Lonnie Chisenhall’s Bat Has Been an October Surprise

He doesn’t get the headlines like some of his more charismatic teammates, but Lonnie Chisenhall is finally repaying the Cleveland Indians for their patience.

To many fans of the Cleveland Indians, the name Lonnie Chisenhall conjures up frustration. A first round pick of the team in 2008, it has sometimes felt like he would never reach the potential the franchise saw in him, and become just another draft bust.

Yet very quietly, Chisenhall has begun to scratch the surface of that potential, and to repay the Indians for having the patience to stick with him. Still only 28 and under team control for two more seasons, the third baseman-turned-right fielder has been one of the driving forces behind the Tribe’s current playoff run.

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In 16 postseason at-bats, Chisenhall has seven hits, good for a .471/.625/1.096 slash line, a home run, two runs scored, and four runs driven in. He’s had at least one hit in every game, and his three hits in Game One of the ALCS against Toronto’s Marco Estrada would have been the talk of the town were it not for a certain shortstop hitting a home run.

Chisenhall played in 126 games for Cleveland in 2016, slashing .286/.328/.439 primarily against right-handed pitching. The knock on him is that 25 doubles, eight home runs, and 57 RBIs is not the kind of production that has traditionally been sought from corner outfielders.

But big power numbers haven’t been what the Indians have needed from Chisenhall. He’s been consistent in the lower half of the order and played serviceable, if not outstanding, defense. And the power is there at times, just ask David Price.

For his major league career, which has now spanned parts of six seasons, Chisenhall has slashed a paltry .237/.289/.368 against lefties. Cleveland manager Terry Francona has consistently used him in platoon situations, shielding him from those matchups, but that strategy has been abandoned in October.

It’s only two hits in six at-bats against lefties so far in the playoffs, but that’s still encouraging from a guy who got just 52 plate appearances against southpaws all season and turned in an OPS+ of 75 in those opportunities. Chisenhall displaying even the smallest level of competence in those situations gives Francona extra flexibility with the rest of his outfielders.

Games Three and Four in Toronto will feature Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, a pair of right-handed starters, so there’s no question about Chisenhall’s status for those. He’s a career .277/.292/.319 hitter at the Rogers Centre, and went 5-for-15 there in 2016.

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The question is how long Chisenhall can continue to swing a hot bat this postseason. We’ve seen his hot streaks before over the past few years, and they’ve always come to a crashing halt. But perhaps Big Lon has finally turned the corner, and all of the waiting the Indians have done is finally being rewarded when they need it most.