10 Musings from the Browns’ loss to the Chargers
October 13, 2021Previewing Week 6: Browns vs Cardinals
October 15, 2021The 2022 season brings about the Cleveland Guardians, but let’s take a last look back at the 2021 Cleveland Indians.
Position Players
Most Valuable Player
Bode: Jose Ramirez is the only answer here, so it’ll be more interesting to see what different folks want to say about him. J-Ram deserve his fourth Top 3 AL MVP finish since 2017 through his customary excellence across hitting, baserunning, and defense. Baseball can be a game of mistakes and slumps and hot streaks… somehow, Ramirez cuts through all of it to show excellent consistency as only Mike Trout (29.6) and Mookie Betts (29.2) have a higher fWAR since 2017 than J-Ram (28.0).
Mitch: I understand, for the sake of convention, why we have to name an MVP, but it’s so obvious it barely merits discussion. It’s Ramirez. But a VVP, or very valuable player, who merits some discussion is Myles Straw, so if you’ll indulge me…
Straw came over to Cleveland midseason in exchange for Phil Maton and farmhand catcher Yainer “Not Einar” Diaz, and I think the public evaluation on him was “good center fielder, questionable bat.” Well, I’m here to answer some of those questions. The new Cleveland center fielder was good for a 98 wRC+, meaning he was approximately a league-average hitter, and since actually making the trip up north, he’s been even better. A league-average bat with great defense at a premium position is a VVP, but his approach and hitting style reminds one of a dead-ball hitter. In the age of the three true outcomes, watching Straw at the dish is a goddamn delight.
The 26 year old speedster hits for almost no power, but slaps liners all over the field. Normally, analytical baseball people view high line-drive rates with a skeptical eye, but Straw’s ultra-patient approach lends credulity to his line drive tendencies. Amongst qualified hitters in 2021, only five players chased pitches out of the zone less frequently than Straw; in fact, only seven players swung less frequently than Straw period. One thing you notice about those selective swingers is that they’re DUDES–Juan Soto, Max Muncy, Joey Gallo. They’re selective because they’re looking for pitches to punish, but Straw’s .076 isolated power is pretty good evidence that something different is going on. Indeed, only four players made contact more frequently than Straw when swinging the bat. In other words, Myles Straw almost never swings, but when he does, he almost never misses. He’s not looking to drive the ball; he’s looking for pitches to spray for singles and doubles, and he’s successful enough at it that he can survive, even thrive using a style older than my great-grandfather.
Silver Slugger
Bode: It’s Jose Ramirez again.
Mitch: Okay, yeah, it’s Jose Ramirez. A word of advice to opposing pitchers: don’t throw Ramirez fastballs. The diminutive infielder hit .287/.374/.663 against them.
Most Improved Player
Bode: Amed Rosario had a rough 2020 season that saw the Mets give up on his prospect shine after three of his first four seasons in MLB saw his bat lag behind the elite athleticism he possessed. However, Rosario stepped up to provide Cleveland with a consistent bat (99 wRC+ on the whole) and filled in defensively wherever he was needed (starting in center and moving to shortstop). He wasn’t great at shortstop, but he provided a needed stop-gap there while the middle infield prospects mature… and he’s given hope that he can be a solution “somewhere” for the team in the upcoming seasons.
Mitch: For the sake of variety, I’ll go with Yu Chang, whose improvement really occurred midseason. The smiley utilityman’s 2021 season was likely to be his final trial; without presenting some improvement, he was not likely to be tendered a contract in 2022. With this in mind, his future in Cleveland, and potentially Major League Baseball, was looking grim. On July 1, Chang was batting .176/.211/.287, good for a paltry 32 wRC+, before getting sent to Columbus in what appeared to be a death knell.
Thankfully, this was not so. After returning to Cleveland twenty days later, Chang finished the year batting .271/.314/.543 in 137 PAs. While his walks and strikeouts still indicate a poor approach at the plate, his batting average on balls in play regressed positively to a number more in line with his career norms. Most promisingly, Chang’s batting practice power finally translated over into MLB games. In fact, the only player who hit for a higher isolated power following Chang’s promotion back to the Bigs was Mister Silver Slugger himself.
Young (or Rookie) Player of the Year (25yo or under)
Bode: Hard to remember back to the beginning of the 2021 season when there was some question as to whether or not Franmil Reyes was going to be able to lock in being a mainstay in the Cleveland lineup. There is no longer any question as not only did Reyes step up his play at the plate (.254/.324/.522, 125 wRC+), but he also was the teams biggest cheerleader in the dugout helping fill a leadership void after a certain smiling shortstop started wearing orange and blue. And, yeah, Reyes is only 25 years old, so he qualifies here.
Mitch: Andres Gimenez is the most promising young player on the big-league team. He’s an elite defender at the most premium defensive position on the diamond. And, his mediocre season long batting line is fairly misleading. After struggling to eclipse the average pitcher’s hitting production to start the year, Gimenez was demoted in mid-May to straighten things out. Upon returning in early August, the 22-year-old glovemaster hit for a very respectable .245/.320/.382, a 94 wRC+. Paired with his vacuum-like glove, that’s good for a four-win pace over the course of a full season. Please note, I’m not saying he’s a four-win player, but we can dream.
Pitchers
Team Cy Young
Bode: Uhhhhhhhh….. it’s really still Shane Bieber despite missing over three months during the season. His 3.17 ERA and 3.03 FIP in 96.2 IP is still better than his closest competitors of Emmanuel Clase (more on him next) and Cal Quantrill (2.89 ERA but 4.07 FIP). Here’s hoping some of the youngsters give him more competition for the spot in 2022.
Mitch: I’m pretty against actual Cy Young Awards going to relievers, but in this case, I find myself with no choice other than to hand it to Emmanuel Clase. When you don’t walk guys and throw 101 MPH and 94 MPH sliders and strike a bunch of batters out and give up two-thirds groundballs, you end up with a 1.29 ERA. It’s what you do. Also, I can’t bring myself to give this award to a person who made 14 real starts.
Rolaids Reliever of the Year
Bode: OK, here is where Clase gets to shine. 71 appearances and 69.2 IP with 74 strikeouts to just 19 walks (including 3 iBB). Yeah, that’ll play alongside a 1.29 ERA and 2.11 FIP as the only Cleveland pitcher with a WHIP below 1.00 (starter or reliever) other than Anthony Gose (who just had 6.2 IP – though flashed himself in those with nine strikeouts to two walks).
Mitch: Please see above.
Most Improved Pitcher
Bode: I’m giving this one to Triston McKenzie… not for improving 2020 to 2021 but from improving from early 2021 to spending some time in AAA and coming back strong (well, a little clunky finish but still).
1st half: 49.1 IP, 5.47 ERA, 1.399 WHIP, 68 strikeouts, 40 walks
2nd half: 70.2 IP, 4.58 ERA, 1.033 WHIP, 68 strikeouts, 18 walks
Mitch: I’ve always believed in Triston McKenzie; he could win this award next year, and the year after, and the year after. But this year, it’s Cal Quantrill. Now, Quantrill’s ERA is an illusion. He’s very unlikely to be able to strand 80% of baserunners again, not with a well below average strikeout rate. And he’s also not likely to limit opponents’ batting average on balls in play to .267 again, even though he’s very good at producing infield fly balls. But Quantrill threw strikes, racked up innings, and looked like a true middle-of-the-rotation starter all year long, and when you start the season as a fringy bullpen guy, that’s improvement.
Young (or Rookie) Pitcher of the Year (25yo or under)
Bode: How about Nick Sandlin (yeah, yeah, this should be Clase again… too bad). The 24 year old threw 33.2 IP with a near identical 2.94 ERA and 2.96 FIP including 48 strikeouts to 17 walks. All those great stats while throwing the crowd-pleasing side-armed style.
Mitch: What if I told you Cleveland had a reliever this season who struck out 32 and walked only 5 in his 27.2 innings, a lefty who maxed out at 97.9 MPH on his fastball. You’d respond: “How can the Guardians keep this guy forever,” to which I’d respond, “Who’s going to want Sam Hentges, fool?” That’s right, amidst a pretty lackluster season, Sam Hentges was secretly a decent contributor to the bullpen. If the Guardians’ front office decided to dream on his potential as a starter, I’d understand. That said, they have a potential weapon in the bullpen for years to come, and they have him right now.