Cleveland Indians Roundup: Carlos Santana as a Leadoff Hitter; Corey Kluber’s Double

Corey Kluber makes Cleveland Indians’ history

In case anyone missed it, Corey Kluber became the first member of the Cleveland Indians since 2008 to record an extra-base hit, as chronicled by Evan Webeck of MLB.com. With two outs in the fifth inning Friday night, Kluber stepped to the plate and slapped a 1-2 fastball into the leftfield corner. David Lough’s throw was not in time, and the pitcher sped into second base with a stand-up double.

To make matters even more impressive, Kluber chose not to wear the typical jacket on the base paths, and he scored the Indians’ first run of the game. His weighted runs created plus, which scales offensive output such that 100 is average, now sits at an absurd 336. Granted, he has exactly three plate appearances as a batter this season, but it is still quite humorous. So far, a tenth of his seasonal fWAR comes from his batting.

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In his latest edition of Hey, Hoynsie, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com examined Carlos Santana’s role in the leadoff spot. He currently owns a .364 batting average in that role, although the miniscule sample size of 46 at-bats mitigates this value. It is worth noting that batting average takes over 900 at-bats to stabilize, which means that it is virtually meaningless to analyze Santana’s role in any given spot in the batting order.

Hoynes also takes the time to list seven things about which to rant as April draws to a close. One of the topics is Francisco Lindor’s lack of bunting. While sacrifice bunting exists as a vital part of the game to some, there has been very little evidence of it ever being useful. Back in 2009, Mitchel Licthman wrote a 6,000-word dissertation about the dangers of bunting and its valuable times, and perhaps it is time for Indians fans to brush up on it.

More from around the American League Central:

Kluber Takes Advantage of Rare Opportunity at Plate – MLB.com

How Will Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Santana Fare in Leadoff Spot? Hey, Hoynsie – Cleveland.com

Seven Things to Rant About as the Cleveland Indians Close the Book on April – Cleveland.com

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