Below follow the Indians Player Power Rankings for the month of May. 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 April rankings. The original rankings based on pre-season expectations can also be viewed here.
1. Francisco Lindor – Above (0 Change Since April)
It is rare for a player to legitimately be both the best offensive and defensive player on a team, but Lindor is everything to everyone. His defensive prowess is well known, but many thought he would take a step back offensively in his sophomore season. Instead, he has batted .306/.367/.413 through the first two months as the regular #3 hitter.
2. Danny Salazar – Above (0)
As Lindor was the Indians best hitter/fielder in each of the first two months, Salazar has been the Indians best pitcher without contention. A 2.41 ERA and 46 K’s in 37.1 innings brought his season numbers to a similar 2.39 ERA 72 K’s in 60.1 innings. In addition to being the best on the team, Salazar is currently fifth in the AL in strike outs and third in average allowed at .190.
3. Jason Kipnis – Even (0)
Kipnis continues to show some surprising power and production numbers, hitting four home runs in May while knocking in 15 (second on the team). What may be even more surprising to Kipnis’ detractors is that advanced defensive metrics place him as the second best second baseman in the AL behind Dustin Pedroia. He’s always been sure handed with balls hit at him, but his 4.5 runs saved above average already makes this his best defensive season ever.
4. Corey Kluber – Even (0)
Kluber continues to be faced with bad luck as he has held batters to just a .237 average, walked only 16 in 73.2 innings and struck out 73 yet has a 4.15 ERA and a miserable 4-6 record. Even so, he has been reliable, particularly in the early innings of games and has possibly has seen some negative affects of overuse in addition to the obvious effects of poor run support.
5. Josh Tomlin – Even (+4)
Tomlin’s numbers for May were heavily affected by his final start against Texas, but don’t let that fool you. He has given the Indians a chance nearly every time out and, although he has not shut out an opponent yet, he has given up two or less runs in five of nine starts and won seven.
6. Carlos Santana – Even (+1)
Santana’s .217 average in May has unfairly disguised what was actually a pretty good month for the Tribe’s DH. For the month, he hit six home runs and lead the team with 22 walks. For the season, he and Ramirez are the only Indians to walk more often than they strike out with Santana at 31 to 25. You have to look beyond the most basic of stats, batting average, but Santana has easily been one of the Tribe’s most productive hitters.
7. Jose Ramirez – Even (-1)
After Ramirez surprised everyone by being capable of taking over a starting outfield job in April, he has had continued success in May. His batting line has raised from .305/.317/.424 after April to .310/.384/.448 now. At the same time, Ramirez’s defense has continually improved and he remains one of the Indians top four hitters, a huge bonus to the offense considering his preseason expectations.
8. Mike Napoli – Even (+4)
The Indians keep giving Napoli at bats in the middle of the lineup, so he’s been knocking in runs consistently because it would almost be impossible for him not to (a team high 25 in May), but he has seemingly tried. At one point, Napoli struck out in eight straight at bats and overall, he K’d 36 times in the month, 7 times more than the next worst batter. For the season, he is up to 69 and is batting just .229 with only his extra base power keeping him in a prominent spot in the lineup.
12. Cody Allen – Above (+9)
Allen was baseball’s most dominant reliever last season and he looked it again in May, posting a 0.69 ERA with a .098 average against and 18 strike outs in 13 innings. While he has pitched in many non-save situations, he has been perfect in his save opportunities, taking 11 in a row, 15 in a row going back to last year.
10. Rajai Davis – Below (-5)
Davis had a solid April, playing exactly how the Indians wanted him to, but his hot start didn’t continue into May. While many in the offense have really picked things up of late, even a torrid series against Cincinnati where he batted .563 with three home runs, two doubles and two steals couldn’t bouy his monthly numbers as he finished the month batting .223/.318/.372 with five doubles and four steals in all.
11. Trevor Bauer – Even (+3)
After working almost exclusively out of the bullpen in April, Bauer made five starts in May and pitched slightly better than his career numbers with a 3.86 ERA, although he has only struck out 23 in 30.1 innings. The biggest positive is that Bauer has pitched through the fifth in each of his May starts, allowing the Indians to better sustain the loss of Carlos Carrasco.
12. Dan Otero – Above (+3)
While it looked like it might have been fluke when Otero, Chamberlain and Manship finished April without a run allowed, Otero has made it stand up. He was the Indians most used reliever in May and still allowed just two earned runs in 14.2 innings. Despite this outward success, Otero’s peripheral stats don’t match up as he walked four in May to 11 strike outs and allowed a .279 average, but that doesn’t mean the Indians shouldn’t ride this horse for as long as they can get away with it.
13. Marlon Byrd – Even (-2)
Byrd continues to be a very reliable hitter, particularly against left handed pitchers with a line of .368/.409/.553. Because of this, he’s generally been platooning with Chisenhall in right field and he will likely continue to for at least until Brantley comes back from the DL.
14. Zach McAllister – Below (-6)
While a few Indians relievers really stepped things up after a slow start, McAllister did the opposite, allowing a .343 average and two home runs in eight innings. His 7.88 ERA in May has pushed his season mark to 4.08, still a decent number, but trending into the wrong direction.
15. Yan Gomes – Below (-2)
Gomes remains the Indians biggest disappointment this year, batting just .171 for the season, although he has lucked out enough to hit well with runners on, batting in 11 runs in April and another 14 in May with his average jumping to .230 with runners on and .333 with runners in scoring position. This is likely just an aberration, however, and chances are his overall numbers will improve as his luck levels out and his production numbers could drop to what you’d expect from an around .200 hitter.
16. Lonnie Chisenhall – Even (+8)
Most of Chisenhall’s upward movement this month has to do with the fact that he barely played in April, but he has produced to the level we have become accustomed to. He batted .313 in May with one home run, four doubles and a triple in what has largely been a platoon role along with Byrd.
17. Bryan Shaw – Above (+8)
Showing how much a bad appearance or two early on can affect a player’s stats for a long time, Shaw still has an ERA well above 5.00 despite holding opponents to a 1.57 ERA over his last 20 appearances, striking out 18 in 17.2 innings. In his first four appearances this year, he allowed nine runs in 3.1 innings, since which time he has allowed a total of three runs. There’s no question that Shaw is back to his old self now, but it will take some time before his season numbers appreciate that.
18. Jeff Manship – Below (-1)
The Manship magic may be running out a little bit as he had his worst month with the Indians so far in May, posting a 5.19 ERA in 8.2 innings. Last year, he allowed just four runs for the entire season and in April he allowed none, but last month he gave up five earned and two unearned. With the success of Otero and possibly Adams, Manship could find himself quickly earning mop up duty.
19. Juan Uribe – Even (0)
The opposite of Davis, Uribe has seen some better lucky in May than April, raising his average from .208 to .276 while providing solid defense and a modicum of power with four doubles and a home run. Even with this improvement in play, Uribe is likely to spend more time on the bench in the future once Brantley returns from the DL as Ramirez could become the starter at third.
20. Tommy Hunter – Even (+3)
Hunter was a late addition to the bullpen and has yet to be used in a regular role. When a starter has struggled, Hunter has often been the first man out and has pitched multiple innings. His 3.86 ERA is moderately decent as is his six strike outs to three walks. In all, it isn’t much to get excited over given his $2M guaranteed contract and the positive attributes of his compatriots in the bullpen.
21. Ryan Merritt – Above (UnRanked)
Merritt pitched in just one game, but he did everything he possibly could have, holding back the Rangers who had already scored nine runs for 4.1 innings. He struck out two and walked one during that span while allowing just one hit. For a starter being pushed into the bullpen and kept out of games for a week, this was pretty impressive. Merritt was removed from the 25 man roster yesterday, but is included as his replacement threw only one inning this month.
22. Austin Adams – Above (UR)
Adams always had issues with control in the past and those don’t appear to have disappeared, walking three in 5.2 innings, but otherwise he has been impressive. He has struck out seven with a 1.59 ERA and .170 average allowed. Considered a high prospect for years, it’s possible Adams has finally broken through.
23. Michael Martinez – Even (UR)
Martinez has just 25 at bats in ten games this year, but has been truly impressive defensively in right and center. He has also played some at second and left as the Indians newest super utility man. He will likely be the first man out should the Indians decide to bring back Naquin or if Brantley returns.
24. Chris Gimenez – Even (UR)
No one makes Indians fans miss Perez more than Gimenez, who is fine for a veteran back-up catcher, but not very exciting. He’s hit a couple home runs, but in all has been less than impressive. Unfortunately, Gomes hasn’t been much better, changing the Indians from their expectations of having two great catchers to having none.
25. Mike Clevinger – Below (UR)
Clevinger is still likely to be a mainstay in the future Indians rotation, but he may have missed his chance this year. A lack of command lead to very hittable pitches in each of his three starts and he will likely have quite some time to work on that in AAA as Carrasco will almost certainly be added for him later this week.
Unlisted: Shawn Armstrong Even (UR)
Removed
15 Day DL
Michael Brantley Even
Roberto Perez DNP
Joba Chamberlain Even
AAA
Cody Anderson Below
Kyle Crockett Below
Tyler Naquin Even
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