2021 Spring Training Thread

[CATS44]

If I had to guess right now, with what we have right now (which is IMO still subject to change), these are the 13 position players for opening day.

Berto and Hedges
Reyes, JRam, Hernandez, ARosa
Mercado, ERosa, Luplow, Naylor.
Freeman, Bauers, Hamilton

There may be a 14th player temporarily, if our fifth SP isn't activated immediately.

This won't be the roster by mid May, so don't jump off a bridge.

Some on the opening day roster won't be on the 40 man by the break.

Tito tries to put youngsters in situations that give them the best chance to succeed...Cleveland in April does not fit the bill.

Zimmer has had the grand total of 110 at bats since May 2018.

 

[MadThinker88]

@CATS44
Your point about not needing the 5th starter immediately is interesting..
The Tribe could use that time to adjust service time for 1 of the starters (TMac or Cal Q) or use the time to help manage the innings workload for TMac on the season. Skipping TMac for 2 or 3 starts in April could enable him to go an extra 10 to 18 innings later in the season...

 

[Criznit]

I guesss everything is subject to Chang eh? lol

At the moment, I see a different lineup honestly mostly because of where guys have played a lot in the past.

1B-Winner of Naylor, Bauers and Bradley competition.

I have Naylor higher, but we don't know how the other two progressed and they either make it or they are off the roster honestly.

2B-Hernandez, 3B-JRam, Catcher- Perez/Hedges are set in stone in my mind.

Eddie Rosario, I am actually putting in LF, 5K innings there, only 500 in RF. Also Cleveland has gotten away with a weaker LF a fair amount and it hasn't hurt them.

RF - Platoon of DJ and Luplow-DJ is a plus RF, but struggles against lefties, so it will be a platoon there.

SS at the moment will be Amed Rosario, while CF is Mercado.

Reyes is DH a that sometimes fields.

If I had to guess right now, with what we have right now (which is IMO still subject to change), these are the 13 position players for opening day.

Berto and Hedges
Reyes, JRam, Hernandez, ARosa
Mercado, ERosa, Luplow, Naylor.
Freeman, Bauers, Hamilton

There may be a 14th player temporarily, if our fifth SP isn't activated immediately.

This won't be the roster by mid May, so don't jump off a bridge.

Some on the opening day roster won't be on the 40 man by the break.

Tito tries to put youngsters in situations that give them the best chance to succeed...Cleveland in April does not fit the bill.

Zimmer has had the grand total of 110 at bats since May 2018.

Don't necessarily disagree but adding Hamilton and/or Freeman requires 40 man manipulation. It is really hard for me to see Freeman surpass Chang as a utility option at this point.

 

[CATS44]

Agree that the 40 man is a problem, a problem that is gonna get worse, unless we make some trades.

At the moment the most vulnerable seem to be Beau Taylor, Humphreys, and Stephen. I'd add Plutko, but minus Cookie, we are likely to need him as a warm body for rotation depth.

Taylor might not be a big problem. We could already have an agreement with him to release him, and immediately re-sign him for Columbus, with a small financial incentive.

Humphreys is a waiver pick up from the National League. Hes already been passed on by all the NL teams and most in the AL, so there's a decent chance we could hold onto him.

Stephan is a Rule Five from the Yankees. Hed have to pass thru waivers, and then we'd have to offer him back. It may be a possible that he could pass thru waivers and we could work a deal with NY to keep him.

I dont know if the Indians view him as a legit SP prospect that they wish could be finagled back to the minors for some development or merely a middle reliever that is ready now.

So IMO we probably have room for two...and MAYBE three...additions to the 40 man, without losing anything.

 

[MadThinker88]

Agree that the 40 man is a problem, a problem that is gonna get worse, unless we make some trades.

At the moment the most vulnerable seem to be Beau Taylor, Humphreys, and Stephen. I'd add Plutko, but minus Cookie, we are likely to need him as a warm body for rotation depth.

Taylor might not be a big problem. We could already have an agreement with him to release him, and immediately re-sign him for Columbus, with a small financial incentive.

Humphreys is a waiver pick up from the National League. Hes already been passed on by all the NL teams and most in the AL, so there's a decent chance we could hold onto him.

Stephan is a Rule Five from the Yankees. Hed have to pass thru waivers, and then we'd have to offer him back. It may be a possible that he could pass thru waivers and we could work a deal with NY to keep him.

I dont know if the Indians view him as a legit SP prospect that they wish could be finagled back to the minors for some development or merely a middle reliever that is ready now.

So IMO we probably have room for two...and MAYBE three...additions to the 40 man, without losing anything.

Let's not forget, a serious enough injury in spring training might open a spot as well - players onto the 60 day IL do not count toward the 40 man roster

 

[CATS44]

That's true, Mad, but its not something to wish for.

 

[MadThinker88]

That's true, Mad, but its not something to wish for.

I'm not wishing for it either. Just don't want to remove a player from the 40 man too soon (& possibly losing a player) for adding some of the NRIs to the 40 man when the situation might "work itself out" & CLE can keep all its players..

 

[CDAV45]

Don't necessarily disagree but adding Hamilton and/or Freeman requires 40 man manipulation. It is really hard for me to see Freeman surpass Chang as a utility option at this point.

Why would they add Hamilton unless they feel there are no other options and if there are no other options than Hamilton might that signal that we're F'd?

We trade Lindor and Cookie. We're told that due to Lindor's cost with only 1 yr remaining that he isn't worth much because prospects are so highly valued. So valued in fact, that we had to give Cookie away to get any value at all for Lindor. I've come to accept that. Having accepted that along with the knowledge that the farm system is loaded and headed for a roster crunch soon, why can't a need be addressed? I understand that Cleveland is unable to take on an expensive contract, but it's hard to imagine there isn't another team to work with that has a player that Cleveland can afford.

Mike Freeman isn't going to make a difference on the season's outcome, but he's a pretty good utility guy. If he can give us close to what he did in 2019 then he should probably win the job. He didn't perform as well in 2020, but I give little credence to that f'd up season.

 

[petes999]

We will have plenty of 40 man spots for April. IF a OF NRI makes it, it means Bauers or Zimmer are dead weight and cant be 4th / 5th guy. In pen, if someone makes it who bombed last year like Shaw, then Hill is on 60day or Stephan is returned. Then you always have Taylor who can sneak through waivers till roster is sorted out. And, if he is claimed, there are others who will accept AAA 3rd catcher role. Not a huge loss.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Agree that the 40 man is a problem, a problem that is gonna get worse, unless we make some trades.

At the moment the most vulnerable seem to be Beau Taylor, Humphreys, and Stephen. I'd add Plutko, but minus Cookie, we are likely to need him as a warm body for rotation depth.

Taylor might not be a big problem. We could already have an agreement with him to release him, and immediately re-sign him for Columbus, with a small financial incentive.

Humphreys is a waiver pick up from the National League. Hes already been passed on by all the NL teams and most in the AL, so there's a decent chance we could hold onto him.

Stephan is a Rule Five from the Yankees. Hed have to pass thru waivers, and then we'd have to offer him back. It may be a possible that he could pass thru waivers and we could work a deal with NY to keep him.

I dont know if the Indians view him as a legit SP prospect that they wish could be finagled back to the minors for some development or merely a middle reliever that is ready now.

So IMO we probably have room for two...and MAYBE three...additions to the 40 man, without losing anything.

I think there's an excellent chance not a single name mentioned in this post appears in an Indians box score this year, or if they do, it will be for a cup of coffee. Hope I'm wrong and somebody turns out to be the next Manship, Atkinson, or Ollie Perez.

 

[petes999]

IndianPro tweeted that these are the depth guys for ST. Biggest surprise for me is no Bracho (behind Palacios?) and Nick M being called on (shows he is highly thought of). As for Call, they needed someone to shag flies I guess. Shows how weak our OF depth is. Would have thought this would be a good time to start seeing if Bracho could do the transition (quicker route to Biggs with a good bat right?). Call actually is not even on roster resources depth chart for us.

 

[MadThinker88]

IndianPro tweeted that these are the depth guys for ST. Biggest surprise for me is no Bracho (behind Palacios?) and Nick M being called on (shows he is highly thought of). As for Call, they needed someone to shag flies I guess. Shows how weak our OF depth is. Would have thought this would be a good time to start seeing if Bracho could do the transition (quicker route to Biggs with a good bat right?). Call actually is not even on roster resources depth chart for us.

Just finished adding those names to chart on opening page..

With addition of Billy Hamilton as an NRI, CLE has 71 spots of max 75 spots filled for spring training camp.

Let's say Bracho called into camp - how much time does he actually get playing with all the other INF options???
I suspect Rocchio added to help make up for lost time last season out of country.
Same might also be a case for Fermin & Palacios & most of the others as I don't recall them part of the camp in Lake County last summer. I recall Valera being in the camp but that's it for the group.

Edit #2: One other thought: @ 55 players in camp are making up either the MLB or AAA Columbus roster for starting the season in early April. It doesn't leave too many extra spots to give additional development time & reps

 

[Criznit]

Forgot who Andres Melendez was. 19 yrs old and the return for the Mark Mathias trade in Nov. 2019. Interesting.

Andres Melendez, C
Age: 18

Melendez just missed making the Arizona League Top 20 Prospects list as a potentially elite defensive catcher. He drew raves from AZL scouts for his ability to catch and handle a pitching staff, especially for someone who just turned 18 before the start of the season. His game management skills are advanced, and he shows good feel for the game. His plus-plus arm is substantiated up by the 30 percent of runners that he threw out. Melendez has plenty of work to do to get his bat to a point where he’s not regarded as just a catch-and-throw backstop, but he's flashed enough bat speed and shown batting practice power. Melendez’s defense will carry him through the minors, but if his bat develops then he may have a major league future ahead of him.

 

[2Tall]

The plans are in flux.. however, it looks like fans are going to be permitted with face masks and seating restrictions.

example from the Arizona Republic:
Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear. Home of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds:

• 22% capacity, allowing 2,268 fans instead of the usual 10,311.
• Face masks required for everyone 2 years old and up, except when eating or drinking.
• Socially distanced "pod" seating for groups of up to six people.
• No bags allowed other than medical bags, diaper bags and clutch purses.
• Plexiglass will be installed between concession workers and fans. Contactless payment systems are planned to be installed.
• Staff will wear face coverings and gloves and complete daily COVID-19 self-screenings.

.

Significant changes to infection/hospitalization rates will be met with draconian responses..

I appreciate this - I'll be in the general area sometime during ST as was thinking it may be an option (hopefully I'll have been vaccinated by then).

 

[Gson]

I appreciate this - I'll be in the general area sometime during ST as was thinking it may be an option (hopefully I'll have been vaccinated by then).

Good luck and enjoy.. keep your eyes open for Indians old timers and some timers in the stands.. & down the left field line.. enjoy an ice cream novelty.. it will cool you off from the mid 80's temps.. *(envy)... lol..