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Cleveland Indians: Three Reasons to Be Excited About 2016

By Andrew Schmid |
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Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Many fans have complained about the Cleveland Indians’ lack of high-profile moves, but there are many reasons to look forward to next season

This off-season has been rather unexciting for the Cleveland Indians. While other teams have signed top free agents like David Price and Zack Greinke, the Indians have added players like Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis. Even though these players have the potential to be great additions for the Tribe, they leave many fans thirsting for more.

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Adding more would cost the Indians either a lot of talent – from either the major or minor league – or money. Many of these possible transactions could risk ruining what Chris Antonetti and Co. have built so far. Rather than wishing for one of these big moves, let’s take a few moments to list some reasons to be excited for next year.

A Bullpen That Packs Heat

One of the most exciting times of a ballgame is the late innings. With the game on the line, nothing is as exhilarating as a power pitcher dialing it up and unleashing a triple-digit fastball. And this is a facet of the game at which the Cleveland Indians excel. Only two teams in the American League boast bullpens with higher average fastball velocities than the Tribe, and the difference between the first place New York Yankees and third place Cleveland Indians is just a few decimal points.

Take youngster Austin Adams for example. His four-seam fastball, on which he relies heavily, averages a heart-stopping 98 miles per hour. Opposing hitters have quite the challenge to jump on this blistering speed, and he has posted several strikeout rates above 30% in the minor leagues. Though this velocity creates timing problems, it also comes with a lack of movement, which has, in turn, caused hitters to hit Adams hard at times.

Another classic example of this powerful bullpen is Cody Allen. Clocking in at 96 miles per hour, his four-seam fastball features strong rising action and rates as above average. He complements this with a pitch that PITCHf/x lists as a slider but some call a curveball. Arming these two pitches together, Allen is a force with which to be reckoned, as evidenced by his elite 35% strikeout rate last season.

Next: Two More Reasons to Look Forward to Next Season

Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Indians’ Devastating Starting Rotation

Speaking of dominant pitching, we can all look forwards to a season of utter destruction from the starting rotation. Fronted by 2014 Cy Young Award recipient Corey Kluber, this cluster of pitchers looks to be one of the best starting rotations in the American League next year. Setting strikeout records in back to back seasons, who knows what is in store in 2016?

One good peak of what could happen next year is Steamer’s projections. Currently, it thinks that Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco will pitch like aces with Danny Salazar providing strong results from the middle of the rotation. Sadly the projection system is not too keen on Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, and Cody Anderson. No matter who is stuck in the fifth spot, who is going to complain about a projected four pitchers with sub-four earned run averages?

A Full Season of Francisco Lindor

Our third reason to be excited for 2016 is a full season of Francisco Lindor. Lindor has long been the subject of Indians fans’ dreams, and he has always shown so much potential. Next year will be his first full season in the majors, and many fans want to see what he can accomplish after dazzling in his debut.

Here at Wahoo’s on First we have already looked at what the shortstop may achieve next year. First, we asked if he will repeat last year’s season, then we estimated how he might play in 2016. Although we determined that it is likely that he regresses a bit next year, we also stated that we think that he has the ceiling to become an elite player.

But since when has reason determined excitement? Just because Lindor is probably going to be a great player next year does not mean that we will not expect him to be an incredible player. After years of hype, next year could be the year that the shortstop unleashes his true potential and wins the Tribe their first Most Valuable Player award since Al Rosen in 1953.

Next: What Should the Indians Do With Carlos Santana?

We have looked at just three of the hundreds of reasons to look forwards to next season. Sound off in the comments or on social media as to why you cannot wait for Indians baseball to return to Cleveland.

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