Cleveland Indians: Yonder Alonso has more to prove in 2019

The Cleveland Indians felt they made the right move with Alonso at first base, but he still has more to prove as he enters the second year of his contract.

Cleveland Indians fans remember how heartbroken they were after the departure of Carlos Santana. The homegrown stud was a fan favorite for years. When Yonder Alonso came to fill the vacancy, fans weren’t sure how to feel given his random jump in production in just one year.

I think it’s safe to say that Alonso didn’t disappoint in his first year in Cleveland. He had a career-high 83 RBI which was good for fourth on the team and helped the Indians power hitting offense with his 23 homers.

So now we’ve arrived at the second year of his two-year contract. He also has a third-year option, but that option will likely depend on how this season goes. Yonder didn’t disappoint last year, but his production in the second half saw itself on quite a decline. The month of August was a particularly bad month for Yonder. He found himself batting below .200 with an ugly .587 OPS.

But the idea that he was horrid in the second half is a bit of a stretch. Yonder was actually batting .429 for the final 30 days of the season. He helped pick up the decrease in production that Jose Ramirez suffered and kept the lineup moving.

As far as wins above replacement go, I’d like to see an increase from the 0.7 number he put up this year. His highest career WAR was 2.2 in 2017, so asking for anything too high would be absurd. But if he can finish with something in the positives that would be nice.

Yonder has never been an offensive powerhouse, but the lack of power from him in the playoffs made him look very one-dimensional. Then again, everyone outside of Francisco Lindor looked pretty bad in the ALDS.

A big year from Alonso can really give the Indians a boost and add value to their already loaded infield. That’s all the Indians can really ask for from the 31-year-old. If the Indians feel they can make a run for the next two years, then Alonso is worth the price if he can live up to expectations.