Clevelinks: Season Previews, Cleveland Indians Stadium Outlook And More

Tyler Holt and Roberto Perez look to provide solid gloves next season for the Cleveland Indians.

From Lou Marson to George Kottaras, the Indians have seen backup catchers come and go the past few seasons. But could they have finally found a guy on whom they can count? Roberto Perez might just end the revolving doors of journeymen and former prospects with a solid player – and by solid I mean not a liability. Last season he slashed .271/.311/.365 over 95 plate appearances, and while that is not great, it could have been much worse.

The real upside to Perez is his defense. During just over 232 innings, Perez saved six runs, the best on the Tribe last season. Lou Marson by comparison failed to save (or cost) eight runs in 2012, his last significant season with the Tribe. Matt Bretz writes that this combination of defense and offensive potential should be a nice piece for a forgotten role next season.

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Continuing our forward thinking motion, we now look at Tyler Holt and Justin Lada’s season preview. Tyler Holt doesn’t really wow anyone, but he is still not to be overlooked. He is probably not going to be much more than a fourth outfielder, but he will be a valuable one. Over 189 innings last year, he saved two runs, good for sixth best on a terrible Indians defense. He is also a right-handed batter, something that the Indians lack. All this said, however, the Indians have a logjam in the outfield, and Holt may start the year in AAA.

Former Tribe reliever Rich Hill signed a minor league deal with the Tigers yesterday. Back in 2013, he pitched 38.2 innings across 63 games. He struck out a sizable 11.87 batters per nine innings, but he also struggled with control, walking 6.75 batters per nine. All the way back in 2007, Hill started 32 games for the Cubs, pitching to a 3.92 ERA with a 92 FIP-. This was the last time he showed decent command until he moved to the bullpen full-time three years later.

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