Cleveland Sports Forum

Indians Round 3 Pick 93
Mathias, Mark
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (CA) 2B R/R JR
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6'0" 200lbs DOB: 08/02/94

Mark Mathias | Rank: 128

School: Cal Poly Year: Junior Position: 2B Age: 19 DOB: 8/2/1995 Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6'0" Weight: 185 lb.
Previously Drafted: Never

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45
There are a good amount of college middle infielders who can hit in this year's Draft class. While Mathias' progress in the field was held up by a labrum injury, he showed this spring that his ability to swing the bat generated plenty of interest.

Originally a shortstop, Mathias had to DH for much of 2015 as he recovered from his shoulder issue. His return to the field has come at second base, where he has the chance to be a fair defender. His arm continues to come back, but will likely play no better than average. It will be Mathias' bat that will get him drafted and carry him up an organizational ladder. He has a very good approach at the plate, making consistently hard contact. More of an extra-base hit guy now, there is enough strength for some power in the future. As he's gotten bigger and stronger, he's slowed down to an average runner.

College bats who perform always tend to do well in June, and a team seeing Mathias as an everyday offensive-minded second baseman could take him in the top few rounds.

I don't ever get excited with second basemen drafted in the first 10 rounds. Major league 2B are nearly always still playing SS or 3B when their amateur days end. Of course, if we can trade his guy in a few years for an equivalent of Brendan Moss like we did with Wendle I'll be OK with him.

USABaseball ‏@USABaseball · 29 minutes ago
Congratulations to @USABaseball alum Mark Mathias on being drafted by the @Indians!

Well, the only reason he is at 2B now is because of the labrum injury. He was a SS before the injury. From what I'm seeing his bat is solid. Makes consistant contact which I like, and has some pop. We'll find a spot for him to play if he can hit.

4 124
Krieger, Tyler Clemson (SC) SS S/R JR
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6'2" 170lbs DOB: 01/16/94

Tyler Krieger | Rank: 104

School: Clemson Year: Junior Position: SS Age: 21 DOB: 1/16/1994 Bats: S Throws: R Height: 6'1" Weight: 170 lb.

Previously Drafted: 2012, 35th (1061) - SEA

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

One of the better college hitters in the Southeast, Krieger sprays line drives to all fields from both sides of the plate. He's extremely patient and has some wiry strength to him, though his approach doesn't lend itself to much power.

A club that thinks Krieger can stick at shortstop could be tempted to pop him as high as the second round. But he spent almost the entire 2015 season at DH, with only a handful of appearances at second base, as he recovered from offseason surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder. He showed an average arm and decent range at shortstop a year ago, though he also was so erratic that he mostly DHed down the stretch.

If he can't cut it at shortstop in pro ball, Krieger still could make it as a second baseman or a utilityman. He's an average runner with savvy on the basepaths.

OK, so we draft two college guys back to back that has to play 2B cause they are coming off shoulder surgery. The second of which has no power or speed.

Well, I liked our picks yesterday.

Scouting grade both players at 45...below average(50). Don't understand drafting a 2B in the third round.

BA on Mathias:

Mathias jumped to the fore in 2014. After playing just 17 games as a freshman, he hit .386 as a junior to lead the Big West Conference. He earned a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, playing first, second and third base and often hitting in the middle of the order. However, Mathias injured the labrum in his right shoulder during the summer, and a fall of rest and rehab didn’t help enough. He had surgery in December, missed 10 of Cal Poly's first 11 games and didn’t play in the field until March 31 after 17 games as a DH. Mathias’ power has sagged a bit, due in part to the shoulder, but he continues to control the strike zone and make contact at a high rate from his low-hands stance. Mathias has to hit, because his other tools—including power—are unremarkable. He’s a fringy defender and runner, but his hitting ability stands out in the class.

BA on 4th rounder Krieger:

Primarily a shortstop in his early days at Clemson, Krieger suffered a shoulder injury late in his sophomore year. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in August, and spent the early parts of the 2015 season as the Tigers’ designated hitter, before moving to second base. Even so, Krieger has the bat to profile at just about any defensive position. A switch hitter with bat speed and a short, line drive stroke from both sides. Krieger’s wrists are extremely loose, allowing him the flexibility to control his bat and track pitches deep into the hitting zone. Krieger shows over-the-fence power in batting practice, but his short stroke and gap approach have prevented his power from playing in games to this point. Some scouts project him to add even more strength. Krieger has slowly added 25 pounds of muscle since getting to campus, and could add even more when he gets to pro ball. Krieger has the elite first step quickness required of second base, but his arm has been well below average this spring. Scouts who like him project the arm to come back as a serviceable below average arm, while those who aren’t as impressed worry about how his arm strength will hinder him defensively

[sounds like his offense offers more than Mathias, maybe]

BA on 5th round OF Ka'ai Tom, [or perhaps Tom Ka'ai]

A lefthanded hitter with a professional approach at the plate, Tom has hit everywhere he's played. But as a 5-foot-8 left fielder with the power to hit 5-10 home runs at most as a pro, he doesn't exactly profile. That's why Kentucky filmed workouts of Tom taking ground balls at second base, a position he has toyed with playing in the past. Tom has a long way to go to be a refined second baseman, but the Kentucky coaches note that Jason Kipnis tried a little second base during fall ball when he was a freshman at Kentucky and Tom shows as much promise at the position defensively as Kipnis did at a similar stage. Offensively, Tom has a simple lefthanded swing that has little extraneous movement. He is an above-average runner and an excellent basestealer who has stolen bases at an 85 percent clip in his two years at Kentucky.

[all right!!! another 2nd basemen. This is getting really interesting.]

5 154
Tom, Ka'Ai U Kentucky (KY)
CF L/R JR -- 5'9" 185lbs DOB: 05/24/94

Maybe they're wasting these picks to save money for the first 3 choices, if they're allowed to do that.

Kipnis is bigger at 5-11.