27-year old righty swinging infielder Jayson Nix looks like he might be a keeper for the Cleveland Indians. He has played in 49 games since the Indians claimed him off waivers from the White Sox and he is 48 of 182 (.264 avg, .795 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 10 homers and 21 RBIs. He is starting at 3B for the Indians since the Jhonny Peralta trade with the Tigers but he’s not a good defender there. His best position is 2B but he’s being a trooper by filling in where the Indians need him. I really am starting to like Nix the more I watch him play.

26-year old switch hitting outfielder Trevor Crowe has been impressive with his hustle and defense. He has played in 82 games for the Tribe this year and he is 79 of 311 (.254 avg, .662 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 2 homers, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Crowe projects to be a 4th or 5th outfielder on a good team but he could get a lot of at bats with the Indians in the next couple of years as they rebuild. I still like Crowe despite some obvious shortcomings because of his all-out hustle.

With the trade of Austin Kearns and the injury to Travis Hafner playing time has opened up for 30-year old Shelley Duncan and he has made the most of his opportunity so far. Duncan has played in 46 games for the Indians this year and he is 33 of 122 (.270 avg, .826 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 6 homers and 20 RBIs. Duncan has whiffed 49 times already this year but the Indians don’t care much about that as long as he keeps producing. Duncan has never really gotten much of a chance to prove himself as the Yankees always had a highly paid player in front of him.

I’ll admit it…….I didn’t think much of Jayson Nix when the Indians signed him. I did know though that he had showed a lot of power in the past for a middle infielder. But he’s in a zone right now for the Tribe as he looks like he’s playing slow pitch softball. Nix has played in 14 games for the Indians and he is 14 of 51 (.275 avg, 1.026 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 6 homers and 9 RBIs. Baseball’s past is littered with guys who have taken advantage of a second chance opportunity with a new team so maybe Nix is for real. The second base job is wide open for the Indians as Luis Valbuena dropped the ball earlier this year. So why not Jayson Nix as the new starting 2B of the future for the Indians? They will certainly give him the chance and at bats to prove it the rest of the year as they have nothing to lose by doing so.

24-year old switch hitting catcher Carlos Santana is off to a great start to his major league career. He has played in 13 games for the Indians so far and he is 13 of 41 (.317 avg, 1.114 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. Santana is showing great plate discipline so far as he has walked 9 times while only whiffing 5 times. The Indians placed him #3 in the batting order from day #1 and he certainly has not disappointed yet. The Indians traded Casey Blake for Santana a couple of years ago and it could turn out to be the best trade GM Mark Shapiro ever has made.