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The 2021 Cleveland Baseball Organization

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With most teams right around 100 games played after playing just 60 last year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the last two seasons (2020 and 2021) combined stats.


Some stuff I found interesting:
- Jose Ramirez is tied for third among position players in fWAR with Ronald Acuna Jr. behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. and Trea Turner.
148 G
6.7 fWAR
143 wRC+
.269/.361/.555
38 HR
20 SB

- Cesar Hernandez has accumulated 3.5 fWAR in 153 games which would be the second most valuable season of his career.

- Shane Bieber is fifth among pitchers in fWAR behind deGrom, Burnes, Wheeler, and Woodruff.
26 GS
168 IP
5.5 fWAR
13.5 K/9
2.52 ERA

- Only three pitchers have pitched 200+ innings, German Marquez, Zack Wheeler, and Kyle Hendricks. 15 pitchers accomplished the same feat in 2019.

- James Karinchak is 10th among relievers in fWAR
73 G
71.1 IP
1.8 fWAR
15.4 K/9
2.78 ERA
 
That deep dive also jogged my memory about somebody on here fighting vigorously to say that Zack Wheeler wasn't a good pitcher when the Phillies signed him prior to last season.
 
Well this sucks. Hope Tito gets better in time for 2021!
 
Fangraphs posted an article on everyone’s favorite topic, the potential 40 man crunch. Contains their list of must protects, fringe prospects, and who is at risk of being removed from the 40 man (interesting he doesn’t list Mercado in that last spot).

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/40-man-crunch-situations-american-league/
So they have 44 on the roster now, including the four guys on IR. Subtract Cesar but the guy we traded him for needs a spot so we're still at 44. Letting Eddie Rosario and Bryan Shaw walk after the season gives us 42. Add the seven names they listed as "must roster" puts us at 49. So we need to leave nine players unprotected or released if we don't trade somebody for a non-roster guy.

I would release Chang and Parker from the "40-man fringe" group. I would release six of the seven players from the "prospects on the fringe" group, keeping only Noel. That leaves one more to go and it would be between Daniel Johnson and Richie Palacios, the "positionless bat". I believe Palacios is listed as a second baseman and we are loaded with middle infielders.

Another option is to let Harold Ramirez go. He's a .280 singles hitter with no power, a low OBP, and is marginal defensively. There is also a strong possibility that Josh Naylor will start the season on the IR, which buys them some time to make a decision on that final spot.

I wouldn't release Hedges or Perez.
 
When you look back over the last two years or so, this organization has just gone thru a tremendous amount of flux. Such that a poorly run org would implode.

1) Loss of key management staff for long periods of time(Tito)
2) Loss of minority owner(Sherman)
3) Full change in branding
4) Discussions of possibility of sale of organization and potential move
5) Discussions over major changes to facility organization uses
6) Loss of key contributing employees(Kluber, Brantley, Kipnis, Clevenger, Bauer, CC, Lindor)
7) COVID impacts to revenue
 
That deep dive also jogged my memory about somebody on here fighting vigorously to say that Zack Wheeler wasn't a good pitcher when the Phillies signed him prior to last season.

"He's not good. He's a number 3 starter who just got ace money. I don't know what makes you think he's good. He's average at best and thats pushing it. Its possible for players to have good "Stuff" but not be good pitchers."

Fast forward essentially 1 season's worth of starts later and he's #3 in SP fWAR
 
So they have 44 on the roster now, including the four guys on IR. Subtract Cesar but the guy we traded him for needs a spot so we're still at 44. Letting Eddie Rosario and Bryan Shaw walk after the season gives us 42. Add the seven names they listed as "must roster" puts us at 49. So we need to leave nine players unprotected or released if we don't trade somebody for a non-roster guy.

I would release Chang and Parker from the "40-man fringe" group. I would release six of the seven players from the "prospects on the fringe" group, keeping only Noel. That leaves one more to go and it would be between Daniel Johnson and Richie Palacios, the "positionless bat". I believe Palacios is listed as a second baseman and we are loaded with middle infielders.

Another option is to let Harold Ramirez go. He's a .280 singles hitter with no power, a low OBP, and is marginal defensively. There is also a strong possibility that Josh Naylor will start the season on the IR, which buys them some time to make a decision on that final spot.

I wouldn't release Hedges or Perez.
I suspect a few names were overlooked in different parts..
  • DJ Johnson is on thin ice (with Blake Parker & a few other relief arms).
  • I believe that 1 of Harold Ramirez/ Jordan Luplow will be looking for a new organization by mid-November (deadline to set roster for the R5 in early December).
  • I also believe that at least 1 (more likely 2) of Zimmer/ Mercado/ Daniel Johnson will gone as well..
  • Jose Tena will be protected (even if the rest of the SS/ INF depth remains thru the trade deadline)..

@Wham with the Right Hand
I am not following your math for the roster moves.
You talk about not protecting (you used the word 'release') six of the seven players from the "prospects on the fringe", but those players ARE NOT on the 40 man roster. So deciding not to protect them does not reduce the 40 man roster group. Your still @48 names on the 40 man roster..
 
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I'd rather see Oscar Mercado get at bats over Harold Ramirez...perhaps he'll never be of any real impact, but Oscar has more upside (actually a plus defender for a start).
 
I'd rather see Oscar Mercado get at bats over Harold Ramirez...perhaps he'll never be of any real impact, but Oscar has more upside (actually a plus defender for a start).
I agree if Oscar can just get back to what he was in 2019 he would be the best OF on the team
 
I agree if Oscar can just get back to what he was in 2019 he would be the best OF on the team
If we could go back to 2019, we wouldn’t have endured a horrible pandemic. Can’t go back in time.
 

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