Cleveland Indians: Previewing the 2017 starting rotation

Predicting what’s to come for the five pitchers in the Cleveland Indians starting rotation in the 2017 season, coming off a World Series run.

The 2017 Cleveland Indians come into the new season with a lot of hope. They are coming off an appearance in the World Series, where they took the Chicago Cubs to seven games, before falling to the new champions. Their pitching was stellar in 2016, and they have a chance to be even better in 2017.

Cleveland made some additions to bolster their offense, but it’s pitching that’s going to drive this team.

It was the pitching in 2016, as well. Cleveland’s starters pitched to a 66-47 record and a 4.08 ERA. Those numbers were enough to put the Indians’ starters at the top of the league.

With the belief that they will get more run support in 2017, those numbers could easily rise (or fall), giving the team a great chance to repeat as AL Central champions.

The entire rotation is stacked from top to bottom. They easily have the best rotation in the AL, with them ranking right at the top with the New York Mets for best across the entire league.

Their big problem is staying healthy. Getting all five guys to start in five consecutive games isn’t something that comes with any consistency. If that changes in 2017, the Indians could walk all over the league, on their way to winning over 100 games.

As stated above, the offense is bolstered and the team plays good defense, which should allow them to get the most out of these five pitchers.

Amongst those pitchers,is a perennial Cy Young-candidate and a group of determined pitchers who are ready to turn themselves into household names, on a team that has a legitimate chance to win a World Series.