Mandy Bell Talks Tribe Baseball

Mandy Bell grew up a New York Yankees fan, but don’t hold that against her. Growing up in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, about an hour southwest of Harrisburg, the 24-year-old MLB.com Cleveland Indians beat reporter loved the Bronx Bombers, just like her dad. “My dad was a big Reggie Jackson fan growing up,” she says. “I would just watch baseball every night.” After stints covering the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles for MLB.com while at Penn State, Bell started her first full-time gig covering the Tribe last year.

While she spent the offseason checking off her Cleveland to-do list — “I’m addicted to Barrio,” she says — she’s looking forward to what should be an interesting season for the Indians. Here, Bell fills us in on a few players and storylines to keep an eye on ahead of March 26’s Opening Day game against the Detroit Tigers.

The Next Wave
An outfield prospect the Indians received in a trade with the Washington Nationals for catcher Yan Gomes, Daniel Johnson might not join the big-league club right away. But Bell thinks his mix of hitting and fielding means we’ll see him join the team at some point in 2020, especially if they don’t sign any more outfielders. “I remember stopping in my tracks when I saw him try to throw out a runner at home who’s tagging up at third,” she says. “Like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is the strongest arm I’ve ever seen.’ ”

Power Pitching
It’s easy to get down about the trade of two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Corey Kluber. But Bell says the Indians are one of the few teams that can trade a player of that caliber and still have one of the best rotations in baseball, thanks to the one-two punch of Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber. “They were just so outstanding last year,” she says. A healthy Carlos Carrasco just adds to the potential keeping the team in contention in for division title. “Their starting pitching depth is just mind-blowing,” Bell adds.

Trading Places
When shortstop Francisco Lindor is up for free agency after the 2021 season, keeping him could mean more money than the Indians are willing to spend, so trade rumors have swirled. Bell says keep an eye on the July 31 trade deadline. If the Tribe is sitting behind the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox in the Central Division standings, they may try to rebuild with younger prospects. “If they’re at the top of the division, I don’t see them [trading him],” she says. “But now that the Twins and White Sox seem like strong competitors, if the Indians are sitting in third place [in July], maybe they do.”