CLEVELAND: Indians rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin has made his mark at the major-league level, although much of it has come against right-handed pitchers.
He’s one of the top contenders to be named American League Rookie of the Year. But as the first-place Indians balance contending this season and Naquin’s development as a hitter, additional variables have been added to the scenario when making out the lineup.
Entering Saturday’s game, Naquin had 254 at-bats against right-handed pitchers but only 41 against lefties. He’s hit very well against righties (1.047 OPS) and well against lefties (.875), but Indians manager Terry Francona has normally deployed Rajai Davis against left-handers, as he has a more substantial track record and has given the Indians a great deal of value on the base paths.
If the Indians weren’t in contention, Naquin might have found himself in the lineup more often in an effort to expand his long-term development against left-handed pitching. Indians manager Terry Francona, though, also has to keep the present in mind.
“We’re trying to accomplish all of it and maybe give him some rope because I don’t think a guy that’s hitting as well as Naquin is just going to hit against right-handers. But I do think he’ll grow into it. If we were 20 games under .500, he would have already been doing that. So you try to strike that balance.”
It’s not the first time the Indians’ situation made it difficult on Naquin.
He dealt with an odd string of left-handed opposing pitchers early in the year and a couple of trips back to Triple-A Columbus while the Indians tried to balance the 40-man roster.
“I think he deserves a lot of credit,” Francona said. “He’s a tough kid. There have been some things thrown at him this year where, the first two weeks of the year, he didn’t play. We got every left-hander in the world, and he handled that. He got sent down, and he handled that. When I’ve said in the past he has survival instincts, I don’t mean that in a demeaning way at all; it’s a big compliment.”
Trade rumor updates
Rumors surrounding Milwaukee Brewers All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy ruled the day on Saturday, but a trade partner had yet to be found.
Reports indicated that the Indians could be the front-runners for Lucroy, as talks with the New York Mets reportedly stalled. Lucroy, though, has the Indians on his no-trade clause, which could make a deal tougher to complete.
Lucroy’s name has been in the center of trade rumors for the past several days but he still remained a Brewer. The Indians have until 4 p.m. Monday to complete a deal.
One name that can be crossed off the list is Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon, who was traded to the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
The Indians are still also tied to Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/first baseman Steve Pearce as well as, potentially, New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran and several relief pitchers.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com.