Cleveland Indians: Francona ranked as one of the best managers

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe released a comprehensive ranking of all 30 managers, and the Cleveland Indians’ Terry Francona is near the top. Now to get him some players to do something with.

It’s the same story that we talk about every year. The Cleveland Indians have needs, but fill them with players past their prime, or overpay for players that end up a financial burden on the team. Yet somehow, manager Terry Francona keeps his team in the running for much of the season. It’s for that reason that he’s ranked No. 4 on on Nick Cafardo’s list. And it’s also the reason that frustrates me.

It takes a village. We’ve all heard that before. One person alone cannot do it. Francona suffered through some tough years in Philadelphia, but won two World Series titles in Boston. The difference? The front office. It’s no coincidence that Joe Maddon is first on the list with Theo Epstein running the show in Chicago. And spare me the “small market” defense. Kansas City is a small market. They’re doing fine. It’s not impossible to win, but it is more challenging.

The Indians have built a solid farm system–even without the benefit of “tanking”–and developed players well. The problem is they seem afraid to pull the trigger to allow the kids to play, instead opting for the Nick Swisher‘s of the world to get the at-bats. Last season they finally decided to give Francisco Lindor the call–even though they didn’t seem ready at first–and that ended with a runner-up A.L. Rookie of the Year season.

Now, this isn’t ALL on the front office. A large portion of it is economics. While the discussion of teams “tanking” has become a talking point–and it’s possible–team’s like the Indians that finish around .500 don’t get the higher draft picks, nor the money to spend on them. I’m not saying tank, but something has to give in Cleveland.

Progressive Field has received some upgrades–but what it needed was upgrades to generate more revenue, preferably advertising. New seats, restaurants, etc. are nice, but if people don’t come to the game those are worthless additions. And the current build of this team makes it difficult to choose a direction.

While the offense is “meh” with a few bright spots, the pitching staff is one of the best in baseball. In turn, the Indians don’t want to waste that talent and are trying to find offense wherever they can. Unfortunately, that’s been in players like Collin Cowgill, Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli. So now they’ve overpaid for guys to salvage this year–which will probably be a .500 season or a bit better, but won’t have the capital to do much next year. The cycle continues.

Next: Did the Tribe need Hunter?

And not only are they wasting the pitching talent, but Francona as well. The Tribe front office needs to develop a plan to get Francona better players on the field. Guys like Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier are on the way, but will the pitching hold up till then?

Hopefully, the Indians can get it all together before we know the answer to that question.