Cleveland Indians: 3 forgotten players that can make an impact in 2021

With so much focus on which direction the Cleveland Indians will go this offseason, these three players seemingly who have been seemingly forgotten by the fan base could make a big impact in 2021 regardless of which direction the team goes.

The Cleveland Indians will be entering a pivotal offseason. After reaching the postseason four of the past five seasons without winning a championship, they’ll need to decide whether to start an inevitable rebuilding process or take one more shot at winning a World Series.

Regardless of which direction they opt to go, players who did not see the field in 2020 that as a result that have gone seemingly forgotten figure to see far more playing time in a normal 162-game 2021 season.

With a 40-man player poll, COVID-19 concerns and just 60 regular season games to work with, the Indians roster stayed the same for much of the 2020 season, leading to some players from their 2019 roster and minor leaguers that likely would’ve been in the majors in a normal season of the squad.

Here are three of three players that did not get a chance to showcase their talent in 2020 that will likely get to do so for the Cleveland Indians in 2021.

OF/1B, Jake Bauers

When the Cleveland Indians landed Jake Bauers in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners in December of 2018, many thought he was a steal.

Cleveland traded veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle, infielder Yandy Diaz and pitcher Cole Sulser to the Rays in exchange for Carlos Santana from Seattle and Bauers from Tampa.

While much of the excitement for Cleveland fans was the idea of reuniting with Santana, landing Bauers as part of the deal was seen as a massive heist.

Bauers was ranked among the top prospects in Tampa Bay’s loaded systems and had hit 11 home runs with 48 RBI’s in 96 games upon being called up to the majors in 2018.

In his first year with the Indians, Bauers had an up and down season as he moved from first base to left field as he slashed .226/.312/.371 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI’s in 117 games.

When it came time to form the 2020 roster, Bauers made the 40-man squad but spent the entire year at the Indians alternate site in Lake County. This may have been due to a poor spring training as he slashed just .172/.172/.310 with a home run down in Arizona before COVID-19 delayed the season.

With Cleveland’s outfield problems and the first base position a question mark with Santana likely to be let go, Bauers should find himself back with the Indians in 2021 with a chance to earn a major role with the club in the future.

RHP, Emmanuel Clase

Unlike Bauers, Emmanuel Clase‘s own actions cost him a chance to contribute for the Indians in 2020.

Clase was suspended for 80 games in May after testing positive for using Boldenone, which is a banned PED. While the 2020 season was just 60 games, Clase will be eligible to return at the start of the 2021 season and figures to be a key member of the Indians bullpen for several years to come.

The right-hander was acquired by the Indians from the Texas Rangers along with Delino DeShields Jr. in exchange for two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

Clase made his MLB debut with Texas in 2019 and was dominant as he posted a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings of work and averaged the highest velocity of any pitcher in baseball with his cutter at 99.2 MPH.

Despite his high upside, many Indians fans turned their attention to homegrown bullpen arm James Karinchak who developed into a formidable late-inning arm and Brad Hand, who was the only closer in baseball not to blow a save during the 2020 regular season.

Now, Clase will have a chance to reintroduce himself to the fan base and prove he can be a major contributor in the Cleveland bullpen for years to come and make dealing a fan favorite in Kluber worth it.