The last time the Cleveland Indians clinched the AL Central was the first year I got into the hobby. And they weren't even expected to do it then, either...
A lot of similarities, too. The 2007 team had a killer rotation, featuring CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona. The 2007 team had a great DH in peak position (Travis Hafner), a fringe player that suddenly had a really nice season (Franklin Gutierrez), a returning hero (Kenny Lofton), and lots and lots of young players doing some killer things.
The 2016 team has all of those things going for them. This is a team that everyone counted out, and now they're wiping the floor with everyone. Heck, I don't even think the Tigers are going to make the playoffs, since they're not even close to the Indians, or the Orioles, in the standings. The Indians have taken a lot of players that weren't thought to make a difference, like home-run hammerer Mike Napoli and bench aficionado Rajai Davis, as well as people like Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Ramirez, who nobody really thought anything of before the season.
However...with the recent spur of injuries hitting the team, I'm not exactly sure how it's going to go once they hit the postseason, with Carrasco and Salazar down. I can hope that they'll still make an impact, playing someone that will likely be Boston but could be Texas. I just can't help but pull for them- they're the underdogs, the guys that you wouldn't guess would end up here.
So...wouldn't it be great if they did?
Coming Today: An infielder for a depleted NL Central roster.
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