Because they have Jose Ramirez, the Indians don't need to push Francisco Lindor to the Majors at the age of 21.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The last time the Indians had a prospect like Francisco Lindor was ... when?
When you factor in age, it's hard to know.
"Remember, he's only 21," said Terry Francona.
The Tribe manager spent part of Thursday morning explaining why Lindor was being sent to the minors. This is no surprise. During the winter, the Tribe said Lindor would not make the team out of spring training. They said it again at the start of camp, and they gave Lindor the same message when he reported to Goodyear.
Lindor responded with what Francona called "a great camp."
He won the endurance tests at the opening of camp. He batted .297 (.903 OPS) with two homers, three doubles and a triple in 37 at-bats. He struck out only five times, made one error in 16 games at shortstop.
Maturity? Francona raved about the "way he conducts himself." But it went back to being only 21. He won't be 22 until Nov. 14. And the experience factor -- having played only 38 games at Class AAA, where he batted .273 (.695 OPS) with five homers and 14 RBI for Columbus.
"The fact that we are talking about Francisco (being major-league ready) is a testimony to how well he prepared himself in the off-season and then how he handled himself in camp," said General Manager Chris Antonetti. "He keeps making great strides."
Then Antonetti paused.
"He's only 21," he said. "Think about that. College juniors are 21."
THEN THERE'S JOSE
If the Tribe didn't have Jose Ramirez, there would be a temptation to rush Lindor. But the 22-year-old Ramirez took over at short after the All-Star Game and stabilized the defense. For the season, he batted .262 (.646 OPS) with two homers and 17 RBI in 237 at-bats.
Ramirez was a 21-year-old shortstop a year ago. He won't turn 23 until Sept. 17.
Ramirez tied for the American League lead with 13 sacrifice bunts. He was 10-of-11 in stolen bases. He made only four errors in 58 games and his range was well above average. This spring, Ramirez is batting .286 (.653 OPS) with one homer and five RBI. If the Indians didn't have Lindor, Ramirez would be receiving raves as a prospect.
Ramirez was a career .306 hitter in the minors. Like Lindor, he bats from both sides of the plate.
No Ramirez, and Lindor probably opens the season in Cleveland.
For the Indians to keep Lindor, they'd probably send Ramirez to the minors -- because they'd want him to play regularly.
"Given how well Jose played for us last year, that would be a very hard decision," said Antonetti. "Jose did a really good job. We feel very good about him as our shortstop."
REASON FOR WAITING
The Indians have some internal stats about how prospects tend to play better when they receive their first big-league promotion during the season.
Why? Because a promotion usually comes after a strong performance in the minors. They arrive with confidence. In 2007, the Indians called up Asdrubal Cabrera, Francisco Gutierrez and Raffy Perez in the middle of the season and all played key roles on the Central Division champions.
The Indians have Jason Kipnis at second, and he was an All-Star in 2013. They have Ramirez at short. Veteran Mike Aviles is the utility man. There is no compelling need for Lindor right now.
Since the end of last season, the plan has been for Lindor to open at Columbus -- play well -- and force the Indians to put him at shortstop at some point in the summer.
Because when Lindor is summoned, it's to be the starter.
THINKING BACK
I was trying to remember when the Indians last had a prospect such as Lindor, a prospect valued so highly at the age of 21 -- and that prospect opened the season in Cleveland.
The closest was Brandon Phillips. He was promoted to the Tribe at the end of the 2002 season, receiving 31 at-bats. Then, at 22, Phillips opened the 2003 season at second base. He had a dismal time, batting .208 (.533 OPS). He was sent back to the minors after 393 plate appearances.
He wasn't ready. Then Phillips fell out of favor with former manager Eric Wedge. In 2004-05, he had a grand total of 31 at-bats with the Tribe. He ran out of minor league options, was traded to the Reds for minor-league pitcher Jeff Stevens.
It was a real mess, as Phillips has made three All-Star teams and won four Gold Gloves.
Grady Sizemore was 22 when he came to the Tribe. Only C.C. Sabathia was younger -- 20 in 2000 when he jumped straight from Class AA Akron to the big leagues.
"When you open the season with a rookie and he struggles, those problems are really magnified," said Antonetti. If it happens in the minors, it's much easier to work through the problems and then come up."
LOOKING AHEAD
Something always happens.
Maybe Ramirez has a sophomore slump. Maybe Kipnis doesn't stay healthy; he's battled some minor injuries this spring. Maybe an enormous trade possibility emerges involving one of the Tribe's middle infielders.
"Francisco has had a terrific spring," said Francona. He has a really, really bright future."
Lindor's minor-league batting average is .278 (.736 OPS). The numbers are not extremely impressive, but you must factor in the age. Most seasons, he was the youngest player in his league.
He's listed at 5-11, 190 pounds. It's not hard to imagine him adding more strength.
Lindor is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com.
"The bar is set pretty high (for Lindor), and it should be," said Francona.
And the Indians want to make sure that Lindor doesn't trip on all the expectations when he finally arrives in Cleveland.