Cleveland Indians: Five Myths Debunked in 2016
Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) celebrates after making the final catch to beat the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Making a late run down the stretch at the end of the 2015 season, expectations were high for the Cleveland Indians coming into the 2016 season.
With the emergence of shortstop Francisco Lindor and the genesis of one of baseball’s best starting rotations, many analysts expected the Cleveland Indians to make a run at the playoffs; some even picked them to win the American League pennant.
With the collection of low-profile pickups the Indians’ front office made over the offseason (Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd, Dan Otero, and later Juan Uribe), doubts were raised on whether or not the Indians had enough pieces to truly compete in the American League Central, especially since the division had won the last two AL pennants thanks to the Kansas City Royals.
After the month of April, those doubts were still present, as the team sat at just 10-11. However, as the season progressed, the Tribe picked things up and in early June, took over first place for good. A franchise-record 14-game winning streak soon followed, and it became evident that Cleveland was the team to beat in the Central.
By the all-star break, the Indians were 52-36, and owned a 6.5-game lead in the division. In the second half, they continued to win at a .575 clip and made a blockbuster trade deadline move en route to the club’s first AL Central title since 2007.
Many false assumptions were made about the Tribe before and during the early parts of the 2016 season. As you are about to see, many of those were proven wrong.
Myth #1: The Offense Will Not Produce
Oct 17, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a RBI-single scoring first baseman Mike Napoli (not pictured) against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning in game three of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
This myth stands out above all the rest.
Coming into the 2016 campaign, everybody was talking about how lethal Cleveland’s starting rotation was going to be, but many questions were raised regarding the team’s offensive output. While the rotation would be able to keep the team in games, nobody thought that the offense would be able to score enough runs to win enough games.
With the low-key additions of Napoli and Davis before the season, the Indians were able to maximize their investments and get two difference making players. Napoli, who connected for 34 home runs and 101 RBIs, and Davis, who lead the league with 41 stolen bases, quickly became two major factors in the Tribe’s offense. Along with these two, Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall all had career years.
The move of Santana to the top of the lineup proved to be wise of manager Terry Francona. Santana’s batting average (.259) increased by over 25 points from 2015, and he slugged a career-high 34 home runs.
Meanwhile, Kipnis saw a drop-off in batting average, but an increase in production. His 23 home runs were also a career-high. While playing on a part time basis for much of the season, Chisenhall made the most of his opportunities, batting a respectable .286 with 57 runs batted in.
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez had breakout seasons as well. Lindor has become more of an offensive weapon than any scout had ever predicted, and Ramirez became one of the best clutch hitters in baseball.
What keyed the offensive success the most, though, was the team’s base running. Not only did they lead the AL in stolen bases, but they were also of the best when it came to going from first to third base on base hits.
Myth #2: They Do Not Have Power Hitters
Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Mike Napoli (26) hits a RBI double during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
This myth goes along with the last one, but was a completely separate argument coming into this season.
It was impossible to predict the offensive output that Napoli gave the Indians. At 34 years old, Napoli put to together his best season. Not only did he connect for 34 home runs, he also eclipsed 100 RBI’s for the first time in his career.
Santana also became the power hitter that everybody had expected upon his debut as an Indian. Tied for the team lead in home runs with Napoli, he also turned in a career-high 87 runs batted in.
Kipnis’s power surge came out of nowhere. Never projected to be a power hitter, it would be hard to imagine him ever giving the team 23 home runs again. It is, however, more than welcomed.
A collection of other players were able to give the Indians more home runs than expected. Lindor’s 15, Davis’ 12, and Tyler Naquin’s 14 all came as a surprise, and the club boasted five players with more than 75 runs driven in.
Myth #3: They Cannot Overcome the Injuries
Sep 17, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) has his hand looked at by trainer James Quinlan after being hit by a batted ball during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Carrasco left the game. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
It is impossible to measure the amount of heart that this Cleveland team has.
Starting the season with injuries to two key players – Chisenhall and Michael Brantley – the Indians were immediately questioned on if they could even survive until those two made it back. Unbeknownst to anyone, Brantley, regarded as the team’s best player, would only play in 11 games in 2016.
The injuries continued to pile up. Over the course of the season, the Tribe would also see DL stints from Roberto Perez, Joe Colon, Joba Chamberlin, Zach McAllister, Yan Gomes, Jeff Manship, Danny Salazar, and Carlos Carrasco. Along with this, Napoli, Corey Kluber, Josh Tomlin, and most recently Trevor Bauer have also missed time on a day-to-day basis.
With that many injuries to key players, it is fair to predict that Cleveland would not be able to overcome the odds. However, with the emergence of Ramirez, Naquin, Mike Clevinger, and Ryan Merritt, the Indians have been able to plug holes in a seemingly sinking ship and run through the American League playoffs to the pennant.
Nobody could have guessed that the four aforementioned names would become major contributors at some point during the season. It goes to show that a team can never have too much depth.
Myth #4: The Indians Will Not Makes Big Moves
Oct 15, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning of game two of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland is notorious for being a low-spending team. Even coming into this season, the Indians did not make any notable acquisitions, although the Napoli, Davis, and Otero signings now look that way.
With a strong farm system loaded with talent, the Tribe’s front office had the pieces to make a move to fuel the club’s playoff run. At the trade deadline, it appeared that they were going to remain quiet, until a run was made at former Milwaukee Brewers-now-Texas Rangers catcher Jonathon Lucroy.
The deal was agreed upon by both sides, but was waiting for Lucroy to waive his no-trade clause. It was expected that he would do so because he was on the record as saying that he wanted to play for a contending team. However, he shockingly refused to waive the clause, and would later be traded to the Rangers.
While this move did not go down, it showed that Cleveland was willing to make a block-buster move in order to help the team.
Shortly after the Lucroy deal fell through, the Indians would make arguably the biggest trade deadline deal, acquiring reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees for four prospects, two of which were Clint Franzier and Justus Sheffield, two of the Indians top prospects.
Myth #5: The Indians Do Not Have the Experience to Make a Playoff Run
Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) reacts after making the final catch to beat the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Everybody knows that there is no substitute for experience, especially in the playoffs. Cleveland, which is making its first playoff appearance since 2013 – where they were eliminated in the wild card game – was certainly lacking experience.
In the first round, the Indians handily swept the Boston Red Sox 3-0 to advance to the ALCS. While the Red Sox were young themselves, many of their players had previous experience, such as David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, David Price, and Hanley Ramirez.
Onto the ALCS, the Tribe faced the Toronto Blue Jays, who were in the same spot just a season before when they fell to the Royals. Cleveland took the first three games, and would eventually win the series 4-1.
Despite a roster that largely lacked postseason experience, the Indians navigated the territory expertly, winning seven out of the eight games they played, and punching their ticket to the World Series for the first time in nearly two decades.
So on come the Chicago Cubs, who made it to the NLCS a season ago, but are also in uncharted territory in the World Series. The team’s last trip to the Fall Classic came in 1945, before many of its players’ parents had even been born.
Cleveland is a big underdog in the World Series, with many baseball pundits and columnists giving them little chance of winning a game, let alone the championship. But as we’ve shown, the Indians have defied expectations all season long, doing what many of those same naysayers said would be impossible. If the Tribe can continue busting the myths surrounding them for just four more wins, they’ll have the ultimate validation.
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