Cleveland Indians: Mike Clevinger should start the season in Triple-A

It may seem odd given the year he had for the Cleveland Indians, but Mike Clevinger starting the 2018 season in Triple-A not only makes sense but should happen.

The Cleveland Indians had one of the best starting rotations in baseball in 2017 and a big part of that was the emergence of right-hander Mike Clevinger.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout season and even made the postseason roster, pitching out of the bullpen as the Tribe went with a three-man rotation against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. However, despite all that, there is not only a good chance of Clevinger beginning the 2018 season back in the minors, but it should happen.

That may sound odd to say, after all, Clevinger posted a 12-6 record with a 3.11 ERA in 121 2/3 innings. His numbers as a starter were even better as he posted a 2.84 ERA in 21 starts and 114 innings. Overall he was a three-win player according to baseball-reference and struck out over 10 batters per nine innings.

Statistically, there isn’t much of a reason to send Clevinger back to Triple-A. He may have walked a few too many (over four per nine innings) but nothing so bad he can’t pitch in the big leagues. However, there is more to the move than just the numbers.

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The Cleveland Indians had six capable big league starting pitchers in 2017. In addition to Clevinger, there was Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar, and Josh Tomlin.

All five of those pitchers are going to be in Cleveland and all are likely to be in the rotation. There’s also Ryan Merritt, who made four starts for the Tribe in 2017 and is out of minor league options for 2018. He likely gets a crack at a final bullpen spot.

Clevinger meanwhile, has a minor league option left. There’s also the matter of service time. Clevinger is currently at 1.041 years of service time, meaning he has one year plus 41 days of service time.

As things stand now, Clevinger is slated to be a free agent after the 2022 season. However, if Clevinger were to spend the first six weeks in Triple-A this year, he’d be a free agent after the 2023 season instead.

One could argue that the extra year of service time isn’t worth keeping a guy like Clevinger in the minors, but I disagree. He’ll be 32 in 2023, still an age where he should be at the top of his game. Plus, if the Indians decided to move Clevinger this summer at the trade deadline, having that extra year of control would only give him even more trade value to another club.

Even if Mike Clevinger does begin 2018 in the minor leagues, he’s certain to see plenty of big league action with the Tribe. The Indians will certainly have a need for a sixth starter at some point and Clevinger will be that guy. But sending him to the minors to start the year is the smart move. It helps the club in the long-term without hurting them in 2018. It’s a win-win for the club even if it may seem a bit unfair to Clevinger.

Next: How the starting catcher role could play out in 2018

So what do you think, do you agree that Mike Clevinger should be sent to Triple-A to start the year? Or do you think he should open on the big league club even if there isn’t a rotation spot available? Let us know in the comments below.