This should be a pretty stable winter for the Cleveland Indians.
On the free agency front, there's not much in the way of decisions to be made outside of Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley, and there are very few holes in the roster that need filling. But Sunday brought a sad little surprise, as pitching coach Mickey Callaway was snatched up to manage the New York Mets. They're a lucky team to get him, and with the pitching they need to build around it makes sense. Of course this could be bad news for the Indians. They’ll certainly miss him, but you know, I think it'll be alright.
This is not to belittle his work. Anyone who’s watched the Indians knows Callaway was a key cog in the development of the Tribe pitching staff over the last four years. Since he came on, Indians pitching is tops in the majors in fWAR (108.4), strikeout rate (24.0 percent), fourth in ERA (3.65), third in FIP (3.60), they've produced a Cy Young winner out of nowhere and, my personal favorite, hold a commanding lead in curveball pitch value at 153.8 runs above average. The next closest is the Washington Nationals at 58.7. In an era of ever-increasing velocity, wild fastballs and snappy sliders, their cultivation of this pitch is so cool to me. The way they threw it at such a high rate last October, and again this year, has Callaway's fingerprints all over it. The staff flourished under him. None of this can be accidental. Having a pitching coach that can be a teacher and a psychologist to a host of young pitchers is vital in helping them get the hang of the major league world. It's not to say he's outlasted his usefulness, but Callaway's charges seem to be all grown up.
Look no further than Carlos Carrasco. When Callaway came to the team, Carrasco was headstrong, at times headhunting, total unfocused potential. He got suspended for throwing at people, had to bounce back from Tommy John surgery, and had this weird block for a year or two where he just couldn't deal with a runner on first base. It was strange. He just would keep throwing over there even if it was, like, Adam Dunn. Between that and a couple fluke injuries, it took Carrasco seemingly forever to become what he could be. But a patient voice and hard work led to the crescendo of his playoff debut against the New York Yankees. Any worries one would have about Carrasco have been quashed.
Same thing with Trevor Bauer. Callaway was handed perhaps the most headstrong young pitcher in all of baseball. Rather than push back, he's nudged Bauer to be his own best self. Maybe Bauer won't become a true number one option, but at this point he's a perfect middle to top of the rotation starter, and still set to grow even more. The Indians (and Callaway) didn’t stifle Bauer, they let him explore pitching the way he wanted, within bounds. It worked, and Bauer has become a great player for the Indians.
On down the line like this, Callaway has helped build a great rotation. Danny Salazar is as mercurial as they come, still probably the most hard to judge pitcher in the rotation, but Callaway got him focused and past arm issues time and again to be a big part of the Indians success. Mike Clevinger is everything a pitcher shouldn't be with his propensity for walks and weird motion, but he’s become something quite a bit more than back end starter. He’s on the cusp of a big breakout. These pitchers, along with guys like Tyler Olson and his arm angles, Cody Allen and his Napoleon Complex (I assume, hes just so electric) but they've embraced what they can do, and the Indians are contenders because of it.
The other, real thing to realize here is, nothing lasts forever. Callaway was instrumental in building this Indians squad. But this team is what is here now. Construction is complete, and to be realistic a team like the Indians can’t be great forever. He’s done his job. There's not much I can think of he'd be able to do for Bauer or Clevinger or Carrasco, much less Corey Kluber or any of the relievers. Maybe someone like Rob Kaminsky could make a leap, or some time in the future Brady Aiken or Triston Mackenzie could come from seemingly nowhere. But that’s all maybe and what-if. Callaway proved himself. Let someone else try.
It's not like some unfamiliar voice will be taking over either. Bullpen coach Jason Bere has been with the team for three years. He knows the pitchers, knows the philosophy, he should know what to do and what not to. The only real thing the Indians will miss will be that voice that Francona relies on to chat with for a game, to keep the skipper's keel even and the pitchers from flying off the handle. But a magical blend of tobacco and bubble gum can do that too, it's just gross. Plus Francona hired Bere. Surely they like each other.
Callaway was a vital part of what this team has become. But no one man is an entire organization. It wasn’t just him who brought on more forward-thinking techniques of pitching development, of introducing weighted ball training and plyometrics extreme long toss and all the other methods of pitcher training that seem insane but are part of the game now. This was a commitment by the Indians as an organization to take advantage of what they saw as a niche, and it worked. That, and some savvy trades for brilliant raw material they forged into stars. None of that is going away, just the calming presence and voice that stood behind the starters as they warmed up, or worked them into game shape in the spring.
The framework is still there, and his star pupils have matured. It’s time for Callaway to move on to a new challenge, and he’s certainly found one. He helped bring the Indians to heights never dreamed and helped the organization to keep the machine running. Hopefully, anyway.
Let’s see if he has any more magic to make Queens soar like Cleveland did.