Cleveland Indians Bet Big on Emmanuel Clase
The Cleveland Indians have traded Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers, receiving a package headlined by 21-year-old flamethrower Emmanuel Clase. The righty has oodles of potential, but how good does he have to be in order to justify the trade from the Indians’ point of view?
When Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Clase induced a groundout off the bat of Yankees SS Didi Gregorious on September 29, 2019, he couldn’t have possibly known he had thrown his last pitch as a member of the Rangers. The 21-year-old righty from the Dominican Republic had impressed many in his first taste of the Major Leagues, compiling a 2.31 ERA and 8.1 K/9 over 23.1 innings. Even in Clase’s last appearance, the Rangers were already looking towards next season, entering an offseason where GM Jon Daniels would look to supplement a roster on the cusp of contention, with the likes of OF Joey Gallo, RHP Lance Lynn, and LHP Mike Minor already in tow.
Clase figured to be a part of that future, or so it seemed. Over the weekend, the Rangers dealt Clase, along with OF Delino DeShields, to the Cleveland Indians for two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.
The Rangers have acquired two-time A.L. Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and cash considerations from Cleveland for RHP Emmanuel Clase and OF Delino DeShields. Roster is at 39.
— John Blake (@RangerBlake) December 15, 2019
In terms of building a winning club, the trade represents a contrasting strategy of the two teams – acquiring Kluber is very much a “win-now” move for the Rangers, whereas adding Clase and DeShields is an effort to maintain an inexpensive-yet-talented roster in Cleveland.
When a franchise deals the ace of their staff, typically, one would assume that the team is entering a rebuilding phase. In this case, however, that assumption would be false. The Indians fully plan on contending in 2020, hoping to return to the playoffs in an AL Central that houses the Minnesota Twins, who won 101 games last season, and a promising Chicago White Sox club.
DeShields, while serviceable, is by no means the centerpiece of the Indians’ return. That would be Clase, who clearly the Indians see as a player with extreme promise What exactly does the righty bring to the table, both in the immediate future and the long-term, and is he enough to warrant the Indians’ trading Kluber?
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Clase was originally signed by the San Diego Padres in 2015, one month prior to his 17th birthday. In his first three years of professional baseball, Clase was a prime example of a young, erratic flamethrower, flashing elite strikeout potential amidst poor control.
Following a 2017 season in which he struggled mightily between Rookie and Low-A ball, Clase’s inconsistency kept him off many Top Prospect lists entering 2018. Being somewhat buried in a loaded Padres farm system at the time, he was deemed expendable – Clase was sent to the Rangers as a “player to be named later” to complete a trade in early May 2018.
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Within the Texas organization, however, Clase seemed to come into his own. He simply dominated as a reliever in Low-A in 2018, amassing a 0.64 ERA while displaying exceptional control, evidenced by an excellent 20.0% K-BB%. As such, Clase quickly made himself known within the organization, ranking as the 21st-best prospect in the Rangers farm system entering 2019, according to Fangraphs.
Clase quickly earned a promotion to AA, where he continued to excel – in 37.2 relief innings, Clase struck out 39 batters while walking only 8, good for an impressive 2.36 FIP. In fact, he was so impressive that the Rangers promoted him to the Majors on August 2nd, where he was used in relief over the season’s last two months.
In his brief first taste of the Majors, Clase flashed what will ultimately define his game – an absolutely astonishing cut-fastball. With an average velocity of 99.4 MPH, the pitch is extremely unique. In fact, there’s even a bit of discrepancy as to whether the pitch classifies as a true four-seam fastball or a cutter.
Consider it a four-seamer, and it moves in ways unlike pitches similar to it. Fangraphs classifies the pitch as a four-seamer, and of pitchers with a minimum of 20 IP in 2019, Clase ranked third in four-seamer average velocity at 99.4 MPH. However, looking at how the other fastballs in the top 15 in velocity moved, Clase’s heater stands out. His pitch had almost 3.6 inches of more run in the opposite direction, as well as 2.5 inches of less vertical movement.
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Classifying it as a cutter, which is how Statcast identifies the pitch, doesn’t help it conform either. According to Statcast, out of all 46,542 cutters thrown in 2019, Clase threw the fastest 141 of them. Whether categorized as a four-seamer with unique movement or an outrageously fast cutter, Clase’s fastball is a pitch unlike any other in today’s game.
The unique fastball was incredibly difficult to hit in 2019, with hitters posting a 0.290 xwOBA against the pitch, according to Statcast. Paired with a devastating slider that has 24% more drop and 68% more run than average, Clase has a powerful 1-2 punch that’s tailored for a future as an elite shutdown reliever.
In order to reach that ceiling, however, Clase will need to continue to develop his game in order to consistently mow down hitters. Even if he reaches his potential, one question looms large: can he provide enough value to justify the Indians dealing Kluber?
When two teams complete a blockbuster trade, the centerpieces on both sides of the agreement are often faced with high expectations. The Rangers hope Kluber can join the front of their rotation and bounce back from his injury-riddled 2019 campaign. The Indians, meanwhile, expect Clase to continue to develop, ultimately becoming a key piece of a still-formidable Indians pitching staff.
The Indians foresee success in 2020, despite dealing away their former ace. If that goal is to be met, then Clase, and to a lesser degree DeShields, must approximate Kluber’s production, which is no small task. Kluber, a three-time All-Star, has two Cy Young Awards on his mantle (2014 and 2016). He was also a major part of the team’s securing of the 2016 AL Pennant.
While Kluber will turn 34 years old during the season, he remains one of the game’s top starters. Trading him away is a big bet on the talent of Clase, who will likely start the year in AAA before being brought up and used as a set-up man to closer Brad Hand.
In the long-term, if everything breaks right, Clase would assume the closer’s role and hopefully reach his All-Star ceiling. He also comes with six years of team control, something that likely played a huge factor in the notoriously frugal Indians’ calculations.
dark. Next. How the Kluber Deal Affects the Chicago White Sox
Will that be enough, though? Again, Kluber is an elite arm at a position that is regaining value in today’s game. Considering what the Indians had been asking for in return for Kluber over the past calendar year, their return in this trade seems a little light. Only time will tell, and while flamethrower Emmanuel Clase has elite tools, he’ll have to continue to put the pieces together in order to live up to expectations the Indians seem to hold him to, though Kluber’s shoes may be impossible to fill.