We haven't paid much attention to Hosea Nelson. The 21 year old LH outfielder is having a good stretch with the Scrappers. He's split his time between LF and CF.

This is his reprise in Mahoning Valley. Last year: 240/305/345 50 K 8 BB 9 steals no CS 1 homer
This year he's at 321/357/519 29 K 4 BB no steals in 3 tries. 4 homers

I’ve took notice of Nelson but until he walks more it’s hard for me to take him too serious.

I agree with that. What about the other way around? I find Benson awfully hard to judge because he's obviously a selective hitter, with plenty of walks, but he doesn't hit at all, except for home runs.

2016 209/321/424 K 31% of at bats BB 11% 10 doubles 3 triples 6 homers
2017 238/347/475 K 34% of AB BB 13% 8 doubles 5 triples 10 homers
2018 168/325/353 K 31% of AB BB 17% 7 doubles 1 triple 15 homers

BA Prospect Report

CLE AA Bradley, Bobby 1B 3 1 1 2 .215 HR (21), 2 BB (39)
CLE AA Castro, Willi SS 4 0 2 1 .249 2B (19), CS (4)
CLE AA Ice, Logan C 0 0 0 0 .303
CLE AA Krieger, Tyler CF 5 3 2 0 .255
CLE AA Mathias, Mark PH 1 0 0 0 .229
CLE AAA Allen, Greg CF 3 0 0 0 .305 BB (17)
CLE AAA Chang, Yu SS 1 2 1 1 .255 HR (8), 3 BB (31)
CLE AAA Haase, Eric DH 4 0 1 0 .246
CLE HiA Capel, Conner CF 3 0 0 0 .258
CLE HiA Clement, Ernie SS 6 1 3 1 .336 2 2B (6), SB (4)
CLE HiA Collins, Gavin C 4 1 1 0 .248 2B (12)
CLE LoA Benson, Will RF 3 0 0 0 .168 BB (62)
CLE LoA Gonzalez, Oscar LF 3 0 1 1 .282
CLE LoA Jones, Nolan 3B 2 0 1 0 .279 2 BB (56)
CLE R Rodriguez, Johnathan DH 5 0 1 0 .280 CS (3)

So I note on their web page that BA is releasing revised top 10 lists for each team and they have the AL Central today. So I guess it's fun for us to figure out our lists before I post BAs

Preseason No. 1 was Mejia and he's gone
No. 2 was McKenzie. After missing 1/2 the season he's doing well in Akron, but not putting up strikeouts like last year But I imagine he slips up to No 1
No. 3 was Bradley. His stats repeating in Akron were noted above. I assume he'll drop some spots
No. 4 was Nolan Jones. Steady progress offensively, more power, still uncertain fielder. Now our top position prospect
No. 5 was Bieber. Hasn't used up his prospect eligibility quite yet, so he'll be rated No. 2 but graduates soon
No. 6 Yo Chang. See above
No. 7 Willi Castro ditto
No. 8 Greg Allen, hitting well in AAA, not conquered the majors yet.
No. 9 George Valera. He played a few games in Arizona and got hurt
No. 10 Will Benson See above

The next ten were:
Erik Gonzalez, graduated; Aaron Bracho hasn't played; Quentin Holmes 2 AB; Aaron Civale doing well; Conner Capel, fair to middling; Tyler Freeman hitting very well; Julian Merryweather TJ surgery; Sam Hentges, OK; Logan Ice hitting a little better; Oscar Gonzalez, more power;
Then came:
Jo. Rodriguez, hitting singles and walking; Luis Oviedo, big step up; Tyler Krieger, ho hum; Ernie Clement, hitting well at higher levels; Mark Mathias, see Krieger, above; Ryan Merritt, slow ball is slower; Gavin Collins, OK; Brady Aiken, who??; Eli Morgan, major climber; Marcos Gonzalez, hurt after a few games. Eric Haase, power has resumed.
BA called Aaron Wade a sleeper, and he's done OK when not injured. They deemed Oviedi their breakout prospect and that was a good call.

Not on the top 30 but on depth chart and worthy of recognition now: Karnichak, Plutko, McCarty, Hillman, Nelson, Krauth; Longo, Calica, Fermin

This year's draftees are also eligible for the new list. Naylor will slot in pretty high. I suppose they'll do the same with Hankins who hasn't pitched and Torres who has a couple innings. Reliever Sandlin won't be on the top 10 but will move fast. And we sure like what we see with Delgado and Palacios.

So for my top 10, I'd guess it would be something like this:

No. 1 McKenzie
No. 2 Bieber
No. 3 Jones
the rest are harder to assess. I'd consider
holdover position players: Chang and Castro and perhaps Valera and Bradley
ascending pitchers: Civale, Morgan and Oviedo
draft pick: Naylor [I suppose any of the other top picks: Hankins, Torres, Sandlin, Palacios, Scott, Delgado could rate among the top 10 if not top 20.]

How about:
4. Naylor
5. Oviedo [high ceiling, far off]
6. Chang
7. Castro
8. Civale
9. Valera
10. Morgan

Although inclined to shove 6 and 7 down and replace with more of the impressive looking 2018 draft.

Hot Prospect Report again overlooks the blazing duo of Palacios and Delgado. This week Delgado had the best stats of the two: 429/538/619.
Palacios before he left Mahoning Valley was 555/600/778 and in Lake County was 308/308/308.

It appears that the last name Diaz is a great match for all sorts of interesting Y-first names. Beyond our Yandy; there's an Orioles OF highly rated Yusniel; and we have a catcher in Arizona Yainer, who's one of the numerous hot hitters down there: 377/411/478 for the 19 year old from the Dominican Republic

So after that exciting leadin, it turns out BA doesn't have the Indians Top 10 report posted. Did find this for the Padres,

4. Francisco Mejia, C/OF Triple-A El Paso Age: 22

Mejia started slowly but got hot once the weather warmed up, batting .328/.386/.505 from May 4 until his trade from the Indians to the Padres on July 19. Mejia remains a potential .300 hitter with double-digit home runs and a lot of doubles as a switch-hitter, an extremely valuable hitter the Padres needed to contend. Defensively he continues to draw mixed reviews behind the plate and played an increasing amount of left field this season, but the Padres plan to send him out as a catcher and will evaluate him closely in El Paso.

BA's midseason report

The Indians’ system is still deep in the middle of the infield and they still could tap into that depth for more veteran help to strengthen the team for another playoff run.

1. Triston McKenzie, RHP
Double-A Akron
Age: 20

McKenzie was sidelined by a minor forearm injury for the first two months of the season that the Indians played very conservatively. He returned to action in June, making his Double-A debut. McKenzie has been solid in his first handful of starts and has even seen his velocity tick up a bit to hit the mid 90s. He’ll look to maintain that during the second half.


2. Shane Bieber, RHP
Cleveland
Age: 23

The system’s breakout star of 2017 picked up right where he left off. After a strong start to the season in the minor leagues, he made his big-league debut on his 23rd birthday and has continued to succeed in Cleveland. He’s still pitching with plus control in the big leagues and missing bats, traits that helped him quickly slide into the Indians’ rotation.


3. Nolan Jones, 3B
low class A Lake County
Age: 20

Jones moved up to full-season ball this season and has found success at the plate after a slow April in which he was hampered by knee soreness. He’s continued to hit the ball hard and doubled his home run total from last year in the same number of games. Jones’ strikeout rate has slowly been lowered to a tick under 25 percent, while his walk rate remains solid and he earns praise for his ability to control the strike zone.


4. George Valera, OF
Rookie-level AZL Indians
Age: 17

Valera, the Indians’ top signing in 2017 on the international market, has impressed early in his professional career. He skipped over the Dominican Summer League and debuted in the Arizona League less than a year after he signed. Valera combines impressive power with good hittability and is advanced for his age, but a hamate injury cut his pro debut short at the end of June. [does that mean he's done for the summer?]

5. Noah Naylor, C
Age: 18

Naylor, the younger brother of Padres’ prospect Josh Naylor, was the Indians’ top pick in this year’s draft, going 29th overall, and signed for slightly above pick value. The Canadian native stands out for his hittability and drives the ball to all fields. He has good athleticism and could play third base, but the Indians will keep him behind the plate where his above-average arm strength plays well.


6. Bobby Bradley, 1B
Double-A Akron
Age: 22

Bradley got off to a poor start to the season in Akron and hit just .114/.202/.228 in April. He’s since bounced back in a big way and he’s produced at about his typical level since the calendar flipped to May and he’s soared back to the top of the Eastern League home run leaderboard. The lefthanded hitter has started to see shifts and lefty specialists deployed against him, which he’ll need to adjust to as he continues to progress in pro ball.

7. Ethan Hankins, RHP
Age: 18

Hankins came into the spring as the top high school player in the draft class. But a shoulder injury interrupted his season and his stuff wasn’t the same once he got back on the mound. He fell to 35th overall, where the Indians signed him to a slightly above pick value bonus. When Hankins is at his best, he has a well-above average fastball with plus life.

8. Yu-Cheng Chang, SS
Triple-A Columbus
Age: 22

Chang impressed with a 24-homer season in 2017 at Double-A and while he won’t repeat that performance after this year moving up to Triple-A, he is putting together another decent year. Chang has mostly played shortstop this year and is turning in his most consistent defensive season. He’s also seen his first action at third base since 2014, as the Indians look to increase his positional versatility as he nears the majors.

9. Willi Castro, SS
Double-A Akron
Age: 21

Castro is again one of the youngest players in his level and is again holding his own. He hasn’t found his power stroke in Akron after last year hitting a career-high 11 home runs with high Class A Lynchburg, but, after a slow April, he’s found his footing offensively. He still needs work on his consistency defensively, but his tools give him a chance to stay at shortstop.


10. Sam Hentges, LHP
Level: High Class A Lynchburg
Age: 22

Hentges is in his first fully healthy season following Tommy John surgery and has already set a career high in innings pitched while running his fastball up to 96 mph and mixing in a plus breaking ball. Listed at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, he gives hitters a tough look and can miss bats with his fastball.

[So sudden Sam bests Morgan and Oviedo and Civale in BA rating. We could use a strong lefty, although the rotation has not suffered from a right handed monopoly]

RISING
•RHP Eli Morgan last year was the best performer from the 2017 draft class and he’s continued that success, quickly reaching Lynchburg and flummoxing hitters with his plus changeup.
•SS Tyler Freeman also has stood out from the 2017 draft class thanks to his impressive bat-to-ball skills and advanced understanding of the game.

FALLING
•OF Will Benson still shows impressive raw tools and he ranks among the Midwest League leaders in home runs, but he's struggled to find consistency at the plate in his first year of full-season ball and his strikeout rate remains above 30 percent.
•2B/OF Tyler Krieger is repeating Akron with about the same disappointing stat line that he had last season and is now primarily playing the outfield for the RubberDucks.

HURTING
•RHP Julian Merryweather underwent Tommy John surgery in March and is out for the year.
•LHP Ryan Merritt started the season on the disabled list due to a left knee injury that started bothering him during the offseason and continued to trouble him in the first half.

GRADUATING
•OF Greg Allen struggled offensively when he was called upon to replace injured outfielders Tyler Naquin and Bradley Zimmer and he ultimately got sent back to Triple-A for more seasoning, but he figures to get back on track at the plate in the second half.
•SS Erik Gonzalez, who was out of options, won the utility infield job out of spring training and has held on to it, providing solid offensive production to go with his defensive versatility.

I think I would have included Morgan and Freeman.

Hard for me to put a guy in top 10 that hasn't even threw a pitch yet. Probably would replace Hankins and Hentges with those two, personally.

Morgan Freeman, I've heard of him.

Not much action yesterday due to Monday off for some teams and lots of rain in Ohio and elsewhere. No rain in Arizona, however.

Akron got their game in, unfortunately. Civale 4 runs on 6 hits. Lovegrove with a masterpiece: faced 4 batters, hit two, walked two, 3 scored. Mitch Brown 1 scoreless on a hit and walk and 2K. Henry Martinez 1 scoreless with a walk. Ka'ai Tom singled, doubled, and hit his 10th homer. He's hitting 232 with 724 OPS.

Lynchburg made into the 6th innings, losing 5-0. All the runs off Tully, 3 of them earned. Longo returned and hit his 23rd double.

Lake County rained out. Columbus and Mah Valley not scheduled.

AZ teams won 12-3 and lost 3-2.

For the 1s, RF Jo Rod singled and tripled. LF Ruben Cardenas singled, tripled and stole a base. 2B Wilbis Santiago 2 singles and a triple. DH Miguel Jerez with his 6th homer, he's tied for the league lead with AZ2 CF Billy Wilson who has 7. CF Cody Farhat single and double.
Best pitching by Shane McCarthy 2 scoreless innings, 2K

Discovered another Mejia on the 2s: Wilmer Mejia with a solid 5 inning start, 3 hits, 1 run, 2bb, 5K
The aforementioned Billy Wilson drew 3 walks and stole his 7th. He's only batting 238 but his OPS is 873
Catcher Yainer Diaz with a single and triple, he's hiting 384 OPS 889
Nearly everyone's hitting well for both desert teams, here's a marked exception: Makesiondon Kelkbooom [trying say that one fast] is .093