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

Identifying three building blocks for the Cleveland Indians this season

There’s no question that the start to the 2021 season for the Cleveland Indians has been a bit underwhelming. While there’s been highs, there’s been just as many lows including being no-hit by the Chicago White Sox, who just so happen to be the club’s next opponent. Despite the bumps and bruises, the Cleveland Indians are still north of .500 with an 8-7 record and have a lot of points that should make fans excited for the rest of the 2021 season.

Now, there’s of course some things that will need changed or improved. That’s the way any season goes. There’s a few players who probably won’t be in the majors much longer and for each player that might be overstaying his welcome there’s at least two in the minors that will soon be ready to takeover.

But what about the positives that are currently on the team? We always talk about what’s going wrong, but what’s going right so far? What are three things that the current edition of the Cleveland Indians have shown that the team can build on moving forward? Something had to go right to tally eight wins.

While some of these three building blocks for the season might not come as a surprise, it’s nice to be reminded of the strengths of this club. Oftentimes it’s the hardships that are emphasized, but here we’re going to focus on the positives.

If the Tribe can use these three things to propel them through the season while improving other aspects of the game, then they should be right back in the thick of the divisional race come August, September and maybe even into the postseason of October. It’ll take a bit more to make a deep run in the playoffs, but this is at least a great starting point for the season to build upon.

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.