I'm basing this by time in the major leagues and in Cleveland this year - folks like Laureano and Lopez will not be graded on how they played on other teams. I'm not going to hold injuries against anybody since most of the time they are fluky. If you're McKenzie and only made four starts, then I'm grading you on those four starts, fair or not. These grades are also going to be respective on player expectations, not overall performance. Somebody like David Fry who I had zero expectations for is going to be graded more favorably than an established player who may have had better numbers but overall disappointed me.
Catchers
Bo Naylor - A-
Meibrys Viloria - F
Zack Collins - D
Eric Haase - F
Mike Zunino - F
Cam Gallagher - F-
The Catcher spot was one of our obvious struggle spots all season long. Until Bo got called up and started getting hot, it was one of the biggest starting positional black holes in all of baseball. Thankfully, Naylor finished the year very hot and could be a top-5 offensive catcher as soon as next season (finished with .825 OPS/128 OPS+). Biggest need for next year is a reliable backup that isn't Gallagher and for Bo to continue to make strides defensively.
Infielders/Designated Hitters
Josh Naylor - A+
Kole Calhoun - D+
Jose Ramirez - A-
Andres Gimenez - B
Amed Rosario - D
Brayan Rocchio - C
Jose Tena - D
Tyler Freeman - C-
Gabriel Arias - C+
David Fry - B
Josh Bell - D+
Jose was steady if unspectacular this season (he was still really damn good, he would've needed to be in the MVP race for me to grade him much higher). Josh Naylor was one of the bright spots of the season, especially with how he hit left handers. Gimenez's counting numbers on paper don't look great compared to last year (most notably the OPS drop), but he's one of the absolute best fielding middle infielders in all of baseball. Rosario and Bell sucked and the team was more fun to watch when they departed. Calhoun gets a D+ because he came in and stole at-bats from young guys who needed them.
The big story is who's starting at shortstop on Opening Day 2024. Per my grades, I would assume Arias has the upper hand right now with Rocchio and then Freeman behind him respectfully. With 3B, 2B, and 1B all completely on lock, only debating one infield position this winter should be a nice change of pace (Manzardo is coming too).
Outfielders
Steven Kwan - B+
Myles Straw - D
Will Brennan - C
Oscar Gonzalez - F
Ramon Laureano - B
Kwan was one of the lone bright spots in one of the worst outfields in baseball. His batting average took a bit of a hit as to be expected but he still worked counts all season and played a stellar left field. Straw clogged up too many at bats, can't hit, and had a declined defensive season. Brennan is alright but doesn't walk and hits for almost no power. Oscar Gonzalez was the biggest non-injury letdown of the season and I would not mind one bit if he was DFA'd this winter. Laureano came in and played well (109 OPS+ in CLE) and definitely should be in the cards for next season. If this team improves their outfield this season like they should, then two of Brennan, Straw, and Gonzalez do not need to be on the Opening Day roster.
Starting Pitchers
Aaron Civale - A
Gavin Williams - A-
Cal Quantrill - D
Logan Allen - A-
Shane Bieber - C+
Tanner Bibee - A+
Lucas Giolito - F
Noah Syndergaard - F
Triston McKenzie - D
Zach Plesac - F
Hunter Gaddis - D
Touki Toussaint - F
Peyton Battenfield - D-
Civale had a phenomenal first half with us and got us our likely starting 1B/DH for next season in Manzardo. The rookie trio of Williams, Allen, and especially Bibee blew any and all expectations I had for them out of the water this season. Bieber doesn't look to be what he once was but still showed spurts of being effective when he's healthy. McKenzie's grade is harsh but he only made four starts and wasn't particularly great overall. Syndergaard, Giolito, Plesac, and Quantrill were all absolute garbage. Gaddis, Toussaint, and Battenfield's grades don't matter much because they barely pitched and two of them aren't even in the organization anymore.
Still, a starting rotation with some combination of Bieber, McKenzie, Bibee, Williams, and Allen could be one of the best in baseball health permitting.
Bullpen
Emmanuel Clase - B
James Karinchak - D+
Eli Morgan - C-
Trevor Stephan - C-
Enyel De Los Santos - B-
Nick Sandlin - C
Sam Hentges - B+
Xzavion Curry - B+ as reliever;D as starter
Tim Herrin - D
Michael Kelly - B
Matt Moore - C-
Reynaldo Lopez - A
Daniel Norris - F
Cody Morris - D
David Fry - D-
Konnor Pilkington - D
Rough year overall for the bullpen with pretty much everybody performing below expectations. Clase still has the tools to be absolutely elite but I think he was a bit overworked and needs to add a vertical pitch this offseason. The only real bright spots I'm feeling heading into next season was the fact that Hentges really started to come on once he got reacclimated following his injury and that we've got the possibility of bringing back Reynaldo Lopez to be a late inning guy - that dude was nails in his short stint here. I'd expect the majority of the bullpen to be back next season and hopefully they trend back to how they were in 2022.
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