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.

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.