2016 ALDS Preview: Red Sox vs Indians
Personally for me, this is one of the more exciting series in the American League. Both teams have played each other four times in the postseason with it being split evenly at two. Both are young, exciting teams with one being the top offense in the league where the others have some very good pitching, especially in the bullpen. The two teams squaring off against one another are the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. During the regular season, the Red Sox had the edge going 4-2 against the Indians. Lets take a look at each team
Red Sox
Pitchers
Matt Barnes
Clay Buchholz
Joe Kelly
Craig Kimbrel
Drew Pomeranz
Rick Porcello
David Price
Eduardo Rodriguez
Robbie Ross
Koji Uehara
Brad Ziegler
The pitching here was their Achilles Heel for most of the season until recently when it really turned up. The better question is whether their pitching peaked at the right time or it was too early. Porcello was their “ace” all year and is a Cy Young candidate. Price has a disappointing season, but has pitched well of late. Buchholz and Rodriguez had issues this season, but seemingly have gotten more reliable. Pomeranz is likely to be a long reliever, but can start if needed. Kelly made the move to the bullpen and has been outstanding as he is a flame thrower. Barnes and Ross have been reliable arms in the bullpen. Ziegler has a funky delivery, but very deceptive as he gave their bullpen more depth. Uehara is an experienced bullpen arm who usually is lights out. Kimbrel, once considered the best closer in the game, is a tough guy to beat with your bat.
Catchers
Sandy Leon
Christian Vazquez
Leon has a great season as he was a big surprise, but he struggled in September. Vazquez was once a heralded prospect, but he does have some upside and provides depth.
Infielders
Xander Bogaerts
Marco Hernandez
Aaron Hill
Brock Holt
David Ortiz
Dustin Pedroia
Hanley Ramirez
Travis Shaw
Bogaerts is an upcoming rising star and has been one of the more underrated players in the league. Hernandez provides depth and versatility. Hill is not quite the All-Star player he used to be, but he is still very productive. Holt is a versatile utility player who is also a quality starting player. Ortiz is in his final season of a historic career and having the best season ever for a player in their last year. He’s looking to go out with one last World Series crown. Pedroia was once one the absolute best players, and still is very good, but he is a proven leader. Ramirez made the change to first base and has revitalized his career. He is much more dangerous than he was last year. Shaw had a disappointing season despite having a great run in 2015, but he does provide some pop when needed.
Outfielders
Andrew Benintendi
Mookie Betts
Jackie Bradley Jr
Chris Young
Benintendi is one of their top prospects, but he is also going to be a rising star. Betts made the absolute climb to stardom with an incredible season that might result in an MVP type year. Bradley finally lived up to his potential and had awesome season. Young will be a nice player off the bench as he has some serious pop in his bat.
Stats you should know:
Boston offense in 2016: .288 Team Average 208 Home runs (Ranked First)
Boston pitching in 2016: 4.00 ERA (Ranked Fourth)
Vs Cleveland
Offense: .291 11 Home runs
Pitching: 2.89 ERA
Indians
Pitchers
Trevor Bauer
Corey Kluber
Josh Tomlin
Cody Allen
Cody Anderson
Mike Clevinger
Jeff Manship
Zach McAllister
Andrew Miller
Dan Otero
Bryan Shaw
Manship, Shaw, Otero, Allen, and McAllister have made this bullpen one of the best in the league and probably the best in the league now that Baltimore is out of the playoffs. Miller is arguably the best relief pitcher in the league right now as he always lights out. Clevinger and Anderson move to the bullpen as they become long relief options. Bauer has been outstanding this season and Tomlin came out of nowhere to make this rotation hard to beat. Kluber is arguably the best pitcher in the American League as he won a Cy Young Award.
Catchers
Chris Gimenez
Roberto Perez
Yan Gomes
Gimenez and Perez provide depth and dependability. Gomes had a disappointing season and was injured, but he finally came back and has played well.
Infielders
Jason Kipnis
Francisco Lindor
Michael Martinez
Mike Napoli
Jose Ramirez
This infield is very good as you have Kipnis, one of the best second basemen in the game, Lindor, an exciting shortstop who could be a star soon, Ramirez, who is one of the more clutch hitters in the game, and Napoli, who is still very dangerous with the bat.
Outfielders
Lonnie Chisenhall
Coco Crisp
Brandon Guyer
Tyler Naquin
Rajai Davis
Chisenhall is one of the more underrated players in the game as he is very productive. Crisp returns to the team to give them depth and Guyer is one of the more underrated players who has come up clutch for this team since being acquired from Tampa Bay. Naquin had an outstanding rookie year and looks to replace the production that has been missed since their best player, Michael Brantley, has been hurt. Davis is a very speedy player who is also able to start some games. There is plenty of depth in their outfield.
Stats you should know
Indians offense in 2016: .262 185 home runs (Ranked fourth)
Indians pitching in 2016: 3.84 ERA (Ranked second)
Vs Boston
Offense: .190 5 home runs
Pitching: 5.37
Prediction
The stats suggest that Boston is going to win this series, which they have a very good chance of doing, but this Cleveland team is very talented. Both offenses is very good, though the Red Sox is more imposing. The pitching will be awesome to watch, but when it comes down to bullpens, Indians have the edge. This is going to be a close series, but Cleveland will advance here based on how talented they are.
