Cleveland Sports Forum

BA has finally got the Midwest League top 20 posted after long delay. Freeman graduated at midseason after some really solid hitting. Naylor was pushed to this level somewhat unusual for a catcher, offense slowly but steadily improved, when drafted his defense was uncertain to keep him behind the plate; how far has he developed? It's one of those really big leagues so twice as hard to make the top 20 here as in the Carolina League where Freeman places for his second half performance.


And just like Nolan Jones, Freeman rates at both his levels:

7. Tyler Freeman, SS, Lake County (Cleveland Indians)
Age: 20 B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 170 Drafted: High School -- Rancho Cucamonga, CA., 2017 (CBB round)

Entering the Indians' farm system as one of the top high school hitters in the state of California, Tyler Freeman used 2019 to launch himself up the prospect ladder with a run through the Midwest League that refused to be ignored.

With a degree of power at the plate scouts view as "surprising” for his 5-10 frame, Freeman’s exceptional management of the strike zone, his bat speed and thorough understanding of his body have canceled out and early concerns about his size, leaning to a healthy use of the whole field with gap-to-gap contact.

"He’s gonna be a special player. I just love him. I love his instincts and makeup,” a scout said. "The way he goes about his business, his approach, has fun out there. He might even be a better hitter than (Cole) Tucker. Barrels the ball and manipulates the bat head.”

There is still talk of a possible move to second base for Freeman, but his athleticism may force the hand of the Indians in leaving him be for the time being.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
236 51 69 16 3 3 24 18 28 11 4 .292 .382 .424

Naylor doesn't make the list; if they get around to a chat sometime I'll try to see what the scouts thought of his performance.

Will Benson's very impressive first half here, at his second try at this level was very impressive, but still only got in at No. 20. His second half in Carolina League was another of his sub 200 dud performances.

20. Will Benson, RF, Lake County (Cleveland Indians)
Age: 21 B-T: L-L Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 225 Drafted: High School -- Atlanta, GA., 2018 (1st round)

Arguably the purest raw power to see the Midwest League this season, Will Benson has been faced with the challenge of channeling that muscle accordingly to balance out a strikeout percentage that has continued to plague him.

Back for his second look at the Midwest League, Benson made some adjustments at the plate and while there were improvements throughout his plate presence, the swing-and-miss hasn’t wanted to let go quite yet.

"I thought he made some adjustments,” a scout said. "Last year I wasn’t sold and I’m still not completely sold. He swings and misses in the zone a lot, which is scary. Good athlete and his defense was pretty good. He’s a right fielder, but can play centerfield, if you need him too. He just has to clean up at the plate.”

The Indians banked on Benson’s power, taking his in the first round in the 2016 MLB draft. Now 20 years old, Benson’s power is still a factor, but the whiff rate is continuing to cast a shadow.


AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
217 44 59 12 3 18 55 37 78 18 2 .272 .371 .604

The final league top 20 chat starts with me again

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Hi Emily, How did the managers like Bo Naylor? Indians were a little aggressive moving him to full season ball. I'm probably most interested in what the word is on his defensive skills; his hitting improved over the course of the summer

Emily Waldon: The Lake County managers were very pleased with his progress overall. Jason Esposito, a first-year hitting coach said they expected more of a breakout from Naylor in the second half at the plate and that's exactly what happened. Offensively, there is so much raw power, but for a kid that young, there is still a lot to learn about getting the most out of that frame. [no details on defense but I guess that is included in "progress overall"]

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Indians are full of middle infield prospects. Jose Fermin may not be among the best but his stats look pretty solid. What's his upside?

Emily Waldon: Fermin was a really pleasant surprise. Although his "star power" hasn't been as quickly noticed as some of the others, Tyler Freeman, Will Benson, and Bo Naylor all credited Fermin for helping influence them through his plate discipline. He's not built to hit for power, but if he's able to keep his contact rate up, I believe he could sell himself as a bottom of the order starter. He could climb the order a bit if his contact continues to sharpen.

BA's daily prospect report is now including Caribbean winter league stats, too.
Don't expect to see Brad Zimmer reports here. After a productive 2019 going 0-13 in the majors and getting about 50 minor league at bats he "declined" a suggestion to play over the winter. He wants a normal winter, which enhances his chances of a] starting 2020 in the minor leagues to get some at bats and b] finding himself in another organization.
Shades here perhaps of the Danny Salazar approach to rehab?

Anyway, here are today's lines:

CLE DL Johnson, Daniel RF 5 0 0 0 0.143
CLE DL Rodriguez, Nellie 1B 3 0 1 1 0.333 BB (1

CLE DL Peoples, Scott 3.2 7 2 2 1 0 4.91
CLE DL Siri, Dalbert 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
CLE DL Talbot, Mitch 3.2 5 3 3 2 4 7. 36

Indians' Draft Report Card from BA. They stopped assigning letter grades a few years ago. We all know that 2016 with Bieber, Plesac and Civale already big leaguers and Nolan Jones our No.. 1 prospect is super Grade A. And 2018 produced lots of talent that is moving upward led by Hankins and Naylor,
The early returns for 2019 top picks were not nearly so exciting other than Daniel Espino, but BA offers some positives:

Best Pure Hitter: You don’t earn the nickname Joey Barrels without having premium hitting ability. 1B Joseph Naranjo (3) stood out for just that during his prep career thanks to his simple approach, direct swing, control of the strike zone and ability to use the whole field to hit.

Best Power Hitter: The Indians didn’t draft any big sluggers this year, instead focusing on hittability and defense among position players. But OF Will Brennan (8) and C Will Bartlett (9) both have playable, above-average power. OF Micah Pries (13) could also match that and hit 18 home runs this spring.

Fastest Runner: SS Christian Cairo (4) has above-average speed and his instincts help that play up on the bases and in the infield.

Best Defensive Player: SS Yordys Valdes (2) was arguably the most advanced defender in the draft class. The Cuban native has excellent instincts and feel for the game to go with a plus arm and range. SS Joab Gonzalez (24) is also a high-end defender with a plus arm and good range.

Best Fastball: RHP Daniel Espino (1) was one of the best prep arms in the draft class and has a big fastball that reaches 99 mph. RHP Hunter Gaddis (5) saw his velocity tick up after the draft, and he touched 97 mph this summer.

Best Athlete: Espino has excellent athleticism, especially in terms of his flexibility, coordination and body control. His combination of explosiveness and flexibility is rare. Gaddis and Valdes are both also high-end athletes.

Best Secondary Pitch: RHP Nick Mikolajchak (11) stands out for his fastball-slider combination, and that slider has helped him pile up strikeouts throughout his career. Espino also has the chance to have a plus slider.

Best Pro Debut: The Indians often draft premium high school players but just as often are very cautious with them at the outset of their careers. Still, Espino pitched well enough in the Rookie-level Arizona League to force their hand, and he became the first prep player to advance to short-season Mahoning Valley during his pro debut since 2011.

Most Intriguing Background: RHP Jacob Forrester (37) is the son of Mike Forrester, one of the world’s best competitive timber sportsmen who was once profiled on the Colbert Report. RHP Kevin Kelly (19) is one of the smartest players in baseball and taught himself to code, including how to write SQL.

Closest To The Majors: Mikolajchak’s pro debut puts him on an accelerated path to Cleveland and, as a reliever, he could be in the big leagues soon. For a prep player in the Indians’ system, Espino is now also on an accelerated track.

Best Late-Round Pick: Mikolajchak stands out among the Indians’ Day 3 picks. RHPs Eric Mock (25) and Matt Waldron (18) also impressed this summer during their pro debuts and offer promise.

The One Who Got Away: The Indians signed their first 25 picks before SS Armani Sanchez (26) got away. He and C Jonathan French (30) were the two most high-profile prep players the Indians took who went unsigned. Sanchez will go back in the draft this spring after a year at San Jacinto (Texas) JC, while French upheld his commitment to Clemson.

Gaddis did put up some lofty numbers, half in Arizona, half in Niles, Ohio.

33 innings
24 hits
10 earned runs
7 walks
53 strikeouts

Maybe this will be year for pitchers, not position players. Neither Cairo nor Valdes reached an OPS of 600

Here is a prospect list from a person that posts on Indians Baseball Insider that is very detailed:

Tier 1
1. Rocchio
2. Valera
3. T. Freeman
4. N. Jones

Tier 2
5. T.McKenzie
6. Espino
7. Hankins
8. L. Allen

Tier 3
9. Bracho
10. A. Martinez
11. D.Johnson
12. Naylor
13. B.Bradley

Tier 4
14. L. Torres
15. C. Vargas
16. C. Morris
17. Karinchak

Tier 5
18. S. Moss
19. E. Morgan
20. E. Clement
21. S. Kwan
22. K. Tom
23. O. Gonzalez
24. A. Scott
25. JC Mejia
26. Palacios
27. Fermin
28. Gaddis
29. Oviedo
30. Sandlin
31. K. Nelson

Tier 6
32. Chang
33. Hentges
34. G. Rodriguez
35. Sanquintin
36. Benson
37. Delgado

Tier 7
38. T. Brooks
39. K. McCarty
40. Lavastida
41. Broom
42. Mikolajchak
43. Marman
44. Hillman

Tier 8
45. R. Burgos
46. M. Turner
47. J. Tena
48. A. Planez
49. J. Noel
50. B. Munoz
51. M. Gonzalez
52. Naranjo
53. Cairo
54. V. Nova
55. W. Bartlett
56. Y. Valdes

Tier 9 (loosely ranked)
57 Longo
58. J. Lopez
59. A.Monasterio
60. Y. Diaz
61. J. Robinson
62. W. Brennan
63. M. Rivera
64. J. Mota
65. D. Siri
66. K. Holland
67. W. Vasquez
68. Mathias
69. G. Collins
70. S. Arias
71. X. Curry
72. Eichhorn
73. Gallagher
74. T. Benton
75. Amditis
76. McCarthy
77. K. Kelly
78. Waldron
79. J. Gonzalez
80. J. Brown
81. L. Pena
82. Escobedo
83. F. Tati
84. Pinto
85. Royalty
86. A. Wade
87. Lingos
88. Miednik
89. Reeves
90. Tully

That's a pretty comprehensive list! And since I find guys ranked No 32 33 34 and 45 who have had top 10-20 rankings on previous lists [and still have promise] it is a rather positive evaluation of the depth our system.

It is nice to see that instead of having a hard time finding 10 guys to make the top 10, this year I think any of top 13 have legit claims, maybe Vargas too.

the only real surprises to me are:
Jones below Freeman, Nolan has more power and walks even more. But the more I read about Freeman I see that he could be a really special bat.

A Martinez ahead of Tena far ahead of G Rod. Maybe. He got really high marks in the DR but I'd like to see him at least in Arizona one summer before he is in the top 10 and is ahead of Naylor for example.

Cody Morris at 16. I don't know a lot about his stuff. What makes him 12 places before than Hunter Gaddis?

He really doesn't like our 2019 draft, I see. Outside of Espino at 6 and Gaddis 28, he lumps the rest of our top 5 picks in the 50-60 range. Maybe so, although at least Naranjo showed he can hit.

yesterday:

CLE AFL Clement, Ernie SS 4 0 0 0 0.257
CLE AFL Collins, Gavin C 3 0 0 0 0.107
CLE AFL Alvarez, Manuel 1 0 0 0 0 0 12.46
CLE AFL McCarty, Kirk 4 3 2 2 0 6 3.79 L (1 - 1)
CLE AFL Teaney, Jonathan 1 2 1 0 0 1 3.72

pre-draft scouting report comparisons Cody Morris and Hunter Gaddis

Morris Round 7 2018 signed for $185,600
2018 Draft Scouting Report
Drafted in the 32nd round by the Orioles out of high school in 2015, Morris is now a draft-eligible sophomore at South Carolina. Morris is a big-bodied righthander listed at 6-foot-5, 222 pounds who possesses a starter's frame but fringy command. Morris can scrape the mid- to upper 90s with his fastball, generally working 92-95 mph, but due to his long arm action he has difficulty repeating his release point and has issues locating his power breaking ball. That slider grades below-average, but he does feature an above-average changeup. When he's on, Morris has ace-like stuff and he's shown improvement over the course of the season--actually pitching better for the Gamecocks during SEC play (4-2, 3.71, 51 IP, 15 BB, 57 K). That performance could be enough for Morris to enter pro ball after South Carolina's postseason run, as he's projected to land in the seventh or eighth round. But he does have leverage if he decides to return to South Carolina for his junior season.

Gaddis Round 5 2019
Drafted in the 5th round (160th overall) by the Cleveland Indians in 2019 (signed for $415,000)
Gaddis has stood out the last two years at Georgia State and made the most of his brief time over the summer in the Cape Cod League, showing off an impressive arsenal. Gaddis is listed at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds and combines that imposing size with a powerful arm. He runs his fastball up to 95 mph and sits in the low 90s. His hard slider is his best secondary offering and his changeup shows promise. He has solid control and comes right after hitters.

Morris had a good start in Lake County not so hot [5.52 ERA] in Lynchburg, but plenty of strikeouts both levels. His 2019 total: 89 IP 95 H 43 ER 27bb 111k
Gaddis numbers were actually somewhat better in Mahoning Valley than in Arizona. Also plenty of K, few walks 2019 totals: 33 IP 24 H 10 ER 7 bb 53K

Gaddis is early candidate for my 2020 breakout pitcher, although I need to inspect the rest of the Arizona, Mahoning Valley and Lake County guys.

Hadn't seen a report for a couple days; highlights from Tuesday games wherever


CLE DL Johnson, Daniel RF 4 1 1 2 0.267 3B(1) Daniel might be more interested in being ready for Spring Training than Brad Z
CLE DL Ogando, Alexi 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.00
CLE DL Siri, Dalbert 1 1 0 0 0 0 9.00

Indians Prospective @indiansPro
#Indians top prospect 3B Nolan Jones had surgery on his right hand today in New York. Jones had initially injured the hand while playing w/ (AA) Akron. He aggravated the injury during AFL league play and was shutdown. No timetable yet on when he will begin rehab.

James Rapien @JamesRapien
James Rapien Retweeted Indians Prospective
Update: The Indians are hopeful Jones will be able to resume unrestricted baseball activities by the start of spring training

And by the way, since I'm on the subject of surgeries, here is another update. Lenny Torres is throwing from flat ground.

he's a good prospect from that deep draft class of 2018. Hope to have him in action.

Valera had a hand injury, as of course did Jose Ramirez. I'm forgetting another one, too. They don't usually have long term effect; I think of Jones as taking on 3B in 2021 meaning we only need a 1 year FA signing to fill the gap at 2nd or 3rd in 2020.