Cleveland Indians: Mike Napoli would not be a good fit in 2018

Mike Napoli had a good year for the Cleveland Indians in 2016, but he should not be targeted in free agency for a return in 2018.

Carlos Santana remains the Cleveland Indians‘ best option at first base in 2017. Well, he remains the best option that is also realistic.

But as the days keep passing and Santana remains on the market, the Indians need to have contingency plans in place in case Santana signs elsewhere.

One name being brought up is 2016 Indians legend, Mike Napoli.

Napoli had a career year with the Indians in 2016, setting new highs in home runs (34), RBI (101), hits (133) and games played (150). The problem was he also set a new high in strikeouts with a whopping total of 194.

Napoli spent the 2017 with the Texas Rangers and his year made 2016 look like an anomaly. He slashed .193/.285/.428 in 124 games this past season, striking out 163 times in only 485 at-bats. He did hit 29 home runs, but a .713 OPS is not ideal for someone in the middle of the order.

Some fans are still enamored with Napoli, and rightfully so. 2016 was a special season for Indians fans and Napoli was in the middle of all the fun. But that doesn’t mean he should be brought back in 2018.

If Santana does sign elsewhere, players like Matt Adams, Logan Morrison and even Michael Brantley would be better options at first over Napoli. The veteran will be 36 years old next season and it is hard to imagine a lineup with both him and Edwin Encarnacion each striking out about 150 times or more. It doesn’t fit with the team’s philosophy and the front office made it clear that Napoli wasn’t in the team’s future plans by signing Encarnacion a year ago.

There is also simply too much depth on this roster to include a player like Napoli as one of the 25 men on the active roster. Fans saw Jason Giambi serve in a veteran bench role during a playoff year in 2013, but that wasn’t necessarily the best utilization of a roster spot.

This conversation only matters if Santana leaves, and right now it is hard to say either way what will happen. The Indians have the ability to match any offer given to Santana, while the player himself has openly said he would like to remain in Cleveland. Money talks, but the Indians should be able to find a way to keep him in town.

However, a contingency plan is needed and unfortunately, Napoli should not be on the team’s radar. It would be great if Napoli was projected to have another career year, but that would be too much of a risk for the Indians to make given the team’s title hopes in 2018.

Next: Players who could make the 2018 All-Star team

Fan favorites are fun to rally around, but some are better left in the realm of memory and nostalgia.