Cleveland Indians: Josh Tomlin to throw first for Tribe

The Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds, who share Goodyear Ballpark, will face off tomorrow as Josh Tomlin takes the mound first for the Tribe.

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and their “neighbors” at Goodyear, the Cincinnati Reds, will open up Spring Training tomorrow to officially welcome back baseball as the official “season”. The weather might not be perfect where you’re at but it’s beautiful in Arizona and that’s what matters.

Josh Tomlin will take the ball first for the Tribe pitchers as he’ll throw just an inning against the Reds as he’ll be followed by a cavalcade of other arms in search of roster spots. I think that he’s the first Tribe pitcher this season is fitting, as I think he needs to be the first outside of the “Big three” to get a rotation spot. And yes, I’m saying he should get it ahead of Trevor Bauer.

After finishing 7-2 in 10 starts with a 3.02 ERA, and this comes after Tommy John surgery in 2012 and then right shoulder surgery prior to last season. He logged just 65 2/3 innings, far from a full workload, but with another winter to rest, he may be poised for a breakout season. That may seem funny to say about the longest tenured player with the organization, but it could very well be true.

Tomlin has never really had a nice healthy stretch to get the ball rolling, but the Tribe sees the potential as they locked him up for two years, with 2017 having a club option. Some believe the rotation is “locked” with Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer–and one spot up for grabs between Tomlin, Cody Anderson, T.J. House and Zach McAllister.

My opinion is that Bauer should be on the outside looking in, not Tomlin. That’s not to say Bauer can’t win the No. 5 spot, or that his career is over if he doesn’t win it. But he’s still rough around the edges, and maybe some innings in Columbus to get some confidence wouldn’t hurt.

He’s a polarizing figure, as he and his Twitter account seem to find their way into the news often. There’s nothing wrong with being that type of player–as long as you’re getting it done on the field. If not, the actions become less polarizing, more annoying. Bauer is walking a fine line with that as of now.

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Tomlin’s time on the mound will hopefully be short–maybe a 1-2-3 inning–but his status with this year’s staff could be more important than most expect. Tomlin has the opportunity to fire the first salvo, and this is a shot that he can’t afford to miss.