Cleveland Sports Forum

Who is running these "workouts"?

Are they different from last year?

Are they working out on rocky hiking trails?

WTF

Minor league watchers can advise that Espino and Hankins probably are not quite ready for the majors yet.
Who's the 7th starter? Jefry Rodriguez or Logan Allen I suppose.
Things looking up early this spring.

This is from Jayson Stark and national iconic reporter:

Stark: How Francisco Lindor reminds us that baseball is broken


By Jayson Stark 3h ago 175
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Baseball is broken.

In this case, it isn’t broken in a way that involves sign-stealers, Codebreakers or trash-can lids. But it’s broken in a way that’s just as troublesome — in some ways maybe more troublesome.

The other story this spring of how baseball is broken can be found in the American heartlands, in the frustrating dilemma of a team from Cleveland, as the Indians ponder the future of one of their sport’s most magnetic stars, 26-year-old shortstop Francisco Lindor, as he enters his final two seasons before free agency.

Ask yourself how it’s possible that all three of these things can be true:

• Lindor made it clear again this week that he would love to spend the rest of his career in Cleveland.

• His team has made it just as clear that it wants him to spend the rest of his career in Cleveland.

• Yet there might not be a single person in baseball (outside the 216 area code) who believes there is any chance this man will spend the rest of his career — and possibly not even the rest of this season — in Cleveland.

Ask yourself again: How is it possible that all three of those things can be true? Better yet, let’s ask Lindor himself how that’s possible.

“Because everybody thinks Cleveland is a small-budget team, you know,” he says, calmly, analytically, thoughtfully. “And it’s just a matter of coming up with the right thing. That’s for my agent and the team to figure out, what’s the right thing. So everyone thinks it’s not going to happen because the Indians have always said, ‘We don’t have the money. We don’t have the money. We don’t have the money.’ So we’ll see.”

He says those words, “We’ll see,” because he can’t peer far enough over the horizon to know exactly how this saga will end. But he is a bright, perceptive man. So the one thing he can see with clarity is the big picture in his sport. And he has no trouble connecting the dots between that big picture and his own uncertain future.

OK then, does he think baseball is broken? If the Indians can’t find a way to sign him to a contract that keeps him in Cleveland and pays him what he is worth, does that say to him that baseball is broken?

“We’re running a bad business then,” he says, “because there’s money. There’s money out there. It’s an ($11-billion) industry.”

Oh, there’s money out there in the industry. That’s true. But what if most of that money doesn’t flow to a place like Cleveland?

“Then there’s something wrong,” he says, almost matter-of-factly. “And you can’t blame the fans.”

He sits back comfortably at his locker, in the only spring clubhouse he has known since he arrived in the big leagues five seasons ago. That magical, ever-present smile never leaves his face. His hair is tinted silver, for no particular reason other than it’s fun, he says. His sparkling presence fills this room and every room he enters. He is the face of his franchise. His star power is unmistakable. His worth on the open market is nearly incalculable.

He is coming off three remarkable seasons — seasons in which he has averaged 34 homers, 79 extra-base hits, 21 stolen bases and an .856 OPS. Only one other shortstop — Colorado’s Trevor Story — has even had one season in that time in which he put up those numbers. But that has been Lindor’s average season.

Oh, and in the process, he became the first shortstop in history to fire up three consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs and 40 doubles. And he did that while winning another Gold Glove for his leatherwork last year.

So he is obviously on the verge of becoming the highest-paid shortstop in history. How is that even a debate? The one, the only Alex Rodriguez still owns that honor somehow or other, thanks to the 10-year, $252-million megadeal he signed with Texas way back in December of 2000. That record has stood for two decades. It won’t make it past another two years.

The largest contract ever doled out to any infielder belongs to Manny Machado (10 years, $300 million from the Padres last winter). Once Lindor hits the market at age 28, it’s hard to imagine Machado holding that record anymore, either. So the only mystery is how high the Lindor dollar meter will climb. Can it reach Bryce Harper territory ($330 million)? Mike Trout-ville ($426.5 million)? Or wherever the heck Mookie Betts winds up? It’s not impossible.

If this were the NFL, there wouldn’t even be a question that Lindor would be sticking around Cleveland — not just because the NFL has a salary cap or a franchise tag but because of the level at which the NFL shares revenues. If this were the NBA, there wouldn’t even be a doubt that Lindor could remain in Cleveland if he chose to, because the NBA, too, has a completely different economic system — and, as Lindor himself observes, an inherently different roster structure.

“In our sport, we need 25 players to win, you know?” he says. “In (basketball), you need two.”

But Francisco Lindor doesn’t play those other sports. He plays baseball. And baseball, sadly, is broken.

So this is not the Ohio road-show production of the Red Sox and Mookie Betts. And why is that? Because for a team like the Red Sox, there was a choice. There were no questions about whether the Red Sox had the revenue to keep their man Mookie. They just had other reasons that they chose not to keep their man Mookie.

The Indians, on the other hand, don’t realistically have that choice, because they are one of the most revenue-challenged franchises in the sport. So their choice, in the real world, isn’t simply whether or not to keep Lindor. It’s whether or not there is some math equation they haven’t calculated that would enable them to keep him while actually having a functional team around him.

“If the sole criterion is, ‘Keep Francisco Lindor an Indian,’ that’s not hard to solve,” team president Chris Antonetti says. “But to solve the problem, ‘Keeping Francisco Lindor an Indian on a championship-caliber team,’ that gets much more difficult, because to have a championship-caliber team, you need to make investments not just in one player but in a bunch of players.”

The Indians have looked carefully at the history of monster contracts and the way they fit into the fabric of payrolls their size. (For the record, the RosterResource projection of their 2020 payroll is $97 million, down from $124 million a year ago.) They’re not willing to say exactly what they’ve found. But other small-market front offices have estimated that any time a single player is raking in more than 15 to 20 percent of a total payroll in this range, it creates a major challenge to assemble a roster around him that can win anything.

So let’s do that math. Over the last five years, if we use that $97-million projection for this year, the Indians’ average Opening Day payroll has computed to just over $114 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. So a player earning 15 percent of that figure would get paid $17.1 million a year. A player earning 20 percent would make $22.8 million. Is there any scenario in which Lindor’s next contract pays him “only” $22.8 million a year, let alone $17.1 million? Not in the world we live in — or, more importantly, the world the Indians live in.

In the real world, then, they have no choice. Either they have to face reality and deal him — next winter or at the 2020 or 2021 trade deadlines — or they could pray that Lindor and his agent, David Meter, get so overcome by sentiment that they cave in and give the Indians a massive hometown discount to stick around.

Just recognize that, in order to fit into the Indians’ internal calculations of what’s affordable, that discount could conceivably mean Lindor leaving $100 million or so on the table over the life of his contract. So the odds of that happening are, basically, none and none. Lindor is cool with making that announcement right now, in fact.

“When somebody talks about a discount, I immediately say: “If you were from … Cleveland and they offer you a job downtown, would you take less money because you’re in Cleveland? No. No. Like, no. So discounts? No. That don’t exist.”

If you’re a quibbler, you could argue that in the real world, those discounts sometimes do exist. But if that’s his way of saying no discount will exist in his world, we can all stop arguing. That’s his call.

Yet the Indians haven’t given up. What we all should wonder is whether this ought to be only their problem. Baseball is broken. And that should be everyone’s problem.


(Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY Sports)
It’s hard to see what more the Indians could be doing to boost their own revenue stream. They’ve won more games over the last seven seasons than any team in the American League. Yet they’ve ranked 21st, 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th, 29th and 28th in average attendance over those seven seasons. The size of their population base (only 385,000 within their city limits, just 2.1 million in their entire metropolitan area) is dwarfed by the behemoths around them in their sport. And their opportunities to ring the cash register with, say, a ballpark village or their own TV network are either limited or nonexistent.

So this isn’t about them. This, says Antonetti, is “an issue with our sport’s economics.” And fixing those economics is going to be an even bigger challenge than signing Francisco Lindor.

Baseball’s labor deal is up in less than two years, and every indication is that there’s a cataclysmic clash coming once these two sides reach the table. You’ve heard about many of the issues that will be shoved to the middle of that battlefield. But have you heard any talk, any hint, any random remark that this issue is going to be part of that battle?

That revenue-sharing war was fought 25 years ago. It doesn’t seem as if it’s anywhere to be found on the 21st-century stage. But here is what we would say to these two sides now, since they have so much time to ponder what matters between now and when negotiations begin:

Baseball is broken. You shouldn’t need Francisco Lindor to understand this. But fortunately, he’s here to serve as a powerful reminder of an issue that matters deeply on the competitive landscape.

Are baseball’s smallest markets important to the future health of the sport, or not? If they are, then issues like this can’t be ignored. If the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Cubs don’t want to share significantly more total dollars, isn’t there a way to get creative with the dollars they do share?

Here’s an idea that has welled up in brainstorming by some of those small-market teams: credits – similar to a tax credit in the non-baseball world, but more like a revenue-sharing credit in the baseball world, for teams that sign players to long-term contracts. Let’s give this example.

Suppose the Indians agree to a $30-million-a-year extension with Lindor. But through those credits, they wouldn’t have to pay all $30 million out of their own checking account. They could tap into the revenue-sharing credit pool in a way that would reduce their actual out-of-pocket expenses toward paying Lindor to, say, $20 million a year. The other $10 million would basically be subsidized by the revenue-sharing fund.

It’s more complicated than that, of course. And the teams that have kicked this around are a long way from working out all of the specifics. But here’s why it should appeal to all clubs, big and small:

What’s the biggest gripe that large-market teams have about sharing money with the Marlins, Pirates, etc.? That the teams receiving all that money don’t invest it back into their big-league team. Now think about this idea. The sole purpose is for clubs to take that money and use it to pay their best major-league players. Isn’t that supposed to be the whole point of revenue sharing?

With any luck, maybe genius ideas like this one will make it to the table in two years. But here’s the bad news: Even if they do, that won’t be in time to help the Indians hang onto the face of their franchise.

Back at his locker, Francisco Lindor is asked what he would do to solve these problems. Suppose he could be commissioner for a day. What would he do first?

“I don’t want to have that job, man,” he says, his hearty laugh filling the room. “I can give that to (somebody) who wants it. That ain’t me. My job is to play. That’s on them to figure out.”

But even if it isn’t his job, these are issues that have already left their mark on his life in baseball. He has spent his whole career as an Indian, so he has seen his share of great players go spinning out the door, bound for some other team that could pay them.

“Sad,” Lindor says. “Sad. And upsetting. I don’t want to see Michael Brantley leave. To me, he helped me so much in my career, I don’t want to see him leave, and especially for $30 million. You don’t want to see a player like that leave, you know? It’s just sad.”

But that sadness would pale compared with the sadness that would envelop all of Cleveland if Lindor is the next star to get pushed out of that door. So Lindor is asked if he ever thinks about how the Clevelanders he would leave behind would feel if that’s where this leads him.

“I would hope they feel happy because I gave them everything I’ve got,” he says. “But at the same time sad, because I’m going to miss them, and they’ll probably miss me. But happy because they gave me everything they’ve got and I’m giving them everything that I’ve got.

“So it’s like, when you do everything that you can do from both sides, that’s it,” he philosophizes. “It’s destiny. It’s ‘God didn’t want it like that.’”

But maybe that isn’t how this ends, he says: “Maybe a miracle.”

Do you believe in miracles? They do happen in baseball. They just normally involve bats and balls, not agents and accountants.

The Indians remain focused on keeping the Lindor miracle in play, because their goal, Antonetti says, is still “to have him as an Indian for a very long time. We’ll continue to work at that. I don’t know whether or not that is possible. But we know his interest is there and our interest is there. So if there’s any way we can make it work, we’re not going to give up trying.”

In the meantime, they employ the best shortstop in baseball. And the best shortstop in baseball isn’t stressing over any of this — not yet, at least.

“That’s what keeps me calm,” Lindor says. “I can’t predict it. I can’t. I can only control when I’m a free agent. And when I’m a free agent and I can control it, it will be different, a different feeling. But I’ve still got two more years.”

All of our lives unfold in chapters. So over those two more years, Lindor’s plan is just to take life one chapter at a time.

“Take it one day at a time,” he preaches. “Just chill. Chill. Have fun. Just relax.”

So is that his advice for the people of Cleveland? Don’t worry? Be happy? And chill?

“Enjoy the ride,” he says. “Just enjoy the ride. Because why not?”

On one hand, sure. Why not? Why not enjoy every day he takes the field because that’s a gift.

On the other hand, here’s why not: Because baseball is broken. And it’s always the Clevelands of the world that pay the price.

(Photo: Alex Trautwig / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

What did you think of this story?

Says it all:

It’s hard to see what more the Indians could be doing to boost their own revenue stream. They’ve won more games over the last seven seasons than any team in the American League. Yet they’ve ranked 21st, 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th, 29th and 28th in average attendance over those seven seasons. The size of their population base (only 385,000 within their city limits, just 2.1 million in their entire metropolitan area) is dwarfed by the behemoths around them in their sport. And their opportunities to ring the cash register with, say, a ballpark village or their own TV network are either limited or nonexistent.

So this isn’t about them. This, says Antonetti, is “an issue with our sport’s economics.” And fixing those economics is going to be an even bigger challenge than signing Francisco Lindor.

And I'm pretty sure he forgot to mention the challenge of the Browns being so popular in such a small population area.

Cleveland = Tampa Bay (baseball)

Just imagine if Buffalo had to support an MLB team in addition to the Bills in the NFL.

But yet, because of revenue sharing in the NFL, the Bills are competitive being in the playoffs this past season.

Dented scoreboards, spilled chicken salad, Greyhounds: The Indians’ first week


By Zack Meisel Feb 20, 2020 17
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As Shane Bieber walked toward the mound on the back field at the Indians’ complex, Francisco Lindor shouted.

“Bieber Day!” the shortstop yelled.

“Why are you so happy?” the pitcher asked.

“Because,” Lindor said, “you’re gonna throw strikes.”

Lindor, José Ramírez and Carlos Santana took hacks at Bieber’s array of pitches on Wednesday morning, and it wasn’t long before Lindor changed his tune.

“It seems like it’s going to be a long day,” Lindor said.

In fact, Bieber’s pitches broke a pair of Lindor’s bats, leading to some laughs and some light-hearted teasing as the shortstop showed his teammate the damaged lumber after the session.

There’s no better time of year to capture the scene, the pop of the baseball in the catcher’s glove, the smack of the bat against the ball, the playful banter between pitchers and hitters. Here’s a sampling of sights and sounds from the first week of Indians camp.

1. Franmil Reyes pummeled the scoreboard behind the fence in right-center field during batting practice on Monday, the team’s first day of full-squad workouts.

“You don’t see the natural power like that,” said Victor Rodriguez, the club’s assistant hitting coach. “He’s different. Look at the size of that guy. He’s big, big, big, big. He’s a beast.”

Rodriguez noted how Reyes can muscle a ball over the fence, even when he doesn’t quite hit it perfectly.

2. Reyes and Lindor have supplied plenty of energy already in camp. Reyes walked off the field on Tuesday morning singing Green Day’s “Basket Case.” A day earlier, Lindor teased Reyes as he played left field for the first time since a brief cameo in the Arizona Fall League in 2017. Lindor screeched anytime a ball sailed Reyes’ way, and then mimicked his teammate’s footwork.


3. James Karinchak was a bit erratic with his fastball in his first live batting practice session on Tuesday, but he still threw heat, along with a curveball that garnered tons of attention. Logan Allen walked into the clubhouse after practice and asked Karinchak if he hit 100 mph on the radar gun. Jordan Luplow, after standing in against Karinchak, retreated to the dugout and joked with a few teammates: “You see that foul tip?”

4. The Indians added a couple of coaches to their major-league staff late last week: Justin Toole and Kyle Hudson. Toole will add some data-based analysis to the team’s hitting preparation. Toole played in the Indians’ minor-league system until 2015, before he transitioned into a coaching role. He and Lindor played together from 2013-15.

“When we played together,” Lindor joked with Toole, “if I knew you were going to be my coach, I would have listened to you more.”

5. Will all of these coaches fit aboard the team charter during the season? The team’s traveling secretary joked that Greyhound buses venture to all of the cities the Indians visit throughout the year. Terry Francona quipped that first-year coaches don’t get to fly their first year. (That’s not the case.)

6. Francona delivered his annual spring speech to a clubhouse full of players and coaches on Monday morning. Each year, the speech causes Francona some anxiety.

“When I was done, I was drenched,” he said. “I care about our guys a lot. I want them to know that, and I don’t want to let them down.”

Lindor has heard more than a handful of these speeches now. He said they all sound similar at the start before Francona caters his message to the specific group of players.

“I haven’t cried at any one of them yet,” he joked.


7. Tony Fernandez, whose 11th-inning home run vaulted the Indians to the World Series in 1997 — and prompted Herb Score’s memorable line, “The Indians are going to the World Series! … Maybe.” (They still had to record three outs in the bottom of the inning.) — died last week at the age of 57. Sandy Alomar described Fernandez, who spent only that one season with the Indians, as “a great teammate and a fantastic baseball player. I think he was underrated.”


8. Mike Clevinger has already greatly reduced his reliance on his crutches following last week’s surgery on his left knee. He told The Athletic that once he completely ditches the crutches, he’ll begin drills with weighted balls to keep his arm in shape. As he entered the Indians’ clubhouse on Wednesday morning, he momentarily celebrated his improvement by raising his crutches in the air and fist pumping.

9. The Indians held their annual spring training photo day on Wednesday morning. Ramírez posed in a Santa Claus hat and, sure enough, after practice, copies of the photo were left on every chair in the clubhouse. Lindor taped his copy to the top of his locker, next to his nameplate, as he shouted, “Santa Claus is coming to town!”

10. Last weekend, Francona was praising the Indians’ pitching brain trust — Carl Willis, Ruben Niebla and Brian Sweeney on the coaching side, along with Eric Binder and others from the front office — when he mentioned Derek Falvey, who helped to spearhead the collaborative efforts when he was an Indians executive. Francona commended Falvey, now the Twins’ president of baseball operations, for deeming no task to be beneath him.

“He might be helping Mickey (Callaway) with a delivery and multi-tasking, getting the hamburger out of my computer,” Francona said.

Wait. I think you’re eating hamburgers incorrectly.

“It’s too late for that to change,” Francona said. “I actually had a mishap (the other) night. I was watching Netflix and my chicken salad didn’t quite make it to my mouth. I had to start over again.”

In some instances, the sights and sounds of spring training are no different from those during the season or the offseason.

60 notes for 60 players in Indians camp, from Allen (to Giljegiljaw) to Zimmer
By Zack Meisel 3h ago 8

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As spring training unfolds and the Indians rack up Cactus League wins and losses, players will shuffle in and out of games.

One minute, Carlos Santana is manning first base. The next, it’s No. 86.

The Indians have 60 players in big-league camp. Some are household names. Others are unfamiliar.

So, as you monitor the action this spring, here’s a handy guide, a note for every player with a locker in the major-league clubhouse at the Indians’ complex in Arizona.

Greg Allen, OF: He’s in a fight for a backup outfield spot, but the odds seem stacked against him, especially given that Delino DeShields appears to sit ahead of him on the depth chart. When he’s not at the ballpark, he’s falling asleep at any time and at any place (he calls it a gift), and usually in a spot where teammate/roommate/outfield mate Daniel Johnson can capture it on video.

Logan Allen, SP: He says he’s already “10 times the pitcher” he was last year, thanks to the Indians’ pitching resources and knowledge of how to capitalize on them. Allen was a top-100 prospect entering last season, before he encountered his first professional rough patch. He’ll likely see the field for the Indians at some point in 2020. Terry Francona: “There’s a lot to like about him.”

Argenis Angulo, RP: The native of Venezuela owns a 3.57 ERA in his minor-league career, with 299 strikeouts in 231 innings. He received a promotion to Triple-A Columbus in 2019 after he racked up 63 strikeouts in 35 innings at Double-A Akron.

Christian Arroyo, IF: The former top-100 prospect, once traded for Evan Longoria, is finally healthy after a couple of rocky years. Now, he’s battling for an Opening Day roster spot. He plays second, short and third, though not as much shortstop in recent years.

Jake Bauers, LF/1B: He learned so much from an October visit to Cleveland for a hitting clinic that he said he felt like he “knew nothing about hitting” until that week. Will it pay dividends this season? He could grab a job platooning with Jordan Luplow in left field. Either way, he says he’s far more comfortable in the clubhouse and in the batter’s box in his second year with the Indians.

Shane Bieber, SP: Bieber finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award balloting last season, a year in which he progressed from No. 5 starter to All-Star Game MVP. He already looks sharp in camp; during his first live batting practice session, he sawed off a pair of Francisco Lindor bats. Bieber will make his first spring start Tuesday at Goodyear Ballpark.


Bobby Bradley, 1B: It’s difficult to see how Bradley fits onto the Opening Day roster, with one Santana occupying first base and another Santana likely destined to serve as designated hitter. Bradley made his major-league debut last season, when he appeared in 15 games for the Indians. He slugged 33 home runs in 107 games for Triple-A Columbus.

Carlos Carrasco, SP: The Indians were relieved to learn Carrasco suffered merely a mild strain of his right hip flexor last week. Over the weekend, he walked around the clubhouse without any sign of a limp and he was no longer using one of Mike Clevinger’s crutches. Carrasco has been healthy, strong and eager for the season to start. The Indians will continue to monitor his workload, but they’re hopeful it’ll be business as usual.

Yu Chang, IF: He’s in the running for a utility spot, but it seems more likely that he opens the year in Columbus as an everyday infielder. Chang got his first taste of the majors last season, batting .178 in 28 games for the Indians during José Ramírez’s injury absence.

Adam Cimber, RP: Cimber made some modifications to his pitching motion, focusing on his lower half, to make his delivery more efficient and allow him to place his fastball up to left-handed batters. He now finishes his motion with a less pronounced version of Clevinger’s leg kick.

Aaron Civale, SP: Civale could be an important cog in the Indians’ 2020 rotation, especially with the departure of Corey Kluber, who seems like Civale’s soft-spoken clone. He produced sterling results in nine of his 10 big-league starts last season.

Emmanuel Clasé, RP: He’s barely of legal drinking age, but he throws as hard as anyone in the sport, and he makes the baseball move in some weird ways as it travels 101 mph toward the catcher. There’s probably still plenty of development remaining, but Clasé’s talent makes the potential for the Indians’ bullpen quite intriguing.

Ernie Clement, IF: Clement earned attention last spring when Francona commended him — as only Francona can — by saying he plays “like he’s got a jet up his ass.” He spent last season at Double-A Akron. He’s a contact hitter who rarely strikes out.

Mike Clevinger, SP: He’s ditched the crutches and should soon start weighted-ball drills to keep his arm in shape as his knee fully recovers from surgery. The original timetable was 6 to 8 weeks, but he wasn’t ruling out a more rapid return. Of course, neither he nor the team wants him to rush back before he’s 100 percent. After all, he could be the ace of the staff.
Mike Clevinger (Jerome Miron / USA Today)
Gavin Collins, C: A 13th-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft, Collins owns a .727 OPS in four minor-league seasons with the Indians. He has spent much of the past two years playing at High-A Lynchburg.

Delino DeShields, CF: He’s still living with former Rangers outfield mates Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara in Surprise, Ariz., this spring. DeShields figures to provide the most value with his glove and his legs (and his music in the clubhouse; he said he’s a big fan of classic hip-hop and R&B and Motown). Francona: “He’ll probably dictate, by the way he swings the bat, how much (he plays).”

Kyle Dowdy, P: The Indians acquired Dowdy, along with Leonys Martín, at the 2018 trade deadline, before losing Dowdy to the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft a few months later. The Rangers claimed him off waivers and then eventually returned him to the Indians last summer because if you love something, let it go. If it was meant to be, it will come back to you.

Mike Freeman, IF: The Indians removed Freeman from the 40-man roster over the winter, but he still might have as good a shot as anyone to win the utility role. He’ll play all four infield positions and even shift to the outfield on occasion this spring to increase his versatility.

Wilson Garcia IF: The Indians selected Garcia in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December 2018. He owns a .283 average and a .738 OPS in his minor-league career. He promised an Indians staffer one day last week that he’d hit a home run during his live batting practice session. Right on cue, he clubbed a pitch over the fence in right-center.

Kungkuan Giljegiljaw, C: His name is fun (Gong-Kuan Gi-li Gi-lao), and so is his personality. The Artist Formerly Known As Li-Jen Chu has been locker mates with Jefry Rodriguez the past two springs. They could have their own reality show. Now nicknamed “Gili,” the catcher speaks Taiwanese, English and Spanish.

Anthony Gose, RP: The converted outfielder throws really hard and has a menacing glare on the mound. The question is, can he control where the ball is going once it leaves his left hand? Gose said he finally feels like a pitcher this spring. He spent parts of five seasons in the majors as an outfielder with the Blue Jays and Tigers. His hit rate and strikeout rate were exemplary last season, but he walked 29 batters in 29 innings.

Brad Hand, RP: How can Hand prevent a tired arm, which derailed the second half of his 2019 season? He says by taking care of himself “a little better in the training room, just staying on top of things.” The closer said he tried to pitch through it. That strategy flopped. Hand carried a sub-1.00 ERA into late June. The Indians hope to see more of that in 2020.

Brad Hand
Brad Hand (David Richard / USA Today)
Sam Hentges, SP: Francona praised Hentges, referring to the 23-year-old as the total package for a pitching prospect. He’s a lefty with a big frame (he’s 6-foot-6) who has a couple of intriguing pitches. He hit a speed bump last season — he posted a 5.11 ERA, with rather unsightly walk and hit rates — but that didn’t stop special advisor Tim Belcher from lauding the progress the southpaw has made.

César Hernández, 2B: Francisco Lindor can’t stop commenting on Hernández’s hands. Even Francona took notice. Lindor’s new middle-infield partner also has his hair dyed, though his is more of an eggshell white. Hernández gives the Indians an entire infield of switch-hitters (aside from Roberto Pérez).

Cam Hill, RP: Hill returned from Tommy John surgery last year and threw as hard as ever. If he doesn’t break camp with the big-league club, he’ll likely be one of the first relievers the Indians summon from Columbus. His strikeout rate jumped to a career-best 13.2 per nine innings in 2019.

James Hoyt, RP: He has been on and off the Indians’ roster several times over the past couple years, but the Indians can’t quit the 33-year-old, who has the size (he’s 6-foot-6) and stuff — and, finally, the health — to be in the running for an Opening Day bullpen spot.

Daniel Johnson, OF: Odds are against Johnson starting the season in Cleveland, but once some of the outfield clutter disappears, he figures to have a future in the Indians’ outfield, either as a platoon bat or an everyday player. Will that future arrive in 2020? Johnson turned heads last spring in big-league camp, and then he produced an .868 OPS at Akron and Columbus.

James Karinchak, RP: Yeah, he throws hard, but have you seen his curveball? That might be the more impressive pitch, as it plunges from the sky to the dirt. His live batting practice sessions were a spectacle early in camp. His consistency with his command could determine how soon he earns trust from his manager to pitch in high-leverage situations. Francona: “His future, we feel, is really bright.”

Tyler Krieger, IF: A fourth-round selection in the 2015 amateur draft, the versatile Krieger reached Triple-A Columbus last season. He has played second, third, left and center.

Sandy Leon, C: He has received rave reviews for his clubhouse presence and his handling of a pitching staff. Will he provide anything at the plate? That remains to be seen, but he otherwise checks a bunch of boxes for a prototypical veteran backup catcher.

Dominic Leone, RP: Leone has spent parts of six big-league seasons with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Cardinals. He has registered a 3.92 ERA, with a tick more than a strikeout per innings. He’s a lone wolf in the bullpen, the only reliever who signed a minor-league deal with the Indians.


Zack Meisel
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@ZackMeisel
Francisco Lindor hits one out against Carlos Carrasco.

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Francisco Lindor, SS: All the talk has been about his future and his future salary, but Lindor has been the heartbeat of camp, supplying a lot of the energy and the chatter. Last spring, he was sidelined by a calf strain. The Indians missed his energy — and, once the regular season arrived, they missed his bat and his glove. He has stressed that contract talks won’t disrupt his focus, as he prefers to table all talks in a couple of weeks.

Mitch Longo, OF: The Mayfield High School graduate is living a dream, being in big-league camp for the team for which he grew up rooting. He’s one of three non-roster outfielders in camp. In 2017, he posted a .376/.448/.541 slash line at Class A Lake County and High-A Lynchburg. Last season, he recorded a .690 OPS at Akron.

Jordan Luplow, OF: Luplow dedicated much of his offseason training to hitting right-handed pitchers with more consistency. How he fares in that area will determine whether he’s a part-timer or an everyday guy in 2020. One thing’s for certain: He owns left-handed pitching to the tune of a 1.181 OPS in 2019.

Connor Marabell, OF: A 25th-round pick in the 2015 amateur draft, Marabell has split the past two seasons between Akron and Columbus. He owns a .707 OPS in five minor-league seasons.

Henry Martinez, RP: Martinez has spent the past two years at Akron and Columbus. He boasts a 3.71 ERA since signing with the Indians in 2013. He held righties to a .218 batting average (27-for-124) in 2019.

Phil Maton, RP: One of many former Padres on the roster, Maton was acquired last summer in exchange for international bonus slot money. He made nine appearances for the Indians last season and has one option remaining.

Triston McKenzie, SP: McKenzie spent the entire year in Arizona in 2019, and he endured some tough days once he knew his season was over and he was stranded in the desert. But now a new season has arrived and he’s healthy and confident, throwing 93-94 mph and working toward proving to the Indians’ brass that he could potentially be a big-league option in 2020.


Zack Meisel
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@ZackMeisel
Francisco Lindor fouls off a Triston McKenzie pitch... and breaks the Trackman camera. One person joked, “There goes that contract.”

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Oscar Mercado, OF: Mercado garnered plenty of attention with his performance last spring and he ultimately earned a big-league promotion in mid-May. This year, there’s no debate. He’ll likely be the Opening Day center fielder, with the only wrinkle being how Francona opts to deploy DeShields. Either way, Mercado is destined for daily playing time.

Jean Carlos Mejia, SP: Mejia spent last season at Lynchburg. He owns a 2.79 ERA in his minor-league career and he has limited opponents to a .216/.278/.290 slash line. He actually grew up an Indians fan in Gaspar Hernandez, Dominican Republic. His favorite player was Bartolo Colon.

Scott Moss, SP: The 25-year-old was included in the Trevor Bauer trade last July, with little fanfare, despite sparkling minor-league numbers: a 3.28 ERA, 456 strikeouts in 436 innings. He’s a 6-foot-6 lefty who was originally the Reds’ fourth-round draft pick in 2016. He’s likely ticketed for the Columbus rotation, but he could earn his way to Cleveland in 2020.

Tyler Naquin, OF: Most days, Naquin runs sprints on the back agility field in front of an audience of coaches and trainers. He’s feeling great, and you wouldn’t know he underwent major knee surgery five months ago, based on his workload and how he moves around the clubhouse. The Indians initially placed a timetable of 7 to 9 months on his return, but he’s aiming to nudge his way into the lineup as soon after Opening Day as possible.

Oliver Pérez, RP: Pérez knows he needs to improve against right-handed batters, given the new rule that requires pitchers to face at least three hitters or pitch to the end of an inning. Pérez might not have as many one-batter outings in 2020. It will be his 18th season in the majors, the most ever for a Mexican pitcher, a point of pride for the 38-year-old.

Roberto Pérez, C: The catcher is healed from offseason ankle surgery, and he enters this season knowing what he’s capable of — a Gold Glove Award, 24 home runs and zero passed balls — when he earns daily playing time, rather than jockeying with Yan Gomes for attention.

Zach Plesac, SP: He could already throw somewhat hard, but Plesac is anticipating an uptick in velocity this season following a winter of training with Clevinger in Florida. He’s an athletic pitcher with a lethal pickoff move. If he takes a leap forward in his second year in the majors, it could pay significant dividends for the Indians.

Adam Plutko, SP: He has a new curveball, carefully crafted over the winter with input from the Indians’ committee of pitching and data gurus. He’s out of minor-league options, so he was likely destined for the Opening Day rotation even before Clevinger sustained a partially torn meniscus.

José Ramírez, 3B: For as frigid as Ramírez’s bat was for more than two months last season, he still wound up with an .806 OPS thanks to a summer thaw. He missed most of September because of a broken hamate bone, but that’s behind him and so, too, he hopes, is whatever was plaguing him from Aug. 2018 to June 2019.

Franmil Reyes, OF: Attention has been paid to his defense, as he lost 18 pounds over the winter and is in line to start in a corner outfield spot, but don’t forget: This mammoth-sized human could hit 40-plus home runs this season, something no Indians slugger has accomplished since Travis Hafner in 2006. He has peppered the scoreboard in right-center field on the Indians’ main practice field with home run balls this spring. It’s a baseball cliché, but the ball really does sound different when it’s smacked by his bat.

Jefry Rodriguez, SP: Rodriguez was thrilled to start the spring opener. While recovering from injury last season, he revamped his mechanics to make everything more fluid. The Indians will stretch him out as a starter, but they recognize he could fill a starter or reliever role.

Jared Robinson, RP: Robinson received a call a couple days before Christmas in which James Harris, the team’s director of player development, informed him he would be invited to big-league camp. Robinson said he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face for a week. Make no mistake: The kid can pitch. He struck out 97 batters in 70 innings last year. Late in the year, he had his sights set on the century mark.

Cameron Rupp, C: In parts of five major-league seasons with the Phillies, Rupp produced a .705 OPS, with 39 home runs in 1,027 at-bats. The 31-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Indians in early February.

Carlos Santana, 1B: It’s like he never spent a year in Philadelphia. He returned to Cleveland last year and delivered a career season. Now, he just sits at his corner locker and laughs as Ramírez and Reyes bark at each other in loud voices (Reyes’ being about four octaves lower).

Domingo Santana, OF/DH: He pieced together a strong season in 2017 and seemed headed for another one last year before injuries interfered. The Indians are banking on him joining forces with Reyes to be right-handed bash brothers. A lot of power, and a lot of strikeouts. He could spend most of his time as the designated hitter.


Wilson Garcia, Carlos Santana and Domingo Santana. (Alex Trautwig / Getty Images)
Dalbert Siri, RP: A lot of strikeouts … and a lot of walks. Siri has recorded a 2.86 ERA in five minor-league seasons, with 259 strikeouts and 117 walks in 201 innings. Opponents have batted just .197 against him.

Jordan Stephens: The Indians claimed Stephens off waivers from the White Sox last June. The 27-year-old spent time at Akron and Columbus. He was originally a fifth-round pick by the White Sox in 2015.

Beau Taylor, C: Taylor joined the Indians in December on a minor-league deal. The 30-year-old has totaled 30 major-league at-bats with the Athletics and the Blue Jays.

Ka’ai Tom, OF: Tom enjoyed a nice season at Triple-A Columbus last year, but the Indians left him unprotected for the Rule 5 Draft. No team selected him, so he remains with the Indians, but he’s on the outside looking in at a 40-man roster that already features 10 outfielders.

Nick Wittgren, RP: In a move that received zero attention last February, the Indians acquired Wittgren from the Marlins. He proceeded to post a 2.81 ERA, with a strikeout per inning and a healthy walk rate, as he developed into one of Francona’s most trusted, consistent relievers.

Hunter Wood, RP: The Indians traded for Wood and Arroyo last July in a deal with the Rays. He owns a 3.32 ERA in his big-league career, and he’s out of minor-league options, so he seems destined for an Opening Day role. His favorite pitchers growing up were Tim Lincecum and Josh Beckett.

Bradley Zimmer, OF: Injuries have spoiled Zimmer’s past two years. Now he’s healthy, but he has to make up for lost time, and that means proving he can hit consistently and, well, actually staying on the field. He’ll play center and some right field this spring.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Emmanuel Clase was originally scheduled to work an inning in the Indians’ 12-8 loss to the Rockies on Monday afternoon at Salt River Fields, but the Indians have had to slow his workload down after he felt some pain in his lat a few days ago.

“If it was the season, he'd pitch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “We're just trying to make sure we do this right. Being new, a kid that went from A-ball to the Major Leagues, we're just going to slow it down just a little bit.”

The Tribe has already lost starter Mike Clevinger this spring to a partial meniscus tear that required surgery on the fourth day of camp and had a scare with Carlos Carrasco when he had to undergo an MRI on his right hip that revealed a minor hip flexor strain. And now, the minor injuries have begun to spread.



Along with Clase’s sore lat, Francona said on Monday afternoon that starter Aaron Civale recently felt discomfort in his groin during defensive drills, but that the right-hander seems to be progressing well. Civale was scheduled to throw a simulated game at the team’s Spring Training facility either Monday or Tuesday.

“He’s doing fine,” Francona said. “He’s just backed up a few days.”

To add to the list, outfielder Daniel Johnson sprained his ankle two weeks ago, which is causing him to get off to a slower start this spring. Before Saturday’s game was canceled due to rain, Johnson was scratched from the Indians’ reserves list because his ankle wasn’t quite healed enough to be back in games.

“We thought, by all accounts, he was ready to go, and then he kind of self reported he was about 75 percent,” Francona said. “He was more than willing to play. I just don't think that's fair to a player. We'll slow him down a little bit.”

Lindor mashes two-run homer
Francisco Lindor has looked like he’s in midseason form all through the team’s first week of camp, and that carried right into his first Cactus League game. In his second at-bat, the All-Star shortstop mashed a two-run homer deep over the fence in center field to give the Indians a 4-1 lead against the Rockies.

“I mean, I can go out on a limb and say he’s a really talented player,” Francona said.

Plesac makes spring debut
Zach Plesac allowed one run on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts over two innings on Monday. The right-hander was looking forward to getting back into game action after spending the offseason working on his curveball.

“ new grip,” Plesac said of his curve. “I was spiking it last year. I think it was causing my wrist to get loose and I was getting underneath the ball, spinning it. So now, I'm finally on top of it, breaking it off over the plate. I threw some good ones today that I felt good with.”

Up next
Shane Bieber will make his first start of the spring in the Indians' home opener in Goodyear on Tuesday against the White Sox.

Inside an Indians pitcher’s process to revamp his curveball and game plan

Zack Meisel Feb 25, 2020 12
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Adam Plutko pulled up a chart on his phone, a canvas of bright reds and rich purples and navy blues. He pointed to the numbers in each square.

First, he surveyed the top and bottom rows.

League average. Below league average. Below league average. Below league average. Below league average. Below league average.

Then, he shifted to the middle of the graph, the three squares that represent the middle of the strike zone.

League average. Above league average. Above league average.

“Quite simply,” he said, “if you can’t figure out that you need to stay out — if I’m getting crushed there, I can’t pitch there.”

The number in each box indicated a hitter’s average exit velocity against Plutko in 2019. It certainly didn’t require a course in rocket science for him to learn that placing a fastball down the middle was flirting with disaster. But the visual confirmation helped him trust in a revised game plan.

Plutko knew he needed to avoid the middle of the plate. So, fastballs up. Curveballs, sliders and changeups down. Perhaps the one metric of Plutko’s that stands out the most is his curveball spin, which ranked in the 93rd percentile last season. Yet, he threw curveballs on only 10.6 percent of his pitches last season. The reason behind that, and why Plutko believes he can accomplish more than a 4.86 ERA and 5.23 FIP in 2020, lies within his offseason work to develop a new pitch, a burgeoning trend across the league.

First, let’s understand why Plutko only threw his curveball 10.6 percent of the time last season, and given its spin rate and success — batters hit .191 with a .362 slugging percentage against it — why he was so eager to overhaul it this winter. (Plutko’s commentary will be in italics.)

It’s really high in spin rate. I’m elite level in spin rate. However, it’s not spinning in a direction that I’m trying to throw it in. You heard a lot about a gyroball when Daisuke (Matsuzaka) came over, and all that means is the ball isn’t spinning in any direction toward the plate. It’s just spinning like a bullet, sideways. Based on that, you have really soft break, not that hard snap kind of break. So when you watch James Karinchak’s curveball, it looks like it just absolutely falls off the table halfway there. That’s because the ball is spinning in the direction that he’s trying to throw it. Mine was just spinning sideways and not in the direction that I was trying to throw it. So I tried to retool it, to where I could spin it in the direction so I could get some of that hard snap to it. It’s elite spin, but it’s just not spinning in the direction that we want it to spin. So it was like, “How can we take what I do naturally and capitalize on it?”

There’s a lot of science behind it, though Plutko noted that he still thinks “there’s a feel element that numbers can’t quantify, but the numbers do quantify things so we can understand them a little bit better.” It might help to learn what dictates Plutko’s spin rate. It’s not exactly something typically taught in Little League or beer league.

How the ball is coming off your fingers. If we think of a clock face, my ball, I like it to spin at 8 o’clock. I want it to be spinning, what people would consider a 2-8 axis. So I was trying to get my fingers to the front of the baseball, spin to the front of the baseball at 8 o’clock. Before, the ball was coming out at 8 o’clock, but it was maybe coming off my fingertips on the side and happened to be spinning at 8 o’clock. So now I’m actively trying to release the ball and throw it at 8 o’clock to create that snap to it.

Plutko’s curveball used to feature the traditional 12-6 break, but he ultimately realized he was placing himself “in bad positions in order to get that 12-6 break.” So, he consulted with the Indians’ pitching brass to determine the ideal position for his body in his delivery, and the most effective curveball he could throw from that position.

Naturally, the curveball just came more toward 8 o’clock, instead of 6 o’clock, if that makes sense. So we’re like, “OK, that’s fine. If I can throw it for strikes and I have elite spin, it’s going to be an above-average pitch.”

Plutko started his offseason throwing program a bit early since he wanted to throw more curveballs than he normally would. In mid-December, he started unleashing the curveball. Then, he threw off a mound to attain further feedback. He studied video and data and tested out various arm slots. He sought advice from pitching coaches Ruben Niebla and Brian Sweeney, as well as Eric Binder, the Indians’ vice president of baseball operations.

We had dialogue the entire offseason. I’m like, “All right, I think I understand this. Let me explain it to you. Is this correct?” Through that process, getting my fingers to the front of the ball at 8 o’clock is what really clicked and allowed me to run with that idea.

It can get complicated sometimes. I explain it back to people so I can understand it as simply as I need to understand it and it’s actually way more complicated than what I’m explaining to you. This whole spin efficiency — the spin direction and how efficiently it’s moving in that direction — that was a thing that I, for years, didn’t understand. I was talking to Eric Binder this offseason and I was like, “I’m spinning the ball at 8 o’clock, why is it not efficient? It just doesn’t make any sense.” He was like, “That’s because you’re not getting your fingertips to the front of the ball. You’re not releasing it at 8 o’clock. It’s not spinning continuously at 8 o’clock. You might be releasing it around 8 o’clock, but it’s just flat spinning and slowly breaking instead of it spinning all in that 8 o’clock direction to create that effect.”
The column on the right captures the curveballs in the league with the most horizontal movement, by inches. (Baseball Savant)

Sweeney sent Plutko a list of the five pitchers whose curveballs produced the most horizontal break in 2019: Charlie Morton, Rich Hill, Adam Wainwright, Jose Berrios and Ryan Pressly (minimum 250 pitches). Plutko and Pressly are friends, and as Pressly was rehabbing his knee in Florida over the winter — “and bored as hell,” Plutko joked — he sent Plutko a handful of pictures of his curveball grip. Plutko tried it out, but it worked more like a slider for him. During an outing in Tampa last September, Plutko tested out Corey Kluber’s grip — Kluber’s curveball also ranked near the top of the leaderboard in horizontal movement, but he missed too much time to qualify — but he issued four walks and “was all over the place.”

That’s when we were like, “Timeout. We have to scrap this. We have to wait until the offseason to really get into this.” But it had legs for a hot second. In the bullpen, it was good. And then I got into a game with game speed and adrenaline and it wasn’t quite as good. I got back this offseason, tried, like, seven grips and ultimately I stayed with the same grip, but I focused on just trying to get to the front of the baseball. I have elite-level spin rate on the curveball, so if I can just efficiently spin the ball in the direction I’m trying to throw it, it’s going to be an elite pitch.

Early in camp, Plutko made sure to keep the same catch partner, Shane Bieber, so Bieber could offer feedback on the curveball each day. Bieber told him: “It’s spinning harder. It has more snap to it.” Plutko has been pleased with how the pitch has performed in bullpen sessions. Wednesday, he’ll have his first trial of live game action when he starts against the Padres in Peoria, Ariz.
(Baseball Savant)

Should the curveball prove effective, the next step becomes: How can Plutko use it to his advantage? What sequencing will stifle hitters?

Last summer, Plutko dove into the data to determine how he could keep the ball from soaring into the outfield seats. That’s when he discovered two graphs: one that displayed hitters’ average exit velocity against him, by zone, and one that displayed how many home runs he had surrendered in each zone.

I gave up one home run in the very bottom of the zone and two home runs at the top of the zone. I gave up, like, 12 home runs in the middle of the zone. So I was like, “Fuck it. I’m gonna throw at the very top and I’m gonna throw at the very bottom, and I’m gonna stay away from this middle.” I needed to see this to be like, “Yep, I’m getting crushed, so I either need to go up or go down and there’s no in between.” Even when I throw bullpens, if I throw something in the middle of the zone, I’m mad. Even if it’s inside corner in the middle of the zone, I know that’s (not what I want).

The change in approach ultimately paid dividends, as Plutko produced a 3.53 ERA in 12 starts after a mid-July outing against the Tigers in which he surrendered three home runs. Christin Stewart hit one of those three and provided a reminder that the same approach won’t work against all hitters. Plutko is hopeful, though, that the new-look curveball will equip him with a new weapon he can unleash to keep hitters off balance.

It’s pitch design, bullpens. That’s the practice time. Then when you get in the game, you have to switch all that off and you know where you can and can’t go. You have a guy like Christin Stewart in Detroit. He crushes balls at the top of the zone. He hit a home run off me on a really good pitch at the top of the zone last year. So I was like, “All right, I have to throw down to him. Even though it might work better for me (to throw up), I have to throw down to him.” That’s still always going to be in effect. I might do something really well, but some guy might do it better than me in the batter’s box. So I have to make the adjustment. Chess match. All the time.

Rocket science.

How did baseball ever survive before data analysis?

I was able to read baseball articles back then. These kind explain crucial stuff for successful player development but don't interest me, as a fan. I'll just stick with the numbers in the slightly advanced early SABR versions invented by Bill James

Keith Law’s prospect rankings: Cleveland

Keith Law 3h ago 5
The Cleveland system has taken hits from trades and low draft position, but a tremendous class of prospects, mostly middle infielders, signed by their international scouting department gives them some depth that their drafts haven’t necessarily provided.

The Top 10
1. Nolan Jones, 3B (Top 100 rank: No. 35)

From the Top 100: I got a bit of a Kris Bryant vibe from watching Jones in high school — the mirror image, I suppose, since Jones hits left-handed — and so far he’s at least had a few things in common with the former NL MVP. Jones led the minors in walks last year with 96, and had the highest walk rate of any player with at least 400 PA, although it came with a strikeout rate of 27.7 percent (above the median, but not even in the top 100 in the minors). That’s a decent picture of who Jones is as a hitter, working deep counts, not afraid to strike out, and not really cutting down on his swing at all with two strikes — probably because it might also cut into his power. There’s a gap between Jones’ raw power and game power so far, and he might be a 20-25 homer guy at his peak even though he shows more power than that in BP. He’s big for third base, but he’s more agile than you’d expect. I’ve seen him several times at the position, where his only weakness seemed to be a little bit of lost range to his left. Right now, Jones looks like he’ll hit in the .250ish range but with a slew of walks and that 20-25 homer power, which at third base will make him an above-average (if likely underrated) regular. If he gets to more power, he could still be a star.

2. Triston McKenzie, RHP

McKenzie is a top 100 prospect if healthy, but he missed all of 2019 with upper back and pectoral strains, only furthering the conviction that he’s too slight to hold up as a starter. He has huge extension from his 6-foot-5 frame and has run it up to 96 with huge spin on his breaking ball, but if he can’t stay on the mound it’s all just speculation.

3. Bo Naylor, C

Naylor made huge strides as a catcher last year, which offsets the perfectly cromulent but not spectacular season he had at the plate; he hit .243/.313/.421 in Low A at age 19, with a strikeout rate better than the league average. He’s a great athlete who can run a little and is going to end up with at least above-average power, if not more, and gets raves for his work ethic and high-energy play.

4. Tyler Freeman, SS

Freeman is a bit like Nick Madrigal, but a younger model — he rarely strikes out, doesn’t walk much, runs a little, puts the ball in play a lot, doesn’t have much power. At shortstop, that’s a good player, maybe a top 100 guy in a year if he gets a little more impact on the ball. He has supposedly filled out a bit, so while he’ll never be huge, he should be able to get to 8-10 homers a year and the doubles power you’d associate with that.

5. Brayan Rocchio, SS

Rocchio is sort of a mini-Francisco Lindor, just not as advanced a hitter as Lindor was at the same age. He’s small, listed at 5-foot-10 and a comical 150 pounds, but he’s a potent switch-hitter with a good eye and above-average speed. I don’t think he’ll get to power but he looks like he’ll hit and stay at shortstop.

6. Jose Tena, SS

Tena is badly overlooked in this system, which is loaded with shortstops signed by their international scouting department, but he’s a tremendous athlete with great actions at shortstop and plus speed. His arm might be a little light for a shortstop, but he can otherwise stay at the position. There isn’t power now, but it could come as he fills out. He’s got very quick hands at the plate and rifles the bat through the zone fast enough that there should be hard contact as he gets stronger.

7. Aaron Bracho, SS

Bracho is strong with a well-balanced swing and keeps his hands inside the ball well. He’s more physically developed than Rocchio or Tena, but also has little to no chance to stay at short; at second base, however, he might have the power to end up a good regular.

8. Daniel Espino, RHP

Espino has a tremendous arm, up to 99 mph with the arm speed to match and a four-pitch mix that could put him at the top of a rotation, but he’s on the smaller side for a starter and I know other teams took him off their draft boards due to concerns about his arm.

9. Ethan Hankins, RHP

Hankins bounced back from a 2018 arm injury that knocked him from a top 10 pick to the back of the round, and his velocity was mostly back in 2019 along with a better curveball. He’s still a short-strider and that puts stress on the arm while also making it harder to repeat. The more he pitches, the more we’ll see how much work he can handle and if he can cut his walk rate (30 in 60 innings last year) enough to start.

10. Logan Allen, LHP

Allen works with four average or so pitches and has had good command and control in the past, but he wasn’t close to precise enough in the majors and got whacked. He’s a good athlete and could still have some upside from a pitchability standpoint, although at this point there probably isn’t more velocity to come.

The next 10
11. George Valera, OF

Valera is a big kid with hand and wrist strength for hard contact and power, finishing in the top 10 in the New York-Penn League in homers despite playing only about two-thirds of the season there. He can mash, but pulls off the ball quite a bit, and has had some injury trouble so far in his career. He’s going to be limited to the outfield corners so his bat will have to carry him.

12. Chang Yu-Cheng, SS

The Taiwanese shortstop would probably have been in the majors in 2019 were it not for Francisco Lindor’s presence, but a sprained thumb also held him back, costing him almost half the year and sapping his power. He could be a regular on a bad team but his upside is limited by his grooved swing and high strikeout rates.

13. Daniel Johnson, OF

I like Johnson as a fourth outfielder/platoon guy with some pop, some speed, and just enough of an idea at the plate, but his breaking ball recognition lags and I think he’ll have trouble with lefties in the long run.

14. Bobby Bradley, 1B

Bradley debuted in the majors last year, striking out 20 times in 49 PA (41 percent), and struck out a third of the time in Triple-A even with the benefit of the juiced baseball used there. He has plus power and has made himself a capable defender at first, but he’s always danced on the knife’s edge when it came to making enough contact, especially since he isn’t a patient hitter, and right now I think his odds of becoming a regular have become slim.

15. Sam Hentges, LHP

Hentges’ 2019 was a big setback, as the 23-year-old lefty struggled with command and control in Double A, giving up 89 runs in 128 2/3 innings. He’s listed at 6-foot-8 and still developing physically, without the coordination needed to repeat a delivery 90-100 times a start, but he’s up to 95 with depth on a curveball, so there’s something to work with here.

16. Gabriel Rodriguez, SS/3B

Rodriguez just turned 18 in early February but played briefly in the AZL last summer, and the Venezuelan shortstop has a good idea at the plate, without huge tools but with athleticism and good strength for his age. He’s more likely to end up at second or third than at short.

17. Junior Sanquintin, SS/3B

Sanquitin won’t stay at shortstop but he should be more than fine at third base, and the bat should play there as he’s a strong kid with feel to hit and good rotation for future power. He just turned 18 in January and will make his U.S. debut this year.

18. Emmanuel Clase, RHP

Clase was the return for Corey Kluber, so he’d better perform this year. He’s been up to 101 and gets real cut on his fastball, along with a slider around 90, missing bats with his fastball and generating groundballs. He’s good because his stuff is ridiculous and because his profile is so unusual, with closer potential as long as he throws enough strikes.

19. Scott Moss, LHP

Acquired in the Trevor Bauer deal, Moss works with a three-pitch mix full of average but had a history of good control until 2019, when his walk rate spiked, staying high even after the trade. He could be a fifth starter if he gets back to the control he’d shown in 2017-18.

20. Luis Oviedo, RHP

Oviedo took a step back on the mound last year, with a 5.38 ERA in Low-A Lake County, but his body has changed so much in the last few years as he’s gone from 170 to 220-plus pounds that he might still need time to get used to his size and repeat his delivery better. He’s in the mid-90s with four pitches, although nothing else is above average yet.

Others of note

James Karinchak debuted in the majors last year and gets swings and misses on his fastball thanks to his high arm slot, but he’s never thrown enough strikes to project him as more than a middle reliever. … Lenny Torres missed the year with Tommy John surgery, but he’d be in the Espino/Hankins tier if healthy, with a mid-90s fastball and fast arm, showing just enough secondaries in high school to project him as a starter. … Outfielder Will Benson has huge tools and a tremendous baseball build, but after producing while repeating Low A in the first half, he went to High-A and struggled to make contact or do anything with it. He’s never had a functional swing that he could repeat and use to get to his plus power. … Right-hander Carlos Vargas is a two-pitch guy with a 70 fastball but below-average command and not enough of a third pitch yet; he just turned 20 and will pitch in Low A this year. … Right-hander Jean Carlos Mejia has a starter’s arsenal but can’t stay healthy, making just eight starts last year after missing about a third of 2018, and he hasn’t reached 100 innings in any season yet even though he’s 23. … Infielder Ernie Clement will probably get to the big leagues because he never strikes out and plays hard, but he has no power and no real position.

2020 impact

Karinchak is already in their bullpen, and Clase will join him. Allen could make the rotation at some point. McKenzie might see the majors if he starts out healthy enough to head to Triple A. Chang and Bradley are blocked but would get playing time in Cleveland if there are injuries to the guys ahead of them.

The fallen

Brad Zimmer was their first-round pick in 2014, but he hasn’t hit in the majors at all and missed most of 2019 while coming back from shoulder surgery.

Sleeper

They have so many promising infielders from Latin America, but Tena has the best combination of upside and present ability to potentially leap on to the top 100 next year.

How Indians are preparing Nolan Jones to be their third baseman of the future

Zack Meisel Mar 2, 2020 12
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Nolan Jones’ teammate first pointed out the man standing atop the hill. Jones recognized him, though he was surprised to see him. He remembers saying, “Holy cow.”

John McDonald remembers arriving long before first pitch and immediately noticing how Jones stood out as the leader and the star shortstop of Holy Ghost Prep High School.

That day served as the springboard for a relationship that has played a pivotal role in preparing the Indians’ top prospect for a major-league future. The club sees Jones as its eventual third baseman, and perhaps as a cornerstone of Terry Francona’s lineup.

Their interest in Jones swelled once they deployed McDonald to one of his high school games. Now, the coach and player regularly text about certain defensive plays or adjustments or footwork reminders. They even refer to each other on occasion as “dad” and “son.”

McDonald spent 16 years in the big leagues, nearly half of that time with the Indians. His longevity was a testament to his steady glove at second, short and third. Now, he patrols the Indians’ minor-league affiliates as the organization’s field coordinator. Since the Indians selected Jones in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft, McDonald has worked closely with him on his defense at third base.

And that’s where the Indians are confident he’ll remain.

“I know that he knows he’s come a long way over these last four years,” McDonald said.

It has been a process. Jones played shortstop in high school in Pennsylvania, where hard-hit balls rarely whizzed his way. Aside from a handful of games during his first professional season, Jones has manned the hot corner, where hitters regularly spray 110 mph bullets in his direction.

“It’s like, ‘What do you do besides close your eyes and just hope it goes in your glove?’” he said.

Well, he has learned there are preparations he can make to set him in a better position to react. Jones singled out his “pre-pitch setup” as the most critical area of instruction McDonald has provided. They have studied video and completed countless drills aimed at increasing his range, improving his timing and making his first step more efficient.

Upon the shift to third base, Jones’ initial strategy on fielding line drives was to … pray.

“I would literally just stand there and hope it went in my glove,” he said. “Now, I’ve been learning — I’m not good at it yet, but I’ve been learning how to take one quick step to make it a more comfortable position.”

McDonald said Jones’ strong suit is his backhand. Backed by a strong arm, Jones has no trouble veering to his right to scoop up a groundball.

“He has a big body, a lot of levers, long arms, long legs,” McDonald said. And that makes it imperative, he added, that Jones has every part moving in the right direction so he can make an accurate throw.

McDonald lauded the 21-year-old’s work ethic, saying Jones “digs in on things he’s not good at” while also expending energy to stay sharp on skills he has already mastered.

“We’ve seen major strides defensively,” Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said. “We feel like he’s a really good defender over there.”

At the plate, Jones exhibits almost unparalleled patience. He owns a .409 on-base percentage, the result of a yearly hefty walk rate. He drew 96 free passes in 2019, more than any other minor leaguer. Overall, Jones’ slash line sits at .283/.409/.448.

Reliever Jared Robinson, also in big-league camp, has had a front-row seat to watch Jones the past two seasons. Robinson has marveled at Jones’ ability to resist chasing pitches outside the strike zone.

“He’s that cobra, that mamba,” Robinson said. “You never know when he’s going to strike. He’s not up there swinging at crap in the dirt. He can hit to all fields. He’s not just a pull hitter who’s trying to smack a home run every time.”

Jones tallied 15 home runs and 22 doubles in 126 games last season. The Athletic’s Keith Law surmises he’ll wind up with “20-25 homer power” and said Jones gives off a Kris Bryant vibe.

If Jones has one kryptonite, it’s left-handed pitching. His numbers against southpaws have tumbled each season, plummeting to a .151/.324/.274 clip in 2019. He did battle right thumb pain last year, until he underwent ligament surgery in October. He rehabbed in Arizona all winter.

The Indians planned to extend him an invitation to big-league camp once his thumb fully healed. One morning last month, McDonald directed Jones to Francona’s office. Jones thought he might be in trouble. Francona thought Jones had already been relayed the news.

Instead, Francona surprised Jones with the invitation, and Jones later walked into the clubhouse, where a navy No. 95 uniform was hanging at a locker on the far wall.

“To see his eyes light up,” Francona said, “I think you need to take a second to enjoy it, because you don’t have enough of those.”

It’s rare for a player to earn an opportunity in big-league camp after spring training has already commenced.

“Hopefully it’s the start of many conversations for those two over the next 10 years,” McDonald said.

Jones sits atop most Indians prospect rankings and resides in the upper half of many publications’ Top 100 lists. Triston McKenzie occasionally teases him for dethroning him as the organization’s top guy. A survey of Jones’ teammates, though, reveals his attitude doesn’t reflect that of a player who has bought into his own hype. That could stem from being one of four athletic children in his family. His older brother plays hockey at Penn State. His younger sister is headed to Penn State to play center field on the softball team. His younger brother plays hockey and baseball in high school.

“He’s super humble, super grounded,” pitcher Sam Hentges said. “He’s everything you want in a teammate.”

And it might not be long before the Indians’ major-leaguers are saying the same thing.

“This is a kid,” Chernoff said, “with a big future in front of him.”

Carlos Carrasco’s journey back to the Cleveland Indians’ rotation
By Zack Meisel Mar 3, 2020 9
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Carlos Carrasco stood against the concrete wall in the hallway that connects the right-field fence and the player exit at Goodyear Ballpark. He removed three weighted balls — one yellow, one green and one blue — from his red glove.

His children’s names are scripted onto the ring finger of the leather. Etched onto the palm of the glove is a depiction of an animated Carrasco from a game at Progressive Field.

On Sept. 22, 2019, a nationally televised Sunday night tilt against the Phillies, Carrasco relieved Adam Plutko in the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1. Carrasco entered with runners on the corners, one out and All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto approaching the plate.

Carrasco needed a double play. He got it.

He pumped his fists and shouted, a moment he now carries with him every time he throws a baseball.

Carrasco delivered 2 2/3 scoreless innings that night. The Indians’ offense eventually erupted for 10 runs, which earned Carrasco the victory. It was the club’s final home game of the season and Carrasco’s final appearance in Cleveland in 2019.

Carrasco prefers not to dwell on last year: the leukemia diagnosis, the battle, the physically, mentally and emotionally draining days spent attempting to salvage something of the season. While sidelined, he spent his days at the ballpark and his nights with his family, all to keep his mind occupied with anything other than his illness.

He couldn’t help himself from reflecting on Tuesday afternoon, though, when he jogged out of the dugout and scooped up the baseball sitting a few feet in front of the mound. He admitted it was an emotional day, his first start in more than nine months.

His journey back to this point has been marked by tears and triumph, by chills-inducing trots from the bullpen and hospital visits meant to stick a smile on the faces of children fighting a similar battle. He made a momentous return to the mound in Tampa on Sept. 1, but he was limited to a relief role. Last spring, Carrasco would feel strong for an inning or two before he suffered fatigue, a malady doctors didn’t solve until early June.

That’s no longer the case.

“Right now, I feel really strong,” Carrasco said. “I just want to maintain that for the rest of the season.”


Carrasco’s glove. (Zack Meisel / The Athletic)
Terry Francona said he plans to check in with Carrasco regularly this year, just out of due diligence. But the Indians’ hope is that Carrasco can author a vintage Carrasco season.

What would that entail?

“Two hundred innings,” Francona said, “which is huge.”

That would offer quite the lift for an Indians rotation that features plenty of depth, but also some uncertainty, with Mike Clevinger recovering from knee surgery and Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale entering their sophomore seasons.

Carrasco said the soreness from his strained right hip flexor vanished four or five days ago and, to his surprise, he felt no discomfort on Tuesday. He said he has regained most of the weight he dropped last year — about 18 pounds — during his leukemia battle.

“If he puts the whole year together,” Francona said, “he could be a pretty special pitcher.”

After years of turmoil, treks along I-71 to and from Class AAA Columbus and a temporary bullpen stint, Carrasco found his footing in the rotation in August 2014. From 2014-18, he posted a 3.27 ERA and a 3.01 FIP (fielding independent pitching), with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He developed into one of the most consistent, reliable starting pitchers in the American League.

In 2016, he logged a 3.32 ERA. In 2017, he logged a 3.29 ERA. In 2018, he logged a 3.38 ERA.

“That’s what I want,” Carrasco said. “That’s what I’ve been working (toward). What happened last year happened last year. There was a lot going on last year. This is a new year, so I’m just trying to do something completely different from last year. I’m trying to bring back ’16, ’17 and ’18.”

He took a considerable step forward on Tuesday, and Carrasco is optimistic he’ll be ready to chew up innings when the Indians begin the regular season in about three weeks.

With Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” blaring from the Progressive Field speakers and fans smacking together their mitten-covered hands, he’ll dash out of the dugout to another standing ovation and create another memory worthy of some glove artwork.

“It’s going to be unbelievable that day,” he said. “I can’t wait for that moment.”

Related: Carrasco’s inspirational tale, which earned him The Athletic MLB’s Person of the Year honors

(Top photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)

BA already out with major league predictions; have the Twins repeating and the Indians second but missing the wild card behind Tampa and Oakland.
Lindor no. 2 in MVP between the perpetual top man Mike Trout
Clevinger No. 2 for Cy Young behind Gerritt Cole
7 of their 8 writers pick the Dodgers to win the World Series one picks the Yankees.

In the category, which team will be the biggest surprise, one positive vote for Cleveland:

Matt Eddy: Indians. The spotlight shines on the Twins and White Sox in the AL Central, but the Indians have the best team in the division. Cleveland has a deep rotation fronted by Cy Young candidates Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber, supported by a talented bullpen and a lineup anchored by future MVP Francisco Lindor.

For "breakout pitcher" of 2020, one writer offers:
Carlos Collazo: Aaron Civale, RHP, Indians. Civale’s fastball isn’t overwhelming, but he has a long track record of excellent control and gets tons of whiffs on each of his four secondary offerings. Among starters with at least 50 innings pitcher last season, Civale was No. 20 in FIP (3.40).

For bounce back player of the year, one vote for:
JJ Cooper: Jose Ramirez, 3B, Indians. Ramirez’s numbers were ruined by an awful first three months of last season. Expect him to be more like the player who dominated in 2017 and 2018 and the second half of 2019. That’s good news for the Indians, because they need him and Francisco Lindor to be exceptional to catch the Twins.