The Cleveland Indians will have a decision in regards to two similar outfielders and who will make the team. Will it be Greg Allen or Delino DeShields?
There are only so many outfield spots on the roster and the Cleveland Indians need to address them carefully. There are corner outfield spots up for grabs and the reserve outfielder role also seems to be available. Cleveland has two very similar players to choose from in Greg Allen and Delino DeShields. Neither player is inspiring at the plate, although DeShields is a better defender.
The advantage Greg Allen has here is that he is a switch-hitter. With the current outfield having plenty of right handed outfielders, this could be a deciding factor. This group includes Franmil Reyes, Domingo Santana, Oscar Mercado, and Jordan Luplow. There are a few left handed options on the roster, but their roster status is also questionable. Jake Bauers and Bradley Zimmer highlight the left handers who could make the team out of spring training. Having a switch-hitter in the mix would give Cleveland the flexibility to adapt their lineup as needed.
The team has plenty of right handed options to begin with. If Allen does not make the roster and Delino DeShields does, that puts Cleveland in a tough spot. With some combination of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana all hitting in the top four spots in the lineup, that leaves a lot of righties afterward. In addition to all of their outfielders, Roberto Perez is also a righty, as are Yu Chang and Christian Arroyo. With the lack of lefties it would make some bit of sense to have another switch-hitter in the mix. The last thing the team needs is to be in a situation with multiple righties in a row and their opponent going to their best right handed reliever.
So which one will it be, Greg Allen or Delino DeShields?
The determining factor here could very well be whether or not their pure left handed outfield options are able to produce. If the Indians determine that Jake Bauers, Bradley Zimmer, and Daniel Johnson are not necessarily in the best position to help the team right now, going with Greg Allen seems like a likely move only because he is a switch-hitter. It is also worth noting that Allen is better when facing right handed pitching than left handed pitching. If Terry Francona is looking to play the matchup game then Allen is a superior option against right handers when compared to DeShields.
It really seems like the decision between these two will ultimately be determined by other decisions made beforehand. This is more of a secondary group that needs to be addressed. Once Cleveland sets their starters, the team will make a decision of who they prefer. Greg Allen or Delino DeShields.
