Cleveland Indians Wrountable: Predicting Francisco Lindor’s First Season

Jun 16, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) steals second base under Chicago Cubs second baseman Addison Russell (22) in the fifth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Lindor Will Hit Better Than Expected

Cody Norman: I expect to see Lindor put together an offensive season that ranks near the middle of the pack when compared to other shortstops across the league. Lindor is certainly more than capable of hitting .270 or .280 with 8-10 home runs and 30 RBIs. He is a significant threat on the base paths and should collect somewhere around 15-20 stolen bases before the season is up. Defensively, of course, Lindor should rank near the top of the list. We saw him make an outstanding play in shallow left field yesterday and his range is unlike anything this club has seen since the late 90s. Let’s be clear, though: Lindor is not a savior. Not this season. Not next season or any season after that. He’s simply a key piece to this young Indians’ roster. Keep that in mind when setting expectations for the 21-year-old shortstop.

As for Ramirez, I do expect to see him back in the big leagues sometime this season, though I’m not sure it will be with the Tribe. Cleveland needs some help, both offensively and on the mound. Despite his lack of production this season, Ramirez showed enough last season to make other teams around the league he can be a valuable contributor. While he won’t be the only name in any deal, Ramirez is certainly a valuable asset to include in any trade package.
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Joe Gerberry: I fully expect a decent-to-good season for Lindor at the plate for the rest of the year. .270/.340/.390 type season with 15 stolen bases is a decent season for a rookie at this point. By no means is he going to set the and world afire offensively, but he doesn’t seem too overmatched at this new level of competition. Defensively, he will be exactly what Cleveland needs and with the addition of Gio Urshela, will greatly help out the Indians rotation.

Jose Ramirez will see more time in Cleveland, but like Matt said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him traded either. He is taking at Triple A Columbus, and all signs point to him getting a call up sometime before September, whether it be for the Tribe or someone else.

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Others predicted that the All-Star Break will be the turning point for Lindor – one way or the other:

Next: The All-Star Break Is the Turning Point For Lindor