The Cleveland Indians outfield could have an unexpected regular this upcoming season. Franmil Reyes.
Franmil Reyes came to the Indians last season and was a designated hitter in 45 games compared to playing in the field three times. This is partly due to the fact that Yasiel Puig was the everyday right fielder and the collection of Oscar Mercado, Greg Allen, and Jordan Luplow handled the two outfield spots on a pretty regular basis.
A large part of Reyes being a DH was he was considered to be a rather uninspiring defender. A major reason was his size, but things appear to be different prior to this upcoming season. While at Tribe Fest Reyes was noticeably slimmer. According to Zack Meisel, Reyes has dropped 18 pounds and is ready to compete for an outfield spot.
Also worth noting is that Reyes still feels powerful. Being a power hitter that is essential. Dropping weight is great, but if it leads to a decrease in power for someone who relies on it that poses a problem.
If Franmil Reyes is actually able to play in the outfield that changes things quite a bit. Instead of two potential platoon situations in the corner outfield spots, Reyes could play in the field enough that platooning could be more limited than initially expected. Providing the lineup with stability will help with overall performance and the development of some of the younger players. It will also provide Terry Francona with more flexibility when putting tougher their lineup. Something that the Tribe could use with their hodgepodge collection of players outside of a select few.
