Cleveland Indians: An unsung hero so far in 2018

The Cleveland Indians have some players in the national spotlight this season. However, there is also an unsung hero on this team in the rotation.

Corey Kluber entered the 2018 season as the king of the Cleveland Indians rotation, as he has done for several years now.

Then Trevor Bauer claimed the throne, although his stats may be in a holding pattern due to his current injury. That leaves Carlos Carrasco, the old number two starter, as the new number two starter once again.

A recent FanSided article written by Brad Weiss went through each MLB team’s unsung hero. Carrasco was his choice for the Indians. I find it hard to argue with this choice.

While a lot of the focus has been on Bauer’s Cy Young pursuits, Carrasco is having himself a great season. The only thing that slowed him down was some time on the disabled list at the end of June.

Since returning on July 6, Carrasco has not allowed more than three runs in any of his eight starts. He had allowed more than three runs on six occasions before hitting the DL. His ERA is now down to 3.50, good enough for 14th in the American League.

He now factors in as the number two guy behind Kluber as we approach the postseason. The same job he was supposed to have in 2016 before he got hurt and arguably the job he was supposed to have in the 2017 postseason as well.

Carrasco’s worth to the team may not be showing as much during the regular season because of how the Indians have been coasting toward a third straight division title all season. But when looking at this rotation, his veteran presence will be huge, especially if Bauer is out.

Do you agree with Carrasco being the unsung hero of this team? If not, maybe he will prove it to be true in October.