Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians to Keep Coaches for 2016; Zach McAllister Notes

The Cleveland Indians Will Retain Coaching Staff for 2016

Entering 2015, the Cleveland Indians had the decision to make whether or not Zach McAllister would be a member of the starting rotation. 2014 had seen McAllister make 15 starts in 22 appearances with middling results from the rotation but promising flashes of brilliance from the ‘pen. His 2.77 ERA shined as a stark contrast to the atrocious 5.67 mark from the rotation.

In 2015, the Indians primarily used the right-hander as a reliever, and the results were better than expected. Throughout 65 innings of relief work, he struck out an impressive 29% of batters while holding opponents to a .229 batting average. Unfortunately, walks rung up faster than the desired rate and inflated his ERA estimators beyond his 2.49 ERA.

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Given his strong marks from the bullpen in 2015, Katrina Putnam argues that the Cleveland Indians should not consider moving him back to the starting rotation. Leaving the starting rotation has allowed the 27-year-old to throw as hard as he wants without worrying about lasting six innings. Even further, he can rely more on his fastball since he only sees batters once. Having someone to count on in late innings brings incredible value, and McAllister is at his peak when used in small doses.

Finally, the Cleveland Indians will keep their coaching staff intact for 2016, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Of note is Sandy Alomar, Jr., who has interviewed for several teams’ open manager jobs. Rather than leaving the team in hopes for a bigger role, he will remain with the Indians in the near future on his new two-year contract with an option for a third year.

Next: Cody Allen Just Keeps Getting Better

More from around the AL Central:

Cleveland Indians: Should Zach McAllister Return to the Rotation? – Wahoo’s on First

Clevelinks: Can Cleveland Indians Cody Allen and Jeff Manship Build on 2015? – Wahoo’s on First

Kansas City Royals Ask Chris Young to Recapture Momentum in World Series – Kings of Kauffman