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The Cleveland Indians finished the shortened 2020 season 10 games above .500 and earned a Wild Card spot out of the A.L. Central. They had this success despite key players like Francisco Lindor and Oscar Mercado not performing up to expectations. They also had success despite losing one of their key bullpen arms in Emmanuel Clase due to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Although the suspension was for 80 games, MLB ended up limiting it to just the 2020 season and Clase will be eligible to return at the start of 2021. This is great news for Clase and the Indians, who will certainly welcome another dominant bullpen arm after losing Brad Hand to free agency in the offseason.
The expectations were set high for Clase as the Indians essentially traded Corey Kluber to the Rangers for him. He makes for a solid sleeper candidate heading into 2021 and that is what we will be taking a look at in this piece.
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A Welcomed Relief
As aforementioned, Clase missed the entirety of the 2020 season due to suspension, so in order to get a feel for what we can expect in 2021, we need to look into his 2019 season as well as his minor league stats. In 2019, Clase threw 23.1 IP to the tune of a 2.31 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 21 K. This was a solid debut season for Clase and fell somewhat in line with his minor league stats where he tossed 191 IP with a 3.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and struck out 195 batters while also only allowing seven HR.
Clase has filthy stuff as he throws a high 90 mph four-seamer and cutter as well as a change-of-pace pitch in his slider, which hovers around 90 mph. The cutter is Clase's go-to pitch as he threw it over 73% of the time, and it generated pretty solid results. He only allowed a .245 xBA with the cutter and also produced a 25.8% whiff rate combined with a 27.3% put-away ratio. These numbers are solid for first-year production and a guy learning how to pitch in the big-leagues.
Moving forward, it might be wise for Clase to use his four-seamer a bit more as he only used it 5.5% of the time, but he generated solid results as he gave up zero hits, but also only generated a 14.3% whiff rate. Mixing this pitch in a bit more may generate better results, especially considering how hard he throws it.
Clase will also have opportunities in late innings this season as the Indians recently lost closer, Brad Hand, to free agency. As it stands now, James Karinchak is the leading man in the clubhouse to open up the season as the Indians closer, but if he struggles at all as a first-time closer, that could be a solid opportunity for Clase to get in the mix.
Conclusion
Clase provides plenty of value as a late-inning reliever who should produce and help fantasy players with WHIP and ERA categories from the start of 2021. He also could provide saves as the season progresses depending upon how well James Karinchak fills Brad Hand's void. He currently boasts an ADP of 408, which means he is a 34th round pick in 12-team mixed leagues and also means he is basically not being drafted. Compare this to the ADP of Karincahk, which is 123 and a 10th round pick, and I think there is some value in waiting here.
Karinchak will likely be solid in the closer's role, but Clase will be right there if he falters and will also collect a few saves here and there along the way. Clase also makes for a great add in dynasty leagues moving forward.
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