Cleveland Sports Forum

Something I do not understand. Why was Tyler Holt DFA'd? My understanding is the Reds picked him up. He has hit close to .300 at Columbus for 2 seasons, plays all the outfield positions, has speed and is a good defender. I know he has not done much with the big team but we are now playing Aviles and Martinez in LF, surely he can match them. In any event a guy with his stats should have been able to be traded for a Minor League piece that we could have perhaps used. Just sayin'

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/m ... eague-box/

Midwest League In A Box
October 2, 2015 by Matt Eddy


1
Inspired by the “in-a-box” feature presented by Bill James in “The New Historical Baseball Abstract,” here is a review of some of the standout performances from the low Class A Midwest League in 2015.

See also: our Best Tools coverage for the MWL, which attempts to be more prognostic in nature.

League Champion
West Michigan (Tigers) defeated Cedar Rapids (Twins) three games to two in the finals.

Best Record
Quad Cities (Astros) went 88-50 (.638) but lost to Cedar Rapids in the first round of the playoffs.

Highest Average Attendance
Dayton (Reds) averaged 8,212 fans per game.

BATTING STANDOUTS

Bobby Bradley (Photo by Mike Janes).
Bobby Bradley (Photo by Mike Janes).


Best Offense
Lake County ranks No. 1 in the MWL with a park-adjusted OPS+ of 111. Team leaders: 1B Bobby Bradley (181 OPS+), 2B Claudio Bautista (148) and CF Greg Allen (129).

Home-Field Advantage
Kane County featured the highest park factor in the MWL at 117. Cougars home games featured nearly nine runs per game and road games about 7.6.

League MVP
Lansing 1B Ryan McBroom hit .315/.387/.482 (143 OPS+) with 12 home runs in 127 games. He led the MWL in on-base percentage and with 39 doubles and ranked second in batting, RBIs (90), slugging and extra-base hits (52).

Percentage Of .300 Hitters (Among Those Who Batted 300 Times)
9 percent (10 out of 114)

Batting Champion
Kane County SS/2B Ildemaro Vargas hit .321, edging league MVP Ryan McBroom by six points. The Diamondbacks signed the 24-year-old Vargas this May after he had been released by the Cardinals (he also spent 30 games in the Atlantic League). He has eight years of pro experience and previously reached the high Class A Florida State League in 2014.

Most Home Runs
Lake County 1B Bobby Bradley led the MWL with 27 home runs. No other player hit more than 16.

Most Aggressive Baserunner
Peoria SS Oscar Mercado stole a league-leading 50 bases in 69 tries, hit three triples and scored 70 runs in 117 games.

Most Power
Not only did Lake County 1B Bobby Bradley lead the MWL with 27 homers, but he also paced the circuit with 92 RBIs and a .529 slugging percentage.

Best Switch-Hitter
Lake County CF Greg Allen hit .273/.368/.382 (129 OPS+) with 27 doubles and 43 steals in 123 games.

Top Power-Speed Player
West Michigan RF Mike Gerber hit 13 home runs and stole 16 bases, but as a four-year starter at Creighton, he turned 23 in July and was older than the MWL average this season. For a younger alternative, South Bend RF Jeffrey Baez hit nine homers and stole 34 bases.

Most Well-Rounded Player
West Michigan RF Mike Gerber scored above the league average (among those who qualified for our Top 20 ranking) for power (90th percentile), walk rate (50th), strikeout rate (70th), average on balls in play (70th) and speed (60th).

Best Prospect Who Did Not Qualify For League Top 20
Burlington C Taylor Ward, the 26th overall pick in June, went 32-for-92 (.348) with 10 walks in 24 games.

PITCHING STANDOUTS

Francis Martes (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Francis Martes (Photo by Bill Mitchell)


Best Pitching Staff
Quad Cities ranks first in park-adjusted ERA+ at 140. Team leaders: RHP Francis Martes (379 ERA+), RHP Justin Ferrell (202) and RHP Josh James (150).

Home-Field Advantage
Lake County (87) played as the top pitcher’s park, though the MWL featured a narrow spread of run-scoring contexts.

League Pitcher Of The Year
The MWL does not name a pitcher of the year.

ERA Champion
Peoria RHP Matt Pearce led the MWL with a 2.43 ERA, though he only narrowly edged out Dayton RHP Tyler Mahle by a margin of 2.426 to 2.428.

Most Strikeouts
Peoria LHP Austin Gomber struck out 140 batters.

Strikeout Artist
Three pitchers struck out at least 30 percent of batters faced: Cedar Rapids LHP Stephen Gonsalves (36.8 percent), Bowling Green RHP Hunter Wood (33.3) and Lansing RHP Sean Reid-Foley (30.7).

Control Artist
South Bend RHP Ryan Williams walked just two of 195 batters faced (1 percent) and promptly moved up to Double-A Tennessee.

Best Command
Dayton RHP Tyler Mahle recorded a +110 differential between strikeouts (135) and walks (25), indicating that batters struggled to handle his pitches even when located in the strike zone.

Tough To Square Up
Neither West Michigan RHP Spencer Turnbull (117 innings) nor Wisconsin LHP Kodi Medeiros (93 innings) allowed a home run. In fact, the former is the first full-season starter in at least 10 seasons to both qualify for the minor league ERA title and not allow a home run.

Best Prospect Who Did Not Qualify For League Top 20
Quad Cities RHP Joe Musgrove went 4-1, 0.70 with a 23-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his five league appearances, but he fell about 20 innings short of qualifying.

Most Well-Rounded Pitcher
The well-rounded nature of Quad Cities RHP Francis Martes‘ game marked him as a fast-riser in the Astros system, and he finished the season at Double-A Corpus Christi. In the MWL, he ranked above the league average (among those who qualified for the Top 20) for home run rate (90th percentile), strikeout rate (80th), walk rate (50th), opponent average (90th) and ground/fly ratio (60th).

FIELDING STANDOUTS

Yu Cheng-Chang (Photo by Mike Janes)
Yu Cheng-Chang (Photo by Mike Janes)


Best Double-Play Combo
Once adjusting for the estimated impact of baserunners on double-play opportunities, the Lake County middle infield comes out ahead with the highest adjusted rate of double plays per game. SS Yu-Cheng Chang (71 double plays) and 2B Claudio Bautista (42) were the regular double-play combo, but they received help from SS Yonathan Mendoza (19) and 2Bs Steven Patterson (26) and Ordomar Valdez (26).

• West Michigan middle infielders recorded the best fielding average (.969), while Kane County middle infielders recorded the highest unadjusted rate for double plays per game (.708).

Playmakers
Leaders at their position in total chances—or “touches”—per game. Minimum 70 games at position required (45 games for catchers). This is essentially range factor—to those familiar with that metric—plus errors.

Pos Player Team Org TC/G
C Francisco Mejia Lake County Indians 9.28
1B Avain Rachal Dayton Reds 10.52
2B Darren Seferina Peoria Cardinals 4.42
3B Joe DeCarlo Clinton Mariners 3.07
SS Luis Gonzalez Dayton Reds 5.24
LF Charcer Burks South Bend Cubs 2.17
CF Thomas Milone Bowling Green Rays 2.91
RF Justin Williams Bowling Green Rays 2.40


Armed And Dangerous
Cedar Rapids C Brian Navarreto led the MWL by throwing out 56 percent (50-for-89) of basestealers. The Twins made him a sixth-round pick in 2013 from high school in Jacksonville.

• A pair of 2014 second-round picks out of high school tied for the MWL lead with 21 outfield assists. Great Lakes CF Alex Verdugo and Fort Wayne CF Michael Gettys both reached that total.

Freeze!
The pitchers who most tended to discourage baserunners from stealing bases, as measured by percentage of SB attempts per baserunner. Here we consider only starting pitchers who qualified for our Top 20 Prospects ranking (min. 50 baserunners, not counting home runs). An asterisk (*) indicates lefthanded pitcher.

Pitcher Team CS% ATT BR PCT
Brent Jones Kane County 67% 3 86 3.5
Brandon McNitt Quad Cities 0% 3 72 4.2
Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids 60% 5 99 5.1
Christian Powell Quad Cities 0% 3 58 5.2
Justin Ferrell Quad Cities 50% 4 75 5.3


License To Steal
Conversely, here are the pitchers who tended to encourage stolen-base attempts, as identified by the methodology above. An asterisk (*) indicates lefthanded pitcher.

Pitcher Team CS% ATT BR PCT
Taylor Cox* Fort Wayne 36% 25 94 26.6
Dinelson Lamet Fort Wayne 28% 32 126 25.4
Joey Wagman Beloit 15% 26 108 24.1
Brent Honeywell Bowling Green 40% 15 66 22.7
Austin Robichaux Burlington 30% 40 181 22.1


Both Burlington RHP Austin Robichaux and Beloit RHP Daniel Gossett saw a league-leading 40 stolen-base attempts made against them.

Baseball America Midwest Chat

Brett (Concord): No Francisco Mejia? Wow
J.J. Cooper: Not really a wow. Mejia is young but he’s got a long, long way to go to get to his potential. Defensively he’s working hard but he’s not where he’ll need to be. He needs to block balls better, he needs to catch balls better. Mejia right now takes some strikes out of the zone and turns them into balls with the way he catches them. All that defensive work seemed to affect him at the plate as well. He’s got excellent hand-eye but that was a curse at times as he made a lot of weak contact on pitcher’s pitches instead of waiting for a pitch he could drive. He’s made a lot of progress and is a quality prospect but he still has a long ways to go.

Elliot (Off the coast of Croatia): JJ. What are your thoughts on two more Lake County teenagers Francisco Mejia and Chang who made Rookie League top 20 lists last year?
J.J. Cooper: I talked about Mejia earlier but Chang was really slowed this year by being hit in the head by a pitch that gave him a concussion. He needs to get more fluid defensively but he’s very fundamentally solid.

MIDWEST LEAGUE TOP 20 PROSPECTS
1. Gleyber Torres, ss, South Bend (Cubs) 11. Justus Sheffield, lhp, Lake County (Indians)
2. Anthony Alford, cf, Lansing (Blue Jays) 12. Jacob Nottingham, c, Quad Cities (Astros)
3. Ruddy Giron, ss, Fort Wayne (Padres) 13. Harrison Bader, of, Peoria (Cardinals)
4. Nick Gordon, ss, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 14. Casey Gillaspie, 1b, Bowling Green (Rays)
5. Francis Martes, rhp, Quad Cities (Astros) 15. Jesus Tinoco, rhp, Lansing (Blue Jays)
6. Ian Happ, of, South Bend (Cubs) 16. Kodi Medeiros, lhp, Wisconsin (Brewers)
7. Brent Honeywell, rhp, Bowling Green (Rays) 17. Spencer Turnbull, rhp, West Michigan (Tigers)
8. Grant Holmes, rhp, Great Lakes (Dodgers) 18. Stephen Gonsalves, lhp, Cedar Rapids (Twins)
9. Bobby Bradley, 1b, Lake County (Indians) 19. Yairo Munoz, ss, Beloit (Athletics)
10. Sean Reid-Foley, rhp, Lansing (Blue Jays) 20. Paul DeJong, 3b, Peoria (Cardinals)
West Michigan may have won the low Class A Midwest League title, but in all likelihood, Q

CAROLINA LEAGUE TOP 20 PROSPECTS
1. Lucas Giolito, rhp, Potomac (Nationals) 11. Trey Michalczewski, 3b, Winston-Salem (White Sox)
2. Bradley Zimmer, of, Lynchburg (Indians) 12. Adam Plutko, rhp, Lynchburg (Indians)
3. Manuel Margot, of, Salem (Red Sox) 13. Jeimer Candelario, 3b, Myrtle Beach (Cubs)
4. Reynaldo Lopez, rhp, Potomac (Nationals) 14. Adam Engel, of, Winston-Salem (White Sox)
5. Clint Frazier, of, Lynchburg (Indians) 15. Mark Zagunis, of, Myrtle Beach (Cubs)
6. Cody Reed, lhp, Wilmington (Royals) 16. Trey Mancini, 1b, Frederick (Orioles)
7. Duane Underwood, rhp, Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 17. Nellie Rodriguez, 1b, Lynchburg (Indians)
8. Nick Pivetta, rhp, Potomac (Nationals) 18. Dustin Peterson, of, Carolina (Braves)
9. Sam Travis, 1b, Salem (Red Sox) 19. Wendell Rijo, 2b, Salem (Red Sox)
10. Chance Sisco, c, Frederick (Orioles) 20. Austen Williams, rhp, Potomac (Nationals)

EASTERN LEAGUE TOP 20 PROSPECTS
1. Lucas Giolito, rhp, Harrisburg (Nationals) 11. David Dahl, of, New Britain (Rockies)
2. J.P. Crawford, ss, Reading (Phillies) 12. Trevor Story, ss/2b, New Britain (Rockies)
3. Michael Conforto, of, Binghamton (Mets) 13. Gavin Cecchini, ss, Binghamton (Mets)
4. Tyler Glasnow, rhp, Altoona (Pirates) 14. Andrew Knapp, c, Reading (Phillies)
5. Jeff Hoffman, rhp, New Hampshire (Blue Jays)/New Britain (Rockies) 15. Aaron Judge, of, Trenton (Yankees)
6. Aaron Nola, rhp, Reading (Phillies) 16. Greg Bird, 1b, Trenton (Yankees)
7. Michael Fulmer, rhp, Binghamton (Mets)/Erie (Tigers) 17. Mike Clevinger, rhp, Akron (Indians)
8. Joe Ross, rhp, Harrisburg (Nationals) 18. Trey Mancini, 1b, Bowie (Orioles)
9. Bradley Zimmer, of, Akron (Indians) 19. Brandon Nimmo, of, Binghamton (Mets)
10. Manuel Margot, of, Portland (Red Sox) 20. Josh Bell, 1b, Altoona (Pirates)

IL Top Prospects:

No. 1 Francisco Lindor.

1. Francisco Lindor ss, Columbus (Indians)

Age: 21. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 190. Drafted: HS—Monteverde, Fla., 2011 (1).

Lindor finished 2014 with a 38-game run at Columbus, and the Indians sent him back there this season to address a few areas for improvement. Team officials have publicly said they wanted Lindor to limit his defensive lapses, and sent special assistant John McDonald to work with him. They also believed the switch-hitting Lindor could do a better job from his non-natural left side.

League observers say Lindor accomplished that mission by the time Cleveland called him up in June. He is a true major league shortstop, with plus range, an above-average arm and a knack for making special plays.

Lindor impacted the ball better from the left side, and even though his offensive numbers didn’t pop in Columbus, his line-drive stroke to all fields should yield more power down the road. He has above-average speed but still is learning the art of stealing.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
229 26 65 11 5 2 22 25 38 9 7 .284 .350 .402

Prospect on the Rise: Adam Plutko, RHP, Cleveland Indians
By John Sickels on Oct 12, 2015, 2:00p 2

One of my favorite pitchers in the minors right now is Adam Plutko of the Cleveland Indians. He doesn't throw 98 MPH or stand out highly on prospect lists, though the latter point is starting to change somewhat given his strong performance in 2015. While I love a 98 MPH fastball as much as anyone, the guys who can pitch well and succeed at lower velocities always intrigue me. Many of these types succeed in A-ball but have problems when they reach Double-A. Picking out the ones who can make it work at higher levels is a big part of hunting for sleeper prospects.

Plutko is less obscure than most of the sleeper types so there's less excuse to miss him. A three-year starting pitcher at UCLA, he went 29-10 in 52 career starts, posting a 2.26 ERA with a 272/101 K/BB in 351 innings from 2011 to 2013. Scouts were obviously extremely familiar with him since he was successful for one of the best college programs in the country. He was generally seen as a fourth or fifth round talent despite lack of plus velocity, but as the 2013 draft progressed his name didn't get called on the first day and didn't get called on the second, to the point where it was plausible he would return for his senior year.

He finally was picked on day three in the 11th round by the Indians, though it cost $300,000 (fifth round money) to sign him. He pitched fairly well in 2014 (4.03 ERA in A-ball, but with an excellent 144/30 K/BB in 150 innings). Although it didn't show up obviously in the surface stats, Plutko saw a tick upward in velocity last summer, working at 88-92 rather than the 87-90 marks he showed in college.

That was a sign of things to come for 2015. He opened with eight starts for High-A Lynchburg this spring, going 4-2, 1.27 with a 47/5 K/BB in 50 innings, 30 hits allowed. Promoted to Double-A Akron in May, he remained very effective with a 2.86 ERA, 90/23 K/BB in 116 innings, 96 hits allowed. He passed the critical Double-A transition with flying colors.

Plutko is a craftsman on the mound. His fastball still isn't a blazer but it is good-enough at 90-92 given how well he locates it. He has the full necessary arsenal of secondary pitches. The change-up is probably the best pitch but both his curveball and slider are effective and his pitching instincts are among the best in the minors. He stays healthy and has boosted his innings workload every year since his freshman season without any ill effect; indeed, his stuff gets better the more he pitches.

The main sabermetric caution flag is a strong fly ball tendency that might, in theory, make him overly vulnerable to gopher balls, although that hasn't been a big problem yet and his efficiency helps limit damage from those that do occur. He gave up just 12 homers this year and eight of them were solo shots.

Although he projects physically as a fourth starter, the 24-year-old Plutko should be one of our favorites in that category. He has the makeup of an ace pitcher and needs to be watched closely.

Since baseball postseason doesn't really interest me if the Indians aren't it, here's baseball news more to my taste:



If there was one knock on the Cleveland Indians' farm system headed into the season, it was that it lacked young, high-ceiling arms.

That changed in a hurry in this past June when the Indians used their first three picks on prep pitchers Brady Aiken (No. 17 overall), Triston McKenzie (No. 42 overall, Competitive Balance A round) and Juan Hillman (No. 59 overall, second round).

"To define a Draft as what the strength is, or what the strength isn't, isn't necessarily the right way to do it," Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant told MLB.com following the Draft.

"What we did was target the players that we felt best at those selections and we happened to come away with three high school pitchers. At the same time, we're very excited to be able to come away with three high school pitchers."

While Aiken continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery in the spring, McKenzie and Hillman's development has continued this fall in instructs.

McKenzie, the Tribe's No. 8 prospect, took the mound just four times this summer after receiving the highest signing bonus among high school pitchers. He was excellent in those showings, however, posting a 0.75 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings (three starts).

At 6-foot-5 and 160 pounds, McKenzie is the definition of projectable -- even more so considering that, at 17, he was one of the youngest players in the Draft. Therefore, it's easy to envision the wiry right-hander, who currently works in the 88-93 mph range with his fastball, adding velocity as he develops physically.

"We see potential definitely in Triston's frame," said Grant. "We did a lot of work on him and went through a lot to try to get to know him and learn about him as much as we possibly can. We do feel we have the opportunity to get him stronger and have him throw harder."

But there's more to like about McKenzie than simply projection.

"He's tall, thin-framed," noted Grant, "but what we like with Triston is it's a fastball that's up to 93. He's another one who can spin a curveball. A guy with a good feel for a change. And Triston, as well, throws a lot of strikes, and has a very good delivery."

Hillman, Cleveland's No. 9 prospect, saw a bit more work than McKenzie, logging 24 innings over eight appearances (six starts) in the Rookie-level Arizona League. The 18-year-old left-hander registered a 4.13 ERA in that span, but he also struck out 20 batters against three walks and did not yield a home run. Hillman's final regular-season start was his best of the year, as he allowed just one hit over four scoreless frames. Hillman's overall performance was reminiscent of the southpaw's senior campaign at Olympia (Fla.) HS, when he issued 12 walks and struck out 80 batters in 62 innings.

"With Juan, we have a solid-to-average fastball," Grant said. "A pitcher who throws 90-91 with real good life to his fastball. He's another high school pitcher with a good feel for a curveball, a feel for a changeup and, again, a guy who throws a lot of strikes. He's a guy who has very good delivery mechanics and a guy who has a lot of upside."

Juan Hillman's fastball sat at 89-92 mph with armside run early in spring outings before tailing off late

After landing Aiken, McKenzie and Hillman with their first three picks, the Indians shifted their focus to college position players -- middle infielders, specifically.

The club might have gone off the board a bit in the third round to get No. 21 prospect Mark Mathias -- who signed for $550,000 -- but the Cal Poly product lived up to the billing in his professional debut,batting .282/.382/.408 with 24 extra-base hits, 38 runs scored and nearly as many walks (35) as strikeouts (36) in 67 games for Class A Short-Season Mahoning Valley.

The 21-year-old second baseman's performance was particularly encouraging considering he underwent labrum surgery last offseason and was subsequently limited during the spring.

"He's battled all the way through it," said Grant about Mathias' shoulder injury. "And we really like the upside to the bat and the ability to control the strike zone, and the ability to play multiple positions for us."

Mark Mathias makes consistent hard contact and his sturdy frame lends itself to some power

The Indians continued to add infield depth in the fourth round with Clemson shortstop Tyler Krieger, who, like Mathias, had his Draft stock affected by offseason labrum surgery.

The 21-year-old switch-hitter served as the Tigers' designated hitter for the most of the season, batting .339 with 41 RBI in 61 games. However, the Indians ultimately decided to delay Krieger's professional debut until 2016, allowing him to fully recover from the injury and prepare for his first season.

"Another bat and another guy with versatility," Grant said. "He can play short, play second, play third, move around. ... He was able to play all season and bounce back and forth. He can stay at short, but with him it's the bat. It's the offensive side with him, too."

opening day in the Arizona Fall League.
Clint Frazier in Center Field, 1-4, 2 strikeouts
Only Indian prospect in action for Scottsdale

Day Two:
All Frazier did was homer, single twice and walk twice
Other Indian players in the lineup are hardly prospects: utility man Todd Hankins was 3-5 with a double, a walk and a steal. 25th birthday looming for Todd, who's not played in AAA.
Catcher Jeremy Lucas who hit 239 in Akron, was 1 of 4.
Reliever Jacob Lee walked one and allowed 1 hit in 1 inning. Another who cares player. He turns 26 next week; also never reached AAA yet.

Frazier, the Indians' No. 2 prospect, reached base in all five plate appearances and finished the night 3-for-3 with a trio of walks, two runs scored and three RBIs.

He's a great hitter, he's young, he's pure," [teammate Jacoby] Jones said of Frazier. "He's got fast hands and tonight he showed us what he can do. He's a really good player."

Arizona League Thursday:

The irrelevant Todd Hankins went 0-4
Clint Frazier had the day off
Perci Garner a 27-year-old Phillies castoff who we had working in Lynchburg worked a shutout inning
[Our corps of fall league players are hardly even prospects to ever succeed in AAA.]

Civ,

I was interested in your analysis of the Indians drafting the last 4 years. It seems like it has really improved to me. Not only are the early picks doing well but there seems to some depth. John Sickels has written up both Shawn Armstrong on Plutko recently.

Thanks,

Buck

I'm not exactly an expert, but I do follow the minors pretty diligently. I will have to pull out my Baseball America prospect books from the past few years to look more closely at the drafts but I can say that starting the year when they paid well over slot for the three "A"s in the middle rounds: Cody Allen, Cody Anderson and Scott Armstrong [2012? or maybe 2011?] they've been doing much better than in past decade or so. That might have been the best year for depth of talent chosen; this year by contrast after the top 3 really high ceiling high school pitchers, the rest of the draft is probably close to irrelevant. They have also deviated from their past conservative path of nearly always going for college players in the top rounds and have now made a lot more higher risk, higher reward picks among high school kids with high ceilings but long paths to the majors. They certainly would not have gone for a trio of high school arms like this year's bunch at the top of the draft since the Fab Four [Denham, Martin, Dittler and Foley] flopped a decade ago. And gambling on a Brady Aiken, who rejected a big offer last year and then missed the entire season after surgery, is a very un-Shapiro thing to do.