi-year deal. Last winter, no such offers came along. I expect the Indians to keep talking, but it could take a while to determine the best contract for both sides -- or if Napoli can get a bigger, longer-term contract elsewhere.

ABOUT RAJAI DAVIS

1. Rajai Davis also is a free agent after earning $5.25 million in 2016 that ended up paying about $6 million with bonuses.

2. Like Napoli, Davis brings leadership. He led the league with 43 stolen bases at the age of 35. He turned 36 on Oct. 19. Even more impressive, Davis was rarely thrown out, successful in 43 of 49 steal attempts. As a couple of Tribe executives mentioned to me, Davis can steal a base even when the other team is expecting him to do so.

3. Davis batted .249 (.693 OPS) with 12 HR and 48 RBI. He can play all three outfield positions reasonably well.

4. Like Napoli, Davis struggled late. He batted only .175 (.434 OPS) after Sept. 1. He started the postseason 1-of-23 at the bat. In the last three games of the World Series, he was 4-of-9. He crushed that clutch homer that tied the score at 6 in the eighth inning of Game 7. He then drove in a run with a base hit in the 10th inning of the 8-7 loss.

5. I'd love to see the Tribe offer him something similar to the $6 million deal in 2016. He keeps himself in excellent shape. He has not been on the disabled list since 2013.

6. Like Napoli, Davis will probably look for a multi-year deal -- but will he find a team willing to make that commitment? None did a year ago.

7. Coco Crisp also is a free agent. I'd be surprised if the Tribe brings the 37-year-old back. He did a nice job in the postseason, batting .269 (.922 OPS) with 2 HR and 4 RBI. After being traded to the Tribe from Oakland on Aug. 31, Crisp hit only .208 in September.

8. After several injuries, Crisp has a very poor throwing arm. That's why the Indians took him out of the lineup late in Game 7, putting Michael Martinez in the outfield.

9. Assuming he doesn't flunk another PED test, the Indians expect to have Abraham Almonte for a full season. The 27-year-old outfielder has hit .264 (.735 OPS) with 6 HR and 42 RBI in 118 games over the 2015-16 seasons, and was 14-of-14 in stolen bases.

10. The Indians traded for Brandon Guyer on Aug. 1, and he hit .333 with 2 HR and 14 RBI in 81 at bats. The outfielder feasts off left-handed pitching. In his last four years, he's a .304 batter vs. lefties, .238 vs. righties.

11. The 30-year-old Guyer pairs up well with the lefty-hitting Lonnie Chisenhall. They both can play right field. Guyer also can play left.

12. The Indians are very hopeful of a comeback by Michael Brantley after both shoulder and biceps surgeries in 2016. That would solve the left field question. But they need other outfielders for support. That's why Almonte, Guyer and hopefully re-signing Davis helps the situation.

13. The Indians were very pleased with Tyler Naquin's rookie year. He hit .296 (.886 OPS) with 14 HR and 43 RBI. All but 32 of his at bats were against right-handers. He had a nervous postseason, striking out in 14 of 23 at-bats. He hit .174 and had some problems in center field in Game 6. But we're talking about a rookie in the World Series, so no reason to have major concerns.

14. Right now under team control, the Indians have the following outfielders who played in 2016: Brantley, Almonte, Guyer and Chisenhall.

15. Bradley Zimmer is their top OF prospect, but needs more time in the minors. He played only 37 games at Class AAA, batting .242 with 1 HR and 9 RBI. He opened the year at Class AA Akron, batting .253 (.842 OPS) with 14 HR and 53 RBI. He also stole 33 bases. So the Indians need at least one more veteran outfielder, and that's why I hope they keep Davis.

Tribe coaches critical to postseason pitching

Despite injuries, Cleveland's staff had 2.69 ERA in playoffs

By August Fagerstrom / Special to MLB.com | November 4th, 2016




For all the discussion about the Cubs breaking their historic curse, the other half of the World Series equation was the Indians, and the story that seems likely to be remembered for them was how far they got with so relatively little. The team with the super-rotation at the beginning of the season was left short-handed at the end.
Yet despite missing two of their three best starters in Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, Cleveland held three of baseball's most threatening lineups in Boston, Toronto, and Chicago to 42 runs in 15 games, good for a 2.69 ERA, while tossing a record-setting five shutouts. They rode starter Corey Kluber and relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen as far as they could, but even starters like Josh Tomlin and Ryan Merritt handed the ball off to Miller and Allen with a lead, more often than not.

Throughout the postseason, every Indians pitcher was quick to mention the game plan, the approach, and the way catcher Roberto Perez attacked the hitters. Part of that is typical athlete-speak, sure. Almost always, these guys are going to deflect and give credit to their teammates. But what does that really mean? What goes into a pre-series, or even pre-game scouting report? Who's the brains behind that operation? And what happens when it makes its way out onto the field?

It started on Opening Day. The Indians opened the 2016 season at home against the Red Sox, and they were already gathering their first bits of information on the team they would face in the American League Division Series. Each time an Indians pitcher faced a Red Sox batter throughout the season, that was one more data point, one more piece of film that could be reviewed later on.

On a more granular level, though, it starts in the advance scouting department in the bowels of Progressive Field, weeks in advance, even before the club knows which teams it will be playing. This is where data is being pulled, heat maps are being generated, swing tendencies are being revealed, and relevant film is being reviewed. In the regular season, this work is being divvied up and begins five to seven days before a new series begins. In the postseason, it's a team of a half dozen advance scouts, all surveying the same club, for as much time as they can.

"We dive into it a little deeper [in the postseason]," Indians pitching coach MIckey Callaway said. "We look at everything we can and we have more time to do it, especially given the days off and things like that. Especially leading into the series that we've had to play, we've been fortunate enough to have a few days off to be able to look at everything we possibly can."

While the advance team is going to work with the hard numbers, so, too, is Scott Atchison, who pitched for the club in 2014-15 and was brought on to serve as a hybrid assistant pitching coach/on-field advance scout. Atchison acts as a complement to the guys in the front office, putting together general, advanced reports on hitters' weaknesses based on their tendencies and swings, informed by film, and sometimes even his own experience pitching to them.

"I send the advance guys our cheat-sheet that we have, that base report that I've put together, and they put it in the full advanced report with all the numbers and the computer stuff that I don't know enough about," Atchison said with a laugh.

Once the advance team, Atchison included, has exhausted all possible avenues and put together their final report, Callaway shows up to work one morning to an 80-page packet of information on his desk. It's his job to disseminate it.

"Getting the information is easy," Callaway said. "Breaking it down to be usable for each individual pitcher is the tough part. That's where I come in."

The notes on the opposition provided by Atchison and the front-office members are exhaustive. Nothing gets left out. And so the majority of it isn't applicable to every member of the pitching staff. A certain hitter might struggle against a certain arm slot, but there might not be an Indians pitcher with that slot. There might not be an Indians pitcher with the particular shape or spin of a pitch that matches the report. So Callaway begins to weed out information, leaving only the most relevant bits of data that mesh with the strengths of his own pitchers.

From there, Callaway meets with bullpen coach Jason Bere, and they split up the staff. Callaway takes the starters, Bere takes the relievers, and they begin to form the individual, pitcher-specific reports based off what Callaway has gleaned.

Bere spends much of his time in the video room. Using the information from Callaway's trimmed-down report, he'll begin to watch video of the holes in hitters' swings, to ensure that what he sees jibes with the numbers. When there isn't video of his pitchers facing the opposition, as was often the case with the Cubs, he enlists the help of the team's video coordinators.

"Our video guys, you'd be amazed," Bere said. "You can get any information you want. They can dig up at-bats against right-handers that throw like [Bryan] Shaw, with runners in scoring position with two outs in a day game. You could go as deep as you want."

The video staff identifies pitchers around the league who most resemble the members of the Indians' bullpen, based on arm slot, velocity, pitch spin and shape, and provides Bere with a digital folder full of clips of those "simulated" Indians relievers facing Cubs batters. To see how Shaw might attack Kris Bryant, Bere watched video of Kenley Jansen facing him from National League Championship Series, played just a week earlier. Knowing the intricacies of his own pitchers so well, even when he's watching video of these Indians bullpen imposters, he's visualizing the subtle differences and taking note of how Allen's knuckle curve might move differently than Craig Kimbrel's, and how that might change what he's seeing on the screen.


Bryan Shaw strikes out the side in order in the bottom of the 6th inning, part of his 1 1/3 perfect innings

"As I'm watching it, I'm trying to take note of, 'Oh, OK, the cutter is going to work here, or it isn't here.' We have other guys who throw a cutter too; it might not be Shaw's cutter, it might not be Jansen's cutter, but it's a cutter nonetheless. You're just watching it and paying attention and kind of digesting the whole thing and regurgitating it out on paper," Bere said. "Through the course of that whole day or two days leading up to the series, Mickey and myself talk and Atch is in there, and we're just bouncing stuff off each other and just making sure that we're feeling comfortable about what we're going to tell a guy."

Once Bere, Callaway, and Atchison have all done their individual homework, it's time for the pre-series game-plan meeting. The meeting takes place in the coaches' office in the clubhouse, and consists of the three pitching coaches, catchers Perez, Yan Gomes, and Chris Gimenez, and each starting pitcher in the series, in this case, Kluber, Tomlin, and Trevor Bauer. Callaway leads the meeting.

"We just sit down real informally in the coach's office in a little circle and just spitball and talk," Callaway said.

By that point, Callaway has taken the 80-page report, broken it down, combined it with Atchison's notes, Bere's notes, and condensed them into "a sentence or two" specifically tailored for each pitcher, regarding exploitable weaknesses in members of the opposing lineup, or the lineup as a whole.

"There are patterns you'll see," Callaway said. "Like, 'Hey, if you don't make a mistake on the inner-half, especially down-and-in to someone like that, you're going to be OK.' Or, 'When you go in, make sure it's elevated, just for effect, and when you go away, you can't let it leak back.' Stuff like that."

"You'll have things that are pretty glaring," Bere said. "Like when we faced Toronto [in the ALCS], they had trouble with spin, with breaking balls. It wasn't like we strictly went out there and threw just breaking balls, but we knew we had more situations where we could go breaking ball, whether it's early in the count, or certainly to put guys away."

Breaking balls wound up factoring heavily into the approach against the Cubs, too.




The catcher's main contributions to the meeting come off past experience, and what they've seen from their vantage point behind the plate while calling the pitches, and how it pertains to what they're hearing from Callaway, Bere and Atchison.

"I'm looking at swing paths, I'm looking at takes, I'm looking at where they foul balls off," Gimenez said. "A lot of times guys will make adjustments in the box. If guys have a real heavy sinker to a righty, they'll scoot up in the box and try to get to the ball before it comes down-and-in on them. I'm always aware of where that guy is standing. I'm looking pitch-to-pitch, because if I see that guy making an adjustment, I'm going to make the adjustment right back. A lot of times you'll just tap your chest to say, 'Hey, this one's on me,' and you'll call the pitch and they'll execute it."

The pitchers chime in with opinions of their own individual arsenals and how they'll play within the parameters of what's being discussed in the report.

"Depending on which pitcher it is, everyone kind of talks about, 'Hey, you may be able to do this, I think your changeup plays better than your curveball against this guy, whereas my curveball might play better than my changeup against that specific guy,'" Bauer said. "Just depending on the pitcher, it's a collective effort, just sharing information."

It's out of this meeting that the scouting report against the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista was born. The scouting report against Bautista went like this: a steady diet of breaking balls, and nothing on the inner-half. The results looked like this:



Cleveland gave Jose Bautista a steady diet of breaking pitches away, and nothing inside.

Cleveland's pitchers never went away from it the entire series. Bautista never gave them a reason to. He went 3-for-18 in the series, striking out seven times in 18 plate appearances with just one extra-base hit to show for it.

"It was such a clear scouting report," Gomes said. "We threw him so many offspeed pitches, and you could tell that's all we were going with. To make sure that we stay honest, we'd try to pop him in every now and then just to stand him up. And I think Roberto has done a tremendous job of making those slight in-game adjustments you see him making. He can tell from one pitch if he starts getting ready later or you see his eyes going the other way."

The last piece of any plan of attack is how it works in-game, and the adjustments that need to be made on the fly by the catcher and the pitcher. Atchison will meet with Perez in the video room between innings to discuss potential adjustments the two are seeing. Bere will make subtle tweaks to the game plan based on what he sees from the bullpen before his guys enter the game. In the case of someone like Bautista, it can sometimes be difficult to balance sticking with what works with trying to get out ahead of a potential adjustment by the hitter. But only if the hitter shows signs that an adjustment might be coming.

"If guys aren't making adjustments to us, we're not going to adjust back," Gimenez said. "We're going to put the pressure on them to make the adjustment and continue to do what we've been doing. We have some guys with some pretty good breaking balls, and that was just a way of attacking him we wanted to go about until he made an adjustment which, thankfully, he never did. Because if he did, it could have been a completely different series."

The pre-Series game-plan meeting for the Cubs sent Kluber into Game 1 with a plan of pounding Anthony Rizzo in on the hands with two-seam fastballs, and it worked. Bauer took the same plan into Game 2, until Rizzo adjusted. Shaw executed the game plan laid out against Ben Zobrist perfectly in the 10th inning of Game 7, and Zobrist made the adjustment. The game plan doesn't get abandoned altogether at that point, but tweaks need to be made, just as Rizzo made a tweak against Bauer.

"You just go off of what the statistics say, is the dominant strategy, and then you go in and try to read what they're doing in the game," Bauer said.

Of course, all of this is nothing without the pitchers executing, and the most remarkable thing of all is how well Cleveland's pitchers executed throughout the postseason. Everyone adapted one way or another to the game plans laid out through hours and hours of work by members of the front office and the coaching staff, mixing a delicate balance of the pitchers' strengths and the hitters' weaknesses to get them as far as they did while shorthanded.

It all comes down to the pitchers executing, and the pitchers executed, but it's important to remember that the plan that gets played out on the field by two men is a collaborative effort, the work of dozens men over the week prior. It truly is a chess match that goes deeper than the game. Sometimes, it all boils down to the last team that successfully adjusts, wins.

The 2016 IBI Awards: Who Was the Indians' Most Valuable Hitter?

JAKE DUNGAN
11:00 AM

Now that the World Series is over and we've had a few days to recover from the loss and the general craziness that comes with watching your team in the Fall Classic, it's time to kick off the 2016 IBI Awards. Who was the Indians' top hitter this season? The IBI staff weighs in.

Welcome to the fifth annual edition of the IBI Awards!

Now that the 2016 season is in the books, it's time to look back and honor the various players who helped lead the Tribe to their first pennant in nearly two decades. We will start with the team's most valuable hitter as voted on by a number of the writers and contributors on staff here at the site.

There were a few viable choices for the top spot in this category as it really came down to five players who each had significant contributions at the plate. With Michael Brantley out for the vast majority of the season, someone needed to step up and these guys didn't disappoint.

So without further adieu, here's the final vote tally for the 2016 IBI Most Valuable Hitter...
My top choice: Jose Ramirez

A big reason why the Indians' offense was able to not only survive, but thrive without Brantley is due in large part to the simple fact that Jose Ramirez was, in essence, Michael Brantley. This season, Ramirez batted .312 with 11 homers, 46 doubles and 76 RBI's. Additionally, he posted a 122 wRC+ and 4.8 WAR. Between 2014 and 2015, Brantley averaged a 142 wRC+ and a 4.9 WAR per season. Also, both have developed into clutch hitters as Brantley posted a .351 average with runners in scoring position between 2014 and 2015 while Ramirez posted a .355 mark this year. It's fun to think about what this offense could look like with both of them in the lineup and hopefully we'll get a chance to see that next season.

Here is what the rest of IBI thought:

Tony Lastoria

Top choice: Carlos Santana

You could make an argument for any of Santana, Ramirez, Lindor and Kipnis as the top hitter. That's the key, though, since we are not naming the top "player" here, but the top "hitter" so defense is completely taken out of the equation. For me, it was a toss up between Santana and Ramirez. Santana led the team with a 132 wRC+ but Ramirez was just behind at a 122 wRC+, and while Santana put up a nice 14.4 BB%, 14.4 K% and .239 ISO with a career high 34 homers, Ramirez was the king of clutch all year driving in so many big runs. I sided with Santana because of how he led the team in so many important categories.

John Alfes

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

At the young age of 24, Ramirez blossomed into an elite hitter in terms of batting average (.312), home runs (11), RBIs (76), and batting average with runners in scoring position (.355). As a switch-hitter amidst the middle of the Tribe lineup, Ramirez has established himself as a premium talent for the many years to come.

Corey Crisan

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez did it all. He filled the void that Michael Brantley left with his injury and potentially placed himself in the AL MVP discussion.

Ryan Cooper

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

I don't think I would say Ramirez was the absolute best hitter on the team, but in terms of most valuable, he gets the nod. The Indians lost Michael Brantley for pretty much the whole season, which very well could have been a crushing blow. But how did they make up for the loss of Brantley? They found a near Brantley clone. Ramirez came up with big hit after big hit all season long, clearly emerging as the guy you are begging to see at the dish with the game on the line. That right there is value.

John Vourlis

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez was clutch from day one all the way thru the World Series.

Kevin Sledz

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez has been the best clutch hitter all season long and became a spark plug in the 5th spot helping to solidify the lineup. Ramirez hit .355 with 62 of his 76 RBI’s coming with runners in scoring position. He lead the team in batting average (.312) and also swiped 22 bases. His production was one of the big reasons the Indians reached the postseason.

D.J. Sebastian

Top choice: Francisco Lindor

Lindor emerged as a great clutch hitter and seemed to embrace the huge responsibilities of hitting in the third spot in the lineup. He's become a rally starter with the ability to get on base in important situations. He also has shown surprising power for a young player with a slim build.

Drew Zubin

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez had a breakout season. He seemed to come up and produce in big situations as he made the biggest jump of any Indians player this season.

Nick Roth

Top choice: Francisco Lindor

It was very tight between Lindor and Ramirez for #1 and #2 on the most valuable hitter list, but I went with Lindor because of his slightly better postseason showing. Santana is ahead of Kipnis because of better home run, RBI, and on-base numbers. I put Santana behind the top 2 because I think the other two are more dynamic at the plate, and that makes them a little more valuable. Despite a 30 homer and 100 RBI season Napoli is #5 on my list because of his disappearance down the stretch.

Brandon Bowers

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez had a breakout year this season and is by far the most improved player for the Tribe and in the MLB. He always seemed to come up with timely hitting when they needed it the most. Jose Ramirez gets my vote for Most Valuable Hitter for 2016.

Gage Will

Top choice: Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana made Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff’s decision to pick up his $12 million option easy. His 132 wRC+ in 688 plate appearances is enough alone to warrant the top spot. Additionally, he was one of three qualified major league hitters to draw as many walks as strikeouts. His on-base efficiency plus significant power made him the backbone of the Indians lineup.

Matthew Cain

Top choice: Francisco Lindor

Santana was, once again, the team's best hitter. However, 'value' includes defense and base running for me. Lindor was outstanding all year and clearly the most valuable position player. Kipnis had another excellent season, and edges out Jose Ramirez's breakout campaign for 2nd place here, but a strong argument could be made that Ramirez's versatility and clutch hits should bump him to #2.

Richard Federaro

Top choice: Jose Ramirez

If you would've told me that Jose Ramirez would be a candidate for Most Valuable Hitter on the American League Champs on opening day I would've thought you had to much Kool Aid. But here is a guy that was a utility player that batted .219 in 2015, and transformed himself to the best hitter on the team. Jose led the Indians in batting average and win probability added. Not bad for a guy that didn't have a regular position until Uribe was released.

Looks like the Napster is done as an Indian. Good for them for holding tight.

Though the club would like to retain them, the Indians decided not to extend Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis 1-year, $17.2-million deals on Monday

CLEVELAND -- Mike Napoli was the life of the Indians' party all season long. Rajai Davis provided one of the most memorable swings in team history in the final game of the World Series. While neither free agent will receive a qualifying offer, they could still be back for Cleveland next season.
Prior to Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline for extending qualifying offers to parting free agents, the Indians opted against presenting Napoli or Davis with the required one-year, $17.2-million contract. Of the two veterans, Napoli had the more compelling case for receiving the offer, but Cleveland ultimately felt that the price and risk were too high.



None of this means the Indians do not have interest in re-signing them for 2017.

"For Raj and Mike, we expressed our desire to potentially have them back," Indians team president Chris Antonetti said on Friday. "We recognize they both have alternatives, based on the years that they had, but we're certainly open to exploring different ways where both of them could be back here."

The $17.2-million salary figure is the average of the top 125 Major League contracts during this past season based on average annual value. If a free agent declines the one-year offer and signs with another team before the MLB Draft next June, then his former team would be eligible for a compensatory pick in the Draft at the end of the first round. The signing team would then lose its first-round selection, unless it has a protected pick (top 10). In that case, the acquiring team would lose its next-highest selection.

Napoli earned $10 million in 2016 between his base salary ($7 million) and incentives on his one-year deal with Cleveland this past year. The Indians also took on another $7 million after cutting ties with first baseman Chris Johnson before the '16 campaign. Had Napoli accepted a qualifying offer, it would essentially have been the same cost at the position. That said, it still would have accounted for a large portion of Cleveland's payroll, which will climb naturally through guaranteed contracts and arbitration raises for next year.

If Napoli declined a one-year qualifying offer from the Indians, his market may have been hindered based on the Draft compensation tied to him signing elsewhere. If Napoli went unsigned until after the MLB Draft, for example, it could have impacted Cleveland's potential compensation. All of those factors played into the Indians' decision not to extend him the hefty one-year contract.

Behind the scenes this year, Napoli emerged as a leader in the clubhouse and a cult hero among fans. The "Party at Napoli's" motto became a kind of rallying cry, not to mention a source of charitable donations for each T-shirt purchased bearing the slogan. On the field, the 11-year veteran set career highs in home runs (34), RBIs (101), games (150) and plate appearances (645).

Down the stretch, though, that heavy workload may have caught up with the slugger. Napoli hit .140 (13-for-93) over the Indians' last 26 regular-season games and then .173 (9-for-52) in the postseason. In the World Series against the Cubs, the first baseman hit .167 (4-for-24) with 11 strikeouts.

"I think you have to look at the balance of the season," Antonetti said on Friday. "And Mike did a phenomenal job for us. I think he posted career-highs in plate appearances, home runs, RBIs all of those areas. He made a huge impact for us on the field and in the clubhouse, and I think that's the lens through which we'll view it."

Davis also enjoyed a strong season. Over 134 games, the fleet-footed outfielder led the American League in stolen bases (43) and had an excellent stolen-base success rate (88 percent). Davis, who spent most of his time in center and left field, hit .249 with 48 RBIs and career highs in homers (12) and runs scored (74).

In the postseason, Davis hit only .147 in 15 games, but he also provided a handful of memorable moments. Davis stole three bases in Game 5 of the World Series, becoming only the fifth player in baseball history to achieve that feat in a Fall Classic game. In the eighth inning of Game 7 against the Cubs, Davis launched a game-tying, two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman.

After the Game 7 defeat, Davis said he would love to return with Napoli for next season.

"This is the best season I've ever had in my Major League career," said Davis, who signed a one-year contract worth $5.25 million with the Indians last winter. "That would be great if we could get us both back, especially with this group of guys. They're a good group, talented. I think they're ready to learn."

Brantley, Carrasco activated

The Indians activated left fielder Michael Brantley and right-hander Carlos Carrasco from the 60-day disabled list on Monday. Both Brantley (right biceps surgery on Aug. 15) and Carrasco (non-displaced fracture in right hand on Sept. 17) are expected to be recovered and ready for Spring Training.

Cleveland also sent catcher Adam Moore outright to Triple-A Columbus. Moore has eight days to accept the assignment or reject it in favor of free agency.

BA summary of 2016

BA season wrapup on the Tribe. Partly on the big league club but i'll post it here.


SEASON IN A SENTENCE: Despite a spate of injuries to key performers such as outfielder Michael Brantley (out most of the year with a bad shoulder) and righthanders Carlos Carrasco (broken finger) and Danny Salazar (forearm), the Indians won the American League Central, then swept through two playoffs rounds before losing to the Cubs in seven games in one of the most dramatic World Series of the 21st Century.

HIGH POINT: The Indians won 10 of their first 12 playoff games. First, they swept the Red Sox in the Division Series, and they won the first three games of the League Championship Series before dropping one game to Toronto. The Tribe closed out the Blue Jays to claim its first pennant since 1997, then won three of the first four games against the Cubs. The Indians’ high-water mark coming with a 7-2 Game Four win at Wrigley Field as Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller shackled the Cubs while Chicagoland native Jason Kipnis homered home three in the seventh to put the game away. Cleveland was one win away from its first World Series title since 1948.


LOW POINT: Down 5-1 in Game Seven, the Indians rallied, first with two runs scoring on a Jon Lester wild pitch, then with Rajai Davis tying the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth with a dramatic home run off Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman. But in the 10th, reliever Bryan Shaw gave up two runs, and while Davis had an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to make it 8-7, reserve Mike Martinez grounded out to third base for the final out, leaving the Tribe agonizingly short again.

NOTABLE ROOKIES: Tyler Naquin took advantage of openings in the Cleveland outfield to seize the center field job and had one of the stronger years of any 2016 rookie, batting .296/.372/.514. His walk-off inside-the-park home run, and the resultant celebration, on Aug. 19 against Toronto was one of the Indians’ regular-season highlights. Righty Mike Clevinger tried but failed to secure a rotation spot, going 3-3, 5.26, though he made the postseason rosters. Lefty Ryan Merritt, who pitched just 11 regular-season innings, pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in starting Game Five of the ALCS.

KEY TRANSACTIONS: Instead of relying on their rotation in the postseason, the Indians tried to make every game Miller Time after dealing for lefthander Andrew Miller, giving up four prospects, including outfielder Clint Frazier and lefthander Justus Sheffield, for the dynamic reliever, who was unhittable in the playoffs until Game Seven, when the Cubs scored two runs off him. Outfielder Brandon Guyer, acquired for minor league outfielder Nathan Lukes, scored the Tribe’s last World Series run and hit .333 for the Indians, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Indians domestic affiliates went 383-313, with a .550 winning percentage that ranked fourth in the minors, while four clubs made the playoffs. Akron won the Double-A Eastern League, while a passel of prospects helped high Class A Lynchburg went 84-56 and was Carolina League runner-up. Catcher Francisco Mejia authored a 50-game hitting streak, longest in the minors since 1963, while playing at two Class A levels. Mejia hit .342/.382/.514 overall, ranking sixth in the minors in batting, while high Class A Lynchburg first baseman Bobby Bradley led the Carolina League with 29 home runs.

OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $83,639,399 (21st)

A panel of ESPN baseball experts is forecasting Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona to win the American League and National League Manager of the Year awards, respectively, when the honors are announced Tuesday between 6 and 7 p.m. ET.

We had 27 experts pick who they think will win in the NL and 26 pick the AL (Christina Kahrl didn't reveal her AL pick). The voting breakdown for the awards is listed below as well as the votes of our experts.

Who will win the AL Manager of the Year award?

Francona1. Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians
VOTES: 24

Brought the Indians to the playoffs for the second time in four seasons in Cleveland, getting within one win of the franchise's first title since 1948. In four seasons in Cleveland, Francona is 352-294 (.545) and is 1,381-1,209 overall, including eight seasons in Boston and four in Philadelphia.

Trying to improve on that success rate this time around, here's an early look at some 2017 ROY Award candidates in each league, all of whom are on the MLBPipeline.com Top 100 Prospects list.

American League

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Red Sox's No. 2 prospect
A knee injury in August is likely the only reason the 2015 first-rounder is on this list, as he would've surpassed rookie status for sure. He needed just 570 Minor League at-bats to get to the big leagues, then posted an .845 OPS in 105 big league ABs.

Carson Fulmer, RHP, White Sox's top prospect
Taken one pick after Benintendi in the 2015 Draft, Fulmer's big league debut -- as a reliever -- didn't exactly leave a good taste in anyone's mouth. But the Vandy star pitched better in the second half as he returned to his college delivery. Lumps taken in 2016 should help him adjust in '17.

Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees' No. 4 prospect
Judge struggled when he got to Triple-A for the first time in 2015, but then he adjusted and performed well at that level in '16. Look for the big right fielder to follow the same pattern, cut down on his strikeout rate and be a much more complete presence in the Yankees' lineup from Opening Day on.

Yoan Moncada, 3B, Red Sox's top prospect
There isn't a guaranteed spot for Moncada in the Red Sox's Opening Day lineup -- Pablo Sandoval, anyone? -- but Moncada's tools are just too loud to be ignored. An injury cut short his time in the Arizona Fall League to work at the hot corner, but he'll be just fine in the spring. Boston will have to get his bat into the lineup somehow.

Bradley Zimmer, OF, Indians' top prospect [well, he used to be]
The lone player on the AL list to have not played a game in the big leagues, Zimmer scuffled a bit at the end of the season in Triple-A. He's shown speed, some power, on-base (albeit with some swing and miss) and good center-field skills in the Arizona Fall League, which he can use as a springboard into Cleveland's outfield somewhere next season.

Should Cleveland Indians target Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez for long-term contract extensions?
on November 25, 2016 at 6:00 AM, updated November 25, 2016 at 6:07 AM
Cleveland Indians 2016


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have other work to sort out first. Namely, free agency and the annual winter meetings and the trade market.

Eventually, said president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, the team will discuss potential long-term contract extensions for some of its worthy youngsters who are years away from free agency.

That includes Francisco Lindor, the shortstop who turned 23 and collected his first Gold Glove Award earlier this month. It could also include Jose Ramirez, the diminutive, versatile 24-year-old who filled in admirably for Michael Brantley at the plate this season.

Will the Indians work with both players on a long-term deal? Lindor is under team control through the 2021 season. Ramirez is under team control through the 2020 campaign. A long-term deal could cover a year or two of free agency and it could also minimize future arbitration costs.

Of course, it takes two sides to tango.

"We'd be in trouble without him this year," said Scott Atchison. "He makes our lineup go."

Will the Indians get anything done on that front? Are any other players -- Danny Salazar and Cody Allen come to mind -- worthy of such a commitment?

Veteran catcher Gimenez opts for free agency

Indians plan to enter '17 with solid backstop duo of Gomes, Perez

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 21st, 2016 + 3 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND --

There are unsung heroes for every team each season. For the Indians, catcher Chris Gimenez filled that role this year, stepping up amidst injuries and providing a veteran voice behind the scenes for a team that went on to reach the World Series.

On Monday, Gimenez officially informed the Indians that he has elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus. Given Gimenez's contributions this past season, Cleveland has interest in retaining him on a Minor League contract, but the club plans on heading into 2017 with Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez as its top two catchers.

"We feel similarly this year as we did last year," Indians team president Chris Antonetti said at the end of the season. "Which is, that's a position of strength for us where we have two really good, high-quality, capable Major League catchers."

The biggest problem last season was that both catchers -- Gomes and Perez -- dealt with a variety of issues, including injuries that cost each of them significant time. That is where Gimenez came up big. Cleveland acquired him from Texas on May 4 after Perez was shelved with a fractured right thumb, and Gimenez stayed on the roster through the American League Division Series due to Gomes' health woes.

Playing in his eighth Major League season, the 33-year-old Gimenez hit a career high in games (67), batting .216 in 155 plate appearances. That batting average does not properly display Gimenez's value, though. The catcher quickly earned the trust of Cleveland's pitchers, especially Trevor Bauer. Gimenez teamed with Bauer for 19 of the pitcher's 28 starts.

That leadership -- along with his .760 career OPS against lefty pitching -- could make Gimenez an intriguing backup catching option for another team. For the Indians, he would be viewed as the third-string option behind Gomes and Perez, who will both be healthy and ready for 2017.

Overall, Cleveland's catchers posted a .558 OPS this year, marking the lowest offensive output in baseball. The minus 0.7 WAR (per Fangraphs) and 46 weighted Runs Created Plus posted by the Tribe's catchers as a whole also ranked last in the Majors. Those marks are why the Indians tried to trade for Jonathan Lucroy, who blocked a deal at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline before accepting a move to the Rangers from Milwaukee.

Gomes and Perez went through a lot in '16, though.

"Yan had some adversity this year with a couple of injuries he really couldn't control," Antonetti said. "But, we still feel very confident with him and his ability to lead the pitching staff behind the plate."

Digging deep on Tribe's non-tender candidates
Indians weigh decisions on 9 arbitration-eligible players


MLB.com's Jordan Bastian previews a Cleveland roster that boasts both veterans returning from injury and prospects who broke out in 2016

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 30th, 2016

CLEVELAND -- The offseason is not only a time for clubs to search for external additions, but also to evaluate the escalating cost of the roster already in place. Right now, Cleveland's front office is weighing how to approach its nine players who are eligible for arbitration this winter.

By 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday night, Major League teams must determine whether to tender contracts to any arbitration-eligible players. For the Indians, that list includes closer Cody Allen, starter Trevor Bauer, outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder Brandon Guyer, reliever Jeff Manship, reliever Zach McAllister, reliever Dan Otero, starter Danny Salazar and reliever Bryan Shaw. Some are no-brainers, while others require more thought. It is quite possible that Cleveland will tender contracts to each eligible player.



If a player is non-tendered, he immediately becomes a free agent. If a contract is offered, the two sides will exchange proposed salary figures in January, with arbitration hearings scheduled for February if the parties are unable to agree on a deal. The sides can agree to a contract at any point leading up to a hearing.

Here is a breakdown of Cleveland's arbitration situations, with the projected salaries based on research by MLBTradeRumors.com:

No-brainers
Allen ($7.7MM projected salary)
Salazar ($3.8MM)
Bauer ($3.7MM)
Guyer ($2MM)
Otero ($1.2MM)

These five players look like shoo-ins to be tendered contracts. Allen, 28, had another outstanding season, posting a 2.51 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 32 saves in 68 innings. In the postseason, Allen allowed no runs over 13 2/3 innings and struck out batters at a rate of 15.8 per nine innings (a single-postseason record among relievers with at least nine innings of work). Allen and Andrew Miller give the Tribe one of the top back-end relief duos in baseball. Also in the bullpen, Otero emerged as an extremely valuable weapon last year. Manager Terry Francona called Otero his "wild card," as the righty was used in a wide variety of situations. In 62 games, Otero fashioned a 1.53 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 10 walks in 70 2/3 innings.


Cleveland's rotation figures to be a strength again in '17, and Salazar and Bauer again figure to be a big part of it. Salazar, who will turn 27 in January, was limited to 25 starts and 137 1/3 innings due to an assortment of arm issues, but he made his first All-Star team with a strong first half. Salazar ended 11-6 with a 3.87 ERA and 161 strikeouts. Bauer, who will turn 26 in January, went 12-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 35 games (28 starts). The righty struck out 168 batters and walked 70 in a career-high 190 innings.

The Indians acquired the 30-year-old Guyer at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline and the fact that he was under control through '18 was a factor in the deal. Used mostly against left-handed pitching, Guyer hit .333 with a .907 OPS in 38 games after being traded to Cleveland by Tampa Bay. On the season, he hit .336 with a 1.021 OPS in 122 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Guyer also led the Majors in hit-by-pitches (31).


Value signings
Shaw ($4.5MM)
Chisenhall ($4.1MM)

Shaw has been one of Francona's most trusted relievers over the past four seasons due to the right-hander's exceptional durability. The late-inning reliever leads the Majors with 299 appearances dating back to '13 and is third among relievers with 282 innings over that span. Last year, Shaw had a 3.24 ERA in 75 appearances, marking his fourth straight season of 70-plus outings. Shaw's velocity was up and he ended with more strikeouts (69) than innings (66 2/3) for the first time in his career. He also posted a 1.66 ERA over the final two months, during which Miller's arrival removed Shaw from strict eighth-inning duty. Shaw's projected salary does not seem outlandish, so tendering him a contract makes sense. That said, he could also have value as a trade chip, if Cleveland wants to shed some payroll and take advantage of its bullpen depth.

During the four years with Francona at the helm, Chisenhall has seen 83 percent of his at-bats come against right-handed pitching. In those at-bats, the right fielder has hit .268/.317/426, compared to .241/.301/.341 against lefties. This past season, Chisenhall was part of Francona's versus-righties outfield alignment and hit .286 with 38 extra-base hits and a .767 OPS in 126 games. At his projected cost, Chisenhall still has value both in terms of the Indians' roster and in trade talks. If the Indians dealt Chisenhall, they have a similar and more affordable player capable of moving to right field in youngster Tyler Naquin. Signing Chisenhall makes sense, but so does continuing to monitor how he is valued on the trade market.


On the bubble
McAllister ($1.7MM)
Manship ($1.2MM)

It is possible that McAllister and Manship are tendered contracts prior to the deadline, as neither look to be overly expensive. If Cleveland wants to free up a little monetary wiggle room, however, these look like the top candidates. McAllister, who turns 29 in December, is a solid option, given that Allen, Shaw, Otero and Miller are also available for the late innings. That can help McAllister's two-pitch mix from becoming over-exposed. The big righty had a 3.10 ERA with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 51 relief appearances last season, though his average velocity dipped some from the previous year. Manship, who will turn 32 in January, had a 3.12 ERA in 53 games after posting a 0.92 ERA in 32 games in '15. With the depth of the bullpen last year, the right-hander was limited to facing mostly righty batters in the second half.