Cleveland Sports Forum

Seagull read this ... "Power tends to come later in a young player's career." ... And instead of admitting he was wrong he doubled down on juice.

Scouts and coaches have been saying that for way longer than there's been juice.

Diaz working on pitch selection at Triple-A
After impressive turn in Majors, Indians see potential in infielder

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 1:37 PM ET + 6 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND -- Yandy Diaz put one of his best offensive skills on display on Opening Day. Rangers ace Yu Darvish sent a fastball just below the strike zone, and the Indians rookie shot the pitch into the right-field corner for a double. It was Diaz's first Major League hit and a look into his potential.

That glimpse of Diaz's ability also served as a bit of foreshadowing for what was to come. During his 15-game stint with Cleveland, Diaz turned in an extremely unique offensive performance. He consistently hit the ball hard, but he frequently pounded pitches into the ground. In this age of exit velocity and launch angle, there was no hitter quite like Diaz out of the gates this season.

Now back at Triple-A Columbus, Diaz's task is learning how to get more out of his swing.

"There is plane to the swing," Tribe hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo said. "It's just he catches the ball very deep and he has the ability to accelerate to the ball very deep, which allows for low-trajectory, high-velocity balls off the bat. If there's one thing to work on with him, it's just balls in, catching them out front. Same swing."

When the Indians optioned Diaz to Columbus on Friday -- clearing the way for Jason Kipnis to come off the disabled list -- the message to the rookie was simply to build on his Major League experience. Diaz turned in an underwhelming .236/.295/.255 slash line in his 61 plate appearances with Cleveland, but Van Burkleo and manager Terry Francona were nonetheless impressed.

Diaz only swung at 16.1 percent of pitches outside the strike zone, representing the third-lowest rate among players with at least 50 plate appearances. According to Statcast™, he also ranked 15th in the Majors with an average exit velocity of 92.8 mph (minimum 25 results). The biggest issue was that Diaz put so many balls on the ground. His average launch angle (minus-0.1) ranked last in the Majors.

The Indians did not, however, send Diaz back to the Minors to work on swing changes to improve his angle on batted balls. Instead, Cleveland wants to see improved pitch selection and a better idea of when to attack inside pitches. Once Diaz improves that aspect of his hitting, the launch angle should improve naturally.

"Yandy hit the ball hard, and he hit the ball hard the other way," Francona said. "For guys to do that, you know how often I say it, you've got to be doing a lot of things right to do that. I think with experience and at-bats, I think guys learn what they can get in the air, things like that. I [don't think] you try to change somebody's launch angle."

Michael Brantley -- arguably the Indians' best pure hitter -- echoed Francona's take on the matter, too. The veteran outfielder said Diaz's launch angle should improve as he gains experience.

"I'm all about learning counts, learning situations, learning pitchers' tendencies," Brantley said. "It's having the repetitions, so you're able to attack at certain points or getting mistake pitches, or learning what they're doing and not trying to do too much. I don't believe in lifting the ball in the air.

"Launch angle means nothing to me. I believe in getting the barrel to the ball as consistently as possible anytime that you can."

In this age of exit velocity and launch angle, there was no hitter quite like Diaz out of the gates this season. Now back at Triple-A Columbus, Diaz's task is learning how to get more out of his swing.

So! Rather than juice, could it be that Jose graduated Ty Van Burkleo's class with his trip back to Columbus last year? Got to admit he emerged from that trip a better hitter.

So! When you scour the box scores and you see Diaz's 0-4's or 1-4's, don't put too much thought into it. He's going to school.

"He played really well," Ramirez said. "[Playing more than one position] adds wonderful value, because he has an opportunity to play at many positions. It adds value to who he is, and to the team."

Could Hoz's numbers rise by elevating ball?
Statcast projections indicate high ground-ball rate, and bad luck, grounding Royals star

According to Statcast™, Hosmer's expected batting average this season -- based on exit velocity and launch angle combinations -- is .326. That gap from his real average is .123 points, the second-largest gap of any hitter in baseball behind Toronto's Devon Travis (xBA of .296, actual BA of .136).

In other words, when Hosmer has hit the ball hard this season, he hasn't been rewarded very much, which could lead to frustration for many players. But Hosmer said it's all just part of baseball.

"You don't want to go out and try changing things," Hosmer said. "Having a few years of experience keeps you sane. As a younger player, you might immediately try to change some things and make it worse.

There is evidence to suggest, though, that when Hosmer does elevate the ball slightly, his numbers improve. Hosmer's exit velocity on non-ground balls in 2015 and '16 was 95.1 mph.

That 95.1 mph exit velocity was higher than the Giants' Buster Posey (94.4) and the Cubs' Kris Bryant (94.0) and well above the league average of 92 mph.

So! I guess it's all about exit velocity and launch angle combinations.

I understand the idea of launch angle and exit velocity but I'm glad they didn't measure those when I was a kid. I liked all the numbers that baseball then tracked and understood the added logic of OPS and for awhile I understand that Single Number Bill James devised to combine all offensive statistics into one rating. The new stats are undoubtedly significant but they make baseball into more of a science than I like to think it is.

Bleacher Report grades AL Central teams for their April performances "We're grading on a curve. Teams will be judged on stats and win-loss totals, but it's far worse for an expected contender to be mired below .500 than it is for a rebuilding franchise."


Cleveland Indians (12-9)

After opening the season at 5-6, the AL champions have won seven of their last nine. Shortstop Francisco Lindor has added power to his already-enviable skill set, cracking six home runs and teasing next-level superstar potential.
There are nits to pick, including ace Corey Kluber's plus-4.00 ERA, but overall the Indians resemble what they are: odds-on division darlings.
Grade: B+



Chicago White Sox (11-9)

A rebuilding project no one expected to contend, the White Sox are above .500 and own the Central's best run differential at plus-13. They've done it largely on the strength of a pitching staff that ranks second in the game with a 2.92 ERA. Plus, they have exciting talent waiting in the wings, including infielder Yoan Moncada, the top position-player prospect in the game, according to MLB.com. Can the honeymoon last? Probably not. But Chicago gets credit for a strong month, and the future is bright on the South Side.
Grade: A



Detroit Tigers (11-10)

The Tigers are eschewing a rebuild of their own and opting to go for it with an aging core. After a solid start, they've lost six of their last 10. Detroit isn't sunk; the offense is tied for seventh in the game with 104 runs scored. The pitching staff, on the other hand, checks in dead last with a 5.29 ERA, while the bullpen owns an even more atrocious 6.72 ERA. A plus-.500 record buoys the Tigers' grade, but there are red flags in the Motor City.
Grade: B-



Minnesota Twins (10-11)

The Minnesota Twins rank near the middle of the pack in runs scored and team ERA. They've scored 88 runs and allowed exactly as many. They've lost seven of their last 10, yet they're hanging around .500.
That counts as progress for a young team that broke out in 2015 but backslid to a 59-103 record last season. They're still waiting on touted outfielder Byron Buxton to match the hype, and they likely won't be a serious postseason contender. When you're coming off a 100-loss campaign, however, you take your positives where you find them.

Grade: B



Kansas City Royals (7-14)

Losers of seven straight and eight of their last 10, the Kansas City Royals are a shell of the team that won the pennant in 2014 and hoisted a Commissioner's Trophy in 2015. They rank last in baseball in runs scored (54), batting average (.203) and OPS (.587), and they haven't pitched well enough to make up the difference, particularly in the bullpen. General manager Dayton Moore sounded a semi-optimistic note.
"Right now this is certainly the group of players that we believe in," Moore said, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. "There simply is not enough sample size in 2017 to abandon or pull the plug or chart another course."
Fair enough. As Aprils go, though, this one was unequivocally lousy.

Grade: D

I guess people don't have to worry about our "slow start" any more!

Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' Michael Brantley and some good news in April -- Terry Pluto

on April 29, 2017 at 9:20 AM, updated April 29, 2017 at 11:01 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talkin' about April and the Cleveland Indians:

1. As the first month of the season comes to close, one of the Tribe's goals has been reached -- avoid an awful April. No one wins a pennant in April. But a dismal start can lead to a desperate battle for the rest of the season.

2. The Indians were 10-11 last April. It was their only losing month of the season as they finished with a 94-68 record to win the AL Central.

3. But awful Aprils hurt the Tribe in 2015 (7-14) and 2014 (11-17). They missed the playoffs both seasons.

4. In 2013, the Indians weren't good in April, but 11-13 was enough to keep them from sinking too deep. They battled back to finish with a 92-70 record and a wild card playoff berth.

5. The Indians had a 12-10 April record heading into Saturday. For this team, that is indeed a strong start.

6. Even more positive is a slow start was feared. No one was sure how Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco would perform early in the season. Salazar had arm problems at the end of last season. Carrasco had a cranky elbow in spring training.

7. Salazar (1-2, 4.37 ERA) has pitched reasonably well and is healthy. Carrasco (2-2, 2.04 ERA) has been terrific.

7. Andrew Miller was coming off the spring World Baseball Classic, which sometimes causes pitchers to have early season problems. But he has been effective with 10 scoreless innings heading into the weekend.

8. Corey Kluber is usually miserable in April. From 2014-16, he had a 3-9 record and 4.20 ERA. After pitching 249 innings (regular season and playoffs), the Indians thought he could have a slow start. Kluber is 3-1, 4.19, so that also was positive.

9. The Indians didn't expect a drop-off from Jose Ramirez, but it's reassuring to see him off to a fast start. That's especially true after giving him a five-year, $26 million extension.

10. Ramirez entered the weekend batting .337 (1.008 OPS) with 6 HR and 19 RBI. He was excellent at second base when filling in for Jason Kipnis. Now, he's at third, where he is very solid with the glove.

ABOUT THE OUTFIELD

1. The Indians don't talk about it, but the outfield defense has been somewhat shaky. Fangraphs rates it as the worst defensive outfield in the American League. You can debate the rankings, but there are some games where outfield defense is an issue.

2. Last season, the outfield defense was 10th out of 15 AL teams. So it wasn't great. The primary problem area was center field, where Tyler Naquin ranked 14th out of 16 players considered starters. Rajai Davis was No. 9.

3. The Indians have been playing Lonnie Chisenhall since Naquin was sent to Class AAA. Chisenhall has been inconsistent. He rarely played center before this season, and was there for a few games in spring training. He's been out there for only 10 games this season.

4. Chisenhall is ranked above average in right field. It's too early to say anything definitive about him in center, given his very limited exposure to the position.

5. But overall, the defense has struggled. Brantley is coming back from shoulder surgery and needs time to fully return to his best form in left. Austin Jackson is coming off 2016 knee surgery, and his defense is not where it was before the operation. Like Brantley, he probably will improve with time.

6. The Indians' best defensive center fielders are in the minors. Brad Zimmer has impressed with his speed and arm at Class AAA Columbus. He is batting .271 with two HR and seven RBI. At Class AA Akron, Greg Allen is a superb center fielder and a minor league Gold Glove winner in 2016.

7. The Indians can use different players this season, knowing their center fielder of the future is probably not far away. But if they want to make a change now, they can play Abe Almonte in center and move Chisenhall back to right.

8. Almonte played 50 games in center field for the Tribe in 2015 and did a respectable job. That was after the Indians traded Michael Bourn to the Braves.

ABOUT MICHAEL BRANTLEY

Brantley had four homers heading into the weekend. That's remarkable. Brantley batted only 39 times last season with two doubles. By May 9, Brantley knew his shoulder still wasn't right. He missed the rest of 2016 and had biceps surgery.

Brantley has never hit more than 20 homers in a season, reaching that mark in 2014. He hits a lot of doubles and is a career .292 hitter. Having four homers before May 1 is a real indication the right shoulder is fully healed.

Brantley's shoulder could even be a little stronger than before the surgery, considering all the strength training he has done. For a lefty hitter, the right shoulder has to generate a lot of power.

Brantley entered the weekend batting .300 with those four HR and 15 RBI. From manager Terry Francona: "Getting him back in name is one thing, but getting him back as the player he was ... that's pretty impressive on his part."

ABOUT THE INDIANS

1. Yandy Diaz is playing third base and left field at Columbus, entering the weekend batting .350 (7-for-20). The Indians were pleased to see Diaz has not pouted after being sent to the minors.

2. The same is true of Naquin, hitting .356 (.919 OPS) with 1 HR and 3 RBI for the Clippers.

3. Davis is off to slow start with Oakland: .214 with one HR, eight RBI and is 1-of-3 in stolen bases. I really liked Davis and hoped the Tribe would keep him.

4. Former Indian Mike Napoli is batting .155 with three HR and nine RBI for Texas. He has 28 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. The Indians declined to sign Davis and Napoli after they gave Edwin Encarnacion a three-year, $60 million deal.

5. Encarnacion is having his usual difficult April. In the previous three seasons, Encarnacion hit .239 (.697 OPS), averaging three HR and 13 RBI. So his 2017 stats of .205 (.716 OPS) with four HR and nine RBI is pretty typical.

5. Encarnacion is having his usual difficult April. In the previous three seasons, Encarnacion hit .239 (.697 OPS), averaging three HR and 13 RBI. So his 2017 stats of .205 (.716 OPS) with four HR and nine RBI is pretty typical.

Looks more serious and a "typical" slow start in April (in my opinion). Too many bad habits. Hope I'm wrong.

CLEVELAND -- Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor was a blue-chip prospect and a first-round draft pick. Third baseman Jose Ramirez was signed as a 17-year-old free agent. Their divergent paths to the Majors ended in Cleveland, where they now comprise one of the most exciting infield duos in the American League. "A lot of people had their eyes on Frankie all along, but Jose had a couple hiccups where he had to go back down [to the Minors]," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

[ Been posting that in almost the same words since 2012-2013 ]

Rest Of Article

http://m.indians.mlb.com/news/article/2 ... aking-out/

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For the record, having Edwin on my fantasy team last season I watched him quite a bit.

Never hear it mentioned, but he missed all of spring training last year - I believe it was an oblique. So yes, he started slow in April last year but duhhh. So stats really can be misleading.

This year, not unusual for a new free agent to press a bit at first. Before it's all done he'll be raking as usual.

I'm hoping! The season could depend on it.

Here's an end-of-April rating of all 30 teams with succinct write-ups on the Good, the Bad, and the Outlook for each team.

They rate the Indians No. 6

The Good

The Cleveland Indians picked up a pair of quality series wins over the Mariners and Astros last week as they climbed back toward their Opening Day placement at No. 2 in these rankings. Similar to what we saw with Mookie Betts a year ago, budding superstar Francisco Lindor has added pop to his game, as he's already slugged seven home runs after hitting 15 all of last year.

The offense is scoring runs despite slow starts from Carlos Santana (.224 BA, .695 OPS, 2 HR) and Edwin Encarnacion (.200 BA, .696 OPS, 4 HR) and the early absence of Jason Kipnis, so it's fair to assume the best is yet to come at the plate.

[No mention of the best back of the bullpen anyone could imagine. Maybe that's too obvious to note]

The Bad

What in the world happened to the Indians' starting rotation?

The starting staff ranks 28th in the majors with a 4.78 ERA, and Carlos Carrasco (5 GS, 2-2, 2.04 ERA) is the only starter with an ERA under 4.00.

While there's no reason for concern surrounding Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar just yet, the team might need to consider making a change at the back end, where Trevor Bauer (6.26 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (8.87 ERA) have both struggled mightily.

The bullpen has been lights out once again, and it's so deep that the rotation simply needs to pull its weight for Cleveland to live up to lofty expectations.


Outlook

This is a stacked team that hasn't gotten off to the start many expected. They're still the clear favorites in the AL Central and legitimate title contenders.