Clevelinks: World Series Picks; Cleveland Indians Win; Giving Chisenhall Time

Lonnie Chisenhall should be given time in 2015; the Indians win; and Sports Illustrated picks the Cleveland Indians to win it all in 2015

Sports Illustrated sent waves through the baseball community on Friday when they predicted the Cleveland Indians would win the World Series in 2015. While most fans expected the Tribe to be good, they probably never expected the Indians to be that good. With teams like the Nationals and Dodgers looking stacked, even fans of the Indians would probably not have picked the Tribe to win it all. 

But could Cleveland be a World Series caliber team? Last year, the Giants won it all, but the Royals took them to game seven, a feat many fans would not have predicted. Even MLB experts did not pick that outcome, with two persons picking the Royals to win the pennant, but none picked the Giants. The postseason is proving to become more and more of a complete crapshoot, with the team that can get hot in late September winning it all.

The Indians have shown said ability to get hot, as evidenced by their winning ten straight games to snag the 2013 top wild card. They have an offense that was near the top in runs in 2013, and they have a pitching staff that was arguably the best last season. The team could upset some big budget teams, if everything goes well for the Tribe – a feat that nearly never happens.

Up until mid to late June, Lonnie Chisenhall looked like he had finally put it all together and became the player we thought he could become. And then his BABIP plummeted and he began to struggle against lefties. While this was bound to happen, no one expected his season to crash and burn like it did. A regression from All Star to better than league average was more along the lines of what people thought would happen.

With his struggles in the second half of last season, many fans called for his replacement. Some wanted the Tribe to sign Chase Headley; however, the New York Yankees scooped him up with a larger contract than what the Indians were willing to offer. Katrina Putnam, on the other hand, thinks that the Tribe should give Chisenhall time this season to prove himself. With the potential he brings to the plate, it’s hard to argue with her.

Finally, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday by a score of three to two. Jason Kipnis launched a ball into the bleachers for a home run to put the Indians in the lead during the third inning. Striking out nine across five innings of work, Zach McAllister continued to make a strong argument for a place in the starting rotation. As Opening Day nears, the decision will also get closer, and only time will tell who wins the final two spots. Well, I guess technically Terry Francona would tell, but that’s beside the point. 

Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-7

FanSided

MLB Magic Number tracker: Complete playoff picture (UPDATED Sep. 15)FanSided

MLB Power Rankings: Bull market Braves, Black Monday for the TwinsFanSided

MLB Playoff Picture: 3 weekend storylines that could change everythingFanSided

MLB Playoff Picture: Predicting every series if season ended todayFanSided

MLB power rankings: Ranking the top 10 2022 MVP candidatesFanSided

More from around the AL Central:

Cleveland Indians Will End 67-Year Title Drought in 2015 – Sports Illustrated

Cleveland Indians: Lonnie Chisenhall Should Get a Lengthy Last Chance – Wahoo’s on First

Minnesota Twins’ Paul Molitor Sets High Expectations – Puckett’s Pond

Chicago White Sox: No Worries with Jeff Samardzija – South Side Show Down

Social Media:

Cleveland legend Kenny Lofton played in the 1988 Final Four with the Arizona Wildcats, as he is just one of two men in the history of the league to compete in both a World Series and NCAA Final Four. Make that three now that the Tribe’s 2014 MVP candidate Michael Brantley cloned himself to play for Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans

Did Michael Brantley clone himself so he could play @MSU_Basketball? http://t.co/wfAJXhIHU6 pic.twitter.com/hGuCSPuGRN

— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 28, 2015

Nick Swisher returned to the field for some minor league action on Friday and apparently ran through a stop sign.

Nick Swisher played in minor league game Friday and singled. Also ran through stop sign at 3B "just to see what it felt like." Out at home.

— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) March 28, 2015

After yesterday’s performance, Zach McAllister — again — made the case for his addition to the back of the Cleveland rotation.

Next: Chisenhall should get a lengthy chance to prove value