Reasons why Indians are heading to the World Series
I think we all see that this team is special (and this is without, arguably, our best hitter) and is going to remain so for a long time.
The reason the Indians are going all the way is pretty simple
- We have the best rotation in baseball
1 through 5 we expect 7 innings and 3 or fewer runs allowed. It's almost routine
- We have the third best offense in the AL
Clutch hitting, 5th in home runs, excellent base running and a very well-balanced lineup helped out by some comeback player performances from guys like Napoli and Davis.
- We have the best road record in baseball
And it's by quite a margin. The only team with 30 wins away from home.
- Best run differential in the AL (4th best in baseball)
- We have the largest lead of any first place team
And in what was seen prior to the season to be one of the more competitive divisions in baseball (which contains the current champs and a couple of £120m+ payrolls - Detroit's is £173m)
Cleveland, on the other hand, has the 3rd lowest in the AL.
- We have conceded the fewest runs in the AL
Yeah, that rotation has been tasty, but there is one weakness in this squad and that is in the bullpen (and now catcher).
I hear Indians are in for Miller/Chapman and LuCroy to fill those voids.
- We have an excellent manager (2-time champ) and coaching staff
- We have some of the games best young players/performers (before we start getting too overly excited)
Lindor, JRam and Naquin, play and behave as if they are seasoned vets with nothing to prove. Salazar, Carrasco and Bauer are among the best young arms. Hell the first two could be aces on some staffs. Oh, and we also have a Cy Young winner.
I would consider it a failure to not at least make it to the Fall Classic this season (I would say it's a failure not to win the whole thing if the core of team wasn't so young).
So yeah, start placing your bets on the 2 of the 3 major sports titles returning to Cleveland for 2016.