Huber.
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The 2020 Cleveland Indians
- Thread starter Steve_424
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TFIR
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Meet the Cleveland Indians’ best friend, their 2020 schedule
By Zack Meisel 3h ago 9
CLEVELAND — The Indians’ mad dash will commence on July 24, when Shane Bieber will likely toss the first pitch of the season nearly four months later than originally anticipated.
They’ll host the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field at 7:10 p.m. ET that Friday night. It won’t be an ordinary home opener, however. Those tend to take place on a weekday afternoon and are at the mercy of a typically unforgiving Mother Nature. There won’t be fans in attendance, either.
There are a lot of differences between what we’ll witness in 2020 and what we observe in a normal season. The season schedule has shrunk from 162 games to 60, and the Indians won’t travel any farther than Minneapolis. They’ll make two visits to Target Field to play the reigning AL Central-champion Twins.
Overall, though, the Indians’ schedule will be their friend. The regional limitations will keep the club playing only the AL and NL Central divisions, which explains why the Twins and Indians are blessed with the softest schedules in the league, based on last season’s final standings.
The AL Central breakdown
The Indians will play 10 games apiece against the Twins, White Sox, Royals and Tigers.
One way to frame it: One-third of their games will come against Kansas City and Detroit (in a normal season, those two opponents occupy about 23 percent of the schedule).
Another way to frame it: Those 20 games against Minnesota and Chicago will prove critical. The Indians went 10-9 against the Twins and 8-11 against the White Sox last season. Chicago all but booted the Indians from the wild-card chase the final week of September.
The Indians and Twins will play seven of their 10 games in Minnesota. The Indians and White Sox will play seven of their 10 games in Cleveland.
Game times are mostly standard, with many of the Indians’ home games beginning at 1:10 p.m., 6:10 p.m. or 7:10 p.m.
Let’s talk about those poor Tigers
This was an unfair bout last season, as the Indians racked up 18 wins in 19 meetings with Detroit. On April 10, 2019, way back in the Mesozoic Era, the Tigers defeated the Indians on a breezy, 42-degree afternoon at Comerica Park. Terry Francona’s batting order included such relics as Leonys Martín, Hanley Ramírez, Max Moroff and Eric Stamets.
Then, the Indians won the next 17 encounters between the clubs. That streak tied the franchise’s longest against a single opponent, previously set in 1954 against the Orioles. It marked their most victories against an opponent in a season in the divisional era (since 1994).
Over the last four years, the Indians are 58-17 against the Tigers, outscoring Detroit by a 439-217 margin. Since Sept. 1, 2017, the Indians have won 38 of 45 battles with the Tigers.
The Tigers do boast a handful of well-regarded starting pitching prospects, though it remains to be seen if they’ll debut in 2020.
It’s all about The Cup
The Indians were paired with the Pirates as 2020 rivals, so those two clubs will play six times: a three-game set at PNC Park in mid-August and a season-ending series in Cleveland in late September.
That leaves the Indians and Reds to duke it out four times, with possession of the vaunted Ohio Cup on the line. They’ll meet on consecutive days from Aug. 3-6, the first two at Great American Ball Park on the banks of the Ohio River.
The Indians have held the trophy since 2014 when Kristopher Negron powered Cincinnati to three wins in four games, the Reds’ only triumphant in-state season in the last 10 years. The Indians have emerged victorious in four of the last five seasons; the teams split four games in 2017. And, yes, the Indians still won the season series in 2018, despite the infamous O.T./O.P. bullpen fiasco.
The Reds’ visit to Cleveland will mark Trevor Bauer’s return to Progressive Field, his first visit since he wandered the ballpark during the Indians’ game against the Astros the night after the club dealt him to Cincinnati in a three-team trade last July.
Those other NL Central matchups
The Indians will face their 2016 World Series foes on four occasions, as they’ll host the Cubs on Aug. 11-12 and trek to Wrigley Field on Sept. 15-16. They’ll visit St. Louis at the end of August and then slide over to Kansas City for another three-game series. The Brewers will travel to Cleveland on Labor Day weekend.
The NL Central could be the most entertaining division in the league, with the Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs and Reds all vying for the top spot. There has been a different NL Central champion each of the last three years.
By Zack Meisel 3h ago 9
CLEVELAND — The Indians’ mad dash will commence on July 24, when Shane Bieber will likely toss the first pitch of the season nearly four months later than originally anticipated.
They’ll host the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field at 7:10 p.m. ET that Friday night. It won’t be an ordinary home opener, however. Those tend to take place on a weekday afternoon and are at the mercy of a typically unforgiving Mother Nature. There won’t be fans in attendance, either.
There are a lot of differences between what we’ll witness in 2020 and what we observe in a normal season. The season schedule has shrunk from 162 games to 60, and the Indians won’t travel any farther than Minneapolis. They’ll make two visits to Target Field to play the reigning AL Central-champion Twins.
Overall, though, the Indians’ schedule will be their friend. The regional limitations will keep the club playing only the AL and NL Central divisions, which explains why the Twins and Indians are blessed with the softest schedules in the league, based on last season’s final standings.
The AL Central breakdown
The Indians will play 10 games apiece against the Twins, White Sox, Royals and Tigers.
One way to frame it: One-third of their games will come against Kansas City and Detroit (in a normal season, those two opponents occupy about 23 percent of the schedule).
Another way to frame it: Those 20 games against Minnesota and Chicago will prove critical. The Indians went 10-9 against the Twins and 8-11 against the White Sox last season. Chicago all but booted the Indians from the wild-card chase the final week of September.
The Indians and Twins will play seven of their 10 games in Minnesota. The Indians and White Sox will play seven of their 10 games in Cleveland.
Game times are mostly standard, with many of the Indians’ home games beginning at 1:10 p.m., 6:10 p.m. or 7:10 p.m.
Let’s talk about those poor Tigers
This was an unfair bout last season, as the Indians racked up 18 wins in 19 meetings with Detroit. On April 10, 2019, way back in the Mesozoic Era, the Tigers defeated the Indians on a breezy, 42-degree afternoon at Comerica Park. Terry Francona’s batting order included such relics as Leonys Martín, Hanley Ramírez, Max Moroff and Eric Stamets.
Then, the Indians won the next 17 encounters between the clubs. That streak tied the franchise’s longest against a single opponent, previously set in 1954 against the Orioles. It marked their most victories against an opponent in a season in the divisional era (since 1994).
Over the last four years, the Indians are 58-17 against the Tigers, outscoring Detroit by a 439-217 margin. Since Sept. 1, 2017, the Indians have won 38 of 45 battles with the Tigers.
The Tigers do boast a handful of well-regarded starting pitching prospects, though it remains to be seen if they’ll debut in 2020.
It’s all about The Cup
The Indians were paired with the Pirates as 2020 rivals, so those two clubs will play six times: a three-game set at PNC Park in mid-August and a season-ending series in Cleveland in late September.
That leaves the Indians and Reds to duke it out four times, with possession of the vaunted Ohio Cup on the line. They’ll meet on consecutive days from Aug. 3-6, the first two at Great American Ball Park on the banks of the Ohio River.
The Indians have held the trophy since 2014 when Kristopher Negron powered Cincinnati to three wins in four games, the Reds’ only triumphant in-state season in the last 10 years. The Indians have emerged victorious in four of the last five seasons; the teams split four games in 2017. And, yes, the Indians still won the season series in 2018, despite the infamous O.T./O.P. bullpen fiasco.
The Reds’ visit to Cleveland will mark Trevor Bauer’s return to Progressive Field, his first visit since he wandered the ballpark during the Indians’ game against the Astros the night after the club dealt him to Cincinnati in a three-team trade last July.
Those other NL Central matchups
The Indians will face their 2016 World Series foes on four occasions, as they’ll host the Cubs on Aug. 11-12 and trek to Wrigley Field on Sept. 15-16. They’ll visit St. Louis at the end of August and then slide over to Kansas City for another three-game series. The Brewers will travel to Cleveland on Labor Day weekend.
The NL Central could be the most entertaining division in the league, with the Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs and Reds all vying for the top spot. There has been a different NL Central champion each of the last three years.
ncinthenext3
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Have to play the Cubs 4 times. Yes. I'm still bitter.
sportscoach
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@Derek @Out of the Rafters at the Q
Honestly i kind of see a slash line of .260/.310/.400 out of Mercado. 15-20 HRs, 25-30 SB for a full season of baseball. Thats what i was projecting him in my mind with solid defense. I think he will make less mistakes.
If i would inquire about his mental side of things. I have a hunch he was a so-so worker until the struggles forced him to be more than just an athlete and now that he has a chance to make it, I think he's learned more about what he needs to do. I think he will be fine. His presence felt different in Cleveland than it did with the Cardinals.
Honestly i kind of see a slash line of .260/.310/.400 out of Mercado. 15-20 HRs, 25-30 SB for a full season of baseball. Thats what i was projecting him in my mind with solid defense. I think he will make less mistakes.
If i would inquire about his mental side of things. I have a hunch he was a so-so worker until the struggles forced him to be more than just an athlete and now that he has a chance to make it, I think he's learned more about what he needs to do. I think he will be fine. His presence felt different in Cleveland than it did with the Cardinals.
Derek
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I think the slash line is pretty close, but a .400 SLG% and a .260 BA% translate much closer to about 10 HR. That SLG% would have ranked 126th out of the 137 guys with 500+ PA last year.
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Knock it off. You can criticize the substance of someone else's post, but making it personal will not fly here.
sportscoach
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Well it may end up being higher, I just took more of a random stab at it, but something in the .710 to .740 OPS at the end of the day make sense to me. Nothing special, but still solid at the end of the day.
Gson
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... mercado is an interesting choice and very pleasant surprise for the Indians in CF.. While there are two and perhaps more CF'ers on the squad and in the system that can defensively play the position as well or better.. Mercado's overall game reminds you of young michael brantley.. (Brantley was brought up for good in 2011 and slashed .266/.318/.701 compared to mercado's .269/.318/.761. Mercado is a better baserunner and faster.. Mercado has a better arm.. Brantley was and remains a much more instinctive ball player. Mercado's quick hands and bat support his original spot as a middle infielder.. but the growth from the start of 2019 to now.. has been eye opening. Brad Zimmer is fast approaching a put up or shut up say in being the CF'er of the future of the Indians because Mercado is making a strong claim to the spot..
Thoughts?..
Thoughts?..
Out of the Rafters at the Q
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My initial thought is that Mercado does not have the bat-to-ball skill Brantley possessed. Brantley does not have the athletic profile Mercado possesses. The comparison seems driven by convenient basic statistics and shouldn't be used as a projection of Mercado.
I completely agree that Oscar has been a pleasant surprise, and that Zimmer is close to being out of the league if he can't stay healthy.
TFIR
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Agree here - Brantley is a master of bat to ball skills - of course being the son of an MLB hitting coach.
The average OPS for a MLB centerfielder last season was .746. Mercados was .761.
Every projection I've seen has forecast a fairly severe regression...anywhere from .690 to .730.
Personally, from watching him successfully make adjustments once pitchers had worked him over a bit, I think those projections are pessimistic.
He had three months in which he was over .800 OPS, including Sept. He had one abysmal month, in which he was under .600, and one month right on his average. One bad month from which he rebounded very well.
To me, that doesnt signal a lot of regression.
Look at it backwards. If he had had an .760 OPS totally driven by a month which was 170 points above his average, wed be all talking major regression. But his numbers suggest the opposite.
I dont expect Mercado to be an elite player, but a defense first CF who puts up a .740-.750 OPS is an above average player...and if he played CF every day, he would be a well above average defensive player.
Mercado is also a lot faster than most fans think. Last season his outfield sprint speed was equal to Deshields, Billy Hamilton, Lweis Brinson, and Harrison Bader. That is an elite group.
Every projection I've seen has forecast a fairly severe regression...anywhere from .690 to .730.
Personally, from watching him successfully make adjustments once pitchers had worked him over a bit, I think those projections are pessimistic.
He had three months in which he was over .800 OPS, including Sept. He had one abysmal month, in which he was under .600, and one month right on his average. One bad month from which he rebounded very well.
To me, that doesnt signal a lot of regression.
Look at it backwards. If he had had an .760 OPS totally driven by a month which was 170 points above his average, wed be all talking major regression. But his numbers suggest the opposite.
I dont expect Mercado to be an elite player, but a defense first CF who puts up a .740-.750 OPS is an above average player...and if he played CF every day, he would be a well above average defensive player.
Mercado is also a lot faster than most fans think. Last season his outfield sprint speed was equal to Deshields, Billy Hamilton, Lweis Brinson, and Harrison Bader. That is an elite group.
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Obscured By Clouds
Milk, milk, lemonaide.........
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Mercado has all the markings of a 'late bloomer,' and if he sticks in CF he will be an above average player.
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Doesn't like cats?
Not the best way to get on one's radar.
This here establishment is very friendly to kitties and doggies both.
I reckon I will keep an eye out. Never know where one might end up.
sportscoach
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Mercado to me will never have the bat skills of Brantley, so I dont think the comparison is anywhere close. Brantley also isn't near the athlete, so he always had to work a lot harder in the field than Mercado has to at the end of the day. I'd say Mercado would be closer to Pillar or Kiermaier at the moment type of OF, but with a little less instincts in the OF, and greater bat potential.
Out of the Rafters at the Q
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Oh, Mercado's instincts in CF are a little less than Kevin Kiermaier's? You don't say...
Kiermaier has some of the best CF instincts in the game. Mercado is a converted IF. There's a grand canyon between the two of them in terms of instincts in the field.