The Indians finished .500 in July, their worst since April this July, but still managed to maintain their first place standing throughout the entire month. They continue to win based on great pitching and good enough offense, although there were signs of both coming back to Earth a little this month. Next month’s Player Power Rankings will undoubtedly feature quite a few new names, but for now, we’re sticking with the guys who got us here.
Below follow the Indians Player Power Rankings for the month of July. As always, players are ranked by their full season’s output, but judged on only their performance for the month. Every player will receive a rating of “Above,” “Even” or “Below” comparing their actual results to what we thought would happen. In addition, each player will have an over/under to show how they moved compared to the June rankings. The original rankings based on pre-season expectations can also be viewed here.
1. Francisco Lindor – Above (+1 Change Since June)
Lindor has moved beyond any risks of a Sophomore slump as he continued his hot hitting through July. Not only is he the team’s top defender, but Lindor hit .304/.346/.424 wit five doubles and two home runs in July. He now leads all qualified hitters in average (.304), OBP (.358) and runs scored (68). Among players featured in each month’s Player Power Rankings in 2016, only Lindor and Otero have played above expectations each month so far.
2. Danny Salazar – Below (-1)
It took a pretty rough month for Salazar to fall below Lindor as the Tribe’s top player, but his season numbers are still great enough that it’s obvious why he was the selection for the All-Star Game out of the Indians pitching staff. In four starts, he held a 6.14 ERA in July bolstered by four home runs and despite a 9.4 K/9 and just six walks in 22 innings. For the season, his ERA still stands under 3.00 at 2.97 and he is second on the team in K’s with 130 in 115.1 innings.
3. Corey Kluber – Above (0)
Kluber was solid again in July, allowing just nine runs in 32.1 innings and striking out 35. On a longer stretch, since allowing eight runs (five earned) in a loss against Kansas City on June 15th, Kluber has pitched 49.2 innings in seven starts allowing 11 runs and striking out 51. This included one game with just three innings pitched and five runs allowed and in all the other games he has pitched at least seven innings and allowed a total of six runs in six games.
4. Jason Kipnis – Above (+3)
Kipnis was arguably the Indians top hitter in July, batting .344/.396/.625 and, thanks to both his offensive and defensive contributions, is now essentially interchangeable with Lindor and the top three starters as the Tribe’s top overall player.
5. Carlos Carrasco – Above (-1)
It shouldn’t be surprising anymore when Carrasco has a month beyond the capabilities of almost any other pitcher in baseball and he did it again in July, lowering his season ERA to 2.45 with a 2.22 mark last month. He struck out 23 in 28.1 innings, but was hurt by errors as he allowed four unearned runs and ultimately lost two of five starts. His .160 average allowed in July was best in the AL and he ranks second in AL average for the season among pitchers with at least 90 IP.
6. Mike Napoli – Above (+2)
Napoli continues to be the same hitter he has been all year, leading the team with eight home runs, 20 RBI and 30 strike outs in July. Despite his extreme power, his low average has kept him being the Tribe’s top power hitter as Kipnis and Naquin outslugged the all or nothing hitter during the month. Defensively, he remains a significant improvement over Santana.
7. Carlos Santana – Even (+3)
Santana had a solid July, with 6 home runs, 7 doubles and 13 RBI, but his jump up the rankings started a little before then as, beginning on June 10th, he batted .317/.390/.635 through July 17th with ten home runs, ten doubles and 24 RBI. He has struggled some since, but continues to walk as often as he strikes out and to be a generally serviceable lead-off hitter.
8. Trevor Bauer – Below (-3)
Bauer maintains an impressive 3.64 ERA for the season, but pitched poorly in each of his last four starts. It is hard to say whether this was because they all came on irregular days thanks to the All-Star break and a bunch of off-days in a short period, or if he has just taken a step back in his progression. Either way, it should at least show that Gimenez isn’t some magic Bauer whisperer and is safe to release should the Indians find another catcher somewhere.
9. Jose Ramirez – Even (0)
As stats begin to become more significant for the season, there is generally less movement in the rankings and the Indians batting order has particularly become set. Ramirez hit .287/.352/.372 in July and continues to deserve to bat fifth behind Napoli (although he could also bat first or second if Francona decided to mix things up) as the Tribe’s fifth best hitter.
10. Josh Tomlin – Even (-4)
Tomlin pitched exactly as expected in July, with seven home runs allowed, but just six walks issued. His 31 K’s trailed only Kluber and his 3.73 was very respectable. For the season, he has allowed 25 home runs, 12 more than his nearest teammate and one fewer than the three players tied to lead all of baseball. Unlike those three, however, Tomlin has been an otherwise great pitcher all year this year and is more than good enough to be the fifth man on a first place team.
11. Tyler Naquin – Above (+9)
The biggest riser in July was the Tribe’s 2016 Rookie of the Year candidate, Naquin, who finally became a starter in July. He earned the extra playing time with his astounding play and pushed it to another level last month by leading the team in slugging percent at .681. In just 70 games he now has 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 32 RBI with a team best OPS of 1.029 for the year.
12. Lonnie Chisenhall – Above (-1)
Lonnie’s one month hot streak has now lasted a full three months, meaning it is possible he has finally turned things around and can maintain this level of play consistently for long enough to be the starting outfielder as he has been since May. He has shown little power, but batted .307 in July and knocked in 10 from the bottom half of the lineup. While his defense hasn’t been as good as last year, and it wasn’t expected to be as that was such a short trial period, he remains the Indians second best outfield option after Davis.
13. Cody Allen – Above (+1)
Allen took a loss in July, but it’s hard to blame the closer, who gave up two unearned runs of his three total. He saved his only three chances and pitched incredibly well even in non save situations, striking out 15 in 10.2 innings with just one walk and eight hits allowed. On the year, his 2.58 ERA is second among regular relievers to only Otero and given that he generally pitches in much more difficult situations, he has surpassed the early innings set-up man in the rankings this month.
14. Rajai Davis – Below (0)
It may not be a positive thing that the Indians top defensive outfielder this year has been a 35 year old, but it is the truth. Davis has also been the team’s top base stealer and he added four more in July without being caught. Overall, his offense slipped, but considering his age and that he was only supposed to be a short term fill in for Brantley, he has far exceeded expectations for the season.
15. Dan Otero – Above (-2)
As many, including myself, continue to expect Otero to stop being so perfect, he put together another incredible month in July, allowing three runs in 12.1 innings. Despite not having great speed or movement, he’s struck out 11 to three walks and allowed just 7 hits. He has allowed just one home run this year and a .219 average overall, so when people talk about the bullpen being the Indians biggest weakness, you can safely know they are not talking about Otero.
16. Bryan Shaw – Above (+3)
As with last month and likely for the rest of the season, Shaw’s stats need to be explained before being judged. After allowing nine runs in his first two appearances, Shaw has since posted a 2.38 ERA and .204 average allowed. He recently had another blow out against the Royals where he allowed four runs in 0.2 innings, giving him 13 ER in 2 IP and seven runs in his other 43 IP. This is not necessarily to discount the times he has pitched poorly, but if looked at by an appearance by appearance basis, he has a much greater chance of pitching a perfect inning than allowing any runs at all.
17. Juan Uribe – Below (-2)
Uribe has been playing less of late, just once in the Indians last four games, and that is a trend that should continue as the elder statesman of the Tribe appears to be running out of steam. He is still a great lockerroom presence, but his two greatest assets, his incredible bat speed and quick reflexes at third, have both significantly slowed down of late and he doesn’t provide enough value beyond that to play every day. He batted just .111/.149/.133 in July and stands to be replaced in the field by Ramirez and in the line-up by Almonte or, eventually, Michael Brantley.
18. Zach McAllister – Below (-1)
McAllister spent most of the month on the DL, but returned for the final few days when Manship took his place on the 15 Day. In July, he allowed 7 runs in three innings, striking out four and walking six. For the year he has a 5.27 ERA and has allowed four home runs in 27.1 innings. While he isn’t likely to be the pitcher removed from the 25 man for Andrew Miller, he likely won’t be far behind.
19. Cody Anderson – Above (Unranked)
Anderson has only pitched twice in his most recent return to the Tribe, allowing four hits and no runs in 2.1 innings late in July. It is unaware exactly what his role is with the team right now besides it not being in the starting rotation. His best success has come in long relief, but the Indians rarely have need of such a pitcher, so his days on the roster could be numbered.
20. Roberto Perez – Below (UR)
Gomes’ separated shoulder provided an emergency situation for the Tribe as Perez had about a week left in his rehab assignment and had to be activated early. It appears he wasn’t quite ready and has hit just .067 with no extra base hits while splitting time pretty evenly with Gimenez in his first seven games back. Perez’s saving grace is his plate discipline and he has walked 10 times in 12 games compared to just 7 strike outs this year.
21. Kyle Crockett – Above (UR)
Crockett pitched in just six games (4 IP) since returning to the club on July 18th, but has been nearly perfect, allowing just one hit, no walks and striking out three. In addition, he’s stranded all five baserunners that have been left on for him. It’s not clear whether or not he will remain on the team as the LOOGY with the newly acquired Andrew Miller taking over a more full inning type of role, but Crockett has absolutely deserved the chance.
22. Austin Adams – Below (UR)
Adams has found the control he lacked during his previous two MLB seasons, but has been unable to pitch at a high level despite this. In July, he allowed six earned runs in 4.2 innings despite not allowing a walk or home run. Most likely much of this has had to do with poor luck as he has too much on his pitches to warrant a .409 average against. Even so, he likely isn’t reliable enough to be a regular reliever on a first place team heading down the final stretch of the season.
23. Chris Gimenez – Below (+2)
The Indians have received almost no offensive production from their starting catchers this season and the bench has been even worse as Gimenez has hit just .202/.238/.273 on the season with 25 strike outs to only five walks and only three extra base hits in 99 at bats. Those numbers were even worse in July as he hit just .197 with no extra base hits or walks.
24. Erik Gonzalez – Below (UR)
Gonzalez was added right after the All-Star break as a kind of super utility man similar to what Martinez had been earlier in the season. It’s also possible that Gonzalez was up as trade bait, but after batting .167 with no power, no one bit. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gonzalez off the roster shortly and since he is out of options in 2017, off the team completely by next year.
25. Abraham Almonte – Below (UR)
Almonte was finally allowed to return to the Indians this month after missing the first three months with his PED suspension. It seemed he would be with the team just a short period as Brantley appeared ready for a return mid-July, but the Indians star outfielder remains on the DL and Almonte in Cleveland.
Removed
AAA
Shawn Morimando – Even
Tom Gorzelanny – Below
Mike Clevinger – Above
T.J. House – Above
DL
Tommy Hunter – Below
Jeff Manship – Above
Yan Gomes – Below
Joseph Colon – Above
Out of Organization
Free Agent: Joba Chamberlain – Above
Boston: Michael Martinez – Below
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