Cleveland Indians: 2 players who always play better in the second half

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Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

2 Cleveland Indians who always play better in the second half

The Major League Baseball season is well into the second half now and the Cleveland Indians game on July 30 will mark the club’s 100th game of the season. For Cleveland, the season has had it’s fair share of highs and lows with injuries taking most of the headlines. Nevertheless, the team has managed to keep their head afloat with a record of 50-49 at this point in the campaign.

That might not be the record that some were hoping for, but given the circumstances of the season it’s not bad. Being 8.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central might seem like a hard hill to climb, but the five-game deficit in the Wild Card race is much more feasible.

While the Tribe have been relatively quiet at the trade deadline with only one deal, they may be receiving some internal boosts down the stretch that could end up making the difference. Despite both being moved to the 60-day injured list, Aaron Civale and Shane Bieber are working their way back to the rotation. Zach Plesac is already back while Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill are starting to come into their own.

The bullpen has been steady for most of the season and a stabilized rotation will go a long way in keeping the pen at a high level. Meaning that once Civale and Bieber are back, the bump could be back to what it has been in the past for Cleveland. As for the offensive side of the game, there’s two players on the Tribe’s roster that have historically performed better in the second half of the season.

If these two players can continue that into the second half of the 2021 season, it could provide a huge boost to the Cleveland Indians. The surge from these two paired with the return of the starting rotation might just be enough to get the Tribe back into contention in the last couple months of the season.

Cleveland Indians 3B Jose Ramirez

While Jose Ramirez has been the lifeblood of the Cleveland lineup for most of the season, he’s actually having the worst season of his career at the plate. Entering the upcoming series against the Chicago White Sox, Ramirez is slashing just .253/.343/.525, marking the lowest average of his career. The reason? He hasn’t played many games in the second half yet.

Coming off a season that saw him finish second in the MVP voting, Jose Ramirez was expected to be one of the best hitters in the game. While he has been able to log 22 home runs, his other stats are just a bit down from the pace we’re accustomed to seeing. The good news is that if history continues, he should see an boost in the second half.

After the All-Star break, Ramirez’s career numbers jump. In the second half his batting average is 16 points higher, his on-base percentage is up eight points and his slugging goes up 27 points. Despite playing 109 fewer games in the second half of the season over the course of his career, Ramirez has just 11 fewer doubles and 22 fewer home runs, meaning his average production easily goes up.

The differences in those type of stats are bit more difficult to illustrate, but his jump in every aspect of his slash line should be enough to see the change in his approach. Take for example his 2019 season. He was hitting just .218 in the first half, but once the All-Star break happened, Ramirez’s average jumped more than 100 points, going up to .327. Despite having basically half of the at-bats, his home runs more than doubled, his doubles increased as did his RBI.

So, while he’s having one of his worst seasons at the plate, it might just be because he hasn’t had the chance to off in the second half yet. For that reason, stay tuned for an upcoming surge for Ramirez.

Amed Rosario #1 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Indians 2B Amed Rosario

While the sample size for Amed Rosario isn’t as large as Jose Ramirez, the same trends can be identified. The difference in the two is that Rosario is already putting together one of his better seasons at the plate for his career. Since moving up to the second spot of the lineup, Rosario has really found his stride.

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Up to this point, Rosario is slashing a respectable .261/.304/.362, with his batting average and on-base percentage already the second best numbers of his career if the season ended today. Luckily, it doesn’t and what lies ahead could be even greener pastures for Rosario.

Over the course of his career after the All-Star break, Rosario has watched his batting average increase 28 points, his on-base goes up 15 points and his slugging takes a 20-point jump. On top of that, despite having 140 fewer at-bats in the second half he has just 10 doubles and three home runs less in the second half. Not to mention he’s stolen 11 more bases in the second half than the first half.

Since moving up to the second spot in the batting order, Rosario is already slashing .280/.315/.370 when batting second. If these trends continue of him going off in the second half, then he could quietly become one of the better hitting shortstops in the American League. He’s already found his spot in the order and is having a strong year. Now, he gets to play in his favorite part of the season and watch those stats get even better.

Next. Cal Quantrill developing on the fly. dark

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2 Cleveland Indians who always play better in the second half

Cleveland Indians 3B Jose Ramirez

Cleveland Indians 2B Amed Rosario

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