2019 Tribe Enters Land of the Remembered: While We’re Waiting

Follow me, you need to see something special. All the baseball world of the Cleveland Indians is made of stories and all of those stories are right here in The Book of Tribe. But the greatest story begins on the Day of the Dead.¹ A day after the last season ends, when spirits might rise or fall and anything can happen. Because next year could be the year.

But to know what can happen in the next year, the history of the last must be properly understood. For our past affects our present, which controls our future. And, the story of the 2019 season is a story worth being told.

For some, the narrative revolves around frustration and perhaps even anger. An Opening Day payroll falling relative to 2018– by $16 million– and 2017– by $6 million– though still higher than any other past season caused the clenching of fists as what seemed to be obvious holes in the roster in the outfield, designated-hitter, and bullpen were forced to be filled with the cheapest available options. Poor word choices from the owner Paul Dolan about an eventual free agent in Francisco Lindor– still two more years on his current contract today– did little to calm the flames of anger but rather stoked them further. WFNY’s Craig Lyndall described the frustrations felt by much of the fanbase.

For others, the narrative revolves around one of the more enjoyable seasons to watch the Indians on the field until the bitter disappointment in the final week from missing the postseason despite having the most wins in a Tribe season than all but six of the last 63 years of the franchise.

The enjoyment, oddly, might not have been as high without the constant rash of injuries that befell the team as they spotlighted the grit needed to overcome. And befall them they did as it seemed Xibalba himself sent a double-headed snake to inject venom within the team. The Tribe’s ongoing case of the Mondays saw most all the expected elite players from the lineup and rotation spend at least a month on the Injured List (IL).² Many other expected starters and those who had filled in admirably also took turns on the IL throughout the season.

The situation called upon a choice. Wallowing in misery as a victim of unfortunate events certainly a presented option and considered; if only briefly. Two of the players who broke their wrist did so merely swinging their bat, after all. Rather, the true decision was to consider options to overcome the calamity. Perhaps even find some positives as blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.

Not one player could have kept the Indians’ postseason hopes alive themselves.

The starting pitching remained a strength despite four of the five expected starters pitching shortened seasons as they remained a Top 5 MLB group. Shane Bieber became the team ace and won the All-Star Game MVP Award as the hometown hero to mirror Sandy Alomar Jr.’s 1997 performance when the All-Star Game was last in Cleveland.³ Mike Clevinger was among the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball during the portions of the season he was not ailed by his back or ankle. Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Jefry Rodriguez were young arms showing promise for the present and future. Adam Plutko pitched meaningful, competitive innings, which allowed the Indians to win 14 of the 20 games he started. All pitching well enough that Trevor Bauer could be traded to bolster an ailing lineup, while also obtaining assets for the future.

The patchwork bullpen filled in admirably as the group wound up somewhere between a Top 5 and Top 10 MLB unit.⁴ Brad Hand was as dominant as ever before arm fatigue sapped his abilities. Oliver Perez, Nick Wittgren, Tyler Clippard provided steady relief when called upon throughout the season. Match up plays saw Adam Cimber and Phil Maton provide value. Hunter Wood and Nick Goody gave better results (ERA) than their peripherals might have suggested, but the results are what drives the game to a win or loss.⁵ Late in the season, James Hoyt and James Karinchak demonstrated they might be important cogs of future bullpens.

The lineup began as a weakness though wound up being league average overall. The depth though was an issue throughout the season as the options from the bench and Columbus proved not quite as capable as those on the pitching front. Still, there were positives. Carlos Santana had his finest MLB season in his homecoming season as he continued to climb the franchise leader board. Oscar Mercado emerged as the center fielder of the present and future. Roberto Perez not only stepped into the void left by Yan Gomes but provided a stellar season behind the plate. Francisco Lindor continued his consistent excellence and Jose Ramirez re-found his own. Jordan Luplow raked against southpaws. Mike Freeman even demonstrated himself a capable bench option. Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes both provided important value to the stretch run and lengthened the usefulness of the lineup.

Another oddly contributing factor to the entertainment of the 2019 season was the Minnesota Twins. The AL Central was expected to be non-competitive this year until the Twins pitching emerged as competent to supplement their dangerous hitting. The Tribe seemed capable enough to push them in the division early as they went 16-12 through April behind strong pitching. A disappointing following month– even as Lindor returned and Mercado was called up– saw the Twins leap ahead to an 11.5 game lead in early June, which is when the fun started. For the first time in several years, the Indians were the team chasing another. And, chase they did. The Tribe won 43 games over a 60 game stretch. The conclusion of the run was when the Indians took 3-of-4 in Minnesota before walking off a victory against the Boston Red Sox to take the division lead. The rest of the season had many more ups and downs. The Tribe was swept by the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays. They won another series against the Twins. Unfortunately, the season finished on a down note as troubles all season with the pesky White Sox would be the final undoing as they fell from their tightrope and the safety net failed.

Of course, the story of the 2019 season cannot be told without Carlos Carrasco taking a prominent piece. The man who struggled to be his normal self; only to discover it was due to leukemia. The man who kept positive in the face of devastating news; able to return to hear his eight-year-old daughter yelling “Let’s go Papi!” as he threw live MLB pitches just three months after diagnosis. How the entire fanbase rallied around him to remain Cookie Strong.

Expectations shape perception. It would be reasonable to expect a professional athlete would not have had heart surgery, cancer, and spent time on the injury list multiple times due to line drives hitting him by the age of 32. It would be reasonable to expect such unfortunate events to cause that person to have a negative outlook on life. However, Carrasco has shown it is not what happens to you but the response that matters. Whether it is laughing when a no-hitter escapes him by mere inches or in fighting back from health issues, he has always shown grace. What makes him different is what makes him Carlos Carrasco.

The 2020 season holds promise and obstacles alike. Only Jason Kipnis, Yasiel Puig, and Tyler Clippard are free agents from this season’s roster. There should be some money in the budget to acquire additional players even if the same Opening Day payroll is the limit. However, the Twins are expected to remain a stern competitor and the Chicago White Sox are not far away on completing their own rebuild. No one knows what the future might hold for the 2020 Cleveland Indians as they enter the 100 year anniversary of their first World Series championship, but let’s hope the ride is as fun as the one just enjoyed– with a more satisfactory ending. After all, next year might be The Year.

1. Why, yes, the imagery and several quotes are adapted from The Book of Life, recalling a tales about the Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead. Thank you for noticing. [↩]
2. ZiPS projected Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger as having 26.5 fWAR in value… for scale, the entire 2019 Tribe position player set has obtained 19.3 fWAR with the entire pitching staff– starter and reliever alike– obtaining 21.6. [↩]
3. A good chance Bieber will finish in the Top 5 of the AL Cy Young Award voting too. [↩]
4. Depending on which metrics/statistics you value most. [↩]
5. Hat-tip to numerous others who also could be mentioned here. [↩]