Cleveland Indians Top 25 in 2016: No. 24, Abraham Almonte

Our countdown of the 25 best Cleveland Indians in 2016 continues with a breakdown of Abraham Almonte’s condensed season.

The Cleveland Indians were facing a serious problem when Michael Brantley headed back to the disabled list in early May.

The outfield lost perhaps its best player, leaving players like Marlon Byrd and Tyler Naquin to pick up the slack. Then June rolled around, and Byrd was suspended 162 games for PEDs, effectively ending his career.

This situation was brought on in part by the absence of Abraham Almonte, who was out until July 3 while serving a PED suspension of his own. His return came in a 17-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, which may have been karma for his use of banned substances.

Almonte was also ineligible for the postseason because of his suspension, but that didn’t lead to him not giving full effort during the second half of the season. He ended up appearing in 67 games, slashing .264/.294/.401 and finishing the year with 20 doubles.

Almonte was part of an outfield platoon that added Brandon Guyer and Coco Crisp late in the season, but he remained an important factor in that group from July until the end of the regular season.

While his offense trailed off at the end of the season, he played solid in July and August when Tyler Naquin was still getting accustomed to his role and Jose Ramirez was settling in at third base.

Nothing he did particularly stood out as amazing, but Almonte ends up on this list due to his consistent play when it was needed most. He was never a liability in the outfield, and his defense would have been a welcome addition to the team when Naquin began struggling in the postseason. In fact, Almonte may arguably have been a more valuable player than Naquin if a decision between the two had to be made regarding the postseason roster.

A returning Brantley in 2017 could bring an end to Almonte’s tenure in Cleveland, but that is not a sure thing right now. There is also the rising stock of Bradley Zimmer, who could compete for a spot on the big league roster at any point next season.

Almonte is not a player who will go down as a memorable part of the 2016 team, but he did his job when called upon and didn’t lack effort in a shortened season. For that reason, he is placed on this list of the Top 25 Indians in 2016.

Next: Top 25 in 2016: No. 25, Ryan Merritt

Be sure to check out the site tomorrow to see who comes in at No. 23.