Cleveland Indians: Identifying three building blocks for the Tribe’s season

Starting Pitching

Like I said, some of these will not be a surprise whatsoever. Heading into the 2021 season we knew that the starting pitching for the Cleveland Indians would need to be a strength and overall it has been. There’s been a few hiccups, or rather implosions, but that’s going to happen to any team, especially one with all five starting pitchers under the age of 26.

Shane Bieber has been electric once again and is on pace to not only repeat last season, but possibility improve upon it. With 48 strikeouts through his first four starts, Bieber has placed his name among the likes of Nolan Ryan in the records books and is averaging 14.7 strikeouts per nine. Keep in mind that somehow that is an improvement over last year’s 14.2 mark that was the first time ever anyone averaged over 14 strikeouts per nine over the course of a single season.

Aaron Civale has also been able to right his ship early this season after a rocky 2020, being 3-0 in his first three starts. A completely different approach than Bieber, Civale is averaging only seven strikeouts per nine and has relied on the defense behind him. He’s also been able to maintain a 0.73 WHIP which has played a major role in his early success.

Triston McKenzie has also been a stable arm and despite the early exits for both Zach Plesac and Logan Allen, all five of the starters in the Tribe’s rotation have kept their ERA under 5.30 through the first 15 games of the season. You, of course, would hope that number would be lower, but given what’s transpired, that number could very easily much higher. Luckily, steady starts surrounding the early exits have brought that mark down.

As a unit, the starting pitching has kept the Tribe in the win column this season. The ability to win when scoring just two or three runs is a big plus and this group presents that chance most nights. If they can sustain the success the starting pitching for the Cleveland Indians will be the core of the 2021 season.

Power at the Plate

While pitching was an expected strength of this team, hitting was up in the air. The performance at the plate can still be improved, but one area that has become a strength of the lineup is power. Through the team’s first 15 games, the Tribe have clubbed 22 home runs, tied for fourth in Major League Baseball. The team is also averaging just under 22 at-bats per home run which is fourth in the league as well and have at least one home run in 11 of the first 15 games.

Another nice aspect of the power is that it isn’t all just one or two players. In total, nine different players on the roster have knocked a ball over the fence with three players tied for first on the team with four each, being Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes and Jordan Luplow. We expected the power from Ramirez and Reyes, but Luplow has been a bit of a surprise.

Now, power might seem like a bit of a change from what we’re accustomed to from the Cleveland Indians. In the past it’s been more of a small ball approach, being bunts, sacrifices, etc. but it seems like the Tribe might be changing course.

As a team, Cleveland has been able to hit multiple home runs in six games so far, being 5-1 in those contests. It shouldn’t be a shock that multiple home runs, being at least two runs, have led to wins, especially with this pitching staff. Even so, if the Cleveland Indians can continue to be aggressive at the plate and post successful at-bats in terms of power, that will go a long way in keeping them in contention this season.

Bullpen

The most recent World Series run for the Cleveland Indians in 2016 was done on the back of not only strong starting pitching but a lockdown bullpen. While the former was assumed entering the season, the latter was a bit of a concern. The bullpen saw a decent amount of turnover, specifically in the later innings, during the offseason. However, the unit looks just as strong as ever in the early going of 2021.

In 2016 it was Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. Now, it’s Nick Wittgren, James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase. It’s a different approach, but the same formula for success. Shaw, Miller and Allen dominated with strategy and breaking balls. While Wittgren, Karinchak and Clase could do that if needed, it’s velocity that’s powering this year’s bullpen.

Entering the season Wittgren seemed like a candidate to be the closer, but Karinchak’s ‘Wild Thing’ approach and Clase’s 100+ mph on nearly every pitch resulted in yet another three-headed monster in the bullpen at Progressive Field.

Having a dominant starting rotation is one thing, but only needing six innings a game from the rotation before handing any game over to these three is a gift. The stable force of the rotation paired with the bullpen should mean the Cleveland Indians will only need a few runs to win on almost any given night. Considering the power this team is showing, that might not be a problem very often.

There’s a lot more to the game of baseball than starting pitching, power at the plate and the bullpen. However, those three all clicking at the same time is a rather sturdy foundation for the Tribe to build on over the course of the season.