HOW THE JAYS STACK UP
Cleveland will host Friday’s ALCS opener after sweeping Boston
From batting order to bullpen, Richard Griffin takes the team’s pulse before Friday’s ALCS opener against Cleveland,
The Indians swept the Boston Red Sox Monday night and will host the Blue Jays in a seven-game American League Championship Series starting Friday in Cleveland. Here are five reasons why the Blue Jays should fear the Indians:
COREY KLUBER
No matter how the series goes, the Jays will likely have to face Kluber, the Indians’ ace, at least twice and perhaps even three times. The 30year-old righty, who won the 2014 AL Cy Young and is back in the running this year, struck out more than a batter an inning this season while posting the league’s lowest FIP (fielding independent pitching), which estimates a pitcher’s run prevention based solely on strikeouts, walks and home runs.
Kluber, who in his career has held right-handed hitters to a .610 onbase-plus-slugging percentage (OPS), could be especially tough on the Jays’ heavily right-handed lineup. Against Kluber’s slider this season, opposing batters have hit just .099. The good news for the Jays is that their current lineup has actually hit Kluber well, batting .283 over 119 collective plate appearances. Josh Donaldson and Melvin Upton Jr. have both homered off him, while Russell Martin has two dingers.
MIKE NAPOLI
The 34-year-old former Red Sox and Rangers slugger has enjoyed a bounceback season with the Indians. He hit a career-high 34 home runs, the 15th-most in the AL. Granted, Napoli has the majors’ third-highest strikeout rate at 30 per cent, but he is a dangerous hitter nevertheless and this is his eighth time in the postseason in an 11-year career, so he also brings experience to the table. While Cleveland doesn’t have the kind of pop that the Jays do, Napoli, desig- nated hitter/catcher Carlos Santana and second baseman Jason Kipnis combined for 91 homers.
FRANCISCO LINDOR
The Indians’ best position player is their 22-year-old shortstop, last year’s runner-up for the American League rookie of the year. Lindor hit .301this season, while also banging15 home runs, stealing 19 bases and scoring 99 runs. More important to the Indians, however, is what he does with his glove. Lindor is among the best defenders in the game and transformed the Indians’ infield when he was first called up in June of last year. This season he has continued his exceptional defence, so it’s no coincidence the Indians have been the league’s best at fielding ground balls, according to multiple measures. This year Lindor trailed only the sublime Andrelton Simmons of the Angels in defensive runs saved among AL shortstops, while a case can be made that he’s the best defender at any position.
ANDREW MILLER
Acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Yankees, the hardthrowing lefty is Indians manager Terry Francona’s favourite bullpen toy. Miller, a former closer, is the Swiss Army knife of Cleveland’s relief corps — available to pitch at any time, in any situation, to snuff out a rally on demand. It’s hard to think of a reliever of Miller’s calibre who is as versatile as he is. He had a1.45 earned run average this season while posting the league’s highest strikeout rate, whiffing nearly 45 per cent of the batters he faced. Despite being a lefty he has been tougher on righthanded hitters, holding them to a .153 batting average. One advantage for the Jays is familiarity. Their current lineup has collectively faced him 56 times since 2012, when he became a full-time reliever. Since then they have a combined .196 batting average against him with five homers, two by Upton.
RAJAI DAVIS
The Indians were the best baserunning team in the AL, not only by stolen bases but also advanced statistics that measure how well runners took extra bases on singles, avoided making outs on the bases and stayed out of double plays. The leader of their speedy pack is Rajai Davis, the former Blue Jay, who topped the AL with 43 swipes. In fact, over the last 10 years nobody has stolen more bags than Davis, who sits seventh on the Jays’ all-time list despite only playing three seasons in Toronto. But it’s not just Davis doing the thieving. The Indians have four players with at least15 steals. The Blue Jays, by comparison, don’t have anyone with more than Kevin Pillar’s 14 stolen bases.