A year later, and the Cleveland Indians are still one of the best teams in the AL. True, they've lost a lot of ground thanks to, you know, making it to the World Series last year, and their team isn't exactly what you'd call perfect, but a lot is working, and a lot is making a case for a postseason reprise.
Bradley Zimmer's been having a really nice rookie season, coming up in smaller places, and contributing to the team-wise pursuits of hits and runs, rather than home runs. Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez are having great seasons, while Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis, usually relied on for long-ball power, are contributing less. This is a changed team, a team who've discovered the main problem and are still trying to compete.
The pitching staff is still fantastic, even though things aren't as picture perfect as they were in 2016. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger are pitching beautifully, and Trevor Bauer while, as per usual, lacking in the wins category, still has racked up a ton of strikeouts. Josh Tomlin and Ryan Merritt are disappointing, while Danny Salazar's disappointing AND injured. It's a mixed bag, but the top three are still winning games.
This is still a team capable of winning games later down the stretch, and this is a team that could still be a postseason threat. We just need to figure out how things are going to go.
Coming Tomorrow- The Cubs' closer.
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