Cleveland Indians: Stories to watch for this Spring Training

Spring training is just around the corner and the Cleveland Indians have a few roster questions that need answered before the regular season starts. Let’s take a closer look at some of the roster battles that will take place this spring.

It’s almost time to make your way back out to the ballpark if you’re in Arizona or Florida. It couldn’t come soon enough as what has seemed like the slowest offseason yet is finally wrapping up. Teams can start to build towards their hopeful World Series runs or see how their rebuild is going.

As for the Cleveland Indians, it is World Series or bust. The team has a window that is open but is showing signs of closing with key players contracts coming close to expiring. But this is still a potential 100-win team.

The Tribe however, still have some decisions to make when it comes to the starting lineup and rotation. So let’s take a look at what storylines you should watch for this spring in Goodyear, Arizona.

Who will round out the bottom of the rotation?

The Indians have one of the best and deepest rotations in baseball.  But they don’t have room for everyone to be featured as a starting pitcher. Mike Clevinger, Danny Salazar, and Ryan Merritt will all be battling for that final rotation spot.

There really is not a clear cut favorite to earn this spot, although Merritt doesn’t seem to be a strong contender to earn the position. Our own Matt Bretz explained why he thinks Clevinger should be starting the year in Triple A. If Danny Salazar does win that battle for the last rotation spot, that could very well be the case for Clevinger.

Another interesting factor to keep an eye on is the play of Josh Tomlin. Tomlin has proven to be a reliable pitcher at times, but should he underperform compared to Clevinger and Salazar, he could find himself in the bullpen.

It is unlikely that Salazar would be sent down to minors if he doesn’t win the job. He would probably be moved to the bullpen where he had some success before returning to the rotation last season.

Who will be the Indians starting catcher?

One of the more interesting scenarios will be the starting catcher role. It is very likely that we will see the rotation of Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez back in use this season. But if the Indians top prospect, Francisco Mejia, has a strong outing this spring he could begin to make the argument for a roster spot.

All three players are under contract with the Cleveland Indians for at least the next three years. That could help improve their trade value. Tribe fans would no doubt be devastated to see Mejia traded anywhere. Fans have awaiting his start in the majors for a long time now. But Gomes and Perez have proven to be formidable defensive catchers. What they lack at the plate, they make up for behind it with an ability to keep the ball in front of them and making it a headache to try to run on them.

Watching how Mejia performs will be the most intriguing part of this years spring training in my opinion. We will get to see if he is ready to take the next step or if he will have to wait until later in the season for another chance.

Where will Yandy Diaz play?

The projections for the Cleveland Indians starting lineup do not include Yandy Diaz. He played 40 games at third base last year while Jose Ramirez held down second base. It made for a formidable infield. Now the team has Jason Kipnis returning to second and JRam moving back to third, which leaves Diaz as the odd man out.

He has experience in the outfield but the Tribe’s OF is locked down. This means Yandy Diaz will also likely be playing for a spot on the starting roster this season. He will likely be used as a backup at third to keep Jose Ramirez fresh. In the unfortunate event that an injury occurs at either second or third, Yandy would likely be the next man up.

Next: Can Giovanny Urshela get the bat going?

Diaz showed potential last season but his bat never really got hot. If he can manage to wake his bat up this spring it will greatly increase his chances of earning a spot in the starting lineup.