Cleveland Indians players as members of The Avengers

With the release of Avengers: Infinity War coming soon, it got me to thinking: If the Cleveland Indians were the Avengers, who would each player be? Here is my take on it.

Captain America= Corey Kluber

Cap is the leader of the Avengers. He is the heartbeat of the group and the one you can always rely on to be there. Captain America is also the face of the Avengers, which is why this would be Corey Kluber.

No matter what questions the Indians have going into the season, we can always rely on Kluber to be the reliable constant. Kluber is going to going to give you 200+ innings, 200+ strikeouts, be a Cy Young candidate, and one of, if not the best, pitchers in baseball.

Captain America is the most important part of the Avengers and Corey Kluber is the most important Indian in the last 10 years.

Iron Man= Jason Kipnis

For Avengers fans, Iron Man is the O.G. of it all. It was over 10 years ago when Robert Downey Jr. made the ultimate comeback and stepped into the red and gold suit. Without Iron Man being what it was, who knows if the Marvel Universe would be what it is today.

Jason Kipnis has been with the Tribe since 2009. He was there before the good days and is a reason why we have seen so much success. For Clevelanders, Kip has been adopted as one us for his extreme love the city and its people (even though we don’t always show it back to him).

Iron Man also has a little bit of swag to himself, just like Kip. Kip has been there since the start of it and just like Iron Man, we aren’t sure how much longer he will be around.

Thor= Mike Clevinger

So I know what the obvious connection is: the hair. Both Clev and Thor have beautiful long locks that flow in the wind so effortlessly but there are other connections.

For fans of the Thor movies, you know that the third one was the best of them all and it’s not even close. For Clevinger, who is in his third year being up in the majors, we are already seeing signs of this being his breakout year. After notching his first complete-game shutout against the Orioles, he showed that he has the ability to pitch smart and limit his pitches.

There might not be a ton of similarities between Thor and Clevinger but I think if Clev was to select an Avenger, he would agree with me.

Spider-Man= Francisco Lindor

So this one might have been the easiest one for me to think of and is also the most accurate. Spider-Man is the youngest of the Avengers and Frankie is one of the youngest members of the Indians. Spider-Man is agile, funny, strong, smart and selfless. He is a 5 tool superhero.

Anyone who has ever seen or heard Frankie play one game, they know he is a no doubt 5 tool player. Frankie is also the future of baseball, like Spider-Man is the future of the Marvel Universe. For the next 10-15 years, Frankie could very well be the face of baseball and completing his road to Cooperstown.

The more I think about it, Frankie would make a great Spider-Man in real life, maybe something to think about, Frankie.

Dr. Strange= Andrew Miller

For those unfamiliar with Dr. Strange, I’ll put this into the simplest terms: He is magic. He is a sorcerer that is able to do things that confuse the mind and defy reality. He is a master of his craft and one the most powerful sorcerers ever. Andrew Miller is magic.

The things he is able to do with a baseball defy reality. To use a cliché term and one that does and doesn’t apply to this, he is a “wizard” with the baseball. Miller’s slider seems to move through the air as if he was controlling it with some other worldly power. He is also the best at what he does and there is no arguing that.

Andrew Miller is the best relief pitcher in baseball and it isn’t even close.

Bruce Banner/Hulk= Trevor Bauer

This is another easy one. Bruce Banner is a genius and the smartest member of the Avengers. Trevor Bauer is the smartest player on the Indians and possibly the smartest player in baseball.

He has an engineering degree from UCLA, which is not often a degree you see a Golden Spikes Award winner and top 5 draft pick go after. Bauer and Banner are both a little awkward when it comes to situations that are uncomfortable with and had trouble finding where they fit in. But both these guys have another side to them and when it comes out, be ready for magic.

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Bauer has the stuff to be a multi-time Cy Young winner. He has the velocity to blow it past you but also hit you with a curve that makes you sick. It took Bruce Banner time to find a balance with the Hulk and it seems as if Bauer has finally found that perfect balance in 2018 and we better be ready.