Coco Crisp Returns to Cleveland

On Tuesday the news broke that the Cleveland Indians were re-acquiring former fan favorite and outfielder Covelli “Coco” Crisp from the Oakland Athletics. Crisp has been all around the league in his eleven years since departing from Cleveland, and a lot has changed since he patrolled the outfield with Grady Sizemore and Casey Blake.

Coco’s departure was not warmly received at the time, and has not aged especially well. In 2002 Cleveland acquired him as a player to be named later from the St. Louis Cardinals to complete the Chuck Finley trade. He played for the Tribe through 2005, and the following offseason he was packaged with Josh Bard and David Riske in a deal with the Boston Red Sox to pick up uber prospect Andy Marte, along with Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach, cash, and (eventually) Randy Newsom. Marte and his incredibly long swing failed to materialize at the MLB level, and left as a free agent after the 2010 season. Mota pitched in 34 games for the Indians then bailed after 2006. Shoppach carved out a nice little niche as a backup catcher before being dealt to Tampa Bay for Mitch Talbot in 2009. Newsom made it as high as AAA, but could not make an impact with the Indians. It’s unclear what happened to the cash, but I like to think it was spent on something fun like cake. Needless to say, Cleveland did not win that particular trade. It did work out pretty well for Coco though.

***

Crisp played for Boston from 2006-08. He contributed nicely on a perennial contender, and even picked up a World Series ring in 2007 though he scuffled mightily against the Indians in that year’s ALCS (.143/.190/.333 with neither homers nor RBI). After the ’08 campaign Boston dealt him to Kansas City for Ramon Ramirez. During 2009 Crisp played in only 49 games with Kansas City, struggling to find consistent playing time or success on the field. He later signed as a free agent with Oakland where he settled in as a starter. He played capably for Oakland over parts of seven seasons, hitting .253/.322/.397 averaging ten dingers and 43 RBI in green and yellow. The Athletic years also saw his proper arrival as a base stealing threat. Early in his career Crisp never shied away from swiping a bag, but he hit another level in the Bay. Four times he stole at least 21 bases and in 2011 he led the American League with 49 pilfered pillows. In 2012 he had a signature playoff moment, knocking a walk-off single in Game 4 of the ALDS to extend Oakland’s series with the Detroit Tigers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMSPF_8Yalk

Coco is now 36 years old and like many before him, his play reflects that of an outfielder on the wrong side of 30. In 102 games Crisp is slashing .234/.299/.399 with eleven homers, 47 runs batted in, and seven steals. Those numbers are below his career averages, but many batters suffer when playing in Oakland’s cavernous Coliseum.

A change of venue may prove advantageous. Crisp always thrived at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, his career .280/.327/.410 line at Jacobs/Progressive Field is his second highest compared to ballparks in which he has at least 200 at bats. While Coco is a switch hitter he is hitting .239/.307/.419 against right handers compared to .217/.267/.325 against lefties. More likely than not he will get the bulk of his playing time against right handed hurlers and will take the bat out of Abraham Almonte’s hand. Thanks to his PED suspension, Almonte is not eligible to play in the postseason, and Crisp will have about a month to get ready for October.

The speed that served him so well in his prime has become spottier. Crisp has seven stolen bases to his name this season with only two since the All-Star Break. So while he may not leave scorch marks on the infield he is capable contact hitter who brings veteran savvy to the clubhouse.

***

So how does Crisp fit into the Tribe’s now crowded outfield? Francona tends to set his lineup based on the opposing pitcher. It stands to reason that against a righty we would see Crisp in left, Tyler Naquin in center, and Lonnie Chisenhall in right field. Against lefties Brandon Guyer could patrol left with Rajai Davis in center. Crisp could certainly fill in against lefties as well, or Tito could elect to play the hot hand and let that position be handled by committee. While Crisp has experience in both left and center field he is expected to mostly trot out to left. Stats notwithstanding I expect to see a rejuvenated and energetic Coco in Cleveland. The relationship between Crisp and the A’s deteriorated this season over hurt feelings about his playing time. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Crisp’s contract specifies that if he plays in 130 games then he receives his $13 million vesting option for 2017. However, he believed that management was deliberately playing him less to save money. He is well below that mark and was quoted as saying, “I’m extremely hurt, the way things are being handled…this is shady. Everyone else is getting used off the bench.” A change of scenery and the excitement of a pennant race might be the reset that Crisp needs to enjoy a September renaissance.

Clevelanders are no strangers to fan favorite players coming home after an odyssey away. In 2007, Kenny Lofton returned to Cleveland for one more pennant race, and made a big difference down the stretch. He slashed .283/.344/.370 in 52 regular season games, and proved to be a sparkplug on offense. That team won the division and advanced to the ALCS. Lofton retired after the season. In 2011 prodigal son Jim Thome returned (T)home in an effort to boost the offense for a last grasp playoff push. Thome appeared in only 22 games in a Tribe uniform, hitting three homers, but did not do enough to get Cleveland to the postseason. Then for the second time in his career he left Cleveland for Philadelphia and retired after the 2012 season. The hope is that Crisp is closer to “Lofton” than “Thome” on the post-return scale. Honestly that is all he needs to be. Occupy the space that Almonte cannot fill, swipe a couple bases, rest your chin on your shoulder, and let us chant your name. Oh, and bring some of the World Series winning mojo with you. We sure could use it.