The Cleveland Indians have only been to the playoffs twice since they won the AL Central in 1997, and haven’t won a World Series in 66 years. Unlike the Cubs though, the Indians have had several talented teams since, but maybe they have not won it again because they did not have the right star player/leader to lift the Indians to glory. Obviously, the past can’t be changed, so the Indians need to focus on trying to win right now with the current team.
Besides having on of the best managers in the game, in Terry Francona, the roster has quite some talent. The biggest star lately, is their ace pitcher, Corey Klubur, who just won the AL Cy Young Award. The other emerging star, is outfielder Michael Brantley, who finished 3rd in the AL MVP voting and collected 200 hits this past season. Cleveland is also home to quite a few other talents like Yan Gomes and Jason Kipnis, but these stars all give out the impression of being quiet; not loud enough or having a big enough presence to lead their team; like Mike Trout is doing in Anaheim.
The top 100-prospect report just came out, and the Indians have a 20-year-old shortstop by the name of Francisco Lindor, ranked #9. This kid has great defensive ability that has been raved about ever since he got drafted #8 overall in the 2011 draft by the Indians. He moved over to the US when he was 12-years-old to attend a prestigious baseball academy that also has good academics. He is a well-rounded kid with a good glove, good bat, and most importantly a good head on his shoulders, and Francisco is not afraid of the spotlight.
When a player has wise things to say, not afraid of the spotlight, and is a character on the field with a talented glove that compliments his bat, a leader, the kid is bound to become.
A leader does not always have to be a presence with the bat or with a pitching arm, or even be a superstar. A leader on the baseball field is a player with great confidence, ability to play at an all-star level for most of the time, play good defense (because defense wins championships), and being a mentor to the other players (knowing the logistics and using common sense). Francisco Lindor at 20-years-old is already showing all of those qualities, so if the Indians want to win in the next few years, this kid might very well be the Indians’ ticket to Fall Classic.
