As we do every month during the season, Burning River Baseball brings you the June Player Power Rankings. These rankings are exclusively based on actual production during the month, not potential, and include the entire 25 man roster. After each name is a comparison of how they did compared to their expectations of either Above, Even or Below followed by their movement from the previous rankings.
1. Jose Ramirez – Above – ↑3
From June 3rd through the end of the month, Ramirez raised his line from .283/.347/.476 to .321/.376/.556 largely thanks to a seven game streak with at least two hits and one extra base hit and an extended 10 game hitting streak. Six times in June he had three hit games and besides all that offense, he’s posted a 12.8 UZR/150 at third base, up considerably from his 5.7 last year.
2. Corey Kluber – Above – UnRanked
Kluber made just one start in May, allowed five runs and left after three. In June, he’s rejoined the race for best pitcher in the American League with six starts covering 43 innings. In those starts he allowed just six earned runs and struck out 64 while walking only seven. Despite the missed month, he now leads the team in K’s and is 5th in the AL. His FIP is the best since his Cy Young season and his WHIP is under 1.000 for the first time in his career. This is peak Kluber right now and he’s setting records that show it may be the peak for an Indians pitcher.
3. Carlos Carrasco – Below – ↓2
Carrasco had both his best start of the year (10 K’s, 0 R, 0 BB in 6 IP) and his worst (8 R in 3.1 IP) in June leading to a disappointing 5.68 ERA. He’s now had three games this season where he has allowed five or more runs in less than five innings and ten games where he’s at least made it into the sixth and allowed two or fewer runs, leaving just two starts that could be considered average. While this leaves his season numbers among the American League leaders, his performances have been far more variable than they were in 2016, much more like his 2015 campaign.
4. Francisco Lindor – Below – ↓2
Lindor started the season as the Tribe’s hottest hitter, but he took a huge hit in June, batting .214 for the month with ten extra base hits. Recently, there has been reason to think he’s turning things around as he’s been hitting more line drives and had multiple two hit games to end the month.
5. Lonnie Chisenhall – Above – UR
Every season, it seems like Chisenhall has a short period of greatness followed by months of mediocre play. So far this year, however, he’s been able to keep playing at an elite level despite multiple stints on the DL. For the season, he’s been the second best offensive performer behind Ramirez (he ranks behind Lindor because of their defensive values) and from June 15th through the 27th, he went on one of his super hot streaks batting .417/.472/.646 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI.
6. Andrew Miller – Even – ↓1
June was, statistically, one of Miller’s worst months ever, but he was still overall an incredible pitcher. In one game against the Dodgers he allowed four earned runs and that ballooned his monthly ERA to 3.60 and stuck him with his second loss in as many games. Since then, he’s allowed one run in 7.2 innings while striking out 15. It just goes to show that everyone gets hit sometime.
7. Cody Allen – Even – 0
Like Miller and a few others in the Tribe bullpen, Allen had a bit of a rough month. After saving eight of nine chances in May, he only had one save opportunity in June and blew two tie games. He still had impressive K numbers, striking out 12 in 10.1 innings, but he allowed four earned runs in his final four appearances in the month.
8. Edwin Encarnacion – Above – ↑
Release the parrot! As expected by everyone who bothered to look, Encarnacion was finally the hitter the Indians paid $60M for in June, leading the team with 7 home runs and second with 20 RBI while batting a very surprising .322. Most importantly (since he was hitting home runs even when struggling), he walked more than he struck out in June.
9. Bradley Zimmer – Above – ↑10
The Indians added five major pieces back from the DL in June, bumping many mainstays down in the rankings, but no one did more pushing than Zimmer, who played his first full Major League month. After playing just 14 games in May, he had an opportunity for more playing time with the many outfield injuries and hit .282/.349/.410 for the month with four steals (never caught), two home runs and four doubles.
10. Michael Brantley – Even – ↓7
Brantley’s drop in the rankings is essentially a reflection of his missed time in June (he played just ten games), the return of a couple players off the DL and the offensive explosion of Ramirez and Zimmer. Next month, he’ll probably be back in the top five.
11. Mike Clevinger – Even – 1↓
Thanks to a lack of options in the Indians rotation, Clevinger has been the man who had to be sent back and forth this season out of the rotation and yet this hasn’t appeared to affect his performance. In his last three starts, he’s thrown 15 innings and allowed just four runs, striking out 17. On the season, his numbers place him as the Tribe’s third best starter, light years ahead of Tomlin and Bauer. Despite this, he’s the most likely to lose a spot when Salazar returns.
12. Bryan Shaw – Above – ↓4
Shaw has been pretty good all season, but he was excellent in June. He allowed just three runs all month in 15.2 innings, striking out 14 and walking five. In his final five appearances of the month, he earned his second save of the year, his second win and his 11th hold without allowing a run and only two hit.
13. Carlos Santana – Below – ↓7
As great as the Indians offense was in June, that Santana wasn’t part of it was a big surprise. He batted just .219 and slugged only .344 with just one double from May 26th through June 25th despite hitting 15 in his first 45 games.
14. Jason Kipnis – Below – ↓3
Continuing on the same vein, despite still hitting at the top of the lineup, Kipnis had an awful month. He hit under .250 and didn’t stand out in any facet of the game. At the moment, the former All-Star has to be considered one of the Indians worst regular hitters.
15. Nick Goody – Even – ↓3
While he gave up his perfect ERA in June with four separate appearances allowing one or more runs, Goody has still been a solid reliever. He really got back on track to end the month with 8 strike outs in his last 3.1 innings, allowing just one walk and one hit.
16. Zach McAllister – Even – ↓3
McAllister has finally been used in a few close games and he earned his first hold in June after being exclusively relegated to mop up duty in the first two months. He’s been nearly perfect every time out, but when he’s had trouble things have gotten really bad. In three appearances, he allowed 8 runs in four innings. In his other 23 appearances and 30.1 innings, he’s allowed just two runs.
17. Trevor Bauer – Even – ↑2
Bauer ended the month on a strong point, beating the Rangers with a 6.1 inning, one run start, but overall, it was a back and forth June. He had one start killed by rain, but otherwise had three starts where he pitched at least into the 6th and allowed two or fewer runs to go along with two starts of four and five runs allowed. This is fairly indicative of his season as a whole as he’s either been great or awful with little in between.
18. Dan Otero – Below – ↓1
June started off terribly for Otero, who allowed five runs (one earned) in 0.1 innings in his first appearance of the month. His worst appearance of the season came later in the month when he allowed two hits to the Dodgers without recording an out. Both runners would score off the next reliever and the Dodgers would go on to win the game by two. All the same, Otero lowered his ERA slightly and has been useful as Terry Francona‘s first man out of the pen when a starter gets in trouble early.
19. Boone Logan – Above – ↓5
Like Miller and Allen, Logan had an impressive average against and K-rate, but didn’t have the ERA to match this month. Like both Indians other elite relievers, Logan lumped together a poor stretch, giving up single runs in three straight appearances before shutting out the opposition during his last six appearances without allowing a walk and just one hit. Given his overall dominance and Miller’s use so far this season, there’s definitely an argument that we should be seeing a lot more Logan.
20. Yan Gomes – Below – ↓12
Gomes was arguably the Indians best offensive performer in May, a month that saw the Indians have some issues offensively. Things were significantly better for the team in June, but not for Gomes, who hit just .200/.267/.236 without a home run, dropping back to .222/.305/.353 for the season. Based on his performance since 2015, it’s very possible that May was the outlier and this is the norm.
21. Erik Gonzalez – Above – ↑2
Gonzalez has barely played this season, but considering he was supposed to be a defense first player who’s best quality was being able to play seven positions, he’s been hitting greatly above expectations. Gonzalez is the perfect utility man and he should fill that role for the Tribe for the rest of the year.
22. Brandon Guyer – Even – UR
Guyer only played a couple games at the end of the month after returning from an extended trip to the DL, but he already has a couple hits, so he looks better than he did to start the season.
23. Roberto Perez – Even – ↑2
With the Indians catchers you have to grasp at any positives available and Perez has seen a slight uptick in his season numbers, bumping his average from .127 to .178 in June and more impressively, hit .353/.476/.529 with two doubles and four walks over his final five games of the month. Since both Indians catchers are signed long term and Francisco Mejia is at least a year away, any improvement at the position will have to come directly from Perez and Gomes themselves.
24. Josh Tomlin – Below – ↓8
While the primary topic of Tribe trade rumors is starting pitching, people are generally afraid to mention who exactly needs replacing. Tomlin was absolutely terrible in June and, despite three good starts in May, still has an ERA over six. While a trade is unlikely, Salazar is starting his rehab assignment soon and is expected to rejoin the rotation upon his return. If he doesn’t replace Tomlin, someone needs to question the Indians priorities.
25. Shawn Armstrong – Above – ↓2
Armstrong spent very little time with the team in June and when he was around, it was largely part of an 8+ man bullpen with limited opportunities to pitch. He ended up with 2.1 innings in the month, but allowed just one hit and no runs.
No Longer With Us
DL
Danny Salazar – Even
Austin Jackson – Above
AAA Columbus
Adam Plutko – DNP
Daniel Robertson – Below
Giovanny Urshela – Even
Ryan Merritt – Even
Kyle Crockett – Below
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
