Cleveland Indians: A positional breakdown of the AL Central

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Mar 25, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) covers the bag against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

First base/DH

Carlos Santana/Edwin Encarnacion (CLE)
Miguel Cabrera/Victor Martinez (DET)
Eric Hosmer/Brandon Moss (KC)
Jose Abreu/Anyone with a pulse (CWS)
Joe Mauer/Kennys Vargas/Robbie Grossman (MIN)

There are two tiers in the Central with regards to first base and DH. In the top tier are the Indians and Tigers with four of the game’s best hitters. Below these four come something else completely.

Santana and Encarnacion slightly edge out Miggy and Martinez due to the inability of Martinez to run bases or play any position. Martinez is 38 yet somehow he hit .289 with 27 homers last year. Miggy had another monster year (.316 with 38 homers), yet Martinez has been labeled as the “Worst Baserunner Ever” by ESPN and anyone else who saw him run the last few seasons.

Santana plays a respectable first for his size and Encarnacion isn’t a horrible backup. With 42 homers and 127 RBI coming from Encarnacion, and Santana supplying 34 and 87, the Indians have the small edge. One has to believe Miggy and Victor regress because of their age right?

The lower tier of combos in the Central features one real duo in Hosmer and Moss. Hosmer hit .266 last season and actually had 104 RBI. Moss was pitiful in Cleveland and although he can hit homers, his .8 WAR really shows the impact he has on a team. Hosmer’s WAR was only 1.0, so together the two don’t even equal one of the top four guys on this list.

Jose Abreu is a fantastic hitter, but with no clear DH on the team, the White Sox will be looking for an answer all season. Maybe they let the “Hawk” Harrelson hit on his alarm clock giveaway night?

Joe Mauer is only 33, but it feels like he has been in the league for centuries. He had only 49 RBI last season in 134 games. He also had 11 homers. So subtract his own runs and that leaves 38 RBI that weren’t himself.

Grossman looks to be the starter at DH on Opening Day. He actually hit .280 in 99 games last season for the Twins. He can play the outfield (very poorly), but if he hits anywhere near .280, the Twins could be in a good position. Logic says this won’t happen, and the Indians released Grossman in 2016 and he’s a lifetime .254 hitter in 289 games.

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