Spring Training Talk
by scott longert on 02/24/16
Once again spring training has arrived with all the predictions and pennant talk. The Indians have been rated to do well in 2016 by several different sources. The pitching should be strong, but there are still question marks in more than a few places.
Depending on who you talk to Michael Brantley will be back in the lineup in early April or maybe not until May. After major surgery how long will it take him to regain his usual form? Until then the outfield has all kind of questions on who can fill in until he is back. The usual suspects, Chisenhall, Almonte etc. must find a way to make the outfield at least respectful.
The signings of Napoli, Davis and recently Uribe give the Tribe some real Major League veterans. However it is hard to say what they can really contribute. Whether any of them can stay healthy is a concern.
The division looks to be somewhat stronger with all the other teams being active during the off season. The Tigers could be on the way back while Chicago has gotten stronger. The Royals I believe are still the team to beat. It is quite hard to win three pennants in a row but Kansas City still had the players to do it even with Zobrist and Cueto gone.
The Red Sox have David Price and a lot of young players, but I still like Toronto chances. With the amazing hitting and some decent pitching I like Toronto to be in the chase for the World Series.
