5 reasons the Cleveland Indians can be a sleeper in the Wild Card race
The defense has improved greatly since the start of the season
As good as Cleveland’s roster looked on paper entering the season, it did have one major weakness: an alarming MLB-worst –75 Defensive Runs Saved in 2014. And it didn’t figure to get much better this year.
In particular, the infield looked like it could be a defensive weakness, which it was for much of the early season. That would in part explain why Kluber and Carrasco, among others, were posting far worse ERAs than their numbers would suggest.
Cleveland has improved to eighth in the majors in DRS this season despite posting some poor numbers in April and May. The key has been a trio of young infield call-ups.
Lindor has been as advertised with the glove, as his high WAR total would suggest. Giovanny Urshela has also been a huge upgrade over the Indians’ previous options at third base, posting a total of 3 DRS so far.
Jose Ramirez isn’t an everyday player with Kipnis healthy, but he does give the Indians some solid flexibility by being able to field a number of positions well. Jettisoning Michael Bourn and Brandon Moss has also helped the outfield improve.
With a new and improved defense behind them, the Indians can finally see their great pitching staff at its best.