Cleveland Indians Future is Bright with Cal Quantril & Triston McKenzie

What if I told you, that perhaps the best pitcher in the American League since the All Star break was a former bullpen guy, who wasn’t even expected to start games this year.

Would you believe me if I told you that this same pitcher has thrown 48 innings with an ERA of 1.50 over that same span. How about if I told you that this guy was also just 26 years old, in his third major league season and under team control through 2025. 

Cal Quantril is that guy and he has proven that he is in fact deserving to be in the perennially good Indians rotation.

Cal Quantril's Future

Coming into the season there was definite questions about the fifth starter spot, would it be Quantril, Triston Mckenzie or perhaps Logan Allen. Since the Summer Classic, Cal has shown that not only is he good enough to be the fifth starter, he may be the No. 3 in the Indians rotation come next year and for years to come.

And what a rotation that would be. Bieber, Civale, Quantril all under team control for several years. Oh yeah and then your No. 4 and 5 guys would be Zach Plesac and some guy named Triston McKenzie who has been pretty damn impressive in his own right.

Triston McKenzie's Future

So lets get into McKenzie for a moment, after showing flashes of dominance in his debut season in 2020 and then really struggling to start this season, he seems to have figured it out. McKenzie has allowed just one earned run and three hits over his last 15 innings pitched. That includes his incredible perfect game bid against the Detroit Tigers on August 15, and a pretty dominant performance against a very solid Angels team on August 21. Unfortunately, he is shelved for the moment with shoulder fatigue as has been the story with Indians pitching all season long. 

One thing is for sure, with the Indians consistent ability to develop pitching and a potentially unhittable at times rotation, watch out for this team to make a deep playoff run in 2021.