How they were built: Indians

MLBPipeline.com is breaking down how each of the postseason teams was built, looking at the composition of projected Division Series rosters.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Indians have had a relatively competitive team, one that hung around the Wild Card race in the American League in both 2014 and 2015, only to eventually fall short. Heading into the 2016 campaign, many felt the roster was constructed to return to the postseason for the first time since 2013, when Cleveland won 92 games to earn a Wild Card spot.

Overview The architects NATIONAL LEAGUE Chicago Cubs Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays

First, outfielder Michael Brantley wasn’t ready to go on Opening Day and would appear in just 11 games all season. Catcher Yan Gomes was lost for the year in mid-July. Starter Carlos Carrasco was in the midst of a fantastic season when he broke his right hand in September, shelving him for the remainder of the year. Fellow starter Danny Salazar was an All-Star, but a forearm injury landed him on the DL as well in early September. If someone had said the Indians would deal with all of this misfortune to key players and still win the AL Central crown, few would have believed it.

But here they are, winning their division for the first time since 2007. They’ve done it by putting together a roster in a number of different ways, finding just enough depth and making just the right moves to keep things headed in the right direction.

“If you look at our roster and look at the different avenues at how players came into the organization, it’s pretty balanced,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “Domestic amateur talent, international amateur talent, trades. All of our scouting groups — pro, amateur and international — as well as our player development staff have impacted our team and have been a part of our success.”

Here’s a look at how each player on the Indians’ projected Division Series roster was initially acquired during his current stint with the club:

HOMEGROWNPlayer, how acquired, yearJosh Tomlin, Draft, 2006 (19th round) Danny Salazar, Int’l sign (2006)Lonnie Chisenhall, Draft, 2008 (1st round)Roberto Perez, Draft, 2008 (33rd round)Jason Kipnis, Draft, 2009 (2nd round)Jose Ramirez, Int’l sign, 2009Francisco Lindor, Draft, 2011 (1st round)Cody Allen, Draft, 2011 (23rd round)Tyler Naquin, Draft, 2012 (1st round)Kyle Crockett, Draft, 2013 (4th round)

Francisco Lindor is just 22 years old, yet it would be hard for anyone to question that he lies at the heart of this playoff-bound team. The runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, Lindor suffered nothing close to a sophomore slump, excelling on both sides of the ball, making his first All-Star team and bringing his infectious energy and …

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