ALDS 2016: 5 reasons Indians will win

Will the Cleveland Indians reign supreme over the Boston Red Sox? Here are five reasons why they will beat them in the 2016 American League Division Series. 

After recent years of disappointment, it’s fun to be a Cleveland Indians fan again. Cleveland entered the season as favorites to win the American League Central Division and they lived up to the hype with a 94-67 record. After winning the division, they are set to square off against the American League East champion Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox should prove to be a very formidable foe for Cleveland. During the regular season, Boston led the majors in runs scored with 878. However, Cleveland has several advantages which should help them beat the Red Sox. Here are five reasons why the Indians will beat the Red Sox in their American League Division Series matchup.

5. Terry Francona

Cleveland has Terry Francona as their manager. His relationship with the Red Sox as their former manager should make for some interesting drama. However, Francona gives Cleveland an advantage because he’s a better manager than Red Sox manager John Farrell.

That isn’t to say Farrell isn’t a good manager, because he certainly is one. However, Francona has more postseason experience than Farrell. Francona is the ultimate mind as manager, often winning battles of the mind against his opponents. In Cleveland, he has made the Tribe competitive even when they didn’t have as much talent as other teams. With the Indians finally having great talent for him to manage, Francona’s brilliance shines.

His brilliance has especially shown with the Tribe’s pitching staff. Francona has a great starting rotation and a deep bullpen. This gives him a plethora of options. He has done a marvelous job managing both his starters and his relievers. Even though Ferrell is quite the manager himself, Francona clearly has the advantage over Ferrell.