Well, the Cleveland Indians sure have had a big offseason. The Indians signed perhaps the biggest free agent of the offseason in Edwin Encarnacion, a first baseman and designated hitter who previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays. Last season, Encarnacion hit an outstanding 42 home runs and led the American League with 127 runs batted in. Most people think Encarnacion will turn out to be a great signing and lead the Indians back to the playoffs.
Now, I'm going to make some predictions for the Indians upcoming 2017-2018 season. To start, I think that they're going to have another great season and definitely make the playoffs, and maybe go all the way back to the World Series for another chance to win the big whammy. And here's why:
Reason number one: The Pitching. The Indians had one of the best pitching rotations in baseball last year, made up of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. Kluber, nicknamed "Klubot" by Indians fans, had 227 strikeouts last year and nine and a half strikeouts per nine innings. That means Kluber had over one strikeout an inning. Kluber was among league leaders in strikeouts per nine innings.
Reason number two: The 2016 Playoffs: Throughout the playoffs, the Indians were missing two of their best pitchers due to injury, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. In addition, the Indians were also missing one of their best non-pitchers in Michael Brantley, who was up for MVP consideration two years ago before he got injured last year. So this postseason, the Indians made it all the way to the World Series and took the Chicago Cubs, who had 103 wins and only 58 losses all without three of their top seven players. This shows that the Indians have what it takes to make it all the way to the World Series this year if they stay healthy.
Reason number three: The Indians are still young. Almost all of the Indians expected starting players are 30 years old or younger. Add the leadership of 34-year old Edwin Encarnacion and one of the best managers of all time in Terry Francona to the talent of the young guns on the Indians, and you have a formidable team for years to come.
Overall, I think that the Indians are going to have a great season and make it all the way back to the World Series. I think that the team they have this year is just too good and if they stay healthy, they will be almost unbeatable.
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| Edwin Encarnacion, the Indians new signing. |
Reason number one: The Pitching. The Indians had one of the best pitching rotations in baseball last year, made up of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. Kluber, nicknamed "Klubot" by Indians fans, had 227 strikeouts last year and nine and a half strikeouts per nine innings. That means Kluber had over one strikeout an inning. Kluber was among league leaders in strikeouts per nine innings.
Reason number two: The 2016 Playoffs: Throughout the playoffs, the Indians were missing two of their best pitchers due to injury, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. In addition, the Indians were also missing one of their best non-pitchers in Michael Brantley, who was up for MVP consideration two years ago before he got injured last year. So this postseason, the Indians made it all the way to the World Series and took the Chicago Cubs, who had 103 wins and only 58 losses all without three of their top seven players. This shows that the Indians have what it takes to make it all the way to the World Series this year if they stay healthy.
Reason number three: The Indians are still young. Almost all of the Indians expected starting players are 30 years old or younger. Add the leadership of 34-year old Edwin Encarnacion and one of the best managers of all time in Terry Francona to the talent of the young guns on the Indians, and you have a formidable team for years to come.
Overall, I think that the Indians are going to have a great season and make it all the way back to the World Series. I think that the team they have this year is just too good and if they stay healthy, they will be almost unbeatable.
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