Cleveland Indians: 5 players that are current cornerstones for Cleveland

5 players that are current cornerstones for the Cleveland Indians

Fans of the Cleveland Indians are turning their attention to the future. The team was no-hit for a fourth time this season, if you include the 7-inning outing against Arizona, and the 2021 season seems to be all but closed out for the club. While the struggles of 2021 has people looking to 2022 and beyond, there’s still current pieces to be excited about.

There’s no doubt that the next wave of talent is intriguing. Whether it be Will Benson, Gabriel Arias or any other prospect, the future is exciting to think about, especially for a team that has struggled this season. With that being said, we can’t forget about the cornerstones that are already established in Cleveland.

The Tribe have a handful of pieces that are providing a base for those up-and-coming prospects to build on. Combining the experience of these five players with the rising prospects and there’s a lot to be exciting about in Cleveland.

Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Indians

This season was not a career year for Shane Bieber by any means. He only made 14 starts before being injured and lost his shot at defending his American League Cy Young award. However, he’s still very much a key part of this organization and that was felt when he went down.

Losing Bieber wasn’t the sole reason for the season’s struggles, but it was a big straw. The starting rotation was the first point of pain for the team and losing Bieber hurt the most. He was still dominant early in the season, keeping an ERA of 3.28 while averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Bieber is now working on a rehab assignment and could make a big league start before the season ends. For now, we can’t forget his incredible 2020 campaign. Albeit in a shortened season, Bieber became the first starting pitcher ever to average 14 or more strikeouts per nine innings (14.2) while going 8-1 with an MLB-best 1.63 ERA.

Once healthy, Bieber won’t only be a cornerstone for this club, but he might be the cornerstone. At 26-years old when the season begins, Bieber still has plenty of team control left and could be the focal point of building this team back to being an annual contender.

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians

Like Bieber, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Jose Ramirez on this list. With Francisco Lindor out of the lineup this year, Ramirez became the focal point of the offense. Even before the Lindor trade, Ramirez was arguably the best hitter in the lineup, especially in 2020 when he finished second in the MVP voting.

The only barrier for Ramirez could be his contract. He’s been a bargain on his current deal, but the price is about to jump. While he’s obviously a big piece of this team, the drive to save money could end up being the unfortunate reason for a move here.

Ramirez is set to have club options each of the next two seasons. In 2022 he’s set to make $12 million and then $14 million in 2023. While that’s been much higher than his recent numbers and would be the highest on the team by a wide margin, Ramirez would still be a bargain.

Statistically, this has been a down season for Ramirez, slashing just .255/.347/.538, but his 33 home runs are nearing a career-high (39). Unfortunately, his doubles have also taken a steep dip from his typical numbers for a full season.

Even with the down year, the team can’t let Ramirez go. He’s the core of the offense and a team favorite. He’s the perfect veteran to guide the young prospects coming up, even if that means finding a new position for Nolan Jones.

Franmil Reyes, DH, Cleveland Indians

When talking about players that will be cheap for their production on the offensive side of the game, Cleveland might not have a better bargain moving forward than Franmil Reyes. Reyes will be just 26-years old at the beginning of the season and will be in the arbitration process through the 2024 season. Essentially, he’s the offensive equivalent to Shane Bieber, at least contractually.

Reyes has had his own share of injuries and up-and-downs this year, but the overall picture is still very bright for him. The key to what he provides is obviously power. Like Ramirez, he’s nearing a career-high for home runs in a single season, needing nine more, and he’s just 26.

Cleveland has had power hitters fill the designated hitter role over the last decade, that hasn’t lacked, but they’ve been older. Travis Hafner was 28 the first time he hit over 30 home runs in a season. Jason Giambi was 42 during his 31-home run season in 2013. Mike Napoli was 34 for the World Series run in 2016. There just hasn’t been a youthful power hitter in the DH spot in a while.

Reyes is changing that. Not only has he exhibited power early in his career, but he’s showing that it’s both sustainable and improving. His boost in the lineup is something that should stay for a very long time in Cleveland.

Emmanuel Clase, CP, Cleveland Indians

Having a strong closer is a key aspect of any team. Having a closer that consistently clocks in at 100+ miles per hour is a huge plus. Throw in the fact that Emmanuel Clase will be just 24-years old at the start of the 2022 season and it’s clear to see why Clase should be a core piece of Cleveland baseball for the foreseeable future.

While we mentioned the favorable contracts of Bieber and Reyes who have team control left, it’s nothing compared to Clase. Clase doesn’t even start the arbitration process until the 2024 season. That means he’ll be under team control in Cleveland through the 2026 season. Translation, Cleveland could have their closer locked in for the next five years at least at a basement price.

It took Clase a bit to settle in this year. He hadn’t pitched since 2019 and that was only 21 games at the major league level. However, the last couple months have watched Clase harness the closer role. He’s allowed just one run since July 17, has walked just one since July 9 and has 11 saves since July 25, being perfect in save opportunities since that date.

Being so young and already established in a key role, Clase will be the cornerstone for the bullpen, without a doubt. He should be one of the better players in Cleveland for a long time.

Honorable Mentions: Zach Plesac, Amed Rosario, Myles Straw

I’m typically not a fan of honorable mentions, but there’s more than just five players who are current cornerstones for the Cleveland Indians.

Zach Plesac has the ability to be just as good as Bieber and Civale, he’s just lacked consistency. If he can get that improved and mature a bit – meaning no COVID party suspensions or taking off his uniform too aggressively – he has a chance to be a mainstay in the rotation. The potential is clearly there, he’s just a bit rough around the edges still, which should improve with time.

For Amed Rosario, this season has definitely been promising. His month of August was nothing short of incredible and he’s cleaned up his fielding as well. The only concern is can it be sustained? August was more of an outlier than fluke as he’s had a strong season at the plate, but there’s a lot of middle infield prospects who will be pushing for time in the near future.

Similarly, Myles Straw has looked solid since arriving in Cleveland. There’s a real chance he is the centerfielder of the future in Cleveland. However, his stats are really just a month sample. He’s doing much better with the Tribe than he did in Houston, but we need a larger sample size before we can commit to him being a cornerstone.