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Weekly Wroundtable: Cleveland Indians Strengths and Weaknesses?

By Ed Carroll |
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What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of the Cleveland Indians entering 2015?

Sep 21, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman Mike Aviles (4) hugs left fielder Michael Brantley (23) in the dugout in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the Weekly Wroundtable, where the Wahoo’s on First staff takes the liberal use of the word “weekly” and discusses a hot topic (or occasionally something suggested just to get us to argue with each other). As an aside, most of these responses came in prior to the official retirement of Jason Giambi and the Indians picking up left-hander Bruce Chen, but our answers probably aren’t affected too much. Former writer and longtime friend of the site Evan Vogel joins us this week as well.

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Evan Vogel: Biggest strength: Pitching depth. Out of Josh Tomlin, TJ House, Danny Salazar, and Zach McAllister, the Indians received 69 starts in 2014. There is room for only one of them in the rotation in 2015, barring injury. With Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, and Gavin Floyd locked in (if you consider Floyd locked in), the Indians have the depth to withstand a catastrophe and overcome adversity.

Biggest weakness: Left-side production. What are the Indians going to get out of Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Ramirez at third and short, both offensively and defensively? The range that Ramirez brings defensively is an upgrade over the Asdrubal Cabrera years, but will he produce enough offensively to be league-average until Francisco Lindor is ready to come up? Who is Chisenall offensively, and is his defense bad enough that Giovanny Urshela should get an opportunity to win the third base job by June?

Merritt Rohlfing: Strength: Everyone is going to go rotation, but I’m going to say the bullpen. The starters are going to be great but with Terry Francona at the helm, those relievers are going to get used, and they’re good at what they do. He’s also made mentions of moving away from the traditional “closer is a ninth-inning job” in favor of using Cody Allen as a fireman when the biggest innings pop up, whether the sixth or the 12th. With Allen, the ageless (or rather age-full) Scott Atchison, a host of young power arms like Nick Hagadone, C.C. Lee and some solid vets in Marc Rzepcynski and Bryan Shaw, both of whom were fantastic in their respective roles last year, and the probable addition of McAllister or another loser of the rotation race, leads will be protected. It’s not the Royals of 2014, but that was insane and we all hallucinated that anyway (Editor’s note: #Yosted).

Sep 14, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Michael Bourn (24) makes a catch against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Weakness: It has to be the outfield defense. The Tribe D was porous a year ago, and while having Ramirez at short and (hopefully) Jason Kipnis at full health will help the infield, we have to assume Michael Bourn is going to miss around 40 games, at least. He’ll tweak something, he always does. When he’s out there I’m much more confident in things but if Michael Brantley ends up playing center on the same day Brandon Moss ends up in right due to rest for someone else, well, I’ll hope for good luck and soft fly balls.

Justin Lada: Strength: Obviously the sexy pick is the rotation, for good reason. I’ll say the pitching staff overall. If Gavin Floyd can give them anything between the production Carl Pavano and Derek Lowe gave them, the Indians can season either House or Salazar in Columbus a bit longer, if neither win the fifth spot in the rotation. It allows them not to force McAllister in the rotation just because he’s out of options. It also gives them a chance to use Josh Tomlin as a sixth starter, which isn’t a bad thing. Obviously Kluber and Carrasco will be expected to perform close to last year and many expect Bauer to finally take that next step.

The bullpen is full of depth too. I worry that high-usage wears on the arms of Allen, Shaw, Rzepczynski and Atchison. They combined for 299 appearances last year. But with additions like Anthony Swarzak and possibly McAllister in the bullpen, as well as guys like Austin Adams, Shawn Armstrong and Kyle Crockett on the 40-man roster, they have guys who can provide depth and coverage. Hagadone also looked like he finally got it last year.

Weakness: If health counted as a weakness, that would be it. But without predicting health, I’ll say defense. It got better last year when Cabrera was jettisoned. But Chisenhall’s 18 errors return. How much can Ramirez hide him on the left side? Bourn is still an above-average defensive centerfielder, but for even that, they need to be healthy. Moss is the best defensive right fielder on the roster and that’s not really a compliment to him. But the Indians didn’t trade for him to win a Gold Glove. David Murphy and Nick Swisher aren’t fun to watch in the field and Ryan Raburn, after hurting his knee and wrist on crashes, and that throw from left field, needs to trade in his glove. Despite what defensive metrics may say, Brantley is still a solid outfielder with a great arm. Yan Gomes is a wizard. Carlos Santana worked his tail off so hard to play third base that his defense at first base is now well-above average. In fact, one of the biggest defensive improvements in 2015 will be the end of Santana’s catching career. I’ll give Kipnis a pass because of his injury last year and that he’s still in his prime and should be at least above average defensively.

Aug 5, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall (8) takes a throw on a force play at third base in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Heise: The biggest strength for the 2015 Indians will continue to be Francona. I wholeheartedly believe that a large part of the Indians’s success over the past two seasons is a direct result of his leadership. Yes, we’ve seen breakout performances from several players, but it’s Francona’s decision-making that has helped put them in positions to succeed. He’s one of the top managers in the game today and his experience, especially when it comes to decision-making in high leverage situations, will continue to give this team an edge over their competition.

As for a weakness, I’m still skeptical of the defense. Miscues on that side of the ball came back to haunt the Indians in 2014 and despite the insertion of Ramirez in place of Cabrera at short, the issues may not be completely resolved. It’s possible that the awfulness of last season was an anomaly that will naturally correct itself over time (Can a team be that historically bad two seasons in a row?), but I still feel like there is reason to be worried.

See the rest of the staff’s response on the next page!

Jan 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (left) and general manager Chris Antonetti sit in the stands in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Ed Carroll: I am as bullish as anyone on this rotation, but to call it a strength in February seems premature. The concept of starting pitching depth is generally a myth — you can simply never have enough starters or, more exactly, you can never have enough quality starters and unexpected things can happen. But I’m not squeamish about the rotation, and its depth or lack thereof, for one simple reason: Francona is still managing this ballclub. While talent on the field is certainly the top priority, Francona has shown an ability throughout his managerial career — and certainly during his two years in Cleveland — to get the most out of the 25 guys on his roster. It’s a cliché, for sure, but it’s also really hard to quibble with just two meaningless games (games without any sort of playoff implications, i.e. the final two of last season) in two seasons. The past doesn’t predict the future, but I’m far more confident in Cleveland’s ability to manage the unexpected with Francona at the helm.

The team’s biggest weakness could be brittle bones — most projections assume players such as Swisher, Kipnis, Moss, Murphy, Bourn and Gomes to be healthy next season. In the cases of Swisher, Kipnis, Moss, and Murphy, the team hasn’t sent off any signals indicating they won’t be fully recovered in time for Opening Day, or at least most of the season, so there’s reason for optimism. Optimism for a healthy season from Bourn is probably tempered optimism at best; you definitely hope he gives you more than 106 games in 2015, but part of me wonders if his days of playing 150+ games are gone, and a season closer to 2013 (130 games) is more realistic. Gomes hasn’t had any extensive injury history, but the very nature of catching means he’s always in the danger zone. That’s six injury-risky guys, with five of them reasonably expected to play most days, the Indians will be relying upon to stay healthy and productive.

Sep 24, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (left) and designated hitter Yan Gomes (10) celebrate a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Thank god for Terry Francona, right?

Ryan Rosko: The biggest strength is the bullpen. With good depth, including Tomlin and McAllister as substitutes if needed in the rotation, the versatility is there. I’m not as confident as others in the starting rotation outside of Kluber, Bauer and maybe House, which is why I believe there will plenty of movement with Tomlin and/or McAllister as a starter and relief. Though the bullpen was used heavily last season, with Hagadone, Crockett, Lee and others hopefully expanding on last season’s performances they should help relieve the amount of work needed. If that does happen, other key bullpen guys such as Allen and Rzepcznski should be even better than they were in their roles and the added bullpen pieces signed should give the team and even added boost to an already very good bullpen.

The biggest weakness is the abundance of corner outfielders/first basemen/DH. With the lack of playing time for some players and the lack of depth elsewhere for the team, this gives the team a problem. It is nice for depth, though, because some of those players are dealing with injuries, such as Swisher and Moss. However, why not explore trade options for some of the guys who do not play often? I would have liked to have seen Cleveland go out and get another established starter, preferably lefty for the rotation. Instead, they take a risk and sign Floyd. He can be a solid contributor this season but getting someone who is more of a sure thing may have been the better way to go. If not for a rotation piece, another infielder also could have worked. With Chisenhall still trying to prove he is worthy of a spot everyday, third base should still have extra attention placed on the position. Regardless of what happens in spring training, another transaction in some capacity should occur and give the team another option at another position and clear up that aforementioned abundance.

Sep 1, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (third from left) reacts after being taken from the game in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Schmid: The Indians’s biggest strength is the starting rotation. With Kluber leading the way, the rotation has tons of upside. Carrasco looks posed to have a big year, and both Bauer and Salazar have a lot of potential. Some may cite the upside of this young rotation, or the depth in McAllister and Tomlin as the biggest strength, but I believe that the rotation’s biggest strength is its cost. The Indians are paying approximately $8 million dollars for the rotation in 2015, just around ten percent of their total payroll. Saving in this area has allowed the Indians to spend on aging veterans like Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, and even if these contracts are not great, they aren’t killing the team financially due to the cost-effective rotation.

The biggest weakness for the team is the attendance. I hate to be that guy, but the Indians have been in the bottom three of attendance the last three seasons. In fact, the average attendance per game at Progressive Field has been in the bottom ten for the past 12 years. The Dolans have spent money to improve and renovate the stadium this offseason, and I can’t help but wonder if this money would have been spent on a guy like Jon Lester or Max Scherzer had the Indians’ attendance been even league average the last few seasons. Even beyond the financial implications, it’s difficult for players to get hyped and excited when your stadium is more than half empty during most games.

Sep 12, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Bretz: Like many others, I agree the biggest strength for the Indians is their starting rotation. The depth they look to trot out should be an envy of most teams. Kluber returns to defend his Cy Young and Carrasco showed late last year just why the Indians wanted him so badly from the Philadelphia Phillies all those years ago. Floyd may be a (big) injury risk but when healthy last year showed he’s still got a big league arm. Guys like Bauer, House, and Salazar are all young, talented, and full of upside. There’s also still McAllister who was very solid in both 2012 and 2013. And say what you want about Tomlin, but when he is your number eight starting pitcher, you are in great shape. You can never have too much pitching, but the Indians are very well off in this department.

The biggest weakness for this team is without a doubt their defense. While I do believe the 2015 defense will be better than the 2014 addition, it still looks like it’ll be one of the worst defensive groups in all of baseball. Outside of Gomes and Ramirez there may not be a single player that rates out above average at their position. Lindor will be up eventually but only will replace Ramirez, and while that’s an improvement it may not be enough to make this bad defense acceptable. Indians will likely need lots of defensive rebounds from guys such as Bourn, Kipnis, Swisher, and Murphy if they want to win the Central.

Sep 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder David Murphy (7) throws the ball to the infield on a double by Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (not pictured) in the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Richard Clark: Strength: I too will go with Francona. Though there is no WAR stat for managers, I have no doubt Tito’s value above replacement would be top-five in all of baseball if there was. What Tito does for the team in the locker room, dugout, and on the personnel side is really irreplaceable. His leadership is a big reason the Indians have become a success story over the past two seasons. He was a huge reason Swisher and Bourn signed, as they knew any team managed by Francona would have lofty goals. All the guy does in win. He knows baseball, and he loves the city of Cleveland. In my opinion, he should have been in the running for manager of the year just for keeping the team in it until the last week of the season last year. He assembled an all-star coaching staff, the players love him, and the fans do too. He is my team MVP.

Weakness: I don’t think it is possible to overlook defense as the biggest team weakness. They were historically bad last year, and acquiring Moss is not exactly a big reason for optimism on that side of the ball. I know there will be some improvement. It really can’t get any worse. Santana at first full-time and Ramirez at shortstop (until Lindor arrives) should help some. However, Kipnis, Chisenhall, and Murphy/Raburn/Swisher/Moss all remain defensive question marks at best, liabilities at worst. I am as optimistic as anyone about the Tribe’s chances in 2015, but for me it really hinges on the defense.

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