CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Center field was an unmade bed for the Indians in 2021. Seven players played the position, including five who made 14 or more starts there.
It wasn’t until Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, acquired Myles Straw from Houston at the July 30 trade deadline that somebody was able to change the sheets and fluff the pillows in the middle of the outfield. That somebody was Straw, who started 55 of his first 60 games with Cleveland in center.
The right-handed hitting Straw proved to be the rarest of finds. Acting manager DeMarlo Hale called him a true center fielder, something in short supply in the big leagues. Baseballsavant.com credited him with 13 outs above average, the fourth-highest total in the big leagues. Fangraphs.com credited him with five defensive runs saved.
Straw, 27, brought more than one gift to the table. He replaced Cesar Hernandez in the leadoff spot after Hernandez was traded to the White Sox on July 29. Straw didn’t show Hernandez’s power, but he hit .285 (68-for-239) with 16 doubles and 42 runs after the trade.
His speed showed as well. Straw stole 13 bases in 14 attempts here. For the season, he went 30-for-36 (83%) in steals, fitting in well with Cleveland’s aggressive, but high percentage, stolen base rate.
On Wednesday’s Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes discussed Straw’s future with Cleveland and how he can help bolster the Guardians’ play at the plate and in the field.
Straw’s 2022 contract situation:
Straw, with two years and 112 days of service time in the big leagues, is not eligible for arbitration this winter. He’ll be eligible after the 2022 season, but the Indians still control him through 2025, when Straw will be eligible for free agency after that season.
Last season Straw earned $590,400, just above the major-league minimum of $570,500.
Straw’s 2021 stats:
| AB | AVG | 2B | HR | RBI | OPS | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 564 | .271 | 29 | 4 | 49 | .696 | 86 |
Grading Straw’s 2021 season:
In my end of the season report card, Shaw received a solid B for his first full season in the big leagues. He played 158 games, helping Cleveland settle two positions -- center field and the leadoff spot. He tied Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins for second place in the AL with 30 steals, 10 behind league-leader Whit Merrifield’s 40.
Straw, besides being a Gold Glove finalist in center, finished tied for 29th place in the AL with 86 runs. If he had spent the full season in Cleveland, his 86 runs would have ranked second on the team behind Jose Ramirez.
Where Straw succeeded in 2021:
Straw showed marked improvement against fastballs and breaking balls in 2021. In 2020, according to baseballsavant.com, Straw hit .263 against fastballs and .133 against breaking balls. In 2021, over a much bigger sample size, he hit .279 against fastballs and .273 against breaking balls.
He finished the season strong, hitting .284 (33-for-116) with nine doubles in August. In September and October, Straw hit .288 (34-for-118) with seven doubles. In his last 59 games of the season, Straw scored 41 runs.
Where Straw struggled in 2021:
Straw finished last season with a .271 average, but he didn’t shatter a lot of bats doing it. He “barreled’ just 3% of the balls he made contact with. His hard hit percentage -- any ball hit with an exit velocity of 95 mph or greater, according to statcast -- was 15%.
He needs to get better against lefties as well. Straw hit .285 (109-for-383) against right-handers and .243 (44-for-181) against lefties. His career splits are .284 vs. righties and .224 vs. lefties. Of his five career homers, none have come against a left-hander.
What Straw needs to do in 2022:
If Straw can take what he did in 60 games last year and stretch it over 162-game season in 2022, there aren’t going to be a lot of complaints. He’s a Gold Glove-caliber defender and a leadoff hitter with above average speed. His hard-contact percentage needs to improve, but he doesn’t chase bad pitches at the plate and when he does reach base, he’s a stolen-base threat with a high success rate. In 2018 he stole 70 bases in 79 attempts in the minors with Houston.
Throughout November, the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast will highlight one player on Cleveland’s 40-man roster per day, breaking down his 2021 season and looking ahead to what we can expect in 2022. Rankings will be voted upon by SubText subscribers to determine the order they are reviewed.
Cleveland 40-man roster review
José Ramírez | Cal Quantrill | Emmanuel Clase | Shane Bieber | Amed Rosario
Aaron Civale | Franmil Reyes | Myles Straw
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Indians merchandise for sale: Here’s where you can order Cleveland Indians gear online before the team becomes the Guardians, including jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, hats and much more.
Cleveland 40-man roster review
José Ramírez | Cal Quantrill | Emmanuel Clase | Shane Bieber
Amed Rosario | Aaron Civale | Franmil Reyes
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