It’s still really early, but with pitchers and catchers reporting next week we have enough knowledge of the 2016 Cleveland Indians roster to create our initial break down of the potential 25 man roster and see what other options the Indians have. This list will be updated throughout the Spring season as starters are announced and cuts are made. For the moment, we aren’t taking anything as a guarantee.
Starting Rotation
Ace: Corey Kluber (1)
Other Options: Carrasco & Salazar
Being the staff ace isn’t just a matter of being a team’s top pitcher, but being the veteran that the team can depend on to stop a losing streak. That man is Kluber, who seems to be on the verge of a 15 strike out no hitter each time out. At the moment, there is no way Kluber could be ousted this season as ace, although it is possible that by next year Carrasco could take over that role. If something terrible were to happen, Carrasco and then Salazar would fill in.
SP2: Carlos Carrasco (2)
Options: Salazar
Unlike previous seasons, there appears to be a distinct difference between each starter. Carrasco is comparable to most every great pitcher in baseball, but slightly behind Kluber on the Indians depth chart. His consistency, however, keeps him well above Salazar and the other Indians starters to this point.
SP3: Danny Salazar (3)
Options: Carrasco, Bauer, Anderson & Tomlin
Along with Kluber and Carrasco, Salazar was a top ten pitcher in the AL last year and the reason why so many are looking at the Indians to have the top starting rotation in baseball. Assuming all are healthy, the top three pitchers in the rotation are all but set.
SP4: Trevor Bauer (4)
Options: Anderson, Tomlin & T.J. House
This is the part where the rotation breaks down. While the Indians have a lot of Major League ready depth, none have consistently produced for an entire season. Most likely, the fourth spot is Bauer’s to lose, but given his demotion to the bullpen late in 2015, it is certainly not a guarantee.
SP5: Cody Anderson (5)
Options: Bauer, Tomlin, House, Ryan Merritt, Dylan Baker, Michael Clevinger, Shawn Morimando, Felipe Paulino, Jarrett Grube, Joseph Colon, Adam Plutko, Will Roberts & Ross Detwiler
Assuming Bauer takes the fourth spot, the fifth could be a dog fight between Anderson, Tomlin and House. Anderson had the best 2015 numbers, but Tomlin wasn’t far behind and is out of options and in his final year of team control. House also has MLB experience, but is a long shot and the rest of those listed are in MLB camp, but not likely to break through quite yet. Of the minor leaguers, Clevinger is the most likely to break in early in the season.
Bullpen
Closer: Cody Allen (6)
Options: Shaw & McAllister
Like Kluber on top of the rotation, Allen was one of the best closers in baseball last year and now is veteran enough that he won’t be pulled from the role lightly. If something unfortunate happens, McAllister could be a decent option as a closer.
Set-Up1: Bryan Shaw (7)
Options: McAllister, Crockett, Manship, Tomlin, Armstrong & Bauer
Quickly becoming the most used reliever in Indians history, there is little chance that Shaw won’t be the Indians most used set-up man in 2016. Based on the lack of improvements in the bullpen and Terry Francona‘s preferences, it’s hard to imagine any else being trusted in late innings.
Set-Up2: Zach McAllister (8)
Options: Shaw & those listed under Set-Up1
After falling out of the rotation, McAllister dominated last year in a relief role. There is a good chance that based on his 2015 success, Francona could trust McAllister a little more and he could be used in close games from the seventh inning on.
RH Match Up: Jeff Manship (10)
Options: Tomlin, Bauer, Shaw, McAllister, Armstrong, Austin Adams, Joba Chamberlain, Colon, Plutko, Roberts, Dan Otero, Craig Stammen, Baker, Clevinger, Paulino & Grube
The Indians have plenty of options for this third right hander in the bullpen from Major Leaguers like Manship and Otero, to those with little MLB experience like Armstrong and Adams to starters who won’t make it into the rotation. Since Manship will likely to make the team in some role or another, we’ll discuss the others elsewhere.
LH Match Up: Kyle Crockett (9)
Options: Giovanni Soto, Joe Thatcher, Tom Gorzelanny, Ross Detwiler, House, Merritt, Morimando
Crockett was the Indians top left hander from last season, but that doesn’t look to guarantee much going into this year as Mike Chernoff has spent much of his first off-season acquiring LOOGYs. Of those, Thatcher, Gorzelanny and Detwiler are all real possibilities for the bullpen and we can’t forget about the solid MLB debut of Soto in 2015. Depending on who else makes the rotation and bullpen (particularly Tomlin), the Indians could easily carry two left handers in the bullpen.
Long Man: Josh Tomlin (11)
Options: Every pitcher listed above as a starter or reliever who doesn’t make the team otherwise.
Given the Indians incredible rotation and their tendency to go deep in games, they may not carry an official ‘Long Man,’ but will have at least seven relievers either way. Outside of the spring training invitees, two interesting options here could be Tomlin or Adams, who are both out of options and need to be on the 25 man roster or be lost. Since Tomlin was extended through 2017 in January, he’s guaranteed to make the team and if he can’t break beyond Bauer and Anderson in the rotation, this would be his spot. In all, the competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots will be a very interesting one and all three, Bauer, Tomlin and Anderson, deserve to make the team in some capacity.
BP7: Shawn Armstrong (12)
Options: Same as above.
Armstrong is just used a place holder here as there is no favorite for this final spot. It could go to Adams, Soto or Otero if the Indians want to use a player already on the 40 man roster or it could go to Thatcher, Gorzelanny or Detwiler if they prefer a more veteran left handed option. In all liklihood, this spot won’t be decided until the last week of Spring Training.
Infield
C: Yan Gomes (13)
Options: Perez
Possibly the biggest difference between April of 2015 and 2016 will be a healthy Gomes. Perez filled in when Gomes was injured and played admirably and would do so again if a similar situation occurred, but there is no question that the Indians are best off with Gomes behind the plate.
1B: Mike Napoli (14)
Options: Santana, Gomes, Chisenhall & Jesus Aguilar
Napoli was the biggest outside addition for the Tribe this off-season and will be expected to play first in the majority of their games this year. He is a solid defender, but has struggled enough against right handed pitching in recent seasons that Santana and others will likely see a lot of playing time at first as well. Others listed here are not so much competitors for the starting role, but players who could fill in from time to time as the season goes on.
2B: Jason Kipnis (15)
Options: Ramirez
As with Kluber and Carrasco at the top of the rotation, the Indians infield is essentially set with Kipnis and Lindor up the middle. Both the Indians top hitter and an excellent defender in 2015, Kipnis will return at second as one of the top leaders in the clubhouse as well as on the field.
3B: Giovanny Urshela (16)
Options: Ramirez & Chisenhall
The least settled place in the infield, Urshela, who started at third for most of the second half of the 2015 season is the current leader. Essentially, there are no other options at the moment although Ramirez may play a considerable amount at third between his time breaking other infielders. It is also possible that Chisenhall could move back, although unlikely after his extreme proficiency in right field. A final option could be Yandy Diaz later in the season although he is not in Major League camp right now and he has only played in four AAA games.
SS: Francisco Lindor (17)
Options: Ramirez
Not only is Lindor the expected starter for 2016, but there could be a fan mutiny if he doesn’t play every single game. The best defensive short stop since Omar Vizquel, Lindor was the Tribe’s top hitter over the final two months of the season last year as well and is expected to be the face of the franchise for the next six or seven years at least. If for some reason he is unable to play, Ramirez is the only viable defensive replacement.
Outfield
LF: Rajai Davis (18)
Options: Michael Brantley, Napoli, Cowgill, Ramirez, Butler, Almonte, James Ramsey, Tyler Naquin, Zach Walters, Michael Martinez, Shane Robinson, Michael Choice & Robbie Grossman
In the perfect example of what happens when a star player is injured, the Indians have a mess to look forward to in left field to start the 2016 as Brantley will not be back until at least May. Davis appears to be the top option for right now and as the second biggest off-season addition, will definitely be on the roster in some capacity. If he isn’t, all the others listed under options have played at least a few innings in left field at some point with varying success.
CF: Collin Cowgill (19)
Options: Davis, Brantley, Chisenhall, Ramirez, Butler, Almonte, Ramsey, Naquin, Walters, Martinez, Robinson, Choice & Grossman
As bad as left field is, center field is worse. Once Brantley returns from his shoulder surgery, he will likely start in left with Davis in center, but until then, the options are extremely weak. Cowgill is probably the best defender (at least among those with MLB experience) while Butler probably has the best bat. Most likely, this will be a platoon situation with two to four of the names listed above rotating through. A long shot, Naquin could still be interesting here if he has an extremely strong Spring.
RF: Lonnie Chisenhall (20)
Options: Davis, Cowgill, Ramirez, Butler, Almonte, Ramsey, Naquin, Walters, Martinez, Robinson, Choice & Grossman
Continuing on through the unpredictable outfield, Chisenhall appears the only player with a guaranteed spot this year, but who knows how long that will last. As the starter at third last year, it lasted about two months before his dreadful work at bat saw him sent back to AAA. While he has had flashes of greatness, his season average each year has been less than you would normally expect from a right fielder and he has never been able to maintain success for more than a two month period. While his outfield defense was remarkable last year, it was only during a short span as well, so it is impossible to know if that trend will continue. Unfortunately, other than possibly Walters or Butler (who are both also largely unknown), there are no better hitters available and outside of those already slated to start in left and center, there are no other top defenders. The Indians are likely stuck with Chisenhall in right whether they like it or not.
DH: Carlos Santana (21)
Options: Any hitter listed above who does not get a starting job somewhere else.
Whether he likes it or not, Santana is now a full time DH. The simple fact is that he was always a poor defensive catcher, was terrible in his short stint at third and is not as good at first as Napoli. While the Indians haven’t really had an everyday DH since Travis Hafner, that could change this year with Santana taking almost all the starts. Unlike Hafner, however, Santana is still capable of playing first and Francona will likely use this ability to keep players like Kipnis and Gomes in the lineup when they need a day off of the field.
Bench
IF: Jose Ramirez (23)
Options: Urshela, Santana, Aguilar, Gonzalez, Walters, Martinez, Anthony Recker, Todd Hankins & Eric Stamets
As much as he was considered as a possible trade target during the off-season, Ramirez is a huge asset for the Tribe if for no other reason than the fact that he can play second, third and short stop better than the average middle infielder. In a similar role to Mike Aviles in 2015, Ramirez will likely spell Lindor and Kipnis on their rare days off, but get into the line-up more often at third and possibly even in the outfield. Given his speed on the bases, expect Ramirez not only to make the roster, but to get into most games one way or another.
C: Roberto Perez (24)
Options: Tony Wolters, Adam Moore & Recker
Just as Gomes is certain to be the starting catcher, all things being healthy, Perez will be his back-up. Good enough to be a starter on many teams, Perez will likely play more often than a normal reserve as a pinch hitter against left handers and possibly as a DH. His proficiency on defense and calling a game could also allow Francona to pinch hit for the slow of foot Gomes knowing that he won’t be losing anything late in the game with Perez coming in. In addition to his talent, there is absolutely no competition within the system with Perez. With so few AAA quality options, they will have a hard time finding someone to catch all the bullpen sessions thrown in Spring Training.
OF: Abraham Almonte (22)
Options: Chisenhall, Davis, Cowgill, Ramirez, Butler, Ramsey, Naquin, Walters, Martinez, Robinson, Choice, Hankins & Grossman
Almonte came on strong at the end of 2015, replacing Michael Bourn and exceeding his production, but just because he outplayed someone who was below league average didn’t make him a legitimate MLB starter. Unfortunately, the Indians didn’t obtain enough MLB quality outfielders to replace both him and Brantley to start the year, so Almonte will likely be the fourth outfielder and a platoon partner for Cowgill. This should work well as Cowgill is a light hitter against any pitchers, but particularly against right handers while Almonte is a switch hitter who can’t hit lefties.
Util: Joey Butler (25)
Options: Literally any player listed above who doesn’t otherwise make it.
To start, this position could be given to a relief pitcher if Francona decides he needs an eight man bullpen or could be used for a player from any position thanks to the versatility of Ramirez (2B, 3B, SS, OF), Chisenhall (1B, 3B, OF) and possibly even Santana (1B, 3B, C and wherever he plays in Francona’s dreams).
With all that being said, the best option for this final spot could be Butler, who is right handed, has played all three outfield positions in the past and brings more offensive production than Cowgill. His inclusion would allow him to platoon with Chisenhall in right field against left handed pitchers, pinch hit and DH when necessary. He is already on the 40 man roster and while he could be stored in AAA, there is little left for him to learn there after spending most of 2015 with the Major League Rays.
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