Cleveland Sports Forum

Not the guy I was asking for but it really doesn't matter. I guess. But then look at freeman's stats. His career major league average is 134 and an OPS of 418. Nearly as big a pile of it as Stamets. And he was distinguishing himself in Columbus hitting 208, but then batting average can be deceiving. He had drawn nine walks and hit 3 homers so his OPS was over 1000.'

Meanwhile, Lindor is playing tonight for the Clippers, and has not got hurt yet

Lindor has a single and a home run, that I know of.

Lindor writes an article for Players Tribune in preparation for his return.

-

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us ... nd-indians

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/carlos-santana ... -s-citizen

Good looking family

2 days old...he called it on Hanley.

Recap: Indians Q&A with Zack Meisel


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 2019 74 Comments

Roy M.
Apr 19, 6:04pm
Zack “Man” you think Hanley has any gas in the tank to help Tribe? Will Bauers hit over “Mendoza Line” and strike out less than 150 times? We really miss Gomes bat and arm. Current duo won’t hit .150 . Thoughts?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:23pm
@Roy M. I'm skeptical about whether it'll be worth it to keep Hanley around all season if he's a DH, and not even an everyday DH. I think Bauers will be fine eventually. He's hit better of late. Do they miss Gomes' bat? Sure. He isn't doing much in Washington, though it's still more than Perez/Plawecki. That said, if you've watched Perez defensively this season... my goodness is he skilled back there.

6
Roy M.
Apr 19, 6:53pm
Perez can’t frame a pitch as well as Gomes nor can he consistently rifle down runners at second. Obviously Kluber misses him. And, as we know, can’t hit his weight.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:58pm
@Roy M. Career caught stealing percentage: Perez 38%, Gomes 35%

7
Reid S.
Apr 19, 5:46pm
Zack, give me best case and worst case on when we can expect Clev back. Are they leaning towards surgery or PT recovery? What is the latest word?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:06pm
@Reid S. Have to admit, I meant to inquire both Tues and Wed, and forgot both days.

At this point, best-case scenario of around the All-Star break? Maybe early July?

Worst case would be he tears his Achilles while rehabbing and misses the whole year.

3
Reid S.
Apr 19, 6:08pm
Wow! When I said worst case, I didn’t think you’d go total dark side.

3
Matthew K.
Apr 19, 6:13pm
What is the relationship like between Kluber and Bauer? I believe Bauer modeled his slider after Kluber’s last year and was wondering if Kluber would be open to getting advice from Bauer or is there a little awkwardness as there seems to be a changing of the guard as far as the ace of the staff goes? Also I think it would be a cool piece if you could sit in on a bullpen session and see how the pitchers give each other feedback. It seems like it is kind of a unique thing around the MLB. Thanks.

3
Michael K.
Apr 19, 6:19pm
@Matthew K. I like this question.

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:37pm
@Matthew K. The bullpen session idea is great. Actually something I was pursuing a couple years ago, but never got around to. I'll look into that.

It's no secret that Kluber and Bauer aren't hanging out after every game, but I haven't noticed any friction or tension. Bauer/Bieber/Clevinger are all tight, as I detailed a week ago. Carrasco is the happy-go-lucky goofball who is friendly with everyone. Kluber's friends all play elsewhere now, so he's been pretty quiet (er than usual), but the starters all spend tons of time together regardless.

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:38pm
And hey, they're both pitching tomorrow vs ATL, so maybe Bauer can learn some things from Kluber's outing and apply them to his start in the nightcap

1
Elizabeth A.
Apr 19, 6:32pm
I saw that Yu Chang went on the AAA IL with a finger sprain but haven’t seen any details. Do you know if this is related to the finger issue in spring training or if this is something new?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:44pm
@Elizabeth A. I believe his spring injury was to his middle finger. This time, he's giving the middle finger to his ring finger.

5
Michael C.
Apr 19, 6:06pm
Haven’t heard much about Jose’s Mario Kart antics. Is he still displaying his dominance in the clubhouse?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:21pm
@Michael C. He had a crazy comeback win against Bieber on the final lap last homestand. Been on the road for so long, have to wonder if he'll be rusty when he returns to the clubhouse tomorrow.

5
Mike Z.
Apr 19, 6:42pm
Zack, the fans gave the Dolans reason to cut spending given dismal attendance in 17 and 18 relative to a contending team that won a pennant in 16. Is this just a stalemate between a perceived cheap ownership group vs. a skeptical fan base or is interest in baseball truly dying in Cleveland?

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:47pm
@Mike Z. People still watch on TV. Indians local TV ratings have been great. It's like politics. People will stay entrenched in their viewpoints on ownership, one way or the other. Really, it would probably require 10,000 words to properly, thoroughly answer this question. I understand fans who are happy there's a competitive team in Cleveland with a bunch of stars. I also understand fans who wish ownership/front office would do more to capitalize on those stars being here.

3
Wade D.
Apr 19, 6:11pm
Hey Zack, multipart question. Was Brad Miller's statement of the Tribe not wanting its best players when he was designated as controversial as it was portrayed? Did it cause any consternation amongst the players or is this a widely held belief? Is the lockeroom environment as strong and healthy as we have gotten used to under Francona? Miller seemed a decent player but is this a case of addition by subtraction?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:31pm
@Wade D. Talked to a couple players about Miller's comments. They seemed surprised by what he said, but also a bit understanding, since Stamets and Moroff basically had negative batting averages. They also noted that with Lindor coming back, he only would've stuck around a couple more days anyway, so why say all of that?

The locker room has jelled more quickly than I anticipated given the new faces. Seems like Hanley, Bauer and Otero are responsible for much of that.

4
G.Appel
Apr 19, 5:48pm
If I remember correctly, you mentioned a desire to write more about the Indians’ farm system this year. I was pretty excited to see Will Benson’s 4-HR night last night. It seemed like a lot of people who cover prospects closely gave up on him after he hit an admittedly horrendous .180 last season. Last night was just the latest in what has to be an encouraging start to his second season at Lake County. I realize it’s only been a couple of weeks, but are there signs he’s made real strides with his swing?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:11pm
@G.Appel So cool to see. With him, the organization believes a lot of it is mental, in that last season, as he struggled, he tinkered, and then tinkered some more and then kept overthinking about his overtinkering. So with a fresh start this season, a clean slate, it's a good sign that he's off to a great start. Good for his confidence.

Selfishly, he's a fantastic kid with a good head on his shoulders and a great family, and I have a piece in the works on him that I hope to publish in the next month or two.

4
G.Appel
Apr 19, 6:15pm
If he can make consistent contact, the Indians could have a few all-stars in their future outfield between him, Valera and Nolan Jones.

G.Appel
Apr 19, 6:24pm
Prospect double-dip question here. Do you know if Valera and Rocchio (sp?) are going to start the year with the Scrappers?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:53pm
@G.Appel Not sure yet. Very interested to see what they do with those two and with Brady Aiken, who's back in AZ and might have to head back to Mahoning Valley.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:08pm
Tonight's Indians game postponed, by the way. Double dip tomorrow.

2
Norm C.
Apr 19, 6:44pm
Day/Night?

Norm C.
Apr 19, 6:50pm
Traditional Double Header.

1
Reid S.
Apr 19, 6:53pm
Traditional. 4 pm and half hour after game 1.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:54pm
@Norm C. Traditional. First game at 4. Kluber starts Game 1, Bauer Game 2.

1
Zachary A.
Apr 19, 6:09pm
Meisel, we all remember Shaw's awful back tattoo, who has the worst one now?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:24pm
@Zachary A. Haha. I remember counting the number of players who had their last name tattooed on their back. Shaw, Salazar, Armstrong I think? Kluber has a baseball wrapped in a Texas flag on his back. It's a cool little design, but I guess I'd go with that because he doesn't seem like a tattoo guy and maybe it should be on his shoulder?

2
Zachary A.
Apr 19, 6:30pm
That is an odd back tattoo. Like upper back middle or on his back shoulder? Surprising that Klubes would even have one!

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:54pm
@Zachary A. Upper middle

Michael K.
Apr 19, 6:09pm
When are they expecting Bradley Zimmer to come back? And if he comes back to his Grady Sizemore-type ability, what will that mean for the OF?

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:26pm
@Michael K. Possibly in May sometime, but he has to prove he can not strike out 40% of the time. I have no clue how he'd fit into the OF picture, either. He goes to CF since he has the best range? Martin moves to a corner with Gonzalez/Bauers occupying the other corner and DH? That's my best guess, but I still need to see Zimmer improve at the plate, so I'm not penciling him in anytime soon.

1
David C.
Apr 19, 5:56pm
Do you foresee another payroll cut in 2020?

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:19pm
@David C. One thing that would help prevent it is a deep postseason run. Other than that, who knows

David C.
Apr 19, 6:29pm
@Zack Meisel Fuckin A. Thanks.

1
Alex D.
Apr 19, 5:52pm
Was being a lefty bat really Miller’s downfall for being designated? It didn’t make sense to me that that would be the prevailing reason, as Tito said. Especially given the lack of production from Stamets and Moroff

Alex D.
Apr 19, 5:57pm
http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/ ... -best-guys


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:14pm
@Alex D. It's that they didn't like him at SS. Therefore, he was redundant with Kipnis.

2
Alex B.
Apr 19, 6:02pm
How many of the ten questions Tito and Carlos answered for the citizenship test could you get? And do you remember the hardest one? Loved that article btw


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:19pm
@Alex B. I don't remember any off the top of my head, but I recall when Carrasco was studying for it, Kipnis was helping him, and the examples they gave me, I got about 50% correct.

2
Andrew L.
Apr 19, 5:48pm
Zach, what is going on with Kluber? Is it still early in the season and he hasn't rounded into form? His drop in velocity is a concern. Thank you.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:11pm
@Andrew L. Carrasco hushed some similar concerns with his last outing. I still want to give Kluber another start or two to see what adjustments he makes. Let's check back on this after tomorrow's outing.

1
Larry N.
Apr 19, 6:02pm
I saw Lindor in a couple of videos in Columbus where it looked like he was struggling running the bases. Maybe it's my paranoia and I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but I'm hoping this isn't going to be something to watch for as he works his way back.

Any insight on this? Did you notice anything?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:17pm
@Larry N. I asked about this. He was wearing an air cast, so I think that factored into his awkward running.

1
David A.
Apr 19, 6:26pm
I noticed that too. Indians, PLEASE do not rush him back.

Alex K.
Apr 19, 5:53pm
Two questions:
1. Do you ride on the team charter planes or do you have to fly commercial? Do any reporters fly on the team flights? Does that help with access or are those writers sequestered?

2. So uh, when are we going to get more top-notch Indians coverage from the Athletic? Still waiting on stuff from Eno.....or are we now the red-head step child?

1

Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:16pm
@Alex K. All reporters fly on their own. Legend has it that this changed when MJ became a star with the Bulls and was gambling on flights and didn't want reporters around. I always try my best not to complain about any aspects of this job, because it's a privilege, but man, our travel is so inconvenient. I'm still reeling from my red-eye back from Seattle the other night. Flying on the Indians' charter would've been nice.

Frank S.
Apr 19, 5:48pm
I was quite impressed by Jefry Rodriguez's outing last Saturday, seems like we got a diamond in the rough with him maybe. What's the internal vibe on him?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:13pm
@Frank S. He just needs reps. He didn't start pitching until he was 18. Command has been his issue. And then he didn't walk anyone on a night he should've been more nervous than ever. So, they think he has some potential. It'll be interesting to see whether he sticks as a starter or eventually transitions to the bullpen.

1
Clark Y.
Apr 19, 6:40pm
Is it stupid to think that going from Gomes to Perez has affected Kluber? In 16 when Gomes was hurt Kluber was throwing to Perez. But I would think their framing techniques would have to vary. It just seems Kluber is walking more than usual trying to go to outside to righties but isn’t getting those strikes.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:50pm
@Clark Y. I think it's a mechanical thing, not a catcher thing. Perez is a great framer and he's caught Kluber enough in the past where that shouldn't be an issue. I'd think Kluber will right the ship as he gets more work. Will he be a Cy Young finalist? Probably not. But he's smart and skilled enough to find a way to cope, even if he loses some steam on his pitches.

1
Andrew M.
Apr 19, 6:41pm
Hey Zack! With the removal of the post July 31st waiver trading deadline, do you foresee more moves being made for clubs in May and June instead of waiting until the last minute at the end of July?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:51pm
@Andrew M. I think so. It makes it easier that, with all the noncompetitive (tanking) teams out there, it's easy to identify buyers and sellers.

1
Jacob C.
Apr 19, 6:02pm
Any chance Leonys stays at the 1? I've personally always wanted Frankie batting 2nd or 3rd.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:17pm
@Jacob C. Tito loves Lindor leading off. That said, Martin has certainly earned a chance to stay at the top, and you'd think Tito would want to split up all the switch hitters (Lindor, Ramirez, Santana)

Teresa E.
Apr 19, 6:45pm
Hi Zack! Any updates on Zimmers progress?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:55pm
@Teresa E. He's ramping back up after recovering from an oblique pull. Guessing he could head to Columbus at some point soon. Just what they need, another outfielder.

Cody K.
Apr 19, 6:43pm
I know that everybody wants to extend lindor I do too but what’s gonna happen with Ramirez isn’t he a free agent a year after him?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:45pm
@Cody K. Ramirez is under control through 2023

Wade D.
Apr 19, 6:25pm
Has anyone with the Tribe noticed that Oscar Mercado has continued his strong spring in Columbus? It seems we have gone from a desperate situation of no legitimate outfielders to possibly not having enough MLB or even AAA atbats for our younger players.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:41pm
@Wade D. That game the other day with four stolen bases was wild. He'll be an option once there's a clear opening. As I noted above, they want to learn about their current guys first.

Norm C.
Apr 19, 6:40pm
Do you think giving Greg Allen some full time work in Columbus would be helpful? If nothing else, to help his confidence


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:51pm
@Norm C. Yeah, I thought they might do that when they promoted Gonzalez. But they like his speed and defense late in games, so I can see why they still value him in a part-time or limited role.

Ryan S.
Apr 19, 6:23pm
Once this IF is healthy, who ends up as the UTL player? Moroff hasn’t shown much.

Also, when’s the super 2 date? Any chance the Indians will bring up Mercado when that passes?


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:40pm
@Ryan S. Probably Moroff. I'm guessing Freeman won't be here long. Moroff's out of options.

Who would Mercado be replacing? Think they need to learn more about CarGo and Bauers first. And Hanley.

Evan V.
Apr 19, 5:51pm
Is there any likelihood of Lindor DHing due to the leg injuries he sustained? Just not a fan of the wasted ABs for the other options at SS but like the idea of keeping Frankie in the lineup.


Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 6:14pm
@Evan V. Well, tonight's game is postponed. Probably for good measure, because you wouldn't want him doing anything on a slick field. I think they'll be cautious. But if he isn't ready to play SS, then he shouldn't be activated, IMO.




Zack Meisel
Apr 19, 7:05pm
Thanks for chatting, everyone. Have a great weekend. Plenty of baseball

Pitch Sequencing 101 with Trevor Bauer and Roberto Pérez

Zack Meisel Apr 18, 2019 11

SEATTLE​ — Some​ curveballs plunged​ to the ground long​ before they ever​ reached the catcher’s​ mitt.​ Some tickled​ the clouds​​ before they began their descent. None qualified as a strike or anything remotely close.

And yet, when Trevor Bauer wrapped up his bullpen session prior to his start Monday night at T-Mobile Park, he told Roberto Pérez that his curveball would serve as his most effective pitch that night.

“Oh, my God,” Pérez said. “He didn’t throw any strikes. But sometimes you don’t know.”

That’s especially the case for Bauer, who now has a stockpile of plus pitches he can pick from at any point in a plate appearance. On Monday, Bauer racked up eight strikeouts on four different pitches: two on a changeup, two on a slider, one on a four-seam fastball and three on a two-seam fastball.

“I think unpredictability is huge when you can have that in your back pocket,” said pitching coach Carl Willis. “I know he goes out with the intent every start to have at least three above-average pitches, which he can. To some people, that may sound a little much. He can go out there with four to five, but it’s hard to have them all. He makes it extremely difficult when he’s mindful of not falling into the same patterns, to be very unpredictable and that keeps hitters off-balance.”

So how do Bauer and his batterymate determine which pitches to throw in which situations?

Here’s Pérez’s take on the matter:

“He has so many weapons to go to. He developed that changeup over the winter. Last year, it was the slider. He can get people out with any of his pitches, especially when he’s out there throwing 96-97. I think the game dictates what you’re going to call or what his pitch selection is. It’s a matter of reading the swings on the hitter and what their team approach is that day. (The Mariners), we’re not in the same division, so they probably have a different approach. Guys in our division, they swing early. They don’t want to get to two strikes. It seems like against us, everybody’s very aggressive because of our pitching staff. They don’t want to get to two strikes. It’s a matter of paying attention to the game and to their hitters and what they’re trying to do and then just call whatever is best that day. The other night, he had everything working, so I could’ve called anything.

“It’s fun. You know how Bauer is. He likes to strike out people. As a catcher, I like strikeouts, too.”

Let’s examine Bauer’s first-inning encounter with burly Seattle slugger Daniel Vogelbach, a six-pitch battle that resulted in a strikeout, despite only one pitch landing anywhere near the middle of the plate.



Bauer elevated a two-seam fastball above the strike zone and then turned to his changeup, which broke low and away from the lefty hitter.

“He has that comeback two-seamer,” Pérez said. “He’s throwing the changeup down and in to righties. He has that cutter, that slider, that breaking ball. We started to go fastballs up once we got to two strikes, 0-2, 1-2. His fastball plays, when he’s up in the zone. He can go breaking ball, slider away, changeup down.”

There’s plenty from which to choose, but that also can make the process a bit more complex. For more on that, let’s pick Bauer’s brain.

With a number of pitches to turn to at any given time, when do you know what’s working and what you don’t have a feel for?

When I throw it and see what it does. My curveball was pretty good (Monday), right? I threw zero curveballs for strikes in the pen and I threw zero curveballs within 2 feet of the plate in the pen. I would bounce one at 40 feet, spray one really high. It was all over the place. So, you never know. Sometimes a pitch will be bad for the first three innings and then when you really need it, it’s just there. It changes. My changeup was really good for the first couple innings and then I threw some really shitty ones later and it turned into a double and a run. It’s just getting into a game, seeing an umpire and a hitter in the box and seeing what you’ve got.

So how challenging is it just trying to figure out what’s best on a given night and how to properly sequence it?

I think it’s just a matter of learning how to pitch with plus weapons all around. Like last year, my fastball was not good and my changeup was just average. So I relied heavily on my cutter, slider and curveball. This year, my fastball’s playing plus because of the addition of a plus changeup, so everybody slows down and looks for off-speed when I throw 35 percent fastballs or whatever. So my fastball plays up and I have to rewire myself to be able to trust that whatever pitch I throw in whatever count is going to be effective.

Last year, it was like, “OK, I need a swing and miss. I’m going curveball or slider.” But now I can get swing and miss on changeup, curveball, slider, cutter, fastball. So it’s a blessing, for sure. It’s just going to take a while to figure out the proper mindset and the proper proportions. I only threw four sliders (Monday). It’s nice, because I can go through a game and not throw a curveball, like I did the first game against Minnesota. I threw two. I can go through a game and not throw my slider, like (Monday) night. Ideally, I’d go through a game and throw 15 percent of everything, but that’s not always going to be the case. As I go into the season, that’s more so the case than falling into a pattern.

Especially when you see teams multiple times.

Like, Detroit did a really good job of slowing down and looking for off-speed in two-strike counts, so if the slider was off the plate, I didn’t get a swing. If it was a strike, they were looking for it. I didn’t do a very good job of executing fastballs in proper places to combat that. I had some strikeouts on fastballs, but I wasted a lot of pitches, either on missed fastballs or balls that I didn’t get to the right location that they fouled off. And then my pitch count ran. And then the more fastballs you throw, the more tendency there is to want to go to something else, because the closer they get to hitting the fastball, then the count drags on and then you throw 115 pitches in 5 2/3 innings. You read what the hitter’s telling you in-game. (Monday), I threw 64 fastballs, which is astronomically high. That’s usually two games’ worth for me. But that’s what the hitters were telling me.

It seemed like you set up the two-seam fastball really well on Monday.

If you’re slowed down and looking for something breaking away from you, it’s just very hard to deal with something that’s hard and running back toward you. That’s the purpose of how my repertoire is set up, is to tunnel and move balls different directions at different speeds. I can go all sorts of different directions and all the different speeds. That’s the whole design of the repertoire is you can’t sit on anything. You can, if I refuse to throw something in a certain count, which I’m stupid about that sometimes and overly rely on one pitch in a certain count, but that’s getting balanced out. Give me another, like, month and everything will be pretty even and impossible to sit on, so you’ll have to deal with everything instead of just picking one thing to deal with.

“It’s fun. You know how Bauer is. He likes to strike out people. As a catcher, I like strikeouts, too.”

Of course we get that, but again last night he ran up quite the pitch count and, as we know, the bullpen melted down.

Sometimes you have to pitch to contact instead of trying to fool every hitter and strike them out.

Sometimes he completely fools the batter and they don't swing.

Next goal should be a complete game.

he Roast of Terry Francona

Zack Meisel 15m ago 1

CLEVELAND​ — A jabbing​ pain sprung​ Terry Francona from his slumber​ the night before​ Game 7 of​ the​ 2016 World​ Series.

The Indians​​ manager had a nightmare, in which someone had cracked his ribs. He had merely fallen asleep atop his remote control, which nestled between his ribs when he rolled over. Also, his glasses were covered in peanut butter, the result of some late-night pretzel dunking into a jar of Jif.

“It was a bad night,” Francona said the next day. “My room looks like a national disaster.”

That’s a common occurrence.

An odor lured Buddy Bell to Francona’s hotel room one day in San Diego 30 years ago, and Bell stumbled upon a graveyard of Francona’s clothes on the floor. Bell spotted a pizza box peeking out from beneath the rubble. Half of the pie remained, with the nearby clothing items coated with a doughy, cheesy solution.

“I ended up cleaning his room for him,” Bell said. “That was every trip.”

No one pokes more fun at himself than Francona, who is fluent in self-deprecation. And it ought to be that way, because he tends to tweak his friends, fellow coaches and players on a routine basis.

He pelts people with water balloons and with his chewing gum/tobacco concoctions. He urges the team’s scoreboard operator to plaster Kevin Cash’s unsightly career hitting statistics in one-million-point font on the scoreboard every time the Rays visit Progressive Field. When he watched Josh Tomlin pitch during spring training, Francona said Tomlin’s haircut made him look “like he was 12 years old.”

“It’s nonstop,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin once accidentally used a one-cent stamp for a piece of mail he was sending to his house.

“I just thought it took a little bit longer to get there,” Tomlin said. “The (clubhouse attendants) let Tito know about that. To this day, I still get text messages, like, ‘Hey, has that one-cent stamp made it to your house yet?’”

It’s only right that those he has tormented get a bit of revenge, and this seems like an appropriate time. Francona turns 60 today. (Dustin Pedroia, one of Francona’s favorite players, was surprised to learn he made it to the special number.)

This is The Roast of Terry Francona. (And “roast” is a fitting word, because many embarrassing stories about the man revolve around food.)

Bell, Francona’s good friend for the past 30 years, wants one thing made clear.

“I certainly wish I could tell you some of these other things,” he says, “but I would be getting myself in trouble. Selfishly, I can’t tell you. I don’t really care what people think of Tito, but I do care what people think of me.”

No one highlights his own comical misfortune quite like Francona. But those close to him will try.

Bell: I have epilepsy. When I was playing, I always had a roommate, or a connecting door, just to be safe. Why I picked Tito, I have no answer for that. He would be the last person I would want to take care of me when I was in dire need of something. He’s a mess.

Andre Knott, TV reporter: On the plane, he throws grapes at (coach) Mike Barnett. There’s nothing like waking up after a long flight and stepping on six grapes. If you walk by where he sits, it literally looks like my 4-year-old son just went to town on grapes and cookies. Grapes are everywhere he goes. He thinks he’s healthy because he eats a million grapes and throws them at everybody.

The popsicle stick
Chris Antonetti: Millsie falls asleep and Tito has this big smile on his face. He had just finished one of his many popsicles and he takes the stick and places it on top of Millsie’s head while he’s asleep. And he’s giggling and laughing and thinks it’s the funniest thing. So, the flight ends and Millsie gets up and Tito’s still giggling. Tito goes to put on his sport coat and his collar is a little wrinkled. Millsie, being the great guy that he is, goes, “T, just so you know, your collar is a little off. You may want to fix it, put it down.” Tito’s like, “Oh, thanks, Millsie,” and is laughing, doesn’t say anything about the popsicle stick on his head. Then, it falls off and the whole coaching cabin erupts in laughter. Tito’s always finding a way to try to keep things loose, but it’s just so funny that Millsie’s thinking, “Hey, Tito, your collar is a little bit off and you need to fix it,” and Tito is over there putting popsicle sticks on Millsie’s head. I’m not sure if he would’ve ever told him. I think he would’ve let him just get on the bus and go to the hotel.

Mills is used to it. He’s been by Francona’s side since the two starred at the University of Arizona 40 years ago.

The final exam
Mills: You’ve got the big grass patch there at the University of Arizona and the library was on the right. It’s a long, grass mall and I’m walking and I can see him almost a block away, just running, full sprint, and he’s coming toward me, going toward the mall. He’s not breaking his stride. He’s running and he sees me, but he’s not slowing down. So I go, “What are you doing?!” And he keeps running and as he’s running by me, he goes, “I just got tutored, and I don’t want to forget it!” I about died laughing. It was finals week. Our assistant coach was the tutor, so he had tutored him and he had to get to class, but he didn’t want to forget it, so he was running. It was a math class. It was your final, but you could take it any time during the day. You showed up and the teacher was there. So that’s what he was doing. He went and got tutored. It fits exactly right into the same person that he is now. If you can’t picture him now with his knees and everything, running, or looking like he was, running at a dead sprint — it was hilarious. I just shook my head. I just kept on walking to class. It was amazing, absolutely amazing.

The roster spot
Bell: I got to know him in spring training in Cincinnati in ’87. When he came over as a non-roster player with the Reds, we became very good friends very fast. He had such a great spring and I can recall over in St. Pete, we were playing the Mets. Doug Sisk was pitching and Nick Esasky was hitting. Tito was not assured of a spot on the club yet. And I remember him sitting next to me and asking me constantly if I thought he was going to make the club. Finally, I said, “Listen, I’m not in charge of this. You need to go ask (manager) Pete (Rose) or someone who’s in control of this.” While we were talking, Doug Sisk hit Esasky right on top of the hand and broke Nick’s hand and Tito did not miss a beat. He goes, “I just made the club.” The body wasn’t even cold yet and Tito already has this figured out. Nick was his competition.
One night, Bryan Shaw and a couple of teammates planned to meet Francona at the Cleveland casino. Francona showed up an hour early, and when the rest of the group arrived, Francona cashed out his $2,000 profit and told them, “I’m out!” (And they say he’s a players’ manager.)

There was the time he hopped aboard his scooter one Sunday morning in Sept. 2017, with a sea of Browns fans swarming the streets of downtown Cleveland. He lost his balance and started to tip over into some bushes. As he gathered himself, he noticed Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.

“I was gonna go say hello to him,” Francona said, “and I was so embarrassed that I just got on and took off across the street. I bet you he saw it and was going, ‘What an idiot.’ ”

There was Popsicle-palooza: He downed 17 in one sitting on a random night in June 2015, but insisted they were of the healthy variety. He spent an hour talking his digestive system off the ledge. A few nights later, he swiped an entire basket of frozen treats from a generous flight attendant. He downed 11 low-calorie popsicles and two ice cream “Drumsticks.”

There was the Windy City Ice Cream Incident: He ordered $44 worth of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, berries and a brownie sundae the night before Game 5 of the 2016 World Series in Chicago. The room service operator asked how many people the order would be serving. One, Francona replied.

“I would say from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.,” Francona said, “it was not a pleasant experience.”

There was the time he rode an elephant, on loan from the Cincinnati Zoo, at the Reds’ annual team party at the home of owner Marge Schott.

There was the time he popped off the cap of his tooth during the national anthem before a 2016 playoff game, and required a meeting with a dentist at 1 a.m. in downtown Toronto for a quick fix.

There was the time he suffered a bathroom mishap while Michael Bourn was being ejected at Wrigley Field. As Francona used the urinal behind the visitors dugout, he heard a commotion and, well, soaked an area of his pants. Mills hustled onto the field to defend the Indians’ center fielder.

“I was trying to go to the bathroom,” Francona said. “I can’t even do that in peace.”

Well, no, but sometimes that’s by choice.

“He likes to use the bathroom with the door open,” Tomlin said. “I have a picture of it so just in case he decides to ever embarrass me, I can embarrass him back.”
Without hesitation, Mickey Callaway mentioned another ice cream tale. On this occasion, Francona fell asleep with a sundae on his stomach. He woke up with a melted, sticky pool of dairy covering his body.

“It’s insane what that guy eats,” Callaway said.

The food network
Antonetti: He woke up one day with all these marks all over his stomach and he was concerned, like, “Do I have a skin disorder? What’s going on?” And then he looked over on the side of the bed and he realized he rolled over onto a plate of nachos and he had all the nacho parts in his stomach. There are hundreds of food-type of stories with him.

Mike Sarbaugh: He really enjoys Milk Duds. Sometimes they get lost on his bed at night. It’s always good, because the next day, if he doesn’t have any, he can just feel around his bed and find a Milk Dud. I was living with him in the spring, so I was kind of the Milk Dud guy, to get them for him. If he needed some, he could always look in his bed, because he’d lose some at night and the next day, they were always there. He’s infamous for that. There’s always a mess involved.

Kevin Cash: It’s 2013. We’re bunked at this place we have for spring training. We’ve got the family-size bag of peanut M&Ms that he leaves out. He wakes up in the middle of the night, opens them up and probably gets, like, two big handfuls of them. Then you walk in, we wake up that morning – he left the freezer open, there are M&Ms all over the floor. They’re melted everywhere. He walks out of his bedroom and he’s got different colors of M&Ms all over his face, all over his hands and all over the mattress from where they all melted.

Mike Barnett: He got his hip replaced. It was after the season, so I stayed around. He loves to snack at night. So he woke up in the morning and he said, “Hey, can you come in here and help me for a minute?” I said, “OK, yeah.” So I come in and he goes, “Yeah, I kind of had some ice cream last night.” There’s an empty tray and then an ice cream bowl on the bed. And there was another one that was a completely full one that he had knocked off the bed and it fell all over the floor. I’m going, “My God, what are you doing?” So I cleaned it up and helped him, had to put this machine on him and stuff like that. He likes to snack late. It was just hilarious, because there was a whole empty one. It had to be, like, three big scoops of ice cream. And he had downed one of them and knocked another one off the bed, another three scoops, and they’re all over the floor. So, nothing you could do but clean it up, because he couldn’t move around very well.

Bell and Francona lived together for three years during instructional league and spring training. They would fight over the remote. Bell was meticulous about keeping his shoes in a row and his clothes in a drawer, and that style clashed with Francona’s not-so-tidy tendencies.

“I don’t like to argue hardly ever,” Bell said, “but for some reason, I liked arguing with him. I don’t know why. I just wanted him to be wrong really bad. I just wanted to catch him one time. I don’t know that I ever did. He always had the answers.”

Francona earned his first major-league coaching gig in 1996 on Bell’s staff with the Tigers. Bell quickly noticed how Francona struck up relationships with clubhouse attendants, police officers, ushers, and how much he cared about the players.

“It’s not bullshit,” Bell said. “It’s real. It’s something that’s really, really important to him.”

Francona often preaches about his job that, “We take what we do serious, but we don’t take ourselves serious.”

On Sunday afternoon, a reporter told Francona he looked “a day under 60.”

“I feel a day over 80,” the manager replied.

He planned to spend his birthday, an off-day, with his kids and grandkids, who are visiting Cleveland.

“Every day was a dose of medicine for me, being around Tito,” Bell said, “whether it was something he said or something he did.

“It’s funny that he’s turning 60, because I don’t think he’s ever going to be able to act 60 or act 70. I think he’s always going to act like he’s 30.”

The Athletic’s Josh Tolentino, Nick Groke and Jen McCaffrey contributed to this story.

Agree on Bauer: needs to give us at least 7 full innings every time out. 8 or 9 preferable, especially with this bullpen.

Or more like 13.

Damn, we should all have a little more Tito in us. (very little more that is)

By Zack Meisel Apr 23, 2019 7
CLEVELAND​ — Josh​ Tomlin​ had one fear when​ pitching against his​ former​ team​ last weekend.

If​ he​ recorded​​ the final out of an inning, he knew his muscle memory would nudge him toward the Indians dugout, not the one reserved for visiting players. The last thing he wanted to do was walk toward the wrong side, where Terry Francona serves as gatekeeper. Tomlin knew Francona would never let him forget such a gaffe.

“I text with him probably every other day,” Francona said. “I can’t tell you the context of those texts. He’s one of my all-time favorites. He’ll always be. I just fucking think the world of him.”

That’s a popular sentiment within the Indians’ clubhouse. Tomlin spent more than a decade in the organization, and while he wasn’t a perennial Cy Young Award contender, he still left his mark.

“I think there are certain guys who have that ability to bring people together,” Corey Kluber said. “I think (Mike Napoli) was that way. (Jason) Giambi was that way. It’s really something that’s hard to quantify or put into words.”

So difficult, in fact, that Kluber apologized for not being able to thoroughly detail Tomlin’s off-the-field value. Tomlin isn’t one to prattle on about his own merits, either, but I forced him to explain why so many describe him as the ideal teammate.

“Being available.”

Tomlin said he always tried to listen to his teammates and answer any questions anyone had about anything. When someone struggled, he’d offer encouragement. When someone thrived, he’d push him to keep working.

“I held everybody in the same regard.”

Tomlin said he was as willing to help Kluber as he was a rookie making his big-league debut. “I didn’t want anybody to ever feel like they were on an island.”

“I knew my role pretty well.”

It’s cliché, but Tomlin stressed that he did whatever he could to help the team win, whether that meant eating a few extra innings in a lopsided game, providing a spot start so another hurler could gain an additional day of rest or pitching on consecutive days despite lacking his best stuff. He’d study opposing pitchers and relay his scouting report to the Indians’ hitters. He’d remind Francona if the manager needed a pinch-runner, he played shortstop in college.

“He’s selfless,” Francona said. “That’s the best word I could probably come up with. You want guys to put the team ahead of themselves.”

That’s the word Tomlin preached, too.

“I tried to lead by example,” he said, “so guys like (Francisco) Lindor, Trevor (Bauer) and (Mike) Clevinger, guys like that, it’s not just about you all the time, it’s not about your stats, it’s about 25 men who are trying to accomplish the same goal. The more you realize that, the more you take that approach, the better off the team’s going to be and the better off you’re going to be in turn. That, to me, is the most important thing, is being selfless. That C on the shirt is more important than the name on the back of the jersey. I always felt that way.”

Tomlin now pitches for the Braves, though. Michael Brantley, Cody Allen and Yan Gomes relocated over the winter, too. Bauer and Lindor had a conversation this spring about stepping into more firm leadership roles, Bauer overseeing the pitching staff and Lindor the position players. Francona has praised Dan Otero for anchoring the bullpen.

“You don’t want to push that on people if they’re not ready for it,” Tomlin said. “But I think they’re 100 percent worthy.”

Leadership doesn’t develop overnight. Francona told Otero early in spring training he thought Otero could help to fill the veteran void left by the departure of Allen and Andrew Miller. Otero said he hasn’t consciously tried to assume a different role in the bullpen. He still leans on Kluber, Tyler Olson and Oliver Pérez when he needs some guidance. And, as the season unfolds, leadership in the clubhouse will surface organically.

“If you force it,” Otero said, “it doesn’t work. You go to guys you’re comfortable with. If you don’t develop relationships, then what good is that? I think that’s what Tomlin was so good at.”

Cleveland Indians: It’s time to promote Oscar Mercado – Terry Pluto


I understood why the Indians sent Oscar Mercado to Class AAA Columbus despite him batting .400 in spring training.

The Tribe was not prepared to start him in the outfield. They wanted a right-handed hitter to come off the bench and play part-time in the outfield.

They went with Jordan Luplow, who came in a trade from the Pirates. He is a career .302 hitter in Class AAA. He tended to hit well against left-handed pitching, a good platoon with lefty-hitting Tyler Naquin in right field.

But Luplow was 3-for-15 with the Tribe and had eight strikeouts in those 15 at bats. They sent him back to Class AAA, where he’s hitting .344 (11-for-32).

The Indians know they need a right-handed bat for the outfield.

They hoped Greg Allen could fill the role. The switch-hitter batted .310 for the Tribe after the All-Star break. He batted .354 in spring training.

But Allen has been lost at the bat, 4-for-38 (.105). It’s hard to imagine someone with his speed having so many problems at the plate. But that’s the case.

The Indians are batting an American League low .210 as a team. Their .628 OPS is also the AL’s lowest. Only the Detroit Tigers have scored fewer runs than Cleveland.

Given all that, it’s amazing they went into the weekend with a 15-10 record. A strong starting pitching staff and a hot closer in Brad Hand (8-for-8 in saves) have helped them win several low-scoring games.

Obviously, a trade would help.

But in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the outfield;

1. The Indians have only one outfielder (Allen) who hits from the right side.

2. I thought Naquin would hit, at least against right-handers. He’s batting .242 (.613 OPS).

3. Jake Bauers has showed some life in left field, especially of late. It was encouraging to see the lefty-hitter hit a game winning homer and another big double to left field in the last week.

4. Bauers is worth keeping. He’s batting .224 (.829 OPS) with three home runs and 10 RBI.

5. Leonys Martin has been a savior in center. He’s hitting .256 (.895 OPS) with five homers and 8 RBI.

6. I believe Carlos Gonzalez may eventually hit, but the veteran looks rusty. He is hitting .257 and hit his first homer Friday.

7. Gonzalez, Martin, Bauers and Naquin are all lefty hitters. Only Martin has shown any consistency at the plate.

8. With the release of DH Hanley Ramirez, the Indians can promote Mercado. Gonzalez can be the DH.

9. In the last 10 games, Mercado is batting .395 in Columbus. For the season, he’s at .342 (1.011 OPS) with two HR and 11 RBI. He is a gifted athlete, a good outfielder and he’s 8-for-11 in stolen bases.

10. Mercado is a right-handed hitter on a team that needs one. One reason to start him in the minors was to promote him after a strong start – when his confidence is high. The one concern about Mercado is 20 strikeouts in 81 plate appearances.

11. “April in Cleveland,” is how Tribe Manager Terry Francona describes the difficulty of young hitters opening the season in the majors. The cold weather makes it hard for almost anyone to hit. The pressure mounts. You can see it chewing up the confidence of Allen and Luplow.

12. Allen needs to go to Columbus. The Indians could bring back Luplow. I’d rather try Mercado. Because they have so many left-handed hitting outfielders, Mercado’s right-handed bat should be able to be in the lineup at least half the time.

13. The 24-year-old Mercado has never been in the Majors. He could hit an early slump and struggle, like the other young hitters. But he also has the physical gifts (6-foot-2, 200 pounds with speed) of a Major Leaguer. It’s time to give him a shot in Cleveland.

Jefry Rodriguez has made two excellent starts for the Tribe. He came from Washington in the Yan Gomes trade. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)
The Plain Dealer

Jefry Rodriguez has made two excellent starts for the Tribe. He came from Washington in the Yan Gomes trade. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

ABOUT THE TRIBE

1. Some fans were upset when the Indians traded Yan Gomes to Washington, viewing it purely as a salary dump. It was partly about getting rid of his $7 million salary. But it also was about adding prospects to a depleted upper level of the farm system.

2. One player in the deal was Jefry Rodriguez, who has made two starts for the Tribe and has a 2.13 ERA. The other player is Daniel Johnson, an intriguing outfielder who is hitting .273 (.872 OPS) with three HR and 15 RBI at Class AA Akron. Johnson also had a strong spring with the Tribe in Arizona. They received legitimate prospects in return.

3. As for Gomes, he’s off to a rough start in Washington (.255, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .717 OPS) and splitting the catching duties with Kurt Suzuki. The Indians are not getting offense from starting catcher Roberto Perez (.185, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .608 OPS), but he has received raves for his defense and handling of pitchers.

4. Mercado came to the Indians in a small deal with the Cardinals on July 31, 2018. The Indians traded outfielders Conner Capel and Jhon Torres for him. Both were in the low minors. It was the same day they acquired Leonys Martin from Detroit for a prospect named Will Castro.

5. A shortstop, Castro is batting .348 for Class AAA Toledo. The Indians knew Castro has a chance to be a big league infielder when they traded him. But they were desperate for a center fielder. Martin has nailed down the position in 2019 after surviving a life threatening bacterial infection in 2018.

6. On the subject of prospects, former Tribe first-round pick Clint Frazier was off to a fast start with the Yankees, batting .324 (.975 OPS) with six HR and 17 RBI. He then sprained his ankle and went on the injured list. Last season, Frazier dealt with a serious concussion problem. If he can stay healthy, he is a special hitter.

7. Prospects are fascinating to follow and frustrating to figure out. Patience often is the key. The Cardinals sort of gave up on Mercado, their second-round pick in the 2013 draft.

8. The Indians top pick in the 2016 draft was Will Benson. In his first three pro seasons, the outfielder .201 (.738 OPS) and struck out 292 times in 792 at bats. Benson (6-5, 215) recently belted four homers in a game at Class A Lake County. After hitting .180 for the Captains last season, he’s a .345 hitter (1.228 OPS) with six HR and 18 RBI. In the last 10 games, he’s batting .400. He’ll turn 21 on June 16. He’s starting to look like a first-round draft pick.

9. I heard this stat on a recent Tribe TV telecast: Trevor Bauer has thrown at least 115 pitches in four starts this season. Only two others have thrown that many pitches in a game this season, and both did it once. Bauer fired 118 pitches in his 2-1 victory over Houston, his last two pitches were 97-98 mph.

10. Bauer has thrown 690 pitches this season, the most in baseball. Next is Seattle’s Marco Gonzalez with 627. Bauer’s stamina and conditioning are remarkable. This season, he has a 3-1 record with a 1.99 ERA, opposing batters are hitting only .167 against him.

Cleveland Indians, Dominican Republic to celebrate opening of world-class baseball academy

State-of-the-art player development complex built to accommodate nearly 90 prospects, prioritizing high performance, nutrition, education and technology

MLB.com 6:36 AM EDT

CLEVELAND, OH -- On Tuesday, April 30, representatives from the Cleveland Indians will join Dominican Republic government officials and community leaders to formally introduce a brand new, state-of-the-art Cleveland Indians Baseball Academy in San Antonio de Guerra. Located just east of Santo Domingo and less than ten miles from Las Américas International Airport, the Tribe’s complex becomes one of Major League Baseball’s most proximate training facilities to the country’s capital.

Cleveland’s sprawling 22-acre campus strengthens a relationship between the Cleveland Indians and the Dominican Republic that dates back to the club’s first Dominican Summer League team in the 1980s, while also reflecting the organization’s modern day holistic approach to player development. The academy was built to accommodate over 120 players, coaches and staff members, including fully furnished dormitory housing for up to 88 athletes who are supported by a comprehensive array of amenities that promote world-class nutrition, high performance and mental skills training, strength and conditioning, medical services and recovery, and safety.

The recently completed project represents a capital investment of more than $10M USD into the Dominican Republic’s economy, creating roughly 200 jobs throughout the construction process, which began in September of 2016. Cleveland’s Dominican academy will be operational year-round and supported by approximately 25 full-time staff members onsite.

“We are truly honored by the opportunity to further enhance our relationships with the people and rich culture of the Dominican Republic,” said Paul Dolan, Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “From Bartolo Colon and Manny Ramírez to Jose Ramírez and Carlos Santana, this proud country is responsible for some of the most iconic and memorable players in Cleveland Indians history and we look forward to providing more young athletes with the resources and tools necessary to succeed both in baseball and in life.”

The Indians prioritized education as a central theme of the design process, as the new academy was built to support the club’s goals of encouraging athletes to become life-long learners in pursuit of secondary and higher education, while also enhancing communication between Native and Non-native English Speakers throughout the organization. Cleveland’s new academy is equipped to operate up to five classrooms simultaneously, leveraging high-speed WiFi, smart projectors and a 35-computer lab to provide students with a 21st century learning experience. These efforts to create a path to a high school diploma for international players will culminate with the anticipated graduation of the academy’s first-ever senior class in the winter of 2019-20.

The Cleveland academy’s outdoor baseball instruction infrastructure includes two full-sized playing fields, including one built to mirror the exact outfield dimensions of Progressive Field; one partial-sized instructional field; the first synthetic turf agility field installed at any Major League training facility in the Dominican Republic; and an open-air field house equipped with four oversized batting cages that can be elevated to create the largest covered multi-purpose space of any MLB complex on the island. Indians prospects refuel in the team’s culinary café with the support of a restaurant-quality kitchen staffed by trained chefs and nutritionists who design carefully planned meal options using locally grown, organic ingredients. Cleveland’s expansive strength and conditioning performance center features the latest in sport science and technology, enabling coaches to fully support individualized player programs.

Those scheduled to represent the Cleveland Indians at Tuesday’s ceremony include Paul Dolan, Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; John Sherman, Vice Chairman; Brad Grant, Vice President of Baseball Operations - Strategy and Administration; Mike Chernoff, General Manager; Matt Forman, Assistant General Manager; Paul Gillispie, Senior Director of International Scouting; Whitney Kuszmaul, Senior Director of Infrastructure and Operations; James Harris, Director of Player Development; Anthony Medrano, Assistant Field Coordinator; Alex De Moya, Assistant Director of Latin American Scouting and Player Development; and Anna Bolton, Education and Language Coordinator [subject to change].

Watching Michael Brantley join the Astros was ‘incredibly painful,’ but the Indians cherish his decade in Cleveland



Zack Meisel Apr 25, 2019 43

HOUSTON​ — There’s​ a hallway at​ Minute Maid Park that​ funnels travelers to​ the field. Before​ the​ final two​ turns, there’s​​ a long, narrow straightaway, and at the end, plastered on the navy wall, is that familiar smile that belongs to Michael Brantley.

This is his new home, following a decade in the Indians’ organization. As the Astros took batting practice Thursday afternoon, a parade of former teammates and coaches visited with Brantley, hugged him, shook his hand, laughed. Jason Kipnis even nuzzled his head between Brantley’s neck and shoulder.

Terry Francona had texted Brantley earlier in the day.

“Man, when you get in that box,” Francona told him, “I may start crying.”

The last time Brantley and the Indians were all in one place — well, some of them anyway — a group of veteran players was huddled around Brantley’s corner locker in Cleveland, enjoying each other’s company one last time.

“You remember that?” Brantley said, smiling, when The Athletic reminded him of the scene Thursday.

Who wouldn’t? The Astros had dispatched the Indians from the postseason after three swift games, and a vibe immediately spread throughout the home clubhouse that signaled change was coming.

Now, Brantley dons one of those white Astros uniforms with orange trim. His longtime teammates Cody Allen, Josh Tomlin, Yan Gomes and Andrew Miller relocated over the winter, too.

“I just knew it wasn’t going to be the same,” Brantley said, “whether it was one of us, two of us, three of us. You never knew what was going to happen. Every year, the team changes. There was going to be a different dynamic. But we wanted to make sure we soaked up those last memories, tell each other how special they were to one another and take that little bit of quiet time and enjoy each other for the last time, if it was going to be the last time.”

The day after the team’s abrupt postseason departure, Brantley met with Francona, Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff for his exit interview. Francona was so certain he’d get emotional during the meeting that he urged Antonetti to do most of the talking. At the time, the Indians’ brass didn’t know if it would be their final encounter with Brantley still a member of their organization. But both sides understood the reality of the situation, especially considering the order of offseason operations.

The Indians had until late October to extend a qualifying offer to Brantley, worth about $18 million. They knew they couldn’t inflate the payroll. They didn’t know if they’d be able to trade Gomes or move a starting pitcher. They hadn’t yet formulated a concrete plan to make the roster younger. And they couldn’t coordinate with Brantley’s team ahead of time to gauge whether he’d accept the offer or reject it and net the Indians an extra draft pick.

So, they bid farewell.

And Brantley signed a two-year deal with the team that bid farewell to the Indians in October.

“Incredibly painful,” Chernoff told The Athletic. “You want players to succeed and be happy and be in championship environments. It’s great for Brantley that’s he’s on a winning team and he’ll raise the bar there. At the same time, to see him go to an AL competitor that beat us in the postseason last year is a gut punch for us, for sure.”

Brantley entered this weekend series against his former team with a vintage .315/.373/.533 slash line.

“Zero surprise,” Chernoff said.

The Indians never lost faith in his ability to hit, even as he suffered through lengthy absences resulting from shoulder and ankle injuries. They took a gamble and exercised his option for the 2018 season, even though he was healing from ankle surgery. He rewarded them with his third All-Star campaign.

Brantley relayed his appreciation for how Indians fans and the organization backed him during those recoveries. Francona recalled how much it pained Brantley to watch the World Series from afar, and how he spent those October days in the training room, working toward a return for the following season.

And as much as it pains the Indians to watch Brantley thrive for the AL West favorite, Francona and Chernoff took solace in the fact such a skilled hitter and leader registered such a lengthy tenure in their organization. Chernoff cited how players tended to gravitate toward Brantley, and how front-office members would regularly check in with him since he had emerged as one of the club’s primary leaders.

“He was the guy who helped the players hold each other accountable,” Chernoff said. “In a lot of ways, he was the glue of that locker room. When guys needed advice, they went to him. When they needed something taken care of, they went to him.”

Said Francona: “We were so blessed to have him here for as long as we did. I think sometimes that gets lost when you’re talking about Tomlin, (Jason) Giambi, (Mike) Napoli, is people get fixated on them leaving. Sometimes you have to remember how fortunate you were to have them with you for however long you had them.”

The ol’ “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” approach to life.

“Cleveland’s all I knew,” Brantley said. “It was my home for a long time. It has a special place in my heart.”