Cleveland Indians Should Upgrade at Third Base

While many are calling for the Cleveland Indians to improve in the outfield, third base is another spot the Tribe could make an improvement.

This past week I posted an article about how the Cleveland Indians do not need to add another outfielder.  Many disagreed and feel the offense needs a boost, and I actually don’t completely disagree with this.  However, to me, that upgrade should come at third base, not in the outfield.  I like many, felt at the onset of the offseason that the outfield (particularly centerfield) was the biggest area of need, but as time has progressed, I’ve come to the realization that third is the area the Tribe needs to look at upgrading.

Is Urshela Up to the Task?

Let me start off by saying that while I do think an upgrade at the hot corner is a good move, I don’t believe it’s an absolute necessity.  The Cleveland Indians current starting third baseman would appear to be Giovanny Urshela. Urshela took over for Lonnie Chisenhall last June and remained with the big league club the rest of the year. While defensively, Urshela proved to be up to the challenge as he posted a +1 DRS (defensive runs saved) and +8.0 UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating runs above average per 150 defensive games). This was in line with his minor league reports that he was capable of being a plus defender at third base.  However, offensively Urshela left much to be desired.

Overall, Urshela posted a mere 0.1 fWAR in 2015 in 81 games. Offensively he hit just .225 with a mere .608 OPS and 68 wRC+.  Among 48 major league third basemen with at least 250 plate appearances in 2015, Urshela ranked the seventh worst offensively (fellow Indian Mike Aviles was the fifth worst with a 65 wRC+).  At first it would appear Urshela could be used as part of a platoon as he did hit .275 versus left-handed pitching last year; however, he still only had a .677 OPS and 88 wRC+ versus southpaws.  His career minor league numbers don’t support him as a viable platoon bat either as he’s struggled with lefties for years.  Needless to say, outside of a solid glove Urshela doesn’t provide the Indians with much value and expecting a big jump offensively in 2016, while possible, is likely not happening.

Other Options at Third Base

Other than Urshela the only other third basemen on the roster that played more than ten games at the position for the Cleveland Indians in 2015 still on the roster are Jose Ramirez and Lonnie Chisenhall.  Chisenhall, of course, lost his third base job and upon returning to Triple-A switched to the outfield where he excelled. He’s expected to be the starting right fielder at this time (possibly in a platoon situation), so expecting him to also man third is a bit much.  Jose Ramirez didn’t seem much time at third base until the end of the season. He took some playing time from Urshela. At was only 13 games at the position (very small sample) but he looked very comfortable there and posted a +5 DRS and +47 UZR/150. While one can’t assume he’d be that good over a full season, given how well he’s been at shortstop and second base in his career it’s not outrageous to think he could be very effective at the hot corner as well. 

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Offensively, Ramirez, like Urshela, left much to be desired in 2015. He struggled early in the year before being replaced by Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Overall he hit just .219 with a .631 OPS and 75 wRC+. However, things changed drastically for Ramirez after he went to Triple-A. In the first half the season, Ramirez hit a mere .176 with a .478 OPS and ridiculously low 32 wRC+. In the second half, however, he hit .259 with a .775 OPS and 114 wRC+.  Ramirez actually walked more than he struck out in the second half (19 walks to 15 strikeouts) and posted a solid .337 OBP thanks to a robust 10.4% walk rate.  Those are numbers one could live with at third base full-time; however, there are a few issues with Ramirez at third base every day…

For one, Ramirez has yet to put together a full season offensively at the big league level.  He has a career .644 OPS and 80 wRC+ in 180 games.  He also has very little experience at third base, playing primarily shortstop and second base.  There’s also the matter of how best to use Ramirez. As things stand now, he will likely be replacing Mike Aviles as the team’s utility player.  He will need to back up Lindor at shortstop and Jason Kipnis at second base, and as mentioned last week, he’ll likely need to help out in the outfield with Michael Brantley’s availability still an unknown. Expecting Ramirez to play 150 plus games at third base is asking too much. Perhaps a platoon or splitting of third base in some way with Ramirez and Urshela could work but while the defense would be top notch, the offense could be lacking.

Upgrade May Not Be “Needed” But Is Strongly Encouraged

The only other major league option at third on the 40-man roster is Zach Walters who did play over 20 games at third in Triple-A last year; however, his status for opening day is still unclear due to a late season injury.  While his power certainly fits the bill at third (10 home runs in just 82 big league games), the rest of his offense is much like that of Ramirez and Urshela. Walters has hit just .182 with a .627 OPS and 74 wRC+ at the big league level.  Needless to say, he too shouldn’t be counted on as an everyday third base option to start the year.

As said at the outset, upgrading the outfield was my initial concern for this offseason. I felt it was something that must be done and third base was secondary. However, with the addition of Rajai Davis and Collin Cowgill, the Indians have the means to put together an outfield capable of producing at average to above average levels. At third base though, as currently constructed, I don’t see that as much. Sure Ramirez and Urshela could combine to produce as well as say Chisenhall and Cowgill in right field; however, the offense just isn’t there. Even as a platoon it’s hard to imagine third base producing at the levels of any of the outfield spots, especially once Brantley is back. 

Next: Brantley Targets Ready for Opening Day?

Bottom line, the internal third base options are very limited and while they provide enough to keep one from saying an upgrade is “needed” it’s hard to argue that an upgrade shouldn’t be strongly looked at. Thankfully for the Cleveland Indians, there are options still available for the Indians to upgrade (substantially) at the position, such as with Juan Uribe or David Freese, and they’ve shown interest in at least one such option…