With Lindor on hot streak, Indians stressing patience with struggling Ramirez
CLEVELAND -- With every error made or time that Jose Ramirez strikes out, a large percentage of the fan base wonders why Francisco Lindor hasn't been promoted and when it is going to happen.
For the first two weeks of the season, Lindor was struggling just like Ramirez. However, Lindor has started to warm up and is 10-for-20 the past five games to raise his season average to .285. Over the past seven games, including Monday's 6-2 loss to Kansas City, Ramirez is 3-for-23. Among American League shortstops, his .185 batting average is last, and he is tied for third in errors with four.
With the hype that Lindor has received over the past couple seasons and most pointing to this year as the one in which he gets called up, the clamor isn't going to abate any time soon.
With the Indians beginning a seven-game homestand on Monday, manager Terry Francona and general manager Chris Antonetti are trying to stress patience for both Ramirez and Lindor. Considering that the Tribe has stumbled out of the gates to a 6-12 start and have lost three straight after being predicted by many to be a playoff team, Indians' fans don't have an abundant supply of patience at the moment.
Said Francona about Ramirez: "I don't think he has caught his stride yet like many of our guys. He's proven to us and himself that he can be a pretty good player here. When he gets hot the better for all of us."
Francona has admitted that the language barrier has made it difficult at times. A simple 10-second pointer during a game can develop into a five-minute meeting because of the need for a translator, whether it is Roberto Perez or Sandy Alomar Jr. Francona said the one time he tried to talk to Ramirez in Spanish, Ramirez thought that Francona was asking about his phone. Ramirez is learning English and can say some baseball phrases, but the progress is slow.
Ramirez batted .283 after being recalled on July 23 and finished tied for the American League lead with 13 sacrifice bunts. Most of that production though was from the second spot in the order. In all but two of the 16 games Ramirez has played this season he has batted ninth.
With Michael Bourn being taken out of the leadoff spot, now would be a good time to move Ramirez back up to second since Jason Kipnis has been moved up to lead off. Lindor is batting leadoff in Columbus and has six stolen bases but when he is called up would you want to throw even more pressure on him by having him at the top of the order?
When asked what Lindor still needs to do in Columbus, Antonetti said "there's a litany of things" yet did not cite what they were. While fans may be frustrated that Lindor isn't playing short at Progressive Field, Antonetti doesn't get that same feeling from the player.
"I'm very confident that Francisco has a really clear understanding of the things he's working on. So, I don't think there's that frustration with him," Antonetti said. "There may be some uncertainties for people that don't have a chance to see Francisco play every day and part of the process. I can understand why that would be the case, but I don't think that's an issue for Francisco."
Considering Lindor's history in the Indians' system, he usually spends a season at each stop and the past two times has been promoted in mid-July. After performing well in spring training, many would not be surprised to see Lindor up before the All-Star Break.
There also could be some arbitration factors at play too since a "Super 2" designation could be at play. Those are players who have between two and three years of service time, spend at least 86 days on an active MLB roster and rank within the top 22 percent of players with similar service time.
Lindor's call up will also set off a chain event of questions that the Indians might not be prepared to answer. Is Ramirez a good utility player like Mike Aviles (who is in the final year of his contract) or is there a home for him at second base? If he moves to second does Kipnis go to the outfield where already there are a couple logjams developing? Or is Ramirez's future truly here?
"He's doing a good job working and makes it easy to be patient when guys are doing what they are supposed to," Francona said of Ramirez. "You watch the way guys carry themselves. I think he is going to be just fine."
