Dear Mr. Antonetti,
Please know that this letter comes from a place of love. I
love the Cleveland Indians. I have been a big baseball fan since I was a wee
little lad smashing wiffle balls and catching rubber ball grounders off of
factory brick walls. Once I was old enough to understand the concept of
loyalty, I became what some might call a “diehard” Cleveland Indians fan.
I take my love of the game and my Indians fandom very
seriously. Because of the manner in which your front office operates, Mr. Antonetti,
I studied up on sabermetrics. I wanted to get a better understanding of how
things have to work in this market and how to evaluate players the same way
that my hometown team does. Through my study of the game, its advanced metrics,
and the way to value players, I developed an incredible appreciation for the
way that you and your staff go about putting a quality product on the field. I
see the value that you and your analysts see. I can justify many of the moves
that have been made, including the ones that do not have the support of popular
opinion. It’s a tough sell to have an owner that spends within his means when
the other two professional sports owners in Cleveland have vast sums of money. Oh, and
own teams in leagues that have a salary cap.
I’ve made it a passion of mine to think like I’m in the
Indians front office, even though I’m merely a fan. I’m just one number added
to the attendance or one viewer added to the ratings. Regardless, I look at all
of the baseball information I can find on a daily basis to determine what is
wrong with the team, a certain player, or where upgrades can be found. When I
watch games, live or on TV, I’m thinking one or two pitches ahead. I’m looking
at defensive positioning and considering platoon splits. I’m not your average
fan. I don’t want to be your average fan. I want to understand, because I
believe that the only way to criticize, second-guess, or support is to have a
level of understanding as to how and why decisions are made.
Which is exactly why I’m writing this letter, Mr. Antonetti.
The Indians cannot operate the same way that other teams can, as you know full
well. Mistakes in this market are magnified by the lack of resources. If the
Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees take a financial gamble and miss, it
doesn’t matter. If the Indians take a financial gamble and miss, it hurts in a
big way. Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher were justifiable gambles that have not
paid off due to injuries. I cannot slight you, or the organization, for that.
Sure, signing players on the wrong side of 30 to lucrative free agents
contracts is debatable, but the signs of aging were not entirely prevalent and
the expectation was to get market value or better in the first two years of the
contract to make the last two years bearable. This is my “I forgive you” moment
for those signings. I, as I always have, justified them, came to terms with
them, and agreed with them. They have not worked. That’s the business of
baseball.
What I cannot agree with and cannot justify is how the organization
has turned a blind eye to defense during the tenure of manager Terry Francona.
During the magical regular season of 2013, the Indians were -42 in defensive
runs saved. Only four teams had a lower UZR/150 than the Indians. In a
simplified metric of Out Of Zone plays made, the Indians ranked 30th out of 30
Major League teams. Instead of possibly winning the division and avoiding the
Wild Card Round play-in game, the one-and-done format got the best of the team
and a loss to Tampa
Bay
Lesson learned, right Mr. Antonetti? The 2014 season was one
of renewed hope. The Indians had expectations after winning 92 games. The
defense was an area of concern that was going to get addressed. Instead, the
defense got worse. Missing by the playoffs by three games due in large part to
-75 defensive runs saved is tough to swallow. The pitching staff was elite for
two full months. The offense was one of the few in the league that managed to
be above league average. But, defense, yet again, was the Achilles’ heel.
An 85-77 season was not good enough, was it? It was
adequate. It wasn’t the follow-up everybody envisioned. This is the year. 2015.
This is the year that the defense will be fixed. The starting rotation has the
opportunity to be one of the best in baseball. Brandon Moss adds a dimension of
power to the lineup.
And Mike Aviles plays center field. That’s the position we’re
in, Mr. Antonetti? A 3-0 ninth-inning lead evaporates because of an ineffective
pitcher that gets no help from his defense on a slightly-tougher-than-routine
fly ball to center field on a cold night? A ball that the free agent you
advocated signing would have caught without an issue, but he was sitting on the
bench, in need of a full day off on April 20 of a 162-game season.
Defense matters. If you didn’t notice, your AL Central
rivals proved that last season en route to the World Series. I’m not sure your
manager understands that concept, since he “likes the way Mikey [Aviles ] plays in center”.
With all of 15 innings under his belt.
Why were they not on the roster, Mr. Antonetti? I’d really
like to know. Is it possible that you have no say over your own roster? Could
it be that Terry Francona pulls the player personnel strings? What other
explanation could there be for an eight-man bullpen and nobody except Michael
Brantley capable of above average outfield defense on the 25-man roster? Why
would the Indians carry an outfielder that can catch over an eighth reliever
that can eat sunflower seeds for nine innings and not appear in the ballgame?
In what universe would that make sense?
With that, Mr. Antonetti, I have a slight request for you.
Grow a pair. Up until this point, I’ve been kind. I’ve been understanding.
Losses happen. Wins happen. What cannot happen is a loss that is entirely
preventable by taking control of your own roster. This is the team that YOU
constructed. It is YOUR job to determine who is on the 25-man roster. Your
manager’s affinity for veteran players with limited skill sets continues to set
the team and the organization back. Your manager’s affinity for these
redundant, flawed assets has cost the Indians on multiple occasions during his
tenure.
But, Adam, you may be saying, baseball is a people business!
Bullshit. Baseball is a results business. I don’t know Mike Aviles. He could be
the nicest guy in the world. He might have the most supportive ass pat or best
things to say to a struggling player. You know what he does not have? The
ability to play center field. Jerry Sands might donate half of his paycheck the
ASPCA or never turn down an offer to buy Girl Scout cookies. You know what he
can’t do? Hit right-handed pitching or play an average defensive outfield.
David Murphy even has the nickname “Good Guy”. Unfortunately, he’s not a “Good
Guy” to play the outfield.
This is your roster, Mr. Antonetti. A general manager’s job
is to acquire players and organize them in the most logical fashion. The
manager’s job is to take that team and put those players in the best possible
position to succeed. A word of encouragement is great. Creating relationships
with the players is all well and good, until it reaches the point where it
prohibits success.
What’s the problem? Is everybody too afraid to upset
baseball lifer and everybody’s best friend Terry Francona by making a roster
move he doesn’t like? Would it be the worst thing in the world to release Mike
Aviles and call up Francisco Lindor to learn on the job? Is designating David
Murphy to give James Ramsey a look going to irreparably damage clubhouse morale
and camaraderie? Have we not moved past Jerry Sands’s two big hits during the
Home Opener to see that he’s still the same below average hitter that kept him
from maintaining a Major League job at other points in his career to bring up
Tyler Holt?
Maybe it’s easy for me to say these things because I don’t
know any of the players. I don’t form those relationships and therefore I’m
going to be cold and unforgiving about their futures. Unfortunately, sports can
be cold and unforgiving, too. One team wins it all every year. Only one. Only
10 teams qualify for the MLB playoffs. Every win is important and poor roster
management has already hurt this team from a wins and losses standpoint.
My problem, Mr. Antonetti, isn’t with losing. It’s with
losing when it shouldn’t happen. It’s with losing because of an unwillingness
to upset the team’s comfort zone. Put the best players on the field because
winning is fun. Don’t lose with players that are jovial and good teammates,
even though they aren’t the best players for the roster.
Success often requires making tough decisions. It can
require unpopular decisions. But, making the right decisions supersedes
everything else. The right decisions for this team are the ones that improve
the talent, versatility, and skill sets 25 men that wear the uniform on a
nightly basis. That is not happening. And it should. This is a team on the cusp
of great things that is being held back by complacency. Complacency from you
and your manager.
It’s still early. That’s what I’m telling myself. That’s
what the players are telling the media. That’s what Francona is telling the
players. That’s what everybody is saying. It’s only early if things are going
to change, Mr. Antonetti. Unfortunately, I’m not so sure that they will. You
built a deep system with a lot of flexibility and you’re not using it properly.
I can normally find a way to justify and support the organization’s way of
doing business, but this is simply beyond my comprehension.
In closing, I want to say that I think you’ve done an
excellent job of building this team into a contender. You’ve poached talent
from other organizations and made sound business decisions with contract
extensions to younger players to keep the core together. Don’t throw it all
away by taking a backseat during the season. Step up to the plate and take some
swings. You may miss, but going down swinging is a hell of a lot better than
going down looking.
Sincerely,
Adam Burke
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