Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians lose; Kotchman’s Comeback and Tito’s Scooter

Cleveland Indians lose, Casey Kotchman signs a minor league deal with Royals, and Terry Francona’s scooter wrecked

Former Cleveland Indian Casey Kotchman inked a minor league deal with the division rival Kansas City Royals. Kotchman played with the Tribe back in 2012, appearing in 142 games and slugging twelve home runs while striking out only 5.2% of the time. The positives stop there, however, as he slashed .229/.280/.333 and posted a DRS and UZR/150 of roughly of negative one. Despite being predicted by Wahoo’s on First to hit (link), his 70 wRC+ combined with poor defense earned him a -1.6 fWAR, the worst offensive WAR on a team that lost 94 games.

There were once high hopes for Kotchman, as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected him 13^th overall. He never really found a home with the Halos, and the Braves landed him in 2008 for Mark Teixeira. A year later, the Red Sox acquired Kotchman for Adam LaRoche. The 32-year-old will look to make a comeback with the Royals after sitting out all of 2014 and only appearing in six games in 2013.

Speaking of the Royals, the Tribe lost to them yesterday in a close 11 to 9 game. Ryan Raburn, Jesus Aguilar, and Roberto Perez had a big day, as each of them reached base two or more times with driving in a combined four runs. On the pitching front, Salazar continued to strikeout batters at a high rate – four punchouts in two innings – but allowed two earned runs. Read more about the Indians game here, in our Wahoo’s on First game recap.

On a final note, Terry Francona’s beloved red scooter has been wrecked. While the details have not been released of the team’s first injury of the 2015 season, the injury is still a shock to us all. A brief glance at the depth charts does not reveal an obvious replacement, so Francona will have to get creative for his mode of transportation. Whether or not the scooter will be ready for Opening Day has yet to be determined.

More From Around the AL Central:

‘Indians’ Bullpen Scuffles, Fall To Royals 11-9′ – Wahoo’s on First

Can Josh Tomlin Win the Fifth Starter Spot? – Wahoo’s on First

I Wish the Cleveland Indians Were the Underdog – Wahoo’s on First

Indians Embrace Bauer’s Scientific Approach to Pitching – Indians.com

Carlos Moncrief Stating His Case for Roster Spot – Wahoo’s on First

Salvador Perez’ Contract Keeps Getting More and More Absurd – Kings of Kauffman

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