Four Reasons the Cleveland Indians Should Be Buyers At the Trade Deadline
Jul 2, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela (39) is congratulated by shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) after he scored during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Indians’ Prospects Have Arrived
Francisco Lindor‘s debut hasn’t been what many envisioned. There are reasons to believe that the team truly meant it when they said he wasn’t ready. Since his arrival in Cleveland, the highly-touted prospect is batting just .209/.250/.269, with one home run.
But that doesn’t mean Lindor is a flop. The shortstop is just 21 years old, and he has plenty of time to develop into the player everyone hope he will be. His defense has been a big improvement over Mike Aviles, and although he’s made three errors, he’s also helped turn 16 double plays in as many games.
Similarly, Giovanny Urshela has made a pair of errors, but he’s been a defensive upgrade at third base, as well. He also has a 12-game hitting streak going, and a 20-game on-base streak. In fact, Urshela has reached base in all but his first two games, and in one of those, he had an RBI.
Urshela is batting .271/.320/.357, despite having just a .677 OPS. While there is plenty of room for improvement, that’s a solid start.
The team needs to give both players a chance to develop into the players that they are capable of becoming, and it’s hard to do that on a team that has obviously quit for the season. By becoming sellers, the Tribe would signal to their rookies that the rest of the year doesn’t matter. The team is good enough that, with a little improvement from their prospects, they can be a competitive team. Why not go for it, and give Lindor and Urshela a chance to show what they can do?
Next: The Rest of the Division Is Fading