Cleveland Indians: 2017 MLB season preview

Winning the American League pennant and reaching the World Series is not enough for the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe now has one singular goal in mind for the season: Win the World Series.

The Indians are looking at some uncertainty in the infield at the start of the season as veteran Jason Kipnis is out 4-5 weeks with a shoulder injury. With that in mind, there are a few questions at second and third base, but fortunately for the Indians, depth is something they have in spades this season.

Like almost every MLB team, the Tribe was looking tired by the end of last season and they are back this spring looking rested. Some key acquisitions in the offseason will certainly help balance the workload.

So far the Indians have been battling a .500 average in the Grapefruit League with an 11-12 record. While some might suspect that something is amiss with these numbers, the fact is that the team has been split up during Spring Training with 11 players participating in the World Baseball Classic. Though this has kept the team from playing together, these players are gaining valuable playing time ahead of the 2017 season.

With the taste of the title lingering from last season, it’s World Series or bust.

Mar 17, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) pitches during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitching

The starting rotation for the Indians has some very familiar faces. Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Mike Clevinger and Ryan Merritt. Cody Anderson will miss the entire 2017 season with Tommy John surgery. The Indians have been working on bolstering their bullpen with offseason acquisitions while they have mainly been tapping their roster for the starting rotation.

Manager Terry Francona has been focused on giving his aces a break toward the beginning of Spring Training in favor of giving more playing time to the younger guys in the rotation. It’s projected that the club will stick to a five-man rotation, which means that guys like Merritt and Clevinger will either move to relief or will return to the minor league until the team needs them. The five-man roster will likely be Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Carrasco, and Salazar.

Here’s how the projected five-man roster did last season:

RHP Corey Kluber: 18-9, 3.14 ERA, 215 IP, 227 SO, 1.06 WHIP

RHP Danny Salazar: 11-6, 3.87 ERA, 137.1 IP, 161 SO, 1.34 WHIP

RHP Carlos Carrasco: 11-8, 3.32 ERA, 146.1 IP, 150 SO, 1.15 WHIP

RHP Trevor Bauer: 12-8, 4.26 ERA, 190 IP, 168 SO, 1.31 WHIP

RHP Josh Tomlin: 13-9, 4.40 ERA, 174.0 IP, 118 SO, 1.19 WHIP

With a stronger bullpen in 2017, the starting pitchers will have more support late in the game, which should help keep them from working as many innings as they were toward the end of last season.

Mar 20, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Puerto Rico shortstrop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates after forcing out Netherlands infielder Xander Bogaerts (1) to start a double play during the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Lineup

Indians veteran Jason Kipnis (2016: .275 AVG, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 15 SB, .811 OPS) has been shut down since mid-March with a right shoulder injury. Recovery could be 4-5 weeks at this point, so Jose Ramirez is currently in consideration to replace Kipnis. With Ramirez at second, Erik Gonzalez could be in consideration for third base.

Michael Brantley has recovered from his biceps surgery last August and has been making a return to the lineup since mid-March. The team is happy to see his return and expect to see him continue to transition into everyday play.

Catcher: Yan Gomes (2016 Stats: .167 AVG, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 0 SB, .527 OPS)

1B: Carlos Santana (2016 Stats: .259 AVG, 34 HR, 87 RBI, 5 SB, .865 OPS)

2B: Jose Ramirez (2016 Stats: .312, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 22 SB, .825 OPS)

3B: Erik Gonzalez (2016 Stats: .313 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, .665 OPS)

SS: Francisco Lindor (2016 Stats: .301 AVG, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 19 SB, .794 OPS)

LF: Michael Brantley (2016 Stats: .231 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB, .561 OPS)

CF: Tyler Naquin (2016 Stats: .296 AVG, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 6 SB, .886 OPS)

RF: Lonnie Chisenhall (2016 Stats: .286 AVG, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 6 SB, .767 OPS)

The Indians lineup is deep this season, and with so many guys coming away from the World Baseball Classic, we know that guys like Lindor, Gonzalez and Santana are primed and ready for the start of the season.

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez (55) celebrates with relief pitcher Cody Allen (37) after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game one of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen

After last season’s postseason run, Cleveland needed to make an adjustment with the bullpen to ensure enough depth to last all season long. To achieve that, the Tribe avoided arbitration with several players and finalized deals with the rest of the bullpen to ensure that the starting rotation will have more support in 2017.

To achieve that goal, the Tribe spent a lot of money. The contracts included big payments for Cody Allen ($7.35 million), Bryan Shaw ($4.6 million), and Zach McAllister ($1.825 million). They also signed a one year deal with Dan Otero ($1.055 million), and they sealed the deal on Andrew Miller’s $9 million contract. That means there is over $23 million tied up in this bullpen.

Cody Allen has already been designated as the closer for the Indians in 2017. Allen had an ERA of 2.51 with 32 saves in 67 save opportunities, and 68 innings of work. Having Allen set as the Tribe closer will allow lefty reliever Andrew Miller (10-1, 1.45 ERA, 74.1 IP, 123 SO, .69 WHIP) to spend longer chunks of time in relief.

Watch for newcomer Boone Logan, acquisition from the Rockies, to play a big role in the bullpen this year. The Indians need a solid lefty in relief and Logan looks to be the guy.

Here’s a look at some of the other talent the 2017 Tribe bullpen:

RHP Bryan Shaw (2-5, 3.24 ERA, 66.2 IP, 69 SO, 1.26 WHIP)

LHP Boone Logan (2-5, 3.69 ERA, 46.1, 57 SO, 1.01 WHIP)

RHP Dan Otero (5-1, 1.53 ERA, 70.2 IP, 57 SO, .91 WHIP)

RHP Zach McAllister (3-2, 3.44 ERA, 52.1 IP, 54 SO, 1.45 WHIP)

There will likely be two more spots in this bullpen that could be taken by some of the younger talent in the organization. Carlos Frias, who joined the team in a cash deal from the Dodgers earlier this year, could be one of those spots.

Mar 6, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (17) sits in the dugout before a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Manager

Terry Francona enters his 5th season with the Indians, and after losing the World Series to the Cubs it’s time to end Cleveland’s World Series drought. There’s no question that Francona has what it takes as a manager to get his team back in the World Series.

Francona’s numbers speak for themselves. Looking at Francona’s illustrious career, he hasn’t seen a season where his team finished lower than third place since the 2000 Philadelphia Phillies finished in fifth place in the division. This is important because it tells us that given the stability in the roster, the Indians will no doubt have a great season.

Feb 17, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians bullpen coach Jason Bere looks on as Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes (7) and Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) talk during a workout at the Goodyear Ballpark practice fields. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

X-Factor

There’s a lot of talent and money tied up in the Indians’ bullpen this season, and if everyone stays healthy this season then the starting rotation can start the game knowing they have support later in the game. The Indians rode their success all the way to the World Series last year, but pitching broke down along the way.

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This year, having a well rested starting rotation that can rely upon the bullpen will make things so much easier all around. That talented bullpen is going to be the key to getting back to the World Series this year.

Mar 19, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians fan Jon Brittan looks on before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction

The ingredients are all here: balanced starting rotation, strong bullpen, a lineup with depth, and a great leader at the helm.

2016 belongs to the Cubs.

2017 is all about the Cleveland Indians.