Welcome to the first official Let’s Talk Tribe podcast of the 2017 season! While the Indians seem to have figured out how to hit baseballs, I also have figured out audio issues that plagued last week’s episode (sorry about that).
For starters, Jason and I introduce a new way to run down the week’s worth of games. Instead of reading box scores and stray stats, we each make a series of specific observations about the first handful of games. Namely Yandy Diaz’s impressive defense and poor launch angle, Michael Brantley’s early struggles, the emergence of Francisco Lindor as a national hero, and the fact that the Indians only really need to beat one National League team. Just one.
We also discuss Carlos Santana’s emergence as an okay-ish but still kind of bad right fielder and the odds of the Indians signing him to an extension.
Josh Nelson, host of the South Side Sox podcast and writer on southsidesox.com, joined us to preview the upcoming home opener against the White Sox. He gives us a general heat-check on the feelings of White Sox fans in the early stages of a rebuild, and let’s us knwo which of the recent acquisitions could emerge out of the trade. It’s not who you think.
I also force Josh to give us the blueprint to defeat the White Sox. As it turns out, it revolves around stopping one player and sleeping for the other eight. Pretty simple stuff.
And, finally, we answer your questions. @P_Feens wants to know the batting order when Jason Kipnis returns and @TylerEtchell wants to know the current Tribe player who is most likley to “flex on dudes” ala Albert Belle.
Hey, if you enjoyed that episode and want to hear more, please consider subscribing to us on iTunes and YouTube and maybe leaving a nice little review or comment. Every little bit helps us keep this bad boy going into the night.