Cleveland Indians: 3 players on pace to breakout in second half

3 Cleveland Indians on pace to breakout in second half

The first half of the Major League Baseball season saw the Cleveland Indians be middle of the road in about every way possible, which was above the expectations that most slapped them with prior to the season. At the break, the Tribe hold a record of 45-42, winning the last three games before the break, including a 14-run outburst in the first half finale.

Now, the club will begin to turn their attention to the second half of the season and making moves to position themselves for a postseason run. The team should be able to get a few players back healthy in the near future, which will help, but there are some other internal additions that could play a big part in the second half.

Moving into the second half, the Cleveland Indians will need to make some roster improvements, whether it be from trades or free agency. However, some roster improvements can happen by simply calling a player up or seeing them settle into a role. For these three players, that will be the case in the coming months.

Whether it be a small or large sample size, these three have shown the potential to breakout and be consistent contributors for the club in the second half. They have also shown that they can do it in the past, either in the minors or in the majors during a different season.

If these three can continue to build on the momentum that they finished out the first half with it could be huge for the Tribe. While it won’t count as a transaction, it could be just as beneficial as a trade or signing if these players can blossom and take on a bigger role in the second half of the season. The foundation is there, now there just needs to be consistency.

Oscar Mercado, OF, Cleveland Indians

Don’t close out the story just yet. Hear me out. While he’s had his fair share of troubles over the last year plus, Oscar Mercado is quietly finding his stride once again in Cleveland and could see an expanded role in the second half of the season. After spending most of 2020 at the alternate site, Mercado rejoined the Tribe on June 28 and has taken advantage of the opportunity.

Yes, it’s only been 12 games and yes Mercado only has 32 at-bats in 2021. However, he’s been one of the better options the team has tried in the outfield and that could grant him a lot more playing time if he can sustain that.

Over those 12 games, Mercado is slashing .281/.343/.500 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, four RBI and a pair of stolen bases. For comparison, Mercado’s slash line during his big 2019 season was .269/.318/.443.

The sample size is much smaller, but there is definitely some intrigue there. The key for Mercado will just be consistency. He had three hits in his first seven games up, all coming in one game, but since then he’s started to settle in and find his swing.

Over his last five games before the All-Star break, Mercado went 6-for-15 (.400), including another three-hit game to close out the first half. He also logged two doubles, a home run and all four of his RBI.

Hopefully the hot streak to close out the first half is a sign of things to come from Mercado. If he can get back to what we saw from him in 2019 that would be tremendous for the Cleveland Indians. He would essentially complete the outfield with Eddie Rosario and Harold Ramirez.

Cal Quantrill, SP, Cleveland Indians

Again, just hear me out on this one. It took Cal Quantrill a bit of time to settle in as a reliever, but once he did he was a strong option. We’re seeing the same thing as he moves back into the starting rotation. It wasn’t an adjustment that could happen overnight, but he’s emerging as the club’s best internal option to be the fourth or fifth starter behind the Big Three.

More from Away Back Gone

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

If you look at Quantrill’s pitch count, it was slowly climbing and then in July it jumped into the 90s, tossing 94 pitches against Houston and then 90 against Kansas City. He’s officially stretched out to be a full-time starting pitcher in the majors. Luckily, his stats have started to level out as well.

In both of those 90-pitch starts, Quantrill allowed three runs in each. The first lasted 5.1 innings and the second went a full six. He’s also been able to cut down the walks, having two against Houston and just one against Kansas City.

The hope is that the runs can come down a bit, but the potential is there. Quantrill was the eighth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft out of Stanford after lighting it up in college. I can’t say it enough, the potential is there. He just needs an extended opportunity.

Given the state of the Tribe’s rotation, that extended opportunity might be coming in the second half. Of the players that have auditioned for the starting rotation, Quantrill has pitched the best. That combined with his 90-pitch outings point to him getting his shot to be part of this starting rotation down the stretch.