CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my Tribe notebook:
1. This is not simply about piling on the criticism of Francisco Lindor. But who would have thought the Indians would have a record (23-19) much like the Mets (21-17) near the quarter pole of the 162-game season. This is not to say Cleveland will win more games than the Mets, who have dealt with a lot of injuries. But it is surprising with the Tribe having MLB’s youngest roster and lowest payroll.
2. It’s hard to believe Lindor will continue in such a funk. He’s batting .197 (.596 OPS) this season with three homers and nine RBI. He batted .189 in April and .206 in May.
3. If you dial it back to the start of the 2020 season, Lindor has played 97 games. That covers 428 plate appearances. In that span, he’s batting .236 with 11 HR and 36 RBI. Last season, his swing often looked long and slow, and that’s the case this year. This is his seventh MLB season and the All-Star has never had a “slump” like this.
4. So far, the trade hasn’t done much for either team. Carlos Carrasco also went to the Mets, but is on the 60-day disabled list with hamstring problems. Andres Gimenez was a key for the Tribe, but the 22-year-old shortstop went back to minors after hitting .179.
5. The best player has been Amed Rosario, batting .224 (.610 OPS) with two homers and nine RBI. He is showing some life, batting .286 in May. Manager Terry Francona talked about Rosario being a “great teammate from Day 1.” Now, he will play a lot of shortstop, his natural position. In 2019, Rosario batted .287 (.755 OPS) with 15 HR and 72 RBI. If he can approach those numbers, it would be a lineup changer for the Tribe.
Jose Ramirez is batting .287 (.966 OPS) with 29 HR and 71 RBI in 100 games since the start of the 2020 season. cleveland.com
6. Manager Terry Francona made this comment, meaning no disrespect to Lindor but to praise Jose Ramirez: “When people would ask me about Frankie, I’d mention Josey. He is one of the best players in the game.”
7. Since the start of the 2020 season, Ramirez is batting .287 (.966 OPS) with 29 HR and 71 RBI in 100 games. He’s also 16-for-19 in stolen bases. Between Ramirez and Lindor, no question who has been the superior player since opening day of 2020.
8. Meanwhile, I often ask myself, “How does Tribe have a winning record?” The obvious answer is good young pitching. But Francona is right. There is a tendency to take Ramirez for granted. The same with the defensive work of catchers Austin Hedges and Roberto Perez, who work so well with the young pitchers.
9. Another factor is the Tribe’s organization and leadership. While the Dolan family is criticized for a lack of spending, ownership has nurtured a place where top baseball people want to work. It has stability with the trio of President Chris Antonetti, GM Mike Chernoff and Francona in their ninth year together. They’ve never had a losing season and made the playoffs five times.
Aaron Civale is 6-1 this season. cleveland.com
10. The Tribe stays away from what Browns owner Jimmy Haslam once called “internal discord.” The leadership has probably had heated arguments. But they consistently walk away from meetings united. They don’t criticize each other off-the-record. This stability and respect they have for each other helps the Tribe overachieve.
11. I started to write, “speaking of overachieving, how about Aaron Civale?” But what if that’s not true? What if Civale is the franchise’s next elite starter? He doesn’t blow away batters like Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. But Civale is shrewd pitcher. His 6-1 record and 3.30 ERA doesn’t appear to be a fluke.
12. I’m intrigued with Josh Naylor, who entered the weekend batting .264 (.725 OPS) with four homers and 13 RBI. You may yawn about .264, but the average MLB player is hitting .233 this season. The Tribe is hitting .211. He can play the outfield and first base.
13. Francona on Naylor: “That’s part of the fun of seeing young guys, you don’t know where they’re going to end up. Is he going to grow into a lot of power? Is he going to hit for average? ... You just don’t know. When they get to this level and they start to acquire confidence, you don’t know where it can to take them.”
Josh Naylor entered the weekend batting .265, while the Tribe as a team is batting .213. cleveland.com
14. Confidence is such key factor. Look at Lindor’s struggles. There have been no injuries, at least as far as we know.
15. In 2019, Oscar Mercado came up from the minors and grabbed center field. He hit .269 (.761 OPS) with 15 HR and 54 RBI in 115 games. But in 2020, he batted .174. Right now, he’s hitting .169 at Class AAA Columbus.
16. Confidence problems are haunting Yu Chang, who is hitting .143 (8-for-56). The Tribe gave him a chance to play first base, he just hasn’t hit. He’s a .160 hitter in 63 MLB games.
17. One guy with confidence is Owen Miller, hitting a ridiculous .441 (26-for-59) at Class AAA Columbus. He has played only one game at first in the minors. Most of time has been spent at short (127 games) and second base (53 games). I’d switch Chang and Miller, bringing up the 24 year old while he’s hot. He’s a career .316 hitter (.833 OPS) in the minors. A new development, Miller started in left field for the Clippers Friday night. Maybe that will be a route to the majors for him.
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The Link LonkMay 22, 2021 at 08:30PM
https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/05/winning-without-lindor-dont-forget-jose-how-about-naylor-chang-miller-terrys-talkin-tribe.html
Winning without Lindor? Don’t forget Jose! How about Naylor, Chang & Miller? Terry’s Talkin’ Tribe - cleveland.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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