Cleveland Sports Forum

BA is half way through the league Top 20's We're not doing too well this year. Here's comparison with 2016

2016
AAA: Clevinger No. 14. Now a very successful No. 4 major league starter who's become a No. 4 reliever.

2016
AA: Frazier was No. 8, now in AAA he was No. 16 this year
Zimmer was No. 14 in AAA he flipped over Frazier to No. 7

2016
HighA: Mejia No. 5 now in AA again at No. 5
Bradley No. 7 not ranked in AA
Chang No. 15 not ranked in AA
Sheffield No. 11 same rank in AA for NYY

2016
Low A: Mejia No. 3 see above
Castro not ranked but No. 12 in 2017 in HighA

2016
Short Season A:
McKenzie No. 2, wasn't eligible in Midwest League in 2016; No. 6 in 2017 in High A
Civale No. 17 pitched great but unranked in 2017

2016
Rookie Level
Benson No. 2
Aiken No. 5
Jones No. 6
Gonzalez No. 13
Benson and Jones should rate in this year's NYPL list.

I was other engaged and didn't catch the posting of the NYPL Top 20 and missed out on posting any questions on Benson and Jones and some of those pitchers who looked good for the Scrappers.

Here's what I locate on our guys from the list and the chat:

Prospect No. 8

Nolan Jones, 3B, Mahoning Valley (Indians) |

Age: 19. B-T:: L-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 185. Drafted: HS—Bensalem, Pa., 2016 (2).

Jones was one of the more physical hitters in the New York-Penn League, combining excellent patience with power potential. Jones is rarely tempted to chase pitches out of the strike zone. While the average New York-Penn League hitter is still an easy mark for a breaking ball that breaks out of the zone, Jones usually spit on those pitches. He patiently waited for the pitcher to come to him, and when he did get the pitch he was looking for in the zone, he had the power to either line a double to the opposite field or occasionally pull an inside pitch for a home run. When they didn't, he happily took his walk. He led the league with a .430 on-base percentage.

Jones has more work to do if he's going to stay at third base. He's made some significant strides, but his footwork has improved and he's getting caught in between hops less often. He has plenty of arm strength, but he doesn't have the ability yet to throw accurately from a variety of arm angles. He doesn't always get his feet set properly, but when he does, he shows off an above-average arm.


10. Will Benson, OF, Mahoning Valley (Indians) |

Age: 19. B-T:: L-L. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 225. Drafted: HS—Atlanta, 2016 (1).

Much as he was coming into the 2016 draft, Benson is an extremely intriguing outfielder with plus tools, but he still has a lot of refinement and improvements to make.

Benson showed some of the best raw power in the league, but he only fully drives the ball when he gets his timing all synced up and uses his legs in his swing. That's still a consistent issue for him, one he's been working to fix for a couple of years now.

The 225-pound Benson is an average runner out of the batter's box and shows above-average speed once he gets to full stride. He needs better routes, but he is a prototypical right fielder in the long run. Benson's advanced maturity and work ethic gives evaluators reason to think he can polish his swing and strike zone judgement as he enters his 20s.

ALREADY AN EX-SCRAPPER:

15. Samad Taylor, 2B, Mahoning Valley (Indians)

Age: 19. B-T:: R-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 160. Drafted: HS—Corona, Calif., 2016 (10).

Taylor stood out enough for his understanding of the game, heady play and twitchy athleticism that the Blue Jays acquired him in the July 31 deal that sent Joe Smith to the Indians. Some evaluators thought he could slide to shortstop in a pinch even though he stayed put at second base with Mahoning Valley.

Taylor has surprising power for his size. He's given up on switch-hitting, which seems a wise choice as he's shown little trouble hitting righties–he hit .325/.341/.530 against righthanders and all his NYP home runs came against righthanders. He's an average runner and has a chance to be an above-average defender at second base

Q&A was very short and with Civ busy working no questions on the Scrappers.

Since the Captains were pretty bad they unsurprisingly got no one on their top 20 list and no questions.

Remaining league to be posted is the Arizona rookie team which had a phenomenally bad record and pretty bad performances from our top 2 picks who were stationed there and nothing much interesting from anyone else.

So I think we're done with Indians prospects on league top 20s with a pretty woeful crop:
Zimmer and Mejia and McKenzie and Castro and Jones and Benson.

Could guess that the last 4 of those make our top 4 in the Tribe's Top 20 rankings over the winter, with possible insertion of Greg Allen [potential World Series defensive standout game-clinching catch on highlight reels for the next century], Aaron Civale, Shane Bieber.
Not sure if Yandy is still officially a prospect or has graduated. Then lower down will be the disappointing Akron duo of Bradley and Chang. And for the rest of the best we have our individual preferences.

quiet time in Minor League transactions; the minor league free agent declarations are 5 days after the Indians win the decisive game of the World Series. For now the only business is guys who could be FA resigning with their current teams. Indians make one big move:

Cleveland Indians
Signed: LHP Anderson Polanco (re-signed)

And a former Indian minor leaguer RHP Clayton Cook re-signed with Texas.

That's it.

for those old Clayton Cook fans who wonder how things have been going for the now 27 year old who Cleveland released mid-2015, the answer is not too great. He made his first appearance in AAA this season and allowed 4 runs in one inning. In his 30 inning in AA he compiled a 6.37 ERA. No wonder the Rangers want him back.

Despite having an atrocious record, they won about 1/4 of their games, and no impressive individual performances the Arizona Indians went unrepresented on the League Top 20 prospect list.

3rd round pick Johnnathan Rodriguez RF 17 year old 250/381/333 lots of walks
2nd round supplemental Tyler Freeman SS 18 year old 297/364/414 with 5 steals
2nd round regular pick Quentin Holmes CF 18 year old 182/220/290 61 strikeouts 8 walks quite a first impression From coldweather NYC, so everyone says be patient he'll take a little longer to develop

I got in a question here, although I would have preferred chatting about Jones and Benson


Elliot (Youngstown OH): Anything positive to say about Tyler Freeman, who statistically was OK, or Quentin Holmes, who statistically was awful, for the Arizona Indians?

Bill Mitchell: Holmes and Freeman were Cleveland’s top two picks in 2017, and were both in the conversation for the list but not real close to making the top 20. Holmes has incredible athleticism and tools. Early on he had trouble squaring balls up but started making better contact as the season progressed. Freeman is a gamer and just a good baseball player, with the range and actions to stay at shortstop.

Must have been no one else asking questions today:


Elliot (Youngstown OH): 17-year old Johnnathan Rodriguez displayed impressive patience at the plate, although admittedly not racking up any other impressive numbers. Long term project of course, but is a cause for hope?

Bill Mitchell: Rodriguez, a 17-year-old outfielder, was Cleveland’s 3rd round pick this year from the Carlos Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico. He’s tall and lean with long arms. Rodriguez was in and out of the lineup quite a bit, so I only got to see him a couple of times. The swing looked really raw, but then I saw him get his arms extended and drive the ball over the center fielder’s head for a triple. He’s still very young and perhaps will need two more years of short-season

Was there any one else I should have asked about? Various pitchers with ERAs in the 7 range?

Looking at their roster, I see Jose Fermin who didn't do much but was rated on the BA Top 30 preseason.

And the curiously named Adoni Kery [for those non-Hebrew speakers the first name translates to the biblical "Lord"] who struck out 41 in 29 innings, overlooking the 15 walks.

Happy Off Season. Starting a little earlier than anticipated.

BA has issued "draft report cards" for the AL Central. Our draft picks in 2017 did not have very impressive debuts statistically. Here's what BA says:

Best Pure Hitter: Many of the position players the Indians drafted with their first six picks stand out for their pure hitting ability, but SS Tyler Freeman (2s) is the best of the bunch. He handles the barrel well and has a quick, direct swing that creates consistent, hard contact.

Best Power Hitter: OF Johnathan Rodriguez (3) was one of the youngest players in the class and is still physically maturing, but he has plus raw power and profiles as a prototypical right fielder.

Fastest Runner: OF Quentin Holmes (2) is a top-of-the-scale runner and clocked a 6.15 60-yard dash at Perfect Game National in 2016, one of the fastest in the event's history. 2B/SS Ernie Clement (4) and OF Clark Scolamiero (22) are plus runners.

Best Defensive Player: C Mike Rivera (6) was one of the best defensive catchers in the country throughout his college career at Florida. He has an above-average arm, is a solid receiver who has handled velocity on high-profile teams for years and earns praise for his leadership behind the plate.

Best Fastball: The Indians didn't draft a pitcher until the seventh round, and when they did start selecting pitchers, few were power arms. RHPs Jonathan Teaney (20) and Tommy DeJuneas (26) were the exceptions. Both throw in the mid-90s and could add more velocity in pro ball with more consistent work.

Best Secondary Pitch: RHP Eli Morgan (8) ranked eighth in the country in strikeouts this spring at Gonzaga in large part because of his plus changeup, which one area scout before the draft called the best college changeup he'd ever seen. LHP Kyle Nelson (15) has a plus slider that he can consistently throw for strikes.

Best Pro Debut: Morgan looked every bit the part of polished college pitcher in the New York-Penn League, where went 3-2, 1.03 and struck out 58 batters in 35 innings. Teaney struck out 51 in 30.1 innings for the same Mahoning Valley team while posting a 2.08 ERA.

Best Athlete: Holmes' athleticism goes hand-in-hand with his elite speed. He is a toolsy, twitchy player that gives him a high ceiling on the diamond.

Most Intriguing Background: LHP Kirk McCarty (7) had a prolific high school athletics career and won state titles in both baseball and football. His offensive coordinator at Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., was Brett Favre, and under his tutelage, McCarty threw for more than 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns during his senior year.

Closest To The Majors: Morgan's exceptional pro debut could put him on the fast track to the big leagues. Other polished college pitchers like McCarty and Nelson could also move quickly.

Best Late-Round Pick: Listed at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, LHP Matt Turner (11) is lanky and projectable. He has a good feel for pitching and an effective three-pitch mix, with an upper-80s fastball and a changeup and slider that both have the makings of becoming above-average.

The One Who Got Away: SS Oscar Serratos (14) is a steady defender with promising offensive potential, but the Indians were unable to sign him away from his commitment to Georgia Tech. Cleveland also took late-round fliers on OF Cole Turney (34, Arkansas), RHP Spencer Strider (35, Clemson) and SS Austin Martin (37, Vanderbilt), who all have the tools to develop into stars in college.

fall/winter leagues under way

CLE AFL Bradley, Bobby 1B 4 1 2 2 .250
CLE DL Rodriguez, Ronny 1B 6 3 4 0 .667 2B (1)
CLE AFL Eubank, Luke 1 4 2 2 0 1 9.00
CLE VL Brown, D.J. 2 1 0 0 0 0 0.00

CLE AFL Mejia, Francisco DH 4 0 2 0 .333
CLE DL Castro, Willi SS 3 1 1 0 .333 2 BB (2) maybe he's going to emphasize selectivity this fall. Willi is not famous for drawing walks.
CLE AFL Angulo, Argenis 0.2 2 2 2 3 0 10.80
CLE AFL Brady, Sean 3 1 0 0 1 5 0.00 catching up on innings after missing a good chunk of the summer
CLE DL Frias, Carlos 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 0.00 W (1 - 0)
CLE VL Lugo, Luis 2 3 1 1 2 1 4.50
CLE VL Morales, Alexander 2 3 2 2 1 2 6.00 not sure I know this guy

I do have hopes for that with Castro. He decreased his K's and increased his walks this year over last. Still not good but heading in right direction.

I can easily see Willi move well up in the top prospect list. After McKenzie and Mejia the rest is up for grabs. AJones and Benson, Allen and Castro, Bieber and Civale could be next. Bradley didn't do much for his cause this season -- looking too much like a Russell Branyan at a lesser defensive position; ditto Chang although BA cited his defensive improvements at midyear review.