To hear him say it, Lonnie Chisenhall hasn’t exactly had the storybook career.
He doesn’t have the type of story that, say, shortstop Francisco Lindor is currently writing. That of the top prospect who comes into the big leagues and takes much of the baseball world by storm at the top of the Indians’ lineup. Chisenhall has never enjoyed that kind of footing at the major league level.
His path hasn’t been that clear, either. He’s had chances. He’s offered glimmers of hope and real potential. But he never could latch onto an everyday job or force the Indians’ hand.
Chisenhall, 27, has competed for playing time with Jack Hannahan, for instance. He watched as the Indians tried out Carlos Santana at third base to keep his bat in the lineup. And after a full season with the Indians in 2014, Chisenhall was sent down to Triple-A around the midway point last year after a poor start in which his bat and glove both began to falter.
He was a man without a position or, really, a clear place in the Indians’ long-term plans. Giovanny Urshela was called up as the everyday third baseman ahead of him, a younger player with better defensive skills. The Indians had Santana, then later Chris Johnson and now Mike Napoli at first base.
The Indians knew Chisenhall could contribute at the big-league level in some way. But he appeared to be blocked by circumstances. He was treading water. So he kept looking for another way.
“That was the fourth time [being sent back to the minors] for me,” Chisenhall said this spring. “Each time, it was, ‘Go down there and fight and keep fighting and make your way back.’ I never stopped believing in myself. … It hasn’t been a Cinderella story to say the least.”
In Triple-A, he went to manager Chris Tremie with an idea of moving to right field. What followed was Chisenhall finally forcing his way into the lineup.
He took off in his new position. It’s important to note that defensive metrics require larger sample sizes, but there’s no doubt he was stellar right from the beginning.
Per FanGraphs, Chisenhall had 11 defensive runs saved in only 354⅓ innings played in right field. That mark put Chisenhall in the top five in the game and at the top of the leaderboard in the American League, despite having only a third of the playing time of many full-time right fielders.
He also took off offensively, hitting .403 in August before coming back down to Earth in September with a .167 mark. Chisenhall is likely still a platoon hitter, but his defense in right field afforded him a second act to his career. His value is now with his glove, which was once a liability at third base.
“It was my idea to move to the outfield. I’m the one who brought it up,” Chisenhall said. “I went down there last year and I wanted to be versatile. I wanted to find my way into the lineup, making sure I was doing things to help the Indians. … Versatility’s important in this game and being able to take those hits and get back up. I’m proud of that.”
Chisenhall has long shagged balls in the outfield, but it was never considered much of an actual option. He was never considered a stalwart defensively at third base, but he had always been planted there.
“I don’t think he was as comfortable at third base as we thought,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “This is before I got here, but he was a third baseman. I think in his mind, he was always maybe wondering [about the outfield]. He worked hard to be a good third baseman, but I think in the back of his head, he always maybe thought he’d be somewhere else.”
Now, he’s the Indians’ primary right fielder, with some of that depending on his bat and how he hits left-handed pitching. Regardless, he forced his way back to the big leagues, and not just by learning a new position and being OK. He excelled at it and just about reached Gold Glove levels.
The transition was quick. He logged only a few games in Triple-A before coming back to Cleveland. He leaned on bench coach Brad Mills. He asked Michael Brantley and Abraham Almonte question after question. His athleticism and arm weren’t an issue, as they translated flawlessly. The last part is getting down the nuances of the position.
Chisenhall initially had a problem with balls hit over his head. Laterally, he was tracking down everything. Turning around and running wasn’t as natural. So he got to work in pre-game batting practice.
“I’d play shallow on purpose and try to get balls hit over my head,” Chisenhall said. “That’s about all you can do besides getting out there and playing as many games as you can this spring. … First step [is so important] and the correct first step. … Knowing the hitters and what [bench coach Brad Mills] does for us helps a lot, where you know their tendencies, if guys are hitting the ball in the gap or shooting the ball down the line or if lefties like to hook the ball with top spin. That helps.”
If Chisenhall can keep up that level of play defensively and offer some value at the plate, he’ll have a place with the Indians. It’s just not the one many had thought he’d have for so long.
“You keep working and stuff works out, I guess,” he said. “It wasn’t a Cinderella story, but it’s been great for me.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ