Tag: baseball

Spring Training Starting Yet?

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

The Red Sox won another title. Hey God, I know they didn’t win for almost a 100 years but I think that’s enough championships for one city for awhile, don’t you think?

Regardless, I miss baseball season already and since the Indians should be poised next year for another division title why not try to predict the opening day roster. The tribe (RIP Chief Wahoo) have some big free agent decisions to make, huge contract increases to make, and virtually no financial flexibility. Making any moves is going to be extremely difficult. This team is going to have to be replenished virtually from within. Unless they get creative and dump some salary and find someone cheap. I’m not counting on it.

So here we go. Let’s start with the pitchers. The starting staff first four will be easy. Kluber, Bauer, Carrasco, and Clevinger make up the best 1-4 in baseball. That 5th spot could be open and I think they let Salazar takes that spot coming out of Spring Training. Now, I think Shane Bieber deserves it but I think they let Salazar start out as the 5.

The pen is where we have the most questions pitching wise. Brad Hand, Adam Cimber, Tyler Olson, Dan Otero and Neil Ramirez I think all make this staff. Nick Goody should be back from injury and I think makes it as well. That should leaves one more spot. Cody Anderson should finally be healthy as well and I think he gets that spot. It’s a very righty heavy pen but you make do with what you got.

In the field, you have Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez begins the plate. Yonder Alonso at first and Edwin at DH. Lindor is of course your SS and I’m going to put Jose at second. Which means Yandy Diaz will finally be your regular everyday third basemen. Erik González once again is your utility infielder. That’s 8 guys. The tribe will carry 5 outfielders. In center, I think they let Leonys have that. Jason Kipnis becomes a permanent outfielder and does it in left because no one wants that contract. Then in right you have Tyler Naquin. The fourth is Greg Allen and the 5th guy is going to be a wildcard here. I think Oscar Mercado the player they traded for from St. Louis makes the roster.

So here it is.

Starting Pithcers (5): Kluber, Bauer, Carrasco, Clevinger, Salazar

Bullpen (7): Hand, Cimber, Olson, Goody, Otero, Anderson, Ramirez

Catchers (2): Gomes, Perez

Infield (6): Alonso, Edwin, Frankie, Jose, Yandy, González

Outfield (5): Martin, Kipnis, Allen, Naquin, Mercado

Now, they could sign some veterans for cheap deals or make a move no one is expecting, but for now this is the roster I expect the Indians to open up the season with.

A Bit too Early Tribe Playoff Roster Prediction.

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

IMG_4402Pending the biggest collapse ever, the Tribe is in the playoffs. So why not get a jump start on predicting their playoff roster?

First, I am going to assume Andrew Miller, Trevor Bauer, and Josh Donaldson will be back from injury. The playoff roster is 25 guys. In 2016 in the World Series, he carried 12 guys and in 2017 in he brought 11 pitchers along to face the Yankees. In 2013, Tito carried 11 pitchers into a wild card game. A 1 game playoff  and Tito still felt he needed 11 pitchers. Safe to say the breakdown will be 11 pitchers and 14 batters.

Here are the easy ones.

Pitchers:

  1. Kluber
  2. Carrasco
  3. Bauer
  4. Clevinger
  5. Hand
  6. Cimber
  7. Allen
  8. Miller
  9. Perez

Position Players:

  1. Gomes
  2. Alonso
  3. Ramirez
  4. Lindor
  5. Donaldson
  6. Perez
  7. Kipnis
  8. Brantley
  9. Cabrera
  10. Allen
  11. Edwin

That leaves two and three spots respectively. For pitchers, it comes down to the following guys.

  1. Shane Bieber
  2. Adam Plutko
  3. Neil Ramirez
  4. Josh Tomlin
  5. Dan Otero
  6. Tyler Olson

For the hitters you have:

  1. Rajai Davis
  2. Brandon Guyer
  3. Erik Gonzalez
  4. Yandy Diaz

Tito is loyal as they come but there is just no way Josh Tomlin makes this roster. Tyler Olson is out too. Bieber is in. He has earned this spot. That give the final spot to either Neil Ramirez, Dan Otero or Adam Plutko. Neil Ramirez has been trash of late. Dan Otero has been pretty shitty all year. Adam Plutko makes most sense but Tito is loyal (see above). Dan Otero makes this roster.

Now for them hitters. One of Guyer and Rajai makes this roster at the very least. I’ll get back to that. Yandy is hitting too well to keep off of here. He is in. 2 spots left. I think Erik Gonzalez is needed too. So we have one spot left. I can’t really believe Guyer or Rajai will be left off but spots are limited. Rajai is great for speed and defense. Guyer hits lefties and plays ok defense. This is difficult to do but I think Guyer makes it for his ability to hit lefties and Rajai is left off. Tough call and could be either but that’s how I see it falling. Personally, I’d rather Tito go with 10 pitchers, leave Otero off and bring Rajai around. We need his 2016 Magic.

Projected Playoff Roster

  1. Kluber
  2. Carrasco
  3. Bauer
  4. Clevinger
  5. Hand
  6. Cimber
  7. Allen
  8. Miller
  9. Perez
  10. Gomes
  11. Alonso
  12. Ramirez
  13. Lindor
  14. Donaldson
  15. Perez
  16. Kipnis
  17. Brantley
  18. Cabrera
  19. Allen
  20. Edwin
  21. Shane Bieber
  22. Dan Otero
  23. Brandon Guyer
  24. Erik Gonzalez
  25. Yandy Diaz

It’s the God Damn White Sox

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

How do you lose to the damn White Sox? Who still suicide squeezes? Two in a row. Jesus Christ. This will easily be the most frustrating season as an Indians fan. It makes me want to drink bleach at times.

Let’s be honest. This division is the Indians. No one is going to win it other than them. But losing back to back games to the White Sox is worse than Rickey Davis trying to get a triple double on his own basket. Oh well, we will complain about these issues till playoff time…When’s Miller come back?

Is Naquin for Real?

On By Chris ElliottIn baseball1 Comment

Tyler Naquin is off to a pretty good start for a guy that for all intensive purposes lost his MLB job a year ago and struggled to get it back. And if it was not for an injury to Lonnie Chisenhall, he would not have received this opportunity. Naquin is taking advantage of it though. As of 5/7/18, Naquin is batting .319 and playing pretty good defense. Right field seems to be a good spot for him. His on base is solid as well though his slugging percentage could improve.

If Naquin is just a line drive singles hitter who plays solid defense, I can live with that.  The thing that concerns me though is his batting average on balls in play. He is hitting over 400 on balls in play. That is not sustainable. Naquin is due to come down to earth. I think we will see him settle in to being a .270 hitter. That though is pretty good coming from him. I think Naquin understands himself now. Naquin can be a solid piece for the Indians the remainder of the year and for the next few seasons to come. Another example of the Indians developing talent.

Fix the Pen

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

It’s become pretty clear the Indians bullpen is in shambles right now. Between the injuries and the home runs, the Tribe pen needs some work. However, I don’t think it is far off. Some guys are just in the wrong role.

Cody Allen will be fine. I’m not worried there. Andrew Miller will come back from injury. The top two guys will still be shutdown pitchers this year. After that, is where it gets interesting.

They need a third guy. Nick Goody can be a good 4th. Dan Otero needs to be your 5th guy. Tyler Olson should only face left handed batters. I think McAllister’s time in Cleveland will be ending soon. Tomlin will stay in the rotation. I do not see that changing. The remaining guys of Ogando, Marshall, and newcomer Oliver Drake will have to battle it out. The real help though I believe does come from outside the organization. A guy I think they could target is Raisel Iglesias. He is 28, under contract for two years after this season and is only 28. I think the struggling Reds would be willing to trade him. The Indians farm system is not loaded with Talent but I think the Indians could make something work without mortgaging the house. Hopefully they figure something out soon. 

2018 Tribe Roster

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

It’s almost time for pitchers and catchers to report. So why not get a jump start on predicting the Cleveland Indians 25 man roster. Most of the roster is pretty much set, but there are a few key battles that will play out. While I think a trade could still happen, you never know if someone will get hurt or a free agent will be signed, I’ll assume none of those things will happen, except for one prior injury you’ll see below.

1. Two starting rotation spots

2. One to two bullpen spots

3. 1-2 backup infield spots

4. 1-2 outfield spots

Let’s review the players that will make the roster without question.

Rotation: Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber.

Relievers: Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Nick Goody, Zach McAllister, Tyler Olson, Dan Otero.

Catchers: Yan Gomes, Roberto Perez

Infielders: Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis, Yonder Alonso, Edwin Encarnacion

Outfielders: Michael Brantley, Bradley Zimmer, Lonnie Chisenhall

That is 19 for sure spots locked up. Let’s start with the two rotation spots. Mike Clevinger, Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin and Ryan Merritt all have shots. However, I think it ends up being a fairly easy choice. Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin get it and Clevinger goes to the bullpen and takes that spot. I would love to see Clevinger in the rotation and Salazar become a reliever but I don’t think it happens. This brings the total to 22. Three spots remain. At least one will be an outfielder, one will be an infielder and one open spot that could go a variety of ways.

For the infield I think it’s really between three players. Erik Gonzalez, Giovanny Urshella, and Yandy Diaz. I want Diaz to hit his way into the spot but he I think ends up in AAA. Urshella and Gonzalez are both major league level backups but are out of options. One of them will be on another team this year. Tito I think will go with Urshella. 23 spots gone.

Next, the outfield. Melvin Upton Jr., Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, and Brandon Guyer are all options here. I think Guyer is not healthy to start the year. I’m going to cancel him out for now. The 4th outfielder could go so many ways here. I lean toward Almonte or Naquin winning out. Likely Almonte will snag it.

One spot left. Gonzalez, Naquin, Upton, or Merritt. With this spot I think Tito keeps an extra outfielder and leaves Naquin on the roster. Upton gets released and Merrit and Gonazalez are traded since they are out of option.

There you go. The 25 man Cleveland Indians roster. Let’s play baseball.

Projecting the Indians ALDS Roster

On By Chris ElliottIn baseballLeave a comment

The regular season is close to wrapping up and while the Indians are still playing to secure home field advantage, it is not too early to start thinking about the playoff roster for the first round.

Majority of the spots I feel are pretty secure. A few guys are injured right now and (knock on wood) hopefully no one else gets hurt at this point. So right now, I am assuming Brantley, Zimmer, and Guyer will be out. I am also assuming Lonnie Chisenhall makes it back.

Saying that, let’s start with the pitching staff. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer are locked in as the 1, 2 and 3 spots in the rotation. The fourth spot is one of my question marks. In the pen, Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Mike Clevinger, and Joe Smith are all for sure going to make it. Still leaves 2-3 pen spots open depending on how many arms Tito wants to carry.

Now, the easiest position is catcher. Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez are locks. That position is set. Edwin, and his parrot, at DH is locked as well.

The infield is easier than the outfield so let’s go there. Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are all set. Giovanny Urshela will make it at third and I’m going to go with Yandy Diaz making this roster as well.

So heading into the outfield now, we have 16 spots reserved with at least 3 more going to pitchers. Austin Jackson, Jay Bruce, and Lonnie Chisenhall will all make it. I also believe Jason Kipnis gets a spot. Now, how many outfielders do the Indians keep out there is a big question.

With five spots left, this is where it gets tricky. The starting rotation spot is a battle between Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin. It’s a real toss up here but I think Tito goes with Salazar. Tomlin deserves to be on this roster but I don’t see it in the cards for him unless Salazar has a meltdown in his next start. 21 spots down.

Now to the pen. Keeping Salazar means you need another pen arm with his limited innings. I think Tito picks 8 and that means to me that Dan Otero, Nick Goody and Tyler Olson all make this roster. Ryan Merritt and Zach McAllister are the two arms that get left off for this round. 24 secured leaving us with 1 more position player.

This is really coming down to three players I believe. Erik Gonzalez, Abraham Almonte, and Greg Allen. Gonzalez is a great utility guy and a speedster on the base paths but I think Urshela, Jose and even Kipnis being able to come back to the infield eliminates his need. Which means it’s Almonte or Allen. Allen is the better defender here and for that reason I think the kid makes the roster. There you go. 25 man roster complete.

Here is the quick run down again.

Starting Pitchers:

Corey Kluber

Carlos Carrasco

Trevor Bauer

Danny Salazar

Pen:

Mike Clevinger

Bryan Shaw

Cody Allen

Joe Smith

Andre Miller

Dan Otero

Nick Goody

Tyler Olson

DH:

Edwin Encarnacion

Catchers:

Yan Gomes

Roberto Perez

Infield:

Carlos Santana

Yandy Diaz

Giovanny Urshela

Francisco Lindor

Jose Ramirez

Outfield:

Jay Bruce

Austin Jackson

Jason Kipnis

Lonnie Chisenhall

Greg Allen

Go Tribe!

Run, Beer, Brick and Barrell

On By Chris ElliottIn Alcohol, Brewery, FitnessLeave a comment

It may be Sunday night and I may have done this on Wednesday but it’s still recent enough that I feel it’s OK to still post as if it just happened. So just roll with it. I have said this before but white people love to combine mild physical activity and beer. Not to say other races or ethnicities do not like to but come on we all know white people love it the most. Everyone else tends to split the two activities up but not crazy white people (see my post on the beer mile). And I am white so I can say that. That’s how this works right?

I have done a few of these Brewery Runs in the Cleveland area so far. A bunch of people meet up and run a 3-6 mile run then have beer at a brewery or restaurant. The event is free, you just pay for your beer. I think the run makes us all feel better about the calories. Or maybe we just all need a reason to drink.  Either way I am not complaining. It is a great time to check out another brewery or restaurant in Cleveland. It seems like one is popping up every 5 minutes here.

This time the event was at Brick and Barrel. Located down in the Flats. For those from outside of Cleveland the Flats have completely changed in the last few years. I suggest checking them out. It’s a different place than it use to be. This brewery has been around for a few years now but this was my first visit. A real relaxed environment in an old brick building of course giving off that vibe that this is the place you come after a hard day of work. I tried a couple different beers and really enjoyed an IPA called Bitter Chief. It is named after Chief Wahoo for all you tribe fans and is a good selection as the tribe gear up for a pennant race.

The next event is at the end of September at Great Lakes Brewery and I will be there. Ready to slowly shuffle my flat feet around a few miles and enjoy a beer as a reward. Because really what can be better?