2016 was a magical year, wasn’t it? The City of Cleveland experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows within a five-month period. While the Cavaliers were able to bring Cleveland a title for the first time since December 27, 1964, the Indians were not able to completely mimic their success. Losing in extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series for the second time in franchise history hurts, there’s no denying that.
The Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series, there, I said it. It’s going to hurt forever. We just watched the Indians blow a golden opportunity, and not one that comes along frequently. How should we feel after this? I can’t speak for every one of you, I can only speak for myself. This World Series broke me, again, but in the same token it gave me hope for the future.
The 2017 Cleveland Indians will very closely resemble the American League Champions of 2016. There certainly are areas of need and some areas where the Indians should be very comfortable about their future about. The team must figure out the center field position, and quickly if they would like to remain a World Series contender. Tyler Naquin had a good rookie season, however in the big scheme of things he should be nothing more than a fourth outfielder on a championship ball club. Teams that expect to win cannot feature a player that routinely swings through 91-mph fastballs. That need is the second most glaring in my opinion.
The biggest need that the 2017 Indians have is to stay healthy. I know that this is something not controlled by the front office or the amount of money ownership spends, but it could have been the difference between losing the World Series this year and winning it next year. Michael Brantley specifically is a giant question mark heading into Spring Training. Hopefully those things will take care of themselves, and time will tell if they do.
When you look back on the 2016 season that the Indians put forth, there should be many positive memories, from the 14 game winning streak coinciding with the Cavs championship run, Naquin’s walk off inside-the-park home run, and the incredible journey through the playoffs. Even with those incredible things, there should be something left to be desired, a championship.
This one is going to sting for a while Tribe fans. Brighter days are going to follow. If the Cubs can win a World Series after 108 years, there’s no reason that the Indians won’t be able to break their drought, too.
Lastly, I’d like to give the Indians a special personal thanks for this run they went on. On a personal level, I wanted the Indians to reach the World Series. As a fan, that was my goal for the team. I wanted an opportunity for October 25, 2016 to be one of the greatest days in Cleveland’s history, and it was. That day may never be recreated in any other city, if it ever does happen again, let’s hope it’s in Cleveland, OH, the City of Champions.
Oh, yeah, and by the Indians run carrying over into the NBA season, it’s almost as if the Cleveland Browns don’t exist this year, which is all Cleveland fans really should be asking for.
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