Tag: indians

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?