CLEVELAND — Be it giving Michael Brantley a day off from tracking fly balls or filling in for injured players Bradley Zimmer, Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall, Greg Allen played all over the outfield for the Cleveland Indians during the 2018 season.
With Brantley and Chisenhall no longer in the organization and Naquin and Zimmer still working their ways back from their respective injuries, Allen figures to be a key component in the Indians’ outfield when the team breaks spring training and starts the 2019 regular season later this week.
“Any chance I have to add value or contribute, I’d be more than happy to do so,” Allen said.
“I’ve been fortunate the past few years to have a chance to be around guys like Rajai, Brantley and a long list of others. Though there may be some turnover and faces come and go, hopefully, the experiences that we’ve had have had a lasting impact on myself and I’m sure a large number of other guys as well.”
Currently, the Indians have Jordan Luplow, Jake Bauers, Leonys Martin and Allen in the mix to start in the outfield. Allen is looking forward to repaying that organizational trust in the young, inexperienced outfielders with production.
“There’s something to be said for that trust, whether it’s myself or any other young guy,” Allen said. “Regardless of the turnover, I think the environment that’s been fostered, created the past few years is something that supersedes any one individual player, so whoever that is, whoever steps into it, that’s the standard and the expectation that’s been set for us.
“For me, there’s definitely a learning curve and some growth in terms of learning how to navigate that. I think I was optioned four or five times with stints anywhere from a few days to more than a month. I think it was just learning about how to be in the moment. Whether I was in Columbus at the time or up in Cleveland somewhere, it was learning how to be where my feet are and maximize that moment and try to help the team win wherever I may be.”
In 91 games during the 2018 season, Allen registered 68 hits in 265 at-bats (.257 batting average) with 11 doubles, three triples and two home runs to go along with 36 runs scored, 20 runs batted in and 14 walks drawn.
Additionally, Allen stole 21 bases in 25 attempts, good for an 84 percent success rate.
Defensively, Allen had 184 putouts, two assists, combined on one double play and committed just one error over 659.2 innings of work, good enough for a .995 fielding percentage.
“More than anything, I’m just trying to find a way to be consistent,” Allen said. “From top to bottom, one through nine, I think as a whole and a group, that’s our focus, to be consistent, have consistent at-bats, be consistent offensively and defensively and just the way we go in and approach the game.
“Again, we’ve been fortunate the last three years. We’ve won our division and had a chance to win the World Series. That’s our ultimate goal, and that’s what we’re pushing towards.”
