CLEVELAND, Ohio – Heading into the weekend, the Tribe’s starting rotation has an ERA of 5.00.
Let’s repeat that: The Tribe’s starting rotation has an ERA of 5.00! This team was supposed to be built on pitching, but injuries to starters Zach Plesac, Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale have shattered the foundation – at least in the short term.
Bieber (shoulder) and Civale (finger) are recovering from injuries. They haven’t started throwing, meaning it’s hard to imagine them actually pitching in Cleveland before August. Plesac is recovering from a broken thumb, beginning to pitch in the minors and could be back in a few weeks.
Here are the revealing numbers:
3.50: That’s the combined ERA for the Tribe in games started by Bieber, Civale and Plesac.
7.60: That’s the combined ERA for the Tribe in games started by everyone else.
It’s near miraculous that the Tribe entered the weekend with a 42-37 record. It’s hard to imagine them sustaining that in the second half of the season given all the injuries to the pitching staff.
MOVE AMED ROSARIO TO CENTER
Here’s what I’m thinking after the All-Star break: Move Amed Rosario to center and keep him there. Why him?
1. Because the Indians don’t have any other promising candidates. Bradley Zimmer is 28, and staying healthy has been an issue for years. He is above average defensively, but doesn’t have the same impact in the field as a few years ago.
2. What happened to Zimmer’s power? In 93 plate appearances this season, he has two extra base hits – a double and triple. He’s batting .234 (.652 OPS). At Class AAA Columbus, he had a homer and three doubles in 75 plate appearances, batting .267.
3. The outfield is a defensive disaster. According to fangraphs, it ranks 12th out of 15 American League teams defensively. Tribe center fielders are a collective 14th defensively out of 15 AL teams.
4. The Tribe could try Daniel Johnson in center, but he also could be used elsewhere in the outfield. But Johnson is batting only .215 (.724 OPS) with nine HR at Class AAA Columbus. Oscar Mercado is back in the majors, but he batted only .216 (.719 OPS) at Columbus. Mercado had three hits Friday for the Tribe, so that’s encouraging.
5. Amed Rosario is an established big-league player. He has a tremendous attitude. He impressed the Tribe with his willingness to learn center this spring, and made progress at the new position.
6. Rosario has been been a .301 hitter since May 1. Overall, he’s batting .268 (.703 OPS) with 5 HR, 23 RBI and is 7-for-7 in stolen bases. He’s only 25. In 2019, he batted .287 (.755 OPS) with 15 HR and 72 RBI. His hustle and unselfishness has made him one of my favorite players. I underestimated him at the time of the Francisco Lindor deal with the Mets.
7. In the middle of May after Rosario had played 14 games in center, Manager Terry Francona said this about him: “He’s quick enough where he’s going to get to balls. His jumps have been good. ... I think he’s doing OK out there. I think we’re all pleased.”
8. To be clear: I have not heard of the Tribe doing this. It’s my idea. But if they do, they need to leave Rosario in CF for the rest of the season. The reasons for looking at Rosario in center early in the season haven’t changed. They still need a center fielder – short and long term.
Andres Gimenez hit eight homers in June for Class AAA Columbus. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
TRY IT AGAIN AT SHORTSTOP
1. After a solid spring where he won the starting shortstop job, Andres Gimenez had a dismal start in Cleveland: Batting 179 (.534 OPS). He was sent to Class AAA after playing 29 games for the Tribe.
2. At Columbus, Gimenez is batting .274 (.836 OPS) with eight homers and 23 RBI in 36 games. He hit .263 (.732 OPS) with the Mets in 49 games at short in 2020. A good guess is he’ll hit enough to be a regular shortstop if people are patient with him.
3. Gimenez is only 22. He skipped Class AAA on his first road to the majors, so there is no need to rush him back to Cleveland. But if your eye is on 2022, Rosario in center and Gimenez at short could fill two holes.
4. The Tribe also has other shortstop prospects in Class AAA such as Owen Miller and Gabriel Arias. At Class AA is second-ranked Tribe prospect Tyler Freeman. There are more in the lower minors. They don’t have those type of prime outfield prospects.
A natural third baseman, Nolan Jones is learning the outfield at Class AAA Columbus.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
ABOUT THE TRIBE
1. Nolan Jones has played 12 games in right field for Columbus. A highly regarded third-base prospect, the Tribe is trying to find a spot for him because third (his regular position) belongs to Jose Ramirez in Cleveland.
2. The minor-league season opened in May and Jones batted .189 in the first month. Since then, he’s hitting .258 (.899 OPS) with three homers and 17 RBI in 27 games. He needs to play the entire season in Columbus, and play often in the outfield.
3. A second-round pick in 2020 and in his first pro season, Logan T. Allen has been promoted to Class AA Akron. The 22-year-old Florida International product was 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA at Class A Lake County. The lefty struck out 67 in 51 innings. He is a polished college pitcher who could rise quickly.
4. The leading home run hitter in the minor league system is Oscar Gonzalez, who is batting .337 (.984 OPS) with 12 HR and 37 RBI for Class AA Akron. He is a corner outfielder, only 23 years old. Those are impressive numbers in the Eastern League, where it’s tough to hit. He is a very underrated prospect.
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