Where Are They Now – Indians 2016 World Series Game 7 Edition

It was a day that most Cleveland Indians fans will never forget, even though some have tried to block it out.

After a magical run through two of the supposed American League’s best in the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, the Tribe found themselves in the World Series up against the favored Chicago Cubs.

The script of the Fall Classic didn’t play out like many felt, as the Indians dominated game one, lost badly in game two, but won a 1-0 thriller in game three and the following night kept the momentum up in a convincing 7-2 win to take a 3-1 series lead.

As quickly and as unexpectedly as they took that 3-1 series lead, they gave it right back, losing games five in Chicago and six at home, setting up a game seven that some still call the greatest game in World Series history.

We all likely recall two or three things from that game that will live on forever

1. Rajai Davis’ two-run, two-out, two strike home run to tie the game at six in the 8 inning

2. The rain delay that many felt was the turning point of the game as the Cubs scored the next inning to seal the win

3. The fact that the team had to bat Michael Martinez as their last hope with two outs in the 10 inning

It was a massive letdown to lose the series after leading it 3-1, but today instead of breaking down the series and what went wrong for the Tribe to lose it, we’re simply going to look at the team and the lineup from game seven, and how in four seasons a lot has changed for the Indians organization and roster.

Call it a classic case of “Where Are They Now – Indians 2016 World Series Game 7 Edition.”

Starting Lineup

Carlos Santana DH – Santana is right back where he started, as he came back to the Indians prior to the 2019 season after one year in Philadelphia. Last season Santana was the most consistent player offensively for the Tribe, hitting.281 with 34 homers and 93 RBI, earning his first ever All-Star invite. He is under contract for 2020 with a $17.5 million dollar team option for 2021.

Jason Kipnis 2B – The longtime popular second basemen is now with the very team that beat the Indians to win the World Series, inking a deal this offseason with the Chicago Cubs. He was a huge part of the World Series run in 16, but injuries and inconsistency defined his last three years with the Indians. In 2017 he hit just .232 in 90 games with 12 homers and 35 RBI. 2018 saw him hit .230 with 18 homers and 75 RBI in 147 games, and last year he played in 121 games, dealing with a few injury issues, hitting .245 with 17 homers and 65 RBI. The team had a club option at $16.5 million, but instead chose to pay him $2.5 million in a buyout. He shared an emotional good-bye to Cleveland in February on social media.

Francisco Lindor SS – The 26-year-old was a rising star in 2016, earning his first All-Star appearance hitting .301. Four years later he’s still one of the biggest superstars in the game, but his time in Cleveland is likely drawing to a close. The team won’t be able to afford a player making $300 plus million, and Lindor could get that once he hits free agency in 2022. How the team deals with Lindor has been one of, if not the biggest storyline of the offseason other than the fact that the season is on hold due to the pandemic.

Mike Napoli 1B – Terry Francona always loves to have at least one grizzled veteran on the team’s roster, and in 2016 it was Napoli, who inked a one-year deal worth $7 million in January of 2016. Napoli’s attitude transformed the clubhouse, and it didn’t take long for his impact there and on the field to be felt. He slammed 34 homers and 101 RBI during the regular season in 2016, and was the first basemen for most of the year. He left to go back to Texas in 2017, and before 2018 came back to Cleveland. Sadly he tore his ACL in April in a minor league game, and is now happily retired from the game.

Jose Ramirez 3B – Jose is still a big part of the franchise, the 27-year-old was an All-Star after big seasons in both 2017 and 2018. He was in what seemed to be a daily home run race for the American League in 2018, ending the season with 39 dingers and 105 RBI. He struggled to start 2019, but was gaining momentum when an injury ended his season in late August when he had to have hand surgery. He ended last year hitting .255 with 23 homers and 83 RBI. The team has an $11 million dollar option for 2022 on Ramirez, and a $13 million dollar option for him in 2023.

Lonnie Chisenhall RF – Chisenhall announced his retirement on February 24 of this year as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates after playing eight years for the Tribe. He ended his career with a .264 average, 64 homers and 296 RBI. His last three seasons with the Indians he hit .286, .288 and was hitting .321 in 2018 when injuries stopped his season after 29 games. He never played a game for the Pirates after signing with them prior to the 2019 season due to injuries. His Indians career saw him play mostly third base and outfield.

Rajai Davis CF – The hero of game seven who hit the most thrilling homer in team history, a two-run blast that tied up the game with two outs in the 8th inning. Davis came to Cleveland for the 2016 season and was a great signing, hitting .249 with 12 homers and 48 RBI with an American League high 43 stolen bases. Many forget he also singled in the 10 that got the team to within one at 8-7 of that same World Series game. He left after 2016, signing with the Oakland A’s, and was traded to Boston in August of that season. He came back to the Indians in 2018 on a one-year deal, hitting .224 with one homer and six RBI playing in 101 games. Davis played for the New York Mets in 2019, appearing in just 29 games with a .200 average. Still a free agent, Davis was in spring training with Acereros de Monclova, a Triple A level team in the Mexican League when it was shut down due to the pandemic.

Coco Crisp LF – The Indians acquired Crisp from Oakland at the end of August in 2016, and in 20 games with the Tribe he hit .208 with two homers and eight RBI. He played in 12 games that postseason for the Indians, going 7-for-26 (.269) with two homers and four RBI against the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Cubs. He went 2-for-4 with a double in game seven. After the 2016 he was a free agent, but decided to retire after a solid 15-year career which saw him play for Oakland (seven seasons), Cleveland (five seasons), Boston (three seasons) and Kansas City (one season) with a .265 career average.

Roberto Perez C – Many forget that Perez was the catcher for the entire postseason in 2016 after Yan Gomes was injured. He took advantage of the chance he was given, hitting three homers and driving in seven runs in 15 postseason games. The team made him their starting catcher after trading Gomes to the Washington Nationals in November of 2018, and again Perez stepped up, hitting a career-high 24 homers with 63 RBI hitting .239 playing in 119 games in 2019. The Indians have a $5.5 million dollar option on him for 2021, and a $7 million dollar option in 2022. At that point he’ll be 33 years old, and it will be a tough decision if the team will bring him back or go with another catcher.

P Corey Kluber – Kluber had an excellent 2016 postseason going 4-1 in seven starts, including game seven against the Cubs. It was a no-brainer to start Kluber, who was 2-0 against Chicago heading into the “do or die” affair. Sadly he just didn’t have it, going four innings allowing four runs on six hits, but he gave it all he had. Kluber would go on to win a second Cy Young for the Indians in 2018, going 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA. He was set again to be the Tribe ace in 2019, but was smacked by a line drive on the hand in the fifth inning of a game against Miami. He started only seven games when the injury took place, and he was never able to get back on the mound. He had his team option picked up by the Indians, but then was traded in a move to Texas for reliever Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields. At 34 many think he will have a bounce back year for the Rangers.