MLB Sunday Spotlight – What we’re looking for in Indians – White Sox

This week, Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN, 7 pm ET) has one of the continuing rivalries of Major League Baseball between two of the original eight teams in the American League, as the Chicago White Sox host the Cleveland Indians in the Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side of Windy City.

Even before baseball expanded the playoffs of each league to eight teams per piece, both clubs were teams with potential after the season. Now they are shaking to keep up with the Minnesota Twins at AL Central and keep themselves in the thick of a full field of teams racing for one of those eight spots.

We asked baseball writers David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle some important questions to get you ready for Sunday night’s game.

Two weeks in, how many American League Central teams do you think will make it postseason?

David Schoenfield: It’s starting to look like three teams, primarily because the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners have all looked weak so far and no one expects the Baltimore Orioles to maintain their .500-ish level of play.

So if we eliminate these four teams, plus the Kansas City Royals, leave 10 teams for eight spots. Based on the projected results the rest of the way and what we know about the talent on the field, it’s also pretty easy to list the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers as candidates. Oh, and the Boston Red Sox’s rotation is a mess, so let’s pick them out, too. So, there I have eliminated eight teams from the AL playoff race … and wait … at least one of those teams will make it, because we need eight playoff teams, not seven.

The point? I don’t think we have eight good teams in the AL that the Twins, Indians and White Sox look like solid picks at this point, even if they have their flaws, like the Cleveland offense or the Chicago rotation.

Bradford Doolittle: Three is a good bet, and four is a possibility, considering how active the race looks for eighth and final place. Dave has pretty much fixed the controversy, but there will be a noncontender coming into the AL playoffs. It could be anyone. The twins appear to be on a higher tier than the White Sox than the Indians, and are seen as a bona fide threat to win the AL pennant. The race for second between Chicago and Cleveland is compelling. If you gave the White Sox the rotation to the Indians, you would have one of the best teams in baseball.

Where is Shane Bieber currently ranked among the best starting pitchers in baseball?

Schoenfield: Based on his first three starts, you can make the argument that Bieber is de the best at this particular moment in time: 3-0, 0.83 ERA, 35 strikeouts and just three walks in 21 ⅔ innings. The only two runs he has allowed came on two solo home runs, and two of his starts came against the Twins and Reds, a great offensive team and an OK.

One aspect I like about Bieber’s game is that although he has evolved into an elite strikeout pitcher, he remains very efficient, allowing him to get deeper into games. He is averaging 3.86 pitchers per game, which is actually below the MLB average. Jacob deGrom, by comparison, averages 4.26, and Gerrit Cole 4.00. Is Bieber better than those two? We probably need more than three starts to make that statement, and he will hit the rest of the way on many weak offenses in the AL Central, but Bieber looks to be the next big ace of baseball.

Doolittle: I do not put Bieber in front of Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer or Jacob deGrom. But seeing his dominance over the first few weeks, he sits in a group on the next tier and runs with Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler as the young starters you want the most in two or three years. Nate Pearson might also be in that group.

Luis Robert is the most exciting prospect you have seen since the day of the league.

Schoenfield: Well, I mean, Fernando Tatis Jr. entered the league last season. Pete Alonso hit 53 runs at home last year as a rookie. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto were in the league that season before that.

One thing that has been impressive so far is Robert seems to be there as an elite, field fighter Gold Glove center. According to Statcast metrics, he ranks in the 99th percentile in sprint speed, and his other defensive metrics are also excellent so far. With Soto limited to a corner outfield position and Acuna playing more right field than center, Robert is perhaps the most valuable defensive player – and making those highlights that center fielders are famous for.

We’ll see how his bat develops – he’s older than Tatis, Acuna and Soto, but it’s safe to say he’s the last exciting young star.

Doolittle: There’s always something exciting about a hyped outlook that lives up to its advanced billing. Robert certainly did. But as Dave suggests, this almost becomes the expectation. Soto, Tatis, Gleyber Torres, Acuna … there are currently some really good and really young star hitters in baseball, and Robert looks like another.