GOODYEAR, Ariz.– The party is back on, at least for right now.
Mike Napoli is set to sign a minor league contract and will have a spring invite with the Indians after he passes a physical. The news was first reported by Jordan Bastian, and later confirmed by the Indians.
Napoli was with the Tribe during the 2016 season, and quickly became a clubhouse leader. The phrase “Party at Napoli’s” became a sort of rallying cry for the team throughout the summer and during their playoff run.
Through 150 games with the Indians, Napoli was a .239 hitter, with 34 home runs, 101 RBI and 57 total extra-base hits. In the 2016 offseason, he signed a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He struggled in 2017, playing in just 124 games while batting .193 with 29 homers and 66 RBI.
The situation with the Indians is a unique one to say the least. Prior to Tuesday, Napoli was working out with other unsigned free agents in Florida. The Indians know their arrangement with him will likely not be for the long haul.
“It’s a situation where a player that is universally respected in our organization, and in our opinion, shouldn’t be in that camp in Bradenton, Fla.,” manager Terry Francona said. “He wanted a chance to be in a major-league camp. There’s a decent chance that we’re going to get him ready to go to another team and help beat us.
“Saying that, we all felt he deserved it. He’s such a pro, so special to us. Certainly, if there’s an injury (he could help). I’m just laying it out as honest as I can. It’s a very unique situation, but he’s a very unique person.”
Francona also said he spoke with both Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso, telling them Napoli was not coming to camp to try and compete for their jobs. The team was also honest with Napoli, so as to not damage their relationship.
“If we end up helping him out, then we’ve done a good thing,” he said. “If anybody deserves it, it’s Nap. He did as much as anybody to help us get to the point we could play in a World Series. My biggest concern is that he comes in and hits .500 and we don’t have a spot for him. He’s a kid that we’re so crazy about. So we told him up front because I didn’t want to damage a relationship that is that important. We walked it through with him.
“He’s really excited. It’s been a hard winter for him. We’ll give him his playing time and see where it goes.”
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