Cleveland Indians: Previewing MLB award winners on the 2017 roster

The Cleveland Indians enter the 2017 season with a loaded roster. Selecting from the abundance of talent, which players are most likely to win an MLB award?

In recent years, the Cleveland Indians have had great individual talent. Last season, those individual talents joined together as one, propelling the Tribe just one win away from a World Series title. Although the Indians were not able to finish the job, the individual performances throughout the year didn’t go unnoticed.

Corey Kluber finished third in the Cy Young voting behind Boston’s Rick Porcello and Detroit’s Justin Verlander. If not for a slow start, many believe Kluber would have won the award. As for MVP, shortstop Francisco Lindor finished ninth, in front of Jose Ramirez (17th) and Corey Kluber (19th).

Although no Cleveland player took home a MLB award, manager Terry Francona won the AL Manager of the Year. Francona beat out skippers Jeff Banister, John Farrell and Buck Showalter. This was Francona’s second time winning the award in four years.

Nevertheless, the 2017 MLB season is under two weeks away. The slate has been wiped clean, and each player has an equal opportunity to make their case. Let’s take a look at which Indians have the potential to take one of these awards home.

Cy Young

1. Corey Kluber

Over the past couple of years, Corey Kluber has cemented his name as one of the best pitchers in baseball. After winning the Cy Young award in 2014, Kluber struggled to find his touch the next year. Kluber posted a 9-16 record, giving up the most home runs in his career, with 22.

Last year, Kluber went back to his old self, posting a record of 18-9, finishing the season with a 3.14 ERA. After the All-Star break, Kluber finished the season going 9-1 in 14 starts with a 2.52 ERA. Some experts say that if it wasn’t for a slow start, Kluber would have taken home his second Cy Young award in three years.

As of now, Kluber’s odds of winning the award are at 9/2, second in the AL being the Red Sox’s Chris Sale at 7/2. With the Indians getting back Danny Salazar as well as Carlos Carrasco, pressure should be taken off Kluber to carry the entire pitching staff, ultimately setting the right-hander up for another Cy Young-type season.

2. Carlos Carrasco

Before his season was cut short due to injury, Carlos Carrasco was exceeding expectations. Carrasco had a 3.32 ERA over 25 starts, and was leading the team in strikeouts. That all ended after taking a line drive to the hand just two pitches into his September 17 start.

In spite of the injury, baseball experts saw Carrasco’s potential, giving him the eighth best odds to win the 2017 Cy Young award, at 16/1.  Before his injury, Carrasco held a record of 11-8. Despite his stellar ERA, Carrasco averaged the fourth worst run support out of the five starters. In order for Carrasco to win the award, the Indians will need to put more runs on the board.

3. Danny Salazar

Similarly with Carrasco, Danny Salazar‘s 2016 campaign was cut short due to injury. Salazar returned to the mound at the conclusion of the postseason, but was far from his normal self. During the bright spots of his 2016 season, Salazar was an AL All-Star, going 11-5 with a 3.87 ERA. If it weren’t for the injury, Salazar would have been a legit contender for the 2016 Cy Young.

Fast forward to 2017, where Danny Salazar is on the verge of complete health, hoping to get back to his 2016 first half ways. Right now, Salazar sits at 40/1 to win the award, around the likes of Marcus Stroman and Jose Quintana.

In order for Salazar to be in contention, he needs to be healthy. Setbacks in a pitcher’s recovery are common, and a rushed return or overworking Salazar could be the cause. If the Indians decided to play it safe, which I assume they will, it could be difficult without a full season of work/health to win the award.

MVP

1. Francisco Lindor

The Cleveland Indians have certainly found their shortstop for the next decade. Ever since his Major League debut, Francisco Lindor has done nothing but awe the Cleveland fan base, as well as management.

Last season, Lindor hit .301 with 15 home runs to go along with his 30 doubles. Lindor also scored 99 runs, while driving in 78 of his own. Along with his bat, the Indians rely on Lindor’s glove just as much. In 2016, Lindor was second in the MLB in defensive efficiency, trailing only San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford.

Of course, last year’s incredible numbers weren’t enough to bring home the award. Lindor placed ninth in the MVP voting, receiving just a 13 percent share of the votes. Currently, Lindor’s odds sit at 50/1. After increasing his offseason workout regimen, Lindor looks to add more power to his swing. If he can increase his home run and RBI totals while still hitting for average, Lindor has a legitimate shot at MVP.

As far as the rest of the roster goes, Lindor seems to have the only real shot at obtaining this award.

Gold Glove

1. Francisco Lindor

Well what do you know, Francisco Lindor has found his way onto yet another MLB award watch list. Lindor is the five-tool player that owners, GM’s and managers dream about. Although it was slightly acknowledged in his MVP case, let’s take a deeper dive into Lindor’s defensive value.

Along with finishing second in defensive efficiency, Lindor posted a .982 fielding percentage, good for fourth in the American League. As well as playing almost error-free baseball, Lindor managed to save the most defensive runs for American League shortstops.

Francisco Lindor already has one Gold Glove under his belt, accomplishing that task last year. Many experts also believe he would have won the award in 2015, if not for a lack of games in the majors. No matter how well or poorly Lindor is hitting, the glove is something he brings night in night out. Because of this, there is no reason he shouldn’t win yet another Gold Glove award.

2. Jason Kipnis

As far as spectacular plays go, Jason Kipnis is right up there with Lindor. There are very few plays Kipnis can’t make, making him one of the top defensive second basemen in baseball. The routine plays sometime get the better of Kipnis, whether it be not staying down on a routine ground ball, or making an errant throw to first.

In 2016, Kipnis managed to finish a career best fourth in defensive runs saved as a second baseman. Unfortunately, Kipnis also finished in the bottom half of the league in fielding percentage for second basemen.

Related: The Indians have an injury problem

Nonetheless, Kipnis has a real chance at winning his first Gold Glove. His current shoulder injury may limit his early playing time, but hopefully it can heal quickly. If he can limit the amount of silly errors and continuing making spectacular plays, Indians may see their middle infield take home not one, but two Gold Glove awards.

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Michael Brantley

In a perfect world, Michael Brantley would be in all the previously listed categories, as well as this one. The fact of the matter is, nobody knows what Brantley is going to be able to produce in 2017. It is absurd to say that Brantley can come back and produce like the Michael Brantley of 2014? No. However, it is a stretch, especially with the high amount of caution that the Indians are going to handle his situation with.

Looking back on a healthy Michael Brantley will only make Indians fans smile. During a completely healthy 2014 campaign, Brantley hit .327 while driving in 97 runs and hitting 20 home runs. Along with that, he added 45 doubles as well as stealing 23 bases.

In a injury-shortened 2015, Brantley was still able to lead the American League in doubles with 45, despite missing the last 25 games of the year. Due to the precaution the Indians training staff is going to take, it’s hard to say how much production Tribe fans will see out of Brantley. If he can come back healthy and stay healthy, a rejuvenated Brantley will pick up right where he left off, winning the 2017 Comeback Player of the Year award.

Overall, Indians fans have a lot to be excited about. This roster is loaded with current talent as well as future talent. There are a number amount of players on this team who have the ability to solidify their name as some of the best players in the MLB.

Next: 10 bold predictions for the Indians in 2017

And let’s not forget about Terry Francona, who is going for his third AL Manager of the Year award in five years. All in all, it should be one fascinating year.