What do you get when you combine elite front-line starting pitching, lockdown late-inning relief and one of the best lineups in baseball?
The Cleveland Indians.
With a healthy roster and the addition of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, Terry Francona’s 2017 squad looks even stronger than the one that finished one victory shy of winning the World Series back in the fall. Consider Cleveland a frontrunner to wear the American League crown once again.
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Up-and-coming player to watch
Francisco Lindor has entrenched himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the league, so we’ll turn to another youngster who has already impressed early in his career.
Outfielder Tyler Naquin put together a spectacular first season in the majors, finishing third in rookie of the year voting. The former first-round pick slashed .296/.372/.514 in 116 games for the Tribe and if he can replicate those numbers at the bottom of Cleveland’s batting order, watch out.
The one knock on the 25-year-old was that he seemed to fade down the stretch and into the playoffs last year. He hit just .174 with 14 strikeouts in 11 post-season contests and also struggled mightily in the field, highlighted by a costly misplay in Game 6 of the World Series. His woes made him a liability in the Fall Classic and he didn’t record more than two at-bats in any of the seven games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyYKyL9U4c
What a successful 2017 season would look like
Cleveland should have no trouble defending its AL Central title as FanGraphs projects each of its division rivals to finish at .500 or worse. That soft schedule should allow the Indians to put up a gaudy win total and cruise to home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
In a perfect world, the Indians will be able to keep their three-headed starting pitching monster of Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco healthy into the post-season. The depth of the rest of the rotation is fine with Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer occupying the fourth and fifth spots, but there’s not much proven talent beyond that group.
Assuming they’re healthy at the right time of the season, leaning on a front-loaded rotation early in playoff games before handing the ball off to Andrew Miller and Co. sounds like a perfect recipe for success in October. The Indians shouldn’t be satisfied unless they make a return trip to the World Series.
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Biggest remaining question
Michael Brantley broke out as one of MLB’s top outfielders in 2014, winning a Silver Slugger award and finishing third in the AL MVP race. He produced another strong campaign in 2015, but underwent shoulder surgery after the season. Unable to return to full health, the all-star appeared in 11 games in 2016 before undergoing a second shoulder operation in August.
It’s still unknown whether or not Brantley will be ready for opening day, but he recently participated in a simulated game and appears to be on the right track. If he can stay healthy in 2017, it could push the Indians over the top.
There is no need for Cleveland to rush him back to action as its offence is already loaded with the likes of Encarnacion, Lindor, Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis. Adding a healthy and productive Brantley would make the lineup a true murderer’s row with excellent balance from both sides of the plate.
