When the Kansas City Royals avenged their 2014 World Series loss just a season later, it was the cohesiveness and consistency from top to bottom that was talked about. Despite the general absence of big-name players, the 2015 champions employed a blueprint for their success that relied mainly on the knowledge that nearly anyone on their roster could make a game-winning difference day in and day out.
Like most notable teams nowadays, that included big contributions from Latino ballplayers who helped carry the team throughout the regular season and into October. Kendrys Morales led Kansas City in home runs and runs batted in. Edinson Volquez and Yordano Ventura paced the team in wins, while Volquez was the club's only 200 inning workhorse. Kelvin Herrera, Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez were three of the seven Royals voted into the All-Star game.
While not being able to sustain the success of 2015 a year later, the Royals have encountered a spiritual successor of sorts in this season's playoffs: their division rival, the Cleveland Indians. Sporting a bottom-half payroll, a general lack of big names and solid, consistent performances from their Latin American players, the Tribe seem poised for a postseason run, one that if it culminates the way it did for the Royals last year, would end a 68-year championship drought.
In the batting order, Dominican power hitter Carlos Santana paced the team with 34 home runs along with Mike Napoli. Santana's 87 runs batted in ranks second only to Napoli, and his 158 games played are tops on the club. The development of young Francisco Lindor was beyond notable for Cleveland, as the 22-year-old scored 99 times, hit 15 home runs and stole 19 bases. On the defensive side, the Puerto Rican was a revelation, with 15 runs saved in 155 games at shortstop.
Aside from Lindor, the youth movement also had a great representative in 24-year-old Jose Ramirez, who hit .312 on the season, stole 22 bases and cracked 46 doubles on the season. In 117 games at third base, he committed only five errors and helped turn 16 double plays. Behind the plate, Brazil's Yan Gomes and Puerto Rico's Roberto Perez have combined to throw out 39 percent of prospective base stealers this season. Perez has become ace Corey Kluber's personal catcher, guiding the 18-game winner to a 2.52 ERA this season when both are playing together.
Much like last year's Kansas City club, the Indians have also ridden their Latino pitchers to October baseball as part of a stellar starting group. While manager Terry Francona won't quite be able to emulate Ned Yost in that regard this October (Yost turned it over to Latino starters in 13 of 15 games in that postseason; Johnny Cueto pitched the first World Series complete game since 1991), it's not the amount of talent they possess but rather their health that will likely impact the prosperity or lack thereof for the team in the coming days and weeks.
Carlos Carrasco posted an 11-8 record to go along with a 3.32 ERA in 25 starts this season. Despite having the least amount of starts within the rotation, he ranks second only to Kluber in most of the top pitching stats for the club. The 29-year-old also posted his lowest ERA as a starter in three seasons. Last week, Carrasco was transferred to the 60-day DL, effectively ending his season after a second injury this season and hastily moving the Indians toward a reconstructed starting group.
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Danny Salazar continued to ascend within Cleveland's rotation posting an 11-6 record, a 3.87 ERA and 161 strikeouts in just 25 starts. Though Salazar has battled injuries of late (he missed most of September with a strain in his forearm), he is expected to be available in the playoffs. His health has been the only blemish in a season in which the Dominican Republic product made the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, finishing a sparkling first half with a 2.22 ERA in the June, good for second in the AL.
When the Indians take on the Red Sox this Thursday in the ALDS, it will be up to many of the aforementioned players to deliver on a deep run that aims to satisfy a city that only recently broke a longstanding drought across all sports with the Cavs in the NBA. Ironically, a second championship in a year would draw comparisons to Boston and the very team the Indians need to beat to keep their dream alive.
If they do indeed cross that bridge, the Indians will likely welcome the aforementioned comparisons to Kansas City and Boston for both their franchise and in extension, the city of Cleveland. For now, the story is theirs to write, and should they indeed triumph in October, only one narrative will ultimately matter.
