Cleveland Indians Notes: Third Base, Outfield, Napoli, Rotation, Possible Opening Day Lineup

While Juan Uribe has been limited to 12 Spring at bats due to visa issues, dark horse for the Opening Day third base job Giovanny Urshela has taken full advantage of the extra playing time. Uribe seemed to be a shoe-in for the every day third base job in April, but Urshela has made it a very difficult choice. In 16 games and 36 at bats, Urshela has cranked five homeruns while sporting a .306 batting average and driving in 12. While he is still likely to start the year in AAA, he has not made it an easy choice for the Indians management no matter how you slice it.

Going into Spring Training, Cleveland knew they would have a very tough outfield battle on their hands, but they didn't know it was going to be as tough as it has been. While they expected Brantley to miss at least the first month and possibly the second of the regular season, and expected Abraham Almonte to be the every day Center Fielder, a lot has changed. Many also felt that the competition that they brought in to fill the Outfield holes was not enough, and somehow even that has changed. After Almonte got suspended for 80 games, the need for Outfield looked like it could destroy the Indians season all together. However, not only does it appear as if Brantley may be back for the April 4th opener, but they have a few outfielders who have been very impressive this Spring. The number one Outfielder who has been impressive, is red hot Tyler Naquin. Naquin came into Spring Training as somebody with an outside shot of making the club, and it was more than likely he would make his way onto the roster before the season ended but not on Opening Day. Again, a lot has changed. Naquin has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball this Spring, as evidenced by his two mammoth homeruns today, and his .447 batting average. This is finally the big break Naquin has been waiting for, considering he has spent the past four seasons in the Cleveland farm system being held back by nagging injuries. However, Naquin has not been the only outfielder to impress Cleveland this Spring, and he still has plenty of competition fighting for a spot. 30 year old Joey Butler, who has a nice season in Tampa Bay last year, has done well in Spring action despite his .233 batting average. While Butler hasn't been in the headlines as much as some other outfielders, he reminded Cleveland he is still around with a grand slam last Friday. Finally, the late arrival who is likely to land a spot, veteran Marlon Byrd. Byrd has been less than impressive on defense thus far, but is 3-8 with the bat and has a good track record. It will be a tough  decision for Cleveland to make, and Naquin, Butler, and Byrd among others have not made it easy, but Indian fans can feel a lot better about their outfield situation.

While some criticized the signing of veteran 1B/DH Mike Napoli, there were some who thought it would turn out as it has early in the Spring. Not only does Napoli appear to be healthier than he has been in a while and ready to bounce-back in 2016, he has become a big leader for a young Indian clubhouse. Napoli has quietly hit .455 with three homeruns and 12 RBI this Spring, and while we may not see the 2011 30 HR Napoli this year, we can expect good things.

The battle for the fifth rotation spot is neck-and-neck between Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. After optioning T.J. House to AAA Columbus, Terry Francona stated that he would like to use Tomlin as both a starter and reliever in April. However both Tomlin and Anderson were very good in small sample sizes last season, and have had somewhat rocky Spring camps. It would be very surprising to see both Tomlin and Anderson on the Opening Day roster, and it is something to watch very closely for the rest of the Spring. While the top four (Kluber, Carasco, Salazar, Bauer) seemed to be locked up, the fifth is still very much in question.

Since it looks as if Brantley is likely to be back on Opening Day, here is what I think the Opening Day lineup could look like. (Cleveland opens against Boston, while it has not been made official it is more than likely Price will start for Boston, this lineup is based off of the fact that he is a lefty)
1 Rajai Davis - CF
2 Francisco Lindor - SS
3 Michael Brantley - LF
4 Mike Napoli - 1B
5 Carlos Santana - DH
6 Jason Kipnis - 2B
7 Marlon Byrd - RF
8 Yan Gomes - C
9 Juan Uribe - 3B
If a righty were to start it might look something like this
1 Jason Kipnis - 2B
2 Francisco Lindor - SS
3 Michael Brantley - LF
4 Carlos Santana - DH
5 Mike Napoli - 1B
6 Yan Gomes - C
7 Lonnie Chisenhall - RF
8 Juan Uribe - 3B
9 Rajai Davis - CF

Brantley's Injury Could Have A Very Serious Impact on the Cleveland Indians

The 2016 Cleveland Indians are very optimistic about the upcoming season, but they do have some serious cause for concern. The AL Central is now one of the toughest divisions in baseball, and the toughest in the AL, and every last game will count towards a playoff push. Cleveland's cause for concern certainly won't come from the pitching, because they have one of the best and youngest rotations in baseball that will only continue to improve with more MLB time. The big concern is one that has plagued them since the days they were great, and it comes from the offense. In 2015, Cleveland was 18th in runs scored (669), 22nd in homeruns (141), and 21st in batting average with runners in scoring position. The Indians main problem in 2015 was not just simply the offense (Because they were superb in some categories including being 2nd in doubles (303), 11th in average (.256), and 7th in on base percentage at .325), but it was their clutch hitting and lack of power. The worst part about all of it is, they will be without their best power and clutch hitter for the first month and a half. Michael Brantley, who is now recovering from November shoulder surgery, hit .310 with 15 HR, 84 RBI, and an MLB best 45 doubles in 2015. While he is pushing to be back, and already is doing a lot of his regular Spring work, he is not expected to be back till mid May to early June. This creates a gaping hole in a lineup that is already desperate for offense in any way they can find it. Cleveland has high hopes for newcomer Mike Napoli, bouncebacks from Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana, and a continued high rate of production from Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor, but the ugly hole could cost Cleveland a lot of games. If you can't score runs you can't win ballgames, as evidenced by Corey Kluber's 9-16 record in 2015. Kluber had a very good year that has been highly penalized by his bad run support, for example he was 4-10 with an ERA of 3.38 at the All-Star break. Overall, Kluber was 76th in run support, and it cost him a lot of games. Without Brantley, it is very likely that Cleveland's offense will give very minimal run support, and when you stretch that over a month and a half it gets very serious. By the time Brantley comes back, the lack of offense could have already put Cleveland in a huge hole that will be difficult, if not impossible to climb out of. We may very well see Cleveland miss the postseason, all because of the fact they will be without Brantley for so many games.