Camp Sights: Indians' Bourn seeks rebirth as basestealer

NOTE: Paste BN Sports' Paul White, via car, causeway, plane and rail, will reach every major league camp this spring.

Follow his exploits on Twitter --@PBJWhite - as he makes his way through the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues before imparting all you didn't know.

TODAY: Cleveland Indians

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Logic indicates there's more to the Cleveland Indians offense than we saw last year.

Michael Bourn includes himself in the equation.

A combination of injuries and unexpectedly sub-par performances left them with just three players – Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes and Lonnie Chisenhall – who had at least 500 plate appearances and batted over .250.

Bourn's season summary includes quite the collection of significant data. Consider, roughly in increasing order of importance:

--The .257 batting average was his worst in six years, the 106 games he played the fewest since he became a regular in 2008.

--His 10 stolen bases were a career low, as was his 67.5% success rate on the bases;

--Hamstring problems were at the root of the limited action and production;

--He's 32 now and there's still $27.5 million left on the four-year contract he signed before the 2013 season because he's fast and steals bases. Actually, there's an additional year and another $12 million pending if he gets 550 plate appearances in 2016.

Reasons to worry?

"I'll probably start losing a step by the time I'm 35 or 36," Bourn says confidently. "But even if I lose a step, I still feel like I'll be faster than most people."

That's the kind of don't-sweat-it stuff the Indians would love to seem come true.

"I think he understands that the more he's on base and the more havoc he can cause really helps us," says manager Terry Francona. "Whether it's by stealing bases or pitchers having to defend the stolen base. He understands that. He's never been a big guy to steal in spring training. I think he's pretty confident in his legs. I don't know what that's going to translate into. We'll see. But I do think he feels pretty good about himself."

Understatement.

"It's all behind me," Bourn says of the hamstring issues. "I wasn't thinking about it at the end of last year, to tell you the truth. I'm just trying to stay on top of my body. As long as I stay on top of my body, I think I'll be fine."

No matter his views on the aging process, Bourn has a disturbing recent trend to reverse if he's to be the player the Indians paid for with the overall four-year, $48 million contract.

Over the past three seasons, Bourn is 66-for-90 (73.3%) in steal attempts before September 1. After that, he's 9-for-16 (56.3%) – fewer attempts per game and much less success. In 2012, the year before signing with Cleveland, Bourn was 30 of 35 before September, 5-for-9 the rest of the season.

And no matter how solid his confidence, Bourn spent much of the off-season back home in Houston working with former Olympian and 100-meters world record holder Leroy Burrell.

"We did a lot of work on form, trying to take a little stress off the hamstrings," Bourn says. "I have to get used to warming up a little bit more. Other than that, my body feels fine, not like I can't run anymore or anything like that."

Increased diligence is his one concession to age.

"Throughout the season, you have to maintain your body," he says. "You have to keep your legs going, get massages. It's like a sprinter except you're sliding all the time. It's just maintenance as you get older."

Being that spark at the top of the order – or at least maintaining his status as a threat – is a lot more than just being able to run. After all, Bourn led the AL with 10 triples last season.

"I know people who are fast who I know couldn't steal a base," he says. "Either you're blessed with it or you're not. It's your job to keep it but either God gave it to you or he didn't. It's as simple as that, no in-between."

Don't look to spring training for answers to how effective Bourn will be on the bases.

"Those days, I can you tell you, are over," he says. "I proved that point when I was younger."

Now, he's more likely to simulate the process.

"When I'm on first, I just act like I'm getting a jump," he says. "Over the course of a season, you're going to beat your body up. So, I look at jumps, look at pitchers' moves. I take care of my business so I'm ready once the season starts."

How ready can he remain?

"The thing I most want to do is keep my explosiveness as long as I can," Bourn says. "Quickness, to me, is the No. 1 key. If you look at Rickey Henderson, he was fast but he was more quick than fast."

And he stole 25 bases when he was 42, led the AL with 66 when he was 39.

"He kept his body in shape for a long time," Bourn says of Henderson. "That's what gets you, the drive, the first three steps. He'd tell you the first three steps of the steal IS the steal."

Henderson spent much of this spring imparting just that message in Oakland's camp.

"You see him, tell him to come over to Cleveland and work with me," Bourn says. "I'll listen to him. I'll take what's in his mind."

**

Bullpen brutality?

The Indians bullpen is an underrated asset … or trouble waiting to break out.

Let's talk about this. It's what Francona and his relievers do.

"It's communication on all ends," says Cody Allen, whose 76 appearances last season led major league closers.

"He's going to be brutally honest with us," Allen says of Francona. "You have to brutally honest with him."

That, Allen insists, is what will keep an effective and well-worked bullpen from turning, well, brutal.

The Indians had 574 relief appearances last season, 27 more than any other team in the majors. The only pitcher in the AL with more appearances than Allen was Cleveland set-up man Bryan Shaw, who had 80. Primary lefty Mark Rzepczynski tied for fifth in the league with 73 appearances and Scott Athchison wasn't far behind with 70.

Those are career highs for all but Allen, who was just one off his 77 games in 2013. Oh, and Atchison is 39 years old. But the Indians will start the season with no other reliever over 30.

"The appearances might pile up but it's the number of pitches, the innings you're pitching," Allen says. "If you look at the success of our bullpen the last couple of years, Tito has a hand in that. He's very conscientious of how much we're throwing."

Indians relievers inherited 343 runners last season, 59 more than any other team. That speaks to the frequency of Francona's mid-inning maneuvering. And before you accuse him of over-managing, note that only 19.5% of those runners scored – the best percentage in the majors.

"The biggest thing he does, probably his best attribute, is communication," Allen says. "He monitors everything from all different angles. You're never going to throw more than three days in a row and even if you're throwing three days in a row – he doesn't even want you to get to that point but we all know during a season it can happen but -- he's going to take care of his guys."

The pitchers, though, must get past the perceived badge of honor of being ready every day, never admitting he needs to rest.

"If a young guys says, 'I don't know if I want to say anything,'" Allen says, "a veteran guy will talk you through it, 'Hey this is how you go about it. If you don't want to say anything, we'll say something.' "

Even with the support, responsibility is crucial.

"You have to be brutally honest," Allen says of admitting when he needs a day off. "But (Francona) is real good at feeling the pulse of the club. You don't have to say much. He'll see you out there throwing and he'll say, 'Listen, we're going to give you a day. You need a day.' But if you go out there and your arm is barking, that's on you."

**

Pitching patience

Michael Brantley has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate but the Indians left fielder insists, "Pitching is going to be the strength of this team. They're young. They're going to be phenomenal."

That's the impression the Indians rotation gave in the latter stages of last season, starting with Corey Kluber's Cy Young Award.

Carlos Carrasco had a 1.30 earned run average in 10 starts after returning to the rotation last August. Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar are still emerging from prospect status. It surely should be trending upward.

"It's hard to say that in spring training because, regardless of who you are, when the season starts, it's different," Francona says. "Even when you're good, you have to get feeling good about yourself, get on a roll and stay on a roll."

Francona is preaching patience. That was part of the message when Salazar was sent to the minors this week.

"The stuff is there, it's just not consistent," Francona said when Zach McAllister and T.J. House ended up in the rotation instead of Salazar and injured Gavin Floyd. It's not unlike Bauer being demoted for the first six weeks. a year ago.

"I think we feel good about our pitching," Francona says. "It's hard to say too much because guys haven't done it, some of them for a full year, some of them year after year, so you don't want to sit here and say things they haven't done. But it doesn't mean we can't feel good about them."

GALLERY: Projected opening-day starters