Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer Made A Statement in Spring Opener

The Cleveland Indians may not have any open spots on the 25-man roster, but Bradley Zimmer is still fighting for a chance to be included.

Part of being a professional sports fan is honing in on certain moments and treating them as monumental moments. It is part of the fun of being a fan, and makes the long haul of the season be worth all the associated emotions.

There should be plenty of these perceived monumental moments for Cleveland Indians fans all throughout the 2017 season, which got underway Saturday afternoon in Arizona.

The Indians picked up a 8-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in a win that saw great contributions from several players, but one stood out above the rest.

Bradley Zimmer was the star of the game, driving in five runs and hitting a three-run home run that gave fans a glimpse of the future.

Now back to those monumental moments. For big fans of Zimmer, this game was a clear sign that his time in the minors is limited, and that he will earn a spot on the big league roster sooner than later.

But for right now, the plan is to let him develop and continue to learn in the minors, as explained in an article by Jordan Bastian on his Major League Bastian blog. In the article, Zimmer explains how his mindset is to win a roster spot, while Terry Francona says the goal is to let the young player continue to develop.

Five RBI is hard to ignore, but fans must remember it is just February. He is certainly in the team’s future plans, but bringing him up now is just not in the plans. But as fans know, especially with the mysterious health of Michael Brantley, plans can change fast.

For now, we must all appreciate the great opening game for a player who could be on the major league roster at some point this year. For those who haven’t seen him play, it is hard not to be enamored with the 6-foot-5 outfielder. He stands out among the rest of the players, and is clearly a special talent.

The good news is that he is only 24 years old, so there is no rush to bring him up before he is ready. But as stated above, the unknown health of Brantley could lead to Zimmer being given a shot, just like Tyler Naquin was given in 2016.

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One game is not enough to form a proper judgment, but Zimmer certainly didn’t hurt his case for a roster spot with his performance. It will be fun to see how he does over the next month. Perhaps his play will be too great to ignore.