Cleveland Sports Forum

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill developing on the fly
by Ethan Forness2 hours ago Follow @PopPunkdEthan

Cleveland Indians, Cal Quantrill
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill blossoming into starter role
The 2021 season has been highly uncharacteristic of the Cleveland Indians to say the least. Injuries have piled up more-so this season than in years past, costing the Tribe extended time of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Roberto Perez, Zach Plesac, Franmil Reyes and even losing Josh Naylor for the remainder of the campaign. Even more uncharacteristic of Cleveland, the deep well of pitching that is the farm system dried up, at least for now.

The injuries to the starting rotation have forced the Tribe to dig into the farm system and start some of their high-minors prospects a year or two early. Eli Morgan, J.C. Mejia and Sam Hentges have all logged starts for Cleveland this season, as well as Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen who began the season in the rotation. Those five arms have struggled mightily, making 44 starts for the Indians in place of the Big Three, but notching just three quality starts in that time while averaging just 4.1 innings per start.

Now, in fairness, every one of those pitchers is 25-years-old or younger, and in Hentges’ case never pitched at the Triple-A level before being called up to the show. The kids will be all right, but it stands as a testament to just how unique Cleveland’s 2016 draft class is from a player development standpoint.

However, the Tribe have one other arm who has been making starts in the absence of the Big Three, and Cal Quantrill has developed into a respectable starting pitcher before our eyes in the month of July.

Quantrill, 26, came to the Indians from San Diego as part of the return package for Mike Clevinger at the 2020 MLB trade deadline. He debuted as a starter with the Padres in 2019, making 18 starts and posting an ERA of 5.16 across 23 appearances and was used largely out of the bullpen in 2020.


Quantrill started 2021 in the Indians’ bullpen, with Logan Allen and Triston McKenzie winning the rotation spots up for grabs out of spring training, but was quickly called into starting duties between injuries piling up and the struggles of the aforementioned Logan Allen.

On the season, Quantrill has a 2-2 record across 29 appearances, 11 of those being starts, with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.31. He made his first start of the season in game two of a doubleheader against the White Sox on May 31st, lasting just 3.2 innings, but allowing just one run as the bullpen held on to a 3-1 victory at Progressive Field.

Quantrill notched six starts from May 31 to June 30, pitching to an 0-1 record with a 7.22 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 21.2 innings pitched. He struck out just 17 of the batters he faced, relying heavily on the defense behind him.


Quantrill was cornered into one of the most un-enviable asks imaginable in the middle of a major league season, to stretch out from a bullpen hand to a starter. He averaged 61.8 pitches per start while basically undergoing in-season Spring Training to get his pitch count and endurance up.

In five starts during the month of July, however, Quantrill has begun to blossom into a solid rotation piece live on our television screens. Across those five starts, he’s pitched 28.1 innings while recording a 2.88 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, notching three quality starts and lasting at least five innings in each start. So what has changed for Quantrill that he looks like an anchor to this rotation?

It’s probably not a coincidence that his streak started on July 4, the first game back for Tribe catcher Roberto Perez who is regarded as one of the best pitch framers and game callers in the MLB. However, Perez isn’t solely responsible for Quantrill’s success since he still has to execute his game plan and pitches.

Quantrill still doesn’t miss many bats, striking out just 16 batters in July, so he’s still very reliant on the defense behind him despite a 95MPH 4-Seam and Slider combination that should generate more swings-and-misses.


So what comes next for Quantrill? It appears he’s fully stretched out, a feat that is very impressive during the course of the regular season, averaging 90.6 pitches per game in July. Next steps are then twofold; work on command and sequencing to induce more whiffs, and be able to make it through the lineup a third time. Plesac and Quantrill currently overlap in the latter of those two steps, while Plesac is already an efficient strikeout pitcher.
Quantrill is next scheduled to take the bump on Sunday August 1 against the White Sox where he looks to build even further on his strong July. He’s turned into an exceptional bright spot in what is a fairly mediocre season so far, and watching his development from start-to-start is encouraging to say the least. On the current trajectory it appears the Tribe can build a five-man rotation for 2022 that includes Quantrill as an anchor, and that’s something we could all get excited about.

What the César Hernández trade means for the present and future of the Cleveland Indians’ infield



PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 19: Cesar Hernandez #7 of the Cleveland Indians in action during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 19, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel Jul 29, 2021 30
CLEVELAND — César Hernández was always Cleveland’s most likely trade candidate, a veteran deemed expendable, to an extent, regardless of the team’s spot in the standings, and a placeholder for the club’s long-term second baseman.

Now, it’s time for the club to actually determine the identity of that long-term second baseman after it traded Hernández to the White Sox on Tuesday.

When the Indians tumbled to a distant second place behind the White Sox in the American League Central standings, and with Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale sidelined for at least another few weeks, Hernández was on borrowed time in Cleveland. The organization is motivated to allot playing time to Andrés Giménez and Owen Miller. Eventually, whether this season or next, Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman figure to force their way into the crowded infield conversation. Plus, there’s Richie Palacios, Ernie Clement and Yu Chang, not to mention Amed Rosario, who has manned shortstop for the past three months.

Miller will receive the first opportunity at second base. He’ll join the big-league team in time for its series opener, coincidentally, in Chicago on Friday. (Hernández traveled separately to Chicago, though the Indians brought his equipment.) Giménez was not an option at the moment, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said, because he’s in the process of applying for permanent U.S. residency, and the team’s trip to Toronto next week could have presented challenges as he’s not permitted to leave the U.S. during the process.

“He’s in the mix,” Antonetti said.

There weren’t many suitors for Hernández as second base hasn’t been a popular position on the trade market this summer. More than anything, many contenders need pitching help. The White Sox, however, have searched for a solution at second base since they lost Nick Madrigal to a season-ending hamstring injury.

The Indians received pitching prospect Konnor Pilkington, Chicago’s third-round pick in the 2018 draft. The left-handed starter, whose fastball has topped out at about 93 to 94 mph this year, has limited opponents to 36 hits in 62 innings this season. He sports a 3.48 ERA and has totaled 21 walks and 71 strikeouts. He throws a changeup, curveball and slider in addition to the fastball. Pilkington, who pitched at Mississippi State, is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December. He’ll head to Double-A Akron.

Hernández is in the midst of a strange season. He has eclipsed his career high in home runs with 18 and counting, but his OPS has dipped thanks to a significant drop in on-base percentage. Defensively, the 2020 AL Gold Glove Award winner ranks in the bottom 10 percent of the majors in Statcast’s outs-above-average metric and has accounted for minus-6 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. A staple atop manager Terry Francona’s batting order the last two seasons, Hernández has been incredibly durable, having missed only seven games since the start of 2018.

Hernández in 2020: .283/.355/.408 slash line, 110 wRC+ (100 is league average)

Hernández in 2021: .231/.307/.431 slash line, 100 wRC+ (Hernández is league average)

Entering action on Thursday, the Indians stood a 1.2 percent chance of winning the division and a 1.3 percent chance of claiming a wild-card berth, per FanGraphs’ projection model. They were 8 1/2 games behind Chicago in the AL Central, and the White Sox are getting healthier while the Indians continue to wait for their top two starting pitchers to recover from injuries. Though it might surprise some that the club dealt Hernandez to a division rival, it seems unlikely Chicago will exercise Hernandez’s $6 million club option for 2022 if Madrigal is healthy. Plus, Cleveland’s front office was certain the White Sox would address their needs at second base and in the bullpen, even if they didn’t acquire Hernández.

But really, for Cleveland, this trade isn’t about Hernández or even Pilkington. It’s about Giménez, Miller or someone else demonstrating he can blossom into a fixture at second base. It’s about cashing in on the significant trades from previous years that landed the club an abundance of middle-infield prospects in the first place.

“With all things being equal, if we had our preference,” Antonetti said, “it would probably be to not trade within the division, but in this case, it made the most sense.”

With Miller earning a promotion to the major-league roster, the team will promote Palacios to Triple-A Columbus and Brayan Rocchio to Akron in the coming days. Both will be Rule 5 eligible this winter.

Palacios, Cleveland’s third-round pick in 2018, has posted a .303/.391/.502 slash line at Akron this season, with 24 doubles, six home runs and nine stolen bases. The 24-year-old has split time between second base and all three outfield spots. Before this season, Palacios hadn’t played in a professional setting since 2018 because of shoulder surgery and the pandemic.

Rocchio, 20, has slashed a .267/.335/.431 at High-A Lake County this year, with 13 doubles, nine homers and 14 stolen bases in 63 games. Since the start of June, he has hit .298/.375/.494. He has appeared in 36 games at shortstop, 15 at second base and 12 at third base.

That's how it works.

You sign Cesar for a year with an option, then pay him for half a season and trade him for a prospect. Something for nothing.

Cleveland Indians: Get to know the newly acquired LHP Konnor Pilkington
by Anthony Alandt2 hours ago Follow @anthonyalandt

Cleveland Indians
Get to know the Cleveland Indians newly acquired LHP Konnor Pilkington
The Cleveland Indians traded Cesar Hernandez yesterday in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Konnor Pilkington. Unfamiliar with the name? Confused why his first name begins with a ‘K?’ Same. Let’s get to know the newest addition to the Cleveland organization. And yeah, after that 2021 draft full of pitchers, the Tribe decided to find one more.


The White Sox drafted Pilkington in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State with the 81st overall pick. With the Bulldogs, he was a 2017 USA Collegiate National Team member after his junior year.

The team has been fairly aggressive in his promotion process. After spending eight games in rookie ball, he was assigned to Chicago’s full season single-A ball where he dominated. Pilkington dominated in six games with the Kannapolis Intimidators, recording a 1.62 ERA through 33.1 innings and tallying a .132 opposing batting average.


Out of college, his scouting report credited his arm slot as the reason for getting batters out despite the drop in velocity. The report states that his slot creates a “steep downhill plane” and that he has a consistent delivery.


He finished out 2019 in advanced-A ball. After falling victim to the 2020 pandemic-riddled season, the White Sox sent the lefty to Double-A Birmingham. This season, he holds a 3.48 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP while striking out 71 batters. He’ll be assigned to the Akron Rubberducks and join the rotation alongside Logan T. Allen, Adam Scott and company. Listed as the White Sox’s No. 21 prospect, his ETA on Baseball America is next season.


He’s a big guy, clocking in at 6-foot-3 and 230 lbs. He has a career 9.66 strikeouts-per-nine innings rate and walks just over three batters every nine innings. Fangraphs ranks his fastball and curveball as his best pitches, with his slider and changeup not too far behind. He did have a mid-90s fastball, but it seemed to top out in the low 90s during his final year with Mississippi State.

The Indians will have to protect him ahead of the Rule 5 draft — the White Sox notified him they didn’t intend on adding him to the 40-man roster. He is allowing a few more home runs in Double-A, and his FIP has increased from 2019, but he’s another big farm hand that could come up and help in a spot-start scenario in the second half of 2022.

It is possible that the Indians don’t add him to the 40-man roster and this trade becomes a quick wash by December. Cleveland already has five starters protected in the minor leagues.

Expect him to finish out the season with Akron, polishing his pitches and working to shrink his ERA. I still don’t know why it’s Connor with a ‘K,’ but the 23-year old will look good in those Rubber Duck baby blues.

Astros, Indians Swap Myles Straw For Phil Maton
By Mark Polishuk | July 30, 2021 at 2:48pm CDT

The Astros and Indians have made a trade that will see Cleveland acquire outfielder Myles Straw, while Houston will land right-handed reliever Phil Maton, FOX 26’s Mark Berman reports.

What to make of the Cleveland Indians’ flurry of trade deadline activity

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 28: Myles Straw #3 of the Houston Astros beats the throw to score in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 28, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel Jul 30, 2021 34
CHICAGO — Here are 11 thoughts on Cleveland’s baseball team following a flurry of activity at the trade deadline.

1. What was your favorite moment from the Pablo Sandoval era in Cleveland? Sandoval was a member of the organization for about three hours, as the club acquired him in a trade with Atlanta for Eddie Rosario and then promptly released him. Sandoval will turn 35 in a couple of weeks. He performs fun dances in the dugout while donning a panda mask. But the Indians had no intention of adding him to the roster. He was included in the deal to balance out the money.

Speaking of which, Cleveland kicked in $500,000, a source said, which means the team saved about $2 million by salary-dumping Rosario, who was a dud of a free-agent signing. There’s no need to applaud a team with a paltry payroll for tossing a few extra coins into its piggy bank, but the Indians wanted to clear a roster spot and allot Rosario’s at-bats to some younger outfield options.

Of course, Rosario will be sidelined for another two or three weeks with an oblique strain. That made trading him tricky. He had no trade value. Cleveland explored this sort of concept with a couple of other teams, but there wasn’t much motivation from potential trade partners until the Braves opted to pivot away from more noteworthy targets, including Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel.

Rosario posted a .254/.296/.389 slash line in 78 games with the Indians, a disappointing showing for a veteran who had proved to be a safe bet for 25 doubles and 25 home runs per season.

2. The Indians really like Myles Straw. They’ve tried to trade for him for more than a year. He’ll be their center fielder this year, and he’s the one outfielder you can probably pencil into a roster spot for 2022.

Straw rarely hits the ball hard. In fact, only one qualified major leaguer — Angels infielder David Fletcher — totes a lower hard-hit rate. Straw has totaled three home runs in 594 career plate appearances in the big leagues.

For insight into why hard-hit rate matters, here’s the sport’s top 10 in that category this season: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Shohei Ohtani, Salvador Perez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Manny Machado. All but Stanton were All-Stars this year.

So how does Straw provide value?

He ranks in the 98th percentile in the majors in whiff rate. When he swings, he makes contact. And he ranks in the 95th percentile in chase rate. When he swings, he’s swinging at a pitch he can hit. That explains his above-average walk and strikeout rates. That profile meshes well with a player who possesses his speed, too. Straw ranks in the 96th percentile in sprint speed, so he can rack up infield hits, and his 17 stolen bases this season rank second in the American League.

Straw is the antithesis to the three-true-outcome type of hitter that has become prevalent in today’s game. The Indians have an affinity for contact hitters. They have targeted such profiles in trades and in the draft. (Owen Miller and Tyler Freeman, to name two.)

This isn’t to say Straw is some all-world hitter. He’s probably best suited for the bottom of a batting order. But in this team’s yearslong outfield mess, he surely fits.

How else does Straw provide value?

Well, Daniel Johnson collided with Bradley Zimmer on the warning track Friday night, jarring a fly ball out of Zimmer’s glove and over the outfield fence for a blunder-aided home run.

Straw ranks in the 94th percentile in Statcast’s outs above average metric, which evaluates defensive performance. He has accounted for 2 defensive runs saved.

3. How the other outfielders fit around Straw remains to be seen. He’ll receive daily playing time in center. He’s under team control through the 2025 season.

Harold Ramirez, Oscar Mercado, Johnson and Zimmer will vie for at-bats in the corners. Ramirez and Zimmer have outplayed Johnson and Mercado to this point, but they have also garnered more opportunities. The Indians need to have some answers about this group by the end of the season.

4. The market for relief pitchers allowed Cleveland to move Phil Maton, who exhibited elite strikeout and spin rates but somewhat inconsistent results (4.57 ERA, but a 3.13 FIP). Houston, home of the spin rate, should salivate over some of his traits. Several teams checked in on the availability of James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase, but the Indians didn’t display much motivation in moving either back-end option.

5. The club’s impending 40-man roster crunch drove some of the front office’s decisions.

“We have a lot of guys who are eligible,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said.

Yainer Diaz, sent to Houston along with Maton, is a player the Astros coveted, and he likely would have gone unprotected this winter, making him eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft. Diaz sat behind Bo Naylor and Bryan Lavastida in the organization’s catching prospect pecking order.

6. Konnor Pilkington, acquired from the White Sox for César Hernández, will be Rule 5 eligible this winter. Peyton Battenfield, acquired from the Rays for Jordan Luplow and D.J. Johnson, will not be.

Both starting pitching prospects will join Double-A Akron. Both throw about 93 mph.

Battenfield at High-A/Double-A in 2021: 2.14 ERA, .171/.209/.306 opponent slash line, 12 walks and 95 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings

Pilkington in Double-A in 2021: 3.48 ERA, .173/.258/.313 opponent slash line, 21 walks and 71 strikeouts in 62 innings

The team has prioritized enhancing its pitching depth this summer, as also evidenced by selecting 19 pitchers with its 21 draft picks. If either or both of these prospects pans out as a back-end starter, it could help to bridge the gap from the current major leaguers to the lower-level starters such as Daniel Espino, Tanner Burns, Ethan Hankins, Lenny Torres and others.

7. Hernández caught up with some of his ex-teammates during batting practice Friday afternoon. He hadn’t seen them in almost 48 hours. It now sounds like the White Sox could exercise his $6 million option for next season, since they traded Nick Madrigal to the Cubs in the Kimbrel deal.

8. The Indians did explore long-term major-league position player solutions. They inquired about Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds and Cincinnati’s Jesse Winker, for example, but discovered those teams weren’t especially motivated to commit to such a significant move. Players of that caliber and with that much team control will still carry plenty of trade value this winter or next summer.

That said, executing a trade of that ilk should top Cleveland’s priority list this winter, as the club will almost certainly need a talented outfielder for 2022 and beyond. The lineup still requires significant upgrading. The Indians will have to get bold to fix it all. And they’ll need to start reaping the benefits from their major trades from recent years. They need output from Miller and Gabriel Arias and Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario.

9. Antonetti estimated there “were probably at least another dozen (trades) that we contemplated seriously at different points in time and exchanged different ideas. Some of them we felt we were really close to the finish line on.” He said the Straw acquisition and Luplow departure were somewhat tied together, as the club wanted to preserve enough opportunities for Johnson, Mercado and the like.

“We felt in order to do one,” he said, “we probably had to do the other.”

Including D.J. Johnson in the deal cleared another 40-man spot.

10. Cleveland played with a 24-man roster Friday night. They operated with a short-handed coaching staff, too, as Terry Francona headed to Cleveland Clinic in preparation for his Monday hip-replacement surgery.

DeMarlo Hale will serve as the acting manager for the rest of the season. Why not Sandy Alomar Jr.?

“In talking to Tito, we wanted to do things as seamlessly as possible,” Antonetti said, “and DeMarlo has been serving as the bench coach throughout the course of the season, and it was a more natural transition for him to assume those responsibilities and allow Sandy to continue to serve as the first-base coach.”

11. Additional roster moves are on the way. Bobby Bradley was placed on the bereavement list Friday, as he attends a funeral in Mississippi this weekend. Straw will join the club in Chicago on Saturday, and the team plans to recall pitcher Eli Morgan on Monday.

“The younger guys,” Hale said, “I think they can look around and say, ‘You know what, I might get a chance.’”

Cleveland Indians: Get to know Myles Straw and Peyton Battenfield
by Kyle Edmond1 hour ago Follow @kyleedmond7

New Cleveland Indians OF Myles Straw
The only player to come to Cleveland at the deadline with major league experience, and probably the only one that will play in the majors this season, was Myles Straw. An outfielder from Houston, Straw should have the ability to stabilize center field in Cleveland, something the team has been searching for for a long time.

Before we dive into Straw’s stats, let me offer a comparison. Let’s go back to December 1991 when the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians agreed on a similar deal. Cleveland sent Houston catcher Ed Taubensee and relief pitcher Willie Blair for a centerfielder with little MLB experience, but a lot of potential and even more speed. Kenny Lofton.

Now, in July of 2021, the Cleveland Indians sent Houston a catcher and a relief pitcher for a centerfielder with little MLB experience, but a lot of potential and even more speed. Myles Straw. We’re not saying Straw will be Lofton, but the storyline is fun to follow.

Where the difference really lies is in experience. Lofton had 20 games of major league experience at the time of his trade. Straw has just shy of 200. The good news is that Straw has shown up in those games.

This season has been his largest sample size, playing 98 games for the Astros. In those, he’s slashing .262/.339/.326 with 13 doubles, a triple and two home runs to go along with 34 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Those numbers are solid and show promise. He immediately becomes the biggest steal threat in the Tribe’s lineup. He’s also a great fielder, being error-free over his entire MLB career.

Turning 27-years old in October, Straw will be under team control through the 2025 season. If he can continue to progress and improve at the plate, Cleveland could have their centerfield spot locked up for a while. That combined with Harold Ramirez’s emergence and there’s starting to be a little bit of clarity in Cleveland’s outfield.

New Cleveland Indians RHP Peyton Battenfield

In case you didn’t think the Tribe got enough pitchers in the 2021 MLB Draft, don’t worry they selected plenty, the team went and added two more at the deadline. Now, when you produce pitchers the way Cleveland’s farm system does, it makes sense to add to the pool and create the chance for value and talent down the road.


Anyway, coming to Cleveland from Tampa Bay in the Luplow deal was Peyton Battenfield. A ninth round pick by Houston in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma State, Battenfield has worked to raise his value. While he has predominantly been a starter, he’s served the role of both starter and reliever, leaving plenty of options open for his future with the Cleveland organization.

This year, he’s split time between High-A and Double-A, combining for a 5-0 record over 14 games, including 12 starts. In fact, in his entire minor league career, Battenfield has just one loss with a 7-1 record. Small sample size, but still an intriguing stat.

As for the rest of his line, he’s working an ERA of 2.72 at the Double-A level over 36.1 innings pitched. He’s also averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine while keeping the walks down at 1.7 per nine.

This is nearly identical to what Pilkington’s line looks like. It’s clear that the front office is adding a certain type of framework here. High strikeouts per nine, low walks per nine and a reasonable ERA. That surely seems like a good recipe for success.

ASTROS GET
RHP PHIL MATON
C YAINER DIAZ

INDIANS GET
OF MYLES STRAW
Happening closer to the deadline in the midst of a ton of blockbuster deals, the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians quietly made a trade that will help both sides tremendously. Cleveland had a plethora of relief pitchers while Houston had too many outfielders. It also helps that of the four deals, Myles Straw is the only player Cleveland received that will play in the majors this season.

Phil Maton has been decent this year with a 4.57 ERA over 41.1 innings. However, Cleveland’s bullpen was so full that sending away one arm seemed likely. While Bryan Shaw and Blake Parker were the more rumored players to be moveable, Maton’s role is replaceable for the organization.

As for Yainer Diaz, he was putting together a solid season. His career numbers have his batting average well above .300. He’s currently a catcher, but that could change. While a career .986 fielding percentage is decent for most positions, catchers usually need higher to stick around.

Luckily, what Cleveland was able to get in return was well worth that price. Straw is a great fielder, being error-free over his career, and his bat is above average as well. The biggest addition with his game is his speed. It’s been a long time since Cleveland has had a speedy outfielder in the lineup and it’s always a good piece to have.

Cleveland Indians Trade Grade: B+

5 internal options for the Cleveland Indians to replace Cesar Hernandez at second

On Thursday (July 29) the Cleveland Indians made their first move of the trade deadline, dealing Cesar Hernandez to the Chicago White Sox. The Tribe received in return a left-handed prospect, Konnor Pilkington, but only a pitching prospect in return leaves a hole at second base for the big league club to try and fill. Luckily, if there’s any position to need a player to fill a spot, it would be the middle infield.

In preparation for the departure of Francisco Lindor, the front office made it a priority to acquire middle infielders. Now, those prospects are coming close to getting their shot in the majors. What still remains to be seen is if the team will turn to prospects who already have tapped into their service time or if they will give more players their MLB debut.

One player that can be ruled out from contention is the club’s No. 2 prospect, Tyler Freeman. Freeman was announced to be out for the season on Thursday with a torn labrum. While he was still in Double-A, Freeman was playing at a high level and could have been a player to get a look later in the season.


Even without Freeman, the Cleveland Indians will have a deep pool of players to select from to take over the role at second base. Odds are the team will attempt to find the stopgap amongst the players that have already used service time, saving the other prospects for next season. No matter who it ends up being, there’s sure to be a competition for the role moving forward.


With so many hands trying to get time, the player that gets the first crack will likely have a short leash, especially if the other prospects begin making a strong push for playing time themselves. It’s a good problem to have, but it might take the rest of the season, at least, to figure out who the long-term solution will be.

NEXT: Owen Miller

Owen Miller, UTIL, Cleveland Indians
The corresponding move on the major league roster when Hernandez was traded was calling up Owen Miller. After beginning the season on a hot streak in Triple-A, Miller got his first taste of the big leagues and fell short of expectations, slashing just .106/.160/.128. Now, he’s found his swing again in Columbus and will rejoin the Cleveland Indians with a big opportunity ahead of him.

During his first stint, Miller started just nine games, but a third of those came at second base. He totaled 15 chances over 28 innings and was error-free. In Columbus, second has been his main position as well. He’s totaled 187 innings over 21 starts at the position, committing just three errors for a .972 fielding percentage.

As for at the plate, Miller bounced back in July after struggling through June. It wasn’t the offensive explosion we saw in May, but rather a middle ground. In July, Miller has slashed .253/.329/.480 with five doubles and four home runs.

Those stats aren’t great, but it might be enough to get the Tribe through the season at second. Miller is most likely not the long-term answer, but his service time has already been ticking. Using him over an up-and-coming prospect is the better option long-term. While he might not light up the position, he can hold down the fort through the end of the year.

Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

After beginning the season in Cleveland, Andres Gimenez was sent down to Triple-A Columbus and has been there since. One of the players from the Francisco Lindor trade, Gimenez has been able to find his groove in Columbus. The issue is figuring out who moves over to second base.

Gimenez began the season at shortstop in Cleveland and has played just four games at second base in his brief major league career. However, when he was sent down Amed Rosario stepped into the role at short and while his glove isn’t as strong, Rosario has found consistency in his bat since the position change. Do you really want to mess with that right now?

As for Gimenez, he has played 15 games at second for Columbus. Registering 122 innings at the spot, he has two errors for a .969 fielding percentage. While limited, that’s more time at second this year than Rosario has, which is zero.

At the plate, Gimenez has been finding his stride there as well. Over the last 28 days in Triple-A, Gimenez is slashing an incredible .364/.462/.545 with three doubles and a home run. While the extra bases aren’t flooding in, the high batting average is a great sign. Statistically, Gimenez is the best immediate option, but the team might be a bit more cautious with his service time.

Ernie Clement, UTIL, Cleveland Indians
Out of all the players on this list, Ernie Clement is the only one that was on Cleveland’s active roster at the time of the Hernandez trade. Serving as a true utility man, Clement has been holding his own in the majors and given his position at the time of the trade might get a significant early look.

Starting a total of 15 games in Cleveland, Clement has logged nine at third and six at second with his one major league error being at second base. As for at the plate, he’s doing what most would probably expect from a utility infielder who hasn’t really drawn a lot of hype. Through 58 official at-bats, he’s slashing .224/.286/.259 with a pair of doubles of four RBI.

Those numbers aren’t great, so if Clement wants to get more playing time he will have to show improvement. Being in Cleveland already could help him, but it could also hurt him. He might not have as long of a leash as some of the other players since he’s been up for a bit. He won’t have any sort of adjustment period cushion.

Clement won’t be the long-term answer, but he can be a short-term band-aid. If Cleveland needs a dozen or so starts while they evaluate their options, then Clement can fill that need.

Gabriel Arias, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians
With Tyler Freeman down with an injury, Gabriel Arias is the top ranked middle infielder prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization, coming in as the No. 5 prospect overall. The only barrier with Arias is one that is becoming increasingly familiar. He’s barely played second base.

This year, Arias has suited up for 72 games with the Columbus Clippers. He’s played second base in just nine of them. In fact, Arias has played second base just 11 times in his entire professional baseball career. The good news is he has just one error. The bad news is that the sample size is ridiculously small.

In the field, in general, Arias has some improving to do. He has six errors at shortstop this season and nine total across all positions played. The upside is his bat, especially recently.

Over the last 28 days, Arias is slashing a solid .301/.363/.494 with five doubles, a triple, three home runs and five RBI. That’s the type of bat that can be really intriguing. He has good average numbers with a hint of power.

The question for Arias will be if the team wants to start up his service time. Being a top prospect, the front office could opt to keep him in the minors through the season and call him up early next year. While his bat makes him a candidate, his glove might be what keeps him in Columbus, at least for now.

Nolan Jones, 3B, Cleveland Indians
So far this season the Columbus Clippers have played Nolan Jones at third base for 43 starts, right field for 20 starts and first base for one. As you can see, second base isn’t listed, so why would he be an internal candidate to replace Cesar Hernandez? Because Jose Ramirez can play second.

Ramirez originally came up as a utility infielder and found his home at third. However, Ramirez has played second plenty in his career and started just shy of 60 games there in 2017 when Gio Urshela and Yandy Diaz were coming up. This could be a similar situation.

While Cleveland is trying to transition their No. 1 prospect to the outfield, playing Jones at his natural position during his MLB debut could be the better option. It takes away some of the nerves and stress of the promotion while putting him in a more familiar spot.

At the dish is where Jones needs to show improvement. Over the last 28 days he’s slashing just .211/.310/.447. Now, the positive is that he has five home runs and 12 RBI. The negative is he has 27 strikeouts over 22 games.

While the hype around Jones might be pushing him to be in Cleveland, he’s simply just not ready. The bat isn’t where it needs to be yet and he doesn’t have a true position open. There’s no sense in rushing his arrival if there isn’t a clear spot for him.

Predicting Cleveland Indians Second Baseman
Given the state of the season for Cleveland, they could still make a Wild Card run. As long as that is within shouting distance the team probably won’t take a chance at second just yet. Ernie Clement and Owen Miller seem to be the first ones to get a shot and it makes sense.

Both are utility infielders and aren’t part of the long-term plans so service time isn’t an issue. However, don’t be surprised if it’s a race to earn one spot with the other being sent down. Clement and Miller are both right-handed batters, so a platoon with the two doesn’t make as much as sense.


From that point, it could be a platoon between Gimenez and Clement/Miller or it could become Gimenez’s spot to lose. Either seems like a likely scenario.

As for Arias and Jones, they are too important to the club’s future plans. Even a late September call-up wouldn’t make sense to start their service time. If one does get the shot, Arias seems to be the one that’s more ready of the two. However, I wouldn’t hold my breath on seeing them in Cleveland this year.

Long-story short, Andres Gimenez is my favorite to end the season as the starting second baseman in Cleveland. I see the move of calling up Miller as buying a bit more time to give Gimenez more starts at second in Columbus.

Despite these good stats:

This year, he’s split time between High-A and Double-A, combining for a 5-0 record over 14 games, including 12 starts. In fact, in his entire minor league career, Battenfield has just one loss with a 7-1 record. Small sample size, but still an intriguing stat.
As for the rest of his line, he’s working an ERA of 2.72 at the Double-A level over 36.1 innings pitched. He’s also averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine while keeping the walks down at 1.7 per nine.

Battenfield doesn't show up on the BA depth chart for the Rays preseason 2021 which means not just not on their top 30 but their top 60or so. I guess he's taken a big step up this year ?

HICAGO -- James Karinchak has hit a rough patch.

Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale gave Karinchak a bounce-back chance Saturday night when he handed him the eighth inning with a 12-8 lead. On Friday night, not only did Karinchak hit Jose Abreu in the batting helmet in the eighth, causing the benches to clear, he turned a 4-4 tie into a 6-4 loss.

Hale’s attempt to give Karinchak a chance to redeem himself didn’t work. He lasted four batters, recording one out on a liner to center field, while allowing three runs, two coming on Adam Engel’s homer. Emmanuel Clase relieved for a five-out save in the 12-11 win.

It was evident Karinchak was shaken after hitting Abreu with a 96 mph fastball on Friday. Could there have been any carryover from Friday to Saturday’s appearance?

“I don’t think there was that carryover,” said Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations. “James was concerned about Jose as we all were. James felt terrible about it. The ball got away from him. It was scary, but I don’t think there was a carryover.

“He’s working through some things mechanically to try and get back to the point where his pitches work the way they want them to. It’s a work in progress.”

Karinchak has allowed five runs on five hits in his last two appearances. He’s recorded one out in those two appearances. His strikeout rate and spin rate have fallen.

Right now, Karinchak does not look like the pitcher who started the year allowing one run in his first 21 games with 38 strikeouts and a 0.44 ERA.

No. 1: Border crossing

Antonetti said the Indians traveling party tested negative for COVID-19 so they’ll be able to enter Canada after Sunday’s game to open a four-game series Monday at Rogers Centre. The Indians are expected to activate right-hander Eli Morgan and first baseman Bobby Bradley after the game.

Morgan is scheduled to start Monday, while Bradley has been on bereavement list following a death in the family.
“We’re going to make a couple of roster moves after the game,” said Antonetti.

The WTAM broadcast team of Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus will not be traveling to Toronto. There was some concern that they would not get across the border. Canada won’t open its border to the United States until Aug. 9 because of the pandemic. The Bally Sports TV crew of Rick Manning, Matt Underwood and Andre Knott has not traveled with the team all year. The unvaccinated members of the Indians traveling party are limited to traveling between their hotel and the Rogers Centre for the series.

No. 2: Signed, sealed and delivered

It’s official, the Indians have signed their entire 2021 draft class of 21 players.

Right-hander Jake Miller was the final player to sign, beating Sunday’s deadline. Miller, selected in the 20th and final round out of the University of San Diego, agreed to a singing bonus of $300,000. The Indians also signed two undrafted free agents, Seth Caddell and Zac Fascia. Caddell caught No. 1 pick Gavin Williams at East Carolina University.

No. 3: Shane Bieber update

Antonetti said Shane Bieber is scheduled to start playing catch again Monday in Toronto. He has been shut down for the last several days, limited to weighted-ball workouts. Bieber, last year’s Cy Young winner, has not pitched since leaving his June 13 start against Seattle with a sore right shoulder. Bieber still leads the Indians with 130 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched with 90 2/3 innings.

Aaron Civale, another injured pitcher, leads the team with 97 2/3 innings.

No. 4: Finally

Bo Naylor hit two homers and drove in six runs as Class AA Akron beat Erie, 11-5, Saturday. Naylor hit a slam and a two-run homer. Bryan Lavastida homered and drove in four runs and Will Benson added a homer. Juan Hillman (8-2, 3.94) struck out four and allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings. . .Class A Lake County beat Dayton, 11-3, as Aaron Bracho and Joe Donovan homered and drove in two runs each. Hunter Gaddis threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts and two walks. . .Jhonkensy Noel (.385) went 3-for-4 with a homer, but Class A Lynchburg lost, 11-2, to Carolina. Petey Halpin went 2-for-4 and Juan Zapata allowed one earned run over six innings.

Bo Naylor and Zavata both with multi homer game and 6 RBIs.

What is it with catchers!

BA grades every team's deadline deals;

Cleveland Indians
51-51
Notes:

Grade: D – The Indians remain stuck in the middle and didn’t make either their major league team or farm system markedly better. In total, they swapped out 2B Cesar Hernandez (White Sox), OF Eddie Rosario (Braves), OF Jordan Luplow (Rays), RHP DJ Johnson (Rays) and RHP Phil Maton (Astros) for OF Myles Straw and a pair of decent but unspectacular prospects in LHP Konnor Pilkington and RHP Peyton Battenfield. (Pablo Sandoval, acquired for Rosario, was immediately released). The Indians wisely didn’t begin a full-on fire sale and trade 3B Jose Ramirez, but they got worse in the present without adding the type of young talent likely to make an impact in the future.

[But what they accomplished was clearing space on the winter roster while getting a little something back and saving some cash.

The pressing questions the Cleveland Indians must answer over the last 2 months of the season

Jul 27, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill (47) reacts after recording the third out of the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel Aug 2, 2021 21
CHICAGO — Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have flipped open a textbook and a couple of blank notebooks. Cleveland’s front office has a lot of learning to do over the next two months.

If this season is reminiscent of 2015, when the Indians jettisoned everyone old enough to rent a car at the trade deadline to create playing time for younger options, how does the front office ensure next season resembles anything remotely close to 2016? Cleveland’s roster is once again oozing with unproven commodities, and the rest of this season is pivotal in learning which players deserve future spots.

The front office needs to be armed with as much evidence as possible so it can make the most informed decisions this winter as the club enters a new season with a new team name, perhaps a new minority owner (who could trigger a healthier payroll) and loftier expectations.

So, what, exactly, must this team learn during the next two months?

Strangers in the outfield
Since Shoeless Joe Jackson patrolled the outfield for the Naps in his mid-calf Hanes more than a century ago, Cleveland has been hunting for competent outfielders. (We hyperbolize in this space sometimes.)

Antonetti indicated new arrival Myles Straw would receive the bulk of the playing time in center field for the rest of this year, and that figures to remain the case next season as well. As for the corner spots, well, it’s an open audition. Can Harold Ramirez or Oscar Mercado or Bradley Zimmer or Daniel Johnson convince the club they warrant a long-term assignment, or is this a group of backup outfielders and I-71 shuttle riders? The early returns — home run-aiding collisions and all — lean toward the latter.

The outfield will likely remain an area of need in the offseason, a position the front office can target during trade conversations. The question is, just how many outfielders will the club need to add for 2022?

Rounding out the rotation
Cal Quantrill has quieted some starting rotation concerns in recent weeks. Over his past five starts — when the club stopped requiring him to work on short rest and removed his pitch-count restrictions — he has logged a 1.86 ERA and limited the opposition to 20 hits in 29 innings. His slider has proven effective, holding hitters to a .182 average and .286 slugging percentage. He credited his burgeoning rapport with catcher Roberto Pérez, saying they’re “starting to get more comfortable with how we want to approach hitters.”

Though still inconsistent, Triston McKenzie has displayed recent flashes of excellence, a more tolerable outcome than his rough first few months of the season. If he can continue to trend upward, it would solidify a rotation that has limped through much of 2021 but could offer plenty of potential for 2022, once Aaron Civale and Shane Bieber are healthy again.

Relying on Eli Morgan and J.C. Mejia, maybe a Logan Allen or two and, perhaps, Cody Morris or even one of the recent acquisitions, Konnor Pilkington or Peyton Battenfield, as insurance policies next year instead of rotation mainstays would be beneficial. It’ll be worth monitoring how these depth starters fare the rest of the season as the front office assembles a hierarchy for 2022.


Seeking relief
The spin rate on James Karinchak’s pitches has plummeted in recent weeks. His results have also cratered. It’s probably not as simple as “no sticky stuff equals no effectiveness,” but hitters have feasted on his fastball and haven’t been fooled as often by his curveball.

This is an arbitrary range, but here’s Karinchak over his past 28 appearances: 6.48 ERA, .870 opponent OPS, nearly two base runners per inning. Those numbers are in line with how he has performed since MLB’s sticky substance crackdown in mid-June, too.

In July, hitters have logged a .300 average and a .567 slugging percentage against his fastball.

Swing-and-miss rates vs. Karinchak’s pitches:

May: 50.0 percent vs. curveball, 25.8 percent vs. fastball

June: 52.2 percent vs. curveball, 25.8 percent vs. fastball

July: 38.5 percent vs. curveball, 19.4 percent vs. fastball

Can he rediscover his old form to re-establish a dominant, back-end duo with Emmanuel Clase? Will Nick Sandlin receive sufficient high-leverage opportunities, and can he handle the challenge? Do Trevor Stephan or Sam Hentges have a future in any sort of prominent relief role?

Infield answers
Cleveland’s primary motivation for moving César Hernández was to create more chances for its crowd of young middle infielders. Owen Miller earned the first post-trade deadline promotion. Andrés Giménez is expected to join the mix in the near future. The Indians need to determine if, or how, each guy can help, and where Amed Rosario fits, if at all.

Bobby Bradley’s slash line stands at .201/.316/.485, to go along with 11 home runs and 55 strikeouts through 41 games. Is he the long-term solution at first base, or is that another position the front office should seek to upgrade this winter?

The young and the restless
Will third baseman-right fielder Nolan Jones (.746 OPS at Triple A) or infielder Gabriel Arias (.808 OPS at Triple A) break into the big leagues before the end of the season? What about a pitcher such as 24-year-old Francisco Perez, who has posted a 1.22 ERA, with 71 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .138/.246/.191 slash line this year for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus?

Which prospects eligible for the 40-man roster will prove worthy of protection from the Rule 5 draft? Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman and George Valera seem like no-brainers. The team also must make decisions about Perez, Morris, Pilkington, Richie Palacios, Bryan Lavastida, Jhonkensy Noel, Robert Broom, Aaron Bracho, Will Benson, Oscar Gonzalez, Steven Kwan, Joey Cantillo, Adam Scott, Juan Hillman and Jose Tena.

Obviously, the Indians won’t protect all of those players. But they will have to evaluate their performances and consider how other teams might evaluate them.

‘I was scared out of my mind’: Past, present Cleveland Indians front office members recall their first trades

Zack Meisel Aug 4, 2021 28


Mike Chernoff never even attempted to sleep on that winter night a few months before the 2004 season.

Then-assistant general manager Chris Antonetti needed a trade recommendation to relay to Mark Shapiro. He tabbed Chernoff, who had recently transitioned from fresh-faced intern to full-time front-office employee, to suggest which player Cleveland should deal to Montreal for reliever Scott Stewart, a lefty who had registered three productive seasons with the Expos.

Chernoff was less than a year removed from studying economics and playing the middle infield at Princeton. In the Jacobs Field fourth-floor offices, he was typically tasked with note-taking; he’d sit in Shapiro’s office as the general manager made calls, including to Expos frontman Omar Minaya.

Antonetti asked Chernoff to supply his recommendation via a note that night or the next morning.

Ryan Church or Kyle Denney?

Chernoff stayed up all night. He crafted a five-page paper. He called Cleveland scouts for their input. He stressed. He pored over park and age factors and strikeout and walk rates, which were considered cutting-edge statistics at the time.

He was six months into his employment with the Indians and figured this decision could determine his fate for the next six years.

“I vividly remember having that moment of panic,” Chernoff said, “like, ‘Holy crap, I’m on the hook for my opinion. I better really think this through.’ When you feel that ownership and accountability, you spend more time making sure you get things right.”

Chernoff ultimately submitted his report to Antonetti: They should trade Denney.

They traded Church.

“We got fleeced,” Shapiro said.

For years, Cleveland’s top executives have solicited input from any willing member of the front office as the group pondered trade scenarios. The team completed four trades during a frantic 30 hours leading up to last Friday’s trade deadline. So, The Athletic asked past and present employees to share tales about the first time they contributed to the execution of a trade.

“I was scared out of my mind if they went with my recommendation,” Chernoff said of Denney versus Church, “so I was totally fine with (their decision). It was a close call. It wasn’t like it was a no-brainer. It wasn’t like I was taking a stand. I wasn’t upset at all. If anything, probably relieved. It was more that internal feeling of, ‘OK, here we go. It’s time. This is real.’”

Thirty years ago, GM John Hart stored scouting reports in folders behind his desk at Municipal Stadium, in an office with missing ceiling tiles, fake plastic plants and a space heater.

Shapiro recalls sitting in Hart’s office as Hart “waxed poetic” to Seattle GM Woody Woodward about why the Mariners should swap Omar Vizquel for Felix Fermin. Shapiro had gathered information and written a comprehensive evaluation for Hart and Dan O’Dowd, his right-hand man, to consider.

“It was all adrenaline,” said Shapiro, who took over for Hart as GM after the 2001 season.

At that time, the Indians’ baseball operations department consisted of four people. Hart had learned from Hank Peters, who ushered in a full roster teardown and a commitment to developing young talent that would spearhead the franchise’s glory days of the 1990s. Hart’s first contributions resulted in the Joe Carter trade with the Padres in 1989, which netted Cleveland two keystone prospects, Carlos Baerga and Sandy Alomar Jr.

As the Indians surged to the World Series in 1997, they hired Neal Huntington as director of player development and, eventually, assistant general manager. At the Winter Meetings in New Orleans two months later, the team re-signed Kenny Lofton and traded Marquis Grissom and Jeff Juden to the Brewers for three pitchers: Ben McDonald, Mike Fetters and Ron Villone.

Huntington offered a detailed scouting report on Villone because he had batted against the left-hander several times in college. Huntington attended Amherst College. Villone attended UMass. The two schools scrimmaged most Saturdays and Sundays from mid-February to mid-March in Amherst’s small, indoor, dirt-floored facility. Huntington also worked as an assistant coach at Amherst during Villone’s final year in college, so he collected background info on the southpaw from former coaches and teammates.

“It is absolutely nerve-racking,” said Huntington, who later spent 12 seasons as the Pirates GM. “In your mind, you way overplay the role your input might play and you think your future may hang in the balance based on the success of the recommendation you made. You fear that if things go poorly, it will be deemed your fault and you won’t get asked again.”

Huntington had previous experience as a member of Montreal’s front office, where he studied under longtime Expos executive Jim Fanning (who was Montreal’s director of scouting when the team drafted Terry Francona in the first round in 1980). Fanning had Huntington compose various scouting reports and assigned him to monitor the Dodgers during the 1993 season. Dan Duquette, Montreal’s GM, asked for Huntington’s report on a rookie pitcher named Pedro Martinez. Huntington raved about the diminutive righty and suggested he could hold up, physically, as a starter.

“Easy to say in hindsight,” Huntington said about the first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Shortly after Huntington joined Cleveland’s organization, he recommended a former peer from Montreal: Antonetti, who thought he bombed his interview with the Indians before they hired him as an assistant in baseball operations in 1999.

Antonetti remembers offering information to Shapiro and Hart as they contemplated which players to acquire from the Yankees for David Justice in 2000.

“You don’t sleep much,” Antonetti said. “Literally every trade, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to know these players inside and out. I need to know everything about them.’ I couldn’t believe I was having the opportunity to do that.”

In late June that year, the Indians aimed to add upper-level starting pitching to their farm system. They boasted the American League’s most prolific lineup, but their rotation was a mess and lacked sufficient reinforcements. They targeted Jake Westbrook and Zach Day from the Yankees. Antonetti’s dispatch highlighted Westbrook’s sinker-slider combination, which produced a ton of groundballs.

He prepared notes that included input from the team’s scouts, “the loosely termed analytic work we were doing at the time,” as well as details on players’ health and makeup. He provided his interpretation of that information, and on June 29, the Indians dealt Justice to New York for Westbrook, Day and Ricky Ledee. (Antonetti noted it’s the sort of trade Cleveland has prioritized in recent years, dealing from an area of major-league strength for short- and long-term help.) A month later, they flipped Ledee to the Rangers for David Segui.

Westbrook was also part of Antonetti’s first significant trade as Cleveland’s GM. Antonetti didn’t officially take over for Shapiro until after the 2010 season, but Shapiro allowed Antonetti to make many of the final calls that year. Antonetti communicated with Jed Hoyer, then San Diego’s GM, and St. Louis’ John Mozeliak, to hash out a three-team deal that sent Westbrook to the Cardinals, Ryan Ludwick to the Padres and a little-known prospect named Corey Kluber to Cleveland.

“That one stands out,” Antonetti said.



When the Indians were on the verge of dealing CC Sabathia to the Brewers in July 2008, they asked a young newcomer in the front office, Derek Falvey, to compile a list of detailed notes about a group of Milwaukee prospects, including Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, Taylor Green and Alcides Escobar.

Falvey had joined the organization as an intern a year earlier. By December 2011, he was the team’s director of baseball operations, with a focus on player acquisition. Now, he’s the Twins chief baseball officer.

“The great thing about the environment in Cleveland,” Falvey said, “is that you were both allowed and encouraged to contribute to player-personnel decisions from the day you arrived.”

Front offices have ballooned in size, and roles have become more specialized as data and information have become more widespread. (Antonetti no longer files hard copies of scouting reports in Hart’s office.) Shapiro, who’s now the Blue Jays president, recalled how they would have Cleveland scouts offer their opinions over speakerphone while they examined hand-written reports and rummaged through media guide bios.

In Cleveland, those once-apprehensive 20-somethings are now the chief decision-makers asking a new batch of novices for their insights.

“They’ll be contributing in one small area of a process,” Chernoff said. “Then you shift it to, ‘OK, now tell me what you would do if you were sitting in my seat.’ And you can see it in their mind. It’s OK. This is how you learn.”

“We empathize,” Antonetti said. “‘Hey, I’ve been there.’”