Cleveland Sports Forum

With their 20th round pick (#602 overall) in the 2016 Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Ben Baird out of Agoura High School (CA).

Born: 7/11/1998 – Height: 6’2” – Weight: 185 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

Ranks:

Baseball America: #141

Perfect Game: #209

Jeff Ellis: Ben Baird is a shortstop who is more than likely completely unsignable. I will never say never after they signed Wakamatsu a year ago, but this one will be very hard. Baird is a consensus top 200 guy who I heard connected to more than a few teams in terms of workouts. He is a California kid who is committed to the University of Washington. His dad played in the NFL with the Eagles for a moment. He has a chance to stick at short with an array of average skills which would play up at short. His arm might be his best tool as he hit 90 as a pitcher. He is a very good up the middle talent, a guy who has a chance at short and if not should be an above average second baseman. I think he will be a Husky this fall.

The Indians seem to have drafting via "analytic." Maybe they can save money by firing the scouting dept and just reading baseball prospectus if it still exists.

Thanks Hillbilly for taking charge, and for making the picks for the Tribe this year. Let's hope your strategy works out in the long term. We are certainly filling up on catchers. Obvious not a lot of need for middle infielders. Few highschool pitchers taken but since we started last three of 3 of those plus Jonas Wyatt plus there are kids moving from the DR summer league 18-year-old pitchers were not an area of great need either.

I'll be interested in how they do in signing kids with college commitments; that's been our of our recent strengths.

Bleacher Report ranks the "Top 10 Steals" in the 2016 draft:

NO. 4: The only legacy draft pick to rate as one of the 10 biggest steals of the 2016 draft, high school outfielder Conner Capel (No. 62), the son of former big league reliever Mike Capel, has a great chance to outshine his father's accomplishments on the diamond. Baseball America compares Capel to current Cleveland center fielder Tyler Naquin, with the speed and approach at the plate to become a table-setter atop a lineup. He doesn't offer much power, but not everyone needs to be a slugger to have a successful big league career. Capel could stick in center field, but he has a strong throwing arm and could handle a corner-outfield spot, though his lack of power makes him a less than ideal fit, especially in right field.

And Tied for No. 2 for Biggest Steal:

2nd Round 3B Nolan Jones:
From the looks and sounds* of things at Nolan Jones' draft party, questions about his signability (he's a University of Virginia commit) might be a bit overblown. And it wouldn't be surprising if that scene was similar to the one in Cleveland's draft room when he was still on the board in the second round.

"He's extremely talented," Holy Ghost Prep coach Jon Cross told the Philadelphia Inquirer's Rick O'Brien. "He's got a great work ethic, a powerful arm, great hands, unlimited power potential, and a very good eye for the strike zone." One of the purest high school hitters in the country, Jones' bat will play at any position. That's a good thing, because he'll have to move off shortstop as he adds bulk to his 6'3", 195-pound frame, likely to third base, where he could develop into an excellent defender.

Looks like the experts are going to be giving the Indians high marks when draft report cards come out.

VT'er wrote:

PICK: Ian Anderson, rhp

Right-hand picker?

But he's old--been doing the Jethro Tull thing for about 50 years.

As I remember it, Ian Anderson always had a good "Wind Up" even though he was "Thick as a Brick". Who knows, I might just be " Living in the Past ". Too much shuffling madness !

Bleacher Report gives Cleveland an A- grade. Four teams earns As. There seems to be some serious grade inflation here: no one gets less than a B.

Everybody looks good on paper.

Which is why am eagerly waiting for last year's Talented Trio to finally take the mound this week or next.

2016 Cleveland Indians Draft: June 13 signing update
Tony Lastoria
TONY LASTORIA
Yesterday at 3:55 PM
Here is a huge update with tons of news on Indians draft picks already set to sign, those who are not signing and more...

In the blink of an eye the 2016 MLB Draft came and went. In what seemed like the snap of a finger the Indians now have 41 new names connected to them for eternity. Now begins the next phase of the draft, the post-draft signing period which runs until July 15th.
We have been calling, texting, and emailing scouts, advisors, agents and players for information on the signing status of several of the Indians picks as well as scouring the web for other sources of information which we have linked below.
This is the first of many daily reports on the signing status of players leading up to the signing deadline. I would expect a daily signing update for most of the rest of this week as many picks will be signed and then this piece will post sporadically after that depending on news and intel I receive.
- 2nd round competitive balance pick catcher Logan Ice is reportedly set to sign with the Indians. Ice told the Covallis Gazette-Times, “My deal is pretty close to finished. There is obviously stuff that we will discuss and try to include, but it’s pretty close. The bonus should be right around that slot range. … There was all sorts of talk, talking with other teams and having teams call you to see what you’ll take here and what you’ll take there. Ultimately, we got something done with the Indians.”
- 7th round pick catcher Michael Tinsley sounds like he is signing. The Indians called him shortly before selecting him to negotiate a signing bonus that both parties agreed to verbally. "It was stressful, but it was very quick and efficient," Tinsley told The Mercury News. "We were able to come to a quick agreement to the point where they would tell me that I would get drafted. … It feels amazing just knowing that all the hard work I've put into it has paid off. It's awesome, and I've come to the realization that the hard work has just begun. Now that I'm in pro ball, it's my job and I'm still trying to get ahead in every way possible. I always dreamed that I'd be able to keep moving on in my baseball career, but at that age it's all just a dream. I've always dreamed it, but I never pictured myself here. And the fact that it's become a reality is amazing."
- 9th round pick outfielder Hosea Nelson has signed his contract. An official announcement of his signing should come in the next day or so.
- 12th round pick right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac is signing.
- 13th round pick catcher Gavin Collins is expected to sign.
- 14th round pick outfielder Mitch Longo is expected to be officially signed in the next day or two and will open the season at Short-A Mahoning Valley.
- 16th round pick left-handed pitcher Ben Krauth is signing though his destination is unknown. He told KUSports.com, “I have dreamed about this day ever since I picked up a baseball 16 years ago. This day means the world to me and it is really special to be able to spend it with my family and friends. The fact that my best friend at KU (Tinsley) got picked by the same team yesterday makes it that much better. I will be forever grateful to coach Price and (associate head coach/pitching coach) Ryan Graves, who took a chance on me and believed in me every step of the way.”
- 18th round pick left-handed pitcher Raymond Burgos is expected to sign.
- 21st round pick right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe is not signing and will return to South Carolina next season. After missing this season recovering from Tommy John surgery he still has two years of college eligibility left to return healthy and improve his draft stock in the 2017 Draft or even the 2018 Draft. According to The State, he turned down $1.2 million from the Indians when they originally selected him in the 31st round of the 2013 Draft (though I will say that figure sounds awfully inflated to me for a post-bonus pool round pick).
- 23rd round pick right-handed pitcher Michael Letkewicz is expected to sign and an official announcement could come this week.
- 34th round pick first baseman Austin Shenton is not going to sign. According to The Bellingham Herald, the Indians were considering him with their fifth round pick and inquired if his signing status had changed. He will go play baseball and attend school at the University of Washington in the fall.
- 38th round pick left-hander Jacob DeVries is expected to sign and should be another one of the first official signings to be officially announced.

Air Force Lefty Jake DeVries Flying Under the Radar
by Jesse Burkhart - October 8, 2015

Few teams have had the opportunity to evaluate Jake DeVries, but industry folks who are familiar with the Air Force junior left-hander tell me why Four Corners scouts will want to put eyes on him next spring in advance of the 2016 draft.


Indeed, when you pitch for a small-conference school that produces few pro players and competes for regional attention with the Pac-12, you don’t always have the luxury of waiting for the scouts to come to you. And when that small-conference school is the United States Air Force Academy, you have obligations that supersede baseball and make exposure to professional teams more difficult to come by.

Such are the circumstances for DeVries, who thusly took it upon himself this summer to go where the scouts would be. So he packed his bags after his sophomore season ended and headed for the Cape Cod League to join the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. He made three appearances in June, but was then shipped to the Middle East for a multi-week training assignment. Though the audition was brief, it was long enough to showcase the pitching tools that make him a high follow and a possible top-three rounds target.

In the Cape, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound lefty worked comfortably in the 90-93 mph range and reached 95 mph, scattering 13 hits with 10 strikeouts, five walks and a 2.84 ERA over 12.2 innings. That was the same velocity from late spring, as one American League scout who saw DeVries pitch 6.1 scoreless innings of relief against UNLV in the Mountain West conference tournament told me the fastball bumped 96 mph while his 78-81 mph curveball flashed above-average. Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky also said that the heater registered as high as 96 mph in a two-inning outing vs. Northern Colorado a few weeks earlier. By the end of his sophomore season, he had notched 80 strikeouts across 84.2 innings while limiting opposing batters to 72 hits and a .236 BAA, though his 53 walks suggest command remains a hurdle to clear.

I typically don’t write stand-alone stories about a player I’ve not seen in person, but based on the industry info above and the generously provided video below, there’s enough here to make an exception.



From the video, we see DeVries checking off the most important boxes for a starting pitching prospect. He has a physical, athletic build with room for muscle gain, and it’s a low-effort delivery with a pretty clean arm action. It’s impossible to discern the action on his pitches in the footage, but he had this hitter way off-balance with an advanced pitch sequence. The first offering is a breaking ball that sneaks through the back door for a called strike, which he follows up with an inside fastball that’s fouled off, which he follows up with another fastball down and in for a swing-and-miss strikeout. He’s mostly a two-pitch guy right now, but DeVries told me that he’ll spend the fall developing his changeup as well as gaining a better feel for his breaking ball.

DeVries finished last season as the Saturday starter, a role he may resume next spring with Air Force returning its entire rotation from last season. The Falcons will also return seven starters from the field, who should help build on last season’s 23-29 campaign, their best season in more than a decade.

Air Force will open the 2016 season on Feb. 19, in Davidson, N.C., where I hope to get my own look at DeVries and come back with a coherent scouting report.

One down ...

#Indians have officially signed their 26th Round Draft Pick LHP Tanner Tully from the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Well, so far Tribe is batting .500

Kramer Robertson
Excited for one more ride with Tiger Nation!

Indians Prospective
#Indians 32nd Round Draft Pick returning for his Senior Year at LSU.

[from the "Elkhart Truth" so I guess it must all be true]

Elkhart Central graduate Tanner Tully, the current ace of the Ohio State University pitching staff and a first-team All-Big Ten Selection, was selected in the 26th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians.
Tully posted an 8-3 record for the Buckeyes this season with a 2.59 earned run average and 78 strikeouts in 107 innings. He also allowed just three home runs.

Ohio State reached the NCAA tournament this season with a 44-20 record, including a 23-4 mark at home.

The talented southpaw led Central to the 2013 Class 4A state title, pitching a shutout, striking out 13 and hitting a leadoff home run in the Blue Blazers' 1-0 victory over Indianapolis Cathedral. He was also the winning pitcher in Central's 2-1 win over Lafayette Jeff in the Class 4A. The Blue Blazers were 34-1 that season, with Tully compiling a 0.30 ERA and hitting .495 at the plate. He was also named Indiana's Mr. Baseball by Hoosier Diamond.