Cleveland Indians: Position Preview for 2021, Starting Pitching

Triston McKenzie

A first round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Triston McKenzie has actually been a member of the Cleveland Indians organization the longest among the rotation, despite being the youngest at 23-years old. Still the No. 3 prospect in the organization, we were able to get a taste of McKenzie last season and he lived up to expectations.

His career began with an incredible outing where he struck out 10 batters against the Detroit Tigers and picked up the win. That sample continued through the remainder of the season as McKenzie tallied 42 strikeouts in just over 33 innings pitched, appearing in eight games and starting six. For comparison, if you translate those numbers to a full season, McKenzie would have tallied 204 strikeouts, finished 10-5 and managed a 3.24 ERA and 0.90 WHIP.

Now, in a full season those numbers might be hard to replicate for a pitcher in their first season, but regardless the future is bright with McKenzie, along with the other three mentioned before him. Each of them have strengths and fixable weaknesses that make for a positive outlook for the position unit. The only catch will be figuring out who will be the fifth starter in the rotation.