Covering the Bases: All-Star edition
Notes and quotes about Sunday’s All-Star announcement…
FIRST: Jose Ramirez leaned in to try to understand as much of the question as he could. Once he heard the phrase “Home Run Derby,” the Indians’ star cracked a slight smirk. Those words needed no translation.
Ramirez, who opted to hold the FOX Sports mic himself during the media scrum, rattled off a few words in Spanish for team translator Will Clements to relay. Clements chuckled and gave Ramirez’s answer.
“We’ll be revealing that information a little bit later,” was Ramirez’s reply.
Ramirez — one of five All-Stars heading to Washington D.C. to represent the Tribe — has blossomed into one of the more surprising power hitters in the game. Often, when the stocky but solid third baseman is asked what led to his latest blast, he will simply say, “Home run pitch.”
Well, the Derby will have mucho home run pitches.
Told that, Ramirez laughed.
“Yeah, I’ll try, if I get the chance,” he said.
Here’s a look at the MLB home run leaderboard:
27: J.D. Martinez
25: Mike Trout, Aaron Judge
24: Jose Ramirez
23: Francisco Lindor
What’s that? Lindor is right behind Ramirez? Hmm, perhaps he would be interested in joining the third baseman in MLB’s annual feat of strength?
“No, not me,” said Lindor, who then smiled. “He’s more of a power hitter than me. He’s got 24. I’ve got 23.”
OK, so Lindor isn’t interested in competing against Ramirez in the Derby — should the third baseman get picked to take part. For Indians fans, they get to see the shortstop go head-to-head with Ramirez on a daily basis. No, they aren’t really competing against one another, but man, it sure feels like it.
Corey Kluber said it feels that way to the players, too.
“They drive each other, which is cool,” Kluber said. “It’s funny. I feel like if Frankie goes out there and hits a double, Jose is going to go out there and hit a homer and vice versa. I think they kind of feed off each other, which is good for us.”
Lindor has 27 doubles. Ramirez has 25. Ramirez has 19 steals. Lindor has 12. Ramirez has 5.7 fWAR (2nd in MLB). Lindor checks in at 5.2 (4th). Lindor has a .301/.378/.572 slash line. Ramirez? Try .293/.396/.595. Ramirez has a 164 wRC+. Lindor is at 156. They each have 50 extra-base hits. They are three RBI apart (59 for Ramirez and 56 for Lindor).
It’s pretty remarkable how close they are statistically, and even more impressive when you think about the paths they have taken to stardom.
Lindor was always highly touted — having been taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Ramirez was a virtual unknown when Cleveland signed him back in 2009 and still when he ascended to the Majors by 2013. They played next to each other through the farm system and then were jockeying for position when the time came to reach The Show.
Now, they’re heading to the All-Star Game together for the second year in a row. Ramirez will start for the American League at third for the second year in a row after being voted into the lineup by the fans. With Baltimore’s Manny Machado winning the fan vote for short, Lindor was named by his peers.
“I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud of Frankie,” Ramirez said. “I’m really happy for him and for his family. Everyone who’s been watching us over the past couple years knows that we came up together since A ball. And so, I’m really happy for him and that God has blessed us with this opportunity to go there together.”
Back in 2015, Ramirez broke camp as the Indians’ starting shortstop, while Lindor remained in the Minor Leagues. Through June 6 that year, Ramirez looked completely lost at the plate, batting .180 (.487 OPS) with one home run through 46 games. The Indians demoted him and Lindor walked through the clubhouse doors at Comerica Park in Detroit 10 days later.
Over his first month, Lindor hit .224 with a .565 OPS in his first 115 plate appearances, looking like he might need more time in the Minors himself. The shortstop quickly adjusted, nearly winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award with his torrid play down the stretch. Ramirez was back later that season to handle second base and soon became a lineup fixture himself.
Ramirez is the first Indians third baseman to start in consecutive All-Star Games since 1953–54 (Al Rosen) and the first Tribe player voted into the starting lineup by fans in back-to-back years since 1998–99 (Manny Ramirez and Roberto Alomar.
Lindor — the first shortstop in MLB history to have at least 50 extra-base hits and 75 runs before the break — is the second Indians shortstop in team history to make three All-Star Games in a row. Lou Boudreau made five straight from 1940–44.
“It’s one of the most gratifying things to watch kids grow from kids to grown-ups,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “And see how much they improve on the field, while maintaining their youthful enthusiasm while they’re doing it. I actually think their better days are of them, which bodes well for us.”
SECOND: Francona wanted to make the All-Star announcement a team celebration on Sunday morning, so he opted to reveal the names with all the players present in the clubhouse.
Francona revealed not one, not two, not three, not four, but five names.
“I was more caught up in, ‘How many more guys are we going to get?’” Indians rookie Shane Bieber said. “Five? That’s pretty impressive. The talent around this clubhouse is pretty remarkable. It’s an exciting time.”
Besides Lindor and Ramirez, the Indians’ best starting pitcher this season made the American League squad. And Corey Kluber made it, too.
Yes, Trevor Bauer is an All-Star and — who could’ve seen this coming? — you could make an argument that he should be the American League’s starting pitcher (if a Sunday start doesn’t rule him out). Luis Severino (14–2, 2.12 ERA) would seem to have the upper hand there.
That said, Bauer currently leads MLB pitchers in fWAR (4.5), FIP (2.17) and HR/9 (0.37). Run support has done him no favors — playing a large role in his 8–6 record — but the right-hander has a 2.45 ERA with 156 strikeouts vs. 37 walks in 121.1 innings.
“He’s grown as a pitcher,” Kluber said. “Obviously, his work ethic isn’t in question, but I think he’s done a good job of maybe addressing things to improve on, kind of attacking those things. And I think now you’re seeing the results of it.”
Bauer said hearing his name announced as a first-time All-Star on Sunday was a moment he’ll never forget.
“I’m extremely excited for it,” Bauer said. “You watch the game growing up. I watched every year. You tune in for the Home Run Derby and see the best of the best guys. I remember watching Torii Hunter rob Barry Bonds and Pedro Martinez punch out six guys in a row, and just moments like that from growing up that are kind of iconic baseball moments for me and for a lot of other people.
“And to be able to go and play in the same game against the best players that this game has to offer right now — that the world has to offer right now — is really fun. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Kluber is 12–4 with a 2.49 ERA and 123 strikeouts vs. 15 walks in 126.1 innings this season, but what is truly remarkable is what the ace has done since June 1 last year. You might recall, that’s when Kluber came off the DL after a bad April and a May missed thanks to a back injury.
Since June 1, 2017, Kluber leads MLB in…
Wins (27) — Runner-up Severino has 24 wins
ERA (2.00) — Runner-up Max Scherzer has a 2.40 ERA
Innings (292.2) — Runner-up Justin Verlander has 263.2 IP
OPS (.532) — Runner-up Scherzer is .567
Baserunners/9 (7.47) — Runner-up Scherzer is 8.61
K/BB (9.13) — Runner-up Chris Sale is 6.56
Kluber is the first starting pitcher to be named an All-Star in at least three straight seasons for the Indians since Sam McDowell made it in four straight years from 1968–71.
“Bauer deserves it,” Lindor said. “Kluber, you know he’s going to be there. And there’s more guys here that deserve to go as well. It was just those guys that got picked, but there are a lot of players here that deserve to go. Unfortunately they can’t, but those guys are representing the rotation very well.”
THIRD: We’ll get to the fifth and final All-Star in a moment. In the meantime, let’s take a look at a few other Indians players who might also have had a case for inclusion.
First and foremost, catcher Yan Gomes could be classified as a snub. When the AL roster was revealed and the Cleveland catcher was not included, I figured that meant Houston’s Max Stassi got the nod as the backup to Wilson Ramos of the Rays (voted in by the fans.). Nope. Kansas City’s Salvador Perez was voted in by his peers.
Going by fWAR, Stassi (1.5) leads the AL pack with Ramos and Gomes (1.3 each) close behind. Perez has 0.2 fWAR to go along with a .213/.255/.376 slash line. Gomes has hit .247/.309/.445 with a 102 wRC+, which isn’t flashy, but with Gary Sanchez injured, the Indians’ starting catcher has a strong case, if Stassi’s playing time (just 167 PA) was going to hold him back.
Defensively, Baseball Prospectus loves Stassi, giving him 10.6 Fielding Runs Above Average. Gomes checks in at 3.6, with Ramos at -0.2 and Perez at -6.9. I could’ve seen going with Stassi over Gomes, but Perez? That’s a stretch. But, the other issue in play here is the fact that the Royals need an All-Star and their catcher checks that box.
“Catchers go out there and pretty much bust their butts every day for us as pitchers,” Kluber said when asked about Gomes. “It would be awesome if he could get some recognition for that.”
Francona agreed.
“That was the one thing and I actually said it to our team,” said the manager. “Things happen and maybe Gomer will still make it. You never know. They add guys and usually a third catcher is one, so I’m kind of keeping my fingers crossed there a little bit.”
DH Edwin Encarnacion is fifth in the AL in RBI (62) and has 20 homers, but his case was borderline at best. Encarnacion’s cold start hurt his average (.232) and on-base percentage (.311) and he only has 0.4 fWAR.
Righty Carlos Carrasco has been solid with a 9–5 record and 4.28 ERA ini 96.2 innings, but his 1.8 fWAR comes in at 17th in the AL right now. There’s just a lot of good pitching and his showing — hindered by the brief time lost on the DL — wasn’t All-Star caliber this year.
Besides Gomes, the player with the next-best case to be on the AL All-Star team is right-hander Mike Clevinger. His 2.7 fWAR is eighth in the AL and just 0.1 behind Kluber. Clevinger is 7–3 with a 3.11 ERA and 3.19 FIP in 110 innings (17 starts).
“Mike Clevinger, I think, is very deserving,” said Bauer, who was happy to represent the rotation, alongside Kluber. “We know we can pitch. That’s kind of the lifeblood of the team. That’s how we feel as a starting staff anyway. That’s how we try to take our job.”
HOME: The last name revealed as an All-Star for the Indians was veteran left fielder Michael Brantley.
Brantley sustained a serious ankle injury last season, leading to surgery and putting his status for this year in doubt. It was the latest in a serious of health issues that limited him to 101 games over the 2016–17 campaigns and kept him from taking part in the World Series run two years ago.
When the Indians opted to pick up Brantley’s $12 million option over the winter, there were plenty of critics who questioned the thinking of a team with known financial limitations for the winter. Everyone knows what Brantley can do when healthy, but could he stay on the field? That was — once again — the big question.
“Brant, all that he’s been through,” Francona s aid. “I grabbed him and I told him, ‘Take a minute and enjoy this,’ because he put a lot of work in. So, it’s pretty cool.”
Brantley is batting .306/.351/.490 with 11 home runs, 23 doubles, 49 RBI and nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (30). And, even with all the time lost over the past few seasons, including severe shoulder issues, he hasn’t lost his elite bat-to-ball skills. Brantley leads MLB in contact rate (90.1%) and contact rate in the zone (96.9%).
“It’s kind of the same story as last year,” Kluber said. “He stayed here all winter to rehab and worked really hard and put himself in a position to go out there and be the type of player we all know he can be. To have that recognized is pretty cool, all the stuff that he does behind the scenes.”
The Indians have at least five All-Stars for the 15th time in franchise history. The other occurrences were 2017 (5), 2004 (5), 1999 (6), 1998 (6), 1996 (5), 1995 (6), 1961 (5), 1955 (6), 1954 (5), 1952 (7), 1949 (5), 1948 (5), 1943 (6) and 1940 (6).
That makes this the fifth time — first since 1998–99 — that the team has sent at least five to the Midsummer Classic in consecutive seasons.
“Very [proud]. I’m happy,” Francona said. “I’m thrilled for our guys and I’m also happy for the Indians. I think it shows that — whether it’s fans or other players or whatever it is — respect for our players. I’m thrilled for that.”
Stay tuned for more…
— JB
