Why Some Folks Love the Indians

Stop me if you've heard this before: the Cleveland Native Americans' bandwagon is loading up fast. The teepee is full and Chief Wahoo's entourage is growing. With the Tigers down, the Twins falling back to earth, the White Sox in need of darning even before the season starts and apprehension about the Royals' staying power, many a quipster, seamhead and hot-taker is hot-taking the Indians to win the Central.

The Land of Cleve finished 81-80 with a late surge last season, a punchless stars-and-scrubs lineup bolstered by good pitching and defense. Their top slugger (Carlos Santana) bopped 19 homers and the best player (rookie Francisco Lindor, pictured here)) got into just 99 games.

That would seem like a good baseline for improvement the following year, especially as several of the better everyday players still live on the south side of 30.

What They Got and What They Ain't Got
What's so alluring about the Indians is that last year's carryover -- power arms in the rotation, a solid bullpen, young studs dotted throughout the lineup and rotation, and good defense around the horn -- are scarce commodities. What they lacked last year -- any hint of a third baseman, two-thirds of an outfield, an occasional long ball -- are relatively easy to replace.

So after losing super-utility knife Ryan Rayburn to the Rockies, Cleveland brought in Mike Napoli to split 1B/DH duties with Santana; twinkle-toes Juan Uribe to bring some semblance of Major League stability to the hot corner; and outfielders Rajai Davis and Marlon Byrd to solidify the green space. Together that group should supply some added power as well.

The Indians will count on former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to once again anchor the starting five, with flamethrowers Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin filling out the staff. Tribe hurlers produced the highest average velocity in the sport last year, which comes in handy especially during those cold autumn evenings of October.

Seen It Before
Okay, fine. But Murphy and his law lie in wait for this outfit. Perennial All-Star Michael Brantley, (right) the only outfielder worth keeping last year, is out for months following shoulder surgery. The pitching crew isn't exactly Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz-Avery, particularly at the back end. And the bench goes just a couple deep before injury ravages this team's chances.

The Indians are intriguing for sure. Baseball Prospectus rates them the best team in the American League, based on middling hitting, excellent pitching and the second best defense (behind Tampa Bay) in the league. And if they start the season with that kind of fire, there might be a big bat in the trading deadline mix. But lots of teams are intriguing and could win the pennant with a few positive "what ifs."

So, as always, we'll see. In baseball, at least, the long regular season matters.