Back to the Cleveland Guardians Newsfeed

Cleveland Indians go with offense over defense in picking Yandy Diaz for third base

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Defense did not win over offense on Thursday when the Indians picked Yandy Diaz over Giovanny Urshela to play third base for them come the season opener on Monday night in Texas.

It's a surprise because the Indians are built on pitching and defense is a big part of a pitching staff's success or failure. No one talks more about the importance of defense than manager Terry Francona.

But perhaps last year convinced Francona and the front office that the Indians were more than a collection of good arms. They finished second in the AL in runs, second in doubles, first in sacrifice flies and stolen bases and fourth in on base percentage.