Cleveland Indians: Get to know Myles Straw and Peyton Battenfield

New Cleveland Indians OF Myles Straw

The only player to come to Cleveland at the deadline with major league experience, and probably the only one that will play in the majors this season, was Myles Straw. An outfielder from Houston, Straw should have the ability to stabilize center field in Cleveland, something the team has been searching for for a long time.

Before we dive into Straw’s stats, let me offer a comparison. Let’s go back to December 1991 when the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians agreed on a similar deal. Cleveland sent Houston catcher Ed Taubensee and relief pitcher Willie Blair for a centerfielder with little MLB experience, but a lot of potential and even more speed. Kenny Lofton.

Now, in July of 2021, the Cleveland Indians sent Houston a catcher and a relief pitcher for a centerfielder with little MLB experience, but a lot of potential and even more speed. Myles Straw. We’re not saying Straw will be Lofton, but the storyline is fun to follow.

Where the difference really lies is in experience. Lofton had 20 games of major league experience at the time of his trade. Straw has just shy of 200. The good news is that Straw has shown up in those games.

This season has been his largest sample size, playing 98 games for the Astros. In those, he’s slashing .262/.339/.326 with 13 doubles, a triple and two home runs to go along with 34 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Those numbers are solid and show promise. He immediately becomes the biggest steal threat in the Tribe’s lineup. He’s also a great fielder, being error-free over his entire MLB career.

Turning 27-years old in October, Straw will be under team control through the 2025 season. If he can continue to progress and improve at the plate, Cleveland could have their centerfield spot locked up for a while. That combined with Harold Ramirez’s emergence and there’s starting to be a little bit of clarity in Cleveland’s outfield.

New Cleveland Indians RHP Peyton Battenfield

In case you didn’t think the Tribe got enough pitchers in the 2021 MLB Draft, don’t worry they selected plenty, the team went and added two more at the deadline. Now, when you produce pitchers the way Cleveland’s farm system does, it makes sense to add to the pool and create the chance for value and talent down the road.

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Anyway, coming to Cleveland from Tampa Bay in the Luplow deal was Peyton Battenfield. A ninth round pick by Houston in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma State, Battenfield has worked to raise his value. While he has predominantly been a starter, he’s served the role of both starter and reliever, leaving plenty of options open for his future with the Cleveland organization.

This year, he’s split time between High-A and Double-A, combining for a 5-0 record over 14 games, including 12 starts. In fact, in his entire minor league career, Battenfield has just one loss with a 7-1 record. Small sample size, but still an intriguing stat.

As for the rest of his line, he’s working an ERA of 2.72 at the Double-A level over 36.1 innings pitched. He’s also averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine while keeping the walks down at 1.7 per nine.

This is nearly identical to what Pilkington’s line looks like. It’s clear that the front office is adding a certain type of framework here. High strikeouts per nine, low walks per nine and a reasonable ERA. That surely seems like a good recipe for success.