<![CDATA[The Indians overall defensive versatility makes it difficult to pigeon hole most players into a single position. You can call Jose Ramirez a third baseman, but he was also used at second, short and in the outfield last year. Yandy Diaz may be considered an outfielder now, but he was a third baseman for years and has also played second. At first base, things are a little simpler.
The Indians Major League roster is set with Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion expected to get nearly all the starts at 1B and DH throughout the year. It is conceivable that Santana could play in the outfield during interleague play, but Terry Francona has already said that it isn’t a priority and he is not working out at the position, despite playing in a National League park for the second series of the regular season. These two are locked in their corner with little chance of leaving and no chance of competition from within. That being said, here are the Indians options beyond the big two should such a need arise this year or in the future.
Chris Colabello
Last year, Jesus Aguilar got the majority of AAA starts at 1B with Ronny Rodriguez getting some play as well. Since Aguilar is gone and Rodriguez is better suited for other positions, Spring Training invitee Colabello could be the Indians best back-up option should he accept an assignment to Columbus once the season starts.
He has a great story against adversity as he played in independent ball from 2005 through 2011, when he was signed by the Twins. He quickly worked through the Twins minor league system to make his MLB debut in 2013, then broke out with the Blue Jays in 2015 after being selected from waivers. Unfortunately, this turnaround was not completely natural and he was suspended for half of the 2016 season for a failed PED test. When he played in 2016, he looked a lot more like the Twins 2013 version than the Blue Jays 2015 version and there have to be many questions about whether or not he will ever be able to hack it in the Majors.
Colabello will play for team Italy during the World Baseball Classic this year as he did in 2013, so we should get a chance to see how he plays against world class competition. Even at his best, however, he should only be considered a short term emergency option during the regular season.
Nellie Rodriguez
With Aguilar in Milwaukee, Rodriguez is the new Jesus (who was the new Matt LaPorta). The Indians have shown no haste in advancing Rodriguez as he has spent essentially one full season at each level, starting in the AZL in 2012 at 18 years old. He has very exciting power, especially against minor leaguers, but will be playing his first games in AAA when the season begins this year.
The 2016 season was the second that Nellie played in Akron and he played the entire year there, posting his best season as a minor leaguer with 26 home runs and a .250/.352/.474 line. The problem comes in the fact that he struck out 186 times in 132 games compared to just 75 walks despite being the most imposing hitter in the Rubberducks line-up. It’s hard to see his numbers improve at a higher level although it is possible and here Aguilar could prove a good comparison. He hit .275/.349/.427 in his full season in Akron in 2013, then improved to .304/.395/.511 the next year in Columbus on his way to a short Major League stint. Of course, we all saw what happened after that and, at the moment, Aguilar looks like the superior overall hitter compared to Nellie.
Bobby Bradley
Overall, first base may be the weakest position in the Indians farm system, so it was an incredibly smart move to grab Encarnacion for at least three years. Nellie’s partner in AA last year, Joe Sever was a 21st round pick in 2012 and has never set himself apart. Below him, Juan De Le Cruz is a first baseman who can’t hit for power or average and has no speed. At the bottom, there are a few interesting candidates in Emmanuel Tapia (if he can stay healthy) and Ulysses Cantu, but these players are extremely far away.
The only real Major League potential first baseman in the entire system is Bradley, the Indians third round pick in 2014. Bradley won the AZL MVP in his rookie year and hit 26 and 27 home runs in his next two seasons. He has similar strike out numbers to Rodriguez (170 in 131 games last year), but has more time to hone his skill before he is expected to break through. At just 20 years old, Bradley is also young for his level and could begin 2017 back in Lynchburg or in Akron. Either way, he’s not an option for 2017 or 2018, but could be a great fit should Encarnacion begin to fade towards the end of his current contract.
The Others
As mentioned before Ronnie Rodriguez has spent considerable time at first in both AAA and the Dominican Winter League recently and the Indians could do worse for an emergency option. He has an outside shot at breaking camp with the team as the utility man, but will most likely begin the year in AAA where he could split time at first with Nellie. He could be a serviceable short term option should the Indians need someone for a game or two this year or in coming seasons.
The Indians also have a few more options should they get a little creative. Since both Santana and Encarnacion are essentially equals defensively (Santana’s probably slightly better, but both are below league average), if one goes down, the other will easily slip into his place. This would open up the DH spot for literally anyone on the roster. If for some reason they do need a first baseman (let’s say they used a pinch runner late in a game and need a defensive replacement), Lonnie Chisenhall played 11 games there in 2014 and three last year. He never played it in the minors, but in sink or swim fashion, the Indians tested him out and he swam. With the Indians expected to carry five outfielders, they could certainly spare some innings from Chisenhall at first base in an emergency.
The other two options would be similar to Chisenhall in that they haven’t actually played first, but have been talked about extensively. Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley are both possibilities for injury reasons as much as anything else. Both have missed significant time recently thanks to injuries that occurred on defense and playing the less stressful position of first could be a great benefit. For Brantley, whose problem is hitting, it wouldn’t be a cure-all, but it would be another way to get four or even five outfielders into a game at once should Terry Francona want to do such a thing. As strange as it is to say, this is the one area where losing Aguilar hurts as the Indians don’t have a simple answer anymore as far as 1B depth is concerned.]]>
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