Indians 2018 27th Round Pick: SS Gionti Turner

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 1:52 PM

At pick #823 in the 27th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Gionti Turner out of Watson Chapel High School.

Born: 8/17/00 — Height: 6' 2'' Weight: 178 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: On the other hand Gionti Turner a big shortstop at 6’2” from Watson Chapel HS in Arkansas is likely to sign and go out to Arizona. He is fast both with his feet and his wrists. He is a very skinny kid right now, but in spite of his lack of bulk he produced some good exit velocity numbers. He should stick at short and has the potential to be a starter down the road. He is very raw, and a player with a lot of variables blocking his route to the majors, but the tools are there for him to out play his draft position.

Indians 2018 28th Round Pick: OF Billy Wilson

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 1:55 PM

At pick #853 in the 28th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected outfielder Billy Wilson out of Loyola Marymount University.

Born: 5/28/96 — Height: 5' 11'' Weight: 185 — Bats: Left — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: I got a text about Billy Wilson the outfielder out of Loyola Marymount University not long after the pick. They said he is gamer, who will put up solid numbers but is likely an organizational player who might have 40 tools across the board. He is another young senior who just turned 22 at the end of may, and had a year in a lesser wood bat league last summer. His strikeout to walk ratio is very imbalance which is an issue for a small school guy. As a senior he should head to Mahoning Valley, but seems like organizational depth player who is going to have to prove himself this year to start next year with more than a backup role.

Press Release: Played four seasons at Loyola Marymount, batting .270 (58-215) with 11 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 38 runs scored and 32 RBI in 2018...ranked 7th in the nation with seven triples in 2017.

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At pick #883 in the 29th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected left-handed pitcher Tim Herrin.

Born: 10/30/96 — Height: 6' 5'' Weight: 225 — Bats: Left — Throws: Left

Jeff Ellis: Tim Herrin is a big letfy from Indiana who had a walk rate this past season a little above three. He did not play much as a freshman and split time between the pen and a starting role the last two years. In the Cape his struckout players at a higher than he did at Indiana. He was mostly working out of the pen then, which shows that his stuff might play up a bit in that role. The problem for Herrin right now is he does not miss bats. His strikeout rate for his college career is under six, so while he might not walk a ton of players his strikeout to walk ratio is not great due to the low strikeout rate. There is a chance he could return to school and try to improve his value, we have seen a lot of Indiana players attempt this over the last few years without much success. His size and the fact he is a lefty with strong control mean that he will always have value though and with a strong senior season he would be a player that teams would pay more than the max the Indians can offer of 125K.

Press Release: Pitched for the Hoosiers for three seasons, compiling a 9-3 record and 3.44 ERA (120.1 IP, 55 R, 46 ER, 46 BB, 80 K).

Indians 2018 30th Round Pick: SS Connor Smith

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 2:00 PM

At pick #913 in the 30th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Connor Smith out of Western Michigan.

Born: 4/22/97 — Height: 5' 10'' Weight: 180 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Connor Smith was the shortstop that every talked about over the last four years in the MAC. Max Schuemann who went in the teens earlier in the day often go over shadowed by SMith who is a very good athlete. He has shown plus plus speed in the past, but his arm is fringy at best at short, leading me to think he will play second where I believe the Indians announced him. He has shown gap power in the MAC the last two years, but struggled with wood bats, which was sure to hurt him as that is also when he consistently faced better competition. MAC kids typically sign when drafted so I would expect Smith to get a lot of time at second as the Indians did not draft a lot of college infielders this year.

Press Release: Earned 2018 First Team All-MAC, 2017 Second Team All-MAC, 2016 Louisville Freshman All-American & first MAC Freshman Position Player of the Year in Western Michigan baseball history.

Indians 2018 31st Round Pick: RF Jonathan Engelmann
ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 8:14 PM

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(Photo: Katie Hewitt/Michigan Athletics)

At pick #943 in the 31st round, the Cleveland Indians have selected right fielder Jonathan Engelmann out of Michigan.

Born: 9/18/96 — Height: 6' 4'' Weight: 210 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Jonathan Engelmann is an outfielder out of Michigan, but please don’t go burning your Indians jerseys as there is a chance he might head back to school. He is one of the more interesting day three picks to me, because while he is 6’4” and 210 pounds his best current tools are his speed and defense. When he was coming out of high school there were those who thought he had some five-tool potential, but it never came together at Michigan. In fairness when it comes to college baseball the B1G is not considered a power conference. So there is a chance that he could still be coached up. He had a very good year this year in terms of his average and steals after two below average years for Michigan. His extra base hits exploded this year up to 22 total extra base hits after he had 16 total during his first two years combined. His walks and strikeouts were up as well, but one could easily see tools and a late bloomer profile that could allow him to play up in the minors making him a better pro than a college player.

Press Release: Batted .351 (74-211) with 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 44 RBI & 21 stolen bases in 54 games for the Wolverines in 2018...2018 All-Big Ten First Team…drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 28th Round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft but did not sign.

Indians 2018 32nd Round Pick: OF Andrew Eyster

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 8:15 PM

At pick #973 in the 32nd round, the Cleveland Indians have selected outfielder Andrew Eyster out of Santa Fe Community College.

Born: 1/29/99 — Height: 6' 3'' Weight: 190 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Andrew Eyster certainly caught a few eyes this past year with his performance for Sante Fe CC in Florida. Yes, the puns will keep coming through out these capsules so just sit back and try to enjoy them. Eyster was a 27th round pick a year go, but he might be more signable now that he is entering his sophomore year and I did not see a college connected with him for next year. He has plus power potential and could be a plus hitter with average defense in right field where he has a strong arm as well. He was thought of as a possible day two pick, so it was a surprise to see him still on the board. He will not be an easy sign, but was one of the more interesting picks the Indians made on day three.

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At pick #1,003 in the 33rd round, the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Daniel Schneemann out of Brigham Young.

Born: 1/23/97 — Height: 6' 1'' Weight: 180 — Bats: Left — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Daniel Schneeman is junior shortstop out of BYU. His glove is ahead of his bat, and he profiles as a rather safe utility player long term. He will be able to play short, second, or third with relative ease. Offensively this past year was his was worst season by far. After hitting over three hundred during his first two years he his .238 this season and his walk rate went down while his strikeouts went up. He has had some success with wood bats in the past and if you look back before this season he had been successful as a hitter and fielder, so the Indians are likely trying to buy low on a player with a past history of success.

Press Release: Batted .288 (163-566) with 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 76 RBI & 97 runs scored in three years at BYU.

Indians 2018 34th Round Pick: RHP Spencer Schwellenbach

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 8:17 PM

At pick #1,033 in the 34th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach out of Saginaw Heritage HS (MI).

Born: 5/31/00 — Height: 6' 0'' Weight: 185 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Spencer Schwellenbach is a player I talked about just this week with a Nebraska site. I thought he was likely to go to school and be a possible two way player for Nebraska and he has already announced he is headed to school. Schwellenbach is about six feet tall, and is a strong defender at short but as a right handed pitcher he has been off up to 94. The Indians announced him as a pitcher, and I am sure they will be watching him closely as an option in three years an undersized pitcher who is young for his class.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game 3 rd Team All-American (Central – All Region 1st Team)…Gatorade Michigan High School Baseball Player of the Year…committed to the University of Nebraska.

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At pick #1,063 in the 35th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina out of Gonzaga.

Born: 6/19/97 — Height: 6' 1'' Weight: 185 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Casey Legumina is a right handed pitcher from Gonzaga who they likely saw last year when scouting Eli Morgan. Legumina is a sophomore meaning he has two more years of eligibility if he chooses to not sign. He is another college reliever, who is undersized with a walk rate under two this past season. He also served as Gonzaga’s closer. Unlike some of the last few relievers they have drafted Legumina did manage to miss quite a few bats this past season. His dad was also a pitcher who reached AA. He might decided to head back to school, and see if another strong year can push him up boards. The fact he has two years of eligibility and is coming off a strong sophomore year gives him a better chance than most to increase his value.

Press Release: Pitched two seasons at Gonzaga, compiling a 4-7 record and 4.23 ERA (50ER/106.1IP), with 14 saves…named 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American (West – All Region 1st Team)…drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 25th Round of the 2016 First Year Player Draft but did not sign.

Indians 2018 36th Round Pick: C Jose Gutierrez

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 8:19 PM

At pick #1,093 in the 36th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected catcher Jose Gutierrez out of Arlington Lamar HS (TX).

Born: 9/5/00 — Height: 6' 2'' Weight: 230 — Bats: Left — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Jose Gutierrez is a bat first, way first project. He might be listed as a catcher and has spent time at third, but he is best served as a DH. He has plus power potential, and fits the theme of this and most drafts by being young for his class. He will not turn 18 until September. He has already announced he is heading to Dallas Baptist, where he can continue to work on his defense and hit with enough power to go a lot higher in three years.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American (Texas – All Region 2nd Team).

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At pick #1,123 in the 37th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Timothy Borden out of Our Lady of Providence High School.

Born: 9/1/99 — Height: 6' 2'' Weight: 180 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Timmy Borden is a shortstop from Our Lady of Providence High School in Indiana. He is committed to Louisville, which makes him a near impossible sign at this point in the draft. He committed there as a freshman in high school. He has good exit velocity which along with his size could see some power potential as he fills in his frame. He is also likely to move to third because of his size. Louisville is a baseball factory and there is little doubt Borden will go much higher than this in three years.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game 3 rd Team All-American (Central – All Region 1st Team).

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At pick #1,153 in the 38th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected shortstop Zack Geof out of Cape Henlopen HS (DE).

Born: 10/19/99 — Height: 6' 2'' Weight: 175 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Zack Gelof is a big shortstop from Cape Henlopen in Delaware. This pick got my attention because it is not often I see a player drafted from Delaware. He is a Virginia recruit and should be part of a very strong class for the Cavaliers this fall. His bat is his best tool, and as a pitcher he has the arm to move to third where he profiles in the future.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American (Northeast – All Region 1st Team).

Indians 2018 39th Round Pick: LHP Kaleb Hill

ByIBI Staff Reports Jun 6, 8:24 PM

At pick #1,183 in the 39th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected left-handed pitcher Kaleb Hill out of Watson Chapel High School.

Born: 6/3/00 — Height: 6' 4'' Weight: 205 — Bats: Right — Throws: Left

Jeff Ellis: Kaleb Hill is the second prep player the Indians have taken from Arkansas in this draft and is teammates with that player Gionti Turner. While Turner is going to sign I doubt that Hill joins him as the left-hander is an Ole Miss recruit. Hill is another young for his class, athlete. He is a big lefty at 6’4” and 215 pounds, and might even get a shot next year starting for the Rebels.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American (Southeast – All Region 1st Team).

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At pick #1,213 in the 40th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected left-handed pitcher Braxton Gottongame out of Perry Central HS (KY).

Born: 5/18/00 — Height: 6' 3'' Weight: 185 — Bats: Left — Throws: Left

Jeff Ellis: The final pick in the draft was Braxton Cottongame another left-hander, who turned 18 in the last month. He is committed to the University of Kentucky which over the last two years has become a pipeline school to the MLB draft. Cottongame is 6’4” and 192 pounds and already has touched in the low 90’s with his fastball. He should get bigger and stronger and be able to sit there, and with the staff that Kentucky has put together I expect he will develop into a fine pitcher for them Kentucky had the most players drafted of any school over the draft, and will have plenty of openings for freshman to step up this year for them.

Press Release: 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American (Central – All Region 1st Team).

That's a great reference manual you've posted for us, Hillbilly. Next comes the list of signings.


I looked back at the scouting report you posted on the 6-8 255 pound pitcher who throws 08. I read that his strikeout rate was nearing 15, but his walk rate was over 12. Neither he nor the batter knew where the ball would end up when it left his hand. And he played at 3 colleges. Clearly a high risk, high reward player. IF he can harness it …. Big if.

Sign Crash Davis to catch him and coach him up. Maybe he will hit the Bull mascot, but not on purpose.

Cleveland Indians: Talking draft prospects

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

ABOUT MLB DRAFT

With the No. 29 pick in the 2018 Major League draft, the Tribe took catcher Noah Naylor.

There are always great expectations for a first-round pick, no matter where he's selected. I recently had a casual conversation with Tribe president Chris Antonetti. The subject was the draft, and I mentioned that Lonnie Chisenhall was the 29th pick in 2008, the most recent time the Indians drafted in that slot.

"Lonnie is one of the best players picked there," he said. "Only about half even make the majors."

With that in mind, I did some research - looking at all the players picked 29th between 1995-2015.

Here we go:

1. Only nine of 20 selections have even played in the big leagues.

2. Only four have played in at least 100 MLB games. The best is Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who has a career 147-84 record and 3.30 ERA. He was picked in 2000.

3. Then comes Joe Panik (drafted 2011), who has made an All-Star team and won a gold glove at second base for the Giants. He has played in 467 games, batting .281 (.716 OPS).

4. Next is Carlos Quentin (drafted 2003), who played in 834 games between 2006-14. He hit 154 HR, batting .251 (.831 OPS). From 2008-12, he averaged 26 HR and 80 RBI for the White Sox. Then his career fell apart because of injuries.

5. Chisenhall (drafted 2008) has played in 668 games. He's a career .265 hitter (.741 OPS) with 63 HR for the Tribe.

6. A fangraphs story reported that only 32 of 55 players drafted between 26-30 from 2000-10 made the majors. By contrast, 48 of 55 players drafted in the top five between 2000-10 reached the bigs.

7. Wainwright made three All-Star teams, Quentin two and Panik has been an All-Star once.

8. If Noah Naylor becomes a regular catcher for the Tribe - or has a big league career of several seasons - he's defying the odds of where he was picked.

9. Who is the best 29th pick in baseball history? According to ESPN, it's George Brett. The Hall of Famer was taken by Kansas City in 1971.

ABOUT TRIBE'S PICKS

1. Naylor was rated the No. 27 prospect in the draft by MLB.com. Baseball America had him at No. 41. The Indians believe the 18-year-old can be an elite hitter from the left side of the plate. He is from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga and played for the Canadian National team.

2. Naylor comes from a baseball family. His brother (Josh Naylor) was the 12th pick in the 2015 draft. Josh is batting .313 (.885 OPS) with 9 HR and 46 RBI for San Antonio, a Class AA farm team for the San Diego Padres.

3. The Indians saw Naylor using wooden bats in competition against some minor league teams in the spring, when he toured with Team Canada. He has some skills behind the plate and the Indians will start him out as a catcher, but he could end up playing somewhere else.

4. The Indians took pitcher Ethan Hankins at No. 35. MLB.com had him ranked as the No. 2 pitching prospect in the draft. He consistently threw in the high 90s. But the high school right-hander had some shoulder problems in the spring, and that scared some teams.

5. The Tribe had Hankins in Cleveland to be examined by their medical people. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder pitched late in the season for his Forsyth Central High team in Cumming, Georgia. Hankins became a hot prospect in 2017 when he struck out 27 in 12 innings pitching for the Team USA 18-under team in the World Cup.

6. ESPN's Keith Law wrote: "Hankins came into the spring as my No. 1 prospect in the draft. He was seen within the industry as a consensus top-five pick, bringing the best combination of stuff (fastball and curve) and command in the draft class. He left his first start of the season when his velocity suddenly fell off ... missed a month with shoulder tightness ... returned to make a few starts. ... I saw him on April 9. He was OK, but not what he was last summer. Hankins hit 95 mph on his fastball, and showed a bunch of 94 mph ... although the pitch didn't have the same life as last year. The curve has backed up, more of a slow roller 71-75 mph."

7. The Indians know Hankins is a bit of a gamble. They plan to go slowly with him, building up his arm. He's a high school pitcher, and those are often high risk/high reward picks high in the draft.

8. My favorite (purely on paper) is Nick Sandlin, a right-hander from Southern Mississippi. He was a reliever in his first two seasons. He moved into the starting rotation to help his team, and had a stunning 10-0 record and 1.05 ERA. He fanned 144 in 102 innings, walking 18.

9. Sandlin was the No. 67 pick. The Indians will move him to the bullpen. He throws sidearm. He averaged seven innings per start, so the Indians will work him slowly this summer because of his heavy pitch load in college.

10. From Baseball America: "Keep an eye on Sandlin. He could be a quick mover to the majors to help a struggling Indians bullpen."

11. It's unrealistic to look for Sandlin in Cleveland this season. But next year? Who knows? The Tribe took Cody Allen 698th in the 2011 draft. By the middle of the 2012 season, Allen was in the majors. A reliever can advance swiftly through the farm system.

12. An intriguing pick is Cody Morris, a seventh-rounder who is starting for South Carolina in the NCAA playoffs. The right-hander is a sophomore eligible for the draft. That means he could return to school.

13. Morris was the 2014 Maryland High School Player of the Year. But he had Tommy John elbow surgery before enrolling in South Carolina. Despite the surgery, he was a 32nd round pick by Baltimore when he graduated from high school.

14. Morris has an 8-3 record and 3.68 ERA for the Gamecocks, who play a big time schedule. His fastball is in the middle 90s. He was one of 10 players drafted from South Carolina's roster this season.

15. I'll be curious to watch the career of 10th rounder Robert Broom. He pitched for Mercer College in Georgia, a Division I program. He's a sidearmer who had a 10-4 record, 1.71 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 74 innings. He'll also go to the bullpen.

Jon Heyman @JonHeyman
Raynel Delgado, ss from Calvary Christian in Ft. Lauderdale, Indians sixth rounder, is expected to sign with Cleveland for 900K.

Indians Prospective @indiansPro
Can confirm on money. Has not completed physical testing yet. Once completed Delgado will be flying out to Arizona to sign his contract.

Indians assigned "slot value" for 6th round is $235,600. We knew Delgado would be signed for well over slot. That' why the college pitchers filled up much of the second half of the top 10 rounds.

Word is the Indians have several of their draft picks coming in tomorrow for signings. Some top guys included. So might be a good news day. I’ll post the news as @indiansPro tweets it out.

I'd expect plenty of signings today or tomorrow: Scrappers open their season on Friday. The name to watch at this point is Tyler Freeman, last year's second pick, a SS, 19 years old. The other top picks in 2018 --- OFs Quentin Holmes and Johnathan Rodriguez-- will be opening back in Arizona.