#dirt dog

The Cleveland Indians are making the right moves in terms of signing Catcher Yan Gomes, LF Michael Brantley, and now Jason Kipnis to long term deals.

Gomes (signed for 6 years) is the first native Brazilian in the Majors and was a complete surprise, considering he was signed as a no-name minor leaguer after coming over in an under-the-radar trade with the Blue Jays last season. Not only did he hit above league average, he threw out slightly over 40% of potential base stealers.

Brantley (signed for 5 years) is a bit of a different story. He came to Cleveland as this seemingly random “player to be named” from the Brewers for Tribe ace CC Sabathia. Brantley’s versatility and simplistic yet extremely effective swing has produced very steady (yet always improving) performance each year. As they say, there is a reason he is called Dr. Smooth. He is also killer in the clutch and with men in scoring position.

Kipnis (signed for 6 years) is by far my favorite signing though. Here is an All Star middle infielder who is hits above average, can run, is defensively solid, and a genuine dirt dog on and off the field. He personifies everything the Tribe wants in its clubhouse and on the field day in and day out.

But why are these signings significant? The answer to that is multifaceted.

First, signing promising young talent long term early on in their careers is a way of life for low or mid market ball clubs; it shows stability and commitment by both players and upper management.

Second, with the arbitration system designed as it is, fewer young players with extreme promise are willing to commit too quickly (a philosophy no doubt influenced by their agents)…simply because a player could go from earning $300k a year to over $10mil just through arbitration; by that time, there is no practical way for teams with financial restrictions to sign them as free agents.

Thirdly, signing the players that are on the field each and every day is how you win. Simply put, you win by grinding every win out…and that is the kind of ball club the Indians are…granted it sometimes feels like I’m getting a heart attack watching it but still.

One player you don’t see me writing about is Justin Masterson. Well, that’s because, for all his talk about how “someway somehow he will be an Indian for years to come,” I don’t believe it. He is a good guy, yes and genuine. But here’s the rub on Masterson: his numbers, when broken down, are league-average and he has largely been inconsistent in output. He is a hugely positive influence on the strive, be him alone won’t draw players to Cleveland and, let’s say the Indians manage to win half the games Masterson starts, that’s what? 16-17 games? Not enough bang for the buck. Time of course will tell if Masterson changes his position.

For now (and years to come), give me the dirt dogs!

Go Tribe!