They aren’t lovable losers anymore and potentially the Chicago Cubs could once again be the last and most difficult hurdle for the Cleveland Indians to leap in the quest to win their first World Series championship since 1948. Normally, Indians fans wouldn’t care a whole lot about how the Indians stack up against the Cubs. Usually, the two teams wouldn’t meet each other during the regular season and that remains the same for 2017, but things have changed since last Fall. Both teams have realistic goals of winning a championship. Now, how good or bad the Cubs are in 2017 could very well make a difference on how successful the season ends for the Indians if these two teams meet for a rematch in the World Series. The defending champs head into the new season as the Las Vegas favorite to repeat with the Indians and Red Sox favored to be just slightly behind to win it all. However, the games are played on the field and much can change before next October.
Starting Pitching
The Cubs starting staff will again be a fearsome group that includes lefty Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and lefties Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson providing depth in the rotation. Lester has been a stud pitcher in his playoffs career despite his refusal to throw over to first base. Hendricks and Arrieta could easily be the top two pitchers on most other teams with Lackey also offering a wealth of play-off and regular season experience. This staff simply is among the best in baseball. Perhaps the only concern is the health of Lackey who is now 38, but he still had an outstanding season in 2016 with a record of 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA and 180 Ks in 188.1 innings.
The Indians return their entire rotation with ace Corey Kluber leading the way and Carlos Carrasco poised for a big year if healthy. Health and durability is the only concern with Danny Salazar who has all the talent necessary to be a big-time pitcher. Trevor Bauer still has some questions about his makeup and effectiveness as a starter and the gritty Josh Tomlin anchors on what collectively is considered another outstanding collective group of starters. Mike Clevinger will prepare as a starter and what his role to start the season isn’t entirely certain yet. He could wind up in Columbus or make the Indians roster working out of the bullpen or in the rotation if an injury occurs.
Advantage: Cubs
Defense
The Indian defense is led by Gold Glove winner Francisco Lindor (who is ranked as the best player in all of MLB by Fangraphs.com advanced statistics) at short and Jose Ramirez likely playing a full season at third. Lindor’s defensive ability at a prime defensive position on the diamond is a tremendous advantage when balls are hit in play. Catchers Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez are among the better defensive catchers in baseball and consistently block balls thrown in the dirt by the pitching staff. The Indians will miss the defense of Rajai Davis in center, but also have good team speed at every position in the outfield including the potential return of Michael Brantley in left field. Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer remain solid as outfielder. Jason Kipnis played a solid second base in 2016, perhaps his best so far in the field. Perhaps the only weakness is at first base with newcomer Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana sharing first base duties.
Jason Heyward in right field and Anthony Rizzo at first base were NL Gold Glove winners in 2016 and Addison Russell is a potential Gold Glover at short. David Ross is retired and will be missed somewhat behind the plate, but the Cubs have good options with Wilson Contreras and Miguel Montero behind the plate. Kyle Schwarber is listed as the third catcher on the club’s depth chart.
Advantage: Indians
Offense
Chicago scored 808 in the regular season to rank second in the National League in 2016, averaging 4.98 runs a game. They hit 199 home runs and slashed .256/.343/.429 (.772 OPS) during the regular season. Chicago is lead by National League Kris Bryant who lead the league with a 7.7 WAR in 2016. Sluggers Rizzo and a full season of Schwarber will make it very tough for pitchers faced with a jam plus, the Cubs still have World Series MVP Ben Zobrist who hit 18 home runs and 76 RBI. It’s an offense that will be tough to get out. Of course, the Indians also feature a lineup that should be tough all the way through and landed the off season’s biggest free-agent slugger Encarnacion to replace Mike Napoli as the cleanup hitter.
The Tribe ranked second in the American League in runs scored with 777 to average about 4.83 runs per game. The balanced attack is led by Ramirez, Santana, Kipnis, and Lindor. Role players including Guyer, Abraham Almonte will also get favorable match-ups in a platoon situations. It remains to be seen if Gomes can return to a serviceable level offensively and who knows what to expect from Brantley, but this team scored a lot of runs in 2016 and added more pieces than it lost. The addition of Encarnacion could take the offense to a new level if hit hits like he has for the past five seasons.
Advantage: Indians (slightly)
Relief Pitching
Lefty Andrew Miller might just be the most valuable relief pitcher in baseball. His versatility and reliability to pitch in any critical situation in a game in enormous. He shuts down the best in baseball with routine effectiveness. His performance in the playoffs last year could almost put him in the mix as a sleeper MVP candidate in 2017. It probably won’t happen, because he won’t be pitching 160 innings like that, but you get the point and he will be around for a full season rather than as a mid-season pick-up. Then you have a dominant closer with Cody Allen locking down the ninth inning and sometimes a little bit more. Bryan Shaw, love him or hate him, is one of the game’s most reliable setup relievers. Dan Otero and the addition of lefty Boone Logan make this bullpen perhaps the best in MLB.
Gone from the Cubs bullpen is lefty flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and his 100-plus MPH fastball, but the Cubs did well to acquire Wade Davis who had 27 saves in 2016, 47 Ks and a 1.87 ERA in 43.1 innings for the Royals. The Cubs also have other solid relievers including Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. and added veteran Koji Uehara to the mix.
Advantage: Indians
Overall
There aren’t many real holes on either teams and both are capable of winning it all in 2017. The Cubs would seem to have better starting pitching and that is a key advantage throughout the course of a 162-game season, but good pitching by Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin and a potentially dominating bullpen crew can counter that. In addition, Terry Francona has to be considered among the best managers (if not the best) in baseball. The addition of Encarnacion gives the Indians more power and better overall hitting from the cleanup position than they had before. If Brantley can play in 120 games or more and put up 15-plus homers and hit a respectable .275 or higher with 75-plus RBI, then look out MLB, especially as Santana is primed to have another big season headed into his free-agent year. Ramirez should settle in nicely as the everyday third baseman and he and Lindor haven’t even enter their prime.
The Indians will miss the speedy Davis on the base paths, but this team still has plus-speed and good defense all around the field. The Cubs get a full season of Schwarber and haven’t lost much else other than Chapman. Their power hitters with Rizzo and Bryant also will make life miserable for opposing pitchers, however, it is extremely difficult to repeat as champion. The Cubs have the curse thing off their back, so it will be interesting to see how they now respond as a front runner. Will they still have that same fire in the belly? The Indians have that sour taste of defeat still remaining in their system and what better motivation is there than to come so close but falling just short.
Advantage: Indians
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