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Cleveland Indians: Team preview and prediction for 2020 season

By Sean Basile

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 08: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 08: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Manager Terry Francona #77 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
Manager Terry Francona #77 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Indians face a monumental 2020 regular season that will shape the future of their franchise. Can they prove to still be contenders?

I’ve done a lot of thinking about this Cleveland Indians team coming into the 2020 season, and although there are a ton of question marks around their starting rotation (and bullpen to a degree), I believe what we will see out of them in 2020 is a clear example of how a good organization can find ways to succeed and win games.

Breaking down this Indians roster, I see it as a split between a lineup that is getting drastically overlooked and a pitching staff with young talent that could go either way. If the pitching flops, the team will flop. But if we can see quality years out of several of these Cleveland pitchers, I think the Indians will be sailing into the postseason after missing last year.

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What makes this Cleveland Indians regime so adept at winning?

Terry Francona has to be at the top of that list. Year-in and year-out, no matter what the makeup of his team looks like, the Indians find a way to win their division and march into October baseball. We’re now at three-straight seasons coming into 2020 where the Indians have won 90+ games and seven-straight winning seasons on top of that.

I know this organization has gone through a bit of a whirlwind this offseason and late 2019 where they lost Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber to trades, Carlos Carrasco had to battle cancer, and Francisco Lindor trade talks have continued to heat up as extension discussions never seem to progress for the star shortstop and the Indians.

But even with all of that, the Tribe is still putting out a solid product on the field with one of the best managers in the game anchoring the ship.

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