Cleveland Indians: Predicting the 2016 Statistical Leaders

We’re mere days away from the greatest seven months of the year; baseball season. 2016 could be a very fruitful year for the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are in a very good spot, and with a little luck, they could come out on top in a big way this coming season. For them to come out on top, they will need some players to excel statistically, and here are my predictions who will lead the Indians in specific categories.

Wins leader: Danny Salazar, 16

The Indians have one of the best rotations in baseball, and Danny Salazar is a big part of it. I think that he’ll build on his strong end to 2015, and dominate in 2016. Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber get a lot of credit at the top of the Indians rotation (rightfully so) but don’t overlook Salazar.

Earned Run Average leader: Corey Kluber, 2.58

Corey Kluber is a bonafide ace in the MLB. He won the Cy Young Award in 2014, and while he statistically took a step back in 2015, he proved his stuff was still dominant, as evidenced by his 18 strikeout game in 2015. Kluber also ran into a lot of bad luck last year, finishing 75th in run support last year, with an average of 3.324 runs per nine innings, (stats courtesy of sportcharts.com.) Look for Kluber to put up numbers more reminiscent of 2014 this year.

Holds leader: Bryan Shaw, 29

Bryan Shaw has been a staple of the Indians bullpen for the past three years, and for good reason. Aside from the occasional loss of command, Shaw has been a lights out set-up man for Cleveland. Shaws numbers dipped a little last year, but he also appeared to be overworked, as at certain points it seemed like he was the only consistent reliever out of the ‘pen, leaving Tito to use him more than he’d like to. Shaw should have more support this year, which may lead to him being used less, but being more effective when he’s used. Trevor Bauer could be a dark horse candidate for this as well, as it was announced that he’ll start the season in the bullpen. 

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Saves leader: Cody Allen, 38

Cody Allen has been a dominant closer for the Indians for the past two years, and I don’t see him slowing down at all in 2016. Like Shaw, he has the occasional period where he looks lost on the mound, but more often than not he comes in and shuts the door, so much so that Francona isn’t afraid to let him loose before the ninth inning, as he led the majors in 2015 with seven multi-inning saves. The Indians look like they’ll score more runs in 2016, which could lead them to have more close games, leading to more save opportunities for Allen.

Batting Average Leader: .312 Michael Brantley

It’s looking more and more like Michael Brantley will start the season on the disabled list for the Indians, but all things considered, it isn’t all that bad. It isn’t a horrible injury – like a torn ACL or a severe bone break – and while it’s lingering into the regular season, it doesn’t look like it ruin Brantley’s season. Once he comes back, expect Dr. Smooth to get hits per usual, and lead the Indians offense.

Home Run Leader: Carlos Santana 27

Now roll with me on this one. When he first broke into the big leagues in 2010, Carlos Santana was regarded as a power hitter. Since then, his approach at the plate has changed, both organically and because of what was needed to help benefit the teams that he was on. Last year, Santana led the Indians with 19 home runs, and one of the big reasons that he had such a low home run number was because there were multiple points where he Indians the only pure power hitter in the Indians lineup. He has reached the 27 home run plateau twice, once in 2011, and once in 2014, and both of those years he wasn’t the only power hitter in the lineup (Asdrubal Cabrera had 25 home runs in 2011, and in 2014 Yan Gomes had 21 home runs and Micheal Brantley had 20), and because of this he he got more pitches in the zone because pitchers were afraid to walk him and bring up the next guy with runners on base. Santana could hit in multiple places in the lineup this year (maybe even leading off) but I think he’ll get more pitches to hit this year, leading to a power resurgence for him.

Hits leader: Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor is a budding MLB star, and the future face of the Cleveland Indians, if not the face of the franchise now. Last year he proved to everyone that he was worth the wait as he hit .313 with 12 Home Runs and 51 RBI in only 99 games as a rookie. Lindor should take a big step forward with a full MLB season in 2016, so much so that I think that he will lead the Tribe in hits come October. His approach at the plate never wavered last year, and he quickly adjusted to MLB pitching. If Lindor can continue excelling on both sides of the diamond, the sky is the limit for him.

Next: Should Cody Allen's Spring Be a Concern?

Extra Base Hits Leader: Yan Gomes

Yan Gomes will be one of the best two-way players in the MLB by the end of 2016. Gomes showed the potential in 2014 when he batted .278 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI en route to winning the Sliver Slugger award . To go along with those gaudy offensive numbers, he also threw out 32% of would-be base stealers and had a .988 fielding percentage. Gomes 2015 season was thrown in a twist early when he suffered a knee sprain in early April 12th that kept him out until May 24th, but even when Gomes came back he wasn’t the same player, as he still looked to be in a lot of pain. Gomes will have had the whole offseason to heal, and look for him to return to normal form in 2016.