CLEVELAND — The Indians employed 54 players in 2019, from Aaron (Civale) to Zach (Plesac) and from (Greg and Logan) Allen to (Bradley) Zimmer.
That number hasn’t been higher since the 2002 season, a year of transition for the franchise in which the club relied upon 59 players, including real people named Roy Smith and Greg LaRocca and Heath Murray. Even Brady Anderson made a forgettable cameo.
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The 2019 Indians were nothing like that 2002 team, a jumbled mess of veteran holdovers from the glory years and overmatched, inexperienced kids. The 2019 Indians needed 54 players to survive the rash of injuries that plagued the clubhouse and the outbreak of the hitting flu that infiltrated the lineup in the early months.
That’s 54 players (plus coaches, bullpen catchers, coordinators and an entire front office, of course) contributing to a roller coaster ride that came to a halt at the 93-win mark, just short of a postseason berth.
So who was most valuable to the cause? Not just which players logged the highest WAR total, but who wielded the most influence on this season developing into what it ultimately became? There’s plenty of subjectivity to this, but here’s my Indians MVP ballot. (I’m sure there will be disagreements, so feel free to drop your own ballot into the comments section below.)
5. (Tie) Mike Clevinger and Francisco Lindor
José Ramírez received consideration for this spot, given how much the offense seemed to hinge on his production. Oscar Mercado, too, for his timely emergence. Even Jordan Luplow, given his gaudy numbers against lefties. Instead, Clevinger and Lindor share the vote.
The case for Lindor: A .284/.335/.518 slash line, a third consecutive season with 40-plus doubles and 30-plus home runs, 22 stolen bases, 4.4 WAR. He was often the club’s catalyst on offense and a primary leader in the clubhouse.
The case against Lindor: This is nitpicking, and as fluky as this statistic can be, Lindor posted an uninspiring .202/.295/.312 slash line in 133 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. Also, he registered his worst month in September (.218 average, .705 OPS), including two hits in his final 25 at-bats in the final week. He acknowledged the team’s late fizzle stemmed from the lack of hitting atop the order.
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The case for Clevinger: He missed 10 weeks of the season, yet ranked seventh among American League pitchers in WAR. He ranked third in ERA (2.71), first in FIP (2.49) and fifth in strikeout rate (12.1).
The case against Clevinger: He missed 10 weeks. He returned long before anyone anticipated — well, aside from himself — but he could have stolen some of the national attention granted to Cy Young Award front-runners Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.
4. Ruben Niebla
“OK, I remember Phil Maton and Jon Edwards and Andrew Velazquez, but Ruben Niebla? Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Well, that’s because this is … cheating, somewhat. Niebla last pitched in 2000 for the Chico Heat of the independent Western League. But he has worked for the Indians for 19 years, now as the organization’s pitching coordinator. Ask any starting pitcher on the Indians’ roster to name a member of the organization who played a vital role in their ascent to the majors, and they’ll first point to Niebla. (I did. And they did. Much more coming soon on that topic to The Athletic site near you.)
He oversees each pitcher’s development plan. He helps streamline communication between levels and coaches. And he was a key cog in Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale helping to rescue a beleaguered rotation this summer. The credit doesn’t all fall on Niebla’s plate; the Indians stress that everything they do is collaborative, and there’s an entire network of player development staff members who assist with the pitching pipeline that saved their season. (Again, more coming soon.)
But for this exercise, we’ll let Niebla represent that group, and that group represents the contributions that Plesac and Civale (and even Clevinger, Shane Bieber and Adam Plutko) made. Plesac and Civale had limited exposure to the Triple-A level, yet the big-league spotlight never seemed too bright, leading Bieber to declare that “they kept us in the race. They definitely pulled more than their own weight.”
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“When you think about the major steps forward that some of our young pitchers have taken in the past two years,” GM Mike Chernoff said, “whether it’s Bieber who wasn’t in spring training the year before, or Plesac and Civale this year, the same thing. Or even Clevinger, the steps forward he took last year and really even improved on that this year — I think it’s obviously a huge organizational success in that way and I think sets up a foundation for the future for us.”
3. Roberto Pérez
The average MLB team totaled 12 passed balls this season; the Indians totaled two. That credit falls upon the shoulders of Pérez, who was not charged with a single passed ball all season (993 2/3 innings). Think that’s impressive? He also led all players — at any position — in defensive runs saved, with 29. Nationals outfielder Victor Robles racked up 22, as did Padres catcher Austin Hedges. Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain was the only other player in the majors to reach 20.
Pérez ranked near the top of the leaderboard in pitch framing. Oh, and he ranked second in the majors in caught stealing rate (41 percent), behind only Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto.
So, it’s difficult to argue against Pérez being the top defensive catcher in baseball — or, at the very least, near the top of the list. Then add in the fact he socked 24 home runs this season and posted a .774 OPS and a 98 wRC+. All of that from a guy who posted a .188/.278/.315 slash line the three previous years.
In 2019, Pérez was a league-average hitter with some pop in his bat who dominated every other aspect of his position. Plus, he guided some inexperienced pitchers through their first tour of the big leagues.
“He’s extraordinary at leading a pitching staff,” Antonetti said. “So we went in knowing that was a core strength of his and what he was able to do was, with consistent, regular at-bats, produce at offensive levels that he hadn’t yet done. He put together one of the best all-around seasons for a catcher, not only in the American League, but in baseball.”
Will his performance earn him his first Gold Glove?
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“No doubt. He’s winning it,” Lindor said. “If he doesn’t win the Gold Glove, then there’s something wrong with the system. And I know the system’s not wrong, so Pérez will win it.”
2. Shane Bieber
Had I said before the season that only one Tribe starter would log more than 200 innings (and five or more in all but two starts), lead the league in walk rate, complete games and shutouts and post an ERA between 2.83 and 3.68 every month, who would you have guessed?
Corey Kluber? That sure sounds like one of his seasons from 2014-18.
Carlos Carrasco? No one would have scoffed at that suggestion.
Trevor Bauer? He was a trendy Cy Young pick who regularly pitches deep into games.
Clevinger? That wouldn’t have sounded far-fetched by any means.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Bieber was the answer.
“Personally, it’s been an extremely fulfilling season,” he said.
From college walk-on to All-Star Game MVP in five years. From No. 5 starter to front-line starter who is bound to receive some Cy Young tallies in about five months.
Three of those first four pitchers were sidelined for an extended period of time this season. The fourth was inconsistent and then ousted. Bieber was a model of consistency, an example for Plesac and Civale and a reason the front office could deem Bauer expendable and feel encouraged about the club’s future.
“There’s a pretty good chance he’s going to be in our five-man rotation next year,” Terry Francona joked, before adding that Bieber will likely follow the Kluber program, which includes a lighter spring training load. “My guess is Bieber will come back stronger than ever and he’ll probably figure out a way to be even better next year.”
Said Bieber: “I didn’t think I had the greatest start and then to be able to kind of refine everything and become more consistent and then just the way the whole All-Star thing happened and a lot of things just turned out a lot better than expected — so I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities this year presented, and fortunately I was able to make the most of them.”
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1. Carlos Santana
Stick a battery in Santana, push a button and he’ll utter the same phrases. He’s happy. He’s comfortable. Cleveland is his “sweet home.”
What else would he need to say? He kept it no secret how thrilled he was to return to Cleveland and how that sparked a career year in his age-33 season. Santana tied his personal best with 34 home runs and he set career highs in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, hits and runs. He walked as many times as he struck out. He earned his first All-Star nod and he participated in the Home Run Derby.
When the Indians’ lineup scuffled in April and May, Santana ditched his typical sluggish start to carry the offense. In the clubhouse, it was like he never left, and he even provided guidance for Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes upon their arrivals.
Aside from an empty October, it was a dream season for the homecoming king.
“I can’t literally count how many times he would come up to me,” Antonetti said, “and say, ‘Thank you for bringing me back here. I’ve never been happier. I’m so happy.'”
(Top photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)