Indians Being Disrespected by ESPN Opening Day Power Rankings

The Cleveland Indians have finished with a record over .500 in the last eight seasons, but continue to be disrespected this offseason. ESPN's Opening Day power rankings has them ranked at No. 18, but this team has the balance necessary to make the playoffs once again and be a top 12 team.

The Indians also trail two other AL Central teams in the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. Yet, Cleveland finished tied for second in the division last season and brings back the bulk of their team. It's time to start viewing the Indians as a real threat in the American League in 2021.

Cleveland Indians Power Rankings

This Indians team was crowded by headlines this offseason as they traded shortstop Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets. It may be a big loss, but Cleveland's lineup still features a surefire all-star hitter in Jose Ramirez (45 runs scored in 2020) and an exciting new addition in Eddie Rosario (13 home runs in 2020).

It is no secret that Cleveland has a stellar pitching staff. Shane Bieber is the reigning AL Cy Young award winner and one of the best young pitchers in the league. Plus, the Indians have a bullpen full of game-changers including Jame Karinchak, who struck out 53 batters in 27.0 innings pitched last season.

This is a young and hungry Indians team ready to make some noise and surprise people. They head into the 2021 season with +750 odds to win the AL Central and +4000 odds to win the World Series, according to MLB odds posted on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.