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** OFFICIAL ** Cleveland Guardians thread - spring training (3 Viewers)

The Indians bunting epidemic
 

To understand their inexplicable affinity for donating outs, it’s important to set the proper context. Bunting is an abhorrent concept for the most part, but less so in the National League because they are clinging to the whole pitchers hitting thing. One would expect the team bunting totals to heavily favor the teams that play by that set of rules.

The team sacrifice bunt total leaderboard does favor teams from the National League. In fact, that league represents 10 of the top 11 teams in bunt totals, save for the… Cleveland Indians. The Indians have executed 17 sacrifice bunts in 72 games, a total that surpasses every other American League team by 5 bunts. More egregiously, the Indians have bunted runners over more times than 53% of the National League. And this is only considering successful bunts.
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Egad, I HATE bunting. :wall:  

 
Of their remaining schedule, only about 17 games (or 4 series) worry me - BOS, NYY, ANA, WAS.  I think the rest are very winnable series'.  

Would be nice to make a good run in August and start heating up for post-season.  If Kluber can come back healthy and well-rested in mid-August, that would be a great boon to the team (performance and morale).  I think this team plays better with an underdog mentality.

I'm not sure I'd make any big moves at the trade deadline.  Maybe shore up the OF a little, but perhaps late season call ups with Johnson may help fill a need out there.  Maybe move Bauers for another middle reliever?  I don't see much room for him here with this young OF.  Or maybe turn Naquin loose now that he's starting to re-gain some value?

 
The Man With No Name said:
The trade last July for Mercado looks awesome now. The 2 guys they gave up are hitting .215 and .240 in the minors this season.
And Mercado looks like a player that can be in the bigs for a long time
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Torres is like 18 and still appealing as a prospect.  I definitely liked getting Mercado though and am glad we have him now.  

 
BREAKING NEWS: Tampa Bay has traded Christian Arroyo along with Hunter Wood to the Indians for minor-league OF Ruben Cardenas and international signing money

 
Didn't really want to trade Bauer but I think the return is better than I thought we'd get and the holes filled were huge voids.  

Scary to think we might be betting on Salazar though....or Cookie to come back strong.  Kluber too.

 
Bobcat10 said:
Didn't really want to trade Bauer but I think the return is better than I thought we'd get and the holes filled were huge voids.  

Scary to think we might be betting on Salazar though....or Cookie to come back strong.  Kluber too.
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Yeah, I'm not a fan of this trade as I love Bauer *ducks*

However, it's not to pass up the opportunity to deal him while he has value.  Also, it's important to realize that SD and Cincy (as well as St. Louis and Philly) are frequent NL trading partners with the Indians.

 
Big fan of Bauer, but hard to pass up this type of deal.  Puig is the one year rental, but Reyes looks to be a solid contributor for years to come.  Add in the prospects the Tribe received, and it's amazing.  I saw on Twitter where one MLB Exec said TOR should be embarassed with what they sold Stroman for after now seeing what the Tribe did with Bauer.  

The Tribe still has the prospect depth to get another pitcher somewhere today.  It'll be interesting to see what else unfolds today.

 
You got a big bat and moved Bauer somewhere you dont have to worry about him this year. Puig strikes me as an odd fit. But even if the rest of the deal does not go well then it'll still be a success because of Franmil and moving him to the Reds.

 
MAC_32 said:
You got a big bat and moved Bauer somewhere you dont have to worry about him this year. Puig strikes me as an odd fit. But even if the rest of the deal does not go well then it'll still be a success because of Franmil and moving him to the Reds.
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Wouldn't be shocked if the Reds got a haul from the Yanks today.  

Puig is a darn near perfect fit.  Can you unpack that a little bit?  I'm thinking your angle is simply that his contract is expiring.  I think we got enough controllable assets along with him to make the deal worth it.

 
Something like:  Lindor, Oscar, Santana, Reyes, JRam, Puig, Kipnis, Perez, Naquin

Looks like a real team.

Get Naquin out of there vs LHP.  I suppose Luplow or Allen slides in, but getting 1 more bat for the LHP lineup would be ideal.  

Bolstering the pen with a power arm or grabbing another starter today would be good too.  

 
Bobcat10 said:
Wouldn't be shocked if the Reds got a haul from the Yanks today.  

Puig is a darn near perfect fit.  Can you unpack that a little bit?  I'm thinking your angle is simply that his contract is expiring.  I think we got enough controllable assets along with him to make the deal worth it.
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Game of probabilities. Puig could be really good-to-great. Or a disaster. Without much in between. The team needed an upgrade in the corners, but to me that's Franmil. You have enough other guys to play matchups on the other side not to gamble on what Puig you're gonna get. 

 
Bobcat10 said:
Something like:  Lindor, Oscar, Santana, Reyes, JRam, Puig, Kipnis, Perez, Naquin

Looks like a real team.

Get Naquin out of there vs LHP.  I suppose Luplow or Allen slides in, but getting 1 more bat for the LHP lineup would be ideal.  

Bolstering the pen with a power arm or grabbing another starter today would be good too.  
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If there's another move today it's in the pen. Not going to use assets on the rotation. Gonna gamble that you have at least 3 and preferably 4 come October. Tito would rather have another weapon to deploy in the middle innings 

 
MAC_32 said:
Game of probabilities. Puig could be really good-to-great. Or a disaster. Without much in between. The team needed an upgrade in the corners, but to me that's Franmil. You have enough other guys to play matchups on the other side not to gamble on what Puig you're gonna get. 
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So you'd have done the deal without Puig and actually would have preferred it that way?

 
MAC_32 said:
Yep, I'm sure Tito thinks he can manage him and who am I to doubt him. Just not a head case I'd want to deal with. 
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Ok, I'm completely opposite of you.  Bauer is just as much of a headcase (and I'm a big fan) so that part doesn't bother me.  I guess they could have targeted Smoak, or Nick C (who will cost alot), for that 2nd bat we needed desperately.  Now we can use those assets for a better pen arm.

I also don't think they make any Bauer deal only getting one piece that helps now unless it was a much bigger piece than Reyes.    

 
Bobcat10 said:
Ok, I'm completely opposite of you.  Bauer is just as much of a headcase (and I'm a big fan) so that part doesn't bother me.  I guess they could have targeted Smoak, or Nick C (who will cost alot), for that 2nd bat we needed desperately.  Now we can use those assets for a better pen arm.

I also don't think they make any Bauer deal only getting one piece that helps now unless it was a much bigger piece than Reyes.    
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Unfortunately I dont think Castellanos is going to attract too much. Hope I'm wrong. 

I think where we disagree is the value in Reyes. He is a big piece now and an even bigger one later. He's the clean up hitter you desperately needed. Now the lineup fills out with everyone in roles to put them in position to be successful. Kipnis is really the only issue left. 

 
Bobcat10 said:
Wouldn't be shocked if the Reds got a haul from the Yanks today.  

Puig is a darn near perfect fit.  Can you unpack that a little bit?  I'm thinking your angle is simply that his contract is expiring.  I think we got enough controllable assets along with him to make the deal worth it.
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From what I've read, the Reds are keeping Bauer. They have two other starters and might try to make a run next year. As tight as the NL Central is, you can't blame them for taking a shot.

 
MAC_32 said:
Unfortunately I dont think Castellanos is going to attract too much. Hope I'm wrong. 

I think where we disagree is the value in Reyes. He is a big piece now and an even bigger one later. He's the clean up hitter you desperately needed. Now the lineup fills out with everyone in roles to put them in position to be successful. Kipnis is really the only issue left. 
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:goodposting: Puig was brought in for this year, but Reyes is the long term get here.

 
MAC_32 said:
I think where we disagree is the value in Reyes. He is a big piece now and an even bigger one later. He's the clean up hitter you desperately needed. Now the lineup fills out with everyone in roles to put them in position to be successful. Kipnis is really the only issue left. 
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I don't think we disagree on Reyes' value.  But the Indians most likely didn't have Puig forced on us to make this trade happen.  They wanted more value for Bauer and Puig is value this year.

Kipnis has been fine since he made some adjustments a few weeks ago and will be even better in the bottom third of the order.  The problem was he was hitting cleanup all the time and Tito's had him even higher in the order in the past.  Those days are long gone. 

 
LF and DH were massive voids (and RF until the recent surge by Naquin).  Reyes can't fill all that.  We're still built to win now with the always peering eye to the future.

 
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Tom Servo said:
From what I've read, the Reds are keeping Bauer. They have two other starters and might try to make a run next year. As tight as the NL Central is, you can't blame them for taking a shot.
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:goodposting:  

Confirmed.  Talk radio down here is all in on the Bauer/Castillo/Gray combination for next year.  The sports heads are talking how 2020 is their time to make a run. They're also realistic in that they were not going to be able to hold on to Puig, as they felt he would want too much $$.  So better to let him go to a contender vs keeping him around long enough to become a fan favorite.  Less backlash if you get rid of him now.

 
Bobcat10 said:
LF and DH were massive voids (and RF until the recent surge by Naquin).  Reyes can't fill all that.  We're still built to win now with the always peering eye to the future.
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The window stays open for a little bit longer.

 
Love the trade. Puig and Reyes will be fun to watch. Control of Reyes for the next 5 years is awesome and the pitching prospects will make us better in the future.

Tonight's game can't start soon enough

 
Bobcat10 said:
Goodness, he's topping out at 88?  Like once?
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He told reporters that he "felt a pull" in his groin during the first inning and it was lingering throughout his 4 innings.  The guy is a mental case.  There is always something wrong with him once he hits the club level.  Put him in AAA and he's fine.  Maybe he can't handle the pressure?

 
Great wins yesterday!  Nice to see a few extra hits in the 2nd game, and the relievers played great!  Up next is a big series with MN and a chance to gain some ground.  Would be nice to see them take 3 over the weekend.  This last stretch of games vs MN, TB, BOS, NYY will show what this team is made of moving forward!

 
Feedback from Kluber's outing in Columbus...

Michael Cuva 
@JTSScout 
More 
Corey Kluber Game Line:

3IP | 2H | 2ER | 2K | 1BB | 2HR

24/41 Ks = 58.5% | 6/12 1st Pitch Ks = 50%

Sinker: 34.1% | S&M = 0 
Cutter: 31.7% | S&M = 3 
Four-Seam: 19.5% | S&M = 1 
Curveball: 7.3% | S&M = 1 
Changeup: 7.3% | S&M = 0

Hard Contact: (1) Four-Seam, (1) Cutter, (1) Sinker

Michael Cuva 
@JTSScout 
2h2 hours ago 
More 
Here's the zone profiles for all 5 of his offerings taken directly from the MiLB Gameday.

Red = Strike 
Green = Ball 
Black = Hard Contact

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBdyyohXUAAXHF2.jpg

Michael Cuva 
@JTSScout 
2h2 hours ago 
More 
Sinker wasn't commanded well but did induce several GBs.

Cutter was filthy (besides 1 miss that turned into a HR).

Curveball wasn't used a lot but showed famous shape/movement.

Overall, he looked rusty early but began to settle in more late. Happy he's healthy. #Indians

 
Per Hammy during today's game:

1) Kluber will start for C-bus on Sunday in Charlotte; that may or may not be his last rehab start. They'll play it by ear.

2) Carrasco is closer to coming back. Since they don't have time lengthened out to start, they'll plug him in as a reliever.

 
I don't mind Frankie's steal attempt last night.  It was risky for sure, but the pitcher had been consistently throwing curveballs to everyone with a FB thrown in rarely.  Frankie had the right idea, but it just happened that the P threw the FB up, allowing the C to get the ball out and to 3B faster.  I think 3 outta 4 times, Frankie is safe in that situation.  The only other thing I could think of would have been to do a bunt down 3B line with Frankie stealing on the pitch.  Then you'd probably have Frankie on 3B with 2 outs and Los up to bat.  Either way it's not guaranteed.

 
Peak said:
I don't mind Frankie's steal attempt last night.  It was risky for sure, but the pitcher had been consistently throwing curveballs to everyone with a FB thrown in rarely.  Frankie had the right idea, but it just happened that the P threw the FB up, allowing the C to get the ball out and to 3B faster.  I think 3 outta 4 times, Frankie is safe in that situation.  The only other thing I could think of would have been to do a bunt down 3B line with Frankie stealing on the pitch.  Then you'd probably have Frankie on 3B with 2 outs and Los up to bat.  Either way it's not guaranteed.
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The problem with the bunt part is these guys are basically bunting and stealing on their own.  Frankie did that on his own.  With everyone crapping about the bunts lately, it sounds like they're mostly doing that on their own.  Mercado would be bunting for a hit in that situation and odds are he would get out...I see no reward there.  Also bring a double play into the situation if he did get on.

The problem with the steal attempt itself was even if Mercado gets out with Frankie having to stay on 2b, Santana is up only needing a single.  I think that tilts the move to a bad read.  Frankie has to recognize that.  Mercado is no lock to get him in from 3b too.  

The other problem with the steal was Mercado basically giving the catcher a perfect throwing lane by getting out of the way.  If the coaches called it, he might swing/miss on purpose, maybe being instructed to do so.  That's not being coached up right (he needs to hold his ground in the box) and/or Mercado had no idea Frankie was stealing even in the moment.

I don't mind it in the right situation, but I don't think that was it.

 
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They definitely have some freedom to run and bunt based on their own reads.  I enjoy the small ball play in this day and age of Dinger-Nation.  A Mercado bunt down 3B line would've pulled the 3B off allowing Frankie to move to 3rd.  I would have assumed Mercado would be giving himself up in that situation in order to advance the runner.  With Frankie on 3B, the scoring percentage increases with a Los single, or even a WP.  Boston is a top 3 team in the AL, if not MLB, for WP - especially their relievers.  I have to think this was a topic with the team and certain players had the greenlight to steal when they thought they had the opportunity.

I do agree that it was risky, and the batter/runner need to be on the same page to execute a hit and run, sac bunt, and even a steal.  I'd like to chalk it up to Mercado being a rookie, but he's been playing ball long enough to know better.

I like to see the aggressiveness from the team.  They have the "not gonna keep us down" vibe going right now.  On the plus side, it's not like the Tribe will see Boston in the playoffs this year.   :D

 
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