Cleveland Indians outfield plan after Eddie Rosario, Jordan Luplow trades

Harold Ramirez, OF, Cleveland Indians

After spending his first two major league seasons with the Miami Marlins, Harold Ramirez was a late addition to the roster in Cleveland this offseason, being claimed off waivers on February 24. Ramirez started the season in Columbus, but was soon called up on May 3 and has quickly become one of the more reliable outfielders on the club’s roster.

Since arriving in Cleveland, Ramirez has played 69 games for the Tribe, spending most of his time in one of the corner outfield spots. During that stretch, Ramirez has posted a slash line of .266/.305/.416 with 15 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 27 RBI. As for in the field, he has just two errors for a .985 fielding percentage.

Just 26-years old, Ramirez has been a diamond in the rough situation for Cleveland. He was the odd man out in Miami and the Tribe have been the benefactor. While he doesn’t blow anyone away with one specific stat or aspect of his game, he’s proven to be a very well rounded player.

What makes the situation with Ramirez even better is his contract. He won’t enter arbitration for another year, entering the 2023 season, and will be under team control through the 2025 campaign. If he can continue to play at his level, he could be one of the biggest roster steals the Tribe have made recently. Should he sustain his current stats, he should be a shoe-in to get one of the spots moving forward.

Myles Straw, OF, Cleveland Indians

Being acquired at the trade deadline from the Houston Astros for a major league reliever in Phil Maton and a catching prospect, it seems like the front office in Cleveland is high on Myles Straw. He’s a speedy baserunner with a strong glove, so there’s definitely draw to his game, but he’ll have to earn a spot in a heavily crowded outfield.

In Houston, Straw was posting a similar slash line to what Harold Ramirez was doing in Cleveland. Over 98 games, Straw slashed .262/.339/.326 for the Astros. While his slugging percentage was lower than Ramirez’s, his on-base percentage was 34 points higher and his batting average only four lower. Straw was also able to tally 13 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 34 RBI while snagging 17 stolen bases.

Debuting for the Tribe on Saturday (July 31), Straw had a decent game. During the club’s shootout with Chicago, Straw went 1-for-5 with a run scored while batting leadoff. When leading off a game he’s batting just .143, going 1-for-7 with a double on the season. That’s a very small sample size, but the leadoff spot might not be for him.

Given what the team invested in the trade to get Straw, the organization thinks highly of him. There’s clear potential with his speed and glove and his bat is similar to Ramirez, who has been a bright spot in the lineup at times. If he can settle around being a .265 hitter, that might be enough to earn a starting spot in Cleveland’s outfield.

Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians

A first round pick by the Cleveland Indians during the 2014 MLB Draft, Bradley Zimmer has shown flashes of his potential throughout his career. Unfortunately, finding consistency has been a bit of an issue for him, and that’s partially due to a run of injuries he’s had that limited him to just 43 major league games between 2018 and 2019.

Now, Zimmer seems to be rediscovering his swing at the major league level. Over the last 28 days, Zimmer is slashing .281/.349/.421 with two doubles, two home runs, two stolen bases and seven RBI. Much of that production has come from a change in the batting order.

When Zimmer is leading off an inning this season, he’s slashing .325/.400/.400, including a home run. In fact, when he is batting first in the order this year, he has been able to slash .318/.400/.500 with a double, a home run and three RBI. The only other spot in the order where he is batting over .300 is ninth. Everything else is sub-.250.

It’s clear that Zimmer is most comfortable either at the top or the bottom of the order. As for in the field, he’s been error-free this season with a .995 career fielding percentage. While it’s taken him a bit longer than anticipated to find his stride, Zimmer is making a strong case for more playing time, especially with the leadoff spot now up for grabs.

Oscar Mercado, OF, Cleveland Indians

After a breakout 2019 campaign, Oscar Mercado has just not been able to find his swing again. His 2020 season was rough, batting well below the Mendoza line, and while this year has shown improvement he’s still playing below what might be his level of expectations.

This season, Mercado has been slashing .226/.314/.371 for Cleveland and unfortunately his splits aren’t that much better. Over the last 28 days his average is only a bit higher at .239, but over the last 14 days it’s much lower at .192.

The upside for Mercado is his improvement with his glove. He’s been error-free for the last two seasons after having six in 2019 alone. While that’s good, a strong glove won’t be enough to stay on the major league roster given the other talent the organization has.

If he can start to improve his contact at the plate and find more base hits through the rest of the season, he has a shot. However, given the three players mentioned already and Josh Naylor’s eventual return, Mercado has an uphill climb if he wants to reclaim a starting spot in the Tribe’s outfield. The potential is there, he’s showcased it before, but the production has to be there as well and it just hasn’t been recently.

Daniel Johnson, OF, Cleveland Indians

Being one of the players to come to Cleveland in the Yan Gomes trade following the 2018 season, Daniel Johnson has played a grand total of 22 games for the Cleveland Indians. Johnson has proven time and time again that he can play well in Triple-A Columbus, but those stats have yet to make the transition to the majors.

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During the 2020 season, Johnson logged just one hit for the team over five games. His 2021 sample size has been better, but it’s still not great. Over 17 games, he’s slashing just .205/.222/.341 with a pair of solo home runs for his only two RBI. He’s also drawn just one walk while striking out 15 times.

Johnson has played mainly in right field this season and he has one error. He hasn’t had many chances so that one error has his fielding percentage down to .958. While he’s been a well regarded prospect, Johnson just hasn’t been able to translate his game to the majors.

Being the outfielder with the least amount of experience, Johnson probably has a bit longer of a leash. Even with a longer leash, though, there’s already four other names on this list and that doesn’t include Naylor. At least one player won’t be able to stay long-term and going off of stats, that player right now is Johnson.