An Early Look at the Indians Roster With Spring Training About a Month Away

It's hard to believe the Indians are just over a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Goodyear, and the letdown of how 2016

It's hard to believe the Indians are just over a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Goodyear, and the letdown of how 2016 ended is slowly going away daily with the promise of what's ahead in 2017.

Many have the Indians pegged as one of the big winners in free agency with their huge pickup of 1B/DH Edwin Encarnación, who will surly add a ton of pop to a Tribe lineup that had plenty of good moments last season.

The roster won't truly take form till after the team goes through spring training, and while there are plenty of question marks (like the health of Michael Brantley), there's a lost more good on the roster that we should take a look at.

So today, here's a quick early breakdown of the Tribe roster, and how things could look as the team gets ready to report for Spring Training on February 12th in Arizona.

Starting Pitching

Corey Kluber
Carlos Carrasco
Danny Salazar
Josh Tomlin
Trevor Bauer

Last season it was considered to be a strength going into the season, but injuries along the way hindered this unit big time, but a healthy unit in 2017 should help the team be right back at the top of the AL Central.

The Indians have worked hard to ensure that they have the type of starting rotation that can win a title, and with Kluber who wrapped up another amazing season and finished third in the Cy Young voting, it's tough to think of a starting five better when healthy.

Four of the five starters in this rotation are 30 or under, and Tomlin is the 'elder statesman' and he's just 32. Look for some bumps along the way, but it's hard to think of one of these guys not being in the starting five opening day based on 2016.

Infielders

Jesus Aguilar
Chris Colabello
Edwin Encarnación
Erik González
Jason Kipnis
Francisco Lindor
José Ramirez
Carlos Santana
Gio Urshela

The starters seem basically set in stone, with either Encarnación or Santana at first (the other at DH), Kipnis at 2B, Lindor at short, and Ramirez at 3B. The others on this list, along with some that will get chances during the spring, will be fighting for playing time when one of the starters needs a day off or is nursing an injury.

There's no doubt that Encarnación adds a dimension to this lineup it's not seen since the likes of Jim Thome. A power-hitting slugger that has averaged 38 homers per season over the last five years. Kudos to the team for going for it, and bringing in a player that many feel will get this team over the hump to winning a title.

Kipnis, Lindor and Ramirez are three players that can also carry this lineup, as all three had great seasons in 2016, and will be looking to carry that into 2017. Lindor is a star in the making, while Kip's 23 HR's was a career-high last year.

Maybe the unknown is Ramirez, and if he can duplicate a season that saw him come out of nowhere to hit .312 with 11 homers and 76 runs batted in.

Outfielders

Abraham Almonte
Michael Brantley
Lonnie Chisenhall
Brandon Guyer
Michael Martínez
Tyler Naquin

The biggest question mark of this entire roster is the comeback of Michael Brantley, and if he's going to be 100 percent after a number of injuries that allowed him to just play 11 games last season with the Major League club. Of course the early fear is Brantley is going to be the next Grady Sizemore, a player with a ton of potential that couldn't stay healthy.

The team was able to get along without him last season, but he's in the plans to have an impact in 2017, and there's little doubt that is he can be close to his 2015 numbers of .310 with 15 homers and 84 RBI, it'll be a welcome sight.

As for the positions as they stand right now, without Rajai Davis on the team anymore, Almonte, Chisenhall, Guyer and Naquin will all get playing time, with Martinez being an option as well in a pinch.

For now, all eyes going into Goodyear will be on Brantley, as his comeback will be the biggest story of camp.

Catchers

Yan Gomes
Francisco Mejia
Adam Moore
Roberto Pérez

Last season this may have been the weak link on the team as Yan Gomes never got going, then on July 17th suffered a nasty injury that ruined basically the rest of his season.

Roberto Perez came in and filled in the best he could, playing in every playoff game, hitting three homers and driving in seven runs. At the end of the day, this position on the team could easily be better, and is expected to be in 2017 with a hopeful return of a healthy and determined Gomes, and with Perez coming back as the backup.

Don't count out Francisco Mejia, the 21-year old rising star who last year in the minors had a 50-game hitting streak, the longest in the minors in 62 years. It will be fun to see what he can do in the spring, and then we'll get a better determination of how far he is away from the Majors.

Relief Pitchers

Austin Adams
Cody Allen
Andrew Miller
Bryan Shaw
Cody Anderson
Mike Clevinger
Joe Colon
Kyle Crockett
Perci Garner
Zach McAllister
Ryan Merritt
Dan Otero

A group that last season was the MVP of the postseason, with a threesome that basically couldn't be stopped - Cody Allen, Andrew Miller and Bryan Shaw. These three were as good as could be as the made a run to game seven of the World Series. This year in the spring it will be fun to watch to see what players could step up to join the threesome in a pen that will be considered to be a strength this year.

A couple young players got some chances last season like Perci Garner, Joe Colon and you can forget the game five start for Ryan Merritt, who should be in the mix for innings in 2017. Dan Otero stepped in and had a great 2016 for the team out of nowhere, it will be interesting to see if he can repeat that in 2017.