Cleveland Indians: Will Greg Allen’s great play continue?

Greg Allen was called up as a replacement. But he’s turned his stint into much more. Has he shown enough to earn a spot with the Cleveland Indians?

Wow. Greg “August” Allen. Greg “Fenway” Allen. Either fits for the Cleveland Indians outfielder.

Neither even begins to scratch the surface of giving Greg Allen his fair share of praise for the show he’s been putting on in August and in this current series in Boston.

Let’s start in Boston:

A four-game series against the team with the best record in MLB who is even better at home. It’s not even over and Allen has already done more than enough to be dubbed the best performer in the series.

In game one he didn’t do much other than break a 3-3 tie in the seventh with a two-run homer, the eventual gam- winner. You know, just basic stuff.

But seriously, his third career home run, second this year (both of which were eventual game-winners), and it came at the perfect time.

He wasn’t slacking on the defensive side either as he continued to give Boston a show they never asked for nor wanted.

And then came game two. What was game two like for Allen? Here’s a little taste:

Oh but he wasn’t done there as he did this two innings later:

He even continued to be hotter than hot at the plate as he went 2-3 with an RBI too. He extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest by a rookie this season.

After his performance that night, the baseball analytics experts got together and created this totally accurate and completely serious portrayal of field coverage Allen has when playing center field.

Truly astonishing.

So far this series has been the perfect cherry on top of the absolute tear of an August Allen has been having.

Allen was originally optioned to Columbus on August 1 to make room for newly acquired Leonys Martin. After Martin was hospitalized, Allen was recalled on August 9, and boy is he making sure he sticks around.

He’s played in 12 games since returning (13 if you count the game he came in as a pinch runner), and he’s looked exceptional.

In August, Allen is slashing .341/.396/.432. He has 15 hits, 6 RBIs, has scored eight runs and has stolen five bases. It’s just 12 games but it’s some of the best production the Indians have seen in center field in a while.

Which leaves a lingering question: What is Greg Allen’s future with the team?

It was already asked of Yandy Diaz and since then he hasn’t been so hot. But Allen can fill a bigger hole on this team and even average production from him makes him worthy of a spot.

The problem is Allen has consistently been below the baseline, always leaving him as the odd man out. He’s consistently been a Rajai Davis-like replacement who hasn’t been good enough at the plate to actually replace Davis.

Which means there are two possible outcomes for Allen. Either this surge of production is a fluke and will return to his former form of hitting .220, making the occasional diving play in center and being a wonderful pinch runner, if he can even stay in the big leagues.

Or, this is a page turned for Allen. It’s finally clicked for him. He may not keep hitting at a .341 clip but he can hover around .270, .280 or .290. He will continue to be an elite defender and will develop into an elite base stealer.

It’s all laid out for him. With Bradley Zimmer and Martin out for the season, he is their only everyday option in center field. He is the guy right now.

Time to force their hand and extend your stay into next season, Greg.