A Trip Around the Farm: Triston McKenzie gets comfortable in Akron
By Michael Hattery 2h ago
Triston McKenzie is tall with a fluid gait. His stride is long and particularly daunting for this writer who attempted to walk and talk with him “West Wing”-style en route to McKenzie’s participation in a charity event hosted by the Akron RubberDucks. At 20 years old, McKenzie is one of the youngest players in the Eastern League, and perhaps one of the most easily identifiable. McKenzie is best described as rail thin.
He entered 2018 as the crown jewel of the Indians pitching prospects with prospect evaluators fawning over his strong arsenal and advanced feel on the mound. Baseball Prospectus had McKenzie ranked 37th of its top 101 prospects, and FanGraphs had him 51st. The young right-hander has flexed his four-seamer at 91-95 mph with the makings of a plus curveball as well as advanced command and control.
However, as the Indians organization broke camp in Arizona, McKenzie experienced forearm tightness that delayed his season debut to the first week of June. But all is good now.
“When I go out there, I feel the same as usual, comfortable in my own skin, comfortable just getting out on the mound,” McKenzie said.
The results have been solid through four starts: 19 1/3 innings, 19 strikeouts, five walks, a 4.26 ERA. There have been a few blips in terms of hard contact, but these are to be expected when a starting pitcher jumps to Double A.
“I was talking to Triston last (Saturday) night that, you know this is basically his April and he is competing with guys who are in midseason form,” Akron pitching coach Rigo Beltran said. “So he needs to understand that he is still trying to get in shape, get his pitches to do what they are supposed to do.”
There are a few major jumps in the player development path, and moving to Class AA is perhaps the biggest.
“(T)here are little intricacies of being in this league, especially since this is a league where guys prove themselves, there are little things that I have to learn,” McKenzie said.
Beltran added, “There is definitely an adjustment going from A-Ball to AA, better hitters, better umpires, guys are a bit stronger.”
Of course, the measure of success in player development is often not measured in the box score but rather in the player’s ability to make the requisite adjustments.
“As a person watching, wanting to be a successful big leaguer, you watch what the big leaguers do,” McKenzie said. “And it is being able to throw all of their pitches in any count, any situation whether it be a starter in the beginning of the game, a starter in his ninth inning, or a reliever, like a closer, like Cody Allen when he is in there to get a save.”
Yet, the checklist for player development is never short and requires constant efforts to work on interconnected skills to reach the big leagues. Beltran outlined the different areas of growth they have targeted this season.
“I think he is going to learn to value the ability to execute his pitches a little bit more; to better command to the bottom of the zone and expand up. Developing his secondary pitches, his work ethic between starts, and his work ethic during the offseason. Stuff that he is going to need not only to compete at the Double-A level but eventually at the Triple-A and big-league level.”
Beltran thinks McKenzie’s ability to take coaching will be a key.
“I like how open-minded he is to suggestions and he is willing to try new things, and how good of an athlete he is,” Beltran said. “He is a very good athlete, so when you talk about mechanical changes or pitch development stuff he is able to grasp it really quickly and apply it, and carry it into the game.”
Blue chip production
(Updates on former first-/second-round picks and major international signees)
Nolan Jones: Jones is hitting to all fields and is starting to show off his raw power. Jones could be getting promoted soon.
Will Benson: Benson is simply struggling to make enough contact at the moment. All of the other skills — power, discipline and defense — are there, but his contact skills remain an impediment.
Brady Aiken: Aiken has still not been assigned to an affiliate.
Quentin Holmes: At 19 years old, he is playing for one of the Indians’ two Arizona Rookie League teams. He has plus speed but a lot of work to do with his hitting approaches.
Hot three hitters (Last 28 days)
Name Level AVG OBP ISO K%
Francisco Mejía Columbus (AAA) .395 .417 .235 14.1%
Nolan Jones Lake County (A) .329 .421 .256 22.10%
Oscar Gonzalez Lake County (AA) .299 .322 .184 15.50%
Hot three pitchers
Name Level IP ERA K/9 BB/9
Eli Morgan Lynchburg (A+) 34.1 2.62 10.50 1.60
Dalbert Siri* Lynchburg (A+) 21.2 2.08 12.50 5.00
Luis Oviedo Mahoning Valley (A-) 10.0 0.90 13.50 1.80
*Denotes reliever status
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BREAKING: Ethan Hankins, who was taken 35th overall by the #Indians, has signed with @Chipola_BSB. Hankins is still in negotiations with the club, but very interesting move as he would be draft eligible again next year if they don't get the deal done. @PBR_JUCO @PBRGeorgia 
