Cleveland Indians: A look back at 10 preseason predictions

The Cleveland Indians did not win the World Series, and my predictions were very wrong. What went right and how can the Tribe move forward?

Back in March and June, I wrote about my bold predictions for the 2017 Cleveland Indians season. Well, let’s just say I’m not going to be running the team anytime soon. So what happened?

Of course, as a Cleveland Indians writer, I had high hopes. And of course, being a Clevelander through and through, I was let down. No matter the finish, we learned a lot and we can build on this season’s success into next year.

So, what happened with the predictions?

I was wrong on Kipnis, Brantley and Naquin

Jason Kipnis was out forever. Michael Brantley didn’t play anywhere near 150 games and Tyler Naquin didn’t even get a chance to regress. What if Brantley and Kipnis were healthy and Naquin replicated his 2016 campaign?

Thankfully, I’m from Ohio, so I don’t play the what if game. What I do know is that injuries are real and recurring, and counting on an oft injured player is like waiting for Spring to come in March in Ohio.

I was right on right field and Carrasco

Carlos Carrasco ended up as the number one starter for a hot minute, until Corey Kluber went back into robot mode and dominated the league.

Right field was a mess until August, when the Indians snagged a cheap Jay Bruce. The same Jay Bruce who was very good in the series defeat against the Yankees. Looking forward, I wonder what the Indians will do in the outfield.

I was wrong on Urshela and Zimmer

Giovanny Urshela didn’t push Jose Ramirez to the brink; the guy can’t hit. Period. But the Tribe called up Bradley Zimmer way early, and he dominated, until he broke his hand. That’s when Urshela became the de facto third baseman, a question that will haunt us fans throughout the offseason.

Wasn’t Kipnis ready to come back to second? If Kipnis is in the lineup no matter what, why have Urshela at third when a better hitting Lonnie Chisenhall could be in the outfield? Who knows.

I was wrong on the ultimate goal

The Cleveland Indians didn’t win the World Series.

The key takeaway is that a baseball season never goes as planned. With injuries to pitchers at an all-time high and fielders getting injured on the basepaths more than ever, it’s very difficult to predict anything that requires a player’s health with any degree of certainty.

Next: Top 10 wins from 2017

Thankfully, the Indians’ front office did an incredible job of maintaining continuity by signing a lot of players long-term early on before they got expensive. This will help for 2018 and 2019.