Despite the injury concerns, the projections show how right Salazar might be when he is actually on the mound. Salazar is projected to strike out a preposterous 11 batters per nine innings, which is the third highest expected mark among starting pitchers. His walk rate still appears to be far too high, but if he could get that in check, he could easily be one of the best pitchers in baseball on a batter per batter basis.
As long as Salazar can get completely healthy and contribute to the rotation down the stretch and into the playoffs, the Indians should be satisfied. However, if his shoulder issue turns out to just be a blip and he can stay healthy the rest of the year, it could be another special season in Cleveland.
Mike Clevinger
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Mike Clevinger is the relative newcomer to the rotation. After starting in 10 games in 2016 and 21 last year, Clevinger will get his first opportunity to hold down a rotation spot for the entire season. Clevinger was successful last year as a swing-man, but the projections see him taking a step back as a full-time starter. However, if he can keep striking out a batter an inning and reign in the walks, he could be another quality starter for this Indians rotation.
As it stands now, Clevinger is projected to be roughly a league average starting pitcher. As the fourth or fifth guy in a rotation that still provides excellent value to the team. He will have to cut down on the walks to continue to be successful, but the stuff is there to be a positive contributor to the team. Clevinger provides another league-average floor with immense upside to an already stacked rotation.
Most teams that have historical statistical seasons typically regress the next season. So much has to go right to have a season like that that its hard to do it two years in a row. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the team gets worse, it’s just hard to sustain historic levels of performance. The 2018 Cleveland Indians will likely do the same.
Whether it be injury or under-performance, something will likely happen to keep them from duplicating their record-setting level from a year ago. That being said, there are ways that this rotation could improve in 2018. It’ll be fun to see how things shake out for the Indians, but either way, it should be an exciting year.